Michelle Yeoh To Receive SeeHer Award At Gold House’s Inaugural Gala – Film News in Brief
Michelle Yeoh To Receive SeeHer Award At Gold House’s Inaugural Gala
Michelle Yeoh will be awarded the SeeHer Award during Gold House’s inaugural Gold Gala on May 21.
The event will bring together Asian and Pacific Islander leaders from entertainment, politics, tech, and more to celebrate transformative API excellence.
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Yeoh who has stared in “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon,” “Tomorrow Never Dies,” “Crazy Rich Asians” and the widely acclaimed ” Everything Everywhere All At Once” has featured in both TIME100 and the BBC’s 100 Women list of 2020.
This is the first time SeeHer is partnering with Gold House for this award. Past recipients include Kristen Bell, Halle Berry, Viola Davis, Claire Foy, Gal Gadot, Vanessa Hudgens, Simone Manuel, and Zendaya.
“We are honored to present Michelle Yeoh with the SeeHer Award. Through her iconic roles, women and girls of AAPI communities see themselves as they are” said Jeannine Shao Collins, President, SeeHer, Association of National Advertisers. “Her characters have opened up the world for so many people and her work speaks to a global audience. Her influence is undeniable.”
Gold House has helped dozens of API-led films shatter box office records through #GoldOpen—their grassroots movement to mobilize community support for authentic API films. From their work on blockbusters like Crazy Rich Asians and Shang-Chi to award-winners like Parasite and Minari, Gold House aims to transform the public’s perception of APIs by advancing affirming and impactful narratives. Their most recent #GoldOpen efforts supported Yeoh and the all-star team behind Everything Everywhere All At Once with tastemaker and community screenings from New York to Austin to San Francisco.
“Growing up, Michelle Yeoh was one of the first and few Asian women I saw on screen. Watching her navigate a myriad of roles and spaces, both personally and professionally, with power, vulnerability, and grace redefined not just who I could be but how I could be in this world. Gold House is thrilled to celebrate Michelle’s lifelong dedication to affirming portrayals of and for Asian women,” said Rose Yan, Head of Marketing, Gold House.
Film Movement Plus Announces Partnership with the Alliance of Women Film Journalists
Film Movement and their signature streaming service, Film Movement Plus have announced a partnership with the Alliance of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) to highlight women-directed films from the platform’s deep catalog. The partnership will launch on May 20 with a re-branded carousel “Films Directed by Women Presented by the Alliance of Women Film Journalists” and weekly feature-length reviews provided by their roster of award-winning critics. The announcement was made by Michael Rosenberg, President of Film Movement and Jennifer Merin, President of AWFJ.
Each week throughout the summer months, one of AWFJ’s leading film critics will select a woman-directed title for review. The featured title will be highlighted on both the platform, which features more than 150 women-directed features and shorts in their own category, as well as on AWFJ.org and in their newsletters and social media channels.
The first month of the partnership will feature reviews of such award-winners as Rungano Nyoni’s provocative first feature “I am Not a Witch” and Beadi Finzi’s Brazilian dance documentary “Only When I Dance.”
“Film Movement has a long history with women filmmakers – from Melanie Laurent and Marleen Gorris to Jessica Hausner and Cathy Yan — and I can think of no better organization to partner with in support of our ever-growing catalog of talented directors than the Alliance of Women Film Journalists,” says Rosenberg. “We’ve long admired their mission and trenchant criticism, and look forward to a fruitful partnership to create greater awareness and exposure for some of the most talented contemporary women filmmakers.”
AWFJ’s partnership with Film Movement fits perfectly with our mission to garner greater viewership and appreciation for films made by women and about women. We are proud and honored to promote Film Movement’s outstanding catalog of female-helmed films on the “Films Directed by Women Presented by the Alliance of Women Film Journalists” carousel. Many of the films pre-date the #MeToo Movement and are shining examples of how women artists have created brilliant cinema despite male domination of the film industry,” says Merin. “We know that audiences will love these films as much as we do.”
Utopia Acquires ‘Freakscene: The Story of Dinosaur Jr.’
Utopia has picked up North American rights to “Freakscene: The Story of Dinosaur Jr.,” the feature docu that looks at the legacy of the influential 1990s band. A one-night only special theatrical release is set for May 31 ahead of a June 3 digital release.
A special New York premiere on May 28 will feature a Q&A and solo performance from the band’s J Mascis.
Directed by German filmmaker Philipp Reichenheim, who happens to be Mascis’ brother-in-law, the documentary features interviews with their contemporaries including Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine and The Pixies, charting their story from the mid-80s to their 30th anniversary reunion concert.
Emma Thompson Hires a Sex Worker in ‘Good Luck to You, Leo Grande’ Trailer
Emma Thompson plays Nancy Stokes, a widow, who attempts to have proper sex for the first time in her life and hires a sex worker in the new trailer for “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande.”
The film, which played at Sundance earlier this year will stream on Hulu June 17. Directed by Sophie Hyde, it will also open this year’s Sundance London (June 9-12).
Thompson plays Nancy, a widow and former teacher who has stepped outside her comfort zone for the first time in her life and hired a sex worker, the titular Leo Grande, played by “Peaky Blinders” actor Daryl McCormack.
Watch the trailer below.
Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival Announces Audience and Jury Prize Recipients
The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) has announced the winners of the audience and jury prizes for the 38th edition of the festival.
After nine days of screenings, the audience votes recognized Kauro Ishibashi and Justin Taylor Smith’s film “Omoiyari: A Song Film by Kishi Bashi” with the Audience Award for Documentary Feature. Tom Huang’s “Dealing With Dad” won the Audience Award for Narrative Feature.
Also winning at the festival was Adilkhan Yerzhanov’s “The Assault,” which won the Narrative Grand Jury Prize. The narrative feature jury, which included Thomas Lim, Melissa Bisangi, Valarie Castillo Martinez and Parvesh Cheena, also awarded the actors from Ham Tran’s “Maika” and “Leonor Will Never Die” director Martika Ramirez Escobar with special jury recognitions.
The documentary feature jury, which included Emory Chao Johnson, Dinesh Sabu and Clarissa de los Reyes, awarded David Siev’s “Bad Axe” with the Documentary Grand Jury Prize. Special jury recognitions were also given to Dongnan Chen’s “Singing in the Wilderness,” Karl Malakunas’ “Delikado” and Julie Ha and Eugene Yi’s “Free Chol Soo Lee.”
The Emerging Filmmaker Award went to Yasir Masood for his film “Istikhara, New York.”
The short film “Eureka” won the Golden Reel Award for Narrative Short Film, which automatically qualifies it for the Animated Short Film/Live-Action Short Film category at the Academy Awards.
American Cinematheque Adds David Zaslav to Board of Directors
The American Cinematheque has announced David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, is the newest addition to the group’s board of directors.
Zaslav spearheaded the recent transaction between AT&T and Discovery, Inc. in April. The new standalone company that resulted from the massive transaction, Warner Bros. Discovery, combined the media assets of WarnerMedia and Discovery under Zaslav’s leadership.
“We are so pleased to have David join the Board of Directors,” American Cinematheque Chairman Rick Nicita said. “He brings a strategic perspective that will add to the growth of our film programming and especially with the AC’s expansion into educational initiatives and archive content development.”
Established in 1984, the American Cinematheque is a member-supported non-profit cultural arts organization dedicated to building an engaged film community through immersive film curation, conversation and presentation.
Zaslav will join Stephanie Allain, Mark Badagliacca, Peter Bart, Bill Block, Esther Chang, Sandy Climan, Peter Dekom, Charles Heaphy, Louis Kempinsky, Mary Anne Keshen, Ken Kleinberg, Sue Kroll, Franklin Leonard, Michael Mann, Mike Medavoy, Darren Moll, Rick Nicita, Eric Nebot, Mark Ordesky, James Robinson, Stan Rosenfield, Ted Sarandos, Paul Shurgot, Bud Swartz and Paula Wagner on the board.
CAA’s Seventh Annual Moebius Film Festival Gets Return Date and Lineup
The Creative Artists Agency (CAA) is set to bring back CAA Moebius, an annual two-day screening series showcasing diverse graduate student filmmakers. The live event will return on May 18, the agency announced today.
Now in its seventh year, the 2022 line-up features live-action and animated short films by 13 emerging directors from USC, CalArts, Chapman University, the American Film Institute (AFI) Conservatory and, for the first time, the University of North Carolina. The featured filmmakers come from around the world, including Mongolia, Mexico, South Korea, the UK, the U.S. and Thailand.
The lineup for day one of the festival includes “Rated R” from USC’s Reid Antin; “Lux Noctis” from AFI’s Damiana Acuña; “Red Velvet” from Chapman University’s Danielle Gibson; “Insomnia” from CalArts’ Haerim Yang; “Carrion” from AFI’s Yvonne Zhang; and “Magdalena” from AFI’s Michael Lazovsky.
Day two will feature “Orbita” from Udval Altangerel of CalArts; “Sammy Without Strings” from Ralph Parker III of UNC; “Hopper’s Day” from Jingqi Zhang of CalArts; “You’re Now Beyond Hope, Arizona” from Nick Dugan of Chapman University; “OST.” from Abhichoke Chandrasen of USC; “Charlotte” from Zach Dorn of CalArts; and “Chorus” from Daniel J. Egbert of AFI.
Locksmith Animation and DNEG Animation to Work on Studios Second Movie ‘That Christmas’
Locksmith Animation has awarded the digital production of its second movie “That Christmas” to DNEG Animation.
Locksmith and DNEG Animation enjoyed a successful outing on Locksmith’s first film “Ron’s Gone Wrong.” The film garnered multiple Annie Award nominations and was voted “Best Feature” at the 2022 British Animation Awards.
Locksmith has also set an impressive lineup of producers and creatives for the film. Former Netflix and Disney veteran Nicole P. Hearon (“Moana”) and Adam Tandy (“The Thick of It”) are producers. Locksmith’s CTO/SVP of Digital Production Doug Ikeler is tapped as VFX Supervisor; Ashley Boddy is Head of Story, and Sim Evan-Jones is Editor.
“We are happy to continue our collaboration with Oscar®-winning DNEG, said Locksmith CEO Natalie Fischer. “DNEG Animation’s contribution to Ron’s Gone Wrong was integral to the film’s appeal to audiences and we look forward to this new chapter.”
“We are thrilled to be working with Locksmith again for their second project, following the success of Ron’s Gone Wrong,” said Tom Jacomb, President of DNEG Animation. “I’ve been a huge fan of Simon Otto and all his work on the How To Train Your Dragon series, so I’m very excited to now be working with him in the director’s chair!”
LSA Co-Founder and President of Production Julie Lockhart said “It is a privilege to work with such a stellar team of animation veterans on our second movie alongside Simon Otto and Richard Curtis. By corralling their collective expertise, we are dedicated to creating a holiday film that families will enjoy for years to come.”
ArsenalFX Color Announces Expansion
ArsenalFX Color is planning to relocate to a new, standalone facility in Santa Monica. Having successfully operated a satellite facility in Atlanta for the past five years, it intends to open new satellite operations in production centers around the U.S. and Canada with one slated to open in Albuquerque, New Mexico this fall. It will offer dailies and post services for television and film productions operating in the state.
The new Santa Monica facility will include a variety of added resources, including two more color grading suites and a DI theater, as well as larger visual effects production space. It will also feature an entirely new infrastructure with expanded support for cloud and remote services. Those improvements will result in greater efficiency and provide the company with more flexibility in managing projects.
The company’s satellite facilities are designed to provide high-quality post services to television productions operating outside Southern California. The company selected Albuquerque for its next site due to the large number of productions that have located to New Mexico to take advantage of the state’s generous tax incentive program. “We want to have a presence in hotspots where production is happening,” says Field. “Our plan is to establish permanent facilities to provide dailies and finishing services to studios and independent producers.”
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