US Briefs: GEMS honour for Marcos Carnevale

Marcos Carnevale collected the career Precious GEMS Award on Sunday as the four-day GEMS festival ended under the auspices of the Miami International Film Festival.

Carnevale, the director of such films as Inseparables, Elsa y Fred and Corazón de León, took part in an on-stage conversation looking back on his work.

The Gems Audience prize went to Ken Loach’s I, Daniel Blake.

• Robert De Niro will receive the Film Society Of Lincoln Center’s Chaplin Award on May 8, 2017, and take part in a career tribute. De Niro stars in The Comedian, which will premiere at AFI FEST on November 11 and opens in North America through Sony Pictures Classics.
• Aisling Walsh’s Maudie has won the 35th Vancouver International Film Festival’s Super Channel People’s Choice Award. Ken Loach’s I, Daniel Blake won the VIFF Most Popular International Feature, Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s Human the VIFF Most Popular International Documentary, and Pete McCormack’s Spirit Unforgettable the VIFF Most Popular Canadian Documentary. The festival wrapped on Friday.
• Inception Media Group has signed a multi-year deal to serve as exclusive US television distributor for German-based documentary producer Autentic Distribution. The agreement also provides Inception with digital, non-theatrical and home video rights for the US market. Titles in the Autentic catalogue include Children Of Dictators, Mafia Queens, Gallipoli 1915 and Great Underground War.
• Santa Barbara International Film Festival top brass will present their 2017 Virtuosos Award on Februay 4, 2017, to Aaron Taylor Johnson (Nocturnal Animals), Dev Patel (Lion), Janelle Monáe (Hidden Figures, Moonlight), Mahershala Ali (Moonlight), Naomie Harris (Moonlight), Ruth Negga (Loving), Simon Helberg (Florence Foster Jenkins), and Stephen Henderson (Fences). 
• Breaking Glass Pictures has acquired North American rights to Nick Corporon’s debut feature film Retake and plans a theatrical premiere in Los Angeles followed by VOD and DVD release early in the first quarter of 2017. CEO Rich Wolff negotiated the deal with directors-producers Nick Corporon and Collin Brazie, and Producer Sean Mandell.
• Los Angeles and Seoul-based Digital talent network and entertainment studio Collab has launched its international formats business by licensing South Korean television titles 2 Days & 1 Night and Safety First for North and South America.
• Gravitas Ventures has acquired worldwide VOD rights to Almost Adults from producer Rebecca Swift. Sarah Rotella directed from a script by Adrianna DiLonardo. The film was funded through Kickstarter and just premiered at the Austin Film Festival. It will launch in VOD in February.