The trailer for “Exhibiting Forgiveness,” the directorial debut of artist Titus Kaphar, has been unveiled, featuring stars André Holland and Andra Day.
The drama follows acclaimed painter Tarrell (Holland), whose life is upended by an unexpected visit from his estranged father (John Earl Jelks) who is desperate to reconcile with him. In the trailer, Tarrell grapples with his mother (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) about their reconnection, as she pushes him to speak to his dad.
“If you don’t forgive others for their past sins, then you can’t be forgiven,” she tells Tarrell.
“‘Exhibiting Forgiveness’ was produced by Stephanie Allain, Derek Cianfrance, Jamie Patricof and Sean Cotton. Kaphar also penned the screenplay for the film.
The film is set for a theatrical release on Oct. 18. Watch the trailer below.
Jharrel Jerome, Zhao Tao Named Toronto International Film Festival Honorees
Award-winning actor and rapper Jharrel Jerome and award-winning actor Zhao Tao have been named Toronto International Film Festival Tribute Award honorees.
Jerome will receive the TIFF Tribute Performer Award, while Tao will be presented with the TIFF Special Tribute Award.
Star of “Moonlight” and “When They See Us,” Jerome will return to the festival for the premiere of William Goldenberg’s “Unstoppable” where he’ll play professional wrestler Anthony Robles. Tao was ranked eighth among the 25 greatest actors of the 21st century by the New York Times in 2020. Her collaborations with director Jia Zhang-Ke have produced renowned films like “Still Life” and “Mountains May Depart” (TIFF’ 15.) She returns to the festival for the North American Premiere of “Caught by the Tides,” where she takes center stage with her portrayal of Qiaoqiao.
“From ‘Moonlight’ to ‘Unstoppable,’ Jharrel Jerome’s depth, strength and vulnerability on screen have made him one of his generation’s finest actors. It’s an honor to recognize his outstanding body of work with the TIFF Tribute Performer Award,” Cameron Bailey, TIFF CEO, said in a statement. “In her collaborations with director Jia Zhang-Ke, the TIFF Special Tribute honouree Zhao Tao has captured the complexity and significance of China’s galvanizing change. Hers is a signature face of our 21st century, and her work in ‘Caught by the Tides’ stands with her very best.”
The TIFF Tribute Awards gala will take place on Sept. 8 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel.
World Premiere of “Music By John Williams” Documentary To Open AFI Fest 2024
The American Film Institute has revealed that the world premiere of Lucasfilm’s documentary “Music By John Williams” will open AFI Fest 2024 on Wednesday, Oct. 23.
The documentary chronicles the life of the prolific film composer from his early days as a jazz pianist to his five Oscar wins, featuring interviews from Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Kate Capshaw, Gustavo Dudamel, J.J. Abrams, Chris Martin, Ron Howard, Chris Columbus, George Lucas and more.
“John Williams is an American icon with a true and timeless global impact,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO. “One could say we are ‘over the moon’ to host the world premiere of the film, but that sentiment would hardly soar without the music of ‘E.T. THE Extra-Terrestrial.’”
HPA Announces 2024 Engineering Excellence Award Recipients
The Hollywood Professional Association Awards committee has named Adobe, Disguise and Cuebric as recipients of the coveted HPA Award for Engineering Excellence.
The honors, which will be presented at this year’s HPA Awards gala on November 7 at the Television Academy in Los Angeles, highlight outstanding technical and creative advancements across media, content production, finishing, distribution, and archiving.
“As our industry continues to evolve,” comments Joachim Zell, Chair of the HPA Awards Engineering Committee, “it is crucial that we highlight the companies and individuals driving change. The Engineering Excellence awards are dedicated to celebrating these innovators. This year’s submissions were incredibly inspiring, making the judging process both engaging and highly competitive. Congratulations to all the submitters, and a special congratulations to the winners! We look forward to celebrating with you on November 7th.”
The award selection process is determined by a distinguished panel of industry judges who review submissions and video presentations before gathering to hear detailed pitches from finalists and vote on the most exceptional technologies.
The official winners of the 2024 HPA Award for Engineering Excellence are below:
● Adobe: Enhance Speech in Premiere Pro
Premiere Pro’s Enhance Speech uses AI to remove background noise and improve poorly recorded dialogue, making it sound as if it was recorded in a professional studio. With Enhance Speech, post-production pros all over the world are saving valuable time otherwise spent on tedious dialog clean-up by enhancing the clarity and quality of voice recordings in a click.
● Disguise and Cuebric: AI-Driven 2.5D Workflow
In partnership, Disguise and Cuebric have developed a 2.5D workflow that bridges the gap between 2D and 3D, combining the benefits of both. This workflow, composed of multiple layers, each of which has its own shape generated by AI from the original 2D image, allows filmmakers to add depth to their images without building 3D scenes. It addresses parallax issues inherent in 2D, while avoiding the costs and time associated with 3D environment creation, enabling creators to move from concept to camera efficiently.
● Evercast: Evercast for Apple Vision Pro
Evercast for Apple Vision Pro facilitates spatial collaboration and introduces new possibilities for interaction and storytelling. Designed for production professionals, the app allows life-size collaboration as users stream content with low latency, high resolution, frame accuracy, color precision, and spatial audio. It supports every stage of production, from traditional 2D content to fully immersive experiences crafted specifically for the Apple Vision Pro.
The HPA Awards gala will honor creative winners as well as the Charles S. Swartz Award recipient, FotoKem. Nominations for the 19 creative categories will be announced in October.
Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, Jeff Beal Named Society of Composers and Lyricists Ambassador Award Honorees
The Society of Composers and Lyricists has named Benj Pasek, Justin Paul and Jeff Beal as recipients of the SCL’s prestigious Ambassador Award.
Songwriting duo Pasek and Paul have worked together to compose the scores of “La La Land,” “Greatest Showman” and “Dear Eva Hansen.” Beal has composed the scores of “Pollock,” “House of Cards” and “Monk.”
Past SCL Ambassador Award recipients include Dave Grusin, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Thomas Newman, Burt Bacharach, David Shire, Marcelo Zarvos, Johnny Mandel, Earl Hagen, James Newton Howard, Leiber and Stoller, Alan Silvestri, Randy Newman and Hal David.
“The Ambassador Award was created to recognize and acknowledge music creators who have made significant and valuable contributions to our profession and our music community,” Ashley Irwin, SCL president, said in a statement. “Their achievements will be used as the ultimate standard for future generations of media composers and songwriters.”
The Ambassador recipients will receive their respective honors at the SCL New York Holiday Party on Dec. 4th.
American Society of Cinematographers Releases Outstanding Achievement Criteria, Will Host Gala on Feb. 23
The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) will host the Outstanding Achievement Awards, which honors the work of photography directors who have excelled in the art and craft of visual storytelling, on Feb. 23.
In addition to the gala date, the ASC has also published the timeline for awards eligibility, which you can read below: Theatrical Feature Films must have a release date between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, with a submission deadline of Dec. 3.
For all TV categories, a show must air or stream between Dec. 1 and Nov. 30, with a submission deadline of Nov. 15. Eligible Documentaries must be released or air between Dec. 1 and Nov. 30, with a deadline of Oct 31. To be eligible for the Music Video Award, the video must have a release date between Oct. 1 and Oct. 31, with a submission deadline of Oct. 31. Lastly, the ASC will also bestow a Spotlight Award. ASC members nominate and vote on winners in this category.
Submissions for all categories will open on Sept. 16, and you can read the full eligibility criteria here. The gala, which will be live-streamed worldwide, will take place at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills.
Casting Society Unveils ’24-’25 Board of Directors and Date and Venue for 40th Annual Artios Awards
Casting Society has unveiled its new board of directors for 2024-2025 and named the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills the venue for the 40th Annual Artios Awards, which take place Feb. 12, 2025. Current board members will continue to serve until their two-year term is completed in June 2025.
“I am privileged to continue my role as President of CSA, especially as we prepare to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Artios Awards, a wonderful milestone in our ongoing mission to support and spotlight the contributions of casting professionals globally,” said Destiny Lilly, sitting CSA President. “Our shift to the February ceremony date allows us to position the nominees and winners as influential precursors to the Academy Awards, where Casting will debut as an award in 2026.”
See the list of 2024-2025 CSA Board of Directors below.
Destiny Lilly, President
Steven Tylor O’Connor, Treasurer
Becca McCracken, Secretary
Elizabeth Berra, VP Governance
Danielle Pretsfelder Demchick, Co-VP Advocacy
Felicia Joseph, Co-VP Advocacy
Tiffany Little Canfield, Co-VP Communications
Felica Fansano, Co-VP Communications
Jazzy Collins, Co-VP Events
Matthew Glasner, Co-VP Events
Wendy Kurtzman, Co-VP Membership
Gayle Pillsbury, Co-VP Membership
Rachel Reiss, VP Technology
Erica A. Hart, Board Member
Tiffany Mak, Board Member
Sujotta Pace, Board Member
Zachary Spiegel, Board Member
Julie Tucker, Board Member
Costume Designer Guild Awards Sets Date
The 27th Costume Designer Guild Awards is set to be held on Feb. 6, 2025 at the Ebell of Los Angeles. The guild also has announced the timeline for nominations, which will be announced on Dec. 13.
Submissions, nominations and final ballot voting will all be conducted online. Forms, rules and guidelines will be posted in the awards section of the CDG website.
The timeline for the awards show is as follows:
Sept. 13, 2024
CDGA submissions open at 9 a.m. PT
Oct. 14, 2024
Submission entries close at 5 p.m. PT
Nov. 18, 2024
Nomination ballot voting opens online at 9 a.m. PT
Dec. 2, 2024
Nomination ballots voting closes at 5 p.m. PT
Dec. 13, 2024
Nominees announced
Dec. 16, 2024
Ticket sales open
Dec. 30, 2024
Final ballot voting opens online at 9 a.m. PT
Jan. 13, 2025
Final ballot voting closes at 5 p.m. PT
Feb. 6, 2025
27th Costume Designers Guild Awards
Inevitable Foundation Unveils 2024 Accelerate Fellows
Inevitable Foundation, a non-profit that supports disabled creatives, has named Ashley Eakin, Jamey Perry and Simone Hawthorne as its 2024 Accelerate Fellows.
The Accelerate Fellowship awards professional disabled writers $40,000 grants and provides mentorship and networking opportunities with industry leaders. The expanded initiative also provides recipients access to health insurance and additional educational programming.
“We are thrilled to welcome Ashley, Jamey, and Simone as our 2024 Accelerate Fellows,” said Richie Siegel and Marisa Torelli-Pedevska, co-founders of Inevitable Foundation. “This cohort of accomplished writers demonstrates the growing talent of disabled creatives who will have a lasting impact on the industry.”