Every week, I get several press releases, screening invitations and other notifications from a handful of studio contacts. While I won’t be sharing any information regarding my screening invites, some of the press releases might be of interest to my readers, so I thought I’d start sharing them in toto with all of you. These could include new image galleries for various films or important updates to upcoming releases from various smaller studios and art house production companies.

• Image Gallery: Prisoners
• Press Release: AFI Fest Announces Films and Guests
• Press Release: “Spinning Plates” Acquired by The Film Arcade and Inception Media Group
• Press Release: “Mission Congo” Opening at Toronto International Film Festival
• Press Release: Film Movement to Release “Aliyah”
• Press Release: American Cinemateque and Goethe Institut Los Angeles Present 7th Annual Festival of German Films

Image Gallery: Prisoners

Visit the Gallery Here

Press Release: AFI Fest Announces Films and Guests

AFI FEST 2013 presented by Audi ANNOUNCES SAVING MR. BANKS IS OPENING NIGHT GALA WORLD PREMIERE OF FOXCATCHER OPENS WEEKEND AGNÈS VARDA WILL SERVE AS GUEST ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Passes on Sale Now for AFI FEST November 7-14

LOS ANGELES, CA, September 4, 2013 – The American Film Institute (AFI) announced today early details of its AFI FEST 2013 presented by Audi. The programming unveiled epitomizes the vision of the festival – a celebration of Hollywood today where icons and emerging artists bring audiences together to experience global cinema in the movie capital of the world. The North American Premiere Gala of Disney’s SAVING MR. BANKS will open the festival on Thursday, November 7. The World Premiere Opening Weekend Gala of Sony Picture Classics’ FOXCATCHER on Friday, November 8 will launch a slate of independent and auteur films that will unspool over the course of the festival. Agnès Varda, considered “the mother of French New Wave cinema,” will serve as Guest Artistic Director.

“The American Film Institute honors the past, the present and the future of the motion picture arts. Now in its 27th year, AFI FEST remains the place to experience Hollywood now – a place that lives in the mythology of the movies, but also home to the dynamic global stories of today,” said AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale.

“Our line-up of programming, from opening to closing, reflects what Hollywood is today: a broad spectrum of stories from studio and independent filmmakers, and having Agnès Varda as Guest Artistic Director was a conscious decision to recognize the global influence of an icon of the French New Wave,” said Festival Director Jacqueline Lyanga. “The blending of studio, independent, foreign and auteur films and the artists who made them is the embodiment of AFI FEST.”

SAVING MR. BANKS, starring Academy Award®-winning actress Emma Thompson and AFI Life Achievement Award recipient and Academy Award®-winning actor Tom Hanks, will have its North American Premiere on Thursday, November 7 as the Opening Night Gala. Inspired by true events, SAVING MR. BANKS is the extraordinary, untold story of how Walt Disney’s classic MARY POPPINS made it to the screen – and the testy relationship between the legendary Walt Disney and author P.L. Travers that almost derailed it. John Lee Hancock (THE BLIND SIDE) is the director, and Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith wrote the screenplay. SAVING MR. BANKS also stars Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzman, Bradley Whitford, Annie Rose Buckley, Ruth Wilson, B.J. Novak, Rachel Griffiths, Kathy Baker and Colin Farrell.

MARY POPPINS premiered at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in 1964 with both Walt Disney and P.L. Travers in attendance. The film was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Picture and garnered 12 more Oscar® nominations. Out of the 13 nominations, MARY POPPINS won five, including Best Actress for its star, Julie Andrews. The song “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” has been recognized by the American Film Institute as one of the greatest movie songs of all time. MARY POPPINS is ranked among the top 10 of AFI’s Greatest Movie Musicals. Bridging the present and the past, AFI FEST celebrates SAVING MR. BANKS and the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Disney classic with a screening of MARY POPPINS during the festival’s opening weekend at the renowned movie palace where it first debuted to the world.

FOXCATCHER, a psychological drama directed by Academy Award® nominee Bennett Miller (MONEYBALL) and starring Golden Globe® winner Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Academy Award® nominee Mark Ruffalo, Academy Award® winner Vanessa Redgrave and Sienna Miller, will have its World Premiere on Friday, November 8 as the Opening Weekend Gala. The film was written by E. Max Frye and Academy Award® nominee Dan Futterman. FOXCATCHER tells the story of Olympic Gold Medal-winning wrestler Mark Schultz (Tatum), who sees a way out from the shadow of his more celebrated wrestling brother Dave (Ruffalo) and a life of poverty when he is summoned by eccentric multi-millionaire John du Pont (Carell) to move onto his estate and train for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Desperate to gain the respect of his disapproving mother, du Pont begins “coaching” a world-class athletic team and, in the process, lures Mark into dangerous habits, breaks his confidence and drives him into a self-destructive spiral. Based on actual events, FOXCATCHER is a gripping and profoundly American story of fragile men who pinned their hopes for love and redemption on a desperate obsession for greatness that was to end in tragedy.

As AFI FEST Guest Artistic Director, Agnès Varda, often called the mother of the French New Wave movement, will present a program of films that have inspired her work. Details will be announced later this month.

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS, written and directed by Academy Award® winners Joel and Ethan Coen (NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN), was produced by Scott Rudin and Joel and Ethan Coen and will be the Closing Night Gala on Thursday, November 14. The film stars Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund and Justin Timberlake and follows a week in the life of a young folk singer as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961. Llewyn Davis (Isaac) is at a crossroads. Guitar in tow, huddled against the unforgiving New York winter, he is struggling to make it as a musician against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, ­ some of them of his own making. Brimming with music performed by Isaac, Timberlake and Mulligan (as Llewyn’s married Village friends), as well as Marcus Mumford and Punch Brothers, INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS – in the tradition of O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? – is infused with the transportive sound of another time and place. An epic on an intimate scale, it represents the Coen Brothers’ fourth collaboration with multiple-Grammy® and Academy Award®-winning music producer T Bone Burnett. Marcus Mumford is the Associate Music Producer. INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS recently won the Grand Prix at the 2013 Cannes International Film Festival. The film will be distributed by CBS Films in the U.S.

Festival passes are on sale now at AFI.com/AFIFEST. For the fifth consecutive year, AFI FEST will continue its unprecedented offer of free tickets to all screenings, but only the Star Patron Package and Marquee Patron Package will provide reserved seating at today’s three announced galas – Opening Night, Opening Weekend and Closing Night. These and other AFI FEST Patron Packages and Passes – which can include access to sold-out galas and other high-demand films and events – are available now.

Free individual tickets to AFI FEST screenings and galas will be available to AFI members on Monday, October 28 and Tuesday, October 29 in a 48-hour advance window before they become available to the general public on Wednesday, October 30 and Thursday, October 31. In addition, AFI members at the Two-Star level and above receive a 10% discount on all AFI FEST Patron Packages and Passes. Information about AFI Membership is available at AFI.com/membership.

For the 10th year, Audi returns as the festival’s presenting sponsor. Additional sponsors include American Airlines, the official airline of AFI; The American Film Market (AFM); AT&T; Coca-Cola; The Egyptian Theatre; Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel; Stella Artois; and TCL Chinese Theatre, among many others.

About Agnès Varda
Agnès Varda is often called both the mother and the grandmother of the French New Wave movement. Trained as an artist yet without any formal cinematic training, she created her film production company Ciné-Tamaris in 1954 to write and direct her first feature film, LA POINTE COURTE, which is often considered the unofficial first New Wave film. After releasing several documentaries, she released the influential nouvelle vague film CLÉO FROM 5 TO 7 (CLÉO DE 5 À 7) in 1962 that brought her much acclaim. Over the years, Varda continued to be a force in art cinema, directing over 30 films and receiving many accolades, including the César Award for best documentary for THE BEACHES OF AGNÈS (LES PLAGES D’AGNÈS) and the Golden Lion for VAGABOND (SANS TOIT NI LOI). In 2003, Varda went back to her artistic roots and has been focusing on the visual arts, including installations, videos and photography. In 2013 she became a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

About Audi
Audi of America, Inc. and its U.S. dealers offer a full line of German-engineered luxury vehicles. AUDI AG is among the most successful luxury automotive brands globally. Audi was a top-performing luxury brand in Europe during 2012 and broke all-time company sales records in the U.S. Through 2016, AUDI AG will invest about $17 billion on new products, facilities and technologies. Visit audiusa.com or audiusanews.com for more information regarding Audi vehicle and business issues.

About AFI FEST presented by Audi
A program of the American Film Institute, AFI FEST presented by Audi is a celebration of global cinema and today’s Hollywood – a showcase for the best festival films of the year and an opportunity for master filmmakers and emerging artists to come together with audiences in the movie capital of the world. AFI FEST is the only festival of its stature that is free to the public. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognizes AFI FEST as a qualifying festival for both Short Film categories for the annual Academy Awards®. This year’s edition takes place November 7-14, 2013.

Additional information about AFI FEST is available at AFI.com/AFIFEST. Connect with AFI FEST at facebook.com/AFIFEST, twitter.com/AFIFEST and youtube.com/AFIFEST.

Press Release: “Spinning Plates” Acquired by The Film Arcade and Inception Media Group

THE FILM ARCADE AND INCEPTION MEDIA GROUP ACQUIRE FOODIE FAVORITE SPINNING PLATES

levelFILM to distribute in Canada with Guardian Entertainment International handling foreign distribution

September 4, 2013 – After winning multiple Audience Awards at film festivals across the country, The Film Arcade and Inception Media Group announced today the acquisition of the ultimate restaurant documentary Spinning Plates. The Film Arcade will release the film theatrically on October 25th with Inception Media Group handling domestic ancillary distribution. levelFILM will distribute in Canada with GEI’s Richard S. Guardian acquiring international distribution rights.

Written and directed by Joseph Levy (Into the Fire), Spinning Platesfollows three extraordinary restaurants and the incredible people who make them what they are. These stirring stories range from Alinea, recipient of three Michelin stars and the seventh-best restaurant in the world, whose chef must battle life-threatening cancer, to a 150 year-old family restaurant in Iowa with an unbreakable bond with its community, to a fledgling Mexican restaurant whose immigrant owners risk everything to provide a better life for their young daughter.

The documentary was produced and co-financed by Miranda Bailey and Matthew Leutwyler at Ambush Entertainment (Girl Most Likely), Joseph Levy at Chaos Theory and Phil Rosenthal (Everyone Loves Raymond), who executive produced. Jacqueline Lesko also served as producer with Sim Sarna and Taz Goldstein as executive producers.

“Spinning Plates is a terrific movie, one that will win over anyone with a passion for either film or food “, said Andy Reimer, partner of Inception Media Group. “Movie enthusiasts who also like to go out to eat may well discover their favorite movie of the year.”

“I’m thrilled to have Film Arcade and Inception Media Group release Spinning Plates”, said Levy. “They’ve shown a real care and passion for this film and I can’t wait for them to bring this story of love, family and food to audiences nationwide.”

About The Film Arcade:
Founded in 2012 by Miranda Bailey, Jason Beck, Andy Bohn and Matt Leutwyler, The Film Arcade is an independent film distribution company that acquires and releases extraordinary films from visionary filmmakers. The Film Arcade recently released the Sundance hit Afternoon Delight, which it co-bought with Cinedigm, and partnered with Paramount to acquire A.C.O.D., which will be released theatrically on October 4th. Last year, The Film Arcade successfully distributed the award-winning Swedish film, Simon and the Oaks, and the Sundance hit, The Other Dream Team, which the company co-bought with Lionsgate. More information is available at www.thefilmarcade.com

About Inception Group
Inception Media Group, LLC is based in Los Angeles and is a diversified media company specializing in the production, acquisition and distribution of motion pictures and other filmed entertainment across all media platforms and channels of distribution. Inception Media Group’s management team has extensive relationships with exhibitors, retailers, distributors and technology companies, enabling the Company to maximize the services performed on behalf of its content partners. The company boasts a catalog of over 100 filmed entertainment properties and more than 2,500 hours of digital content encompassing feature films, episodic television series, documentaries and special interest programming. Inception Film Partners, LLC, a subsidiary of Inception Media Group, provides production companies and filmmakers worldwide sales and distribution services to theatrical, broadcast, digital, home video and emerging media outlets. More information is available at www.inceptionmediagroup.com.

Press Release: “Mission Congo” Opening at Toronto International Film Festival

PAT ROBERTSON EXPOSÉ TO PREMIERE AT TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL THIS WEEKEND

Eye-opening Documentary “Mission Congo” Explores Religious Right Leader’s Use of Charity Resources for Diamond Mining Mission

The Guardian story about “Mission Congo”: Mission Congo: how Pat Robertson raised millions on the back of a non-existent aid project

New York, NY (September 5, 2013) – “Mission Congo,” a documentary feature delving into religious right leader Pat Robertson’s exploitation of one of the worst humanitarian crises of modern times for what appeared to be his own personal gain, will premiere this weekend at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The film uncovers Robertson’s alleged hypocrisy and exploitation of the Rwandan refugee crisis, and his operation of a diamond mining endeavor using planes, and possibly other resources, from his charity, Operation Blessing International.

Documentary filmmakers Lara Zizic and David Turner were researching a feature script when they came across an article by Bill Sizemore in the Virginian Pilot, detailing how Pat Robertson, on “The 700 Club,” raised money for the Rwandan refugee crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). On the show, he claimed that Operation Blessing International was using its cargo planes to aid refugees – however, it was uncovered that much of the time, the planes were being used to haul mining equipment to a diamond mining concession in a completely different part of DRC for Robertson’s for-profit company, the African Development Company.

Zizic and Turner were immediately fascinated, and contacted the pilots who carried mining equipment for Robertson. These initial interviews led them to contact the miners involved in these operations, and their stories convinced them that a film needed to be made to tell this story. That film, “Mission Congo,” premieres on Friday evening at TIFF.

Despite his high standing and level of respect in the religious community, Robertson is a figure who has been embroiled in numerous controversies throughout his career, not least of which are his relentless disparaging comments about other religions including Islam (and other Christian denominations such as Presbyterians and Methodists), as well as feminists, liberals, and perhaps most consistently, homosexuals. Most recently, Robertson drew the ire of the gay community for claiming on the August 27th episode of “The 700 Club” that members of the San Francisco gay community would deliberately infect people with AIDS by cutting them with sharp infected rings while shaking hands.

Zizic and Turner released a statement about their goals with the film: “Sometimes a story hits you so profoundly that you simply have to act. We were researching a fiction script when we came across an article mentioning Robertson’s dual activities in Congo. We felt that these activities, and implied level of deception, were unfathomable on so many levels that we had to find out more. How could something like this happen? Why was there not more coverage in the media? How did he get away with it? If it happened then, is it still happening now?”

Zizic and Turn hope that the new evidence about Robertson’s corrupt practices presented in “Mission Congo” can lead to a re-opening of past investigations regarding Operation Blessing, and encourage a conversation about more responsible oversight of charitable and religious organizations.

“The film raises larger questions over the billions of dollars raised by American religious institutions that go untaxed and unregulated,” said Thom Powers, International Documentary Programmer for TIFF. “Robertson’s organization alone earns annual revenues in the hundreds of millions. If this story can bring about greater accountability, that would truly be a blessing.”

Pat Robertson declined to be interviewed for the film. As a second chance to speak to the content of “Mission Congo,” the filmmakers are extending an invitation to him to participate in the post-screening Q&A at the film’s premiere on Friday evening.

“Mission Congo” – which premieres this weekend in Toronto — is currently seeking distribution, and is being repped by Cinetic Media.

Press Release: Film Movement to Release “Aliyah”

Acclaimed psychological suspense-drama follows one man who’ll risk everything for a shot at a fresh start.

September 5, 2013 (NY, NY) – Film Movement, the distributor of award-winning independent and foreign films, announces today that ALIYAH, the critcally-acclaimed portrait of one man’s rocky journey for a chance to start over, will be released on DVD on October 8th in North America. This debut feature from emerging filmmaker Elie Wajeman is the stirring, personal story of Alex, a drug dealer who wants out of the game and believes he’s found his exit when his cousin invites him to be a part of the new restaurant he’s opening in Israel. But removing himself from the tangled web he’s created – and saying goodbye to a new love and his burdensome brother – won’t be easy.

All Film Movement DVD releases include a short film. This month’s release is ON THE ROAD TO TEL-AVIV, by filmmaker Khen Shalem. The film is 15 minutes in length and explores the after effects of a terrorist attack in Israel from a newlywed couple’s perspective.

A Cannes Film Festival Directors’ Fortnight selection, ALIYAH will be available DVD at Film Movement (www.filmmovement.com), and also through major retailers. The film will be available to stream directly from Film Movement for just $3.99; online streaming begins October 8th and can be accessed here. Additionally, Amazon Instant and iTunes will make the film available for rent and download October 8th.

ALIYAH | 2012 | Drama | French with English Subtitles | 90 minutes | Unrated

Synopsis of ALIYAH:
Alex, a young Parisian drug dealer, always pays off the debt of his troublesome older brother Isaac. When his cousin says he’s opening a restaurant in Tel Aviv, Alex jumps at the chance for a new beginning and asks to join. But first he must raise his shar of the initial funds, and also make “aliyah,” the immigration of Diaspora Jews to Israel. Beyond the red tape, this involves something he never cared about: connecting with his Jewish roots. Alex must also face leaving behind the city he loves, as well as the new, entrancing woman who’s suddenly fallen into his life. Torn between his aliyah, his complicated love life and his distructive brother, Alex must find his own way out.

Acclaim for ALIYAH:
CANNES Film Festival – Directors’ Fortnight
WINNER – Audience Award, Angers Film Festival
Official Selection – Toronto Jewish Film Festival
Official Selection – New York Jewish Film Festival
Official Selection – Miami Jewish Film Festival Official Selection – Philadelphia Int’l Film Festival
Official Selection – Cleveland Int’l Film Festival
Official Selection – Sacramento Jewish Film Festival
Official Selection – Sarasota Film Festival
Official Selection – Atlanta Film Festival

About Film Movement:
Launched in 2003, Film Movement is a full-service North American distributor of award-winning independent and foreign films, based in New York City. Film Movement has released more than 250 feature films and shorts from 50 countries on six continents, including top prize winners from Sundance, Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Berlin, Tribeca and other prestigious festivals. Film Movement releases its films through numerous distribution channels, including thousands of art-house cinemas, universities and libraries; home video (Netflix and Amazon); television outlets (Sundance Channel, HBO, IFC and Showtime); Cable Video on Demand (including its very own branded cable VOD platform—Film Festival on Demand—available in over 40 million US homes); In-flight Entertainment (Alaska Airlines, Air Canada and United/Continental,) and broadband outlets (iTunes, Hulu, Amazon and YouTube). For more information, please visit www.filmmovement.com

Press Release: American Cinemateque and Goethe Institut Los Angeles Present 7th Annual Festival of German Films

7th Annual Festival of German Films is co-presented by the Goethe Institut Los Angeles and the American Cinematheque, in cooperation with Austrian Consulate General and the Consulate General of Switzerland; with support of German Films, Deutsche Welle (DW), and The Friends of Goethe.

American audiences have been treated to an amazing spectrum of German films over the years. The past decade has been no exception. Having won two Oscars® for Best Foreign Language Film and having been nominated six times in the last ten years is proof that German films are a force on the international film scene. The Goethe-Institut Los Angeles is delighted that German Currents: Festival of German Film is back for the seventh annual showcase at the American Cinematheque’s Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.

German Currents: Festival of German Film will begin with an opening film and gala on the evening of Friday, October 4th, 2013. Continuing through Monday, October 7th, German Currents will present a varied selection of current German cinema; including features, documentaries, short films, as well as a family/youth film (list of films and description is below).

Additional information can be found at: http://www.goethe.de/germancurrents, and at: http://www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/content/german-currents-2013-festival-of-german-film

Screeners for select films are available for press coverage consideration. Filmmakers are available for phone interviews. Please contact Sasha Berman at Shotwell Media at SashaBerman@mac.com or 310-450-5571, for more details.

GALA OPENING NIGHT – US PREMIERE

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, AT 7:30 PM EGYPTIAN THEATRE

MEASURING THE WORLD (DIE VERMESSUNG DER WELT)

Directed by Detlev Buck

Two of the greatest minds of the 19th century, mathematician Carl Friederich Gauss (Florian David Fritz) and scientist Alexander von Humboldt (Albrecht Abraham Schuch), dedicate their studies to measuring and comprehending the world they live in. Based on Daniel Kehlmann’s best-selling novel of the same name, this visually stunning epic is a playful re-imagining of the great men’s lives. Humboldt, a man with a passion for global exploration, is contrasted with Gauss, a man who experiences his world through mathematical theories and figures. Humboldt, aided by his colleague, Aimé Bonpland, travels the globe physically engaging the world he wishes to understand, applying modern, scientific thinking to comparatively unknown regions. Though he remains in the same destitute community for much of his life, Gauss’ interior journey of mathematical discovery proves to be just as rich and visually stunning as Humboldt’s adventures in remote areas of the world. Fact and fiction are mixed, often to humorous effect, to chronicle the findings of two very different men who nevertheless sought the same answers. MEASURING THE WORLD was nominated for two German Film Awards in 2013, and the film has won Best Costume Design and Best Make-up Design awards at the 2013 Austrian Film Awards.

Germany / Austria (2012), 123 min. In German, French, Spanish with English Subtitles

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, AT 7:30 PM EGYPTIAN THEATRE

DOUBLE FEATURE

OH BOY

Directed by Jan Ole Gerster

Jan Ole Gerster’s wry and vibrant feature debut Oh Boy, which swept the 2013 German Film Awards, paints a day in the life of Niko, a twenty-something college dropout going nowhere fast. Niko lives for the moment as he drifts through the streets of Berlin, curiously observing everyone around him and oblivious to his growing status as an outsider. Then on one fateful day, through a series of absurdly amusing encounters, everything changes: his girlfriend rebuffs him, his father cuts off his allowance, and a strange psychiatrist dubiously confirms his ’emotional imbalance’. Meanwhile, a former classmate insists she bears no hard feelings toward him for his grade-school taunts when she was “Roly Poly Julia,” but it becomes increasingly apparent that she has unfinished business with him. Unable to ignore the consequences of his passivity any longer, Niko finally concludes that he has to engage with life. Shot in timeless black and white and enriched with a snappy jazz soundtrack, this slacker dramedy is a love letter to Berlin and the Generation Y experience.

In Person: Director Jan Ole Gerster

Germany (2012), 85 min. In German with English subtitles

US Distributor: Music Box Films

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5 AT 9:30 PM EGYPTIAN THEATRE

DOUBLE FEATURE – L.A. PREMIERE

BEERLAND

Directed by Matt Sweetwood

Matt Sweetwood hails from the Midwest. Though he has lived in Germany for over ten years, the people and their culture remain a mystery to him. He undertakes a last-ditch attempt to figure the place out: by exploring the heart of German culture, their beer. If he delves into their rites and rituals, explores all the contradictions and stereotypes, will that make him, finally, a part of them? The infinite variety of beers, breweries and beer fests, the age-old history of beer, is more overwhelming than the American ever imagined. The trail of his research leads him to places far off the beaten tourist path, light-years away from the Oktoberfest. He encounters people whose dialect he barely understands. Amazingly, he finds that a country as small a Germany is subdivided into a thousand different tongues and customs, with beer as the common thread. He discovers a land full of oddities and contradictions. The Germans are deathly serious and silly at the same time, tradition-bound and weirdly visionary. Ultimately, he forms a real bond with them, finding friends where he least expected them.

In Person: Director Matt Sweetwood

Germany (2012), 85 min. In German and English with English Subtitles

KINDERMATINEE

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6 – 2:00 PM EGYPTIAN THEATRE

THE ADVENTURES OF HUCK FINN (DIE ABENTEUER DES HUCK FINN)

Directed by Hermine Huntgeburth

A lively German language adaptation of Mark Twain’s classic satire. Huck Finn, having found treasure with his best friend Tom Sawyer, is now chafing in the shoes and starched shirts that come with his new wealthy lifestyle. He’d like nothing more than to kick off his shoes and run wild along the river. He gets his chance when his drunken father (August Diehl) arrives and demands a share of Huck’s money. Huck decides to escape downriver and he brings along Jim, the house slave who has recently discovered that he will be handed over to a slave trader. The two travel the Mississippi River on a makeshift raft, hoping to outrun Huck’s violent father and find a place where Jim can be accepted as a free man. Twain’s timeless adventure is exuberantly brought to the screen in a film that can be enjoyed by the whole family.

Germany (2012), 101 min. In German with English Subtitles

FILM WORKSHOPS

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6 – 1:00 – 1:50 PM & 4:00 – 4:50 PM

Join the Echo Park Film Center for an afternoon of cinematic exploration and education with the EPFC “Filmcicle” in the courtyard of the Egyptian Theatre. The “Filmcicle” is a bicycle powered cinema and school on 3 wheels. Using traditional analog motion picture film we encourage audience members – young and old – to spend some time with us creating cinematic wonder.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6 AT 5:00 PM EGYPTIAN THEATRE

DOUBLE FEATURE – US PREMIERE

GOLD

Directed by Thomas Arslan; starring NIna Hoss

Official selection (competition) at the 2013 Berlin International Film Festival, GOLD is a Western about seven German immigrants who set out in search of gold in the backwoods of British Columbia during the Klondike Gold Rush in 1898. Each have their motives: an older couple seeking security, a father (Lars Rudolph) hoping to help his impoverished family, an unpleasant newspaperman (Uwe Bohm) chronicling the journey, and a mysterious packer (Marko Mandic) with a past to outrun. The last to join is Emily Mayer (Nina Hoss), a metropolitan woman whose delicate demeanor masks a steely determination to survive. Assembled by a deceptively confident businessman of questionable motives, the settlers must travel through a relatively uncharted stretch of Canadian wilderness to reach their goal, the gold fields of Dawson. As the path grows more treacherous, betrayals come to light and desperate choices are made. Following in the footsteps of McCabe and Mrs. Miller and Meek’s Cutoff, Gold is an epic that offers an unconventional take on the well-worn Western genre.

Germany (2013), 101 min. In German with English Subtitles

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, AT 7:00 PM EGYPTIAN THEATRE

DOUBLE FEATURE – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

LAYLA FOURIE

Directed by Pia Marais

Winner of the Jury Special Mention at the 2013 Berlin International Film Festival, LAYLA FROURIE is a film about Layla, who is a single mother living with her son in Johannesburg and getting by with casual work. After training as a polygraph operator she manages to secure a job with a company specialising in lie detectors and security. On her way to her new workplace she is involved in an accident which will fundamentally change her life. Layla becomes entangled in a web of lies and deceit. The truth could lead to the loss of her son. 
For her third feature film Pia Marais – who has lived in Berlin for many years – returned to South Africa where she grew up to make this classic thriller. She uses the genre to take a look at a country which still bears the scars of apartheid. In this way, everyday life in South Africa enhances the tension in the screenplay which she co-wrote with Horst Markgraf. Almost casually, Layla Fourie develops into a political thriller which takes the audience into the paranoia, fear and mistrust of a society that is still profoundly affected by racial conflict.

Germany (2013), 108 min. In English

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7 AT 7:30 PM EGYPTIAN THEATRE

DOUBLE FEATURE – L.A. PREMIERE

THE SHINE OF THE DAY (DER GLANZ DES TAGES)

Directed by Tizza Covi & Rainer Frimmel

Philip (Philip Hochmair) is is a young and successful actor working for the most important theatres in Vienna and Hamburg with a committed and single-minded approach to his craft. During a season in which he is busy with a production of Buchner’s Woyzeck, Philip is visited by the elderly Walter (Walter Saabel), who introduces himself as the uncle he’s never met. Walter is a former circus artist and the two men soon bond over stories of their careers. These two entertainers, both at different stages in their lives, learn from each other’s experiences. As his conversations with Walter grow more philosophical, Philip slowly emerges from his once isolated lifestyle. He is even inspired to enlist Walter’s assistance in helping a Moldavian neighbor with an immigration issue. The actors, though not related, essentially play themselves and the largely improvised script was developed around their personal experiences. The result is a rare onscreen friendship that feels warm and sincere. Co-directors Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel draw on their documentary filmmaking background to create a naturalistic atmosphere in which these performances can flourish.

Austria (2012), 101 min. In German with English Subtitles

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7 AT 9:15 PM EGYPTIAN THEATRE

DOUBLE FEATURE

MORE THAN HONEY

Directed by Markus Imhoof

Winner of multiple awards, including 2013 German Film Award (Lola) for Best Documentary film, MORE THAN HONEY, directed by Oscar-nominated director Markus Imhoof (THE BOAT IS FULL) tackles the vexing issue of why bees, worldwide, are facing extinction. With the tenacity of a man out to solve a world-class mystery, he investigates this global phenomenon, from California to Switzerland, China and Australia. Exquisite macro-photography of the bees (reminiscent of MICROCOSMOS) in flight and in their hives reveals a fascinating, complex world in crisis. Writes Eric Kohn in Indiewire: “Imhoof captures the breeding of queen bees in minute detail, ventures to a laboratory to witness a bee brainscan, and discovers the dangerous prospects of a hive facing the infection of mites. In this latter case, the camera’s magnifying power renders the infection in sci-fi terms, as if we’ve stumbled into a discarded scene from David Cronenberg’s THE FLY.” This is a strange and strangely moving film that raises questions of species survival in cosmic as well as apiary terms.

Switzerland/Germany/Austria (2012), 90 min. In English and German w/English subtitles

US Distributor: Kino Lorber

For updated ticket information available after September 10 please visit: www.fandango.com – theater code for the Egyptian is: 2206

Tickets for double features are sold for both movies. The box office will remain open until 30 minutes after the 2nd film in the double feature begins to service audience members who just want to see the 2nd film. The price remains the same for one or both movies. There is a 5-7 minute intermission between films except in the event of a q&a after the first film. Q&A’s are generally 30 minutes and the intermission will occur following the discussion. Start times of the 2nd film listed here are approximate. Running times for all films are listed.

Ticket Prices:
General Admission – $11
Student / Senior (with ID) – $9
American Cinematheque Member – $7

About American Cinematheque
Established in 1981, the American Cinematheque is a 501 C 3 non-profit viewer-supported film exhibition and cultural organization dedicated to the celebration of the Moving Picture in all of its forms. At the Egyptian Theatre, the Cinematheque presents daily film and video programming which ranges from the classics of American and international cinema to new independent films and digital work. Exhibition of rare works, special and rare prints, etc., combined with fascinating post-screening discussions with the filmmakers who created the work, are a Cinematheque tradition that keep audiences coming back for once-in-a-lifetime cinema experiences. The American Cinematheque renovated and reopened (on Dec. 4, 1998) the historic 1922 Hollywood Egyptian Theatre. This includes a state-of-the-art 616-seat theatre housed within Sid Grauman’s first grand movie palace on Hollywood Boulevard. The exotic courtyard is fully restored to its 1922 grandeur. The Egyptian was the home of the very first Hollywood movie premiere in 1922. In January 2005 the American Cinematheque expanded its programming to the 1940 Aero Theatre on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica.

Egyptian Theatre is at 6712 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90028