Fuck Off 2 – Images from Finland[/caption]
The documentary program for this year’s 60th Nordische Filmtage Lübeck (Oct. 30 – Nov. 4, 2018) promises to deliver an exciting cross-section of films on ways of life in the Nordic and Baltic countries, as well as vivid histories in Europe over the last 100 years. Of the 28 documentaries in the section, 16 will be in the running for the Documentary Film Prize awarded by the Lübeck trade unions.The award, to be presented at the 60th Nordic Film Days Lübeck on November 3, 2018, is given to a “socially and politically committed film”.
Among this year’s documentarians is one of Finland’s most renowned directors and producers, Jörn Donner, who attempts in “Fuck Off 2 – Images from Finland” (FIN 2017) to capture the enormous changes that have occurred in the country since he made the classic documentary “Fuck Off – Images from Finland” in 1971. As he journeyed around the country and spoke with a wide diversity of people, he shed light on immense income disparity, rural depopulation, and attitudes towards migrants – subjects that are also addressed in some of the section’s other films. Jörn Donner, born in 1933, will be guest in Lübeck. Husband and wife team Janus Metz and Sine Plambech, who won the NFL Documentary prize in 2009, have also made a sequel of sorts with “Heartbound – a Different Kind of Love Story” (DEN/HOL/SWE 2018). The film shows an anthropological bent as it looks at marriages between Danes and Thais, providing deep insight into those special inter-cultural relationships in Denmark’s northern reaches.
The films in the documentary section also look at other topical issues, such as the de-population of isolated European regions in “Estonian Stories. Kerro 40” (EST 2017) and “690 Vopnafjörður” (ICE 2017). The ramifications of technological progress for residents is the subject of “The River, My Friend” (SWI 2018) and “The Illuminators”, while changes to the working world in traditional trades such as commercial fishing play a role in “The Ocean – Fishing with Love” (DEN/FAR 2018) and “The Last in a Line of Fishermen” (SWE 2018).
Lastly, the rise and fall of a modern high-tech company is examined in “Nokia Mobile – We Were Connecting People” (FIN/NOR/GER 2017).
The importance of a structured life, education, and school systems for children and young adults is the subject of the two films “14 Cases” (EST 2017) and “To Be Continued” (LAT 2018), while by contrast, “My Heart Belongs to Daddy” (NOR/SWE 2018) and “The Night” (NOR/BEL/SWE 2017) look at the effects of drug addiction on families.
Among the films that look back at history are “Bad Circumstances” (DEN 2018), about the conquest of Greenland, and “The Raven and the Seagull” (DEN/GL 2018) about the relationship between colony and colonial powers. Other films on historical subjects are “The Eyes of a War” (FIN 2018) by Jouko Aaltonen and Seppo Rustanius, about child soldiers in Finland’s civil war, as well as “Iceland Defense Force – Cold War Frontier” (ICE 2017), in which directors Guðbergur Davíðsson and Konráð Gylfason take a close look at a NATO base in Keflavik, Iceland.
The 100th anniversary of the founding of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, as well as Icelandic independence provides the perfect occasion for other films in the documentary section. For instance, directors Raimo Jõeran and Kiur Aarma look back at the first Estonian government, portraying it as a wild “Rodeo” (EST/FIN 2018). “Bridges of Time” (LAT/LIT/EST 2018) also brings back memories – in this case of the Baltic New Wave cinema that provided a counterpoint to the official Soviet film regime of the time. It’s a documentary about documentaries whose directors developed a poetic cinematic language in the 1960s. One of those filmmakers is Lette Ivars Seleckis, born in 1934, who is expected in Lübeck this year, where he will not only join director Kristine Briede to present “Bridges of Time”, but also screen his newest documentary “To Be Continued” (LAT 2018), which observes Latvian children as they go through their first school year.
A very special relationship is at the centre of this year’s Master Class on “Reality and Morality”, which focusses on the latest documentary by Norwegian director Erik Poppe, who recently created a bit of a sensation with “U – July 22” (NOR 2018, showing this year in the Specials section). In “Per Fugelli – I Die” (NOR 2018), Poppe accompanies his friend, the Norwegian physician and public health pioneer, through the final stages of Fugelli’s fatal cancer. The resulting film is both profound and absorbing. Erik Poppe himself will be at the Master Class to talk with young filmmakers about how to deal with highly sensitive subjects, and the filmmaker’s responsibility to his protagonists. He will also discuss the use of narrative filmmaking methods on documentary storytelling.
Film Festivals
-
60th Nordic Film Days Lübeck Documentary Lineup Focused on Life in Nordic and Baltic Countries
[caption id="attachment_32252" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Fuck Off 2 – Images from Finland[/caption]
The documentary program for this year’s 60th Nordische Filmtage Lübeck (Oct. 30 – Nov. 4, 2018) promises to deliver an exciting cross-section of films on ways of life in the Nordic and Baltic countries, as well as vivid histories in Europe over the last 100 years. Of the 28 documentaries in the section, 16 will be in the running for the Documentary Film Prize awarded by the Lübeck trade unions.The award, to be presented at the 60th Nordic Film Days Lübeck on November 3, 2018, is given to a “socially and politically committed film”.
Among this year’s documentarians is one of Finland’s most renowned directors and producers, Jörn Donner, who attempts in “Fuck Off 2 – Images from Finland” (FIN 2017) to capture the enormous changes that have occurred in the country since he made the classic documentary “Fuck Off – Images from Finland” in 1971. As he journeyed around the country and spoke with a wide diversity of people, he shed light on immense income disparity, rural depopulation, and attitudes towards migrants – subjects that are also addressed in some of the section’s other films. Jörn Donner, born in 1933, will be guest in Lübeck. Husband and wife team Janus Metz and Sine Plambech, who won the NFL Documentary prize in 2009, have also made a sequel of sorts with “Heartbound – a Different Kind of Love Story” (DEN/HOL/SWE 2018). The film shows an anthropological bent as it looks at marriages between Danes and Thais, providing deep insight into those special inter-cultural relationships in Denmark’s northern reaches.
The films in the documentary section also look at other topical issues, such as the de-population of isolated European regions in “Estonian Stories. Kerro 40” (EST 2017) and “690 Vopnafjörður” (ICE 2017). The ramifications of technological progress for residents is the subject of “The River, My Friend” (SWI 2018) and “The Illuminators”, while changes to the working world in traditional trades such as commercial fishing play a role in “The Ocean – Fishing with Love” (DEN/FAR 2018) and “The Last in a Line of Fishermen” (SWE 2018).
Lastly, the rise and fall of a modern high-tech company is examined in “Nokia Mobile – We Were Connecting People” (FIN/NOR/GER 2017).
The importance of a structured life, education, and school systems for children and young adults is the subject of the two films “14 Cases” (EST 2017) and “To Be Continued” (LAT 2018), while by contrast, “My Heart Belongs to Daddy” (NOR/SWE 2018) and “The Night” (NOR/BEL/SWE 2017) look at the effects of drug addiction on families.
Among the films that look back at history are “Bad Circumstances” (DEN 2018), about the conquest of Greenland, and “The Raven and the Seagull” (DEN/GL 2018) about the relationship between colony and colonial powers. Other films on historical subjects are “The Eyes of a War” (FIN 2018) by Jouko Aaltonen and Seppo Rustanius, about child soldiers in Finland’s civil war, as well as “Iceland Defense Force – Cold War Frontier” (ICE 2017), in which directors Guðbergur Davíðsson and Konráð Gylfason take a close look at a NATO base in Keflavik, Iceland.
The 100th anniversary of the founding of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, as well as Icelandic independence provides the perfect occasion for other films in the documentary section. For instance, directors Raimo Jõeran and Kiur Aarma look back at the first Estonian government, portraying it as a wild “Rodeo” (EST/FIN 2018). “Bridges of Time” (LAT/LIT/EST 2018) also brings back memories – in this case of the Baltic New Wave cinema that provided a counterpoint to the official Soviet film regime of the time. It’s a documentary about documentaries whose directors developed a poetic cinematic language in the 1960s. One of those filmmakers is Lette Ivars Seleckis, born in 1934, who is expected in Lübeck this year, where he will not only join director Kristine Briede to present “Bridges of Time”, but also screen his newest documentary “To Be Continued” (LAT 2018), which observes Latvian children as they go through their first school year.
A very special relationship is at the centre of this year’s Master Class on “Reality and Morality”, which focusses on the latest documentary by Norwegian director Erik Poppe, who recently created a bit of a sensation with “U – July 22” (NOR 2018, showing this year in the Specials section). In “Per Fugelli – I Die” (NOR 2018), Poppe accompanies his friend, the Norwegian physician and public health pioneer, through the final stages of Fugelli’s fatal cancer. The resulting film is both profound and absorbing. Erik Poppe himself will be at the Master Class to talk with young filmmakers about how to deal with highly sensitive subjects, and the filmmaker’s responsibility to his protagonists. He will also discuss the use of narrative filmmaking methods on documentary storytelling.
-
AFI FEST 2018 Announces Special Screenings, Cinema’s Legacy and Midnight Lineup
[caption id="attachment_27928" align="aligncenter" width="923"]
Everybody Knows (Todos Lo Saben) by Asghar Farhadi[/caption]
Some of the most highly anticipated films and episodic series will play in the Special Screenings, Cinema’s Legacy and Midnight sections at AFI FEST 2018 presented by Audi.
Narrative features screening in the Special Screenings section are COLD WAR (DIR Paweł Pawlikowski), EVERYBODY KNOWS (DIR Asghar Farhadi), THE FAVOURITE (DIR Yorgos Lanthimos), ROMA (DIR Alfonso Cuarón), the North American Premiere of STAN & OLLIE (DIR Jon S. Baird), UNDER THE SILVER LAKE (DIR David Robert Mitchell) and VOX LUX (DIR Brady Corbet). Documentaries screening are THE COLD BLUE (DIR Erik Nelson) and DIVIDE AND CONQUER: THE STORY OF ROGER AILES (DIR Alexis Bloom). Also screening are are an episode of the docuseries ENEMIES: THE PRESIDENT, JUSTICE & THE FBI (DIR Jed Rothstein), and the World Premiere of the first episode of the limited series I AM THE NIGHT (DIR Patty Jenkins, AFI Class of 2000).
In this year’s Cinema’s Legacy program, AFI FEST highlights films directed by women. This section is a celebration of motion picture history and a special opportunity to screen recent restorations of classic and lesser-known films. The festival spotlights six independent filmmakers across subjects and genres, including two world-premiere restorations, and newly struck 16mm presentations: THE CRUZ BROTHERS AND MISS MALLOY (DIR Kathleen Collins, 1980), DRYLONGSO (DIR Cauleen Smith, 1998), THE JUNIPER TREE (DIR Nietzchka Keene, 1990), MEETINGS OF ANNA (DIR Chantal Akerman, 1978), NITRATE KISSES (DIR Barbara Hammer, 1992) and QUEEN OF DIAMONDS (DIR Nina Menkes, 1991).
The Midnight section features an international selection of macabre and provocative genre films: CAM (DIR Daniel Goldhaber), IN FABRIC (DIR Peter Strickland), KNIFE+HEART (DIR Yann Gonzalez) and PIERCING (DIR Nicolas Pesce).
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
THE COLD BLUE – In 1943, legendary Hollywood director William Wyler crafted MEMPHIS BELLE, a celebrated tribute to the titular WWII bomber. Using footage from the National Archives shot by Wyler and his team of cinematographers, director Erik Nelson has crafted a new film, featuring gripping narration from some of the last surviving B-17 pilots. A meditation on youth, war and stunning bravery. DIR Erik Nelson. USA. The film will be followed by Wyler’s THE MEMPHIS BELLE: A STORY OF A FLYING FORTRESS (1943). This screening in celebration of Veterans’ Day has been underwritten by the Cecil B. DeMille Foundation. COLD WAR – Zula and Wiktor meet in a provincial talent search in a love story that traverses borders and years. In this stunning black-and-white depiction of 1950s Poland, two unlikely people find love at an almost impossible cost. DIR Paweł Pawlikowski. SCR Paweł Pawlikowski, Janusz Glowacki. CAST Joanna Kulig, Tomasz Kot, Borys Szyc, Agata Kulesza, Cédric Kahn, Jeanne Balibar. Poland, UK, France DIVIDE AND CONQUER: THE STORY OF ROGER AILES – This documentary explores the rise and fall of the late Roger Ailes, a Republican Party heavyweight. From his early media influence on the Nixon presidency to his controversial leadership at Fox News, director Alexis Bloom documents the creation of his media empire and how Ailes was one of the earliest giants toppled by accusations of sexual harassment and the #MeToo movement. DIR Alexis Bloom. USA ENEMIES: THE PRESIDENT, JUSTICE & THE FBI – In this preview of the four-part documentary series inspired by Tim Weiner’s book, “Enemies: A History of the FBI,” director Jed Rothstein and executive producer Alex Gibney examine the complex history of conflict between the FBI and U.S. presidents, as well as stories of abuse of power from within the bureau. DIR Jed Rothstein. SCR Tim Weiner. USA EVERYBODY KNOWS (TODOS LO SABEN) – Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem turn in brilliant performances as longtime friends who must come together when a brutal event sends their families into crisis. EVERYBODY KNOWS is Asghar Farhadi’s skillful suspense saga that keeps the screws turning while sacrificing none of the layered drama for which the Iranian auteur has become known. DIR Asghar Farhadi. SCR Asghar Farhadi. CAST Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Ricardo Darín, Eduard Fernández, Bárbara Lennie, Inma Cuesta, Elvira Mínguez, Ramón Barea, Carla Campra, Sara Sálamo, Roger Casamajor, José Ángel Egido. Spain, France, Italy THE FAVOURITE – Director Yorgos Lanthimos showcases his uniquely dark humor with a royal story of intrigue, jealousy and betrayal. Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) sits on the throne in the early18th century, while her close friend, Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz), governs behind the curtain and tends to her capricious moods. When a new servant named Abigail (Emma Stone) arrives, she charms her way into the women’s lives, discovering secrets and provoking rivalries. DIR Yorgos Lanthimos. SCR Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara. CAST Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, Nicholas Hoult, Joe Alwyn, James Smith, Mark Gatiss, Jenny Rainsford. USA I AM THE NIGHT – Inspired by true events, this TNT limited series tells the incredible story of Fauna Hodel, a teenage girl given away at birth, growing up outside of Reno, Nevada. Fauna has always lived with her contradictions and her mysterious origins, until she makes a discovery that leads her to question everything. As Fauna begins to investigate the secrets of her past, she meets a ruined reporter, haunted by the case that undid him. Together they follow a sinister trail that swirls ever closer to an infamous Los Angeles gynecologist, Dr. George Hodel, a man involved in some of Hollywood’s darkest debauchery, and possibly, its most infamous unsolved crime. DIR Patty Jenkins. SCR Sam Sheridan. CAST Chris Pine, India Eisley, Jefferson Mays, Dylan Smith, Leland Orser, Yul Vazquez, Justin Cornwell, Golden Brooks, Jay Paulson and Connie Nielsen. USA ROMA – Alfonso Cuarón’s ROMA is a semi-autobiographical recounting of one year in the life of an upper-middle-class family in Mexico City in the 1970s. From the perspective of their live-in maid and nanny Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio, in an exceptionally subtle yet powerful performance), this profoundly compassionate and humanistic portrait delivers a transcendent masterwork from one of our greatest living filmmakers. DIR Alfonso Cuarón. SCR Alfonso Cuarón. CAST Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira. Mexico, USA STAN & OLLIE – The true story of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, the world’s two biggest stars, and how they fell from grace and lost not only their fortunes but their friendship. Delightful performances from Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly as the titular duo transport audiences to Hollywood’s Golden Age. DIR Jon S. Baird. SCR Jeff Pope. CAST John C. Reilly, Steve Coogan, Stephanie Hyam, Shirley Henderson. UK, Canada, USA UNDER THE SILVER LAKE – A killer cast leads this highly anticipated noir from David Robert Mitchell, one of our most exciting directors. Hidden beneath the surface of the lives of the young and beautiful in Los Angeles lurks a sinister code to unlocking everything. DIR David Robert Mitchell. SCR David Robert Mitchell. CAST Andrew Garfield, Riley Keough, Topher Grace, Zosia Mamet, Callie Hernandez, Patrick Fischler, Grace Van Patten. USA VOX LUX – In Brady Corbet’s assured and razor-edged second directorial feature, Natalie Portman stars as Celeste, a jaded pop star who as a teen was a survivor of a Staten Island school shooting. Now, when Celeste’s most popular music video is the inspiration for another mass shooting, she must contend with the link between her past and present. DIR Brady Corbet. SCR Brady Corbet. CAST Natalie Portman, Jennifer Ehle, Jude Law, Stacy Martin, Raffey Cassidy. USACINEMA’S LEGACY
THE CRUZ BROTHERS AND MISS MALLOY – This charming feature debut from recently rediscovered filmmaker Kathleen Collins (LOSING GROUND), THE CRUZ BROTHERS AND MISS MALLOY follows three Puerto Rican brothers who, under the watchful eye of their father’s ghost, are enlisted to help an eccentric elderly widow restore her home before her own anticipated death. DIR Kathleen Collins. SCR Kathleen Collins, Henry H. Roth, Jo Tavener. CAST Rae Ferguson, Sylvia Field, Cesar Gonzalez, Susan Hurst, Susan Lukas, Jose Machado. USA DRYLONGSO – While photographing “America’s most endangered species” — the African-American male — Pica Sullivan encounters Tobi, disguised in men’s clothing to avoid her abusive boyfriend. Like its title, DRYLONGSO — an old term meaning “ordinary” — the issues addressed in Cauleen Smith’s powerful and little-seen 1998 film remain appallingly ordinary to young African-American men and women. New 16mm print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive. DIR Cauleen Smith. SCR Salim Akil, Cauleen Smith. CAST Toby Smith, April Barnett, Will Power. USA THE JUNIPER TREE (EINITREO) – This beautiful restoration exhumes Nietzchka Keene’s unheralded debut, a feminist interpretation of the Brothers Grimm fairytale that underscores the uncertain safety of women in a patriarchal society. Filmed in Iceland, this atmospheric fantasy features a 20-year-old Björk as Margit, who escapes with her sister Katla when their mother is killed for practicing witchcraft. DIR Nietzchka Keene. SCR Nietzchka Keene. CAST Björk Gudmundsdottir, Bryndis Petra Bragadottir, Valdimar Orn Flygenring, Gudrun S. Gisladottir, Geirlaug Sunna Pormar. Iceland MEETINGS OF ANNA (LES RENDEZ-VOUS D’ANNA) – In Chantal Akerman’s 1978 masterwork, Anna (Aurore Clément) is a respected Belgian filmmaker on a no-frills European tour promoting her latest film. As Anna travels from city to city, she has a series of startling encounters with different men and women, all of which seem to underscore her uneasy place in an increasingly dreary and anonymous Western Europe. DIR Chantal Akerman. SCR Chantal Akerman. CAST Aurore Clément, Helmut Griem, Magali Noël. France, Belgium, West Germany NITRATE KISSES – The debut feature from celebrated filmmaker Barbara Hammer, NITRATE KISSES is an experimental excavation of queer histories, a celebration of difference across communities and a lament for histories lost to cultural repression. New 16mm print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive. DIR Barbara Hammer. USA QUEEN OF DIAMONDS – A seminal work by experimental narrative filmmaker Nina Menkes, this film stars her sister and longtime collaborator Tinka Menkes as a blackjack dealer at a desert casino. The resulting film is a hypnotic trance of white bones and blue sky, the occasional oasis, the dark nights punctuated by neon. Restored in 2018 by the Academy Film Archive and the Film Foundation with funding provided by the George Lucas family. DIR Nina Menkes. SCR Nina Menkes. CAST Tinka Menkes, Emellda J. Beech. USAMIDNIGHT
CAM – Lola (Madeline Brewer of THE HANDMAID’S TALE) is a modern-day camgirl who makes her living through online private chats, but her world is about to turn upside down. Written by former camgirl Isa Mazzei, this thriller is one of the most surprising and intelligent films of the year. DIR Daniel Goldhaber. SCR Isa Mazzei, Daniel Goldhaber. CAST Madeline Brewer, Patch Darragh, Melora Walters, David Druid, Imani Hakim, Michael Dempsey. USA IN FABRIC – A demonic dress haunts the lives of all that come into contact with it in this sexually explicit, phantasmagoric fever dream. As the garment moves from person to person, it leaves death and destruction in its wake. DIR Peter Strickland. SCR Peter Strickland. CAST Gwendoline Christie, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hayley Squires, Leo Bill. UK KNIFE+HEART (UN COUTEAU DANS LE COEUR) – A masked madman stalks across the world of a producer and her film company. What results is psychosexual slasher set in the world of the 1970s gay porn scene in Paris, from visionary and boundary-pushing director Yann Gonzalez. DIR Yann Gonzalez. SCR Yann Gonzalez, Cristiano Mangione. CAST Vanessa Paradis, Nicolas Maury, Kate Moran, Jonathan Genet, Khaled Alouach, Félix Maritaud, Noé Hernandez, Thibault Servière, Bastien Waultier, Bertrand Mandico, Jules Ritmanic. FRANCE PIERCING – In Nicolas Pesce’s wicked and kinky black comedy PIERCING, Reed (Christopher Abbott) is a seemingly normal guy struggling to channel some dark urges involving an ice pick. But when he orders a call girl (Mia Wasikowska) with the secret intention of taking his violence out on her, things go disturbingly off-script. DIR Nicolas Pesce. SCR Nicolas Pesce, Ryû Murakami (novel). CAST Christopher Abbott, Mia Wasikowska, Olivia Bond, Laia Costa, Maria Dizzia, Marin Ireland, Dakota Lustick, Wendell Pierce. USA
-
OLYMPIA, Documentary on Academy Award-Winning Actress Olympia Dukakis to World Premiere at 2018 DOC NYC
Olympia, a documentary feature film on Academy Award®-winning actress Olympia Dukakis from director Harry Mavromichalis will world premiere at 2018 DOC NYC.
Olympia the film takes us on a poetic journey in search of one’s place in the world. We follow Academy Award® winning actress Olympia Dukakis as she takes on the roles of actor, teacher, wife, mother, and social activist. Determined not to be defined solely as a woman in a male dominated society she struggles to find a sense of belonging due to her ethnic roots and the dichotomy she has always felt between her American values and the values of her immigrant parents. After making the decision that she would never take no for an answer and would never let anyone define her, her mantra became: “Always move forward, no matter what.”
This revealing and unfiltered documentary follows the life and career of Academy Award® winning actress, Olympia Dukakis. Starting on the day she turns eighty and continuing for three years, this film deals with the struggles and pains surrounding identity and the roles placed on us by society. Its cinema-verité style allows the audience to constantly move alongside Olympia as she navigates between rehearsals, workshops, family life, and finally the journey to her ancestral home in Greece. Exhibiting both candor and vulnerability, we see her deal with age, grief, and sexuality while opening up about her past struggles with depression, suicide, and drug addiction.
Intricately weaving between visceral impromptu personal moments with Olympia, together with footage of her performances both on and off screen, we experience the presence of an unrelenting female energy. Not only does her story add to the perpetual ‘herstory’ of women withstanding and overcoming their obstacles and oppressors through the passage of time, it also gives us insight into how she overcame the impediments that affected her life as the daughter of immigrants and as a woman in a male-dominated society. We are granted the raw, unfiltered attitude of Olympia without a script to guide her. Her fierceness is seen to persist throughout her daily life beyond the stage or film. Years of oppression, subordination and self-doubt have thickened her skin and sharpened her mind, and her energy is contagious. Despite her age and the innumerable experiences in her life, her determination to continue, to move forward and overcome the hurdles that life places before us all, is an inspiration.
Through her brutal honesty and sincerity, Olympia compels us to confront our own shortcomings and differences by letting go, and moving forward with defiant conviction, which leaves us with a cathartic feeling that we too can be an “octogenarian motherfucker.”
WORLD PREMIERE SCREENING AT DOC NYC
Sunday, November 11 at 6:30 pm
SVA Theatre (School of Visual Arts)
333 West 23rd Street, New York, NY 10011 (Between 8 and 9 Avenues)
-
Documentary TRUST MACHINE: THE STORY OF BLOCKCHAIN to International Premiere at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Trailer]
Blockchain entertainment studio SingularDTV’s first feature-length documentary Trust Machine: The Story of Blockchain is set for an international premiere at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) 2018. The film premieres in the JF Science360 Programme on November 21 with additional screenings to follow on Nov 26 and Nov 27.
Always one step ahead in signaling technology’s seismic shifts, award-winning documentarian Alex Winter (DOWNLOADED, DEEP WEB) has built up a body of work that documents how innovation changes the way people live their daily lives. In Trust Machine: The Story of Blockchain, he drills down on blockchain, the decentralized technology that supports cryptocurrencies. Why are banks terrified while UNICEF embraces it to help refugee children?
Winter follows tech innovators striking a raw nerve as banks and network pundits rush to condemn volatile cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. British hacktivist Lauri Love fights extradition—his computer skills perceived a threat to the US government. Through the film, Winter reveals that the proponents of the blockchain—a verified digital ledger—are already using the technology to change the world; fighting income inequality, the refugee crisis and world hunger.
Forbes’ Lauren DeLisa Coleman describes the film as “a compelling new documentary about blockchain and cryptocurrency that is dramatic, poignant, and engaging no matter whether you are working deep in the tech space, a business executive trying to grasp such disruptive changes or the everyday person intrigued about digital privacy, activism and power.”
Alex Winter on his inspiration for Trust Machine: The Story of Blockchain:
“The idea of a verifiable ledger is a problem that’s been in search of a solution for a really long time. I got into this working on DOWNLOADED (2013). When I was making my film DEEP WEB (2015), funnily enough, I still had very little interest in Bitcoin. Then the world got really confusing with blockchain technology, cryptocurrency, and decentralization.
Bitcoin matters, but blockchain is really where the changes are going to come. There are huge changes happening in human culture right now. Never has something like this happened before, ever. And it is fascinating to me. That’s why I really wanted to make this documentary.”
Trust Machine: The Story of Blockchain opens in New York’s Cinema Village theater on October 26, followed by an LA release on November 16. will become available on SingularDTV’s distribution platform in 2019. Produced by Kim Jackson of SingularDTV, Geoff Clark of Futurism Studios and Alex Winter’s Trouper Productions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMlqIoUVnLo
-
63rd Cork Film Festival to Showcase Films with a Focus on Current Global Issues
[caption id="attachment_32194" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Sissy Spacek and Robert Redford in The Old Man and the Gun.[/caption]
The 63rd Cork Film Festival, running from November 9 to 18, 2018, will showcase Irish and international films with a focus on current global issues.
The 2018 program for Ireland’s first and largest film festival, launched today features films with themes centered on LGBT, mental health, child poverty, gender equality, and human rights. Over 250 Irish and international features and shorts will be screened across the Festival, with 90% being Irish premieres.
Speaking on today’s program launch, Festival Producer and CEO Fiona Clark said: “Our mission is to bring people together through an outstanding program of films and events and to create an unforgettable festival experience over 10 days in Cork.
“As a destination for great storytelling on film, this year’s program includes numerous award-winners from the 2018 international festival circuit, alongside fresh new voices, together showcasing the latest and best independent cinema. For many films presented, this is the only opportunity to see them on the big screen in Cork and Ireland.”
Special presentations include a cine concert of the 1920s silent horror Nosferatu (November 13) at St Fin Barre’s Cathedral, with a new score by Cork composers Irene and Linda Buckley. This year’s collaboration with the National Sculpture Factory is Alan Butler’s On Exactitude in Science (November 12 – 14) a work comprising Godfrey Reggio’s Koyaanisqatsi (1983) in synchronicity with Butler’s 2017 remake.
Speaking on the representation of Irish film in the Festival, program Director Michael Hayden stated: “It is fantastic that we can open the Festival with a film with such distinct Cork connections. Carmel Winters’ highly anticipated and award-winning second feature Float like a Butterfly is a special film that fiercely challenges patriarchy and stereotypes. Carmel, and many of the cast and crew, will be in attendance for this European premiere on 9 November.
“Selecting Float like a Butterfly as the Opening Gala is indicative of the Festival’s commitment to celebrating Irish film, and we have secured some of the most celebrated films of the year. These include the Irish premiere of Yorgos Lanthimos’ feminist comedy The Favourite on 10 November, produced by Element Pictures and starring Olivia Colman, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz; and The Dig, directed by Ryan and Andrew Tohill, starring Moe Dunford, which was awarded Best Irish Feature at Galway Film Fleadh earlier this year.”
The Closing Night Gala will also feature the work of an outstanding female director, with the Irish premiere of Nadine Labaki’s multi-award-winning Capernaum (November 18). This urgent and important film is on child poverty and the denial of an individual’s human rights. Other Irish premieres of international features include The Old Man and the Gun, starring Robert Redford as a septuagenarian bank robber; Peter Strickland’s sumptuous and spooky tale, In Fabric; and Wash Westmoreland’s period biopic, Colette, starring Keira Knightley.
The program features 40 documentaries, with highlights to include veteran auteur Frederick Wiseman’s Monrovia, Indiana, and Werner Herzog’s Meeting Gorbachev, cementing Cork Film Festival as the destination festival for documentary in Ireland.
Illuminate, the Festival’s unique series of film and discussion events exploring mental health and wellbeing, is presented in association with Arts+Minds, the HSE Cork Mental Health Service and Irish Rail Iarnród Éireann. Screenings include Trauma is a Time Machine, For the Birds, and Ordinary People.
The fun-packed family strand will be screened throughout the Festival at The Gate Cinema. The program includes the highly-anticipated family friendly animations, The Grinch (November 10) and The Overcoat (November 17), which features the voice of Cork actor Cillian Murphy.
In total, 117 world-class shorts will be presented across the 10 days and will be considered for either the Grand Prix Irish Short or the Grand Prix International Short Awards. The winners of both, announced at the Awards Ceremony on November 18 at the Triskel, will be automatically longlisted for the Oscars®.
-
MY PERFECT WORLD: THE AARON HERNANDEZ STORY to World Premiere at DOC NYC
Dan Wetzel and Kevin Armstrong undertake an exhaustive journey into the mind and motives behind the murderous fall, and tragic suicide, of Aaron Hernandez, in the new documentary in My Perfect World: The Aaron Hernandez Story. My Perfect World: The Aaron Hernandez Story will World Premiere at 2018 DOC NYC on Wednesday, November 14, 2018 at 9:15 PM – IFC Center.
IT WAS A MOMENT THAT BLINDSIDED A NATION – just five days after being found not guilty of a double murder, Aaron Hernandez was discovered dead in his prison cell. Americans were shocked… confused… thrown off-kilter. Officials reported that Hernandez was not on suicide watch and that no note was found. “John 3:16” was, however, written on his forehead. The following day the story changed. The prison was mistaken, there were actually three suicide notes found in his cell. But why would he take his own life?
Together with award winning journalists Kevin Armstrong and Dan Wetzel, director Geno McDermott and Blackfin uncover the full, never before seen story of one of the most tragic figures in sports. Featuring exclusive interviews with those closest to Hernandez, as well as hundreds of hours of never before seen archival footage (including from 100 hours of Hernandez’s multiple court cases and surveillance camera from the night of his murders), My Perfect World: The Aaron Hernandez Story recounts the step by step process that took Hernandez from a young football star in Bristol, Connecticut to an early grave at age 27.
ABOUT DIRECTOR GENO MCDERMOTT
Geno McDermott is a New York-based director and executive producer, wielding a rare and versatile ability to film, edit and produce thus bringing a holistic approach to filmmaking. After spending several years roaming America’s heartland in search of unique characters and compelling stories for documentary series, Geno launched Blackfin in 2014 from a small WeWork office at 28 years of age. Now, just five years later Blackfin is one of Manhattan’s thriving independent production companies with clients such as Netflix, National Geographic, Discovery, History, CNN, Paramount, AMC and Investigation Discovery. Early 2017 marked Geno and Blackfin’s entrance into the feature documentary world by self-financing development and production of My Perfect World: The Aaron Hernandez Story for the festival circuit, all while producing the film BAD HENRY which aired on Investigation Discovery in July 2018.
-
AFI FEST 2018 World Cinema to Showcase 28 Foreign Films
[caption id="attachment_29049" align="aligncenter" width="1000"]
Capernaum[/caption]
The World Cinema section of AFI FEST 2018 presented by Audi will showcase the most celebrated international films of the year and feature 28 titles from 27 countries. The section includes seven official Best Foreign Language Film Oscar® submissions: CAPERNAUM (DIR Nadine Labaki), DOGMAN (DIR Matteo Garrone), “I DO NOT CARE IF WE GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS BARBARIANS” (DIR Radu Jude), NEVER LOOK AWAY (DIR Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck), SHOPLIFTERS (DIR Hirokazu Kore-eda), SUNSET (DIR László Nemes) and THE WILD PEAR TREE (DIR Nuri Bilge Ceylan).
AFI FEST will also present the North American premiere of the first two episodes of MY BRILLIANT FRIEND as part of the section. Premiering on HBO November 18, the series is an adaptation of author Elena Ferrante’s celebrated international bestseller centered on the complicated friendship between two women across decades.
AFI FEST takes place November 8–15, 2018, in the heart of Hollywood. Screenings, Galas and other events will be held at the TCL Chinese Theatre, the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres, the Egyptian Theatre and The Hollywood Roosevelt.
WORLD CINEMA
3 FACES (SE ROKH) – Jafar Panahi and Iranian actress Behnaz Jafari travel to a small village in northwest Iran to investigate the possible suicide of an aspiring young actress. Content to sit in the car while three generations of women examine their dual oppression, Panahi traverses moral and ideological pathways through rural Iran with trademark heart, charm and wit. DIR Jafar Panahi. SCR Jafar Panahi. CAST Behnaz Jafari, Marziyeh Rezaei, Narges Del Aram, Jafar Panahi, Maedeh Erteghaei. Iran AMATEURS (AMATÖRER) – When German investors show interest in building a superstore in the small town of Lafors, community leaders decide to create a promotional video. Turning to students for help, teenagers Aida and Dana begin filming — and the battle for the true image of Lafors is on. Director Gabriela Pichler returns to AFI FEST with a sharp, funny, youthful and complex drama about giving a voice to those most often unheard. DIR Gabriela Pichler. SCR Gabriela Pichler, Jonas Hassen Khemeri. CAST Zahraa Aldoujaili, Yara Aliadotter, Fredrik Dahl. Sweden ANGELS ARE MADE OF LIGHT – Filmed over three years, the latest documentary from James Longley follows students and teachers at a school in an old neighborhood of Kabul that is slowly rebuilding from past conflicts. Interweaving the modern history of Afghanistan with present-day portraits, the film offers an intimate and nuanced vision of a society living in the shadow of war. DIR James Longley. USA, Denmark, Norway ASH IS PUREST WHITE (JIANGHU ER NV) – Jia Zhang-ke returns to AFI FEST with his latest sprawling masterwork. Centering on the struggles of Qiao (played by Zhao Tao), a gangster’s girlfriend who spends five years in prison after getting caught up in a violent attack, ASH IS PUREST WHITE is a haunting, enigmatic portrait of individuals navigating China’s new “capitalism” at the dawn of the millennium. DIR Jia Zhang-ke. SCR Jia Zhang-ke. CAST Zhao Tao, Liao Fan, Xu Zheng. China, France BULBUL CAN SING – In Rima Das’ lyrical and quietly moving third feature, an independent girl, Bulbul, lives a typical teenage life in the Assam region of India. But when a cruel shaming by a group of local men balloons into a tragedy, Bulbul must learn how to deal with her awakening desires in a restrictive culture. DIR Rima Das. SCR Rima Das. CAST Arnali Das, Manoranjan Das, Bonita Thakuria, Pakija Begum. India CAPERNAUM (CAPHARNAÜM) – CAPERNAUM tells the story of Zain, a Lebanese boy who sues his parents for the “crime” of giving him life. Zain journeys from gutsy, streetwise child to hardened 12-year-old “adult”: fleeing his abusive, negligent parents, surviving through his wits on the streets, and finally, seeking justice in a courtroom. DIR Nadine Labaki. SCR Nadine Labaki, Jihad Hojeily, Michelle Kesrwany. CAST Zain Al Rafeea, Yordanos Shiferaw, Boluwatife Treasure Bankole, Kawthar Al Haddad, Fadi Kamel Youssef, Cedra Izam, Alaa Chouchnieh, Nadine Labaki, Nour el Husseini, Elias Khoury. Lebanon DAUGHTER OF MINE (FIGLIA MIA) – 10-year-old Vittoria is a quiet girl whose uneventful Sardinian summer becomes upended when she discovers her birth mother is the town drunk, Angelica (Alba Rohrwacher). As Vittoria begins to split her time between Angelica and the more stable woman who raised her (Valeria Golino), she finds herself struggling with something deep and innate. DIR Laura Bispuri. SCR Francesca Manieri, Laura Bispuri. CAST Valeria Golino, Alba Rohrwacher, Sara Casu, Michele Carboni, Udo Kier. Italy, Germany, Switzerland DIAMANTINO – When Portuguese soccer god Diamantino blows a chance at World Cup glory, the disgraced footballer finds himself unwittingly tied up in conspiracies involving evil twin sisters, gender bending genetic experimentation, lesbian spies and far-right ultra-nationalists in delightfully sharp, future cult classic. DIR Gabriel Abrantes, Daniel Schmidt. SCR Gabriel Abrantes, Daniel Schmidt. CAST Carloto Cotta, Cleo Tavares, Anabela Moreira, Margarida Moreira, Carla Maciel, Filipe Vargas, Manuela Moura Guedes, Joana Barrios, Maria Leite. Portugal, France, Brazil DOGMAN – Matteo Garrone’s latest film is a gripping drama about Marcello, a gentle yet cowardly dog groomer who finds himself caught up in Italy’s criminal underworld. Marcello forms a dangerous, one-sided relationship with former boxer and cokehead Simone, who terrorizes the community. Before long, Marcello is part of his reckless antics. DOGMAN will screen at AFI FEST in partnership with Cinema Italian Style, an annual showcase of contemporary Italian cinema in Los Angeles. DOGMAN will be the opening night film of Cinema Italian Style. DIR Matteo Garrone. SCR Ugo Chiti, Maurizio Braucci, Matteo Garrone, Massimo Gaudioso. CAST Marcello Fonte, Edoardo Pesce, Nunzia Schiano, Adamo Dionisi, Francesco Acquaroli. Italy, France FUGUE (FUGA) – Alicja suffers from memory loss and has rebuilt her own free-spirited way of life. Two years later, she returns to her family and unwillingly resumes her role as wife, mother and daughter. FUGUE evokes the social taboos around motherhood and the pressure on women to accept maternity without hesitation or reflection. DIR Agnieszka Smoczyńska. SCR Gabriela Muskała. CAST Gabriela Muskała, Łukasz Simlat, Iwo RajskiMałgorzata Buczkowska, Zbigniew Waleryś, Halina Rasiakówna, Piotr Skiba. Poland, Czech Republic, Sweden GENESIS (GENÈSE) – While Guillaume, an outwardly confident teenager in a posh boarding school, struggles with surprising new feelings of love and alienation, his older sister Charlotte navigates a thorny path of relationships with disappointing men in Québécois director Philippe Lesage’s detailed, incisive portrait of adolescent yearning. DIR Philippe Lesage. SCR Philippe Lesage. CAST Noée Abita, Théodore Pellerin, Jules Roy-Sicotte, Maxime Dumontier, Edouard Tremblay-Grenier, Emilie Bierre, Pier-Luc Funk, Vassili Schneider, Mylène Mackay. Canada HAPPY AS LAZZARO (LAZZARO FELICE) – In auteur Alice Rohrwacher’s stunning third feature, a simple young man named Lazzaro works with other unpaid laborers on an isolated estate in the Italian countryside. But when Lazzaro suffers an accident, HAPPY AS LAZZARO kicks into high gear as a work of fantastic time-jumping poetry and grounded social critique. DIR Alice Rohrwacher. SCR Alice Rohrwacher. CAST Adriano Tardiolo, Agnese Graziani, Alba Rohrwacher, Luca Chikovani, Tommaso Ragno, Sergi López, Natalino Balasso, Gala Othero Winter, David Bennent, Nicoletta Braschi. Italy HOTEL BY THE RIVER (GANGBYUN HOTEL) – A getaway destination along the frozen Han River is the setting for Hong Sang-soo’s latest, a simmering and melancholic family drama, lensed in stark black and white, about an aging poet facing mortality and his two competing sons who cross paths with a woman nursing the wounds of a scarring breakup. DIR Hong Sang-soo. SCR Hong Sang-soo. CAST Ki Joo-bong, Kim Min-hee, Song Seon-mi, Kwon Hae-hyo, Yu Jun-sang, Park Ran, Shin Seok-ho. South Korea “I DO NOT CARE IF WE GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS BARBARIANS” (ÎMI ESTE INDIFERENT DACA ÎN ISTORIE VOM INTRA CA BARBARI) – Mariana is a young, defiant artist mounting a theatrical production of the Odessa massacre, in which Romanian soldiers killed thousands of Ukrainian Jews. As she attempts to stage a realistic reenactment, to force her fellow Romanians to confront their sins of the past, she meets with stiff resistance from local powers. Radu Jude’s latest masterpiece is at once funny, uncomfortable and profound. DIR Radu Jude. SCR Radu Jude. CAST Ioana Iacob, Alexandru Dabija, Alex Bogdan. Romania, Czech Republic, France, Bulgaria, Germany MAYA – Mia Hansen-Løve reunites with Roman Kolinka for her sixth feature. As the French protagonist Gabriel, he travels to India after a traumatic stint of forced captivity and encounters the charming Maya. What takes shape is a subtle increase of silent attraction as the two explore his childhood home in this gentle film filled with yearning, wandering and rumination. DIR Mia Hansen-Løve. SCR Mia Hansen-Løve. CAST Roman Kolinka, Aarshi Banerjee, Alex Descas. France MY BRILLIANT FRIEND (L’AMICA GENIALE) – MY BRILLIANT FRIEND adapts the first book in Elena Ferrante’s renowned coming-of-age epic, beginning in 1950s Naples and spanning six decades. An unexpected phone call prompts Elena to reflect on her relationship with her brilliant friend Lila and the complexities of female friendship in a community replete with male violence. DIR Saverio Costanzo. SCR Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo. CAST Valentina Acca, Antonio Buonanno, Gennaro Canonico, Pina Di Gennaro, Sarah Falanga, Luca Gallone. Italy NEVER LOOK AWAY (WERK OHNE AUTOR) – Inspired by real events and spanning three eras of German history, NEVER LOOK AWAY tells the story of an art student Kurt, who falls in love with classmate Ellie. Ellie’s father, Professor Seeband, is dismayed at his daughter’s choice of boyfriend, and will stop at nothing to destroy the relationship. DIR Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. SCR Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. CAST Tom Schilling, Sebastian Koch, Paula Beer, Oliver Masucci Saskia Rosendahl. Germany, Italy NON-FICTION (DOUBLE VIES) – Olivier Assayas’ latest is a delightful, breezy comedy centering on a married couple (Juliette Binoche and Guillaume Canet) as they navigate the swiftly evolving landscape of the modern publishing industry, and the ever-thorny issue of monogamy (or lack thereof) in long-term relationships. DIR Olivier Assayas. SCR Olivier Assayas. CAST Guillaume Canet, Juliette Binoche, Vincent Macaigne. France OF FATHERS AND SONS – Award-winning documentarian Talal Derki gained the trust of a radical Islamist family in Syria and filmed their daily lives for two years. The result is OF FATHERS AND SONS, a jaw-dropping, intensely uninhibited look at young boys training as Jihadi fighters, and their Caliphate-obsessed father. DIR Talal Derki. Germany, Syria, Lebanon OUR TIME (NUESTRO TIEMPO) – Two-time AFI FEST alum Carlos Reygadas returns to the festival with an intensely personal project. OUR TIME tells the story of an upper-middle-class rancher (Reygadas) whose wife (played by Reygadas’ real-life spouse) draws him into a cuckolding fetish. As the emotional stakes rise, life on the idyllic landscape becomes threatened. DIR Carlos Reygadas. SCR Carlos Reygadas. CAST Carlos Reygadas, Natalia López, Eleazar Reygadas, Rut Reygadas, Phil Burgers. Mexico, France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden PIG (KHOOK) – Past-his-prime filmmaker Hasan is having a crisis of ego. A serial killer is offing local filmmakers, and Hasan wants to know why he isn’t being targeted. In veteran filmmaker Mani Haghighi’s wonderfully bizarre dark comedy, the satire is heavy and hilarious, and gender stereotypes get smashed right and left. DIR Mani Haghighi. SCR Mani Haghighi. CAST Hasan Majuni, Leila Hatami, Leili Rashidi, Parinaz Izadyar, Mina Jafarzadeh, Aynaz Azarhoosh. Iran PUTIN’S WITNESSES (SVIDETELI PUTINA) – With PUTIN’S WITNESSES, Vitaly Mansky returns to footage he filmed when commissioned — and provided with unnervingly intimate access — on a propaganda film promoting Vladmir Putin’s first presidential election. In this captivating portrait, Mansky both chronicles the alarming ease of the dictator’s rise to power and examines his own complicity in his near two-decade rule. DIR Vitaly Mansky. SCR Vitaly Mansky. Latvia, Switzerland, Czech Republic SHOPLIFTERS (MANBIKI KAZOKU) – The winner of the Palme d’Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, SHOPLIFTERS tells the tender story of a family of misfits and grifters struggling to make ends meet. After taking in a girl off the street, a sudden incident upends their lives and exposes their secrets. Director Hirokazu Kore-eda returns to the screen with a nuanced class critique, and a beautiful portrait of family life. DIR Hirokazu Koreeda. SCR Hirokazu Kore-eda. CAST Lily Franky, Sakura Ando, Jyo Kairi, Miyu Sasaki, Kiki Kirin. Japan SUNSET (NAPSZALLTA) – As World War I approaches, Irisz arrives in Budapest with the dream to work as a milliner at Leiter, a store once owned by her family. Her hopes dashed by the new proprietor, she discovers news that a previously unknown sibling may exist, and sets out to meet them. DIR László Nemes. SCR László Nemes, Clara Royer, Matthieu Taponier. CAST Juli Jakab, Vlad Ivanov, Evelin Dobos, Marcin Czarnik, Judit Bárdos, Benjamin Dino, Balázs Czukor, Christian Harting, Levente Molnár. Hungary, France TOO LATE TO DIE YOUNG (TARDE PARA MORIR JOVEN) – Sixteen-year-old Sofia navigates the usual pitfalls of her age against the unusual backdrop of a burgeoning utopian society in the Chilean jungle of the 1990s. A moody, atmospheric period piece, this third feature firmly establishes Sotomayor as one of today’s most original filmmakers. DIR Dominga Sotomayor. SCR Dominga Sotomayor. CAST Demian Hernández, Antar Machado, Magdalena Tótoro. Chile VISION – Juliette Binoche stars in Naomi Kawase’s latest, a meditative journey into the heart of Japan, and a mysterious portrait of one woman’s search for meaning. When Jeanne (Binoche) seeks a rare medicinal plant in the forested Nara region, her quest is aided by a ranger who helps to reveal painful fragments of her past. DIR Naomi Kawase. SCR Naomi Kawase. CAST Juliette Binoche, Masatoshi Nagase. Japan, France THE WILD PEAR TREE (AHLAT AGACI) – THE WILD PEAR TREE is a portrait of an ambitious young writer returning home after college. At once languid and rhapsodic, Palme d’Or winner Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s film is a profound and poetic look at a misspent youth grasping at a maturity that, once attained, is revealed to be the ultimate disappointment. DIR Nuri Bilge Ceylan. SCR Akin Aksu, Ebru Ceylan, Nuri Bilge Ceylan. CAST Aydin Doğu Demirkol, Murat Cemcir, Hazar Ergüçlü, Serkan Keskin, Tamer Levent, Akin Aksu, Öner Erkan, Ahmet Rifat Şungar, Kubilay Tunçer, Kadir Çermik, Özay Fecht, Ercüment Balakoğlu, Asena Keskinci. Turkey YARA – Yara lives alone with her grandmother on a remote Lebanese mountain-side. A farmer brings supplies, a tour guide assists with odd tasks and, lost on a hike, a charismatic young hiker happens upon Yara hanging her underwear. A gently paced romance, Abbas Fahdel’s YARA captures the elation of first love and the crushing pain of its loss. DIR Abbas Fahdel. SCR Abbas Fahdel. CAST Michelle Wehbe, Elias Freifer, Mary Alkady. Lebanon, Iraq, France
-
RUDEBOY: THE STORY OF TROJAN RECORDS to US Premiere at DOC NYC [Trailer]
Rudeboy: The Story of Trojan Records documents the origins and the ongoing love affair between Jamaican and British Youth culture – all told through the prism of one the most iconic record labels in history, Trojan Records.
Trojan Records’ 50th anniversary celebrations continue with the announcement that Rudeboy: The Story of Trojan Records has been unveiled as part of the line-up for DOC NYC. The 2018 DOC NYC Festival will run November 8to 15, 2018 – and the film’s US Premiere will take place on Wednesday, November 14. The film had its World Premiere on October 12 at the 62nd BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express®.
Directed by Nicolas Jack Davies, Rudeboy: The Story of Trojan Records charts the rise and impact of the legendary reggae, ska and rock steady label and its influence on music and subculture in Britain from the early ‘60s through to the late ‘70s. Defining a movement that brought cultures together through the power of music, the birth and journey of Trojan Records, and its wider impact on society, feels as vital as ever 50 years later.
Named after the flatbed truck that revered producer Duke Reid used to transport his soundsystem around Jamaica, Trojan was launched in 1968 by London based, Jamaican expats Lee Gopthal and Chris Blackwell. Growing rapidly during its’ early years – due in no small part to the development of the skinhead working class youth movement that embraced Jamaican music as part and parcel of its culture – the Trojan bandwagon quickly rolled into the 1970’s, with the likes of Desmond Dekker and The Maytals flying high in the UK Pop Charts.
This important story is effortlessly brought to life by director Nicolas Jack Davies with fascinating archive footage, alongside freshly shot drama and new interviews with legendary artists including Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Toots Hibbert, Ken Boothe, Neville Staple, Marcia Griffiths, Dave Barker, Dandy Livingstone, Lloyd Coxsone, Pauline Black, Derrick Morgan and many more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEQdklk3LvE
-
Hawaii International Film Festival Announces 2018 Lineup, Opens with Zhang Yimou’s SHADOW
[caption id="attachment_32166" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Shadow, Zhang Yimou[/caption]
The 38th edition of the Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) will present 187 films from over 35 countries, from November 8 through November 18, 2018. The festival will open with highly anticipated new film from Zhang Yimou (House of Flying Daggers; Hero; Curse of the Golden Flower), Shadow, which stars Chao Deng (The Mermaid; Detective Dee: Mystery of the Phantom Flame), Li Sun (Fearless; Empresses in the Palace), and Ryan Zheng (The Great Wall; Back in Time), is based storied the “Three Kingdoms” Chinese legend. Shadow had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, where audiences were wowed by Zhang’s masterful direction of this unique action-epic.
HIFF’s Closing Night Presentation will be the world premiere of Moananuiākea: One Ocean. One People. One Canoe, directed by Na’alehu Anthony. This documentary looks at the latest worldwide voyage of Hōkūleʻa, four decades after its maiden voyage sparked the Hawaiian Renaissance and continues to inspire a new generation of navigators and voyagers to gather their courage and sail beyond the horizon of the Pacific.
This year’s Centerpiece Presentation is Green Book, which world premiered at the Toronto Film Festival; where it won the coveted TIFF 2018 People’s Choice Award, an early barometer of being an Oscars favorite. The drama, follows Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen), a bouncer from the Bronx, is hired to drive Dr. Don Shirley (Oscar winner Mahershala Ali), a world-class Black pianist, on a concert tour from Manhattan to the Deep South, they must rely on “The Green Book” to guide them to the few establishments that are safe for African Americans. Green Book won the coveted Audience Award at the recent Toronto Film Festival. Produced by Jim Burke (The Descendants, HIFF 2012), who will be in attendance at HIFF, and directed by Peter Farrelly (There’s Something About Mary), Green Book infuses heartfelt drama in an unlikely friendship that stood the test of time.
HIFF audiences will critically acclaimed titles in the Awards Buzz section; which presents high profile films straight from major festivals like Cannes, Venice, Toronto and more. These must-see films are major players in the awards season, including: the Mexican drama Roma, directed Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity); If Beale Street Could Talk, directed by Barry Jenkins (Moonlight); Iranian director Asghar Farhadi’s (A Separation) Spain-set thriller Everybody Knows starring Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz; and Natalie Portman’s new film Vox Lux, directed by Brady Corbet.
This year HIFF presents a special spotlight on world renowned auteur Wong Kar-wai with the Filmmaker in Focus series. HIFF is proud to present In The Mood For Love (2000), Happy Together (1997), and Chungking Express (1994). A special extended Q&A with Director Wong Kar Wai will follow the screening of Chungking Express.
In Special Presentations, HIFF will present the West Coast premiere of Wake, a comedy/drama directed by Cyrus Mirakhor. Wake follows a widowed mortician, struggling with agoraphobia, who receives a birthday gift from her mother and daughter as a joke. The gift, a life-size male doll named Pedro, goes from funny to fantastical, complicating her ties with her family and friends. Wake stars James Denton (TV Series Good Witch), Caroline Lagerfelt (TV Series The Blacklist), and features the acting debut of Filipino-American stand-up comedian, Jo Koy. The popular comedian will attend the screening, and join director Mirakhor for the post-screening Q&A.
The always popular Sound x Vision category offers must-see films for music fans and cinephiles. HIFF will host the North American premiere of The Legend of the Stardust Brothers, directed by Macoto Tezuka. This fascinating musical narrative, made in 1985, begins when Macoto Tezuka (son of the great manga artist Osamu Tezuka) met musician and TV personality Haruo Chicada who had made a soundtrack to a movie which didn’t actually exist: The Legend of the Stardust Brothers. With Chicada as producer, Tezuka then adapted this “fake soundtrack” into the real movie story of “The Stardust Brothers”. Tezuka assembled a cast of some of Japan’s most famous musicians of the time, including such greats as Kiyohiko Ozaki, ISSAY, Sunplaza Nakano and Hiroshi Takano, alongside many famous names in Manga such as Monkey Punch (Lupin the 3rd), Shinji Nagashima (Hanaichi Monme), Yosuke Takahashi (Mugen Shinsi) and even many upcoming film directors of the time such as Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Tokyo Sonata) and Daihachi Yoshida (The Kirishima Thing). The resulting film The Legend of the Stardust Brothers is the exact definition of a cult film. Despite the huge array of talent on board with a large budget, the film is totally unknown even to this day in both Japan and worldwide. More than 30 years since its release, The Stardust Brothers will finally make itself known worldwide with a new master and a brand new Director’s Cut.
For the first time, the festival will present the HIFF VR Lounge; bringing together a selection of exciting contemporary Virtual Reality projects from around the world to SALT At Our Kakaako. Free and open to the public November 10th through 12th, the HIFF VR Lounge will feature virtual reality technologies bring us closer to the action than ever before, face-to-face with some of the most vital issues and stories in the world today. Audiences can visit the lounge and experience: Age Of Sail (Dir.: John Kahrs), Chasing Coral: The VR Experience (Dir.: Jeff Orlowski), Finding Haka (Dir.: James Hedley) and Songbird (Dir.: Lucy Greenwell).
Additional highlights at the 2018 Hawaii International Film Festival
The world premiere of Eating Up Easter Island (Chile, United States), directed by Sergio M. Rapu. This documentary reveals the nuance of life on Rapa Nui (Easter Island), and straddles the fault line between local identity and the opportunities presented by globalism. As the local economy is subjugated by the demands of tourism, locals must contend with the contrasting expectations of indigenous culture and Western industrial capitalism amidst the fear that old practices are not valued or protected unless performed for visitors. Eating Up Easter Island screens as part of the Pacific Showcase lineup. Maui’s Hook (New Zealand), a documentary feature directed Paora Te Oti Takarangi Joseph, is one of the most original and stirring films released this year. Psychologist and filmmaker Paora Joseph journeys New Zealand’s North Island with families who lost someone close to them to suicide. Seamlessly combining scripted narrative sections with interviews of five brave families mourning the loss of a loved one, Joseph blurs the divide between documentary and drama to make a profound statement about suicide and the people left behind. This will be the film’s International Premiere. Shoplifters (Japan), directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, is Japan’s official submission for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2019 Academy Awards. This Cannes Palme d’Or winner tells the story of a poor family who, after a shoplifting run, find a little girl freezing in the cold. Although initially reluctant, they welcome her into their home. Though happy together, an unforeseen incident begins to unravel hidden secrets and test the bonds that unite them. From Palme d’Or-winning director Hirokazu Kore-eda, Shoplifters tells a breathtaking story of family and love told across four seasons on the streets of contemporary Tokyo. The International Premiere of Still Human (Hong Kong), a drama directed by Oliver Siu Kuen Chan, explores the world of paralyzed and disgruntled Cheong-wing (Anthony Wong), who has gone through quite a few caretakers. When he gets new Filipino domestic helper, Evelyn (Crisel Consunji), they both realize that Evelyn does not speak a word of Cantonese. Somehow as the unlikely duo begin to warm up to each other, a bond forms that may transcend stereotypes and change them both in ways they never imagined. In Southeast Asian Showcase, HIFF presents the North American Premiere of Memories of My Body. This drama for Indonesia, directed by Garin Nugroho, follows Juno; a child who was recently abandoned by his father.. Alone now, he joins a dance center where men shape their feminine appearance and movement. But the sensuality and sexuality that come from dance and bodies, mixed with the violent social and political Indonesian environment, force Juno to move from village to village. Even if on his journey Juno receives love from his those around him, he still has to face the battlefield that his body is becoming. The United States Premiere of Sink or Swim (France), directed by Gille Lellouche. This hilarious crowd-pleaser, which world premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, follows a group of 40-something guys, all on the verge of a mid-life crisis, decide to form their local pool’s first ever synchronized swimming team – for men. Braving the skepticism and ridicule of those around them, and trained by a fallen champion trying to pull herself together, the group set out on an unlikely adventure, and on the way will rediscover a little self-esteem and a lot about themselves. Sink or Swim will screen as part of the European Showcase lineup. The United States Premiere of The Witch (South Korea), directed by Park Hoon-jung, is a Sci-Fi thriller set in rural South Korea, where a young girl flees a government facility. 10 years later a now teenage Ja-yoon has no recollection of her past, and knows only the elderly couple who have taken her is as her parents. But soon Ja-yoon discovers that she has some incredible talents, she is so talented in fact that she lands on national television. However shortly after her appearance, ominous figures show up, threatening to turn her peaceful life upside down. The Witch will screen as part of the Spotlight On Korea lineup HIFF welcomes Harry Shum Jr. Shum, who has won a Screen Actors Guild award for his performance on Glee, numerous awards and accolades for his role on Shadowhunters, and most recently has appeared on the blockbuster hit Crazy Rich Asians, will be part of the Future Filmmaker Luncheon and Panel. The panel, which will take at WaiWai Collective, will also be a destination for the student filmmaker finalists in the new short film contest presented by HIFF in partnership with the Daniel K. Inouye Institute. The partnership, launched in June, encouraged middle and high school students statewide to create films inspired by Senator Inouye’s historic speech at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.2018 Hawaii International Film Festival Honorees
Ever year, HIFF hosts a prestigious awards ceremony to honor the competition titles at the fest and to celebrate luminaries in the filmmaking community. Past recipients include: Taika Waititi, Quentin Tarantino, Kevin Smith, Samuel L Jackson, Ang Lee, Maggie Cheung, Koji Yakusho. HIFF is proud to bestow awards on this year’s honorees. The Halekulani Maverick Award is given to an international cinema artist who has a unique and eclectic career trajectory, contributing to international cinema and the filmed arts in an innovative way. This year, HIFF will present the award to present to actor/producer Steven Yeun (Okja; TV series The Walking Dead; Burning, South Korea’s official entry to Oscars foreign language category). The Halekulani Maverick Award will also be presented to Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians; Ocean’s Eight). During the festival, Awkwafina will participate in an exclusive and intimate conversation about her career. IN CONVERSATION WITH AWKWAFINA, the wildly popular rapper turned actress, will discuss her humble beginnings in Queens, NY, and her stratospheric rise from working in a vegan bodega to hosting Saturday Night Live. The PIC Trailblazer Award is given to a cinema artist of Pacific Islander heritage who broadens the scope of Pacific Islander stories onto the world stage, producing award winning work in independent and global cinema, becoming a trendsetter in their field and a cultural ambassador that shines a spotlight on Pacific islander culture in mainstream media. This year HIFF will honor Heperi Mita as the current torchbearer for his mother Merata Mita’s legacy and work. Heperi continues to be a beacon for Maori and indigenous filmmakers and media, as a both a filmmaker and archivist, perpetuating this legacy for generations to come. The Halekulani Career Achievement Award is bestowed to an artist who has reached the career pinnacles very few have achieved via industry awards and accolades and a body of work that is known globally. This year HIFF is proud to present the Halekulani Career Achievement Award to actress Moon So-ri (Oasis; A Good Lawyer’s Wife). During the festival audiences can watch Moon So-ri’s directorial debut, The Running Actress.Made In Hawaii Feature Film Award Nominees:
This year’s competition lineup continues to amplify the voice of local filmmakers. The Made In Hawaii competition film awards celebrate the dynamic and flourishing local independent film scene that strives onward here in the Hawaiian Islands. Fiction, Non-fiction and short films that are made by locally-based filmmakers or involve locally-based stories are eligible for the following awards—Best Made In Hawaii Feature and Best Made In Hawaii Short Film. This year’s competition films are: August At Akiko’s – This narrative feature, directed by Christopher Makoto Yogi, features cosmopolitan musician Alex Zhang Hungtai (Dirty Beaches, Last Lizard), who returns home to the Big Island having been away for nearly a decade. Amidst possessed sax solos and brooding strolls, Alex stumbles upon a Buddhist bed & breakfast run by a woman named Akiko (Akiko Masuda). Hungtai’s wild sax and Akiko’s Buddhist bells form the base for a rich soundtrack that wraps around the audience like a sonic web surrounding the unexpected new friendship. Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable – This documentary feature directed by Aaron Lieber, is the untold story of the fearless athlete and her resilience against all odds to become one of the leading professional surfers of our time. Moananuiākea: One Ocean. On People. One Canoe – This documentary feature, directed by Na’alehu Anthony, looks at the latest worldwide voyage of Hōkūleʻa, four decades after its maiden voyage sparked the Hawaiian Renaissance and continues to inspire a new generation of navigators and voyagers to gather their courage and sail beyond the horizon of the Pacific. My Hero’s Shadow – A biographical documentary directed by Justin Young, begins when Shane Stant made international news when he struck Nancy Kerrigan’s knee the day before the 1994 US National Figure Skating Championships. He’s a different man today, but still has to deal with memories of his mistakes. Told by Stant’s sister Maile, MY HERO’S SHADOW is a compassionate look at trauma, poor choices and the redemptive value of family. Stoke – Directed by Zoe Eisenberg and Phillips Payson, this narrative feature Jane is an attorney based in Los Angeles and she’s clinically depressed. While channel flipping, she sees footage of Kilauea in full eruption. She buys a one-way ticket to the Big Island, and along the way, runs into two local guys who sell themselves as tour guides. What transpires is a road movie that captures some of the unique sub-cultures of Hawaii Island from hippie enclaves, and spiritual sanctuaries, to Native Hawaiians trying to make ends meet, and midnight ravers looking for their next hit. T-Shirt Theatre Presents: Kipuka – This documentary feature directed by Jeremiah Tayao, chronicles the work of the students in the company, as they address bullying, cyberbullying, and teen suicide prevention, all written and performed by the students (aged 13-18). Their 2017-2018 performance of “Kīpuka” – an oasis in a lava field – is reflective of the T-Shirt Theatre mantra that one smile, one word, one friend can make all the difference for someone in turmoil and contemplating tough decisions.Made In Hawaii Short Film Award Nominees:
Mauka to Makai – Directors: Alika Maikau and Jonah Okano Hae Hawaii – Director: Ty Sanga Kalewa – Director: Gerard Elmore Kaumakaiwa – Director: Bradley Tangonan The Moon and the Night – Director: Erin Lau Shoreline (‘Ae Kai) – Director: Brandi Martin. Six Hundred Lux – Director: Koa San Luis Surfing To Cope – Director: Katie Walsh This and Nothing Else: Red Bull Wa’a – Directors.: Marc Levy, Justin Mitchell, MarcKau Ka Hōkū Filmmaker Award nominees :
HIFF was an annual stop for the Pulitzer winning film critic Roger Ebert, who hailed the festival as “a showcase for emerging filmmakers from the Asia and Pacific Rim.”. This year, HIFF will launch the Kau Ka Hōkū Filmmaker Award, which will be given to emerging directors with their 1st or 2nd feature film. Both fiction and non-fiction feature films will be nominated by the festival programmers and adjudicated by an international jury. August At Akiko’s – Director: Christopher Makoto Yogi Grit – Directors: Sasha Friedlander, Cynthia Wade House of My Fathers – Director: Suba Sivakumaran The Hungry Lion – Director: Takaomi Ogata Last Child – Director: Shin Dong-Seok Leiti’s In Waiting– Directors: Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson, Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu Maui’s Hook – Director: Paora Te Oti Takarangi Joseph People’s Republic of Desire – Director: Hao Wu The Third Wife – Director: Ash Mayfair Transmilitary – DIrectors: Fiona Dawson, Gabe SilvermanNETPAC award nominees
The NETPAC award is presented annually at international film festivals in Berlin, Cannes, Venice, Rotterdam, Pusan, Singapore, Taiwan, Yamagata, Amiens and Hawaii. HIFF is the only film festival in North America granted the distinguished honor of presenting the NETPAC award. This year’s NETPAC nominees are: Adulthood (South Korea) – Director: In-seon Kim Emu Runner (Australia) – Director: Imogen Thomas Gatao: The Rise of the King (Taiwan) – Director: Yen Cheng-Kuo House of My Fathers (Sri Lanka) – Director: Suba Sivakumaran Last Child (South Korea) – Director.: Shin Dong-Seok Long Time No Sea (Taiwan ROC) – Director: Heather Tsui Sir (India) – Director: Rohena Gera Song Lang (Vietnam) – Director: Leon Le Still Human (Hong Kong) – Director: Oliver Siu, Kuen Chan Wrath of Silence (China) – Director: Yukun Xin
-
BEYOND THE BOLEX, Epic Story of Bolex Inventor Jacques Bolsey, to World Premiere at DOC NYC
In the 1920s inventor Jacques Bolsey aimed to disrupt the early film industry with a motion picture camera for the masses: the iconic Bolex. 90 years later, filmmaker Alyssa Bolsey discovers a stash of boxes that belonged to her enigmatic great-grandfather, and over 12 years pieces together the fragments of a forgotten family archive to reveal his epic story in the documentary, Beyond the Bolex, which will World Premiere at DOC NYC, America’s largest documentary festival, on Thursday, November 8 at 9:15 p.m at Cinepolis Chelsea.
As Alyssa delves into the treasure trove, among the items she finds is an old movie camera with the word “Bolex” embossed on its side, and a dangling tag with the date, “1927.” She also discovers reels of 16mm films inside rusty cans that are too brittle to run through a projector. Once the films are restored, she is captivated by their casual style as commonly seen today with digital cameras and smartphones.
When Alyssa finds Jacques journal she learns of the trials he faced both as an idealistic inventor and as an immigrant. In his words and films, she finds a man living stateless in Switzerland, torn from his homeland by the Russian Revolution. After many years of inventing in Switzerland and still unable to gain acceptance, Jacques finds his way to the US and settles in New York City, where he creates a new generation of military cameras for the fight against fascism.
Alyssa travels to Switzerland – the birthplace of the Bolex and Jacques’ two sons. She traces her own roots to her great-grandmother Sima’s apartment in Geneva, visits the Paillard factory where the Bolex Model H was designed and built, and makes a pilgrimage to the current headquarters of Bolex International.
Along the way, Alyssa seeks insight from camera collectors, historians and renowned filmmakers who explain how the Bolex reached the farthest corners of the globe, unleashed the imagination and became synonymous with creative freedom. Simple and functional, it became a perfect tool for a diverse range of filmmakers. Alyssa speaks to Wim Wenders, Jonas Mekas, Barbara Hammer, Bruce Brown and others, who share their stories of how this camera has inspired and nurtured their creative potential and careers. She also discovers the enthusiasm his pioneering invention continues to have with filmmakers today.
“Curiosity was the catalyst for making Beyond the Bolex,” said director Alyssa Bolsey. “But what I didn’t see coming was the emotional journey I would go on while discovering my great grandfather’s deep desire for roots; this during one of the most tumultuous times in history. His was an immigrant struggle that we see playing out yet again today. And his story shows the power and ingenuity that many immigrants bring to their new home. Along with planting seeds that have grown for generations with his Bolex camera, he also laid down roots that would contribute to the technology that has become part of our daily lives in the modern world.”
About the Director: Alyssa Bolsey
Alyssa Bolsey began writing and directing short films as a kid. While still in High School, she directed a short documentary entitled “Wild Horses.” This work was screened at various art galleries in the US and was described by KPBS as “an insightful look at the artistic process.” In University, her fictional short “I. Hero” was featured in rotation on the San Diego, California television show, “The Short List” from 2007-2010. Alyssa graduated Cum Laude from San Diego State University with a degree in Television, Film and New Media, with an emphasis on directing. She spent the next two years working at Creative Artists Agency, starting in the mailroom. She left CAA to direct a feature documentary about her great-grandfather Jacques Bolsey, the inventor of the iconic Bolex camera. Beyond the Bolex is making its World Premiere at DOC NYC 2018.
-
Brainstorm Media to Release Save-Our-Shows TV Fan Documentary UNITED WE FAN
Ahead of its DOC NYC premiere, UNITED WE FAN, the documentary that chronicles the stories of passionate television fans and their unique crusades to save their beloved shows from cancellation, has been acquired by Brainstorm Media, and will hit VOD on December 4. Fans, stars, creators and more come together to explore the history and evolution of TV’s save-our-show fan campaigns in Michael Sparaga’s (The Missing Ingredient) humorous and heartfelt feature documentary that made its World Premiere earlier this year at Hot Docs and U.S. Premiere at AFI Docs. From the letter-writing and product mail-ins of yesterday to the social media and crowdfunding campaigns of today, United We Fan goes beyond the headlines to give viewers deeper insights into fandom, community and identity.
Fans in New York City will get a sneak peek of the film when it celebrates its New York premiere at DOC NYC on Monday, Nov. 12 at 7:45 p.m. at Cinepolis Chelsea followed by a Q&A with director Michael Sparaga and film subjects. In Los Angeles, fans will have the opportunity to catch a special preview screening of United We Fan at the Laemmle Ahrya Fine Arts Theater in Beverly Hills on Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 7:30 p.m. The filmmakers and several of the film’s subjects will be on hand for a post-screening Q&A.
For most viewers, it’s simply a disappointment when their favorite TV series is cancelled. But the fans of some series take the loss a lot harder. And they fight back. United We Fan chronicles the stories of those passionate individuals and their unique crusades to save their beloved shows.
When married sci-fi fans Bjo and John Trimble organized their unprecedented letter-writing campaign to force NBC to renew the original “Star Trek” back in 1967, they couldn’t have known that they were also planting the seeds of fan activism that would forever change the relationship between TV viewers and networks. Fast-forward to 1983, when Dorothy Swanson, a Michigan schoolteacher, besieged CBS with letters to stop them from unceremoniously cancelling her favorite series “Cagney & Lacey.” Emboldened by her success, Dorothy formed the fan advocacy group Viewers for Quality Television, whose dedicated members fought to save multiple other “quality” series over their 15-year history. Today, 26-year-old Kaily Russell has picked up the fan activism mantle in her fight for the recently axed CBS series “Person of Interest.” Kaily spends every waking hour online, rallying the troops and trying to convince a new broadcaster or streaming service to pick up the series. Kaily’s tools and targets might be vastly different, but she is taking her cue from the methods of fan activism from all those that came before her.
Declared “a joy to watch” by POV Magazine, United We Fan intertwines the remarkable stories of Kaily, Dorothy and the Trimbles while also taking time to delve into the inspiring campaigns to save “Designing Women,” “Quantum Leap,” “Chuck,” “Longmire,” “Jericho,” “Veronica Mars,” “Roswell” and others.
“United We Fan is not a movie about television’s wackiest fans,” said director Michael Sparaga, “rather, it’s a love letter to the inspiring people who have formed communities and fought tirelessly against seemingly impossible odds to give viewers everywhere more seasons of some of television’s most iconic shows.”
Interviewees include: Bjo and John Trimble (known as “the couple that saved ‘Star Trek’), Dorothy Swanson (founder of Viewers for Quality Television), and Kaily Russell (currently fighting to resurrect “Person of Interest”); series’ stars: Nichelle Nichols (“Star Trek”), Zachary Levi (“Chuck”), Scott Bakula (“Quantum Leap”), Amy Acker (“Person of Interest”), Adam Bartley (“Longmire”), Skeet Ulrich (“Jericho”), and Enrico Colantoni (“Veronica Mars”); series’ creators: Tom Fontana (“St. Elsewhere”), Barney Rosenzweig (“Cagney & Lacey”), Harry Thomason (“Designing Women”), Donald P. Bellisario (“Quantum Leap”), Rob Thomas (“Veronica Mars”), Jon Steinberg and Dan Shotz (“Jericho”), Matt Miller (“Chuck”), Jason Katims (“Roswell”), and Jonah Nolan and Greg Plageman (“Person of Interest”).
-
2018 Woodstock Film Festival Awards – WHEELS and THE FEELING OF BEING WATCHED Win Top Awards
After opening remarks from Roger Ross Williams, the first African American director to win an Academy Award, the 19th Woodstock Film Festival Maverick Awards Ceremony was held on Saturday, October 13. Awards were presented to exceptional films and honorees in numerous categories with the Feature Narrative Award going to Paul Starkman for WHEELS, and the Best Documentary Feature was presented to Assia Boundaoui director for THE FEELING OF BEING WATCHED.
Tony®, Emmy® and Grammy®-winning, and Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Julie Taymor received the Honorary Maverick Award; and Academy Award®-nominated and Emmy Award®-winning filmmaker Matthew Heineman received the Filmmaker Award of Distinction. for his debut feature narrative, A PRIVATE WAR.
BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE
The Gigantic Pictures’ Feature Narrative Award went to Paul Starkman for WHEELS.
“We chose Wheels because it beautifully explores the powerfully precarious choices that brothers make that impact their lives and all of their relationships forever. Stunningly told and poignantly acted with depth and candor wheels stood out in a thrilling year of Woodstock film selections. It explores the fine line between constructive and instantly destructive decisions and their impact on our lives- in an instant everything changes.”
Honorable Mention went to Brendan Walter for SPELL.
A Special Award for ensemble cast went to John Stimpson for GHOST LIGHT.
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:
The Best Documentary Feature, sponsored by Films We Like, was presented to Assia Boundaoui director for THE FEELING OF BEING WATCHED.
Honorable Mention to director Juliane Dressner and Edwin Martinez for PERSONAL STATEMENT.
Best Narrative Short sponsored by Gigantic Pictures, went to director Leonora Lonsdale for BEAST.
Honorable Mention went to Alexis Gambis for MI HERMANO.
Best Student Short sponsored by Gigantic Pictures, went to director Jisun Jamie Kim for A YEAR.
The Woodstock Film Festival Ultra Indie Award, sponsored by Gray, Krauss, Stratford, Sandler, Des Rochers, LLP and Blackmagic Design, was presented to Alex Moratto for SOCRATES.
Best Animated Short was presented to Mark C. Smith for TWO BALLOONS.
Best Short Documentary, sponsored by Markertek.com, went to Skye Fitzgerald for LIFEBOAT. Honorable mention to Lynne Sachs for CAROLEE, BARBARA & GUNVOR.
“We based our decision on what stories we felt most needed to be told, and what stories we hadn’t seen before. We put special emphasis on films that show underrepresented people (like the older women in Carolee, Barbara & Gunvor). We wanted to cite a local filmmaker for an honorable mention as a nod to the importance of our growing creative community upstate.”
The Haskell Wexler Award for Best Cinematography, sponsored by Panavision, went to Eric Bader for SPELL.
“Choosing a single film in this category was not easy. There’s been an explosion of great cinematography this year, and all of the films considered for the cinematography award stood out.
But the cinematography in this particular film is resonant, drawn with a deft touch. It is consistent and well crafted. The color palette and the choice of shots and lenses allow us a proximity to the characters, which aptly draws us into the drama and plays on our expectations, our emotions as viewers.”
The James Lyons Editing Award For Narrative Feature, sponsored by Technicolor Postworks NY, was presented to Kristina Davies editor for UNLOVABLE.
The James Lyons Editing Award For Documentary Feature, sponsored by Technicolor Postworks NY, was presented to Rabab Haj Yahya editor for THE FEELING OF BEING WATCHED. Special mention: WRESTLE.
The World Cinema Award, was presented to Laurie Colbert and Dominique Cardona for KEELY & DU. A special mention to director Roxy Toporowych for JULIA BLUE.
The Carpe Diem Andretta Award, sponsored by The Vincent J. Andretta Memorial Fund and presented to the film that best represents living life to the fullest, was awarded to director William Fichtner for COLD BROOK.