News

Keep up with the always-hopping film festival world with our weekly Film Festival Roundup column. Check out last week’s Roundup right here.

Lineup Announcements

– The Human Rights Watch Film Festival will be presented June 9 – 18, with 21 topical and provocative feature documentaries and panel discussions that showcase courageous resilience in challenging times. In an era of global advances by far-right forces into the political mainstream, assaults on the free press, and the rise of “citizen journalism,” festival organizers hope that the films in this year’s program can serve as inspiration and motivation for the audience, from seasoned activists to those searching for a role in local and global movements.

Now in its 28th edition, the Human Rights Watch Film Festival is co-presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and IFC Center. All screenings will be followed by in-depth discussions with filmmakers, film subjects, Human Rights Watch researchers, and special guests.

The Sopranos was named the best-written show in television history by the Writers Guild of America, edging out an eclectic collection of some of the most beloved and admired series. Members of the Writers Guild of America, West (Wgaw) and the Writers Guild of America, East (Wgae) voted online for the 101 Best Written TV Series, with David Chase’s iconic “family” drama topping Seinfeld, The Twilight Zone, All in the Family, and M*A*S*H*.

“At their core, all of these wonderful series began with the words of the writers who created them and were sustained by the writers...

One sure-footed thing about going to a festival like Slamdance is, ironically enough, the mini-surprises that can come in the form of short film programming. Playing in front of the Grand Jury prize winning feature The Dirties this past January, Ian Wittenber's Turtle just so happens to be one of those pint-sized wonders, and you can watch it online, right now... for free. A love story shot in the mock-doc-style with leads Jennifer Marks and David Crane absolutely owning it, Wittenber's film strikes a rare balance between absurdity and the bittersweet. But the less said about Turtle the better. Trust me. Clocking in at just 8 minutes it's perfect for your lunch or dinner break. Check it out below.   ...

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

Since we know you guys are always on the lookout for interesting sounding indie films to check out, today we have the first details on Quinn Saunders' erotic thriller Cherry, being released in the Us and Canada by Mvd Distribution on October 23rd.

Cherry, from Jinga Films, stars Rey Valentin (Crossing Over), Lili Bordán (The Best Man, "Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome"), David Crane (Brain Dead), and Ben Digregorio (Don't Look Up). It premiered at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival in the Czech Republic and won "Best Production" at the Beverly Hills International Film Festival.

Synopsis:

When Brian Cherry, a sweet, sensitive young Los Angelino, falls for the beautiful, electric, and damaged Jules, she turns his ideas about women and sex upside-down. Slowly he is drawn into a twisted love triangle that includes Jules and his best friend, Sam. When Jules eventually leaves him for Sam, Cherry decides on...

Today on Indie Beat, Cherry, an erotic thriller gets a North American release date on DVD.

Here at TheMoviePool we like to talk about all aspects of filmmaking and movie news. To that end, we now have Indie Beat where we'll highlight some of the latest news, trailers, and PR releases from the indie filmmaker scene.  So if you're an independent filmmaker and want some coverage on our site, be sure to drop us a line at jordan@themoviepool.com .  Now onto the news:

Quinn Saunders erotic thriller Cherry will be released in the Us and Canada by Mvd Distribution with a street date set for October 23rd 2012.

Starring Ray Valentin (Crossing Over), Lili Borden (Battle Star Galactica) and David Crane (Brain Dead) Cherry which premiered at Karlovy Vary Film Festival in Czech Republic and won Best Production at Beverly Hills International Film Festival is frequently been compared to Steven...

From the first peek at the trailer it was clear this was going to be trashy cinema, but would it be the kind that would entertain and enthral? In a word, no. The billing of this as a comedy/horror is strange because it is neither funny nor scary. In fact, it’s dire.

The story is a predictable enough one: a ragtag band of strangers end up shacked up together in a cabin in the woods when there are zombies on the loose wanting to feast on their brains. End of pitch, end of plot.

Movies like this can be entertaining - ramp up the fear, have the characters getting on one another's nerves, then watch it go. But you need a good cast for that - and a good script. Brain Dead has neither, and should go down in the annals of filmmaking as one of the worst movies ever made.

Night of the Demons, Witchboard, these are films that horror fans have grown up watching over and over again. So when Kevin Tenney, the director behind Witchboard and Night of the Demons, has a new film coming out, we here at Bdhr take notice. Kevin Tenney's latest effort, Brain Dead starring Joshua Benton, Sarah Grant Brendecke, David Crane and Andy Forrest, is a homage to the horror films of yesteryear. We also wanted to know what Kevin Tenney thought of the Night of the Demons remake starring Shannon Elizabeth (Scary Movie), Edward Furlong (Brainscan) and Monica Keena (Freddy vs. Jason) and in a cameo appearance Linnea Quigley (The Return of the Living Dead). Here's what he had to say about everything.

Who is Kevin Tenney and what are you all about?

I’m a father, a husband, and a filmmaker in that order. I was born in Hawaii to a military family.