North American briefs: Miami fest, Google set seminar series

Miami Dade College’s Miami International Film Festival has struck a partnership with Google on a seminar series addressing gender and racial gaps in the film industry. Festival top brass additionally announced 21 features in the line-up, all of which are directed by women. The 33rd edition of the festival runs from March 4-13. Click here for the full roster.

• The US premiere of The Little Prince and Marguerite bookend the Santa Barbara International Film Festival presented by UGG, set to run from February 3-13. The festival will present 52 world premieres and 53 US premieres and the programme includes the US premiere of Terrance Malick’s Knight Of Cups. For the full line-up of films and honourees click here.
• Sundance Institute has announced the festival juries featuring Edinburgh International Film Festival artistic director and former Screen International head critic Mark Adams on the World Cinema Dramatic jury alongside Mexican critic and programmer Fernanda Solorzano and Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul. To see all juries click here.
• Magnolia Pictures has acquired worldwide rights from Submarine to Danny Says and will commence international sales at EFM. Brendan Toller’s documentary chronicles the life of rock legend Danny Fields. Magnolia plans a theatrical launch later in the year.
• Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival and Blue Ice Group have selected eight African film projects to receive a total of $125,000 in development and production grants from the Hot Docs-Blue Ice Group Documentary Fund in its fifth round of disbursements. Click here for the full list of grantees.
• Danny Glover and John C. McGinley have joined Wrenn Schmidt and Zachary Spicer on Pigasus Pictures’ rom-com The Good Catholic. Paul Shoulberg wrote and will commence directing in Indiana at the end of the month.
• Paramount Pictures has promoted Jordan Park Peed to evp of international creative advertising and digital marketing. He will report to president of international marketing and distribution Nic Crawley.