Deutscher Filmpreis 2013 (German Film Awards) – winners

The Deutsche Filmakademie (German Film Academy) held the ceremonay last night for the 63rd Deutscher Filmpreis or "Lolas" at the Berliner Friedrichstadt-Palast. The evening was hosted by Mirjam Weichselbraun.

The top winner of the night was the comedic feature Oh Boy by Jan Ole Gerster. It won six prizes total including Beat Film – Gold. It also won for Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Actor (Tom Schilling), Best Supporting Actor (Michael Gwisdek), Best Editor and Best Film Music.

The winner for Best Film – Silver was Hannah Arendt by Margarethe von Trotta. It also won for Best Actress (Barbara Sukowa). The Best Film – Bronze winner was Cate Shortland's Lore.

2013 Alberta Film & Television Awards (Rosie Awards) – nominations

The Alberta Media Production Industries Associations (AMPIA) has announced the nominations for their 39th annual Alberta Film & Television Awards (Rosie Awards).

On the feature film side, the awards were led by Rufus by Dave Schultz with eight mentions. Its nominations included Best Dramatic Feature Film, Best Director (Drama over 30 Minutes) and Best Screenwriter (Drama over 30 Minutes).

It competes for Best Dramatic Feature Film against Cody Fitz by Kurtis David Harder, Ferocious by Robert Cuffley, Kept by Krunoslav Malnar, and PSEUDO Blood Of Our Own by Gursimran Dhillon.

2013 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, Apr-25-May 5

Tonight, the 20th annual Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival kicks off with the world premiere screening of Shawney Cohen's The Manor, about the filmmaker's family-run strip club in Guelph, Ontario.

Other highly-anticipated features screening during the festival include After Tiller by Martha Shane and Lana Wilson; Bà nội by Khoa Lê; Buying Sex by Kent Nason and Teresa MacInnes; The Defector: Escape from North Korea by Ann Shin; Dragon Girls by Inigo Westmeier; Fuck for Forest by Michał Marczak; The Last Black Sea Pirates by Svetoslav Stoyanov; Last Woman Standing by Lorraine Price and Juliet Lammers; Oil Sands Karaoke by Charles Wilkinson; Pussy Riot — A Punk Prayer by Maxim Pozdorovkin and Mike Lerner; Terms And Conditions May Apply by Cullen Hoback; The Unbelievers by Gus Holwerda; and Winter, Go Away! by Sofia Rodkevich, Anton Seregin, Madina Mustafina, Elena Khoreva, Anna Moiseenko, Dmitry Kubasov, Askold Kurov, Nadezhda Leonteva, Alexey Zhirayakov and Denis Klebleev.

2013 Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) Screenwriting Awards – winners

The Writers' Guild of Canada held their ceremony for the 17th annual WGC Screenwriting Awards last night at Uniun Nightclub. Comedian-actor Ryan Belleville hosted the event.

The winner for Best Movie or Miniseries was the CBC television movie The Phantoms by Andrew Wreggitt. It won against Picture Day by Kate Melville, The Samaritan by Elan Mastai & David Weaver, and Still by Michael McGowan.

Cannes 2013 Quinzaine des Réalisateurs (Directors' Fortnight) lineup announced

The Société des Réalisateurs de Films (Film Directors' Guild) has announced the films for their 45th Quinzaine des Réalisateurs (Directors' Fortnight), the last of the Cannes Festival sidebars.

17 of the 21 films that will screen are world premieres. Unfortunately, none of the selections are from Canadian filmmakers. Women are underrepresented as usual, though not as badly as in the official selection. Among the women directors is Belgian actress Yolande Moreau from the cast of last year's closing film Camille redoubles (Camille Rewinds). She presents her directorial debut Henri.

The 45th Quinzaine des Réalisateurs takes place May 16–26, 2013, starting one day after the launch of the Festival de Cannes.

Call for submissions: Giving Voice: Filmmakers Working with Filmmakers

CBC’s digital channel documentary and the Documentary Organization of Canada | l’Association des documentaristes du Canada (DOC) are proud to present

Giving Voice: Filmmakers Working with Filmmakers, a documentary masters apprenticeship program.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS NOW OPEN
DEADLINE: MAY 24TH, 2013

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Giving Voice mentorship program is the opportunity for documentary professionals from across Canada to apprentice with a master documentary filmmaker on a specific project. The program represents a unique opportunity for documentary filmmakers searching for their creative voice.

2013 Semaine de la Critique du Festival de Cannes (Critics' Week) lineup announced

The full lineup for the 52nd Semaine de la Critique du Festival de Cannes has been announced. Known as the Critics' Week in English, this is one of the sidebars to the main festival which announced its programming last week.

Among the selected films is Le Démantèlement (The Dismantlement) by Canada's Sébastien Pilote.

The Closing Film will be announced at a later date. The 52nd Semaine de la Critique du Festival de Cannes takes place from May 16-24, 2013. The 66th Festival de Cannes itself runs from May 15-26, 2013.


Opening Film

2013 Juno Awards – winners

It was a patriotic party on the Prairies as top Canadian talent took to the stage and the red carpet for Canada’s biggest night in music, THE 2013 JUNO AWARDS. CTV’s blockbuster broadcast rocked Regina’s Brandt Centre, with epic performances, tributes to Canadian music legends, and JUNO Awards handed out in seven categories.

Host and Canadian musical icon Michael Bublé kicked off the night’s festivities with a pre-taped segment that showcased his trademark humour and charisma, and featured him seeking advice from celebrity friends such as Kelly Ripa, Russell Peters, Gerard Butler and Dr. Phil. Bublé hit all the right notes throughout the evening’s festivities, including his performance of “It’s A Beautiful Day,” the first single of his new studio album TO BE LOVED, which is released in Canada tomorrow.

It was never a question of maybe. Carly Rae Jepsen was the evening’s big winner with three JUNO Awards. Having already picked up the JUNO Award for Pop Album of the Year (sponsored by TD) at the JUNO Gala Dinner & Awards on Saturday, she added two more statuettes to her collection during the broadcast: the JUNO Award for Album of the Year (sponsored by Music Canada) for KISS and Single of the Year for “Call Me Maybe.” She also graced the stage to perform a medley featuring the catchy pop song, which dominated airwaves and social media over the last year.

2013 Africa Movie Academy Awards – winners

Last night, the Africa Film Academy hosted their ceremony for the 9th Annual African Movie Academy Awards in Yenagoa, capital of Bayelsa State in Nigeria. The ceremony was hosted by Comedian Ayo Makun and British-Ghanian actress Ama K. Abebrese.

WIth the home-field advantage, Nigerian films led the night. Kenneth Gyang's Confusion Na Wa won Best Film in addition to Best Nigerian Film. Niji Akanni's Heroes And Zeros won for Best Director, as well as for Editing and Screenplay. The late Nigerian actor Justus Esiri won Best Actor for Assassins Practice.

The winner for Best Documentary was Nigeria's Fuelling Poverty by Ishaya Bako, a film about a strike to protest government gasoline subsidies to corporations and the wealthy. The film had been banned by the Nigerian government and declared a national threat that was “highly provocative and likely to incite or encourage public disorder and undermine national security”.

GLAAD Media Awards 2013 – winners pt 2

GLAAD Media Award recipients were announced in 10 of this year's 33 media categories at the 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards, presented at the JW Marriott in Los Angeles on Saturday night.

The winner for Outstanding Film – Wide Release was Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower. The Outstanding Comedy Series award went to The New Normal. Former President Bill Clinton and entertainment lawyer Steve Warren were presented with special awards.

Following is a complete list of GLAAD Media Awards presented on stage, and the individuals that accepted the awards.

2013 Canadian Cinema Editors Awards – nominations

The Canadian Cinema Editors have announced the nominations for their 3rd Annual CCE Awards.

The nominees for Best Editing in a Feature Length are Adam Locke-Norton for A.J. Bond's Stress Position, Stephen Philipson Sara St. Onge's Molly Maxwell, Dev Singh for Kate Miles Melville's Picture Day, Matt Hannam for Brandon Cronenberg's Antiviral, and Roderick Deogrades for Michael McGowan's Still Mine.

Gordon Rempel was nominated twice, for his work on the series She Made Them Do It and the short film The Weather Girl. Joycelyn Poon was nominated twice in the Animation category for Oh No! It’s an Alien Invasion, Episode: The Royal Flush / Brainlings on Ice; and Babar and the Adventures of Badou, Episode: Babar the Pirate / Stripes vs. Scales.

58th Ivor Novello Awards 2013 – nominations

The nominees for the 58th Ivor Novello Awards have been announced. The Ivors celebrate, honour and reward excellence in songwriting and composing. They are presented by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA) and judged by the writing community.

The only double nominees were Emeli Sande with Next To Me, Plan B for Ill Manors, and Alt-J were the only people to receive more than one nomination. For Best Song Musically and Lyrically, Emeli Sande competes against Bat For Lashes with Laura, and Jake Bugg with Two Fingers. Ill Manors by Plan B (rapper Ben Drew) uses samples of the 2011 London riots and the fourth movement of Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony.

2013 Festival de Cannes announces lineup

The Festival de Cannes has announced their lineup for the 66th edition of the festival. Sadly, there is a dearth of women directors again. Last year, there were no women in competition; this year, there is only one woman in competition, and she just happens to be the sister-in-law of France's former President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Canadian director Chloé Robichaud from Montreal will unveil her debut feature Sarah préfère la course (Sarah Would Rather Run) in the Un certain regard section. She presented her short film Chef en meute at the Festival de Cannes last year in the official competition section.

The 66th Annual Festival de Cannes runs May 15-26, 2013.

IN COMPETITION

2013 Sidabrinė gervė (Silver Crane Awards) for Lithuanian film – nominations

The Lietuvių kino akademija (Lithuanian Film Academy) or LiKA has announced the nominations for their 6th Annual Sidabrinė gervė or Silver Cranes for excellence in Lithuanian film.

Leading the field was Kristina Buožytė's erotic sci-fi feature Aurora (Vanishing Waves) with nine nominations. The film portrays a young male scientist who connects with the brain waves of a female coma patient and engages in a romantic yet surreal relationship with her. In addition to Best Feature Film, it will compete for Best Director, Best Actor (Marius Jampolskis), Best Actress (Jurga Jutaitė), Best Script, Best Cinematographer, and Best Composer. Producer Ieva Norvilienė and the effects team were both recognized in the Best Professional Work category.

Festival de Cannes announces Short Films in Competition

This year, the Selection Committee received 3,500 short films, representing productions from no fewer than 132 countries.

Nine films will compete in 2013 for the Short Film Palme d’or, to be awarded by Jane Campion, President of the Jury, at the Closing Ceremony of the 66th Festival de Cannes on 26th May.

For the first time, a Palestinian film will take part in the Short Films Competition.

The Cinéfondation and Short Films Jury, presided by Jane Campion, will nominate the prize-winners for the Short Film Competition and the Cinéfondation Selection.

Call for submissions: Toronto Urban Film Festival 2013

Canadian cult filmmaker, Bruce McDonald, will guest judge the 7th annual Toronto Urban Film Festival (TUFF), it was announced today. Known for his unique voice and offbeat sense of humour, McDonald has an impressive body of work that includes such award-winning films as Highway 61 (1991), Hard Core Logo (1996), Picture Claire (2001) and Pontypool (2008). He joins a notable list of past guest judges that includes Jennifer Baichwal, Atom Egoyan, Deepa Mehta, Don McKellar, Mark McKinney and Jeremy Podeswa.

The 7th annual Toronto Urban Film Festival returns to Pattison Onestop screens across the Toronto subway system, September 6 - 16, 2013. Films run at 10-minute intervals to an audience of over 1 million daily commuters. Deadline for submissions is July 15, 2013.

2013 MTV Movie Awards – winners

The 2013 MTV Movie Awards took place last night at the Sony Pictures Studios lot in Culver City, California. Pitch Perfect star Rebel Wilson hosted the event.

Joss Whedon's The Avengers led the night taking the top prize Movie of the Year. It also won for Best Fight and Best Villain (Tom Hiddleston).

David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook also won three awards, all for acting. Jennifer Lawrence won Best Female Performance, Bradley Cooper won for Best Male Performance and the two shared the prize for Best Kiss.

Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained and Seth Seth MacFarlane's Ted both led with seven nominations coming into the night but only came away with one each. Django Unchained won for Best WTF Moment, while Ted won for Best Onscreen Couple.

Hong Kong Film Awards 2013 – winners

The ceremony for the 32nd 香港電影金像獎 (Hong Kong Film Awards) took place tonight at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Hong Kong. The event was hosted by 曾志伟 (Eric Tsang), 郑中基 (Ronald Cheng), 林家栋 (Gordon Lam) and 林晓峰 (Jerry Lamb).

The police action film 寒戰 (Cold War) by 梁樂民 (Longman Leung) and 陸劍青 (Sunny Luk Kim Ching) swept the field with nine wins. Its awards included Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. 梁家輝 (Tony Leung Ka Fai) won for Best Actor, while 徐家傑 (Alex Tsui) won Best New Performer.

寒戰 (Cold War) came into the night with twelve nominations, sharing the lead with 消失的子彈 (The Bullet Vanishes) by 羅志良 (Lo Chi Leung). The latter film, however, came away empty-handed.

2013 Premios Ariel (Mexican film awards) – nominations

The Academia Mexicana de Artes y Ciencias Cinematográficas (Mexican Academy of Film Arts and Sciences) announced the full nominations for their 55th Premios Ariel (Ariel Awards) for Mexican film.

El premio (The Prize) by Paula Markovitch led the field with ten nominations including Best Picture. The film about the dirty wars in Argentina also received nominations for Best Director, Actress (Paula Galinelli Hertzog), Supporting Actress (Sharon Herrera), Original Screenplay and Debut Film.

Also nominated for both Best Picture and Best Director were La demora (The Delay) by Rodrigo Plá and Los últimos cristeros (The Last Christeros) by Matías Meyer. Luis Mandoki was nominated for Best Director for La vida precoz y breve de Sabina Rivas (The Precocious and Brief Life of Sabina Rivas) but the film didn't make the Best Picture list.

2013 Images Festival, Apr 11-20

The 26th installment of the Toronto Images Festival is upon us with 10 days of ground-breaking film screenings, media-based installations and live performances. The Images Festival screens and presents a wide range of work and disciplines through its ON SCREEN, OFF SCREEN and LIVE IMAGES programming with 35 programs featuring 135 artists at 20 venues. Tickets for the festival are now available online: http://www.imagesfestival.com/store

DAYTIME HUB + NIGHTTIME LOUNGE
This year, the Images Festival inhabits Cinecycle, the iconic coach house behind 401 Richmond, as our post-screening lounge, keeping Images connected to its “underground” roots! Join us at Cinecycle for drinks, food and dancing every night of the festival. During the day, visit our public Mediatheque and Images Festival Bookstore at Urbanspace Gallery on the ground floor of 401 Richmond.

2013 Toronto Jewish Film Festival, April 11-21

The 21st annual Toronto Jewish Film Festival opens April 11 with CowJews and Indians: How Hitler Scared My Relatives and I Woke Up in an Iroquois Longhouse—Owing the Mohawks Rent - a film about righting history’s wrongs, that’s been dubbed “Borat meets Michael Moore.”

TJFF is proud to kick things o! with Marc Halberstadt’s playfully provocative CowJews and Indians. This sardonically funny film draws a straight line between the meagre reparations his family received from Germany in 1951 for Nazi-confiscated property, and the ongoing patchwork of treaties and outright land theft that has been the legacy of North American aboriginals.

The festival's closing film will be Roberta Grossman's Hava Nagila: The Movie.

This year the Toronto Jewish Film Festival will be nothing short of amazing with incredible films, documentaries and shorts from around the world. The Festival kicks off its 21^st year on April 11^th and runs through to the 21^st in multiple venues across the city.

2013 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards laureates announced

MONTREAL, April 10, 2013 – Andrew Dawes, Daniel Lanois, Jean Pierre Lefebvre, Viola Léger, Eric Peterson and Menaka Thakkar have been named the 2013 laureates of the prestigious Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards (GGPAA) for Lifetime Artistic Achievement. The Lifetime Artistic Achievement Awards are accompanied by two special awards, the Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts is given this year to Jean Pierre Desrosiers and Sarah Polley will receive the National Arts Centre Award, which recognizes exceptional achievement over the past performance year.

Created in 1992 under the distinguished patronage of the late Right Honourable Ramon John Hnatyshyn, then Governor General of Canada, these prestigious awards are presented annually to Canadians whose accomplishments have inspired and enriched the cultural life of our country. “These Awards are Canada’s highest honour for our most accomplished performing artists” said Douglas Knight and Paul-André Fortier, Co-Chairs of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Foundation (GGPAAF).

2013 ReelWorld Film Festival, Apr 9-14

The 13th Annual ReelWorld Film Festival kicks off tonight in Toronto with the North American premiere of Contract by Shirley Frimpong-Manso. A reception takes place at 5pm, followed by the gala screening at 7pm at Canada Square Cinema.

The closing screening will be Aayna Ka Bayna by Samit Kakkad. Other festival screenings taking place include La Playa D.C. by Juan Andrés Arango, Made In Canada by Scott Boyd, A Decent Arrangement by Sarovar Banka, Lost Lagoon by Rob Leickner, Orisha Suite by Nicole Brooks, Windows of Hope by Evelyn Cindy Magara, Remington and the Curse of the Zombadings by Jade Castro, Sunset Stories by Ernesto Foronda and Silas Howard, Cairo 678 by Mohamed Diab, Croker Island Exodus by Steven McGregor, AKP Job 27 by Michael L. Suan, Hoodrush by Dimeji Ajibola, and My Last Round (Mi Ultimo Round) by Julio Jorquera.

2013 TIFF Kids International Film Festival, Apr 9-21

THE TIFF KIDS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL LIGHTS UP SCREENS AND IMAGINATIONS WITH THE BEST OF CHILDREN’S CINEMA FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Toronto – TIFF has announced the Opening Night and Feature Film Presentations that will enrich, engage and entertain young audiences at the 16th annual TIFF Kids International Film Festival™. The Festival’s opening night film, The Legend of Sarila (La légende de Sarila), is Canada’s first 3D animated feature, a gorgeous-looking adventure inspired by various Inuit legends and featuring the voice of Oscar-winner Christopher Plummer. This year’s Closing Night Film is the International Premiere of the German film Famous Five 2 (Fünf Freunde 2), an adaptation of the Enid Blyton classic.TIFF Kids ®, the only film festival for children aged 3-13 in Toronto, takes place at TIFF Bell Lightbox from April 9 through April 21, 2013.

2013 Times of India Film Awards – winners

The inaugural Times of India Film Awards (TOIFA) took place over the last few nights at Vancouver's BC Place. The event was hosted by Karan Johar, Shahrukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Chitrangada Singh. The awards have been controversial since most people feel that premier Christy Clark organized the event at a cost of $11 million as a cynical ploy to win ethnic votes in next month's B.C. provincial election.

The top winner was Anurag Basu's comedy-romance Barfi! with ten awards. Its wins included the top prizes of Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor (Ranbir Kapoor) and Best Actress (Priyanka Chopra).

2013 Festival du cinéma latino-américain de Montréal, Apr 5-25

Cinema du Parc is proud to announce the return of the biggest Latin-American film festival in Canada from April 5th to 25th. For its 4th consecutive year, the Festival du cinéma latino-américain de Montréal (Latin-American Film Festival of Montreal) will host the best films from South America, Spain and Portugal.

CARLOS SORIN, one of Argentina’s most important living director (HISTORIAS MINIMAS, THE WINDOW, EL PERRO) will join us in order to present his newest feature, GONE FISHING, as the opening film of the festival.

For its 4th year, FCLM will also present a brand new section: NEW CLASSICS ON 35MM. In this section, you will be able to rediscover screen gems on the big screen that helped redefine Latin American cinema in recent years. These new classics will be shown in their original format on 35mm in order to celebrate the magic of cinema.

Cinéfranco 2013, Apr 5-14

Cinéfranco, English Canada’s largest celebration of international Francophone cinema is celebrating its 16th anniversary with a treasure trove of films for Toronto audiences. This year’s film line-up showcases a variety of topical themes including women’s dignity (Les Femmes du Bus 678 (Cairo 678), La Mise à l’aveugle (Small Blind), Paulette; the plight of children (Catimini); justice (L’Affaire Dumont, Les Invisibles) and prison life (Tango libre (Dance to Freedom), Ombline, Dead Man Talking) along with spirited comedies (Comme un Chef (The Chef), Mince alors! (Big is Beautiful); intriguing dramas À Perdre la raison (Our Children), and adaptations (Le Prénom (What’s In A Name), Ce que le jour doit à la nuit (What the Day Owes the Night).

Returning to its roots at The Royal this year from Friday, April 5 – Sunday, April 14, 2013, Cinéfranco is once again the place to discover the depth and diversity of Francophone cinema. Films from Belgium, Canada, Egypt, France, Luxembourg, Morocco, and Switzerland will grace the big screen in Toronto’s beloved annual showcase of the best of Francophone cinema with 3 World Premieres, 7 North American Premieres, 13 English Canadian Premieres and 2 Toronto Premieres and a showcase of 25 features, 1 documentary and 6 shorts.

2013 Hellenic Film Academy Awards – winners

The Ελληνικής Ακαδημίας Κινηματογράφου (Hellenic Film Academy) held the 4th Annual Ελληνικής Ακαδημίας Κινηματογράφου Βραβεία (Hellenic Film Academy Awards) at . The evening was hosted by Μάκης Παπαδημητρίου (Makis Papadimitriou) Βάσω Καβαλιεράτου (Vaso Kavalieratou).

Το Αγόρι Τρώει το Φαγητό του Πουλιού (Boy Eating the Bird’s Food) by Έκτορα Λυγίζο (Ektoras Lygizos) led the winners with three big awards. It won for Best Film, Best New Director and Best Actor which went to Γιάννη Παπαδόπουλο (Giannis Papadopoulos). It now becomes the Greek submission for the Foreign Language Film category at the Academy Awards.

J.A.C.E. (Just Another Confused Elephant) by Μενέλαου Καραμαγγιώλη (Menelaos Karamaghiolis) picked up more wins, however, with six. Ιερώνυμο Καλετσάνο (Ieronymos Kaltestanos) was named Best Supporting Actor, and Κόρα Καρβούνη (Cora Karvouni) won for Best Supporting Actress.

Toronto Silent Film Festival 2013, Apr 4-9

Tonight, the 4th Toronto Silent Film Festival kicks off with a screening of Carl Dreyer's La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc (The Passion of Joan of Arc). The classic 1928 drama starring Renée Falconetti was ranked 9th in this year's Signt & Sound poll.

The festival will close next week on the 9th with a two Buster Keaton favourites. It will begin with the short NFB film The Railrodder, before the feature-length presentation The General.

Musicians accompanying the screenings will include Fern Lindzon; Joëlle Morton – Artistic Director of Scaramella; Tom Peters; Laura Silberberg; the Viola Dana Quartet; and clark Wilson.

2013 Кинопремия Ника (Nika Awards) for Russian film – winners

The Академии кинематографических искусств (Russian Academy of Cinematic Arts and Sciences) in Russia held their 26th Annual Кинопремия Ника (Nika Film Awards) last night at the Московском государственном академическом театре оперетты (Moscow State Academic Theatre of Operetta).

Фауст (Faust) by Александр Сокуров (Alexander Sokurov) was the major winner. It won four awards including Best Film. It also won Best Director, Best Screenplay and Антон Адасинский (Anton Adasinsky) tied for Best Actor with Максим Суханов (Maxim Suhanov) for Орда (The Horde). It was the Golden Lion winner at Venice.

Орда (The Horde) by Андрей Прошкин (Andrei Proshkin) picked up a larger haul, with a total of seven awards. In addition to Best Actor, Best Actress went to Роза Хайруллина (Rosa Khayrullina). The five others were technical and craft awards.

Call for submissions: Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (RIDM)

The Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (Montreal International Documentary Festival) or RIDM is now accepting submissions for its 2013 edition.

Quebec’s only film festival dedicated to documentaries, the Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM) presents the best reality-based films, including the works of established directors and new talents alike. Every November, the RIDM screens approximately 100 domestic and foreign productions and hosts a dozen complementary activities such as workshops, master classes, debates and roundtables. The festival typically welcomes about 60 special guests from outside Quebec, and presents 10 awards selected by juries of industry professionals for films programmed in the official selection. Doc Circuit Montréal, the documentary market organized in parallel with the festival, hosts a dozen activities for documentary professionals, including workshops and presentations, and facilitates more than 500 business meetings.

Call for submissions: EstDocs 2013 Short Film Competition

Get the cameras rolling!
Filmmakers have until September 23, 2013 to submit.

TORONTO, CANADA, April 1, 2013 – The EstDocs Documentary Film Festival in Toronto is now accepting domestic and international submissions for the Short Documentary Film Competition. The complete EstDocs festival will run from October 18 -22, 2013.

The prize for the competition is generously sponsored by the Estonian Student’s Society and Tartu College. There is $2,500 CAD in prizing and the maximum single prize is $1000 CAD.

“EstDocs short films resonate with audiences; we notice this year after year. Each time we view a film submission, we are transported into a unique tale, interpreted from the filmmaker’s lens,” said Tauno Mölder, Short Documentary Film Competition Director. “The short film competition continues to gain momentum on an international scale, last year’s instant viral hit ‘Kati and Me’ proved that one can create a film about Estonians and not be of Estonian descent, nor does one have to be Estonian to appreciate the beauty of the story which is presented.”

Call for submissions: Festival du nouveau cinéma

Each year, the Festival du nouveau cinéma presents around 300 feature and short films, interactive works and performances from over 50 countries during 11 days of festivities, and offers over $30,000 in cash and services to the winners of the national and international competition.

Today, the Festival is looking for films, interactive works and performances for its 42^nd edition which will run from October 9 to 20, 2013 in Montréal !

Call for submissions: TIFF Talent Lab

Toronto – Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2013, Talent Lab is an intensive multi-day artistic development programme that provides emerging talent with an unparalleled opportunity to learn from the world's best film artists.

Making use of the Festival's strong relationships with acclaimed filmmakers from around the world, Talent Lab involves participants in group discussions on a range of topics that focus on the artistic side of filmmaking, sharpening the skills and confidence of a new generation of filmmakers.

2013 UofT Film Festival, April 1

The 11th annual University of Toronto (UofT) Film Festival takes place tonight and screens some of the best shorts and student films around. The event includes a reception and is free.

Films being screened include a modest short that I co-directed with Faisal Lutchmedial called Four Paws. It stars Joslyn Rogers and myself. Also screening will be three animated shorts by Toronto-based animator Nick Fox-Gieg – The Orange, Interregnum and the evening's finale More Than Winning.