NACIYE. A Turkish Horror Film World Premiere at ScreamFest LA

"NACIYE"
THE UNNERVING FEATURE FILM DIRECTORIAL DEBUT
FROM TURKISH FILMMAKER LUTFU EMRE CICEK
TO HAVE ITS WORLD PREMIERE SCREENING
AT SCREAMFEST LA

The International Horror Film "Naciye" Will Leave a Mark!

(HOLLYWOOD, CA -- OCTOBER 9, 2015) Award-winning Turkish actress Derya Alabora ("Innocence," "When We Leave," "A Most Wanted Man") stars as the title character "Naciye" in Lutfu Emre Cicek's feature film directorial debut. "Naciye" will have its World Premiere screening at TCL Chinese 6 Theatres, 6801 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood, CA at Hollywood & Highland as part of Screamfest LA on Thursday, October 15 at 7:30pm.   Cicek and the film's stars Esin Harvey and Gorkem Mertsoz will be in attendance.

"For years I have followed Screamfest selections to discover new movies to watch so I feel very fortunate and proud to have the chance to premiere "Naciye" as part of this year's exciting line-up. To have the World Premiere in the heart of Hollywood and to launch our film at this prestigious horror film festival and for audiences to discover it is a dream come true," said Cicek.

"Naciye" was filmed on location during the off-season on the beautiful Princess Islands off the Marmara Coast of Istanbul, Turkey. Empty seaside mansions and gorgeous vistas belie the sinister and dangerous events about to unfold. The idyllic scene turns bloody and horrific as the body count quickly grows.

In "Naciye," a pregnant couple (Esin Harvey, Gorkem Mertsoz) travels for the weekend to check on the house they rented on a whim for the remainder of the pregnancy. On their first night at the secluded home they encounter the dangerous woman who claims to be its rightful owner.

Cicek was born in Turkey and then moved to the U.S. after high school. Like many teenagers, he grew up watching horror films and as a filmmaker, he has been influenced by movies like "Rosemary's Baby," "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle," and "Suspiria," as well as the works of Pedro Almodovar. After he moved back to Turkey, Cicek pursued his love of filmmaking; his favorite genre, horror films, was a natural choice for his first feature.

"With this movie I wanted to make something that would be familiar to horror fans in its homages to horror movie tropes but maintain its Turkish touches, like the island setting, the soap opera-esque hysteria of the leads, Naciye's style of clothing and the music." said Cicek.

Instead of making a Turkish or American horror film, Cicek made an international horror film influenced by both his Turkish upbringing and love of American Horror films. The result is a uniquely satisfyingly scary artistic and unique voice in the world of horror genre films. "Naciye" is accessible while also being quite shocking with an originality that should surely shock and please the die-hard horror fans while it intrigues and engages the not so faint of heart average audience members while they squirm in their seats and cover their eyes.

The film was directed, written, produced and edited by Cicek, produced by Refik Zafer Cicek and Begum Malaz, executive produced by Naciye Sonbay and Ekmel Sonbay with stunning cinematography by Kamil Satir.

 

Be sure to check out  "NACIYE" online at http://www.naciyemovie.com/.

Follow on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/naciyemovie.

#FF on Twitter at https://twitter.com/NaciyeMovie.

Screamfest LA website for more info:  http://screamfestla.com/2015/film/naciye
 

Direct link for tickets: http://screamfestla.com/tickets/naciye-thurs-1015-730pm

Where:
TCL Chinese 6 Theatres
6801 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood, CA (at Hollywood & Highland)

When:
Thursday, October 15 at 7:30pm.

About the Director
Lutfu Emre Cicek is a filmmaker currently based out of Istanbul, Turkey. His two short films premiered at Spooky Movie Film Festival and Telluride Horror Show. His screenplay "What Ever Happened to Barbara Brown?" won the Atlanta Film Festival's screenplay competition and placed in the Top Ten in Showtime's Tony Cox screenplay competition, and was a finalist at Filmmakers International. "Naciye" is his feature film directorial debut.

Press Contact:     
David Roberson        |        David@RobersonPR.com        |        310-925-8786

FOOLS FROM AWARD WINNING WRITER/DIRECTOR BENJAMIN MEYER TO WORLD PREMIERE IN HOLLYWOOD AT DANCES WITH FILMS

“FOOLS”

FROM AWARD WINNING WRITER/DIRECTOR BENJAMIN MEYER TO WORLD PREMIERE IN HOLLYWOOD AT DANCES WITH FILMS

(Hollywood, CA May 21, 2015) FOOLS, a film by Benjamin Meyer, will have its World Premiere screening Saturday, May 30 at 5:00pm at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in Hollywood & Highland in competition at the Dances With Films festival, which runs May 28 – June 8.  FOOLS, Meyer’s feature directorial debut, is a Romantic Drama filmed in Chicago about two strangers who start a relationship in a most unconventional way.

The film stars Mary Cross, Michael Szeles, Rebecca Spence, Janet Ulrich Brooks, Tony Fitzpatrick, Danny Goldring and Maury Cooper.  FOOLS was Produced by Beth Schacter and Dana Scott, with Executive Producers Judith Weatherhead, Ann Daly, and Julie Gibson.

In FOOLS, two strangers brush hands on a crowded Chicago El train. A week later, without exchanging a word, they move in together. He's barely hanging on after being fired, again. She's fleeing an angry roommate. They make it work, the way two strangers can sometimes make strangeness work for them. Together, they fabricate a rich romantic history. But when reality intrudes, they must decide whether what they share is truly love, or just a fantasy.


Award-winning writer/director Benjamin Meyer’s short film WHAT ARE YOU HAVING? won the Grand Prix du Court-Metrage at the Deauville Film Festival (Roman Polanski, jury chair), a CINE Golden Eagle, and Best Short Film at the Abuja International Film Festival in Nigeria.

His prior short, GEORGIE PORGIE won “Best Short Film” at the Chicago Underground Film Festival, the Boston Underground Film Festival and the Seattle Underground Film Festival; “Best Director” at the Georgetown Independent Film Festival; “Best Drama” at the IFP/Chicago Film Festival; and a Bronze Plaque at the Columbus International Film Festival.

He also won multiple festival awards for his prior two shorts, SOLD and BOTHERED. Meyer received his BA in Film Studies from Wesleyan university with High Honors, and received his MFA in Film Production from Northwestern University. As an editor he has worked on feature documentaries and television specials with such award-winning filmmakers as Michele Ohayon, Ondi Timoner, Eddie Schmidt and Peter Stuart. He edited the feature film NORMAL ADOLESCENT BEHAVIOR for New Line Cinema. Meyer’s short story (and yourself) was recently published by Mullholland Books as part of their Popcorn Fiction series.

SOURCE: Dave Roberson, Roberson PR

Mark your calendar for the World Premiere of ALMOST THERE, a Kartemquin Films documentary directed by Aaron Wickenden (of THE INTERRUPTERS) and Dan Rybicky!

ALMOST THERE is a coming-of-(old)-age story about 83-year-old Peter Anton, an "outsider" artist living in isolated and crippling conditions whose world changes when two filmmakers discover his work and storied past. Shot over eight years, Almost There documents Anton's first major exhibition and how the controversy it generates forces him to leave his childhood home. Each layer revealed reflects on the intersections of social norms, elder care, and artistic expression.

ALMOST THERE is one of four Kartemquin documentaries showing on the opening weekend of DOCNYC, the country’s largest documentary festival, held at New York's IFC Center. Filmmakers Wickenden and Rybicky will attend their world premiere on Saturday November 15th at 6:45pm and their encore screening on Monday, November 17th at 1pm.

ALMOST THERE
Directed by Aaron Wickenden and Dan Rybicky


WORLD PREMIERE 
@ DOCNYC
Saturday November 15th ▪ 6:45 PM @ IFC Center  323 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10014



ENCORE SCREENING:
Monday November 17th ▪ 1:00 PM @ IFC Center  323 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10014

ABOUT THE FILM:
ALMOST THERE is a coming-of-(old)-age story about 83-year-old Peter Anton, an "outsider" artist living in isolated and crippling conditions whose world changes when two filmmakers discover his work and storied past. Shot over eight years, Almost There documents Anton's first major exhibition and how the controversy it generates forces him to leave his childhood home. Each layer revealed reflects on the intersections of social norms, elder care, and artistic expression.

SOURCE After Bruce PR

Marvel's Iron Man 3 World Premiere

El Capitan Theatre, Hollywood, Ca - April 24, 2013: The World Premiere of Marvel's "Iron Man 3" - the event movie of the summer - directed by Shane Black and featuring Robert Downey Jr. in his iconic role as the fans' favorite billionaire-playboy-philanthropist, Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. Presented in RealD 3D.

This Red Carpet Event was held at the historic El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, CA, and the stars were out in abundance!

The Guests were a Who's Who of "Iron Man 3." Robert Downey, Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Sir Ben Kingsley, Guy Pearce, William Sadler, Stephanie Szostak, Miguel Ferrer, Shane Black, Drew Pearce and many more were giving interviews, posing for pictures, and keeping the atmosphere filled with anticipation.

Audi, a co-title sponsor of Marvel's "Iron Man 3" World Premiere, is featured throughout the "Iron Man" trilogy, and in Marvel's "Iron Man 3" the high performance R8 is once again Tony Stark's vehicle of choice. Tonight, to celebrate the film's World Premiere, talent and filmmakers arrived at the Red Carpet event in Audi's A8L TDI and Q7 TDI vehicles.

TCL and ALCATEL ONE TOUCH are co-title sponsors of Marvel's "Iron Man 3" World Premiere as well. So, be sure to to look for ALCATEL ONE TOUCH Smartphones and TCL televisions in the film!

Additionally, this event of the season was made all the more magical in that, from a world away, this wonderful night at the Premiere was sponsored by Skype which skype'd Troops into the Red Carpet to be unexpectedly reunited with their families and mingle with the Talent. Adding to the excitement, Troops enjoyed a simultaneous screening of Marvel's "Iron Man 3."

Marvel's "Iron Man 3" pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man, played by Robert Downey Jr., against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy's hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: Does the man make the suit of does the suit make the man?

Starring Robert Downy Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale, William Sadler with Jon Favreau and Sir Ben Kingsley, Marvel's "Iron Man 3" is directed by Shane Black from a screenplay by Drew Pearce and Shane Black and is based on Marvel's iconic Super Hero Iron Man.

Iron Man first appeared on the pages of "Tales of Suspense" (#39) in 1963 and had his solo comic book debut with "The Invincible Iron Man" (#1) in May of 1968. "Iron Man 3" is presented by Marvel Studios in association with Paramount Pictures and DMG Entertainment. Marvel Studios' President Kevin Feige is producing and Jon Favreau, Louis D'Esposito, Charles Newirth, Victoria Alonso, Stephen Broussard, Alan Fine, Stan Lee and Dan Mintz are executive producers. The film is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Enjoy the photos and interviews from this fantastic event; and, be sure to visit IronManMovie3.com for more information on the film. You can also join the Conversation on Twitter at Iron_Man and like Marvel's "Iron Man 3" on Facebook.

Marvel's "Iron Man 3" opens in U.S. theaters on May 3, 2013.

SOURCE Marvel Iron Man 3

GLITTER ROSE “BUDA NEGRA” MUSIC VIDEO WORLD PREMIERE AT HARD ROCK CAFE HOLLYWOOD ON HOLLYWOOD BLVD.

Press Event, World Premiere and Live Music by Glitter Rose

Hollywood, CA, February 13, 2013 – The kiss of death hits Hollywood, CA on February 22, 2013 as Outlaw Southern Rocker Glitter Rose world premieres the “Buda Negra” music video at Hard Rock Cafe Hollywood on Hollywood Blvd. This will be Texas native Glitter Rose’s debut music video, featuring the bonus track from her album Dead or Alive, which she co-produced with producer and musician Dran Michael.

The “Buda Negra” music video was directed by writer, actress, and young visionary Amy Campione. Up and coming actor Jeff Torres co-stars in the video with Glitter Rose. GR is featured as the character “La Buda Negra”, showing her ability to act as well as her musicianship and musical performance. “Buda Negra” was written by Glitter Rose, telling the story of a woman who takes no mercy on her lovers, all of them becoming her victims, much like a Black Widow.

To view the Official “Buda Negra” music video teaser, please visit GR’s YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/glitterrosemusic

What: Glitter Rose’s “Buda Negra” Music Video World Premiere

When: Friday, February 22, 2013
6:30 p.m. Press Interviews / Step and Repeat Photo Ops begin
9:00 p.m. Music Video Premiere
9:30 p.m. Live Music by Glitter Rose begins

Where: Hard Rock Cafe Hollywood Boulevard
6801 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood, CA
323-465-7625

Admission: FREE Event, 21+ (unless accompanied by an adult)

For more information, visit www.hardrock.com .

About Glitter Rose
Glitter Rose just received 2 awards in the 2013 Artists In Music Awards for Best Rock Artist and Album of the Year for Dead or Alive, which released in Spring 2012. Her endorsements include Orange Amps, Fishman Acoustic Amplification, Telefunken Elektroakustik, Warrior Guitar, Rotosound Music Strings, BAE Audio, Moody Leather, and Guitar Hands Hand Care. She also held a 5 month residency with Hard Rock Cafe Hollywood on Hollywood Blvd. for a live music event they created around her music called Southern Rock Brunch from March-July 2012. 2013 has lots in store for GR, including a residency for the month of March at Hard Rock Cafe Hollywood on Hollywood Blvd. for their Happy Hour live music series, a Spring Oklahoma/Texas tour, followed by an East Coast run in the Fall. For more information, including links to all of GR’s social networking sites, please visit www.glitterrose.com.

About Hard Rock International
With a total of 177 venues in 58 countries, including 141 cafes, 18 hotels and 8 casinos, Hard Rock International (HRI) is one of the most globally recognized companies. Beginning with an Eric Clapton guitar, Hard Rock owns the world's greatest collection of music memorabilia, which is displayed at its locations around the globe. Hard Rock is also known for its collectible fashion and music-related merchandise, Hard Rock Live performance venues and an award-winning website. HRI owns the global trademark for all Hard Rock brands. The company owns, operates and franchises Cafes in iconic cities including London, New York, San Francisco, Sydney and Dubai. HRI also owns, licenses and/or manages hotel/casino properties worldwide. Destinations include the companies’ two most successful Hotel and Casino properties in Tampa and Hollywood, Fl., both owned and operated by HRI parent company The Seminole Tribe of Florida., as well as other exciting locations including Bali, Biloxi, Chicago, Cancun, Las Vegas, San Diego and Singapore. Upcoming new Hard Rock Cafe locations include San Jose. New Hard Rock Hotel projects include Aruba, Riviera Maya, Abu Dhabi and Shenzhen and Haikou in China. New Hard Rock Casino projects in development include Hungary and Northfield, OH. For more information on Hard Rock International, visit www.hardrock.com.

WORLD PREMIERE AT THE 2012 LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL

PINCUS

A FILM BY DAVID FENSTER

STARRING DAVID NORDSTROM AND PAUL FENSTER

Doug Harvey of Artillery Magazine:
"Beautifully shot by Fenster, and minimally but exquisitely scored by John Wood, the deadpan episodic storyline thrums with a formalist glow that imbues Pincus' low-key existential bewilderment with a sense of impending revelation-a promise fulfilled by one of the most satisfyingly anti-climactic denouements ever filmed, which manages to veer Fenster's improvisational autobiographical naturalism toward a magic realism worthy of Vittorio de Sica's 'Miracle in Milan'."

Narrative Competition - David Fenster's PINCUS
Pincus Finster is in way over his head: trying to find a way to stall his father's Parkinson's, halfheartedly taking up yoga to meet girls, and letting his only friend Dietmar, an aging German illegal alien, get drunk and sleep in the homes they're supposed to be remodeling. Pincus spends his time stoned and fumbling for some sort of spiritual truth. Drawing from his own life, director and writer David Fenster has cast his family and friends (including his father, Paul Fenster, who has been living with Parkinson's for 13 years) and woven documentary footage shot in and around his hometown of Miami, Florida into the story. Seamlessly combining naturalistic storytelling with documentary elements and hints of metaphysic mystery, PINCUS is a soulfully handcrafted film that explores the gulf between cynicism and wonder with quiet revelation.

PINCUS
A film by David Fenster. Starring David Nordstrom, Paul Fenster, Christi Idavoy, and Dietmar Franosch. Directed and Written by David Fenster. Executive Producer Phil Lord. Director of Photography David Fenster. Edited by David Fenster. Music by John Wood. Total running time: 78 mins.

Trailer:





Los Angeles Film Festival Screenings:
Saturday, June 16th at 8:10pm - Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE - Premiere
Thursday, June 21st at 7:40pm - Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE - Public Screening

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pincusmovie .

Twitter:  www.twitter.com/pincusmovie .

Website:  http://www.pincus-movie.com/ .

On TRONA, David Fenster's previous film:
VARIETY Robert Koehler
"Defiantly minimalist, David Fenster's TRONA marks a striking feature debut by a filmmaker with a taste for moribund humor and the ironies of the American Dream."

CINEMATICAL Karina Longworth
"...expansive in scale and complex in content, it's an almost-silent film full of gorgeous, tightly composed set pieces, and buttered with an seemingly endless supply of great visual jokes."

LA WEEKLY Scott Foundas
"...an evocation of the desolate road poetry remembered from the best films of Wim Wenders and Jim Jarmusch. Fenster seems to say that you can feel as alone in the city as you can in the desert, and he has a pretty original way of saying it."

Fans of Titanic are Invited to Win a Trip to the Worldwide Premiere in London!

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Feb. 15, 2012 --The search for the biggest TITANIC fan has launched! Fans of TITANIC can enter for a chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the World Premiere in London on March 27th. TITANIC returns to theaters on April 4 in 2D, Real D 3D and IMAX 3D.

The Titanic prize package includes:

• Two tickets to the World Premiere in London on March 27
• Roundtrip coach airfare from the U.S. or Canada for two
• Three nights hotel stay
• Passes to a "hop-on-hop-off" city tour for two
• Round-trip transfers to/from hotel while in London

To Enter:

• Visit the Titanic Facebook page at http://www.Facebook.com/TitanicMovie to get to the Biggest Fan Contest tab.
• Click "Enter"
• Select a photo to submit either from your Facebook albums or from your desktop.
• Fill out a short form with your contact information as well as a few words about the first time you saw Titanic.
• No Purchase Necessary. Enter by 3/13/12. Open to US and Canadian (excluding Quebec) residents, age 13 and older. See Official Rules for details/restrictions."

James Cameron, who also directed the breakthrough 3D epic AVATAR, will bring TITANIC to life as audiences have never seen it before, digitally re-mastered and harnessing the innovative technology of StereoD. The re-release of TITANIC also coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Titanic setting sail on April 10, 1912.

Written, directed and produced by James Cameron, TITANIC is the second highest grossing movie of all time. It is one of only three films to have received a record 11 Academy Awards® including Best Picture and Best Director; and launched the careers of stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.

Called "A spectacular demonstration of what modern technology can contribute to dramatic storytelling" by Variety upon it's release in 1997, the long in the works 3D conversion was overseen Cameron and his Lightstorm producing partner Jon Landau who produced the hit movie.

TITANIC returns to theaters for a limited engagement beginning April 4th in 2D, Real D 3D and IMAX 3D.

Learn more about TITANIC in 3D at http://www.titanicmovie.com/ .

About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Famous Productions, Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

About Twentieth Century Fox
One of the world's largest producers and distributors of motion pictures, Fox Filmed Entertainment produces, acquires and distributes motion pictures throughout the world. These motion pictures are produced or acquired by the following units of FFE: Twentieth Century Fox, Fox 2000 Pictures, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox Animation and Fox International Productions.

About Lightstorm Entertainment
Lightstorm Entertainment is a film production company founded by Academy Award winning filmmakers James Cameron and film producer Jon Landau. The company has produced blockbuster hits including "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," "True Lies," as well the Academy Award® winning "Titanic" and most recently "Avatar," which stands at the biggest grossing movie of all time.

SOURCE Paramount Pictures; Twentieth Century Fox

Five Films with Major Support from JustFilms Set for World Premiere at Sundance Film Festival

In its first year, the Ford Foundation initiative has already provided $10 million to more than 100 filmmakers and mediamakers around the world

NEW YORK, Jan. 19, 2012 -- Just one year after its launch, JustFilms, the Ford Foundation's documentary film fund, is providing major support to five independent films selected for competition and premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, the world's leading showcase for independent filmmaking.

Each of the five embodies JustFilms' vision of the power of independent film to illuminate the world in which we live and inspire people to engage in pressing social challenges, from the untold story of bravery and activism that opened access to AIDS drugs in the United States, to a poignant account of Detroit residents reimagining their city.

"We're extremely pleased that five projects receiving major support from JustFilms have been selected to premiere at Sundance," said Darren Walker, vice president of Ford's Education, Creativity and Free Expression Program. "This is exactly what our initiative is all about-ensuring that talented filmmakers who are tackling tough social issues can break through to large new audiences in a timely way."

JustFilms was launched one year ago, a day before the start of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. In its inaugural year, the initiative has made more than $10 million in grants to support more than 100 filmmakers and mediamakers around the world.

"We believe that Sundance is just the beginning of an opportunity for these filmmakers, and many others like them, to reach a new audience of engaged people who are hungry for stories about issues shaping our future," added Walker.

JustFilms focuses on film, video and digital works that show courageous people confronting difficult issues and actively pursuing a more just, secure and sustainable world. Through 2016, it will invest $10 million every year to support and expand the community of filmmakers and mediamakers around the world focused on creating documentaries with passion and purpose, but who often lack funding to realize their visions or reach audiences.

The following films are premiering at the Sundance Film Festival with major support from JustFilms:

How to Survive a Plague (U.S. Documentary Competition)Director: David France
Ford Foundation Support: $400,000
Chronicles the battle to find life-saving drugs to fight AIDS in the United States.

Love Free or Die: How the Bishop of New Hampshire is Changing the World (U.S. Documentary Competition)
Director: Macky Alston
Ford Foundation Support: $400,000
Explores the story of Gene Robinson, the first openly gay Episcopal bishop.

DETROPIA (U.S. Documentary Competition)
Directors: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady
Ford Foundation Support: $450,000
Tells the dramatic story of the economic challenges facing Detroit and its most innovative residents.

The House I Live In (U.S. Documentary Competition)
Director: Eugene Jarecki
Ford Foundation Support: $600,0000
Filmed in more than 20 states, explores how America's war on drugs has led to mass incarceration and the growth of a U.S. prison industry.

Red Hook Summer (Premiere)
Director: Spike Lee
Ford Foundation Support: $200,000
A feature film about a young Atlanta boy who spends a summer in Brooklyn with his grandfather, whom he's never seen before.

And More
An additional nine films in the festival are receiving funding through JustFilm's partnerships with the Sundance Documentary Film project and the Independent Television Service (ITVS).

"While focusing on issues as diverse as human rights, poverty, cultural expression and sustainable development, every project supported by JustFilms has one thing in common-the power of good storytelling," said Orlando Bagwell, director of the JustFilms initiative at Ford. "These films make complex and often difficult issues accessible and entertaining, opening up whole new opportunities for audiences to engage on topics that may have once felt overwhelming or simply out of reach."

With the explosion of digital media production over the past decade, there is far more film and video content available from which audiences can choose. But it remains a challenge for most documentary filmmakers to find support-and audiences-for works that address social issues in meaningful and compelling ways. JustFilms seeks to support courageous filmmakers to complete their important works and to help them reach a growing audience of engaged and socially conscious viewers.

The foundation pursues a three-part strategy to ensure that it is able to identify and support a wide range of innovative filmmakers:

Signature Partnerships for Creativity and Change

• JustFilms partners with major film industry and public media organizations such as the Sundance Institute, the Independent Television Service and the Tribeca Film Institute, to help open doors for our filmmakers and broaden the reach of their work.

Strategic Films to Advance Social Causes

• Building linkages across the work of the Ford Foundation globally, JustFilms uses about one-third of its resources to support projects that advance public understanding and engagement on issues aligned to the efforts of our grantees worldwide. This path invests in filmmakers working to bring voice to some of the toughest issues confronted by the people and organizations we support.

New Ideas that Expand Horizons

• Remaining open to new ideas wherever they may emerge, JustFilms devotes a third of its grants to projects that it discovers through an ongoing open application process. This path will help ensure that JustFilms stays attuned to creative and innovative trends and aware of emerging artists and ideas from around the world.

The Ford Foundation's JustFilms initiative builds on the foundation's longtime support for scores of documentaries, including such landmark productions as "Eyes on the Prize," "State of Fear" and "Why Democracy." It also leverages the foundation's global network of 10 regional offices to identify and lift new talent from around the world and to strengthen emerging communities of documentary filmmakers.

To view the films the Ford Foundation has supported over its history, visit the Ford Foundation's Film Collection.

To learn more about JustFilms, visit its Strategy and Partners pages, as well as an overview of its Grant Making.

SOURCE Ford Foundation