• RIP: documentary filmmaker Bruce Ricker

    [caption id="attachment_1382" align="alignnone" width="560"]Bruce Ricker (that’s him on the left, with Clint Eastwood and Quentin Tarantino) [/caption]

    Bruce Ricker — a Cambridge, Massachusetts -based director and producer of documentaries whose best-known film, “The Last of the Blue Devils’’ (1979), is a jazz classic — died of pneumonia Friday in Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge.

    He was 68.

    Mr. Ricker specialized in documentaries about jazz, popular music, and film history.

    Read more in Boston Globe

    image via Boston Globe

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  • RIP: Donald Krim, president of’ film distribution company, Kino International

    Donald Krim, a film distributor, president of’ Kino International, a company founded in 1977 and acquired by Mr. Krim in 1978, died on Friday at his home in Manhattan. He was 65.

    Among the films imported by Kino as a result of Mr. Krim’s festival explorations were Percy Adlon’s “Zuckerbaby” (1985), Mitsuo Yanagimachi’s “Himatsuri” (1986) and Michel Khleifi’s “Wedding in Galilee” (1988). Mr. Krim also helped to introduce the work of such art-house stalwarts as the Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai (“Days of Being Wild,” 1990), the Austrian Michael Haneke (“The Piano Teacher,” 2001) and the Israeli Amos Gitai (“Kadosh,” 1999).

    Three Kino releases received Academy Award nominations in the best foreign-language film category: Joseph Cedar’s “Beaufort” (2007), Scandar Copti’s “Ajami” (2009) and Giorgos Lanthimos’s “Dogtooth” (2010).

    Read more in the NY Times

    image via NYTimes

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  • Cannes Film Festival 2011 Winners; Malick’s “Tree of Life” garners Palme D’Or

    [caption id="attachment_1357" align="alignnone" width="500"]Brad Pitt in Terence Malick’s ‘Tree of Life,’ winner of the Palme D’Or at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. [/caption]

    The mysteriously enigmatic U.S. director Terrence Malick took the Cannes film festival’s top award, the Palme d’Or, Sunday evening,  for his film The Tree of Life-  about a family of sons dominated by a tyrannical father in Texas, and the origins and mysteries of life. The film stars Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and luminous newcomer Jessica Chastain. Shy as ever, Malick had one of the film’s co-producers, Bill Pohlad accept the award on his behalf. (Malick also did not promote the film at the festival.)

    “I know he is thrilled with this award, as are all of us,” Pohlad said. “The Tree of Life was a long road.” Malick apparently took an extra year re-cutting and fine-tuning the film, which was originally set to screen at the 2010 Cannes film festival.

    The award ceremony brought an end to the May 11-22 Cannes Film Festival. Belgium’s Dardenne brothers and Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan shared the runner-up Grand Prix prize “The Kid With a Bike” and “Once Upon A Time in Anatolia.” Denmark’s Nicolas Winding Refn won the best director prize for his high-octane film noir “Drive,” starring Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan, about a stuntman who moonlights as a get-away car driver.

    The lovely Kirsten Dunst won the Cannes version of  “Best Actress” for her portrayal of a depressed woman at the end of the world in Lars von Trier’s “Melancholia.”

    “Well, what a week it’s been,” Dunst sighed, referencing the fact that her controversial director von Trier was named persona non grata by the Cannes team after his strange Hitler remarks at a recent press conference.

    “I’d like to say thank you to the Cannes film festival for allowing the film to be in competition, it’s such a special night for me,” she said, and thanked von Trier for casting her.

    French actor Jean Dujardin took the best actor award for his role as a silent movie star, fighting to deal with advent of talking films, in Michel Hazanavicius’  all silent movie “The Artist.”

    Winners

    In Competition :

    Feature films

    Palme d’Or
    THE TREE OF LIFE directed by Terrence MALICK

    Grand Prix Ex-aequo
    BIR ZAMANLAR ANADOLU’DA (ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA) directed by Nuri Bilge CEYLAN
    LE GAMIN AU VÉLO (THE KID WITH A BIKE) directed by Jean-Pierre et Luc DARDENNE

    Award for Best Director
    Nicolas WINDING REFN for DRIVE

    Award for Best Screenplay
    Joseph CEDAR for HEARAT SHULAYIM (Footnote)\

    Award for Best Actress
    Kirsten DUNST in MELANCHOLIA directed by Lars VON TRIER

    Award for Best Actor
    Jean DUJARDIN in THE ARTIST directed by Michel HAZANAVICIUS

    Jury Prize
    POLISSE (POLISS) directed by MAÏWENN

    Short Films

    Palme d’Or – Short Film
    CROSS (CROSS – COUNTRY) directed by Maryna VRODA

    Jury Prize – Short Film
    BADPAKJE 46 (SWIMSUIT 46) directed by Wannes DESTOOP

     

    Cinefondation :

    1st Prize Cinéfondation
    DER BRIEF (THE LETTER) directed by Doroteya DROUMEVA

    2nd Prize – Cinéfondation
    DRARI directed by Kamal LAZRAQ

    3rd Prize Cinéfondation
    YA-GAN-BI-HANG (FLY BY NIGHT) directed by SON Tae-gyum

    Golden Camera :

    Caméra d’or
    LAS ACACIAS directed by Pablo GIORGELLI


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  • IFC Midnight to release Australian filmmaker Justin Kurzel’s psychological thriller SNOWTOWN in the U.S.

    [caption id="attachment_1377" align="alignnone" width="560"]SNOWTOWN[/caption]

    IFC Midnight announced from the 2011 Cannes Film Festival that the company Australian filmmaker Justin Kurzel’s psychological thriller SNOWTOWN in the U.S.. The directorial debut for Kurzel, with a screenplay by Shaun Grant, stars Lucas Pittaway, Daniel Henshall, and Louise Harris.  Arriving with much buzz after winning the Audience Award at the Adelaide Film Festival, the film was just awarded a special citation last night by the Critics’ Week jury. The film is also in competition for the Camera d’Or.

    Based on a true story, SNOWTOWN follows sixteen-year-old Jamie (Pittaway) who begins a friendship with a charismatic older man (Henshall).  As the relationship grows, so do Jamie’s suspicions, until he finds his world threatened by both his loyalty for, and fear of, his newfound father-figure.  The older man Jamie befriended was John Bunting, Australia’s most notorious serial killer.

     

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  • Poliss from 2011 Cannes Film Festival to be relased in the US

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    [caption id="attachment_1375" align="alignnone" width="560"]POLISS[/caption]

    Sundance Selects announced from the 2011 Cannes Film Festival that the company will release in the U.S.,  writer-director and actress Maiwenn’s POLISS.  The film, which made its world premiere in Competition at the festival, was produced by Alain Attal and co-written by actress Emmanuelle Bercot, who also co-stars in the film. The film also stars Karin Viard, Joeystarr, Marina Fois, Nicolas Duvauchelle, Karole Rocher, Frederic Pierrot, Arnaud Henriet, Naidra Ayadi and Jeremie Elkhaim.

    The film follows a group of individuals and officers working in and around a child protection unit in Paris.

    Sundance Selects has also picked up several other titles at this week’s festival including Julia Leigh’s SLEEPING BEAUTY; writer/director Bertrand Bonello’s HOUSE OF TOLERANCE; writer/director Mia Hansen Love’s GOODBYE FIRST LOVE; and Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s THE KID WITH A BIKE. IFC Midnight, Sundance Selects’ sister division, additionally picked up Australian filmmaker Justin Kurzel’s psychological thriller SNOWTOWN ot U.S. release

    Sundance Selects is a sister division to IFC Films and IFC Midnight, and is owned and operated by Rainbow Media.

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  • Arirang and AUF FREIER STRECKE (Stopped on track) tied to win Un Certain Regard prize at 2011 Cannes Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_1373" align="alignnone" width="560"]Stopped on Track (Halt auf Freier Strecke)[/caption] ARIRANG directed by KIM Ki-Duk and HALT AUF FREIER STRECKE (Stopped on track) by Andreas DRESEN tied to win the Un Certain Regard prize at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.

    In Arirang, director KIM Ki-Duk turned the cameras on himself as he is ‘playing 3 roles in 1.’ HALT AUF FREIER STRECKE (Stopped on track) by Andreas DRESEN is described as ‘A story about death that celebrates life.’ Forty-year-old healthy Frank has been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and suddenly condemned to only a few months to live.

    ELENA by Andrey ZVYAGINTSEV was awarded the Special Jury Prize and Mohammad RASOULOF received the Directing Prize for BÉ OMID É DIDAR (Au revoir).

     

     

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  • Kings of Leon documentary ‘Talihina Sky’ to rock deadCENTER Film Festival kick-off celebration

    The rock and roll documentary Talihina Sky: The Story of Kings of Leon will celebrate its Oklahoma premiere on Wednesday, June 8 as the inaugural film of the 2011 deadCENTER Film Festival.

    Talihina Sky is the story of Kings of Leon, whose strict Pentecostal upbringing in Oklahoma and Tennessee preceded their unlikely transformation into one of the biggest rock bands in the world. 

    The free, outdoor screening begins at 9:30 p.m. at the 400 block of N. Broadway Avenue. Running time is 87 minutes.  A Q&A with Director Stephen Mitchell will take place directly following the film.

    Due to scenes with graphic content and adult themes, this film is recommended for mature audiences only. 

    Talihina Sky follows Nathan, Caleb, Jared and Matthew Followill back to Talihina, Oklahoma for their annual family reunion. This reunion serves as a catalyst to explore the band’s roots and the difficulties they faced growing up. Home movies, childhood photos and revealing interviewswith family members — including a colorful group of parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and  cousins — expose how the influence of their family has informed the creativity that drives Kings of Leon today.

    “10 years ago I witnessed the creation of this family band in their mother’s Tennessee garage. Even then, I was fascinated by their strict Pentecostal upbringing and the eccentric and colorful characters that make up their family,” said Director Stephen Mitchell.  “There was no doubt in my mind that they would become one of the biggest rock bands in the world. My goal with this film was to document the roots of their music and how rock-n-roll transformed their lives.  I am proud and honored to share the story of Kings of Leon.”

    Talihina Sky made its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in April. 

    “The kick-off block party and outdoor screening is always a highlight of the deadCENTER experience,” said Kim Haywood, chief operating officer for the festival.  “Bring your lawn chairs and blankets, and enjoy a great movie with thousands of friends on a huge HD screen, with the nighttime city skyline as a backdrop.  There is nothing quite like it.”

    The 2011 deadCENTER Film Festival is June 8 – 12 at seven locations in downtown Oklahoma
    City.

     

    {youtube}J7lfugRRHKI{/youtube}

    [via deadCENTER Film Festival ]

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  • REVIEW:The Big Uneasy .. worth seeing for a whole new perspective on the Hurricane Katrina disaster

    There have been some important documentaries about Hurricane Katrina, including Spike Lee’s epic When the Levees Broke, and the very personal Trouble the Water, but Harry Shearer’s The Big Uneasy is worth seeing for a whole new perspective on the disaster, one that was far from “natural.”

    Shearer (an actor and comedian, as well as New Orleans resident) presents a wealth of data and evidence proving undoubtedly that it was the many engineering and design flaws, largely the work of the US Army Corps of Engineers, which led to the flooding of the city. He interviews three main figures, two academic scientists and an Corps engineer, whose expertise and knowledge in the field is indisputable, and whose findings have led to one losing his job, and the others being ostracized. The two scientists, Robert Bea and Ivor van Heerden, were part of two separate scientific investigations examining the levees, and how, why, and when they broke. Their investigations were largely ignored and led to big lawsuits with little results. The engineer Maria Garzino worked with the Corps prior to Katrina testing the pumps that were meant to keep flooding water out of the city, but that were defective and “temporarily” installed anyway. She released a memo warning of these defects, and hit wall after wall of federal and governmental authorities.

    These three testimonies make up the core of the film’s argument, but some other enlightening aspects of the film’s investigation include the debate about the wetlands surrounding the city, which provide a natural defense against hurricanes but are severely depleted, and a new design option for New Orleans, mimicking the use of water in places like Holland, where the water running through cities has been designed into tributaries rather than damned off. The documentary also goes back decades in time to the “Mr Go” project in the late 50s– the first huge engineering mistake made in New Orleans, never repaired, and part of the reason for the flooding.

    The Big Uneasy gives an almost overwhelming amount of new information that has not fully been released to the public before, and although it is in some ways a conspiracy, it is rooted in fact, and the cover up is simply abominable. The film certainly incriminates the Army Corps and the US Congress, but the interviews with Corps employees and soldiers speak for themselves. The cinematic style of the documentary is something to be desired; it’s mostly talking heads, documents highlighted onscreen, and some celebrity voice-overs, as well as animated sequences mapping out the flood, but an original style isn’t the goal of the film. Rather, like An Inconvenient Truth, it seeks to give crucial information to the public in an effective manner. One hopes that it will escape the controversy of the former film; unless you work or endorse the Army Corps, I don’t see how you could have mixed feelings about the information given. To balance the scientific talk, Shearer attempts to provide some sardonic wit and a more personal perspective on the subject with an appearance by John Goodman, and input from regular New Orleanians about their city. And, so as not to fully depress the audience, the film attempts ends on a hopeful note for the future.

    Opens Friday, May 20th in NYC

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  • 3rd Annual Hollywood Brazilian Film Festival will take place June 1-4, 2011 in LA – FREE admission | TRAILERS

    [caption id="attachment_1367" align="alignnone" width="560"]Matthew McConaughey at Hollywood Brazilian Film Festival[/caption]

    Hollywood Brazilian Film Festival – a Festival dedicated to bringing independent vision and voices from Brazil to Los Angeles audiences will present a diverse selection of new independent films from Brazil.  All films are Los Angeles premieres, 10 features, including numerous co-productions (out of which 6 debut features are in competition for the Jury Prize) and 10 shorts will screen from Wednesday, June 1 though Saturday June 4.  Besides Portuguese – English, Spanish, French, Danish, and Hindi are spoken in the films.

    All screenings are FREE and open to the public, besides Opening and Closing night films.
    Films with (* next to the title, are films in competition)
    Wednesday, June 1 at 7:00pm at the Egyptian Theatre:

    * RISCADO (Craft) – OPENING NIGHT Film

    Brazil 2010, 85’, HD/16mm
    West Coast Premiere
    Trailer:
    {youtube}KTByxrQJubs{/youtube}
    Director Gustavo Pizzi and Lead-Actress Karine Teles in attendance.

    A short film, *RECIFE FRIO, 24’ will screen with the feature

    With the expressiveness of a golden-age Hollywood star, Karine Teles (Winner, Best Actress Award at 2010 Rio Int’l Film Festival) gives a tour-de-force performance as a talented actress who struggles through life with small, humiliating jobs to make ends meet, until she gets what may be her big break. Director Gustavo Pizzi, who co-wrote the script with Teles (his real-life wife), portrays the cruelty of the competitive world in which we live, and heightens the drama not by resorting to exaggerated scenarios, but by picking the perfect protagonist: an actress. Acting from deep within, Teles beautifully portrays the life of someone who must contain her constant fear of time’s passing, her insecurity that a mastery of her own craft may not be enough, and the gnawing feeling that each day of auditions and casting calls becomes another day lost in the struggle for success.

    Thursday, June 2 at the Grauman’s Chinese Theater

    5 pm –  Conversation with filmmakers, scholars, critics, and the audience – at Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood.
    7 pm  – *A FUGA DA MULHER GORILA (The Escape of the Gorilla Woman)
    Brazil 2009, 82’, HD; part 1 of a trilogy
    North American Premiere
    Trailer: 
    {youtube}yaZcquyLPWY{/youtube}
    Co-director Felipe Bragança in attendance

    A short film, *A DISTRAÇÃO DE IVAN (Ivan’s Distraction) 17’ will screen with the feature

    Winner – Best Film at the 2009 Tiradentes Film Festival (in Brazil), this musical road movie tells the story of two sisters (played by Flora Dias and Morena Catonni) who decide to embark on a journey through the state of Rio de Janeiro in an old kombi van. Along the way, they offer a lift to an actor (Alberto Moura Jr) who also wants to visit the state, and together the trio decides to organize a spectacular show in which one of them transforms into a gorilla and threatens the audience.
    Directors: Felipe Bragança and Marina Meliande
    9 pm – A ALEGRIA (The Joy)
    Brazil 2010, 100’, 35mm – part 2 of a trilogy
    Los Angeles Premiere
    Trailer:
    {youtube}H9YJCcYi2mQ{/youtube}
    Co-director Felipe Bragança in attendance
    An animated short film, *O DIVINO, DE REPENTE  6’ will screen with the feature
    Selected for 2010 Cannes – Directors’ Fortnight, and screened at Brasilia, Rotterdam, San Francisco, Toulouse, and Prague film festivals, THE JOY is a fairy tale about youth and courage. THE JOY tells the story of 16-year-old Luiza, who is tired of hearing about the end of the world. On Christmas Eve, her cousin João disappears in the middle of the night  and is shot in a poor neighborhood. A few weeks later, while alone in her apartment in Rio de Janeiro, Luiza finds a mysterious guest waiting for her in the living room: João, as a ghost, asking her to be hidden.
    Directed by Felipe Braganca and Marina Meliande

    Friday, June 3 at the Grauman’s Chinese Theater

    5 pm – DESASSOSSEGO (Neverquiet)
    Brazil 2011, 63’, HD – part 3 of a trilogy
    North America Premiere
    Co-director Felipe Bragança in attendance
    Having screened at Rotterdam Film Festival, the project was an initiative of the directing duo Felipe Bragança and Marina Meliande, who sent a ‘letter of concern’ to inspire the participants. In it, a 16-year-old girl wrote about her dreams, which have been translated by the directors into films about love, youth and the possibilities of cinema. The final result is a frenzied crossover of styles filmed in Super-8, VHS, HD and mini-DV. NEVERQUIET is the final part of the trilogy Hearts on Fire by Bragança and Meliande. For the first time, all three parts (including The Escape of the Gorilla Woman and The Joy), can be seen at one event – at this year’s Festival.
    Directors: Felipe Bragança, Marina Meliande, Karim Aïnouz, Ivo Lopes Araujo, Gustavo Bragança, Helvécio Marins Jr., Clarissa Campolina, Caetano Gotardo Soares, Raphael Mesquita, Leonardo Levis, Carolina Durão, Andrea Capella, Marco Dutra & Juliana Rojas.
    Followed by:
    CHANTAL AKERMAN DE CÁ (Chantal Akerman from Here)
    Brazil/Belgium 2010, 61’, HD- in English & French
    North America Premiere
    Trailer:
    {youtube}-B6vz8vODtw{/youtube}
    Selected for 2010 Viennale, this documentary features an uncut interview with the prestigious Belgian director. We hear Akerman’s reflections on her own work and method – especially Hotel Monterey (1972) and Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975), as well as the influence of directors such as Jonas Mekas and Michael Snow, her relation with Proust’s novel (which she adapted in La Captive in 2000), and her failed attempt to venture into a more commercial filmmaking; all that in 60 minutes.
    Directors: Gustavo Beck & Leonardo Luiz Ferreira
    7:30 pm – * ESTRADA PARA YTHACA (Road to Ythaca)
    Brazil 2010, 70’, HD
    North America Premiere
    Trailer:
    {youtube}iNT2Eahz-Ys{/youtube}
    Co-director Guto Parente in attendance
    A short film, * FANTASMAS (Ghosts) 11’ will screen with the feature.
    Winner, Best Film at 2010 Tiradentes Film Festival (Brazil), this road movie focuses on four friends –played by the four directors– who have recently lost a friend. After a night of heavy drinking, they decide to travel to the mythical Ythaca. They don’t seem to be looking for a real place, but rather for something that has been with them since the beginning of the film, the sprit of friendship.
    Directed, Written, Edited, Photographed, and Produced by Guto Parente, Luiz Pretti, Pedro Diógenes, Ricardo Pretti
    With: Guto Parente, Luiz Pretti, Pedro Diógenes, Ricardo Pretti
    9 pm – * POR EL CAMINO (Beyond the Road)
    Brazil/Uruguay 2010, 85’, 35mm – in Spanish, English, French
    North American Premiere
    Trailer:
    {youtube}CYo0WhtpwVs{/youtube}
    Director Charly Braun in attendance
    A short film, *CONTAGEM,18’ will screen with the feature

    Winner, Best Director award at 2010 Rio Int’l Film Festival, and official selection at Sao Paulo, Seattle and Jerusalem film festivals, BEYOND THE ROAD tells a story of Santiago, a 30 year old Argentinean, who travels to Uruguay in search of a piece of land that he inherited from his parents who were tragically killed in an accident a few years earlier. On his arrival in Montevideo, by chance he meets Juliette, a young Belgian who came to Uruguay in search of an old love. He offers her a ride, and on the way they realize that they are developing feelings for each other. When they arrive in Punta del Este, however, Santiago’s universe stands between them.

    Saturday, June 4 at the Grauman’s Chinese Theater
    5 pm – REFLEXÕES DE UM LIQUIDIFICADOR (Reflections of a Blender)
    Brazil 2010, 82’, HD
    Los Angeles Premiere
    Trailer:
    {youtube}csncRwhoLW4{/youtube}
    Director: André Klotzel
    A short film, *AVÓS (Grandmothers) 12’ will screen with the feature
    This hilarious dark comedy (2011 Newport Beach Film Festival) examines a different kind of relationship- one between a woman and her talking blender. Elvira is in search of her missing husband and finds comfort and guidance in her appliance. The blender narrates the story, weaving between the current investigation and stories of Elvira with her husband told in flashbacks. Suddenly they work together to solve the case and find out what really happened to her husband.
    7 pm – * BOLLYWOOD DREAM
    Brazil/India/USA 2011, 90’, HD – in Portuguese, Hindi, English
    West Coast Premiere
    Trailer:
    {youtube}0cT57ftEZ3g{/youtube}
    Director/Writer Beatriz Seigner in attendance
    A short film, *HANDEBOL 19’ will screen with the feature
    BOLLYWOOD DREAM was a hit at Sao Paulo, Chicago and Amérasia film festivals. Three Brazilian women who are hoping to make it in Bollywood are in for a rude awakening when their producer doesn’t meet them and their hotel reservations are missing, upon their arrival in India. Forced to fend for themselves, they find a teenage promoter whose lying and choreography skills give them the chance they were hoping for. The debut fictional feature from actress and writer Beatriz Seigner is a funny and moving story of culture clash and the power of music.
    9 pm  – * ROSA MORENA – CLOSING NIGHT film
    Brazil/Denmark 2010, 86’, 35mm – in Portuguese, Danish, English
    Los Angeles Premiere
    Trailer:
    {youtube}YrOYkwEBjA0{/youtube}
    Producer Ivan Teixeira in attendance
    A short film, *BAILAÕ (The Ball) 17’ will screen with the feature
    Winner – Best Film at 2010 Sao Paulo Int’l Film Festival;
    In his forties, Thomas desperately wants to be a father. But as a single gay man in Denmark, he cannot legally adopt a child. So, he decides to visit an old friend in Brazil, where there is a thriving black market for adoption. Maria is beautiful, charming and pregnant, yet she is too poor to support her unborn child. The plan is simple: Thomas will pay Maria and bring her baby back to Denmark as his own. However, things get unhinged when Thomas becomes emotionally involved with the enchanting Maria. Touching on a myriad of social issues, director Carlos Augusto de Oliveira’s ROSA MORENA is also a story of affection. Provocative, entertaining and poignant, it resonates through the heartbreaking and heartwarming tale of two people trying to do the right thing for the child they both love.
    Director: Carlos Augusto de Oliveira
    [via Hollywood Brazilian Film Festival]

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  • ‘Page One’ documentary to headline 2011 deadCENTER Opening Night

    Critically acclaimed documentary Page One: A Year Inside the New York Times will lead deadCENTER Opening Night film screenings beginning at 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 9 at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, located at 415 Couch Dr.

    The 2011 deadCENTER Film Festival is June 8 – 12 at seven locations in downtown Oklahoma City. Click here for the most updated schedule.

    For 14 months, Director Andrew Rossi was given unprecedented access to the New York Times newsroom. The film chronicles the transformation of the media industry during a time of rapid change and uncertainty that has touched every news room in America. Page One offers an up-close look at the vibrant cross-cubicle debates and collaborations, tenacious jockeying for on-record quotes and skillful page-one pitching that brings one of the world’s most venerable newspapers to fruition each and every day.

    According to Executive Director Lance McDaniel, long-time deadCENTER Board member Brian Hearn was instrumental in bringing the film to Oklahoma City.

    “Brian was with us this January at Sundance where people raved that Page One was the best film at the festival,” McDaniel said. “Thanks to Brian’s persistence, Magnolia Pictures and Participant Media agreed to screen it at deadCENTER as its final film festival before being released nationally.”

    The film is family friendly and runs 88 minutes. Individual tickets are $10 at the door. All-access passes are $100 and can be purchased online.

    The film will screen a second time at 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 11 at Harkins Bricktown 16, located at 150 E. Reno Ave.

    {youtube}dwlJl7h61I0{/youtube}

    [via deadCENTER Film Festival]

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  • Cannes Bars Lars von Trier for Strange Hitler Remarks | VIDEO

    [caption id="attachment_1364" align="alignnone" width="560"]Director Lars von Trier and Kirsten Dunst at the controversial Cannes press conference [/caption]

    After a screening of Lars von Trier’s latest film, “Melancholia,” starring Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Charlotte Rampling, a major uproar occurred over some very controversial (and most likely taken-VERY-out-of-context) statements that he made.

    Mr. von Trier, describing his use of the Wagner’s “Tristan and Isolde” in the film, was asked by a British journalist about his claim to have an interest in the Nazi aesthetic and his German roots. (Which he had apparently commented on in a previous interview.)

    Apparently, von Trier’s mother had  told him on her deathbed that her father-who was Jewish- was not his biological parent. “I really wanted to be a Jew, and then I found out that I was really a Nazi,” he said.

    The Hitler remarks are as follows: “I think I understand the man. He’s not what you would call a good guy. But I understand much about him, I sympathize with him a little bit.”

    Perhaps von Trier, who suffers from depression, and in fact just finished “Melancholia” to help assuage this battle, was trying to be sympathetic with probably the most hated persona in current history. This certainly was not the forum to do so. Had he been out on the yacht with DiCaprio and Spielberg, perhaps it could have evolved into a civilized, intellectual conversation. But this was a Press Conference. At Cannes, no less, one of the most frenzied and frenetic press outlets outside of Lady Gaga moon landing.

    Lars von Trier, of Danish descent, is one of cinema’s most notorious enfants terribles, calling Cannes juror Roman Polanski “the midget” in 1991, when he missed out on the Palme D’Or, instead grabbing the Jury Runner-Up Prize instead for “Europa.” His last film, “Antichrist,” was extremely explicit, almost disturbingly so.

    Here is what the Cannes Film Festival posed on its website today: “The Festival de Cannes provides artists from around the world with an exceptional forum to present their works and defend freedom of expression and creation. The Festival’s Board of Directors, which held an extraordinary meeting this Thursday 19 May 2011, profoundly regrets that this forum has been used by Lars von Trier to express comments that are unacceptable, intolerable, and contrary to the ideals of humanity and generosity that preside over the very existence of the Festival. The Board of Directors firmly condemns these comments and declares Lars von Trier a persona non grata at the Festival de Cannes, with effect immediately.”

    Von Trier insisted afterwards that he was really only joking, and apologized afterwards. Festival President Gilles Jacob said “Melancholia” will be allowed to remain in competition. But if “Melancholia” garners any Prizes at Cannes, even the Palme D’Or, von Trier will not be allowed to be there in person to collect it. He will still be banned and barred from the closing ceremonies on Sunday.

    {youtube}LayW8aq4GLw{/youtube}

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  • Gen Art Film Festival Announces 2011 Lineup

    [caption id="attachment_1079" align="alignnone"]A Beginner’s Guide to Endings[/caption]

    Gen Art’s festival is back, and will run June 8 – 14, 2011; the festival will open with “A Beginner’s Guide to Endings,” the debut film from 35-year-old filmmaker Jonathan Sobol. Starring Scott Caan, J.K. Simmons, and Tricia Helfer, “A Beginner’s Guide to Endings,” is “the story of a hard living gambling father who has doomed his three sons to a horrible fate, and when his sons find out they don’t have much time left, they decide to make up for a lifetime of misdeeds in one day.”

    The festival will close with George Ratliff’s “Salvation Boulevard,” starring Jennifer Connelly, Marisa Tomei, Ed Harris, Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear.

    The week of screenings will take place at the Visual Arts Theater in Chelsea, Manhattan, New York City, with each ticket holder receiving an invitation to the evening afterparty

    The complete lineup for the 16th Gen Art Film Festival:

    “A Beginner’s Guide to Endings,” directed by Jonathan Sobol (Scott Caan, J.K. Simmons, Tricia Helfer, Jason Jones, Paulo Costanzo and Harvey Keitel)
    “Yelling to the Sky,” directed by Victoria Mahoney (Zoë Kravitz, Tim Blake Nelson and Gabourey Sidibe)
    “Norman,” directed by Jonathan Segal (Dan Byrd, Emily VanCamp, Richard Jenkins and Adam Goldberg)
    “Goold’s Gold,” directed by Tucker Capps and Ryan Sevy
    “The Pill,” directed by J.C. Khoury (Noah Bean, Rachel Boston and Anna Chlumsky)
    “American Animal,” directed by Matt D’Elia (Matt D’Elia, Brendan Fletcher, Mircea Monroe and Angela Sarafyan)
    “Salvation Boulevard,” directed by George Ratliff (Jennifer Connelly, Marisa Tomei, Ed Harris, Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear)

     

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