Documentary

Watch Trailer for Documentary ‘Hell on Earth: The Fall of Syria and the Rise of ISIS’

Hell on Earth: The Fall of Syria and the Rise of ISIS chronicle Syria’s descent into the unbridled chaos that allowed the rise of the Islamic State, better known as ISIS. Pulling from nearly 1,000 hours of stunningly visceral footage – from that of a family living under ISIS control that finally fled to Turkey, to Kurdish fighters in Sinjar and Shia militias in Iraq and even to al-Qaidaaffiliated fighters in and around Aleppo and Raqqa – Junger and Quested cover the ISIS catastrophe from multiple angles and feature interviews with top experts from around the world. Consequently, the filmmakers, who previously collaborated on a trio of films about the war in Afghanistan (“Restrepo,” “The Last Patrol” and “Which Way is the Front Line From Here”), capture the Syrian war’s harrowing carnage, political and social consequences, and, most important, its human toll, while painting an alarming picture of the west’s role in the creation of ISIS. Hell on Earth: The Fall of Syria and the Rise of ISIS from Academy Award-nominated filmmaker and best-selling author Sebastian Junger and his Emmy-winning filmmaking partner, Nick Quested, will be released theatrically in NY and LA, and air globally on National Geographic in 171 countries and 45 languages on Sunday, June 11 at 9/8c. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7XzmDaIIDY
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Albert Maysles’s Final Film IN TRANSIT to Open on June 23 | Trailer

[caption id="attachment_22216" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] In Transit, Albert Maysles[/caption] After a world premiere at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival, Albert Maysles’s final film In Transit will receive its first theatrical engagement this June 23 to 29 in New York City at the Maysles Cinema and Metrograph simultaneously. In Transit is directed by legendary documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles (Grey Gardens, Gimme Shelter) in collaboration with co-directors Lynn True, Nelson Walker, Ben Wu and David Usui. The culmination of Maysles’s lifelong passion for capturing the stories of train passengers, and styled in the tradition of Direct Cinema, the film unfolds as a series of interconnected vignettes. Ranging from overheard conversations to moments of deep intimacy, in which travellers share their fears, hopes and dreams, In Transit takes place entirely aboard Amtrak’s Empire Builder, the country’s busiest long-distance route. A journey into the hearts and minds of these everyday Americans, the directors explore the essence of what it is to be a citizen of America today. In the space between stations, where ‘real life’ is suspended, we are swept into a fleeting community that transcends normal barriers. To some passengers, the train is flight and salvation, to others it is reckoning and loss. But for all, it is a place for personal reflection and connecting with others they may otherwise never know. “We are thrilled to bring Albert’s long gestating, final masterwork to New York audiences in this special weeklong engagement,” said Erika Dilday, Executive Director of Maysles Documentary Center. “This is a wonderful opportunity to see this acclaimed film in the uptown cinema he created specifically for celebrating documentary filmmaking.” “We are honored to have produced this moving portrait of modern American life that could not be more essential viewing for a nation that is struggling with its contemporary identity.” The documentary was produced by Maysles Documentary Center in Harlem—the uptown independent film house and a filmmaking education hub that was founded by Albert Maysles in 2005. The center is now run by the Maysles family and a cooperative of artists and educators who continue to coordinate the cinematic programming and educational workshops he envisioned.
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THE CHALLENGE, Documentary on Qatari Sheikhs as Amateur Falconers Sets US Release Date | Trailer

[caption id="attachment_22212" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] The Challenge[/caption] The Challenge, Yuri Ancarani’s acclaimed documentary focused on a group of super-wealthy, Qatari sheikhs who moonlight as amateur falconers, will be released in the US by Kino Lorber. The film is scheduled for an exclusive New York engagement at September 8, 2017, before expanding nationwide during the fall. A VOD and home media release is scheduled for 2018. A rigorous and beautifully photographed look at the rituals that define these men’s lives (driving a Ferrari with a pet cheetah being one of them), The Challenge offers a rare window into a group of ultra-privileged men who spare no expense in the pursuit of their own idiosyncratic wishes. The Challenge premiered last August at the Locarno Film Festival and won the Special Jury Award at the festival’s Cineasti del Presente section. In 2017, the film played at True/False, SXSW and New Directors/New Films in New York – and it is now having its Canadian premiere at HotDocs. “Yuri Ancarani is the type of visionary and ambitious filmmaker that we love to introduce to American audiences,” wrote Richard Lorber in a prepared statement. “And his feature debut The Challenge is an unforgettable cinematic experience that’s going to both charm and astound audiences everywhere.” “We are excited to work with Kino Lorber on the North American release of The Challenge,” wrote Manuela Buono. “We always admired the company that distributed Fire at Sea and Le Quattro Volte in the US, and we think that Yuri Ancarani’s visionary work fits perfectly in this line-up.”
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2017 QDoc, Portland’s LGBTQ Doc Fest, to Open with THE UNTOLD TALES OF ARMISTEAD MAUPIN

[caption id="attachment_22202" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] THE UNTOLD TALES OF ARMISTEAD MAUPIN[/caption] QDoc, the only film festival in the United States (and one of only two in the world) devoted exclusively to LGBTQ documentaries kicks of Thursday, May 18 at the historic Hollywood Theatre in Portland, Oregon with THE UNTOLD TALES OF ARMISTEAD MAUPIN and continues through May 21 with 11 additional films, broadly exploring LGBTQ history, culture and politics. Thursday, May 18 at 7:30pm: THE UNTOLD TALES OF ARMISTEAD MAUPIN The Untold Tales Of Armistead Maupin examines the life and work of one of the world’s most beloved storytellers. The film follows Armistead Maupin’s evolution from a son of the Old South — at one time even a staffer for arch-conservative Senator Jesse Helms — into a gay rights pioneer whose novels (Tales of the City) have inspired millions to claim their own truth. Filmmaker and two-time QDoc alum Jennifer Kroot captures the playful, poignant and laugh-out-loud funny perspective of a literary legend. Subject Armistead Maupin, director Jennifer Kroot and co-director/editor Bill Weber will be in attendance. Friday, May 19 at 6:30pm: JEWEL’S CATCH ONE Jewel Thais-Williams helped changed laws, save lives and influence communities across Los Angeles at her legendary nightclub, a home for LGBTQ people of color for 42 years. Through interviews with clubgoers Sharon Stone, Sandra Bernhard and Bonnie Pointer, among others, director C. Fitz draws a portrait of a determined entrepreneur who overcame the challenges of being black, female, poor and lesbian to create a lasting legacy in the community. Subject Jewel Thais-Williams and director C. Fitz will be in attendance. Friday, May 19 at 8:45pm: BAYARD & ME (short) Iconic U.S. civil rights leader Bayard Rustin and his longtime partner, Walter Naegle, wanted to legally marry in the 1980s, but that was not possible. Still wanting legal protection for their union, Bayard adopted Naegle, who was 30 years his junior. In this intimate love story, Naegle remembers Bayard and a time when same-sex marriage was inconceivable. He reflects on the little-known phenomena of intergenerational gay adoption and its connection to the civil rights movement. Friday, May 19 at 8:45pm A GIANT’S LOVE (immediately following Bayard & Me) Leonardo Munoz was born in 1943 in Argentina. At the age of 14, Leonardo became Mariela. Being transgender under a right-wing military dictator was not without complication. A loved and loving woman, Mariela welcomed, fostered and raised 17 abandoned children in her lifetime, and became the first transgender person ever to obtain legal documents, thus setting a precedent in Argentina. Through the testimonies of her children and others close to her, A Giant’s Love traces the fight for the recognition of Mariela’s identity in a country under military junta and highlights her commitment to the protection of the oppressed. Director Maria Audras will be in attendance. Saturday, May 20 at 1pm: MY WONDERFUL WEST BERLIN My Wonderful West Berlin offers a brilliant homage to hedonism, the story of 1960s West Berlin and the righteous freedom of the gay community of the era. Weaving archival material with contemporary footage, director Jochen Hick offers a bittersweet tribute to a city whose bars, cruising, radical bookstores and left-wing politics paved the way for new German attitudes toward liberation. Director Jochen Hick will be in attendance. Saturday, May 20 at 3:30pm: THE DEATH AND LIFE OF MARSHA P. JOHNSON Who killed Marsha P. Johnson? When the beloved, self-described “street queen” of New York’s Christopher Street was found floating in the Hudson River in 1992, the NYPD called her death a suicide. Protests erupted, but the police remained impassive and refused to investigate. Now, 25 years on, Oscar-nominated director and journalist David France (How to Survive a Plague) re-examines the death of a beloved icon of the trans world while celebrating the story of two landmark pioneers of the trans rights movement. Saturday, May 20 at 6:30pm: CHAVELA According to The Guardian, legendary Mexican singer Chavela Vargas is “probably Donald Trump’s ultimate nightmare: a Mexican lesbian diva who can wring your very soul.” The Hollywood Reporter calls her “a trailblazing free spirit whose appetite for tequila and women was as legendary as her soul-stirring vocals.” Through its lyrical structure, Chavela takes viewers on an evocative, thought-provoking journey through the life of this iconoclastic, game-changing artist. Director/producer Catherine Gund will be in attendance. Saturday, May 20 at 9pm: THE FABULOUS ALLAN CARR For someone who spent most of his Hollywood career behind the scenes, Allan Carr lived a lavish lifestyle that was made for the spotlight. A producer, manager and marketing genius, Carr built his bombastic reputation amid a series of successes including the mega-hit musical film Grease, until it all came crashing down when he produced the 1989 Academy Awards, a notorious debacle. Directed by Jeffrey Schwarz (past QDoc favorites I Am Divine, Tab Hunter Confidential, Vito), The Fabulous Allan Carr brings this complex character to life through cheeky animated sequences and heartfelt interviews. Director Jeffrey Schwarz in attendance. Sunday, May 21 at noon: CONVERSATIONS WITH GAY ELDERS QDoc co-founder and filmmaker David Weissman (The Cockettes and We Were Here) returns with a recently completed Conversation featuring Portland resident Kerby Lauderdale, who has been active in Portland’s LGBT community since the early 1980s. The father of Pink Martini founder Thomas Lauderdale, Kerby’s story differs from others in the series because he was in a heterosexual marriage for many years. The editor of this piece is Michiel Thomas, who directed the 2015 QDoc opening night film, Game Face. Director David Weissman, subject Kerby Lauderdale, and editor Michiel Thomas will be in attendance. Sunday, May 21 at 2:30pm SMALL TALK In Taiwanese culture, questioning a mother’s love is taboo. But as filmmaker Hui-chen Huang sets out on a journey with her mother, such an inquiry forms the basis for an intimate exploration of a complex and nuanced relationship. Huang seeks to understand her mother, Anu, who took the radical step in the 1970s of leaving her violent husband and raising her two children alone, forging an unusual path in which her female lovers have all shared her profession as a Taoist priestess and professional mourner. Through often-unresolved conversations with her mother, as well as interviews with her mother’s siblings and ex- lovers, Huang reveals the complex and changing landscape for Taiwanese women. Teddy Award winner for Best Documentary at the Berlinale film festival. Sunday, May 21 at 4:30pm THE LAVENDER SCARE With the United States gripped in the panic of the Cold War, President Dwight D. Eisenhower deemed homosexuals to be “security risks” and ordered the immediate firing of any government employee discovered to be gay or lesbian. It triggered a vicious witch-hunt that lasted for 40 years and ruined thousands of lives, while thrusting an unlikely hero into the forefront of what would become the modern LGBT rights movement. The Lavender Scare is a compelling story of one man’s fight for justice — and a chilling reminder of how easy it can be, during a time of fear and uncertainty, to trample the rights of an entire class of people in the name of patriotism and national security. Josh Howard, 24-time Emmy- winning producer and director of the film, will be in attendance. Sunday, May 21 at 7:30pm REBELS ON POINTE Exploring universal themes of identity, dreams, family, loss and love, filmmaker Bobbi Jo Hart’s Rebels on Pointe is the first-ever documentary celebrating the world-famous Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo. The notorious all-male, comic ballet troupe was founded more than 40 years ago in New York City on the heels of the Stonewall riots, and has a passionate cult following around the world. The film blends intimate, behind-the- scenes access with rich archives and history, engaging character-driven stories and live performances. Rebels on Pointe is a creative mix of gender-bending artistic expression, diversity, passion and purpose. A story that ultimately proves that a ballerina is not only a woman dancing — but an act of revolution in a tutu. Subject Bobby Carter will be in attendance.
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Documentary BECOMING CARY GRANT to World Premiere at Cannes Film Festival | Trailer

The new documentary Becoming Cary Grant, a definitive biography of the extraordinary Hollywood icon, will world premiere at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. Following the festival, the film will have its world television debut on Showtime on Friday, June 9 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Directed by Mark Kidel (Elvis Costello: Mystery Dance, A Journey With Peter Sellars), the captivating biopic reveals Cary Grant’s inner search to find himself at the height of his fame. Using words and insights from his unpublished autobiography and newly discovered personal footage, Becoming Cary Grant unveils the intimate story of Archie Leach, the man behind the mask of the beloved and charming Hollywood legend known as Cary Grant. From his difficult childhood without his mother, through his 30 years of stardom, to the joys of his later years as a father, the film uncovers a side of Grant never seen by the public.Becoming Cary Grant plumbs the depths of Grant’s insecurities and reveals his unique journey of self-exploration through recounts of his probing LSD therapy sessions. The 85-minute documentary features a treasure trove of extracts from Grant’s films and exclusive interviews with his close friends about his troubled past. The words of Cary Grant are spoken by actor Jonathan Pryce (Game of Thrones, Wolf Hall). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHkMZfmxDB8
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HBO Announces Landmark Documentary on Princess Diana

HBO Documentary Films announced today a landmark documentary, which will celebrate the life and work of Diana, Princess of Wales, in the 20th year since her tragic death. HBO has U.S. rights to the film, produced by Oxford Film and Television for the ITV network in the U.K. The unprecedented documentary will be built around interviews with The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry, both of whom talk openly and in depth about their mother and how her influence has shaped their lives. Their Royal Highnesses will also offer their perspective on the Princess’ unique contribution to public life, including her charitable and humanitarian work. Areas including landmines, child bereavement, homelessness and HIV and AIDS, will be explored. The film, which will be broadcast on HBO and ITV later in the year, will also include individual contributions from many key figures in the Princess’ life and new archival material. Through the personal and intimate reflections of her two sons and of her friends and family, many of whom have never spoken publicly before, the film will offer fresh and revealing insights into Princess Diana, an iconic figure who touched the lives of millions. “This film will show Princess Diana in a way she has never been seen before, through the eyes of the two people who knew her best,” commented Nick Kent, the film’s executive producer at Oxford Film and Television. The producer/director of the film is Ashley Gething.
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Watch Trailer for Sundance Award Winning Film JOSHUA: TEENAGER VS. SUPERPOWER, Set to Debut on Netflix

[caption id="attachment_22156" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Joshua Wong appears in Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower[/caption] Netflix has released the official trailer JOSHUA : TEENAGER VS. SUPERPOWER directed by Joe Piscatella, and the winner of this year’s Audience Award at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. JOSHUA: TEENAGER VS. SUPERPOWER will be available on Netflix May 26th, 2017. When the Chinese Communist Party alters its promise of autonomy to Hong Kong – handed back to the Chinese government from British rule in 1997 – teenager Joshua Wong decides to fight for his homeland. Rallying thousands of kids to skip school and occupy the streets, and without a long-term plan but with passion to spare, Joshua becomes an unlikely leader in Hong Kong. A remarkable portrait of courage, resilience, and the propulsive power of youthful idealism, JOSHUA : TEENAGER VS. SUPERPOWER, the winner of this year’s Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, is a chronicle of one young man risking his own future for a greater good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lN9_mQq2mQ
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COLUMBUS and UNREST Selected for Sundance Institute’s Creative Distribution Fellowship

[caption id="attachment_19935" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Unrest[/caption] Sundance Institute has selected two acclaimed works from the 2017 Sundance Film Festival: Columbus, from director and screenwriter Kogonada, and Unrest, a documentary directed by Jennifer Brea for its Creative Distribution Fellowship. The fellowship is a new initiative to support filmmaking teams seeking a more entrepreneurial approach to the release of their work. Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said, “Columbus and Unrest are perfect examples of the creative spirit of independent filmmaking, and this new Fellowship will provide them with resources, mentorship and tactical support to pioneer independent pathways to audiences. This entrepreneurial approach to marketing, distribution and audience building empowers independent filmmakers to release their own films, on their own terms, while retaining their rights.” The Creative Distribution Fellowship, inspired by Sundance Institute’s long-standing Labs, will provide Columbus and Unrest with tools, resources and exclusive distribution deals in an immersive and nurturing environment. Each film will receive grants to fund marketing and distribution expenses. The Institute is working closely with the film teams to devise and execute tactics that will allow them to connect with their audiences in new and innovative ways. The filmmakers will serve as their own distributors, working with a network of professional vendors and digital retailers, with all theatrical and digital revenue flowing back to them. As a core part of the Fellowship, the producers of Columbus and Unrest are committed to sharing lessons learned from their creative distribution. These lessons will create “best practices” to help guide future independent filmmakers. The Institute has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds and build audiences for Columbus and Unrest, which is open through Thursday, June 1. Danielle Renfrew Behrens, producer of Columbus, said, “Many films have attempted to self-release over the years, but until recently filmmakers haven’t had the tools needed to reach their targeted audience. We’ve turned down more traditional distribution offers in the hopes of determining if this is a viable way forward for indie films with identifiable niche audiences. We’re thrilled to have Sundance Institute’s aid and guidance in navigating this new terrain, and hopefully creating a guide that other independent films can follow.” Jennifer Brea, producer/director of Unrest, said, “We can’t wait to connect our film directly with its audience, combining a bespoke theatrical release with innovative ways of reaching those who would not be able to see the film in theaters. With the aid of the Creative Distribution Fellowship we’ll be able to actively engage with our viewers, encouraging an experience that will last far beyond the end of the film.” Columbus stars John Cho, Haley Lu Richardson, Parker Posey, Rory Culkin and Michelle Forbes and world premiered in the NEXT section at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. In the film, Casey (Richardson) lives with her mother in a little-known Midwestern town haunted by the promise of modernism. Jin (Cho), a visitor from the other side of the world, attends to his dying father. Burdened by the future, they find respite in one another and the architecture that surrounds them. Vanity Fair wrote that Columbus “is a clever and compelling exploration into how physical structures can come to represent emotional landmarks in our personal lives, and the drive we have to share them with others.” Columbus will be released, starting theatrically, in August. Unrest chronicles director and Harvard PhD student Jennifer Brea, who was struck down at 28 by a fever that left her bedridden. Doctors told her it’s “all in your head.” Determined to live, she sets out on a virtual journey to document her story—and four other families’ stories—fighting a disease medicine forgot. The film will have a theatrical release prior to airing as part of PBS’s ‘Independent Lens’ series in 2018. The Creative Distribution Fellowship is part of Sundance Institute’s Creative Producing Program. Founded in 2011, the Program has empowered filmmakers navigating the changing business of independent film with online resources, live workshops and a network of allied organizations. Films it has supported include Upstream Color (Director: Shane Carruth), BURN (Directors: Brenna Sanchez and Tom Putnam), Cronies (Director: Michael Larnell), Western (Directors: Bill Ross and Turner Ross), First Girl I Loved (Director: Kerem Sanga), NUTS! (Director: Penny Lane) and HITS (Director: David Cross).
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Oliver Stone Interviews Vladimir Putin in Showtime DocuSeries THE PUTIN INTERVIEWS | Trailer

THE PUTIN INTERVIEWS, a revealing series of interviews between renowned filmmaker Oliver Stone and Vladimir Putin, will have its world television premiere on SHOWTIME over four consecutive nights starting on Monday, June 12 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Granted unprecedented access to both Putin’s professional and personal worlds, Oscar(R)-winning writer and director Oliver Stone (Platoon, Snowden), with the help of his longtime documentary producer Fernando Sulichin, interviewed the Russian leader more than a dozen times over the course of two years, most recently in February following the U.S. presidential elections. Since first becoming the president of Russia in 2000, Putin has never before spoken at such length or in such detail to a Western interviewer, leaving no topic off limits. In scope and depth, THE PUTIN INTERVIEWS recalls The Nixon Interviews, the series of conversations between David Frost and Richard Nixon that aired in the spring of 1977, 40 years ago. “If Vladimir Putin is indeed the great enemy of the United States, then at least we should try to understand him,” Stone said. During these wide-ranging interviews, Putin confronts the controversies engulfing the increasingly fragile relations between the U.S. and Russia today, including his views on President Donald Trump and allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, NATO, and fostering turmoil in Syria, Ukraine and elsewhere. Prodded by Stone, Putin traverses a host of critical topics in sharp detail, including Putin’s rise to the Presidency, and long-term grip on power, his personal relationships with Clinton, Bush, Obama and Trump – as well as Yeltsin and Gorbachev. He also talks of the legacies of Stalin and Reagan, as well as the surveillance state and Edward Snowden’s flight to asylum in Moscow, and the resignation of U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Providing intimate insight via sessions held throughout the Kremlin, Sochi and Putin’s official residence outside of Moscow, the four-hour film captures the essence and complexity of the Russian leader and his approach to the U.S. and the world, while incorporating dramatic footage of key events. The exchanges are often pointed, always thought-provoking and occasionally surreal – including a remarkable sequence where Stone introduces Putin for the first time to Stanley Kubrick’s Cold War satire Dr. Strangelove which they watched together – all serving to illuminate the mindset of one of the least understood but most important players in the geopolitical world today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrBoj760aD8
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BAD RAP, Documentary on Asian-American Rappers, Sets May 23rd Release Date | Trailer

[caption id="attachment_12255" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] BAD RAP[/caption] Bad Rap, directed by Salima Koroma, follows the lives and careers of four Asian-American rappers – Dumbfoundead, Awkwafina, Rekstizzy, Lyricks – trying to get a break. Bad Rap will be released nationwide on VOD, Tuesday, May 23 on all major platforms including iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, and Vudu. The film’s release is timed to Asian Cultural Heritage Month (May 2017). Hip-hop culture has transcended many racial and cultural boundaries after its founding in the ’70s by African-American and Latino youth in the South Bronx. Since then, rappers have emerged as legitimate pop culture stars around the world and hip-hop’s global movement has become increasingly more diverse. Yet the face of rap in America remains primarily black, brown, and white. Bad Rap follows the lives and careers of four Asian-American rappers trying to break into a world that often treats them as outsiders. Featuring dynamic live performance footage and revealing interviews, Bad Rap will turn the most skeptical critics into believers. From the battle rhymes of crowd-favorite Dumbfoundead to the tongue-in-cheek songs of Awkwafina; the unapologetic visuals of Rekstizzy to the conflicted values of Lyricks – Bad Rap paints a memorable portrait of artistic passion in the face of an unsung struggle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGvmRT7uJsI
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Tribeca 207: JULIAN SCHNABEL: A PRIVATE PORTRAIT Opens in NY on May 5 Following World Premiere at Festival

[caption id="attachment_22089" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] A film still from JULIAN SCHNABEL: A PRIVATE PORTRAIT.[/caption] Pappi Corsicato’s documentary Julian Schnabel: A Private Portrait had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, and will be followed by a New York theatrical release on Friday, May 5 at the newly launched Quad Cinema and the Lincoln Plaza Cinema. A national theatrical rollout will follow. Julian Schnabel: A Private Portrait is a vivid chronicle of the colorful personal life and public career of the celebrated painter and filmmaker. The film details the Brooklyn-born Schnabel’s formative years in Texas, the beginning of his professional career in New York City in the late ‘70s, his rise to superstar status in the ‘80s Manhattan art scene, and his move into filmmaking with 1995’s Basquiat followed by Before Night Falls and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. With a kaleidoscopic blend of material from Schnabel’s personal archives, newly shot footage of the artist at work and play, and commentary from friends, family and artists, including Al Pacino, Mary Boone, Jeff Koons, and Laurie Anderson—not to mention Schnabel himself—Italian filmmaker Pappi Corsicato creates a fascinating portrait of one of the modern art world’s true mavericks.
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Tribeca 2017: Susan Froemke’s THE RESILIENT HEART Premiered at Fest, Debuts on Amazon | Trailer

[caption id="attachment_22060" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 24: Host Bob Harper, Director Susan Froemke and Director of Mount Sinai Heart and Physician-in-Chief of The Mount Sinai Hospital Dr. Valentin Fuster, MD, PHD during the Tribeca Film Festival premiere for the feature documentary, The Resilient Heart.[/caption] Oscar-nominee and Grammy winning director, Susan Froemke, premiered her feature documentary film, The Resilient Heart, during the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival to a packed audience. The screening event was hosted by Bob Harper, the celebrity trainer and host of NBC’s Biggest Loser, who suffered a heart attack earlier this year. Over the weekend, the film made its world premiere in competition at the acclaimed Newport Beach Film Festival. The feature length documentary film, which centers on the work of Dr. Valentin Fuster, a world-renowned cardiologist and Physician-in-Chief at The Mount Sinai Hospital, has been picked up by Amazon Prime Video and Amazon.com for a global launch, and is available now. Froemke announced the release of The Resilient Heart in Park City, UT following the 2017 Sundance Film Festival premiere of her documentary Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman. [gallery size="large" type="rectangular" ids="22059,22060,22061,22062,22063,22064,22065"] “When I first met Dr. Valentin Fuster, I thought cardiovascular disease was a rich nation’s illness, but I soon found out it was the leading cause of death across the globe,” said Froemke. “Dr. Fuster’s mission to stem the tide of this debilitating epidemic inspired me to make The Resilient Heart with the hope to bring his important story to a wide audience.” “Every year, over 17 million people worldwide die from heart disease,” explained Dr. Fuster. “By 2030 that number is expected to be 23 million, and most of those deaths are preventable. I hope this film will help to change those statistics moving forward.” The film, made with generous support from The Valentin Fuster Mount Sinai Foundation for Science, Health & Empowerment, Inc., focuses on Dr. Fuster’s research and travels as he discovers that the real answer to fighting chronic disease lies in early education. The Resilient Heart follows Dr. Fuster as he travels from Bogota, Columbia, to Eldoret, Kenya, the island of Grenada, Madrid, the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, and Mexico, where he encounters the profound impacts of coordinated global health initiatives, proactive public policy, and the passion of people to better the health and well-being of populations, no matter the circumstances. The film was directed by Oscar®-nominee and Grammy® winner Susan Froemke, a non-fiction filmmaker with over 30 documentaries to her credit, including the iconic Grey Gardens (1976), the Academy Award nominated Lalee’s Kin (2001), Conversations With The Rolling Stones (1994), and Escape Fire: The Fight To Rescue American Healthcare which premiered at Sundance in 2013. For four decades, Dr. Fuster has been a global leader in the field of cardiology, including cardiovascular medicine, translational research, and education. He has a keen interest in promoting cardiovascular health, especially for the world’s tiniest hearts — those in our children. Dr. Fuster has published more than 1,000 research studies on the prevention and treatment of heart disease, coronary artery disease, atherosclerosis, and thrombosis, and is Director of Mount Sinai Heart and Physician-in-Chief of The Mount Sinai Hospital. Dr. Fuster is the former President of the American Heart Association and the World Heart Federation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbg0ojiNixc
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