Yahoo Finance Taiki Waititi, Jessica Chastain, Tiffany Haddish Star in HollyShorts Film Festival Selections – Film News in Brief
HollyShorts Film Festival Announces Dates and Lineup
Short films starring Taika Waititi, Jessica Chastain, Tiffany Haddish and those produced by Octavia Spencer and Leonardo DiCaprio are among highlights of the Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival, running Sept. 23-Oct. 1 at the TCL Chinese Theatres and online.
Selections include Spencer Susser’s “Save Ralph,” starring Zac Efron, Waititi and George Lopez; Aneil Karia’s “The Long Goodbye” starring Riz Ahmed; Orlando von Einsiedel’s “Into Dust” produced by DiCaprio; Aidan Tanner’s “The Sands Between” starring Chastain; Minsun Park and Teddy Tenenbaum’s “Koreatown Ghost Story,” starring Margaret Cho; Zeberiah Newman’s “Right to Try,” produced by Spencer.
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Other films on the slate are: Geoff Dunbar’s “When Winter Comes”; Lindiwe Suttle Müller-Westernhagen’s “Desmond’s Not Here Anymore;” Guy Nattiv and Jaime Ray Newman’s “Life Unexpected,” Julien Joslin’s “No Longer Suitable for Use,” Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe’s Oscar-Winning “Two Distant Strangers,” starring Joey Badass; Saul Abraham’s “Enjoy”; Rami Kodeih’s “Alina”; and Chris Wood’s “Snowshoe.”
The awards gala will take place on Oct. 1 the Harmony Gold. Panels will be located at Japan House Los Angeles. Streaming options for the event will air via its proprietary platform Bitpix.
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures To Honor Sidney Poitier With New Lobby
The lobby of the new Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will be named the Sidney Poitier Grand Lobby, in honor of Poitier, with the museum opening Sept. 30.
Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry were among those who supported the campaign in naming the lobby after Poitier, in addition to ambassador Nicole Avant, Co-CEO of Netflix and chair of the Academy Museum board of trustees Ted Sarandos and the Perenchio Foundation.
“It is an incredible honor to name our grand lobby — the nucleus of the Academy Museum — in celebration of Sir Sidney Poitier, whose legacy of humanitarian efforts and groundbreaking artistry continues to inspire us all,” said Academy chief Bill Kramer said. “We are deeply thankful to everyone who supported this campaign, and to Sidney, his wife, Joanna Shimkus Poitier, and their entire family for allowing us this great privilege.”
Poitier, who made his screen debut in 1950’s “No Way Out,” went on to star in “The Defiant Ones,” which earned him his first Oscar nomination, “Porgy and Bess,” “A Raisin in the Sun,” “A Patch of Blue,” “In the Heat of the Night,” “To Sir, With Love” and “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.”
He became the first Black winner of a lead actor Oscar for his work in “Lilies of the Field.” Other honors include an Academy Honorary award, Presidential Medal of Freedom from former President Barack Obama, and a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II.
Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano, the Poitier Lobby occupies the entire first floor of the restored and revitalized landmark Saban Building — formerly known as the May Company building.
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