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View New Trailer “WORST TO FIRST: The True Story of Z100 NYC”

WORST TO FIRST THE TRUE STORY OF Z100 NEW YORK New Key Art

Director, Writer and Producer: Mitchell Stuart
Producers: Trish Hunter Shannon, Elvis Duran, David Katz and John McConnell
Cast: Scott Shannon, Elvis Duran, Jon Bon Jovi, Nile Rodgers, Clive Davis, Debbie Gibson, Joan Jett, Taylor Dayne, Tony Orlando, Joe Piscopo, “Magic” Matthew Alan, “Professor” Jonathan B. Bell, Frankie Blue, Anita Bonita, Ross Brittain, Pete Cosenza, Michael Ellis, Gavin DeGraw, Cathy Donovan, Gary Fisher, Frank Foti, Sean “Hollywood” Hamilton, David Hinckley, Donnie lenner, Jim Kerr, Steve Kingston, Ken Lane, Kenny Laguna, Jimi LaLumina, Tom Poleman, Geraldo Rivera, Trish Hunter Shannon, Patty Steele, Claire Stevens, Mitchell Stuart, John Sykes and Jim Wood.
Genre: Feature Documentary
Rating: G
Runtime: 1 hour 4 minutes

Joan Jett from Mitchell Stuart's WORST TO FIRST (Photo Credit_ Gunpowder & Sky)

WORST TO FIRST: THE TRUE STORY OF Z100 NEW YORK WILL BE RELEASED ON VOD AND CABLE IN THE UNITED STATES ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11.

VOD PLATFORMS INCLUDE: Apple/ iTunes, Amazon, GooglePlay, Vudu, Microsoft and more.

CABLE PLATFORMS INCLUDE: InDemand (Comcast, Spectrum, Charter, Cox, Frontier), DirectTV and more.

Jon Bon Jovi from Mitchell Stuart's WORST TO FIRST (Photo Credit Gunpowder & Sky)

Iconic artists who got their start on Z100 such as Jon Bon Jovi, Joan Jett, Nile Rodgers, and era superstars, Debbie Gibson and Taylor Dayne all share their personal stories of the importance of the station, their love of radio and passion for performing music.

Capturing the times, personalities and music of the era, WORST TO FIRST portrays the ultimate David and Goliath story that built the foundation for the world's biggest radio station and the people behind the legacy that endures and continues to grow, reaching eight-digit audiences daily, and continuing to influence the face of media and entertainment.

WORST TO FIRST is a feature-length documentary that portrays the against-all-odds inspirational story of the launch of the iconic and most successful radio station in history, New York City’s Z100. In 1983, Z100 launched from the swamps of New Jersey, where no artist would venture, and the DJs had to buy their own records just to have music to play on air. Fun, poignant and aspirational, the film features Scott Shannon and several other Hall of Fame radio personalities as well as industry legends like Clive Davis and Elvis Duran. Iconic artists who got their start on Z100 such as Jon Bon Jovi, Joan Jett, Nile Rodgers, and era superstars, Debbie Gibson and Taylor Dayne all share their personal stories of the importance of the station, their love of radio and passion for performing music. Capturing the times, personalities and music of the era, WORST TO FIRST portrays the ultimate David and Goliath story that built the foundation for the world's biggest radio station and the people behind the legacy that endures and continues to grow, reaching eight-digit audiences daily, and continuing to influence the face of media and entertainment.

MITCHELL STUART is a multiple film festival and Emmy-Award winning filmmaker and storyteller of compelling documentaries, groundbreaking digital series and industry-disrupting brand campaigns. Whether following his heart to tell an inspirational, against all odds story about female freedom fighters in Africa, or honoring his lifelong passion for music and filmmaking, Mitchell tells authentic stories that move and engage an audience.

Known for riveting, thought-provoking visuals and for often composing original music for the soundtracks of his films, he has been honored with 15 NY Emmy-Award Nominations for his music and entertainment documentary series, the Emmy-Award Winning Road to MSG, featuring Jay Z, Earth Wind & Fire, Chicago, Z100’s Jingle Ball concerts with Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, John Mayer, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and more. Dozens of film festivals throughout the world have honored him and his partner, Cheryl Halpern, winning awards for directing, best film, social justice, world peace and humanitarian efforts with their documentaries, Natsanat (Ethiopian for freedom), Fighting to be Free and Remembering Maurits Kiek.

Working closely with the Broadway community, Mitchell spearheaded the documentary-style Tony Award Campaign for Moulin Rouge the Musical resulting in 14 Tony Award nominations. He was also directed a uniquely cinematic short film on the return to Broadway of Phantom of the Opera, and Broadway’s partnership with the MTA, The Only Sure Way to Broadway.

A proud born and bred New Yorker, his natural drive for diving deeper into his research preparation has led to stellar work with a diverse and brilliant who’s who list of musicians and newsmakers including The Who, Rod Stewart, Trevor Noah, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Jon Bon Jovi, Sting and The Foo Fighters in first concert celebrating the return of live music to Madison Square Garden post COVID-19.

SALT IN MY SOUL An Unfinished Life: An Interview with Will Battersby and Diane Smith

Bottom Line: The Power in Telling Your Own Story

Director: Will Battersby
Run time: 1 hour 36 Minutes
Genre: Feature Documentary
Country: USA

Finding the Balance of Living in the Moment and Preparing For a Future

Will Battersby brings Mallory Smith's challenges and triumphs to the screen in 'SALT IN MY SOUL: An Unfinished Life', based on her book with the same name.

I had to the opportunity to talk with Will Battersby and Mallory's mother, Diane Smith to discuss the documentary 'SALT IN MY SOUL: An Unfinished Life' based on the book of the same name.

Headshot- Filmmaker Will Battersby (Credit: Giant Pictures)

Headshot- Diane Shader Smith (Credit: Giant Pictures)

YRN: Will, what did you do to prepare for this film?

WILL: Obviously I read Mallory's book. I read it a few times. I used that as a guide for myself as to who I wanted to interview.

I had several conversations with Diane, that were to make sure Diane and Mark were comfortable letting me make the film.
She is a very fierce gate keeper, quite rightly so. We had a lot of early conversations about who would be willing to be interviewed and who would not.

She put me in touch with a lot of people. I had early conversations with most of the interview subjects, just to get a sense from them about what they would be comfortable talking about and what they would not be. And to determine if they would be good interview subjects or not.

There is a big difference from Mallory writing about Mallory. She is a gifted writer that would make anyone sound good. I did a certain amount of research of cystic fibrosis, the history of it, what it is.

And then, I very much come at documentaries as a journey of discovery, as well. Then it was about jumping in and trusting the journey but take the most interesting path.

YRN: Was that different from preparation for your other documentaries?

WILL: It was. I worked on Alex Gibney's film, my first documentary, I was the head of development, "Enron, the Smartest Guy in the Room." About the Enron scandal. That was extraordinary, well planned, almost scripted. Even though they did not script the interviews. They knew before going into it almost every cut in that film, because they knew exactly what that story was.

That is sort of the approach I took in early documentaries that I produced, it was to really try and be as scripted as possible going in, because you knew what the story was and this was very different in away, because the story was important and the detail of the story were important, but I realized early on this was going to be more of a cinematic documentary. Much more character based and about the emotions of this journey and allowing the audience into Mallory's journey.

The big thing I wanted to do was to have Mallory function as the narrator even though we are not coy about what happens to her. We put it in the front of the film, she passes away. I did not want to play with people's emotions about whether she was going to live or not. I felt that it would cheap, but I wanted her as narrator.

She had passed away before we started making the film. It was a little bit more of a journey of discovery with a very clear creative intention behind it.

So, it was very different from everything I had worked on until that point, was very messagey. Messages I believe in, very political. I worked on a film about blacklisted screenwriters in the 1950s and always beating a drum.

One of the things I did differently in this film was to not beat drums. We could have gone after insurance companies, big pharma but it would not have done justice to Mallory. I am really pleased we didn't because one of the things we are seeing in reaction to the film is, by keeping it very personal, very emotional, very focused on the family.

It is all the big themes. All of our lives throw off big themes, if you actually think about what you go through on a daily basis. Mallory threw off huge themes because of going through all the medical stuff. She was going through all the mental health stuff, the physical illness plus she was growing up. So, there are all the themes and her becoming a woman.

So, I think by really focusing on character and story, we have allowed the audience to see all those themes. They are all there, but you can bring yourself into it, in a way. It was very different for me, but I really enjoyed it.

Mallory Smith in Will Battersby's SALT IN MY SOUL (Credit: Giant Pictures)

YRN: Diane, what did you do to prepare for this film?

DIANE: I grilled Will, I prodded Will. I challenged Will. I asked him a hundred times, what are you making the film about? What are we doing here? What are you focused on? What is the message? How are we going to do it.

As Will said, "this film could have been cut in any number of ways." It could have delivered hard hitting messages. It could have gone after people. It could have focused and taken a deep dive in one area.

There was so much material and so many things Mallory cared about and what is interesting to me is that there is a book, now there's a documentary and there is a talk I have given across the country 200 times and still there is a lot of material that has not been shared publicly and that's just because there was so much.

So, I think, that is the way I prepared. It was to make sure that the man we entrusted Mallory's story to was up to the job and
he had to prove that to me over a period of time, which he did, of course. It's amazing.

YRN: Diane, what was it like working with Mallory's writings, audio and videos?

DIANE: It was wonderful to have everything because it allows me to keep Mallory alive. I get to look at her pictures and read her words and hear her audio. It is quite remarkable, but the truth is, I keep going back to the film because Will has done a wonderful job of crafting a picture of her life in film and I just want to keep going back to it over and over.

(L-R) Mallory Smith and Diane Shader Smith in Will Battersby's SALT IN MY SOUL (Credit: Giant Pictures

YRN: Will, what was it like working with Mallory's writings, audio and videos?

WILL: It was a bit of a dream for me as documentarian. I read the book and that was the inspiration for me wanting to make the film.

Then discovering there was this treasure trove of her writings, her firsthand point of view but then the hours of audio she recorded, her telecasts she recorded for her own use, video she recorded and social media.

Having Diane, whose her nickname was 'Mommarazzi', she documented every aspect of Mallory and Micah's life. We had an extraordinary treasure trove of home videos. It was great for me.

Mallory Smith and family in Will Battersby's SALT IN MY SOUL (Credit: Giant Pictures)

YRN: Diane, it appears Mallory got the best of both parents, Mark more reserve, happy with researching vital information and Diane, outgoing with no problem fundraising and speaking up and out. How do you think she achieve a good balance?

DIANE: Well, it is interesting because we have done a lot of interviews and talked to a lot of people, and nobody has made that perceptive comment. That is a very perspective observation that she does have a lot of Mark and a lot of me. Probably the better parts of us. She did not inherit the worse of us. It made her life more interesting to relate to us in different ways.

Whenever it was homework or anything
intellectual, it was Mark. When it was social or medical, appointments, the business of living and fundraising, that was always me. There was a division of labor and a division of intellectual content.

Mallory instinctively and intuitively understood how to take the best from people and ignore the worse. Actually, I think that was why she was so beloved by her friends and had so many friends. It is why professors and doctors loved her because she didn't focus on people's short comings or failings. She focused on people's positive quality. I think that is why she was so happy, even with all of her struggles.

Mallory Smith and friends in Will Battersby's SALT IN MY SOUL (Credit: Giant Pictures

YRN: Diane, Mallory cared deeply about you and Mark and how you both would do after her passing, how are you, Mark and Micah doing?

DIANE: ‭I would say, we are all forever altered. I will speak for myself, there is a hole in my heart, that is hard to describe if you don't have it there. It's just hard to describe. It doesn't mean you can't have moments of joy. Somebody in my grief group describe it and I think it was a really apt description and so I am going to share it. She said, 'there is a ceiling on your joy, no matter how great something is, you just can't go past it because your girl is not there but by the same token, when things happen, I really don't go that low because nothing compares to losing a child.

I might appear upset at times or I will call Will and argue with him but something. Generally, in my core, I don't' really sweat the small stuff anymore. I really don't let things bother me, I could get a traffic ticket, in the old days I would be super upset and now I'm like ok, well, I guess we will be supporting the city, because those the traffic tickets go to the police. I try to find a way to put a positive spin on it. It's not like I have to consciously try, but I also think that Mallory lives within me so deeply, that if I came home and there were dishes in the sink, I would always do them because Mallory would come home, she'll have to do treatments, no matter what time, whether it's 3am or midnight, whenever she came in, no matter how tired she was. There is nothing I have faced since Mallory died that I have not channeled her in the process of getting through it.

It was interesting that you ask that because I didn't expect to be working in service of Mallory's material three years later and what I feel like is, I have barely scratched the surface because a lot of places I speak ask me to come back and I am constantly thinking of new ways to use the materials.

People are receptive and what I say is, people reward me for my ideas and so I will keep doing that until that work is done, until either the film is so successful that I don't have to speak about it anymore, or the book is so successful, I don't have to share it anymore. But every time I do share it, people respond with such overwhelming positively. They always offer to help and they
always want to share and it propels me forward.

I also have an incredible day job. I work with Susan Gottlieb. She's in the film. She is the environmentalist. She is doing very important work using native plants to address the drought tolerant issue and garden for wildlife because of the need to attract biodiversity and that message of bringing nature home.

I do a lot of environmental work in my day job, and I've been very lucky to marry the two and so I am going to keep doing
what I do and look for new ways to share the messages because I understand that storytelling is a really powerful way,
in whatever way you choose to tell it.

Distributor: Giant Pictures
Production Co: GIANT PICTURES PRESENTS A 3 Arts Entertainment and Reno Productions film
Director: Will Battersby

ABOUT THE BOOK
SALT IN MY SOUL: An Unfinished Life, by Mallory Smith, is a powerful, intimate, and inspiring portrait of a brave young woman living with chronic illness. Mallory understood that patient voices need to be amplified in order to improve healthcare, that the intersection of human behavior and nature is critical to environmental sustainability, and that love, and friendship give life meaning. As Mallory’s body deteriorated, she sharpened her mind, crystalized her thinking, and honed her writing skills. In her 2500 pages of private journal entries, she created poetry out of prosaic experiences. Beautifully written, provocative, and peppered with insights, SALT IN MY SOUL reminds us to follow Mallory's mantra and "Live Happy."

For more information about the book SALT IN MY SOUL: An Unfinished Life please go to: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/607965/salt-in-my-soul-by-mallory-smith/

GIANT PICTURES
Giant Pictures is a leading digital distributor that is committed to empowering filmmakers to own their distribution. With offices in New York and Los Angeles, we work directly with rights owners to distribute movies and TV shows to VOD and streaming platforms in North America and worldwide. Our content partners range from first-time filmmakers to award-winning independent producers, as well as notable studios Alamo Drafthouse Films, Abramorama Selects, Participant, Tribeca Enterprises, Utopia Distribution, and XYZ Films. A division of Giant Interactive, the award-winning digital media and technology services company, we distribute across 45+ platforms, including AppleTV, Netflix, Prime Video, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Tubi, and Peacock.
Learn more at: www.giant.pictures

SALT IN MY SOUL: An Unfinished Life: Review

Director: Will Battersby
Run time: 1 hour 36 Minutes
Genre: Feature Documentary
Country: USA

The Power in Telling Your Own Story and Finding the Balance of Living in the Moment and Preparing for a Future

Will Battersby brings Mallory Smith's challenges and triumphs to the screen in 'SALT IN MY SOUL: An Unfinished Life', a documentary based on her book with the same name.

Faced with her own possible death because of cystic fibrosis, Mallory captures her thoughts, feelings and emotions in writing, audio and video recordings that are woven together to tell her remarkable and inspiring story with the love and support of her mother Diane, her father Mark, her friends and doctors. A remarkable support system.

One of the things that really stands out for me is, Mallory's ability to take a difficult and brutally honest conversation, for anyone of any age, that she had with her father at the age of 9 years old and used it to find her voice and to use her own word start documenting her thoughts and feelings.

She had the challenge of trying to live life to the fullest while at the same time, fighting for her life. Helping to achieve that balance are her parents Diane and Mark. Diane, a determined, outgoing, people person, who oversees appoints and direct interactions with the public including fundraising for Mallory's Garden. You cannot be shy and raise funds at the same time.

And there is her father Mark, who is in charge of all research. He is dedicated to researching all things cystic fibrosis and committed to staying on top of the latest treatments and developments with cystic fibrosis. An important component that he can accomplish mostly on his own, without the constant and direct face-to-face interactions.

It appears Mallory had the best of both her parents and together are instrumental in helping her to achieve the balance she sought in her life. Being happy with what you have and at the same time, thriving for more, working toward dreams and goals.

Having actual video footage of Mallory's hospitalizations and treatment and having narrate her story, brings you in, in an impactful and meaningful way. The opportunity for Will Battersby to use her actual days and weeks spent in the hospital is powerful, sharing her struggles. The footage of the challenges she faces, especially during her hospitalizations, really adds to the movie experience.

Learning early of the importance of being good stewards of our bodies and the earth and out environment. And how they are
both connected. As seen in the benefits of the Hawaiian salt water. As well as the great benefit of that sports played in helping to extend her life.

I must say, Mallory was very fortunate to have her mom Diane, her dad Mark and brother Micah by her side and the same can be said for them.

SALT IN MY SOUL is a good film that is sure to enlighten and inspire its viewers. A valuable lesson in finding your voice, passion and purpose in life.

Distributor: Giant Pictures
Production Co: GIANT PICTURES PRESENTS A 3 Arts Entertainment and Reno Productions film
Director: Will Battersby

Learn more at: www.giant.pictures

GUNPOWDER & SKY Presents a Penguardia Productions, Elvis Duran Group, Workhouse Media and HQ Creative Production ‘WORST TO FIRST: THE TRUE STORY OF Z100 NEW YORK ‘

Title Card from Mitchell Stuart's WORST TO FIRST (Photo Credit Gunpowder & Sky).

Jon Bon Jovi from Mitchell Stuart's WORST TO FIRST (Photo Credit Gunpowder & Sky)

WORST TO FIRST: THE TRUE STORY OF Z100 NEW YORK WILL BE RELEASED ON VOD AND CABLE IN THE UNITED STATES ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11.

VOD PLATFORMS INCLUDE: Apple/ iTunes, Amazon, GooglePlay, Vudu, Microsoft and more.

CABLE PLATFORMS INCLUDE: InDemand (Comcast, Spectrum, Charter, Cox, Frontier), DirectTV and more.

Z100 Hit List from Mitchell Stuart's WORST TO FIRST (Photo Credit Gunpowder and Sky)

Joan Jett from Mitchell Stuart's WORST TO FIRST (Photo Credit Gunpowder and Sky

Taylor Dayne from Mitchell Stuart's WORST TO FIRST (Photo Credit Gunpowder and Sky)

Hollywood Award Shows, Film Festivals and Events Cancelled and Postponed Due to the Increased Omicron Variant-COVID-19 Infections

A Christmas Carol at L.A.’s Ahmanson Theatre: Canceled|

AFI Awards: Postponed, future date TBD

BAFTA Tea Party: Canceled

Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes: Canceled

Critics Choice Awards: Postponed, future date TBD

Dune Home Entertainment Release Party in L.A.: Canceled

Fox’s New Year’s Eve Toast & Roast 2022": Canceled

Governors Awards Ceremony: Postponed, future date TBD

HCA Film Awards Ceremony: Postponed until February 28th

Hulu’s How I Met Your Father L.A. Premiere: Canceled

Jagged Little Pill: Closed permanently

Is There Still Sex in the City?: Canceled

National Board of Review Gala in New York City: Postponed, future date TBD

New York Film Critics Circle Awards Ceremony: Postponed, future date TBD

Palm Springs International Film Festival and Awards Gala: Canceled

Pan Afrcan Film and Arts Festival: February 8-21, 2022

Rotterdam Film Festival: Online only
Status: Shifting from in-person to online

Slamdance Film Festival: Online only January 27th - February 6th

The Book of Boba Fett Special Screening at L.A.’s El Capitan Theatre: Canceled

10th Annual Key West Film Festival Announces Awards

November 22, 2021, Key West, FL – The 10th Annual Key West Film Festival announced its awards today. The festival showed more than 75 films during the 5-day festival, which ran November 17-21 and celebrated its 10th Anniversary.

The award winners for the 10th annual Key West Film Festival were presented Saturday evening, November 21, with many awardees in attendance.

KWFF 2021 Awards 20 November 2021 Full-5821

The feature film winners were as follows:

Best Documentary - "Bernstein's Wall" directed by Douglas Tirola

Best International film - "The Hand of God" directed by Paolo Sorrentino

Best LGBTQ Film - "Firebird" directed by Peeter Rebane

Best Narrative Film - "Parallel Mothers" directed by Pedro Almodovar

KWFF Annual Critics Award - "Red Rocket" directed by Sean Baker, with a Special Mention for "Jockey" directed by Clint Bentley

KWFF 2021 Awards 20 November 2021 Full-5894

The short film winners were as follows:

Best Florida Short Film: Like the Girls Who Wear Pink, directed by Jennifer Msumba

Best Dramatic Short Film: Feeling Through, directed by Doug Roland

Best Comedy Short: Your Monster, directed by Caroline Lindy

Best Documentary Short: Voice Above Water, directed by Dana Frankoff

Best Animated Short: Mila, directed by Cinzia Angelina

Best World Student Short Film: Bambirak, directed by Zamarin Wahdat

Best Florida Student Short Film: Soundproof, directed by Gabriela Lima

This marks the first year that a non- English language film took home the Best Narrative Feature Award. All feature awards are audience based, except for the KWFF Critics Award, which is voted on by a jury of critics including Carlos Aguilar of the Los Angeles Times, Josh Rothkopf of Entertainment Weekly, David Fear of Rolling Stone, Tomris Laffly of Variety, Shirrel Rhodes of the Key West Citizen, Eric Kohn of Indiewire and Monica Castillo of Colorado NPR.

The 11th Annual Key West Film Festival will take place November 16-20, 2022.

ABOUT THE KEY WEST FILM FESTIVAL

Honoring creativity, diversity, sustainability and beauty, the Key West Film Festival is an annual celebration of film and filmmakers set to take place November 17-21, 2021.

A diverse, entertaining and artistically rigorous selection of films will be represented through a broad array of categories that offer opportunities for filmmakers, both aspiring and established, to commune and exchange ideas while showing their work to audiences in an historic and artistically vibrant tropical paradise.

Films that have been showcased in the last five years of the festival have amassed over SIXTY FIVE Academy Award nominations - five of which were for Best Picture - and 15 Oscar wins, including two for Best Picture (Spotlight and Shape of Water).

For more information, visit our website: https://kwfilmfest.com

Twitter - @keywestfilmfest
Instagram - @keywestfilmfestival
Facebook - Key West Film Festival

#kwff #kwff2021 #tropiccinema

Finding Kendrick Johnson Premiering on STARZ

Director: Jason Pollock
Narrator: Jenifer Lewis
Producer: Malcolm D. Lee
Runtime: 1 hour 42 minutes
Rating: Not Yet Rated
Genre: Documentary

FINDING KENDRICK JOHNSON will be premiering on STARZ in December 2021. Available Now on VOD.

VOD Platforms: https://linktr.ee/findingkendrickjohnson

Finding Kendrick Johnson “Paints a picture with the evident lack of care on behalf of Georgia law enforcement, in addition to discovering a possible FBI coverup happening behind the scenes.” -
Valerie Complex, Deadline

“There are forces actively burying the facts of this case.”
- Alan Ng, Film Threat

“One of the best documentaries you never heard of.”
- Linda Cook, Our Quad Cities

On January 11th, 2013, Kendrick Johnson was found dead in his high school gymnasium rolled up in a gym mat. The state of Georgia ruled his death as an accident, having died from positional asphyxia. When the family hired their own Forensic Pathologist, not only did he find KJ’s organs missing from his body during the autopsy, he determined the cause of death to be from non-accidental blunt force trauma. To this day, no one knows where KJ’s organs have gone.. So what really happened to KJ?

FINDING KENDRICK JOHNSON is the feature documentary product of a 4-year undercover investigation into the facts of this case. From the creator of 'Stranger Fruit', this new documentary hopes to shed light on one of the most important American stories of our time.

Told through the eyes of KJ's family and close friends, Narrated by Hollywood legend, Jenifer Lewis, Directed by 'Stranger Fruit' creator, Jason Pollock, with an amazing team of Producers including Actor Hill Harper, and Space Jam 2 Director Malcolm D. Lee, FINDING KENDRICK JOHNSON shares this truly historic, heartbreaking, and unbelievable story with the world for the first time.

“The case of Kendrick Johnson is one the most important cases in U.S. history,” says writer/director Jason Pollock. “KJ deserves justice, and hopefully our film will help his family get one step closer to that outcome.”

"This is the most important film I've ever worked on,” says actor and activist Jenifer Lewis. “What this family has gone through is unspeakable but we must speak it so the public knows the truth. Jason has done a brilliant job on this vital story of injustice.”

FINDING KENDRICK JOHNSON screened in U.S. theaters in October 2021 and will be premiering on STARZ in December 2021. Available Now on VOD.

VOD Platforms: https://linktr.ee/findingkendrickjohnson

RIVER’S END California’s Latest Water War: Review

Director: Jacob Morrison
Narrator: DeLanna Studi
Name of Leads:
Genre: Feature Documentary
Runtime: 1 hour 21 minutes
Rating
Country: U.S.
Language: English

Water, Essential to Life

Director Jacob Morrison's extraordinary documentary 'RIVER'S END California’s Latest Water War' is a journey through the harsh politics of water in the Golden State and the impact it is having on its natural water sources in Northern California's San Francisco Bay estuary.

River's End - Delta Sunset (Photo Credit: Giant Pictures)

California is the fifth largest economy in the world and if the state's elected officials and the people that live there, can find a solution to balance its water usage and conservation, it would be invaluable as a model to other nations to help solve their own water crisis taking place around the world.

River's End provides its viewers an opportunity to think about their own states and countries natural water resources, a resource that every one must consume for survival. A person can choose to not consume, soda, candy, meat, alcohol, and other things, but water is not one of them. And it matters who controls the water and decides who and how it is consumes, matters greatly.

River's End Tunnels Protest (Photo Credit Giant Pictures)

Will it be for the benefit of large agriculture corporations, small businesses and residents, Or just those who can afford to lobby and petition or government?

When you see and hear about the decisions made during droughts, the restrictions placed on small businesses, individuals and families on their water usage, compared to large agriculture corporations is eye-opening. Especially, considering their profits are made from overseas sales. Only to benefit their bottom-line, not for the public good.

River's End - Central Valley - Pistachio Capitol (Photo Credit Giant Pictures)

Further complicating matters is the proposed multi-billion dollar tunnel system, a large water-infrastructure project that would stand to benefit the large, private agriculture corporations at the detriment of the surrounding communities and habitat. The importance of having conservation to balance the various needs are crucial. Without it, our natural resource will continue to dwindle. People need to be knowledgeable and have a seat at the table, while, is distributed.

Jacob Morrison, "If we can solve California’s water problems, we can solve the world’s. Learn where your water comes from—it’s a public resource and it belongs to you."

River's End Filmmaker Jacob Morrison

River's End is a great film that provides much needed knowledge on the history of California, its water and many controversies throughout the State of California.

Website: https://www.riversendfilm.com/

Distributor: GIANT PICTURES
Production Co: A Jacob Morrison Production, Thin Ice Entertainment LLC
Run time: 1 hour 21 minutes
Director, Writer and Editor: Jacob Morrison
Narrator: DeLanna Studi
Producers: Jacob Morrison, Kurt S. Kittleson, Sam Furie
Cinematography: Benjamin Fischinger
Original Music: Jonny Bell
Animator: Sherif Higazy

10th Annual Key West Film Festival Announces Official Lineup

October 21, 2021, Key West, FL – The 10th Annual Key West Film Festival announces its official 2021 lineup including major falls films from Jane Campion, Sean Baker, Mike Mills, Pedro Almodovar and Paolo Sorrentino. More than 75 films will be shown during the 5-day festival, which runs November 17-21 and celebrates its 10th Anniversary.

RED ROCKET (Credit A24)

ROCKET (A24), whose director, Sean Baker, will be honored with the prestigious Golden Key Award for Excellence in Filmmaking, along with JOCKEY (Sony Pictures Classics), starring Clifton Collins Jr, which will also see its director, Clint Bentley, honored with the inaugural Golden Key for Breakthrough Florida Filmmaker.

BRIAN WILSON LONG ROAD PROMISED (Credit: Screen Media)

The star studded spotlight films will be joined by the previously announced RED Also as previously announced, BRIAN WILSON: LONG PROMISED ROAD, will open the festival on November 17 at an outdoor screening under the stars at the Key West Amphitheater. The film will be preceded by the short film BLONDIE: VIVIR EN HABANA, about the celebrated artist’s recent concert in Cuba.

This year’s LGBTQ films, programmed with the assistance of Eugene Hernandez, Director of the New York Film Festival, and Brian Brooks of Cinetic Media, include GREAT FREEDOM, winner of the Jury Prize for Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival, the Cold War forbidden love story FIREBIRD, and BOULEVARD! A HOLLYWOOD STORY, chronicling the love triangle that resulted from Gloria Swanson’s attempts to adapt “Sunset Boulevard” into a musical and directed by Jeffrey Schwarz, which marks his fourth film to play at the festival (I am Divine, Tab Hunter Confidential, The Fabulous Alan Carr).

Documentaries take center stage at the festival this year, which each film featuring a live appearance or event. Award-winning director Penny Lane (Our Nixon, Nuts!, Hail Satan!) will appear with her newest film, LISTENING TO KENNY G ; multiple Gotham Award and Cinema Eye Award nominee Douglas Tirola comes to town with his Leonard Bernstein film, BERNSTEIN’S WALL; Danielle Kummer will cross the pond to appear with ALIEN ON STAGE, about a small town musical of the sci fi classic Alien, and KWFF will host a special wine tasting after the screening of BLIND AMBITION, which follows Zimbabwe’s first team to compete in the international wine tasting tournament.

International films include Academy Award-winner Paolo Sorrentino’s HAND OF GOD and FINAL SET, starring Kristin Scott Thomas.

International films include Academy Award-winner Paolo Sorrentino’s HAND OF GOD and FINAL SET, starring Kristin Scott Thomas.

KWFF 2021 will host additional outdoor events at the Lawn at The Perry Hotel, where a special sing-along edition of the 20th Anniversary of the 2001 film MOULIN ROUGE will be screened along with Eric Clapton’s latest concert film, ERIC CLAPTON: THE LADY IN THE BALCONY. The Perry will also screen a collection of boundary pushing short films prior to a Welcome Party for visiting filmmakers and VIPs on Thursday, November 18.

Florida gets its moment in the sun with an all-day Florida Focus on Sunday, November 21. A collection of award-winning shorts from Key West High School’s Conch 5 Studios – who recently sent NINE films to the National High School Student Film Awards – will be screened in the morning, followed by the 15thanniversary screening of Florida Filmmaking legend Billy Corben’s COCAINE COWBOYS. Corben will participate in a discussion following the screening. The award winning Miami-produced feature LUDI will also screen at the festival.

The festival shines on an Alumni spotlight on Nell Teare’s BOLIVAR. This is her first feature after having won numerous awards for her short films at the festival.

The shorts programs and Florida feature films were curated from over 1000 submissions, with entries from nearly all 50 states and dozens of countries.

Returning programs this year include the 7th annual Critics Panel, in which top film critics will join both in person and virtually Zoom to cover the seismic changes in the industry this year; the sixth annual Golden Key for Excellence in Costume Design awarded to Paul Tazewell for his work in WEST SIDE STORY, making KWFF the only such festival to annual honor this art; Kibbitz with Critics series, in which the curating critic shares one of their favorite films from the last year over brunch. Aguilar will present the charming immigration story LIMBO; and the presentation of the prestigious Critics Prize, given each year to one film across the program as decided upon by participating critics. Past critics have included Kenneth Turan, Jen Yamato and Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times, Ann Hornaday of the Washington Post, Eric Kohn of Indiewire, Emily Yoshida of New York Magazine, David Fear of Rolling Stone, Joshua Rothkopf of Time Out New York and Amy Nicholson of KPCC-LA’s Film Week.

Founder and Chairman of Key West Film Festival Brooke Christian commented: "Commemorating 10 years of the Key West Film Festival is an exciting mile marker! Bringing the best in cinema to the Keys has been a great privilege. The founding principles of KWFF continue to shine brightly in 2021. Focusing on talent homegrown in Florida has been a hallmark throughout the festival’s history. From celebrating the art of Key West students to the accomplishments of a Bill Corben, to a breakthrough director like Clint Bentley, the state will leave a huge footprint on KWFF 2021. The 10th Anniversary will not only feature our best Florida lineup yet, but many of the year’s most acclaimed LGBTQ selections, documentaries, and feature films. It’s so exciting to head to November knowing the many gems that lay ahead for people to discover.”

ABOUT THE KEY WEST FILM FESTIVAL

Honoring creativity, diversity, sustainability and beauty, the Key West Film Festival is an annual celebration of film and filmmakers set to take place November 17-21, 2021.

For more information, visit our website: https://kwfilmfest.com
Twitter - @keywestfilmfest
Instagram - @keywestfilmfestival
Facebook - Key West Film Festival

#kwff #kwff2021 #tropiccinema

KEY WEST FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES GOLDEN KEY AWARDS FOR SEAN BAKER, KODI SMIT-MCPHEE AND CLINT BENTLEY

AWARDS CONTENDERS “RED ROCKET,” “THE POWER OF THE DOG,” AND “JOCKEY” TO SCREEN AT FESTIVAL

2021 FESTIVAL RUNS NOVEMBER 17TH -21st

New York, NY- October 15, 2021 — The Key West Film Festival announced today the recipient of its annual Golden Key Awards, including two new awards honoring Emerging Talent and Breakthrough Florida director.

This year’s Golden Key Award for Excellence in Filmmaking goes to Sean Baker, director of Red Rocket, opening nationwide in December via A24. Baker will attend in person and participate in a discussion with Carlos Aguilar, film critic for the Los Angeles Times, The Wrap and RogerEbert.com, following the film’s screening. Baker’s film Starlet was featured in the first edition of the Key West Film Festival in 2012.

The inaugural Golden Key for Emerging Talent, given to actors who will be destined to grace our screens for years to come, will be presented to Kodi Smit-McPhee for his breakout role in the Netflix release of Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog, which will screen at the festival just as it begins its national theatrical release. Aguilar will host a pre-recorded discussion with Smit-McPhee following the screening, which will serve as the Closing Night film. Smit-McPhee stars alongside Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons, and Kirsten Dunst in the film.

Another inaugural award- the Golden Key for Breakthrough Florida director, recognizing a Florida bred director whose films will be seen widely in the future – will be given to Clint Bentley. A Florida native, Bentley’s Jockey, starring Clifton Collins Jr, will be released by Sony Pictures Classics later this year. The award will be presented by former ESPN anchor Bob Ley following a screening of the film.

Filmmaker Sean Baker

Sean Baker is a writer, director, producer and editor who has made seven independent feature films over the course of the past two decades. His most recent film was the award-winning The Florida Project (2017) which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and was released by A24 in the U.S. Among the many accolades the film received -- including an Oscar nomination for Willem Dafoe for Best Supporting Actor -- Sean was named Best Director by the New York Film Critics Circle. His previous film Tangerine (2015) premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and won an Independent Spirit and two Gotham Awards. Starlet (2012) was the winner of the Robert Altman Independent Spirit Award and his previous two features, Take Out (2004) and Prince of Broadway (2008), were both nominated for the John Cassavetes Independent Spirit Award.

Kodi Smit-McPhee

Kodi Smit-McPhee is an Australian actor known for his critically acclaimed roles as The Boy in The Road, Owen in Let Me In, Norman Babcock in ParaNorman, Alexander in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Nightcrawler in X-Men: Apocalypse, and Dark Phoenix, and the lead role in the prehistoric film Alpha. Upcoming roles include Jane Campion's much anticipated The Power Of The Dog, for which he is already generating major Oscar buzz for Best Supporting Actor.

Michael Tuckman, Director of Programming of the Key West Film Festival, "We are elated to present these two new awards to Kodi and Clint, whose work will continue to astound, amaze and inspire audiences for decades to come. Kodi’s performance in “Power” is one that immediately places him among the finest actors of his generation. Clint’s steady and intimate portrait of an aging jockey shows the work of director years beyond his directorial debut. Sean continues his mastery of telling the story of American lives, literally on the other side of the tracks, in Red Rocket as he has been doing since his award-winning “Take Out” first graced the screens.”

Visit kwfilmfest.com for full program information – which will be announced on October 19, along with a schedule of events and travel and lodging details.

ABOUT THE KEY WEST FILM FESTIVAL

Honoring creativity, diversity, sustainability and beauty, the Key West Film Festival is an annual celebration of film and filmmakers set to take place November 17-21, 2021.

For more information, visit our website: https://kwfilmfest.com

Twitter - @keywestfilmfest
Instagram - @keywestfilmfestival
Facebook - Key West Film Festival

#kwff #kwff2021 #tropiccinema