• REVIEW: The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls… succeeds in entertaining

    The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls is a new documentary directed by New Zealand filmmaker Leanne Pooley on two fascinating subjects—the performing duo Lynda and Jools Topp, twins who have become cultural and national icons in New Zealand over the past 25 years. As one interviewee says, a pair of yodeling lesbian twins doesn’t sound all that impressive on paper, but their act, which includes country music, comedy, and interaction with audience members, succeeds in entertaining extremely diverse groups of people, while subtly making a political statement simply by being who they are. The twins are described in the film by various people as “an anarchist variety act,” “relatively shameless,” and “a healthy, moral, cheerful cowgirl image for out lesbians.” These unique sisters fit a multitude of descriptions, all of them positive.

    The Topp Twins grew up on a farm in New Zealand, and are still very close to the land and animals of their upbringing. When they’re not touring the world, they enjoy the simple life of riding horses and raising cattle, but don’t mistake them for “simple” folk. As the film shows, they have a very interesting background, having spent time in the army, busked in the streets to start their music career, and then became very active in political and social issues, fighting for Maori land rights, a nuclear-free New Zealand, and gay rights. In everything they’ve done, Lynda and Jools have remained constant in their dedication to each other, and their undying lighthearted and positive energy, which of course carries into their acts.

    Pooley’s film captures this close relationship and amazingly limitless joy. A straightforward and traditional documentary, it also includes great concert and archival footage, hilarious and improvised interviews with the Topp’s comedy characters, such as Ken and Ken, and Camp Mother and Camp Leader. The film gets to the heart of these two wonderful subjects, and upon seeing it, one will no doubt want to find out where they might be touring next.

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  • Taking Love On The Road, Director David Meiklejohn discusses his new documentary “My Heart Is An Idiot”

    “My Heart Is An Idiot” is a new documentary about love that spans two years and over a hundred cities. The film captures the road-tripping lifestyle of Davy Rothbart (creator of “FOUND Magazine,” “This American Life” contributor, author of “The Lone Surfer of Montana, Kansas”) who looks for love in all the right places, and in all the wrong ways.

    The film climbs into the tour van, as Davy tours North America promoting his magazine FOUND, the virally popular and iconic printed collection of discarded notes and photographs. Along the way, Davy seeks advice on his tortured love life from people he meets and talks with, (Zooey Deschanel, Ira Glass, Newt Gingrich, and Davy’s mom), and attempts to follow that advice, with comic and very surprising results.  

    The first feature-length film project from Portland, Maine-based filmmaker David Meiklejohn, “My Heart is An Idiot” provides a raw and intimate look into the lives of people who are both unique and universal, failing and triumphing in ways that are recognizable to all. It’s a hot mess disguised as a love poem, weaving together multiple stories to illustrate the joys, and dangers, of romantic pursuit.

    Vimooz.com had the pleasure of speaking with director David Meiklejohn about this great new project, which he and Rothbart are currently taking on the road to promote in several major North American cities. This week boasts both the New York and Brooklyn premieres. Get your tickets here! “The film is not  be missed, capturing the longing of a generation that is always grasping for what it can never quite reach, and in the end, finding that what really makes them happy has really been right there, all along. Sweet, poignant, tenderhearted, hysterically uncomfortable- the film above all achieves a rarely honest portrayal of a man who is torn by his desires, and his quest for the ultimate romantic love.”

    It’s always wonderful to be reminded of what essentially makes us tick on such a warm and human level. Although on some level we may realize that love is all there is, it’s refreshing to see that we can all still be profoundly affected and confounded by both love’s pursuit of us, and our often elusive pursuit of it.

    How long were you on tour with Davy and his brother?

    I started filming in Fall of 2005, for two months, and then also, we took a break between tours, and went back on the road for two months in summer of 2006. I had 150 hours of footage,  and four hours of staged footage, and probably about between 40 and 50 archival hours of VHS footage that Davy had of  himself, growing up.

    How did the concept for this film begin?

    When we started making this film, it was going to be a FOUND Magazine tour documentary, first and foremost. It was very much going to be a collaboration between Davy and myself. So, at first, I was just filming the shenanigans of the road, the FOUND performances, and the interesting people we met along the way. But then, throughout the tour, all we were focusing were different romantic things…Either, Davy and I would talk about his romantic life, or the people we would met along the way we were interviewing would talk about love.  So, we realized after the first tour that it was going to be about Davy’s romantic life. And the second tour, I really focused on that aspect of the story. I was living in Brooklyn at the time, then moved to Ann Arbor to edit the footage with Davy. At a certain point, we realized that it wouldn’t work to have Davy edit the film, because of his relationship with the entire subject matter. It was really hard for him, and it would have been really hard for anybody, I think,  to think objectively about the story. It’s not even just about you, but about some really sensitive history in your life. So, we decided that Davy would step back from the project creatively, and I would take over the entire project, and made all of the creative decisions, keeping him completely in the loop along the way.

    I noticed that you both have chosen to downplay Davy’s status as a pretty big underground celebrity and writer…

    Yeah…The movie could have been made solely for the FOUND Magazine audience, who already knows who he is. But, you know, then it would not have been that accessible to people outside of that world. Or- we could have made it had a very strong introduction to FOUND Magazine, and explained everything in very great detail, but then it would have been boring to the people who already know who Davy is. There are more people in the world who have no idea who idea who Davy is, or what McSweeny’s (boutique publishing house) is, than, than people who do. It was sort of trying to find a balance between those two types of audiences…Those who are familiar with Davy and FOUND, and those people who aren’t. Davy has a really fascinating career. He’s a really interesting person. He’s a very talented writer, and fascinating person in the world. Everything he does has his own imprint. He’s got like a signature thing. Everything he does is really unique, and it’s really special, for him as an artist. But I just didn’t want it to be like a hagiography. I wanted it to be to be true to who Davy who is, but because I am a friend of Davy’s, I also felt it could easily flip into, “Look at my friend. Isn’t he so awesome, I admire him so much!” -kind of a thing. I wanted it to be truthful for everyone involved, and I wanted to maintain the integrity between their realities, and the reality that I was presenting. And I also wanted it to be entertaining as a story, and as a film. All of the decisions that I made had to be sensitive to both of those things.

    Hey, but you also cannot deny the power of name-dropping! I contacted every press outlet before we open the film in a city, and I know they are probably responding because I put Ira Glass and Zoey Deschanel’s names in the email descriptions of the movie. But I don’t feel this cheapens the movie at all. It introduces the movie to people. It gets them hooked. And then, once they see the movie, then, they’ll see it for what it’s worth. If they like the movie, eventually it’s not only because of Ira Glass.

    That was very jarring, the emotional scenes when Davy had videotaped himself so much younger, literally crying into the camera about lost love…

    It wasn’t really surprising that Davy had a camcorder, lots of families have them around, but what I did kind of curious about it was that the way that he was using it to document things was… it was weirdly strategic. It was a mixture of strategy and impulse. And necessity, too. I think that something I hope the film portrays, is that, there is a lot of conflict in Davy; in the way he tries to pursue romance. And not just in his romantic life, but, also, as a person, he has these kind of conflicting things that in another person, would just seem impossible to put together, but with Davy, it just makes him the person that he is. One thing is when you look at that old VHS footage, you see how he’s both acting and sincere at the same time.

    You have two major female players who bravely allow their participation in your film. Can you tell us a little something those pretty intense collaborations?

    Sarah…

    The collaboration with Sarah was really fun. When I moved to Ann Arbor, I started editing the film, watching the 150 hours of footage two or three times. I watched the footage of Sarah, and there was really no drama without Sarah in the movie. It wasn’t a balanced film without her, and I wanted to get her involved in the film in a real way, using her story kind of way. We took a walk in the park, and asked her is she wanted to be involved, and she said she would. She trusted my sensibility, and agreed to do it. And we did a really long interview. That became the source material for her voice-over. From that, I pieced it together into the film, and then, Sarah and I both created the visuals that came along with it. Some of the visuals are re-creations, reenactments of scenes that she is talking about in the movie, and then some of them are more visually representative of some emotional state. They’re more lyrical and poetic. They’re lyrical but not literal, interpretations of  what she was feeling, or the mood of what she was talking about. And we came up with all of those together. It showed her bravery. It’s really intense stuff  to have the courage to face these kind of sad moments in your past, to create something artistic out of it. I think it shows a lot of courage.

    Alex…

    Her participation was pretty unique, as well. She didn’t know what the documentary was while we were filming it, that it was largely about her at the time. It wasn’t until after I started editing it, that Alex was really filled in about it. It almost has to have been way. Her attitude in the film is that she knows, but does not care. She knows that something up, and she doesn’t know, and she’s okay with not knowing.  Once the filming was over, I had a lot of really long, straightforward conversations with her about the film. When she saw a full draft, she watched it, and she loved it. She was totally fine with the way she was portrayed. She came out to the world-premiere, and stood onstage with Davy and I, and took questions.

    What is your overall background in film, David?

    I studied poetry in college. Useful. A lot of job opportunities opened up after that, at coffee shops!  I moved around a lot, I lived in Austin, I lived in New York, I lived in Florida, and started writing fiction after I graduated. I started getting into video a couple of years after I graduated. The story is kind of funny, my younger brother, was late for rent one month, and needed to borrow money from me. I gave him money for rent, and then he gave me his video camera as collateral. And that was when I started filming. I never had my own camera until that time. I was frustrated with writing at the time, because I felt it’s a very isolating experience, it’s a very solitary art. Until you’re finished, and then you get to share it with a lot of people. But the creative aspect of was pretty solitary. So I wanted to do something that was more collaborative, in the creative aspect. So I just filming weird music videos with my friends, and just filming strange things around my life, and making videos out of them. My friend gave me some editing software, and I just started hacking away. That was the start of my filmmaking life. I sort of  just happened into it, making a ton of mistakes. It’s sort of the way I prefer to learn. I have no formal training, as a filmmaker. I just learned by making a lot of short music videos and documentaries with my friends. This is my first real, full-length project. It’s sort of my baby. This is like a like birth for me.

    What about your next project? Any plans?

    I live in Portland, Maine. It’s a really very exciting to be in Portland, Maine, and working in film right now. Everyone here has been so supportive, and so excited about the film. The way I make my next film will be  completely different from the way I made “My Heart Is An Idiot.” I feel like I know how much more important it is to really plan. The more planning you do in the beginning, the less work you have to do in the end. That’s really intuitive and apparent in narrative films. They’re things you do in the beginning that will determine the end. I have a loose trilogy of films in my head, thematically related in the style of the Krzysztof Kieślowski films “Red, White, and Blue.” I’m switching from documentary to narrative film. It’s basically a love story, the first one, about two people living in Portland.  The three films will have characters who don’t really know each other, but whose lives intersect in a very major way.

    Tell us about the future you see for “My Heart Is An Idiot”…

    We have just set up a tour of our own, because, through FOUND Magazine, we have access to some great venues around the country, and media access, who are all interested in really supporting the film. It’s really unique to have this opportunity as a first-time filmmaker. We’re basically creating our own festival circuit. I’m definitely open for it to reach beyond the kind of DIY, punk-rock audience that we have built-in already. I did submit it to the Oprah Winfrey Network! You know, she has a documentary series now…You just never know. It may be a good fit!

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  • Angelina Jolie’s directorial debut, “In the Land of Blood and Honey,” in theaters on December 23

    [caption id="attachment_1342" align="alignnone" width="560"]Anglina Jolie on the set of ‘In the Land of Blood and Honey’[/caption]

    Angelina Jolie’s directorial debut, “In the Land of Blood and Honey,” which was also written by Jolie, will be released by FilmDistrict, in the US on Dec. 23.

    Graham King and his producing partner Tim Headington, together with Peter Schlessel, CEO of FilmDistrict, announced today in Cannes that Angelina Jolie’s directorial debut, “In the Land of Blood and Honey,” which was also written by Jolie, will be released by FilmDistrict, a subsidiary of GK Films, in the US on Dec. 23.

    “In the Land of Blood and Honey” is set against the backdrop of the Bosnian War in the ‘90s.  This bold new film illustrates the consequences of the lack of political will to intervene in a society stricken with conflict.

    “The film is specific to the Bosnian War, but it’s also universal,” says Jolie.  “I wanted to tell a story of how human relationships and behavior are deeply affected by living inside a war.

    “Working with Angelina on this film and story has been a great collaboration and I am extremely proud of this film,” said King.  “The filmmaking is impeccable, and signals the arrival of a visceral and compelling storyteller.”

    “In the Land of Blood and Honey” features a completely local cast, most of whom were children of the war. The film was simultaneously shot in English and their native language. During the time of the war the language spoken was Serbo-Croatian and is now referred to as BHS. FilmDistrict will release the English language version on Dec. 23.

    “The former Yugoslavia has a rich history of dramatic arts.  The cast was extraordinary. I was privileged and honored to work with them and I am very excited for everyone to see their immense talent,” adds Jolie.

    “In the Land of Blood and Honey” stars Zana Marjanovic (Snow), Goran Kostic and Rade Serbedzija (In The Rain).

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  • Sundance Selects to release Julia Leigh’s “Sleeping Beauty” from 2011 Cannes Film Festival in the US

    Sundance Selects, sister division to IFC Films and IFC Midnight, announced from the 2011 Cannes Film Festival that the company will release Julia Leigh’s “Sleeping Beauty” in the the US. The film, with a screenplay by Leigh, stars Emily Browning, Rachael Blake, Ewen Leslie, Peter Carroll, Chris Haywood, and was produced by Jessica Brentnall. The film premiered this week in Competition at the festival.

    Lucy is a young university student possessed by a kind of radical passivity. She lets a flip of the coin generate a random sexual encounter and she displays an uncomplaining patience when facing the repetitions of her various menial jobs that fund her studies. One day she responds to an advertisement in the student newspaper. Following an interview and inspection at Clara’s office, she is initiated as a lingerie waitress and secretly auditioned for the role of a Sleeping Beauty. She meets with approval and – recklessly –accepts the strange new work. On her first visit to the countryside mansion Clara explains to Lucy that she will be sedated. “You will go to sleep: you will wake up. It will be as if those hours never existed.”

    The old wealthy men who visit the Sleeping Beauty Chamber rely upon Lucy’s passivity. The alluring erotic contact they seek in the chamber requires her absolute submission and inability to gaze upon their aging bodies. The one rule is that there must be no penetration. In her role as a Sleeping Beauty she practices being dead. She becomes their exquisite object, submitting to an extreme loss of will and consequent violation. The first visitor venerates her youth and beauty; the second is sadistic; the third accidentally drops her limp body.

    Being drugged in the chamber means there is a part of her life that remains unknowable. The unnerving experience of being observed in her sleep starts to bleed into her daily life. Evicted from her share house, she uses her sleep-derived income to rent a new apartment. It is anonymous and bare, a high-rise glass coffin. When her friend Birdmann dies in her arms she loses her only authentic close connection. She develops a deepening curiosity to know what happens to her during the night.

    She purchases a tiny surveillance camera and records a university lecture: a trial run for her plan to film inside the sleeping chamber. Her need to record her unknowable double life leads to a defiant act of will when she fights off the sleeping drug in order to hide the secret tiny camera in the chamber. Her camera will unwittingly record the assisted suicide of one of the men, and her own accidental overdose from which she is revived. On waking, Lucy howls and wails. The spell, at last, is broken.

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  • Documentary about punk rock fathers, The Other F Word, in theatres this Fall 2011

    The documentary movie about punk rock fathers, The Other F Word, which asks the question ‘What happens when a generation’s ultimate anti-authoritarians — punk rockers — become society’s ultimate authorities — dads?‘ is headed to theaters and cable tv, reports The Hollywood Report. Oscilloscope Laboratories will release the film in Fall 2011 and Showtime plan to broadcast the film in 2012.

    Directed by Andrea Blaugrund Nevins, “The Other F Word ” premiered at the 2011 SXSW Film Festival, and the festival synopsis explains:  ‘With a large chorus of Punk Rock’s leading men — Blink 182’s Mark Hoppus, Red Hot Chili Pepper’s Flea, Rise Against’s Tim McIlrath –The Other F Word follows Jim Lindberg, 20 year veteran of skate punk band, Pennywise, on his hysterical and moving journey from belting out his band’s anthem, “Fuck Authority”, to embracing his ultimately pivotal authoritarian role in mid-life, fatherhood.‘

     

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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 interviews with 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.”

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    [via deadCENTER Film Festival]

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  • CANCELLED: 2011 Cairo International Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_1334" align="alignnone"]Unrest in Egypt earlier this year.[/caption]

    The Ministry of Culture has announced that it will cancel the Cairo International Film Festival this year due to upcoming elections, Gulf News reported.

    “The Ministry of Culture has decided to cancel the festival this year, which was due in late November, because of the current preparations for the parliamentary and presidential elections as well as due to the economic situation.”

    Emad Abu Ghazi, the Minister of Culture, denied that instability in Egypt was behind the decision, “The decision has nothing to do with the current security scene in Egypt.”

    Egyptians will elect a new parliament this September and a new president two months later, the first elections since long-standing President Hosni Mubarak was ousted last February.

     

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  • LA Film Festival Announces Guillermo del Toro as Guest Director, as well as film selections for closing night, special screening

    [caption id="attachment_1332" align="alignnone" width="560"] Katie Holmes in Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark[/caption]

    The Los Angeles Film Festival, continue to get ready for the 2011 edition, announcing Guillermo del Toro as Guest Director, as well as film selections for closing night, a special screening, galas, conversations and more.

    In his role as Guest Director, del Toro will select a film to present at the Festival that has been an influence to him, followed by a conversation.

    Presented by Guillermo del Toro, FilmDistrict’s world premiere of Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark will close the Festival on June 26.  The horror film is directed by Troy Nixey, written by Guillermo del Toro and Matthew Robbins and stars Katie Holmes, Guy Pearce and Bailee Madison.  Based on the 1973 telefilm that del Toro believes is the scariest TV production ever made, the story follows Sally (Madison), a young girl who moves to Rhode Island to live with her father (Pearce) and his new girlfriend (Holmes) in the 19th-century mansion they are restoring.  While exploring the house, Sally starts to hear voices coming from creatures in the basement whose hidden agenda is to claim her as one of their own.  FilmDistrict will release the film on August 26, 2011.

    The Festival will hold a Special Screening on June 16 at 10:30 p.m. of Warner Bros. Green Lantern.  Bringing the enduringly popular superhero to the big screen for the first time, Green Lantern is directed by Martin Campbell, written by Greg Berlanti & Michael Green & Marc Guggenheim and Michael Goldenberg, and stars Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, Angela Bassett and Tim Robbins.  In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, an elite, powerful force has existed for centuries–protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps.  When a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the universe, their fate and the fate of the Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan.  Warner Bros. will release the film wide on June 17, 2011.

    Once again, the Festival will feature a number of high-profile Gala Screenings, with additional films to be announced later this month.  Summit Entertainment’s world premiere of A Better Life is directed by Chris Weitz, written by Eric Eason, adapted from a story by Roger L. Simon, and starring Demián Bichir, José Julián, Dolores Heredia, Joaquín Cosío and Carlos Linares.  A Better Life is the poignant, suspenseful tale of an illegal immigrant in LA struggling to build a better life for his beloved son.  Summit Entertainment will have a limited release of the film on June 24, 2011.

    FilmDistrict’s North American premiere of Drive will also be presented as a Gala.  The film is directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, written by Hossein Amini, adapted from a book by James Sallis, and stars Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks, Oscar Isaac, Ron Perlman and Christina Hendricks.  In the precision-crafted crime caper Drive, Ryan Gosling stars as a Los Angeles wheelman for hire, stunt driving for movie productions by day and steering getaway vehicles for criminal operations by night.    FilmDistrict will release the film wide on September 16, 2011.

    James Franco will be sitting down for a freewheeling discussion of film, poetry and pushing the creative envelope.  As part of this special evening, Franco will present the world premiere of The Broken Tower, which he wrote, directed and stars in, about the brief, burning life of the gay, visionary American poet Hart Crane.

    Film and stage director Julie Taymor has a unique talent for adapting established works in fresh, exciting ways.  From her 1999 debut feature film Titus, Academy Award-winning Frida, Across the Universe and last year’s The Tempest, Taymor demonstrates a level of creativity and skill for adapting stories that is rare.  Join us as this award-winning director shares behind-the-scenes clips in a conversation about taking material from different sources and translating them to the stage and the screen.

    Returning to downtown Los Angeles, with its central hub at L.A. LIVE, the Festival will run from Thursday, June 16 to Sunday, June 26.

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  • Rooftop Films to NY Premiere 3 films from 2011 South by Southwest

    [caption id="attachment_1330" align="alignnone" width="560"]The Dish and The Spoon[/caption]

    Rooftop Films is doing it different this year, announcing a special weekend of select films from the 2011 South by Southwest Film Festival, making their New York Premieres June 3-5 2011, as part of Rooftop Films 15th Annual Summer Series.

    The films making their New York Premieres as part of our South by Southwest Weekend are The Dish and the Spoon directed by Alison Bagnall and starring Greta Gerwig, No Matter What directed by Cherie Saulter, and Rooftop Filmmakers’ Fund and Edgeworx Studios Grantee The City Dark directed by Ian Cheney.

    Friday, June 3, 2011
    Rooftop Films and SXSW Present:
    The Dish and the Spoon
    (Alison Bagnall | Philadelphia, PA | NY Premiere)

    In this delicate affecting romance, indie starlet Greta Gerwig boldly plays against type as Rose, a woman furious with her unfaithful husband. During a drinking binge, she encounters an alienated teen played by newcomer Olly Alexander, and the two go on whimsical adventures together, their relationship becoming more enchantingly intimate as they gambol about a small beachside town.

    Saturday, June 4, 2011
    Rooftop Films and SXSW Present:
    No Matter What
    (Cherie Saulter | Chipley, FL | NY Premiere)

    Teenagers Joey and Nick are navigating the complex landscape of rural Florida on their own — they don’t really have parents, they prefer skateboarding to school. When the pair set out to find Joey’s mother — camping out in drug dealers’ backyards, hopping freight trains — we wonder if, perhaps, they should just keep going.

    Sunday, June 5, 2011
    Rooftop Films, SXSW and Edgeworx Studios present:
    The City Dark
    (Ian Cheney | Brooklyn, NY | NY Premiere)

    For thousands of years, the night sky was a crucial part of human experience, but due to light pollution, the stars are disappearing from our vision and consciousness. Would bringing back the sky make us better humans, or save us from some of the harmful effects of modern city life? Supported in part by the Rooftop Filmmakers’ Fund and the Edgeworx Studios Post-Production Grant.

    Screening with a selection of 2011 SXSW Shorts:
    Heliotropes (Michael Langan | San Francisco, CA) Heliotropes documents the parallel goals of man and nature, through the most primitive and sophisticated means, to simply stay in the light. Based on the poem by Brian Christian.

    Howling at the Moon (Jason Tippet, Elizabeth Mims | Los Angeles, CA): Matt and Harry receive an invitation to see a fellow employees band. To escape the awkward coffee shop performance, Matt comes up with a somewhat decent excuse.

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  • REVIEW: The Bully Projects from the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_1328" align="alignnone" width="560"]Norwegian film “Turn me on, goddammit”[/caption]

    The themes of bullying, being bullied, and the horrific effects it can have on a child were displayed in full force at this year’s 2011 Tribeca Film Festival in New York.

    Director Lee Hirsch, who was himself bullied as a child, helms this poignant, thorough and very topical “Bully Project,” which takes you not only into the lives of children being ridiculed and teased at school, but, literally, onto the school bus right along with both the weak and the tormented. He also highlights two families who both suffered a devastating loss when their child killed themselves. (One middle-school age child, and one teen-ager).


    Far from being sheer heartache in motion, Hirsch’s agenda seems to be one of getting the school’s faculty and leadership more involved (in what has become a national issue of serious force),  while school administrators argue that it is the parents who need to teach their children to respect others. The doc just got picked up by the Weinstein Company, so you will soon be able to judge for yourself.  I loved it.

    The new Tony Kaye film “Detachment,” starring Adrien Brody, Marcia Gay Harden, Christina Hendricks, James Caan and Lucy Liu, not only dives head-on into the life of one very tortured, teenage girl’s life, but into the life of her teachers and head principal’s.

    Brody brings his natural, irresistible talent to the forefront of this film, which is, to put it mildly, completely heart-wrenching. You get to see both sides of the equation fully here- the teenager with far too much emotional weight on her shoulders, the classroom of disrespectful kids who border on terrorizing, and the lonely, exhausting lives of these high school teachers. It is quite something to see a subject portrayed so starkly, and Kaye is clearly mad as hell about the subject- as he is far too talented to be this heavy-handed without being aware of it. This film is supposed to hit you like a ton of bricks, and it most certainly does.  This should be rudimentary viewing for anyone with a kid about to enter public school, or anyone who wants to know why people always consistently say that teachers should be making a million dollars a year.

    The Norwegian film “Turn me on, goddammit,” was a minor hit at Tribeca this year. It features some very natural, great performances by non-actors, and is the first feature from director Jannicke Systad Jacobsen. It centers on a very horny teenager, Alma, who gets bumped down into the nether regions of the high school hierarchy after a boy that she has a crush on “pokes” her leg with his penis at a party. She soon becomes known as “Dick Alma, ” and is completely shunned at school. I wasn’t as crazy as everyone was else about this film, but it is a lot of fun, and is even stranger set against the bleak, rural Norwegian landscape. Alma perseveres far better than the subjects and characters of the film above, which also made it a pleasure to watch.

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  • 2011 Edinburgh International Film Festival to Showcase New British Films as First Programme Details Unveiled

    [caption id="attachment_1326" align="alignnone" width="500"]Director Karl Golden , Emma Booth and Harry Treadaway on the red carpet for the World premiere of Pelican Blood at Cineworld, Edinburgh as part of the Edinburgh International Film 2010. Photograph: Edinburgh International Film Festival 2010. [/caption]

    The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) revealed the first details of its 2011 program showcasing some of the best new British films . The program will include the world premiere of political thriller ‘Page Eight’ from twice Oscar-nominated David Hare (best known for the internationally acclaimed ‘The Hours’ and ‘The Reader’) – which stars Bill Nighy, Rachel Weisz, Michael Gambon, Ralph Fiennes and Judy Davis.

    Scottish director David Mackenzie (Young Adam, Hallam Foe) will also be bringing the UK premiere of his new sci-fi thriller ‘Perfect Sense’, which stars Ewan McGregor and Ewen Bremner, to the festival.

    The full list of British films included in this year’s program will be announced at launch, however additional titles revealed at this stage include:

    ‘Albatross’: a coming of age drama directed by Niall MacCormick and starring Jessica Brown-Findlay (‘Downton Abbey’), Sebastian Koch (‘The Lives of Others’, ‘Black Book’), Julia Ormond and Felicity Jones (‘Northanger Abbey’, ‘The Tempest’, ‘Page Eight’).

    ‘Angel’s Crest’: a British-Canadian small town drama directed by British-born Gaby Dellal (‘On a Clear Day’), based on a book by American writer Leslie Schwartz, and starring Jeremy Piven (‘Entourage’),  Elizabeth McGovern (‘Kick-Ass’, ‘Downton Abbey’), Mira Sorvino and Kate Walsh.

    ‘The Caller’: a thriller from Matthew Parkhill (‘Dot the I’), starring Stephen Moyer (‘True Blood’) and Rachelle Lefevre (‘Twilight’).

    ‘Stormhouse’: the second feature from Dan Turner, a high concept thriller depicting the military capture of a supernatural entity in a secret underground base. International premiere.

    ‘Weekender’: directed by Karl Golden (‘Pelican Blood’), a comedy drama depicts the 1990s Ibiza scene and stars Jack O’Connell (‘This is England’, ‘Skins’), Emily Barclay and Dean Andrews.

    The 2011 EIFF will also support rising Scottish filmmakers, with the inclusion of two films from first-time directors. ‘Fast Romance’, the debut feature from Scottish director Carter Ferguson, is a Glasgow-set romantic comedy depicting seven very different singletons searching for love. And ‘Charlie Casanova’ is a darkly funny crime thriller from first-time writer and director Terry McMahon.

    The 65th Edinburgh International Film Festival will take place at venues across the city from 15th-26th June, offering a ‘film for all’ remit and over 100 screenings for audiences to enjoy.

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  • Touch Football Comedy ‘Turkey Bowl’ from 2011 South By Southwest to be released in the Summer

    Turkey Bowl, which world-premiered at 2011 South By Southwest is getting a planned Summer 2011 release in the US after being acquired by Tribeca Film. Written and directed by Kyle Smith in a breakout debut, Turkey Bowl is a real-time comedy set in Los Angeles.

    Every summer, Jon (Jon Schmidt) gathers 10 friends together in his adopted city to play the Turkey Bowl – bringing a piece of small-town tradition to the urban sprawl – all for the beloved prize for the winning team… a turkey. Friendships flare and fade, jealousy is met with both laughter and pain, and old and unrequited love threatens to remain old and unrequited, and all of these undercurrents are revealed in the unique, improvised rhythm of backyard football. Turkey Bowl is produced by Kyle Smith and Stephen Paratore and stars Kerry Bishé, Zoe Perry, Zeke Hawkins and Tom DiMenna.

    Turkey Bowl will be released beginning in late June by Tribeca Film, a comprehensive distribution label launched in 2010 by Tribeca Enterprises, the company that also runs the very successful Tribeca Film Festival.

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