Author: CWB News Department

The world’s first-ever film festival dedicated to heavy metal music is set to take place at the Downtown Independent Cinema in Los Angeles, California this coming March 31st through April 3rd, 2011. Festival organizer and long-time metalhead Samuel Douek is proud to announce the first portion of the maiden line-up for 2011’s Heavy Metal Film Festival. Many more films will be announced soon.“I think the Metal community in Los Angeles will be surprised in many ways and people around the world will be intrigued about what our festival is all about. This is shaping up to be an international event…

LOS ANGELES (February 26, 2011) – Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, handed out top honors to Black Swan, Winter’s Bone, 127 Hours, and The Kids Are All Right at this afternoon’s 26th Film Independent Spirit Awards. The King’s Speech, Exit Through the Gift Shop, Get Low, Tiny Furniture, and Daddy Longlegs also received awards at the ceremony, held in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica. Tune in to IFC tonight at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT to catch all the action at the 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards,…

This coming Saturday, March 12, 2011, the fiftieth anniversary of cultural activities of Sohrab Akhavan will be celebrated at UCLA. Sohrab started his career in entertainment industry in Iran and the age of 18. After working for several years as a MC in first private Iranian TV station and then in National Iranian Radio and TV, he went after his real passion, production. On the Saturday event four of Sohrab’s short films will be screened, The Empty Cluster Of Those days, that was made forty years ago in Neishabur, province of Khorassan north east of IRAN, Beik Imanverdy, Alireza Sepahbod,…

With over 50 3D movies expected to hit cinemas over the course of 2011, XPAND 3D, the global leader in active 3D technologies for home, cinema and education, today announced new, lower pricing for its award-winning cinema-grade X101 3D glasses. In doing so, the company is fulfilling its vision of providing theater owners with the best business model that couples the world’s best performing 3D technology with lowest operational cost as the volume of 3D content is surging.“Looking at the business model for active high quality 3D glasses vs. disposable passive glasses, the argument for active has just become even…

Now in its fifth year, the annual Korean American Film Festival (KAFFNY) is the only New York based independent film festival showcasing Korean American and Korean diasporic perspectives in film. Since 2006, KAFFNY has broadened its programming to include international films and videos by Korean and as well as non-Korean filmmakers.For its fifth anniversary, KAFFNY presents New York audiences with a challenging and innovative program ranging from groundbreaking early Korean cinema to the most current emerging Korean American films.This year KAFFNY honors the veteran documentary filmmaker Dai-Sil Kim-Gibson with a retrospective of six pioneering films that powerfully capture the complexities…

New York, NY, February 2011—The Museum of Modern Art and the Film Society of Lincoln Center announced the full lineup today for the 40th edition of New Directors/New Films (March 23 – April 3). Dedicated to the discovery of new works by emerging and dynamic filmmaking talent, the film festival will screen 28 feature films (24 narrative, 4 documentary) representing 22 countries. The opening night feature is . Screening on Wednesday, March 23, at 7:00PM at MoMA, Chandor’s feature film directing debut is a timely and terrifying dramatic expose that tackles twenty-four hours on an investment bank trading floor; a day…

New York, New York, February 2011 – The French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF), New York’s premiere French cultural center, in collaboration with Unifrance and the Film Society of Lincoln Center, welcomes two of France’s most acclaimed directors, Bertrand Tavernier and Coline Serreau, who will each present a special screening of one of their most beloved films on the occasion of the 16th edition of Rendez-Vous with French Cinema, the celebrated annual showcase of the best in contemporary French film. On March 4, the screening of L.627 will be followed by a discussion with director Bertrand Tavernier and film critic Kent…

(Hollywood, February 26, 2011) On Oscar® Sunday, February 27 the Los Angeles-based South East European Film Festival, SEE FEST is organizing its first Oscar® party and fundraiser celebrating foreign language films and international cinema. SEE FEST red carpet starts at 4pm, and continues with cocktails followed by full-course dinner during the Oscar telecast. Several visiting European filmmakers will join SEE FEST circle of L.A.-based expatriate movie mavericks for a festive and elegant affair which is expected to last well into the biggest Hollywood night of the year. Photographers and media people interested in covering the event can inquire by email…

Minister of State for Culture Bernd Neumann, Governing Mayor of Berlin Klaus Wowereit, Jury President Isabella Rossellini and Berlinale Director Dieter Kosslick will open the 61st Berlin International Festival on February 10 at 7.30 pm. During the opening gala, which will be hosted by Anke Engelke, the International Jury will be introduced. Music will be provided by the Beatsteaks. 3sat will broadcast the event live. This will be followed by the international premiere of Joel and Ethan Coen’s Western True Grit, which has been nominated for 10 Oscars. The directors and leading actors Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld and Josh Brolin…

Guardian – The final version of a documentary about Russian former-industrialist Mikhail Khodorkovsky, due to be shown at the Berlin film festival, has been reported stolen after a break-in at the production offices of Cyril Tuschi, the film’s director, in the German capital. This is the second time the film, entitled Khodorkovsky, has suffered following the reported robbery of a laptop containing a previous edit. Although local police say they have no leads, the immediate suspicion is that the theft is politically motivated and forms part of a Kremlin campaign against Russian oligarchs powerful enough to pose a challenge to…