The world premiere of Nico, 1988 directed by Susanna Nicchiarelli, and starring Trine Dyrholm (Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival in 2016) will be the opening film of the Orizzonti section of the 74th Venice International Film Festival.
Set between Paris, Prague, Nuremberg, Manchester, the Polish countryside and the Roman seaside, Nico, 1988 is a road-movie dedicated to the last years of Christa Päffgen, known by her stage name “Nico”. One of Warhol’s muses, the singer of the Velvet Underground and a woman of legendary beauty, Nico lived a second life after the story known to all, when she began her career as a solo artist. Her music is among the most original of the Seventies and Eighties, and has influenced much of the musical production that followed. The “priestess of darkness”, as she was called, found her true calling after age forty, when she shook off the weight of her beauty and rebuilt her relationship with her only forgotten son. Nico, 1988 is the story of Nico’s last tour with the band that accompanied her around Europe in the Eighties. It is the story of a rebirth, an artist, a mother, the woman beyond the icon.
The director Susanna Nicchiarelli explains: “This is the story of Nico after Nico. People usually talk about her only in relation to the men she was with when she was young: Brian Jones, Jim Morrison, Bob Dylan, Alain Delon, Iggy Pop. I once read in an interview that “at age 34 Nico was finished”. That’s not true. After her experience with the Velvet Underground, Nico became a great musician. I wanted to tell the story of her journey from a different point of view and focusing on the loss of consensus and the change in her image that both gave her back her freedom”.-
World Premiere of NICO, 1988 Starring Trine Dyrholm to Open Orizzonti Section of Venice International Film Festival
The world premiere of Nico, 1988 directed by Susanna Nicchiarelli, and starring Trine Dyrholm (Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival in 2016) will be the opening film of the Orizzonti section of the 74th Venice International Film Festival.
Set between Paris, Prague, Nuremberg, Manchester, the Polish countryside and the Roman seaside, Nico, 1988 is a road-movie dedicated to the last years of Christa Päffgen, known by her stage name “Nico”. One of Warhol’s muses, the singer of the Velvet Underground and a woman of legendary beauty, Nico lived a second life after the story known to all, when she began her career as a solo artist. Her music is among the most original of the Seventies and Eighties, and has influenced much of the musical production that followed. The “priestess of darkness”, as she was called, found her true calling after age forty, when she shook off the weight of her beauty and rebuilt her relationship with her only forgotten son. Nico, 1988 is the story of Nico’s last tour with the band that accompanied her around Europe in the Eighties. It is the story of a rebirth, an artist, a mother, the woman beyond the icon.
The director Susanna Nicchiarelli explains: “This is the story of Nico after Nico. People usually talk about her only in relation to the men she was with when she was young: Brian Jones, Jim Morrison, Bob Dylan, Alain Delon, Iggy Pop. I once read in an interview that “at age 34 Nico was finished”. That’s not true. After her experience with the Velvet Underground, Nico became a great musician. I wanted to tell the story of her journey from a different point of view and focusing on the loss of consensus and the change in her image that both gave her back her freedom”.
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CHAVELA, THE WOUND, SIGNATURE MOVE Among Winners of Outfest LA LGBT Film Festival
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Chavela[/caption]
The 2017 Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival, which ran from July 6th to July 16th, announced the award winners. Chavela won both the Documentary Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award; and Best US Narrative Feature Film prize went to Jennifer Reeder for Signature Move. The 2017 Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival closed with Trudie Styler’s comedic Freak Show, starring Bette Midler, Alex Lawther, AnnaSophia Robb, Abigail Breslin, Ian Nelson, Larry Pine and featuring a cameo from Laverne Cox.
Outfest Los Angeles 2017 Award Winners
Audience Awards
Best Documentary Short Audience Award Little Potato, Directed by Wes Hurley and Nate Miller Best Documentary Feature Audience Award Chavela, Directed by Catherine Gund and Daresha Kyi Best Narrative Short Audience Award The Real Thing, Directed by Brandon Kelley Best Narrative Audience Award The Chances, Created by Shoshanna Stern and Josh Feldman, Directed by Anna Kerrigan Best Experimental Short Audience Award Pussy, Directed by Renata Gasiorowska Audience Award for Best First U.S. Narrative Feature A Million Happy Nows, Directed by Albert AlarrGrand Jury Awards
Documentary Grand Jury Prize “We award Best Documentary Feature to Chavela, for its artistic style that elegantly and poetically brings together raw archival footage, animation, editing, and sound design.” Documentary Special Mention “For Excellence in Filmmaking we award a Special Jury mention to Girl Unbound: The War to Be Her, for its brave, humorous, and inspired depiction of Maria, a world class SQUASH player and her rock star family who live on their own terms and challenge misconceptions of feminism and Islam in the Muslim and Western worlds. This film illustrates Maria’s nonbinary journey, her quest for athletic excellence and her desire to show all girls everywhere that, “Fear is taught. That you are born free and you are born brave.”” U.S. Narrative Jury Prize Best Actor For his quiet intensity in a fresh and non-traditional coming of age role and his on-screen transformation both physically and emotionally, the US Narrative Jury honors Luka Kain for his outstanding performance in Saturday Church. U.S. Narrative Jury Prize Best Actress In a cast of strong female performances, she not only supported the ensemble cast but stood out with her comic timing and effortlessly hilarious presence. The US Jury Prize for Best Actress goes to Ever Mainard in The Feels. Best Screenwriting in a U.S. Feature For its naturalistic yet spare and unforced dialogue, even in the most harrowing of situations the award for Best Screenwriting in a U.S. Narrative goes to Eliza Hittman for Beach Rats. U.S. Grand Jury Prize For a delightful, well-acted and incisive romp into Chicago’s multi-cultural neighborhoods and a moving exploration of the unique bonds between mothers and daughters. Its inspiring message of love and acceptance explodes with humor and heart. We award the Best US Narrative Feature Film prize to Jennifer Reeder for Signature Move. U.S. Narrative Special Mention The US Narrative Jury would like to present a Special Mention for amplifying unheard voices with authenticity, highlighting the contemporary life of queer black woman with flair, vibrancy and substance to 195 Lewis. International Grand Jury Prize This film breaks new ground through skillful storytelling and stunning cinematography and an unflinching focus on masculinities – toxic or otherwise. The Jury Award for Best International Narrative Feature goes to the South African film The Wound, directed by John Trengove. International Special Mention For authentic, grounded storytelling that successfully captures a universal tale of youth, the International Narrative Feature Special Mention for Directing goes to Marcelo Caetano for his work on Body Electric. Best Documentary Short For its elegant storytelling, its economical sweep of history, and its sensitivity to lovers together in the struggle, whose intimate point of view enlightens and moves us to see the intricacies of the personal & political victories we can achieve together. The Best Documentary short prize goes to: Bayard & Me by Matt Wolf. Creatively employing the few surviving archival interviews to illuminate a forthright, outspoken, dynamic and sexy old school butch who was unstoppable in her quest for equality & fairness for lesbians, women and the queer community. The Best Documentary short prize goes to Jeanne Cordova: Butches, Lies & Feminism by Gregorio Davila. Documentary Short Special Mention The Special Mention goes to Al Otro Lado (The Other Side), directed by Rodrigo Alvarez Flores and Pedazos, directed by Alejandro Pena. Best Narrative Short Demonstrating restraint in both dialogue and narrative while also presenting a rich visual tapestry in a claustrophobic household, the film portrays an intense, simmering passion between two women yearning to break free from the norms of sexuality and caste (class) in a matriarchal Indian household. The Best Narrative Short Film Award goes to Goddess (Devi), directed by Karishma Dube.Special Programming Awards
Emerging Talent This assured debut feature film combines dreamy cinematography, honest and energetic performances, and snappy, contemporary dialogue, heralding the arrival of a fresh new voice in queer Asian cinema, the 2017 Programming Award for Emerging Talent goes to Samantha Lee for Maybe Tomorrow. Freedom This long overdue BIOGRAPHY of a civil rights icon merges empathetic documentary filmmaking with the tenacity of investigative journalism to highlight the injustices that trans people still face today, the 2017 Programming Award for Freedom goes to David France and Victoria Cruz for The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson. Artistic Vision For a chilling tale that blends Hitchcockian suspense filtered through the eerie Icelandic countryside with a rumination on the lingering effects of past trauma, the 2017 Programming Award for Artistic Achievement goes to Erlingur Thoroddsen for Rift. Fox Inclusion Feature Film Award Boys For Sale, Directed by Itako Fox Inclusion Short Film Award Ma, Directed by Vera Miao
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2018 Sundance Film Festival Unveils New Graphics, Programming, Award
The 2018 Sundance Film Festival is exactly six months away, and perfect time to start drumming up excitement. The festival today introduced the official graphics, along with a standalone Episodic section, the return of ‘The New Climate’ strand of environmental work and a new award. The 2018 Festival takes place January 18 to 28 in Park City, Salt Lake City and Sundance, Utah.
‘Indie Episodic’ section: After several years of programming episodic content in the ‘Special Events’ section — where selections included O.J.: Made in America, Transparent, Top of the Lake, The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, Animals, Gente-fied, The Chances and Strangers — the 2018 Festival will have an ‘Indie Episodic’ section specifically for stories told in multiple installments, with an emphasis on independent perspectives. In addition to episodic work, the Festival showcases feature films, documentaries, short films and New Frontier storytelling. Episodic creators can submit their work to the Festival now.
‘The New Climate’ continues: In 2017 the Festival hosted The New Climate strand of feature films, documentaries, Virtual Reality experiences and high-profile panels exploring the environment and climate change, and it will extend this strand through 2018. Creators of new work on these topics can submit to the Festival now.
‘Festival Favorite’ award: New for 2018, all feature films will be eligible for a ‘Festival Favorite’ Award to be determined by audience ballots across all Festival screenings. Similar to the Festival’s longstanding Audience Awards for each Competition section, the award will designate the feature film from any of the Festival’s sections that best connects with audiences.
2018 Graphics Designed with Students at ArtCenter College of Design: The 2018 Festival graphics were developed in collaboration with ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena. The concept was led by a group of students including Andy Gutierrez, Michelle Lee and Charles Lin and came out of a three-day brainstorm and creation session last Spring with 15 students and three faculty members. Their concept reflects the idea that the Festival is a “disruptive celebration of imperfection,” using bold color and language to highlight the very human emotions we experience through storytelling. The entirely text-based campaign opens up interactivity with audiences, and the colors signify the heat the Festival brings to Winter.
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13 Film Projects to Receive Funding from Berlinale’s World Cinema Fund
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Félicité[/caption]
13 film projects including Berlin Film Festival award winning Felicité by Alain Gomis, have been recommended for funding at the 26th jury session of the Berlinale’s World Cinema Fund (WCF).
Five film projects from Bangladesh, Palestine, Brazil, Afghanistan and Uruguay were nominated for production funding. In the additional WCF Europe funding program, four projects from Tunisia, Brazil, Argentina and Egypt were nominated for production funding. In the special program WCF Africa, two projects from South Africa and Sudan / South Africa were nominated for funding.
Two films were nominated for distribution funding in Germany, including Felicité by Alain Gomis, which was awarded the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prix at the Berlinale 2017.
The latest funding recommendations also include projects by Berlinale Talents alumni, as well as projects that were once in search of co-producers and so participated in the Berlinale Co-Production Market.
Production Funding WCF
The Reports on Sarah and Saleem, director: Muayad Alayan (Palestine), Production: PalCine Productions (Palestine) and Manderley Films GmbH (Germany). Feature film. Funding: 50.000 euros. Director Muayad Alayan is an alumnus of Berlinale Talents (2016). Iron Stream, director: Kamar Ahmad Simon (Bangladesh), Production: Beginning Film (Bangladesh) and Weydemann Bros. (Germany). Feature Film. Funding: 40.000 euros. Director Kamar Ahmad Simon is an alumnus of Berlinale Talents (2012). The Fever, director: Maya da Rin (Brazil). Production: Enquadramento Produçoes (Brazil), Still Moving (France) and Komplizen Film (Germany). Feature film. Funding: 40.000 euros. Thus Spoke the Money Changer, director: Federico Veiroj (Uruguay). Production: Oriental Features (Uruguay) Pandora Filmproduktion GmbH (Germany). Feature film. Funding: 48.500 euros. The Orphanage, director: Shahrbanoo Sadat (Afghanistan). Production: Wolf Pictures (Afghanistan) and Adomeit Films (Germany / Denmark). Feature Film. Funding: 60.000 euros.WCF Europe
Weldi, director: Mohamed Ben Attia (Tunisia), Production: Nomadis Images (Tunisia) and Les Films du Fleuve (Belgium). Feature film. Funding: 40.000 euros. Director Mohamed Ben Attia received the GWFF Best First Feature Award for his feature debut Inhebbek Hedi which was shown in competition at the Berlinale 2016. Overgod, director: Gabriel Mascaro (Brazil). Production: Desvia (Brazil) and Snowglobe (Denmark). Feature film. Funding: 60.000 euros. The project was chosen for Berlinale Co-Production Market (2015). Muere, Monstruo, Muere!, director: Alejandro Fadel (Argentina). Production: La Unión de los Ríos (Argentina) and Rouge International (France). Feature film. Funding: 40.000 euros. The project was chosen for Berlinale Co-Production Market (2017). Amal, director: Mohamed Siam (Egypt), Production: Artkhana (Egypt) and Andolfi Films (France). Documentary. Funding: 30.000 €. Director Mohamed Siam is an alumnus of Berlinale Talents (2012).WCF Africa
A Kasha, director: Hajooj Kuka (Sudan) Production: Big World Cinema (South Africa). Feature film. Funding: 40.000 €. Director Hajooj Kuka is an alumnus of Berlinale Talents (2016). Sew the Winter to my Skin, director: Jahmil X.T (South Africa). Production: Spier Moving (South Africa). Feature film. Funding: 60.000 €.WCF Distribution Funding in Germany
Felicité Director: Alain Gomis (Senegal / France). Distribution: Grandfilm (Germany). Feature film. Funding: 10.000 €. Silver Bear Grand Jury Prix at Berlinale 2017 German release: August 31, 2017 Frenzy (original title: Abluka) Director: Emin Alper (Turkey). Distribution: Grandfilm (Germany). Feature film. Funding: 5.500 €. German release: October 18, 2017
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Singer Morrissey Biopic ENGLAND IS MINE to Be Released in The US | Trailer
England Is Mine, the biopic about the early life of singer Morrissey, the outspoken former lead singer of seminal British band The Smiths, will be released in the US via Cleopatra Entertainment. The film will open August 25 at the IFC Center in New York, then expand nationwide throughout the fall. This was first exclusively reportedly by Deadline.
England Is Mine is directed by Academy Award® and BAFTA Award nominee Mark Gill (The Voorman Problem), and stars Jack Lowden (Dunkirk) and Jessica Brown Findlay (Downton Abbey).
Set in Margaret Thatcher’s Britain of the 1970s and ’80s, a time when working-class Manchester was beset by unemployment and riots, the film tells the story of 17-year-old Steven (Lowden), a painfully shy, intellectually precocious loner who lives for, and writes about, the burgeoning local music scene — a surprisingly vibrant subculture in an otherwise drab industrial city. Too intimidated to join that scene, he writes reviews from the sidelines, imagining what he would do if he were onstage. When one of his write-ups is noticed by kindred spirit Sterling, an aspiring painter, the two become fast friends, and she pushes him to form a band and take to the stage. Steven finally works up the courage to book a club date and performs a dazzling cover of an old girl-group standard. This is the first time the world gets to hear the distinctive, emotion-filled voice that eventually would propel him to stardom.
That very night, a manager reaches out with an offer. Unfortunately, it’s only for the musicians, not the lead singer, meaning Steven will be left behind. His dreams of a musical career vanishes, and he’s left with nothing but wasted days at a soul-crushing civil servant job and lonely nights holed up in the same bedroom he’s slept in his whole life. Only his mother’s unwavering belief in his talent, and Linder’s constant reminder — “Be yourself, everyone else is taken” — give him the strength to keep trying to become the artist he was always meant to be.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6A_orGeFFhk
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Watch First Trailer + Poster for James Franco’s THE DISASTER ARTIST
A24 has released the first poster and teaser trailer for James Franco’s The Disaster Artist, opening in theaters on December 1, 2017. The film directed by and starring James Franco, also stars Dave Franco, Seth Rogen, Ari Graynor, Alison Brie, Jacki Weaver, Josh Hutcherson.
Based on Greg Sestero’s best-selling tell-all about the making of Tommy Wiseau’s cult–classic disaster piece The Room (“The Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made”),The Disaster Artist is a hilarious and welcome reminder that there is more than one way to become a legend– and no limit to what you can achieve when you have absolutely no idea what you’re doing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qab3TMg42k
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7 African Films Win Durban FilmMart Awards 2017
Durban International Film Festival, Filmmaking, Industry, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA)
The Durban FilmMart (DFM), the industry development program of the Durban Film Office and Durban International Film Festival ended on a high note with the awards ceremony at the Tsogo Maharani Hotel in Durban, South Africa on Monday, July 17.
“The DFM is one of the most important film finance platforms and industry events on the African continent, and this year’s eighth edition has certainly been our biggest.” said Toni Monty, Head of the Durban Film Office. “We hosted over 600 delegates with over 30 countries participating in this year’s market; 17 of which were from Africa. We are thrilled that we have had a record number of 70 projects presenting at this year’s finance forum.”
Central to the Durban FilmMart have been the networking sessions and meetings held over four days between delegates comprising filmmakers, producers, distributors, agents, broadcasters and film funders and government agencies.
This year 22 official DFM film projects in development were presented at the Finance Forum through the partnership with Cinemart and IDFA, Netherlands.
The 2017 Durban FilmMartAwards/Grants:
The International Documentary Film Festival of Amsterdam (IDFA) awarded the most promising documentary project at the DFM, Lobola: A Bride’s True Price (South Africa, Producer: Sarah Basyouny, Director: Sihle Hlophe) with an opportunity to attend the IDFA Forum, one of the top gatherings for documentary filmmakers, producers, commissioning editors, funds, private financiers and other documentary filmmakers in Europe, in November. The broadcast stream, Afridocs, that flights African and other international documentaries across 49 countries of sub-Saharan Africa on a weekly basis, gave a €3000 grant to Uasi (Kenya), Producers: Matrid Nyagah, Linda Ogeda, Director: Sam Soko. The CineMart Award, sponsored by the co-production market of the International Film Festival Rotterdam, went to the fiction project, Miles from Nowhere (South Africa), Producer: Bongiwe Selane, Director: Samantha Nell. The project is given an opportunity to attend the Rotterdam Lab, is a five-day training and networking event for producers from all over the world. Produire au Sud of Festival des 3 Continents (Nantes), awarded the fiction film Miles from Nowhere (South Africa), Producer: Bongiwe Selane, Director: Samantha Nell an opportunity to attend its developmental workshop program, PAS, where they will be given tools, expertise, and opportunities to develop European networks. Videovision Entertainment awarded the “Best South African Film Project” to the Dabulaphu (The Short Cut), Producers Zikethiwe Ngcobo, David Max Brown, Director Norman Maake. They receive a prize valued at R75 000, which guarantees its release once it is completed. The prize also includes marketing and distribution support from Videovision Entertainment. Versfeld & Associates, publicity consultants will develop publicity material and advise on publicity profiling through the development two projects: Womxn: Working (South Africa), Producer Tiny Mungwe and Director Shanelle Jewnarain, and Richard Was Here (South Africa), Producer: Akona Matyila and Director: Jack Chiang. Sørfond awarded the project Uasi (Kenya), Producers: Matrid Nyagah, Linda Ogeda, Director: Soko Sam with an opportunity to pitch at the Sørfond Pitching Forum in Oslo later this year. CineFAM-Africa Incubator Accelerator Programme award to pitch at the Caribbean Tales Film Festival in Toronto, went to Mary Ann Mandishona for Mamba Kazi – African Warrior Queens.
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Filmaker Todd Haynes to Receive Pardo d’onore Manor Award at Locarno Festival
Director, screenwriter and producer Todd Haynes will receive the Pardo d’onore Manor award at the upcoming Locarno Festival. His latest film Wonderstruck will be screened in company with Poison, one of the featured titles in Locarno70, the sidebar dedicated to celebrating the Festival’s 70th anniversary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qztxwL4Wl3I
At the 1991 Locarno Festival Todd Haynes’ debut feature Poison was one of 19 movies contending for the top award of the Pardo d’oro. Made after a series of eye-catching shorts, the film, based on the novels of Jean Genet, set the keynotes of the director’s style. In subsequent years Haynes has directed Julianne Moore in Safe (1995), Far from Heaven (nominated for 4 Academy Awards in 2002) and Wonderstruck (2017), and Cate Blanchett in the episodic Bob Dylan biopic I’m Not There (2007) and Carol (nominated for 6 Academy Awards in 2015).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htL6liegNVk
Haynes’ film Poison will be part of the sidebar Locarno70, the exclusive program of films with which Locarno will commemorate its 70th anniversary through a selection of 11 first features presented at the Festival. Over its seventy years, Locarno has had the merit and the good fortune to launch many important careers: from Éric Rohmer with Le signe du lion (1962), to Tres Tristes Tigres (1968) by Raoul Ruiz, via the ferocious irony of Marco Ferreri in El Pisito (1959) and the destabilizing family portrait in Der siebente Kontinent (1989) by Michael Haneke. The Festival has always been fertile terrain for breaking with the past or upsetting convention, as witnessed by two other milestones included in the program, Al-momia (1969) by the Egyptian Chadi Abdel Salam, in a newly restored print, and Hallelujah the Hills (1963) by Adolfas Mekas. Todd Haynes will be joined in Locarno by Aleksandr Sokurov, Catherine Breillat, Sabiha Sumar, Villi Hermann and Alina Marazzi.
Carlo Chatrian, Artistic Director of the Locarno Festival: “In his seven feature films to date Todd Haynes has shaped out an original universe in which his familiarity with U.S. and European cinema, his passion for the films of Sirk and Fassbinder, go hand in glove with a modern sensibility. His characters – often with extraordinary performances by the female leads – bring back the magic of great cinema, of art that achieves the sublimation of reality without lapsing into disenchantment. His latest, splendid film Wonderstruck is another fine example, a journey into a cabinet of curiosities where fear and desire merge in the accuracy of a twofold historical reconstruction.”
The 70th Locarno Festival will be held from August 2 to 12, 2017.
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BRILLO BOX (3 CENTS OFF) on Journey of Andy Warhol Sculpture Makes HBO Debut | Trailer
Brillo Box (3 Cents Off), tracks the remarkable journey of an Iconic Andy Warhol sculpture from one family’s living room through the global art market.
In 1969, Lisanne Skyler’s parents bought an Andy Warhol “Brillo Box (3 Cents Off)” sculpture for $1,000. An exact replica of a shipping carton for Brillo soap pads, Warhol’s Brillo Boxes were at first dismissed by the art world. But 40 years later, with Warhol’s reputation as a contemporary-art visionary long secured, the same piece sold for more than $3 million at a record-breaking Christie’s auction.
Blending a humorous family narrative with Pop Art history, and debuting the week of Warhol’s 89th birthday, Brillo Box (3 Cents OFF) follows this iconic work as it makes its way from a New York family’s living room to the contemporary global art market, exploring the ephemeral nature of art and value, and the decisions that shape a family’s history. An official selection of the 54th New York Film Festival, the documentary debuts Monday, August 7 (10:00-10:40 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.
In 1964, Andy Warhol shocked the art world by making hundreds of replicas of supermarket shipping cartons and presenting them as art. His most notorious were the Brillo Boxes, which he created by silk-screening the original Brillo packaging art, designed by abstract impressionist James Harvey, onto wooden boxes that were the exact same sizes as the supermarket originals. It is believed Warhol made 93 large white boxes and 17 smaller yellow ones.
Originally selling for $200, a yellow Brillo Box emblazoned with a “3 Cents OFF” burst was purchased for $1,000 from the OK Harris Gallery in New York in 1969 by Martin and Rita Skyler. Looking to add value to his acquisition, Martin Skyler persuaded gallery owner Ivan Karp to get Warhol to sign the bottom of the piece, which was not Warhol’s customary practice at the time.
Parents of an infant daughter, Lisanne, the Skylers spent two years with the Brillo Box, which Martin placed inside Plexiglas to prevent damage. Looking for fresh art to augment their collection, he decided to trade the Brillo Box for a drawing by abstract artist Peter Young in 1971. Forty years after the Skylers sold their Brillo Box, Lisanne Skyler, now a filmmaker, learned it was going to be auctioned in New York at Christie’s. She filmed the auction, and, combining that footage with archival video, reenactments and interviews with her parents and contemporary art world figures, began to reconstruct her family’s Brillo Box history.
After Warhol’s death in 1987, interest in his work started to build; starting in 1995, prices for his art doubled annually for more than a decade. In 1988, London advertising magnate Charles Saatchi bought the Skylers’ Brillo Box for $35,200; five years later, the piece was sold to a private collector for $43,700 and returned to New York. Two years later, in a soft art market, Robert Shapazian, one of the world’s foremost collectors of modern art and the founding director of the Gagosian Gallery in Los Angeles, bought the piece for the same price, and kept it until his death in 2010.
When the Brillo Box went on sale again that year, Christie’s estimated it would fetch between $600,000 to $800,000, its value enhanced by the condition and provenance, including Warhol’s signature and the ownership of Saatchi and Shapazian. Following an international bidding war, however, the Skylers’ Brillo Box sold to a private collector for $2,650,000. The addition of a $400,500 buyer’s premium brought the final price tag to a staggering $3,050,500. While Martin maintains a stoic front about the loss of such a treasure, a more regretful Rita recalls the personal memories it evokes.
In addition to interviews with Martin and Rita Skyler, BRILLO BOX (3 Cents OFF) includes insights from several high-profile names in the contemporary art world, including: Laura Paulson, chairman, Americas at Christie’s; Jessica Todd Smith, the Susan Gray Detweiler Curator of American Art and Manager of the Center for American Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art; art critic and historian Irving Sandler; Eric Shiner, former director of the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh; writer, curator and dealer Kenny Schachter; artist Nancy Mozur; artist and teacher Phung Huynh; Daniel Wolf, producer of “Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film”; John Armaly, president and CEO of Armaly Brands, owner of the Brillo brand; and Peter Young, the artist whose work replaced the Brillo Box in the Skyler home.
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Watch Prince Harry and Prince William Talk About Their Mom in Trailer for DIANA, OUR MOTHER: HER LIFE AND LEGACY
HBO has released a new trailer for the documentary DIANA, OUR MOTHER: HER LIFE AND LEGACY. The documentary debuts on Monday, July 24 (10:00-11:10 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO. to celebrate the life and work of Diana, Princess of Wales, in the 20th year since her tragic death.
DIANA, OUR MOTHER features interviews with HRH The Duke of Cambridge and HRH Prince Harry, both of whom talk openly about their mother and pay tribute to the many ways her influence has shaped their lives. The film offers a fresh and revealing insight into Princess Diana through the personal and intimate reflections of her two sons and her friends and family, many of whom have never spoken publicly before, to bring together a unique portrait of an iconic person who touched the lives of millions.
The 65-minute film includes never-before-seen photographs of Diana, taken from an album that she had assembled. The brothers look through the private family album and recall some of the most joyful and touching moments from their childhood.
Studying a photo of The Princess holding him while pregnant with Prince Harry, Prince William says, “Believe it or not, you and I are both in this photograph, you’re in the tummy!”
Prince Harry says, “This is the first time that the two of us have ever spoken about her as a mother.”
Prince William says, “She was very informal and really enjoyed the laughter and the fun.”
Prince William and Prince Harry share some of their earliest memories of their mother, recall the final conversation they had with her before her tragic death in August 1997, and discuss their feelings in the aftermath of losing her. Prince William explains how he keeps her memory alive for his own children.
The documentary also celebrates the achievements of Diana’s work and her sons’ determination to continue the campaigns that were closest to her heart.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9AFcZgGCNw
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Photos: Julianne Moore Honored at Giffoni Film Festival
Julianne Moore attended the Giffoni Film Festival where she received the Truffaut Award. Before receiving the Truffaut Award – the Giffoni Film Festival most prestigious prize – and say goodbye to the youth audience, Julianne Moore left them a valuable message “Don’t ever let anybody say that you can’t do something. Find what you are really fond of and keep doing it: soon you’ll understand where it will take you. My juvenile love for reading made me want to convey emotions through the staging of a well written text”.
A Pakistani boy told her about his grandfather suffering from Alzheimer’s, the same disease covered in “Still Alice”, which earned her and Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. “First of all – she commenced in a broken voice – I’m very sorry that a relative of yours has been suffering from such disease. I decided to explore this subject with deep attention, as a sign of respect for all the people who have to face such a sorrow. I phoned some people affected by the disease and met some others, because I wanted to portray their personal experiences in the most accurate and realistic way possible. Those who think that the audience don’t notice if you’ve been portraying something you don’t know really know are wrong”.
A South Korean juror who’s been studying film direction in Los Angeles asked her for some professional advice. In this field – replied Moore – mentors are essential and I let myself be guided by Robert Altman: I got to know his work when I was about your age and he made me realize that I would want to tell stories, that is acting, for a living”.
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Watch: Kristen Bell Premieres Music Video for “Tell Me How Long” from CHASING CORAL
Kristen Bell today premiered the music video for “Tell Me How Long” from Netflix original documentary Chasing Coral. The film is now streaming on Netflix.
Kristen commented, “I was moved and inspired by Chasing Coral and its message of hope for our planet’s future. I feel a responsibility to care for the Earth in whatever way I can and I was honored to lend my voice to the original song. As we strive to make a better world for our children, I hope this film will ignite real action in advancing climate solutions in our global communities.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7vOQ3M_FJY
Directed by Jeff Orlowski, Chasing Coral taps into the collective will and wisdom of an ad man, a self-proclaimed coral nerd, top-notch camera designers, and renowned marine biologists as they invent the first time-lapse camera to record bleaching events as they happen. Unfortunately, the effort is anything but simple, and the team doggedly battles technical malfunctions and the force of nature in pursuit of their golden fleece: documenting the indisputable and tragic transformation below the waves. With its breathtaking photography, nail-biting suspense, and startling emotion, Chasing Coral is a dramatic revelation that won’t have audiences sitting idle for long.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6fHA9R2cKI