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Northwell Health, New York’s largest health care system, is betting that the entertainment business can bolster its bottom line, and drive health awareness in the process.

Northwell says it is launching Northwell Studios, a new production company that is developing scripted and unscripted film and TV content that will leverage its facilities, doctors and patients (with their consent, of course).

Hospitals and health have long been a topic of interest for documentary filmmakers, and Northwell has taken notice. HBO’s One South: Portrait of a Psych Unit, debuted last month and was filmed at Northwell’s Zucker Hillside Hospital in Queens; Netflix’s Lenox Hill follows doctors and nurses working at Northwell’s well-known Upper East Side hospital; and the 2021 Covid-19 documentary First Wave was filmed at multiple Northwell facilities.

“Storytelling through film and television is a powerful way to spark much-needed dialogue around critical issues facing society. At...

Eight years ago, Edward Snowden became the centerpiece of the Oscar race for Best Documentary as the subject of director Laura Poitras’ eventual winner “Citizenfour.” This time, that centerpiece slot goes to Nan Goldin, the photographer and activist hero of Poitras’ “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed.”

The movie launched to rave reviews at Venice over the weekend and sneaked into a morning Tba slot on the last day of the Telluride Film Festival, where many audience members emerged in tears. That response is likely to continue as the movie travels to the Toronto International Film Festival and later New York, where it will be — appropriately enough — the festival’s centerpiece selection.

“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” is in good hands. Participant Media produced the project and will release it October 7 with Neon, which previously distributed her Julian Assange documentary “Risk.” Neon CEO Tom Quinn also spearheaded the successful “Citizenfour” campaign at Radius-twc.

Fox Entertainment’s MarVista Entertainment is entering into a development and production deal with TelevisaUnivision to produce 10 original Spanish-language films for ViX Plus, both sides announced Monday. ViX Plus is TelevisaUnivision’s Spanish-language subscription-based video on-demand offering; MarVista will produce 10 films across the genres of family, comedy, romance and holiday that will be available to stream exclusively on the service. TelevisaUnivision will hold the worldwide streaming distribution rights for all ten films, while MarVista is set to oversee the global distribution outside of streaming.

“It is an incredible honor to be a founding creative production partner of TelevisaUnivision on the launch of ViX Plus,” said Fernando Szew, CEO of MarVista Entertainment. “MarVista and Fox Entertainment take great pride in being leaders in delivering diverse stories and premium content across multiple genres for all viewers. We’re looking forward to introducing these initial ten films to what undoubtedly will be a...

Exclusive: National Geographic is making the Oscar-shortlisted documentary The First Wave available for free for 48 hours, beginning tomorrow. Matthew Heineman’s film, shot in a Queens hospital as New York City endured the initial explosion of Covid, can be seen without commercial interruption through the ABC and National Geographic apps in the U.S., starting Thursday at 12:01 a.m. Est.

The free release marks the two-year anniversary of the first Covid-19 case in the United States to be confirmed by the CDC. The documentary also will be available for free during that two-day window through local ABC station apps in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, and Fresno, California. The First Wave will be preceded by a special message from Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, “addressing and thanking frontline workers and medical support staff,” who have selflessly cared for the ill from the outset of the pandemic.

There’s no shortage of documentaries about Covid-19 around at the moment. Whilst some people may feel that it’s far too soon for them to want to watch something like that, with the pandemic still ongoing, these films do have a role to play in the process of investigation and analysis which helps us to identify errors and improve our response. Produced by National Geographic, The First Wave is not the strongest of the bunch but does have specificity on its side, as rather than trying to take on the whole topic, it focuses on what happened when the virus reached New York City.

Lasting roughly from 8 March until 1 July, the first wave impacted the city like nothing in living memory. Over 30,000 people were infected in the first three weeks alone, with poor areas particularly hard hit, and by early April some 2,000 people had died from it. Bodies...

When New York City became the epicenter of the country’s Covid outbreak in 2020, many residents—those of means, anyway—fled to second homes or other points far from the city. But not New York-based filmmaker Matthew Heineman. He suited up in PPE on the frontlines of the Covid battle.

The Oscar-nominated director gained access to Long Island Jewish Medical Center in the borough of Queens, filming the experience of medical staff and patients as Covid exploded. The result is his National Geographic documentary The First Wave, a Participant production that’s a contender for Oscar consideration.

“We first really in earnest started thinking about the film in early March [2020] as the first cases of Covid hit the U.S.,” Heineman tells Deadline. “I wanted to try to humanize this issue that at that point was so relegated to headlines and to stats and, frankly, misinformation. The original impetus was...

C’mon C’mon from A24 turned in the best per-screen average for a limited platform release since Covid at five theater in New York and LA as stellar critical response was met by strong exit polls ahead of a wider rollout into top markets over Thanksgiving and continued expansion thereafter.

The Mike Mills’ awards contender led by Phoenix and newcomer Woody Norman posted a PSA of $26,889, grossing $134,447. It was the distributor’s first attempt at a platform release since First Cow early last March into the teeth of Covid. Per screen numbers aren’t apples to apples — Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch did about $25K in ten times the locations (52) when it opened Oct. 22. But this is another twinkle in a sluggish specialty market whose key older demos are slow to return to theaters. That reluctance coupled with (exacerbated by?) early availability on streaming/on demand saw many...

The First Wave director Matthew Heineman said his Covid documentary was both frightening and inspiring. Heineman followed medical personnel at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in the Queens borough of New York for four months in 2020. He spoke with Deadline’s Matthew Carey about the experience.

“I think it was a terrifying experience for everyone involved,” Heineman said. “Every single day, though, my crew and I just were so deeply inspired by the love, by the humanity, by the dedication of these health care workers that we profiled.”

He said one of the most difficult parts of filming The First Wave was watching people die of Covid.

“I think one of the hardest aspects of Covid that we all lived with was how deeply isolating it was,” Heineman said. “To make these life-or-death decisions, to have to communicate with loved ones, have to say goodbye through an iPad or an iPhone was really,...

National Geographic Documentary Films on Monday announced its acquisition of Oscar-nominated director Matthew Heineman’s documentary The First Wave, a ground-level view inside a New York hospital as the city battled the initial explosion of Covid-19.

The vérité-style film, from Participant and Heineman’s Our Time Projects, will be released in theaters by Neon later this year, followed by a worldwide premiere on National Geographic. Heineman, a Primetime Emmy winner and two-time DGA Award winner, embedded with health care workers at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens, capturing the devastating impact of the pandemic from March through June 2020.

“The First Wave spotlights the everyday heroes at the epicenter of Covid-19 as they come together to fight one of the greatest threats the world has ever encountered,” National Geographic noted. “With poignancy and intimacy, the film unflinchingly bears witness to the unseen reality of a hospital overwhelmed by Covid—the...

Since the Skywalker Saga just came to a close late last year, the future of the galaxy far, far away on the big screens is still in ambivalence, though the grandeur of Star Wars: The High Republic will quench the thirst of the fans for the time being.

This new publishing initiative, consisting of a line of books and comic series, will take fans 200 years before the events of Episode I – The Phantom Menace and depict the High Republic era, a period where the Jedi are at the height of their power and the Galactic Senate is ruling over the Core Worlds in peace and harmony. Though, as we saw in the first chapter of Light of the Jedi, a galaxy-wide disaster is looming close. The series’ main villains, currently known as the Nihil, will surely challenge the Jedi in their own right, but what about the Sith and their influence?...

The Star Wars: The High Republic publishing initiative is almost ready to take fans 200 years before the events of the Skywalker Saga and we’ve officially received our first sneak peek.

The story of the Skywalkers and their struggle with the rise and fall of the Empire may be over, but Lucasfilm has big plans for the future of Star Wars and its shared continuity. While the studio is probably hard at work developing the next batch of films that succeed The Rise of Skywalker, what we look forward to seeing in the galaxy far, far away in the near future are a series of books and comics that take us to the High Republic era, some 200 years before Episode I – The Phantom Menace. In this celebrated period, the Jedi Order is at the height of its power, looking over peace and justice in the Republic’s golden age.

While...

After months of rumors, Star Wars‘ next big project has been officially unveiled. The High Republic will be set 200 years before The Phantom Menace, during a more chaotic, lawless time for the galaxy. Much of the galaxy is still uncharted, though the Jedi are already well-established and have formed a kind of Knights of the Round Table to keep the peace. It seems that the over-arching plotline will be their conflict with the Nihil, who’ve been described as “space Vikings.” Neat.

The big reveal included a trailer showing the creative thinking behind the new setting, as well as the inaugural first phase of comics and novels setting things up. The first release will be Charles Soule’s Light of the Jedi, which hits shelves on August 25th. The cover art for the book shows off the look of this era’s Jedi and fans were quick to spot that...

Tiff, Venice, Telluride, and Nyff might be the fall film festivals with the most prestige, but you can argue that Austin’s Fantastic Fest is the event that has the most fun. Focusing on the best that genre filmmaking has to offer, the fall event has just unveiled its “First Wave” film lineup, and topping the list is one of the fall’s most anticipated releases, Taika Waititi’s “Jojo Rabbit.”

“Jojo Rabbit” is the latest comedy from the writer-director of “What We Do In The Shadows” and focuses on a young German boy in World War II that is picked on by the other Nazi Youth but finds solace in the conversations he has with his imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler (played by Waititi).

Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2019 Announces Taika Waititi’s ‘Jojo Rabbit’ & New Films By Jim Mickle & Vincenzo Natali at The Playlist.

The 2nd annual Senoia Dead Bash will take place over Memorial Day weekend in the name of scares, but more importantly, a good cause. The two charities being supported are Healing4Heroes and Animal Hope & Wellness Foundation. Continue reading for more details. Also: Death's Parade Film Fest's first wave of screenings, a first look at The Horrific Evil Monsters and House of Lexi.

2nd Annual Senoia Dead Bash Charity Event Details: Press Release: "Immerse yourself in the apocalypse where over 100 Zombies once roamed!

The Senoia Dead Bash will be holding it’s 2nd Annual Charity Bash, Memorial Day Weekend at The Esco Feed Mill location, 16 Line Creek Rd, Senoia, Ga on Saturday, May 25th and Sunday, May 26th, to support two amazing charities, Healing4Heroes, and Animal Hope & Wellness Foundation. Enjoy vendors, live music, food, craft beer/wine tasting, celebrities, and so much more!

Healing4Heroes.org, founded by disabled Veteran,...

December is nearly upon us, and I can almost see the 2018 Sundance Film Festival peeking its way up over the holiday season horizon. /Film will be on the ground in Park City, Utah in January to bring you coverage of all of the biggest and best in the world of independent film, including movies from filmmakers like Reed Morano, […]

The post 2018 Sundance Film Festival Announces First Wave of Films; Here Are 10 We’re Looking Forward To appeared first on /Film.

The 2017 Telluride Horror Show has announced its first wave of films that will be playing this year at the 3-day festival and it’s packed with some absolutely incredible titles! Festival favorites Mayhem, by Joe Lynch, and The Endless (review),… Continue Reading →

The post Ths 2017: Telluride Horror Show’s First Wave Will Bring Us Creep 2 Premiere appeared first on Dread Central.

In June we let you know about Cinepocalypse, a brand new genre film festival that will take place in November in the Chicago area. Today the first wave of films has been unveiled, and we have the details for you here. Additionally,… Continue Reading →

The post Cinepocalypse Announces First Wave of Films and Special Guests appeared first on Dread Central.

Zombies, serial killers, and all manner of creepy creatures will descend upon the inaugural Cinepocalypse film festival in November 2nd–9th at Chicago's Music Box Theatre, and the first wave of programming has officially been announced, including Tyler MacIntyre's Tragedy Girls, Ted Geoghegan's Mohawk, and the 35mm uncut version of Suspiria.

Press Release: August 31, 2017 - The Music Box Theatre is proud to announce their first wave of programming and guests for the debut year of Cinepocalypse (an evolution to the program design of Bruce Campbell's Horror Film Festival), which will take place November 2 - 9 at Chicago’s Music Box Theatre. The Midwest’s largest gathering of genre films and fans, the festival’s organizers are proud to have acclaimed screenwriter Simon Barrett (You’re Next, The Guest) guest host the entirety of the festival.

Writer/director Joe Carnahan (The Grey, Smokin’ Aces, The A-Team) will guest curate “Blood,...

America’s largest and longest running horror film festival, Screamfest Horror Film Festival, is proud to announce the first wave of its official 2017 film line up. In its 17th year, the festival, which will run from Oct. 10-19, 2017 at the Tcl Chinese in Hollywood, has launched careers – providing a platform for filmmakers and actors to showcase their latest work to enthusiasts and general audiences. Actor and producer Dominic Monaghan (Lord of the Rings trilogy, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, TV’s “Lost”) will serve as this year’s festival ambassador.

“I am extremely honored to serve as this year’s Screamfest ambassador,” said Monaghan. “I applaud Screamfest and its Founder and Festival Director Rachel Belofsky for embracing the work of filmmakers and actors in the horror genre. I’m a big fan of this space, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of a fest that truly acknowledges unique and creative work.

Every October, horror fans in Los Angeles celebrate the Halloween season with diverse scares on the big screen at the Screamfest Horror Film Festival. The first wave of films for the 17th annual event have been announced, and this year's lineup is already looking to be one to watch, with the buzzed-about Tragedy Girls, the origin story Leatherface, and the animated farewell Todd & The Book of Pure Evil: The End of the End all slotted to screen at Screamfest:

Press Release: Hollywood, Calif. – August 29, 2017 – America’s largest and longest running horror film festival, Screamfest Horror Film Festival, is proud to announce the first wave of its official 2017 film line up. In its 17th year, the festival, which will run from Oct. 10-19, 2017 at the Tcl Chinese in Hollywood, has launched careers - providing a platform for filmmakers and actors to showcase their latest work to enthusiasts and general audiences.

The first wave of films has been announced for one of the country’s best film festivals, Screamfest L.A., and we have your details right here! From the Press Release: America’s largest and longest running horror film festival, Screamfest Horror Film… Continue Reading →

The post Screamfest L.A. 2017 First Wave of Films Revealed – Lots of Eye Candy! appeared first on Dread Central.

There is an especially fun weekend of horror cinema coming to Brooklyn this October. After a fantastic debut year last year the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival is back with a first wave of already stellar titles. The festival has also expanded this year to four days and will extend their reach to more cinemas around the Brooklyn, New York area, including one of the newest Alamo Drafthouses in the country.    First wave titles include the anticipated Housewife from Turkish director Can Evrenol (Baskin), the horror-comedy Tragedy Girls, Mexican horror anthology Mexico Barbaro II and a little Protuguese slasher flick that I liked The Forest of Lost Souls.    The Brooklyn Horror Film Festival returns to New York City October 12th till the 15th, bringing...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Festival to spotlight new horror films from around the world as well as a Friday the 13th marathon

The post Brooklyn Horror Film Festival Announces First Wave Lineup appeared first on ComingSoon.net.

This year will see the second annual Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, which sees the event grow into a four-day event that includes film screenings, events, and new venues. To give an idea of what fans are in store for, the… Continue Reading →

The post Brooklyn Horror Film Festival 2017: First Wave of Films Announced appeared first on Dread Central.

Alamo Drafthouse's Fantastic Fest returns for its 13th year

The post Fantastic Fest 2017 Announces First Wave of Titles appeared first on ComingSoon.net.

It’s finally here! The first wave of films that will play at the 13th annual Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, has been revealed; and it looks like attendees will be in for one exciting year! Tim League, festival founder and… Continue Reading →

The post Fantastic Fest 2017: First Wave of Films Includes Gerald’s Game, Blade of the Immortal, and More Genre Goodness appeared first on Dread Central.

Zombies, werewolves, and serial killing social media stars will descend upon Miami this August for the third annual Popcorn Frights Film Festival. Taking place August 11th–17th, the Florida film fest's first wave of programming includes Another Wolfcop, Tragedy Girls, It Stains the Sands Red, Better Watch Out, and more.

Press Release: Miami, Fl – Popcorn Frights Film Festival, Florida’s largest and most respected genre film event, announces its first wave of programming for its third annual celebration of genre-twisting cinema, occurring August 11 through 17, 2017, at Miami's landmark O Cinema Wynwood theater.

"We're thrilled to bring the best in horror and genre filmmaking to South Florida audiences for our third annual Popcorn Frights Film Festival. We scoured the globe for the most audacious and spine-tingling films and this first wave selection just gives a small taste of all the exciting things to come,” said Igor Shteyrenberg & Marc Ferman, Co-Founders & Co-Directors of the Popcorn Frights Film Festival.

Florida’s Popcorn Frights Film Festival, which is their largest genre event, has revealed the first wave for their upcoming 3rd edition, which will run August 11th through 17th, 2017, at Miami’s landmark O Cinema Wynwood theater. “We’re thrilled to bring… Continue Reading →

The post Popcorn Frights Film Festival: First Wave of Films to Bring Mayhem and Another Wolfcop appeared first on Dread Central.

There’s a chill in the air in Portland and it’s not another bout of severe weather coming in! It’s the Portland Horror Film Festival and we have your first details right here. Click here for a list of the first… Continue Reading →

The post Portland Horror Film Festival Announced First Wave of Titles appeared first on Dread Central.

“Live!” had 68 different guest co-hosts across 205 episodes since Michael Strahan bailed on Kelly Ripa. Here’s how those syndicated TV Ratings stack up, per Nielsen. Strahan announced in the spring that he would leave “Live!” for “Good Morning America.” Since then, lots of celebrities, from Fred Savage to Jimmy Kimmel, have sat beside Ripa. Ultimately, Ryan Seacrest got the gig. Here are some of the co-hosts who joined Ripa, listed by dates they guested on “Live.” Date: May 16, 2016 Co-host: Jimmy Kimmel Rating: 3.3 Guests: Gordon Ramsay, Priyanka Chopra Also Read: Kelly Ripa's First Wave of Guest Co-Hosts: Who Had the Best and Worst TV.

Sundance Film Festival just gave attendees 68 new reasons to look forward to the January event with the announcement of their short films program that features several titles for genre fans to keep an eye on, including the creature short feature Kaiju Bunraku, the suburban satanic cult-centric Fucking Bunnies, and the post-apocalyptic Dawn of the Deaf.

We have the official press release below with full details, and stay tuned to Daily Dead for our upcoming coverage of the festival.

Press Release: Park City, Ut — Sixty-eight short films, announced today, will complement the lineup of longer fare at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. The short film slate aligns thematically with other Festival categories, including Midnight and The New Climate, the Festival’s new programming strand highlighting climate change and the environment. The Festival hosts screenings in Park City, Salt Lake City and at Sundance Mountain Resort January 19-29.

The Institute’s support for...

Some films did better than expected this week, some films did worse. It would be a mistake to judge the race in total on what just happened simply because some...

The new sci-fi horror film “The Similars” takes audiences onto a mysterious journey where paranoia runs rampant. Set on a rainy night in a Mexico City bus station in October, 1968, eight people start experiencing a strange phenomenon. Threatened by fear and unexplained seizures, the strangers show the best and worst of themselves as they try to unravel the condition that’s invading each of them like a virus. It has garnered comparisons to “The Twilight Zone” and “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” The film stars Gustavo Sánchez Parra (“Amores Perros”), Fernando Becerril (“The Mask of Zorro”), Cassandra Ciangherotti (“Even the Rain”), Luis Alberti (“The Golden Dream”), Humberto Busto (“Never on a Sunday”) and more. Watch an exclusive clip from the film below.

Read More: Fantastic Fest 2016 Preview: How a Wacky Austin Genre Festival Became A Secret Weapon for the Foreign Language Film Market

The film is directed by Isaac Ezban.

Set to make its world premiere at the Mill Valley Film Festival on October 8, “She Started It” is a compelling documentary that follows five passionate, trailblazing young women who strive to compete and thrive in the ruthlessly competitive boys club of high tech start-ups.

Directed and produced by Nora Poggi and Insiyah Saeed, the film’s subjects include Thuy Truong, Stacey Ferreira, Sheena Allen, Brienne Ghafourifar, Agathe Molinar, and feature them as they pitch VCs, build teams, bring products to market, fail and start again.

The trailer gives a sneak peek at the lives of these women and also some great insight about the cultural roots of female underrepresentation in entrepreneurship including pervasive self-doubt, fear of failure and risk aversion among young women. Young girls also speak out about the lack of female role models and investors and what being an entrepreneur means to them.

Read More: Mill Valley Film Festival 2016 Lineup: ‘I,...

Being an Imperial Stormtrooper is pretty much the worst job in any universe. Not only are you nothing but a faceless grunt, but your general ineffectiveness has made you and your fellow troopers into the laughingstocks of the Galactic Civil War. Plus, there’s the fact that you work for people who are very clearly the bad guys, so you can’t even tell yourself that you’re sacrificing your life for some greater good.

Filmmaker Benjamin Eck isn’t quite so dismissive of the ol’ bucket-heads, though, as he has written and directed a new short film that focuses on the actual human beings who wear that white armor. Titled Jakku: First Wave, the short centers on three Stormtroopers in an Imperial Walker who are about to be deployed into battle—specifically the Battle Of Jakku, a.k.a. the reason Rey has all of those crashed Star Destroyers...

Cowboys and sinister spirits are coming to Canada this October for the 11th annual Toronto After Dark Film Festival. The fest's first ten films have now been announced, including Ti West's new Western, In a Valley of Violence, Babak Anvari's Under the Shadow, Richard Bates Jr.'s Trash Fire, and more.

Toronto After Dark Film Festival takes place October 13th–21st. To learn more, visit the festival's official website and check out the press release below for full details:

Press Release:September 22, 2016: Toronto After Dark Film Festival is thrilled to officially unveil its first wave of exciting film announcements for 2016! Included in the lineup are some of the most critically acclaimed and eagerly anticipated new horror, sci-fi, action and cult films from this year’s international film festival circuit. These 10 new movies will all screen at Toronto After Dark Film Festival as part of the 11th Annual Edition...

One of the things that has made Star Wars Rebels such an interesting part of the franchise is that it often delivers a slice of the day-to-day around the galaxy, and while Star Wars fan films are legion, there’s a new one that does something of the same… only with Stormtroopers.

As the reel will tell you at the outset, a lot of Stormtroopers are about to get slaughtered, and as the transport vehicle approaches its offload point, we get inside the heads of a few of the men behind the iconic helmets. What might easily be the syrup scene from any war film you’ve ever seen turns into something very different when we focus on the aim-challenged fodder from film’s most beloved franchise.

There’s something a little off-putting in the end, as you get sucked into the yarn about the brother who was excited to...

Over the years we've gotten to know more about those nameless, faceless Star Wars stormtroopers. Attack of the Clones filled us in on their predecessors, clone troopers, who we also learned more about in the animated series The Clone Wars. And well we really got to know one in The Force Awakens. But this new fan film delves deeper. At first I was like, "There's not a lot to this," but then I was like, "Ohhhh, there's a lot to this." I don't want to say much more before you give it a watch yourself. Written and directed by Benjamin Eck, costumes for the cast were provided by 501st Legion members Taylor Fiore and Rudy Contreras. Here's how the short is described: The film takes place in the rear of an Imperial Walker moments before the doors open onto the battle of Jakku. The story centers around three Stormtroopers, cramped,...

Austin’s Fantastic Fest, the largest genre festival in the United States, kicks off this weekend and will feature over a hundred films from around the world. One of these is Aaron Aites and Audrey Ewell’s short film “Memory Box,” starring Mackenzie Davis (“Halt and Catch Fire”) and director Shane Carruth, who previously helmed the films “Primer” and “Upstream Color.” The film follows a young mother who works at a facility where actors recreate clients’ memories for them, but when a client pushes her to break the rules and jeopardize her job, she’s forced to decide just how far she will go. In the process, reality becomes upended and memory becomes entangled with fantasy. Watch an exclusive clip from the film below.

Read More: Fantastic Fest Announces Second Wave of Programming, Including ‘Arrival,’ ‘Toni Erdmann’ and ‘The Handmaiden’

This is the third film directed and produced by Aites and Ewell.

Ever since I first heard Dante and Randal talked about the Death Star contractors in Kevin Smith's Clerks, it's been tough to see the Stormtroopers as just faceless cannon fodder in Star Wars battles. The Force Awakens took this to its logical conclusion by having one of them become a deserter and a major protagonist, and now a fan's short film has come along that aims to humanize these white-clad warriors even more.

/Film points us to Jakku: First Wave, a short written and directed by Benjamin Eck that concentrates on three Stormtroopers immediately before the Battle of Jakku. It's definitely reminiscent of Band of Brothers, and does a good job of putting you into these characters' headspace minutes before they risk their lives for their cause.

Throughout the original Star Wars trilogy, Stormtroopers were considered nothing but faceless henchman with poor aim who could be dispatched with quickly without a second thought. However, Star Wars: The Force Awakens changed our thinking a bit by making one of our new heroes a defected Stormtrooper who just couldn’t bring himself to kill in […]

The post Watch ‘Jakku: First Wave’, A ‘Star Wars’ Short Film That Makes You Feel Bad For Stormtroopers appeared first on /Film.

"Why'd you join?" There's tons of Star Wars fan films out there, but it's nice to see something brand new that connects directly with The Force Awakens. Jakku: First Wave is a quick, 3-minute short film made by filmmaker Benjamin Eck about three Stormtroopers about to land on Jakku (the desert planet from The Force Awakens) for the Battle of Jakku. It's a simple concept and was made on a very small budget, but it's an engaging and effective little short that provides yet another unique perspective from the Star Wars universe. The dialogue is what stands out the most, with a tiny bit of levity and a lot of emotion. Take a look. Description from YouTube: "Jakku: First Wave is a Star Wars fan film centered around three Imperial Stormtroopers right before the battle of Jakku." The short is both written and directed by young filmmaker Benjamin Eck (follow...

With the Halloween season around the corner, this year's Screamfest Horror Film Festival is almost upon us, and the first wave of films for the fest have now been announced, including Fear, Inc., Trash Fire, and The Master Cleanse (starring Johnny Galecki).

Press Release: "Hollywood – Sept. 7, 2016 – America’s largest and longest running horror film festival, Screamfest Horror Film Festival, announces the first wave of its official 2016 film line up. The festival, which will run from Oct. 18-27, 2016 at the TLC Chinese in Hollywood, has launched careers - providing a platform for filmmakers and actors to showcase their latest work to enthusiasts and general audiences. Actress Lydia Hearst (Condemned, #Horror) will serve as ambassador for the festival.

“We’re so thrilled to announce such a diverse group of films this year,” said Rachel Belofsky, Screamfest Founder and Festival Director. “Even in our 16th year, filmmakers continue to push the envelope and...

Gothic horror films often rely on a certain heightened mood to convey a particular kind of terror, which means that the actual story can be about anything at all, including divergent generational desires. Case in point: A.D. Calvo’s new film “Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl” follows Adele (Erin Wilhelmi) as she goes to live as a caretaker for her aging aunt Dora (Susan Kellerman). Adele quickly becomes lonely in a large, empty house as she provides food and medicine to a woman who won’t leave her room or show her face. She soon meets mysterious young woman Beth (Quinn Shephard), with whom she quickly becomes intimate friends. Soon, Beth starts testing Adele’s moral ground as she begins to abandon her caretaking responsibilities. When Adele finds out that Beth isn’t who she says she is, she’s sent spiraling down a psychologically precarious path, following in the footsteps of Dora.

Whoo-whee! This is an exciting time of the year as festival announcements are coming thick and fast. Tiff has fully revealed its extensive program, Venice is out there, and Nyff will be close behind. But right in the middle of all that fun is the one festival guaranteed to provide the most wizz-bang genre action for your buck... Fantastic Fest! Like the First Wave announcement for the Austin fest which runs September 22-29, today's release reveals another good mix of international fare and more Hollywood-centric fantastic-leaning films. The most notable of these is the announcement of Denis Villeneuve's alien contact thriller Arrival. Starring Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner, Villeneuve's follow-up to Sicario will serve as the fest's Opening Night film. Other notables are Ana Lily...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Fantastic Fest has announced the second wave of programming for this year’s edition of the Austin-based fête, which runs from September 22 — 29. “The Bad Batch,” a new restoration of 1971’s “The Zodiac Killer,” “Toni Erdmann,” “The Handmaiden” and opening-night selection “Arrival” are among the most prominent selections, with a number of appropriately oddball offerings thrown in as well. Full list below.

“Aalavandhalan” (Suresh Krissna)

Kamal Hassan stars in this ridiculously entertaining tale of an Indian commando pitted against his own serial killer twin brother in a deadly race to save the beautiful Tejaswini from certain death.

“Arrival” (Denis Villeneuve)

When mysterious spacecraft touch down across the globe, an elite team — led by expert linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) — are brought together to investigate. As mankind teeters on the verge of global war, Banks and the team race against time for answers — and to find them, she will take a chance that could threaten her life,...

There’s perhaps no film coming out this fall that carries as much acclaim as Kenneth Lonergan’s “Manchester By The Sea.” The most universally adored drama to come out of the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, the heart-rendering family drama earned one rave after the other, ultimately selling to Amazon for a huge $10 million. Oscar buzz pretty much skyrocketed the minute the first screening ended back in January, and now everyone can see what the acclaim is about in the powerful debut trailer.

Read More: Review: Was Kenneth Lonergan’s ‘Manchester By the Sea’ Worth the $10 Million Price Tag?

Lonergan’s third feature after “You Can Count on Me” and “Margaret,” “Manchester By The Sea” stars Casey Affleck as a man who moves back to his New England home in order to take care of his deceased brother’s 16-year-old son (Lucas Hedges in a revelatory performance). Affleck’s character,...

Although it may be hard to believe, summer is picking up speed and heading towards fall and the beginning of Fantastic Fest, taking place September 22nd–29th in Austin, Texas. The first wave of programming for the always entertaining festival has been revealed, and horror fans already have one big event to look forward to, as Don Coscarelli, David Hartman, and several original Phantasm cast members will be on hand for the world premiere of Phantasm: Ravager, along with a special showing of Phantasm: Remastered.

Press Release:Austin, TX – Tuesday, August 2, 2016 – Fantastic Fest announces its first wave of programming for its 12th annual celebration of genre-twisting cinema. This year’s festival sees Tim Burton make a triumphant return for a most peculiar red carpet screening of Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children; the World Premiere of Phantasm: Ravager; an Art House Theater Day special screening of Phantasm: Remastered...

Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff) programmers have served up the first picks from what will be a typically daunting menu in September.Scroll down for full list of Galas, Special Presentations

The world premiere of Antoine Fuqua’s The Magnificent Seven will open the 41st Tiff on September 8. The western remake stars Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D’Onofrio, Byung-Hun Lee, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Martin Sensmeier, Haley Bennett, and Peter Sarsgaard.

It marks a third visit to the festival for Fuqua, who previously screened Training Day and The Equalizer at Tiff.

The festival will close on September 17 with The Edge Of Seventeen, starring Hailee Steinfeld, Woody Harrelson and Kyra Sedgwick.

The coming-of-age comedy-drama marks the feature debut of writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig and is produced by Oscar-winner James L. Brooks (Jerry Maguire, As Good As It Gets).

Gala world premieres

Unveiling its first wave of titles, Tiff announced that world premieres in its Gala strand would include...

In less than one month, Bruce Campbell’s third annual Horror Film Festival will return to Chicago for its third year of celebrating horror movies both old and new. This year’s lineup includes Fede Alvarez’s Don’t Breathe and Darren Lynn Bousman’s Abattoir, the world premiere of Found Footage 3D, a 30th anniversary screening of Night of the Creeps, and much more:

Press Release: Rosemont, Ill., June 22, 2016— Bruce Campbell’s Horror Film Festival, presented by Starz and their hit original series Ash vs. Evil Dead, returns for its third annual festivities on August 18-21, in conjunction with Wizard World Chicago. Today, the Festival announced highlights of the groovy lineup, sponsored by Shudder and Bloody-Disgusting.com, featuring the critically acclaimed opening night nail-biter Don’t Breathe, directed by Fede Alvarez; a salute to genre hero Fred Dekker; an epic event featuring comedian Doug Benson; and a 25th anniversary...