As the main topic of this year’s festival, Docaviv will feature a select group of thought-provoking films about a world that is changing with the collapse of physical and social boundaries, growing economic disparities, the waves of refugees and immigrants, civil wars, international terrorism, and the ultimate undoing of social solidarity.
Within the framework of this theme the program does not only include documentaries about terror and refugees, but also about a fragmented society which is losing its solidarity. Both in Israel and elsewhere the gap between the haves and the have-nots is widening, and so are the frustrations and the unrest. Israeli and international titles correlating to these themes can be found throughout the entire festival program:
“Death in the terminal” - Directors Tali Shemesh (“The Cemetery Club”) and Assaf Surd
A tense, minute-by-minute, Rashomon-style account of a tragic day. On October 18, 2015, a terrorist armed with a gun and a knife entered Beersheba’s bus terminal. Within 18 minutes Omri Levy, a soldier was killed and Abtum Zarhum, Eritrean immigrant asylum seeker, was lynched after being mistaken for a terrorist.
“The Settlers” - Premiered in Sundance, Director Shimon Dotan.
A far-reaching, comprehensive look at the Jewish settlement enterprise in the West Bank. It examines the origins of the settlement movement and the religious and ideological visions that propelled it, while providing an intimate look at the people at the center of the greatest geopolitical challenge now facing Israel and the international community. (Isa Contact: Cinephil)
“Town on a Wire” - premiered at Cph: Dox Dir: Uri Rosenwaks
While Tel Aviv is thriving, just ten minutes away lies the town of Lod, right in the backyard of Israel’s bustling urban center. Unlike its affluent neighbor, Lod is a city that suffers from the blight of racism, crime, and sheer desperation. Can it be saved? Is there some way to bring hope to Lod’s Arab and Jewish residents?
“Foucoammare”/ “Fire at Sea” - by Gianfranco Rosi - winner of Golden Bear, Berlinale 2016 -every day the inhabitants of the Italian Island Lampedusa are confronted with the flight of refugees to Europe . These people long for peace and freedom and often only their dead bodies are pulled out of the water. (Contact Isa: Doc & Film Int’l. U.S.: Kino Lorber)
“Between fences” – by Avi Mograbi -. In an Israeli detention center asylum-seekers from Eritrea and Sudan can’t be sent back to their own countries, but have no prospects in Israel either thanks to the country’s policies. Chen Alon and Avi Mograbi, initiate a theatre workshop to give these people the opportunity to address their own experiences of forced migration and discrimination and to confront an Israeli society that views them as dangerous infiltrators.
“A Syrian Love Story” – by Sean McAllister -You can’t be Che Guevara and a mother Amer tells Raghda, but maybe she can't do it any other way. After years of struggle, life without her homeland and the revolution has no meaning for her. It is hard to determine what is more demanding in this bold film: the revolution, or the search for inner peace. (Contact Isa: Cat & Docs)
“Homo Sapiens” – by Nikolaus Geyrhalter - what does humanity leave behind when its gone? It sometimes seems as if the mark that humans leave on this planet will last forever. The truth is that the iron, bricks, cement, and steel – the human traces everywhere abandoned and forgotten – are erased by the forces of nature. This unusually beautiful film may lack people and words, but that leaves even more room for thought.(Contact Isa: Autlook)
“Land of the Enlightened” – Premiered at Sundance Ff 2016. Shot over seven years on evocative 16mm footage, first-time director Pieter-Jan De Pue paints a whimsical yet haunting look at the condition of Afghanistan left for the next generation. As American soldiers prepare to leave, we follow De Pue deep into this hidden land where young boys form wild gangs to control trade routes, sell explosives from mines left over from war, making the new rules of war based on the harsh landscape left to them. (Contact Isa: Films Boutique)
“Flickering Truth” - Premiered at Toronto Ff 2015. Director Pietra Brettkelly (The Art Star and the Sudanese Twins) directs this harrowing, compelling film about the power of cinema to preserve our history and in so doing potentially change our futures. (Contact Isa: Film Sales Company)
“Requiem for the American Dream” - Directed by Peter D. Hutchison, Kelly Nyks, Jared P. Scott. In ten chilling but lucid chapters, Noam Chomsky, one of the great intellectuals of our time, analyzes the “system,” which allows wealthy capitalists to seize the reins of government and turn those without wealth into a passive herd, willing to forego power, solidarity, and democracy itself. (U.S.: Gravitas. Contact Isa: Films Transit)
The festival will open with a first film by Israeli director Roman Shumunov
“Babylon Dreamers” Directed by Roman Somonob. An intimate report about a troupe of immigrants from the former Soviet Union, from one of Ashdod’s poorest neighborhoods; they struggle to survive facing harsh conditions - poverty, mental illness, and broken families. They channel their anger and cling to their dream of attending and winning the International Breakdance Championship.
Israeli Competition
Some 70 Israeli films produced over the last year were submitted out of which 13 films have been selected for the Israeli Competition. They will be competing for the largest cash prize for documentary filmmaking in Israel 70,000 Nis (Us$ 15,000). Other awards in the competition include the Mayor’s Prize for the Most Promising Filmmaker, the Prize for Editing, the Prize for Cinematography, the Prize for Research, and the Prize for Original Score.
"The Wonderful Kingdom of Papa Alaev," directors Tal Barda, Noam Pinchas -Tajikistan’s answer to the Jackson Family. A modern-day Shakespearean tale about a famous Tajik musical family, controlled by their charismatic patriarch-grandfather - Papa Alaev.
"A Tale of Two Balloons" by Zohar Wagner - The tale of a women who thought a pair of perfect breasts would help her find true love. But when that love came along, those perfect breasts had to go.
"Aida's Secrets," director Alon Schwarz - At 68, Izak learns he has a brother he never knew about. As part of the discoveries about the family, the film uncovers the story of the Displaced Persons camps- the vibrant and often wild social life that flourished immediately after WW2.
"Child Mother" by Yael Kipper and Ronen Zaretzky - The story of elderly women born in Morocco and Yemen, who were married off when they were still little girls. Only now, as they enter the final chapter of their lives, do they openly face their past and the ways it still affects them and their families.
"The Last Shaman" directed by Raz Degan - Inspired by an article he read, James decides to travel to the Amazon rainforests, in search of a shaman whom he thinks can save him from a clinical depression that haunts him.
"The Patriarch's Room" by Danae Elon -The bizarre imprisonment of the former head of the Greek Orthodox Church in a tiny monastic cell in Jerusalem’s Old City leads to a fascinating journey in search of the truth, penetrating the remote world of the priesthood. The complex and unfamiliar picture that emerges is revealed here, on camera, for the very first time.
"Poetics of the Brain" by Nurith Aviv –weaving associative links between her personal biographical stories and neuroscientists’ accounts of their work. They discuss topics such as memory, bilingualism, reading, mirror neurons, smell, traces of experience.
"Shalom Italia," by Tamar Tal Anati (winner of Docaviv for Life in Stills) -Three Italian Jewish brothers set off on a journey through Tuscany, in search of a cave where they hid as children to escape the Nazis. Their quest, full of humor, food and Tuscan landscapes, straddles the boundary between history and myth, both of which really, truly happened.
"Week 23" by Ohad Milstein - Rahel, the daughter of a Swiss bishop, is coping with a difficult pregnancy in Israel. One of the identical twins she is carrying has died in utero, and now poses an almost certain threat to its sibling. The doctors are unequivocal about it. They tell Rahel that she should abort the surviving fetus and end her pregnancy.
"The Settlers" by Shimon Dotan; Town On A Wire directed by Uri Rosenwaksand Eyal Blachson; Death in the Terminal by Tali Shemesh and Asaf Sudry, and Babylon Dreamers by Roman Shumunov.
The Members of the selection committee included Sinai Abt, artistic director of the Docaviv Film Festival; director Reuven Brodsky, winner of Docaviv in 2012 for his film Home Movie and of Honorable Mention at Docaviv in 2015 and film editor Ayelet Ofarim.
Twelve films have been selected for the International Competition, which will open with the The Happy Film by Stefan Seigmeister. Also competing are Jerzy Sladkowski’s Don Juan, winner of the Idfa Award; Author: The J.T. LeRoy Story about the imaginary cult figure who became the darling of New York society and nightlife, picked up by Amazon at Sundance as its first doc title. Another festival favorite is A Flickering Truth and Sean McAllister's daring award winning documentary A Syrian Love Story.
The Depth of Field Competition will open with LoveTrue by director Alma Har’el, who will be a juror for the Israeli Film Competition. This is the Competition’s third year, held in conjunction with the Film Critics’ Forum that will award films for an outstanding and daring artistic vision. Other films that will be screened as part of the competition include Sundance winners Kate Plays Christine by Robert Greene, and Pieter-Jan De Pue’s hybrid documentary The Land of the Enlightened; other titles that will be shown are Hotel Dallas by wife and husband artist duo Livia Ungur and Sherng-Lee Huang, The Hong Kong Trilogy by noted cinematographer Christopher Doyle , and the musical- turned into documentary London Road by Rufus Norris and Alecky Blythe.
The Masters Section, a new category in the festival, highlighting new films by world renowned directors will be opened by Fire at Sea by director Gianfranco Rosi, winner of the Golden Bear at this year’s Berlinale. Avi Mograbi’s Between Fences will be accompanied by a play by the Holot Legislative Theater, with a cast of actors that includes Israelis and African asylum seekers.
Other films in this section include amongst others Junun, Paul Thomas Anderson’s portrayal of a musical project involving Shye Ben-Tzur and Jonny Greenwood, Homo Sapiens by director Nikolaus Geyrhalter, Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine by director Alex Gibney, To the Desert by director Judd Neeman, Unlocking the Cage by directors D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, De Palma by co-director Noah Baumbach and He Named Me Malala by David Guggenheim.
The Panorama selection of films will include amongst others the moving Strike a Pose, by Ester Gould and Reijer Zwaan about the dancers who accompanied Madonna on her “Blond Ambition” tour, Roger Ross Williams ‘Life, Animated depicting the remarkable story of an autistic boy, who learned how to communicate with his surroundings through Disney films, Those Who Jump about an African refugee who films attempts by other refugees to jump the barbed wire border fence in North Africa and Louis Theroux: My Scientology Film.
This year’s Arts Section will include Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble by Academy Award winner Morgan Neville; I Don’t Belong Anywhere: The Cinema of Chantal Akerman, which was produced shortly before her tragic death, Listen to Me, Marlon, which tells the story of Marlon Brando through the audio recordings he made throughout his life, Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict, the salacious story of art collector Peggy Guggenheim, Koudelka Shooting Holy Land, Gilad Baram’s film about famous Czech photographer Josef Koudelka’s travels along the Separation Fence, and more.
Seven films produced by the top film schools in Israel were selected to compete in the annual Student Film Competition. The prize for the competition was donated by the Gottesman family in memory of Ruti Gottesman, a leading supporter of Docaviv and of documentary.
The Members of the selection committee included Karin Ryvind Segal, programming director for Docaviv, Hila Avraham, curator and expert on film and audiovisual media preservation and screenwriter Danny Rosenberg, whose work includes the films My Father’s House , Susia and the television series Johnny and the Knights of the Galilee.
Special Guests attending the Festival:
Award winning Director Ondi Timoner, will be attending the Israeli premiere of her film Russell Brand: A Second Coming. Her Sundance-winning film Dig! will be among the music documentaries screened at the Tel Aviv Port. In conjunction with the Film Department of Beit Berl College, Timoner will also be conducting a special master class for students, professionals, and amateurs.
This year’s festival will include a special tribute to acclaimed director Nikolaus Geyrhalter who will be attending the festival with his recent Homo Sapiens. This year’s festival will also include two previous films of his, Our Daily Bread and Abendland,.
International jury members attending the festival include:
Adriek van Nieuwenhuyzen, Director of the Idfa industry office; Gary Kam, producer of Planet of Snail; film director Alma Har’el (Bombay Beach; LoveTrue) ; Nilotpal, Director of Docedge Kolkata, Sascha Lara Bleuler, Director of the Human Rights Film Festival in Zurich, and film director Tatiana Brandrup.
The Israeli jurors include:
Director Dror Moreh, director and producer Barak Heymann, director Robby Elmaliah, producer Elinor Kowarsky, photographer David Adika, and film editor Tal Rabiner.
Around town. A record number of twelve screening venues spread out across Tel Aviv will offer free screenings. These are: Habima Square, the Beit Danny Community Center, the Hatikvah neighborhood, the Arab-Jewish Community Center in Jaffa, the rooftop of Tel Aviv City Hall, WeWork, Levinsky Park, Bar Kayma, Beit Romano, the Nalaga’at Center, Picnic Little Italy-Sarona Tel Aviv, and Artport.
Outdoors. The Tel Aviv Port will continue to host the festival this year, with outdoor screenings of music films with guest deejays from KZRadio. Films to be screened at the port include Janis: Little Girl Blue, The Reflektor Tapes about the band Arcade Fire, P.T Andersoan’s Junun about the musical collaboration between Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood, Nigel Godrich, and a dozen Indian musicians.
Festival Firsts. DocaviVR: a collaboration between Docaviv and Steamer, Israel’s first Interactive and Virtual Reality Film Festival, presents original documentary projects from Israel and around the world, created especially for viewing with Vr gear. The event will take place at Beit Romano. A cinema will pop up in one of Tel Aviv’s trendy hubs, with 25 stations equipped with Vr gear.
The Docommunity conference aims to promote dcomentary across the country by bringing together cultural coordinators and artistic directors from across the country to introduce them to the latest documentary films from Israel and around the world.
The Platform for Alternative Documentation at Artport art space: A performative piece that brings together film artists, social activists, and researchers studying the various aesthetic, social, and philosophical aspects of documentation. Curated by Laliv Melamed and Gilad Reich.
Young audiences. For the first time, films from The Next Doc will be screened, a special initiative of Docaviv, the Second Channel, and the New Fund for Film and Television, which led to the production of three films created especially for a teenage audience.
Docaviv will also be hosting the final event of Docu Young, at which films by students in residential schools, who participated in film workshops , will be screened.
The Docyouth Competition will feature the best documentary films produced by students in high school film programs throughout the country. For the first time, voting for this year’s competition will be held online and open to high school students across the country.
Among the Screenings of docs for kids are Victor Kosakovsky’s “Varicella”, and “Landfilharmonic”.
Over the course of the festival, 110 films will be screened.
Within the framework of this theme the program does not only include documentaries about terror and refugees, but also about a fragmented society which is losing its solidarity. Both in Israel and elsewhere the gap between the haves and the have-nots is widening, and so are the frustrations and the unrest. Israeli and international titles correlating to these themes can be found throughout the entire festival program:
“Death in the terminal” - Directors Tali Shemesh (“The Cemetery Club”) and Assaf Surd
A tense, minute-by-minute, Rashomon-style account of a tragic day. On October 18, 2015, a terrorist armed with a gun and a knife entered Beersheba’s bus terminal. Within 18 minutes Omri Levy, a soldier was killed and Abtum Zarhum, Eritrean immigrant asylum seeker, was lynched after being mistaken for a terrorist.
“The Settlers” - Premiered in Sundance, Director Shimon Dotan.
A far-reaching, comprehensive look at the Jewish settlement enterprise in the West Bank. It examines the origins of the settlement movement and the religious and ideological visions that propelled it, while providing an intimate look at the people at the center of the greatest geopolitical challenge now facing Israel and the international community. (Isa Contact: Cinephil)
“Town on a Wire” - premiered at Cph: Dox Dir: Uri Rosenwaks
While Tel Aviv is thriving, just ten minutes away lies the town of Lod, right in the backyard of Israel’s bustling urban center. Unlike its affluent neighbor, Lod is a city that suffers from the blight of racism, crime, and sheer desperation. Can it be saved? Is there some way to bring hope to Lod’s Arab and Jewish residents?
“Foucoammare”/ “Fire at Sea” - by Gianfranco Rosi - winner of Golden Bear, Berlinale 2016 -every day the inhabitants of the Italian Island Lampedusa are confronted with the flight of refugees to Europe . These people long for peace and freedom and often only their dead bodies are pulled out of the water. (Contact Isa: Doc & Film Int’l. U.S.: Kino Lorber)
“Between fences” – by Avi Mograbi -. In an Israeli detention center asylum-seekers from Eritrea and Sudan can’t be sent back to their own countries, but have no prospects in Israel either thanks to the country’s policies. Chen Alon and Avi Mograbi, initiate a theatre workshop to give these people the opportunity to address their own experiences of forced migration and discrimination and to confront an Israeli society that views them as dangerous infiltrators.
“A Syrian Love Story” – by Sean McAllister -You can’t be Che Guevara and a mother Amer tells Raghda, but maybe she can't do it any other way. After years of struggle, life without her homeland and the revolution has no meaning for her. It is hard to determine what is more demanding in this bold film: the revolution, or the search for inner peace. (Contact Isa: Cat & Docs)
“Homo Sapiens” – by Nikolaus Geyrhalter - what does humanity leave behind when its gone? It sometimes seems as if the mark that humans leave on this planet will last forever. The truth is that the iron, bricks, cement, and steel – the human traces everywhere abandoned and forgotten – are erased by the forces of nature. This unusually beautiful film may lack people and words, but that leaves even more room for thought.(Contact Isa: Autlook)
“Land of the Enlightened” – Premiered at Sundance Ff 2016. Shot over seven years on evocative 16mm footage, first-time director Pieter-Jan De Pue paints a whimsical yet haunting look at the condition of Afghanistan left for the next generation. As American soldiers prepare to leave, we follow De Pue deep into this hidden land where young boys form wild gangs to control trade routes, sell explosives from mines left over from war, making the new rules of war based on the harsh landscape left to them. (Contact Isa: Films Boutique)
“Flickering Truth” - Premiered at Toronto Ff 2015. Director Pietra Brettkelly (The Art Star and the Sudanese Twins) directs this harrowing, compelling film about the power of cinema to preserve our history and in so doing potentially change our futures. (Contact Isa: Film Sales Company)
“Requiem for the American Dream” - Directed by Peter D. Hutchison, Kelly Nyks, Jared P. Scott. In ten chilling but lucid chapters, Noam Chomsky, one of the great intellectuals of our time, analyzes the “system,” which allows wealthy capitalists to seize the reins of government and turn those without wealth into a passive herd, willing to forego power, solidarity, and democracy itself. (U.S.: Gravitas. Contact Isa: Films Transit)
The festival will open with a first film by Israeli director Roman Shumunov
“Babylon Dreamers” Directed by Roman Somonob. An intimate report about a troupe of immigrants from the former Soviet Union, from one of Ashdod’s poorest neighborhoods; they struggle to survive facing harsh conditions - poverty, mental illness, and broken families. They channel their anger and cling to their dream of attending and winning the International Breakdance Championship.
Israeli Competition
Some 70 Israeli films produced over the last year were submitted out of which 13 films have been selected for the Israeli Competition. They will be competing for the largest cash prize for documentary filmmaking in Israel 70,000 Nis (Us$ 15,000). Other awards in the competition include the Mayor’s Prize for the Most Promising Filmmaker, the Prize for Editing, the Prize for Cinematography, the Prize for Research, and the Prize for Original Score.
"The Wonderful Kingdom of Papa Alaev," directors Tal Barda, Noam Pinchas -Tajikistan’s answer to the Jackson Family. A modern-day Shakespearean tale about a famous Tajik musical family, controlled by their charismatic patriarch-grandfather - Papa Alaev.
"A Tale of Two Balloons" by Zohar Wagner - The tale of a women who thought a pair of perfect breasts would help her find true love. But when that love came along, those perfect breasts had to go.
"Aida's Secrets," director Alon Schwarz - At 68, Izak learns he has a brother he never knew about. As part of the discoveries about the family, the film uncovers the story of the Displaced Persons camps- the vibrant and often wild social life that flourished immediately after WW2.
"Child Mother" by Yael Kipper and Ronen Zaretzky - The story of elderly women born in Morocco and Yemen, who were married off when they were still little girls. Only now, as they enter the final chapter of their lives, do they openly face their past and the ways it still affects them and their families.
"The Last Shaman" directed by Raz Degan - Inspired by an article he read, James decides to travel to the Amazon rainforests, in search of a shaman whom he thinks can save him from a clinical depression that haunts him.
"The Patriarch's Room" by Danae Elon -The bizarre imprisonment of the former head of the Greek Orthodox Church in a tiny monastic cell in Jerusalem’s Old City leads to a fascinating journey in search of the truth, penetrating the remote world of the priesthood. The complex and unfamiliar picture that emerges is revealed here, on camera, for the very first time.
"Poetics of the Brain" by Nurith Aviv –weaving associative links between her personal biographical stories and neuroscientists’ accounts of their work. They discuss topics such as memory, bilingualism, reading, mirror neurons, smell, traces of experience.
"Shalom Italia," by Tamar Tal Anati (winner of Docaviv for Life in Stills) -Three Italian Jewish brothers set off on a journey through Tuscany, in search of a cave where they hid as children to escape the Nazis. Their quest, full of humor, food and Tuscan landscapes, straddles the boundary between history and myth, both of which really, truly happened.
"Week 23" by Ohad Milstein - Rahel, the daughter of a Swiss bishop, is coping with a difficult pregnancy in Israel. One of the identical twins she is carrying has died in utero, and now poses an almost certain threat to its sibling. The doctors are unequivocal about it. They tell Rahel that she should abort the surviving fetus and end her pregnancy.
"The Settlers" by Shimon Dotan; Town On A Wire directed by Uri Rosenwaksand Eyal Blachson; Death in the Terminal by Tali Shemesh and Asaf Sudry, and Babylon Dreamers by Roman Shumunov.
The Members of the selection committee included Sinai Abt, artistic director of the Docaviv Film Festival; director Reuven Brodsky, winner of Docaviv in 2012 for his film Home Movie and of Honorable Mention at Docaviv in 2015 and film editor Ayelet Ofarim.
Twelve films have been selected for the International Competition, which will open with the The Happy Film by Stefan Seigmeister. Also competing are Jerzy Sladkowski’s Don Juan, winner of the Idfa Award; Author: The J.T. LeRoy Story about the imaginary cult figure who became the darling of New York society and nightlife, picked up by Amazon at Sundance as its first doc title. Another festival favorite is A Flickering Truth and Sean McAllister's daring award winning documentary A Syrian Love Story.
The Depth of Field Competition will open with LoveTrue by director Alma Har’el, who will be a juror for the Israeli Film Competition. This is the Competition’s third year, held in conjunction with the Film Critics’ Forum that will award films for an outstanding and daring artistic vision. Other films that will be screened as part of the competition include Sundance winners Kate Plays Christine by Robert Greene, and Pieter-Jan De Pue’s hybrid documentary The Land of the Enlightened; other titles that will be shown are Hotel Dallas by wife and husband artist duo Livia Ungur and Sherng-Lee Huang, The Hong Kong Trilogy by noted cinematographer Christopher Doyle , and the musical- turned into documentary London Road by Rufus Norris and Alecky Blythe.
The Masters Section, a new category in the festival, highlighting new films by world renowned directors will be opened by Fire at Sea by director Gianfranco Rosi, winner of the Golden Bear at this year’s Berlinale. Avi Mograbi’s Between Fences will be accompanied by a play by the Holot Legislative Theater, with a cast of actors that includes Israelis and African asylum seekers.
Other films in this section include amongst others Junun, Paul Thomas Anderson’s portrayal of a musical project involving Shye Ben-Tzur and Jonny Greenwood, Homo Sapiens by director Nikolaus Geyrhalter, Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine by director Alex Gibney, To the Desert by director Judd Neeman, Unlocking the Cage by directors D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, De Palma by co-director Noah Baumbach and He Named Me Malala by David Guggenheim.
The Panorama selection of films will include amongst others the moving Strike a Pose, by Ester Gould and Reijer Zwaan about the dancers who accompanied Madonna on her “Blond Ambition” tour, Roger Ross Williams ‘Life, Animated depicting the remarkable story of an autistic boy, who learned how to communicate with his surroundings through Disney films, Those Who Jump about an African refugee who films attempts by other refugees to jump the barbed wire border fence in North Africa and Louis Theroux: My Scientology Film.
This year’s Arts Section will include Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble by Academy Award winner Morgan Neville; I Don’t Belong Anywhere: The Cinema of Chantal Akerman, which was produced shortly before her tragic death, Listen to Me, Marlon, which tells the story of Marlon Brando through the audio recordings he made throughout his life, Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict, the salacious story of art collector Peggy Guggenheim, Koudelka Shooting Holy Land, Gilad Baram’s film about famous Czech photographer Josef Koudelka’s travels along the Separation Fence, and more.
Seven films produced by the top film schools in Israel were selected to compete in the annual Student Film Competition. The prize for the competition was donated by the Gottesman family in memory of Ruti Gottesman, a leading supporter of Docaviv and of documentary.
The Members of the selection committee included Karin Ryvind Segal, programming director for Docaviv, Hila Avraham, curator and expert on film and audiovisual media preservation and screenwriter Danny Rosenberg, whose work includes the films My Father’s House , Susia and the television series Johnny and the Knights of the Galilee.
Special Guests attending the Festival:
Award winning Director Ondi Timoner, will be attending the Israeli premiere of her film Russell Brand: A Second Coming. Her Sundance-winning film Dig! will be among the music documentaries screened at the Tel Aviv Port. In conjunction with the Film Department of Beit Berl College, Timoner will also be conducting a special master class for students, professionals, and amateurs.
This year’s festival will include a special tribute to acclaimed director Nikolaus Geyrhalter who will be attending the festival with his recent Homo Sapiens. This year’s festival will also include two previous films of his, Our Daily Bread and Abendland,.
International jury members attending the festival include:
Adriek van Nieuwenhuyzen, Director of the Idfa industry office; Gary Kam, producer of Planet of Snail; film director Alma Har’el (Bombay Beach; LoveTrue) ; Nilotpal, Director of Docedge Kolkata, Sascha Lara Bleuler, Director of the Human Rights Film Festival in Zurich, and film director Tatiana Brandrup.
The Israeli jurors include:
Director Dror Moreh, director and producer Barak Heymann, director Robby Elmaliah, producer Elinor Kowarsky, photographer David Adika, and film editor Tal Rabiner.
Around town. A record number of twelve screening venues spread out across Tel Aviv will offer free screenings. These are: Habima Square, the Beit Danny Community Center, the Hatikvah neighborhood, the Arab-Jewish Community Center in Jaffa, the rooftop of Tel Aviv City Hall, WeWork, Levinsky Park, Bar Kayma, Beit Romano, the Nalaga’at Center, Picnic Little Italy-Sarona Tel Aviv, and Artport.
Outdoors. The Tel Aviv Port will continue to host the festival this year, with outdoor screenings of music films with guest deejays from KZRadio. Films to be screened at the port include Janis: Little Girl Blue, The Reflektor Tapes about the band Arcade Fire, P.T Andersoan’s Junun about the musical collaboration between Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood, Nigel Godrich, and a dozen Indian musicians.
Festival Firsts. DocaviVR: a collaboration between Docaviv and Steamer, Israel’s first Interactive and Virtual Reality Film Festival, presents original documentary projects from Israel and around the world, created especially for viewing with Vr gear. The event will take place at Beit Romano. A cinema will pop up in one of Tel Aviv’s trendy hubs, with 25 stations equipped with Vr gear.
The Docommunity conference aims to promote dcomentary across the country by bringing together cultural coordinators and artistic directors from across the country to introduce them to the latest documentary films from Israel and around the world.
The Platform for Alternative Documentation at Artport art space: A performative piece that brings together film artists, social activists, and researchers studying the various aesthetic, social, and philosophical aspects of documentation. Curated by Laliv Melamed and Gilad Reich.
Young audiences. For the first time, films from The Next Doc will be screened, a special initiative of Docaviv, the Second Channel, and the New Fund for Film and Television, which led to the production of three films created especially for a teenage audience.
Docaviv will also be hosting the final event of Docu Young, at which films by students in residential schools, who participated in film workshops , will be screened.
The Docyouth Competition will feature the best documentary films produced by students in high school film programs throughout the country. For the first time, voting for this year’s competition will be held online and open to high school students across the country.
Among the Screenings of docs for kids are Victor Kosakovsky’s “Varicella”, and “Landfilharmonic”.
Over the course of the festival, 110 films will be screened.
- 5/11/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
It’s been a surprisingly interesting month of moving and shaking in terms of doc development. Just a month after making his first public funding pitch at Toronto’s Hot Docs Forum, legendary doc filmmaker Frederick Wiseman took to Kickstarter to help cover the remaining expenses for his 40th feature film In Jackson Heights (see the film’s first trailer below). Unrelentingly rigorous in his determination to capture the American institutional landscape on film, his latest continues down this thematic rabbit hole, taking on the immensely diverse New York City neighborhood of Jackson Heights as his latest subject. According to the Kickstarter page, Wiseman is currently editing the 120 hours of rushes he shot with hopes of having the film ready for a fall festival premiere (my guess would be Tiff, where both National Gallery and At Berkeley made their North American debut), though he’s currently quite a ways away from his $75,000 goal.
- 7/6/2015
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
Well folks, after a rather long and brutal winter (at least for me here in Buffalo), we are finally heading into the wonderful warmth of summer, but with that blast of sunshine and steamy humidity comes the mid-year drought of major film fests. After the Sheffield Doc/Fest concludes on June 10th and AFI Docs wraps on June 21st, we likely won’t see any major influx in our charts until Locarno, Venice, Telluride and Tiff announce their line-ups in rapid succession. In the meantime, we can look forward to the intriguing onslaught of films making their debut in Sheffield, including Brian Hill’s intriguing examination of Sweden’s most notorious serial killer, The Confessions of Thomas Quick, and Sean McAllister’s film for which he himself was jailed in the process of making, A Syrian Love Story, the only two films world premiering in the festival’s main competition.
- 6/1/2015
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
It should come as no surprise that Cannes Film Festival will play host to Kent Jones’s doc on the touchstone of filmmaking interview tomes, Hitchcock/Truffaut (see photo above). The film has been floating near the top of this list since it was announced last year as in development, while Jones himself has a history with the festival, having co-written both Arnaud Desplechin’s Jimmy P. and Martin Scorsese’s My Voyage To Italy, both of which premiered in Cannes. The film is scheduled to screen as part of the Cannes Classics sidebar alongside the likes of Stig Björkman’s Ingrid Bergman, in Her Own Words, which will play as part of the festival’s tribute to the late starlet, and Gabriel Clarke and John McKenna’s Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans (see trailer below). As someone who grew up watching road races with my dad in Watkins Glen,...
- 5/1/2015
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
Now that the busy winter fest schedule of Sundance, Rotterdam and the Berlinale has concluded, we’ve now got our eyes on the likes of True/False and SXSW. While, True/False does not specialize in attention grabbing world premieres, it does provide a late winter haven for cream of the crop non-fiction fare from all the previously mentioned fests and a selection of overlooked genre blending films presented in a down home setting. This year will mark my first trip to the Columbia, Missouri based fest, where I hope to catch a little of everything, from their hush-hush secret screenings, to selections from their Neither/Nor series, this year featuring chimeric Polish cinema of decades past, to a spotlight of Adam Curtis’s incisive oeuvre. But truth be told, it is SXSW, with its slew of high profile world premieres being announced, such as Alex Gibney’s Steve Jobs...
- 2/27/2015
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
Sinister scored big last weekend at the box office, and for good reason: it's seriously scary, in all the right ways. (If you haven't had a chance to see it, be sure to catch it this weekend, and beware of mild spoilers below.) When I first saw the film at Fantastic Fest, I was haunted by the amazing score by Christopher Young (Hellraiser) and the unsettling sound design by Dane Davis... and although I didn't know it at the time, an assortment of original music by many experimental bands and dark ambient music artists. Director Scott Derrickson has revealed to us that impressive lineup, and how he discovered them. FEARnet: How did you arrive at your decision to use existing tracks from experimental bands for certain scenes? Scott: I decided very early on that I wanted the Super 8 films to play full screen with music. I spent several long days,...
- 10/19/2012
- by Gregory Burkart
- FEARnet
Throughout the month of October, Editor-in-Chief and resident Horror expert Ricky D, will be posting a list of his favorite Horror films of all time. The list will be posted in six parts. Click here to see every entry.
As with all lists, this is personal and nobody will agree with every choice – and if you do, that would be incredibly disturbing. It was almost impossible for me to rank them in order, but I tried and eventually gave up.
****
Special Mention: Gremlins
Directed by Joe Dante
Written by Chris Columbus
1984, USA
Gremlins gets a special mention because I’ve always considered it more of a comedy and a wholesome Christmas flick than an actual horror film. This tribute the 1950s matinee genre stands the test of time from a time when parents would take their children to family films that pushed the boundaries of the MPAA. Joe Dante is...
As with all lists, this is personal and nobody will agree with every choice – and if you do, that would be incredibly disturbing. It was almost impossible for me to rank them in order, but I tried and eventually gave up.
****
Special Mention: Gremlins
Directed by Joe Dante
Written by Chris Columbus
1984, USA
Gremlins gets a special mention because I’ve always considered it more of a comedy and a wholesome Christmas flick than an actual horror film. This tribute the 1950s matinee genre stands the test of time from a time when parents would take their children to family films that pushed the boundaries of the MPAA. Joe Dante is...
- 10/15/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
The 15th annual Antimatter Film Festival is grinding out, as it always does, an incredible program of avant-garde and experimental short films and features from all over the world. The visual smorgasbord is assaulting Victoria, British Columbia on Oct. 12-20.
Some of the features include Matt McCormick‘s lyrical travelogue road trip The Great Northwest, Sabine Gruffat‘s Detroit & Dubai contrast and comparison I Have Always Been a Dreamer and Ben Rivers‘ acclaimed pastoral odyssey Two Years at Sea.
On the short film front, there’s Salise Hughes‘ vanishing Erasable Cities, Deborah Stratman‘s reworked silent film Village, silenced, Matt McCormick‘s meditation on abandoned spaces Future So Bright, Jem Cohen‘s portrait doc Crossing Paths With Luce Vigo, Lyn Elliot‘s stop-motion Another Dress, Another Button, Alyssa Timon‘s A Dog Wearing Glasses; and tons more.
Plus, there’s the special “Home Movie Day” tribute to Victoria, BC on Oct.
Some of the features include Matt McCormick‘s lyrical travelogue road trip The Great Northwest, Sabine Gruffat‘s Detroit & Dubai contrast and comparison I Have Always Been a Dreamer and Ben Rivers‘ acclaimed pastoral odyssey Two Years at Sea.
On the short film front, there’s Salise Hughes‘ vanishing Erasable Cities, Deborah Stratman‘s reworked silent film Village, silenced, Matt McCormick‘s meditation on abandoned spaces Future So Bright, Jem Cohen‘s portrait doc Crossing Paths With Luce Vigo, Lyn Elliot‘s stop-motion Another Dress, Another Button, Alyssa Timon‘s A Dog Wearing Glasses; and tons more.
Plus, there’s the special “Home Movie Day” tribute to Victoria, BC on Oct.
- 10/15/2012
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Jake Wagner has moved to Benderspink, where he will head up the company’s management division. He brings with him lit clients such as Evan Daugherty (Snow White And The Huntsman), John Swetnam (Category 6), Andrew Knauer (Last Stand), Chris Denham (Home Movie), Micah Barnett (The Rabbit), John Sullivan (Science Fair), Tripper Clancy (Henry The Second), Lucas Sussman (The Hunt), Chris Roach/John Richardson (Non Stop), and Ethan Maniquis (Machete). He also brings actor Greg Finley (Secret Life Of The American Teenager). Partners Jc Spink, Chris Bender and Jake Weiner called Wagner “one of the brightest young managers out there.” He’d been at FilmEngine. Wagner will also help with Benderspink’s movie and TV production and its comic and transmedia initiatives. Benderspink’s producing credits include the upcoming The Incredible Burt Wonderstone and We’re The Millers for New Line Cinema, The Hangover 3 for Warners, and Ride Along for Universal.
- 10/10/2012
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline TV
Jake Wagner has moved to Benderspink, where he will head up the company’s management division. He brings with him lit clients such as Evan Daugherty (Snow White And The Huntsman), John Swetnam (Category 6), Andrew Knauer (Last Stand), Chris Denham (Home Movie), Micah Barnett (The Rabbit), John Sullivan (Science Fair), Tripper Clancy (Henry The Second), Lucas Sussman (The Hunt), Chris Roach/John Richardson (Non Stop), and Ethan Maniquis (Machete). He also brings actor Greg Finley (Secret Life Of The American Teenager). Partners Jc Spink, Chris Bender and Jake Weiner called Wagner “one of the brightest young managers out there.” He’d been at FilmEngine. Wagner will also help with Benderspink’s movie and TV production and its comic and transmedia initiatives. Benderspink’s producing credits include the upcoming The Incredible Burt Wonderstone and We’re The Millers for New Line Cinema, The Hangover 3 for Warners, and Ride Along for Universal.
- 10/10/2012
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
The Tumblr round-up is a compilation of images, links, posters, stories, videos and so on, taken from the Sound On Sight Tumblr account. We simply do not have the man power nor time to write articles on every interesting movie related goody we find, so this is our way of still promoting some of the stuff we love.
If you have any interesting items that you think we should plug, please email us at admin@soundonsight.org
****
Noam Murro directed quite a few Super Bowl ads including the Pepsi “King’s Court” spot which featured X Factor 2011 winner Melanie Amaro and Elton John, as well as the Chevy Sonic “Stunt Anthem” as and the Kia “A Dream Car. For Real Life” commercial.
-
Finally, Murro also directed the Chevy Silverado “End of the World” spot.
-
This is amazing – A London-based film PR company recently held a screening of Lady And The Tramp for dogs,...
If you have any interesting items that you think we should plug, please email us at admin@soundonsight.org
****
Noam Murro directed quite a few Super Bowl ads including the Pepsi “King’s Court” spot which featured X Factor 2011 winner Melanie Amaro and Elton John, as well as the Chevy Sonic “Stunt Anthem” as and the Kia “A Dream Car. For Real Life” commercial.
-
Finally, Murro also directed the Chevy Silverado “End of the World” spot.
-
This is amazing – A London-based film PR company recently held a screening of Lady And The Tramp for dogs,...
- 2/7/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Chicago, Il - Cinema/Chicago announced that the 47Th Chicago International Film Festival will spotlight a diverse group of actors and filmmakers with Illinois and Chicago connections through two unique Festival programs: City & State and Chicago Connections.
From the Opening Night Presentation of The Last Rites of Joe May starring longtime Chicago thespian Dennis Farina to Xan Aranda.s look into the inner world of Chicago-bred musician Andrew Bird (Andrew Bird: Fever Year), and a short film program featuring promising new Illinois filmmakers (Shorts 1: City & State), this year.s City & State picks showcase the best features, documentaries and short films with roots in Chicago or Illinois. A Festival jury will select the best film in this category, which will be presented with the Chicago Award.
Chicago Connections, a ticketed series of screenings, discussions and Q&A.s, will honor notable native Chicagoans John C. Reilly, Haskell Wexler, Joe Swanberg,...
From the Opening Night Presentation of The Last Rites of Joe May starring longtime Chicago thespian Dennis Farina to Xan Aranda.s look into the inner world of Chicago-bred musician Andrew Bird (Andrew Bird: Fever Year), and a short film program featuring promising new Illinois filmmakers (Shorts 1: City & State), this year.s City & State picks showcase the best features, documentaries and short films with roots in Chicago or Illinois. A Festival jury will select the best film in this category, which will be presented with the Chicago Award.
Chicago Connections, a ticketed series of screenings, discussions and Q&A.s, will honor notable native Chicagoans John C. Reilly, Haskell Wexler, Joe Swanberg,...
- 9/29/2011
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The 18th Annual Chicago Underground Film Festival has handed out their annual awards. The big winner this year is filmmaker Jerzy Rose for his movie Some Girls Never Learn.
Rose’s debut comedy feature film won both the Made in Chicago Award and was voted the number one film amongst audience members.
Other feature films winning prizes are Best Documentary And Again, Adele Horne’s portrait of the unusual town of Playas, New Mexico; while the Best Narrative (feature) award was split between two films: Alex Ross Perry’s The Color Wheel, about feuding siblings; and Damon Russell’s Snow on tha Bluff, a fictional autobiography about an Atlanta crack dealer.
Short film winners include Ryan Garrett, John Price and Ben Rivers; while Nellie Kluz, Mike Gibisser, Spencer Parsons and Laura Kraning all received honorable mentions.
The jury selecting this year’s winners were Donald Harrison of the Ann Arbor Film Festival,...
Rose’s debut comedy feature film won both the Made in Chicago Award and was voted the number one film amongst audience members.
Other feature films winning prizes are Best Documentary And Again, Adele Horne’s portrait of the unusual town of Playas, New Mexico; while the Best Narrative (feature) award was split between two films: Alex Ross Perry’s The Color Wheel, about feuding siblings; and Damon Russell’s Snow on tha Bluff, a fictional autobiography about an Atlanta crack dealer.
Short film winners include Ryan Garrett, John Price and Ben Rivers; while Nellie Kluz, Mike Gibisser, Spencer Parsons and Laura Kraning all received honorable mentions.
The jury selecting this year’s winners were Donald Harrison of the Ann Arbor Film Festival,...
- 6/7/2011
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Almost exactly a year ago this week, I was walking out of the Salle Debussy screen at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, having been utterly blown away by a film that I would spend the rest of the year telling everyone I knew that they had to go out of their way to see. Fast forward to today, and that film, Derek Cianfrance‘s Blue Valentine has now landed on blu-ray and DVD.
Follow the jump to see whether I’m just as enthusiastic now.
As if I could be anything else. I stand by my statement that Blue Valentine deserves to be considered one of the best films of the last, or indeed any year. It is a touching, and occasionally provocative anti-romantic film that takes the established expectations we have for screen romances and squeezes the mindless happiness out of it, replacing that escapist pleasure with a...
Follow the jump to see whether I’m just as enthusiastic now.
As if I could be anything else. I stand by my statement that Blue Valentine deserves to be considered one of the best films of the last, or indeed any year. It is a touching, and occasionally provocative anti-romantic film that takes the established expectations we have for screen romances and squeezes the mindless happiness out of it, replacing that escapist pleasure with a...
- 5/24/2011
- by Simon Gallagher
- Obsessed with Film
The 18th annual Chicago Underground Film Festival is ready to have another monumental year at the Gene Siskel Film Center on June 2-9, featuring a killer lineup with new films from some true underground legends.
First, Usama Alshaibi will screen his latest, most visually stunning and conceptually innovative feature Profane, about a spiritually confused Muslim sex worker trying to recapture her lost jinn — a demon of smokeless fire — on streets of the Windy City.
Then, documentary filmmakers Jeff Krulik and John Heyn return to their hard rockin’ roots with Heavy Metal Picnic, which relives one of the most notorious ’80s weekend parties in the history of Maryland and the world — the Full Moon Jamboree, which if you can remember it means you weren’t there. Plus, Hmp will be screened with Heyn and Krulik’s underground classic Heavy Metal Parking Lot.
Also in the documentary vein, are Marie Losier‘s...
First, Usama Alshaibi will screen his latest, most visually stunning and conceptually innovative feature Profane, about a spiritually confused Muslim sex worker trying to recapture her lost jinn — a demon of smokeless fire — on streets of the Windy City.
Then, documentary filmmakers Jeff Krulik and John Heyn return to their hard rockin’ roots with Heavy Metal Picnic, which relives one of the most notorious ’80s weekend parties in the history of Maryland and the world — the Full Moon Jamboree, which if you can remember it means you weren’t there. Plus, Hmp will be screened with Heyn and Krulik’s underground classic Heavy Metal Parking Lot.
Also in the documentary vein, are Marie Losier‘s...
- 5/13/2011
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Blue Valentine
Extras include:
CommentaryDeleted ScenesThe Making of Blue ValentineFrankie and the Unicorn (Home Movie)
The Illusionist
Extras include:
The Making of The IllusionistAnimation Line TestsBefore and After Animation Sequences
I Saw The Devil
Extras include:
Deleted ScenesHDNet: A Look at I Saw the Devil
Black Death
Extras include:
Making of Black Death
Something Wild (Criterion Collection)
Extras include:
Interviews - Jonathan Demme, E. Max FryeBooklet - 16-page illustrated booklet containing David Thompson's essay "Wild Things"
Some Like It Hot Blu-ray
Extras include:
CommentaryThe Making of Some Like It HotThe Legacy of Some Like It Hot"Nostalgic Look Back" DocumentaryMemories from the Sweet Sues FeaturetteVirtual Hall of Memories...
Extras include:
CommentaryDeleted ScenesThe Making of Blue ValentineFrankie and the Unicorn (Home Movie)
The Illusionist
Extras include:
The Making of The IllusionistAnimation Line TestsBefore and After Animation Sequences
I Saw The Devil
Extras include:
Deleted ScenesHDNet: A Look at I Saw the Devil
Black Death
Extras include:
Making of Black Death
Something Wild (Criterion Collection)
Extras include:
Interviews - Jonathan Demme, E. Max FryeBooklet - 16-page illustrated booklet containing David Thompson's essay "Wild Things"
Some Like It Hot Blu-ray
Extras include:
CommentaryThe Making of Some Like It HotThe Legacy of Some Like It Hot"Nostalgic Look Back" DocumentaryMemories from the Sweet Sues FeaturetteVirtual Hall of Memories...
- 5/10/2011
- by josh@reelartsy.com (Joshua dos Santos)
- Reelartsy
The 49th annual Ann Arbor Film Festival, which ran for six days on March 22-27, has given awards to 27 experimental and avant-garde filmmakers. Among the winners are notable names such as Deborah Stratman, Ben Russell and Michael Robinson.
The full list of winners is below. All awards were picked by this year’s Aaff jury, which consisted of filmmakers Stephen Connolly, Rebecca Meyers and Vanessa Renwick, all of whom had non-competitive screenings at the fest, as well. The list is broken into two sections, the first being awards named by the fest while the second section are open-ended awards and given names by the jury.
All winners also received a cash prize, the most significant of which — $3,000 — went to the Ken Burns Award Best of the Festival winner Natasha Mendonca for her film Jan Villa, a 20-minute experimental documentary in which the filmmaker returns to Bombay after severe flooding in...
The full list of winners is below. All awards were picked by this year’s Aaff jury, which consisted of filmmakers Stephen Connolly, Rebecca Meyers and Vanessa Renwick, all of whom had non-competitive screenings at the fest, as well. The list is broken into two sections, the first being awards named by the fest while the second section are open-ended awards and given names by the jury.
All winners also received a cash prize, the most significant of which — $3,000 — went to the Ken Burns Award Best of the Festival winner Natasha Mendonca for her film Jan Villa, a 20-minute experimental documentary in which the filmmaker returns to Bombay after severe flooding in...
- 3/29/2011
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Keith Urban has just debuted a music video for his latest single "Without You". The country music singer filmed it at Soundstage in Hollywood with Chris Hicky sitting behind the lens. Home movie footage including his nuptials with Nicole Kidman and their intimate moment at a beach are included as well.
"We wanted to keep the video simple by trying not to be too literal with the story and making sure we compliment the song," he said. "We had a good time making it so hopefully the fans love it, too. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone out on the road soon."
He listed "Without You" in his 2010 album "Get Closer". Talking about the track, he stated, "It was uncanny how much it was suited to my life. I think if I'd written something like this, I would have felt it wasn't poetically disguised enough. Maybe it's because I didn't...
"We wanted to keep the video simple by trying not to be too literal with the story and making sure we compliment the song," he said. "We had a good time making it so hopefully the fans love it, too. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone out on the road soon."
He listed "Without You" in his 2010 album "Get Closer". Talking about the track, he stated, "It was uncanny how much it was suited to my life. I think if I'd written something like this, I would have felt it wasn't poetically disguised enough. Maybe it's because I didn't...
- 3/16/2011
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
Calgary’s $100 Film Festival is a celebration of film. Not “film” as a concept, but of actual celluloid. This year, their 19th, is three nights of strictly 8mm and 16mm films — No Video! — screening at the historic Plaza Theatre on March 3-5.
Each night starts off with a real bang: A unique live film and music performance by local musicians and filmmakers. Thursday features the combination of blues musician Erin Ross and a film by Farrah Alladin and Nathan Taylor; Friday is experimental indie band Axis of Conversation and a film by Alex Mitchell; and Friday is musician Kris Ip Ryzak and a film by Ben Tsui.
Also on Friday, mixed in with the regular lineup of films, is a mini-retrospective of Montreal-based experimental filmmaker Alexandre Larose, featuring four of his films — Artifices, 930, Ville Marie and Brouillard. Then, after all films have screened for the night, Larose will host a...
Each night starts off with a real bang: A unique live film and music performance by local musicians and filmmakers. Thursday features the combination of blues musician Erin Ross and a film by Farrah Alladin and Nathan Taylor; Friday is experimental indie band Axis of Conversation and a film by Alex Mitchell; and Friday is musician Kris Ip Ryzak and a film by Ben Tsui.
Also on Friday, mixed in with the regular lineup of films, is a mini-retrospective of Montreal-based experimental filmmaker Alexandre Larose, featuring four of his films — Artifices, 930, Ville Marie and Brouillard. Then, after all films have screened for the night, Larose will host a...
- 2/17/2011
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Calgary’s $100 Film Festival has announced the films selected to screen at their 19th annual event that will run on March 3-5 at the Plaza Theatre. The lineup includes 45 films by 39 filmmakers, including a retrospective of the work of Montreal-based Alexandre Larose.
What’s extra special about the $100 Fest is that, in this increasingly digital age, this event remains a steadfast celebration of celluloid. All films screening over the three days will be on film, either Super 8 or 16mm. In addition, Larose, whose work involves manipulating camera equipment and hand film processing, will be in attendance for an artist talk and an advanced workshop on optical printing.
Several of the movies screening have been reviewed previously on Bad Lit: The Journal of Underground Film and are highly recommended for those interested in attending the fest. They include Naomi Uman & Lee Lynch’s wonderfully disorienting Tin Woodman’s Home Movie...
What’s extra special about the $100 Fest is that, in this increasingly digital age, this event remains a steadfast celebration of celluloid. All films screening over the three days will be on film, either Super 8 or 16mm. In addition, Larose, whose work involves manipulating camera equipment and hand film processing, will be in attendance for an artist talk and an advanced workshop on optical printing.
Several of the movies screening have been reviewed previously on Bad Lit: The Journal of Underground Film and are highly recommended for those interested in attending the fest. They include Naomi Uman & Lee Lynch’s wonderfully disorienting Tin Woodman’s Home Movie...
- 2/3/2011
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
DVD Playhouse December 2010
By
Allen Gardner
America Lost And Found: The Bbs Story (Criterion) Perhaps the best DVD box set released this year, this ultimate cinefile stocking stuffer offered up by Criterion, the Rolls-Royce of home video labels, features seven seminal works from the late ‘60s-early ‘70s that were brought to life by cutting edge producers Bert Schneider, Steve Blauner and director/producer Bob Rafelson, the principals of Bbs Productions. In chronological order: Head (1968) star the Monkees, the manufactured (by Rafelson, et al), American answer to the Beatles who, like it or not, did make an impact on popular culture, particularly in this utterly surreal piece of cinematic anarchy (co-written by Jack Nicholson, who has a cameo), which was largely dismissed upon its initial release, but is now regarded as a counterculture classic. Easy Rider (1969) is arguably regarded as the seminal ‘60s picture, about two hippie drug dealers (director Dennis Hopper...
By
Allen Gardner
America Lost And Found: The Bbs Story (Criterion) Perhaps the best DVD box set released this year, this ultimate cinefile stocking stuffer offered up by Criterion, the Rolls-Royce of home video labels, features seven seminal works from the late ‘60s-early ‘70s that were brought to life by cutting edge producers Bert Schneider, Steve Blauner and director/producer Bob Rafelson, the principals of Bbs Productions. In chronological order: Head (1968) star the Monkees, the manufactured (by Rafelson, et al), American answer to the Beatles who, like it or not, did make an impact on popular culture, particularly in this utterly surreal piece of cinematic anarchy (co-written by Jack Nicholson, who has a cameo), which was largely dismissed upon its initial release, but is now regarded as a counterculture classic. Easy Rider (1969) is arguably regarded as the seminal ‘60s picture, about two hippie drug dealers (director Dennis Hopper...
- 12/20/2010
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Each year, the Toronto International Film Festival (or, per its ongoing rebranding campaign, simply “tiff,” in lowercase tangerine) allows perspicacious programmer Andréa Picard to assemble a series of showcases for experimental film and video. As some have noted (and I’ve probably said this on some occasion—after a long flight, my memory fails me), Picard’s Wavelengths series is virtually a festival within the festival, for several reasons. First, it does tend to attract its own subset of devotees, many of whom ignore the larger festival altogether. (And, it must be said, not without reason. In the past I’ve criticized this insularity on the part of avanties, but now, with once-subtle shifts in Tiff’s priorities now pretty much amounting to undeniable sea changes, withdrawal in disgust is indeed not the same as apathy. But I’ll get into all that another time.) Second, while the diffuse team...
- 9/10/2010
- MUBI
America's Got Talent delivered a strong audience to ITV2 on Friday night, according to overnight data. The 2009 finale was seen by 701k (3.3%) between 9pm and 11pm. However, Family Guy remained the most-watched multichannel show, with 778k (9.2%) at 11.50pm. Elsewhere last night, Lisa's Celebrity MasterChef victory pulled in 5.79m (25.1%) for BBC One between 9pm and 10pm, while a Doc Martin repeat logged 3.37m (14.6%) at the same time. Big Brother was third in the hour, with 2.95m (12.8%), returning at 10.30pm with 2.91m (19.2%). The reality show garnered respective timeshift audiences of 183k and 121k. Meanwhile, BBC Two's Home Movie Roadshow interested 1.44m (6.2%), and a repeat of The Mentalist took 1.23m (5.3%) for Five. Earlier, The One Show slipped to 3.87m (20.9%) at (more)...
- 8/21/2010
- by By Paul Millar
- Digital Spy
Wavelengths 1: Soul of the City
As the pace of the contemporary urban experience grows faster and the world becomes increasingly fractured, artists are documenting the vestiges and layers revealed in flux; global updates on the city symphony.
Tomonari Nishikawa’s Tokyo-Ebisu (Japan) is a 16mm in-camera patchwork constructed from multiple viewpoints from the platforms of Tokyo’s busiest railway line, Yamanote, and a masking technique which exposes 1/30th of a frame 30 times in order to capture an image of spectral apparitions. The Soul of Things (U.S.A) from Dominic Angerame presents luscious chiaroscuro images of the construction and destruction of modern structures exposing their inner soul. From Thom Andersen, director of Los Angeles Plays Itself, Get Out of the Car (U.S.A.) is a city symphony exploring Los Angeles’ gentrification through a thoughtful montage of façades and a playful excursus through its musical history. Callum Cooper’s Victoria,...
As the pace of the contemporary urban experience grows faster and the world becomes increasingly fractured, artists are documenting the vestiges and layers revealed in flux; global updates on the city symphony.
Tomonari Nishikawa’s Tokyo-Ebisu (Japan) is a 16mm in-camera patchwork constructed from multiple viewpoints from the platforms of Tokyo’s busiest railway line, Yamanote, and a masking technique which exposes 1/30th of a frame 30 times in order to capture an image of spectral apparitions. The Soul of Things (U.S.A) from Dominic Angerame presents luscious chiaroscuro images of the construction and destruction of modern structures exposing their inner soul. From Thom Andersen, director of Los Angeles Plays Itself, Get Out of the Car (U.S.A.) is a city symphony exploring Los Angeles’ gentrification through a thoughtful montage of façades and a playful excursus through its musical history. Callum Cooper’s Victoria,...
- 8/4/2010
- by tiffreviews
- TIFFReviews
It’s an old cultural cliché that a party grinds to a halt whenever the hosts pull out their home movies, and that’s unfortunate. Outside of diaries and letters, the pictures we take of ourselves constitute some of our most personal art, and some of our least well-preserved. That’s the inspiration behind Home Movie Day, an annual event that sees venues around the world inviting people to exhibit their old films for an audience. A representative sampling of those films are now available on the DVD Films From Home Movie Day: Living Room Cinema, Volume 1, complete with ...
- 8/4/2010
- avclub.com
Chicago – The winners of the 17th Chicago Underground Film Festival were announced, with the short film winners awarded on June 27th, and the feature-length winners revealed on July 2nd.
The festival kicked off on June 24th, and included two world premieres, five Midwest premieres and four Chicago premieres. The Audience Award went to local favorite “Scrappers,” from documentarians Ben Kolk, Brian Ashby and Courtney Prokopas. Winners received handmade art pieces constructed by Chicago artist Luke Breckon.
Frankie Latina’s ‘Modus Operandi’ won the Honorable Mention at the 17th Chicago Underground Film Festival
Photo credit: Frankie Latina Motion Pictures
This year’s Cuff jury included media exhibition coordinator Ross Nugent, filmmaker Spencer Parsons and the Assistant Director of Video Data Bank, Brigid Reagan. Here are the complete lists of winners:
Chicago Underground Film Festival: Feature Film Competition Winners
Best Documentary Feature: “Scrappers” by Ben Kolak, Brian Ashby and Courtney Prokopas
Best...
The festival kicked off on June 24th, and included two world premieres, five Midwest premieres and four Chicago premieres. The Audience Award went to local favorite “Scrappers,” from documentarians Ben Kolk, Brian Ashby and Courtney Prokopas. Winners received handmade art pieces constructed by Chicago artist Luke Breckon.
Frankie Latina’s ‘Modus Operandi’ won the Honorable Mention at the 17th Chicago Underground Film Festival
Photo credit: Frankie Latina Motion Pictures
This year’s Cuff jury included media exhibition coordinator Ross Nugent, filmmaker Spencer Parsons and the Assistant Director of Video Data Bank, Brigid Reagan. Here are the complete lists of winners:
Chicago Underground Film Festival: Feature Film Competition Winners
Best Documentary Feature: “Scrappers” by Ben Kolak, Brian Ashby and Courtney Prokopas
Best...
- 7/8/2010
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Update: Cuff has announced their feature award winners. Congrats to everyone!
Best Documentary Feature
Scrappers, dir. Ben Kolak, Brian Ashby, and Courtney Prokopas
Best Narrative Feature
Stay the Same Never Change, dir. Laurel Nakadate
Honorable Mention
Modus Operandi, dir. Frankie Latina
The 17th annual Chicago Underground Film Festival wraps up on July 1, but they’ve already announced their award winners. Although, as of right now, they’re still determining the Best Narrative Feature and Best Documentary Feature winners, but all the rest of the winners are listed below. I’ll update this post when the last two awards are announced.
And the winners are:
Made in Chicago Award
Fantasy Suite, dir. Kent Lambert
Best Animation
Everybody, dir. Steve Reinke and Jesse Mott
Best Experimental Film
L’Internationale, dir. Marianna Milhorat
Best Documentary Short
Sincerity: The Character of Ronald Reagan, dir. Chris Royalty
Best Narrative Short
Home Movie, dir. Braden King
Audience Award
Scrappers,...
Best Documentary Feature
Scrappers, dir. Ben Kolak, Brian Ashby, and Courtney Prokopas
Best Narrative Feature
Stay the Same Never Change, dir. Laurel Nakadate
Honorable Mention
Modus Operandi, dir. Frankie Latina
The 17th annual Chicago Underground Film Festival wraps up on July 1, but they’ve already announced their award winners. Although, as of right now, they’re still determining the Best Narrative Feature and Best Documentary Feature winners, but all the rest of the winners are listed below. I’ll update this post when the last two awards are announced.
And the winners are:
Made in Chicago Award
Fantasy Suite, dir. Kent Lambert
Best Animation
Everybody, dir. Steve Reinke and Jesse Mott
Best Experimental Film
L’Internationale, dir. Marianna Milhorat
Best Documentary Short
Sincerity: The Character of Ronald Reagan, dir. Chris Royalty
Best Narrative Short
Home Movie, dir. Braden King
Audience Award
Scrappers,...
- 6/30/2010
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Chicago – In Chicago, they are out and about on a daily basis. It is a simple pick-up truck, often bent and rusted with age. Most of the hauling areas in the back cabs of these trucks are outfitted with plywood extensions, increasing their ability to get more stuff in the back. They are the “Scrappers.”
This documentary follows two such men, as they prowl the alleys of Chicago, searching for the elusive metal that they can trade in for cash. Oscar is an undocumented immigrant from Honduras, working 14 hours a day to keep a subsistent level for his wife, child and family back home. Otis is a 73 year old African American man, proud and self-sufficient, who views scrapping as a noble and independent profession.
Co-directors Brian Ashby, Ben Kolak and Courtney Prokopas engage the two men, and use a point-of-view style to understand the often desperate circumstances of the scrap business and its practitoners.
This documentary follows two such men, as they prowl the alleys of Chicago, searching for the elusive metal that they can trade in for cash. Oscar is an undocumented immigrant from Honduras, working 14 hours a day to keep a subsistent level for his wife, child and family back home. Otis is a 73 year old African American man, proud and self-sufficient, who views scrapping as a noble and independent profession.
Co-directors Brian Ashby, Ben Kolak and Courtney Prokopas engage the two men, and use a point-of-view style to understand the often desperate circumstances of the scrap business and its practitoners.
- 6/27/2010
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
The Chicago Underground Film Festival is always a special occasion, but the 17th edition of this venerable institution, which runs on June 24 – July 1, is a little bit extra special. This year, Cuff will be honoring the lifelong underground film champion Jonas Mekas with their Lifetime Achievement Award!
Mekas will be in attendance at the festival at will appear at several screenings in his honor. On the 25th, there will be a screening of the new documentary Visionaries: Jonas Mekas and the (Mostly) American Avant-Garde, at which director Chuck Workman, Mekas and underground film historian Fred Camper will participate in a Q&A. Then, on the 26th, several of Mekas’ own films will screen and he’ll be presented with his award.
As for the rest of the fest, Cuff usually has some sort of unifying theme, at least as far as the features go. It’s not typically a stated theme,...
Mekas will be in attendance at the festival at will appear at several screenings in his honor. On the 25th, there will be a screening of the new documentary Visionaries: Jonas Mekas and the (Mostly) American Avant-Garde, at which director Chuck Workman, Mekas and underground film historian Fred Camper will participate in a Q&A. Then, on the 26th, several of Mekas’ own films will screen and he’ll be presented with his award.
As for the rest of the fest, Cuff usually has some sort of unifying theme, at least as far as the features go. It’s not typically a stated theme,...
- 6/3/2010
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Charlie Chaplin Home Movie Gets First Us ShowingsJohn CurranMONTPELIER, Vt. – As she sorted through her father Alistair Cooke's belongings after his death, Susan Cooke Kittredge came across something odd: an old 8 mm film canister with yellow tape spelling out "Chaplin film."What she found inside was intriguing: "All at Sea," an 11-minute home movie shot by a 24-year-old Cooke on a 1933 yacht cruise that included silent film great Charlie Chaplin, his "Modern Times" co-star Paulette Goddard and Alistair Cooke.The black-and-white silent film, which shows a relaxed Chaplin aboard his boat "Panacea" miming Greta Garbo, the Prince of Wales and Napoleon, was apparently never seen, ending up amid piles of books, manuscripts and other knickknacks in the New York apartment where he lived for 55 years before his death."This is something that's intrigued people for a long time," said Chaplin expert Frank Scheide, a University of Arkansas professor who...
- 4/9/2010
- backstage.com
Cindi Rush has been in casting for 17 years, the last 10 at her own company, Cindi Rush Casting in New York. She has also worked at a talent agency and a large management firm handling classical artists. Among her projects have been "Urinetown" and "Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks" on Broadway and "Rooms: A Rock Romance," "The Thing About Men," "Showtune," "I Sing," and revivals of "Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris" and "Say Goodnight, Gracie" Off-Broadway. Regionally, she has cast productions at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.; the Goodman Theatre in Chicago; Cape Cod Theatre Project; and the Actors Theatre of Louisville's Humana Festival of New American Plays. Her film credits include "Made for Each Other," "Home Movie," and "Headspace." She has served as a consultant for the National Alliance for Musical Theatre (2004–08) and New York University's graduate program in musical theater writing.Know...
- 2/4/2010
- backstage.com
It was only a matter of time until a filmmaker flipped the shaky-cam, first-person-perspective approach to horror on its lid, giving a nifty makeover to the style used (or, overused?) in Cloverfield, Spain’s [Rec] and its stateside remake Quarantine, George A. Romero’s Diary of the Dead, Home Movie and Paranormal Activity, just to name a few. Though the film has yet to be seen by any critics, Uruguay-born director Gustavo Hernandez’s La Casa Muda (The Silent House) seems to be just that technique-changer. Shot on a recorder camera, Hernandez’s film is being promoted as the first ever horror movie to come presented as one continuous 78-minute take, a feature-long sequence without edits or jumps.
Ignoring the disappointing “based on a true story” angle, it’s not hard to be intrigued by the film’s premise, a haunted house yarn centered on a woman who, along with her father,...
Ignoring the disappointing “based on a true story” angle, it’s not hard to be intrigued by the film’s premise, a haunted house yarn centered on a woman who, along with her father,...
- 1/27/2010
- by Matt Barone
- ReelLoop.com
Looks like we're in for a few packed weeks of DVD releases leading up to Christmas, so get your wallets out and prepare to start emptying them. The biggest release in stores today is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which is obviously an essential purchase if you are a fan. Outside of that, we've also got Michael Mann's Public Enemies, Julie & Julia and the Robin Williams dark comedy World's Greatest Dad, plus a few cool docs including the Oscar shortlisted The Cove, and Oscilloscope's Beautiful Losers. Also, you know you want these two beautiful box sets: Criterion's Ak 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa and Lost: The Complete Fifth Season (Dharma Initiation Kit). Will you be picking up anything this week? Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince [1] (DVD, Blu-ray [2]) Public Enemies [3] (DVD, Blu-ray [4]) Julie & Julia [5] (DVD, Blu-ray [6]) World's Greatest Dad [7] (DVD, Blu-ray [8]) Home Movie [9] Lion's Den [10] The Skeptic [11] Humble Pie [12] Hooking Up [13] Run!
- 12/8/2009
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
1- The Children The concept of killer kids is nothing new, but The Children can safely join the list of great horror movies like The Omen, Home Movie, The Exorcist, The Innocents and Village of the Damned. The film is directed by Tom Shankland who also adapted the script form a story by Paul Andrew Williams the director and writer of London to Brighton and The Cottage. Shankland delivers a simple film, with a simple set up and a simple pay off. What’s not simple are his sublime directorial flourishes. Shankland might add a few jump scares, but avoids genre clichés and wisely chooses an effective slow burn. The journey is unnerving, relentless, packed with suspense with a terrifying and brutal atmosphere. Easily one of the best horror films of the decade and destined to become a Brit Classic. Listen to our review from podcast #140 [1] 2- The Loved Ones Sean Byrne’s debut feature,...
- 10/22/2009
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
If it's Sunday, then that means its time for another Fangoria Week In Review. We're turning back the clock to look back on the past seven days of blood-soaked horror goodness.
We've got the entire week broken down by category so that you can catch up on anything you might've missed. It was a Big week for interviews, with Joe Dante, Danielle Harris, Hg Lewis and more - and the news continued to flow about the biggest event in Fango history - the Fangoria Trinity Of Terrors, which invades Las Vegas on Halloween Weekend!
Want to make sure you never miss a story? Follow @fangoriamag on Twitter!
Fangoria Trinity Of Terrors: Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nv - 10/30-11/01/2009
Tickets are now available online through http://www.trinityofterrors.com and through Vegas.com. You may also order tickets from Vegas.com by phone - 1-888-las-vegas (527-8342) 24 hours a day.
We've got the entire week broken down by category so that you can catch up on anything you might've missed. It was a Big week for interviews, with Joe Dante, Danielle Harris, Hg Lewis and more - and the news continued to flow about the biggest event in Fango history - the Fangoria Trinity Of Terrors, which invades Las Vegas on Halloween Weekend!
Want to make sure you never miss a story? Follow @fangoriamag on Twitter!
Fangoria Trinity Of Terrors: Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nv - 10/30-11/01/2009
Tickets are now available online through http://www.trinityofterrors.com and through Vegas.com. You may also order tickets from Vegas.com by phone - 1-888-las-vegas (527-8342) 24 hours a day.
- 10/18/2009
- by no-reply@fangoria.com (James Zahn)
- Fangoria
• IFC Films and Mpi Home Video gave Fango the scoop on the details and a first look at the cover art for its DVD release of Home Movie, Christopher Denham’s unnerving story of a family unraveling in frightening ways as seen through the lens of their camcorder. The disc arrives December 8.
Written and directed by Denham (an actor who appears in Martin Scorsese’s upcoming Shutter Island) and produced by Offspring and The Girl Next Door’s Andrew van den Houten, Home Movie stars Heroes’ Adrian Pasdar, Cady McClain and real-life young siblings Austin Williams and Amber Joy Williams; see our review here. The movie will be accompanied on the disc by a making-of featurette and the trailer; retail price is $19.98.
• Media Blasters gave Fango the first news that it plans to release Frank Henenlotter’s latest feature Bad Biology, the touching story of two young people with aberrant—and hungry—sex organs,...
Written and directed by Denham (an actor who appears in Martin Scorsese’s upcoming Shutter Island) and produced by Offspring and The Girl Next Door’s Andrew van den Houten, Home Movie stars Heroes’ Adrian Pasdar, Cady McClain and real-life young siblings Austin Williams and Amber Joy Williams; see our review here. The movie will be accompanied on the disc by a making-of featurette and the trailer; retail price is $19.98.
• Media Blasters gave Fango the first news that it plans to release Frank Henenlotter’s latest feature Bad Biology, the touching story of two young people with aberrant—and hungry—sex organs,...
- 10/15/2009
- by no-reply@fangoria.com (Michael Gingold)
- Fangoria
Rarely seen home movies shot by and featuring Marlon Brando, Gene Kelly and the late Natalie Wood are to be screened as part of a quirky one-day film festival in Hollywood.
The candid footage will screen during the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ presentation of Hollywood Home Movies II: Treasures from the Academy Film Archive on 17 October at the Linwood Dunn Theater.
The event is already sold out.
A spokesperson for the Academy says, "The Academy Film Archive houses a wide variety of such films and will present a selection of excerpts including footage of Marlene Dietrich, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Judy Garland, Paulette Goddard, Betty Grable, Alfred Hitchcock, Harpo Marx, Edward G. Robinson, Ginger Rogers, Mickey Rooney, Jimmy Stewart, Esther Williams and Loretta Young."
Hollywood Home Movies II is being presented in conjunction with Home Movie Day, an annual international celebration of amateur films and filmmaking.
The candid footage will screen during the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ presentation of Hollywood Home Movies II: Treasures from the Academy Film Archive on 17 October at the Linwood Dunn Theater.
The event is already sold out.
A spokesperson for the Academy says, "The Academy Film Archive houses a wide variety of such films and will present a selection of excerpts including footage of Marlene Dietrich, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Judy Garland, Paulette Goddard, Betty Grable, Alfred Hitchcock, Harpo Marx, Edward G. Robinson, Ginger Rogers, Mickey Rooney, Jimmy Stewart, Esther Williams and Loretta Young."
Hollywood Home Movies II is being presented in conjunction with Home Movie Day, an annual international celebration of amateur films and filmmaking.
- 10/7/2009
- WENN
Cinema Retro has received the following press release from A.M.P.A.S
2009–2010 Contemporary Documentaries Series
Wednesdays at 7 p.m., through December 9
The latest installment of the free Contemporary Documentary series showcases 2008 feature-length and short documentaries. In October: “The Garden,” “Encounters at the End of the World,” “Flow” and more.
Linwood Dunn Theater
1313 Vine Street
Hollywood, CA 90028
Wednesday evenings, through December 9, at 7 p.m.
Doors open at 6 p.m.
Admission is free; tickets are not required.
(310) 247-3600
www.oscars.org
Academy Seminar Series: Perspectives on Editing
October 6 and 14 at 7-10 p.m. at the Linwood Dunn Theater
The final two sessions in the seminar series on film editing focus on editing for documentary films (Tuesday, Oct. 6) and the accomplishments of Oscar winner Anne Coates (Wednesday, Oct. 14).
Linwood Dunn Theater
1313 Vine Street
Hollywood, CA 90028
Doors open at 6 p.m.
General Admission – $10 per evening
Academy members and students with a valid ID – $7.50 per evening
(310) 247-3600
www.
2009–2010 Contemporary Documentaries Series
Wednesdays at 7 p.m., through December 9
The latest installment of the free Contemporary Documentary series showcases 2008 feature-length and short documentaries. In October: “The Garden,” “Encounters at the End of the World,” “Flow” and more.
Linwood Dunn Theater
1313 Vine Street
Hollywood, CA 90028
Wednesday evenings, through December 9, at 7 p.m.
Doors open at 6 p.m.
Admission is free; tickets are not required.
(310) 247-3600
www.oscars.org
Academy Seminar Series: Perspectives on Editing
October 6 and 14 at 7-10 p.m. at the Linwood Dunn Theater
The final two sessions in the seminar series on film editing focus on editing for documentary films (Tuesday, Oct. 6) and the accomplishments of Oscar winner Anne Coates (Wednesday, Oct. 14).
Linwood Dunn Theater
1313 Vine Street
Hollywood, CA 90028
Doors open at 6 p.m.
General Admission – $10 per evening
Academy members and students with a valid ID – $7.50 per evening
(310) 247-3600
www.
- 10/1/2009
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
As the summer winds down, I decided to make my list of my ten favorite films so far in the year. With Tiff and Oscar season on their way, there's a good chance that only half these films will make my top ten come the end of the year, but I felt the need to champion them one more time. #1- Inglourious Basterds Directed by Quentin Tarantino Inglourious Basterds is Tarantino's Pierrot Le Fou, his 8 1/2, a movie about cinema and quite possibly his most sophisticated entertaining and exhilarating film to date. The film's climax has an image worth waiting a career for, one that evokes the timeless power of cinema - a force that Tarantino works to harness, at risk of alienating an action-hungry audience. Regardless, it's a distinctive piece of American pop art and somewhat of a transition for the director. Inglourious Basterds is Tarantino's war film but more...
- 8/18/2009
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Thanks to the fine folks at Anchor Bay Canada and Modern Cine, we’ve had five copies of chilling first person horror flick Home Movie to give away and the time has come to announce our winners! To claim a copy all you had to do was tell me which popular TV show the male lead of the film now stars in - the correct answer being that Adrian Pasdar plays Nathan Petrelli on Heroes. And these five people knew it: Chris Jones, Ray Salem, John Allison, Jessica Webster and Kate Wright.
- 4/30/2009
- by Todd Brown
- Screen Anarchy
The Pool Directed by: Chris Smith Written by: Chris Smith and Randy Russell Starring: Venkatesh Chavan, Ayesha Mohan, Nana Patekar, Jhangir Badshah When I heard that director Chris Smith's latest movie was due to hit theatres soon, I was looking forward to another strange but true documentary along the lines of American Movie, Home Movie and The Yes Men, all of which I enjoyed a great deal. To my surprise, however, his next film turned out to be something completely different. Not only does The Pool mark Smith's first foray into the world of dramatic fictional filmmaking, it was also shot on location in India -- in a language that Smith does not speak. The Pool first played at Sundance back in 2007, and it has taken over two years to reach Canadian theatres. Considering the fact that the film made a number of critics' lists for Best Movies of...
- 4/6/2009
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
Greetings Fango Fiends! Psycho Bunny here with another look back at the past seven days of blood-soaked horror goodness. The first full week of 2009 kicked off with a bloody Bang. with loads of Fangoria Exclusives, reviews, and more. For those not familiar with how this goes, I've broken down the entire week by section so that you can catch up on any news that may have passed you by!
Fangoria Entertainment Updates:
Fangoria to co-sponsor Underworld Charity Prop Auction Gay Of The Dead: Fangoria.com’s new Bloody Blog Get a scary start to 2009 on Fangoria Radio! Sideshow Collectibles Win The Dead Winners!
Fearful Features & Bloody Blogs:
Netherbeast Incorporated: Jobs at Stake Rip Ray Dennis Steckler Gay Of The Dead: Blog 1 from Sean Abley Horror Art from Down Under - from The Art Of Horror Heavy Red from Cult Couture Ole Bornedal: Not Just Another Genre Director by...
Fangoria Entertainment Updates:
Fangoria to co-sponsor Underworld Charity Prop Auction Gay Of The Dead: Fangoria.com’s new Bloody Blog Get a scary start to 2009 on Fangoria Radio! Sideshow Collectibles Win The Dead Winners!
Fearful Features & Bloody Blogs:
Netherbeast Incorporated: Jobs at Stake Rip Ray Dennis Steckler Gay Of The Dead: Blog 1 from Sean Abley Horror Art from Down Under - from The Art Of Horror Heavy Red from Cult Couture Ole Bornedal: Not Just Another Genre Director by...
- 1/11/2009
- Fangoria
There were a couple things that struck me when the team's favorite films of 2008 mini-lists started trickling in last week. First was that Wall*e, a film that seems to be on every critics list this year was nowhere to be found and second, only a fraction of the films actually saw wide releases in 2008. In fact, a few of the films you'll see listed were actually completed in earlier years but because they found their way into theatres or on DVD in 2008 they ended up trumping some of the crap that's been topping everyone else's lists (I love you Mr. King but Death Race? C'mon!).
After the break you'll find all of our 5 favorite films of 2008. Having to pick only five films out of quite a stellar year caused a few groans from the Qe gang (and some even refused to go to five at all because of indecision) but,...
After the break you'll find all of our 5 favorite films of 2008. Having to pick only five films out of quite a stellar year caused a few groans from the Qe gang (and some even refused to go to five at all because of indecision) but,...
- 12/23/2008
- QuietEarth.us
We just got a heads up from the guys at ModernCine with the good news that their next Jack Ketchum adaptation, Offspring, will be shown off at this month’s American Film Market. The film's not going to be done until December, but they're making sure distributors are aware of it with the sales are you see on your right.
To go along with that, check out the official synopsis; Survivors of a feral flesh-eating clan are chowing their way through the locals. Amy Halbard and Claire Carey strive to survive their abduction by the cannibals and save their children. A subplot involving Claire's despicable husband, Steven, gives an opportunity to cleverly compare predatory civilized folk to the appetite-driven primitives.
Hit our database entry for Offspring at the link above to check out the first pic from the film, too. In other ModernCine news, the creepy cinéma-vérité flick Home Movie...
To go along with that, check out the official synopsis; Survivors of a feral flesh-eating clan are chowing their way through the locals. Amy Halbard and Claire Carey strive to survive their abduction by the cannibals and save their children. A subplot involving Claire's despicable husband, Steven, gives an opportunity to cleverly compare predatory civilized folk to the appetite-driven primitives.
Hit our database entry for Offspring at the link above to check out the first pic from the film, too. In other ModernCine news, the creepy cinéma-vérité flick Home Movie...
- 11/1/2008
- by Johnny Butane
- DreadCentral.com
The festival is over, the votes tallied and today the 2008 edition of Toronto After Dark announced their awards. Awards were given in four categories: Audience Award For Best Feature, The Toronto After Dark Vision Awards for “outstanding independent filmmaking from emerging talent”, Audience Award For Best Canadian Short and Audience Award For Best International Short:
Audience Award For Best Feature:
Gold: Let The Right One In
Silver: Repo: The Genetic Opera
Bronze: 4bia
The Toronto After Dark Vision Award
Gold: I Sell The Dead
Silver: Home Movie
Bronze: South of Heaven
Audience Choice Award for Best Canadian Short Film
Gold: Treevenge
Silver: The Facts In The Case Of Mr Hollow
Bronze: The Flower
Audience Choice for Best International Short Film
Gold: I Live In The Woods
Silver: Kingz
Bronze: Martians Go Home, The Revenge of Sarah Clockwork
Congratulations to all the winners!
Audience Award For Best Feature:
Gold: Let The Right One In
Silver: Repo: The Genetic Opera
Bronze: 4bia
The Toronto After Dark Vision Award
Gold: I Sell The Dead
Silver: Home Movie
Bronze: South of Heaven
Audience Choice Award for Best Canadian Short Film
Gold: Treevenge
Silver: The Facts In The Case Of Mr Hollow
Bronze: The Flower
Audience Choice for Best International Short Film
Gold: I Live In The Woods
Silver: Kingz
Bronze: Martians Go Home, The Revenge of Sarah Clockwork
Congratulations to all the winners!
- 11/1/2008
- by Todd Brown
- Screen Anarchy
Home Movie is the video document of one family’s descent into darkness by their own hand. It uses a compilation of found home-made footage, a lot of it around holidays, a time meant for family togetherness. In the remote woods, the Poe Family lives a idyllic American family life. But an unsettling evil is growing and it isn’t in the woods. Something is very wrong with ten-year old twins, Jack and Emily Poe. Evil is has a synergy David and Clare Poe make many startling discoveries about this growing evil nature in their children. No one could ever imagine or accept the evil growing inside the Poe household. It is an unbelievable nightmare pitting parents against their own children.
- 10/27/2008
- by Mack
- Screen Anarchy
So, Fantastic Fest is now behind us which means the next big event for genre fans is the Toronto After Dark fest, unspooling in late October, and the final block of titles has just been announced. What do you get? Well, joining the already strong lineup are Thai horror omnibus 4bia, freshly minted Fantastic Fest prize winner South of Heaven, period grave robbing horror comedy I Sell The Dead with Ron Perlman and Dominic Monaghan, a bit more Perlman in The Mutant Chronicles, Darrell Hammond and Jason Mewes in Netherbeast Incorporated, and the local premieres of Donkey Punch, Home Movie and Kevin Tenney’s Brain Dead. Tasty goodness.
- 9/26/2008
- by Todd Brown
- Screen Anarchy
At first blush—and okay, at a second, too—The Pool seems like a radical departure for Chris Smith, the Milwaukee-based filmmaker known for offbeat documentaries like American Movie, Home Movie, and The Yes Men. For one, The Pool is a narrative film, his first since his no-budget debut American Job, which nonetheless had the feel of documentary verisimilitude. He also went halfway around the world to shoot in the West Indian state of Goa and in the Hindi language, and had the further audacity to cast non-professional actors in three of the four leading roles. And yet The Pool is still fundamentally a Chris Smith story, an expansion on his career-long interest in dreamers and outsiders who dwell on the fringes of society, but possess a certain audacity. A poor, illiterate teenager from rural Goa, Venkatesh Chavan scrapes together an exceedingly meager income out of odd jobs, including working.
- 9/4/2008
- by Scott Tobias
- avclub.com
By Aaron Hillis
Wisconsin-born filmmaker Chris Smith's 1996 debut feature, "American Job," got his foot in the door at Sundance, but it was 1999's "American Movie," about a luckless amateur filmmaker in production on a low-budget horror flick, that earned him the Grand Jury Prize in Park City, putting his star on the indie-film map. Two more funny and moving docs, "Home Movie" and "The Yes Men," followed, and then Smith threw a game-changer into his oeuvre: a a Hindi-language narrative. Nominated for a Spirit Award and winner of yet another Sundance trophy (the Special Jury Prize this time around), "The Pool" is a neo-realist chronicle of entrepreneurial young Venkatesh (non-pro Venkatesh Chavan), a hotel "room boy" in Panjim, Goa who ingratiates himself to a wealthy family in hopes of swimming in their luxurious pool. Adapted from a short story by his long-time collaborator Randy Russell and exquisitely shot by Smith himself,...
Wisconsin-born filmmaker Chris Smith's 1996 debut feature, "American Job," got his foot in the door at Sundance, but it was 1999's "American Movie," about a luckless amateur filmmaker in production on a low-budget horror flick, that earned him the Grand Jury Prize in Park City, putting his star on the indie-film map. Two more funny and moving docs, "Home Movie" and "The Yes Men," followed, and then Smith threw a game-changer into his oeuvre: a a Hindi-language narrative. Nominated for a Spirit Award and winner of yet another Sundance trophy (the Special Jury Prize this time around), "The Pool" is a neo-realist chronicle of entrepreneurial young Venkatesh (non-pro Venkatesh Chavan), a hotel "room boy" in Panjim, Goa who ingratiates himself to a wealthy family in hopes of swimming in their luxurious pool. Adapted from a short story by his long-time collaborator Randy Russell and exquisitely shot by Smith himself,...
- 9/3/2008
- by Aaron Hillis
- ifc.com
Another year of Fantasia has come to an end, and with that end come the results for Fantasia’s Feature Films competition. And the winners are...
Best Film
Let the Right One In - Tomas Alfredson (Sweden)
Best Director
Tomas Alfredson – Let the Right One In (Sweden)
Best Script
Satoshi Miki – Adrift in Tokyo (Japan)
Best Photography
Hoyte Van Hoytema – Let the Right One In (Sweden)
Best Actor
Ben Siegler – Rule of Three (United States)
Special Mention Of The Jury
The duo of actors composed of Jô Odagiri and Tomokazu Miura - Adrift in Tokyo (Japan)
Best Actress
Jin-hie Park – Shadows in the Palace (South Korea) Also on the good news front, the cinéma vérité shocker Home Movie (review), which was one of the best received films of the festival, had its Video on Demand and DVD rights acquired by IFC Entertainment shortly after the film screened. That means we...
Best Film
Let the Right One In - Tomas Alfredson (Sweden)
Best Director
Tomas Alfredson – Let the Right One In (Sweden)
Best Script
Satoshi Miki – Adrift in Tokyo (Japan)
Best Photography
Hoyte Van Hoytema – Let the Right One In (Sweden)
Best Actor
Ben Siegler – Rule of Three (United States)
Special Mention Of The Jury
The duo of actors composed of Jô Odagiri and Tomokazu Miura - Adrift in Tokyo (Japan)
Best Actress
Jin-hie Park – Shadows in the Palace (South Korea) Also on the good news front, the cinéma vérité shocker Home Movie (review), which was one of the best received films of the festival, had its Video on Demand and DVD rights acquired by IFC Entertainment shortly after the film screened. That means we...
- 7/23/2008
- by Johnny Butane
- DreadCentral.com
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