Canadian Music Week, Festival de Cannes, Casual Connect Asia, PALM Expo, are highlights in May's Global Media and Entertainment Industry

In Century City, the Music Business Association, formerly NARM (National Association of Recording Merchandisers),  opens Music Biz 2014 for a three day run. Along with its hub for digital initiatives, digitalmusic.org, the summit agenda is to advance and promote music commerce. The summit runs through May 8. As a non-profit membership organization that advances and promotes music commerce, particularly through the Music Business Association’s flagship annual event, Music Biz 2014, the Music Business Association is a community committed to the full spectrum of monetization models in the industry.

Day one gets started with the Music Biz Academy, a program that travels across the country educating music startups and app developers on how to get through barriers of entry to the music industry. A networking breakfast follows that early session and then there will be a formal welcome and introduction as Music Biz President James Donio gives an industry overview including some of the newest stats on sales and consumer behaviors. The talk will review the resources the Music Business Association has available to help artists, managers, students, and startups navigate the music industry. Up for exploration is an entire range of delivery models: physical, digital, mobile, and otherwise.

Some of the other Music Biz topics that will be reviewed during the summit, most of which are handled in 30, 45 and 60 minute time limits: Keep Social Sexy: Using Your Profiles To Build Your Brand, Navigating The Music Industry Online, Alternative Revenue Streams: Making It In Today’s Music Biz, The Music Industry Infrastructure Of The Future, Grow Your Audience On YouTube, Metadata Summit: Information And Technology In The Music Business, Managing The Complexity Of An Artist’s Digital Experience, Country Music Meetup, Licensing and Royalty Payments From An Artists Perspective. The summit ends with a closing reception.

In Toronto, Canadian Music Week 2014 will have music industry business, learning and discovery sessions blueprinting how to guide projects to the next level. Planned film screenings offer a mix of music-oriented films, special screenings, documentaries and movie premieres along with special appearances and Q&As with some of the films’ acting talent, directors and crew in appearances. Added to the convention's agenda since 2012, the Canadian International Comedy Fest features stand-up, with performances from some of Canada's emerging comedy talent as well as headline talent from comedy venues worldwide. The festival's Indie Awards is the principal closing event for Canadian Music Week.

The CMW Synch Summit is suited to music supervisors looking to place music in upcoming advertisements, films and TV productions and gives presenting submitters an opportunity to pitch music to them face to face. The International Festival Network, an exclusive networking and matchmaking session for companies to meet with representatives from various international festivals, booking agencies and promoters from around the world will be open. An international marketplace and Export Buyers' Program featuring a Spotlight on Germany and a Focus on Austria and Switzerland with market overviews, presentations and incoming delegations is planned. The Digital Media Summit at CMW brings together media and brand specialists that focus on the task of outlining an integrated Digital Media strategy.

Now in its 17th year, the New York City Streaming Media East event is a showcase for all forms of online video business models and technology. It is focused on the "business" of streaming media in the Media and Entertainment, Enterprise, Education and Broadcast sectors. Convention events feature extensive multi-day panel sessions producing an executive forum on current topics from industry technology leaders to executives from companies utilizing streaming today. Essentially the two-day convention running till May 14 brings together digital media experts and professionals in order to exchange ideas, strategies and success stories.

The Streaming Media East Exhibit Hall will be the showplace for anyone selling streaming products, services, or content for use in corporate communications, digital media entertainment and technology, marketing, or the streaming industry itself. The shows provide an interactive exhibit floor enabling vendors to exhibit their products and solutions to businesses and organizations looking to incorporate streaming media enterprise solutions into their infrastructure. The Keynote address will be delivered by Matthew Szatmary, senior video encoding engineer at Twitch where he develops next generation encoding services and playback technologies to serve live video. Day one activities close with an evening reception.

Pre-conference seminars will actually be held before Streaming Media's official open, on  May 12. Among the topics, "Setting up Live Streaming Workflows On-Premises and In The Cloud," with Chris Knowlton, VP, Product Management, Wowza Media Systems; "Producing A Webcast From Soup To Nuts: Part One," with Jan Ozer, Principal, Doceo Publishing; "Building A Better Web Video Player," with Robert Reinhardt, Founder, videoRx (dot) com; "Producing A Webcast From Soup To Nuts: Part Two," with Jan Ozer, Principal, Doceo Publishing. Other areas to be explored after the start of the regular conference, include: "Online Distribution and Monetization Strategies for the TV Industry," "The Future of Digital Entertainment in a Multiscreen World," "Making the Move to Multiscreen 2.0," "New Opportunities for Monetizing Premium Video" among other topics.

Festival de Cannes, the anticipated film festival started in 1946 and held in Cannes, previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from around the world. Concurrent to the festival, France also hosts its national film awards, the César Awards - generally considered to be the French equivalent of the American Academy Awards - at the same time. Admission to the festival which stretches May 14-25 is by invite only. Festival organizers have already announced that "Party Girl," from the trio of directors Marie Amachoukeli, Claire Burger and Samuel Theis, will open up the Un Certain Regard sidebar, a category originally created to showcase the most experimental, left-of-field and smaller-scale films that didn’t make the Competition cut. Film director Sofia Coppola, actors Gael Garcia Bernal and Willem Dafoe will join Jane Campion on the Cannes film festival jury for 2014.

There will be several featured event stops set up throughout the Festival complex. The Directors' Fortnight (La Quinzaine des Réalisateurs) is a parallel section independent of the Festival de Cannes, organised by the French Directors Society (Société des Réalisateurs de Films). Critics Week, La Semaine de la Critique is a parallel section independent of the Festival de Cannes, organised by the French Film Critics Syndicate (SC). The ACID Programme in Cannes will be a parallel selection independent of the Festival de Cannes organized by the Association for Independant Cinema and its Distribution (ACID). Cannes Cinéphiles is an event organised by Cannes Cinéma and the Festival de Cannes to provide public screenings from the Official Selection, as well as films from the parallel sections. Cannes Cinema will be adding to this program with two international selections: Ecrans Juniors and Cinéma des Antipodes.

TV Festival de Cannes, co-produced by CANAL+, Orange and the Festival de Cannes, will cover the red carpet, the press conferences, the photo calls and interviews for films in Competition, as well as a number of event highlights. TV Festival de Cannes will be broadcast in French and English throughout the Palais complex and in most hotels along the Croisette. It will also be available on "Web TV", YouTube (Canal+/English) and DailyMotion (Orange/French). The Official Selection is revealed through the awarding of the Palme d’Or to the best film entry during the Closing Ceremony. Un Certain Regard selection, "Party Girl," which depicts the life of a 60 year-old night club hostess who still loves men and enjoys partying, was shot with the lead role is played by the real-life Angélique.

WINSTON | BAKER will be hosting the 5th Annual International Film Finance Forum in association with Variety magazine in Cannes during the 67th Festival de Cannes. The Film Finance Forum® Series was created by the Winston Baker team to educate equity and debt financiers on the latest trends and strategies for film investing while reducing risks, provide producers with effective approaches to fundraising, and demonstrating ways to create great content and generate revenue through various distribution platforms. This particular forum will be a half-day program focused on international issues such as what it takes to make films today, worldwide sales and distribution strategies, emerging film finance resources, applying risk mitigation across borders, co-production opportunities and strategies, subsidies and incentive updates. There will be a featured keynote on the globalization of entertainment.

World Arts Film Festival in Jacksonville seeks to highlight voices of young artists and filmmakers, giving individuals with special needs such as autism and their peers the opportunity to learn side by side. Individuals of all ages and abilities have been encouraged to participate in World Arts’ events and programs to gain success in the creative industries and beyond. World Arts Education + Film Festival is run by a team of dedicated volunteers who serve in their free time to promote and support quality film programs. Special panels and presentations during the festival will include: a Meet the Filmmakers Q&A, Film Creativity + Education panel, on May 15, the Festival's start; Farm to Film Social panel discussion and panel, Dream It, Learn It, Live It, Love It, on May 16; Girl Directors, Young Directors and Animation Stories are the focus for panels on May 17, Festival closing date, among other topics. There is also the Kaleidoscope Awards presentations in all categories followed by closing ceremony and storytelling performance with David Gonzalez on the final day.

As part of WAE’s global educational outreach, the festival will bring diverse groups of filmmakers of all ages and backgrounds, including those with special needs, to meet and mentor each other and their audiences through this new venue. Created by individuals in New York, Los Angeles and Jacksonville, and supported by a growing network of advisors around the world, the organization is dedicated to a global message of inclusion through the arts and education. An Improv Acting Workshop with Guest Artists Hester Wagner and Sabra Shelley will be conducted. Hester Wagner of Inclusion Films and Futures Explored and co-director Sabra Shelly, who is a New York based actress, Autism specialist and teaching artist, will lead the three-day festival workshop on the 5th Floor at the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville. All day interactive workshops for all ages, Drawing-On-Film, will be conducted with Guest Artist Lois Siegel, instructor of Video Production at the University of Ottawa, Department of Communication.

At the 2014 Seattle International Film Festival, the opening night gala will be, 'Jimi: All Is By My Side' with Outkast's André Benjamin in the lead role of this biopic about rock legend Jimi Hendrix. 'Jimi: All Is By My Side' looks at the early, momentous years in London in the life of the legendary guitarist after his beginning as an unknown backup guitarist in New York. The Director, John Ridley (Academy Award®-winning screenwriter of '12 Years a Slave') is scheduled to attend. Tickets include a walk on the Red Carpet, a private reception, reserved seats for the film, an exclusive after-party in the Red Carpet Lounge. The Seattle International Film Festival is an Academy Award-qualifying festival for short films. SIFF presents the annual Seattle International Film Festival and year-round programming at our SIFF Cinema venues the Uptown (Queen Anne) and the SIFF Film Center (Seattle Center). The Closing Night Gala will have one last night of mingling with Festival guests and friends while enjoying live music, food, and cocktails.

Global gaming convention, Casual Connect is the place to learn more about the video game industry, which entertains 300 million people each month. This gaming convention which has a trail through many international cities will be held in Singapore, May 20-22 as Casual Connect Asia 2014. Along with the conference sessions, over 80 indie developers will be presenting their games at the Indie Prize Showcase. Also making its debut is the International Design, Entertain, and Amaze (IDEA) Showcase, where established developers are looking for international partners for publishing, user acquisition, game performance monitoring and logistical support, will be presenting their recent projects. The International Design, Entertain and Amaze (IDEA) Showcase, Hosted four times a year in conjunction with Casual Connect, acts on behalf of established developers looking for international partners for publishing, user aquisition, game performance monitoring and logistical support.

Many lectures and talks are scheduled at Casual Connect Asia. On May 20, Robin Sagacious NG, head of International Business, Asiasoft Online Pte Ltd, leads a session that will provide an overview of the South East Asia online and mobile gaming markets and its projected trends. Later that same day Stephen Lee, head of publishing at 6waves, where he leads all business development and publishing-related matters, will share perspective from a publisher's perspective and highlight key issues developers should be mindful of when getting ready to launch and grow their games globally. On May 21, Si Shen, a co-founder and CEO of PapayaMobile, will discuss the trends, obstacles, and strategies that Asian game developers must know in 2014 for Asian game studios to climb to the top of app store charts in Western app markets. On May 22, Bob Meese, Global Head, Games Business Development, Google Play, conducts a workshop on "Growing Your Business with Google Play."

Networking and reception events begin with the Badge Pickup and Pre-Funk Party the day before the official convention start on May 19. On opening day, there will be the Official Casual Connect with servings of beer, wine and light snacks. Three receptions for May 21 will include a Womens Lunch at noon, an Official Casual Connect Party with beer, wine and cocktails and the Indie Prize Awards. The final convention day on May 22 is a simple "Mingle" with beer and light snacks. The Indie Prize Showcase is part exclusive gaming arcade and part scholarship program for up and coming indie development teams who show promise to be future leaders in the games industry besides being able to display games to a lot of publishers and industry gurus.

Founded in 2005, the Casual Games Association is a professional international trade organization providing educational resources and community support for those involved in creating games for the mass market consumer. Developed for the general public and families, casual games are video games that are fun and easy to learn and play. The games are platform agnostic, so they can be played via the Internet, PC and Macintosh computers, Facebook, Xbox, PlayStation, iPhone, Nintendo DS, Wii, Android and even mobile phones. They’re nonviolent, arcade-style games that involve puzzles, words, board and card games, game show and trivia. Popular games are Mahjong, Tetris, Solitaire, Bejeweled, Mystery Case Files, and Farmville.

PALM™ Expo in Mumbai serves the Indian pro audio, sound and lighting market by showcasing the

The 2014 PALM Expo has several feature areas to explore and take part in while it is in session, May 29-31. The HARMAN PALM Live Arena is a secluded space for stage, sound, light and music to come together, provides visitors with an equipped stage to identify, evaluate and analyse how to enhance audio requirements and deliver the best sound quality. New this year, PALM Expo introduces the demo hall facility enabling audio companies to demonstrate their products and latest features in a private cube structure that is specially tailored for this purpose.

Innovator of Indian Slap Bass and Bass Guitarist for The Khayal Groove band, Jayen Varma (www.jayenvarma.net), is appearing at Palm Expo, May 30-31, doing performances for ROCKIN' 24/7 on behalf of GRUV GEAR Wraps. He is known for developing Tabla and Mridangam style finger technique on bass guitar to play slap bass, a style developed by him and termed Indian slap bass, and in 2008 and 2011 respectively, the Registry of Official World Records (Record Holders Republic), USA&UK and The Record Setter Book of World Records USA, declared him the Fastest Bass Guitar Player. Jayen Varma plays with his band, The Khayal Groove made up of Aparna Panshikar on north Indian classical Vocals and Jayen Varma on Bass Guitar in collaboration with the French Drummer, Jean Davoisne and various artists and bands across the globe. Since the release of the band's first album, 'Reflections of a Purple Moon,' it has since been working on its second album.

The above events are only a sample of what is fully listed. Complete details are on the "Media, Entertainment and Performing Arts Industry News and Events" page at: http://www.actorschecklist.com/news.html. The events blog also shows links to pages that are translated into ten of the most widely used international languages read over the Internet other than English. This month's photo placement highlights the 67th Festival de Cannes and Bass Guitarist Jayen Varma at PALM Expo in Mumbai. If the photo does not appear in this post please visit the blog

page to view it. Looking ahead into the next month be aware that: the 59th Annual Drama Desk Awards will be held in New York City, CineGear LA comes to Hollywood, BANFF World Media Festival opens in Alberta, annual Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival comes to Manchester, Barcelona Film Festival opens in Barcelona.

Toronto International Film Fest, Game Music Connect, Dubai Music Week, The Film Society, are highlights in September's Global Media and Entertainment Industry

Ezra Brown - saxophonist, keyboardist, music director, arranger - has released his debut album, 'The Journey', available on iTunes (as of September 3 on the iTunes “Jazz Album Under $8” Bestseller list), Google Play, CD Baby and Amazon. An album tour is underway, and a September 6 date in Yokohama features a birthday party celebration in live music lounge and restaurant, KAMOME Live Matters. There are many tour dates in Kyoto, Osaka, Tokyo and other cities, but on September 14, the tour ventures to Kuala Lumpur for the one day KL International Jazz Festival. After Kuala Lumpur, other dates include September 25 in Tokyo, September 28 in Mito, September 29 in Kyoto, September 30 in Osaka, and the first date of the new month, October 3 in Kamkura city. There are more dates in October and into November

Ezra Brown, who has worked with Grammy Award winning artists: Cassandra Wilson, John Forte, Dorothy Moore, Charlie Daniels, Miki Howard, is currently involved in several projects. He serves as music director for Blue Nefertiti (one half of the group Les Nubians); as a member ofT he Mighty Embassy Ensemble for up and coming hip-hop artist Blitz the Ambassador.; and as a band member for Cheryl Pepsii Riley at The Village Underground in New York City, the top R & B open mic night in the country. You can hear Ezra on MTVu’s Live Sessions, where he is featured with Blitz the Ambassador and John Forte “Breathe” video on MTVu.

The Toronto International Film Festival traditionally opens the Thursday night after Labour Day (the first Monday in September in Canada). Films are categorized into Programs to better organize the selection. In one of the festival's program categories, "Wavelengths", filmmaker Jean-Marie Straub continues his exploration of classic texts with this "collaboration" involving the great 16th-century writer of the 'Essais'. In Hollywood studios premiere their films at TIFF due to the Festival's non-competitive nature, relatively inexpensive costs, enthusiastic and cinema knowledgeable audiences and other factors. This year the Festival hosts a September 7 Gala event, "Celebrating 100 Years of Indian Cinema", reflecting 100 years of inspired work by Indian filmmakers. Dinner and a reception are included for this event.

The Toronto International Film Festival's major prize, the People's Choice Award, is given to a feature-length film with the highest ratings as voted by the Festival-going populace. TIFF Bell Lightbox has come to be regarded for film related exhibitions and moving image artworks that reach a junction between cinema and the visual arts. Specal exhibition: "David Cronenberg: Transformation" will feature six new TIFF-commissioned artworks by leading Canadian and international contemporary artists who share David Cronenberg's inspirations from literature and philosophy—writers such as McLuhan, Burroughs and Ballard—and his fascination with biological horror, the human psyche and the merging of humans and media. The festival closes on September 15.

Game Music Connect will happen in London for one day only on September 9 and is suited to fans of music in games, aspiring and professional composers of all backgrounds and those interested in learning about the art and science of creating today’s cutting edge video game soundtracks. The format will have interviews and roundtable discussions with composers and audio directors in the video games industry. Included in a line-up of British and international composer talent will be ASCAP member Martin O’Donnell (Destiny, Halo series) and PRS affiliates James Hannigan (Dead Space 3, Command & Conquer series, Harry Potter series) and Joris de Man (Killzone series) – and will be hosted by composer, audio director and commentator John Broomhall (X-COM series, Transport Tycoon, A Christmas Carol). Audio directors from both independent and major developers and publishers will also participate.

In one of the Game Music panels, "Soundcard to Symphony", game composers - Martin O’Donnell, Jesper Kyd, Jason Graves, James Hannigan, Joris de Man, Richard Jacques, John Broomhall (Chair) - outline their personal journeys into scoring videogames, together with their inspiration and influences, reflecting on the past, present & future of game music design and application The day’s programming will comprise in-depth discussions with celebrated composers and audio directors, including insights into their diverse career paths and scoring experiences as well as practical demonstrations of interactive music and previews of next-gen original scores. The day will feature a composer panel exploring the evolution of video game music and a philosophical discussion of the art form and its future.

International Broadcasting Convention, or just IBC, is an annual event staged in Amsterdam for professionals engaged in the creation, management and delivery of entertainment and news content worldwide. This year's convention which runs September 12-17 has conference themes that reflect: technological innovations to engage viewers and create a more engaging entertainment experience; advances in industry collaboration and standards that affect business and content production; global impact of the internet on all aspects of traditional television and its affect on the future of traditional broadcasting; emergence of event television and the production, broadcast, distribution and monetisation of content in these digital spaces and other areas.

Keynote speaking presentations at the IBC conference open with Bob Harris, Chief Technology Officer, Channel 4 Television, but will also include: Robert M. Bakish, President & CEO, Viacom International Media Networks, Morten Hesseldahl, Executive Director of Cultural Affairs, DR, Danish Broadcasting Company, Keith Hindle, CEO, Digital and Branded Entertainment, Fremantle Media, Tony Wang, General Manager, Twitter, UK and others. IBC is owned by six industry partners that represent both exhibitors and visitors. They include: The International Association of Broadcasting Manufacturers, The Institution of Engineering and Technology, IEEE Broadcast Technology Society, The Royal Television Society, The Society of Cable Telecommunication Engineers, The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers.

San Diego Music Thing Conference and Festival opens September 13 for a two day run. Attendees can sharpen their skills and knowledge of the music business through interactive and roundtable sessions with notable panelists and featured speakers operating in the music business. Conference opening panel: "Music Industry 101: The Basics 2013", features speakers in discussion on what anyone needs to know about getting started in the business of music. Later that same day, another workshop session, "Dos and Don'ts of Music Distribution", covers setting up your music for sale in all formats and why YouTube is important to all performing music.

Planned day time activities include a trade show, happy hour parties, listening stations and pop up live performances, as well as a chance to meet and mingle with industry professionals and artists. Kim Gordon, a founding member of noise-rock band Sonic Youth -- and who has been involved in numerous collaborations with other artists and musicians makes a featured speaker presentation at the end of day one. Bands and music artists scheduled for performances include: Ra Ra Riot, New Politics, Titus Andonicus, Milo Greene, Fidlar, The Album Leaf, Unwritten Law, Mike Herrera, Wild Nothing, The Silent Comedy, LIttle Hurricane, Body/Head featuring Kim Gordon and over 150 more.

Chartered in 1991, conference organizer, the San Diego Music Foundation, was created to make music performance accessible to children of need in San Diego County by providing them with a hands-on vehicle, - the guitar - to express themselves creatively. Over its 20 year history, the organization has served K-8 students county-wide from Chula Vista to Fallbrook. In subsequent years the organization has broadened its focus and service areas, providing forums to increase local musicians' understanding of the music business, get performance exposure within the local and national music communities, and to publicly recognize the breadth and diversity of the San Diego music scene.

Oaxaca FilmFest, founded in the City of Oaxaca de Juarez in 2010, is intent on presenting works representative of achievement in cinema, creating opportunities for filmmakers, and providing audiences with outstanding entertainment. Planned for this year's festival running September 21-28, Oaxaca FilmFest 2013 has scheduled eight days of international film on par with those being exhibited anywhere in the world today, an international script writer symposium, special events, tours of the region, academic opportunities and those anticipated Oaxaca FilmFest after-parties. Other aspects of the festival include the program Academia -- a five day training program designed to enhance festival attendees' self-distribution skills for those that have producer ambitions. The festival also features "Pitch It", a platform that allows screenwriters to sell their scripts to industry executives around the globe in a designated meeting place.

Dubai Music Week is an annual B2B/B2C event dedicated to establishing the music industry in the region with: seminars, conferences and workshops, trade show and exhibition, live concerts, networking events and competitions connecting Middle East and Asia with Europe and North America. The six day event which opens September 24 is the brainchild of music impressario Quincy Jones and is also structured as a platform for rising artists and launching new talent. The convention will host the ‘Emirates World Exclusive Quincy Jones Seminars, and on September 25 Quincy Jones will invite music industry icons Timbaland and will.i.am on stage to discuss music production with fans, and to launch the first cross-over talent from across the region.

On September 24 at DMW, fans of Michael Jackson’s music will be able to hear directly from the multi-Grammy winning production team fueling the success of the King of Pop’s record-breaking albums -- 'Thriller', 'Off The Wall' and 'Bad'. Members of the team at this convention -- Quincy Jones, Rod Temperton, Bruce Swedien and Siedah Garrett -- offer reflections on the experience of producing the greatest selling albums of all time. On September 27 a Keynote Conference is scheduled and will be presented by Frank Cooper, Chief Marketing Officer at PepsiCo Global Consumer Engagement, PepsiCo, also Shridhar Subramaniam, President of Middle East and India at Sony Music Entertainment.

MIDEM, the renowned global music convention held in Cannes every year since 1967, is an official DMW Conference Partner. Dubai Music Week in association with MIDEM will present a series of Music Conferences and Workshops with senior executives and Founders of companies such as Anghami, Saavn, Times Music, Orange, Sacem and BMI. Conference organizer, G3 is a cross-cultural music and entertainment company with offices in Dubai and Los Angeles. Founded by legendary music producer Quincy Jones and Emirati social entrepreneur Badr Jafar, the company is launching a series of initiatives and productions that is attempting to change the future of the music industry and live entertainment in the Middle East and North African region.

Known as a one stop training, exposition and networking event, Digital Video Expo brings together a gathering of technology innovators and content creation professionals to downtown Los Angeles from September 25-26. The conference agenda has over 50 conference sessions in two conference programs covering content creation and storage. The Los Angeles Post Production Group will hold their monthly September meeting at DV Expo immediately following the close of the exhibit hall floor on September 25. Cocktails will be served. The meeting is free and open to all attendees of Digital Video Expo. A new free special event, Video Edge Live! is a conference program designed for professionals who produce and deliver online video for media and entertainment, enterprise, educational, and government applications. Pro Media Conference is back this year at Digital Video Expo. PMC motivates and engages participants through a series of papers, case studies, and networking opportunities. Introduced last year at Digital Video Expo, the Pro Media Conference is designed to educate, motivate and engage professionals working in media and entertainment, video and audio production, internet and mobile video, AV, government, corporate video environments, and IT.

The Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York City was founded in 1969 to celebrate American and international cinema, to recognize and support new filmmakers, and to enhance awareness, accessibility and understanding of the art among a broad and diverse film going audience. Annually, The Film Society at Lincoln Center presents two world-class international festivals – the New York Film Festival and New Directors/New Films (celebrating new cinematic artists). The Society will operate the New York Film Festival from September 27 through October 13 this year. And the Festival's Opening Night World Premiere is the Paul Greengrass directed, Sony Pictures release, 'Captain Phillips'. The festival is competitive with approximately 28 feature films in the Main Slate and 16 short films selected each year by a five person screening committee. Entry into NYFF and ND/NF is open to all filmmakers and all lengths and genres are considered. There are no categories and no prizes are awarded. The Society also publishes the cinematic journal, 'Film Comment', presents an annual Gala Tribute honoring legendary stars and industry leaders of this generation, and partners with Hollywood studios to present premieres and special live appearances at various times of the year.

The above events are only a sample of what is fully listed. Complete details are on the "Media, Entertainment and Performing Arts Industry News and Events" page at: http://www.actorschecklist.com/news.html. The events blog also shows links to pages that are translated into ten of the most widely used international languages read over the Internet other than English. This month's picture placement highlights "Soul Muzik" saxophonist, eZra brown (J. Quazi King, Nicole Norwood photo credit) on tour in Japan and the far east for the introduction of his debut solo album. If the photo does not appear in this post please click this link to view it. In a preview of next month's events, be aware that: Japanese Cultural and Anime Convention, Ochiba Con, will be in Oshawa. The New Orleans Film Society hosts their annual festival. The Adelaide Film Festival, in Glenside, opens. Colchester Film Festival 2013 featuring short film selections, opens in Colchester. MIA Animation Conference and Festival will be in Miami. The BMI London Awards will be in Hyde Park.