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WATCH First Trailer for Lance Armstrong Documentary THE ARMSTRONG LIE

Documentary

The first trailer is released for Alex Gibney’s documentary THE ARMSTRONG LIE, which World Premiered at 2013 Toronto International Film Festival and scheduled to be released in limited theaters on November 8th, 2013 by Sony Classics. In THE ARMSTRONG LIE Academy Award-winning director Alex Gibney masterfully explores the fall of disgraced cycling champion Lance Armstrong, following the 2009 Tour de France, making use of his extraordinary access to attain rare interviews with former teammates, alleged doping mastermind Dr. Michele Ferrari, and Armstrong himself.

http://youtu.be/vx3KJn8r8y0
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Documentary About Secret World of Doll Collectors to Premiere on Logo TV in November | TRAILER

Documentary

Maureen Judge’s provocative documentary LIVING DOLLS about individuals obsession with dolls, will have its U.S. Broadcast Premiere on November 4, 2013 on LOGO TV channel.

On a sunny day on a Pennsylvania Interstate, a pleasant middle-aged gentleman named David drives towards Hershey, Pa., with his beautiful travel partner, Bianca. An unremarkable outing, except that Bianca isn’t real. She’s a life-size, anatomically-correct “living doll,” made of skin-textured latex.

And David? He’s en route to the 5th Annual Doll Lovers Meet to tell all with 20 or so other literal “doll lovers.” A married man, whose camera-shy wife apparently has come to terms with the “other woman,” David is one of four compelling and unforgettable individuals profiled in Maureen Judge’s documentary Living Dolls.

Their motivations run the gamut from lasciviousness, to loneliness, to devotion to a bizarre esthetic vision. But they share a compulsion to live out a fantasy with representations of the human form collectively known as “dolls” – from Barbies, to sex toys, to sexually-active old-school robots.

“From my previous documentaries that focus on women and their families, I noticed many of my subjects collected dolls and that dolls played an important role in their lives,” says award-winning filmmaker Maureen Judge. “In Living Dolls we see a deep and passionate connection between the collectors and their dolls, and how this relationship offers an outlet for the hidden side of their emotional lives.”

Living Dolls introduces us to individuals whose obsession with dolls mirrors their lives. For Mike – who is gay and lives with his life-partner and parents – his fascination with Barbie dolls is an outgrowth of his sexual identity. Both were forbidden secrets in his childhood, and both were later accepted by Mike’s mother (though not his father).

Debbie is a young British mom who finds herself alone, with children at school and a husband who’d come home from work and immediately dive into X-Box Live with online friends. She began to live a fantasy life with collectible Ellowyne fashion dolls that mirrored her moods and strained the family budget. “Whatever it was she wishes were different about her life, I wish she had it,” says her frustrated husband Colin.

And disheveled “robot collector” Michael, whose work has been featured in the NYC Museum of Sex and the Smithsonian, is perhaps the hardest to categorize. A quirky artist with a sink, both in disrepair and unreachable, he spends his time buying dolls, taking them apart and reassembling them as retro visions of robots. His aim: to complete a stop-motion film about the sex lives of robots.

http://youtu.be/WIaq5g3jXjs

via press release
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Documentary Film SYMPHONY OF THE SOIL to Open in NY on October 11, in LA on November 8 | TRAILER

Documentary

Deborah Koons Garcia’s award-winning film SYMPHONY OF THE SOIL, described as a compelling new documentary that explores the complexity and mystery of soil, will open at Quad Cinemas in NYC on October 11, 2013, and at the Laemmle Music Hall in LA on November 8, 2013.

Filmed on four continents and sharing the voices of some of the world’s most highly esteemed soil scientists, farmers, and activists, the film portrays soil as a protagonist of our planetary story. In a skillful mix of art and science, soil is revealed to be a living organism, the foundation of life on earth. Most people are soil-blind and “treat soil like dirt.” With the knowledge and wisdom revealed in this film, we can come to respect, even revere, this miraculous substance. The film inspires the understanding that treating the soil right can help solve some of our most pressing environmental problems including climate change, dead zones, water scarcity and world hunger.

SYMPHONY OF THE SOIL premiered at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History at the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital in 2012. The film has received an award from The Life Sciences Film Festival in Prague, Czech Republic, the Merit Award for Scientific Information from the Montana CINE International Film Festival, and the Cinema Verde Film Festival Food Award. In January 2013, Deborah Koons Garcia received the John de Graaf Environmental Filmmaking Award at the Wild and Scenic Film Festival.

Deborah Koons Garcia is best known for her film, THE FUTURE OF FOOD, which had a US theatrical release in 2005. It continues to screen all over the world in theaters and film festivals, at food and farming conferences and community screenings. THE FUTURE OF FOOD brought the issues of genetically engineered crops and the corporate control of our food supply to the world stage and helped jumpstart the organic/local food movement.

http://youtu.be/K5QYZ-LRXW4

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GRAVITY to Open 2013 Leeds International Film Festival; Fest Announces Film Lineup

Leeds International Film Festival (LIFF)

GRAVITY, starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock

The sci-fi drama GRAVITY, starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, will open the 27th Leeds International Film Festival (LIFF27) on Wednesday November 6, 2013. From Alfonso Cuarón, the director of Children of Men, Gravity is described as “a unique and unforgettable cinema experience about a brilliant medical engineer on her first shuttle mission with a veteran astronaut. On a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes.” Closing LIFF27 on Thursday November 21, 2013, is a rare screening of Hungarian director Gyórgy Pólfi’s unique FINAL CUT: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, described as “an irresistible celebration of cinema, telling the ultimate love story using tiny excerpts from hundreds of movies ranging across film history.”

LIFF27 runs from Wednesday November 6th until Thursday 21st, and includes 163 feature films, short film programs and events, presented at over 250 screenings. The line-up is arranged across five main program sections: the Official Selection for previews and new discoveries; Retrospectives; Fanomenon for genre cinema; Cinema Versa for documentaries; and Short Film City.

The Official Selection includes some of the most acclaimed films of the year including the winner of the Palme d’Or at this year’s 2013 Cannes Film Festival, BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOUR. Other award winners in the Official Selection include Romanian drama CHILD’S POSE, which won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, Alexander Payne’s NEBRASKA (Best Actor for Bruce Dern) and Alain Guiraudie’s STRANGER BY THE LAKE (Un Certain Regard, Best Director).

The Official Selection also includes new discoveries, including Kazakh director Emir Baigazin’s debut HARMONY LESSONS and THE STRANGE LITTLE CAT from German film student Ramon Zürcher, a minimalist depiction of domestic mayhem over one day in a Berlin flat. Receiving its UK Premiere at Leeds, CONCRETE NIGHT is the latest feature from veteran Finnish filmmaker Pirjo Honkasalo, a drama about a teenage boy’s downfall.

LIFF27 retrospective program ranges from rare opportunities to rediscover forgotten gems to celebrated classics including Walerian Borowczyk, the Polish animator and avant-gardist and Japanese master,Masaki Kobayashi with rare cinema screenings of his samurai classics Hara-Kiri and Samurai Rebellion alongside his milestone Japanese wartime epic, the 579-minute THE HUMAN CONDITION.

The Fanomenon section is the home of cult and fantasy cinema and includes the South Korean action blockbuster COLD EYES, receiving its UK Premiere in Leeds, and a unique cinema presentation for the complete animated BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, screening with a brand new documentary about Frank Miller.

Cinema Versa focuses on documentary films showcases low budget, independent features: alternative music docs, grassroots political activist films and profiles of mavericks and outsiders. The Music on Film lineup ranges from the unconventional new tour film MISTAKEN FOR STRANGERS about indie darlings The National made by the singer’s brother to HARLEM STREET SINGER about the legendary ragtime guitarist Reverend Gary Davis, whose history mirrors that of popular music in the twentieth century. Underground Voices ranges in subject matter from everyday life in a war zone as filmed by a group of ordinary Afghans in MY AFGHANISTAN to the history of hand crafted sign painting in the USA in SIGN PAINTERS and a delegation of artists and scientists visiting the melting ice caps of Greenland in EXPEDITION TO THE END OF THE WORLD.
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Award Winning Palestinian Film “OMAR” to Be Released in U.S. in Winter 2013 | TRAILER

Foreign Language Films

Palestinian film “OMAR,” Palestine’s official Oscar submission for Best Foreign Language Film this year and winner of Un Certain Regard Jury Prize at this year’s 2013 Cannes Film Festial will be released in the US this Winter 2013.

Written and directed by Golden Globe winner, Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad, “OMAR” stars Adam Bakri in the title role, Leem Lubany, Waleed F. Zuaiter, Samer Bisharat and Eyad Hourani. The film ‘achingly captures the emotional struggles of a young Palestinian baker whose loyalty to family and country are complicated by his love for Nadia, a beautiful young student. Following the assassination of an Israeli occupation soldier, Omar, a co-conspirator and friend of the suspected sniper, is arrested. Facing a life sentence, he is coerced by the Israeli authorities and enlisted as a collaborator to find the killer in exchange for his freedom.’

http://youtu.be/jkCnA5UOI94
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CBGB Film Festival Announces 2013 Film Lineup; Kicks off With BROADWAY IDIOT and CBGB Film

CBGB Music & Film Festival

BROADWAY IDIOT

The CBGB Film Festival taking place in New York City from Wednesday, October 9 to Sunday, October 13, 2013, announced the 2013 official film lineup of over 60 feature films and shorts. The fest will kick off with BROADWAY IDIOT, a documentary following Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong and the making of his Broadway bound American Idiot; and the US theatrical premiere of the feature film, CBGB.

THE 2013 CBGB FILM FESTIVAL LINE UP

BROADWAY IDIOT
U.S. Theatrical Premiere
Director: Doug Hamilton
Broadway Idiot follows Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong from a punk rock concert at Madison Square Garden to the opening of his musical American Idiot on Broadway – only ten blocks away, but worlds apart. A look behind the curtain into the crazy journey of turning the mega-hit album into a punk rock musical – and ultimately see how the world of theater transformed Billie Joe.

CBGB
U.S. Premiere
Director: Randall Miller
CBGB follows the story of Hilly Kristal’s New York club from its conceit as a venue for Country, Bluegrass and Blues (CBGB) to what it ultimately became: the birthplace of underground rock ‘n roll and punk. When Kristal had difficulty booking country bands in his club on the Bowery he opened his doors to other kinds of rock music. Kristal had one demand of the acts he booked; they could only play original music. No top 40’s, no covers. It was the credo he lived by, support the artist at whatever the cost. Hilly Kristal ironically became known as the godfather of punk giving a chance to such bands as Blondie, Television, Ramones, Talking Heads, Dead Boys and The Police. Cast includes Alan Rickman, Ashley Greene, Malin Akerman, Stana Katic, Rupert Grint, Johnny Galecki, Justin Bartha, Freddy Rodriguez, Ryan Hurst, Richard de Klerk, Ahna O’ Reilly, Donal Logue and Katherine DuBois,

EVERY EVERYTHING: THE MUSIC, LIFE & TIMES OF GRANT HART
World Premiere
Director: Gorman Bechard
A rock & roll “Fog of War” about Hüsker Dü’s legendary singer/songwriter Grant Hart. Director Bechard will be on hand to show clips from this unfinished film and discuss what the factors were that made him so interested in making this movie

THE STARCK PROJECT
World Premiere
Director: Michael Cain
A feature documentary set in 1980s, Bible Belt Dallas at the infamous STARCK Club. This world premiere includes appearances from the late Larry Hagman, Owen Wilson and this year’s CBGB Icon Award Winner Seymour Stein

THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION SHOW
World Premiere
Director: Shaun Pettigrew
A music documentary exploring the turbulent, controversial and often unbelievable 30 year history of British post punk industrial band Killing Joke.

THE ESG STORY
World Premiere
Director: Greg Harding
The E.S.G. Story gives the real story of the legendary post-punk/funk band from their beginnings in the projects of Bronx, New York in the early 80’s as a group of 3 sisters, encouraged by their Mother to make music, to current day where their passion to create genre-bending music still drives them to make albums and tour the world as a family. E.S.G. has been exciting the world with their music for over 33 years, and show no sign of stopping. Being shown as a work in progress with director Greg Harding in attendance.

GEEK USA
World Premiere
Director: Brandon Walz
Phil is a high school senior lacking in popularity. That all changes when his band wins a battle of the bands concert and turns him from an unknown geek to the most eligible bachelor for prom. At first, Phil’s newfound popularity is boost of self-esteem, but problems arise when three very attractive girls want him as their date to the prom. Filled with 90’s nostalgia and alternative rock, Geek USA is a throwback to heartfelt and hilarious teen comedies of a now very distinguished decade.

AUTOLUMINESCENT
US Premiere
Director: Richard Lowenstein
This documentary traces the life of Rowland S Howard, who appeared on the early Melbourne punk scene. A beautifully gaunt and gothic aristocrat, the unique distinctive fury of his guitar style shot him directly into the imagination of a generation. Narrated by Henry Rollinse

DUTCH INFLUENCE
US Premiere
Directors: Samuel Comazzi, Hatib el Khatib
The beat starts to rise, a sea of hands fills the air and the crowd surges. Welcome to the world’s most dynamic new music scene. Buckle up for an energetic ride as Armin van Buuren, Tiësto, Afrojack, Laidback Luke and other leaders in the House Dance movement invite us into their lives. Recognized by few in Holland, but at Miami Music Week they’re superstars who are rapidly redefining a genre and taking over the globe’s hottest clubs.

HEART OF BRUNO WIZARD
US Premiere
Director: Elisabeth Rasmussen
Bruno Wizard is a London punk musician who became an underground legend for his original performances and ‘mystery man’ status in the mid 70’s. He performed at the Roxy club alongside The Jam, Generation X and The Wire, and was part of the ‘Blitz kids’ scene, squatting with the Warren Street mafia. His loathing of the establishment and conventional music industry made him reject record company contracts and follow his own heart and principles at any cost.

LIVIN OUT ROCK N ROLL
US Premiere
Director: Paulo Sedarazzi
Livin out Rock n Roll is about the dirty disregarded history of the London 80s rock scene, the story of the Baby Teenage Idols as told by the people who somehow manage to survive it.

LOCKED IN A GARAGE BAND
US Premiere
Director: Jennifer Westcott
The feuding members of a high school rock band get locked in their garage for a day. With loyalties divided and betrayals revealed, six teens on the brink of adulthood re-examine what they thought living the rock ‘n roll dream was all about. Starring Scott Lyster, Andrew Jenkins, Ella Simon, Katelyn Wallace, Brittney Wilson and Luke Jennings, LOCKED IN A GARAGE BAND is the first feature film from Vancouver Island’s intrepid filmmaking sisters, Jennifer Westcott and Victoria Westcott. “Move over The Breakfast Club, there’s a new teen cult comedy in town.” Views from the Edge

PAUL KELLY, STORIES OF ME
US Premiere
Director: Ian Darling
PAUL KELLY, STORIES OF ME charts the lives, loves and losses of Paul Kelly, Australia’s most gifted contemporary singer-songwriter. Over 40 years, Paul Kelly has seen failure and success. And he has the songs to show for it.

PLEASE TO MEET ME
US Premiere
Director: Archie Borders
The lead singer of a seminal punk band reunites with his former partner to form a band for a single day. Starring Aimee Mann, John Doe, Loudon Wainwright.

ROMEO AND JULIET: A LOVE SONG
US Premiere
Director: Tim Van Dammen
A hip-hop operatic version of the Shakespeare classic comes to life in this brand new version of the timeless and tragic tale.

SVENGALI
US Premiere
Director: John Hardwick
Svengali tells the story of “Dixie” (Johnny Owen), a postman from South Wales, and a music fanatic. All his life he’s dreamed of discovering a great band and then one day, trawling through YouTube, he finds them…’The Premature Congratulations’. He hunts them down and offers them his management services. They are young, arrogant, sexy, and utterly magnificent. Co-starring Martin Freeman

THE MONTREAL UNDERGROUND
US Premiere
Director: Giuliano Bossa
This documentary examines the life and struggles of musicians in the DIY local scene of Montreal following different musicians and bands that are and have been keeping the scene alive for more than 25 years, and through it, the evolution of the city. The rise and fall of venues, of the music industry, of different genres, and the fight to continue making music against all odds.

BABE AND RICKY’S INN
East Coast Premiere
Director: Ramin Niami
The film chronicles the last days of one of the most unique and vibrant blues clubs in the world and based in LA.

BAD BRAINS: A BAND IN DC
East Coast Premiere
Director: Mandy Stein, Benjamin Logan
How four young men from Washington DC changed music forever.

BAYOU MAHARAJAH: THE TRAGIC GENIUS OF JAMES BOOKER
East Coast Premiere
Director: Lily Keber
Bayou Maharajah: The Tragic Genius of James Booker explores the life, times and music of piano legend James Booker, who Dr. John described as “the best black, gay, one-eyed junkie piano genius New Orleans has ever produced.”

BROTHERS HYPNOTIC
East Coast Premiere
Director: Reuben Atlas
Eight brothers, extraordinary brass musicians from Chicago’s South Side, test their brotherhood and their father’s legacy against mounting mainstream success.

CHURCHES, SALONS, BARS
East Coast Premiere
Director: Tyler Casey
Indie rock band Titanmoon makes an album in Fort Worth and Dallas, Texas, along with people from all over the globe.

¡CUATRO!
East Coast Premiere
Director: Tim Wheeler
A look at how Green Day’s three-album collection – ¡Uno!, ¡Dos! and ¡Tre! – came together as the trio went back to its roots.

DAVID BROMBERG UNSUNG TREASURE
East Coast Premiere
Director: Beth Kruvant
A look into the life of David Bromberg who is still playing his tunes in front of audiences around the world.

DON’T ASK ME QUESTIONS
East Coast Premiere
Director: Michael Gramaglia
Don’t Ask Me Questions is about the life and music career of Graham Parker and the Rumor. Featuring Bruce Springsteen, Paul Rudd, Judd Apatow and many others, the film follows the bands short career of international acclaim and their unlikely reunion 30 years after breaking up.

DON’T FOLLOW ME (I’M LOST)
East Coast Premiere
Director: William Miller
An intimate “fly on the wall” documentary about iconoclastic rocker Bobby Bare Jr., son of country music legend Bobby Bare, and his struggles dealing with the repercussions of a perpetual life on the road- the constant separation and the disconnect from loved ones back home.

FILMAGE: THE STORY OF THE DESCENDENTS/ALL
East Coast Premiere
Director: Matt Riggle, Deedee Lacour
The story of the influential punk band and their endless quest for pop, angst, love and coffee.

HOW TO GROW A BAND
East Coast Premiere
Director: Mark Matteo
Chris Thile is at a crossroads. His marriage has ended and his platinum- selling band, Nickel Creek, has gone on hiatus. But Thile, a prodigy who has defied expectations since he picked up the mandolin at age five, has a plan.

JUST LIKE BEING THERE
East Coast Premiere
Director: Scout Shannon
A documentary about cutting-edge poster artists like Daniel Danger and Jay Ryan who have breathed new life into the art form.

LAST FAST RIDE
East Coast Premiere
Director: Lily Scourtis Ayers
She was smart, beautiful and talented, and as lead singer of The Insaints, would-be rock star Marian Anderson reigns as one of the Bay Area’s most provocative and controversial lead singers of the ’90’s punk scene. Narrated by pop-culture icon Henry Rollins.

LOUDER THAN LOVE: THE GRANDE BALLROOM
East Coast Premiere
Director: Tony D’Annunzio
While the rest of the country was listening to the laid back sounds of the West Coast during the “Summer of Love” in 1967, Detroit was creating a sound that was “LOUDER THAN LOVE.” Featuring footage of such rock icons like Roger Daltrey, Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, Wayne Kramer, James Williamson, Slash, Don Was, B.B King, Henry Rollins and many more tell the story of the Grande Ballroom and its effect on not only the Detroit Rock scene but on the World of Rock Music.

MY FATHER & THE MAN IN BLACK
East Coast Premiere
Director: Jonathan Holiff
Starring: Johnny Cash, Saul Holiff, June Carter
My Father and The Man In Black tells the inside story of “bad boy” Johnny Cash, his talented but troubled manager, Saul Holiff, and a son searching for his father in the shadow of a legend. Before there was Johnny and June, there was Johnny and Saul.

SACRIFICIAL YOUTH
East Coast Premiere
Director: Joe Losurdo
Sacrificial Youth is a Hardcore Punk musical that tells the story of TJ, a teenager caught at the crossroads of growing up and fight back.

STRUTTER
East Coast Premiere
Director: Allison Anders, Kurt Voss
An aspiring L.A. rocker loses both his band and his girl, but gains the friendship of his own local rock hero in this sweet and humanistic comedy.

THE LIBRARIAN & THE BANJO
East Coast Premiere
Director: Jim Carrier
The inspiring true story of a music librarian Dena Epstein who labored 25 years to document the musical contributions of African Slaves to the New World. Her work, now considered classic, shattered myths and stereotypes, proved that the banjo was a slave instrument, and sparked a remarkable revival of black string band music.

THE SCENE: AN EXPLORATION OF MUSIC IN TORONTO
East Coast Premiere
Director: Josh Jensen
A documentary film project that chronicles the lives of independent musicians as they build their careers in the Canadian music industry.

TROPICALIA
East Coast Premiere
Director: Marcelo Machado
Set Against the turbulent atmosphere of the 1960’s, Tropicalia is a feature length documentary exploring the Brazilian artistic movement known as Tropicalia, and the struggle its artists endured to protect their right to freely express revolutionary thought against the traditional Brazilian music of that time.

VIVA VIVA
East Coast Premiere
Director: Carolina Pfister
Steeped in the riotous music of urban chaos, meet two generations shaping a global culture of dissent. From the slums to the city center of San Paulo, Brazil, the punks invite us to open our eyes. Viva Viva!

LED ZEPPELIN PLAYED HERE
NY Premiere
Director: Jeff Krulik
Is it just an old fable that Led Zeppelin played the Wheaton Youth Center in Wheaton MD during their first historic tour in January 1969? Or did it really happen??????

NEVER RECORDS-YOU’RE NOT LISTENING
NYC Premiere
Director: Jason Wyche
A feature length documentary set in Northern Ireland by Jason Wyche about artist/musician Ted Riederer and his ongoing Never Records project. The documentary explores the power of art and music to unite, educate, and uplift a community.

GREENWICH VILLAGE; THE MUSIC THAT DEFINED A GENERATION
NY Premiere
Director: Laura Archibald
A feature-length documentary about the Greenwich Village music scene and how it sparked everlasting political, social and cultural changes. For the first time, the greatest singer-songwriters, authors and performers from Greenwich Village reflect on how they collectively became the voice of a generation. Through poignant interviews, rare archival footage and new live performances, GREENWICH VILLAGE: MUSIC THAT DEFINED A GENERATION tells a story about community, courage and most importantly – music.

WHO DO I THINK I AM
NY Premiere
Director: Nick Mead
Clarence Clemons goes on a spiritual journey across China. This production is a work in progress and part of the CBGB Film Forum series.
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New Indie Films, Documentaries in Theaters This Weekend Friday October 4, 2013

News

We head into the first weekend of October with the typical annual mix of possible “sleeper” hits, possible contenders for indie awards, and, of course, horror films! Though most of your film-loving friends will likely be at the multiplex seeing Gravity this weekend, don’t forget about the excellent indie releases coming out . Most of them are only opening in New York and/or Los Angeles this weekend, but they have plans to expand to other areas of the country soon. As always, if you can’t catch them at this time make sure you note their titles so you can see them once they hit VOD, Netflix, or other streaming services.

A.C.O.D.

The poster for A.C.O.D. (that would be “Adult Child of Divorce”) is reminiscent of Judd Apatow’s The 40 Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up, but this comedy is an indie movie from first-time director Stu Zicherman. Adam Scott (Parks and Recreation, Step Brothers) stars as the adult child of divorced parents whom he has been stuck between them in their feud for fifteen years. The film also features comedy favorites like Amy Poehler, Catherine O’Hara, Clark Duke, Jane Lynch and Scott’s Step Brothers co-star Richard Jenkins.

THE DIRTIES

Presented by Kevin Smith, The Dirties is about two geeky best friends who plan on filming a revenge scheme on the high school bullies who torment them. Although one of the friends takes it as a joke, the other is much more serious about it. Despite Smith’s rep as a comedian, this is a drama written, directed, produced, and starring Matthew Johnson, who stars as one of the leads. It won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature at this year’s Slamdance, and critics have generally given it a thumbs up.

BAD MILO!

Many are calling Bad Milo a throwback to horror/comedies like Gremlins, and much of that probably has to do with the basketball-sized demon Milo. Think Gizmo but with a mean streak. The demon just happens to be the cause of a poor guy’s misery, and once it is unleashed he tries to pacify it by treating it like a pet. That definitely has potential, right?

ALL IS BRIGHT

I caught this Paul Giamatti/Paul Rudd dramedy during the Tribeca Film Festival when it was under the title Almost Christmas. It’s about two con men who decide to try and make money by selling Christmas trees in Brooklyn during the holiday season despite having a very awkward relationship. I thought it had some good parts, but certainly isn’t in the same league as director Phil Morrison’s last film, 2005’s Junebug.

NOTHING LEFT TO FEAR

This can’t be the first horror film to use “Let Us Prey” as its tagline, can it? Regardless, this horror movie is about an unstable priest who makes a family’s life a living hell. It’s the first film from both writer Jonathan W.C. Mills and director Anthony Leonardi III, though both have had many other roles in the film industry behind the scenes. If you don’t catch it in theaters, don’t worry too much — it’s set to be released on DVD and Blu-ray on October 8.

ARGENTO’S DRACULA 3D

Though it might be one of the worst-reviewed films of the year, Dracula 3D (from veteran Italian filmmaker Dario Argento) will likely thrill those who love schlocky horror. It’s definitely not the type of indie release that most indie fans are looking for.

CONCUSSION

Getting smacked in the head and developing another personality is usually material for Warner Bros. cartoons and cheesy sitcoms, but Concussion takes a serious look at a woman whose personality changes after suffering a concussion. The drama won awards at the Berlin International Film Festival and the San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival for first-time director Stacie Passon, and buzz has been very positive.

LINSANITY (Documentary)

Fans of professional basketball will probably remember the brief period when Jeremy Lin, a player nobody wanted, became a popular media sensation by becoming an instrumental part in a streak of success in early 2012 with the New York Knicks. Though his subsequent season in Houston hasn’t been the same, there’s no question that this Asian-American athlete tore down stereotypes over ethnicity in the NBA. Though it might be a bit early to start analyzing Lin’s long-term impact on the game, there’s a lot to be said about Lin’s role in sports history.

THE SUMMIT (Documentary)

Not many of us can say we’re mountain climbers, and even fewer can say they’ve climbed the deadliest peaks in the world. But K2 is the world’s toughest climb by many who have. The Summit explores the circumstances surrounding the deadliest day in the history of K2 expeditions, which lead to the deaths of 11 climbers. This harrowing documentary is definitely not for the faint of heart.

BABYGIRL

I saw Babygirl way back at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival, and I was pleasantly surprised. While the film certainly fits the title — Babygirl is about fifteen-year old Lena, a Bronx daughter of a single mother, and her struggles with love and friendship — I didn’t expect to be as engrossed by the family drama as I ended up being. It’s especially surprising because though this film is about characters in the Bronx, it was directed by Irish director Macdara Vallely — proving that a good director can make a story work, no matter how foreign. I definitely recommend it if it comes to your area, though this weekend it is only opening at Quad Cinema in New York.

Other notable weekend indie, foreign & documentary releases:

PULLING STRINGS
GRACE UNPLUGGED
FIVE DANCES
VIKINGDOM
MY LAST DAY WITHOUT YOU
A.K.A. DOC POMUS (Documentary)

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Additional VIVRE SA VIE Screening for 2013 New York Film Festival

New York Film Festival

The 51st New York Film Festival which started September 27 and runs through October 13, 2013 has scheduled an additional screening of Jean-Luc Godard’s 1962 masterpiece VIVRE SA VIE on 35MM. The film was previously announced as part of the Jean-Luc Godard – The Spirit of the Forms three-week retrospective taking place from October 9 to October 30, 2013. The additional screening will take place on Friday, October 4, 2013, at 9PM at Alice Tully Hall.

Between 1955 and today, Godard has made 45 shorts, 11 medium-length films, 40 features, three television series, a handful of commercials, and several of his own trailers. Throughout every “period” of his working life—his early heyday with the French New Wave, his explicitly political films made in collaboration with Jean-Pierre Gorin in the aftermath of May ’68 in France, his collaborative television and video work in Switzerland during the 70s with Anne-Marie Miéville, his movement between film and video from the 80s onward—he has always continually ventured into new territory. Godard has never once retreated or backtracked. It’s been almost six decades since his first short, and he’s given us a body of work that is like a multiverse.

Here is Manny Farber’s description of one of Godard’s greatest films, Vivre sa vie, made with, and for, his wife Anna Karina: “The fall, brief rise, and death of a Joan of Sartre, a prostitute determined to be her own woman. The format is a condensed Dreiserian novel: Twelve near-uniform segments with chapter headings, the visual matter used to illustrate the captions and narrator’s comments. This is an extreme documentary, the most biting of his films, with sharp and drastic breaks in the continuity, grim but highly sensitive newsreel photography, a soundtrack taped in real bars and hotels as the film was shot and then left untouched. The unobtrusive acting inches along in little, scuttling steps, always in one direction, achieving a parched, memory-ridden beauty. A film of extraordinary purity.” Print courtesy of Janus Films.
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Local Philly Films in Greater Filmadelphia Lineup at 22nd Philadelphia Film Festival

Philadelphia Film Festival

McCanick

Six films highlighting the Philadelphia-area and local filmmakers, including the U.S. Premieres of both 1982 and MCCANICK starring Cory Monteith in his filnal role, will screen in the Greater Filmadelphia category at the upcoming 22nd Philadelphia Film Festival, which runs Thursday, October 17 to Sunday, October 27, 2013. The category also includes the Philadelphia premiere of LET THE FIRE BURN, as well as the Philadelphia premieres of THE DISCOVERERS, THE SUSPECT and TOWN HALL.

All films in the Greater Filmadelphia category are eligible for the Sharon Pinkenson Award for Best Local Feature.

Greater Filmadelphia line-up includes:

1982 – A mother’s drug addiction threatens to tear a family apart in this searing Philadelphia-based drama during the early days of the crack cocaine epidemic.

THE DISCOVERERS – Taking place primarily in the original setting of the Lewis and Clark expedition, The Discoverers is, at its heart, a family-reconciliation tale in which three generations of estranged relatives put aside their differences and past history to reconnect as a family and cope with loss.

MCCANICK – Gritty and suspenseful, McCanick is a tense action-drama about a volatile Philadelphia police officer determined to apprehend a recent parolee, who holds information about the cop’s past.

THE SUSPECT – An armed robbery, the appearance of an African-American man in an all-white Southern town and racial politics collide in The Suspect, an engaging thriller full of plot twists and surprises.

TOWN HALL – Documentarians Sierra Pettengill and Jamila Wignot provide an unadulterated, impartial look at the political and personal lives of two passionate Tea Party members.
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Award-Winning Indie BABYGIRL Set in The Bronx Opens at The Quad Cinema in NYC on Friday October 4th | TRAILER

News

The award-winning indie film BABYGIRL will open at the Quad Cinema in New York City on Friday, October 4th, 2013. Directed by Macdara Vallely, BABYGIRL is a coming-of-age story which takes place in Latino community of the Bronx. Macdara Vallely, who also wrote the film, based it on a real-life incident he witnessed on the 2 train in the Bronx.

Set in the Bronx, BABYGIRL is about Lena (Yainis Ynoa), a fifteen-year old Nuyorican girl, who has watched her heart-broken single-mom (Rosa Arredondo) fall in love with one man after another. When Victor (Flaco Navaja), the latest boyfriend, starts hitting on Lena, she sets out to expose him. But the plan backfires, and Lena finds herself trapped in an impossible love-triangle. The only way out is for her to stand up and confront some bitter home truths. BABYGIRL is the second feature by Irish director, Macdara Valley, who moved to Bronx, New York seven years ago.

http://youtu.be/ohaKTlsbP1E
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Twin Cities Film Fest Announces 2013 Lineup of Star Studded Award Contender Films

Twin Cities Film Fest

POLLYWOGS

Twin Cities Film Fest (TCFF) announced the lineup of films for their 2013 festival, to be held October 17 to 26, 2013. The festival will feature several Award contenders including NEBRASKA, the 2013 TCFF Opening Film and latest from filmmaker Alexander Payne; the TCFF Centerpiece THE ARMSTRONG LIE by Oscar-winning documentarian Alex Gibney (“Taxi to the Dark Side”); and Gala Films MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM and AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY.

TCFF lineup also features more than 20 world premieres of locally-produced features and short films including he critically-acclaimed POLLYWOGS, which was filmed in the north country by Minnesotan Karl Jacob. The horror film DELIVERY was created, scripted and directed by Minnesota natives Brian Netto and Adam Schindler.

TCFF will conclude on Saturday, October 26 with the Midwest Premiere of NOTHING WITHOUT YOU, featuring a performance by Emily Fradenburg. Fradenburg, based out of the Midwest and a well-known presence in the Twin Cities filmmaking community will be in attendance for the red carpet Premiere.

2013 TWIN CITIES FILM FEST SCHEDULE

October 17

7:00p.m.:  Nebraska, Alexander Payne, 110m

October 18

12:00 p.m.:  The Search for Simon, Martin Gooch, 96m

2:00 p.m.:  American Cycle, Baruh Benjamins and Fernando del Valle, 82m

4:30 p.m.: Gladiators: The Uncertain Future of American Football, Todd Trigsted, 90m

6:45 p.m.: Trust, Greed, Bullets & Bourbon, Scott Kawczynski, 85m

9:00 p.m.: We Are What We Are, Jim Mickle, 105m

October 19

10:30 p.m.: American Meat, Graham Meriwether, 88m

1:00 p.m.: Rain Man, Barry Levinson, 133m

4:00 p.m.: Forev, Molly Green & James Leffler, 88m

6:30 p.m.: Winter in the Blood, Alex & Andrew Smith, 98m

6:45 p.m.: Bahamian Son (Sneak Preview), Andrew Melby, 85m

9:00p.m.: Screwed, John Wynn, 96m

9:15 p.m.: Truth or Dare, Jessica Cameron, 80m

October 20

10:00 p.m.: Cafeteria Man, Richard Chisolm, 95m

12:15 p.m.: Brasslands, Meerkat Media Collective, 84m

2:30 p.m.: Farah Goes Bang, Meera Menon, 91m

5:00 p.m.: Family Shorts, Conor Holt, Sandra Capra, John Gigrich, Rob Walstead, Alexander Cooney, Alaina L. Lewis, John Gigrich, Kris Dunlap, Beth Vang, 79m

7:15 p.m.: Diamond on Vinyl, J.R. Hughto, 95m

9:30 p.m.: The Search for Simon, Martin Gooch, 96m

October 21

6:15 p.m.: MN’s Best Shorts BLOCK 1, Karl Warnke, Geoff George, Dan Delano, Vincent Gargiulo, Mason Makram, Daniel Stessen, Chars Bonin, 87m

8:45 p.m.: Ghost Light, John Gaspard, 85m

October 22

6:30 p.m.: The Armstrong Lie, Alex Gibney, 122m

9:30 p.m.: They Will Outlive Us All, Patrick Shearer, 73m

October 23

4:00 p.m.: Beyond Right and Wrong: Stories of Justice and Forgiveness,

6:15 p.m.: MN’s Best Shorts BLOCK 2, John Heimbuch, Brittany Gustafson, Kevin Horn, John Karsko, Peter Baehr, John Akre, John Gigrich, 82m

6:30 p.m.: The Liability, Craig Viveiros, 86m

8:30 p.m.: How I Live Now, Kevin Macdonald, 101m

9:00 p.m.: Casual Encounters, Will McCord, 79m

October 24

12:30 p.m.: MCTC shorts, MCTC Students, 60m

2:00 p.m.: Forty Years From Yesterday, Robert Machoian & Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck, 77m

4:00 p.m.: The Big Noise, Dominic Pelosi, 80m

6:00 p.m.: The One Who Loves You, Katharyn Grant, 95m

6:30 p.m.: One Chance, David Frankel, 103 min

8:30 p.m.: The Appearing, Daric Gates, 92m

9:15 p.m.: Drunk Wedding, Nick Weiss, 75m

October 25

11:30 p.m.: Antarctica: A Year On Ice, Anthony Powell, 92m

1:45 p.m.: Gladiators: The Uncertain Future of American Football, Todd Trigsted, 90m

4:00 p.m.: Tapia, Eddie Alcazar, 82m

6:15 p.m.: Bloom Series, Jeet-Kei Leung, 120m

6:30 p.m.: Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Justin Chadwick, 152m

9:00 p.m.: A Method, Paul von Stoetzel, 62m

9:45 p.m.: Delivery, Brian Netto, 87m

October 26

10:45 p.m.: Remote Area Medical, Jeff Reichert & Farihah Zaman, 83m

1:00 p.m.: Pollywogs, Karl Jacob and T. Arthur Cottam, 79m

3:00 p.m.: Last Vegas, Jon Turteltaub, 104m

5:45 p.m.: Wild Blue, Josh Hope, 100m

6:00 p.m.: August: Osage County, John Wells, 103m

8:30 p.m.: Nothing Without You, Xackery Irving, 95m
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2013 Camden International Film Festival Announces Winning Films; THE GENIUS OF MARIAN Wins Best Documentary

Camden International Film Festival

THE GENIUS OF MARIAN

The Camden International Film Festival wrapped its ninth edition, and announced the award winning films of the 2013 festival, with THE GENIUS OF MARIAN directed by Banker White and Anna Fitch winning the Harrell Award for Best Documentary Feature. THE GENIUS OF MARIAN is described as an intimate family portrait that explores the heartbreak of Alzheimer’s disease, the power of art and the meaning of family. THE GENIUS OF MARIAN follows Pam White in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease as her son, the filmmaker, documents her struggle to hang on to a sense of self.

The Harrell Award for Best Documentary Feature Special Jury Mention went to EXPEDITION TO THE END OF THE WORLD directed by Daniel Dencik. On a three-mast schooner packed with artists, scientists and ambitions worthy of Noah or Columbus, we set off for the end of the world: the rapidly melting massifs of North-East Greenland. An epic journey where the brave sailors on board encounter polar bear nightmares, Stone Age playgrounds and entirely new species.

This year’s Emerging Cinematic Vision Award went to BENDING STEEL directed by Dave Carroll. BENDING STEEL is a moving documentary, which follows Chris Schnoeck, an endearing yet unassuming man as he trains to become a professional oldtime strongman.

A Special Emerging Cinematic Vision Jury Mention went to LAST DREAMS by Estephan Wagner. LAST DREAMS follows three women during their last month of life. Through them we get an intimate and honest picture of what it means to be close to death – stories of solitude, reconciliation and love during the process of saying goodbye.

The Camden International Film Festival had two films tie for the 2013 Audience Award – Dave Carroll’s BENDING STEEL and Jillian Schlesinger’s MAIDENTRIP.

In addition to the award winning films, seven filmmakers took the stage of the Camden Opera House on Saturday, September 28 for the fourth annual Points North Pitch, part of CIFF’s Points North Documentary Forum that runs concurrently with the festival. The filmmakers pitched their documentary works-in-progress to a panel of funders broadcasters, distributors and producers. The 2013 Points North Pitch Award and Modulus Finishing Fund was given to Drew Xanthopoulos for THE SENSITIVES.

CIFF’s partnership with The New York Times brought filmmakers to pitch their ideas for an Op-Doc as part of Points North Documentary Forum on Sunday, September 29 at Union Hall in Rockport. The winning pitch receives the opportunity to produce an Op-Doc for The New York Times with a budget of $2,000 (USD). This year’s 2013 winner was PROJECT NODAK directed by Lewis Wilcox and James Christenson.
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