Oliver Stone...honored with Director's Award! San Francisco International Film Festival!



Academy Award-Winner - Oliver Stone - is getting a nod from the long-running San Francisco International Film Festival.

Stone - who helmed blockbuster hits such as "Wall Street" and "JFK" - will be honored with a prestigious Festival Founder's Directing Award.

In honor of the occasion, the film society is slated to screen clips of Stone's work on April 27th in the bay area during the course of this year's Festival (which runs April 21st to May 5th).

Mr. Stone is expected to be appear in person on the night of the award celebrations (April 28th) for an on-stage interview which is expected to sell-out to capacity.

Former honorees have been highly-ranked in their craft, as well, and include notables such as Akira Kurosawa, Francis Ford Coppola, Spike Lee, Werner Hertzog, Milos Forman, Warren Beatty, and Clint Eastwood (to name a few).

Founded in 1957, the International Film Festival is the longest-running one of its kind in the Americas, and held each spring over a two-week period.

The highly-respected fest showcases upwards of 200 films each year and usually attracts an annual audience of 80,000 film-goers.

According to their Mission Statement, San Francisco's International Film Festival is deeply rooted in the best and finest traditions of the appreciation of film - both as an art form - and as a meaningful agent for social change.

SFIFF features ground-breaking narrative feature films, live action and animated shorts, television and theatrical documentaries, experimental work and a variety of new digital media.

In addition, there is usually a smart lineup of industry panels and seminars, awards events, onstage tributes, retrospectives and the highly acclaimed Schools at the Festival program (which brings about 4,200 students in grades 1-12 into the festivities).

The offerings are screened at eight venues in the Bay Area.

In spite of its remarkable reach and scope, the much-anticipated Fest manages to remain intimate in many respects, while maintaining widespread appeal across the board in the community-at-large.

In sum, the fest combines a range of marquee premieres, international competitions, hard-hitting documentaries, digital media work and star-studded gala events - that ultimately - educate, enlighten, and inspire.

See 'ya there!

http://www.thetattler.biz



Charlie Sheen pot-boiler!

France...offers tax incentives to Hollywood filmmakers! Cultural Minister Frédéric Mitterrand pitches exotic locales!

Exotic locales on Riviera a lure!



French Culture Minister  Frédéric Mitterrand swallowed a little pride and trotted in to Hollywood to meet with industry execs in recent days in a ballsy effort to boost the ailing film business overseas.

In order to achieve that ambitious goal, Mitterrand (who is the nephew of the former French Prime Minister François Mitterrand ) was inclined to converse in a language that spoke volumes in the corridors of power in Tinsel Town.

After all - when it comes to cost-cutting, tax breaks, and inviting financial perks - the suits at the major studios are inclined to be all ears - and likewise - open-minded when it comes to keeping budgets in line.

Consequently, the well-heeled European “took lunch” with movers-and-shakers like Bob Iger (Walt Disney Company) and Barry Meyer (Warner Brothers) to enlighten filmmakers about the advantages of shooting their multi-million-dollar projects in exotic breathtaking locales in France.

For starters, the French Government has introduced fresh incentives which guarantee foreign movie-makers a 20% tax rebate toward film production costs (with a maximum of $5.6 million per project or 4 million Euros).

There are a couple of hitches, though.

Most non-sports and news programming on French Television Networks must be French-based or European in origin in accordance with applicable laws.

But, any wheeler-dealer in a shark-skin suit should be able to jump the hurdles, when it comes to tricky film shoots.

For example, to qualify for the feature film rebate, scriptwriters are required to promote France by showcasing its rich cultural heritage in the storyline.

To accomplish this end, French officials launched a program to provide grants to screenwriters so they may tour France for free - and thus - familiarize themselves with the country’s historical background with the express aim of meeting the criteria.

More than a dozen filmmakers from the U.S. have taken advantage of the tax incentives to date, and it is expected that with a turn-around in the economy on the horizon, business overseas may start booming in the French film industry.

Meanwhile, a posse of producers in California are fighting – too – to prevent run-away production, with the ultimate goal of ensuring that Hollywood remains the film capitol of the world!

Fists across the water?

News at 11!

http://www.thetattler.biz

French filmmakers renowned the world-over!