In a panel on Pacific Islander filmmaking organized by the Hawai’i International Film Festival last year, a Native Hawaiian producer noted that fellow creatives in the region were “not divided by land, but connected by water”—a thought at the heart of the new Cinema At Sea Okinawa Pan-Pacific International Film Festival in Naha. The southernmost and westernmost region of Japan, made up of multiple islands geographically closer to Taipei than Tokyo, Okinawa may be best known historically as the site of several bloody battles during WWII, or colloquially as the “Hawaii of Japan,” a sun-kissed vacation dreamland of azure waves […]

The post The Tides that Bind: Cinema At Sea Okinawa Pan-Pacific International Film Festival 2025 first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Death of a Unicorn, the feature debut by producer Alex Scharfman, could also be titled Death by Unicorn, as the film offers numerous stabbings via horn by the title creatures. The A24 production co-stars Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega as a father and daughter who, on their way to visit an uber-rich pharmaceutical bigwig (Richard E. Grant) at his secluded compound in the woods, hit a unicorn with their car. The father and daughter load it up and plan to dispose of it later, but the mythical creature’s family comes looking for revenge, going on a murderous parental outrage. “When […]

The post “I Didn’t Want to Have Complex Animatronics”: Alex Scharfman on Death of a Unicorn first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

The Sundance Institute announced today that, beginning in 2027, Boulder, Colorado will be the new home for its Sundance Festival. Commented Amanda Kelso, Sundance Institute acting CEO in a press release, “Boulder is an art town, tech town, mountain town, and college town. It is a place where the Festival can build and flourish. This is the beginning of a bold, new journey as we invite everyone to be part of our community and to be entertained and inspired. We can’t imagine a better fit than Boulder.” From the press release: Together with the Boulder host committee, the Institute envisions […]

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Filmmaker is proud to continue our annual partnership with the Filmfort Film Festival by exclusively hosting eight short films from this year’s lineup, which will be available to view on our site through Saturday. The four-day festival, which occurs during the Treefort Music Fest in Boise, Idaho, highlights an array of emerging independent cinema. Alongside robust film programming, Filmfort also features DIY panels and filmmaker Q&As in the heart of the city’s downtown area. See the Filmfort ’25 line-up here, and check out this year’s selection of films below.   A Floresta dir. Brooks Dierdorff 2024, USA/Brazil, 16 mins Synopsis: […]

The post Watch Now: Eight Short Films from Filmfort 2025 first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

To this cranky viewer constantly engaged in a battle to limit his social media time, the concept of Tracie Laymon’s debut feature, Bob Trevino Likes It, almost feels like time-travel science fiction, a trip back to a world where social media provides positivity and good vibes, not toxic rancor, nefarious scammers and wellness grift. In the comedy drama, now in release from Roadside Attractions, an adrift young woman, Lily Trevino (Barbie Ferreira), who is forever let down by the gross insensitivities of her biological father (played in the film by French Stewart), finds both a pal and needed self affirmation […]

The post “The Power of a ‘Like’ When Someone Needs It Is More Powerful Than We Realize”: Tracie Laymon On Her Heartwarming Bob Trevino Likes It first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Jonathan Majors is an actor. His latest film is Magazine Dreams. He sat down with me to talk about the work. Back To One can be found wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify. And if you’re enjoying what you are hearing, please subscribe and rate us! Follow Back To One on Instagram.

The post Back To One Episode 335: Magazine Dreams‘s Jonathan Majors first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Arash T. Riahi and Verena Soltiz’s Girls & Gods is a stylishly crafted philosophical investigation that addresses an intriguing question both timely and timeless: Can feminism and religion coexist? The brainchild of Inna Shevchenko of the Ukrainian collective FEMEN, also credited as writer, the doc takes us on a whirlwind tour throughout Europe (and NYC) with Shevchenko serving as our inquisitive guide, allowing us to listen in as she deeply converses, debates, and gathers wisdom from other women. And not just atheist activists like herself, fighting religion as a vestige of patriarchal oppression, but true believers: theologians, priests, imams and […]

The post “Artistically Reflecting on Women’s Rights Within Religion is an Act of Resistance Itself”: Arash T. Riahi and Verena Soltiz on Their CPH:DOX-Premiering Girls & Gods first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Tommy Gulliksen’s Facing War follows Jens Stoltenberg in the final year of his decade-long stint as Secretary General of NATO, a position he’d been looking forward to relinquishing until, in 2023, President Biden asked him to stay on for another 12 months. And it’s easy to see why. The energetic, glad-handing, back-slapping politico seems to treat every world leader as his absolute favorite bestie (Emmanuel! Viktor!), even as he strategizes with his comms team to text the perfect thank you reply. (Though that’s probably standard operating procedure for every commander forced to deal with Trump.) And yet this former Prime […]

The post “Getting Along with Bodyguards is Crucial!”: Tommy Gulliksen on His CPH:DOX Opening Night Film Facing War first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

During the making of his 2001 film about lesbian and gay Orthodox Jews, Trembling before G-d, documentary filmmaker Sandi DuBowski met one potential subject, rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie, a “queer bio-dad” who also founded Lab/Shul, the “everybody-friendly, God-optional” congregation. But, as Dubowski relays below, aside from not really fitting the film’s specific brief, Lau-Levine “was too much of a diva and wanted his own movie.” With his most recent picture, Sabbath Queen, DuBowski has more than obliged, following the dissident rabbi for over 21 years, turning what could have been a straightforward biographical portrait into a rich and complex saga that […]

The post “What Does It Mean to Translate Spirituality into Cinema?”: Sabbath Queen Artist and Filmmaker Danielle Durchslag Interviews Sabbath Queen Director Sandi DuBowski first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

The Documentary Film in the Public Interest Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy announced today a new award for documentary film — The Henry Awards for Public Interest Documentary —and its first list of 15 semi-finalists. “The Henry Awards recognize nonfiction films that advance public understanding of the critical issues of our time while demonstrating outstanding cinematic achievement,” the Center announced today in a press release. “Guided by the hallmarks of ethical practice, rigorous investigation, and courageous storytelling, the Henry Awards are intended to honor and encourage a documentary filmmaking practice grounded in […]

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