I was lucky enough to attend the Flaherty Seminar this year and was thrilled to be introduced to so much great work and so many wonderful filmmakers so it’s good to see that they are launching a monthly screening series in NYC so that more people can access the work that they curate (this year’s curator was Chi-hui Yang, director of the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival). I was a particular fan of Oliver Hussein’s short films so…
If not, get thy butt to the cinema tout suite. There’s so much good indie fare to enjoy and support at the moment: Azazel Jacob’s Momma’s Man is playing at Angelika. I haven’t seen it yet but everyone I know who has raves about it – in the meantime let Manohla Dargis convince you. Tia Lessin’s and Carl Deal’s Trouble the Water is currently playing at IFC Center. This doc has been getting fantastic reviews but in case you need…
Rooftop Films are a good reason to stay in hot, sticky NYC during the Summer months. They curate some incredible film programs (both shorts and features), coupled with great music and beautiful outdoor locations. They are also developing grant programs to help the independent film community that they are part of. Their latest grant is an Equipment Grant provided through a partnership with Eastern Effects. Filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung has been awarded a two-ton lighting and grip package for 30…
Full Battle Rattle opens at Film Forum today and we have an interview with the directors Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber up on Shooting People. Read the interview and see the film. It’s surreal and powerful – the US military can’t control a simulation so how can they control a war?
I went to see Captured (Ben Solomon, Dan Levin and Jenner Furst) at Rooftop Films last night – on the Open Road Rooftop in the Lower East Side. It was an incredible night – feeling so plugged into the neighborhood, looking out over the ever changing skyline, and watching a film about a man, Clayton Patterson, who has tirelessly documented the LES for 30 years. Clayton’s photographs and videos tell a fascinating story of a neighborhood in constant flux –…
Summer is here which means that Rooftop Films are back on Friday, June 6th with This Is What We Mean By Short Films. This is very good news indeed for fans of film, lovers of New York City, and appreciators of fine rooftops. I am always happy to sit outside under the stars and watch beautifully curated shorts and features so I was pleased as punch to get involved with the Rooftop Films Panorama which is happening next week, June…
Not exactly hot off the press this, but I went to see Jonathan Demme’s The Agronomist at Stranger Than Fiction last Tuesday and the Q&A was fantastic. Jean Dominique’s widow, Michèle Montas, got a highly deserved standing ovation. Danny Glover walked in and joined the group on stage and Montas proceeded to have everyone in tears talking about how the team at Radio Haiti-Inter convinced her to keep the station running for three years after Dominique’s death (until an assassination…
Sandi DuBowski, the producer of A Jihad for Love and Director of Trembling Before G-d, is one of those people who knows a lot of people. And he knows a lot of people because he is awesome – generous and inspiring – so I am jumping in and spreading the word about the film. I haven’t seen it yet but I have been following its progress for a long time and will definitely be going to support the opening weekend.…
I wrote about King Corn last year when it had its theatrical release. If you missed it back then, now is your chance to catch it on TV. The film is about two recent college graduates, Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, who decide to move to rural Iowa to plant an acre of corn and follow it through the food production chain all the way to the dinner plate. Along the way they learn some rather nasty facts about the…
I have been so caught up with work that I have completely failed to go to any of the screenings at the MoMA Documentary Fortnight. This weekend you can see some of the films that Joan Churchill has been involved with. Churchill is probably best known for her work with Nick Broomfield but she has an impressive body of work behind her as a cinematographer for other noteworthy directors, from Peter Watkins’ extraordinary Punishment Park to Gimme Shelter and the…
