The Philadelphia Film Society prides itself on ensuring that its members are the first in Philadelphia to see some of the very best in film - be it through our annual festival (the 21st Annual Philadelphia Film Festival will run October 18-28, 2012) or through our Sneak Preview series that keeps that festival feeling going all year long.
Philadelphia Film Society members have long had bragging rights that they had seen a film first - this couldn't be more true than in the last
Last night PFS presented a sneak preview of the much talked about documentary Bully. Some PFS members may recall this documentary by filmmaker Lee Hirsch was screened last October during the 20th Philadelphia Film Festival when it was titled The Bully Project. I think the shortened title really gives it the impact the film deserves.
Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony had all of the opulence and glamor we expect to see year after year, and the evening managed to deliver a couple of surprises.
Many might have expected Oscar to favor ‘The Help’ Best Actress nominee Viola Davis, but the award went to Davis’s ‘Doubt’ co-star Meryl Streep for ‘The Iron Lady’. Perhaps Meryl’s golden gown suggested she knew she’d win simply by dressing like an Oscar statuette.
One of the tightest races this year was undoubtedly Best Documentary Feature.
Having recently returned from my annual trip to the Sundance Film Festival, which marks the beginning of the programming season for the Philadelphia Film Festival (PFF), I wanted to share some of my favorite films.
All in all, over my roughly five days in Park City, Utah, I was able to check out 24 films, many of which I enjoyed. Coincidentally, I’m sure, a lot of my personal favorites had nice Philly or PFF ties.
The 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards took place last night and this year it was the 20th Philadelphia Film Festival that came out a big winner in terms of programming some of the most notable films of 2011.
From nominees to winners, last Fall's Festival shone through in many of the film-related categories. The Descendants, which won Best Picture and Best Actor (George Clooney) for Motion Picture - Drama, closed out the 20th PFF with a sold out crowd of almost 900 attendees.
By Le Anne Lindsay
I was glad to make the second screening of Jeff, Who Lives at Home, particularly since the director was available for another Q & A. Well, co-director, this film is by another team of writer/director brothers. Not the Farrelly Bros. or the Coen Bros.
By Le Anne Lindsay
Director Steve McQueen (Hunger), (why doesn't he go by S. McQueen or use his middle name, Rodney or Stephen?) has created an intense character study of a sex addict without really having to go overboard on graphic content. There are a lot of very visual sex scenes, but it's not gratuitous. With that being said, it was still embarrassing to watch the film with so many senior citizens.
By Le Anne Lindsay
If I owned an incredibly elegant, picturesque, stately castle with an 18 hole golf course and stable full of horses, I too would be sad and scared to see the end of the world, because you gotta figure life on the other side might not be as good.
In writer/director Lars von Trier's film, Melancholia is a planet that has been hiding behind the sun for eons and has suddenly made its appearance known as it starts traveling through the galaxy.
It is with great pleasure that we announce the Top Ten finalists for our first-ever Short Film Competition, sponsored by the Knight Foundation!
Last month Philadelphia Film Society Members were able to attend a special advanced preview screening of Drive, the newest film from acclaimed Scandinavian director, Nicolas Winding Refn.
