In terms of support, they got a taste for what the Sundance Institute had to offer in concretizing aspects of their respective screenplays and in terms of scenery, they’ll need to pack significantly less heavier suitcases. Nia DaCosta (Little Woods), Olivia Newman (First Match), Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre (pictured above) (Mustang) & Yung Chang (Eggplant), Christopher Makoto Yogi (I Was A Simple Man), Mark Kindred (Rogue) and trio Brent Green, Michael McGinley and Thyra Heder‘s untitled project are technically moving onto the next round working on the directing portion of their projects at the June Directors and Screenwriters Labs. they’ll be joined by The Imposter helmer Bart Layton‘s narrative debut, American Animals. The Screenwriters Lab attendees are Dan Krauss‘ docu-to-feature adaptation of The Kill Team, Boots Riley‘s Sorry to Bother You, Frances Bodomo, Mariam Bakacho Khatchvani and Irakli Solomanashvili‘s Afronauts, and finally Fernando Coimbra‘s The...
- 5/7/2015
- by admin
- IONCINEMA.com
Eliza Hittman (was love at first sight for her directorial debut It Felt Like Love) and Yung Chang (a docu-helmer best known for the award-winning portrait of modern China in Up the Yangtze) are just two of the dozen folks/projects invited to the upcoming Sundance Institute 2015 January Screenwriters Lab. The labs work as a testing ground of sorts, with Lab Director Ilyse McKimmie seeing to it that the screenwriters are mentored by filmmaking professionals. I’d wager that a good portion of these projects on paper eventually make it onto the big screen (say about 65 to 70 percent) and about 35-40 percent break into the actual Sundance Film Fest. Not unlike her debut picture, Hittman’s potential sophomore pic Beach Rats features NYC borough backdrop and via a teenage vantage point but is sure to stir the pot with tad bit more destruction. After Up the Yangtze, China Heavyweight, and The Fruit Hunters,...
- 12/16/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Relaunched food-themed film festival in Nova Scotia, to run Nov 13-17.
Devour! The Food Film Fest will kick off Nov 13 in Wolfville, Nova Scotia with a bounty of food prepared by 11 chefs and the festival’s opening film, The Fruit Hunters from Canadian director Yung Chang.
The five-day programme includes 70 films from 20 countries as well as events and food featuring some of Canada’s top chefs. Other films in the programme will include The Last Shepherd, Mussels in Love, More than Honey and At Any Price.
“We’re so happy we can deliver both on screen and on your plate. The festival will be a most decadent meal from start to finish,” said Lia Rinaldo, Managing Director of Devour! “The enthusiasm for the festival has been humbling. We look forward to hosting all of our special guests from the food and film industry as well as festival participants in beautiful Wolfville.”
The closing...
Devour! The Food Film Fest will kick off Nov 13 in Wolfville, Nova Scotia with a bounty of food prepared by 11 chefs and the festival’s opening film, The Fruit Hunters from Canadian director Yung Chang.
The five-day programme includes 70 films from 20 countries as well as events and food featuring some of Canada’s top chefs. Other films in the programme will include The Last Shepherd, Mussels in Love, More than Honey and At Any Price.
“We’re so happy we can deliver both on screen and on your plate. The festival will be a most decadent meal from start to finish,” said Lia Rinaldo, Managing Director of Devour! “The enthusiasm for the festival has been humbling. We look forward to hosting all of our special guests from the food and film industry as well as festival participants in beautiful Wolfville.”
The closing...
- 10/9/2013
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Finding The Forbidden: Chang Indulges In Produce
It seems that for some, the appetite for rare and exotic fruits extends far beyond mere curious fascination and well on into the realm of impassioned obsession. They’re appreciative of harvest heritage and community farming, craving unique local flavors home grown in the untapped wilderness or bought and sold via small provincial marketplaces. Exploring lighter, sweeter fare than his previous China focused efforts, Up The Yangtze and China Heavyweight, director Yung Chang follows the winding path to the gardens of Eden in his tangy exposé, The Fruit Hunters.
Following the pursuits of horticulturalists, pomologists, and backyard enthusiasts as they search for white fleshed mangoes and forgotten fruits preserved within Renaissance paintings, we travel the globe learning of fruits rarely tasted in the western world. As it turns out, actor Bill Pullman (of Independence Day and Lost Highway fame) is also a fruit fanatic.
It seems that for some, the appetite for rare and exotic fruits extends far beyond mere curious fascination and well on into the realm of impassioned obsession. They’re appreciative of harvest heritage and community farming, craving unique local flavors home grown in the untapped wilderness or bought and sold via small provincial marketplaces. Exploring lighter, sweeter fare than his previous China focused efforts, Up The Yangtze and China Heavyweight, director Yung Chang follows the winding path to the gardens of Eden in his tangy exposé, The Fruit Hunters.
Following the pursuits of horticulturalists, pomologists, and backyard enthusiasts as they search for white fleshed mangoes and forgotten fruits preserved within Renaissance paintings, we travel the globe learning of fruits rarely tasted in the western world. As it turns out, actor Bill Pullman (of Independence Day and Lost Highway fame) is also a fruit fanatic.
- 5/16/2013
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
It would be a stretch to say The Fruit Hunters is the weirdest movie Bill Pullman has ever been in, but it might feature the weirdest appearance by the actor. And yet he’s just himself, apparently a fruit-obsessed man with an orchard in the backyard of his Hollywood home and — this is credited as being revealed in this very documentary — no sense of smell (which is pretty noteworthy in a food doc given the link between smell and taste). Maybe “weird” is not the correct word. That sounds sort of negative. “Strange” is better, if only because it’s not well known that Pullman has such a hobby in rare tree-borne delicacies. Or that it’s a hobby at all. The unknown is typically a great subject for nonfiction films, and this is no exception. How often do we think about the endangerment of fruit varieties? We barely even think about fruit at all, and...
- 5/15/2013
- by Christopher Campbell
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Welcome to Bill Pullman's backyard orchard of exotic fruit! That's right, smack dab in the middle of Hollywood, Pullman is growing a collection of trees that bare fruit unlike anything most of us have ever tasted. Rebelling against industrialized monoculture, Pullman and other "fruit hunters" are leading a movement to open the world's eyes to a magical Wonka Land of fruit species, all the while saving these long forgotten varieties from extinction. Just because practically every grocery store around the world only sells Cavendish bananas does not mean that is the only banana that exists; it just means that the Cavendish is the only variety of banana that is grown, harvested and transported for mass consumption. The theory is that corporate agricultural entities researched and developed certain varieties of fruits that could withstand worldwide distribution; but what will happen if, for instance, the Cavendish banana is exposed to a disease that renders it extinct?...
- 5/13/2013
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
Just spent the first weekend at this Great film Festival! When the great Darryl MacDonald moved down from his great run as Head of Seattle Film Festival we were glad. He does such great work plus we have always loved Palm Springs as the best town in the West. This Festival keeps getting better - films, people, events. We walk around always here smiling. The photos tell just part of the story (also read the below).
David O. Russell And “10 Directors To Watch” Honored At The Variety Indie Impact Brunch Presented By Mercedes-benz At The 2013 Palm Springs International Film Festival
Honoree David O. Russell received the Variety Indie Impact Award presented by Mercedes-Benz from Bradley Cooper (“Silver Linings Playbook”) this morning at the Parker Palm Springs. Russell and Cooper were joined by some of the “10 Directors to Watch”: Haifaa Al-Mansour (“Wadjda”); Wayne Blair (‘The Sapphires”); Jon Lucas & Scott Moore (“21 and Over”); David Ondricek (“In the Shadow”); Joachim Rønning & Espen Sandberg (“Kon-Tiki”); and Rebecca Thomas (“Electrick Children”). Full list of honorees below. Other guests included: Eddie Redmayne and Tom Hooper (Les Miserables), Fred Williamson, John Hawkes (The Sessions), Steve Gaydos (Variety), Michelle Sobrino (Variety), Darryl Macdonald (Festival Director), Helen du Toit (Artistic Director) and Harold Matzner (Festival Chairman). Variety and Bradley Cooper presented “Silver Linings Playbook” director David O. Russell with the Indie Impact Award, presented by Mercedes-Benz, which celebrates the filmmaker for his outstanding contributions to the art and business of cinema. Additionally, Variety’s “10 Directors to Watch” series was presented, spotlighting the most exciting new talents in the field of directing. This year’s “10 Directors to Watch” includes five with films at Palm Springs International Film Festival: “Electrick Children,” “A Hijacking,” “In the Shadow,” “Kon-Tiki” and “The Sapphires”. The event was presented by Mercedes-Benz with premier sponsor Indian Country Today Media Network and venue partner the Parker Palm Springs. Hollywood’S Biggest Stars Shine In The Desert At The 24th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala Presented By Cartier
Cartier Welcomed Host Mary Hart and Festival Honorees Ben Affleck, Alan Arkin, Bryan Cranston, Bradley Cooper, Helen Hunt, Helen Mirren, Mychael Danna, Naomi Watts, Richard Gere, Robert Zemeckis, Sally Field and Tom Hooper Kicking off the 2013 Awards Season, The 24th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (Psiff) Awards Gala, presented by Cartier, was held Saturday, January 5, 2013 at the Palm Springs Convention Center hosted by Mary Hart. Honorees were presented with an original Chihuly Glass Sculpture designed by Dale Chihuly or the John Kennedy "The Entertainer" statue. The event is sponsored by Mercedes-Benz and Entertainment Tonight. The Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala honors individuals in the entertainment industry with several prestigious awards for acting, director, achievement in film scoring and life achievement. The following awards were presented at this year’s Awards Gala:
Argo (Ben Affleck, Alan Arkin, Bryan Cranston) received the Ensemble Performance Award presented by Tony Mendez. Bradley Cooper received the Desert Palm Achievement Award Actor for Silver Linings Playbook presented by the film’s director David O. Russell. Helen Hunt received the Spotlight Award for The Sessions presented by her co-star John Hawkes. Helen Mirren received the International Star Award for Hitchcock presented by Tom Hooper, who directed her in Elizabeth I. Mychael Danna received the Frederick Loewe Award for Film Composing for Life of Pi presented Ang Lee. Naomi Watts received the Desert Palm Achievement Award Actress for The Impossible presented by her co-star in the film Tom Holland. Richard Gere received the Chairman’s Award for Arbitrage presented by his The Cotton Club, Nights in Rodanthe and Unfaithful co-star Diane Lane. Robert Zemeckis received the Director of the Year Award for Flight presented by Tom Hanks who he directed in Castaway, Forrest Gump, and Polar Express. Sally Field (Lincoln) received the Career Achievement Award presented by her The Amazing Spider-Man co-star Martin Sheen. Tom Hooper received the Sonny Bono Visionary Award for Les Misérables presented by the film’s co-star Eddie Redmayne. Additional guests who attended the event: Senator Barbara Boxer, Dale and Leslie Chihuly, Taylor Hackford, Mary Bono Mack, Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet, Bill Pullman (The Fruit Hunters, 1600 Penn) along with Festival representatives Harold Matzner (Festival Chairman), Darryl Macdonald (Festival Director) and Helen du Toit (Artistic Director). Cartier jewelry was worn this year by select honorees, presenters and guests Naomi Watts, Diane Lane, Sally Field, Eddie Redmayne (watch) and Mychael Danna (watch). In addition, Cartier presented Tank Solo watches to all honorees, Cufflinks for male presenters and Love necklaces for female presenters. Ben Affleck, Alan Arkin, Bryan Cranston, Mychael Danna, Sally Field, Richard Gere, Tom Hanks, John Hawkes, Tom Holland, Helen Hunt, Diane Lane, Ang Lee, Tony Mendez, Helen Mirren, David O. Russell, Martin Sheen, Naomi Watts and Robert Zemeckis arrived in S400 Hybrid sedan, S550 sedans, GL450 SUVs and ML350 SUVs to the Festival red carpet. Following the ceremony an after party was held at the Parker Palm Springs where Bradley Cooper, Sally Field, John Hawkes, Tom Hooper, Eddie Redmayne, David O. Russell, Naomi Watts and many others were in attendance. The Palm Springs International Film Festival takes place January 3-14,2013. For additional information on the Festival visit www.psfilmfest.org.
David O. Russell And “10 Directors To Watch” Honored At The Variety Indie Impact Brunch Presented By Mercedes-benz At The 2013 Palm Springs International Film Festival
Honoree David O. Russell received the Variety Indie Impact Award presented by Mercedes-Benz from Bradley Cooper (“Silver Linings Playbook”) this morning at the Parker Palm Springs. Russell and Cooper were joined by some of the “10 Directors to Watch”: Haifaa Al-Mansour (“Wadjda”); Wayne Blair (‘The Sapphires”); Jon Lucas & Scott Moore (“21 and Over”); David Ondricek (“In the Shadow”); Joachim Rønning & Espen Sandberg (“Kon-Tiki”); and Rebecca Thomas (“Electrick Children”). Full list of honorees below. Other guests included: Eddie Redmayne and Tom Hooper (Les Miserables), Fred Williamson, John Hawkes (The Sessions), Steve Gaydos (Variety), Michelle Sobrino (Variety), Darryl Macdonald (Festival Director), Helen du Toit (Artistic Director) and Harold Matzner (Festival Chairman). Variety and Bradley Cooper presented “Silver Linings Playbook” director David O. Russell with the Indie Impact Award, presented by Mercedes-Benz, which celebrates the filmmaker for his outstanding contributions to the art and business of cinema. Additionally, Variety’s “10 Directors to Watch” series was presented, spotlighting the most exciting new talents in the field of directing. This year’s “10 Directors to Watch” includes five with films at Palm Springs International Film Festival: “Electrick Children,” “A Hijacking,” “In the Shadow,” “Kon-Tiki” and “The Sapphires”. The event was presented by Mercedes-Benz with premier sponsor Indian Country Today Media Network and venue partner the Parker Palm Springs. Hollywood’S Biggest Stars Shine In The Desert At The 24th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala Presented By Cartier
Cartier Welcomed Host Mary Hart and Festival Honorees Ben Affleck, Alan Arkin, Bryan Cranston, Bradley Cooper, Helen Hunt, Helen Mirren, Mychael Danna, Naomi Watts, Richard Gere, Robert Zemeckis, Sally Field and Tom Hooper Kicking off the 2013 Awards Season, The 24th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (Psiff) Awards Gala, presented by Cartier, was held Saturday, January 5, 2013 at the Palm Springs Convention Center hosted by Mary Hart. Honorees were presented with an original Chihuly Glass Sculpture designed by Dale Chihuly or the John Kennedy "The Entertainer" statue. The event is sponsored by Mercedes-Benz and Entertainment Tonight. The Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala honors individuals in the entertainment industry with several prestigious awards for acting, director, achievement in film scoring and life achievement. The following awards were presented at this year’s Awards Gala:
Argo (Ben Affleck, Alan Arkin, Bryan Cranston) received the Ensemble Performance Award presented by Tony Mendez. Bradley Cooper received the Desert Palm Achievement Award Actor for Silver Linings Playbook presented by the film’s director David O. Russell. Helen Hunt received the Spotlight Award for The Sessions presented by her co-star John Hawkes. Helen Mirren received the International Star Award for Hitchcock presented by Tom Hooper, who directed her in Elizabeth I. Mychael Danna received the Frederick Loewe Award for Film Composing for Life of Pi presented Ang Lee. Naomi Watts received the Desert Palm Achievement Award Actress for The Impossible presented by her co-star in the film Tom Holland. Richard Gere received the Chairman’s Award for Arbitrage presented by his The Cotton Club, Nights in Rodanthe and Unfaithful co-star Diane Lane. Robert Zemeckis received the Director of the Year Award for Flight presented by Tom Hanks who he directed in Castaway, Forrest Gump, and Polar Express. Sally Field (Lincoln) received the Career Achievement Award presented by her The Amazing Spider-Man co-star Martin Sheen. Tom Hooper received the Sonny Bono Visionary Award for Les Misérables presented by the film’s co-star Eddie Redmayne. Additional guests who attended the event: Senator Barbara Boxer, Dale and Leslie Chihuly, Taylor Hackford, Mary Bono Mack, Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet, Bill Pullman (The Fruit Hunters, 1600 Penn) along with Festival representatives Harold Matzner (Festival Chairman), Darryl Macdonald (Festival Director) and Helen du Toit (Artistic Director). Cartier jewelry was worn this year by select honorees, presenters and guests Naomi Watts, Diane Lane, Sally Field, Eddie Redmayne (watch) and Mychael Danna (watch). In addition, Cartier presented Tank Solo watches to all honorees, Cufflinks for male presenters and Love necklaces for female presenters. Ben Affleck, Alan Arkin, Bryan Cranston, Mychael Danna, Sally Field, Richard Gere, Tom Hanks, John Hawkes, Tom Holland, Helen Hunt, Diane Lane, Ang Lee, Tony Mendez, Helen Mirren, David O. Russell, Martin Sheen, Naomi Watts and Robert Zemeckis arrived in S400 Hybrid sedan, S550 sedans, GL450 SUVs and ML350 SUVs to the Festival red carpet. Following the ceremony an after party was held at the Parker Palm Springs where Bradley Cooper, Sally Field, John Hawkes, Tom Hooper, Eddie Redmayne, David O. Russell, Naomi Watts and many others were in attendance. The Palm Springs International Film Festival takes place January 3-14,2013. For additional information on the Festival visit www.psfilmfest.org.
- 1/8/2013
- by Peter Belsito
- Sydney's Buzz
Actor Bill Pullman and director Yung Chang attended the Us premiere of the film The Fruit Hunters at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. Environmental documentaries come in all shapes and sizes, but chances are you have not seen one as appetizing as this sensual and seductive tribute to nature’s sweetest bounty.
There is a reason that so many painters have turned to the bowl of fruit for inspiration, and if filmmakers have been slow to follow suit, Yung Chang (Up the Yangtze; China Heavyweight) is quick to make amends. Inspired by Adam Leith Gollner’s book of the same name, and accompanied by a motley group of fruit fanatics including the Hollywood actor Bill Pullman, Chang explores a wider, weirder world of fruit: stinky durians, cherimoyas, icecream beans.
Adventurers Noris Ledesma and Richard Campbell scour the jungle for rare mangos, hoping to intervene before the plants are steamrolled by industrialization. Pioneering scientist Juan Aguilar races to breed bananas resistant to a deadly fungus that threatens the worldwide crop. And fruit detectives including Isabella Dalla Ragione investigate Renaissance-era paintings for clues, hoping to rediscover lost varietals. Pullman’s efforts to seed a community orchard in the Hollywood hills are interspersed with juicy historical titbits tracing cultivation across centuries and continents.
There is a reason that so many painters have turned to the bowl of fruit for inspiration, and if filmmakers have been slow to follow suit, Yung Chang (Up the Yangtze; China Heavyweight) is quick to make amends. Inspired by Adam Leith Gollner’s book of the same name, and accompanied by a motley group of fruit fanatics including the Hollywood actor Bill Pullman, Chang explores a wider, weirder world of fruit: stinky durians, cherimoyas, icecream beans.
Adventurers Noris Ledesma and Richard Campbell scour the jungle for rare mangos, hoping to intervene before the plants are steamrolled by industrialization. Pioneering scientist Juan Aguilar races to breed bananas resistant to a deadly fungus that threatens the worldwide crop. And fruit detectives including Isabella Dalla Ragione investigate Renaissance-era paintings for clues, hoping to rediscover lost varietals. Pullman’s efforts to seed a community orchard in the Hollywood hills are interspersed with juicy historical titbits tracing cultivation across centuries and continents.
- 1/7/2013
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Over the long weekend, plenty of folks got the news that they’ve had their feature, doc or short films accepted into the Sundance Film Festival. This Wednesday, the festival begins making their line-up official while keeping the short film announcements for the following week. The previous week we’ve made some prognostications as to what should be included in the 2013 edition. Here’s an easy to click recap of some of those predictions. We’ve added those who’ve been mentioned in Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film, the fortunate ones who’ve had their work run inside the Sundance Labs, those who are working from a Blacklist named screenplay, those who are basing their feature on a short film that was accepted into the festival in a previous edition and finally those who’ve had funding via Kickstarter. * denotes feature directorial debut while ++ denotes that person...
- 11/26/2012
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Sticking with the whole erotica theme that I think will play out at the fest this year, you can’t get more exotic with The Fruit Hunters – a doc about obscure, hard to find fruits and its select fans – which includes Bill Pullman. With a sneak preview screening at this year’s Tiff and debut at Ridm, filmmaker Yung Chang will likely be invited to Park City again – as it was the lieu for U.S premieres of his award-winning Up the Yangtze (Sundance ’08) and China Heavyweight (Sundance ’12). To the publicist: I definitely want an after-screening party invite for this one.
Gist: Co-written by Chang and Mark Slutsky, this is an adaptation of Adam Gollner’s bestselling nonfiction book of the same title. From Borneo to Hollywood, from Honduras to the monasteries of Umbria, the filmmaker follows these dogged fruit collectors (including actor Bill Pullman, among the most dogged of...
Gist: Co-written by Chang and Mark Slutsky, this is an adaptation of Adam Gollner’s bestselling nonfiction book of the same title. From Borneo to Hollywood, from Honduras to the monasteries of Umbria, the filmmaker follows these dogged fruit collectors (including actor Bill Pullman, among the most dogged of...
- 11/20/2012
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
For some people, grabbing a piece of fruit means popping out to the market for an apple or orange. For others, it involves plane rides to the ends of the Earth, hacking with a machete through dense underbrush and seeking out increasingly odd and interesting fruits.
A new documentary from director Yung Chang called "The Fruit Hunters" explores the world of these obsessive rare fruit seekers, which though unsurprisingly few in number, include Hollywood actor Bill Pullman. The trailer is full of barefooted fruit enthusiasts scaling mango trees and spreads of other exotic fruits, which Pullman says are often displayed "the way your drug dealer will sit you down at the table" to show off narcotics.
There's also a shot of Pullman sniffing something or other that made us giggle.
The Fruit Hunters hits screens in Montreal on November 23 and Toronto, but we hope this gets a U.S. release sometime soon.
A new documentary from director Yung Chang called "The Fruit Hunters" explores the world of these obsessive rare fruit seekers, which though unsurprisingly few in number, include Hollywood actor Bill Pullman. The trailer is full of barefooted fruit enthusiasts scaling mango trees and spreads of other exotic fruits, which Pullman says are often displayed "the way your drug dealer will sit you down at the table" to show off narcotics.
There's also a shot of Pullman sniffing something or other that made us giggle.
The Fruit Hunters hits screens in Montreal on November 23 and Toronto, but we hope this gets a U.S. release sometime soon.
- 11/13/2012
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
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