Sundance!

 Jake Chamelin

Sunday brought to a close the thirtieth Sundance Film Festival, a mammoth ten day celebration of independent film. Culminating with the awards ceremony, audience members can cast ballots to vote for the best films in various categories, from drama to documentary, from the United States and the rest of the world.

Taking home the U.S. Grand Jury Prize in Dramatic Film from the festival this year was Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash. Chazelle directed his first film while still an undergraduate student at Harvard back in 2009, and his latest feature is a gripping story about Andrew, a young man striving for greatness while attending an extremely competitive New York music conservatory. Andrew is a talented drummer who is haunted by his father’s failed writing career, and pledges his life to his music, practicing until his hands literally bleed. Miles Teller’s performance as Andrew is perhaps one of the fiercest roles he has played in his career, and the film builds to a climax that audiences will not soon forget.

Taking the U.S. Grand Jury Prize in the documentary category this year was Rich Hill. Directed by Tracy Droz Tragos, Rich Hill is a glimpse into the lives of three adolescent boys in a tiny Missouri town, and their individual strife and hardship as they deal with coming of age in an isolated and dying town. Throughout the documentary Tragos is able to shed light onto a situation that has become too often the norm in rural America; that simply surviving is a cause for happiness. Yet the young boys are resilient, and Tragos uplifts their hope for a brighter future through her film.

After thirty years, Sundance continues to grow and be one of the greatest promoters of independent film not only in the United States, but throughout the world. If this year’s batch of festival films are any indication, independent cinema is alive and well, thanks to institutions like Sundance.

Who's Who this Oscar Season?

 
 Jake Chamelin

 

 As the Academy Awards draw ever closer, we’re left to reflect on the bevy of fantastic films that have come forth over the past year. 2013 has been a truly magical year at the cinema, with household names like Scorsese giving us the powerful Wolf of Wall Street, and Spike Jonze providing a startling glimpse into the human soul with Her. The Academy has their work cut out for themselves in the best picture category with a list jam packed with instant classics. Box office hits such as American Hustle and Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity left the minds of movie-goers reeling for entirely different reasons, and Tom Hanks again proves himself an incredibly versatile actor (who probably will never want to visit Somalia in real life) in a gripping performance in Captain Phillips.

The best actor category is full of big time stars, from Christian Bale to Leonardo DiCaprio and Matthew McConaughey, to newcomers such as Chitwetel Ejiofor, (delivering a performance for the ages in 12 Years a Slave). The best actress category commands the respect, from the immensely talented Judi Dench (Philomena) and the always present and graceful Meryl Streep (August: Osage Country). Amy Adams continues to develop as an actress, playing a fantastic role as a con-artist in American Hustle, and Sandra Bullock continues to capture and express the intricacy of human emotion, even when she is lost in the depths of space (Gravity).

Whichever way it goes, we’ve all been winners because of the fantastic films that have hit the theaters. Don’t miss the Academy Awards on Sunday, March 2nd on ABC. 

 

 

        Best Picture:

◦ American Hustle


◦ Captain Phillips


◦ Dallas Buyers Club


◦ Gravity


◦ Her


◦ Nebraska


◦ Philomena


◦ 12 Years a Slave


◦ The Wolf of Wall Street

 

Best Actor in a Supporting Role:

◦ Christian Bale (American Hustle)


◦ Bruce Dern (Nebraska)


◦ Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street)


◦ Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave)


◦ Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)


 

Best Actress in a Leading Role:


◦ Amy Adams (American Hustle)


◦ Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)


◦ Sandra Bullock (Gravity)


◦ Judi Dench (Philomena)


◦ Meryl Streep (August: Osage County)


 

Best Actor in a Supporting Role:


◦ Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips)


◦ Bradley Cooper (American Hustle)


◦ Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave)


◦ Jonah Hill (The Wolf of Wall Street)


◦ Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)

 

Best Actress in a Supporting Role:


◦ Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine)


◦ Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle)


◦ Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave)


◦ Julia Roberts (August: Osage County)


◦ June Squibb (Nebraska)

 

Best Animated Feature:


◦ The Croods (Chris Sanders, Kirk DeMicco, Kristine Belson)


◦ Despicable Me 2 (Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin, Chris Meledandri)


◦ Ernest & Celestine (Benjamin Renner, Didier Brunner)


◦ Frozen (Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, Peter Del Vecho)


◦ The Wind Rises (Hayao Miyazaki, Toshio Suzuki)

Introductions...1/15/14

Following a busy holiday break (along with a few extra lbs.), it is our pleasure at Visions4 to announce that we are back in full working swing--revamped with our additional Spring staff members!

First, I would like to introduce the new blog which you have currently stumbled upon--be sure to check up on us every weekend to get a behind the scenes sneak peak of Visions Film Festival and Conference and the progress of our undergraduate staff, all in preparation for the April 4th event! Just go on our website (visionsfilm.org) and click on the news tab for up-to-date blog entries, as well as additional press releases and other important announcements.

Well, it was a busy session this past Wednesday to say the least--the pizza and snacks got everyone through the extended meeting time quite nicely! Other than job overviews and a few short departmental intro's/presentations, much of class was dedicated to getting our new staff members up to speed on communication procedures and projects that are currently underway. Although it may have seemed a bit overwhelming for Class #1...everyone's attentiveness, participation, and motivation was extremely exciting--and maintaining these attributes will be key in reaching our goals for this festival and conference. With any big project, problems will undoubtedly arise; although any problem, no matter how big, can be solved with a group of pro-active people who simply care about the bigger picture--in this case, staying true to the mission of Visions4. That group has come together at last. (Get to know them>>>>http://visionsfilm.org/staff.html)

Along with the introduction of the staff/directors, we also introduced Dr. Nandana Bose, who gave a detailed and informative presentation on paper abstracts and how to effectively grade them for potential programming. Our first batch of scored abstracts will be completed by Tuesday the 21st, @ 9am. Additionally, it was announced that we have extended the abstract submission deadline for UNCW students only, now set for January 24th (this Friday!). Discussions about abstracts, films, and programming will be a main portion of class sessions for the next few weeks--certainly an exciting time in any festival/conference!

Now that the introductions are out of the way...it's time to start making the strides toward a fun and successful event. Welcome everyone!

Steven Gamble
Marketing Director
Visions Film Festival and Conference