Films

Atlanta Jewish Film Festival Selects Series Launches with Israeli Romantic Comedy THE WEDDING PLAN

[caption id="attachment_22117" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] The Wedding Plan[/caption] The Wedding Plan, an Israeli romantic comedy about a jilted Orthodox bride who embarks on an elaborate search for Mr. Right, will screen as the first film of the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival Selects series on Thursday, May 11. The AJFF Selects series is designed to bring the same type of world-class films from the annual festival to audiences year-round. AJFF Selects will feature a series of special screening events outside of the annual festival. These programs will feature outstanding new foreign and independent films, as well as expert speakers and guest filmmakers. Says AJFF Executive Director Kenny Blank, “With programming initiatives like the AJFF Selects, we have the opportunity to continue our conversation with the community and expand our artistic footprint all year long. We’re excited to unveil more films in the Selects series soon. This is just the beginning of new program offerings from AJFF.” From acclaimed writer-director Rama Burshtein (Fill the Void) comes the surprisingly gentle and sweet new Israeli romantic comedy, The Wedding Plan. After her fiancé calls off their wedding a month before the ceremony, an ultra-Orthodox woman (Noa Koler) decides to keep the wedding date, leaving it to fate to provide a suitable groom. Unwilling to return to lonely single life, Michal embarks on an exhaustive search for a spouse, enlisting different matchmakers and enduring a series of horrible blind dates. As the day of her wedding grows closer and without the presence of Mr. Right, the jilted bride-to-be puts everything on the line to find happiness. Nominated for nine Israeli Academy Awards, The Wedding Plan is winner of Best Actress and Best Screenplay honors, and claimed Best Actress prize at the Haifa International Film Festival. A nominee for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival, the film is also an Official Selection of the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival.
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TOMORROW EVER AFTER, Ela Thier’s Award-Winning Comedic Drama, Opens May 5th | Trailer

[caption id="attachment_22100" align="aligncenter" width="1170"] Tomorrow Ever After[/caption] Ela Thier’s poignant comedic drama about the times we are living in, Tomorrow Ever After, opens May 5 in NY and LA, followed by additional cities and a VOD opening in June. The film stars Ela Thier, Nabil Viñas, Ebbe Bassey, Memo, Matthew Murumba, and Daphna Thier. Tomorrow Ever After won Best American Indie at the Fort Lauderdale international Film Festival, Best Feature Film and the Audience Choice Award at the Moondance International Film Festival, and Best Director at the Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival. Shaina is a historian who lives 600 years in the future. War, poverty, pollution, greed, exploitation, depression, loneliness: these are things that she’s read about in history books. And while she studied this dark period of history (in which we are living) when money is viewed as more important than people, she has never, in the flesh, seen humans hurting other humans. Until now. While visiting a group of physicists who experiment with time travel, Shaina is accidentally stranded in the year 2015. Here she involves herself with a group of friends who are as lovable as they are flawed. As the harsh realities of their lives unfold, she learns what no history book could have taught her. Old habits, however, are hard to break, and Shaina can’t help but assume that everyone around her is honest, generous, and caring, as she works to recruit the help that she needs to get back home. While most futuristic films depict a dystopia that is even colder and more mechanical than our own, this film takes a bold departure from the sci-fi genre by exploring the possibility of a future in which caring and compassion govern our societies. What if the future of humanity and the planet turns out exactly as we would want it to be? Writer/Director and Star of “Tomorrow Ever After”, Ela Thier is known for creating laugh-out-loud comedies that surprise audiences by evolving into heartbreaking dramas with profound messages about the human condition. Her award-winning feature, “Foreign Letters”, is a memoir about her own immigration experience. The film has shown in over 140 film festivals world-wide, and was released by Film Movement and Go2Films (2012). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZor1JlAL-E
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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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Steven Shainberg ‘s New Sci-fi + Horror Film, RUPTURE Opens in Theaters on Friday April 28 | Trailer

[caption id="attachment_22083" align="aligncenter" width="1105"] RUPTURE[/caption] Award-winning writer/director Steven Shainberg builds upon the S&M roots of his indie film sensation, 2002’s extraordinary kink masterpiece Secretary with the disturbing sci-fi and horror storytelling of his new film, RUPTURE, opening in theaters and VOD on Friday, April 28. Single mother Renee Morgan (Noomi Rapace, channeling both her Lisbeth Salander from The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and Elizabeth Shaw from Prometheus) finds herself kidnapped by a mysterious organization and held in a sinister facility. She must fight for her independence from a terrifying, paternalistic system where she is now the subject of an underground experiment. Co-starring Peter Stomare, Michael Chiklis, Lesley Manville and Kerry Bishé in a transfigured underworld of nightmares. Scripted by Shainberg and Brian Nelson (Hard Candy), produced by Andrew Lazar (American Sniper) and featuring heart-pounding cinematography by Karim Hussain (Antiviral, We Are Still Here). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyapGzUetnw 2017 marks the 15th anniversary of the release of Steven Shainberg’s critically acclaimed “Secretary” starring James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal in the bold and darkly humorous love story. The film won the Special Jury Price for Originality at the Sundance Film Festival and garnered several other prestigious awards from the National Board of Review and the Independent Spirit Awards, in addition to being nominated for a Golden Globe. Additional directorial highlights include: “Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus,” a fantastical love story about legendary photographer Diane Arbus. Set in New York City in 1958, the film stars Nicole Kidman and Robert Downey Jr. and was released by Picturehouse. Shainberg’s first feature, “Hit Me”, based upon a novel by Jim Thompson was released to strong critical raves for Elias Koteas’ performance as a high strung loser who gets drawn into a hotel robbery gone awry. “Hit Me”, which also starred William H. Macy and Cesar Award winning actress Laure Marsac, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and screened at many international festivals.
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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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Tribeca 2017: Who Killed Marsha P Johnson “street queen” of NY’s Gay Ghetto? | Trailer

[caption id="attachment_22039" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] THE DEATH AND LIFE OF MARSHA P. JOHNSON[/caption] Marsha P Johnson, the beloved, self-described “street queen” of NY’s gay ghetto was found floating in the Hudson River in 1992, the NYPD chalked it up as a suicide and refused to investigate. Who killed Marsha P. Johnson? When the beloved, self-described “street queen” of NY’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, twenty-five years on, Academy Award® nominated director and journalist David France (HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE) examines Marsha’s death—and her extraordinary life—in his new film. Marsha arrived in the Village in the 1960s where she teamed up with Sylvia Rivera when both claimed their identities as “drag queens,” to use the vernacular of the times. Together, the radical duo fought arrests, condemned police brutality, organized street kids, battled the intolerant majority within the gay community, and helped spearhead the Stonewall Riots. In 1970 they formed the world’s first trans-rights organization, STAR (Street Transvestites Action Revolutionaries). Despite their many challenges over the years—bias, homelessness, illness —Marsha and Sylvia ignited a powerful and lasting civil rights movement for gender nonconforming people. Now, a quarter century later, at a time of unprecedented visibility and escalating violence in the transgender community, a dynamic activist named Victoria Cruz has taken it upon herself to reexamine what happened at the end of Marsha’s life. As the film dips in and out of jawdropping archival footage from the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s, THE DEATH AND LIFE OF MARSHA P. JOHNSON follows as this champion pursues leads, mobilizes officials, and works to get to the bottom of Marsha’s death. In an interview with director David France, he described what inspired to make the film now,”Marsha died twenty-five years ago this July and her fame—and mythology—has only increased over that quarter century. She’s become a very well-known touchstone within the LGBT movement but very little is really known about her. I wanted to fill in the historical record. In addition, I knew that her death was never thoroughly investigated by the police. In fact, as a print journalist I had begun to investigate her case back in 1992, but never did follow through on that work, so I felt a personal obligation to go back to it, and I felt that that offered an opportunity to reallyput flesh on this mythical character of Marsha P. Johnson.” THE DEATH AND LIFE OF MARSHA P. JOHNSON had its world premiere at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, with additional screenings through Friday, Apr. 28th.
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Tribeca 2017: rag & bone Debuts HAIR Directed by and Starring John Turturro | Trailer

[caption id="attachment_22032" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Bobby Cannavale and John Turturro in HAIR. Photo credit: Marissa Kraxberger.[/caption] Hair, a short film, directed by and starring Golden Globe-nominated actor John Turturro alongside two-time Emmy-winner Bobby Cannavale debuted at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. Delving deeper into the medium of film, the film is as a rag & bone production, marking yet another engaging initiative under the ‘rag & bone Films’ umbrella. Hair will be available to view in full on rag-bone.com beginning May 2nd. “For us, projects like these are about creating a paradigm shift in the way people view fashion. Film and photography are engrained in our brand DNA and we love exploring both mediums in different ways every season. This project was a joy to be part of and it was a real honor to work with John and Bobby on it.” – Marcus Wainwright, rag & bone CEO, Founder and Creative Director [gallery size="large" ids="22033,22034,22035"] Shot by Fred Elmes (Blue Velvet, The Night Of, Broken Flowers) in Williamsburg, Brooklyn the film features an improvised conversation about a man’s particularity for his hair. Truly masters of their craft, Turturro and Cannavale deliver a lightheartedly engrossing and completely unscripted performance while dressed in the rag & bone Spring/Summer 2017 collection. “It was fun to find the right location that would complement the rag & bone clothing. I scouted several places with Fred Elmes and we felt that this specific classic barber shop was the perfect location. Clothes and hair go together; they’re part of your social identity.” – John Turturro Hair follows on from the 2016 Men’s Project, based on a concept that showcases the actors’ authentic personalities with each outfitted in pieces from the latest collection that are reflective of their own personal taste. Turturro continues, “Working with rag & bone was very creative and collaborative, with this short, I wanted to convey the spirit of their brand which is fun, lively, and urban with a focus on quality and craftsmanship.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZlE76iGwC8
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Tribeca 2017: Watch Animated Short Film ESCAPE that World Premiered at Festival | Video

[caption id="attachment_22027" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] “Looking for a solution.” Film still from ESCAPE.[/caption] The animated short film Escape, a sequel to two-time Daytime Emmy Award-winning short Silent, premiered at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival on Saturday, April 22, in New York. Escape is the story of a lone space explorer who crash-lands on a desolate planet and must find a way to make her new home habitable. Dolby Laboratories united the creative talents of Emmy® winning director Limbert Fabian and Academy Award® winning co-director Brandon Oldenburg, who represent the creative leadership of the newly formed Flight School Studio, with the musical talents of Imogen Heap, the only solo recording artist and also the first woman to win a Grammy for engineering. In addition, Dolby’s Angus McGilpin and Vince Voron, the team behind Silent, collaborated to bring visual design and audio expertise to Escape. Combining techniques such as miniatures and animation with the spectacular imaging of Dolby Vision and the moving audio of Dolby Atmos, Escape invites the audience to experience a joyous vision of the future. With her love of technology and her passion for the project, the Grammy-winning solo recording artist Imogen Heap composed, performed and produced the song Magic Me for the film. Heap added her amazing voice and music to an original soundtrack, working alongside BAFTA winning sound designer Nick Ryan to mesh the sound fx into the music, creating a truly unique listening experience to complement the animation. Heap will release Magic Me in conjunction with the film’s premiere. To create the beautiful and dynamic world, the team developed a model of the planet’s landscape that was designed to combine purposeful structures with organic, vine-like elements in a way that permitted light to flow throughout the space. The film avoids dialogue and instead uses facial expressions, visual effects and music to communicate with a global audience, making sound an integral part of the movie experience. “The film is a cinematic poem about the world-changing power of invention and is a fitting sequel to Silent in which our character experienced the evolution of film technology from the silent-film era to the present day,” said Vince Voron, the film’s Executive Producer and Vice President and Executive Creative Director of Dolby Laboratories. “We have been investing in original branded content to inspire our consumers, filmmakers and partners and celebrate the powerful storytelling possibilities when art and science come together.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H46Kil1k-m8
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Tribeca 2017: 80’s NY Street Artist Richard Hambleton is Still Here in SHADOWMAN | Trailer

[caption id="attachment_22015" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Richard Hambleton in SHADOWMAN. Photographer: Hank OíNeal.[/caption] Richard Hambleton is not here for your consumption, you consumer. Richard is here to paint, and get your money so that he can be happy with his best friend “his drugs.” Yes you the consumer thought you were playing Richard by commissioning and controlling him with your promises of fame, apartments, and money, but in the end it’s Richard the addict that’s pulling the strings, he is the puppet master. Richard Hambleton is the subject of the documentary Shadowman, directed by Oren Jacoby, that world premiered at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival. As an artist, I connected with Richard; he ran within the circles of Keith Haring, Jean Michel Basquiat and now he’s the only living legend that comes to my mind from that era. Everybody wanted and wants a piece of that art era, which tormented the soul of Basquiat and Harring, and they both verbally expressed their distaste at being commissioned and controlled by the money. But, unlike Haring and Basquiat, at the height of his career Richard QUIT, yes he quit and traveled the world. Richard is a non conformist, he knows his talent, he knows his value, and just like he knows his drugs, he also knows that to the art dealer his art is their drug. He dangles his best work in front of their greedy faces, but refuses to sell that painting – once again showing he is in control. In the film, an art dealer offers Richard an apartment in the Trump Hotel, and in return Richard had to give him only one painting a month. The gallery that brokered that deal called Richard to check the status of the painting and explained to him that the dealer was being generous by letting him stay at the Trump Hotel for free because the rooms go for $40,000 a month, Richard’s response was yes but I’m giving him one painting a month and my paintings sell for over a million dollars each – leaving the gallery rep speechless. As I stated before Richard knows his drug, but he also knows theirs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUPXecA3Isg I give Shadowman 5 stars and would highly recommend this documentary I felt a range of emotions as I watched it from sadness, empathy to victory because as an artist I definitely related. Great job to the entire team. Director: Oren Jacoby Cinematographer: Oren Jacoby, Tom Hurwitz, Bob Richman Editor: Abhay Sofsky Composer: Joel Goodman Executive Producer: Andy Valmorbida, Julie Goldman, Christopher Clements, Carolyn Hepburn, Producer: Oren Jacoby Co-Producer: Hank O’Neal, Eric Forman, Clayton Patterson Field Producer: Maria Gabriella Pezzo Coordinating Producer: Sam Jinishian Cast: Richard Hambleton
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Tribeca 2017: A RIVER BELOW Documents the Efforts to Save the Pink River Dolphin in the Amazon | Trailer

[caption id="attachment_22009" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] The Amazon River. Film still from A RIVER BELOW. Photo credit: Helkin RenÈ Diaz.[/caption] A River Below directed by Mark Greico is an investigative journey into the Amazon that follows a TV star and a renowned marine biologist as they each attempt to save the endangered pink river dolphin from being hunted to extinction. The film has its World Premiere at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival in the Documentary competition. A River Below captures the Amazon in all its complexity as it examines the actions of environmental activists using the media in an age where truth is a relative term. The film follows a reality TV star and a renowned marine biologist as they each attempt to save the Amazon pink river dolphin from being hunted to extinction. With gorgeous, sweeping aerial views we gain perspective from above, but as the film plunges deep into the murky, tangled rivers, we uncover a scandal that has no simple solution. A RIVER BELOW is a completely unexpected film – a knotty poem of duality and dissonance and a journey into ourselves as we attempt to better this world. Director Mark Greico’s last film MARMATO was an official selection at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and went to win numerous awards.
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Tribeca 2017: Hillary Clinton Makes a Surprise Appearance as a Panelist for Kathryn Bigelow’s VR Short Premiere

Hillary Clinton made a surprise appearance at the Tribeca Film Festival on Saturday to participate in the world premiere of Academy Award-winning director Kathryn Bigelow’s virtual reality short, The Protectors: Walk in the Rangers’ Shoes. National Geographic’s The Protectors: Walk in the Ranger’s Shoes, is a documentary short shot in Virtual Reality that chronicles a day in the life of a ranger in Garamba National Park, managed by African Parks, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. These rangers are often the last line of defense in a race against extinction as poachers continue to slaughter elephants for their ivory tusks. The rangers face constant danger and even death at the service of these sentient, noble creatures and can therefore truly be called the unsung heroes in this race against time. Clinton was an unannounced panelist, alongside directors Bigelow and Imraan Ismail, African Parks’ Andrea Heydlauf, and National Geographic’s Rachel Webber.

.@NatGeo @AnnapurnaPics We are honored to announce a special, surprise panelist for this virtual reality #Tribeca2017 Talk: Madame Secretary @HillaryClinton! pic.twitter.com/VaxdJglOzm
— Tribeca (@Tribeca) April 23, 2017
In her remarks, Clinton spoke about her work to save elephants from poachers slaughtering them for their ivory tusks, saying “I’m proud we passed a near total ban of ivory and proud that the Chinese made a very important announcement last year on the ivory trade. Large mammals like elephants have a large role to play both in reality and in our imaginations. China had been the number one market, but the US is the second biggest market for illegal ivory.” Clinton also referenced march Earth Day and the marches taking place earlier in New York City, Washington DC, other US cities and around the world, saying, ‘It is Earth Day and we are marching on behalf of science, and part of science is understanding the intricate relationships we share with those on this planet.”

#marchforscience shoutout from @HillaryClinton! What an amazing #earthday surprise at #Tribeca2017 pic.twitter.com/vJPvp5OEGZ
— Tribeca (@Tribeca) April 23, 2017
image via Twitter
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