Thursday, October 12----New Yorkers have long had a love affair with French cinema. Each year for the past 44, the New York Film Festival has peppered its program with intriguing films from French talents, old and new. This year, the love affair continues with four films in the main section, as well as seven film classics in the 50 YEARS OF JANUS FILMS retrospective sidebar. As the Festival enters its final weekend, lovers of French cinema still have an opportunity to sample some tasty hors d...

Tuesday, October 10---The 2nd annual Turks and Caicos International Film Festival opens next week with the premiere on October 17 of a documentary film portrait of a unique gospel talent. THE DONNIE MCCURKLIN STORY: FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT is an inspirational concert docudrama about the extraordinary yet controversial life and times of world famous gospel singer Donnie McCurklin. The gospel legend will be attending the Festival to perform in concert. On film, McCurklin is ed by Beyoncé, T...

The Douglas Coupland-scripted film 'Everything's Gone Green' (already abridged to 'EGG' by some) screened for the third time this blindingly sunny morning, and was again overrun. This is a star-struck city where the free news rags regularly report which Hollywood greats have been spotted drinking in local bars or letting their dogs foul the pavements, but locals are forever irked by the fact that their city so rarely stars in films as itself. In EGG, it does, and Vancouverites are happy. It i...

Saturday, October 7----The Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, which this year celebrates its 21st edition as one of the most important venues in the US for independent and international cinema, has announced that its Centerpiece Film will be PITTSBURGH, a non-fiction comedy starring Jeff Goldblum, Illeana Douglas and Ed Begley Jr. The film will screen on Friday, November 3 at the historic Parker Playhouse in downtown Fort Lauderdale. The special event is followed by the Festival's "...

Scene from Almodovar's VOLVER As the New York Film Festival moves into its second weekend, a diverse and tantalizing plate of cinematic offerings is on tap, catered to every kind of viewer. The Festival has created a mix of hotly anticipated films, some unknown gems and new works from some cinematic masters, all of which have their initial premieres this weekend. Three filmmakers who have showcased their past work at the event are presenting their newest films this weekend. Veteran French dire...

Thursday, October 5----The Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, officially listed in the Guiness Book of World Records as the longest film festival in the world, is coming of age this year. For its 21st birthday (the same age when residents of the state of Florida can legally drink hard liquor and go to nightclubs where alcohol is served), the Festival is pulling out all the stops, with a program of peerless cinematic delights, special events, VIP guests and other celebrations that wil...

Tuesday, October 3--- A Caribbean archipelago renowned for its superb climate, great underwater snorkeling and majestically pristine beaches. A film festival devoted to the fusion of music and cinema. A meeting place for cinephiles and music afficianados. That is the tantalizing recipe of the Turks & Caicos International Film Festival, which will hold its second annual session from October 17 to 21. The excitement takes place in the beautiful resort city of Providenciales in the Turks ...

Alice Tully Hall Tuesday, October 3----Audiences attending the NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL screenings cannot help but notice that there is massive construction going on in and around Lincoln Center these days. The front of the Festival's main screening venue, Alice Tully Hall, is being remodeled, and the over on West 65th Street has been torn down to create a more airy environment. Missing is the escalator entrance from Broadway and the colonaded walkway that took adventurous filmgoers past the...

Sunday, October 1----It would be hard to find a more entertaining guest for afternoon tea than the director Stephen Frears. His self-deprecating humor, off-kilter sensibility and ingratiating personality were in rousing form on Saturday afternoon, with the director participating in the first of three HBO Films Directors Dialogues at the New York Film Festival. For almost 90 minutes, Frears regaled his audience in a mix of interview and question and answer, moderated by New York Film Festival ...

Helen Mirren Saturday, September 30----The stars were out last evening, both in the night sky and on the red carpet at Avery Fisher Hall, as the New York Film Festival held its Gala Opening Night with the premiere screening of THE QUEEN. Spotted on the red carpet were luminaries from the world of film, music and Broadway, including directors Brian De Palma and Taylor Hackford, musician Phil Collins, indie filmmakers Mira Nair, Mike White and Lodge Kerrigan, and Broadway luminaries s Ster...

Stephen Frears Friday, September 29---One of the more popular recent additions to the venerable New York Film Festival, which opens its 44th edition this evening, has been the Directors Dialogues series, sponsored again this year by HBO Films. Cinephiles have the rare opportunity to hear from some of the most celebrated directors on the planet in the intimate atmosphere of the Kaplan Penthouse, atop the Lincoln Center arts complex. This year, three directors, with films premiering at the Festi...