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

This March, John and Maggie will be attending the 54th FICCI film festival in Colombia. The FICCI will be presenting a retrospective of ten John Sayles films, as well as a roundtable discussion with John on March 18th. From the press release: Two time, Oscar-nominated American actor, director and screenwriter John Sayles will be at the 54th FICCI along with the very best of his films and will be part of a roundtable discussion at Salón FICCI. If Sayles’ films could be describ

We have had an update on the goings-on in Bohol, Philippines, from Cooper Resabal (our Second Second Assistant Director and John’s Assistant on the AMIGO set): We’re excited to tell you that we have re-launched our project [formerly the Baryo Living Museum] as Bol-anon Village Cultural Trails.  The Baryo Amigo Cultural Troupe are playing a big role in providing people not just in playing the 1900s scenarios we require, but also in cooking Boholano cuisine, singing Bohol songs

John and Maggie will be spending most of the month of February at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. John will be in residency as the 2014 Inouye Chair in Democratic Ideals, and he and Maggie will both be giving master classes to students. In addition, the American Studies Department has been presenting John Sayles Film series, co-sponsored by the College of Arts & Humanities and the Academy for Creative Media. The film series will conclude on February 13th with a screening o

John and Maggie will be in attendance at the 2014 Modern Language Association (MLA) Convention in Chicago, January 9-12. If you’re in Chicago, be sure to check out the following events: A screening of Eight Men Out Thursday, Jan 9 @ 6:30pm — Grand I, Chicago Marriott John Sayles and Maggie Renzi: A Creative Conversation Saturday, Jan 11 @ 10:15am — Chicago E, Chicago Marriott MLA Awards Ceremony Saturday, Jan 11 @ 6:45pm — Sheraton IV-V, Sheraton Chicago You can see a list

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

Since Variance Films became our distributor for John’s newest film GO FOR SISTERS, they’ve been hard at work on getting the word out about the movie, in advance of its November release (see dates/cities at goforsistersmovie.com). This preparation has included a new trailer (released on Yahoo! Movies) and a new poster (released on Fandango) for the film.  Check them out below! You can also click here to sign up for Fandango Fan Alerts to let you know when GO FOR SISTERS comes

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

We are thrilled to announce that John and Maggie have recently found a new home for over 230 boxes of screenplays, story boards, photos, props, notes, legal documents and other materials which span John’s 34-year movie making career. John and Maggie on the set of Sunshine State in 2002 These materials have been donated to the University of Michigan’s Special Collections Library, for the creation of the John Sayles Archive. Maggie says, “We chose the University of Michigan ove

As we told you last month, Variance Films has picked up John’s 18th feature film, GO FOR SISTERS, and the movie will be released on screens around the country very soon! Where, you ask, and when? Will John be doing any Q&As? Read on! GO FOR SISTERS Playdates October 4th @ 8:30pm || Woodstock Film Festival || Woodstock, NY (click here for info) October 6th @ 5:40pm || Scottsdale International Film Festival || Scottsdale, AZ (click here for info) October 16th @ 6:30pm || Santa

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

Back in March, John Sayles premiered his 18th feature film, GO FOR SISTERS, at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin. After screenings, he answered questions from sold-out crowds about the making of the movie, his career in film, and upcoming projects. In this Q&A, John talks about his fascination with the Border, and how it plays a role in GO FOR SISTERS and his other films. Head over to our YouTube channel for more new Q&A videos from SXSW!  www.YouTube.com/TheJohnSaylesChannel

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