Kids' Choice Awards 2012 - winners

Nickelodeon held Kids' Choice Awards 2012 tonight at a ceremony in Los Angeles hosted by Will Smith.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked took the Favourite Movie prize over Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, The Muppets and The Smurfs. Puss in Boots won for Favourite Animated Movie.

If you can believe it, Adam Sandler won an acting award and it wasn't (yet) a Golden Raspberry. Kristen Stewart won for Movie Actress and Katy Perry won for Voice from an Animated Movie.

Victorious won for TV Show, while Jake Short and Selena Gomez won the TV acting categories. Selena Gomez also picked up a prize for Female Singer, while her boyfriend Canadian singer Justin Bieber won for Male Singer. Bieber was one of many celebs who were "slimed" while onstage.

2012 Toronto Screenwriting Conference, Mar 31 – Apr 1

This weekend, the third edition of the Toronto Screenwriting Conference takes place in downtown Toronto.

The conference features a packed schedule of speakers that includes Kerry Appleyard, Lee Aronsohn, David Barlow, Linwood Boomer, Sheldon Bull, Inga Cadranel, Russ Cochrane, Daisy Coulam, Dean DeBlois, Sarah Fowlie, Robin Gurney, Michael Hirst, Mark Ellis, Dara Marks, Abi Morgan, Stephanie Morgenstern, Robert Nathan, Brian Roberts, Richard Rouse III, Patricia Rozema, David Shamoon, Jana Sinyor, Greg Spottiswood and Graham Yost.

Film Review: Gerhard Richter Painting

Writer/Director: Corinna Belz
Producer: Thomas Kufus
Cast: Gerhard Richter, Hubert Becker, Norbert Arns
Biographical Arts Documentary
1 hours, 37 minutes
German with English subtitles, English

The 80-year-old German visual artist Gerhard Richter has led a long, illustrious and intriguing career. He has demonstrated enormous versatility over a range of mediums and is renowned for both his photorealistic paintings as well as his as his purely abstract works.

Documentarian Corinna Belz had first captured his creative process with Das Kölner Domfenster (The Cologne Cathedral Window) showing the creation over two years of the artist’s 115-square-meter stained glass window for the Cologne Cathedral. Here, she managed to persuade him to allow cameras to capture him at work as he prepares for a major exhibit of abstracts works.

John Greyson: Impatient, Mar 30 – Apr 5

Tonight, a multi-venue retrospective of iconoclastic New Queer Cinema filmmaker John Greyson entitled John Greyson: Impatient kicks off at TIFF Bell Lightbox with a screening of Zero Patience. The 1993 AIDS musical will be preceded by his short pieces ADS Epidemic and Roy & Silo's Starter Home.

Other works presented as part of John Greyson: Impatient include Carte Blanche: Edward II, White Money, Fig Trees, The Sixth Room, Motet for Amplified Voices and Lilies.

The retrospective is being held in conjunction with the release of a DVD box set and a new monograph honouring his work. The launch event takes place before the screening and is free to Zero Patience ticket holders.

Call for submissions: Montreal Stop Motion Film Festival 2012

The Festival du Film de Stop Motion de Montréal (Montreal Stop Motion Film Festival) has put out a call for submissions for their 4th edition of the festival.

The festival is inviting all stop motion filmmakers from around the world to submit their latest works in any of the three competitive categories: Independent, Academic, and Professional.

To celebrate the announcement of their coming festival, they will be presenting a special free screening on Wednesday, April 18th, 2012 at 7:00pm at Concordia University’s J.A. de Sève Theater (1453 Mackay Street, Montreal).

The JUNOS at TIFF: Canadian Music on Film

Tonight at TIFF Bell Lightbox, TIFF presents a special event with the JUNO Awards.

The 2012 JUNO nominees for Music DVD of the Year will be highlighted with screenings and interviews with the filmmakers. Some of the featured musicians will be in attendance as well. The evening will be hosted by Matt Wells of MuchMore.

Part of the proceeds from the night will support CARAS' music education charity MusiCounts.

The JUNOS at TIFF: Canadian Music on Film takes place at 7pm tonight at TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King Street West.

2012 Toronto Silent Film Festival, Mar 29 – Apr 3

The 4th Annual Toronto Silent Film Festival begins tonight with a screening of Harry Beaumont's Our Dancing Daughters, starring Joan Crawford, Anita Page, Dorothy Sebastian, John Mack Brown and Nils Asther. Musical accompaniment will be provided by Andrei Streliaev.

This is the film that launched Joan Crawford's stardom. She plays flapper "Dangerous Diana" Medford who becomes caught in a love-triangle with her friend Ann.

With the renewed interest in silent film as a result of the Oscar-winning film The Artist, this is an excellent opportunity to catch some classics, both short and feature-length. Other features being screened are Tabu: A Tale of the South Seas by F. W. Murnau, Blood and Sand by Fred Niblo, Un chapeau de paille d'Italie (An Italian Straw Hat) by Réne Clair, and Varieté (Variety) by E. A. Dupont.

The featured musicians providing live accompaniment will be William O'Meara, Clark Wilson, Laura Silberberg, Bill Lasovich and the aforementioned Andrei Streliaev.

Call for submissions: 2012 TIFF Wavelengths program

The call for submissions has been put out for the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival's program known as Wavelengths.

Wavelengths is TIFF's selection dedicated to avant-garde and experimental filmmaking and is named after Michael Snow's seminal film Wavelength. The works are grouped together in 5-6 full-length screenings and shown in the first weekend of the festival. The program is curated by TIFF Cinematheque Programmer Andréa Picard and she has received raves for her work including from Manohla Dargis of the New York Times.

The 2011 Wavelengths program at TIFF included works by Adriana Salazar Arroyo, Ute Aurand, James Benning, Joshua Bonnetta, Neil Beloufa, Nick Collins, Tacita Dean, Nathaniel Dorsky, Kevin Jerome Everson, Karen Johannesen, Chris Kennedy, Mark Lewis, Rose Lowder, Raya Martin, Sophie Michael, John Price, Ben Rivers, Alina Rudnitskaya, Jonathan Schwartz, Eriko Sonoda, T. Marie, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Joyce Wieland, and Blake Williams.

Canadian Film Festival 2012, March 28-31

After a three-year break, the Canadian Film Fest returns with a splash tonight with the Toronto premiere of Thom Fitzgerald's Cloudburst starring Olympia Dukakis, Brenda Fricker and Ryan Doucette. Fitzgerald is a Nova Scotia-based filmmaker who won the Audience Award at TIFF for his 1997 film The Hanging Garden. Cloudburst is based on his award-winning play about an couple played by Dukakis and Fricker taking a road trip from Maine to Nova Scotia to get married.

Among other features playing during the festival are the world premieres for Hit N’ Strum by Kirk Caouette, Material Success by Jesse Mann, and Waiting for Summer by Senthil Vinu. Highlights from the short film program include AFI alumnus Gavin Heffernan's Devolution: Reckoning, Rosie Takes the Train by Stephen Scott, and Hangnail by NSI alumnus Cavan Campbell.

The festival will also host a couple of panel discussions. The first is on Canadian Genre Movie Scene and will be moderated by writer/director Warren P. Sonoda, and the second is on The State of the Canadian Film Industry with Toronto Star film critic Peter Howell moderating. The panel discussions are free. Simply email liam@canfilmfest.ca to reserve a spot.

Call for submissions: Worldwide Shorts 2012 Screenplay Giveaway

The Canadian Film Centre's Worldwide Short Film Festival has put out a call for submissions for their 2012 Screenplay Giveaway. It's a short film screenwriting contest with a prize package of goods and services worth over $50,000.

The entry fee is $20 which you can put towards the cost of an industry panel ticket. You may submit a screenplay of no more than 40 pages that will be read by an industry jury. The deadline for submissions is 6pm on Wednesday, May 23, 2012.

This contest is open to all Canadian residents. The winner will be announced during the Awards ceremony on the last day of the festival.

The Worldwide Short Film Festival is the largest short film festival in North America. It takes place this year from June 5-10. It also runs an filmmakers symposium which provides filmmakers and those in the industry an excellent opportunity to learn and to network.

Premiile Gopo 2012 - Romanian film awards - winners

Tonight, the Asociaţia Pentru Promovarea Filmului Românesc (Association for Romanian Film Promotion) held the gala ceremony for their 6th Annual Premiile Gopo (Gopo Awards) at the Platinum Business & Convention Center in Bucharest. The event was hosted by Andi Moisescu.

The winner of the top prize Best Picture was Cristi Puiu's Aurora. It also picked up Best Director and Screenplay. Cristi Puiu wrote, directed and starred in the three-hour crime drama. Interestingly, Puiu had declined to submit for nominations but the jury considered his film anyhow and gave it ten nominations. Puiu did not attend the ceremony.

Bogdan George Apetri's Periferic (Outbound), however, earned more awards with five. It had led the nominations with twelve. It won for Best Debut Feature, Actress (Ana Ularu), Supporting Actress (Ioana Flora), Cinematography and Editing. In addition, Ioana Flora was the recipient of the Pro Cinema Award.

2012 Festival International du Film sur l’Art – Award winners

30TH FIFA: AN ANNIVERSARY EDITION, A SYMBOL OF REFINEMENT, SURPRISE AND QUALITY!

Montreal, March 26, 2012 – The 30th International Festival of Films on Art (FIFA), presented in collaboration with Astral, has demonstrated that after thirty years the public’s devotion to the festival is unwavering, as is the festival’s mission. For the last month, film-lovers, art enthusiasts and tourists joined in the anniversary celebrations. From March 15 to 25, 232 films from 27 countries were presented at nine of Montreal’s finest cultural institutions, representing all artistic disciplines and modes of expressions.

At the awards ceremony held on Saturday, March 24 at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the international jury of the 30th FIFA, presided over by singer-actress-director Carole Laure, honoured 12 films from 9 countries. Other jury members included Simon Brault, CEO of the National Theatre School of Canada; filmmaker Jérôme de Missolz; Christopher Jackson, conductor and artistic director of the Studio de musiques anciennes de Montréal; and Spanish art historian and museologist Salvador Nadales.

2012 PaekSang Arts Awards (Korean Film/TV) – nominations

The IS PLUS Corporation has announced the nominees for the 48th 백상예술대상 (PaekSang or BaekSang Arts Awards).

Leading with six nominations is 범죄와의전쟁 (Nameless Gangster) by 윤종빈 (Yun Jong-Bin). It received a mention for Best Picture, while 윤종빈 (Yun Jong-Bin) was nominated himself for Director and Screenplay. 최민식 (Choi Min-Sik) was nominated for Best Actor while 김성균 (Kim Sung-Kyun) and 김혜은 (Kim Hye-Eun) were nominated for Rookie Actor and Rookie Actress respectively. The film portrays the clashes in the Busan underworld when the government declared its war against crime in 1990.

Next was 부러진화살 (Unbowed) by 정지영 (Chung Ji-Young) with four nominations. Its nods were for Best Picture, Director, Screenplay and 안성기 (Ahn Sung-Ki) for Best Actor. Unbowed is based on the true story of a professor who sued his university after he lost his job, and then after losing both the case and his appeal, he confronted the judge with a crossbow.

Jameson Empire Awards 2012 - winners

Empire magazine held thier 17th Jameson Empire Awards today in central London. The event was hosted by Radio 6 presenter Lauren Laverne and Film 2012’s Chris Hewitt.

Tomas Alfredson's Tinker Tailor Solider Spy led the field with three awards. It won for Best British Film, Best Thriller and Best Actor for Gary Oldman. The film is a moody 70s-style Cold War thriller based on a novel by John le Carré.

Taking the top prize for Best Film, though, was Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows — Part 2, the final instalment of the popular series. David Yates also picked up the award for Best Director. The film had led the nominations with five along with Drive. Drive, however, came away empty-handed.

2012 GLAAD Media Awards in New York – winners

Last night, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) held the first of its three ceremonies their 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards. Glee stars Naya Rivera and Cory Monteith hosted the event.

The winner for Outstanding Film – Limited Release was the small indie film Pariah. The film by Dee Rees is about a 17-year old African-American teenager Alike (played by Adepero Oduye) who embraces her identity as a lesbian. The award was accepted by the film's stars Oduye and Kim Wayans, as well as producer Nekisa Cooper.

Television winners included the shows Dancing with the Stars, ABC World News with Diane Sawyer, Cinema Verite, The Oprah Winfrey Show and Anderson Cooper 360.

The Vito Russo Award was presented to film, television, and theater producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron by Bernadette Peters and John Stamos. Productions by Zadan and Meron include Chicago, Hairspray and Smash.

2012 Genesis Awards – winners

The Humane Society of the United States presented its 26th annual Genesis Awards last night at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California at a ceremony hosted by "Dancing With the Stars" judge Carrie Ann Inaba. The Genesis Awards are given in recognition of the major news and entertainment media for producing outstanding works that raise public awareness about animal issues.

The winner for Feature Film nominees was Rupert Wyatt's Rise of the Planet of the Apes for its examination of the ethics of animal testing on chimps. It was competing against Charles Martin Smith's Dolphin Tale, Carlos Saldanha's Rio and Steven Spielberg's War Horse.

For Documentary, winner was David Lickley's IMAX feature Born to be Wild 3D about the rehabilitation of baby elephants and orangutans orphaned by poachers. It had been up against Buck by Cindy Meehl, and One Lucky Elephant by Lisa Leeman.

2012 Independent Music Awards (Indies) - winners

The Canadian Association for the Advancement of Music & The Arts (C.A.A.M.A.) held the ceremony for the 12th Annual Independent Music Awards – also known as the Indies – last night at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto.

Saskatoon rockers The Sheepdogs were the night's big winners with four wins, capturing each of its leading total of four nominations. The Sheepdogs wins were for Single of the Year, Group or Duo of the Year, Live Artist/Group or Duo of the Year and Rock Artist/Group or Duo of the Year.

Rich Aucoin had shared the lead with four nominations. His single win was for Emerging Artist of the Year.

The winner for the top category of Album of the year was Fucked Up with David Comes To Life. They picked up an additional prize for Puck/Hardcore Artist/Group or Duo of the Year.

FREE FALL ’12 Performance Festival, Mar 24–31

The Theatre Centre presents
FREE FALL ’12 - PERFORMANCE WITHOUT A NET
CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF GROUNDBREAKING ART March 24-31, 2012

FREE FALL is an eight-day biennial national and international performance festival featuring new and hybrid works by emerging and established artists from across Canada. From March 24-31, 2012 FREE FALL ’12 will host ten productions with artists from four cities at seven venues in Toronto.

Co-curated by The Theatre Centre’s Artistic Director Franco Boni and Praxis Theatre’s Michael Wheeler, FREE FALL ’12 investigates shared and individual experiences through theatre, installation, performance art, new media, lectures and online performance.

Highlights include the return of Theatre Replacement to examine the hilarious and disturbing nature of the average YouTube commenter in WEETUBE 5400, Liza Balkan’s documentary theatre piece OUT THE WINDOW and FREE FALL will bring audiences outside of the theatre with a walking tour, INVISIBLE TORONTO, and a Twitter-fueled voyage on the 501 Streetcar line, ROUTE 501 REVISITED.

Free advance screening of The Cabin in the Woods

On April 4, the University of Toronto's Cinema Studies Student Union (CINSSU) and Alliance Films present a free advance screening of The Cabin in the Woods. The horror-comedy film is written and directed by Drew Goddard, co-written and produced by Joss Whedon, and stars Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford, Jesse Williams, Anna Hutchison, and Fran Kranz.

The screening is free and open to all. You do not need to be a student or attend the University of Toronto. Preference to attend the screening will go to pass-holders. To pick up a pass, go to Innis College, 2 Sussex Ave., Rm. 107 beside the Cafe. The hours are 12-4pm from Monday to Wednesday, and 2-4pm on Thursday.

For those who don't manage to get a pass, there will be a rush line-up on the night of the screening. Be sure you join the rush line and not the ticket-holders line.

62nd Deutscher Filmpreis (German Film Awards), Lolas - nominations

Today, the Deutsche Filmakademie (German Film Academy) announced the nominations for the 62nd Deutscher Filmpreis (German Film Awards). The award is also known as the Lola in honour of Marlene Dietrich's character in Der blaue Engel (The Blue Angel).

Leading the way with eight nominations was Christian Petzold's Barbara. Its nominations included Best Picture, Screenplay, Director and Actor (Ronald Zehrfeld). Just last month, it captured a Silver Bear at the Berlinale.

Close behind with seven nominations each were Roland Emmerich’s revisionist Shakespeare thriller Anonymous and the drama Halt auf freier Strecke (Stopped on Track). Both were nominated for Best Picture. Rounding out the top category were Christian Zübert's Dreiviertelmond (Three Quarter Moon), Tim Fehlbaum's Hell and David Wnendt's Kriegerin (Combat Girls).

Cinéfranco 2012, March 23–Apr 1

15^th Annual Cinéfranco 2012
Celebrates International Francophone Cinema
in Toronto

Friday, March 23 – Sunday, April 1, 2012
At TIFF Bell Lightbox

Cinéfranco, English Canada’s largest celebration of international Francophone cinema is celebrating its 15^th anniversary with love and passion.  And who better than the French to speak the language of love through film?  Running in Toronto from Friday, March 23 – Sunday, April 1, 2012 at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinéfranco is an oasis for lovers of Francophone cinema with 16 North American Premieres, 5 Canadian Premieres, and 7 English Canadian Premieres and a showcase of 28 features, 2 documentaries and 11 shorts.

2012 Bangkok Critics Assembly Awards – winners

The แก้ไข ชมรมวิจารณ์บันเทิง (Bangkok Critics Assembly) held their 20th รางวัลภาพยนตร์ไทย ชมรมวิจารณ์บันเทิง (Bangkok Critics Assembly Awards) on Wednesday night at the Royal Thai Army Club.

The top prize-winner of the night with five awards was ฝนตกขึ้นฟ้า (Headshot) by เป็นเอก รัตนเรือง (Pen-Ek Ratanaruang). Its title literally translates as "rain falling up to the sky" and is a stylish thriller about a hitman who sees the world upside-down after he is shot in the head. It won the awards for Best Picture, Director, Actor (นพชัย ชัยนาม / Nopachai “Peter” Jayanama), Cinematography and Editing. The film was produced by Pawas Sawatchaiyamet and Canadian Raymond Phathanavirangoon who formerly programmed at festivals including the Toronto International Film Festival and the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival.

The horror film ลัดดาแลนด์ (Laddaland) by โสภณ ศักดาพิศิษฏ์ (Sophon Sakdaphisit) and the Rashomon adaptation อุโมงค์ผาเมือง (The Outrage) by ม.ล. พันธุ์เทวนพ เทวกุล (M.L. Pundhevanop Dhewakul) each received two awards. ลัดดาแลนด์ (Laddaland) won Best Actress for ป๊อก ปิยธิดา วรมุสิก (Piyathida Woramusik) and Best Screenplay for the writer/director โสภณ ศักดาพิศิษฏ์ (Sophon Sakdamphisit) and co-writer โสภณา เชาว์วิวัฒน์กุล (Sophana Chaowiwatkul). อุโมงค์ผาเมือง (The Outrage) won Best Supporting Actress for รัดเกล้า อามระดิษ (Radklao Amaradit) and Best Art Direction.

MONITOR 8: New South Asian short film and video

South Asian Visual Arts Centre (SAVAC) presents its annual screening of short films and videos by South Asian artists from Canada and abroad (Bangladesh, India, Netherlands and UK).

MONITOR 8 features works by Promotesh Das Pulak, Kitsum Cheng, Ekta Mittal & Yashaswini Raghunandan, Tahireh Lal, Panchal Mansaram, Sukanya Ghosh, Natasha Mendonca, Ashiq Khondker, Tal Amiran. The screening is curated by Jacob Korczynski and juried by Eli Horwatt, Michelle Mama, Swapnaa Tamhane and Rathan.

The screening begins at 7:30pm, with the doors opening at 7pm. It takes place at Innis Town Hall, located at 2 Sussex Ave, one block south of St. George St. and Bloor St or just north of Robarts Library.

Call for submissions: Rendezvous with Madness 2012

Rendezvous with Madness Film Festival has put out a call for submissions for their 20th edition of the festival. Rendezvous with Madness (RWM) is the world’s first and longest running film festival showcasing films that address issues of mental health and/or addiction.

The festival screens both fiction and documentary films. They present exhibitions and installations. They also have a program Rendezvous in the Classroom for high school students. Events take place at TIFF Bell Lightbox, Workman Arts and The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).

Call for submissions: Arirang Korea Smartphone Film Festival

Arirang Korea TV in Toronto has put out a call for submissions for short films by Canadians made on a smartphone.

They are asking for films of up to 4 minutes in length with an element of anything Korean. There is no cost to enter and filmmakers may send in up to three submissions.

The selected videos will screen at 2012 Arirang Korea Smartphone Film Festival on May 11 at Innis Town Hall and Arirang Korea TV will air the selected videos at a later date on OMNI TV. Prizes for the top entries include a cash prize of $1,500, a Samsung Galaxy Tab computer tablet, a Pico Dolly System, and 2012 Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival prize packages including festival passes, t-shirt and DVDs.

The Free Screen – Spring 2012, TIFF Bell Lightbox

Recently, TIFF Bell Lightbox announced the appointment of Chris Kennedy as their new programmer for The Free Screen, TIFF Cinematheque’s renowned ongoing free series featuring independent and avant-garde works. He launches his first season of programming with tonight's screening of works by Governor General's Award-winner Jan Peacock, Jan Peacock: Using Clouds for Words.

The featured works will be Bystander; California Freeze-Out; This Walk, These Step; Wallace & Theresa; therethere; Reader by the Window; Current Details; (Bliss) (Dread) The Road Rises to Meet You; and Soaring with Dogs. The screening will be preceded by a looped version of her latest work touch 1.0. The works vary in length from 1.5 to 16 minutes.

She uses a wide range of techniques – using computer scanners, overlapping images and sounds, focus, and many different kinds of visual text. Her work is hypnotic and thoughtful, and frequently personal and touching too, as with Wallace & Theresa, her tribute to her late friend and fellow artist Theresa Hak Kyung Cha.

Canadian Music Week, CMW Film Festival, Mar 21-25

The 30th Slacker Canadian Music Week begins today in Toronto. It kicks off with an Opening Night Gala at the CN Tower featuring special guest performances from The Joel Plaskett Emergency and Ben Caplan.

Other performances tonight include a performance by two-time JUNO Award winner and acclaimed multi-platinum singer/songwriter Johnny Reid at the Mod Club; Trebele Charger at the Phoenix Concert Theatre; Blackie and the Rodeo Kings at Massey Hall; Die Mannequin at Revival; and 2K12 Korea Night featuring K-Pop music at Kool Haus.

Over the next five days, the festival will present over 900 artists from 40 different countries, playing shows at 60 different venues. The performances cover a range of styles such as rock, heavy metal, country, jazz and hip hop.

1st Canadian International Comedy Festival, March 21-25

Today, the inaugural Canadian International Comedy Festival kicks off with a show by Bryan Callen, and group shows hosted by Scott Thompson and Fraser Young.

Performers over the next few days include Sean Cullen, 30 Rock's Tracy Morgan, former Jackass Steve-O, Reggie Watts and Debra DiGiovanni. There is a Bite TV all-star show, a musical comedy performance, and a Cool Chicks of Comedy night.

The 1st Canadian International Comedy Festival continues until March 25 in Toronto. Participating venues are Absolute Comedy, Comedy Bar, The Music Hall, Glenn Gould Studio, Sony Center, Second City, The Underground Cinema and Yuk Yuk's.

2012 Chlotrudis Awards - winners

The Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film held the ceremony for their 18th Annual Chlotrudis Awards at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

As at the Oscars and many other awards, The Artist come out on top with three awards. It won Best Movie, Production Design and Cinematography.

Films with two awards each were Mike Leigh's Another Year (Best Actress for Lesley Manville and shared Best Performance by an Ensemble Cast), Asghar Farhadi's A Separation ((Best Director and shared Best Performance by an Ensemble Cast), and Canadian Bruce McDonald's Trigger (Best Actress for the late Tracy Wright and Buried Treasure).

Call for submissions: 2012 Telefilm Canada Pitch This!

Telefilm Canada PITCH THIS!

Telefilm Canada PITCH THIS! returns to the Toronto International Film Festival for its thirteenth consecutive year on Tuesday, September 11, 2012!

Six participant teams have six minutes to pitch their feature film idea to a live audience of over 200 industry professionals. The winners, selected by a jury of international industry experts, are awarded $10,000 CAD from Telefilm Canada to develop the project further.

2012 Hot Docs programming announced

HOT DOCS ANNOUNCES 2012 LINE UP - 189 DOCUMENTARIES FROM
A RECORD 51 COUNTRIES TO SCREEN AT NORTH AMERICA’S LARGEST DOC FEST

Toronto, March 20 – Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival announced its full film line-up for the upcoming 19th edition, April 26-May 6, at a press conference this morning at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema in Toronto. From 2,085 film submissions, this year’s slate will present 189 titles from a record 51 countries in 11 screening programs.

“This is a big year for Hot Docs. With a new cinema we are committing more so than ever to documentary film as a force to be reckoned with,” says Hot Docs director of programming Charlotte Cook. “With the largest country representation the Festival has ever had, we will be hearing many new voices from all over the world. It’s wonderful to be able to bring such a great range of films to Toronto audiences, to champion documentary in a city that truly supports documentary as an art form.”

Book launch for David Spaner's Shoot It! Hollywood Inc. and the Rising of Independent Film

DAVID SPANER in conversation with RICHARD CROUSE AT “SHOOT IT! HOLLYWOOD INC. AND THE RISING OF INDEPENDENT FILM ” BOOK LAUNCH

TINARS is Occupying Hollywood for just one night as the Indie film community celebrates the launch of movie critic/film historian David Spaner’s new book Shoot It! Hollywood Inc. and the Rising of Independent Film. Indie film pioneer Larry Kent introduces the evening featuring film clips, slideshows and a candid discussion between David Spaner and film critic Richard Crouse about the void created by the Hollywood studio system and the independent filmmakers overcoming obstacles to fill it. Presented by This Is Not a Reading Series, Arsenal Pulp Press, the Gladstone Hotel, Productions and The Toronto Review of Books.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Gladstone Hotel, Main Ballroom, 1214 Queen Street West

Polskich Nagród Filmowych Orły 2012 - Eagle Awards for Polish film - winners

The Polska Akademia Filmowa (Polish Film Academy) held the awards ceremony today for their 14th Polskich Nagród Filmowych Orły (Eagle Awards). The ceremony was originally scheduled for Monday, March 5 but was cancelled as a result of a national period mourning after a train crash at Szczekocin killed 16 people and wounded 57.

The surprise winner of the evening was Wojtek Smarzowski's Róża (Rose). It claimed a total of seven awards – they were Best Film, Director, Screenplay, Actress (Agata Kulesza) and Supporting Actor (Jacek Braciak), Sound and the Audience Award.

Agnieszka Holland's Oscar-nominated Holocaust-themed W ciemności (In Darkness) had led with ten nominations. It managed three wins for Cinematography, Supporting Actress (Kinga Preis) and Actor (Robert Więckiewicz). Kinga Preis had been also nominated for her Supporting Actress work in Róża (Rose).

Inaugural Hayak Awards for Armenian cinema – winners

On Sunday night at the Alexander Spendiaryan National Opera and Ballet Theatre in Yerevan, the presentation took place for the inaugural Հայակ or "Hayak" Awards for Armenian cinema. The Hayak Awards were founded by the National Cinema Development Foundation, Orange Armenia Company and the Armenian National Cinema Center.

The film with the most prizes was Որտեղ էիր, մարդ Աստծո (Where Have You Been, Man of God?). It won Best Actress for Աննա Էլբակյան (Anna Elbakyan) and also took Best Screenplay and Composer. It was the only multiple winner.

The top prize of Best Picture went to Վիգեն Չալդրանյան (Vigen Chaldranyan) for Ձայն բարբառո… (Voice in the Wilderness…). The Best Director prize was claimed by Հարություն Խաչատրյան (Harutyun Khachatryan) for Սահման (Border).

2012 Asian Film Awards – winners

The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society hosted the 6th Annual Asian Film Awards today at the at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Grand Hall. The 6th AFA is one of the Opening Gala events of Entertainment Expo Hong Kong that includes the 36th Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF), and the 10th Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF).

Oscar-winning Iranian film جدایی نادر از سیمین (Nader and Simin, A Separation) by Asghar Farhadi was the night's biggest winner. It won four of its five nominations, taking Best Film, Director, Editor and Screenwriter. This continues its spectacular yearlong awards winning streak which began with the Golden Bear Award at the 2011 Berlinale.

武俠 (Wu Xia) was next with three awards. It picked up prizes for Cinematographer, Production Designer and Composer. Production Designer 奚仲文 (Yee Chung-man) also picked up a second award at for Costume Design for 龍門飛甲 (The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate).

Tsui Hark's 龍門飛甲 (The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate) had led with seven nominations including Best Film and Director. Other than Costume Design, its only other win was for Visual Effects.

Focus on Sustainability Film Festival, March 19

Focus on Sustainability Film Festival: Water

‘Planet in Focus with York University Present: Focus on Sustainability Film Festival’ – an annual event with its premiere theme on water!

This entertaining and educating experience features domestic and foreign documentaries, a panel discussion with filmmakers, activists and academics, as well as prizes provided by Mountain Equipment Co-op. Please join us on Monday, March 19th, 2012 in the York University Senate Chambers (NR940) from 10am to 5pm. Only 2$ for all day access.

The films include:

2012 Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) – nominations

On Saturday night, the nominees were announced for the 7th Annual Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) in Banjul, the capital of Gambia.

Sara Bletcher's Otelo Burning led the field with thirteen nominations. In addition to Best Film, its nominations included Best Director, Actor (Jafta Mamabolo), Young/Promising Actor (Thomas Gumede and Sihle Xaba), Child Actor (Tsepang Mohlomi) and Film in an African Language.

Next with eleven nominations was Charlie Vundla's How To Steal 2 Million, followed by Lancelot Oduwa Imaseun's Adesuwa with ten. They were both nominated for Best Film and Best Director, as were the other major contenders Ties That Bind by Leila Djansi, Rugged Priest by Bob Nyanja, State Of Violence by Khalo Matabane, and Man On Ground by Akin Omotoso.

2012 Cánh diều vàng (Kite Awards for Vietnamese film) - winners

The Hội Điện ảnh Việt Nam (Vietnam Cinema Association) held the 10th Annual Cánh diều vàng (Golden Kite Awards) on Saturday night at the Friendship Palace in Hanoi.

Hữu Mười's Mùi cỏ cháy (The Scent of Burnt Grass) led the winners with four awards. The film about students who left school to fight American forces in 1972 won Best Feature Film as well as Best Screenwriting for poet Hoàng Nhuận Cầm, Best Cinematography and Best Music. Additionally, the movie received a Certificate of Merit from the General Department of Politics for being the best movie about war and revolutionary ideals.

Charlie Nguyễn's Long ruồi (The Big Boss) picked up three awards including Best Director. It also won acting awards for Actor Thái Hòa and Supporting Actress Tina Tình.

Best Actress went to Quỳnh Hoa for the hip hop film Sài gòn Yo (Saigon Electric). Hiếu Hiền won Best Supporting Actor for Hotboy nổi loạn và câu chuyện về thằng Cười, cô gái điếm và con vịt (Lost in Paradise). The title literally translates as "Rebellious Hot Boy and the Story of Cười, the Prostitute and the Duck" and is sometimes shortened to Hot boy nổi loạn.

2012 Schweizer Filmpreis ‎(Swiss Film Awards) - winners

The Bundesamt für Kultur (Swiss Federal Office of Culture) and Schweizer Filmakademie (Swiss Film Academy) held their ceremony for their 15th Annual Schweizer Filmpreis ‎(Swiss Film Prizes) – known as the "Quartz" – Schweizer Filmpreis Quartz 2012 will be held in the KKL Luzern (Culture and Convention Centre).

The night's big winner was Rolando Colla's Summer Games. It won three awards for Best Fiction Film, Screenplay and Cinematography.

The films Der Verdingbub (The Foster Boy) by Markus Imboden and Eine wen iig, dr Dällebach Kari (Someone like me – Dällebach Kari) by Xavier Koller had led with six nominations each. Der Verdingbub won Best Actor (Max Hubacher) and Performance in a Supporting Role (Stefan Kurt). Eine wen iig, dr Dällebach Kari won the other acting award, Best Actress (Carla Juri).

Call for submissions: Mascara & Popcorn 2012

A call for submissions has been put out for the 3rd edition of Mascara & Popcorn Festival. The twice-yearly week-long festival spotlights genre and independent films but also includes music, fashion, visual arts and more.

Mascara & Popcorn is a cultural event dedicated to promoting independent film and multi-disciplinarian art thus allowing film makers and artists to exhibit their craft in an atmosphere that's appropriate and thought-provoking. Our goal is to expose our film makers to producers, our partners and organizations. Short film and features, panels, cocktails, thematic events, emerging artists, networking events and unique opportunities to participate in workshops, attend interactive lectures, and listen to colleagues share their knowledge.

2012 Toronto Nepali Film Festival

3rd Toronto Nepali Film Festival

Toronto, ON: The Third Toronto Nepali Film Festival (TNFF) will be held on Saturday March 17 (St. Patrick’s Day), 2012 in Toronto at Innis Town Hall, University of Toronto, 2 Sussex Ave (at St. George Street).

The one-day festival will showcase nine extraordinary Nepali films from Canada, Nepal and the US. The program will start at 1:30 pm and end at 10:15 pm. The annual festival is organized with the goal of promoting Nepal’s rapidly emerging and vibrant independent filmmaking industry and adding a distinctive voice to Toronto’s cultural landscape.

TIFF's 2012 City to City programme will focus on Mumbai

TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL SETS ITS SIGHTS ON MUMBAI
FOR 2012 CITY TO CITY PROGRAMME

Mumbai — Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of the Toronto International Film Festival, announced today that the 2012 Festival's City to City programme will focus on Mumbai.

Past editions of City to City explored how filmmakers represented their urban landscape. This year we'll shift the scope of the programme to showcase filmmakers living and working in Mumbai, regardless of where their films are set," said Bailey, who is currently in Mumbai participating in FICCI FRAMES, the global media and entertainment convention. “There's been an exciting evolution recently that's seen local independent films emerge to contrast with Bollywood's dazzling commercial movies. Whether you call it Mumbai or Bombay, this city is a massive player in the global film world, and a place I've grown to love in all its diversity. Toronto audiences are in for a thrill this September.”

2012 South Australian Screen Awards - nominations

The Media Resource Centre, South Australia’s centre for screen culture development, has announced the nominations for the 13th Annual South Australian Screen Awards (SASA). The SASAs were originally for short films but since 2009 they have had a Best Feature Film category.

The nominees for Best Feature Film were Mike Green's Die for Real, Adam Carter's I Am Orpheus, Samuel Wright's 6 on the St, Sophie Hyde and Matthew Bate's Shut Up Little Man, and Terry Cleary's Yudum. 6 on the St picked up an additional nomination for Innovation in Digital Media.

The nomination leader, however, was Anthony Maras' The Palace with a total of seven. Maras himself was nominated for five categories – Best Film, Best Drama, Best Direction, Best Screenplay, and Best Editing. The Palace was the recent winner of Best Short Fiction Film and Best Screenplay in a Short Film at the inaugural Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards.

2012 Edgy Women Festival, Mar 15–Apr 1

The 19th Annual Edgy Women Festival gets underway tonight. It begins with a free launch party starting at 8pm at the Royal Phoenix, 5788 St-Laurent. The evening will include the launch of a feminist zombie anthology, films, presentations and a dance party with DJ DYKE.

In addition to performances and shows, they will be hosting a conference at the Casa Del Popolo, workshops, an opportunity to meet the artists, and a late-night hockey game.

Edgy Women "explores the complexity of contemporary feminism, through fun, experimental, and community-building artistic events. Presented by Studio 303, Edgy Women has blossomed from a 4-day event into a full-blown international festival, featuring a plethora of neophyte and experienced artists in a diverse programme of cutting edge work which is both experimental AND entertaining. Through its performance series, artist talks, and professional workshops, Edgy Women creates a forum for cultural exchange through a thematic context, providing an excellent opportunity for audiences to experience content-driven artwork by women."

Call for submissions: aluCine Film Festival

The aluCine Toronto Latin Film & Media Arts Festival has put out a call for submissions for their 13th edition of the festival.

aluCine's mandate is to showcase excellence and innovation in contemporary independent short film/video and new media; to promote and nurture works made by emerging and established Latin artists living in Canada, Latin America, and the Diaspora; to provide a vital outlet to have their works disseminated to a broader public both nationally and internationally; to transcend pre-established notions of representation and to cross borders; aesthetically, ideologically and geographically with the screening of Canadian works in Latin America and elsewhere.

2012 Festival International du Film sur l’Art (FIFA), Mar 15–25

The 30th anniversary edition of the Festival International du Film sur l’Art (FIFA) or International Festival of Films on Art kicks off tonight with an invitation only screening of Lech Majewski’s The Mill and the Cross. The film stars Michael York, Charlotte Rampling and Rutger Hauer as the painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder. It tells the story of Bruegel's "The Way to Calvary" through a dozen of its characters come to life.

The festival continues over the next week-and-a-half with films about all the arts. It includes films about  painting, sculpture, animation, photography, design, architecture, fashion, film, literature, dance, theatre, opera, music and more.

After last year's successful launch, the Marché International du film sur l'Art (International Market of Films on Art, or MIFA) returns with representatives from countries including France, United States and Spain. MIFA takes place from Wednesday, March 21 to Saturday, March 24. Activities include training, pitch sessions, master classes, roundtables and conferences.

Time Out Hong Kong's list of top 100 Hong Kong films

To commemorate Hong Kong's 100 years of cinema and their 100th issue, Time Out Hong Kong's film editor Edmund Lee and his team of critics have assembled a list of their top 100 films (though really 102 since a couple of choices are two-part films).

It's very pleasing to see the Wong Kar-wai gem 花樣年華 (In the Mood for Love) at the number one position atop the list. It is a lovely and subtle masterpiece that has influenced many other filmmakers.

Rounding out the top ten are Ann Hui's 投奔怒海 (Boat People), John Woo's 英雄本色 (A Better Tomorrow), Li Han-hsiang's 梁山伯與祝英台 (The Love Eterne), Wong Kar-wai's 阿飛正傳 (Days of Being Wild), Ang Lee's 臥虎藏龍 (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Cecile Tang Shu-shuen's 董夫人 (The Arch), Michael Hui's 半斤八両 (The Private Eyes), Johnnie To's 黑社會：以和為貴 (Election 2), and Johnny Mak's Long Arm of the Law 省港旗兵.

2012 New Ideas Festival, Mar 14–Apr 1

The 24th AnnualNew Ideas Festival
March 14 – April 1, 2012

Founded in 1989 by Molly Thom and Kerri MacDonald, Alumnae Theatre Company’s festival of new works provides playwrights, directors, actors and technicians with the opportunity to develop never-before-produced short scripts.

The New Ideas Festival is a juried, three-week annual festival of new writing, works-in-progress and experimental theatre, with a different lineup of short plays each week, and a staged reading (+ Talkback) on Saturdays at noon. This year, a Sunday matinée performance has been added each week, in addition to the existing Saturday matinée. Each play in the weekly program (Wednesday – Sunday) now receives 6 performances, and the readings have one each.

New Ideas is unusual among festivals, in that the scripts are read “blind” by a committee, which does not learn the writers’ identities until the plays have been selected. This year, 122 submissions were received - from all over Canada, about 20% from the U.S., and one from the U.K.

Free Screening of Jennifer Baichwal's Payback [UPDATED]

Innis College at the University of Toronto will be hosting a special advance screening of Jennifer Baichwal's latest documentary Payback, based on Margaret Atwood's Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth.

The screening will take place Thursday, March 15 at 6pm, and will be attended by Jennifer Baichwal. She will conduct a Q&A after the screening.

To attend the screening, you must RSVP to the email address given below.

If you miss this screening, the film opens the following day on March 16. Both Jennifer Baichwal and Margaret Atwood will be at the 6:30pm screening on Friday and Saturday at the Varsity Theatre (55 Bloor Street West at Bay Street) and will hold a Q&A session afterwards.

Cameron Bailey named Artistic Director of TIFF

CAMERON BAILEY RECEIVES NEW TITLE
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Title change reflects ongoing efforts to fully integrate TIFF’s programming activities and initiatives

Toronto – Piers Handling today announced that Cameron Bailey, formerly titled Co-Director of the Toronto International Film Festival® will receive a new title, Artistic Director, Toronto International Film Festival. Handling’s title remains unchanged as Director and CEO of TIFF.

“Today’s announcement is part of our ongoing efforts to become a fully integrated year-round film institution,” said Handling. “While Cameron’s responsibilities remain unchanged, I believe that his new title will support our efforts to streamline and integrate our programming across all divisions within the organization.”