MOVIE SPOTLIGHT - "CITYBALL"

Directed & Written by Stephen Spiegel, CityBall is a feature-length documentary showcasing a year in the life of student athletes in the Kansas City Missouri School District. Once the toast of Kansas City athletics, the Interscholastic League is now riddled with problems including budget cuts, below average facilities, coaching turn-over, and staffing shortages. The students themselves have to overcome daunting odds just to graduate from high school. Many live in very low-income surroundings, having to work multiple jobs to contribute to the household's well-being. Some are learning from the examples of older siblings that gang and drug-related activities can be destructive, and even deadly. This project explores the positive role of athletics in the precarious lives of these impressionable students. It also delves into the roles played by parents, coaches, and school administrators in the many decisions that influence the futures of young athletes in Kansas City.


Official CityBall movie trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq39ep54rlY

2013 St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day 2013 from all of us here at the Daily Film Forum.

CELEBRITIES - “CAUGHT IN THE ACT”

The Saturdays at the Empire State Building in NYC…James Franco, Selena Gomez & Tony Danza at the "Spring Breakers" SXSW After Party at the Ranch in Austin, TX…Steven Tyler, Joe Perry & Slash performing at the John Varvatos 10th Annual Stuart House Benefit Presented By Chrysler with guests Ben Affleck & Jennifer Garner in Los Angeles, CA…Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Cheryl Burke & Ellen Pompeo at the Lakers Casino Night Fundraiser Benefiting at Club Nokia in Los Angeles, CA…Donald Trump watching Tiger Woods hoist the winning trophy at the World Golf Championships Cadillac Championship at the Trump Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Miami, FL…Danica Patrick & Tony Stewart at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV… Kim Kardashian & Kanye West front row at the 2013 Givenchy Fall/Winter Fashion Week Show in Paris, France… Meek Mill performing at the Compound in Atlanta, GA…That Co-Ed Confidential Star Brandon Ruckdashel will celebrate his big “30” hosted by actor Keith Collins at Paul Seres hotspot The DL in NYC…Ginnifer Goodwin at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, CA... Judith Hoag & Lindsay Mayer at the 5th Annual Nashville Honors Gala at the Hutton Hotel in Nashville, TN…Lionel Richie at Lou Lou's club in London, England UK…

Winter Film Awards 2013 Independent Film Festival Winners

14 Outstanding Winners Honored in Awards Ceremony in New York City.

The Second Annual Winter Film Awards Independent Film Festival kicked off Thursday, February 28 2013 with three full days of screenings and after-parties and ended on Saturday March 2 with an Awards Ceremony in which 14 outstanding winners were announced. This year's event offered something for everyone, highlighting the dynamic range of talent and storytelling capabilities the independent filmmaking community has to offer. Among the 58 films selected for screening was a diverse mixture of documentaries, shorts, features, animation, music videos and horror films, including 9 student films, 15 female directors and representation from over 15 countries.



Winter Film Awards is pleased to announce our 2013 Independent Film Festival winners!



BEST ACTOR..................................... Dan Cullen (Clive Unger's Madame X, horror short)

BEST ACTRESS................................. Dana Pupkin (QWERTY, romantic comedy)

BEST ANIMATED FILM........................ Luminaris (Juan Pablo Zaramella)

BEST DIRECTOR................................. Imagine (Jonathan Steven Green / Jahanara Saleh)

BEST DOCUMENTARY......................... Versailles '73: American Runway Revolution (Deborah Riley Draper)

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM........ La Castracion (Ivan Lowenberg, from Mexico)

BEST HORROR FEATURE FILM............ Beyond the Grave (Davi de Oliveira Pinheiro, Brazilian Zombies)

BEST HORROR SHORT FILM............... Incident on Highway 73 (Brian Thompson)

BEST MUSIC VIDEO............................ Waiting For Godot (Caitlin Pashalek)

BEST PICTURE.................................. QWERTY (Bill Sebastian, romantic comedy)

BEST SCREENPLAY........................... Last Waltz of Vienna (Brian Lee Weakland)

BEST SHORT FILM ............................ The Boy Who'd Never Seen Rain (Kim Ramsay)

BEST STUDENT FILM......................... Mr. Bear (Andres Rosende)



And, finally, The PERSPECTIVES AWARD, for the film that best exemplifies the multicultural mixture that makes independent film in New York City so exciting ..................................... Helena's Flushing (Dae Hoon Kim)



Founder George Isaacs comments "Our focus at WFA is on nurturing emerging filmmakers and helping them get some recognition and contacts to break into a tough industry. We pride ourselves on our diverse collection of films and filmmakers, allowing our audience to enjoy films they normally wouldn't think to seek out. "



Winter Film Awards 2013 Independent Film Festival is proudly sponsored by American PrimeTime TV, Showbiz Cafe, FEARS Magazine, Footage Firm Royalty-Free Stock Footage, Jungle Software, Hunter Mountain, Pole Position Raceway, Final Draft Industry Standard Screenwriting Program and our media sponsor is ProductionHUB, Inc. (www.prohub.com) an online marketplace for broadcast TV, motion picture, pro video, live event, corporate & digital media production. WFA would also like to thank the wonderful people at PSPrint (particularly Tanita Benson) for their support.



Winter Film Awards is a 501(c)3 registered non-profit organization. Our mission is to recognize excellence and diversity in cinema and to promote learning and artistic expression for all people at all stages of their artistic careers. We celebrate the crazy cultural mixture that is New York City, showcasing emerging filmmakers from every age, ethnic, racial, religious, cultural, political and geographic perspective. In addition to our yearly Independent Film Festival, WFA hosts 4-6 events each year in NYC, including panel discussions, networking parties, a 48-Hour Film Challenge and other fun film-related events.



Visit www.WinterFilmAwards.com for more information

2013 London Lesbian Film Festival Official Selections

2013 London Ontario Canada Lesbian Film Festival Official Film Selections
April 26th, 27th & 28th




Friday April 26th

Doors open at 6:30 pm

Films start at 7:00 pm



Shared Origins

llff2012 2013, Friday0



Director: Elena Rue

Two girls, born in Ethiopia and raised in North Carolina by lesbian parents travel to their birth country for the first time.

USA 2012

18 minutes

Gay Women Will Marry Your Boyfriends

llff2012 2013, Friday0



Director: Sarah Rotella

Lesbians explain what will happen if you don’t support gay marriage.

Canada 2012

3 minutes

Margarita

llff2012 2013, Friday0



Director: Dominique Cardona Laurie Colbert

Power-couple Gail and Ben have all the visible advantages of two successful careers – a beautiful home, vacations and a nanny, Margarita for their teen-aged daughter.

Canada 2012

91 minutes

Intermission

llff2012 2013, Friday0

You Are So Undead

llff2012 2013, Friday0



Director: Alex Epstein

Complications ensue when a 16-year-old girl lets her boyfriend ‘go all the way’ and now she can’t see her reflection in the mirror.

5 minutes

Remember to Breathe

llff2012 2013, Friday0



Director:Marc Saltarelli

Alice, a former headliner at the Latin Quarter, mentors a young aspiring singer.

CAN 2010

25 minutes

Saturday

Doors open at 1:30 pm

Films start at 2:00 pm



Tsuyako

llff2012 2013, Saturday0



Director:Mitsuyo Miyazaki

In postwar Japan, Tsuyako, a factory worker and mother must decide between duty and love, her family and her freedom.

Japan/USA

25 minutes

She Said Lenny

llff2012 2013, Saturday0



Director: Jim Donovan

A woman is meeting her online crush for the first time.

Canada

6 minutes

The Kiss

llff2012 2013, Saturday0



Director: Filip Gieldon

Emilia wakes up in an unknown apartment next to another woman, Matylda, who claims they slept with each other last night.

Poland

21 minutes

Insights to Strengths

llff2012 2013, Saturday0



Director: Jen Ackerman

Finding strength through their hardships.

US

9 minutes

Recipe for Love

llff2012 2013, Saturday0



Director: Chauncey Wales

Two women from different backgrounds embark upon a journey of self discovery, passion, and their love of food.

26 minutes

INTERMISSION

llff2012 2013, Saturday0

Fetch

llff2012 2013, Saturday0



Director: Gwyneth Baillie

River, an adorably artful border collie trots purposefully out of the park, through the streets of a pretty tree-lined neighborhood and arrives at an old brick house.

5 minutes

Junggesellin (Bachelorette)

llff2012 2013, Saturday0



Director: Anna Linke

At a friend’s bachelorette party Stefanie doesn’t find a man, but instead a woman.

15 minutes

Coffee Klash

llff2012 2013, Saturday0



Director: Jana Mattioli

Stephanie comes out and introduces her girlfriend to her overbearing mother Gayle. Her unorthodox reaction makes for one unusual first meeting.

13 minutes

The Mermaids

llff2012 2013, Saturday0



Director: Petra Clever

Nikki is a maths nerd. In an attempt to widen her cloistered world her therapist suggests she take up a team sport.

5 minutes

Sunday

Doors open at 1:30 pm

Films start at 2:00 pm



Make It Better

llff2012 2013, Sunday0



Director: Q Media Solutions
TD Bank Group

LGBT TD employees and their allies share that it really only takes one person to make a change in a young person’s life.

8 minutes

Mississippi I Am

llff2012 2013, Sunday0



Director: Harriet Hirshorn/Katherine Linton

In 2006, ‘NSync’s Lance Bass came out publicly as gay. Once the “most beloved son” of his home state of Mississippi, he was instantly rejected and his hopes that Mississippi could ever embrace change were dashed. Then in 2010 he heard the story of Constan

46 minutes

Powerful Out Women: On the Campaign Trail

llff2012 2013, Sunday0



Director: Angelina Cantada

Out, proud and elected! “POW!: On the Campaign Trail” is a snap shot of the lives of three highly respected and beloved queer women in three levels of government in Canada: Libby Davies, Member of Parliament for Vancouver East, Mable Elmore, Member of the

22 minutes

Polaroid Girl

llff2012 2013, Sunday0



Director: April Maxey

Sofie is a shy and timid aspiring photographer when she meets June, who runs a vintage camera shop.

5 minutes

INTERMISSION

llff2012 2013, Sunday0

The Devotion Project: Listen from the Heart

llff2012 2013, Sunday0



Director: Antony Osso

Traces Laura and Jaime’s love affair through the birth of their child, a boy with a heart condition who enriches their lives in ways they could have never imagined.

10 minutes

Lopsided

llff2012 2013, Sunday0



Director: Yeung Tsz Ngo Poppy, Chow Ka Ho

“Herazac” is a medicine which can cure homosexuality. Lotus loves Rain, but her mother discovers their relarionship.

30 minutes

Hold on Tight

llff2012 2013, Sunday0



Director: Anna Rodgers

When it comes to same sex relationships, showing your love outside of the home is sometimes a complicated personal choice.

13 minutes

2013 FIRST TIME FEST IN NYC

  FIRST TIME FEST
CELEBRATING FIRST-TIME FILMMAKERS
WITH A GRAND PRIZE OF THEATRICAL DISTRIBUTION
HOSTED BY THE HISTORIC PLAYERS CLUB
12 NEW INTERNATIONAL FILMS IN COMPETITION

Voted On By Industry Professionals & FTF Audience
RETROSPECTIVE PROGRAMʻFIRST EXPOSUREʼ
PRESENTS DEBUT FILMS BY NOW PROMINENT DIRECTORS
PANELS AND DISCUSSIONS:
“How They Did It” &“Stand Alone! Conversations with the Outstanding”

FIRST JOHN HUSTON PRIZE FOR OUTSTANDING
ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMA TO DARREN ARONOFSKY

Darren Aronofsky, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christine Vachon,
Hal Hartley, Peter Saraf, Nancy Savoca, Amy Ryan
and Many Others Expected to Attend & Participate
March 1-4, 2013

THE PLAYERS & LOEWS VILLAGE VII, NYC
First Time Fest (FTF) – a celebration of first time filmmakers – is a new and
unique film festival taking place in New York City from March 1 through 4, 2013.
Just as Stanley Kubrick had KILLER'S KISS, Darren Aronofsky PI, and John
Huston THE MALTESE FALCON as their first works (all of which will be
screened during the festival), First Time Fest is set to discover and present the
next generation of great cinema artists. The core of the festival is an exciting
lineup of twelve international films — from Argentina, Australia, Belarus, Belgium,
Chile, Israel, Mongolia, and the United States, all debut films by promising and
provocative directors.

Representing a hybrid between a traditional film festival and a highly motivated
audience participation event, FTF will present a dozen Competition Films,
which will be judged by a panel of industry luminaries and the FTF audience. All
competition screenings will be followed “hot-seat” discussions between the jury
and filmmakers, and all audience members will vote on the films as well.
Together, the jury and audience will ultimately select a Grand Prize winner, who
will be offered theatrical distribution for their film and full international sales
representation from the renowned American film distributor, Cinema Libre
Studio. It will truly be a contest of the best emerging filmmakers competing for
the Ultimate Audience Award.

First Time Fest is a four-day, multi-faceted event hosted in New York Cityʼs
Gramercy Park by the celebrated Players (16 Gramercy Park South), the club
founded by Edwin Booth, Mark Twain and John Singer Sargent, the oldest and
most exclusive arts organization of its kind whose membership includes the
greatest stars of stage and screen. Each of First Time Festʼs twelve finalists will
receive high-level industry mentorship and a one-year membership to The
Players. The Players will be the location for all FTF panels and events as well as
the Filmmaker and VIP Lounge. First Time Festʼs screenings will be held at the
Loews Village VII on Third Avenue (on 11th St. & 3rd Ave).
for more info please log onto www.firsttimefest.com