San Francisco International Film Festival Lineup Includes André Holland and Chris Columbus Tributes – Film News in Brief

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Max Walker-Silverman’s “Rebuilding” and Elena Oxman’s “Outerlands” are two of the more than 150 movies that have been chosen to be screened at this year’s 68th San Francisco International Film Festival.

From April 17th to the 27th, the eleven-day event features films hailing from over 50 different nations. This includes eleven world debuts and ten international premieres. The festival will kick off with “Rebuilding,” starring Josh O’Connor, while Rachael Abigail’s “Holder’s Love, Brooklyn” will serve as the main highlight this year. André Holland and Nicole Beharie star in “Holder’s Love, Brooklyn,” with Steven Soderbergh serving as executive producer.

Jessie Fairbanks, SFFILM’s director of programming, expressed her immense joy in a statement. We’re returning with 11 days filled with screenings, special tributes, awards, free discussions, our annual Industry Days Conference, parties, city tours, and plenty more. It’s been a pleasure to handpick more than 150 films for this year’s festival, and we can hardly wait to greet both local and international artists in the Bay City.

This year’s marquee titles feature “The Dutchman” by Andre Gaines, headlined by Holland, along with Danielle Deadwyler in the apocalyptic drama “40 Acres”. Also on the list are “Hot Milk”, starring Emma Mackey, Fiona Shaw, and Vicky Krieps, as well as Jason Buxton’s thriller “Sharp Corner” with Ben Foster and Cobie Smulders. Special tribute awards will be presented to Chris Columbus, director of the “Harry Potter” films, and actor Holland, fresh from his role in Duke Johnson’s “The Actor” on Neon.

Check out the full festival line-up here.

Tuesday, March 25

Academy Establishes New Partners for Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting Program

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting program has formed unique alliances with foreign universities and film institutions to choose fellowship recipients from a global pool.

The collaborating entities – such as the American Film Institute, Toronto International Film Festival, and Universidad del Cine – will review screenplays and forward them to the Academy for potential fellowship selection. Meanwhile, members of the public can submit their scripts through the Black List platform. The submission period for this program extends from late July to late August. The fellows are expected to be selected by the spring of 2026.

Through the fellowship, individuals gain the opportunity to learn under the tutelage of Academy members, attend networking events, and participate in seminars. Furthermore, the Gold Alumni Program offers ongoing career support for fellows. During their tenure, participants write full-length screenplays as part of the program.

In an effort to strengthen our international ties with educational institutions and enhance our partnerships across the United States and globally as part of the worldwide academization of education, we are thrilled to redesign the Nicholl Fellowships program. This revamp will foster closer links with universities, screenwriting workshops, and filmmaker programs, giving us access to their wealth of promising new talent. Our dedication to nurturing and amplifying fresh voices has never wavered, and I’m grateful to my fellow Academy members for generously contributing their knowledge and time to advance this goal.” – Howard Berger, Academy governor and president of the Academy Foundation Board.

The following institutions will be collaborating in 2025: Australian Film, Television and Radio School, Bangkok University, Berlin International Film Festival, California Institute of the Arts, California State University, Los Angeles, CAPE, Chapman University, Columbia University, Edinburgh Napier University, Gold House, Howard University, IFFR Pro, Latino Film Institute, London Film School, Loyola Marymount University, New York University, Northwestern University, RMIT University, Savannah College of Art and Design, Sundance Institute, Toronto Metropolitan University, University of Arts London, University of California, Los Angeles, University of Cape Town, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, University of Oxford, University of Texas at Austin, Urbanworld Festival, Victoria University of Wellington.

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2025-03-26 20:46