Detroit, MI – Mobsters, zombies, and beer, oh my! From horror movies to romantic comedies to independent art-house films, the First Annual Detroit Independent Film Festival (DIFF) offers thrilling entertainment for every movie fan. In celebration of Michigan’s outstanding filmmaking talent, the festival features over 80 films at Detroit’s Burton Theatre and Wayne State Theatre from March 2 through March 7, 2010. The DIFF will also host the First Annual Michigan Film Awards, with a ceremony that honors the very best Michigan shorts, features, and performances of 2009.

In support of Michigan’s burgeoning film industry, the DIFF is a valuable opportunity for independent filmmakers to showcase their work to an audience. The festival’s motto, "Filmmakers First," rings especially true, as filmmakers were able to submit their entries at no cost. The festival presents a diverse selection of films representing 11 countries, and consists of shorts, features, documentaries, and more. The Woman from Sarajevo relates the story of a Serbian family who hid a Jewish family during World War II, saving them from a certain death. Mango Tango features writer/director/actress Marianne Hettinger as Marlene, a New York City dance teacher who’s driven to therapy by the increasingly neurotic men she meets. Is It Just Me? is a gay romantic comedy about a single gay man looking for love, without much success. Another standout film is Michigan Film Award Best Feature Nominee, The Stevie Wonder Show, a satirical look at the power of reality TV and the fine line it creates between fame and infamy.

The Michigan Film Awards ceremony will take place on Saturday, March 6, at the Deroy Auditorium in Detroit. These awards represent the forefront of rising independent voices of film in Michigan. Selected by Michigan Film Industry professionals and film critics, the categories include: Best Feature, Best Short, Director, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Score, and Academic Short.

The festival will conclude at the Burton Theatre on Sunday, March 7, with a panel discussion entitled, "The Strategies, Pitfalls, and Politics of Film Festivals." Hosted by ...Read More

The folks behind MovieRetriever.com are back raising money for the Children's Leukemia Foundation of Michigan (one of our favorite charities) again this fall and we really need your help. We managed to collect just over $1,500 last year and we want to beat that this year! But we're getting ahead of ourselves aren't we? How about a little back story ...Read More

In a series of exclusive interviews that we'll publish in full on Monday and Tuesday of next week, both star Sharlto Copley and director Neil Blomkamp revealed that they would both be interested in a sequel to the already-buzzed and well-reviewed District 9 if the opportunity presents itself.

Copley expressed no hesitation when asked if he would return to filmmaking duty if

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MovieRetriever.com is for movie hounds looking for the next great movie to watch, at home or in the theater. Our irreverent Barks with Bite blog delivers honest movie reviews, interviews with cast members and more, all with a snarky disposition to keep your tail wagging!

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MovieRetriever.com Editors Mike Tyrkus and Tom Burns (Turk182 and CoolerKing to the cognoscenti) were guests of The Internet Advisor radio talkshow on WJR in Detroit, Michigan over the weekend. Over the course of the half-hour interview, they discussed the 2009 Academy Awards as well as the history of the site and the general goings on at MovieRetriever.com with the hosts

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The folks behind MovieRetriever.com are raising money for the Children's Leukemia Foundation of Michigan this summer and would like to ask for your help. First, a little back story to set the mood....

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Welcome to MovieRetriever.com! To celebrate our arrival on the Web, we’re giving away three copies of VideoHound’s Golden Movie Retriever 2008 every week until July 6, 2008.

 

Because we want you to have fun on our site and not be assaulted with countless rules or be forced to jump through a never-ending series of contractual hoops, we’ve made

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Toss a bone down the street every morning, and the Hound will come running back with his favorite news stories from the Hollywood trades and beyond. It's a lot easier than paying for subscriptions.

• Guillermo del Toro has been announced as the director of The Hobbit and its sequel which will be overseen by executive producer Peter Jackson. (Comcast) The Hound couldn’t be more

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Cut the ribbon, pop the champagne, and put down some newspaper, VideoHound has finally made it to the internet with MovieRetriever.com! For those of you unfamiliar with us, VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever has been around for almost 20 years, featuring over 28,000 movie reviews and the coolest, funkiest, and paws-down BEST indexes in all of movie-dom. Sure, Roger Ebert and Leonard Maltin do the same thing—if you can wade through

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Toss a bone down the street every morning, and the Hound will come running back with his favorite news stories from the Hollywood trades and beyond. We don’t understand it either. Maybe we should get him a shock collar.

• Comics guru Frank Miller (he of 300 and Sin City Fame) is in talks to write

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