Edinburgh Film Festival Winners 2009

Moon directed by Duncan Jones scooped the Michael Powell Award for Best New British Feature Film, sponsored by the UK Film Council.

Katie Jarvis picked up the PPG Award for Best Performance in a British Feature Film for her extraordinary debut in Fish Tank.

The award for Best New International Feature went to director Kyle Patrick Alvarez for his film Easier With Practice.

The Standard Life Audience Award as voted for by cinema-goers at EIFF went to animation The Secret Of Kells directed by Tomm Moore.

Director Aliona Van Der Horst picked up the award for Best Documentary about Russian poet Boris Ryzhy.

The Skillset New Directors Award went to Cary Joji Fukunaga for his stunning directorial debut in Sin Nombre.

‘Bromance’ comedy Humpday directed by Lynn Shelton was awarded The Rotten Tomatoes Critical Consensus Award.

Director Emma Sullivan’s After Tomorrow was awarded the UK Film Council Award for Best British Short Film.

The award for Best International Short Film went to Princess Margaret BLVD directed by Kazik Radwanksi.

The Scottish Short Documentary Award supported by Baillie Gifford was handed to director Johanna Wagner for 10 minute long film Peter In Radioland.

Director Laurie Hill’s Photograph Of Jesus scooped the McLaren Award for New British Animation in partnership with BBC Film Network.

25th Film Independent Spirit Awards - Nominees

The Spirit award nominees have been announced. Below is a listing for the 25th annual Spirit Awards for excellence in independent feature film-making.


Complete list of nominees for this year's Spirit Awards

Best feature: "(500) Days of Summer," "Amreeka," "Precious," "Sin Nombre," "The Last Station"

Best director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, "A Serious Man"; Lee Daniels, "Precious"; Cary Joji Fukunaga, "Sin Nombre"; James Gray, "Two Lovers;" Michael Hoffman, "The Last Station"

Best screenplay: Alessandro Camon, Oren Moverman, "The Messenger"; Michael Hoffman, "The Last Station"; Lee Toland Krieger, "The Vicious Kind"; Greg Mottola, "Adventureland"; Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber, "(500) Days of Summer"

Best first feature: "A Single Man," "Crazy Heart," "Easier With Practice," "Paranormal Activity," "The Messenger"

Best first screenplay: Sophie Barthes, "Cold Souls"; Scott Cooper, "Crazy Heart"; Cherien Dabis, "Amreeka"; Geoffrey Fletcher, "Precious"; Tom Ford, David Scearce, "A Single Man"

John Cassavetes Award: "Big Fan," "Humpday," "The New Year Parade," "Treeless Mountain," "Zero Bridge"

Best female lead: Maria Bello, "Downloading Nancy"; Nisreen Faour, "Amreeka"; Helen Mirren, "The Last Station"; Gwyneth Paltrow, "Two Lovers"' Gabourey Sidibe, "Precious"

Best male lead: Jeff Bridges, "Crazy Heart"; Colin Firth, "A Single Man"; Joseph Gordon-Levitt, "(500) Days of Summer"; Souleymane Sy Savane, "Goodbye Solo"; Adam Scott, "The Vicious Kind"

Best supporting female: Dina Korzun, "Cold Souls"; Mo'Nique, "Precious"; Samantha Morton, "The Messenger"; Natalie Press, "Fifty Dead Men Walking"; Mia Wasikowska, "That Evening Sun"

Best supporting male: Jemaine Clement, "Gentlemen Broncos"; Woody Harrelson, "The Messenger"; Christian McKay, "Me and Orson Welles"; Raymond McKinnon, "That Evening Sun"; Christopher Plummer, "The Last Station"

Best cinematography: Roger Deakins, "A Serious Man"; Adriano Goldman, "Sin Nombre"; Anne Misawa, "Treeless Mountain"; Andrij Parekh, "Cold Souls"; Peter Zeitlinger, "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans"

Best documentary: "Anvil! The Story of Anvil," "Food, Inc.," "More Than a Game," "October Country," "Which Way Home"

Best foreign film: "A Prophet," "An Education," "Everlasting Moments," "Mother," "The Maid"

Acura Someone to Watch Award: Kyle Patrick Alvarez, "Easier With Practice"; Asiel Norton, "Redland"; Tariq Tapa, "Zero Bridge"

Truer Than Fiction Award: Natalia Almada, "El General"; Jessica Oreck, "Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo"; Bill Ross, Turner Ross, "45365"

Piaget Producers Award: Karin Chien, ("The Exploding Girl," "Santa Mesa"); Larry Fessenden, ("I Sell the Dead," "The House of the Devil"); Dia Sokol, ("Beeswax," "Nights & Weekends")

Venice Film Festival Winners 2009

Venice Film Independent Feature Film Festival Winners 2009


GOLDEN LION - Best Film

Lebanon by Samuel Maoz (Israel)

SILVER LION - Best Director

Shirin Neshat for Women Without Men (Germany/Austria/France)

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE

Soul Kitchen by Fatih Akin

COPPA VOLPI - Best Actor

Colin Firth for A Single Man by Tom Ford (USA)

COPPA VOLPI - Best Actress

Ksenia Rappoport for by Patrick Mario Bernard and Pierre Trividic (France)

OSELLA - Best Screenplay

Todd Solondz for Life During Wartime (USA)


MARCELLO MASTROIANNI AWARD - Best Young Actor or Actress

Jasmine Trinca for Il Grande Sogno by Michelle Placido (Italy)


OSELLA - Best Production Designer

Sylvie Olive for Mr. Nobody by Jaco Van Dormael (France)


LUIGI DE LAURENTIIS - AWARD FOR A DEBUT FILM

Engkwentro by Pepe Diokno (Philippines)


CONTROCAMPO ITALIANO PRIZE

Cosmonauta by Susanna Nicchiarelli


QUEER LION - Best Gay Film:
A Single Man, directed by Tom Ford

Toronto International Film Festival 2009 Winners

Cadillac People’s Choice Award:

Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire by Lee Daniels

Runners up: Mao's Last Dancer by Bruce Beresford, Micmacs by Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Cadillac People’s Choice Award For Documentary:

The Topp Twins by Leanne Pooley

Runner up: Capitalism: A Love Story by Michael Moore


Cadillac People’s Choice Award For Midnight Madness:

The Loved Ones

Runner up: Daybreakers by Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig

City of Toronto and Astral Media’s The Movie Network Award For Best Canadian Feature Film:

Cairo Time by Ruba Nadda

SKYY Vodka Award For Best Canadian First Feature Film:

The Wild Hunt by Alexandre Franchi

Prizes of the International Critics (FIPRESCI Prize) for Special Presentations Section:

Hadewijch by Bruno Dumont

Prizes of the International Critics (FIPRESCI Prize) for Discovery Section:

The Man Beyond the Bridge by Laxmikant Shetgaonkar

Award For Best Canadian Short Film:

Danse Macabre by Pedro Pires

Honorable mention: The Armoire by Jamie Travis

Special Jury Citation from the Best Canadian Feature jury:

La Donation by Bernard Émond

Los Angeles Film Festival 2009 Winners

Target Filmmaker Award - Sam Fleischner and Ben Chace for "Wah Do Dem" ("What They Do")

Target Documentary Award - Juan Carlos Rulfo and Carlos Hagerman for "Those Who Remain" ("Los Que se Quedan")

Target Dream in Color Award - Sam Rubin for "Lipstick"

Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature - "The Stoning of Soraya M.," directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh

Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature - "Soul Power," directed by Jeffrey Levy-Hinte

Audience Award for Best International Feature - Eva Norvind's "Born Without" ("Nacido Sin")

Outstanding Performance in the Narrative Competition - Shayne Topp for his performance in Suzi Yoonessi's "Dear Lemon Lima"

Best Narrative Short Film - Antonio Mendez Esparza's "Time and Again"

Best Documentary Short Film - Anna Gaskell's "Replayground"

Best Animated Short Film - Jérémy Clapin's "Skhizein"

Audience Award for Best Short Film - "Instead of Abracadabra," directed by Patrick Eklund

Audience Award for Best Music Video - "Grapevine Fires," directed by Walter Robot for Death Cab for Cutie

Still The Drums (2009) "A Suspenseful Tour de Force!"

Still The Drums, written-directed-produced by Talbot Perry Simons, is one of the most patriotic anti-war films I have ever seen. The film screened August 1st at the 2009 New York International Independent Film Festival in Los Angeles. The film tells the story of four childhood friends sent off to fight in Vietnam. One does not return. Thirty-nine years later, his body is found and an ensuing mystery begins to unfold. The film has moments that reminded me of “Coming Home” and “The Best Years Of Our Lives” mixed in with flashbacks of childhood as rich as “Stand By Me”.

The film at its core is a story of friendship, loyalty and morality. It opens on the afternoon the three men have attended a funeral for their fallen friend who has been MIA for thirty-nine years. Their friend Lt. Jack (Jacky) Buchannon was awarded the medal of honor as a fallen hero. We find out that these three surviving friends, Tom (Talbot Perry Simons), Mike (Bobby Figaro) and Al (Richard Fulvio) have been meeting in a similar way once a year since Jacky went missing. They honor him by drinking Jack Daniels and telling stories from their youth.

This year is different. Jacky is not only the recipient of the Medal of Honor but is having an extension onto the community college named after him. After a few drinks, it is clear that not everything is how it seems, and as the film transitions to weave scenes from three periods of these men’s lives, old war memories spring back to life and the story culminates into a riveting and suspenseful tour de force.

The men’s experiences in Vietnam and childhood as friends are told with an effective use of flashbacks. If you were wondering “Why make another film about Vietnam. Haven’t we explored all the issues regarding that war?”, then you will find your answer in “Still The Drums”. This is not only a film about Vietnam but war in general. For these vets, the war never ended. It is not just a flashback or period in their lives, they live with the effects it had and has on them daily. The film makes the point that for all veterans, their war is never really over.

Talbot Perry Simons independent feature film goes beyond the typical war film. “Still The Drums” is a gripping, tense and heart-wrenching film that challenges the viewer to question what he or she would do in a moral dilemma in a time of war. It also reminds us that it is our choices in adversity that define our character and our humanity. Don't miss Still The Drums. Its a powerful small film that tackles timeless monumental themes in a masterful and balanced manner. The film will be playing again in Saturday October 24th at the City Cinemas on 2nd Ave and 12th street in New York City as part of the New York International Independent Film Festival screenings in New York. View the Still The Drums trailer here. View the audience responses in NYC and Los Angeles 

Canne Film Festival Winners 2009

Canne film festival started in 1946 to award and showcase European feature films. Canne has since become an international film market. Canne award winning films are often art films. The highest award is the Canne film festival Palme d'or or Golden Palm. Producers will often debut films there in hopes of securing an international film distribution deal.

Palme d'Or

Palme d'Or (Golden Palm):
The White Ribbon directed by Michael Haneke

Grand Prize (Runner Up):
Un Prophète (A Prophet) directed by Jacques Audiard

Special Jury Prize:
Alain Resnais director of Wild Grass (Les Herbes Folles)

Best Director:
Brillante Mendoza for Kinatay

Best Screenplay:
Feng Mei for Lou Ye's Spring Fever

Jury Prize:
Fish Tank directed by Andrea Arnold
Thirst directed by Park Chan-wook

Camera d'Or (First-Time Filmmaker):
Samson and Delilah directed by Warwick Thornton

Best Leading Actor:
Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds

Best Leading Actress:
Charlotte Gainsbourg in Antichrist


Un Certain Regard Prize:
Dogtooth (Kynodntas) directed by Yorgos Lanthimos

Jury Prize:
Police, Adjective (Politist, Adjectiv) directed by Corneliu Porumboiu

Special Jury Prize:
No One Knows About Persian Cats directed by Bahman Ghobadi
Father of My Children (Le Père de mes Enfants) directed by Mia Hansen-Løve