Illuminate Film Festival

Posted on May 27, 2015 at 7:00 am

The Illuminate Film Festival opens today in Sedona, Arizona. Its mission is to be the premier film festival for “conscious cinema.”

Dedicated to spreading enlightened ideas and pushing humanity forward, Illuminate is poised to become a landmark destination event and centerpiece for conscious content. Founded on the premise that the language of film is universal and a dynamic force in carrying messages to the masses, the Festival will showcase the best of transformational media to uplift, inspire and transform.

The film lineup is impressive, including Salma Hayek-Pinault’s stunning visual adaptation of Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet, the Emma Thompson-produced “Sold,” the story of a young Nepali girl’s struggle after being sold into prostitution and how her faith, Bhakti practice and memories of her mother give her the courage to fight against all odd, with stars Gillian Anderson and David Arquette, and “Dying to Know,” a documentary about Timothy Leary and Ram Dass.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-G1M2N9sl0c

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Festivals Spiritual films

Ebertfest 2015, Part 2

Posted on April 17, 2015 at 8:36 pm

It was a great honor to be included on today’s panel of movie critics, along with superstars Godfrey Cheshire, Scott Foundas, Matt Zoller Seitz, Rebecca Theodore Vachon, Richard Roeper, Susan Wloszczyna, Michael Phillips, Brian Tallarico, and Sam Fragoso.

GI Film Festival — Coming to DC May 18-24

Posted on April 17, 2015 at 3:40 pm

I was very lucky to be able to attend a preview of the upcoming 9th annual GI Film Festival, coming to Washington, D.C. and Fairfax, Virginia May 18-24, 2015. Brandon Millett and Laura Law-Millett started the festival, the first ever devoted exclusively to films by, for, and about the military and veterans. Their goal is to promote positive images for men and women in uniform and help connect the military to society. They have also worked to make the films shown at the festival available on military bases and through the Defense Department’s television channel. This year will be their biggest and most varied yet, with more than 60 films covering every category from a big studio premiere (“Spy” with Melissa McCarthy) and the first American showing of the BAFTA-nominated “Kajaki” to small independent productions from military veterans. The films cover American military conflicts from the Revolutionary War to the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, with stories about training, missions, battles, recovery from injuries, and adjustments on returning home. And the films include genres from sci-fi to drama, comedy, and documentary. Submissions are received via Without a Box, and reviewed for two criteria: Would you spend $10 to buy a ticket? and Do you walk away with a greater appreciation for what military do on a daily basis? The focus is on stories that are inspirational and solutions-oriented.

We got a chance to watch two of the festival’s short films, including a documentary about Marine veteran Bob Jones, who lost both legs to an IED and rode a bicycle across the country to raise money for veterans.

They’ve put together an extraordinary schedule. Stay tuned for more information.

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Festivals

Ebertfest 2015, Part 1

Posted on April 17, 2015 at 7:39 am

Greetings from the campus of the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, where the 17th annual Roger Ebert Film Festival is underway. I am delighted to be appearing on a panel of very distinguished film critics this morning and will post a link when it is online. Yesterday I was thrilled to see one of my favorite films, “Moving Midway,” followed by a discussion with the director, Godfrey Cheshire and, via Skype, his cousin, Professor Robert Hinton.

We then got a special treat, a pre-release screening of “The End of the Tour,” directed by James Ponsoldt (“The Spectacular Now,” “Smashed”), and starring Jason Segal as David Foster Wallace. Ponsoldt and Segal discussed the film afterward with Rogerebert.com editor Brian Tallerico and festival director Nate Kohn. Segal told us his biggest challenge in making the film was in the scenes with Wallace’s dogs — “having to do serious acting with salmon down my pants.”

Today I am especially looking forward to one of my favorite Ebertfest traditions — a silent film with live musical accompaniment from the Alloy Orchestra.