A Bread Factory (Part One & Part Two), an ambitious project comprising two feature films written and directed by Patrick Wang. Starring Tyne Daly and Elisabeth Henry as a couple who are fighting to keep their local arts center open, the film will open at Village East Cinema in New York and at the Laemmle Monica Film Center in Los Angeles on October 26. Other cities will follow. After a successful release in France, Patrick Wang’s second film, The Grief of Others, will be released in New York and Los Angeles on November 2.
After his critically acclaimed films In the Family (Independent Spirit Award nominee) and The Grief of Others (presented at SXSW, Cannes), A Bread Factory sees an expansion in form to two feature films, to a cast of over 100, and to include the genres of drama, comedy and musical. This diversity is found in the cast, which ranges from comedienne Janeane Garofalo to opera star Martina Arroyo. The film features the luminous final performance of the late theater legend Brian Murray. “All the other films were practice to be able to pull this off,” say director Patrick Wang of A Bread Factory. Music for the film was composed by Wang alongside four other composers, including the legendary Chip Taylor (Songwriters Hall of Fame, Wild Thing, Angel of the Morning). An album of Chip Taylor’s songs based on the movie will also be released October 26.
A Bread Factory, Part One: For the Sake of Gold (122 min) – Forty years ago, Dorothea (Tyne Daly) and Greta (Elisabeth Henry) moved to the town of Checkford and bought an abandoned bread factory that they transformed into an arts space. Here they host movies, plays, dance, exhibits and artists. It’s where civic groups and immigrant communities can meet, where there are after school programs for children. Now a celebrity couple—performance artists from China—have come to Checkford. They’ve constructed a huge building, the FEEL Institute, down the street. It is a strange sight for a small town. Dorothea and Greta learn about a new proposal to give all the funding from the school system for their children’s arts programs to the FEEL Institute. Without this funding, the Bread Factory would not survive. They quickly rally the community to save their space. The commercial forces behind the FEEL Institute fight also, bringing a young movie star to town to help make their case. The school board meeting turns into a circus where the fate of the Bread Factory hangs in the balance.
A Bread Factory, Part Two: Walk with Me a While (120 min) – Checkford hasn’t been the same since the school board meeting. Mysteriously, the reporter who runs the local newspaper disappears. Bizarre tourists start to show up, then come mysterious tech start-up workers. With all the new people, real estate is booming. Amidst all these distractions, Dorothea and Greta try to continue their work. They are rehearsing a production of HECUBA by Euripides. On the day they open the play, Dorothea gets the news that the Bread Factory will lose an essential piece of their funding. The beautiful opening night performance of HECUBA plays to a tiny audience. Brokenhearted, Dorothea and Greta must decide whether to give up their work at the Bread Factory because their community and support has disappeared, or to continue in their struggle to build community through art.Films
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Patrick Wang’s A BREAD FACTORY (Part One & Part Two) Starring Tyne Daly and Elisabeth Henry, Sets October Release Date
A Bread Factory (Part One & Part Two), an ambitious project comprising two feature films written and directed by Patrick Wang. Starring Tyne Daly and Elisabeth Henry as a couple who are fighting to keep their local arts center open, the film will open at Village East Cinema in New York and at the Laemmle Monica Film Center in Los Angeles on October 26. Other cities will follow. After a successful release in France, Patrick Wang’s second film, The Grief of Others, will be released in New York and Los Angeles on November 2.
After his critically acclaimed films In the Family (Independent Spirit Award nominee) and The Grief of Others (presented at SXSW, Cannes), A Bread Factory sees an expansion in form to two feature films, to a cast of over 100, and to include the genres of drama, comedy and musical. This diversity is found in the cast, which ranges from comedienne Janeane Garofalo to opera star Martina Arroyo. The film features the luminous final performance of the late theater legend Brian Murray. “All the other films were practice to be able to pull this off,” say director Patrick Wang of A Bread Factory. Music for the film was composed by Wang alongside four other composers, including the legendary Chip Taylor (Songwriters Hall of Fame, Wild Thing, Angel of the Morning). An album of Chip Taylor’s songs based on the movie will also be released October 26.
A Bread Factory, Part One: For the Sake of Gold (122 min) – Forty years ago, Dorothea (Tyne Daly) and Greta (Elisabeth Henry) moved to the town of Checkford and bought an abandoned bread factory that they transformed into an arts space. Here they host movies, plays, dance, exhibits and artists. It’s where civic groups and immigrant communities can meet, where there are after school programs for children. Now a celebrity couple—performance artists from China—have come to Checkford. They’ve constructed a huge building, the FEEL Institute, down the street. It is a strange sight for a small town. Dorothea and Greta learn about a new proposal to give all the funding from the school system for their children’s arts programs to the FEEL Institute. Without this funding, the Bread Factory would not survive. They quickly rally the community to save their space. The commercial forces behind the FEEL Institute fight also, bringing a young movie star to town to help make their case. The school board meeting turns into a circus where the fate of the Bread Factory hangs in the balance.
A Bread Factory, Part Two: Walk with Me a While (120 min) – Checkford hasn’t been the same since the school board meeting. Mysteriously, the reporter who runs the local newspaper disappears. Bizarre tourists start to show up, then come mysterious tech start-up workers. With all the new people, real estate is booming. Amidst all these distractions, Dorothea and Greta try to continue their work. They are rehearsing a production of HECUBA by Euripides. On the day they open the play, Dorothea gets the news that the Bread Factory will lose an essential piece of their funding. The beautiful opening night performance of HECUBA plays to a tiny audience. Brokenhearted, Dorothea and Greta must decide whether to give up their work at the Bread Factory because their community and support has disappeared, or to continue in their struggle to build community through art.
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AN L.A. MINUTE Starring Gabriel Bryne Opens in Theaters on Friday [Trailer]
An L.A. Minute, starring Gabriel Byrne as a mega-rich, mega-famous, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and blockbuster movie producer, opens August 24 in Los Angeles and New York, with a national rollout to follow.
Gabriel Byrne stars as the successful Ted Gould, problem is, overwhelming success has turned him into a mega-hack, and he knows it. His misery and self-loathing makes him treat everyone in his life with disrespect, and when Ted meets performance artist Velocity (Kiersey Clemons), she rocks his 1% world. An L.A. Minute is a satirical look at fame, success, the star-making machinery and the karma that attaches itself to all those who worship at the altar of celebrity. But, as is often the case in real life, what you see is not exactly what you get.
n L.A. Minute was directed by Daniel Adams and co-written by Adams and former editor of National Lampoon Magazine, Larry ‘Ratso’ Sloman. Sloman is best known for his collaboration with radio personality Howard Stern’s two best-selling books, Private Parts and Miss America. Daniel Adams is an award-winning American feature film director best known for directing and writing the popular films “The Lightkeepers,” starring Richard Dreyfuss and Blythe Danner, and “The Golden Boys,” starring David Carradine, Bruce Dern, Rip Torn, Charles Durning, and Mariel Hemingway.
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WATCH Chance the Rapper in Horror Film SLICE Trailer
Chance the Rapper makes his big-screen debut in the horror film Slice, the story of a ghost, a werewolf, and a pretty shitty pizza place. The film from director Austin Vesely, co-stars Zazie Beets, Paul Scheer, Rae Gray, and Joe Keery.
In a spooky small town, when a slew of pizza delivery boys are slain on the job, two daring survivors (Atlanta’s Zazie Beetz and Chance the Rapper in a wild film debut) set out to catch the culprits behind the cryptic crime spree. Slice is Director Austin Vesely’s first feature film after helming music videos for Chance’s “Sunday Candy” and “Angels.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5LUKX97bNA
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2018 HollyShorts Film Festival Awards – Guy Nattiv’s SKIN Wins Best Short Film
Skin Directed by Guy Nattiv took the top prize for Best Short Film at the 14th edition of the Oscar Qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival Awards Ceremony last night hosted by Gabrielle Loren. Grand Jury Prize went to Souls of Totality Directed by Richard Raymond. Best Director went to Randall Christopher for The Driver Is Red. Best Short Shot on Film went to Trapeze USA by Mark Anthony Green. The Panavision Future Filmmaker Award went to Daniel Drummond for A Foreman. The HollyShorts 2018 Screenplay Competition Winner Presented by Seattle Film Summit went to Best Seller by Nora Kirkpatrick.
The 15th Anniversary of HollyShorts will take place on August 8-17, 2019 at the TCL Chinese 6 Theaters. The festival begins taking early bird submissions for next year’s festival on September 23, 2018.
HollyShorts Awards 2018 Full Winners List
Best Action Mascarpone Jonas Riemer Best Animation The Driver Is Red Randall Christopher Best Cinematographer The Other End Of The Earth Aaron Grasso Best Comedy Must Kill Karl Joe Kicak Best Coming Of Age Melody Bernard Kordieh Best Diversity Diwa Aina Dumlao, Bru Muller Best Documentary Hula Girl Amy Hill, Chris Riess Best Drama Phone Duty Lenar Kamalov Best Editing The Sermon Paco Sweetman Best Female Director Magic ’85 Annika Kurnick Best Horror Bite Size Horror Andrew Laurich, Anthony Melton, Ben Franklin, Chris Leone, Jack Bishop, Jerome Sable, John Ross, Justin Nijm, Michael Thelin, Rob Savage, Toby Meakins Best International Matria Alvaro Gago Diaz Best LGBT Pop Rox Nate Trinrud Best Music Video Sea Thor Brenne Best Narrative A Drowning Man Mahdi Fleifel Best Period Piece Cypher Lawrence Le Lam Best Produced Deer Boy Paweł Kosuń, Agnieszka Janowska Best Romance Fill Your Heart With French Fries Tamar Glezerman Best Sci-Fi Paleonaut Eric McEver Best Screenplay 1. Best Seller – Nora Kirkpatrick 2. Melville – Jeremy Storey 3. Conviction – Nino Mancuso Best Student Falling Ewen Wright Best Thriller Baghead Alberto Corredor Best TV Pickup Jeremiah Kipp Best VFX UI Soon We Will All Be One Johannes Mücke, Patrick Sturm Best VR A Yosemite Welcome… Kevin Pontuti Best Web Series Little Italy, LA Adriano Valentini Honorable Mention Magic Alps Andrea Brusa, Marco Scotu Kodak Honorable Mention Always Remember Me Nell Teare Best Panavision Future Filmmaker Award A Foreman Daniel Drummond Best Director The Driver Is Red Randall Christopher Best Grand Jury Souls Of Totality Richard Raymond Best Short Film Prize Skin Guy Nattiv
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Magical Touching Documentary 306 HOLLYWOOD Sets September Release Date [Video]
306 Hollywood is described as a touching and formally audacious film, directed by sister-brother artists and filmmakers Elan and Jonathan Bogarín which was the opening night film of the 2018 Sundance Film Festival’s NEXT section (and the first documentary ever to be selected for the program). 306 Hollywood will open in New York on Friday, September 28 at the Quad Cinema with a national rollout to follow.
[caption id="attachment_27448" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
306 Hollywood by Elan Bogarín and Jonathan Bogarín[/caption]
When Elan and Jonathan lose their beloved grandmother, Annette, they face a profound question: When a loved one dies, what do we do with the things they leave behind? Turning documentary on its head, the Bogaríns embark on a magical-realist journey to discover who their grandmother really was, transforming her cluttered New Jersey home of 71 years into a visually exquisite ruin where tchotchkes become artifacts, and the siblings become archaeologists. With help from physicists, curators and archivists—and the added inspiration of a decade of interviews with the vivacious octogenarian herself—they excavate the extraordinary universe contained in Annette’s home. 306 Hollywood playfully transforms the dusty fragments of an unassuming life into an epic metaphor for the nature of time, memory and history.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-biFuX4td4
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Watch Trailer for Powerful Documentary CITY OF JOY, Premieres September 7 on Netflix
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City of Joy[/caption]
Netflix has released the trailer for City of Joy, directed by first-time director Madeleine Gavin, that follows the first class of women at a revolutionary leadership center in eastern Congo called City of Joy. The documentary will launch globally on Netflix on September 7, 2018.
City of Joy follows the unlikely friendship that develops between Congolese doctor Dr. Denis Mukwege (2016 Nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize), The Vagina Monologues playwright Eve Ensler, and a charismatic Congolese human rights activist who join forces to create a safe haven for women survivors in the middle of violence-torn Eastern Congo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNy0MG_iy0Y
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Watch New Trailer + Poster for Pistol-Packing South African Western FIVE FINGERS OF MARSEILLES
The pistol-packing acclaimed South African western Five Fingers for Marseilles which is set for release in US theaters on Friday, September 7, 2018, has released a new trailer and poster. Five Fingers for Marseilles, from filmmaker Michael Matthews and screenwriter Sean Drummond, is described as a thrilling western set against the backdrop of post-Apartheid South Africa.
The residents of the colonial town of Marseilles are under the thumb of police oppression and only the young rebels known as the Five Fingers are willing to stand up to them. Their battle is just, until Tau kills two policemen and flees the scene. The remaining rebels disband while the banished Tau resorts to a life of crime. Twenty years later, now known as feared outlaw The Lion of Marseilles, he is released from prison. He returns home, desiring only peace and to reconnect with those he left behind. The battle for South Africa’s freedom has been won, and former comrades-in-arms are in prominent positions as mayor, police chief, and pastor. But it quickly becomes clear to Tau that Marseilles is caught in the grip of a vicious new threat — and he must reconstitute the Five Fingers to fight frontier justice. Standing against former allies and new enemies, the re-formed Five Fingers saddle up and ride out, and put their lives at risk to save their beloved Marseilles.
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Watch New Trailer + Poster for Pablo Solarz’s THE LAST SUIT
The new trailer and poster is here for The Last Suit, the award-winning charming, funny film from Argentine director Pablo Solarz about an elderly Holocaust survivor who decides to undertake a trip from Argentina to Poland to tie up some unfinished business. The Last Suit will open in theaters on Friday, September 21 in New York, followed by Los Angeles on Friday, September 28, and wider national release to follow.
At 88, Abraham Bursztein (Miguel Ángel Solá) is seeing his place in the world rapidly disappear. His kids have sold his Buenos Aires residence, set him up to move to a retirement home, and disagree on how to handle his fading health. But Abraham survived the Holocaust, made a successful life in a foreign land, and isn’t about to quietly fade away. Instead, he plots a secret one-way trip to Poland, where he plans to find the Christian friend who saved him from certain death at the end of World War II, and to keep his promise to return one day.
With its klezmer-driven score, evocative cinematography and fleet pacing, THE LAST SUIT approaches its weighty themes with a light touch that illuminates a serious story. And in its mix of Spanish, Yiddish, German and Polish it is a globe-trotting surprise, a late-in-life road movie with planes, trains and heart.
Trailer
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Vivienne Westwood Documentary WESTWOOD: PUNK, ICON, ACTIVIST on DVD on 9/11 [Trailer]
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Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist[/caption]
She helped create the look of British punk rock in the 1970s – then went on to become a global fashion innovator. Now the amazing and unpredictable life story of Vivienne Westwood is told in a must-see new film: WESTWOOD: PUNK, ICON, ACTIVIST. It will be released by Greenwich Entertainment DVD on September 11, 2018.
With exclusive, unprecedented access, director Lorna Tucker’s WESTWOOD: PUNK, ICON, ACTIVIST is the first film to encompass the remarkable story of Vivienne’s life, her fashion, her personality, her activism and her cultural importance.
Since igniting the punk movement with ex-partner and Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren, Dame Vivienne Westwood has been redefining British fashion for over 40 years, and is responsible for creating many of the most distinctive looks of our time.
From the producers of the acclaimed documentaries Searching for Sugar Man, Listen to Me Marlon and Restrepo, WESTWOOD: PUNK, ICON, ACTIVIST blends archive footage, beautifully crafted reconstruction and insightful interviews with Vivienne’s fascinating network of collaborators, guiding us on her journey from a childhood in postwar Derbyshire to the runways of Paris and Milan.
This is an intimate and poignant homage to one of the true cultural icons of our time, as she fights to maintain her brand’s integrity, her principles and her legacy in a business driven by consumerism, profit and global expansion.
Featuring supermodels Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell, and former Vogue magazine editor-at-large André Leon Talley, the film was an Official Selection at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, and its theatrical release by Greenwich Entertainment coincided with New York Fashion Week.
Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times called WESTWOOD: PUNK, ICON, ACTIVIST “A fascinating, involving glimpse of both who Westwood was back in the day and who she is at this particular moment in time,” while Anna Smith of Time Out called it “the perfect film to double bill Phantom Thread with.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2oF4wOnTS4
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Frederick Wiseman’s Small Town America Documentary MONROVIA, INDIANA Sets October Release Date
Frederick Wiseman’s documentary Monrovia, Indiana which is set to world premiere at the 2018 Venice Film Festival, will be released in theaters on October 26 at New York’s Film Forum as it begins a national theatrical rollout via Zipporah Films. Los Angeles will open November 2 with additional top markets to follow in November and December. Following Venice, the film will also play at the Toronto International Film Festival and the New York Film Festival.
Located in mid-America, Monrovia, IN (population 1,063), founded in 1834, is primarily a farming community. The film is about the day-to-day experiences living and working in Monrovia, with emphasis on community organizations and institutions, religion and daily life in this farming community.
Forty-six million Americans live in rural, small town America. These towns were once the backbone of American life. While their number and populations have shrunk, the importance of rural America as a formative center of American politics and values was demonstrated in the 2016 presidential election. To understand more about American life, it is important acknowledge the unique and important contributions small towns make to American character and culture, in addition to providing most of our food, raw materials and drinking water.
The film explores the conflicting stereotypes and illustrates how values like community service, duty, spiritual life, generosity and authenticity are formed, experienced and lived. The film gives a complex and nuanced view of daily life in Monrovia and provides some understanding of a rural, mid-American way of life that has always been important in America but whose influence and force have not always been recognized or understood in the big cities on the east and west coasts of America and in other countries.
On his inspiration for the film Wiseman stated:“I thought a film about a small farming community in the Midwest would be a good addition to the series I have been doing on contemporary American life. Life in big American cities,on the east and west coasts,is regularly reported on and I was interested in learning more about life in small town America and sharing my view.”
Since 1967, Frederick Wiseman has directed 42 documentaries—dramatic, narrative films that seek to portray ordinary human experience in a wide variety of contemporary social institutions. His films include TITICUT FOLLIES, HIGH SCHOOL, WELFARE, JUVENILE COURT, BOXING GYM, LA DANSE, BALLET, CENTRAL PARK, BALLET, LA COMEDIE FRANCAISE, CRAZY HORSE, AT BERKELEY, NATIONAL GALLERY, IN JACKSON HEIGHTS, and EX LIBRIS – THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY. He has directed one fiction film, THE LAST LETTER (2002). His films are exhibited in theatres and broadcast on television in many countries.
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Martin Sulik’s THE INTERPRETER is Slovakia’s Entry in Oscar Race for Best Foreign Film [Trailer]
Martin Sulik’s The Interpreter has been selected by the Slovak Film and Television Academy (SFTA) to represent Slovakia in the category of Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards.
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Filmmaker Christi Cooper Wins Inaugural SFFILM Environmental Fellowship
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Youth v. Gov[/caption]
SFFILM awarded its inaugural SFFILM Environmental Fellowship along with the $25,000 cash prize to filmmaker Christi Cooper and her documentary Youth v. Gov. Cooper will also receive a year of mentorship and services to support the development, production, and impact campaign for the film.
The SFFILM Environmental Fellowship in partnership with Paul G. Allen’s Vulcan Productions is geared towards mid-career filmmakers with a feature documentary project in development or early production that focuses on pressing environmental or conservation issues. Cooper is an Emmy Award-winning cinematographer with a passion for transforming complex issues into compelling storytelling. Youth v. Gov will chronicle a landmark lawsuit brought by 21 youths who are suing the U.S. government and fossil fuel industry for creating a climate emergency and endangering their futures.
Youth v. Gov was selected from a field of 70+ submissions by a committee of film and environmental experts from SFFILM, Vulcan Productions, Sierra Magazine, EarthX and the Redford Center.
“Talented filmmakers are telling powerful stories about climate change and the environment, and we are proud to be able to help bring this particular story to life via this new partnership with SFFILM,” said Carole Tomko, general manager and creative director of Vulcan Productions. “We support Christi’s incredibly timely film and recognize the importance of providing filmmakers financial and creative support.”
“We’re thrilled to partner with Vulcan to add to our commitment to the crucial early development stage of this documentary and elevate emerging voices tackling such significant issues of the environment and conservation,” added Caroline von Kühn, Director of Artist Development at SFFILM. “Through this process, it was really quite encouraging to see how many talented filmmakers are out there tackling these critical issues, but we are especially excited to support Christi and this timely, inspiring story of the next generation fighting for the future of our climate.”
“We are incredibly honored for this needed support to continue documenting this important story,” said Cooper. “We are once again at a point in history where youth are rising up and demanding change, from gun reform to social justice. These youth plaintiffs are on the frontlines of the climate crisis in our highest courts of law, holding their government accountable to protect their rights and inspiring other youth to take action. This story also has the power to change our discourse on climate change in a time of intense partisan divide, and to reframe it as a paramount responsibility of our government to protect our future.”
The SFFILM Environmental Fellowship supports a documentary filmmaker over the course of six months who is creating a powerful story about conservation and the environment. In addition to the $25,000 grant, the fellow will travel to San Francisco and Seattle to participate in filmmaking and environmental workshops and to cultivate connections within the entertainment industry. The program consists of three key components: a residency at SFFILM’s FilmHouse for artistic support and mentorship; guidance from a dedicated environmental advisor; and development of a community outreach campaign and educational plan. The fellowship will run from June to December 2018.
An Emmy-award winning cinematographer, Christi Cooper grew up in Boulder, Colorado, where she was fortunate to be surrounded by people that nurtured and helped her develop a strong connection to nature and the outdoors. She obtained an M.S. in Microbiology from Colorado State University and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Regensburg, Germany. After significant time in basic research and teaching at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, she made the decision to pursue her dream of an MFA in Science and Nature Filmmaking at Montana State University. In addition to communicating sometimes very complex issues through storytelling and visual narrative, her primary goals are to combine her research skills and in-depth knowledge of science with her desire to create compelling narratives focused on raising awareness about socio-political issues. In what little “free” time she has, she enjoys being a mother and a partner, growing her own food, and relishing in the incredible beauty and lifestyle of Montana.
In 2015, 21 young plaintiffs, ages 8 to 19, filed suit against the U.S. government asserting a willful violation of their constitutional rights. Youth v. Gov follows this turbulent legal battle as the government and fossil fuel industry take extraordinary measures to get the case dismissed. The case will go to trial on October 29, 2018 in Eugene, Oregon.