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“TransMexico,” “Edge of Everything” and Andragogy” are among the winners of the 39th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

The Sbiff, whose mission is to discover and showcase the “best in independent and international cinema,” has become one of the leading film festivals in the United States – attracting roughly 100,000 attendees for a packed week slatted with screenings of over 200+ films.

A panel of jury members selected the winners, which included Lesley Chilcott, Alex Keledjian, Chris Landon, Lael Loewenstein, Jacqueline Lyanga, David Magdael, Gail Mancuso, Greg Nava, Pituka Ortega Heilbron, Carla Renata, Gil Robertson, Ondi Timoner, Clay Tweel and Ali Wolfe.

“We are so grateful to our dedicated group of jurors for their fine selections,” Claudia Puig, Sbiff’s programming director, said in a statement. “The winning films tell stories that span the globe, from the magic of movie palaces in the Atacama Desert to the stunning mystery of ice caves...

The reboot of Project Greenlight has its premiere date, and the docuseries series will arrive alongside the film created during the competition. The series was originally given an eight-episode order. but 10 installments have been produced.

The original Project Greenlight series aired for two seasons on HBO from 2001-03, moved to Bravo for season three in 2005, and then returned to HBO for a fourth run in 2015. Alex Keledjian created the show, and Matt Damon and Ben Affleck were among its executive producers.

Featuring Issa Rae, Kumail Nanjiani, and Gina Prince-Bythewood, this version of the series will follow a group of talented female filmmakers as they compete to direct their first featured film. Meko Winbush and her film Gray Matter won the competition.

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Project Greenlight is coming back. HBO Max has given an eight-episode series order to a new installment, from Issa Rae and Miramax Television. It is a reinvention of the critically acclaimed original Miramax and HBO docuseries.

Project Greenlight will focus on the next generation of talented female filmmakers who are given the chance to direct a feature film. Rae will appear in every episode as an Executive Producer, providing guidance and mentorship to the aspiring filmmakers. The finished film will then premiere on HBO Max.

“At HBO Max, we are committed to providing a platform for diverse, up-and-coming talent, said Jennifer O’Connell, executive vice president, Non-Fiction and Live-Action Family, HBO Max. “Issa is uniquely skilled in this space, and we are thrilled to be partnering with her and Miramax as a promising group of filmmakers is inspired and challenged with their biggest opportunity yet.”

Project Greenlight stems from Rae’s...

David Arquette returns to the horror genre once again. The star of Wes Craven’s Scream franchise, as well as Bone Tomahawk, The Cottage, The Tripper (which he also directed) and Eight Legged Freaks, is featured in Alex Keledjian’s upcoming High Voltage. Arriving on DVD and VOD November 20th, Bloody Disgusting has a pair of clips and a handful of stills from the film […]...

Alex Keledjian’s Electrifying Horror Thriller High Voltage Releases on DVD and Blu Ray November 20, 2018Stars David Arquette, Luke Wilson And Allie Gonino Following a successful theatrical release in ten cities across the United States, Sp Releasing will launch writer/director Alex Keledjian’s (Project Greenlight; Feast) horror thriller High Voltage on DVD, and Blu-Ray on November …

The post Electrifying Horror/Thriller High Voltage Releases on DVD and Blu Ray November 20 appeared first on Hnn | Horrornews.net. Copyrights 2008-2018 - Horrornews.net...

The notion of David Arquette starring in a horror movie about a “possessed” rock band promises so much trashy fun, a certain amount of disappointment seems almost inevitable. Yet “High Voltage” confounds expectations by being very little fun at all. Short on thrills and energy despite its title, this slick yet sluggish feature often seems barely interested in the horror elements that are, after all, what will primarily lure viewers in.

Instead, the genre hook comes off as more of a Trojan Horse with which to smuggle in a showcase for “Hollow Body”, the onscreen vehicle for writer-director Alex Keledjian’s songwriting and costar Allie Gonino’s singing. It’s an awkward, compromising combination that ultimately provides little satisfaction on any level — unless you’re content to watch Gonino model a series of increasingly over-the-top, midriff-baring “sexy rock chick” fashions.

Narrator Jimmy Kleen (David Arquette) is a jaded 1980s one-hit...

David Arquette has a handful of horror credits to his name, most notably including Wes Craven’s Scream franchise. Arquette has also starred in films like Bone Tomahawk, The Cottage, The Tripper (which he also directed) and Eight Legged Freaks, and he’s headed back to horror with director Alex Keledjian’s upcoming High Voltage. In the film, previously titled Hollow […]...

Sp Releasing will release writer/director Alex Keledjian’s horror thriller High Voltage, set within the gritty and competitive Los Angeles music scene, releasing in limited theaters and on-demand on Friday, October 19th through Sp Releasing’s output deal with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The film will open in at least ten cities, including New York City, Los …

The post Sp Releasing Aquires Alex Keledjian’s Electrifying Horror Thriller High Voltage appeared first on Hnn | Horrornews.net. Copyrights 2008-2018 - Horrornews.net...

Exclusive: Sp Releasing has acquired rights to High Voltage, the horror thriller set in the Los Angeles music scene that was written, produced and directed by Project Greenlight creator Alex Keledjian. It had been called Hollow Body.

David Arquette, Allie Gonino, Perrey Reeves and Luke Wilson star in the pic, which is getting an October 19 day-and-date theatrical release in time for Halloween starting in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Detroit among 10 cities at launch via Sp Releasing’s output deal with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

The plot centers on a struggling rock band led by washed-out rock star Jimmy Kleen (Arquette) that strikes a deal with a cynical record executive (Wilson). Things take a turn when the band’s lead singer Rachel (Gonino) and her controlling stage mother Barb (Reeves) are struck by lightening and killed. Rachel is brought back to life, but now lightning courses through her veins...

Tagline: "Re-born to be Wild." A few details are emerging for Alex Keledjian's Hollow Body. This thriller involves a struggling rock band. When the lead singer and her mother are struck by lightning, Rachel (Allie Gonino) lets loose an electrifying performance. The film stars: Luke Wilson, David Arquette and Ryan Donowho. This title was recently at the Cannes Film Festival. Now, a poster, stills and other promotional materials are available for this title. The official synopsis begins and ends with Rachel. She is apprehensive when performing in front of a crowd. Then, an act of God infuses here with new talents. But, she must kill again and again, to keep her supernatural singing voice going. Will a shady record exec' do the right thing? The first film poster puts Rachel front and center. Possibly a love triangle, Rick (Luke Wilson) and Jimmy (David Arquette) struggle over what to do with Rachel's new,...

Exclusive: David Arquette and Luke Wilson have joined in Alex Keledjian’s super-natural thriller Hollow Body about a a struggling rock band led by Arquette who makes a deal with Wilson’s shady record executive. Keledjian, probably best known as the creator of HBO’s Project Greenlight, wrote the original screenplay and is making his feature film directing debut. He also composed all the songs on the film’s soundtrack. The logline: Things take a dark turn when the band’s…...

Opens

Friday, Aug. 22

New York and Los Angeles

Anyone who has been watching the HBO series "Project Greenlight" already has a good idea of the faults of this debut feature because they have been extensively detailed by the producers, screenwriter, directors and just about everybody else connected with the production. The second feature to have its creation documented by the popular reality series, "The Battle of Shaker Heights" is rather superior to the first effort, "Stolen Summer", but not by much.

Like the earlier film, it is another heartfelt coming-of-age story that plays much more like a television movie than a theatrical feature and is likely to achieve similarly dismal boxoffice results. It makes one wonder if the creators of "Project Greenlight" are deliberately trying to create bad films in order to make for better television.

As well commented upon in the series, the most distinctive element of the film is the excellent lead performance by Shia LaBeouf ("Holes"), who plays the central role of Kelly Ernswiler, a troubled 17-year-old high school student. Kelly's main passion in life is participating in re-enactments of famous military battles, though his natural rebelliousness prevents him from playing by the rules.

Kelly is going through an awkward adolescent stage: He's dissatisfied at school, where he often knows more than his teachers, he's being harassed by a schoolyard bully

and he harbors deep resentment toward his father, a former addict who now devotes himself to social work.

Kelly finds a new friend in Bart (Elden Henson), a fellow war re-enactor whose upper-class upbringing contrasts sharply with his own modest lifestyle. When Kelly becomes romantically smitten with Bart's beautiful, about-to-be-married older sister, Tabby (Amy Smart), it leads to complications that confuse him even more.

As the series well depicts, there's an obvious disconnect between the sensitive if inconsistent screenplay by Erica Beeney and the conflicted treatment it has received at the hands of first-time directors Kyle Rankin and Efram Potelle. Most notably, the film veers sharply back and forth between broad comedy and heartfelt drama, ultimately succeeding on neither level.

The dramatic scenes, which have apparently been minimized at the directive of the Miramax overseers, feel truncated and undeveloped and generally don't play very well. The comedic segments fare better, though several sequences are far too overdone, most notably the opening fake-battle scene and an episode in which Kelly gets elaborate revenge on his teenage tormentor. With a running time of 80 minutes, the film feels choppy and unfocused, clearly the result of the limited budget and shooting schedule, the inexperience of the principal creators and the conflicting goals of the filmmakers and the studio.

This is not to say that the enterprise doesn't display a degree of talent. The directors do impressive work on some individual scenes, even if their sensibilities ultimately don't match the material. Beeney's screenplay, while not terribly original or cohesive, at least reveals a personal approach that bodes well for future efforts, and her main character, Kelly, is a distinctive and original creation. The character is superbly realized by LaBeouf, who well balances the role's comedic and emotional demands and whose screen presence always commands attention.

The supporting cast members are generally effective in their often under-realized roles, with particularly sterling work by Henson as Kelly's bemused buddy, Smart as the confused object of Kelly's desire and Anson Mount as her smooth fiance.

Kathleen Quinlan and William Sadler are solid as Kelly's well-meaning parents, even if they are afforded limited screen time.

The film's technical aspects, while clearly reflecting the production's budgetary limitations, reflect the competent professionalism of everyone involved.

The Battle of Shaker Heights

Miramax Films

LivePlanet

Credits: Directors: Kyle Rankin, Efram Potelle

Screenwriter: Erica Beeney

Producers: Chris Moore, Jeff Balis

Executive producers: Rick Schwartz, Joel Hatch, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon

Associate producers: Alex Keledjian, Larry Tanz, Marc Joubert

Director of photography: Thomas E. Ackerman

Production designer: Lisa K. Sessions

Film editor: Richard Nord

Music: Richard Marvin. Cast: Kelly Ernswiler: Shia LaBeouf

Bart Bowland: Elden Henson

Tabby Bowland: Amy Smart

Lance: Billy Kay

Eve Ernswiler: Kathleen Quinlan

Sarah: Shiri Appleby

Abe Ernswiler: William Sadler

Harrison Bowland: Ray Wise

Miner Weber: Anson Mount

Running time -- 80 minutes

MPAA rating: PG-13...