Momentum Generation[/caption]
The award-winning documentary Momentum Generation takes a deep dive into the fascinating, constantly evolving world of surfing, exploring how a group of dedicated teenagers changed the sport and its culture in the 1990s. Momentum Generation which made its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York earlier this year where it won an Audience Award, debuts Tuesday, December. 11 (10:00-11:30 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO. It has also won top awards at the Aspen Film Festival, Santa Cruz Surf Film Festival, Honolulu Surf Film Festival, Surfalorus and the Los Angeles Film Awards.
In the 1960s, surfing in America was known primarily as a California- and Hawaii-based phenomenon associated with surf instrumentals and Beach Boys songs. In films, it was a vehicle to infuse all-American romantic comedies with action or zany antics. Although equipment and skills evolved, the public’s perception of surfing as a novelty sport remained constant until the 1990s, when a group of punk rock-loving teens, many from troubled homes and backgrounds, found its way to a house on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii, in the process changing their lives and the sport itself.
In Momentum Generation, the core members of that legendary crew? – ?including Kelly Slater, Rob Machado, Shane Dorian, Taylor Knox, Benji Weatherley, Kalani Robb, Ross Williams, Taylor Steele and Pat O’Connell? – ?tell their story together for the first time. Filmmakers Jeff and Michael Zimbalist draw on unprecedented access to their inner circle, as well as to tens of thousands of hours of footage in private archives, to highlight the deep friendships that were formed and tested during the surfers’ careers as top athletes and cultural icons.
“We’re proud to be the home for Momentum Generation, a film that is obviously about a group of surfers at the zenith of the sport, but more subtly about their lifelong friendships,” says Peter Nelson, executive vice president, HBO Sports. “The Zimbalist brothers take us on an adrenaline-fueled journey spanning three decades, and the intimacy with which they reveal the ups and downs of some of surfing’s biggest stars makes this film unlike anything else of its kind.”
After relocating to Oahu, the young surfers courageously followed each other into Mother Nature’s most dangerous waves. When some of them didn’t make it back to shore, they found a way to mourn together? – ?and adapt. Fueled by camaraderie and a deep-seated competitiveness, the tight-knit crew became known as the “Momentum Generation” after being featured in Taylor Steele’s groundbreaking films. Its members went on to win world titles, break records and redefine the world’s perception of the surfer, youth culture and what it means to be free.
Filmed over the course of two and a half years, the Momentum Generation surfers reflect on the complexity of the brotherhood and competition that have shaped their shared emotional journey, and made these pioneers both heroic and human.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlgfI6h2aW4
From Emmy(R) and Peabody winners Jeff and Michael Zimbalist of All Rise Films, the HBO Sports presentation, in association with Priority Pictures and Sundance Productions, is executive produced by Robert Redford and Laura Michalchyshyn of Sundance Productions alongside Karen Lauder and Greg Little of Priority Pictures. Justine Chiara, Lizzie Friedman, Tina Elmo and Colby Gottert produced.-
Award-Winning Surfing Documentary MOMENTUM GENERATION to Debut on HBO [Trailer]
[caption id="attachment_31845" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Momentum Generation[/caption]
The award-winning documentary Momentum Generation takes a deep dive into the fascinating, constantly evolving world of surfing, exploring how a group of dedicated teenagers changed the sport and its culture in the 1990s. Momentum Generation which made its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York earlier this year where it won an Audience Award, debuts Tuesday, December. 11 (10:00-11:30 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO. It has also won top awards at the Aspen Film Festival, Santa Cruz Surf Film Festival, Honolulu Surf Film Festival, Surfalorus and the Los Angeles Film Awards.
In the 1960s, surfing in America was known primarily as a California- and Hawaii-based phenomenon associated with surf instrumentals and Beach Boys songs. In films, it was a vehicle to infuse all-American romantic comedies with action or zany antics. Although equipment and skills evolved, the public’s perception of surfing as a novelty sport remained constant until the 1990s, when a group of punk rock-loving teens, many from troubled homes and backgrounds, found its way to a house on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii, in the process changing their lives and the sport itself.
In Momentum Generation, the core members of that legendary crew? – ?including Kelly Slater, Rob Machado, Shane Dorian, Taylor Knox, Benji Weatherley, Kalani Robb, Ross Williams, Taylor Steele and Pat O’Connell? – ?tell their story together for the first time. Filmmakers Jeff and Michael Zimbalist draw on unprecedented access to their inner circle, as well as to tens of thousands of hours of footage in private archives, to highlight the deep friendships that were formed and tested during the surfers’ careers as top athletes and cultural icons.
“We’re proud to be the home for Momentum Generation, a film that is obviously about a group of surfers at the zenith of the sport, but more subtly about their lifelong friendships,” says Peter Nelson, executive vice president, HBO Sports. “The Zimbalist brothers take us on an adrenaline-fueled journey spanning three decades, and the intimacy with which they reveal the ups and downs of some of surfing’s biggest stars makes this film unlike anything else of its kind.”
After relocating to Oahu, the young surfers courageously followed each other into Mother Nature’s most dangerous waves. When some of them didn’t make it back to shore, they found a way to mourn together? – ?and adapt. Fueled by camaraderie and a deep-seated competitiveness, the tight-knit crew became known as the “Momentum Generation” after being featured in Taylor Steele’s groundbreaking films. Its members went on to win world titles, break records and redefine the world’s perception of the surfer, youth culture and what it means to be free.
Filmed over the course of two and a half years, the Momentum Generation surfers reflect on the complexity of the brotherhood and competition that have shaped their shared emotional journey, and made these pioneers both heroic and human.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlgfI6h2aW4
From Emmy(R) and Peabody winners Jeff and Michael Zimbalist of All Rise Films, the HBO Sports presentation, in association with Priority Pictures and Sundance Productions, is executive produced by Robert Redford and Laura Michalchyshyn of Sundance Productions alongside Karen Lauder and Greg Little of Priority Pictures. Justine Chiara, Lizzie Friedman, Tina Elmo and Colby Gottert produced.
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DTLA Film Festival Reveals 2018 Short Form Content Lineup incl. 77 Short Films
[caption id="attachment_32129" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
AKEDA (The Binding)[/caption]
The DTLA Film Festival revealed the short form content programming at the upcoming 10th edition of the festival, consisting of 77 short films, TV pilots and web series episodes.
Anchoring the festival’s short film content programming are the short films series, curated by Robert Torres ”Emerging Artists,” “Queer Expressions,” “Our Modern World,” “Strange Encounters,” “Spotlight on Latin Shorts” and “DTLA Shorts.” Sosa curated three other series of shorts program under the banner of “L.A. Artists,” which showcases local LA talent.
Rounding out the short-form content are programs devoted to new and established web series and to TV pilots, both with a focus on women and people of color. Monica Jones curated the TV web series; Jade Jenise Dixon and Suki Ramirez curated the TV pilots series.
The 10th annual DTLA Film Festival takes place October 17 to 21 at Regal L.A. LIVE and venues throughout downtown Los Angeles.
A complete list of short-form content screening at the festival follows:
EMERGING ARTISTS
THE SUMMER OF THE ELECTRIC LION Chile| Narrative | 2018 |22 mins. Director: Diego Céspedes Hidden in a house far from the city, Alonso accompanies his sister, Daniela. She waits to become the seventh wife of El León (The Lion), a prophet who, rumors says, electrocutes you when you touch him. KILN USA| Narrative | 2018 | 5 mins. Director: Salamo Manetti-Lax A short culled from footage the director shot in high school 10 years ago in upstate New York. A remembrance, a haunted collective portrait, and a critique. AKEDA (THE BINDING) USA| Narrative | 2017 | 18 mins. Director: Dan Bronfeld An orphan boy has his humanity tested when a film director encourages him to give a violent performance that will blend fiction with reality. I CAN ONLY TALK TO YOU WHEN I STAND IN SHADOWS USA, China| Narrative | 2018 | 5 mins. Director: Yuchi Ma A girl in her late teens contemplates the conflict between family identity and self, in face of the cruelty of times. This is a brief moment of the director’s coming of age. INSOMNIA France| Narrative | 2017 | 2 mins. Director: Islena Niera Lacosta It’s night and a boy can’t fall asleep. SOÑADORA USA| Narrative | 2017 | 10 mins. Director: Maria Altamirano A hardworking high school senior faces circumstances beyond her control that may hinder her path to college. HEY, BOY! USA| Narrative | 2018 | 20 mins. Director: Nathan Mulroy St. Valentine strikes an unsuspecting teenage loverQUEER EXPRESSIONS
MOLT France, Sweden| Narrative | 2018 | 14 mins. Director: Nathalie Alvarez Mesen The summer sun sets in rural Appalachia as 12-year-old Cadie and her neighbor, Sarah, redefine their friendship on the eve of burgeoning sexuality. JIM USA |Animation | 2017 | 9 mins. Director: Sam Gurry Jim assembled these floppy disks in the late 1990s with images and samples sourced from online chat rooms. How do you connect with someone you can’t see? That you don’t know? One short email conversation provides his name. ASIAN GIRLS Australia| Narrative | 2017 | 6 mins. Director: Hyun Lee Chan is a Chinese factory worker who lives alone. Every night, she suffers from horrific nightmares involving the woman in the apartment next door, a Japanese office lady. MONOGAMISHUSA| Narrative | 2018 | 14 mins. Director: Nardeep Khurmi Sagar and Nishi and explore the dynamics and strength of two non-traditional couples, in which agreements are made and boundaries are challenged. FOR NONNA ANNA Canada| Narrative | 2017 | 14 mins. Director: Luis De Filippis A trans girl has to care for her Italian grandmother. She assumes that her Nonna disapproves of her – but instead discovers a tender bond in their shared vulnerability. WAFFLES USA| Narrative | 2017 | 4 mins. Director: Foster Wilson The morning after a casual one-nighter with an older woman, Gina scrolls through her Facebook feed, only to discover that the person in bed beside her is the epitome of everything she loathes in this world. A DOLL’S HUG Taiwan| Narrative | 2017 | 20 mins. Director: Rob Lo Domestic, school violence and societal violence continually challenge and threaten the Taiwanese teenage boy, XiangYu. He seeks to escape from the undesirable reality to take shelter in his imaginary Barbie doll world.OUR MODERN WORLD
RAPAZ Chile| Narrative | 2018 | 13 mins. Director: Felipe Gálvez Ariel gets involved in a teenager’s civil arrest, who is accused of stealing a phone. A mob surrounds the young man and some curse and beat him, some defend him. The police aren’t showing up, so Ariel must decide what side he is on. PERFECT MAN USA| Narrative | 2018 | 9 mins. Director: Nic Collins and Jake Andrews Set in the very near future, a virtual reality -addicted girl must follow a government mandate to remove her VR headset for 3 hours. When her dismal reality sets in, she goes online and orders Perfect Man: a robotic humanoid love companion. VERMINE Denmark| Animation | 2018 | 6 mins. Director: Jeremie Becquer A Rat poet, whose hopeful poetry contrasts the world in which he lives in, gets confronted with the harshness of a society biased toward Mice. CAROLINE USA| Narrative | 2018 | 10 mins. Director: Logan George and Celine Held When plans fall through, a 6-year-old is faced with a big responsibility on a hot Texas day. THE BRINK USA| Narrative | 2018 | 7 mins. Director: Ricky Rhodes and Arnold Aldridge Pushed to the edge by abusive co-workers, an odd IT guy takes unthinkable steps to handle his grim reality. NADIA’S VISA USA, Jordan| Narrative | 2018 | 18 mins. Director: Hanadi Elyan After failing to obtain a travel visa to meet with her family, Nadia finds herself stuck in a moral dilemma. JUDGEMENT Philippines| Narrative | 2018 | 14 mins. Director: Raymund Ribay Gutierrez Joy, a mother of a 4-year-old girl, finally decides to file a case under domestic violence against her abusive husband, Dante. THE RIGHT CHOICE UK| Narrative | 2018 | 10 mins. Director:Tomisin Adepeju With the help of The Adviser, a husband and wife must answer three seemingly harmless questions to create their perfect designer baby.STRANGE ENCOUNTERS
BOTANICA Netherlands| Narrative | 2017 | 13 mins. Director: Noël Loozen A garden-center employee fears his possible infertility. While the pregnancy wish of the love of his life is growing, shame starts to take a hold on him. INTIMITY Netherlands| Documentary | 2017 | 5 mins. Director: Elodie Dermange As she is showering, dressing and putting on her make-up, a woman bares her soul. THE CHIRPING USA| Narrative | 2018 | 10 mins. Director: Matt McKinney A mother and her adult son work some things out while trying to rid their home of a pesky cricket. LIRA’S FOREST Canada| Narrative | 2017 | 8 mins. Director: Connor Jessup As the end of her life approaches, an old woman encounters a strange spirit from a nearby forest. TRESPASS USA| Narrative | 2018 | 6 mins. Director: Erik LeDrew The actions of a trigger-happy cop come back to bite him in the ass. A P.O.V. fright flick. PRIVATE JOY USA| Narrative | 2018 | 9 mins. Director: Owen Kaye In the final days of their relationship, a fading actress and her younger, animal lover are torn apart by lust, jealousy, anger and magic. HEART CHAKRA USA| Animation | 2017 | 7 mins. Director: Angela Stempel Mae’s life is routinely disrupted by the advice from her online crystal healer and her devotion to horoscopes. Armed with healing crystals and numerology, Mae is ready to follow the predictions on an unexpected path to find her soulmate. KIMCHI USA, South Korea| Narrative | 2018 | 14 mins. Director: Jason Segars As his family argues about his end-of-life care, an elderly Korean man reflects on his life with a stranger. SOLAR WALK Denmark| Narrative | 2018 | 20 mins. Director: Réka Bucsi The unreal journey of individuals and their creations through time and space.SPOTLIGHT ON LATIN STORIES
ONE OF THESE DAYS USA| Narrative | 2018 | 20 mins. Director: Rudy Lopez After unfortunate circumstances, Manny, an aspiring musician, must decide between becoming the sole guardian of his uncle’s daughter, Marisol, and pursuing his band’s tour of the U.S. CHIADO Brazil| Narrative | 2018 | 15 mins. Director: Fenando Belo A woman and her boyfriend go on a last road trip when she decides to end her own life. KEEP EM’ WHITE USA| Narrative | 2018 | 14 mins. Director: Sandra Lindqvist Two Hispanic teenage boys from South Central LA take a bus ride to the other side of town in search of a famed basketball player. EL GALLO USA, Mexico| Documentary | 2018 | 14 mins. Director: Michael Medoway Gallo takes us on a visceral journey through the life of Juan ‘El Gallo’ Estrada, the former Flyweight champion of the world and one of Mexico’s most famous boxers. ¿FAMILIA? USA| Narrative | 2018 | 14 mins. Director: Kase Pena and Marlene Forte A transgender woman navigates life while dealing with a pesky teenage neighborhood boy who’s in love with her, a married lover with empty promises, and a family back home who demands her financial support at any cost, even her personal safety. CARRO USA, Brazil| Narrative | 2018 | 12 mins. Director: Gustavo Rosa An undocumented Brazilian immigrant living in the Boston area decides to buy a car in an effort to better his life before returning home.DTLA SHORTS
REDEMPTION SQUARE USA| Documentary | 2018 | 20 mins. Director:John Moody In the footsteps of many unique Angelenos, a down-on-her-luck woman finds a new identity in Pershing Square, a notoriously unloved space in downtown Los Angeles. TOKEN USA| Narrative | 2018 | 25 mins. Director: Joy Shi Two artists in different stages of life and success deal with the effects of love, ego and loss in modern-day LA. BROCCOLI USA| Narrative | 2018 | 7 mins. Director: Phil Rosanova and Will Reiland After a scare at the office, a man must decide between his compulsive diet of only broccoli and his own mortality. DECEMBER USA| Narrative | 2018 | 7 mins. Director: Luciana Faulhaber At year’s end a woman tries to move on as her past comes rushing back. In matters of the heart do we take a risk before it’s too late or hope for a second chance? This movie is about the messes we make. THE HOAXING USA| Narrative | 2018 | 25 mins. Director: Bevin McNamara A young artist couple moves into a painter’s studio where the previous tenant hacked two people to death. The couple quickly discovers the studio harbors dark secrets. THE LION AND HIS WALL USA| Narrative | 2018 | 17 mins. Director: Raphael Krigel and Austin Dalgleish The film follows one of LA’s most prolific artists as he attempts to paint the largest mural in the world by a single individual. But this artist’s aspirations extend far beyond this one wall, and he’s not afraid to prove it.LA ARTISTS SHORTS
SOMEDAY USA| Narrative | 2018 | 16 mins. Director: J.S. Mayank Two strangers meet on a 14-hour non-stop flight from Sydney to Los Angeles. Adam is a world-famous composer, but Melody doesn’t recognize her flight companion. Along the way, they laugh, flirt and pour their hearts out… a connection made more beautiful precisely because of its fleeting nature. CREATE USA| Narrative | 2018 | 3 mins. Director: Mikkel Aranas An artist finds himself in the middle of the wilderness wanting to create. After seeking guidance from the ultimate creator, he’s inspired by the elements around him and begins to create using what’s in front of him. A beautiful dance ensues between art and artist. ABUELA’S LUCK USA| Narrative | 2018 | 9 mins. Director: Ricky Rosario A young man’s relationship with his grandmother is altered forever after a chance visit to his neighborhood Dominican bodega. THE ENLIGHTENMENT PROJECT USA| Documentary | 2018 | 17 mins. Director: D’Angelo McCornell and Martel McCornell A grieving mother Yvonne Pointer from Cleveland, OH and an impoverished boy from Ghana, Africa turn their pain into purpose, and their purpose into action by educating the youth and strengthening communities together. AVOWED USA| Narrative | 2017 | 13mins. Director: Summera Howell A young nun-to-be struggles to find God inside Robin, a non-responsive adult whose brain stopped developing before he was born. GRIT USA| Narrative | 2018 | 11 mins. Director: Charles Lee Wilson After a long day’s work, a young teacher returns to find his home has been burglarized. When he discovers his relation to the culprit and their motive, he resorts to rogue tactics in order to save a loved one spiraling down a deadly path. #WHERE IS BEAUTY USA| Narrative | 2017 | 11 mins. Director: Angela McCrae An introspective visual artist dealing with the pressures of social media embarks on a journey of self-discovery capturing everyday life through SnapChat, which unexpectedly transforms her perspective of beauty. PARALLAX USA | Narrative | 2018 | 4 mins. Director: Ajiri Akpolo Two lovers try and find the right words to say to each other. BLACK CHICKS USA, Canada | Narrative | 2017 | 12 mins. Director: Neil LaBute A man and a woman, one white, one black — what could possibly go wrong? LET MY PEOPLE VOTE USA| Documentary | 2018 | 18 mins. Director: Gilda Ann Brasch Filmed during the 2016 presidential election, this verité short covers a day-in-the-life of civil rights activist and former felon Desmond Meade. What begins as an upbeat day of faith in our democratic process, ends with a heartbreaking realization and a call-to-action. GLORIA’S CALL USA| Documentary | 2018 | 16 mins. Director: Cheri Gaulke From the cafes of Paris to the mountaintops of Samiland, a scholar’s life is forever changed through her friendships with the women artists of Surrealism. FOXES USA| Narrative | 2018 | 14 mins. Director: Tristan Taylor An African-American man struggles to unmask his depression, while admitting he’s never been his younger brothers’ hero. THE PRICE WE PAY USA| Narrative | 2018 | 8 mins. Director: Jesse Garcia A scarred soldier, suffering from PTSD, who comes home from war to find his relationship with his neighborhood, best friend and wife, not how he left it. But is what he’s seeing, real? AMERICAN NIGHTMARE USA| Narrative | 2018 | 7 mins. Director: Jesus Nebot A traffic stop due to speeding takes a turn for the worse, landing a mother and her 5-year-old daughter in jail.TV PILOT SERIES | THRILLER-CRIME
THE ONLY FLIGHT USA| Narrative | 2018 | 13 mins. Director: Royston Innes When a group of unwitting strangers wake up on an airplane in midair they must learn the true nature of why they were deemed enemies of the state. PAWG – DAY 12 “PRETTY ASS WHITE GIRL” USA| Narrative | 2018 | 20 mins. Director: John Eddins The uniqueness at the very end of this tale gives birth to a strange beginning as lovers reunite 12 days after one of them gets a whole new lease on love. THE PLURAL OF BLOOD USA| Narrative | 2017 | 20 mins. Director: Mary-Lyn Chambers Diana Santiago is an African American police wife, joyfully on the verge of adopting a black baby boy. Her world unravels when her husband, LAPD officer Alejandro Santiago, finds himself amid the fatal police shooting of an unarmed black teenager.TV PILOT SERIES 2 | COMEDY
GREENPORT USA| Narrative | 2017 | 27 mins. Director: Shannon Goldman This is a story about a struggling Hollywood filmmaker, who is determined to show the world that an autistic kid can do anything. WED-LOCKED USA| Narrative | 2018 | 23 mins. Director: Malcom Barrett and Tina Huang Recently married, Denise & Robert deal with the ups & downs of marriage in this true-to-life comedy. Laugh and cry alongside our fledgling couple as they navigate everything from sex shop shyness and pubic hair politics, to having to tell their spouse they can’t cook.WEB SERIES | DRAMA-SUSPENSE
MAKEUP AND BREAKUP SERIES – EPISODE 7 “WHEN THINGS FALL APART” OF SEASON 2 USA| Narrative | 2018 | 23 mins. Director: Eric J. Dickens When Brooke blindsides Blake and ends their two-year relationship, Blake doesn’t hesitate before jumping back into the New York dating scene. Instantly he finds a new love interest and regains his confidence. Once things begin to get serious, Brooke resurfaces and wants to claim what was once hers. Confused, Blake finds himself caught in the middle. When the dust settles, who will win him over in the end? STAGED – EPISODE “EVERYONE ISN’T WHO THEY POST TO BE” USA| Narrative | 2017 | 10 mins. Director: Abai Dunbar Staged explores the struggle to self-discovery for four social media influencers, in a world where nothing is what it seems and no one is who they claim. WHO KILLED MADAM SILVA – EPISODE 1 USA| Narrative | 2017 | 5 mins. Director: Anne Reis A maid and a driver come across the corpse of their mistress stretched out on the floor of the main living room. Both had reasons to commit the crime and both suspect one another. CHRONICLES OF JESSICA WU- EPISODE 1 – “MEET JESSICA” USA| Narrative | 2017 | 6 mins. Director: Zane Hubbard This is the story of Jessica Wu and her living with autism.WEB SERIES 2 | COMEDY
AVANT GUARDIANS THE SERIES – EPISODE 1 “THERAPY SESSION 1” & EPISODE 2 “THERAPY SESSION 2” USA| Narrative | 2017 | 6 mins. Director: Clarence Williams, IV Episode 1 – Razz tells her therapist why she has nicknamed her beloved human Creepy Charlie, exploring re-appropriating negative labels. Episode 2 – Razz dives into her past life and the open wounds of feeling the need to justify her lifestyle-a style change to be more palatable to those who misunderstand her. FML SERIES – EPISODE 2 – “BEFORE THE PARTY” USA| Narrative | 2017 | 12 mins. Director: Viktoria I.V. King We got to get tipsy before the party starts! We get an insight into the separate lives of each friend as they prepare for Jeanette’s big birthday party later tonight. DATING AND WAITING – EPISODE 3 “THE PACT” USA| Narrative | 2018 | 7 mins. Director: Lawrence Saint-Victor Sisters Chastity and Geneva face off and get real with their sex lives. What ensues is a very interesting pact. THE FOB AND I – SEASON 2 EPISODE 1- “RESIST” USA| Narrative | 2017 | 5 mins. Director: Meenakshi Ramamurthy A trip for dosas takes a turn when Sita is forced to confront her feelings about immigrants. BREEDING GROUNDS-EPISODE – “BAKE SALE PART 1” USA| Narrative | 2017 | 11 mins. Director: Susan Skoog A privileged stay at-home mother aggravates her bake sale co-chair. After the two end up on the brink of fisticuffs, Debra gets a call that her mammogram is positive. SK & J – EPISODE 2 “GOOGLE IT!” and EPISODE 3 “COMMA” USA| Narrative | 2018 | 5 mins. Director: Jenn Liu (Google it!) and Susan-Kate Heaney (Comma) Episode “Google It!” – Sue-Kate is late (as usual!) meeting Jenn for sushi, and compounds the situation by asking Jenn for directions. Jenn (as usual) tells her to Google it. Some things never change. Episode “Comma” – The simple debate over the placement of a comma reveals Sue-Kate and Jenn’s inner thoughts about writing, friendship and how much they hate working with one another. SYCAMORE VALLEY – EPISODE 1 – “INTROS”USA| Narrative | 2018 | 4 mins. Director: Marisa Luz Kayla and Curtis get prepped for the exciting journey of their televised home-buying adventure, and they meet their realtor, Cece, for the first time. Early warning signs that trouble may be brewing are quickly forgotten after a few glasses of cheap Chardonnay. WAKING UP WITH STRANGERS- EPISODE 1- “PRETTY IN PINK” AND EPISODE 7- “PANIC ROOM” USA| Narrative | 2018 | 7 mins. Director: Antoine Perry EPISODE 1 “Pretty In Pink” – Chloe wakes to find her favorite one-piece dress has been unwittingly turned into separates. EPISODE 7 “Panic Room” – After a heavy night of drinking, Xavier wakes up with more questions then condom wrappers. SHUGS & FATS: SEASON 2 EPISODE 2 -“SPEED DATING” and SEASON 3 EPISODE 5 “LOST IN CONEY ISLAND” USA| Narrative | 2015,2016 | 6 mins. Director: Alex Mallis Episode 2 “Speed Dating” – Dating in NYC is hard. There’s OK Cupid, there’s Tinder, there’s Craigslist Missed Connections, but none of these will get you married to Justin Bieber. The surefire solution? Speed Dating. Romance is negotiable. Efficiency is key. Episode 5 “Lost In Coney Island” – It’s late, it’s lonely, and Coney Island is a shitty place to be stuck. Luckily, Fats has a brilliant idea for getting picked up and brought back home.
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Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Honors 45th Student Academy Awards Winners
[caption id="attachment_32125" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented its 45th Annual Student Academy Awards® on Thursday, October 11, in Beverly Hills. Pictured (left to right): Irina Nguyen-Duc, Hanna Kim, Pierre Perveyrie, Shae Demandt, Mart Bira, Quentin Dubois, Jonatan Etzler, Maximilien Bougeois and Mathieu Faure.[/caption]
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored this year’s student winners from colleges and universities around the world at the 45th Student Academy Awards ceremony, held at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. The Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal awards were announced and presented by documentarian Arthur Dong, actor and comedian Kumail Nanjiani and directors Catherine Hardwicke and Patricia Riggen.
2018 Student Academy Award winners
Alternative (Domestic Film Schools) Gold: Shae Demandt, “Reanimated,” Florida State University Animation (Domestic Film Schools) Gold: Hanna Kim, “Raccoon and the Light,” California Institute of the Arts Silver: Yu Yu, “Daisy,” University of Southern California Bronze: Eaza Shukla, “Re-Gifted,” Ringling College of Art and Design Animation (International Film Schools) Gold: Pierre Perveyrie, Maximilien Bougeois, Marine Goalard, Irina Nguyen-Duc and Quentin Dubois, “The Green Bird,” MOPA Documentary (Domestic Film Schools) Gold: Mathieu Faure, “An Edited Life,” New York University Silver: Yiying Li, “Love & Loss,” University of Southern California Bronze: Lauren Schwartzman, “Dust Rising,” University of California, Berkeley Documentary (International Film Schools) Gold: Mart Bira, “Nomadic Doctor,” University of Hertfordshire Narrative (Domestic Film Schools) Gold: Hua Tong, “Spring Flower,” University of Southern California Silver: Kelley Kali, “Lalo’s House,” University of Southern California Bronze: Brian Robau, “Esta Es Tu Cuba”/“This Is Your Cuba,” Chapman University Narrative (International Film Schools) Gold: Jonatan Etzler, “Get Ready with Me,” Stockholm Academy of the Arts Silver: Lisa Gertsch, “Almost Everything,” Zurich University of the Arts Bronze: István Kovács, “A Siege,” University of Theatre and Film Arts, Budapest
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5 Film Projects Selected for 4th THROUGH HER LENS: The Tribeca Chanel Women’s Filmmaker Program
Tribeca and CHANEL continue to provide extraordinary opportunities to propel women filmmakers forward with the fourth annual THROUGH HER LENS: The Tribeca Chanel Women’s Filmmaker Program. The mentorship program was created to provide a balance of industry support, artistic development, and funding for new and emerging U.S.-based female writers and directors of short-form narrative films.
Presented by Tribeca and CHANEL, in collaboration with Pulse Films, and facilitated by Tribeca Film InstituteÒ (TFI), the multi-faceted program has selected five short film projects from women storytellers to receive project support, and take part in one-on-one mentorship and master classes over a three day immersive program. On the final day, each of the five filmmaker pairs will pitch their projects to a jury of industry experts. One filmmaker will be awarded full financing to produce their short film, along with support from Tribeca Studios to make the project. The four other projects will each be awarded grant funds to continue developing their films.
From October 16-18, the filmmakers will gather in New York City with the mentor and program advisors for an in-depth intimate program concentrating on script-to-screen development, casting, finding collaborators, and working with cinematographers, music composers, costume designers, and producers. The selected program participants will attend master classes and have individual mentoring sessions with leading women in filmmaking, meet distributors, and spend concentrated time refining their pitching skills. During the summer, each filmmaker was given the opportunity to work with writing mentors to shape and refine her project.
“In the years since Tribeca launched Through Her Lens with CHANEL, the program has created invaluable opportunities for the next generation of women storytellers,” said Paula Weinstein, EVP of Tribeca Enterprises. “The program brings established women filmmakers together to mentor these emerging voices, provide hands-on guidance and feedback, as well as fund their projects. We’re proud to help expand the pipeline for great inclusive storytelling.”
“TFI’s (Tribeca Film Institute) mission is to join with filmmakers in breaking barriers to access, exposure, and sustainability in the media landscape. The Tribeca Chanel program unequivocally aligns with our nonprofit’s goals to provide this level of meaningful support to women filmmakers of all kinds,” said Amy Hobby, Executive Director, Tribeca Film Institute.
The Leadership Committee participating in the program are:
MASTER CLASS ADVISORS: Costume designer Stacey Battat (The Beguiled, Still Alice), casting director Ellen Chenoweth (The Goldfinch, No Country For Old Men), writer/director Debra Granik (Leave No Trace, Winter’s Bone), composer Laura Karpman (Paris Can Wait, Underground), and cinematographer Rachel Morrison (Black Panther, Mudbound).
JURORS: Producer Effie T. Brown (FOX’s “Star,” Dear White People, “Project Greenlight”), actor/writer/director/producer Lena Dunham (Tiny Furniture, “Camping,” “Girls”), cinematographer Rachel Morrison (Black Panther, Mudbound), and producer Paula Weinstein (“Grace and Frankie,” The Perfect Storm, Recount).
MENTORS: Director/producer Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty), actor/director/producer Courteney Cox (“Cougar Town,” “Friends”), producer and TFI Executive Director Amy Hobby (What Happened, Miss Simone?, Secretary), writer/director Stella Meghie (Everything, Everything, The Weekend), writer/director/executive producer Veena Sud (“The Killing,” “Seven Seconds”), and producer Christine Vachon (Carol, Far from Heaven).
WRITING MENTORS: Producer Stephanie Allain (Beyond the Lights, Dear White People), writer/executive producer Janine Sherman Barrois (“Claws,” “Criminal Minds”), writer/director Susanna Fogel (The Spy Who Dumped Me, Life Partners), writer Jenny Lumet (Rachel Getting Married, Untitled Monsters Franchise for Universal Studios), and writer/executive producer Marti Noxon (“Sharp Objects,” “UnREAL”).
The selected projects and filmmakers are:
H-E-A-T-H-E-R: Heather, a young, racially ambiguous artist, confronts questions of identity when she becomes a part-time babysitter for 11-year-old Jayda. Their dynamic prompts Heather to explore the limitations of her persona as she voyages into other realms of her imagination through fantasy, alternate realities, and moving collages.
Francesca Mirabella (Co-Writer, Co-Director)
Francesca Mirabella is a writer and director who received her MFA from the NYU Tisch Graduate Film program, where she attended as a Dean’s Fellow. Her shorts have screened at a range of festivals and were most recently featured at the Museum of Modern Art. In 2017, Mirabella won an NYU Wasserman Award for Best Screenplay. A 2017/18 Marcie Bloom Fellow, Mirabella is currently developing her feature Modern Love, which was awarded a Tribeca All Access® grant.
Kylah Benes-Trapp (Co-Writer, Co-Director)
Kylah Benes-Trapp is a visual artist from California currently based in New York City. She works primarily in digital illustration, photography and graphic design and has recently started writing for film. Her work explores ideas of self-expression, femininity, identity and nostalgia. Her purpose is to create a world of possibility through her work that will inspire discovery.
LIFE ON MARS: Six aspiring astronauts are sealed inside a solar-powered dome, attempting to simulate life on Mars. When Dana’s helmet malfunctions on the first spacewalk — depriving her of precious oxygen — she and her teammates have a critical decision to make.
Laramie Dennis (Writer, Director)
Laramie Dennis attended Wesleyan University and spent 10 years in New York City developing and directing new plays before earning her MFA in Film and Television Production from USC. Her short films have screened at the Vancouver International Film Festival and Short Film Corner at Cannes and have also been presented and distributed by Boyish, Shorts International and Sprint. Her short-form animated series, The Golden Rule, is currently in production.
Jenna Cedicci (Producer)
Jenna Cedicci is an international feature film and commercial producer. She has developed and produced more than 75 commercials and five features to date, three slated for distribution in 2019: the documentary Fire on the Hill, a remake of the classic German film Nosferatu, and the narrative indie feature Daddy Issues.
ROSA: While working at her aunt’s flower shop, Rosa takes her job underground when she begins a side business of shipping undocumented bodies to their home countries for burial.
Suha Araj (Writer, Director)
Suha Araj creates films that explore the displacement of immigrant communities. The Cup Reader, shot in Palestine, screened at the Tribeca Film Festival and was awarded The Next Great Filmmaker Award at the Berkshire International Film Festival and Baghdad International Film Festival. Araj followed with Pioneer High in 2015. She has received support for her work from the Sundance Film Festival, TorinoFilmLab, Independent Filmmaker Project, Berlinale Talent Project Market, Center for Asian American Media and Cine Qua Non Lab.
Maryam Keshavarz (Producer)
Maryam Keshavarz is a writer, director and producer whose short The Day I Died won the Gold Teddy and Jury Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival. Keshavarz’s first feature, Circumstance, won the Sundance Film Festival’s Audience Award and was distributed theatrically by Participant Media and Roadside Attractions. Her sophomore feature — Viper Club, starring Susan Sarandon — world premiered at Toronto International Film Festival and hits theaters this month.
EL TIMBRE DE SU VOZ: Yaneris, a Dominican teenager, plots a way to escape her hometown of Sosúa, where becoming an escort seems to be her only fate. After unexpectedly falling in love with her client’s son, she decides he may be the ticket to a new life — for both her and her disabled sister.
Gabriella Moses (Writer, Director)
Gabriella Moses is director, writer, and production designer based in Brooklyn. She is a graduate of the NYU Tisch School of the Arts. She has received support for her work through the New York Women in Film & Television’s 2017 From Script to Pre-Production Workshop, Sundance Institute’s 2018 Screenwriters Intensive and 2018 TFI Network. Moses believes in sharing stories with underrepresented protagonists that push viewers’ perceptions of identity and imagination.
Shruti Ganguly (Producer)
Shruti Ganguly is a filmmaker and the founder of honto88. She has directed numerous videos and is a recovering media executive, with roles at MTV, Condé Nast/Vogue and more recently at NYLON as the Vice President of TV & Video. Her films have been screened at the Sundance Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, and AFI Fest. Ganguly hails from India by way of Oman.
WHAT IS YOUR SOUL PURPOSE?: A sheltered Korean American family travels to Atlanta to retrieve the body of their son after he passes away from an accidental overdose. In the depths of their grief, they find an unlikely connection and momentary solace with the African American family who owns the mortuary.
Jennifer Cho Suhr (Writer/Director)
Jennifer Cho Suhr is a Brooklyn-based writer and director. She is developing her debut feature, You and Me Both, starring Constance Wu and selected for the Tribeca All Access® and Film Independent’s Producing Lab and Fast Track programs. Suhr earned her MFA from the NYU Tisch Graduate Film program, where she was awarded the Tisch Fellowship and a grant from the Spike Lee Film Production Fund.
Carolyn Mao (Producer)
Carolyn Mao is a Los Angeles-based producer and former development executive. Nice, a pilot she produced by creator Naomi Ko and director by Andrew Ahn, premiered at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival. She is currently raising financing for You and Me Both. She is a fellow of Film Independent’s Project Involve, Producing Lab and Fast Track programs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ud3__BbTr8g
CHANEL and Tribeca work year-round to support women filmmakers, not only with THROUGH HER LENS, but during the annual Tribeca Film Festival with the annual women’s filmmaking lunch and the Nora Ephron Award. The Award was created in 2013 to honor exceptional female filmmakers who embody the spirit and vision of the legendary filmmaker. Women who have received the award include: Meera Menon (Farah Goes Bang, Equity), Talya Lavie (Zero Motivation), Laura Bispuri (Sworn Virgin), Rachel Tunnard (Adult Life Skills), Petra Volpe (The Divine Order), and Nia DaCosta (Little Woods) from this past year.
The 2016 recipient of the THROUGH HER LENS grant, Feathers, directed by A.V. Rockwell, premiered at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival and was acquired by Fox Searchlight. Last year’s main recipient, Suicide by Sunlight, by Nikyatu Jusu is currently in post-production.
Tribeca actively cultivates independent voices in storytelling and has been at the forefront of supporting women filmmakers. This past year, it led the way as the first major film festival to have near equal representation by women directors in its feature film program. THROUGH HER LENS: The Tribeca Chanel Women’s Filmmaker Program—the most recent iteration of Tribeca’s commitment to female artistic voices—continues to provide resources to help empower emerging women storytellers in the industry. The nonprofit affiliate of Tribeca, Tribeca Film Institute, supports female filmmakers through, among other initiatives, its cornerstone grant and mentorship program, Tribeca All AccessÒ. Currently in its 16th year, the program supports scripted, documentary and interactive storytellers from diverse communities, including those that are statistically underrepresented in the industry.
Image:
(top row: l to r) Carolyn Mao, Francesca Mirabella, Gabriella Moses, Jenna Cedicci, Shruti Ganguly
(bottom row: l to r) Maryam Keshavarz, Laramie Dennis, Kylah Benes-Trapp, Jennifer Cho Suhr, Suha Araj
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THE PROVIDERS, Documentary on Health Care Providers in Rural America to Premiere at DOC NYC [Trailer]
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The Providers[/caption]
The Providers, the award-winning documentary film directed by Laura Green and Anna Moot-Levin about health care providers in rural America will have its New York City premiere at the 2018 DOC NYC festival on Friday, November 9 at 5:30pm at Cinepolis Chelsea, and on Monday, November 12 at 12:45pm at IFC Center. The Providers had its World Premiere at the 2018 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, and went on to screen at the San Francisco DocFest (where it won the Spirit of Activism Award), AFI DOCS, Santa Fe Independent Film Festival, and many other festivals.
Set against the backdrop of the physician shortage and opioid epidemic in rural America, The Providers follows three healthcare providers – a doctor, a nurse practitioner, and a physician assistant – in northern New Mexico. They work at El Centro, a group of safety-net clinics that offer care to all who walk through the doors, regardless of ability to pay. Amidst personal struggles that reflect those of their patients, the journeys of The Providers unfold as they work to reach rural Americans who would otherwise be left out of the healthcare system. With intimate access, the documentary shows the transformative power of providers’ relationships with marginalized patients.
Watch trailer on VIMEO
Directors’ Statement — Laura Green & Anna Moot-Levin
Given the political and discursive tension over the future of American health care, this film has a particular urgency at this historical juncture. New Mexico is one of the country’s poorest and most rural states and opted to expand medicaid under the ACA. However, the challenges in rural healthcare go far beyond the ameliorating effects of the ACA. The Providers reflects the ways poor health is created at the structural level by a lack of public health resources and access to care – in 2016, there were 70,000 preventable deaths in rural areas, and on average life expectancy in rural areas is two years shorter than in urban areas. Set on the frontlines of rural healthcare under the medicaid expansion, the film takes an intimate journey with those who remain marginalized and difficult to reach within traditional healthcare delivery models. We hope the film will inspire more young people to go into rural healthcare, and we are developing an outreach campaign that will target both rural high schools and medical education institutions, including medical schools, nurse practitioner prog
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2018 DOC NYC Announces Full Lineup, Closes with BRESLIN AND HAMILL
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Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists[/caption]
DOC NYC, America’s largest documentary festival, returns for its ninth edition with 135 feature-length documentaries among over 300 films and events overall. The festival takes place November 8 to 15 at in New York at the IFC Center in Greenwich Village and Chelsea’s SVA Theatre and Cinepolis Chelsea.
Special Events include Closing Night Film, the world premiere of HBO’s Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists, about the beloved New York City journalists Jimmy Breslin and Pete Hamill, directed by Jonathan Alter, John Block and Steve McCarthy; and the festival’s Centerpiece presentation, the world premiere of Original Cast Album: Co-op, an episode in the upcoming season of IFC’s Documentary Now! series inspired by D.A. Pennebaker’s Original Cast Album: Company, followed by a conversation with creators Seth Meyers and Rhys Thomas, director Alex Buono, writer and star John Mulaney, and star Renee Elise Goldsberry (Hamilton). The NYC premiere of John Chester’s Telluride and Toronto hit The Biggest Little Farm will open the festival.
World premieres at the festival include Lady Parts Justice in the New World Order, following The Daily Show co-creator Lizz Winstead on a “Vagical Mystery Tour” to fight for reproductive rights; New Homeland, the newest film from two-time Academy Award winner Barbara Kopple, following refugee boys to a summer camp; Cracked Up, a revealing portrait of Saturday Night Live alumnus Darrell Hammond; Olympia, on Academy Award winning actress Olympia Dukakis; Buzz, about Friday Night Lights author Buzz Bissinger; Afterward, a candid exploration of complex tensions between Germans, Jews and Palestinians; Creating a Character: The Moni Yakim Legacy, on the legendary Juilliard drama teacher who trained Meryl Streep and Viola Davis among countless other talents; Beyond the Bolex, a personal history of the iconic camera; and The Show’s the Thing: The Legendary Promoters of Rock, which reveals an untold chapter of rock history.
Among this year’s U.S. premieres are Screwball, a hilarious exposé of Alex Rodriguez’s doping scandal; The Insufferable Groo, on a prolific low-budget filmmaker who recruits Jack Black for his latest opus; Evelyn, Oscar-winner Orlando von Einsiedel’s reckoning with a family tragedy; Rudeboy: The Story of Trojan Records, the fascinating tale about the popularization of Jamaican music worldwide; Barbara Rubin & the Exploding NY Underground, on an influential but little-recognized member of the 1960s film and art world; and The Artist & the Pervert, on the controversial relationship between a world renowned composer and a sex educator.
The festival is curated in 21 sections that include five new strands:
Series Showcase, offering world premieres of new episodic programs, including Showtime’s Enemies: The President, Justice & the FBI, exploring the contentious relationship between U.S. presidents and the FBI; and SundanceTV’s Jonestown: Terror in the Jungle, commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Jonestown Massacre.
Photography on Film, which includes the world premiere of Last Stop Coney Island: The Life and Photography of Harold Feinstein, on the seven-decade career of the NYC photographer.
Portraits, which presents the world premieres of The Great Mother, a profile of a woman serving as the legal guardian for 2,000 children of undocumented immigrants; and Welcome to the Beyond, the surprising story of a fashion model and a cult.
In the System, offering an inside look at institutions, including sexism in the restaurant world in The Heat: A Kitchen (R)evolution; and the financial industry on the cusp of the economic recession in Inside Lehman Brothers.
True Love, which presents the world premiere of Dennis and Lois, about a punk rock-loving older couple; and the U.S. premiere of China Love, which explores China’s $80 billion pre-wedding photo industry.
In the festival’s two feature competition sections, nine films appear under the Viewfinders section for distinct directorial visions. They include the world premieres of Cooked: Survival by Zip Code, a radical reframing of natural disasters and their link to poverty; Out of Omaha, a coming-of-age story executive produced by musician J. Cole; The Smartest Kids in the World, an exploration of the shortcomings of the U.S. education system; and The Kleptocrats, an investigation of the Malaysian financial scandal that helped finance The Wolf of Wall Street.
In the Metropolis competition section, seven films are dedicated to stories set in New York City. They include the world premieres of Jay Myself, about acclaimed photographer Jay Maisel; Decade of Fire, on the notorious series of fires that devastated the Bronx in the 1970s; See Know Evil, about a young photographer who left an indelible mark on fashion in the 1990s; and The Candidates, which follows an elaborate mock U.S. presidential election at a Queens high school.
Other returning sections include high-profile Special Events; national and global takes inAmerican Perspectives and International Perspectives; and thematic sections Centerstage (on performance), Jock Docs (on sports), Science Nonfiction (on science and technology), Wild Life (on animals), Modern Family (on unconventional families), Behind the Scenes (on filmmaking), Fight the Power (on activism), Sonic Cinema (on music) and Docs Redux (revisiting classic nonfiction). Short-form content (92 films in total) is represented by the festival’s Shorts Competition and DOC NYC U (showcasing student work), selected by Programmer Opal H. Bennett.
These sections join the Short List: Features titles, highlighting 15 of the year’s award contender documentary features; Short List: Shorts, an inaugural list of 12 of the year’s leading nonfiction shorts; and the eight-day DOC NYC PRO conference, doubled in size from 2017, focusing on panels and masterclasses.
DOC NYC will welcome over 500 filmmakers and special guests in attendance for Q&As after most screenings and for DOC NYC PRO panels. Among the notable guests expected to appear in person are Jakob Dylan for Echo in the Canyon, Darrell Hammond for Cracked Up, Jeffrey Wright for We Are Not Done Yet, Sandra Lee for RX: Early Detection, J.Cole for Out of Omaha, Christo for Walking on Water, Alex Sharp for Creating a Character, Lizz Winstead for Lady Parts Justice in the New World Order and more to be announced in the coming weeks.
For this year’s Short List section of awards season frontrunners, filmmakers presenting their work in person at the festival include Rashida Jones and Alan Hicks (Quincy), Wim Wenders (Pope Francis: A Man of His Word), Michael Moore (Fahrenheit 11/9), Morgan Neville (Won’t You Be My Neighbor?), Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (Free Solo), Betsy West and Julie Cohen (RBG), Rudy Valdez (The Sentence), Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg (Reversing Roe), Susan Lacy (Jane Fonda in Five Acts), Bing Liu (Minding the Gap), Tim Wardle (Three Identical Strangers), Sandi Tan (Shirkers), Alexandria Bombach (On Her Shoulders), RaMell Ross (Hale County This Morning, This Evening) and Stephen Maing (Crime + Punishment). Filmmakers will also take part in the Short List Day of panel conversations on Nov. 9 at DOC NYC PRO.
Notable documentarians will also be honored at the Visionaries Tribute Awards event on Nov. 8: Wim Wenders and Orlando Bagwell will receiveLifetime Achievement Awards while Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin will receive the Robert and Anne Drew Award for observational filmmaking. Tabitha Jackson, director of the Documentary Film Program at Sundance Institute, will receive theLeading Light Award for distinguished service to documentary in a role outside filmmaking.
The following is a breakdown of programming by section:
SPECIAL EVENTS
OPENING NIGHT THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM Dir: John Chester (NYC PREMIERE) For over eight years, John and Molly Chester struggle to work with nature to establish a biodynamic farm, like a modern-day Little House on the Prairie. CLOSING NIGHT BRESLIN AND HAMILL: DEADLINE ARTISTS Dirs: Jonathan Alter, John Block and Steve McCarthy (WORLD PREMIERE) Legendary newspaper columnists Jimmy Breslin and Pete Hamill are profiled in this essential look at journalism in New York City. CENTERPIECE Documentary Now! Presents ORIGINAL CAST ALBUM: CO-OP Dir: Alex Buono (WORLD PREMIERE) IFC’s comedy series Documentary Now!, which pays homage to nonfiction classics, presents an episode inspired by D.A. Pennebaker’s Original Cast Album: Company.VIEWFINDERS
COOKED: SURVIVAL BY ZIP CODE Dir: Judith A. Helfand (WORLD PREMIERE) Director Judith A. Helfand (Blue Vinyl) investigates the victims and profiteers in extreme weather catastrophes like Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy. GHOST FLEET Dirs: Shannon Service, Jeffrey Waldron (NYC PREMIERE) This suspenseful high-seas adventure follows a team of activists who rescue modern-day slaves in Thailand’s illegal fishing industry. HEARTBOUND Dirs: Janus Metz, Sine Plambech (NYC PREMIERE) Janus Metz (Borg vs McEnroe) and Sine Plambech explore the surprising cross-cultural marriages between Danish men and Thai women over a decade. THE KLEPTOCRATS Dirs: Havana Marking, Sam Hobkinson (WORLD PREMIERE) Investigative journalists uncover how $3.5 billion was plundered from the Malaysian government for a spending spree that included funding The Wolf of Wall Street. A LITTLE WISDOM Dirs: Yuqi Kang (NYC PREMIERE) In a Tibetan Buddhist monastery, young novice monks try to balance rituals and discipline with the distractions of modern life and childhood. OUT OF OMAHA Dir: Clay Tweel (WORLD PREMIERE) A coming-of-age tale of twin African-American brothers filmed over eight years by director Clay Tweel (Gleason) and executive produced by musician J. Cole. THE SMARTEST KIDS IN THE WORLD Dir: Tracy Droz Tragos (WORLD PREMIERE) Based on Amanda Ripley’s bestselling book, four American teenagers go abroad to study in nations that outperform the US in education. UNDER THE WIRE Dir: Chris Martin (NYC PREMIERE) A gripping, first-hand account of the mortal peril faced by war correspondent Marie Colvin and photographer Paul Conroy while reporting from within Syria. WALKING ON WATER Dir: Andrey Paounov (NYC PREMIERE) After the death of his partner, Jeanne-Claude, the visionary artist Christo, known for The Gates of Central Park, realizes his dream of The Floating Piers in Italy.METROPOLIS
BARBARA RUBIN & THE EXPLODING NY UNDERGROUND Dir: Chuck Smith (U.S. PREMIERE) The untold story of an influential figure who defied sexist conventions and enabled surprising connections in the 1960s New York underground film scene. THE CANDIDATES Dirs: Alexandra Stergiou, Lexi Henigman (WORLD PREMIERE) In a Queens high school, a mock Presidential election sees a Russian-American as Donald Trump face off against a Pakistani-American as Hillary Clinton. CREATING A CHARACTER: THE MONI YAKIM LEGACY Dir: Rauzar Alexander (WORLD PREMIERE) Legendary Juilliard acting teacher Moni Yakim, who taught Meryl Streep, Viola Davis, Patti LuPone and countless others, gets his time in the spotlight. DECADE OF FIRE Dirs: Vivian Vazquez, Gretchen Hildebran (WORLD PREMIERE) The true, inside story behind the burning of the Bronx in the 1970s and how the community resisted, remained and rebuilt. JAY MYSELF Dir: Stephen Wilkes (WORLD PREMIERE) For five decades, photographer Jay Maisel created an artistic wonderland in a six-story building on the Bowery, but now it’s time to move. SEE KNOW EVIL Dir: Charles Curran (WORLD PREMIERE) At a young age, photographer Davide Sorrenti took New York City by storm in the 1990s and left an indelible imprint on the fashion world. THE WORLD BEFORE YOUR FEET Dir: Jeremy Workman (NYC PREMIERE) This charming portrait captures urban explorer Matt Green on his mission to walk every block of New York City.AMERICAN PERSPECTIVES
THE BLESSING Dirs: Hunter Robert Baker, Jordan Fein (NYC PREMIERE) Deep in the Navajo Nation, one family struggles with contradictions as a coal company offers employment while destroying the community’s sacred homeland. CITY OF JOEL Dir: Jesse Sweet (NYC PREMIERE) In Monroe, NY, 50 miles north of NYC, a fast-growing Hasidic community sets off a turf war with political, economic and religious implications. THE CITY THAT SOLD AMERICA Dir: Ky Dickens (NYC PREMIERE) A playful and informative look at the key role Chicago has played in modern advertising and its impact on pop culture. Screening with Ross Kauffman’s short Still Plays with Trains: John reconstructs his idyllic 1950s childhood through one of the world’s largest model train sets. EMANUEL Dir: Brian Ivie (NYC PREMIERE) In the aftermath of the 2015 church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, a community grapples with justice, faith and forgiveness. HARVEST SEASON Dir: Bernardo Ruiz (NYC PREMIERE) Set in California’s Napa and Sonoma Valley wine country, this film celebrates the unsung workers and small producers, from vine to vintage. HILLBILLY Dirs: Sally Rubin, Ashley York (NYC PREMIERE) Ashley York returns to her hometown in Appalachia where, contrary to dismissive stereotypes, she shows a diverse, complex and proud community. NORTH POLE, NY Dir: Ali Cotterill (NYC PREMIERE) Upstate New York’s Santa’s Workshop theme park struggles to overcome economic challenges and a con man who tries to steal Christmas. THE PROVIDERS Dirs: Anna Moot-Levin, Laura Green (NYC PREMIERE) In rural New Mexico, healthcare workers serve a community hard hit by the opioid crisis and still reeling from the 2008 recession. VERY SENIOR: ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING Dir: Susan Gluth (WORLD PREMIERE) In Sun City, Arizona, seniors in a retirement community demonstrate the art of aging gracefully while making one’s own choices. Screening with Rachel Mills and Maya Tippett’s short Magnitudinous Illuminous: Meet Pete, a 66-year-old Brooklyn bartender and self-proclaimed philosopher. WHILE I BREATHE, I HOPE Dir: Emily Harrold (NYC PREMIERE) Young, African-American and a Democrat, Bakari Sellers faces an uphill struggle as he runs for lieutenant governor in South Carolina.INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES
AFTERWARD Dir: Ofra Bloch (WORLD PREMIERE) Disturbed by the resurgence of anti-Semitism worldwide, the filmmaker travels to Germany, Israel and Palestine to confront lasting tensions and contradictions. BRAVE GIRLS Dirs: Yashaswi Desai, Ellie Walton (WORLD PREMIERE) Three young Indian women in a conservative Muslim town seek to change their futures through education and self-determination. Screening with Guille Isa and Angello Faccini’s short Dulce: A mother teaches her daughter how to swim, essential to survival in their Colombian village. EXIT Dir: Karen Winther (NYC PREMIERE) What makes someone join neo-Nazis, Jihadists or other hate groups, and what makes them decide to leave? THE INTERPRETERS Dirs: Andres Caballero, Sofian Khan (NYC PREMIERE) Interpreters who worked for US military forces in Afghanistan and Iraq face retribution while they await promised but long-delayed special visas into the US. NEW HOMELAND Dir: Barbara Kopple (WORLD PREMIERE) Refugee boys from war-torn Syria and Iraq attend a Canadian summer camp where some thrive while others struggle. OF FATHERS AND SONS Dir: Talal Derki (NYC PREMIERE) In this Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner, director Talal Derki (Return to Homs) gains access to a radical Syrian jihadist and his family for two years. THE OTHER RIO Dir: Émilie B. Guérette (U.S. PREMIERE) In Rio de Janeiro, squatters live in an abandoned government building under the rule of drug dealers, but exhibit a remarkable resilience. TAKUMI: A 60,000 HOUR STORY ON THE SURVIVAL OF HUMAN CRAFT Dir: Clay Jeter (WORLD PREMIERE) Profiles of devoted artisans including a chef, a traditional paper cut artist, a car factory inspector and a carpenter.SERIES SHOWCASE
ENEMIES: THE PRESIDENT, JUSTICE & THE FBI Dir: Jed Rothstein (WORLD PREMIERE) A preview of the new Showtime series, inspired by Tim Weiner’s Enemies: A History of the FBI, with an episode on the Iran-Contra affair plus an extended Q&A. JONESTOWN: TERROR IN THE JUNGLE Dir: Shan Nicholson (WORLD PREMIERE) Based on Jeff Guinn’s book The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple, the first half of the new SundanceTV series is previewed, with an extended Q&A. LADY PARTS JUSTICE IN THE NEW WORLD ORDER Dir: Ruth Leitman (WORLD PREMIERE) Lizz Winstead, co-creator of The Daily Show, organizes activists and comedians for a satire-infused advocacy tour for reproductive rights.PHOTOGRAPHY ON FILM
INSTANT DREAMS Dir: Willem Baptist (NYC PREMIERE) After the Polaroid company stops production, three enthusiasts are determined to keep alive the magical wonder and technology of instant cameras. THE LAST RESORT Dirs: Dennis Scholl, Kareem Tabsch (NYC PREMIERE) Photographers Andy Sweet and Gary Monroe captured Miami Beach’s aging Jewish population for a decade, even as the city transformed around them. LAST STOP CONEY ISLAND: THE LIFE AND PHOTOGRAPHY OF HAROLD FEINSTEIN Dir: Andy Dunn (WORLD PREMIERE) Photographer Harold Feinstein captured the beauty, joy and diversity of New Yorkers over seven decades. WITKIN & WITKIN Dir: Trisha Ziff (NYC PREMIERE) Gifted twin brothers—photographer Joel-Peter Witkin and painter Jerome Witkin—reunite for a joint show after decades of estrangement.PORTRAITS
BUZZ Dir: Andrew Shea (WORLD PREMIERE) While co-writing Caitlyn Jenner’s biography, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Buzz Bissinger (Friday Night Lights) tests his marriage with surprising revelations. COMMANDER ARIAN: A STORY OF WOMEN, WAR & FREEDOM Dir: Alba Sotorra (NYC PREMIERE) Under threat from ISIS, Commander Arian gathers her all-women Kurdish battalion to rescue enslaved civilians in northern Syria. THE FEMINIST Dir: Hampus Linder (INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE) This starkly intimate portrait of Sweden’s feminist trailblazer politician Gudrun Schyman serves as a rallying call in today’s political climate. THE GREAT MOTHER Dirs: Dave LaMattina, Chad Walker (WORLD PREMIERE) Nora Sandigo has more than 2,000 kids, acting as the legal guardian for US-born children of undocumented immigrants. I’M LEAVING NOW Dirs: Lindsey Cordero, Armando Croda (U.S. PREMIERE) Felipe, an undocumented immigrant in NYC who has long struggled to support his family in Mexico, faces the limits of self-sacrifice. LAILA AT THE BRIDGE Dirs: Elizabeth Mirzaei, Gulistan Mirzaei (NYC PREMIERE) Self-proclaimed badass Laila offers salvation to drug addicts in Kabul, running a clinic with her brother, himself a recovered addict. WELCOME TO THE BEYOND Dir: Brent Huff (WORLD PREMIERE) The surprising story of Hoyt Richards, the world’s first male supermodel… and secretly a member of the Eternal Values cult. WORLDS OF URSULA K. LE GUIN Dir: Arwen Curry (NYC PREMIERE) A moving and intimate profile of feminist sci-fi/fantasy author Ursula K. Le Guin, featuring interviews with admirers like Neil Gaiman and David Mitchell.IN THE SYSTEM
ALICIA Dir: Maasja Ooms (NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE) A gem of observational cinema, Maasja Ooms’ film portrays the emotional roller coaster experienced by a girl in foster care longing for love. FALSE CONFESSIONS Dir: Katrine Philp (NYC PREMIERE) A dogged defense attorney is on a crusade to put a stop to coerced false confessions, exposing their destructive consequences. THE HEAT: A KITCHEN (R)EVOLUTION Dir: Maya Gallus (NYC PREMIERE) Seven female chefs are profiled in a no-holds-barred exploration of the struggles faced by women in the restaurant industry. INSIDE LEHMAN BROTHERS Dir: Jennifer Deschamps (NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE) Ten years after Wall Street’s meltdown, Lehman Brothers whistleblowers look back on their efforts to sound an alarm. OWNED: A TALE OF TWO AMERICAS Dir: Giorgio Angelini (NYC PREMIERE) An investigation of how greed, flawed economics and systemic racism have distorted the American dream of homeownership. THE SCHOOL IN THE CLOUD Dir: Jerry Rothwell (NYC PREMIERE) The brainchild of TED Prize winner Sugata Mitra, a state of the art learning lab connects children in remote areas to teachers via the Internet. SEE YOU TOMORROW, GOD WILLING! Dir: Ainara Vera (NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE) Seventeen octogenarian Franciscan nuns in Spain take care of each other in this beautifully observed and often humorous portrait. Screening with Leah Galant’s short Death Metal Grandma: A 97-year-old Holocaust survivor prepares a death metal audition for America’s Got Talent. SOMEWHERE TO BE Dir: Peter Odabashian (WORLD PREMIERE) In NYC’s Greenwich House, seniors from all walks of life share stories in this heartwarming portrait that redefines the meaning of a good life.TRUE LOVE
THE ARTIST & THE PERVERT Dirs: Beatrice Behn, René Gebhardt (U.S. PREMIERE) In this provocative exploration of sexual kinks, composer Georg Friedrich Haas and sex educator Mollena Williams redefine norms of love and ownership. CHINA LOVE Dir: Olivia Martin-McGuire (INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE) In modern-day Shanghai, engaged couples go on a fantasy ride of glitz, excess and glamour in search of the perfect wedding photo. DENNIS AND LOIS Dir: Chris Cassidy (WORLD PREMIERE) Forty years after meeting at CBGB, aging superfans Dennis and Lois still live life to its fullest, traveling all over to support their favorite bands. SILICONE SOUL Dir: Melody Gilbert (NYC PREMIERE) Profiling individuals who form relationships with eerily lifelike dolls, this film sensitively explores the need for companionship and emotional connection.CENTERSTAGE
CARE TO LAUGH Dir: Julie Getz (NYC PREMIERE) Jesus Trejo funnels his experiences as a caregiver to his elderly parents into disarmingly funny material for his stand-up routine. CRAFTING AN ECHO Dir: Marco Williams (WORLD PREMIERE) Choreographer Andonis Foniadakis struggles to stage an ambitious work with the Martha Graham Dance Company with no shortage of behind-the-scenes drama. Screening with Dime Davis’ short Wild Wild West: A Beautiful Rant by Mark Bradford: A provocative artist explains where artists come from. THE ICE KING Dir: James Erskine (NYC PREMIERE) A profile of 1976 Gold medal-winning figure skater John Curry, arguably the first openly gay Olympic athlete and the creator of ice dancing. OLYMPIA Dir: Harry Mavromichalis (WORLD PREMIERE) Follow Academy Award winner Olympia Dukakis behind the scenes in this affectionate profile of a stalwart New Yorker and beloved stage and screen treasure. WE ARE NOT PRINCESSES Dirs: Bridgette Auger, Itab Azzam (WORLD PREMIERE) Refreshingly candid Syrian women find personal connections to Greek tragedy during a theater workshop in a Lebanese refugee camp. WHEN ARABS DANCED Dir: Jawad Rhalib (NYC PREMIERE) Jawad Rhalib profiles artists in the Muslim world—including his mother, a Moroccan dancer—who seek freedom from stereotypes and repression.JOCK DOCS
LIFE WITHOUT BASKETBALL Dirs: Tim O’Donnell, Jon Mercer (WORLD PREMIERE) Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir fights the International Basketball Federation to wear the hijab during Division I competition. MEMORY GAMES Dirs: Janet Tobias, Claus Wehlisch (WORLD PREMIERE) Inside the world championship of memory athletes, the abilities on display are unforgettable. MY PERFECT WORLD: THE AARON HERNANDEZ STORY Dir: Geno McDermott (WORLD PREMIERE) Sports journalists Dan Wetzel and Kevin Armstrong track the scandal of New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez as he spiraled from stardom to infamy. SCREWBALL Dir: Billy Corben (U.S. PREMIERE) From the makers of Cocaine Cowboys, this true crime comedy exposes baseball player Alex Rodriguez’s doping scandal with a hilarious profile of his drug supplier.SCIENCE NONFICTION
BEHIND THE CURVE Dir: Daniel J. Clark (NYC PREMIERE) A profile of passionate advocates of the Flat Earth theory reveals the deep-seated need for community and the hazards of believing in alternative facts. PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF DESIRE Dir: Hao Wu (NYC PREMIERE) This SXSW Grand Jury winner goes behind the scenes of China’s live-streaming showrooms, where web stars seek fans and financial rewards. THE TRUTH ABOUT KILLER ROBOTS Dir: Maxim Pozdorovkin (NYC PREMIERE) The director of Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer investigates how robots are becoming more human and humans more robotic.WILD LIFE
THE ANCIENT WOODS Dir: Mindaugas Survila (NYC PREMIERE) Ten years in the making, a biologist-turned-filmmaker documents an old-growth forest with immersive cinematography and sound design. THE CAT RESCUERS Dirs: Rob Fruchtman, Steven Lawrence (NYC PREMIERE) A profile of street-smart volunteers working tirelessly in Brooklyn to help save as many street cats in need as possible. ELEPHANT PATH/NJAIA NJOKU Dir: Todd McGrain (NYC PREMIERE) In the forests of the Central African Republic, one of the last wild herds of elephants struggles for survival. FIRE ON THE HILL: THE COWBOYS OF SOUTH CENTRAL LA Dir: Brett Fallentine (NYC PREMIERE) Three black cowboys seek to preserve a unique culture of horse-riding in the last public stable in South Central LA. FOR THE BIRDS Dir: Richard Miron (NYC PREMIERE) Kathy, an obsessive bird lover in upstate New York, struggles to maintain over 200 chickens, geese, ducks and turkeys. OF FISH AND FOE Dirs: Heike Bachelier, Andy Heathcote (U.S. PREMIERE) Wildlife preservation clashes with family tradition when one of Scotland’s last salmon fishing families is accused of animal rights violations. STARS IN THE SKY: A HUNTING STORY Dir: Steven Rinella (WORLD PREMIERE) Set in the Alaskan wilderness, this thought-provoking film explores controversies over the sport of hunting. Screening with Orlando Mora Cabrera’s short Olga: After years of taking in street cats, Olga has more than she can handle.MODERN FAMILY
COLOSSUS Dir: Jonathan Schienberg (WORLD PREMIERE) Born in the US, 15-year-old Jamil copes with the deportation to Honduras of his undocumented parents and older sister. EVELYN Dir: Orlando von Einsiedel (INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE) Oscar-winning filmmaker Orlando von Einsiedel (The White Helmets) turns the camera on his family as they cope with a tragic loss. FAMILY IN TRANSITION Dir: Ofir Trainin (INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE) In a small Israeli town, a husband and father of four undergoes a gender transition that has rippling effects on the family. GLOBAL FAMILY Dirs: Melanie Andernach, Andreas Köhler (U.S. PREMIERE) A family, scattered across the globe in their escape from Somalia’s civil war, faces challenges when they must find a caregiver for their matriarch. LITTLE MISS WESTIE Dir: Joy E. Reed, Dan Hunt (WORLD PREMIERE) In Connecticut, Ren is the first out transgirl to compete in the Little Miss Westie Pageant, coached by her transgender brother. REFUGEE Dir: Alexander J. Farrell (WORLD PREMIERE) Syrian refugee Raf’aa seeks to be reunited with her family who are blocked by closed borders in this poignant story about today’s migration crisis. A SISTER’S SONG Dir: Danae Elon (NYC PREMIERE) In this real-life psychological thriller, an Israeli woman tries to convince her sister to leave the religious order which has kept them separated for 20 years. TO KID OR NOT TO KID Dir: Maxine Trump (WORLD PREMIERE) Filmmaker Maxine Trump (no relation) explores women like herself who face societal stigma for choosing not to have children. TRE MAISON DASAN Dir: Denali Tiller (NYC PREMIERE) This profile of three boys cut off from parents who are in prison poses meaningful questions about the effects of mass incarceration. WRESTLING GHOSTS Dir: Ana Joanes (NYC PREMIERE) A young mother tries to unravel her conflicted feelings around parenthood, inviting the viewer into her counseling sessions to heal past trauma.BEHIND THE SCENES
BEYOND THE BOLEX Dir: Alyssa Bolsey (WORLD PREMIERE) Alyssa Bolsey explores the iconic Bolex camera, invented by her great-grandfather, Jacques Bolsey, who was a Russian refugee during World War I. CRACKED UP Dir: Michelle Esrick (WORLD PREMIERE) With courage and humor, comedian and Saturday Night Live alumnus Darrell Hammond reveals his dark history of child abuse. THE EYES OF ORSON WELLES Dir: Mark Cousins (NYC PREMIERE) Mark Cousins (The Story of Film) takes a novel approach to Orson Welles by studying the legendary filmmaker’s paintings, drawings and doodles. THE GHOST OF PETER SELLERS Dir: Peter Medak (NYC PREMIERE) Director Peter Medak (The Ruling Class) revisits his ill-fated 1973 pirate film with Peter Sellers in a classic insider’s tale of movie-making madness and folly. THE GREENAWAY ALPHABET Dir: Saskia Boddeke (NYC PREMIERE) Peter Greenaway (The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover) is profiled with an alphabetical word association, directed by his multimedia artist wife. Screening with Chuck Workman’s short Moments of Truth: A masterful montage of moments from 100 documentary films. THE INSUFFERABLE GROO Dir: Scott Christopherson (NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE) Stephen Groo, a Utah-based filmmaker of outlandish low-budget genre films with admirers like Jack Black, attempts an opus that may be his undoing. THE ORANGE YEARS: THE NICKELODEON STORY Dir: Scott Barber, Adam Sweeney (WORLD PREMIERE) A nostalgic and entertaining look back at the early years of Nickelodeon, the TV network that let kids enjoy being kids. THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING Dir: Tom Donahue (NYC PREMIERE) Meryl Streep, Jessica Chastain, Shonda Rhimes and Geena Davis join a who’s who of Hollywood in this investigation of the entertainment industry’s systemic sexism. UNITED WE FAN Dir: Michael Sparaga (NYC PREMIERE) Looking at fandom culture that rallied around shows like Star Trek or Cagney and Lacey,this film reflects on the meaning of pop culture devotion. WHAT SHE SAID: THE ART OF PAULINE KAEL Dir: Rob Garver (NYC PREMIERE) A nuanced portrait of controversial and influential film critic Pauline Kael revisits late-twentieth-century cinema through her words, followed by an extended Q&A.FIGHT THE POWER
BEI BEI Dirs: Rose Rosenblatt, Marion Lipschutz (NYC PREMIERE) In Indiana, the murder trial of Chinese immigrant Bei Bei Shuai poses a disturbing legal precedent for terminating a pregnancy. BLEED OUT Dir: Steve Burrows (WORLD PREMIERE) In this legal drama meets medical mystery, Steve Burrows seeks justice for his mother, who suffers catastrophic complications after routine surgery. BOYS WHO LIKE GIRLS Dir: Inka Achté (NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE) In the aftermath of the infamous Delhi gang rape, a man works to change the way Indian boys view females. Screening with Thomas Winston’s short Casting in Jagüey Grande: Cuban kids attempt to master the art of fly fishing with their mentor and father figure. GRIT Dirs: Cynthia Wade, Sasha Friedlander (NYC PREMIERE) In East Java, Indonesia, a mother and daughter battle a corporation over a man-made catastrophe that’s displaced more than 60,000 people. I AM THE REVOLUTION Dir: Benedetta Argentieri (WORLD PREMIERE) Three women in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria lead the fight for gender equality and freedom in this empowering portrait. PATRIMONIO Dirs: Lisa F. Jackson, Sarah Teale (NYC PREMIERE) In Baja, Mexico, local fishermen face off against the development of a luxury resort, which will have a radical impact on the environment and on their livelihood. THE RESCUE LIST Dirs: Alyssa Fedele, Zachary Fink (NYC PREMIERE) On Ghana’s Lake Volta, activists work to rescue victims of a child-slavery industry and help them transition back to normal life. Screening with Nicholas Brennan’s short Mama: Gertrude has dedicated her life to delivering children in her rural Ugandan village.SONIC CINEMA
THE 5 BROWNS: DIGGING THROUGH THE DARKNESS Dir: Ben Niles (NYC PREMIERE) Siblings and Juilliard-trained piano virtuosos, the 5 Browns confront a disturbing secret and use music to recover from its impact on their family. 16 BARS Dir: Samuel Bathrick (NYC PREMIERE) Grammy winner Todd Thomas—aka “Speech” of Arrested Development—leads a unique collaborative music workshop in a Virginia state penitentiary. ECHO IN THE CANYON Dir: Andrew Slater (NYC PREMIERE) Musician Jakob Dylan of The Wallflowers explores the 1960s musicians who fostered folk rock tradition in the community of Laurel Canyon. I USED TO BE NORMAL: A BOYBAND FANGIRL STORY Dir: Jessica Leski (NYC PREMIERE) Profiling the ardent fans who find joy in their devotion of boy bands such as New Kids on the Block, N*Sync, One Direction and The Beatles. IT MUST SCHWING! THE BLUE NOTE STORY Dir: Eric Friedler (NYC PREMIERE) Executive produced by Wim Wenders and featuring a swinging jazz soundtrack, this history of Blue Note Records profiles the company’s two Jewish German refugee founders. RUDEBOY: THE STORY OF TROJAN RECORDS Dir: Nicolas Jack Davies (U.S. PREMIERE) Set to great Jamaican music, a creative exploration of the pioneering 1960s label behind “Rudy, A Message to You,” “You Can Get if You Really Want” and more. THE SHOW’S THE THING: THE LEGENDARY PROMOTERS OF ROCK Dir: Molly Bernstein, Philip Dolin (WORLD PREMIERE) This untold chapter of rock history reveals the influential live music promoters behind the rise of the Rolling Stones, Simon & Garfunkel, David Bowie and more. TEDDY PENDERGRASS: IF YOU DON’T KNOW ME Dir: Olivia Lichtenstein (NYC PREMIERE) This definitive bio, set to a soulful soundtrack, tells the story of Teddy Pendergrass, poised to be the biggest R&B artist ever—until tragedy struck.DOCS REDUX
A HYMN FOR ALVIN AILEY (1999) Dir: Orlando Bagwell A classic film by DOC NYC Lifetime Achievement Award-winner Orlando Bagwell, celebrating the legacy of pioneering choreographer Alvin Ailey.SHORTS PROGRAMS
SHORTS: THE BIG APPLE New York, NY. It’s a helluva town. Seven films explore the city, from the lives of immigrant cabbies to the World Trade Center memorial. The Accidental Activist (Samia Khan) Footprint (Sara Newens) The Sheriff of Goodtimes (Brad Hinkle) A Sharper Sword (Olivier Bernier) I’ve Never Been a Fisherman (Joe Stankus) King of the Night (Molly Brass, Stephen Tyler) Vilaayat (Ansh Vohra) SHORTS: THE CREATIVE SPARK On artists, performers and designers. Eight films profile graffiti to woodworking, architecture to art in Havana. Painting the Town (William Higbie) Barbara Kruger: Part of the Discourse (Ian Forster) Perspective. (Allyssa Agro) Thomas Fire Architect (Nicholas Weissman) Cuban Canvas (Kavery Kaul) Don’t Define Me (Don Casper) Tapume (Hugo Faraco) My Paintbrush Bites (Joel Pincosy, Joe Egender) SHORTS: DRAWN TOGETHER Life, animated. Nine films offer a creative use of animation to tell stories about Christmas, clowns, film pioneers and more. Santa Is a Psychedelic Mushroom (Matthew Salton) Music & Clowns (Alex Widdowson) Obon (Andre Hoermann, Anna Samo) Tightly Wound (Shelby Hadden) For A Better Life (Yasmin Mistry) Carlotta’s Face (Valentin Riedl, Frédéric Schuld) Lon (Nina Landau) Lotte That Silhouette Girl (Elizabeth Beecherl, Carla Patullo) The Likes and Dislikes of Marj Bagley (Taylor Stanton) SHORTS: GENERATION Z The hopes and dreams of the youngest generation. Seven films detail young love, youth activism, refugee life and more. True Love in Pueblo Textil (Horatio Baltz) Station 15 (Kira Akerman, Sophie Tintori) Share (Barna Szász, Ellie Wen) Listen (Astrid Bussink) Osama and Ayman (Sam Price-Waldman, Ben Mullinkosson, Chris Cresci) We Became Fragments ( Luisa Conlon, Hanna Miller, Lacy Jane Roberts) Hallo Salaam (Kim Brand) SHORTS: I’M A SURVIVOR Contemplating life and death and finding grace. Six films offer hope in the face of life’s curveballs, from illness to accident. Grace (Rachel Pikelny) Sister Hearts (Mohammad Gorjestani) Crannog (Isa Rao) I Was Here (Julian Dalrymple) Prince’s Tale (Jamie Miller) The Pull (Paul Szynol) SHORTS: LEGACY History is made, for better or worse. Three films explore the legacy of both private and public actions. The Happiness Machine (Rebecca B. Blumhagen) In the Absence (Yi Seung-Jun) Father K (Judd Ehrlich) SHORTS: QUEERLY BELOVED Life, loud and proud. Four films detail the diversity of LGBTQ experience. The Journey: Gay Officers Action League (Det. John Giretti, Andrew Sklar) Landline (Matt Houghton) Almost Liam (Sapir Rokach) Transformations (Alonso Mayo) SHORTS: SPACES UNKNOWN Unexpected moments and unusual discoveries. Six surprising stories about fake news, rhino guardians and more. Fake News Fairytale (Kate Stonehill) The Traffic Separating Device (Johan Palmgren) Tungrus (Rishi Chandna) The Mauritania Railway: Backbone of the Sahara (MacGregor) Black Line (Mark Olexa, Francesca Scalisi) The Black Mambas (Bruce Donnelly) SHORTS: THIS IS AMERICA, 2018 The states of the nation. Seven stories offer seven stories about Alabama quilters, a Texas pastor, New Orleans politicians and more. Lonesome Willcox (Ryan Maxey, Zack Wright) Sole Doctor (Paula Bernstein) While I Yet Live (Maris Curran) Cats Cradle (Jonathan Napolitano) LA Stories (Sara Newens, Josh Polon) Last Sermon at George’s Creek (Spencer Creigh, Bobby Moser) All Skinfolk Ain’t Kinfolk (Angela Tucker) SHORTS: THIS SPORTING LIFE Athletes, on and off the field. Six portraits of boxing, climbing, football and more. El Gallo (Michael Medoway) Big Wall (Jennifer Law-Smith) Concussion Protocol (Josh Begley) This Is Yarra (Lydia Rui) Black 14 (Darius Clark Monroe) Junction (Brendan Young)DOC NYC U
The festival’s long-running section offers showcases of some of the city’s top student documentary filmmaking programs. Five programs reveal the nonfiction filmmakers of tomorrow, with work from Columbia University, Hunter College, New York Film Academy, New York University and School of Visual Arts. Columbia Journalism School’s Documentary Project showcase includes: The Lifehouse (Heba Elorbany, Kimberly Flores Guzmàn) Love, Mommy (Tala Hadavi, Yeong-Ung Yang) Hunter’s MFA Program in Integrated Media Arts showcase includes: After… After… (Access) (Jordan Lord) Dick’s Decoys (Sean Hanley) Cranberry Lake (Zoya Baker) Gentrification Express: Breaking Down the BQX (Samantha Farinella, Amanda Katz) Postcards from Miss Universe (CG Foisy) NYFA’s Documentary Department showcase includes: Cricket Liu (Julia Cheng) I Love You, Wally (Simona Kubasova Prakash) Keliling Bali (Gary Bencheghib, Aitor Mendilibar) The Trolls & I (Charlotte Madvig Schmidt) NYU’s NewsDoc showcase includes: An Edited Life (Mathieu Faure) Trafficked In Paradise (Olivia Wilson) SVA’s MFA Social Documentary Film showcase includes: Bird (Kate Fisher) Bob Man (Olivia Garzon) The Calling (Padcha Ithijarukul) Dressed to Fight (Naijie Wang) In the Right Frame of Mind (Veronique Engel) Noodle Soul (Hong Shanjia) On Track (Yunhong Pu)SHORT LIST: SHORTS
’63 BOYCOTT Dir: Gordon Quinn In 1963, more than 250,000 students boycotted Chicago’s public schools to protest racial segregation. Combining period footage with reflections from participants, ‘63 Boycott links the past with present-day concerns around inequality in the education system. Courtesy of Kartemquin. EARTHRISE Dir: Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee In 1968, the first image of the Earth was captured from space, an iconic photograph that had an immediate and transformative impact around the globe. Earthrise explores the memories of the Apollo 8 astronauts responsible for the image, and their experience of awe in viewing the Earth framed against the void of space. Courtesy of New York Times Op-Docs/POV. END GAME Dirs: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman A moving film about the passage from life to death, End Game is a portrait of the last days of those in palliative care in two San Francisco Bay Area medical facilities pioneering new paradigms for end-of-life decisions. Courtesy of Netflix. THE GIRL AND THE PICTURE Dir: Vanessa Roth 80 years ago, Xia Shuqin witnessed the murder of her family during the Nanjing Massacre.The Girl and the Picture uncovers how an American missionary’s camera serendipitously captured Xia and her sister, binding his family and theirs forever. Courtesy of USC Shoah Foundation/Cause & Affect Media. THE HEAD & THE HAND Dir: Marc Serpa Francoeur A meditative portrait of two women who confronted great adversity with a profound bond and remarkable positivity, The Head & The Hand presents a rich exploration of disability, independence and sisterhood. Courtesy of Lost Time Media. LESSONS FROM A SCHOOL SHOOTING: NOTES FROM DUNBLANE Dir: Kim A. Snyder In the aftermath of the Sandy Hook school shooting, local priest Father Bob Weiss connects with Father Basil O’Sullivan of Dunblane, Scotland, from a community which could uniquely relate to Newtown’s trauma. Kim A. Snyder’s film explores the power of resilience through the bond forged between these two priests. Courtesy of Netflix. MY DEAD DAD’S PORNO TAPES Dir: Charlie Tyrell Following the death of his emotionally distant father, filmmaker Charlie Tyrell seeks to better understand him through the personal belongings he left behind… including a stack of dirty VHS tapes. Courtesy of New York Times Op-Docs. RX: EARLY DETECTION, A CANCER JOURNEY WITH SANDRA LEE Dir: Cathy Chermol Schrijver After an annual mammogram results in a diagnosis of breast cancer, Emmy-winning TV host and lifestyle expert Sandra Lee sets out to discover the best options for treatment and recovery, opening up her private journey to share the importance of early detection with other women. Courtesy of HBO Documentary Films. SIDELINED Dir: Galen Summer In 1978, inspired by the popularity of NFL cheerleaders, Playboy organized a pictorial feature approved by team management happy for the media exposure. But when the resulting pictures set off a critical backlash, cheerleaders were fired, exposing society’s hypocrisy around female sexuality. Courtesy of A&E IndieFilms/Lifetime Films. TAKE BACK THE HARBOR Dirs: Kristi Jacobson, Roger Ross Williams On Governor’s Island, an ambitious program works to restore once-bountiful oysters and the environmental benefits they bring to New York Harbor. Take Back the Harbor highlights students at a remarkable public high school where environmental stewardship is part of the curriculum. Courtesy of Discovery/Motto Pictures. WE ARE NOT DONE YET Dir: Sareen Hairabedian US veterans and active-duty service members come together through a workshop led by poet Seema Reza to combat their traumatic military pasts via the written word. Sharing fears, vulnerabilities and victories, their writing becomes a tool for empowerment and healing culminating in the live performance of a collaborative poem under the direction of Jeffrey Wright. Courtesy of HBO Documentary Films. ZION Dir: Floyd Russ Born without legs and growing up in the foster care system, Zion Clark moved from one home to another as he grew up. Floyd Russ’ inspiring portrait reveals how his discovery of wrestling in the second grade provided not only a therapeutic outlet, but a sense of family.Courtesy of Netflix.SHORT LIST: FEATURES
CRIME + PUNISHMENT Dir: Stephen Maing With unparalleled access to the whistle-blowing NYPD 12, this compelling Sundance prize-winner exposes systemic police corruption. Courtesy of IFC Films/Hulu. FAHRENHEIT 11/9 Dir: Michael Moore “One of Moore’s best and most incisively funny films” (Rolling Stone) seeks to understand the rise of Donald Trump and the resistance against him. Courtesy of State Run Films/Briarcliff Entertainment. FREE SOLO Dirs: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi & Jimmy Chin Alex Honnold aims to be the first climber to ascend free solo–without safety ropes–the 3,000-foot cliff of El Capitan in California’s Yosemite Park. Courtesy of National Geographic Documentary Films. HALE COUNTY THIS MORNING, THIS EVENING Dir: RaMell Ross In this lyrical portrait of two young African-American men in the American South, “you witness a new cinematic language being born” (Village Voice). Courtesy of Cinema Guild. JANE FONDA IN FIVE ACTS Dir: Susan Lacy This candid and entertaining portrait explores Jane Fonda’s many facets: sex symbol, Academy Award winner, controversial activist, tycoon’s wife and fitness mogul. Courtesy of HBO Documentary Films. MINDING THE GAP Dir: Bing Liu Bing Liu films his skateboarding friends Zack and Keire over a decade, capturing the legacy of troubled relationships with their fathers. Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures/Hulu. ON HER SHOULDERS Dir: Alexandria Bombach Before Nadia Murad was awarded the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize, this portrait captures the young Yazidi activist as she advocates for her minority community. Courtesy of Oscilloscope Laboratories/RYOT. POPE FRANCIS: A MAN OF HIS WORD Dir: Wim Wenders The Oscar-nominated director of Pina and Buena Vista Social Club now trains his camera on the Argentine pontiff who leads the Catholic Church. Courtesy of Focus Features. QUINCY Dirs: Rashida Jones, Alan Hicks Following the now 85-year-old producer Quincy Jones over three years on the road as he reflects on collaborators, from Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson. Courtesy of Netflix. RBG Dirs: Betsy West, Julie Cohen In this vivid history, we watch Ruth Bader Ginsburg go from trailblazing ACLU lawyer to the key liberal voice on the conservative Supreme Court. Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures/Participant Media/CNN Films. REVERSING ROE Dirs: Ricki Stern, Annie Sundberg Acclaimed filmmakers Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern trace the legacy of Roe v. Wade as reproductive rights are increasingly at risk. Courtesy of Netflix. THE SENTENCE Dir: Rudy Valdez For ten years, Rudy Valdez captures the lives of his nieces while their mother serves a harsh prison term due to mandatory minimum sentencing. Courtesy of HBO Documentary Films. SHIRKERS Dir: Sandi Tan Sundance Directing Award winner Sandi Tan solves a mystery from her youth in Singapore, when her mysterious older mentor stole her first film. Courtesy of Netflix. THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS Dir: Tim Wardle When triplets separated at birth discovered each other in 1980, it was a media sensation, but the truth behind their past proves both surprising and disturbing. Courtesy of NEON/CNN Films. WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? Dir: Morgan Neville Oscar-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville (20 Feet from Stardom) tells the story of Fred Rogers, who influenced generations of children through his pioneering TV program.Courtesy of Focus Features.
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Ithaca Fantastik Reveals Final Wave of 2018 Films
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THE UNTHINKABLE[/caption]
Ithaca Fantastik will close the upcoming 7th edition in upstate NY with the breathtaking Swedish war drama THE UNTHINKABLE from Victor Danelland. The 10-day festival running October 26th to November 4th announced the final wave of 2018 programming including the highly acclaimed and award-winning MY NAME IS MYEISHA by Gus Krieger’s and Daniel Goldhaber’s electrifying CAM, and notable IF alum Perry Blackshear returns following his 2015 psychological horror hit THEY LOOK LIKE PEOPLE with an eerie and out-of-the-world fable THE RUSALKA!
The Cinema Pur side-bar is back with one of the festival’s strongest vanguard focused programs to date adding Joel Potrykus’ latest niche nostalgia nerd-fest RELAXER and A.T. White’s spellbinding debut STARFISH, hands down one of the most beautiful and gripping fable we’ve seen this year to previously announced titles in wave one. The Ithaca Fantastik will host also special screening of BOILED ANGELS: THE TRIAL OF MIKE DIANA with celebrated cult director Frank Henenlotter and Mike Diana paired with a discussion. Taking the Piss Down Under, a mini series with two of our favorite films of the year coming from South East Pacific: BROTHER’S NEST, MEGA TIME SQUAD. What would Ithaca Fantastik be without a dose of gore and fun! Get ready for the gruesome French insanity that is Alfonso’s GIRLS WITH BALLS and the international festival midnighter darling, Ueda’s ONE CUT OF THE DEAD!
For it’s 7th edition, Ithaca Fantastik goes wild with its shorts with four massive blocks – GASP! The Horror!, WTFantastik!, Light+/-Dark Shorts, and the very special Eyeslicer Halloween Special, a curation of the weirdest and wackiest American indie spooky shorts from NYC producers Dan Schoenbrun and Vanessa McDonnell.
Ithaca Fantastik rounds out the final wave with a dive into AR/VR and brings a program of six experiences, including the award winner DINNER PARTY and Alexandre’s Aja’s CAMPFIRE CREEPERS!
Closing:
The Unthinkable East Coast Premiere
Victor Danell | 2018 | Sweden | 129min
While Alex attempts to reconnect with the long lost love of his youth, a series of strange events unfold—each bizarre occurrence leading to the next until it culminates in a declaration of war by a belligerent foreign country. Carried on by his quest for love, Alex must also manage to find his family and save them from the war. This epic adventure pushes him to overcome each obstacle and face the deepest, darkest corners of his past.
Scandinavia has produced some of recent years’ most impressive action films with a healthy dose of heart—from The Wave (2015) to The Quake (2018)—redefining what it means to be a blockbuster in the global market. Following in this grand tradition, Crazy Pictures takes us by storm with this genre blurring piece of cinema. It expertly navigates the arthouse drama landscape while using a backdrop of a war as metaphorical elements enhance the frustration of the protagonist. THE UNTHINKABLE will make you think, cringe, laugh out loud, and cry- all in the span of a second. You’ll be talking about this perfect IF8 closing film for months to come.
International Competition:
Cam Regional Premiere Daniel Goldhaber | 2018 | USA | 94min Alice’s (Handmaid’s Tale’s Madeline Brewer) career as “Lola” the cam girl is red hot, and her public can’t seem to get enough! But when a mysterious clone of her web persona surfaces, Alice is left questioning where she ends and her online presence begins. Daniel Goldhaber’s debut feature CAM delivers an unvarnished and brutal reflection on a culture of obsession and vice. The first feature about sex work written by a former sex worker Isa Mazzei has masterfully drawn from real life to create this dazzling and dark thriller. The 2018 Fantasia Film Festival New Flesh award winner is not to be missed. Actor Patch Darragh in attendance Dog (Chien) East Coast Premiere Samuel Benchetrit | 2017 | France | 90min After losing his wife, home and job, Jacques spirals into depression, closing himself off to the world around him. That is, until he meets the owner of a pet shop. He finds redemption in giving his free will over to the most random person he’s met: A dog trainer. Multi-talented artist Samuel Benchetrit adapts his eponymous book with a style and voice reminiscent of another french perturbateur: Quentin Dupieux. Taking a literal route to define modern alienation, Benchetrit creates a surreal piece of cinema, which, despite its straightforward approach to the problematic, shocks at every turn. My Name is Myeisha Regional Premiere Gus Krieger | 2018 | USA | 85min At the moment of Myeisha’s (the outstanding Rhaechyl Walker) death at the hands of police, she guides us inside her mind and muses over the life she’ll be leaving behind. Told uniquely through hip-hop, spoken word poetry, and dance—and inspired by the 1998 police shooting of California teen Tyisha Miller—the mix of style and social message allows the narrative to explore territories rarely tackled in film. We connect with Myeisha as we see into both her past and a possible future she will never have. Highly acclaimed on the festival circuit, this is one of the most important films of the year. The Rusalka Regional Premiere Perry Blackshear | 2018 | USA | 88min A perfectly twisted balance of folklore and modern cinema, THE RUSALKA reinvents “the lady of the lake” into “the girl next door.” Mina is chained to water by demons that possess her. The man who pines for her is traumatized and left speechless by a childhood swimming accident. This love story is only rendered more eerie by the haunting beauty of the setting, and the slavic songs that set the dark and atmospheric tone of this tale. Director Perry Blackshear in attendance Prospect Regional Premiere Christopher Caldwell | 2018 | USA | 98min In a working-class future (in space!), a father and daughter mining team (Jay Duplass and Sophie Thatcher) struggle to make a living on an alien moon with worn out space suits and a barely functional spacecraft. When they learn about a large haul of the rare, valuable crystals they’ve been tracking, they decide to risk confrontations with their lawless competition. Adapted from a short film of the same name, PROSPECT has a blue collar sci-fi atmosphere that evokes the highlights of the genre and follows the lead of films like Alien (1979) and Silent Running (1972).Cinema Pur:
Relaxer Regional Premiere Joel Potrykus | 2018 | USA | 91min Settle in for 91 minutes of action and adventure set entirely on a sofa as our hero Abbie (Joshua Burge) attempts to beat every level of Pac-Man- including the legendary 256th. Berated by his brother and a slew of off-kilter friends, Abbie must stick to his mission at any cost. He’ll have to stay focused in the midst of hilarious antics. Will he beat the game? This is the Y2K apocalyptic slacker comedy you didn’t know you needed until Poltrykus dared you to. Starfish Regional Premiere A.T. White | 2018 | USA, UK | 99min The past can creep up on us in the most unlikely of ways. While grieving the loss of her best friend, Aubrey (Runaway’s cosmic babe Virginia Gardner) finds herself in the middle of a wintery apocalypse. She holes up in her late friend’s flat, fending for herself as the world deteriorates and unspeakable Lovecraftian creatures lurk around every corner. With mixtapes, an indie soundtrack, and an adorable pet turtle, Aubrey fights to survive. This fantastical tale of grief and trauma transcends time, space, and logic. Director A.T White in attendance Luz Regional Premiere Tilman Singer | 2018 | Germany | 70min Luz (Luana Velis) arrives at a police station. Seemingly in a state of shock, she begins the interview process of filing a report. Meanwhile, at a nearby bar, a mysterious man drinks alone. He’s approached by a young woman with a disconcerting manner. They strike up a conversation over drinks. A malevolent force seems to permeate both communions . Shot on 16mm—and the thesis project for German film student Tilman Singer—LUZ already feels like a movie out of it’s time with aesthetic trappings of a film made in the 80s but characters and story contemporary in their design and feel.Fantastik Documentaries:
Boiled Angels: The Trial of Mike Diana Regional Premiere Frank Henenlotter | 2018 | USA | 101min In 1991, the FBI thought they had a lead on the Gainesville student murders when they came into possession of Mike Diana’s ‘zine, Boiled Angel. Despite being cleared of any murder charges, the FBI forwarded information about him and his work to Florida police. He became the first artist in US history to be prosecuted on obscenity charges—all because of his cartoonish depictions of depravity. This documentary, directed by Frank Henenlotter (Basket Case, Brain Damage), features narration by Jello Biafra and appearances by Neil Gaiman, George Romero, Jay Lynch, and the trial lawyers who felt they were justified in putting an artist behind bars. Join us for this special screening of BOILED ANGELS, followed by an extended Q&A and discussion with director Frank Henenlotter, artist Mike Diana, and producer Mike Hunchback.Taking the Piss Down Under:
Brother’s Nest Regional Premiere Clayton Jacobson | 2018 | Australia | 98min Two brothers reflect on memories, their upbringing, and family in their childhood home as they plot to kill their stepfather. What at first seems like a simple plan soon spirals out of control and into an abyss of mayhem and murder. Clayton Jacobsen’s pitch black comedy features rapid fire dialogue that is both rhythmic and increasingly ironic and bittersweet—feeling like a blend of the Coen brothers and Hitchcockian crime dramas of the golden age of cinema. Mega Time Squad New York Premiere Tim van Dammen | 2018 | New Zealand | 86min John (Anton Tennet) is down on his luck in small town Auckland and hoping to escape his loser life. When a strange Chinese artifact gives him the power to travel back in time, Johnny decides to face off against his drug dealer boss Shelton (Jonny Brugh of What We Do In The Shadows). The consequences of time travel are more dangerous than Johnny expects, and he very quickly realizes the price he may have to pay. Quick-witted dialogue coupled with heaps of charm and charisma make Tim van Dammen’s Kiwi-comedy a must see.Back to Castle: A Special Screening of THE TINGLER with live theatre
The Tingler Wednesday, Oct. 31 7pm at The Cherry Artspace William Castle | 1959 | USA | 82min When a pathologist (Vincent Price) discovers a creature that feeds and grows on fear, he quickly realizes the key to its defeat. He captures it to test his hypothesis. As the creature evolves in size and atrocity levels rise, the Doctor’s theories distill into one single urgent lesson: “please, do not panic, but scream!…. Scream for your lives.” This film’s just-wacky-enough execution of excruciatingly frightening ideas may just keep its viewers from requiring intensive therapy. Released the very same year as House on Haunted Hill, THE TINGLER reprises and intensifies the same camp horror theatricality and B-movie zeal from William Castle’s wild imagination. The delicate dissonance between Castle’s gimmicks and Vincent Price’s outstanding performance gets perfectly showcased in this triumphant return of the pioneering duo. Enjoy this one-time-only interactive event, created in partnership with our friends at The Cherry Artspace—true to William Castle’s innovative vision of an immersive 4-dimensional theatrical experience. Filmed in “Percepto!”Drunken Cinema:
In the gloriously raucous tradition of original midnight screenings that were a fundamentally participatory event, DRUNKEN CINEMA offers an experience that the modern multiplex can’t even fathom. With general, personal, secret, and prop rules clearly indicated on specially made cards, Drunken Cinema asks you to get involved in the action (Think The Rocky Horror Picture show or cult screenings of The Room).Vinegar Syndrome Presents:
Vinegar Syndrome is a film restoration and distribution company with a catalogue of hundreds of feature films, produced primarily between the 1960s and 1980s. With an ever growing archive we’re thrilled to team up to present two exhilarating entries for IF audiences to enjoy on the big screen once again. Raw Force Edward Murphy | 1982 | USA | 86min Ninjas and cannibal monks and zombies, OH MY! Martial arts students from the Burbank Kung Fu Club head out on a leisurely cruise, but when their ship drifts too close to a mysterious island, their vacation becomes a lot less relaxing. They’ve landed far from home on Warrior Island, a burial ground for shamed martial artists. And they are not alone. White supremacist sex traffickers have made camp on this lowly island chock full of secrets just waiting to be unearthed. Vinegar Syndrome’s 35mm scan of this gritty, seductive and totally bonkers film is filled to the brim with nudity, over-the-top action and enough ridiculous one-liners to satisfy even the most rambunctious cravings for sleaze. White Fire (Vivre pour Survivre) East Coast Premiere Jean-Marie Pallardy | 1985 | Turkey, France, UK | 101min When Bo was a child, a mysterious stranger sadistically murdered his parents. Only Bo and his sister Ingrid survived the bloodshed. Now, twenty years later, Bo and Ingrid are employees at a diamond mineshaft in the desert. The mischievous duo stumble upon the discovery of a legendary diamond, the “White Fire.” However, rapture for the diamond has provoked the angst of some short-tempered, not-so-nice villains. The quest to capture the most sought-out diamond in the world is afoot!Midnighters:
One Cut of the Dead Regional Premiere Shin’ichirô Ueda | 2017 | Japan | 96min When an ambitious but small-time commercial director (Takayuki Hamatsu) is hired for the arduous task of creating a single-take zombie film which is broadcast live, death and gore become the least of his on-set problems. Starting with the unbroken 37-minute final piece, One Cut of the Dead then goes back in time to show the story behind the making of the actual film—complete with trouble from divas, saké, broken equipment, and even diarrhea. A high-energy screamfest that turns heartwarming, this film knows exactly how to sell its scares. Girls With Balls East Coast Premiere Olivier Afonso | 2018 | France | 87min Girls volleyball team The Falcons find themselves stranded in the middle of nowhere after their minivan breaks down. Little do they know they landed on the property of some degenerate redneck hunters. The hunt is on and thus begins a very long night where the girls must run for their lives and test their team spirit. But these young athletes may be more resourceful than the hunters give them credit for. Serve. Set. Spike. Kill! Seven Stages to Achieve Eternal Bliss By Passing Through the Gateway Chosen By the Holy Storsh Regional Premiere Vivieno Caldinelli | 2018 | USA | 96min A small-town couple (Kate Micucci and Sam Huntington) find the perfect apartment at an inconceivable price. But their idyllic life is disturbed by a parade of intruders that won’t stop breaking in to practice a strange cult ritual, all following the direction of their guru, the Holy Storsh (Taika Waititi). The final step? Suicide in the apartment bathtub. From the deranged mind of Spectrevision (Mandy, 2018; Bitch, 2017), this is pure comedy in the tradition of the grand guignol, with the hilarious Dan Harmon (Rick and Morty) as an out of his mind inspector—be ready to laugh out loud for 96 minutes straight in this comedy. Definitely… cult!GASP! The Horror! Shorts
Sometimes horror is a magical horned demon shooting fire at you. Sometimes it lives in your own home… Ithaca Fantastik is proud to present this selection of shorts that shows just how wide, wild, and inventive the realm of horror can be. Goodnight, Gracie, Dir. Stellan Kendrick (USA); The Day Mum Became A Monster, Dir. Josephine Hopkins (France); MILK, Dir. Santiago Menghini (Canada); MAW, Dir. Jasper Vrancken (Belgium); New Feelings, Dir. Anastasia Nechaeva (Russian Federation), Those Who Can Die, Dir. Charlotte Cayeux (France)WTFantastik! Shorts
Think you’ve seen everything the genre world has to offer? Think again. Our WTFantastiK! block challenges genre veterans with envelope-pushing, boundary- breaking shorts that must be seen to be believed. For adventurous audiences only! What’s That In The Ground?, Dir. Wally Chung (USA); The Story of Everything, Dir. Sharon A. Mooney (USA); Sweet Deceit, Dir. Shannon Jones (USA); Loathing, Dir. Franz Milec (Czech Republic); NewVHS, Dir. Spencer Starnes, Kevin R. Wright, Pete Clendenning, Jordan Paul Miles (USA); Mama’s Boy, Dir. Samantha Kolesnick (USA); MOTHER FUCKER, Dir. Nicholas Payn (USA); Entropia, Dir. Marinah Janello (USA)..Light+/-Dark Shorts
Tampon Monsters. Murderous Johnny Depp fans. Two dudes just trying to be cool. The LIGHT+/-DARK shorts block presents the comedy genre shorts that made us laugh, or made us cringe. BFF Girls, Dir. Brian Lonano (USA); Psycho Kino, Dir. Guillem Dols (Spain); Lunch Ladies, Dir. Clarissa Jacobson, J.M. Logan (USA), We Summoned A Demon, Dir. Chris McInroy (USA); Seafood Diet, Dir. Max Levine (USA); Beautiful Eyes, Dir. Rani Deigh Crowe (USA); Fetish, Dir David Lee Hess, Richard H. Perry (USA) The Eyeslicer Halloween Special ! Dan Schoenbrun and Vanessa McDonnell / 2018 / USA / 93min A comedy-horror anthology presented by internet rock stars The Eyeslicer. Taking viewers on a chaotic journey through the liminal space of the Halloween season, THE EYESLICER HALLOWEEN SPECIAL feels like an acid trip down the Halloween aisle at Party City.Shorts Accompanying a feature:
Death Metal Grandma, Dir. by Leah Galant (US); Ad Infinitum, Dir. Murat Çetinkaya (Turley); Payment, Dir. Ben Larned (USA); Special Day Teal Greyhaven (USA); Saturn Through The Telescope Didac Gimeno (Spain); Mannequins, Dir. David Malcolm (UK); Every Ghost Has An Orchestra, Dir. Shayna Connely (USA); TiCK, Dir. Ashlea Wessel (Canada); Riley Was Here, Dir. Jon Rhoads (USA); Smoke Grenade, Dir. Joe LaRocca (USA); Fontaineblues, Dir. Akim Gagnon (Canada)Fantastik VR:
Dinner Party Angel Manuel Soto, Charlotte Stoudt, Laura Wexler / Puerto Rico, USA | 2018 | 13min Based on true events, this experience tells the story of Barney and Betty Hill, an interracial couple who in 1961 broke national news as the first reported extraterrestrial abduction in history. Trying to cope with the residual scars of their experience, they unexpectedly decide to seek out answers from an old tape recorder while hosting a dinner party. Meeting A Monster Gabriela Arp | USA | 2018 | 9min With a past steeped in hatred and prejudice, a former white supremacist journeys back in time and invites us to experience both the stereotypes and bigotry that lured her into the white power movement as well as the encounters that led her back out. Before she can help others change their ways, she must come to terms with a true monster: herself. We’re Still Here Jesse Ayala | USA | 2018 | 3 Minutes Struggling to preserve his cultural identity, an artist and historian from Boise, Idaho takes viewers on a journey to learn about what it means to be “Two Spirit”; a cultural term describing the fluidity of gender identity and sexuality with respect to traditional tribal roles across First Nations. Campfire Creepers Alexandre Aja | USA | 2018 | 12 minutes From master of horror Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes, Piranha, Horns) comes an original anthology series that brings classic campfire stories to life in stunning virtual reality. Produced by Oculus and Future Lighthouse, Campfire Creepers invites viewers to join the fire circle at a summer camp called Camp Coyote as a group of kids take turns telling spooky tales. Inspired by cult classics like Creepshow and Tales from the Crypt, every episode of Campfire Creepers is a wild ride that will have you laughing and screaming in equal measure. Faoladh Declan Dowling | 2018 | Ireland | 6min This stereoscopic virtual reality film set in an isolated 9th century Irish village follows the perilous journey of young Celt Ruairi. Vikings have begun invading Ireland, and it’s only a matter of time before they reach his village. Take on role of the Faoladh, a wolf-like guardian spirit and protector of the children from the woods of ancient Ireland. It’s up to you to guide Ruairi to safety as he evades capture from a bullish young Viking named Snorre. Virtual Burly Becky Lane | 2018 | USA – Sneak Peek – Work in Progress It’s your own private show! A 3D, 360° recreation of historical burlesque styles from 1900—1970. Go on an entertaining and seductive journey through the evolution of burlesque, exploring its history and its impact on women’s sexual empowerment. Showcasing the artistry of burlesque dance troupe Whiskey Tango Sideshow, VIRTUAL BURLY is a combination of dance performances and interviews brought together to explore themes in women’s experience in this art form.Retrospective
The Wilding! The uncanny terror that only children can elicit. The uncanny terror of what goes missing—or reveals itself—in the dark spaces between generations. The uncanny terror that intergenerational misunderstandings unleash, again and again. The discord between old and young is a tension that is both as old as time and frighteningly contemporary and marks the theme of this year’s retrospective exploration. The Bad Seed Mervyn LeRoy | 1956 | USA | 129min Christine Penmark (Nancy Kelly) and her daughter Rhoda (Patty McCormack) feign perfection to their community. When the the death of a schoolboy who won a penmanship competition brings suspicion to Rhoda’s hand, Christine assumes the worst about her little girl. As tension builds between characters, the calming atmosphere of suburbia is no match for this unsettling family dynamic. Over-the-top performances and Oscar-nominated black-and-white cinematography keep the story reminiscent of its time. Based on a book by the same name, THE BAD SEED begs the question, what is worse: a remorseless homicidal preteen, or a mother who will do anything to hide her family shame? Who Can Kill a Child? (¿Quién Puede Matar a un Niño?) Narciso Ibáñez Serrador | 1976 | Spain | 112min In reality, war and famine wreck their devastating effects on the innocent in refugee camps and struggling countries. On a remote island, eerie children take matters into their own hands. When an English couple, Tom and Evelyn (Lewis Fiander and Prunella Ransome), make their way to the island on holiday, they are forced to ask themselves the titular question: Who can kill a child? Featuring a hypnotic score by Waldo de los Ríos, WHO CAN KILL A CHILD is an exploration of innate goodness and the lack thereof, and a violent confrontation between nature and nurture. Bloody Birthday Ed Hunt | 1981 | USA | 85min Three children are born during an eclipse. Because celestial patterns cause Saturn—which controls emotion—to be blocked, the children have no feelings. Void of all morality, the seemingly innocent youths create chaos in the town around them. In a film that epitomizes the grainy cult horror scene of the 1980s, BLOODY BIRTHDAY entertains, building its body count in a vicious cycle of birth, life, sex, cake, and murder—setting the standard for sociopathic spree-killing movie tykes for decades to come. Previously announced titles include… Birds of Passage (Pájaros de verano) Regional Premiere Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra | 2018 | Colombia | 125min In 1970s La Guaira, Colombia, an indigenous Wayuu family gets swept up in the newly-booming marijuana trade. When greed and passion overtake their tribe’s honor, their lives and ancestral traditions are forever fractured. Telling the original story of the inception of the drug trade between US and Colombia that led to the socio-political turmoil Colombia and South America at large face now. A Cannes audience was lucky to first experience the brilliant return of Gallego and Guerra—and now it’s our turn. Making 180° turns in both visual style and narrative form, Birds of Passage feels almost like a reimagining of Scarface by way of Scorsese rather than De Palma: Less rage, more characters, and an authentic, grounded-in-reality view of a drug cartel’s destruction of ancestral culture and strongly avoids the nauseating tendency to glamorize the subject matter (we’re looking at you, Netflix’s Narcos). Once again, Gallego and Guerra transcend their subject matter to tell a story that resonates well beyond the story itself, with some of the most powerful visuals we’ve seen this year. Black Mother Regional Premiere Khalik Allah | 2018 | USA | 77min The history of Jamaica is retold through the framework of the three trimesters of a woman’s pregnancy. This heartfelt look at Jamaican identity transcends its documentary form to offer an unusual and unique exploration of humanity. A collage of faces from different generations draws us in as the spoken stories of multiple individuals lead us through the mesmerizing rhythm of personal and national histories. Khalik Allah has done it again. After his mesmerising documentary, Field Niggas (2015)—an observational piece of art as well as political statement—he treats us with one of the most compelling motion pictures of 2018. Pure hybrid between narrative and documentary, switching between digital, Bolex, and Super 8 footage as Allah explores the home country of his own mother, you will be changed after experiencing BLACK MOTHER. THIS is Pure Cinema, period. Chained for Life Regional Premiere Aaron Schimberg | 2018 | USA | 91min Mabel, a beautiful actress, is cast as the lead in a schlocky horror film where her co-star and most members of the supporting cast are actors with disabilities and physical differences. While she connects with her peers off-screen, building friendships (and more) as filming goes on Mabel begins to consider whether their treatment on set is exploitational. This film within a film brings up important questions of inclusion vs. exploitation. Are current standards of representation in modern film as equal as we would like to believe? Crisis Jung US Premiere Baptiste Gaubert and Jérémie Hoarau | 2018 | France | 70min Jung and Maria are sweethearts enjoying their blossoming love in an innocent world. But their starry-eyed paradise is imperiled when the malignant Little Jesus kidnaps Maria’s body to build his nefarious temple of pain! Jung’s heart is broken, and his quest to find love and inner peace in an apocalyptic hellscape begins. Along the way, he befriends a motley band of characters, each one searching for a way to survive in a landscape devoid of love. French animation team Bobbypills crafts a wholly original world, packed with inventive characters, absurd story twists and a wicked sense of humor. Diamantino Regional Premiere Gabriel Abrantes and Daniel Schmidt | 2018 | Portugal | 92min Every time star footballer Diamantino makes a shot on goal, a pack of giant, happy, floppy dogs romps onto the pitch in a sparkly cloud. That is, until he misses the game-deciding penalty shot at the world cup. His groove is gone. The glittery pups are nowhere to be found. His career is over. Floundering, he falls prey to sinister forces dead set on turning him into a political mascot no matter the stakes. Always holding onto hope for a second chance, he is transported on a surreal and satirical journey through a dysfunctional modern landscape. Game Over (3615 code Père Noël) East Coast Premiere René Manzor | 1989 | France | 87min Thomas (Alain Lalanne), a French child prodigy obsessed with American action films, believes he will be the first kid to catch Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. When a thief dressed as Santa shows up instead of the real deal, Thomas’s vengeance for his crushed childhood dream takes on epic proportions in this influential film. Long thought to be the inspiration for American Christmas classic, Home Alone, this darker, gorier, French-er take on hardcore home defense will delight elves and Scrooges alike. Knife + Heart (Un Couteau Dans Le Coeur) Regional Premiere Yann Gonzales | 2018 | France | 110min After Anne breaks up with her editor girlfriend, the 70s low-budget gay French porno they were shooting begins to take an… artistic turn. The sensual film becomes a real-life erotic thriller that begins when one of the stars is brutally murdered and Anne can’t seem to out-maneuver the chaos that ensues. This sophomore film from Yann Gonzales is a fresh yet highly referential take on Giallo. The setting brings a new twist to the Italian crime genre while allowing Gonzales to express his deep love for an industry France never shied away from. This Cannes 2018 official selection is a hidden gem. Keep an Eye Out! (Au Poste!) East Coast Premiere Quentin Dupieux | 2018 | France | 73min When Louis Fugain (Grégoire Ludig) trips over a dead body in front of his condo, his first impulse is to report it to the police. That’s what any good, logical citizen would do, right? Too bad he quickly realizes he’s made a terrible mistake. The obsessive Captain Buron’s (Benoît Poelvoorde) gut tells him Fugain knows more than he’s letting on, and will gleefully grill him until he cracks. The seemingly never-ending interrogation takes absurd turns, soaked in dark humor and bloody fun. It’s a twisted ride all the way to the end. Love Me Not East Coast Premiere Alexandros Avranas | 2018 | Greece, France | 99min An infertile, upper-middle-class couple hires a young woman as a surrogate and all three move into a remote villa. When the women begin to bond, the husband becomes envious, and an unfortunate chain of events turns the table on the already dysfunctional new family dynamic. With a similar approach to his compatriot Lanthimos (The Lobster, The Killing of the Sacred Deer), but without the absurd twist, Avranas’s blunt but spot-on view of an increasingly selfish society creates an unsettling piece that resonates far beyond the confinement of this home. Peepoodo & the Super Fuck Friends Balak and Bobbypills 2018 France An educative series for children over 18 years old, Super Fuck Friends explores sexuality without taboos and in all its forms. An episodic romp of positive sexuality, unrestrained and totally without prejudices, culminates in one single message: tolerance. Ithaca Fantastik proudly presents this florilege of episodes intertwined in the Bobbypills Super program! Piercing Regional Premiere Nicolas Pesce | 2018 | USA | 81min Reed (Christopher Abbott) takes off from wife, baby, and idyllic life for a very important business trip. He’s been preparing for some time now, but there’s one small problem- the business he has in mind is murder! All set with his plan to commit the perfect crime, Reed finds his target in the mysterious call girl Jackie (Mia Wasikowska) who ends up being anything but a victim. Director Nicolas Pesce takes a 180° turn in style from The Eyes of My Mother (2016) to tackle a dark comedy punctuated with colorful art deco visuals. An adaptation of Murakami’s eponymous novel, Piercing goes from laughter to shock in a heartbeat while remaining pleasing to the eyes—a tour de force few directors can achieve. Vermin Alexis Beaumont | 2018 | France | 81min A young praying mantis follows in his father’s many footsteps and moves to the big city to become a police officer. A greenhorn from the country, young Reggie is totally unequipped for the dangers and temptations of city life. But when he’s assigned a partner with a history of drinking and bad police work, the sparks fly and both characters get more than they bargained for. Director Alexis Beaumont’s work with French animation team Bobbypills is reminiscent of buddy cop films taken to their extreme absurd paroxysm. Violence Voyager Regional Premiere Ujicha | 2018 | Japan | 83min Bobby and Akkun set out for an end-of-school celebration in the mountains where they discover a seemingly abandoned amusement park where the owner greets them and offers them free tickets. Against their better judgement, they accept. Three words for you – Ujicha is back! After impressing us with The Burning Buddha Man (2013) the rad insanity of his animation and storytelling reach a peak with this new opus. As always, Ujicha includes some important hidden messages about the world in which we live. Like a sinfully delicious cake, the layers are what make this film a Fantastik winner of our hearts.
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BIRD BOX, GREEN BOOK, WIDOWS Among Gala Films at AFI FEST 2018
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Sandra Bullock in BIRD BOX[/caption]
The World Premiere of BIRD BOX, along with THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS, GREEN BOOK and WIDOWS are among the full lineup of Galas that will screen at AFI FEST 2018. AFI FEST takes place November 8 to 15, 2018, in the heart of Hollywood.
AFI FEST 2018 Gala Films
BIRD BOX – When a mysterious force decimates the world’s population, only one thing is certain: if you see it, you take your life. Facing the unknown, Malorie finds love, hope and a new beginning only for it to unravel. Now she must flee with her two children down a treacherous river to the one place left that may offer sanctuary. But to survive, they’ll have to undertake the perilous two-day journey blindfolded. Academy Award® winner Sandra Bullock leads an all-star cast in this Netflix film that includes Trevante Rhodes, with Sarah Paulson, and John Malkovich in this compelling new thriller from Academy Award® winner Susanne Bier. THE KOMINSKY METHOD – The sun isn’t setting on the once famous Sandy Kominsky and his longtime agent Norman Newlander. Academy Award® winners Michael Douglas (Kominsky) and Alan Arkin (Newlander) star as two friends tackling life’s inevitable curveballs as they navigate their later years in Los Angeles, a city that values youth and beauty. Both comedic and emotional, THE KOMINSKY METHOD is an eight-episode, half-hour single camera show created by eight-time Emmy® nominee Chuck Lorre. The Netflix show is written by Al Higgins, David Javerbaum and Lorre, who also directed the first episode. AFI FEST will present the first three episodes of the series. THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS – A six-part Western anthology film, a series of tales about the American frontier told through the unique and incomparable voice of Joel and Ethan Coen. Each chapter tells a distinct story about the American West. [caption id="attachment_31408" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Green Book[/caption]
GREEN BOOK – Academy Award® nominee Viggo Mortensen and Academy Award® winner Mahershala Ali star in Participant Media and DreamWorks Pictures’ GREEN BOOK. In his foray into powerfully dramatic work as a feature director, Peter Farrelly helms the film inspired by a true friendship that transcended race, class and the 1962 Mason-Dixon line. When Tony Lip (Mortensen), a bouncer from an Italian-American neighborhood in the Bronx, is hired to drive Dr. Don Shirley (Ali), a world-class black pianist, on a concert tour from Manhattan to the Deep South, they must rely on “The Green Book” to guide them to the few establishments that were then safe for African-Americans. Confronted with racism, and unexpected humanity and humor, they are forced to set aside differences to survive and thrive on the journey of a lifetime.
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L-R: Michelle Rodriguez, Viola Davis, and Elizabeth Debicki star in Twentieth Century Fox’s WIDOWS. Photo Credit: Courtesy Twentieth Century Fox.[/caption]
WIDOWS – From Academy Award®-winning director Steve McQueen (12 YEARS A SLAVE) and co-writer and bestselling author Gillian Flynn (“Gone Girl”) comes a blistering, modern-day thriller set against the backdrop of crime, passion and corruption. WIDOWS is the story of four women with nothing in common except a debt left behind by their dead husbands’ criminal activities. Set in contemporary Chicago, amid a time of turmoil, tensions build when Veronica (Oscar® winner Viola Davis), Linda (Michelle Rodriguez), Alice (Elizabeth Debicki) and Belle (Cynthia Erivo) take their fate into their own hands and conspire to forge a future on their own terms.
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THE HATE U GIVE and THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM Win 2018 Hamptons International Film Festival Audience Awards
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THE HATE U GIVE[/caption]
THE HATE U GIVE, directed by George Tillman Jr., took home the Audience Award for Narrative Feature at the 26th edition of the Hamptons International Film Festival. THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM, directed by John Chester, took home the Audience Award for Documentary Feature and ONE SMALL STEP, directed by Bobby Pontillas & Andrew Chesworth, won the Audience Award for Best Short Film.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MM8OkVT0hw
The festival ran from October 4th through October 8th and played over 125 films from around the world.
“We are thrilled that these diverse, unique, and entertaining stories resonated with our audience,” said HIFF Artistic Director David Nugent. “Our Breakthrough Artist Amandla Stenberg and the director George Tillman Jr. gave a powerful introduction on Friday night for THE HATE U GIVE, an important film for our times, unsurprisingly leading to a post-screening standing ovation. THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM, which offers a beautiful look at life’s cycles through the impactful story of one couple’s decision to resuscitate a farm in northern California, is sure to touch the hearts of people of all ages. ONE SMALL STEP, the first film from two former Disney artists who started their own studio last year, is an inspiring story of one girl’s determination to follow her dreams.” Additional HIFF awards
HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2018 WINNERS
The HIFF Audience Award Winner for Narrative Feature, sponsored by Out East THE HATE U GIVE, directed by George Tillman Jr. The HIFF Audience Award Winner for Documentary Feature, sponsored by Out East THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM, directed by John Chester The HIFF Audience Award Winner for Short, sponsored by Out East ONE SMALL STEP, directed by Bobby Pontillas & Andrew Chesworth The HIFF Award Winner for Best Narrative Feature, sponsored by Netflix ALL GOOD “ALLES IST GUT”, directed by Eva Trobisch HIFF Award Winner for Best Documentary Feature, sponsored by Netflix DIVIDE AND CONQUER: THE STORY OF ROGER AILES, directed by Alexis Bloom The HIFF Award Winner for Best Narrative Short Film FENCE “GARDHI”, directed by Lendita Zeqiraj The HIFF Award Winner for Best Documentary Short Film GUAXUMA, directed by Nara Normande Special Jury Prize For Acting BORDER “GRÄNS”, directed by Ali Abbasi, received a Special Jury Prize for acting for the two lead actors, Eva Melander and Eero Milonoff The 2018 Brizzolara Family Foundation Award for a Film of Conflict and Resolution AND BREATHE NORMALLY, directed by Ísold Uggadóttir Vimeo Staff Pick Award CROSS MY HEART, directed by Sontenish Myers Suffolk County Film Commission Next Exposure Grant ONLY THE WIND IS LISTENING, directed by Emily Anderson The Zelda Penzel Giving Voice to the Voiceless Award: Dedicated to Those Who Suffer in Silence THE CAT RESCUERS, directed by Rob Fruchtman and Steven Lawrence Victor Rabinowitz and Joanne Grant Award for Social Justice THE SILENCE OF OTHERS, directed by Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar Industry Advocate for Women Award Terry Lawler, Executive Director of NYWIFT The Dick Cavett Artistic Champion Award Alan Alda 2018 Breakthrough Artists Kayli Carter, Cory Michael Smith, Amandla Stenberg
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Estonian Film THE LITTLE COMRADE to Open Nordic Film Days Lübeck [Trailer]
The Nordic Film Days Lübeck in Lübeck, northern Germany, will usher in its 60th year with the German premiere of the Estonian film “The Little Comrade” (Seltsimees laps) by Moonika Siimets on October 30, 2018 at 7:30 pm.This marks the first time in the history of the renowned festival that the opening night film will be from a Baltic State. In her first narrative film, director Moonika Siimets tells the story of six-year-old Leelo, living in Estonia in the 1950s. After her mother is taken away, the young girl tries to figure out the difference between good and evil amid the constraints of the Stalinist regime.
In addition to director Moonika Siimets, the NFL will welcome several of the film’s actors, producer Riina Sildos, and Leelo Tungal herself, who wrote the books on which the film is based.
“The Nordic Film Days Lübeck was the first festival that showcased Baltic films as early as 1989, before the Baltic States had attained independence. For 30 years, those films have helped shape the festival and we are extremely happy that we can give special expression to that partnership and connectivity by opening the festival with a film from one of the Baltic states for the first time. In this, the centenary of their founding, films from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania play a particularly prominent role at the Nordic Film Days Lübeck. Numerous fascinating films will be presented in every section of the festival”, says Linde Fröhlich, artistic director of the Nordic Film Days Lübeck.
“The Little Comrade” is based on the autobiographical novels of prize-winning Estonian writer and poet Leelo Tungal, “Comrade Kid and the Grown-Ups” (2008), and “Velvet and Sawdust” (2009). Her children’s book “Ludwig the Snowman’s Lucky Day” was published in German in 2017.
Estonia in 1950 is in the grip of Stalin’s terror regime. “If you’re a good child, I’ll be back soon”, says Leelo’s mother as she is hauled off to a Siberian gulag. Her young daughter takes that mission to heart, impossible as it may be to fulfil. But not matter what she does, her mother doesn’t return. She wonders if she is responsible for her mother’s disappearance. Little by little, Leelo becomes more confused about what really constitutes good and evil in the world. She needs to find answers to a bunch of questions all by herself, and learn to find her way in the world of the Stalinist regime. The film depicts a young girl’s attempts to stay true to herself despite the tragi-comic events in her homeland.
The film was produced by Riina Sildos with the Estonian production company Amrion Ltd., which she founded. World-wide distribution is being handled by Eyewell in Sweden. “The Little Comrade” was made as part of the EV100 program, dedicated to the centenary of the founding of the Estonian republic.
The 60th Nordic Film Days, presented by the Hanseatic city of Lübeck, will be held from October 30 to November 4, 2018.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDzvbbt3k54
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DAWNLAND, Documentary on Impact of Native American Child Removal, to Debut on PBS [Trailer]
Dawnland reveals the untold story of Indigenous child removal in the United States through the first government-endorsed truth and reconciliation commission (TRC) in the nation, tasked with investigating the devastating impact of Maine’s child welfare practices on Native American communities. With exclusive access to this groundbreaking process and never-before-seen footage, Dawnland bears witness to intimate, sacred moments of truth-telling and healing. Directed by Adam Mazo and Ben Pender-Cudlip, the film premieres on Independent Lens Monday, November 5, 2018, 10:00-11:00 PM ET (check local listings) as part of Native American Heritage Month programming on PBS.
For most of the 20th century, government agents systematically forced Native American children from their homes and placed them with white families. As recently as the 1970s, one in four Native children nationwide were living in non-Native foster care, adoptive homes, or boarding schools. Many children experienced shattering emotional and physical harm by adults who mistreated them and tried to erase their cultural identity. Now, for the first time, they are being asked to share their stories.
The historic investigation by the Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission represented a groundbreaking moment in the history of tribal-state relations. From 2013 to 2015, Native and non-Native commissioners travelled across Maine, gathering testimony about the agonizing impacts of the state’s child welfare practices on families in Maliseet, Micmac, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot tribal communities, which together comprise the Wabanaki people.
The TRC discovered that state power continues to be used to break up families, threatening the very existence of the Wabanaki people. Is it possible to right this wrong and turn around a broken child welfare system? Dawnland examines the immense challenges faced by the commission as it works toward truth, reconciliation, and the survival of all Indigenous peoples. By exploring what happened in Maine, the film also provides the opportunity to raise awareness about this nationwide issue, which continues to impact families and children.
Dawnland will be presented as part of the new season of Indie Lens Pop-Up, a neighborhood series that brings people together for free film screenings and community-driven conversations. Featuring documentaries seen on PBS’s Independent Lens, Indie Lens Pop-Up draws local residents, leaders, and organizations together to discuss what matters most, from newsworthy topics to family and relationships.
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ALL GOOD and DIVIDE AND CONQUER Win Top Awards at 2018 Hamptons International Film Festival
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Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes[/caption]
The 26th Hamptons International Film Festival on Monday, announced their award winners at a ceremony in East Hampton, with the top awards going to ALL GOOD “ALLES IST GUT”, directed by Eva Trobisch and DIVIDE AND CONQUER: THE STORY OF ROGER AILES, directed by Alexis Bloom.
ALL GOOD “ALLES IST GUT”, directed by Eva Trobisch, won the Award for Best Narrative Feature, and DIVIDE AND CONQUER: THE STORY OF ROGER AILES, directed by Alexis Bloom, received the Award for Best Documentary Feature. FENCE “GARDHI”, directed by Lendita Zeqiraj, and GUAXUMA, directed by Nara Normande, received the Award for Best Narrative Short Film and for Best Documentary Short Film, respectively. Both Short Films will qualify for Academy® consideration. All four films were directed by female filmmakers.
BORDER “GRÄNS”, directed by Ali Abbasi, received a Special Jury Prize for acting for the two lead actors, Eva Melander and Eero Milonoff. The film was selected as Sweden’s official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.
AND BREATHE NORMALLY, directed by Ísold Uggadóttir (HIFF Screenwriters Lab 2015 Alumni), was awarded the 2018 Brizzolara Family Foundation Award for a Film of Conflict and Resolution, which is accompanied by a $5,000 cash prize.
CROSS MY HEART, directed by Sontenish Myers, was awarded the Vimeo Staff Pick Award, which provides a $3,000 cash prize and Vimeo Staff Pick to winning film.
ONLY THE WIND IS LISTENING, directed by Emily Anderson, was awarded the Suffolk County Next Exposure Grant. This program supports the completion of high quality, original, director-driven, low-budget independent films from both emerging and established filmmakers who have completed 50% of principal photography within Suffolk County. The film was awarded a $3,000 grant.
THE CAT RESCUERS, directed by Rob Fruchtman and Steven Lawrence, was awarded the Zelda Penzel Giving Voice to the Voiceless Award. This award is presented to a film that raises public awareness about contemporary social issues, including the moral and ethical treatment and the rights of animals as well as environmental protection. The film was awarded a $2,500 grant.
THE SILENCE OF OTHERS was presented with the Victor Rabinowitz & Joanne Grant Award 2 2 for Social Justice. The film is directed by Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar. The annual award is handed to a film that exemplifies the values of peace, equality, global justice and civil liberties, and is named after iconic civil rights lawyer Victor Rabinowitz and his wife Joanne Grant, an author, filmmaker and journalist. The award, which is accompanied by a cash prize of $1,500, is named in honor of two people who spent their entire lives fighting for those values.
Terry Lawler, the outgoing longtime Executive Director of NYWIFT, was presented with the “Industry Advocate for Women Award” from HIFF Executive Director Anne Chaisson. This was the inaugural presentation named to an industry advocate for women.
Alan Alda was also honored with the “The Dick Cavett Artistic Champion Award,” presented by Alec Baldwin at the festival; and 2018 Breakthrough Artists included Kayli Carter (PRIVATE LIFE), Cory Michael Smith (1985) & Amandla Stenberg (THE HATE U GIVE).
HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2018 WINNERS
The HIFF Award Winner for Best Narrative Feature sponsored by Netflix ALL GOOD “ALLES IST GUT”, directed by Eva Trobisch HIFF Award Winner for Best Documentary Feature sponsored by Netflix DIVIDE AND CONQUER: THE STORY OF ROGER AILES, directed by Alexis Bloom The HIFF Award Winner for Best Narrative Short Film FENCE “GARDHI”, directed by Lendita Zeqiraj The HIFF Award Winner for Best Documentary Short Film GUAXUMA, directed by Nara Normande Special Jury Prize For Acting BORDER “GRÄNS”, directed by Ali Abbasi, received a Special Jury Prize for acting for the two lead actors, Eva Melander and Eero Milonoff The 2018 Brizzolara Family Foundation Award for a Film of Conflict and Resolution AND BREATHE NORMALLY, directed by Ísold Uggadóttir Vimeo Staff Pick Award CROSS MY HEART, directed by Sontenish Myers Suffolk County Film Commission Next Exposure Grant ONLY THE WIND IS LISTENING, directed by Emily Anderson The Zelda Penzel “Giving Voice to the Voiceless” Award: Dedicated to Those Who Suffer in Silence THE CAT RESCUERS, directed by Rob Fruchtman and Steven Lawrence Victor Rabinowitz and Joanne Grant Award for Social Justice THE SILENCE OF OTHERS, directed by Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar Industry Advocate for Women Award Terry Lawler, Executive Director of NYWIFT The Dick Cavett Artistic Champion Award Alan Alda 2018 Breakthrough Artists Kayli Carter, Cory Michael Smith, Amandla Stenberg