Dilcia's SXSW Experience
This year marked SXSW Film’s 20th edition and my first time attending. I was warned by many of SXSW’s chaotic nature because Austin converts into a hub of thousands of people in search of the latest innovations in music, technology, and of course film. The weather was nice, the food was awesome, and the lines were surprisingly easy to master – only requires a little bit of discipline to wake up early and obtain a Festival Exxpress pass for entrance priority.
UPDATE: All Tickets have been given away. Thank you for participating!
Win 2 FREE tickets to see Walter Salles film adaptation of Jack Keroac’s novel “On The Road”! Submit your answer to the trivia question below to membership@filmadelphia.org to enter to win! We only have a limited number and when they’re gone, they’re gone!
Vouchers are only good for screenings at the Ritz East (220 Walnut Street) starting Monday March 25, Monday-Thursday.
About the Film: Young writer Sal Paradise has his life shaken by the arrival of free-spirited Dean Moriarty and his girl, Marylou.
This year marked my first time attending the Berlinale. Having never been to Berlin before, and knowing the importance of the Festival, I was very excited for the trip. Every Festival is a very distinct experience, and Berlinale is no exception. The industry presence is overwhelmingly international, even more so than Cannes, largely because of the proximity to Sundance (Berlin starts about 2 weeks after).
Looking Forward to the 85th Annual Academy Awards
We are nearing the end of the 2013 Awards Season, which means that the Oscars are quickly approaching. In less than a week a new batch of filmmakers and artists will be able to prefix their names with the prestigious “Academy Award Winner…” Unlike many of my generation, I enjoy the Oscars immensely.
Last Friday, the whole line up for this year’s Philadelphia Film Festival went live. Hopefully in the week that it’s been available, you’ve noticed that there’s a great selection this year, but for you newbies (or even some of you veteran festival goers), it might be a little overwhelming when you’re trying to decide which films to see.
This weekend, the new movie from the hometown writing/directing team Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal, ‘The Words’, opens in theaters everywhere. Featuring fellow Philly boy Bradley Cooper, as well as Jeremy Irons, Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde, Zoe Saldana, Ben Barnes, and J.K. Simmons, the film tells the story of Rory Jansen, a struggling writer who finds fame after passing off a lost manuscript as his own novel and then deals with the consequences of stealing another man’s words.
Well, that’s one story that’s presented in the movie anyway.
At first glance, the average moviegoer might not be compelled to see A Little Bit of Heaven. I think people saw it starred Kate Hudson and thought I'm not in the mood for a frothy Bride Wars, My Best Friend's Girl or You, Me and Dupree type of romantic comedy. Not that there's anything wrong with a traditional rom/com; however this film is the female equivalent of Joseph Gordon Levitt's 50/50.
Marley Corbett, while under anesthesia for a colonoscopy, is told by God (Whoopi Goldberg) that she's dying and has 3 wishes.
The latest from the brother duo, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, The Kid With a Bike, vividly depicts the struggles of growing up a lower class Belgian from the vantage point of the young protagonist, Cyril. Cyril (Thomas Doret) is a hostile and unruly 11-year-old orphan determined to set off on a mission to find both his deadbeat dad and his bicycle. Along his journey, Cyril meets an empathetic hairdresser, Samantha (Cécile De France) who decides to care after him.
I just got back from SXSW, one of the most enjoyable festivals on the circuit, in no small part due to its location in Austin, Texas (one of my favorite cities in the world).
The Philadelphia Film Society is thrilled to have recently received a grant from the Philadelphia Cultural Fund (the Fund) to go towards our general operating expenses. We deeply appreciate the generosity of the Fund and the City of Philadelphia and look forward to working with them this year to enrich the film community within Philadelphia.
