EXPLICIT ILLS, which played at the 2008 Festival and stars 2008 Half-Life Award Honoree Rosario Dawson, is now available to rent or purchase on DVD.

In the harsh streets of Philadelphia, the lives of strangers intersect in the debut feature from veteran indie actor Mark Webber. EXPLICIT ILLS is a bold and moving semi-autobiographical tale that crosscuts between the many people—adults, teenagers, and children alike—who struggle in the face of poverty, pot dealers, human connection, and (practically) inhumane consumer policy. In his quest to show compassion, even in the shoddiest of landscapes, Webber juxtaposes the gritty despair of the Philadelphia streets with the heartfelt aspirations of the many sympathetic and endearing characters within.

The film can be purchased or rented from anywhere in the US. Check out the film’s website for more info.

If you happen to be in New York City this weekend, try to catch a screening of LOREN CASS, which had its world premiere at the 2007 CineVegas Film Festival.

Set in late 90’s South Florida, writer/director Chris Fuller’s explosive debut centers around three teenagers trying to make sense of the brutal (and real-life) shooting of Tyron Lewis, a black motorist gunned down by a white policeman — as well as the widespread urban rioting that followed the killing. The film has gotten rave reviews from critics from Variety, Time Out New York and the Village Voice, among others.

Screenings start on Friday, July 24 at Cinema Village, located at 22 East 12th Street in New York City. Showtimes are at 1:05pm, 4:30pm, 7:55pm and 9:35pm. Click here for more theater info.

Director Michael Moore, who is best known for his documentaries like BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE, FAHRENHEIT 9/11 and SICKO, also runs the Traverse City Film Festival in Traverse City, Mich. And he must love our filmmakers just as much as we do, because he chose two 2009 alum to play at his festival this year.

The festival invited Bob Byington to screen not only HARMONY AND ME, but also another one of his films – REGISTERED SEX OFFENDER – which premiered at the 2008 SXSW Film Festival.  And Ben Steinbauer will also be screening his WINNEBAGO MAN, the documentary about the so-called angriest man alive, Jack Rebney. In addition to the screenings, the two directors will also teach a class on comedy and appear on an August 1st panel titled Comedy, American Style.

The fifth annual Traverse City Film Festival will be held July 28 through August 2. Click here for more info.

Two films that played the 2008 CineVegas Film Festival are available on DVD today.

Sean McGinly’s THE GREAT BUCK HOWARD, which served as last year’s fest’s closing night film, stars Colin Hanks as a law-school dropout who answers an ad for a “personal assistant to a celebrity performer,” hoping it will catapult him to a glamorous career in the entertainment industry. Little does he know that performer is Buck Howard (John Malkovich), a “mentalist” infamous for his 61 appearances on The Tonight Show, who has been reduced to a has-been magician in need of a pretty big trick to get him out of this slump.

Also out today is VISIONEERS from director Jared Drake. Zach Galifianakis stars as George Washington Winsterhammerman, who  works as a level-three Visioneer at the highly regarded Jeffers Corp., the most profitable company ever. While his family and professional life may look good from the outside, his life is far from harmonious. George refuses to fondle his wife, refuses to follow his “free-spirit” brother, and refuses to listen to his life coach. But when people start spontaneously exploding from stress, George has vivid dreams, calling into question his own stability. George quickly loses control of his world and desperately searches for the answer to his fulfillment and happiness.

STINGRAY SAM (which played at the 2009 fest) is planning for an online and theatrical release mid-September, but until then, director Cory McAbee is offering free downloads of the full-length theatrical trailer and featured song Mars from episode #1 of the film. Both are iPod and iPhone compatible.

Just visit the film’s website and click on the download button, and enter your email address to get the free downloads. A link to download will be sent immediately to the email address you provided. And help spread the word by putting the “free download” button directly onto your Blog, Web Page, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Digg and/or Delicious accounts.

Look out for STINGRAY SAM at festivals around the world, including the Sopot Film Festival (Sopot, Poland in August), Lund International Fantastic Film Festival (Lund, Sweden in September), Reykjavik International Film Festival (Reykjavik, Iceland in September) and Fantastic Fest (Austin, TX in September).

Tony Stone’s SEVERED WAYS: THE NORSE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA will play nightly from July 17-23 at 9:55pm at the at the Laemmle Sunset 5, located at 8000 Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles.

In the 11th century, Vikings, Indians, and Irish monks collide on the shores of North America in a historical epic adventure of exploration, personal glory, and religious dominance. Abandoned by a Western exploration party and stranded in the New World, two lone Vikings wade through a grand primeval landscape, struggling for survival while still in the grip of their Norse ways.

The film’s soundtrack features Morbid Angel, Popol Vuh, Burzum, Dimmu Borgir, Old Man’s Child, Brian Eno, Queens of the Stone Age and Judas Priest.

View the trailer here, and for more information visit the film’s website.

Rocket Video in Hollywood will be hosting a discussion and DVD signing for the film VIVA with director/writer/star Anna Biller, as well as stars Jared Sanford and Bridget Brno, on Thursday July 16th at 7:00 PM. This homage to seventies sexploitation films played in the Area 52 section at the 2007 CineVegas Film Festival.

Admission and parking are free! Rocket Video is located at 726 N. La Brea Avenue in Hollywood. For more information call (323)965-1100 or visit Rocket Video’s website.

The Banff New Media Institute, ZER01: The Art and Technology Network, and Sundance Institute’s New Frontier initiative announces The Locative Cinema Commission, a joint venture to stimulate and showcase the creation of a locative cinema project.

The Commission is presently soliciting proposals until August 3. The chosen artist or artists will realize their proposed project during a residency at The Banff Centre, to be completed by July 2010. They will also receive a $4,500 commissioning fee, related production funds, and will present their work at the 2010 01SJ Biennial from September 15 – 19, the 2011 edition of New Frontier at the Sundance Film Festival from January 20-30, and the 2011 Banff Summer Arts Festival.

Click here for information & application information

According to IndieWIRE: While already available for download on both Amazon and iTunes, first time filmmaker Chris Fuller’s LOREN CASS (a Jackpot Premiere from the 2007 Festival) has been acquired by Kino International and will have its theatrical roll out July 24 at Cinema Village in New York. The film will expand to other major markets during the summer and fall of 2009, before a release on DVD at the end of the year.

Set in 1997, the film centers on a group of teenagers living in St. Petersburg, FL who struggle to make sense of their lives after the widespread urban rioting provoked by the brutal real-life killing of 18-year-old Tyron Lewis. Lewis, an African American, was gunned down by a white police officer. Following three central characters (Nicole, Jason and Cale) and some supporting ones, LOREN CASS captures a wide spectrum of responses to teen angst and racial discrimination on the streets of St. Petersburg.

The film was nominated in 2007 for the Best Undistributed Film award at the IFP Gotham Awards. For more information, you can also visit the film’s website.

LOOKIN’ TO GET OUT, the film CineVegas screened at the 2009 Festival as part of its tribute to Marquee Award winner Jon Voight, is available on DVD today for the first time. Directed by Hal Ashby, the DVD is a newly remastered director’s cut of the 1982 film, which stars Voight (who also co-wrote the film), Burt Young, Ann-Margret and Angelina Jolie in her big screen debut.

The film is about two gamblers who must leave New York City after one loses a lot of money, and doing what all gamblers in trouble would do, they hurry to Las Vegas to turn their luck around.

Ashby had secretly re-edited the movie and donated it to the UCLA Film and Television Archive before passing away in 1988. Once Voight found out about the hidden film, he decided it was important to share the updated version with the world.