• Dance Documentary “DANCING IN JAFFA” to be Released in the U.S.

    Dancing In Jaffa Documentary

    Sundance Selects will release in the U.S., Hilla Medalia’s dance documentary “DANCING IN JAFFA,” which premiered earlier this year at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival. Sundance Selects did not announce a release date, but a Fall 2013 date is expected.

    DANCING IN JAFFA follows ballroom dancer Pierre Dulaine as he returns to his hometown Jaffa, Israel expecting his old home but greeted by new racial animosity. A firm believer that dance can build self-esteem and social awareness, Dulaine brings his popular Dancing Classrooms program to 5 ethnically diverse Jaffa schools. Dulaine sends the best children to a dance competition, boldly pairing Palestinian and Jewish children and challenging the children’s and their family’s beliefs.

    Executive producers of DANCING IN JAFFA include Morgan Spurlock & Jeremy Chilnick, La Toya Jackson & Jeffré Phillips and Nigel Lythgoe. 

    http://youtu.be/DDBkUTHykoQ

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  • Interview with Director Aaron Douglas Johnston on His New Indie Film “MY SISTER’S QUINCEANERA”

    My Sisters Quinceanera

    The independent film “MY SISTER’S QUINCEANERA” about a Latino family in Iowa, is playing at the LA Film Festival where it had its North American premiere on Saturday night. Starring Silas Garcia, Samantha Rae Garcia, Becky Garcia, Tanner McCulley, Nicole Streat, Elizabeth Agapito and Josefina Garcia, MY SISTER’S QUINCEANERA follows teenage Silas who is considered the man of the house, but he wears that responsibility lightly, searching for more from his life than the small town mischief he gets into with his best friend., The film is written, produced and directed by Aaron Douglas Johnston who is also from the Midwest but now resides in Netherlands. We got the chance to catch up with Aaron Douglas Johnston at the LA Film Festival to find out more about his new film.

     VIMOOZ: First, congratulations on MY SISTER’S QUINCEANERA being an official selection in the 2013 LA Film Festival … and the North American Premiere..

    Aaron Douglas Johnston: Thank you!  It’s a great honor to be here at the LA Film Festival.  It’s the first time the film has shown in North America, so it’s wonderful to see and hear the audience react to the film.

    My Sisters Quinceanera

    VIMOOZ: Tell us about MY SISTER’S QUINCEANERA – the story?

    Aaron Douglas Johnston: The film and its story are the result of an intensive workshop in acting and filmmaking that I gave to Mexican-American residents in my hometown of Muscatine, Iowa.  I developed the story while working with the workshop participants, who are also the actors in the film.  It was a wonderful and rewarding process that created ongoing friendships, great actors, and a film we’re all proud of.  MY SISTER’S QUINCEAÑERA follows one Midwestern Latino family as they prepare for a quinceañera.  As the eldest of six, big brother Silas is constantly helping his single mom and taking care of his siblings.  He has become the involuntary man of the house, but he dreams of leaving his hometown to pursue his own dreams.  Family relationships as well as love interest Nicole make the choice a difficult one.  Surrounded by family, friends and potential love, he struggles with the question: Should he leave or should he stay?

    VIMOOZ: You are credited as the writer for the film, what inspired you to come up with the story?

    Aaron Douglas Johnston: The workshop participants and actors inspired me to write this story.  I started the workshop with no pre-conceived notions of what the film should be about.  During the course of the workshop and through the various assignments and acting improvisations that I gave, I was drawn to several recurring topics: the importance and craziness surrounding the quinceañera, the warmth and love of a large Latino family, and the heart-wrenching dilemma for a son/sibling to decide whether to continue helping to provide for his family or to leave his family behind in order to pursue his own dreams (of higher education in Silas’ case).  The richness, love, and at times constrictive nature of family relationships, combined with the beautiful small Midwestern town landscape, inspired me to tell this story.

    VIMOOZ:  Is there a large Latino community in Iowa?

    Aaron Douglas Johnston: Like much of Eastern Iowa, my hometown of Muscatine has a significant Latino population, about 10 to 15%.  Latinos have long been a part of Iowa.  Through the workshop and the film, I was anxious to explore my hometown, and the workshop became a wonderful way to both get to know the Latino community of Muscatine and to tell an authentic story dear to all of us who collaborated on this film.

    My Sisters Quinceanera

    VIMOOZ:  How did you find the actors?

    Aaron Douglas Johnston: All of the actors attended the acting and filmmaking workshop.  They had never acted before, but they became not only comfortable but also professional and quite skilled in front of the camera.  It was a great experience working with them.

    VIMOOZ:  Most people may not know that you graduated summa cum laude in International Studies – so will you incorporate this international perspective to all your films?

    Aaron Douglas Johnston: I’ve always been fascinated by various cultures, countries, and languages.  Before I became a filmmaker, I studied sociology at graduate school, and I’ve lived in several different countries.  I now live permanently in Amsterdam.  I’m drawn to stories where various cultures mix, mesh, and/or collide in interesting and dramatic ways as well as to stories about insider/outsider themes.  These types of stories often mesh with an international perspective so this perspective does find its way into all of my films in one way or another.

    My Sisters Quinceanera

    VIMOOZ: What’s up next for the film?

    Aaron Douglas Johnston: The film will screen at multiple film festivals this year, and we’re currently working on distribution deals to get the film out there so people can see it.

    Aaron Douglas Johnston (center wearing grey scarf) with crew at WorldPremiere IFFRotterdam 2013Aaron Douglas Johnston (center wearing grey scarf) with crew at WorldPremiere IFFRotterdam 2013

    VIMOOZ: What’s up next for you?

    Aaron Douglas Johnston: I’d love to make another film in Iowa, as my own hometown continues to inspire me. I’m also currently developing several projects in the Netherlands. [ Pictured above: Aaron Douglas Johnston (center wearing grey scarf) with crew at WorldPremiere IFFRotterdam 2013 ]

    http://youtu.be/YdSMWQEtPJ4

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  • Documentary “MISS YOU CAN DO IT” To Premiere on HBO on June 24th

    MISS YOU CAN DO IT Documentary

    MISS YOU CAN DO IT directed by award-winning documentary director Ron Davis will premeire on HBO on June 24th. MISS YOU CAN DO IT chronicles Abbey Curran, Miss Iowa USA 2008 and the first woman with a disability to compete at the Miss USA Pageant, and eight girls with various physical and intellectual disabilities as the girls participate in Abbey’s Miss You Can Do It Pageant. Abbey founded the annual Miss You Can Do It Pageant in 2004 and girls and their families travel from all around the country to participate in this one night where their inner beauty and abilities reign.

    Diagnosed with cerebral palsy at age two, Abbey Curran never accepted her physical limitations. She admits her disability comes with lifelong challenges, but none that hold her back, playing sports (she “just falls more”) and driving a car with a special steering wheel and brake. Curran’s resilience and determination to pursue her dreams led her to become the first woman with disabilities to compete in the Miss USA Pageant in 2008.

    Miss You Can Do It highlights the extraordinary work Curran is doing with the pageant she founded. Curran and a team of enthusiastic volunteers give participants a chance to be celebrated for all they are inside, not just defined by what the world sees on the outside. For one special weekend the young girls, along with family and friends, some who have traveled far distances, spend time in an oasis of fun, femininity and celebration.

    No one leaves the pageant empty-handed, with each girl receiving a special award. The real winners of the pageant might be the families and friends, who proudly cheer them on from the audience.

    Among the girls and families profiled are:

    – Five-year-old Tierney, who gleefully zips around in a powered wheelchair in excited anticipation of the pageant, while her mom explains that she’s never walked and will progressively lose movement throughout her body. Tierney has spinal muscular atrophy type II, a slow deterioration of all muscles.

    – Natasha, 14, who was born with cerebral palsy and suffers from seizures, and Kenna, her younger sister, who has intellectual disabilities. Despite these challenges, “they are a happy-go-lucky family,” according to their proud parents.

    – Precocious six-year-old Ali, who has four best friends, one mischievous and imaginary, and three in their 60s: Judy, Judy and Rock, who enjoy watching Ali’s physical therapy sessions on a horse, which helps with her balance. Ali was born with spina bifida, a hole in the spine that caused paralysis of her lower body.

    – Teyanna, a smart and creative preteen, whose mother says that after she was born, a nurse suggested they put her in an institution, but they refused and raised her at home. Teyanna has speech difficulty due to cerebral palsy.

    – Seven-year-old Daleney, whose parents say her biggest frustration is her lack of independence. Still, she never shows it, even if she takes 15 minutes to tie her shoelaces. Daleney is a quadriplegic with a spastic form of cerebral palsy, causing her to have too much muscle tone and making her limbs cross her midline when she walks.

    – Tiny Meg, who is shy, except when she’s with her brothers. Wanting Meg to have a sister to connect with, her parents adopted Alina, a girl from Ukraine. Both Meg and Alina have Down syndrome.

    http://youtu.be/LeKQRcyNuO8

    via HBO Docs

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  • USTA calls fault against VENUS AND SERENA Documentary

    Venus and Serena Documentary

    The filmmakers of a documentary about Venus and Serena Williams face a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Tennis Association. In the lawsuit filed Friday, the USTA claims copyright infringement after the filmmakers of VENUS AND SERENA allegedly used unlicensed video footage from the U.S. Open without permission.

    The lawsuit states that because the filmmakers never signed the standard agreement or made any payment, the USTA was led to believe the “project had been abandoned..”

    According to The New York Times, the unlicensed video footage included an outburst by Serena Williams in the 2009 Open when she yelled obscenities and used threatening language against a line judge.

    The documentary was originally released on iTunes in April and in theaters in May. The film is also scheduled to begin airing on Showtime on July 1.

    Filmmakers Maiken Baird and Michelle Major have dismissed the accusations, calling the lawsuit a shameful effort to interfere. “In trying to censor this film about the Williams sisters,” they told The New York Times, “the U.S.T.A. is simply making up an agreement that never existed — we shot footage at the U.S. Open with the U.S.T.A.’s permission and of course never agreed to pay them for our own work.”

    http://youtu.be/YvMWjtQN5HU

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  • ONLY GOD FORGIVES Starring Ryan Gosling Wins Sydney Film Prize at Sydney Film Festival

    ONLY GOD FORGIVESONLY GOD FORGIVES

    ONLY GOD FORGIVES, directed by Nicolas Winding Refn won the Sydney Film Festival‘s prestigious Sydney Film Prize. Starring Ryan Gosling, Kristin Scott Thomas and Vithaya Pansringarm, ONLY GOD FORGIVES is described as a brutal and stylish story of betrayal, rage and redemption set in the Thai underworld.  This is the second time Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn has won the Sydney Prize, previously winning it in 2009 with the British prison thriller Bronson.

     “I am very honoured and extremely excited to have received this honorable award from a country that in my opinion has one of the great film histories of the world,” said Nicolas Winding Refn.

    BUCKSKIN directed by Dylan McDonaldBUCKSKIN directed by Dylan McDonald

    The FOXTEL Australian Documentary Prize was awarded to BUCKSKIN, directed by Dylan McDonald. The film documents the work of Adelaide resident Jack Buckskin, who is on a mission to renew a once-extinct language and to inspire a new generation to connect with the land and culture of his ancestors.  

    The Foxtel jury also gave a special mention to MISS NIKKI AND THE TIGER GIRLS, directed by Juliet Lamont, and highly commended Steven McGregor’s BIG NAME NO BLANKET.  

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  • 13 Filmmaker Finalists for 2013 San Francisco Film Society Documentary Film Fund

    San Francisco Film Society

    The San Francisco Film Society today announced the 13 finalists for the 2013 SFFS Documentary Film Fund awards totaling $100,000, which support feature-length documentaries in postproduction. The SFFS Documentary Film Fund was created to support singular nonfiction film work that is distinguished by compelling stories, intriguing characters and an innovative visual approach. Finalists were selected from more than 200 applications, and winners will be announced in late July.

    Previous DFF winners include Shaul Schwarz’s Narco Cultura, which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival; Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson’s American Promise, which also premiered at Sundance and won the festival’s Special Jury Prize in the documentary category; and Zachary Heinzerling’s Cutie and the Boxer, which won Sundance’s Directing Award for documentary, has played at film festivals worldwide and will be distributed theatrically by Radius-TWC.

    2013 DOCUMENTARY FILM FUND FINALISTS
    Above All Else — John Fiege, director/producer/cinematographer
    Above All Else is the remarkable story of how one man’s struggle to protect his family from the Keystone XL pipeline transformed the fight against climate change in America. For more information visit aboveallelsefilm.com.

    Art and Craft — Jennifer Grausman, codirector/coproducer and Sam Cullman, codirector/coproducer/cinematographer
    Examining the curious story of a prolific art forger who isn’t in it for the money—but chooses instead to donate his work to museums—Art and Craft uncovers one of the most intriguing cases of deception in art history. Filmed at the moment his ruse is exposed, this story of obsession opens an unlikely window onto questions of mental health, art and philanthropy in the 21st century.

    The Babushkas of Chernobyl — Anne Bogart and Holly Morris, co-director/producers
    As Fukushima smolders, and the world grapples with a dangerous energy era, an unlikely human story emerges from Chernobyl to inform the debate. The Babushkas of Chernobyl is the story of an extraordinary group of women who live in Chernobyl’s post-nuclear disaster “Dead Zone.” For more than 25 years they have survived—and even, oddly, thrived—on some of the most contaminated land on earth. For more information visit thebabushkasofchernobyl.com.

    Evolution of a Criminal — Darius Clark Monroe, director
    Ten years after robbing a Bank of America, filmmaker Darius Monroe returns home to examine how his actions affected the lives of family, friends and victims. For more information visit facebook.com/evolutionofacriminal.

    Freedom Fighters — Jamie Meltzer, director
    There’s a new detective agency in Dallas, Texas, started by a group of exonerated men who have all spent decades in prison for crimes they didn’t commit. They call themselves the Freedom Fighters, and they’ve recently started working their first cases. For more information visit freedomfightersfilm.com.

    Homestretch — Anne De Mare and Kristen Kelly, co-director/producers
    Four homeless teenagers brave Chicago winters, the pressures of high school, and life alone on the streets to build a brighter future. Against all odds, these kids defy stereotypes as they learn to reach out for help and create new, surprising definitions of home.

    How to Become an Extreme Action Hero — Catherine Gund, director
    How to Become an Extreme Action Hero harnesses the power of action architect and spatial philosopher Elizabeth Streb. Through Streb’s daring performances and incisive words, the film jumpstarts our hearts and takes us to the edge. For more information visit strebfilm.org.

    One in a Billion — Geeta Patel, codirector/producer and Ravi V. Patel, codirector
    When Ravi Patel breaks up with his white girlfriend and finds himself almost 30 and still single, he decides to give the traditional Indian matchmaking system a try. His entire family starts a search for his future wife and sends him on a whirlwind of dates around the country in hopes that he’ll find “the one.”

    Radical Love — Hillevi Loven, director
    Radical Love follows the journey of Cole, a transgender Christian teen growing up in rural North Carolina. Upon graduating from high school, he finds love and a sense of belonging with Ashley, a Christian woman. Together, they struggle to gain acceptance in a conservative Bible belt community that is grappling with the changing values of today’s Christian youth.

    Redemption — Amir Soltani and Chihiro Wimbush, co-director/producers
    As with the poor living in the urban slums of India, Egypt and Brazil, a surprising number of Americans make their living off of a vast river of trash. These are America’s untouchables. Through the lives of four recyclers, we are introduced to the art, science, economics and politics of recycling: what it offers, how it touches the poor and why it matters to all of us. For more information visit redemptiondoc.com.

    Rich Hill — Tracy Tragos and Andrew Droz Palermo, co-director/producers
    Rich Hill chronicles the turbulent lives of children living in a dying Midwestern town, witnessing their struggles up close as they yearn to find self worth and imagine a future beyond poverty. For more information visit richhillfilm.com.

    Street Fighting Man — Andrew James, director/cinematographer
    In a new America where the promise of education, safety and shelter are in jeopardy, three Detroit men fight to build something lasting for themselves and future generations in a city that is abandoning its citizens. As we witness each man’s fight to claim his piece of the American Dream, Street Fighting Man reveals that no one can do it alone. For more information visit streetfightingmanthemovie.com.

    Tomorrow We Disappear — Jimmy Goldblum and Adam Weber, co-director/producers
    When their homes are illegally sold to real estate developers, the magicians, acrobats and puppeteers of Delhi’s Kathputli Colony must unite—or splinter apart forever.

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  • Documentary “THE TALE OF AN PHUC HOUSE” About Vietnamese Victims of Vietnam War Agent Orange to World Premiere at NYIFF

    [caption id="attachment_4138" align="alignnone" width="550"]THE TALE OF AN PHUC HOUSETHE TALE OF AN PHUC HOUSE[/caption]

    The documentary film “THE TALE OF AN PHUC HOUSE” which follows the everyday lives of twenty disabled children – third generation victims of the Agent Orange warfare that occurred during the Vietnam War ( 1963-1973), has its World Premiere at the 2013 New York City International Film Festival (NYCIFF) where it is nominated for NYCIFF’s Best Feature Documentary Film.

    Directed by Ivan Tankushev, known for his work in animation on shows such as Arthur and Family Guy, the film is described as an objective video tale about the simple life of twenty exceptional young adults – living in a small house near Saigon. In the past six years under the supervision of their adopted father, those children, surviving and living with dignity and pride – an amazing example for anyone with similar physical conditions.

    Mr. Quang -“The Father”, founded “An Phuc” in 2006 with the intention to create jobs and find a roof tor those physically disabled boys and girls – most of whom are a third generation Vietnamese , claimed or awaiting to be recognize as Agent Orange victims. Not an easy task to certified those children with such an official Governmental recognition; nor small financial, mental and physical responsibility to take care of them. Nevertheless, in the past six years Mr.Quang is doing just that. He not only dedicates his everyday life to those disables young adults but helps them to become self-respected, financially independent and better human beings.

    http://youtu.be/IYWPZIr5uvc

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  • WATCH Trailer for Very Funny Indie Comedy “10 RULES FOR SLEEPING AROUND”

    [caption id="attachment_4136" align="alignnone" width="550"]10 RULES FOR SLEEPING AROUND10 RULES FOR SLEEPING AROUND[/caption]

    10 RULES FOR SLEEPING AROUND, the independent screwball comedy about two couples and their ten rules to a happy, healthy and open relationship, has its World Premiere this weekend at the New York City International Film Festival.

    Written and directed by Leslie Greif, the indie comedy features a cast that includes Wendi McLendon-Covey (Bridesmaids, Reno 911!), Michael McKean (Spinal Tap, Best in Show), Tammin Sursok (Pretty Little Liars), Jesse Bradford (Bring it On, I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell), and Bryan Callen (The Hangover).

    10 Rules for Sleeping Around asks the question “how do married couples keep their relationship fresh long after the honeymoon is over?” One solution – keep it open. However, in order to juggle the ensuing chaos there are specific ground rules to be followed at all cost or else all hell may break loose.

    via NYCIFF

    http://youtu.be/LX4bjpmaf9c

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  • WATCH Trailer for “SALINGER” Documentary

    SALINGER

    The Weinstein Company released the trailer for the upcoming documentary “SALINGER,” about the notoriously reclusive “Catcher in the Rye” author J.D. Salinger. 

    Directed by Shane Solerno who co-wrote Oliver Stone’s 2012 “Savages,” SALINGER features interviews with 150 subjects including Salinger’s friends, colleagues and members of his inner circle who have never spoken on the record before as well as film footage, photographs and other material that has never been seen.  Additionally, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Edward Norton, John Cusack, Danny DeVito, John Guare, Martin Sheen, David Milch, Robert Towne, Tom Wolfe, E.L. Doctorow, Gore Vidal and Pulitzer Prize winners A. Scott Berg and Elizabeth Frank talk about Salinger’s influence on their lives, their work and the broader culture.  The film is the first work to get beyond the Catcher in the Rye author’s meticulously built up wall:  his childhood, painstaking work methods, marriages, private world and the secrets he left behind after his death in 2010.

    The Weinstein Company anticipates a September 6 release date.

    http://youtu.be/5IPsCA6ttbc

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  • Top 10 Film Picks of 2013 LA Film Festival

    Los Angeles Film Festival opened on Thursday night, June 13, 2013, with Pedro Almodóvar’s I’M SO EXCITED! and runs through Sunday June 23, 2013. The festival will screen nearly 200 feature films, shorts and music videos, and we selected 10 independent narrative films and documentary films from very talented directors, some who might otherwise be overlooked. So here we go 10 films at the 2013 LA Film Festival that definitely deserve a look.

    Narrative Feature Film

    Forev – USA
    (DIRECTORS/WRITERS Molly Green, James Leffler PRODUCERS Stephanie Dziczek, Meg Charlton CAST Noël Wells, Matt Mider, Amanda Bauer)

    On a spur of the moment road trip, new friends Sophie and Pete hatch a misguided plan to get hitched. Refreshingly funny and intelligent, this coming-of-age romantic comedy delightfully contemplates how and with whom we fall in love. World Premiere

    http://youtu.be/bO3Ws3AKaa4

     

    Forty Years From Yesterday – USA
    (DIRECTORS Robert Machoian, Rodrigo OjedaBeck WRITER Robert Machoian PRODUCERS Nick Case, Ryan Watt, Robert Machoian, Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck CAST Bruce Graham, Suzette Graham, Robert Eddington, Wyatt Eddington, Matt Valdez, Chelsea Word, Elizabeth Overton, Rebekah Mott) 

    Forty Years From Yesterday

    Grief quietly reverberates through a family after a man discovers his wife of forty years has unexpectedly passed away. Filmmakers Rodrigo Ojeda-Beckand and Robert Machoian make their feature directorial debut with this quietly powerful examination of love and loss. World Premiere

    http://youtu.be/1SbzJi6RVzI

     

    The House That Jack Built – USA
    (DIRECTOR Henry Barrial WRITER Joseph Vasquez PRODUCERS Michael Lieber, Sam Kitt, Hitesh Patel CAST E.J. Bonilla, Melissa Fumero, Leo Minaya, Saundra Santiago, John Herrera, Flor De Liz Perez, Rosal Colon)

    [caption id="attachment_4126" align="alignnone" width="550"]The House That Jack BuiltThe House That Jack Built[/caption]

    Complications ensue when street-smart, cash-rich Jack fulfills his fantasy of housing his extended family in a single Bronx apartment complex. E.J. Bonilla heads a dynamic Caribbean-Latino ensemble in this riveting hot house drama. World Premiere

    http://youtu.be/Rl_Eh-RDpYg

     

    My Sisterʼs Quinceañera – USA
    (DIRECTOR/WRITER/PRODUCER Aaron Douglas Johnston CAST Silas Garcia, Samantha Rae Garcia, Becky Garcia, Tanner McCulley, Nicole Streat, Elizabeth Agapito, Josefina Garcia)

    [caption id="attachment_4127" align="alignnone" width="550"]My Sisterʼs QuinceañeraMy Sisterʼs Quinceañera[/caption] 

    This lovely naturalistic film focuses on a Latino family in Iowa. The teenage Silas may be the man of the house, but he wears that responsibility lightly, searching for more from his life than the small town mischief he gets into with his best friend. North American Premiere

    http://youtu.be/YdSMWQEtPJ4

     

    Pollywogs – USA
    (DIRECTORS Karl Jacob, T. Arthur Cottam WRITER Karl Jacob PRODUCERS Karl Jacob, Tracy Utley, Michael Prall CAST Karl Jacob, Kate Lyn Sheil, Jennifer Prediger, Larry Mitchell)

    [caption id="attachment_4128" align="alignnone" width="550"]PollywogsPollywogs[/caption]

    Utterly deflated after a breakup, Dylan splits the city for a well-timed family reunion. Writer/director/star Karl Jacobʼs endearing, witty tale about the search for second chances is gorgeously set against the pristine Minnesota woods of his own hometown. World Premiere

    http://youtu.be/XTumZoAoRNY

     

    Documentary Feature Films

    All of Me – USA
    (DIRECTOR Alexandra Lescaze PRODUCERS Alexandra Lescaze, Deborah Eve Lewis)

    [caption id="attachment_4129" align="alignnone" width="550"]All of MeAll of Me[/caption]

    The women of the BBW (Big Beautiful Women) Club celebrate being overweight, and the men who love them don’t want them to change. But what happens when the group decides to undergo weight loss surgery? This startlingly intimate documentary raises fascinating questions about obesity, identity and sexuality. World Premiere

    http://youtu.be/VISoaE86U9g

     

    American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs – USA
    (DIRECTOR Grace Lee PRODUCERS Grace Lee, Caroline Libresco, Austin Wilkin)

    American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs

    Tenacious 97 year old Asian-American Grace Lee Boggs was an unlikely star of the African-American movement. She looks back on her remarkable (and ongoing) lifetime of activism, dedicated to the possibility of a more just future for us all. World Premiere

    http://youtu.be/xNTDB_mBTeA

     

    Llyn Foulkes One Man Band – USA
    (DIRECTORS/PRODUCERS Tamar Halpern, Chris Quilty FEATURING Llyn Foulkes, Dennis Hopper, George Hermes, Paul Schimmel, Johnny Carson)

    [caption id="attachment_4130" align="alignnone" width="550"]Llyn Foulkes One Man Band [/caption]

    At 78 years of age, the brilliant, iconoclastic artist Llyn Foulkes, is still fighting the art world and his own demons as he feverishly creates–and then destroys and recreates–deep, three-dimensional paintings that mirror back his personal and artistic obsessions. World Premiere

    http://youtu.be/O3aGdoNP7xU

     

    My Stolen Revolution – Sweden
    (DIRECTOR/WRITER/PRODUCER Nahid Persson Sarvestani FEATURING Nahid Persson Sarvestani, Parvaneh Aref, Nazli Partovi, Monireh Baradaran, Azar Aal-Kanaan)

    [caption id="attachment_4131" align="alignnone" width="550"]My Stolen RevolutionMy Stolen Revolution[/caption]

    Thirty years after narrowly escaping Iran and impending imprisonment during The 1979 revolution, filmmaker and activist Nahid Persson Sarvestani sets out to find the friends she left behind. Through the harrowing stories of the women who were not as fortunate as she, Persson is led to her own redemption. North American Premiere

    http://youtu.be/8haBngppLzQ

     

    The New Black – USA
    (DIRECTOR Yoruba Richen PRODUCERS Yoruba Richen, Yvonne Welbon)

    [caption id="attachment_4132" align="alignnone" width="550"]The New BlackThe New Black[/caption]

    In this timely documentary, filmmaker Yoruba Richen questions the assumptions about homophobia in the African-American community, setting off an impassioned conversation about gay rights, family history, the role of the Church and the legacy of the civil rights movement. World Premiere

    http://youtu.be/GX4XiTSuuF0

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  • REVIEW: I’M SO EXCITED! (Los Amantes Pasajeros)

     

    by Christopher McKittrick

    I’M SO EXCITED! (Los amantes pasajeros) opens with a brief sequence on an airport runaway featuring Antonio Banderas and Penélope Cruz, both familiar faces in this film’s writer/director Pedro Almodóvar’s work.  However, their brief cameos only set up the main plot of the film, which is about the plane on the runaway that’s about to take off.  When the plane is in the air, it becomes clear to the pilot Alex (Antonio de la Torre), the co-pilot Benito (Hugo Silva), the head steward Joserra (Javier Cámara), and stewards Ulloa (Raúl Arévalo) and Fajas (Carlos Areces) – all of whom are either gay or bisexual and have a connecting sexual history – that there is something wrong with the landing gear.  Even if they can find a runway to attempt the landing (which proves difficult), there’s no guarantee that they will survive the impact.  When this news is revealed to the handful of passengers in first class (the passengers in coach have all been put to sleep via drugs), they began to cast away their inhibitions and reveal their deepest secrets.

    Aside from the jocular title, that plot description could easily be worked into a drama like Almodóvar’s  acclaimed The Skin I Live In (La piel que habito), which starred Banderas.  However, I’M SO EXCITED! jumps several genres, though it is mostly a black comedy.  It is also has very metaphoric, dream-like and nightmare-like elements that do not reflect reality.  In fact, the film opens with a humorous title card saying, “Everything that happens in this film is fiction and fantasy and bears no relation to reality,” demonstrating that there is little in the film that audiences are supposed to take at face value.  The fact that the film culminates at the La Mancha airport – a reference to fiction’s ultimate dreamer – highlights this.

    Since rules don’t apply on this dream-like flight, much of it feels like a throwback to the sex romp comedies of the late 1960s like What’s New Pussycat?, especially once the crew decides to comfort themselves and the passengers in first class with liquor and drugs.  Facing impending disaster (not unlike the current economic state of Europe), the crew and passengers decide to fiddle as Rome burns… and I mean “fiddle” in the most sexual way possible.

    But that raises my main question with this film: what audience is it for?  It’s simply too weird and inconsistent tonally for younger audiences and too twisted and offbeat for adult audiences.  Sure, there are some funny parts, but though I lenjoyed all of Almodóvar’s films I’ve seen before I was left scratching my head.  I also thought the characterization of the effeminate stewards was laying it on a bit thick and reached into uncomfortable stereotype territory.  It’s simply an odd attempt at a comedy/drama hybrid that really doesn’t work in the end despite its dream-like quality.  After all, “dream-like” shouldn’t be an excuse for inconsistency or an overload of camp at the expense of quality.

    http://youtu.be/DhH-A8pLCMY

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  • US Film “THE SHARK’S FIN’ Take The Top Prize at New Zealand Mountain Film Festival

    The Shark's Fin

    The New Zealand Mountain Film Festival announced this year’s program  and competition winners; “THE SHARK’S FIN” took the Grand Prize of US$1000 and winner of the Best New Zealand film award went to the film Flow Hunters.

    Festival goers will participate in awarding the ‘Peoples Choice’ award during the festival, which runs July 5th to 9th in Wanaka and on July 13th to 14th in Queenstown.

    Film Winners:

    Grand Prize US$1000
    The Shark’s Fin – 25 minutes, by Peter Mortimer, Nick Rosen, Josh Lowell, Renan Ozturk, Shannon Ethridge, USA
    Legendary alpinist Conrad Anker nurtured a 20 year obsession with The Shark’s Fin, a spectacular unclimbed granite buttress on the 6,310 meter Mt. Meru, in India. In 2008 Anker, with Jimmy Chin and Renan Ozturk, endured a grueling 18 day push to get within hundreds of feet of the summit, only to be turned back. Three years later, the trio makes tough decision to return

    Best New Zealand made Film; The Hiddleston/MacQueen Award NZ$1000
    Flow Hunters -24 minutes, NZ, By Jon Forder & Ben Brown
    Follow Ben Brown on a 35 day kayak adventure that spans both islands of NZ, see them travel over 8000km, paddle for 24 days and descend 17 rivers. This adventure would lead them to the discovery of remote, new kayaking frontiers. These rivers would demand their humility, but would yield so much achievement and peace in return.

    Best Film on Climbing US$200.
    Honnold 3.0 – 32 minutes, USA, By Peter Mortimer, Josh Lowell, Nick Rosen & Alex Lowther
    Alex Honnold has become known as the boldest soloist of his generation. In this dangerous game, how does he balance pure ambition with self-preservation? From highball boulder first ascents to 5.13 free solos, from far-flung trad climbing adventures, to speed records on The Nose, Honnold wrestles with this question in preparation for his biggest adventure yet – the Yosemite Triple.

    Best Film on Adventurous Sports and Lifestyles US$200.
    One Step Beyond – 57 minutes, by Sébastien Montaz-Rosset, France, subtitles
    Géraldine Fasnacht, a world-renowned snowboarder and base jumper, invites us into the small and close-knit community of today’s real life supermen – wingsuit flyers. We join her on a roller coaster ride across the full spectrum of human emotions, catapulting from total euphoria to devastating loss, living life at full force and in glorious technicolor.

    Best Film on Mountain Culture and Environment US$200.
    Stand – 46 minutes. Canada, By Anthony Bonello.
    A Calgary-based oil and gas company has proposed the construction of a 1,170 km pipeline running from Alberta’s tar sands to Kitimat on British Columbia’s west coast. Follow stand up paddle boarders and surfers in the area as they highlight the cultural, sporting and environmental importance of this area.

    Best Short Film (15 minutes or less) US$200.
    Cascada – 8 minutes, USA, By Anson Fogel & Skip Armstrong
    Follow kayakers as they hunt the remote Mexican jungle for the perfect waterfall and the perfect shot. Paddler and cinematographers alike explore a world beyond the expected with the most amazing scenery captured in spectacular clarity.

    Best Snow Sports Film US$200.
    Further – 26 minutes, Director: Jeremy Jones, USA
    Follow Jeremy Jones as he explores some of the world’s most remote terrain while camping deep in the backcountry. His hard work pays off when it leads to clean lines down near-vertical spines and into epic powder bowls. Jones is leading the way in terms of selfpropelled access to some of the most magnificent snow on earth.

    People’s Choice
    Chosen during the festival

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