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Producer Shrihari Sathe of New York-based production company Dialectic is enjoying the best time of his life, with no less than three of his projects, each completely different in style, genre and tone, being selected at A-list festivals.

The latest career high for Sathe began with Bangladeshi filmmaker Mostofa Sarwar Farooki’s continent-hopping, multilingual identity tale “No Land’s Man” being selected at Busan in October 2021, followed by Francisca Alegria’s Spanish-language magical realist drama “The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future” premiering at this year’s Sundance. Now, “Stay Awake,” an expansion of Jamie Sisley’s 2015 short film of the same name that premiered at the Berlinale and won the Jury Prize at Slamdance, makes its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival’s Generation 14plus strand on Feb. 12.

The “Stay Awake” cast includes Wyatt Oleff, Fin Argus and Chrissy Metz. “Prescription drug and opioid addiction is a global problem.

Exclusive: The South Asian talent incubator, 1497 has selected 11 finalists out of 382 submissions for its inaugural Writers Lab. The next step will be narrowing it down to three mentees who will participate in the Lab’s program.

Under the virtual mentor program, the trio of mentees will work with Sundance filmmaker and veteran script consultant Adrienne Weiss. From there, the selected mentees will get mentorship from acclaimed filmmakers Gurinder Chadha (Blinded By the Light), Aneesh Chaganty (Searching), and Maryam Keshavarz (Viper Club). 1497 will then tag in and introduce the mentees to an industry advisory group chich includes Gersh agent Louise Keshaviah, Brillstein Partners manager Ken Lee and Management 360 manager Priya Satiani. They will offer guidance to the mentees to help build a successful career roadmap.

“We are incredibly excited to see such an overwhelmingly positive response,” said 1497 co-founders Adeel Ahmed, Lipica Shah and Kamran Khan in a joint statement. “The fact...

The past five years have given Mpac’s Hollywood Bureau a renewed sense of hope. We’ve seen an unprecedented increase in Muslim characters and storylines on screen, even from major studios. When Mahershala Ali won the Oscar for supporting actor in 2017 for “Moonlight,” he became the first Muslim to ever do so. On Feb. 24, there’s a chance he will take home his second Oscar for “Green Book.” 2017 also marked a milestone when two Muslim presenters were featured in the broadcast: Dave Chappelle and Kumail Nanjiani. Nanjiani returned this year to co-present the Oscar nominations with Tracee Ellis Ross.

As someone who has long watched the Oscars, the sight of three stars who shared my faith onstage on Hollywood’s biggest night was something that I had always hoped for and knew in my heart was possible. It is a moment that I carry with me as I think about the road ahead.

MaryAnn’s quick take… A bittersweet, deeply human tale, one with a documentary sense of discovery to its setting: a little seen, highly insular ultraorthodox Jewish community. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing

I’m “biast” (con): nothing

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)

There’s a word in Yiddish to describe the sadsack widower at the center of Menashe: schlemiel. A schlemiel isn’t a bad person, but merely one who’s clumsy, inept, a bit of a slob. (No one says the word here, but you can almost see them thinking it in their rolled eyes and their just barely contained polite tolerance for his oafish antics.) It makes the task of winning back custody of his son, nine-year-old Rieven (Ruben Niborsk), much trickier for grocery-store worker Menashe (Menashe Lustig). His ultraorthodox Jewish rabbi (Meyer Schwartz) insists that Menashe remarry before he can...

Menashe Lustig in the film Alex Lipschultz: 'We definitely had conversations with Menashe and other performers in the film about if there would be or could be serious repercussions for them about being in this movie and what those might be and if they were really prepared for that, should it come' Menashe – which premiered at Sundance in January – finally makes it to UK cinema screens this week. The film, sees documentarian and cinematographer Josh Z Weinstein turn his hand to fictional direction, although the story is firmly rooted in truth. Co-written with Alex Lipschultz and Musa Syeed, the story draws heavily on the real life of its Hasidic Jewish star Menashe Lustig. He plays the character of the same name who, following the death of his wife, begins to fight within the community to retain custody of his son, who rules dictate must live with his brother-in-law until he remarries.

Chicago – We all belong to something, be it a family, workplace, congregation or (expansively) a tribe. But within all that belonging is a sometimes nagging feeling of being an outsider. There is not a human being in existence that hasn’t felt that way, and a new film expresses that feeling in “Menashe.”

Rating: 4.0/5.0

The title is a character, a Hasidic Orthodox Jewish man whose wife had died, and due to tribal/religious tradition has lost the right to care for his son. He is the outsider in a very strict religious order, with a dogma that affects virtually every element of his difficult life. In another world, that type of individual would simply walk away, but within this closed society Menashe fights to exist and express, often taking matters destructively into his own hands. The film is unique, funny, sad and wise, plus gives audience outsiders a glimpse into...

Menashe Director: Joshua Z. Weinstein Written by: Joshua Z. Weinstein, Alex Lipschulz, Musa Syeed Cast: Menashe Lustig, Ruben Niborski, Yoel Weisshau, Meyer Schwartz Screened at: Critics’ link, NYC, 7/24/17 Opens: July 28, 2017 When Rabbi Menachem Schneerson died in 1994, people asked me whether I had gone to his funeral. Schneerson, whom some in his […]

The post Menashe Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

Exclusive: Vertigo snaps up rights to drama set in ultra-orthodox Jewish community.

Vertigo has snapped up UK rights to Sundance and Berlin hit Menashe from Mongrel International.

Joshua Z Weinstein’s debut feature, starring Menashe Lustig, was shot covertly within the New York Hasidic community in Borough Park, Brooklyn over two years.

The film follows the life of actor Menashe Lustig, a loving but hapless single father who tries to maintain custody of his son in a tradition-bound culture that requires a mother present in every home.

The Yiddish-language feature was the first foreign language film picked up by Us distributor A24, which also secured Chinese rights to the film.

As previously revealed by Screen, the film recently sold to France, Australia and Canada.

Weinstein wrote the script with Alex Lipschultz and Musa Syeed.

Alex Lipschultz, Traci Carlson, Danny Finkelman, Weinstein and Yoni Brook produced, with Danelle Eliav, Adam Margules, Chris Columbus and [link...

Exclusive: Mongrel International closes key territories on the Yiddish-language Sundance hit, which screens at Berlinale Forum.

Toronto-based Mongrel international has closed key territories on Yiddish-language Berlin Film Festival Forum selection and recent Sundance world premiere Menashe.

Sophie Dulac Distribution has acquired the drama for France and Rialto has taken rights for Australia and New Zealand. Mongrel Media has acquired Canadian rights.

Mongrel International chief Charlotte Mickie said a sale is pending in Scandinavia and reported “high interest” from the UK, Israel, Switzerland, Germany and Japan.

Menashe screens in Berlin on Sunday and centres on a single father from Brooklyn’s ultra-orthodox Hasidic community who struggles to secure custody of his young son.

A24 recently acquired Us rights to Joshua Z Weinstein’s feature directorial debut, which stars Menashe Lustig and Ruben Niborski.

Weinstein wrote the script with Alex Lipschultz and Musa Syeed.

Lipschultz, Traci Carlson, Danny Finkelman, Weinstein and Yoni Brook produced and executive producers are [link...

The New York-based distributor has made its first foreign-language acquisition.

A24 has picked up Us and Chinese rights to Joshua Z Weinstein’s Berlin-bound Menashe, which will receive its international premiere at the Berlinale after debuting in Park City last week in the Next section.

The distributor plans a traditional theatrical roll-out later this year on the Shtick Film drama, a rare beast that shot almost entirely in Yiddish in secret within the New York Hasidic community in Brooklyn.

The film is loosely based on the real life of actor Menashe Lustig and centres on a loving single father who tries to maintain custody of his son in a culture that requires a mother present in every home.

“Our entire company has fallen in love with this magical and beautiful film,” A24 said. “Filmmaker Joshua Z Weinstein has done an incredible job of presenting the movie’s unique setting with great authenticity and fresh insights, but at the...

A24 has acquired the U.S. and Chinese Distribution rights to “Menashe,” which premiered on January 23 in the Sundance Film Festival’s Next section. The father-son drama was shot in secret within the New York Hasidic community in Borough Park, Brooklyn.

Read More: ‘Menashe’ Review: A Hasidic Community Sets the Stage for a Touching Father-Son Drama — Sundance 2017

Loosely based on the life of actor Menashe Lustig, the film follows a loving but hapless single father trying to maintain custody of his son in a culture that requires a mother in every household. First-time feature director Joshua Z. Weinstein wrote the script with Alex Lipschultz and Musa Syeed after working as a documentarian and cinematographer. The movie is one of the first films to be performed almost entirely in Yiddish in nearly 70 years.

“Our cast took an extraordinary risk stepping outside the confines of their community to take part in this film,...

The story of a lower-class father attempting to raise his young son doesn’t sound like groundbreaking material, but “Menashe” puts that bittersweet formula into an exciting new context. Shot exclusively in Brooklyn’s Hasidic community in Borough Park with a script almost entirely spoken in Yiddish, the narrative debut of cinematographer and documentarian Joshua Z. Weinstein has the precision of an ethnographic experiment. The movie exists within the confines of its insular setting, and features a cast of real-life Hasidim riffing on the traditions that govern their everyday lives, but manages to mine a degree of emotional accessibility that extends far beyond the neighborhood’s borders.

The title character is portrayed by Menashe Lustig, a gentle, portly figure whose circumstances inspired the melancholic plot. His performance is so heartbreaking in its authenticity that the movie often borders on documentary, and yet it maintains an engaging pace as it builds...

"You don't have to live like a refugee," Tom Petty sang in 1979. The musician was reacting to the pressures of the music business when he wrote the lyrics, he said later, but the song has resonated for years because of its harsh and self-accusing tone, a message that rings true even today. In A Stray, a new film by Musa Syeed, the lead character Adan doesn't want to live like a refugee. He's portrayed by Barkhad Abdirahman, who made a notable impression as an angry modern-day pirate opposite Tom Hanks in Captain Phillips. As Adan, he is just as frustrated, but his character expresses himself in a far milder manner. That doesn't mean he's a pushover or an entirely gentle soul. He wants things...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

"A Stray avoids pushing its points too hard. Like the dog, it's watchful and observant without barking too much. But it's impossible to leave behind." That's how I concluded my review of A Stray after its world premiere at SXSW earlier this year, so I'm happy to share a new trailer and poster in advance of its theatrical bow in New York at Ifp Media Center on Friday, October 21, as part of the Ifp Screen Forward screening series. A regional roll out throughout the U.S. will follow. Here's a bit more about the film from my review: "In A Stray, a new film by Musa Syeed, the lead character Adan doesn't want to live live a refugee. He's portrayed by Barkhad Abdirahman, who made...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Written & Directed by Musa Syeed, “A Stray” is set in Minneapolis’ large Somali refugee community, and stars Barkhad Abdirahman (“Captain Phillips”) as Adan, a young man who has nowhere to go. His mom kicked him out, and his friends… Continue Reading →...

Musa Syeed’s film “A Stray” follows Adan (Barkhad Abdirahman), a Somali refugee living in Minneapolis with no place to go. His mom has kicked him out and his friends are tired of his headstrong ways. As a last resort, he moves into the mosque, and surprisingly, God answers his prayers. He quickly lands a good job, devout friends, and a newfound faith, but things go south when Adan nearly hits a stray dog on the job and is forced to take it in for a night. Soon, Adan’s faith will be tested and his only friend in sight is a stray dog. Check out the trailer and poster below.

Read More: SXSW Review: Musa Syeed’s Refugee Drama ‘A Stray’

This is Syeed’s second narrative feature film. His first “Valley of Saints,” about a young man’s desperate escape from Kashmir, won the World Cinema Audience Award...

Written & Directed by Musa Syeed, “A Stray” is set in Minneapolis’ large Somali refugee community, and stars Barkhad Abdirahman (“Captain Phillips”) as Adan, a young man who has nowhere to go. His mom kicked him out, and his friends… Continue Reading →...

This month, Brooklyn plays home to the annual BAMCinemaFest, featuring both some tried and true festival favorites (imagine if Sundance just happened to take place in New York City in the summer) and some brand-new standouts. Here’s the best of what’s on offer, as curated and culled by the IndieWire film team.

“Little Men” New York City-centric filmmaker Ira Sachs has long used his keen observational eye to track the worlds of the city’s adult denizens with features like “Love is Strange” and “Keep the Lights On,” but he’s going for a younger set of stars (and troubles) in his moving new feature, “Little Men.” The new film debuted at Sundance earlier this year, where it pulled plenty of heartstrings (including mine) with its gentle, deeply human story of two seemingly different young teens (Theo Taplitz as the worldly Jake, Michael Barbieri as the more rough and tumble Tony) who quickly bond when one of them moves into the other’s Brooklyn neighborhood. Jake and Tony become fast friends, but their relationship is threatened by drama brewing between their parents, as Jake’s parents own the small store that Tony’s mom operates below the family’s apartment.When Jake’s parents (Greg Kinnear and Jennifer Ehle) are bothered by looming money troubles, they turn to Tony’s mom (Paulina García) and ask her to pay a higher rent, a seemingly reasonable query that has heart-breaking consequences for both families and both boys. It’s a small story that hits hard, thanks to wonderful performances and the kind of emotion that’s hard to fake. – Kate Erbland “Kate Plays Christine”

It’s usually easy enough to find common themes cropping up at various film festivals, but few people could have anticipated that this year’s Sundance would play home to two stories about Christine Chubbuck, a tragic tale that had been previously unknown by most of the population (the other Chubbuck story to crop up at Sundance was Antonio Campos’ closely observed narrative “Christine,” a winner in its own right). In 1974, Chubbuck — a television reporter for a local Sarasota, Florida TV station — killed herself live on air after a series of disappointing events and a lifetime of mental unhappiness. Robert Greene’s “Kate Plays Christine” takes an ambitious angle on Chubbuck’s story, mixing fact and fiction to present a story of an actress (Kate Lyn Sheil) grappling with her preparations to play Chubbuck in a narrative feature that doesn’t exist. Sheil is tasked with playing a mostly real version of herself, a heightened version of herself as the story winds on and even Chubbuck in a series of re-enactments. The concept is complex, but it pays off, and “Kate Plays Christine” is easily one of the year’s most ambitious and fascinating documentaries. – Ke

“Suited”

This eye-opening documentary focuses on Brooklyn-based tailoring company Bindle & Keep, which designs clothes for transgender and gender fluid clients. Produced by Lena Dunham and her “Girls” producer Jenni Konner, the HBO Documentary looks at fashion through the eyes of several people across the gender identity spectrum, including a transitioning teen in need of a suit for his Bar Mitzvah and a transgender man buying a tuxedo for his wedding. The film has a deep personal connection to Dunham, whose gender nonconforming sister Grace has been a vocal activist within the transgender community. “Suited” is the first solo-directing effort from Jason Benjamin, who previously co-directed the 2002 documentary “Carnival Roots,” about Trinidad & Tobago’s annual music festival. – Graham Winfrey

“Wiener-Dog”

Todd Solondz’s first directorial effort since 2011’s “Dark Horse” is literally about an animal this time. “Wiener-Dog” follows a dachshund that goes from one strange owner to the next, serving as a central character in four stories that bring out the pointlessness of human existence. The offbeat comedy’s stellar cast includes Greta Gerwig, Danny DeVito, Julie Delpy and “Girls’” Zosia Mamet. Amazon nabbed all domestic media rights to the film at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, while IFC Films is handling the theatrical release. Financed by Megan Ellison’s Annapurna Pictures and produced by Christine Vachon’s Killer Films, the film marked Solondz’s first movie to play at Sundance since 1995’s “Welcome to the Dollhouse.” – Gw

“Last Night at the Alamo”

Eagle Pennell has become lost to film history, despite making two of the most important films of the modern indie era. His 1978 film “The Whole Shootin’ Match” inspired Robert Redford to start Sundance and his 1984 classic “Last Night at the Alamo” has been championed by Tarantino and Linklater, who along with IFC Films and SXSW founder Louis Black is responsible for the restoration that will be playing at Bam. “Alamo,” which tells the story of a cowboy’s last ditch effort to save a local watering hole, is credited for having given birth to the Austin film scene and for laying the groundwork for the rebirth of the American indie that came later in the decade. Pennell’s career was cut short by alcoholism, but “Alamo” stands tribute to his incredible talent, pioneering spirit and the influence he’s had on so many great filmmakers. – Chris O’Falt

Read More: Indie Legend Who Inspired Sundance, ‘Reservoir Dogs’ And More Will Have Classic Films Restored

“Author: The J.T. LeRoy Story”

J.T. Leroy was an literary and pop culture sensation, until it was revealed that the HIV-positive, ex-male-prostitute teenage author was actually the creation of a 40 year old mother by the name Laura Albert. Jeff Feuerzeig’s documentary, starring Albert and featuring her recorded phone calls from the hoax, is the best yarn of 2016. You will not believe the twist-and-turns of the behind the scenes story of how Albert pulled off the hoax and cultivated close relationships (with her sister-in-law posing at Jt) with celebrities like filmmaker Gus Van Sant and Smashing Pumpkins’ Bill Corgan, both of whom play key supporting roles in this stranger-than-fiction film. Trust us, “Author” will be one of the most entertaining films you see this summer. – Co

“Dark Night”

Loosely based on the 2012 shooting in Aurora, Colorado during a multiplex screening of “The Dark Knight,” Tim Sutton’s elegantly designed “Dark Night” contains a fascinating, enigmatic agenda. In its opening moments, Maica Armata’s mournful score plays out as we watch a traumatized face lit up by the red-blue glow of a nearby police car. Mirroring the media image of tragedy divorced from the lives affected by it, the ensuing movie fills in those details. Like Gus Van Sant’s “Elephant,” Sutton’s ambitious project dissects the moments surrounding the infamous event with a perceptive eye that avoids passing judgement. While some viewers may find this disaffected approach infuriating — the divisive Sundance reaction suggested as much — there’s no doubting the topicality of Sutton’s technique, which delves into the malaise of daily lives that surrounds every horrific event of this type with a keen eye. It may not change the gun control debate, but it adds a gorgeous and provocative footnote to the conversation. – Eric Kohn

“A Stray”

Musa Syeed’s tender look at a Somali refugee community in Minneapolis puts a human face on the immigration crisis through the exploits of Adan (Barkhad Abdirahman), a young man adrift in his solitary world. Kicked out by his mother and unwelcome at the local mosque where he tries to crash, Adan meets his only source of companionship in a stray dog he finds wandering the streets. Alternating between social outings and job prospects, Adan’s struggles never strain credibility, even when an FBI agent tries to wrestle control of his situation to turn him into a spy. Shot with near-documentary realism, Syed’s insightful portrait of his forlorn character’s life recalls the earlier films of Ramin Bahrani (“Man Push Cart,” “Chop Shop”), which also capture an oft-ignored side of modern America. With immigration stories all too frequently coopted for political fuel, “A Stray” provides a refreshingly intimate alternative, which should appeal to audiences curious about the bigger picture — or those who can relate to it. – Ek

“Goat”

After making a blistering impression at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, Andrew Neel’s fraternity psychodrama “Goat” comes to Bam with great acclaim and sky high anticipation. Starring breakout Ben Schnetzer and Nick Jonas, the film centers around a 19-year-old college student who pledges the same fraternity as his older brother, only to realize the world of hazing and endless parties is darker than he could ever imagine. In lesser hands, “Goat” would be a one-note takedown of hedonistic bro culture, but Neel’s slick direction brings you to the core of animalistic behavior and forces you to weigh the clashing egos of masculinity. By cutting underneath the layers of machismo, Neel creates a drama of insecurities buried beneath the war between predator and prey. It’s an intense and intelligent study of a world the movies have always been obsessed with. – Zack Sharf

Read More: Sundance: How Robert Greene and Kate Lyn Sheil Made the Festival’s Most Fascinating Documentary

“The Childhood of a Leader”

Brady Corbet has been one of the most reliable supporting actors in films like “Funny Games,” “Force Majeure,” “Clouds of Sils Maria” and more, and he even broke through as a lead in the great indie “Simon Killer,” but it turns out Corbet’s real skills are behind the camera. In his directorial debut, “The Childhood of a Leader,” the actor creates an unnerving period psychodrama that evokes shades of “The Omen” by way of Hitchcock. Set in Europe after Wwi, the movie follows a young boy as he develops a terrifying ego after witnessing the creation of the Treaty of Versailles. Cast members Robert Pattinson and Berenice Bejo deliver reliably strong turns, but it’s Corbet’s impressive control that makes the film a tightly-wound skin-crawler. His ambition is alive in every frame and detail, resulting in a commanding debut that announces him as a major filmmaker to watch. – Zs

“The Love Witch”

Meet your new obsession: A spellbinding homage to old pulp paperbacks and the Technicolor melodramas of the 1960s, Anna Biller’s “The Love Witch” is a throwback that’s told with the kind of perverse conviction and studied expertise that would make Quentin Tarantino blush. Shot in velvety 35mm, the film follows a beautiful, sociopathic, love-starved young witch named Elaine (Samantha Robinson, absolutely unforgettable in a demented breakthrough performance) as she blows into a coastal Californian town in desperate search of a replacement for her dead husband. Sex, death, Satanic rituals, God-level costume design, and cinema’s greatest tampon joke ensue, as Biller spins an arch but hyper-sincere story about the true price of patriarchy. – David Ehrlich

“Morris From America”

Coming-of-age movies are a dime a dozen (and the going rate is even cheaper at Sundance), but Chad Hartigan’s absurdly charming follow-up to “This Is Martin Bonner” puts a fresh spin on a tired genre. Played by lovable newcomer Markees Christmas, Morris is a 13-year-old New Yorker who’s forced to move to the suburbs of Germany when his widower dad (a note-perfect Craig Robinson) accepts a job as the coach of a Heidelberg soccer team. It’s tough being a teen, but Morris — as the only black kid in a foreign town that still has one foot stuck in the old world — has it way harder than most. But there’s a whole lot of joy here, as Hartigan’s sweet and sensitive fish out of water story leverages a handful of killer performances into a great little movie about becoming your own man. – De

BAMCinemaFest 2016 runs from June 15 – 26.

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Related storiesChristine Chubbuck: Video Exists of Reporter's On-Air Suicide That Inspired Two Sundance Films'Wiener-Dog' Trailer: Greta Gerwig Befriends a Dachshund in Todd Solondz's Dark Sundance Comedy'Little Men,' 'Wiener-Dog' and More Set for BAMcinemaFest 2016 -- Indiewire's Tuesday Rundown...

Numerous sections that range from those that focus on particular geographical regions, to one that highlights features crafted by homegrown talent, another formed by stories about people who have left their hometowns to find a better life elsewhere, and even one that honors Minnesota’s Scandinavian heritage, are some of the blocks that build the extensive and boldly curated program of the 35th Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival (Mspiff).

Discerning which films to watch from the couple hundred that will play in the Midwestern city during the next two weeks is a colossal task and one that is directed by taste and interests; however, there are plenty of options for adventurous audiences looking to watch a unique cinematic vision outside of their comfort zone.

The most audacious offers include a French animated featured focused on a war-torn African country, Joel Potrykus follow-up to “Buzzard,” a subversive Lgbt drama about skaters in Mexico City, the story of a Somali man in Minneapolis who finds friendship in a lonely dog, a dark Swedish comedy that resembles the humor of celebrated Nordic masters, or a Brazilian coming-of-ager centered on a girl obsessed with the recent murders of local women. Just from the premises is easy to predict that these will not be your typical experience at the movies, but that's not to say they won't be exponentially more entertaining and eye-opening.

Here is a list with 12 unconventional choices, including those mentioned above, playing at Mspiff that we can't wait to see.

Synopses courtesy of the festival.

The 35th Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival takes place runs April 7-23. For the full program and tickets visit Here.

"Adama"

Dir. Simon Rouby

France

12 year-old Adama, voiced by French-Malian child actor Azize Abdoulaye Diabaté, lives in an idyllic village sheltered by cliffs. When his brother Samba defies their elders and flees to join the ‘Nassara’ (colonialist French army), Adama follows in an attempt to bring Samba home. Experimental animation combining laser-scanned sculptures of clay and sand with painterly animated scenes bring magical realism to Adama’s journey north from West Africa to Europe’s Western Front in 1914. A heroic odyssey mixes elements of mysticism and allegory with action, adventure, and a little known historical African narrative

Screens April 20 at 2:30 Pm and April 16 at 3:45

"The Alchemist Cookbook"

Dir. Joel Potrykus

U.S.

Sean is a young hermit, living in near total isolation and obsessed with a mysterious alchemic and somewhat manic pursuit that challenges the laws of nature. Off the grid and turning his back on civilization, his days play out inside an old trailer in the swamps, conducting experiments. When a demonic entity appears in the shadows, Sean’s self-induced seclusion is shattered by a true force of evil. Joel Potrykus delivers another meditation on the idiosyncratic side of the male psyche that feels like a dark and demented modern-day folk tale.

Screens April 14 at 9:50 Pm and April 21 at 10:00 Pm

"The Ardennes"

Dir. Robin Pront

Belgium

Robin Pront's feature-film debut opens with a powerful punch and continues with a slow burn downward spiral of brotherly betrayal and brutal retribution. After a robbery goes hopelessly wrong, Dave escapes the scene leaving his brother Kenny behind to take the rap. Flash forward four years and Dave has been able to turn his life around while time has stood still for Kenny, now out on parole, who was left simmering in jail. The palpable tension between Dave and Kenny builds to brutal and thrilling crescendo in the shadows of Belgium's Ardennes forest.

Screens April 10 at 9:40 Pm and April 22 at 9:45 Pm

"A Decent Man"

Dir. Micha Lewinsky

Switzerland

This provocative drama chronicles a family vacation that turns into every parent’s nightmare. Thomas, an amiable man in his mid-forties, resolves that his family will take their annual skiing holiday in the Swiss Alps even though neither his wife or daughter are interested. But things soon become more complicated when his manipulative boss pressures him to include his difficult daughter, Sarah. A convincing portrait of an insecure man whose failure to be a beloved father, brilliant journalist and understanding husband is sending him over the edge.

Screens April 8 at 4:45 Pm and April 19 at 9:40 Pm

"Dragonfly"

Dir. Maribeth Romslo and Cara Greene Epstein

U.S.

Told with heart, humor, and a little bit of magic, "Dragonfly" is a film about homecoming and healing for a Midwestern family divided by divorce and illness. When Anna’s mom is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s, Anna returns home to help but not without some reluctance tied to her emotional family baggage. As she unpacks her past, Anna rediscovers a mysterious mailbox from her childhood and embarks on a search to solve its mystery. What she learns along the way may be the key to her own reconciliation.

Screens: April 10 at 7:10 Pm and April 16 at 4:40 Pm

"Endorphine"

Dir. André Turpin

Canada

What’s the connection between trauma, memory and the relativity of space and time? Endorphine sends you down a rabbit hole where time and existence are scrambled into a Lynchian fever dream. After 12-year-old Simone helplessly witnesses the murder of her mother, she is thrust into an endless loop that explores alternate realities and parallel lives, including what may or may not be adult versions of herself. Expertly crafted by André Turpin (cinematographer on Xavier Dolan’s Mommy and Tom at the Farm and Denis Villeneuve’s Incendies), "Endorphine" is a dark and visually arresting head trip.

Screens April 10 at 9:15 Pm and April 18 at 9:30 Pm

"The Garbage Helicopter"

Dir. Jonas Selberg Augustsén

Sweden

An old Roma woman is seized by a sudden urge to reclaim her antique clock, sending her three grandchildren on an odyssey across the lonesome, big-sky highways of northern Sweden (captured in beautifully bleak black-and-white). The action takes place in the deadpan absurdist territory pioneered by Jarmusch, Kaurismäki, and Andersson. Here, crosswords are completed (including the mysterious entry, "garbage helicopter"), a speed-trap camera is demolished, a Holocaust museum is visited, the world’s second-biggest chair is solemnly viewed, and a gang of art thieves is encountered.

Screens April 21 at 9:40 Pm and April 23 at 7:05 Pm

"Kill Me Please"

Dir. Anita Rocha da Silveira

Brazil/Argentina

Anita Rocha da Silveira’s stunning debut drops us directly into the psyche of a middle-class teenage girl, piqued by raging hormones and fueled with fearless curiosity. A string of grisly neighborhood murders of women captures the imagination of a clique of girls, but especially Bia who feels more and more connected to the dead women than her high school friends. The incident ignites something in Bia, causing her to embrace fantasy and openly explore her sexuality. Built on a unique atmosphere devoid of adults, Kill Me Please is a dark yet pop-infused coming-of-age story.

Screens April 9 at 3:15 Pm and April 14 at 9:45 Pm

"I Promise Anarchy"

Dir. Julio Hernández Cordón

Mexico

Miguel and Johnny are friends from opposite sides of the tracks, but that doesn’t inhibit their romance with one another that revolves around sex, drugs and skateboarding. To support their devil-may-care lifestyle, the boys sell their own blood—and occasionally the blood of their friends and whomever they can find—to an underground network run by the drug cartel. When one such arrangement goes wrong, Miguel and Johnny find themselves way over their head. Director Julio Hernandez Cordon’s stylishly blends a breezy romance of wayward youth with a gritty nior thriller on the streets of Mexico City.

Screens April 8 at 9:15 Pm and April 11 at 9:50 Pm

"Schneider vs. Bax"

Dir. Alex van Warmerdam

Netherlands/Belgium

This black comedy makes a point of turning the hitman genre on its head with unconventional setups that spiral into absurdism. Schneider wakes to his adoring wife and two young daughters planning his birthday party only to have it interrupted by a call from his boss with a job that must be done right away: an easy hit on an isolated novelist named Bax that he can finish by noon. Needless to say, things do not go as planned. Schneider vs. Bax is as much about the contrast and comparison of these two men and their families, as it is the nascent yet ineffective real-world cage match.

Screens April 10 at 9:35 Pm and April 14 at 9:40 Pm

"A Stray"

Dir. Musa Syeed

U.S.

In the microcosm of Minneapolis’ large Somali community, Adan has run out of options. Looking to turn his life around, he finds solace, friendship and a job as a janitor at the mosque. Finding an even better job driving a taxi, Adan unexpectedly finds a new friend in a stray dog. But the mosque sees the dog as impure, and Adan finds himself on the streets again. Director Musa Syeed brings the streets of Riverside and the struggles of young Somalis to the big screen in this vivid and moving drama.

Screens April 15 at 7:20 Pm and April 17 at 3: 50 Pm

"Wednesday, May 9"

Dir. Vahid Jalilvand

Iran

Leila works in a chicken packing factory to support her family, but still has no money left over to save for a much-needed operation for her disabled husband. Setareh secretly married against her family’s wishes, and when her tyrannical cousin finds out, an altercation lands her young husband in jail, requiring 30 million tomans in “blood money” for his release. The two tragic stories of these women are connected to a potential benefactor who could help them in Vahid Jalilvand’s incredible debut feature of carefully drawn characters and bold statements of humanism.

Screens April 8 at 4:50 Pm and April 19 at 4:30 Pm...

During a time when unfounded vitriol and demonization of immigrants is becoming increasingly commonplace —thanks mostly to the hateful demagoguery of a certain presidential candidate— films that present an honest, straightforward look into the immigrant experience have become crucial. Apart from assured direction and strong performances, “A Stray” succeeds because even though it’s about a specific cultural group in the United States, it manages to depict universal, relatable truths about the plight of those newly arrived in the country. Read More: 2016 SXSW Film Festival: 12 Films & TV Highlights To Look Out For Writer/director Musa Syeed’s film takes place in Minneapolis, which hosts a sizable Somalian immigrant community. The story, regarding a down-on-his-luck Somalian refugee named Adan (Barkhad Abdirahman), doesn’t shy away from showing the specific cultural conflicts a Muslim Somalian immigrant may face in the U.S., but the general issues depicted could easily...

Boy and His Dog: Syeed Offers Rare Glimpse into Urban Somali Community

For his sophomore effort, A Stray, director Musa Syeed focuses on a specific, rarely glimpsed community of Muslim refugees living in Minneapolis, an urban metropolis noted for its diverse, albeit hegemonic, communities. It’s a spare story about a woebegone young man struggling to make the best of an impossible situation, who, due to conditioned religious beliefs and without a stable home life, makes a daring decision to take an ownerless dog under his care. Though hardly as apathetic as the subject matter would indicate, the film is more an observational portrait of a community as staunchly defined by its own paradigms as the contradictory political sentiments of the sometimes hostile host culture enveloping it. A lack of complex depictions concerning various refugee crises and troubled Muslim relations in American cinema marks the film as an automatic item of note,...

"You don't have to live like a refugee," Tom Petty sang in 1979. The musician was reacting to the pressures of the music business when he wrote the lyrics, he said later, but the song has resonated for years because of its harsh and self-accusing tone, a message that rings true even today. In A Stray, a new film by Musa Syeed, the lead character Adan doesn't want to live live a refugee. He's portrayed by Barkhad Abdirahman, who made a notable impression as an angry modern-day pirate opposite Tom Hanks in Captain Phillips. As Adan, he is just as frustrated, but his character expresses himself in a far milder manner. That doesn't mean he's a pushover or an entirely gentle soul. He wants things...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Simply put, the SXSW Film, Music and Interactive Festival is one of the biggest, most prestigious events in the media calendar. Taking place annually in Austin, Texas, it is beloved by film fans and filmmakers from all over the world, and has reached such heights by building a reputation for showcasing excellent content. This results in a high level of competition, with the Narrative Feature category alone having received 1442 submissions this year, and the documentary feature category having received 1,013.

The 2016 event looks to be particularly exciting, with many world premieres and feature debuts already announced. The Narrative Feature category will include Julia Hart’s Miss Stevens, Debra Eisenstadt’s Before The Sun Explodes, Joey Klein’s The Other Half, and Musa Syeed’s A Stray, among others, while the Headliner category will feature Richard Linklater’s Everybody Wants Some.

The Narrative Spotlight category includes 9 Rides by Matthew A. Cherry; The Waiting...

Top brass at the festival announced on Tuesday several sections of the features line-up for the 23rd edition, set to run from March 11-19, 2016 in Austin, Texas.

SXSW will screen 139 features of which 89 are world premieres, 13 are North American Premieres and 8 are Us premieres selected from 2,456 feature submissions (1,467 Us and 990 international). Fifty-two films hail from debutants.

Narrative Feature Competition selections are: The Arbalest by Adam Pinney; Before The Sun Explodes by Debra Eisenstadt; Claire In Motion by Lisa Robinson and Annie J. Howell; collective:unconscious by collective:unconscious (Lily Baldwin, Frances Bodomo, Daniel Patrick Carbone, Josephine Decker, Lauren Wolkstein); Donald Cried by Kris Avedisian; Hunter Gatherer by Josh Locy; Miss Stevens by Julia Hart; The Other Half by Joey Klein; A Stray by Musa Syeed; and Transpecos by Greg Kwedar.

Documentary Feature Competition entries are: Accidental Courtesy: Daryl Davis, Race & America by Matt Ornstein; Alive And Kicking by Susan Glatzer; Best And Most Beautiful Things directed by Garrett Zevgetis; Goodnight...

Endangered Species: Syeed Offers Temperate Portrait of a Man and his Home Against an Oscillating Backdrop

Reflecting his background within the documentary realm, Musa Syeed’s first feature film encourages a verite approach to the characters as their lives unfold amidst changing times. Valley of Saints acts a balmy reflection on a young man’s life revolving the lake and its changing currents. The multiple prize winning Sundance title was shot on location in Kashmir during an actual military curfew allowing the film to unfold with a rare measure of authenticity. Syeed also has a personal stake in the film: his family was born in Kashmir with his father having been imprisoned for his participation in the independent movement. Such idiosyncratic components help to enrich the overall narrative tapestry of a film which could labeled feeble otherwise.

Gulzar (Gulzar Ahmed Bhat) who lives by the lake both literally and...

The calm surface of Dal Lake hides a multitude of sins in the exquisite Valley of Saints, and director Musa Syeed captures its tranquil beauty amid the chaos of Kashmir. Boatman Gulzar (Gulzar Ahmed Bhat) has come to view the lake as a stagnant place, with few opportunities beyond ferrying tourists around in a shikara. He'd planned to leave quietly for Delhi with best friend Afzal (Mohammed Afzal Sofi) when political protests trigger a military curfew in Srinagar. For a week, there's no commerce or transportation — except on the lake, where Gulzar finds himself unmoored from routine. Checking on a luxury houseboat for an owner trapped inland, he meets Asifa (Neelofar Hamid), a Kashmiri from an American university who's documenting the environmental devasta...

On the heels of the 39th edition of the Toronto Int. Film Festival (Sept 4-14), Ifp’s Independent Film Week is where a plethora of fiction, non-fiction and new this year, web-based series from the likes of Desiree Akhavan and Calvin Reeder find future coin. Sectioned off as projects at the very beginning of financing to those that are nearing completion, there happens to be tons of Sundance alumni in the names below. Among those that caught our attention we have Medicine for Melancholy‘s Barry Jenkins’ sophomore feature, produced by Bad Milo!‘s Adele Romanski, Moonlight is about “two Miami boys navigate the temptations of the drug trade and their burgeoning sexuality in this triptych drama about black queer youth”. Concussion‘s Stacie Passon digs into the thriller genre with Strange Things Started Happening. Produced by vet Mary Jane Skalski (Mysterious Skin), this is about “a woman who has...

YouTube’s importance at Sundance grows every year. This year, they held free workshops on how to maximize your use of YouTube. Here is the latest schedule of YouTube on Main Street events and press assets, please visit google site ytsundance2014 or Twitter at #YouTubeSundance.

YouTube offered film fans access to the 2014 Sundance Film Festival both on and offline through several initiatives including:

Youtube On Main Street (596 Main Street, Park City, Ut 84060)

Open January 16-25, 2014 at various times. Warm up at “YouTube on Main Street,” the place for the creative community to convene for must-see panels, happy hours, film receptions, screenings, talks and DJ sets. Free Wi-Fi and drinks are available to badge holders when programs are not in session.

Daily Events at YouTube on Main Street:

“Live @ Sundance” On The Sundance Film Festival Youtube Channel Live daily from January 17-24, 2014 at 11am Mst at www.youtube.com/sff. Whether you’re in Park City or Phuket, you can check out the best of the fest daily with “Live @ Sundance.” The one-hour talk show will air live daily at 11am Mst January 17-24, 2014 from “YouTube on Mainstreet” on the sff (Sundance Film Festival) YouTube channel. The show will feature guest hosts Shira Lazar,Casey Neistat andJimmy Conrad, filmmaker interviews, the latest news from the festival, exclusive sneak peeks and more.Yoga (Jan. 17-24; 7:30-9am Mst) - Breathe and ease into warrior pose at these daily yoga sessions. Cassey Ho, star of the popular blogilates channel on YouTube, will lead these classes on January 17-21 Free and open to the public.

Individual Events:

How and Why to Use YouTube Panel (Jan. 22; 2-3pm Mst) - Hear from independent filmmaker Casey Neistat about how he successfully uses YouTube to distribute his films and build an audience. Free and open to the public.YouTube on Main Street and Paste Afternoon Showcase (Jan. 22; 3- 6pm Mst) Paste Magazine’s Josh Jackson will introduce performances by Sleeping at Last, Matt Scannell of Vertical Horizon, Michael Tolcher, and Carina Round. Press RSVP recommended.YouTube Party (Jan. 22; 9pm-1am Mst) Includes Dj set by Mick By invitation onlyNext and Midnight Cocktails (Jan. 23; 9:30-11pm Mst) By invitation onlyThey Came Together Film Reception (Jan. 24; 6:30-8:30pm Mst) - A reception for the world premiere of the romantic comedy. Includes a live Google+ Hangout with talent from the film including Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd. By invitation only.Film Contact: Shelby Kimlick – [email protected]

Youtube Presents The 2014 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Program As the presenting sponsor of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Program, YouTube will help showcase some of the official shorts in competition on the sff (Sundance Film Festival) YouTube channel. For a complete list of this year’s short films, please visit Sundance.org. Additionally, Sundance audiences will be exposed to some of the best content on YouTube with select videos from popular YouTube channels to run before short film screenings at the festival.

Youtube Audience Award

On Saturday, January 25, 2014, the YouTube Audience Award will be presented at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival Awards Ceremony to a short film in competition that garners the most amount of views on YouTube between January 16-24, 2014. Check out the films on the sff (Sundance Film Festival) YouTube channel or click here.

The Sundance Institute selected 15 films eligible for this award from this year’s competition that include:

Allergy to Originality

Directed by Drew Christie

4 min, U S A

Animation

A humorous animated 'Op-Doc' explores the rich history of adaptation, plagiarism, and other forms of appropriation in art.

The Big House

Directed by Musa Syeed

5 min, U S A/Yemen

fiction

When a young Yemeni boy ventures out of his cramped apartment and finds a key to the empty mansion down the street, he lets himself and his imagination run wild in the big house.

Burger

Directed by Magnus Mork

11 min, Norway/United Kingdom

fiction

It's late night in a burger bar.

Catherine

Directed by Dean Fleischer-Camp

13 min, U S A

fiction

Catherine returns to work after a hiatus.

Chapel Perilous

Directed by Matthew Lessner

13 min, U S A

fiction

Levi Gold is paid an unexpected visit by Robin, a door-to-door salesman with nothing to sell. The ensuing encounter forces Levi to confront his true mystical calling, and the nature of reality itself. A metaphysical comedy trip-out with Sun Araw.

Crime The Animated Series (Marcus McGhee)

Directed by Alix Lambert and Sam Chou

4 min, U S A/Canada

Animated documentary

From Bank robbers to cops to victims to observers, Crime: The Animated Series explores how crime affects us all. The series is dark, compelling, heartbreaking, and yes - sometimes funny.

Cruising Electric (1980)

Brumby Boylston

1 min, U S A

fiction

The marketing department green-lights a red-light tie-in: 60 lost seconds of modern movie merchandising.

Dig

Directed by Toby Halbrooks

10 min, U S A

fiction

A young girl watches her father dig a hole in their backyard. Mystified about his purpose, the neighborhood comes to watch.

Funnel

Directed by Andre Hyland

7 min, U S A

fiction

A man's car breaks down and sends him on a quest across town that slowly turns into the most fantastically mundane adventure.

Gregory Go Boom

Directed by Janicza Bravo

17 min, U S A

fiction

A paraplegic man leaves home for the first time only to discover that life in the outside world is not the way he had imagined it.

MeTube: August Sings Carmen 'Habanera'

Directed by Daniel Moshel

4 min, Austria

fiction

George Bizet`s "Habanera" from Carmen has been reinterpreted and enhanced with electronic sounds for MeTube, a homage to thousands of ambitious YouTube users and video bloggers, and gifted and less gifted self-promoters on the Internet.

Notes on Blindness

Directed by Peter Middleton and James Spinney

13 min, United Kingdom

Documentary

In 1983, writer and theologian John Hull became blind. To help make sense of his loss, he began keeping an audio diary. Encompassing dreams, memories, and his imaginative life, Notes on Blindness immerses the viewer in Hull's experience of blindness.

Passer Passer

Directed by Louis Morton

4 min, U S A

Animation

An animated city symphony celebrates the hidden world of background noise.

Rat Pack Rat

Directed by Todd Rohal

19 min, U S A

fiction

A Sammy Davis, Jr. impersonator, hired to visit with a loyal Rat Pack fan, finds himself delivering last rights at the boy's bedside.

Tim and Susan Have Matching Handguns

Directed by Joe Callander

2 min, U S A

Documentary

Love is swapping clips with your spouse...

The Sundance Institute announced I Origins as the winner of the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, as well as the recipient of the Alfred P. Sloan Lab Fellowship, which is presented through the Institute’s Feature Film Program.

These activities, as well as a panel at the Festival and the Alfred P. Sloan Commissioning Grant, are part of the Sundance Institute Science-in-Film Initiative, which is made possible by a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The initiative supports the development and exhibition of new independent film projects that explore science and technology themes or that depict scientists, engineers and mathematicians in engaging and innovative ways.

“We are delighted to collaborate with Sundance Institute for the 11th year in a row and to recognize Mike Cahill’s original and compelling I Origins as the winner of this year’s Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize,” said Doron Weber, Vice President, Programs at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. “With Academy Award-nominated films like this year’s Gravity and Her, I Origins—as well as new scripts we are developing with Sundance Institute Labs such as The Buried Life and Prodigal Summer—demonstrates that not only are science and technology central to understanding, engaging with and dramatizing modern life, but they also make for cracking good films that draw large audiences.”

Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said, “Independent filmmakers offer unique perspectives on the role math, science and technology play in our world and culture. The Sundance Institute Science-in-Film Initiative, with critical support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, recognizes and encourages these projects as they make their way to audiences.”

Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize

I Origins, directed and written by Mike Cahill, has been awarded the 2014 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize and will receive a $20,000 cash award by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. The Prize is selected by a jury of film and science professionals and presented to outstanding feature films focusing on science or technology as a theme, or depicting a scientist, engineer or mathematician as a major character.

In I Origins, a molecular biologist and his lab partner uncover startling evidence that could fundamentally change society as we know it and cause them to question their once-certain beliefs in science and spirituality. The cast includes Michael Pitt, Brit Marling, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Steven Yeun, Archie Panjabi. The jury presented the award to the film for its “intelligent and nuanced portrayal of molecular biologists as central characters, and for dramatizing the power of the scientific process to explore fundamental questions about the human condition.”

Previous Alfred P. Sloan Prize Winners include: Andrew Bujalski, Computer Chess (2013); Jake Schreier, Christopher Ford, Robot & Frank (2012); Musa Syeed, Valley of Saints (2012); Mike Cahill and Brit Marling, Another Earth (2011); Diane Bell, Obselidia (2010); Max Mayer, Adam (2009); Alex Rivera, Sleep Dealer (2008); Shi-Zheng Chen, Dark Matter (2007); Andrucha Waddington, The House of Sand (2006); Werner Herzog, Grizzly Man (2005), Shane Carruth, Primer (2004) and Marc Decena, Dopamine (2003). Several past winners have also been awarded Jury Awards at the Festival, including the Grand Jury Prize for Primer, the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for Sleep Dealer and the Excellence in Cinematography Award for Obselidia.

This year’s Alfred P. Sloan jury members are:

Dr. Kevin Hand Dr. Kevin Hand is deputy chief scientist for Solar System Exploration at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. His research focuses on the origin, evolution, and distribution of life in the solar system. His fieldwork involves exploring some of Earth’s most extreme environments from the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica, to the depths of the Earth’s oceans, to the glaciers of Kilimanjaro.

Flora Lichtman Flora Lichtman is a science journalist living in New York. She has worked as a video journalist for the New York Times and National Public Radio’s Science Friday and writes regularly for Popular Science magazine. She is the coauthor of Annoying: The Science of What Bugs Us.

Max Mayer Max Mayer is a founder and producing director of New York Stage and Film and has directed over 50 new plays by writers such as John Patrick Shanley, Lee Blessing, and Eric Overmyer. In addition to writing and directing Better Living and Adam, which premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and won the Sloan Prize, Mayer has directed As Cool as I Am and episodes of The West Wing, Alias, and Family Law and written three produced plays.

Jon Spaihts Jon Spaihts is the screenwriter of The Darkest Hour, Ridley Scott’s Prometheus, and the upcoming Passengers and The Mummy. The one-time physics student and science writer continues to specialize in science fiction.

Jill Tarter Astronomer Jill Tarter, the Bernard M. Oliver Chair for the Seti Institute, has devoted her career to hunting for signs of sentient beings elsewhere. The lead for Project Phoenix, a decade-long Seti scrutiny of about 750 nearby star systems, she now leads Seti’s efforts to build and operate the Allen Telescope Array. A 2009 Ted prize recipient, she is also the real-life researcher upon whom the Jodie Foster character in Contact is largely based.

Sundance Institute / Alfred P. Sloan Lab Fellowship

The Buried Life (U.S.A.) Joan Stein Schimke and Averie Storck (co-writers/co-directors) An archaeologist risks her reputation for the dig of her career, but when her rock 'n' roll sister and overbearing father follow her to the excavation, she discovers her biggest challenge is facing what's above ground.

Joan Stein Schimke and Averie Storck have just attended the Institute’s January Screenwriters Lab with The Buried Life.

Joan Stein Schimke was nominated for an Academy Award® for her short film One Day Crossing, which won several other awards including the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Best Woman Student Filmmaker, Best Director, National Board of Review and the Student Academy Award® Gold Medal. Other directing credits include Law and Order and the short film Solidarity, which screened at over a dozen festivals including the New York Film Festival. Stein Schimke is an Mfa graduate of Columbia University’s Film Program and is currently an Associate Professor at Adelphi University in New York.

Averie Storck is an Mfa graduate of Columbia University’s Film Program. Her award-winning short films include Live at Five , which won the New Line Cinema Development Award and screened at more than 30 international film festivals. Prior to filmmaking, Storck worked for People and Vogue magazines, was a writer for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and studied improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in NYC. She currently teaches and directs at the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Founded in 1934, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is a non-profit philanthropy that makes grants in science, technology and economic performance. This Sloan-Sundance partnership forms part of a broader national program by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to stimulate leading artists in film, television, and theater; to create more realistic and compelling stories about science and technology; and to challenge existing stereotypes about scientists, engineers, and mathematicians in the popular imagination. Over the past decade, the Foundation has partnered with some of the top film schools in the country – including AFI, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Nyu, UCLA, and USC – and established annual awards in screenwriting and film production and an annual first-feature award for alumni. The Foundation has also started an annual Sloan Feature Film Prize at the Hamptons International Film Festival and initiated new screenwriting and film production workshops at the Hamptons and Tribeca Film Festival and with Film Independent. As more finished films emerge from this developmental pipeline—four features were completed in 2013, with half a dozen more on deck—the foundation has also partnered with the Coolidge Corner Theater and the Arthouse Convergence to screen science films in up to 40 theaters nationwide. The Foundation also has an active theater program and commissions over a dozen science plays each year from the Ensemble Studio Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club and Playwright Horizons.

Today’s film is the 2013 short The Big House, also known as Al Bayt Al Kabeer. The film, which is in Arabic with English subtitles, stars Yaseen Mansour and Zolikha Kaid, and is written and directed by Musa Syeed. After beginning his career in documentaries, Syeed won the World Cinema Dramatic Audience award at Sundance for his first fiction feature Valley of Saints. He returns to the festival with The Big House, which made its debut at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.

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The post Sunday Shorts: ‘The Big House’, premiering at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival appeared first on Sound On Sight.

The final piece of the Sundance puzzle emerges today in the shape of the shorts lineup, with that broken down into U.S. narrative, international narrative, doc and animation. With U.S. narrative, as ever there are a handful of directors already with features under their belts who are returning to the festival, such as Musa Syeed (The Big House), Todd Rohal (Rat Pack Rat) and Dustin Guy Defa (Person to Person ). There are also few directors with new work who have distinguished themselves already in shorts, such as The Strange Ones‘ co-director Christopher Radcliff (Jonathan’s Chest) and Boneshaker‘s Frances Bodomo (Afronauts), plus a handful […]...

The final piece of the Sundance puzzle emerges today in the shape of the shorts lineup, with that broken down into U.S. narrative, international narrative, doc and animation. With U.S. narrative, as ever there are a handful of directors already with features under their belts who are returning to the festival, such as Musa Syeed (The Big House), Todd Rohal (Rat Pack Rat) and Dustin Guy Defa (Person to Person ). There are also few directors with new work who have distinguished themselves already in shorts, such as The Strange Ones‘ co-director Christopher Radcliff (Jonathan’s Chest) and Boneshaker‘s Frances Bodomo (Afronauts), plus a handful […]...

The San Francisco Film Society (Sffs) in partnership with the Kenneth Rainin Foundation (Krf) announced nine narrative projects that will receive a total of $425,000 in funding.

The Film Society’s flagship Sffs / Krf Filmmaking Grants are awarded twice annually to filmmakers for narrative feature films that will have significant economic or professional impact on the Bay Area filmmaking community.

The nine film-making teams were granted the funding to help with their next stage of production, from screenwriting to post.

“These will be exceptional films, and we are honored to have a part in bringing them into being,” the jury noted in a statement. “Each of these projects explores a unique and authentic world and presents compelling characters that we want to see on the screen.”

The Film Society has a track record of success with previous recipients of the Sffs / Krf Filmmaking Grants like Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station which won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience...

The San Francisco Film Society (Sffs), in partnership with the Kenneth Rainin Foundation (Krf), have announced the projects that will receive a total of $425,000 in funding--the largest amount disbursed to date--in the latest round of Filmmaking Grants. Nine filmmaking teams were granted funding to help with their next stage of production, from screenwriting to post. Full list of recipients below.The Film Society’s flagship Filmmaking Grants are awarded twice annually to filmmakers for narrative feature films that will have significant economic or professional impact on the Bay Area filmmaking community.Winners:Doctor — Musa Syeed, director/producer/writer; Nicholas Bruckman, coproducer$35,000 for screenwritingSalim, a disgraced young doctor from India, will do anything to rebuild his former life. But when he starts practicing medicine illegally in New York, he's drawn into a medical underworld where he risks losing everything. For more information visit...

The San Francisco Film Society has announced $425,000 in grants spread over nine projects, made in partnership with the Kenneth Rainin Foundation. The grants have gone to Peter Nicks ("The Waiting Room"), Aurora Guerrero ("Mosquita y Mari") and Ira Sachs ("Keep the Lights On") among others. The panelists who reviewed the finalists’ submissions are Santhosh Daniel, creative consultant; filmmaker Lisa Fruchtman; Sffs Executive Director Ted Hope (who recently announced his impending departure); Jennifer Rainin, president of the Kenneth Rainin Foundation; and Michele Turnure-Salleo, director of Filmmaker360. Descriptions of the projects, with the size of each grant, supplied by the Sffs are below: Doctor — Musa Syeed, director/producer/writer; Nicholas Bruckman, coproducer $35,000 for screenwriting Salim, a disgraced young doctor from India, will do anything to rebuild his former life. But when he starts practicing medicine illegally in New York, he's drawn into a medical...

A still from Tamaash

Tamaash or The Puppet (Kashmiri) by Mumbai-based filmmakers Satyanshu Singh and Devanshu Singh will compete in Narrative Shorts section at the Heartland Film Festival in Indianapolis.

The winning film in the competition section will qualify for consideration in the Short Films category of the Annual Academy Awards.

The 22nd edition of the Heartland Film Festival will be held from October 17 – 26 in Indianapolis, Us.

The 32-minute short film Tamaash is the story of Anzar, a poor performer at school who is scorned by his elders. He is expected to fare better than Sadat, a high scorer in class. Anzar seeks the help of a mysterious stranger, but following the new guide becomes increasingly tough for him and his kid brother.

The film is scheduled to have its World Premiere at the Seattle South Asian Film Festival paired with Musa Syeed’s Valley of Saints on October 6, 2013.

The San Francisco Film Society and Kenneth Rainin Foundation have selected 14 finalists for the latest round of Sffs/Kenneth Rainin Foundation Filmmaking Grants.More than $300,000 will be awarded to one or more narrative feature films at any stage of production. List of finalists below. The Sffs/Krf Filmmaking Grants are awarded twice annually.Winners of the fall 2013 Grant will be announced in late October. Previous Grant-winning feature films include Destin Cretton's currently released "Short Term 12" (Cretton has another film in this round of finalists), Ryan Coogler's "Fruitvale Station" and Benh Zeitlin's "Beasts of the Southern Wild." Note: at the request of the filmmakers, one finalist project has been omitted from this announcement.FINALISTSDoctor — Musa Syeed, director/producer/writer; Nicholas Bruckman, coproducer — screenwritingSalim, a disgraced young doctor from India, will do anything to rebuild his former life. But when he starts practicing medicine illegally in New...

The San Francisco Film Society and Kenneth Rainin Foundation have selected the 14 finallists for the latest round of Sffs / Kenneth Rainin Foundation Filmmaking Grants.

The partners will grant more than $300,000 to one or more narrative feature at any stage of production.

The grants are awarded twice a year to projects “that will have significant economic or professional impact on the Bay Area filmmaking community.”

More than $2m has been awarded since inception of the grant. Recent winners include Sundance hit Fruitvale Station and SXSW favourite Short Term 12. (pictured.)

Winners of the current shortlist will be announced in late October.

The finallists are:

Doctor, dir Musa Syeed;

Escape From Morgantown, dir Peter Nicks;

The Fixer, dir Ian Olds;

G.E.Z.I., dir Aslihan Unaldi;

Hellion, dir Kat Candler;

Kicks, dir Justin Tipping;

Little Accidents, dir Sara Corangelo;

Los Valientes / The Brave Ones, dir Aurora Guerrero;

Love Land, dir Joshua Tate;

Ma, dir [link=nm...

Denis Villeneuve will have two films in the festival as it emerged that Canadian Features world premiere Enemy starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a man and his doppelganger [pictured] has joined the previously announced Prisoners, also starring Gyllenhaal.

The Canadian Features selection includes Michael Dowse’s Goon follow-up The F Word, Xavier Dolan’s Tom At The Farm and Chloe Robichaud’s Sarah Prefers To Run as well as work from Jeff Barnaby, Bruce McDonald and Bruce Labruce. Also receiving its world premiere is All The Wrong Reasons featuring the final performance by the late Glee star Cory Monteith.

Festival organisers also unveiled Producers Lab Toronto participants and Telefilm Canada Pitch This! finallists, the shorts programme and participants in the tenth Tiff Talent Lab.

“The scope of this year’s feature films is as broad as Canada’s filmmaking community and demonstrates the deep versatility of our filmmakers,” said Tiff senior programmer Steve Gravestock. “From clever...

Denis Villeneuve will have two films in the festival as it emerged on Wednesday [7] that Canadian Features world premiere Enemy starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a man and his doppelganger [pictured] has joined the previously announced Prisoners, also starring Gyllenhaal.

The Canadian Features selection includes Michael Dowse’s Goon follow-up The F Word, Xavier Dolan’s Tom At The Farm and Chloe Robichaud’s Sarah Prefers To Run as well as work from Jeff Barnaby, Bruce McDonald and Bruce Labruce.

“The scope of this year’s feature films is as broad as Canada’s filmmaking community and demonstrates the deep versatility of our filmmakers,” said Tiff senior programmer Steve Gravestock. “From clever, biting satire to intimate social commentary, powerful dramas and even a truly magical comedy, the settings and themes vary, but the perspectives are always uniquely Canadian.”

The City Of Toronto and Canada Goose Award for Best Canadian Feature Film will be given to one of many outstanding...

The Tribeca Film Institute today announced the four projects that will receive financial and creative support from the Tfi Sloan Filmmaker Fund. A total of $140,000 in funds will be awarded and recognized at this year's Tribeca Film Festival (April 17-28). The winning films are: Nghiem-Minh Nguyen-Vo's "2030," Eugene Ramos' "Newton's Laws of Emotion," Antonio Tibaldi's "Oldest Man Alive" and Musa Syeed's "The Doctor." The projects all integrate science and technology-oriented themes and characters into their storylines.Jury members included actors Clark Middleton ("Kill Bill: Vol. II," "Sin City"), Ron Livingston ("Office Space," "Band of Brothers"), Dean Winters (“Oz,” “30 Rock,” “Rescue Me”), Helen Fisher, PhD, biological anthropologist; and John Quackenbusch, Harvard professor of computational biology and bioinformatics.Here are the official synopses for the winning projects:2030In a near future Vietnam where seawater has buried a large part of the land and cultivation...

Still from Here and Away

Here and Away, an India-us production directed and produced by Meena Nanji, will be screened at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. The 29th edition of the festival will be held from May 2-12, 2013 in Southern California.

The 12 minute Hindi film touches on the subject of urbanization and its impact on the minds of children. A 10 year old boy from a village near the Indian capital city looks at the visible skyscrapers on the horizon and contemplates on his past, present and the future.

Started in 1983, the festival has presented nearly 4,000 films and videos by Asian international and Asian Pacific American artists.

In 2012, Musa Syeed was awarded with the Grand Jury Award and Special Jury Awards for his feature film Valley of Saints.

Members of the Sloan Jury at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, chosen by the Sundance Institute and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, also participated in the Science in Film Forum Panel at the Festival. The members of the 2013 Sloan Jury were: Paula Apsell (Senior Executive Producer, Nova and Nova ScienceNow, Director, Wgbh Science Unit), Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan, The Fountain, Pi), Scott Burns (writer, Contagion, Pu-239, The Informant and producer, An Inconvenient Truth), Dr. André Fenton (Professor of Neural Science at the Center for Neural Science at New York University), Dr. Lisa Randall (Frank B. Baird, Jr., Professor of Science, Harvard University, author of Knocking on Heaven’s Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate the Universe and the Modern World).

2013 marks the 10th Anniversary of the Alfred P. Sloan Science in Film initiative, a collaboration between Sundance Institute and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to support the development and presentation of film projects that explore science and technology ideas, or depict scientists, engineers, and mathematicians in engaging new ways. Activities include the Science in Film Forum, the Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, the Sloan Commissioning Grant, and the Sloan Feature Film Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said, “Scientists, engineers, mathematicians are – like filmmakers - some of the most imaginative and adventurous thinkers of our time, and the Alfred P. Sloan Science in Film initiative has fostered awareness of and engagement with these fascinating themes in independent film for the last 10 years.”

"We are thrilled to celebrate our tenth anniversary with Sundance, which has been such a great partner in our nationwide effort to encourage filmmakers to engage with science and technology themes and characters,” said Doron Weber, Vice President, Programs at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. “Anyone who looks at the incredible list of winning films, from Shane Carruth's Primer and Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man to Jake Scheirer’sRobot and Frank and Musa Syeed's Valley of Saints—or at the amazing screenplays that have been developed through the Sloan Fellowship at Sundance Institute Labs and the Sloan Commissioning Grant—will see that science and technology can reveal the human condition in ways previously unseen and undreamt of."

For more information about the Science in Film initiative, along with updated content, a complete list of supported filmmakers, trailers for completed films, and an interview with Jake Schreier (director, Robot and Frank, 2012 Sloan Prize Winner), visit www.sundance.org/science-in-film.

Feature Film Prize Jury

The Sloan Jury determines the recipient of the Sloan Feature Film Prize at the Sundance Film Festival which is presented to an outstanding Festival feature film focusing on science or technology as a theme, or depicting a scientist, engineer or mathematician as a major character. The Prize includes a $20,000 cash award by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Previous Alfred P. Sloan Prize Winners include: Jake Schreier and Christopher Ford, Robot & Frank, and Musa Syeed, Valley of Saints (2012); Mike Cahill and Brit Marling, Another Earth (2011); Diane Bell, Obselidia(2010); Max Mayer, Adam (2009); Alex Rivera, Sleep Dealer (2008); Shi-Zheng Chen, Dark Matter (2007); Andrucha Waddington, The House of Sand (2006); Werner Herzog, Grizzly Man (2005), Shane Carruth, Primer(2004) and Marc Decena, Dopamine (2003). Several past winners have also been awarded Jury Awards at the Festival, including the Grand Jury Prize for Primer, the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for Sleep Dealer and the Excellence in Cinematography Award for Obselidia.

Science in Film Forum Panel

The Science in Film Forum Panel takes place at Sundance Film Festival on January 22 at 2:30 p.m. Mt at the Egyptian Theatre in Park City. Sloan Jurors Aronofsky, Burns, Dr. Fenton and Dr. Randall will engage in conversation with moderator Paula Apsell.

Juror and Panelist Bios

Paula Apsell

As Director of the Wgbh Science Unit and Senior Executive Producer of the PBS science series Nova, Paula Apsell has overseen the production of hundreds of acclaimed science documentaries, including such distinguished miniseries as The Fabric of the Cosmos with Brian Greene, Origins with Neil deGrasse Tyson, Making Stuff with David Pogue and the magazine spin-off Nova scienceNOW. Nova is the nation’s most watched science series, a top site on pbs.org, and recipient of every major broadcasting honor, including the Emmy®, the Peabody®, and the duPont-Columbia Gold Baton. Paula has won numerous individual awards and has served on many boards including the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. She was recently journalist in residence at Uc Santa Barbara’s Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics.

Darren Aronofsky

Academy Award® Nominated Director Darren Aronofsky was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. His most recent film, Black Swan, won Natalie Portman the Academy Award® for Best Actress and received four other nominations, including Best Picture. The film received scores of other accolades, appeared on over 200 critical Top Ten lists, and swept the 2011 Independent Spirit Award with wins for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Cinematography. Prior to Black Swan, Darren directed The Wrestler. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival where it won the esteemed Golden Lion making it only the third American film in history to win this grand prize. He also directed The Fountain, starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz, and Requiem for a Dream, which was named to over 150 Top Ten lists. Darren’s first feature, π, won the Director’s Award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival and an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay. He is currently at work on Noah, based on the biblical story of Noah’s ark. Among his honors, the American Film Institute gave Darren the prestigious Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal, the Stockholm Film Festival presented him the Golden Horse Visionary Award, and he has won three Independent Spirit Awards.

Scott Z. Burns

Scott Burns is screenwriter, director and producer. He wrote the original screenplay for Contagion, directed by Steven Soderbergh, starring Matt Damon, penned the screen adaptation of Soderbergh's The Informant! and co-wrote the Academy Award® winning Bourne Ultimatum, directed by Paul Greengrass. He was a producer on An Inconvenient Truth, the Academy Award® winning documentary, for which he received the Humanitas Prize and the Stanley Kramer Award from the Producers Guild of America. Scott recently completed production on Side Effects, a psychological thriller, slated for release in early 2013. It stars Jude Law, Rooney Mara, Catherine Zeta Jones and Channing Tatum and is again directed by Steven Soderbergh with Scott writing and producing along with Greg Jacobs and Lorenzo Di Bonaventura. Currently, Scott is writing The Library, a stage play based on the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School with Steven Soderbergh directing and Kennedy/Marshall producing. The play is under development at the Public Theater in New York City. Scott began his career in advertising and was part of the creative team responsible for the original "Got Milk?" campaign. His advertising work has been recognized by the Clio Awards, the Cannes Film Festival, and the New York Film Festival.

Dr. André Fenton

Dr. André Fenton, is a neuroscientist, biomedical engineer and entrepreneur working on three related problems: how brains store information in memory; how brains coordinate knowledge to selectively activate relevant information and suppress irrelevant information; and how to record electrical activity from brain cells in freely-moving subjects. André and colleagues identified PKMzeta as the first memory storage molecule, a discovery identified by Science, the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s journal, as one of the ten most important breakthroughs in all the science reported in 2006. Recordings of electrical brain activity in André’s lab are elucidating the physiology of cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. It was recently discovered that preemptive cognitive training during adolescence changes the brain sufficiently to prevent the adult brain dysfunction and cognitive impairments that arises from brain damage during early life in a schizophrenia-related animal model. André is a Professor of Neural Science at New York University’s Center for Neural Science. He founded Bio-Signal Group Corp., which is developing an inexpensive, miniature wireless Eeg system for functional brain monitoring of patients in emergency medicine applications and other clinical scenarios.

Dr. Lisa Randall

Dr. Lisa Randall studies theoretical particle physics and cosmology at Harvard University where she is Frank J. Baird, Jr., Professor of Science. Her research connects theoretical insights addressing puzzles in our current understanding of the properties of matter, the universe, and space. Dr. Randall is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and is the recipient of many awards and honorary degrees. Professor Randall was included in Time Magazine's “100 Most Influential People” of 2007, was among Esquire Magazine's “75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century," and was one of 40 people featured in “The Rolling Stone 40th Anniversary issue" in 2008. Dr. Randall's two books, Warped Passages (2005) and Knocking on Heaven’s Door (2011) were featured on the lists of New York Times 100 Most Influential Books. Her ebook, Higgs Discovery: The Power of Empty Space, was published last summer.

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

Founded in 1934, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is a non-profit philanthropy that makes grants in science, technology and economic performance. This Sloan-Sundance partnership forms part of a broader national program by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to stimulate leading artists in film, television, and theater; to create more realistic and compelling stories about science and technology; and to challenge existing stereotypes about scientists, engineers, and mathematicians in the popular imagination. Over the past decade, the Foundation has partnered with some of the top film schools in the country – including AFI, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Nyu, UCLA, and USC – and established annual awards in screenwriting and film production and an annual first-feature award for alumni. The Foundation has also started an annual Sloan Feature Film Prize at the Hamptons International Film Festival and initiated new screenwriting and film production workshops at the Hamptons and Tribeca Film Festival and with Film Independent. As more finished films emerge from this developmental pipeline—four features were completed this year, with half a dozen more on deck—the foundation has also partnered with the Coolidge Corner Theater and the Arthouse Convergence to screen science films in up to 40 theaters nationwide. The Foundation also has an active theater program and commissions over a dozen science plays each year from the Ensemble Studio Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club and Playwright Horizons.

The Sundance Film Festival®

A program of the non-profit Sundance Institute®, the Festival has introduced global audiences to some of the most ground-breaking films of the past two decades, including sex, lies, and videotape, Maria Full of Grace, The Cove, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, An Inconvenient Truth, Precious, Trouble the Water, and Napoleon Dynamite, and through its New Frontier initiative, has showcased the cinematic works of media artists including Isaac Julien, Doug Aitken, Pierre Huyghe, Jennifer Steinkamp, and Matthew Barney. The 2013 Sundance Film Festival® sponsors include: Presenting Sponsors – Hp, Acura, Sundance Channel and Chase Sapphire PreferredSM; Leadership Sponsors – Directv, Entertainment Weekly, Focus Forward, a partnership between Ge and Cinelan, Southwest Airlines, Sprint and YouTube; Sustaining Sponsors – Adobe, Canada Goose, Canon U.S.A., Inc., CÎRoc Ultra Premium Vodka, FilterForGood®, a partnership between Brita® and Nalgene®, Hilton HHonors and Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Intel Corporation, L'Oréal Paris, Recycled Paper Greetings, Stella Artois® and Time Warner Inc. Sundance Institute recognizes critical support from the Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development, and the State of Utah as Festival Host State. The support of these organizations will defray costs associated with the 10-day Festival and the nonprofit Sundance Institute's year-round programs for independent film and theatre artists. www.sundance.org/festival.

Sundance Institute

Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is a global, nonprofit cultural organization dedicated to nurturing artistic expression in film and theater, and to supporting intercultural dialogue between artists and audiences. The Institute promotes independent storytelling to unite, inform and inspire, regardless of geo-political, social, religious or cultural differences. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival and its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, film composers, playwrights and theatre artists, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Born into Brothels, Trouble the Water, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Amreeka, An Inconvenient Truth, Spring Awakening, Light in the Piazza and Angels in America. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

108 Media and Paladin have jointly acquired worldwide rights to Musa Syeed's “Valley of Saints,” which screened in the world cinema dramatic competition at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. The companies plan a North American release this summer, with foreign rights being sold at the European Film Market during the Berlin film festival. “Valley of Saints” tells the story of a ferryman on a lake in Kashmir whose world is opened when he meets a young scientist come to study the effects of pollution on the water. The film won the audience award for world cinema dramatic and the Alfred P. Sloan feature film prize at the 2012 Sundance fest, and it is up for the best cinematography award at the Independent Spirits this year. Nicholas Bruckman of People's Television, Inc. produced. "‘Valley of Saints’ is an exquisite film that feels like the work of a master despite the fact that Musa...

108 Media/Paladin has picked up worldwide rights to "Valley of Saints," winner of Sundance 2012's Audience Award and Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Feature Film Prize. The film, directed by Musa Syeed, played over fifty major festivals around the world and is now nominated for an Indie Spirit Award for Best Cinematography. 108 Media will shop foreign rights at the European Film Market and will then take the film out this summer in the Us. Paladin's Mark Urman calls the film, "an exquisite film that feels like the work of a master despite the fact that Musa is only his in his 20's!" He continues, "I am exceedingly proud to assist at the birth of what I predict will be a spectacular career." I caught the film, a beautiful narrative directorial debut, at the Hawaii International Film Festival. Read the synopsis below. The film is also participating in the Sundance Institute's Film Forward program.

108 Media and Paladin have acquired worldwide distributions rights to "Valley of Saints," a Kashmiri-language film that won a pair of awards at Sundance in 2012. Musa Syeed's film follows Gulzar, a young man who earns his living by ferrying tourists around Dal Lake in Kashmir. Gulzar has never left his isolated village, but as he plans his escape with a friend a new curfew inhibits travel from one of the world's most politically polarized regions. Asifa, a young scientist, then hires Gulzar to ferry her around the lake, earning his affection...

New York, NY (January 28, 2013) – While looking to expand its burgeoning slate from this year’s Sundance offerings, the 108 Media/Paladin partnership has just snared one of the most honored and acclaimed films from last year’s event, having acquired worldwide rights to Musa Syeed’s Valley Of Saints, it was announced by 108 Media CEO Abhi Rastogi and Paladin president Mark Urman. The film, which premiered in the World Cinema Competition at Sundance 2012, garnered both the Audience Award for Best Film as well as the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Feature Film Prize, and has since gone on to play over 50 major domestic and international festivals to universal acclaim. Most recently it was nominated for a Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography. 108 Media will begin selling foreign rights to Valley Of Saints in Berlin at next month’s European Film Market, with plans to take the film out in North America this summer.

Still from Salma

This year India is represented at Sundance Film Festival by one fiction film and two documentaries–Gangs of Wasseypur, Fire in the Blood and Salma– which is commendable considering its track record at the premier film festival. The three films were selected from 12,146 submissions from all around the world.

In 2012, Valley of Saints (India-us) by Musa Syeed won the World Cinema Audience Award in the Dramatic category. In 2011, The Bengali Detective (India-us-Britain) directed by Philip Cox competed in World Cinema Documentary section while Anusha Rizvi’s Peepli (Live) participated in World Cinema Narrative competition in 2010.

This year, not only there are three films from India at the festival, but Anurag Kashyap has been invited to sit on the World Cinema Dramatic Jury. For Gangs of Wasseypur, Kashyap was awarded the Screen International Jury Grand Prize for Achievement in Directing at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards 2012 and has...

Still from English Vinglish

Gauiri Shinde’s English Vinglish is one of the runners – up of the Mercedes-Benz Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the Palm Springs International Film Festival that concludes on Monday. The 24th edition of the festival screened 182 films from 68 countries.

The other runners-up are Gert Embrechts’ Allez, Eddy! (Belgium/ Luxembourg / The Netherlands), Travis Fine’s Any Day Now (USA), Peter Webber’s Emperor (Japan), Thomas Vinterberg’s The Hunt (Denmark), Glenn Gaylord’s I Do (USA), Inuk (Greenland), Kon-Tiki (Norway/UK) by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg, Nikolaj Arcel’s A Royal Affair (Denmark), Michael McGowan’s Still (Canada) and Darko Mitrevski’s The Third Half (Macedonia).

The Sapphires by Wayne Blair won the Mercedes-Benz Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature. Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey by Ramona Diaz was awarded the Audience Award Best for Documentary Feature. The Fipresci Prize for...

I n 2012–the year Indian cinema turned 100–it showed renewed vigour and youthfulness as if it were being reborn. A new generation of young and restless filmmakers, who caught attention of festival programmers worldwide, rewrote the rules of not only mainstream cinema but also challenged what Indians traditionally believed an “alternative film” or at times labeled as “art film” stood for.

We use the term ‘independent’ to denote the attitude rather than the economic mode of production. That’s why films that are backed by major studios and the government as well as films which have been funded in completely non-traditional ways co-exist in our list.

Any such list can’t claim to be authoritative and scientific; however, what we claim is that our listing isn’t arbitrary. We took into consideration factors such as selection at A-list festivals, popularity among festivals in general, awards, jury mentions, international reviews, international distribution and domestic release.