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Award-winning film Israeli Film ZERO MOTIVATION Sets US Release Dates | Watch TRAILER + See Images

News

ZERO MOTIVATION, directed by Talya Lavie and winner of six Israeli “Oscars” plus the Best Narrative Feature Award at the Tribeca Film Festival, will open at Film Forum in NYC on December 3rd and the Nuart Theater in Los Angeles on January 16 , 2015. A national release will follow.

http://youtu.be/SV4ptfyaQFA

ZERO MOTIVATION, the biggest hit of the year in Israel, earning more at the box office than any other film (including Hollywood releases), is described as a unique, sharply observed, sometimes dark and often hilarious portrait of everyday life for a unit of young, female soldiers in a remote Israeli desert outpost. Playing out like M*A*S*H meets Orange is the New Black, Talya Lavie’s brilliant debut details the power struggles of three women with different agendas and very little to do.

Pencil-pushers in the Human Resources Office, best friends Zohar (Dana Ivgy) and Daffi (Nelly Tagar) spend their time playing video games, singing pop songs, jousting with stationery and dreaming of Tel Aviv. The indolent twosome are watched over by their aspiring senior officer, Rama (Shani Klein), who dreams of a higher position and a significant military career, but with a platoon of unskilled, idle, female soldiers without any drive under her charge, her ambitions for promotion are constantly thwarted. With shifts of tone that go from slapstick to satiric to horrifying with fluid ease, and with a superb supporting cast of characters, ZERO MOTIVATION is destined to be one of the most talked about films of the year.

Nelly Tagar as Daffi in ZERO MOTIVATION. A film by Talya Lavie. A Zeitgeist Films release.

Dana Ivgy as Zohar in ZERO MOTIVATION. A film by Talya Lavie. A Zeitgeist Films release.

Dana Ivgy as Zohar in ZERO MOTIVATION. A film by Talya Lavie. A Zeitgeist Films release.

Dana Ivgy as Zohar (left) and Nelly Tagar as Daffi in ZERO MOTIVATION. A film by Talya Lavie. A Zeitgeist Films release.

Dana Ivgy as Zohar in ZERO MOTIVATION. A film by Talya Lavie. A Zeitgeist Films release.

Nelly Tagar as Daffi (left) and Dana Ivgy as Zohar in ZERO MOTIVATION. A film by Talya Lavie. A Zeitgeist Films release.

A scene from ZERO MOTIVATION. A film by Talya Lavie. A Zeitgeist Films release.

Shani Klein as Rama in ZERO MOTIVATION. A film by Talya Lavie. A Zeitgeist Films release.

Nelly Tagar as Daffi in ZERO MOTIVATION. A film by Talya Lavie. A Zeitgeist Films release.

Shani Klein as Rama (left) and Nelly Tagar as Daffi in ZERO MOTIVATION. A film by Talya Lavie. A Zeitgeist Films release.

Shani Klein as Rama leads the recruits in ZERO MOTIVATION. A film by Talya Lavie. A Zeitgeist Films release.

Talya Lavie directing ZERO MOTIVATION. A Zeitgeist Films release. Photo: Eran Cohen

Zero Motivation director Talya Lavie Photo: Rubi Castro

Official Poster for ZERO MOTIVATION

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Women Directors Win Top Awards at Stockholm International Film Festival

Stockholm International Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_6873" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Girlhood[/caption] The 25th Stockholm International Film Festival set many records including female award winners, with French director Céline Sciamma’s Girlhood winning the top prize. The film is a tale of class identity and belonging. It fills a gap among the stories that are traditionally told about Paris. The award for Best First Film went to July Jung for A Girl at my Door. Ninja Thyberg won the 1 Km Film scholarship with her short film Hot Chicks. The price enables the director to make a new short film which will be screened during the 2015 Film Festival. The Telia Film Award went to Carlos Marques-Marcet’s 10 000 km. Canadian director Xavier Dolan visited the festival with his latest feature, Mommy. The film won the Silver Audience Award. This year’s Stockholm Visionary Award went to Roy Andersson and the Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Mike Leigh. Uma Thurman visited the Festival, and was presented with a Bronze Horse for the Stockholm Achievement Award. Next year’s Stockholm Film Festival will be November 11 through 22, 2015
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First Official Kurt Cobain Documentary Set for Release on HBO in 2015

Documentary

For the first time, more than twenty years after his death, the first fully-authorized feature documentary on Kurt Cobain, legendary lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of Nirvana, “the flagship band of Generation X,” will be released. Titled, KURT COBAIN: MONTAGE OF HECK, the documentary film is scheduled for international release in 2015, and will debut exclusively on HBO in the U.S. Cobain’s daughter Frances Bean Cobain is executive producer, but no Courtney Love.

Brett Morgen, the Oscar®-nominated filmmaker behind acclaimed documentaries such as the HBO presentations “Crossfire Hurricane,” which celebrated the 50th anniversary of The Rolling Stones, and “The Kid Stays in the Picture,” is writer, director and producer of KURT COBAIN: MONTAGE OF HECK.

The first documentary to be made with the cooperation of Kurt Cobain’s family, the film is a raw and visceral journey through Cobain’s life and provides no-holds-barred access to Kurt Cobain’s archives, home to his never-before-seen home movies, recordings, artwork, photography, journals, demos, personal archives, family archives and songbooks. The film features dozens of Nirvana songs and performances as well as previously unheard Cobain originals.

“I started work on this project eight years ago,” says Morgen. “Like most people, when I started, I figured there would be limited amounts of fresh material to unearth. However, once I stepped into Kurt’s archive, I discovered over 200 hours of unreleased music and audio, a vast array of art projects (oil paintings, sculptures), countless hours of never-before-seen home movies, and over 4000 pages of writings that together help paint an intimate portrait of an artist who rarely revealed himself to the media.”

He adds, “I could not be happier with our partners at HBO and Universal. We look forward to sharing this film with audiences around the world.”
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Artwork and Dates Released for 2015 Phoenix Film Festival

Phoenix Film Festival

The artwork has been released for the 2015 Phoenix Film Festival taking place March 26 to April 2, 2015. Under the theme “Find your new favorite movie”, the festival’s art team, lead by 2014’s Volunteer of the Year Marty Freetage, came up with these images based on some of their favorite films.

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Stephen Hawking Biopic ‘The Theory of Everything’ to Open 11th Dubai International Film Festival

Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF)

The Theory of Everything

The 11th Dubai International Film Festival will open on 10th December with ‘The Theory of Everything’ – the Stephen Hawking biopic from Academy Award winning director James Marsh. Starring Eddie Redmayne as the renowned astrophysicist and Felicity Jones as his love, fellow student Jane Wilde, the extraordinary story follows the life of one of the world’s greatest living minds. The humorous and heartfelt musical ‘Into the Woods’ an international premiere will close the 11th edition of the Festival. Featuring an all star cast including Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, Anna Kendrick and Chris Pine, the film blends classic stories from Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk and Rapunzel. ‘Into the Woods’ is directed by acclaimed director Rob Marshall.

A total of 118 features, film shorts and documentaries are set to be screened over 8 days at this year’s edition; including 55 world and international premieres from 48 countries in 34 languages.

At the opening ceremony, DIFF will present its Lifetime Achievement Award to Egyptian actor Nour El-Sherif, for his work on more than 100 films in a career that has spanned almost 5 decades.

A panel of directors will comprise the prestigious Muhr Awards jury. DIFF’s Muhr Feature competition jury will be headed up by Lee Daniels, the multi-talented producer and director of Oscar-winning ‘Precious’ and ‘The Butler’. He will be joined by Dutch cinematographer and film director Leonard Retel Helmrich, acclaimed Algerian director Malik Bensmail, Oscar nominated actress Virginia Madsen and Lebanese director and actress Nadine Labaki.

The Muhr Shorts and Emirati competition will be headed up by Egyptian filmmaker Mohamed Khan. He will be joined by Palestinian director Cherien Dabis and Emirati screenwriter Mohammed Hassan Ahmed.

DIFF will feature numerous Red Carpet Gala screenings throughout the week. These screenings will kick off with ‘The Water Diviner’ – Russell Crowe’s anticipated directorial debut, on Thursday 11th December followed by ‘Dearest’, a deeply moving Chinese true-story drama from Peter Ho-sun Chan. Friday 12th will present a triple bill of galas beginning with ‘Paper Planes’ a touching family drama from Robert Connolly, followed by ‘Boychoir’ a crowd pleasing musical from François Girard starring Dustin Hoffman, and closing the day is ‘Dolphins’, from Emirati director Waleed Al Shehhi, which won the IWC Filmmaker Award (2013) after being supported by Enjaaz in cooperation with Watani and Filmi.

DIFF’s second Children’s Red Carpet Gala, ‘Santa Claus’ is a festive film for the whole family directed by Alexandre Coffre and begins proceedings on Saturday 13th. The evening gala’s start with ‘Escobar Paradise: Lost’ the directorial debut of Andrea Di Stefano starring Benicio del Toro and is followed by ‘The Sleeping Tree’, by Mohammed Rashed Buali, which was short-listed for the 2012 IWC Filmmaker Award and was supported by Enjaaz.

‘Out of the Ordinary’ – the latest feature that has got the film world talking from prolific Egyptian director Daoud Abdel Sayed – will screen on Sunday 14th. Monday 15th will enjoy two screenings: ‘Wild Tales’, from director Damián Szifrón, which has been selected as the Argentine entry for the Best Foreign Language Film; and ‘Cairo Time’ from Amir Ramses, starring cinematic legend Nour El-Sherif who will this year be honoured with the DIFF Lifetime Achievement Award. The highly anticipated ‘The Imitation Game’ directed by Morten Tyldum and starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley showcases on Tuesday 16th.
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“Birdman” Leads Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominations with 6 Nods

Awards

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

The nominations were announced this morning for the 2015 Spirit Awards, and Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) lead the list with 6 nods including Best Feature, and Best Director for Alejandro G. Iñárritu. Other nominees for Best Feature included Boyhood,Love is Strange, Selma and Whiplash. Inherent Vice was selected to receive the Robert Altman Award, which is bestowed upon one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast. Film Independent also awarded a Special Distinction Award to Bennett Miller’s Foxcatcher for its uniqueness of vision, honesty of direction and screenwriting, superb acting and achievement on every level of filmmaking.

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Antonio Morabito’s “The Medicine” Seller Wins the NICE City of Florence Award

New Italian Cinema (San Francisco Film Society)

Antonio Morabito’s The Medicine Seller (Il venditore di medicine) was selected as the winner of the NICE City of Florence Award at San Francisco Film Society’s New Italian Cinema. The five-day New Italian Cinema festival is dedicated to celebrating the rich cinematic tradition of Italy and bringing the country’s newest directors and films to audiences in San Francisco. The NICE City of Florence Award was decided by audience ballots from San Francisco screenings of films in competition.

A scathing indictment of the pharmaceutical industry, Antonio Morabito’s powerful drama depicts a stressed-out salesman using increasingly scurrilous means to sell his company’s product. At the start, Bruno (Claudio Santamaria) is the Zafer corporation’s golden boy, wheedling doctors and administrators to select his firm’s treatments through various perks and his own charms. When he’s told to push a controversial new medicine, he meets with resistance and is given an ultimatum—get a notoriously difficult hospital administrator to prescribe the drug or lose his job. Compounding the problem is his girlfriend’s desire to have a child and his own increasing substance abuse. The Medicine Seller fearlessly indicts the whole pharmaceutical chain from the companies pushing the pills to the medical establishment’s capitulation toward an increasingly narcotized society to suffering consumers who are ill-informed and often ill-advised about the potentially harmful drugs they are being prescribed. [San Francisco Film Society’s New Italian Cinema]

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American Promise, Blackfish, Granito, The House I Live In and No Fire Zone win 2014 BRITDOC Impact Award

Awards

THE HOUSE I LIVE IN

The documentary films AMERICAN PROMISE, directed by Michèle Stephenson and Joe Brewster, BLACKFISH, directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, GRANITO: HOW TO NAIL A DICTATOR, directed by Pamela Yates, THE HOUSE I LIVE IN, directed by Eugene Jarecki and NO FIRE ZONE, directed by Callum Macrae have been selected as the winners of the 4th BRITDOC Impact Award. The BRITDOC Impact Award celebrates the documentary films that have made the greatest impact on society. Each film receives $15,000 to reward their extraordinary commitment, passion and achievements in using storytelling to provoke change.

The winning films and their champions:

AMERICAN PROMISE, Dir. Michèle Stephenson and Joe Brewster (@PromiseFilm)
The journey of two African American families pursuing the promise of opportunity through the education of their sons. A vital contribution in bridging the educational achievement gap in America.

“These filmmakers gave 13 years, and their childrens school years to this film. And it pays off. American Promise has made an invaluable contribution to closing the racial achievement gap” – Russell Simmons, co-founder Def Jam Records

BLACKFISH, Dir. Gabriela Cowperthwaite (@blackfishmovie)
Blackfish is an expose of the controversial captivity of orcas, and its dangers for both humans and whales. From protests to petitions, the film provoked a huge backlash against SeaWorld known as the ‘Blackfish Effect’.

“Seeing the work that Blackfish has done by shining a light on the treatment of orcas in captivity gives me incredible faith for the part that documentaries can play in addressing social and environmental injustice in the future.” – Susan Sarandon, actor and activist

GRANITO: HOW TO NAIL A DICTATOR, Dir. Pamela Yates (@skylightpix)
Telling the extraordinary story of how a film, aiding a new generation of human rights activists, helped tip the scales of justice in Guatemala. In the conviction of a dictator, Granito is a testament to the power of documentary film

“Granito serves as a vital reminder that courageous documentary filmmakers can profoundly impact the cause of justice in the world. This film helped the Maya people of Guatemala hold the perpetrators of their genocide accountable. It poignantly portrays their suffering, their resistance and their hope for the future.” – Amy Goodman, Host & Executive Producer, Democracy Now!

THE HOUSE I LIVE IN, Dir. Eugene Jarecki (@drugwarmovie)
Exploring the human rights implications of the War on Drugs – the longest conflict in US history, and the least winnable. Could this be the beginning of the end for the ‘war on drugs’?

“The team continues to seek ways the film can help more fundamentally shift the national conversation away from seeing drug control as a criminal justice issue to seeing it as a matter of public health” – Danny Glover, actor and activist

NO FIRE ZONE, Dir. Callum Macrae (@nofirezonemovie)
The shocking proof of secret war crimes committed during the final bloody months of the Sri Lankan Civil War. Holding the Sri Lankan government accountable for human rights violations on an epic scale.

“This film is the only film that gives me faith in journalism. It’s not only the most important account of what happened to the Tamils, it’s actually become part of the fabric of their history” – M.I.A, musician and artist

This year sees the introduction of the #NetflixHi5 Award; recognising the winning film that receives the highest number of support tweets in the days following the announcement.

Twitter followers of #britdocimpact are invited to participate in deciding which of the five winners receive an additional $5,000 prize. It will be awarded to the film team that gets the most support tweets in the days following the announcement. Tweets with #NetflixHi5 and the films twitter handle will be counted up until Midnight PST on Monday 24th November.

The #NetflixHi5 will be announced on on Tuesday 25th November.
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10 Live Action Shorts Advance in 2014 Oscar® Race

Awards

Boogaloo and Graham

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that 10 live action short films will advance in the voting process for the 87th Academy Awards®. One hundred forty-one pictures had originally qualified in the category.

The 10 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies:

“Aya,” Oded Binnun and Mihal Brezis, directors (Chasis Films)

“Baghdad Messi,” Sahim Omar Kalifa, director, and Kobe Van Steenberghe, producer (a team productions)

“Boogaloo and Graham,” Michael Lennox, director, and Ronan Blaney, writer (Out of Orbit)

“Butter Lamp (La Lampe Au Beurre De Yak),” Hu Wei, director, and Julien Féret, producer (AMA Productions)

“Carry On,” Yatao Li, director (Rochester Institute of Technology)

“My Father’s Truck,” Maurício Osaki, director (Lupi Filmes)

“Parvaneh,” Talkhon Hamzavi, director, and Stefan Eichenberger, producer (Zurich University of Arts)

“The Phone Call,” Mat Kirkby, director, and James Lucas, writer (RSA Films)

“SLR,” Stephen Fingleton, director, and Matthew James Wilkinson, producer (Stigma Films)

“Summer Vacation (Chofesh Gadol),” Tal Granit and Sharon Maymon, directors (GREENproductions)

The Academy’s Short Films and Feature Animation Branch Reviewing Committee viewed all the eligible entries for the preliminary round of voting at screenings held in Los Angeles.

Short Films and Feature Animation Branch members will now select three to five nominees from among the 10 titles on the shortlist. Branch screenings will be held in Los Angeles, London, New York and San Francisco in December.

The 87th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 15, 2015, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

The Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
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“What We Do in the Shadows” Wins Leeds International Film Festival’s Audience Award

Leeds International Film Festival (LIFF)

What We Do in the Shadows

What We Do in the Shadows was voted by 28th Leeds International Film Festival (LIFF28) audiences as overall favorite and X+Y, starring Asa Butterfield and Sally Hawkins, came second. In What We Do in the Shadows, Viago, Deacon, Vladislav and Peter are four vampires sharing a house in Wellington, trying to balance being undead with everyday problems like whose turn it is to wash up, where to find virgin blood and how to dress for a night out when you don’t have a reflection. As a documentary film crew follows them round we learn about each of their histories and what it means to be hundreds of years old in the 21st century. Co-written and starring Jemaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords, What We Do in the Shadows balances comedy, horror and social commentary perfectly in this hilarious film.

Overall the vote was incredibly close for the top 5 films, and the top 20 winners in the LIFF28 Audience Award for Best Film are: 1) What We Do in the Shadows 2) X+Y 3) Song of the Sea 4) The Possibilities are Endless 5) The Imitation Game 6) Heaven Adores You 7) Giovanni’s Island 8) Seventh Heaven 9) Housebound 10) Birdman 11) Poverty Inc 12) Brasil Bam Bam Bam 13) Testament of Youth 14) Everybody Street 15) Kingdom of Dreams and Madness 16) Vessel 17) No One’s Child 18) Rurouni Kenshin 2 19) The House at the End of Time 20) #chicagoGirl – The Social Network

28th Leeds International Film Festival also announced its winning short films

Louis le Prince International Short Film Competition 2014

Winner: Art (Arta) (Dir. Adrian Sitaru, Romania)
Special Mentions: Chorus (Dir. Tiago Guedes, Portugal) + Greenland (Dir. Oren Garner, Israel)

Jury statement on Art:
‘An engaging, accomplished and technically superb film about manipulation.’

World Animation Award 2014

Winner: Walk the Dog (Dir. Sonja Rohleder, Germany)
Special Mentions: Zepo (Dir. César Díaz Meléndez, Spain) + Baths (Lanzi) (Dir. Tomek Ducki, Poland + UK)

Jury statement on Walk the Dog:
‘Immersive, cinematic and a graphic joy.’

British Short Film Competition 2014

Winner: Exchange and Mart (Dir. Cara Connolly, Martin Clark, UK)
Special Mentions: Goes to the actor Oliver Woolford for A Generation of Vipers + Alice (Thomas McNaught, UK)

Jury statement on Exchange and Mart:
‘A beautifully executed coming of age film.’

Yorkshire Short Film Competition

Winner: Cushy (Dir. Fliss Buckles, Cat Jones, UK)
Special Mention: Rare (Dir. Jim Morgan, UK)

Jury Statement on Cushy:
‘Cushy featured a demanding lead performance that was excellently portrayed by James Cooney. Superb writing of spoken word by Cat Jones and slick camera direction by Fliss Buckles provided the audience with a unique insight into the world of modern day imprisonment.’

Leeds International Screendance Competition

Winning Film: Amauros (Dir. Nicole Seiler, Switzerland)
Special Mentions: Black Tape (Michelle and Uri Kranot, Denmark, 2014) + Memorias (Ponciano Almeida & Bertie, Brazil+ UK, 2014)

Jury Statement on Amouros:
‘The film creates the visualization of a dance in detail without ever featuring a moving body on screen. The medium of film provides the perfect vehicle to create new dialogues about memory and perception which are present in the original stage piece, Pina Bausch’s Cafe Müller. A work which mines the potentials and conventions of screendance making.’

Short Film Audience Award
For films under ten minutes in length, voted for by the audience.

Winner: Carpark (Dir: Anthony Blades, UK)
Special Mentions: Voluntario (Javier Marco, Spain) + Manny Gets Censored (Graeme Robertson, Australia)

The Silver Méliès Short Film Competition 2014

The European Fantastic Film Festivals’ Federation exists to raise the profile of European fantastic films through its Méliès competition, which is hosted by numerous film festivals across Europe. Leeds International Film Festival has been a member since 2005 and this year has allowed the audience to pick which film should win the Leeds Méliès d’Argent and go forward to compete for the coveted Méliès d’Or at Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival next year.

Winner: Wind (Dir. Robert Löbel, Germany)
Special Mentions: Ghost Train (Dir. Lee Cronin, Finland + Ireland)

Dead Short Competition 2014

Winner: Cannibals and Carpet Fitters (James Bushe, UK)
Special Mentions: Safari Heat (Antti Lassko, Simo Ruotsalainen, Finland) + Liquid (Kaichi Sato, Japan)

Sci-Fi Shorts

Winner: The Nostalgist (Giacomo Cimini, UK)
Special Mentions: Metamorphosis (Rob Nevitt, UK) + Enfilade (David Coyle, Australia)
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Official Poster + Trailer for Carmen Electra’s LAP DANCE

News

Here is the the official poster and trailer for LAP DANCE, directed by Greg Carter and starring Carmen Electra, Mariel Hemingway, James Remar and Stacey Dash. The film is based on the true story of director Greg Carter and his girlfriend, actress Junie Hoang prior to their move to Los Angeles in 2005. Struggling to pay her bills, Monica takes a job as an exotic dancer and is instantly captivated by the provocative world of sex, drugs and money. But once she gets a taste of the enchanting lifestyle, she has no desire to turn back. Suddenly, Monica’s life quickly spirals out of control as betrayals and power struggles emerge. This once seductive reality now threatens everything Monica cares about. LAP DANCE will be in theaters in NY, LA and Houston on December 5, 2014 and VOD December 9, 2014

Kevin, a promising screenwriter and Monica, an aspiring actress are recent college graduates driving across country to Los Angeles where they plan to make a home and follow their Hollywood dreams together. The newly engaged couple’s plan is derailed when a pit stop in Houston reveals that Monica’s father has cancer. Taking on the financial burden of her father’s medical bills, their savings are soon depleted. Strapped for cash, the couple make a pact so Monica can take a high paying job as an exotic dancer in order to pay her cancer stricken father’s expenses. But can any relationship withstand the club’s seduction and temptations? Once the pact is broken, their lives are changed forever.

http://youtu.be/QQrA3vyJzDk
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Documentary “SEX AND BROADCASTING” Tells History of WFMU

Film Reviews

Despite pop culture relentlessly promoting the idea of individuality, there is little in our current culture that actually is independent and free. Even “indie” music and film aren’t what they used to be as major corporations commandeer what once was independent and use “indie” as a marketing buzzword. In that sense, the Jersey City radio station WFMU should not exist in the 21st century – it is a commercial-free, all-volunteer, 100% listener-supported radio station sitting on the edge of the largest media market in the United States.

SEX AND BROADCASTING tells the history of WFMU since the mid-1980s and particularly focuses on both the longtime station manager Ken Freedman and Freedman’s response to WFMU’s funding crisis in the wake of the 2008 recession. Despite the station gaining scores of new fans because of internet streaming, during the recession WFMU faced a multitude of problems, including a reduced signal, a crumbling headquarters, record companies being less willing to provide music for free airplay, and general financial issues brought on by the recession. On top of that, despite immense costs Freedman sees his long term goal of building a signal booster in Midtown Manhattan within the station’s grasp.

A generation of people who can access any music they want via the internet may not understand the importance of a station like WFMU, and SEX AND BROADCASTING will reveal to the uninitiated just how much of an impact a fiercely independent renegade radio station can have. As Freedman says early in the documentary, “WFMU is radio for the people who were picked last for the basketball team.” WFMU has no set format and disc jockeys can host any type of show they would like. WFMU fills its airwaves with offbeat humor, avant-garde musicians, and counts celebrity fans such as Matt Groening, Sonic Youth guitarist Lee Ranaldo, Patton Oswalt, and Beastie Boy Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz (whom all appear in this documentary). More importantly, many of the volunteers who see WFMU as “home” see the station as the only place they fit in.

Nonetheless, despite the increased profile the internet has given WFMU it remains a fringe media outlet, something that is obvious from the station’s troubled fundraising efforts. Also, while Freedman arguably singlehandedly kept the station alive for nearly three decades, in other ways he can be viewed as a heavy-handed visionary. Both of those issues breed a level of frustration and resentment throughout the station’s operations, including with comedian Tom Scharpling, who hosted the most popular show on the station. There is an extremely telling sequence in which an annoyed Scharpling suffers through a bevy of awful listener calls that just sums up the frustration that WMFU and its staff faces on a daily basis in trying to remain a fringe media outlet.

First time director Tim K. Smith has hit pay dirt by finding one of those unique subjects that is ripe for a documentary. Perhaps the biggest flaw is that at only 76 minutes it feels like we’re only glimpsing the beautiful chaos that is WFMU with SEX AND BROADCASTING. Only the surface is being scratched here, so you won’t be alone if you are left feeling like much more could be said about one of the most influential radio stations of the last three decades. That marks SEX AND BROADCASTING as an excellent exploration of its subject, albeit one that feels incomplete.

Still, anybody who has any interest in broadcasting, indie music, or just the idea of surviving as an independent entity in an increasingly corporate-driven world will discover an immediate connection with SEX AND BROADCASTING. More importantly, they may also discover their new favorite radio station.

Review Rating: 4 out of 5 : See it …… It’s Very Good

SEX AND BROADCASTING made its world premiere at the DOC NYC Film Festival. The final festival screening will be on Monday, November 17 at 3:15 at the IFC Center.
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