We recently learned that John has won the 2013 Lifetime Achievement PROGIE Award from The Progressive. John shares this award with co-winner Robert Redford. The Progressive writes: Since 1979’s “The Return of the Secaucus Seven” — a look back at ’60s student radicalism — writer/director John Sayles has displayed a singular, independent vision. 1983’s “Lianna” dealt with lesbianism long before it was chic to do so; 1984’s “The Brother From Another Planet” tackled racism; while

The Australian literary phenomenon Women of Letters is bringing their incredible cultural salon to New York for the very first time, with two events next week! John at SXSW with Marieke Hardy, co-founder of Women Of Letters. You might remember that John was part of the People of Letters event last year at SXSW in Austin, where the theme was “To the Thing I Wish I’d Written.”  John presented a letter to the Star-Spangled Banner.  Co-curated by Michaela McGuire and Marieke Hard

John and Maggie have spent February in Hawaii, teaching master classes and doing Q&As at the University of Hawaii at Manoa (where John has been in residence as the 2014 Inouye Chair in Democratic Ideals). Now that their time on the islands is wrapping up, Maggie sends us this greeting, and an artist shout-out. Greeting from sunny Oahu! I won’t rub it in just to say I am so happy to be away from snow. We’d like to acknowledge Shepard Fairey and thank him for designing the John

Please take a look at this forthcoming project from Cesar Alejandro, an old friend of John and Maggie’s who played the fighting cock trainer in AMIGO. Cesar is working to make a documentary about the life and art of Luis Jimenez, the first Latino/Hispanic sculptor to come to National and International prominence in the United States. Luis opened roads when there were none, back in the 60s, when embracing your roots and surviving weren’t two things that could go well together.

GO FOR SISTERS has officially opened in cities coast-to-coast, to sold-out houses and fantastic press! But the film’s journey is far from over. New cities have been added all across the US, and we’re  happy to announce all the places you’ll be able to catch John’s newest film in the coming months! Up-to-the-minute theatre listings can always be found at: goforsistersmovie.com/#theaters And you can also find ticket information at the link above. GO FOR SISTERS Upcoming Playdat

You may have heard that today is Giving Tuesday, which is the charitable giving cohort to shopping on Black Friday. In the spirit of Giving Tuesday, we’d like to draw attention to the great work of the Amigo For Bohol team, and also encourage you to help the people of the Philippines today if you are able. Joel Torre and AMIGO cast/crew members being interviewed by local TV at the benefit screening We have pictures and a report from the AMIGO benefit screenings that took plac

You will remember that last month a massive 7.2 earthquake hit the Bohol Province of the Philippines, where AMIGO was filmed.  Many of the cast and crew members of AMIGO were affected by this catastrophic event.  The Amigo Para Sa Bohol (“Amigo for Bohol”) effort was created to use benefit screenings of the film to collect monetary and physical donations for victims of the national disaster. As you have no doubt heard, this region is once again in the news due to Super Typhoo

Members of the AMIGO cast and crew You will remember that last month a massive 7.2 earthquake hit the Bohol Province of the Philippines, where AMIGO was filmed.  Many of the cast and crew members of AMIGO were affected by this catastrophic event.  The Amigo Para Sa Bohol (“Amigo for Bohol”) effort was created to use benefit screenings of the film to collect monetary and physical donations for victims of the national disaster. Screenings have been scheduled for: Friday, Novemb

As we told you yesterday, a recent massive 7.2 earthquake hit the Bohol Province of the Philippines, where AMIGO was filmed.  Many of the cast and crew members of AMIGO have been affected by this catastrophic event. Read the full story here. In order to help, Maggie and John are teaming up with the University of the Philippines Film Institute to raise awareness and supplies with benefit screenings of AMIGO.  These screenings will raise funds, as well as serve as a drop off lo

As you may have heard, a few days ago a massive 7.2 earthquake hit the Bohol Province of the Philippines, where AMIGO was filmed.  Many of the cast and crew members of AMIGO have been affected by this catastrophic event. “The 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit Bohol and other areas in Central Visayas is now recorded as one of the deadliest in our recent history, with the death toll at over 170 and rising. Hundreds of residences – including centuries-old houses of worship — wer

Check out this seriously cool animation from a research scientist — good filmmaking can happen anywhere. The filmmaker/scientist, Sophia Tintori, is the daughter of Mary Cybulski, who shot stills on AMIGO and has been John’s script supervisor on a lot of other movies.  Her Creature Cast series (click here for more) was recently mentioned in the NY Times Science section: A Brown University scientist, Dr. Dunn has added animation director to his list of titles over the last fou

John Sayles has been called “The Godfather of American Independent Cinema,” and has always been known for finding a way to make the movies he wants to make, the way he wants to make them. In this day and age of digital media and web-based content, some of the most determined up-and-coming indie filmmakers are finding a new avenue for storytelling: the web series.  While self-producing a web series may not follow the exact same set of steps as creating a TV show or movie, some

Exciting news, Sayles Fans! Our friends at Variance Films, who did such a great job releasing Amigo, have picked up John’s 18th feature film, GO FOR SISTERS! GO FOR SISTERS premiered at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin back in March, and now the rest of the country will get a chance to see the story of Bernice and Fontayne. Official Poster About the Film: Bernice Stokes and Fontayne Gamble grew up the closest of friends. After high school Bernice got into social services and

Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts is the alma mater of both John Sayles and Maggie Renzi. In 1993, on the college’s 200th anniversary, Williams established its Bicentennial Medals to honor accomplished alumni for distinguished achievement in any field of endeavor. This year, both John (class of ’72) and Maggie (class of ’73) will be honored at the September 7th Fall Convocation for their work as “creative partners and pioneers in independent film.” President Fal

Chris Cooper and John on the set of “Amigo” On July 19th at 6:30pm, John, Maggie, and actor Chris Cooper will attend a special screening of Amigo in Plymouth, MA. There will be a Q&A after the screening. Get more information here. Reservations recommended. Call 508-746-1622 x 8346 for tickets or purchase online by clicking here. $20 General Admission $15 Plimouth Plantation Museum Members, Senior Citizens & Students Need Dinner? Reserve a special box dinner for just $12. All

Remember when John and Maggie went to Australia to be mentors for Film Victoria?  They stayed in a lovely Victorian spa town called Hepburn Springs, ate great food and drank great wine (Maggie) while each day having a couple of meetings with teams of filmmakers to discuss their scripts? Well one of the teams they mentored has a film opening in the U.S. and on demand tomorrow! It’s a crazy horror/comedy called 100 BLOODY ACRES. Watch the trailer below, and click here for the m

All of you fans of AMIGO and particularly the AMIGO cast and crew will be glad to know that Baryo San Isidro lives. Under the direction of Cooper Resabal, the Baryo Living Museum incorporates our sets and costumes and many of the villagers who worked as extras in the movie. Don’t they look wonderful? Thanks, Coop. You can read more about the BLM on our blog by clicking here, and on the Baryo Amigo HQ blog by clicking here. #gallery-1 { margin: auto; } #gallery-1

Back in April, John was part of an event at The Center for Transpacific Studies at USC called Troubled Ocean: Filmmakers Imagine the Pacific, along with director Vilsoni Hereniko. Photo Credit: Chris Santiago The Pacific has a vivid hold on the European and American imagination as a paradise, as a vast region of exploration, as a mystery. It has also been a place of conquest, colonization and war. In a one-day festival, screenings and discussions with filmmakers John Sayles a

Ebbe Strathairn, longtime friend of John and Maggie, is an architecture graduate student at Columbia University, and a co-creator of this very cool project. The A:LOG is a tool for architects: part handy reference, part true-to-scale dot grid for drawings and notes. Designed with a minimalist aesthetic, the A:LOG has a soft letter pressed cover and perfect stitch binding. It features the highest quality paper and a ruler bookmark insert. A:LOG also comes in imperial (US) and

On June 15th, John will be reading at the upcoming Four Way Books Pig Roast in Millbrook, NY. Four Way Books is a nonprofit literary press based out of NYC’s Tribeca, publishing 11-13 books of poetry and short fiction each year. Please join as we celebrate Four Way Books’s 20th anniversary with an afternoon pig roast in the beautiful Hudson Valley. The day will feature delicious food (including a great vegetarian option) and drinks, and short readings from friends and authors