The Global Film Village

Why Torture is Wrong, and the People who Love Them an interview with Christopher Durang

// January 31st, 2010 // Comments Off // Stage Play

photo by Rick Baumgartner (c) The Blank Theatre Company. All Rights Reserved.

by Marla Lewin

I just spoke with Christopher Durang, who is off today, and preparing for a theatrical event in New York, with Michael Finestein and Barry Hemp for Dame Edna, called All about Me. Tonight he will be sleeping on his latest work, as they refine the show getting it ready for previews in mid-February.

His latest play Why Torture is Wrong, and the People who Love Them will have its West Coast Premiere with the Blank Theatre Company at the Stella Adler Theatre in Hollywood on January 30,2010. It is directed by Daniel Henning, artistic director/producer of the Blank.

A young woman is suddenly in crisis.  Is her new husband, whom she married when drunk, a terrorist? Or just crazy?  Or both?  Is her father’s hobby of butterfly collecting really a cover for his involvement in a shadow government?  Why does her mother enjoy going to the theatre so much?  Does she seek mental escape, or is she insane? (more…)

Kathryn Bigelow wins DGA Feature Film Award for The Hurt Locker

// January 31st, 2010 // Comments Off // Awards

by Marla Lewin

Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win the DGA’s highest honor in its 61 year history. James Cameron  will just have to be content with having the two highest grossing films in history and the knowledge that his good friend and former wife has finally gotten the recognition that she deserves. He basically said that on the Jay Leno show last week.

Bigelow and Cameron are still widely considered the frontrunners for the Academy Award for Best Director. Avatar and Cameron won the top awards at the Golden Globes, where it was named Best Film Drama and he won the Director award. Most other critics awards have gone to The Hurt Locker, which has also won more of the crucial Hollywood guild awards. The DGA’s Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film has traditionally served as a near-perfect barometer for the Academy Award for Best Director. Only six times since the DGA Award’s inception in 1948 has the winner not gone on to receive the Academy Award for Best Director.

The other award winners are: (more…)

2010 Sundance Awards

// January 30th, 2010 // Comments Off // Film Festivals

John Cooper and David Hyde Pierce opened with a hilarious wrap act to get things started.

Dramatic Film Awards

Parker Posey hands Debra Granik the Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic for Winter’s Bone courtesy Sundance Film Festival 2010

Grand Jury Prize for U.S. Dramatic Film goes to WINTER’S BONE. (more…)

Slamdance announces 2010 Award Winners

// January 30th, 2010 // Comments Off // Film Festivals

2010 marked the 16th anniversary of the Slamdance Film Festival, a showcase for the discovery of new and emerging talent. Slamdance was founded by independent filmmakers and is dedicated to the nurturing and development of new independent artists and their cinematic vision.

Sundance 2010 Films Sold So Far

// January 30th, 2010 // Comments Off // Film Festivals

These are the high profile films that we know about so far and which ones have sold. Additional titles are listed that are expected to sell shortly. More deals will be announced today and over the next week.

Sundance 2010 Announces Jury Prizes for Short Films

// January 28th, 2010 // Comments Off // Film Festivals

Mark Albiston and Louis Sutherland’s won the 2010 Sundance Shorts International Prize photo courtesy of Sundance Film Festival

The 2010 Sundance Film Festival announced the jury prizes in shorts filmmaking and gave honorable mentions based on outstanding achievement and merit. The awards were presented at a ceremony held in Park City, Utah. These award recipients will also be honored at the Festival’s Awards Ceremony hosted by David Hyde Pierce on Saturday, January 30 when the Feature Film Awards are announced.

The Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking was awarded to Drunk History: Douglass & Lincoln (Director: Jeremy Konner; Screenwriter: Derek Waters) On March 22nd, Jen Kirkman drank two bottles of wine and then discussed a historical event. Cast: Don Cheadle and Will Ferrell

The Jury Prize in International Short Filmmaking was given to The Six Dollar Fifty Man / New Zealand (Directors and screenwriters: Mark Albiston and Louis Sutherland) Andy, a gutsy eight year-old boy, is forced to break out of his make-believe superhero world to deal with playground bullies. (more…)

Film Execs look at the state of Indie Distribution

// January 27th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Industry Trends

by Marc Halperin

The Sundance Film Festival is in full swing, some  films are being bought and others are not. Understanding the reasons for these decisions is critical for independent filmmakers.  Film Independent recently produced a round table that focused on indie distribution. It’s an offshoot from their Filmmaker Forum, which was held over an entire weekend in early October. This discussion looked at the economics of distribution; traditional, DIY, and digital strategies. The panelists also addressed the state of film distribution: past, present, and future. Their goal throughout this series was to give filmmakers the unvarnished truth and to look at the industry as it exists. It was Moderated by: Tom Bernard, Co-President, Sony Pictures Classics. Panelists included: Jonathan Sehring, President, IFC Entertainment, Tony Safford, Executive Vice President of Worldwide Acquisitions, Fox Searchlight, Udi Epstein, 7th Art , Jeff Dowd, Producer’s Rep and Eamonn Bowles, President, Magnolia Pictures. (more…)

Francis Ford Coppola Video from Torino Film Festival 2009

// January 26th, 2010 // Comments Off // Videos

A video by Marc Halperin

Francis Ford Coppola talks about the Future of Cinema and what factors have shaped his career.

2010 Producers Guild Awards

// January 24th, 2010 // Comments Off // Awards

by Marla Lewin

Sunday marked another milestone in this year’s awards  season as The Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced their winners in television and motion picture productions at their 21st Annual PGA Awards ceremony held at the Hollywood Palladium.

The Winners are listed in Bold in each category: (more…)

Ray Bradbury’s Wisdom 2116

// January 24th, 2010 // Comments Off // Industry Event

by Marc Halperin

We went to see the new play written and produced by Ray Bradbury it has been many years since the play was first conceived for his friends Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester. We were very lucky and Ray was at the theatre to introduce the play. (video attached after the jump below)

Times have changed, but people are still the same. We all grow up, the lucky ones fall in love and get old. It is a simple story and the reason Ray calls it Wisdom 2116 is to denote that. Ray’s latest play is about an elderly couple that is still in love after 40 years of marriage. Each wants to ensure that the other is cared for after they pass on so they each purchase a robot of themselves at an earlier age to be a companion for the other. Of course neither knows that the other is doing this. Their gifts don’t end up having the anticipated effect but they both gain a new understanding of love and life as a result. (more…)