Oscar Micheaux is a trailblazing American filmmaker whose name and fandom — including Spike Lee and the late John Singleton — are better known than his groundbreaking films. A festival opening in New York on Friday, May 3, at Film Forum aims to fix that.
Though competition is steep in the New York film space, with 17 films and several curated special events, “Oscar Micheaux and the Birth of Black Independent Cinema” is designed to make history. Seven films on the schedule are new restorations of the original prints. Some screenings will be accompanied by live musical performances, much like when silent films were originally exhibited in the 1910s and 1920s. On May 5, there’s also a tribute for the recently deceased author and filmmaker Pearl Bowser, a pivotal architect of the renaissance Micheaux’s work now enjoys. The lineup also boasts conversations with DJ Spooky (aka Paul Miller), who composed new scores for...
Though competition is steep in the New York film space, with 17 films and several curated special events, “Oscar Micheaux and the Birth of Black Independent Cinema” is designed to make history. Seven films on the schedule are new restorations of the original prints. Some screenings will be accompanied by live musical performances, much like when silent films were originally exhibited in the 1910s and 1920s. On May 5, there’s also a tribute for the recently deceased author and filmmaker Pearl Bowser, a pivotal architect of the renaissance Micheaux’s work now enjoys. The lineup also boasts conversations with DJ Spooky (aka Paul Miller), who composed new scores for...
- 5/2/2024
- by Carole V. Bell
- Indiewire
105 years ago this year, the birth of Black independent cinema commenced when Oscar Micheaux released his silent feature The Homesteader. While that 1919 film, along with most of the pioneering director’s silent work, has been lost, 17 of Micheaux’s films, including seven new restorations, are now coming to theaters with Kino Lorber’s new retrospective Oscar Micheaux and the Birth of Black Independent Cinema. Presented in partnership with the Library of Congress, the retrospective kicks off on May 3 at Film Forum before touring to other cities nationwide, and we’re pleased to exclusively launch the trailer. Kino Lorber will also release the Micheaux collection on home video later this year.
One of the earliest filmmakers to depict the Black American experience with nuance and depth, Oscar Micheaux directed more than 40 films between 1919 and 1948, working in both the silent and talkie era, exploring a range of complex, often taboo subjects that included religious hypocrisy,...
One of the earliest filmmakers to depict the Black American experience with nuance and depth, Oscar Micheaux directed more than 40 films between 1919 and 1948, working in both the silent and talkie era, exploring a range of complex, often taboo subjects that included religious hypocrisy,...
- 4/24/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
It's arrived -- thanks in part to a successful Kickstarter campaign, this nearly comprehensive compendium of American 'Race Films' is here in a deluxe Blu-ray presentation. Pioneers of African-American Cinema Blu-ray Kino Classics 1915-1946 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 952 min. / Street Date July 26, 2016 / available through Kino Lorber / 99.95 Directed by Richard Norman, Richard Maurice, Spencer Williams and Oscar Micheaux
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Black Cinema History? We didn't hear a peep about any such thing back in film school. Sometime in the 1980s PBS would broadcast a barely watchable (see sample just below) copy of a creaky silent 'race movie' about a 'backsliding' black man in trouble with the law, the Lord and his wife in that order. The cultural segregation has been almost complete. It wasn't until even later that I read articles about a long-extinct nationwide circuit of movie theaters catering to black audiences, wherever the populations were big enough to support the trade.
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Black Cinema History? We didn't hear a peep about any such thing back in film school. Sometime in the 1980s PBS would broadcast a barely watchable (see sample just below) copy of a creaky silent 'race movie' about a 'backsliding' black man in trouble with the law, the Lord and his wife in that order. The cultural segregation has been almost complete. It wasn't until even later that I read articles about a long-extinct nationwide circuit of movie theaters catering to black audiences, wherever the populations were big enough to support the trade.
- 8/6/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
It’s hard to consider the release of a piece of entertainment, specifically a DVD and Blu-ray box set, as a culturally significant moment, but then again there are few items quite like the newest release from the team at Kino Lorber.
After a refreshingly successful Kickstarter campaign, Kino Lorber has finally released their groundbreaking collection, Pioneers Of African American Cinema, and to call it one of the year’s best home video releases is to truly understate the sociological import carried within this release.
Silent era and early-talkie cinema, as seen by many a film aficionado, is a deeply problematic world. Primarily helmed by white men, films more than occasionally featured everything from frustratingly cartoonish caricatures of African-American characters (furthering stereotypes like the “Mamie”) to white actors donning black face (of which there is also a great deal within this set as well) in what is seen today as a disturbing bit of racism.
After a refreshingly successful Kickstarter campaign, Kino Lorber has finally released their groundbreaking collection, Pioneers Of African American Cinema, and to call it one of the year’s best home video releases is to truly understate the sociological import carried within this release.
Silent era and early-talkie cinema, as seen by many a film aficionado, is a deeply problematic world. Primarily helmed by white men, films more than occasionally featured everything from frustratingly cartoonish caricatures of African-American characters (furthering stereotypes like the “Mamie”) to white actors donning black face (of which there is also a great deal within this set as well) in what is seen today as a disturbing bit of racism.
- 7/28/2016
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
Nearly 500 ‘race films’ were produced in the Us between 1915 and 1952 but lost due to a combination of neglect and poor preservation, yet a new project shines spotlight on the early 20th-century films of Oscar Micheaux and others
Contemporary film-makers such as Ava DuVernay (Selma) and Nate Parker (Sundance prizewinner The Birth of a Nation) have recently delved into key moments in African American history for subject matter. But now a Kickstarter-funded restoration and distribution project – Kino Lorber’s ‘Pioneers of African American Cinema’ – aims to shine a long-overdue spotlight on the trailblazing wave of black American independent film-making that flourished in the early part of the 20th century.
Executive produced by Paul D Miller (aka DJ Spooky) and curated by historians Dr Jacqueline Stewart and Charles Musser, the project focuses on a thematically and stylistically diverse group of low-budget movies written, directed, starring and frequently funded, distributed and exhibited by black film-makers.
Contemporary film-makers such as Ava DuVernay (Selma) and Nate Parker (Sundance prizewinner The Birth of a Nation) have recently delved into key moments in African American history for subject matter. But now a Kickstarter-funded restoration and distribution project – Kino Lorber’s ‘Pioneers of African American Cinema’ – aims to shine a long-overdue spotlight on the trailblazing wave of black American independent film-making that flourished in the early part of the 20th century.
Executive produced by Paul D Miller (aka DJ Spooky) and curated by historians Dr Jacqueline Stewart and Charles Musser, the project focuses on a thematically and stylistically diverse group of low-budget movies written, directed, starring and frequently funded, distributed and exhibited by black film-makers.
- 2/12/2016
- by Ashley Clark
- The Guardian - Film News
“Remix culture applied to cinema” — that’s the elevator pitch for DJ Spooky’s latest release, Rebirth of a Nation, a multimedia work that uses remixing, original scoring and various DJ techniques to interrogate D.W. Griffith’s 1915 The Birth of a Nation. Collapsing the three hour film into an hour of sound and image, DJ Spooky’s project critically analyzes the film’s legacy on both film grammar and the depiction of race in the more than a century since. Originally commissioned by the Spoleto Festival, Rebirth of a Nation has been performed around the world and is now available on CD, with […]...
- 8/16/2015
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
“Remix culture applied to cinema” — that’s the elevator pitch for DJ Spooky’s latest release, Rebirth of a Nation, a multimedia work that uses remixing, original scoring and various DJ techniques to interrogate D.W. Griffith’s 1915 The Birth of a Nation. Collapsing the three hour film into an hour of sound and image, DJ Spooky’s project critically analyzes the film’s legacy on both film grammar and the depiction of race in the more than a century since. Originally commissioned by the Spoleto Festival, Rebirth of a Nation has been performed around the world and is now available on CD, with […]...
- 8/16/2015
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
There should be little, if any, link between Pete Rock and Cl Smooth's iconic 1992 hip-hop track "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" and silent film star Harold Lloyd's 1928 action-comedy classic Speedy. But Z-Trip, the genre-bending Los Angeles musician who provided a live DJ score for the film Wednesday night at the Tribeca Film Festival, has carved a 15-year career unearthing unorthodox throughlines.
In this case, it was Pete Rock's instantly recognizable looped horns of Tom Scott's "Today" laced over one character's call-to-arms bugle blast, just...
In this case, it was Pete Rock's instantly recognizable looped horns of Tom Scott's "Today" laced over one character's call-to-arms bugle blast, just...
- 4/23/2015
- Rollingstone.com
As part of a new restoration initiative, Kickstarter is partnering with various distributors, filmmakers and organizations to raise funds to preserve and proliferate significant and niche films on the verge of obsolescence. The first five projects to campaign through the site are River of Grass, Kelly Reichardt’s wonderful, underseen debut; a Kino Lorber selection of “Pioneers of African Cinema,” presented by DJ Spooky; the German exploitation film Bloody Friday; Living Los Sures, UnionDocs’ update on the 1984 documentary Los Sures; and the VHS ’90s horror flick, Jungle Trap. There are distribution plans in place for all of the films, should the necessary funds come through: Oscilloscope is planning a VOD, DVD...
- 2/11/2015
- by Sarah Salovaara
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
As part of a new restoration initiative, Kickstarter is partnering with various distributors, filmmakers and organizations to raise funds to preserve and proliferate significant and niche films on the verge of obsolescence. The first five projects to campaign through the site are River of Grass, Kelly Reichardt’s wonderful, underseen debut; a Kino Lorber selection of “Pioneers of African Cinema,” presented by DJ Spooky; the German exploitation film Bloody Friday; Living Los Sures, UnionDocs’ update on the 1984 documentary Los Sures; and the VHS ’90s horror flick, Jungle Trap. There are distribution plans in place for all of the films, should the necessary funds come through: Oscilloscope is planning a VOD, DVD and […]...
- 2/11/2015
- by Sarah Salovaara
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
This Tuesday, genre fans have a Lot to look forward to, as we have a trifecta of horror classics coming from Scream Factory, as well as the new 4K restoration of the 1920 German classic, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari from Kino Lorber.
As if that’s not enough, Image Entertainment is releasing the Limited Edition Fifth Dimension box set for The Twilight Zone this week, the cult classics Moontrap, Christmas Evil and Trancers are all making their HD debuts and we’ve got a few indie films being released on November 18th too, including Automata, Housebound and Ragnarok.
Spotlight Titles:
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari- 4K Restored (Kino Lorber, Blu-ray & DVD)
In 1920, one brilliant movie jolted the postwar masses and catapulted the movement known as German Expressionism into film history. That movie was The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, a plunge into the mind of insanity that severs all ties with the rational world.
As if that’s not enough, Image Entertainment is releasing the Limited Edition Fifth Dimension box set for The Twilight Zone this week, the cult classics Moontrap, Christmas Evil and Trancers are all making their HD debuts and we’ve got a few indie films being released on November 18th too, including Automata, Housebound and Ragnarok.
Spotlight Titles:
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari- 4K Restored (Kino Lorber, Blu-ray & DVD)
In 1920, one brilliant movie jolted the postwar masses and catapulted the movement known as German Expressionism into film history. That movie was The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, a plunge into the mind of insanity that severs all ties with the rational world.
- 11/18/2014
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
The late, great film critic Roger Ebert once wrote that The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari could very well be “the first true horror film.” Us audiences will soon be able to experience the sinister actions of hypnotist Dr. Caligari and the sleepwalking Cesare in a 4k transfer of the legendary 1920 silent film that’s hitting shelves in November, and we have a look at the Blu-ray cover art and special features.
From Kino Video, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari Blu-ray will be available beginning November 18th. In February, the restored version of the film showed at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival, the same city it premiered in 94 years earlier.
The 4k transfer of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari was recently re-released to select theaters in England and will come out on Blu-ray and DVD in the UK on September 29th. We have the synopsis, special features, and making-of restoration...
From Kino Video, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari Blu-ray will be available beginning November 18th. In February, the restored version of the film showed at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival, the same city it premiered in 94 years earlier.
The 4k transfer of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari was recently re-released to select theaters in England and will come out on Blu-ray and DVD in the UK on September 29th. We have the synopsis, special features, and making-of restoration...
- 9/13/2014
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Every year the Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp) puts together a series of events during what is known as the Independent Film Week, where storytellers for all media have an opportunity to connect with industry and peers to advance their projects in an environment that promotes community, growth and career sustainability. Filmmakers, content creators, innovators, and audiences come out in force to experience first-hand the expanded opportunities Ifp offers the international film and media community.
Film Week encompasses the Filmmaker Conference, and the concurrent Project Forum that both showcase how great projects and creatives can connect with collaborators and audiences to make work that stands out in a crowded marketplace across multiple platforms and mediums.
Each day of the conference guides filmmakers in the art, technology and business of independent filmmaking. Project Forum has had a prolific history in the independent community supporting both emerging and established independent filmmakers at critical stages in their development processes. The organization championed the early work of pioneering independent filmmakers Charles Burnett, Todd Haynes, Mira Nair, Michael Moore, Joel and Ethan Coen, Kevin Smith, Todd Solondz, and Wayne Wang. Recently, it has also played a vital role in launching the first films of many of today’s rising stars on the independent scene including Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild), Debra Granik, (Down to the Bone), Miranda July (Me and You and Everyone We Know), and Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden (Half Nelson).
2014 slate launches in August.
2014 Deadlines
Emerging Storytellers : May 2, 2014 (Application Now Online - U.S. residents or those able to work in the U.S. only)
No Borders International Co-Production Market : May 2, 2014 (U.S. producers) / May 23, 2013 (International Partner submissions) (Application Now Online)
Independent Filmmaker Labs : March 7, 2014 (Documentary); April 4, 2014 (Narrative)
Spotlight on Documentaries : May 2 (early) / May 23 (final) (Application Launches in April)
Independent Film Week is:
Project Forum : A highly respected forum for the discovery of new projects in development and new voices on the independent film scene. Project Forum consists of Emerging Storytellers (screenplays from emerging writer/directors), No Borders International Co-Production Market (screenplays represented by established producers with some financing in place), Trans Atlantic Partners (showcase of new projects from experienced producers from Europe, Canada, and the Us), Independent Filmmaker Labs (documentary and narrative features in post-production), and Spotlight on Documentaries (documentary feature works-in-progress) programs. Applications went live March 15.
Filmmaker Conference : Ifp’s annual exploration into the art and business of 21st century storytelling. Presenting filmmakers and cross-platform innovators. 2013 featured multimedia musician DJ Spooky, case studies of Our Nixon and interactive documentary Hollow, as well as inclusive discussions exploring the art & business of 21st century storytelling. For a more hands-on experience, the Conference also offers Live Pitch Workshops, showcasing top talent and industry leaders and Meet the Decision Makers, featuring small group meetings with tastemakers who can further your project! Launched in 2013, #ArtistServices NYC presented by Sundance Institute, hosts fierce conversations around the latest technology and trends in independent filmmaking.
Festival Forum : The leading gathering of international and U.S. film festival programmers, The Festival Forum is a professional association that advocates for the needs and interests of film festival organizers. The Forum also provides a collaborative platform for members to develop curatorial and operational efficiencies, professional standards and best practices, and leverage their collective interests to the international film community. Founded in 2010, the Festival Forum includes over 100 U.S. & International festival programmers and executives, including representatives from Berlin, Cannes, Full Frame, Hot Docs, New York Film Festival, New Directors, Rotterdam, Slamdance, Sundance, SXSW, and Tribeca.
Sneak Preview Screening Series : Where Ifp alumni filmmakers introduce new works to industry, fellow filmmakers, and the movie-going public.
Film Week encompasses the Filmmaker Conference, and the concurrent Project Forum that both showcase how great projects and creatives can connect with collaborators and audiences to make work that stands out in a crowded marketplace across multiple platforms and mediums.
Each day of the conference guides filmmakers in the art, technology and business of independent filmmaking. Project Forum has had a prolific history in the independent community supporting both emerging and established independent filmmakers at critical stages in their development processes. The organization championed the early work of pioneering independent filmmakers Charles Burnett, Todd Haynes, Mira Nair, Michael Moore, Joel and Ethan Coen, Kevin Smith, Todd Solondz, and Wayne Wang. Recently, it has also played a vital role in launching the first films of many of today’s rising stars on the independent scene including Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild), Debra Granik, (Down to the Bone), Miranda July (Me and You and Everyone We Know), and Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden (Half Nelson).
2014 slate launches in August.
2014 Deadlines
Emerging Storytellers : May 2, 2014 (Application Now Online - U.S. residents or those able to work in the U.S. only)
No Borders International Co-Production Market : May 2, 2014 (U.S. producers) / May 23, 2013 (International Partner submissions) (Application Now Online)
Independent Filmmaker Labs : March 7, 2014 (Documentary); April 4, 2014 (Narrative)
Spotlight on Documentaries : May 2 (early) / May 23 (final) (Application Launches in April)
Independent Film Week is:
Project Forum : A highly respected forum for the discovery of new projects in development and new voices on the independent film scene. Project Forum consists of Emerging Storytellers (screenplays from emerging writer/directors), No Borders International Co-Production Market (screenplays represented by established producers with some financing in place), Trans Atlantic Partners (showcase of new projects from experienced producers from Europe, Canada, and the Us), Independent Filmmaker Labs (documentary and narrative features in post-production), and Spotlight on Documentaries (documentary feature works-in-progress) programs. Applications went live March 15.
Filmmaker Conference : Ifp’s annual exploration into the art and business of 21st century storytelling. Presenting filmmakers and cross-platform innovators. 2013 featured multimedia musician DJ Spooky, case studies of Our Nixon and interactive documentary Hollow, as well as inclusive discussions exploring the art & business of 21st century storytelling. For a more hands-on experience, the Conference also offers Live Pitch Workshops, showcasing top talent and industry leaders and Meet the Decision Makers, featuring small group meetings with tastemakers who can further your project! Launched in 2013, #ArtistServices NYC presented by Sundance Institute, hosts fierce conversations around the latest technology and trends in independent filmmaking.
Festival Forum : The leading gathering of international and U.S. film festival programmers, The Festival Forum is a professional association that advocates for the needs and interests of film festival organizers. The Forum also provides a collaborative platform for members to develop curatorial and operational efficiencies, professional standards and best practices, and leverage their collective interests to the international film community. Founded in 2010, the Festival Forum includes over 100 U.S. & International festival programmers and executives, including representatives from Berlin, Cannes, Full Frame, Hot Docs, New York Film Festival, New Directors, Rotterdam, Slamdance, Sundance, SXSW, and Tribeca.
Sneak Preview Screening Series : Where Ifp alumni filmmakers introduce new works to industry, fellow filmmakers, and the movie-going public.
- 3/26/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Ifp's 2013 Filmmaker Conference, which runs from September 15-19 at the New York Public Library's Bruno Watler Auditorium, will feature keynotes from cinematic non-fiction's posterchild, the famously laconic Lucien Castaing-Taylor ("Leviathan"), "Rebirth of a Nation" multimedia artist DJ Spooky, and "The Hunger Games" producer Jon Kilik. The controversy surrounding public television organization's revoked funding for the documentary "Citizen Koch" will be explored on the panel "Documentaries that Disturb the Power Structure" with "Citizen Koch" filmmakers Tia Lessin and Carl Deal, as well as "Park Avenue" producer Mette Hoffman Meyer and Itvs's Claire Aguilar. The conference, which focuses on important issues in the independent filmmaking community will also feature case studies on the production and release of "Fruitvale Station," "Our Nixon" and the interactive documentary "Hollow." The Sundance Institute's Artist Services will also present their tips for direct distribution...
- 8/23/2013
- by Bryce J. Renninger
- Indiewire
Independent Film Week is less than a month away, and today Ifp announced some highlights of the event Filmmaker Conference, which will take place at Lincoln Center between September 15 and 19. The keynote speakers this year include Leviathan director Lucien Castaing-Taylor and musician and filmmaker DJ Spooky while there will be case studies of Ryan Coogler’s Sundance-winning Fruitvale Station, Penny Lane’s archival doc Our Nixon, Dave Grohl’s Sound City and Elaine McMillion’s web doc Hollow. From the press release, here’s the info that was unveiled today: Each day of the conference guides filmmakers in the art, technology and business of […]...
- 8/22/2013
- by Nick Dawson
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
In 2006, during the initial years of YouTube’s expanding popularity, this mash-up of The Shining went viral. By recasting the tone of Stanley Kubrick’s canonized 1980 horror film as a romantic comedy, complete with a Peter Gabriel song, the video’s act of both subverting and highlighting genre conventions made an incredibly effective case for how audiences can actively rework, rethink, or even contradict some of Hollywood’s most sacred texts. It’s this particular web 2.0-enabled democratic approach – not only to The Shining, but to movies in general – that lays the groundwork for Rodney Asher’s Room 237, a “subjective documentary” that investigates theories around the most notorious adaptation of any of Stephen King’s novels. Room 237 lends a microphone to five select uber-fans of The Shining. We never see these fans, and we only peripherally come to understand a bit about them (one is a history professor, another...
- 3/27/2013
- by Landon Palmer
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
"Downloaded," the first film selected by SXSW thanks to its perfect intersection of the festival's three themes of music, film and interactive technology, opens with the squelchy crunch of a dial-up modem, a sonic signifier of just how far we've come since 1998. The film by Alex Winter, formerly of "Bill and Ted" fame, tells of the rapid rise and dramatic fall of pioneer file-sharing tech, Napster.
"It could have been told from one perspective or the other, and so to make a documentary that had historical perspective and also tells both sides of the story in an objective way is difficult to do," noted infamous Napster co-founder Sean Parker after the world premiere screening at the Paramount theatre ended in rapturous applause. "Coming here, I wasn't sure how the audience would react, but it seemed like everyone was pretty into it. The guys in front of me were really into it,...
"It could have been told from one perspective or the other, and so to make a documentary that had historical perspective and also tells both sides of the story in an objective way is difficult to do," noted infamous Napster co-founder Sean Parker after the world premiere screening at the Paramount theatre ended in rapturous applause. "Coming here, I wasn't sure how the audience would react, but it seemed like everyone was pretty into it. The guys in front of me were really into it,...
- 3/11/2013
- by Huffington Post Music Canada
- Huffington Post
Mastered in HD from the 35mm preservation negative, the 3-hour, landmark, Academy Award nominated film for Best Documentary (1970), King: A Filmed Record...Montgomery to Memphis, was released on DVD, on January 15, courtesy of Kino Classics. And now Kino Lorber is launching a national theatrical campaign for the film, partnering with Maysles Cinema to present the film on Sunday, February 17, 2013 at 4pm, at the Church of the Intercession, located at 550 W 155th St. in New York City. There is a suggested $10 admission. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion at 7:15pm featuring Harry Belafonte, DJ Spooky, and Richard Kaplan. And in...
- 2/6/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
What does an august museum do when it feels stodgy? What’s the institutional equivalent of a midlife crisis? To the 6 million visitors who march through its halls each year, the Metropolitan Museum of Art may seem like a sublime and lively place. Even so, the Met has hired itself a relevance guru: Paul D. Miller, a.k.a. DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid, the turntable master who careers from topic to topic with the mild inquisitiveness of an intellectual souvenir collector and the sonic adventurousness of customer-service-line hold music. The Met didn’t just decide to present Miller in a five-concert series; it named him the museum’s first artist-in-residence, overhauled the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium to satisfy his technical needs, and tapped various curators and departments to participate in a yearlong festival of interdisciplinary high jinks called “The Met Reframed.” Remind me: Why does the Met need reframing?...
- 1/25/2013
- by Justin Davidson
- Vulture
Cavu Pictures has acquired rights to Antonino D’Ambrosio’s political documentary “Let Fury Have The Hour.” The New York-based distributor plans a theatrical release beginning December 14 at New York’s Quad Cinema, followed by an expanded rollout through January. Using subjects such as Eve Ensler, Lewis Black, John Sayles, Shepard Fairey, Tom Morello, Edwidge Danticat, Wayne Kramer and many others, “Fury” looks at the last 50 years of social history to make the case for activism and creative response as an antidote to cynicism. SnagFilms (Indiewire’s parent company) has VOD rights to “Fury,” which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April, and will make the film available digitally mid-February. Read More: John Sayles, Antonino D'Ambrosio & DJ Spooky Discuss 'Let Fury Have the Hour' and the 'Post-Truth' Era at Paley Doc Fest “Building on the glowing reviews that ‘Let...
- 11/28/2012
- by Jay A. Fernandez
- Indiewire
Earlier today, reported on the news that Syfy would be adapting Stephen King’s The Eyes of the Dragon. Syfy has officially announced that project as part of their new development slate, which includes 28 new scripted and reality projects:
“New York – April 24, 2012 – Coming off Syfy’s most watched First Quarter ever in total viewers, Adults 18-34 and key women demos, Syfy and Chiller President Dave Howe today ignited the imagination of the advertising community by unveiling the next phase of the channel’s largest original programming slate in history. This will feature Syfy’s most original primetime hours ever, a record 28 scripted and reality development projects and the 2013 premiere of the highly-anticipated Defiance, the visionary transmedia experience that will unite television and Massive Multiplayer Online (Mmo) gaming for the very first time.
Said Howe: “Syfy’s Upfront celebrates the power of Igniters, our influential audience who has the highly coveted...
“New York – April 24, 2012 – Coming off Syfy’s most watched First Quarter ever in total viewers, Adults 18-34 and key women demos, Syfy and Chiller President Dave Howe today ignited the imagination of the advertising community by unveiling the next phase of the channel’s largest original programming slate in history. This will feature Syfy’s most original primetime hours ever, a record 28 scripted and reality development projects and the 2013 premiere of the highly-anticipated Defiance, the visionary transmedia experience that will unite television and Massive Multiplayer Online (Mmo) gaming for the very first time.
Said Howe: “Syfy’s Upfront celebrates the power of Igniters, our influential audience who has the highly coveted...
- 4/24/2012
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Breaking News: Syfy Announces New Scripted and Reality Programming Including Stephen King Adaptation
Syfy is having its Upfront tonight, during which they present their schedule and slate of projects in development to potential advertisers, and the announcements are flowing. An adaptation of a Stephen King novel into a miniseries, a new Charlaine Harris weekly series, a great movie being adapted into a weekly series, and a whole load of new reality shows may be in our future. Where to begin? We’ll break this down into manageable bites, but have included the entire press release below for your study.
First up, new series! We’ve already told you about some of these, but now we’re getting official word. For scripted series, Syfy is now confirming that Defiance, the series that will affect and be affected by the game of the same name, will be coming in 2013.
All other new series on or soon to be on the schedule are unscripted/reality shows – eight of em!
First up, new series! We’ve already told you about some of these, but now we’re getting official word. For scripted series, Syfy is now confirming that Defiance, the series that will affect and be affected by the game of the same name, will be coming in 2013.
All other new series on or soon to be on the schedule are unscripted/reality shows – eight of em!
- 4/24/2012
- by Erin Willard
- ScifiMafia
So what's next for the channel that has given us plenty of things that have gone bump in the night along with more CG monsters than anyone could possibly keep up with? Read on for details of Syfy's "upfront" presentation.
As you'd expect from a network named Syfy, several of these projects are more sci-fi than horror, but we thought we'd pass on all the news anyway:
From the Press Release:
Coming off Syfy’s most watched first quarter ever in total viewers, Adults 18-34 and key women demos, Syfy and Chiller President Dave Howe today ignited the imagination of the advertising community by unveiling the next phase of the channel’s largest original programming slate in history. This will feature Syfy’s most original primetime hours ever, a record 28 scripted and reality development projects and the 2013 premiere of the highly-anticipated Defiance, the visionary transmedia experience that will unite...
As you'd expect from a network named Syfy, several of these projects are more sci-fi than horror, but we thought we'd pass on all the news anyway:
From the Press Release:
Coming off Syfy’s most watched first quarter ever in total viewers, Adults 18-34 and key women demos, Syfy and Chiller President Dave Howe today ignited the imagination of the advertising community by unveiling the next phase of the channel’s largest original programming slate in history. This will feature Syfy’s most original primetime hours ever, a record 28 scripted and reality development projects and the 2013 premiere of the highly-anticipated Defiance, the visionary transmedia experience that will unite...
- 4/24/2012
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Sometimes the greatest and most profound art is created during moments of upheaval, as a reaction against a political or social climate that is seen as unjust. And that explosive blend of vision and expression will be on full display at the Tribeca Film Festival in the documentary "Let Fury Have the Hour."
The feature directorial debut from acclaimed author, visual artist, and filmmaker Antonino D’Ambrosio chronicles how a generation of artists, thinkers and activists used their creativity -- and their creations -- as a response to the reactionary politics that came to define 1980s culture. The mixed-media collage incorporates graphic art, music, animation and spoken word and spans three decades of change -- from the cynical heyday of Reagan and Thatcher through today -- and brings together over 50 writers, playwrights, painters, poets, skateboarders, dancers, musicians and rights advocates, all of whom attest to the fact that we can...
The feature directorial debut from acclaimed author, visual artist, and filmmaker Antonino D’Ambrosio chronicles how a generation of artists, thinkers and activists used their creativity -- and their creations -- as a response to the reactionary politics that came to define 1980s culture. The mixed-media collage incorporates graphic art, music, animation and spoken word and spans three decades of change -- from the cynical heyday of Reagan and Thatcher through today -- and brings together over 50 writers, playwrights, painters, poets, skateboarders, dancers, musicians and rights advocates, all of whom attest to the fact that we can...
- 4/18/2012
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
We're wrapping up Their Holiday Favorites, in which members of the Austin film community tell us about movies they enjoy watching during the holiday season. Today's selection is from local composer and Golden Arm Trio bandleader Graham Reynolds.
Reynolds creates, performs and records music for film, theater, dance, rock clubs and concert halls with collaborators ranging from Richard Linklater to DJ Spooky to the Austin Symphony Orchestra. Reynolds' music has been heard throughout the world on stage, film and television, from HBO to Showtime, Cannes Film Festival to the Kennedy Center, as well as radio including BBC and National Public Radio. His score to the 2006 Linklater movie A Scanner Darkly was named Best Soundtrack of the Decade by Cinema Retro magazine. His awards include the Lowe Music Theater Award, four Austin Critics' Table awards, an Amp Award, five Austin Chronicle Best Composer wins, as well as support from the National...
Reynolds creates, performs and records music for film, theater, dance, rock clubs and concert halls with collaborators ranging from Richard Linklater to DJ Spooky to the Austin Symphony Orchestra. Reynolds' music has been heard throughout the world on stage, film and television, from HBO to Showtime, Cannes Film Festival to the Kennedy Center, as well as radio including BBC and National Public Radio. His score to the 2006 Linklater movie A Scanner Darkly was named Best Soundtrack of the Decade by Cinema Retro magazine. His awards include the Lowe Music Theater Award, four Austin Critics' Table awards, an Amp Award, five Austin Chronicle Best Composer wins, as well as support from the National...
- 12/30/2011
- by Debbie Cerda
- Slackerwood
All the leaves are nearly brown, skies sometimes gray, there's a slight chill in the air, and my ears and eyes have been quite busy. A touch of melancholia and a satchel full of dreams yet to be realized. Winter is just around the corner. A hint of summer still lingers in the late afternoon sun. Walks in the park with the dog, shared playlists on Spotify providing the soundtrack. I remain an ever faithful servant to smart culture's demands.
"Cicadas and Gulls" Feist Metals (Cherrytree) - Canadian singer/songwriter Leslie Feist displays her chops in full maturity on her third CD. So much to enjoy, yet I'm continually drawn to this evocative, simple double-tracked voice and acoustic guitar folk song. I suspect it fully captures my current mood.
"Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me" The Smiths Complete Box Set (Rhino) - Rarely do I purchase music, one...
"Cicadas and Gulls" Feist Metals (Cherrytree) - Canadian singer/songwriter Leslie Feist displays her chops in full maturity on her third CD. So much to enjoy, yet I'm continually drawn to this evocative, simple double-tracked voice and acoustic guitar folk song. I suspect it fully captures my current mood.
"Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me" The Smiths Complete Box Set (Rhino) - Rarely do I purchase music, one...
- 10/28/2011
- by Dusty Wright
- www.culturecatch.com
The Film:
All highly successful horror films deserve a sequel or five, but 1997′s Scream 2 is just as good, if not better than its predecessor. It’s simply the Hollywood case of “more”, and that’s what we get out of Scream 2. More kills. More twists. More, more, more. And it works. Proving that you can stretch the satirical nature of the franchise into “more”, Kevin Williamson stabs (ahem) the notion of sequels and the rules, while being self-referential about the popularity of the budding franchise.
While the film came out theatrically in December 1997, I waited for the film to hit VHS (ahaha) some six months later. While waiting (and we didn’t have the internet to spoil the revelations), my sister and I rocked the soundtrack, which featured some of the series’ best soundtrack tracks. Kottonmouth Kingz’ Suburban Life; She’s Always in My Hair by D’Angelo; songs by Collective Soul,...
All highly successful horror films deserve a sequel or five, but 1997′s Scream 2 is just as good, if not better than its predecessor. It’s simply the Hollywood case of “more”, and that’s what we get out of Scream 2. More kills. More twists. More, more, more. And it works. Proving that you can stretch the satirical nature of the franchise into “more”, Kevin Williamson stabs (ahem) the notion of sequels and the rules, while being self-referential about the popularity of the budding franchise.
While the film came out theatrically in December 1997, I waited for the film to hit VHS (ahaha) some six months later. While waiting (and we didn’t have the internet to spoil the revelations), my sister and I rocked the soundtrack, which featured some of the series’ best soundtrack tracks. Kottonmouth Kingz’ Suburban Life; She’s Always in My Hair by D’Angelo; songs by Collective Soul,...
- 4/12/2011
- by Jon Peters
- Killer Films
In its fifth year, the 2011 Korean American Film Festival New York (Kaffny) is bigger than ever. While mainly showcasing films that illustrate Korean American experiences, this year's program is as diverse as it is ambitious in its scope. Highlights include the first ever retrospective of Dai-sil Kim-Gibson - the pioneering Korean woman documentary filmmaker, Psychohydrography - a high-res 15,000 still image experimental film by Peter Bo Rappmund, Red Chapel - a Danish mock-doc comedy in North Korea, and The Boat - a Korean-Japanese co-production making its international premiere. There is an outstanding assortment of short films, too. For its opening night, they are reviving the Korean classic Madame Freedom (1956) with live music accompaniment by DJ Spooky. The festival runs March 17 through 20.Full...
- 3/11/2011
- Screen Anarchy
The Korean American Film Festival (Kaffny) has released the lineup for its fifth anniversary showcase of feature-length and short films by Korean, Korean-American and international filmmakers. Kaffny will open with a live re-score of Paul Miller aka DJ Spooky's drama "Madame Freedom," featuring violinist Sean Lee and cellist Okkyung Lee. The festival will also present a six-film retrospective honoring documentarian Dai Sil Kim-Gibson, as well as a discussion centering around ...
- 2/25/2011
- Indiewire
On Monday, YouTube announced the shortlist for YouTube Play, its high art collaboration with the Guggenheim museum. Yesterday, Vimeo, "the video sharing site for grown up You-Tubers," made an announcement of its own. After receiving more than 6,500 submissions across nine categories, the Vimeo Festival and Awards finally made public its finalists. Let me break down how it all works. vimeo-festival-and-awardsThe good people at Vimeo pared those 6,500 submissions down to a shortlist of 20 entries per category. Then they handed the paring responsibilities over to a panel of 27-esteemed judges (which includes names like David Lynch, Ze Frank, Ricky Van Veen, Fred Seibert, M.I.A., Roman Coppola, DJ Spooky, and more). Those judges voted to select the five finalists and winner in each category. You can watch the finalists' work now, but the winners will be announced at a ceremony hosted by the internet's golden child, Ze Frank, at Iac headquarters...
- 9/22/2010
- by Joshua Cohen
- Tubefilter.com
Vimeo, the video-sharing site, is accepting submissions for its new Vimeo Awards.
Videos -- which have debuted online within the past two years -- will be judged in nine categories, and the creator of the Best Online Video, chosen from among the nine category winners, will receive a $25,000 grant, which will be announced during a two-day festival Oct. 8-9 in New York City.
Additionally, Vimeo will preview some of the finalists' work at a screening event in Amsterdam in September.
"The Vimeo Festival & Awards is an acknowledgement of -- and showcase for -- the unprecedented level of creativity, skill and innovation coming from online video today," Vimeo general manager Dae Mellencamp said. "We believe that the awards will not only honor the best work but, by pairing it with a festival, will also bring creative online communities together to learn from and be inspired by each other."
An independent panel...
Videos -- which have debuted online within the past two years -- will be judged in nine categories, and the creator of the Best Online Video, chosen from among the nine category winners, will receive a $25,000 grant, which will be announced during a two-day festival Oct. 8-9 in New York City.
Additionally, Vimeo will preview some of the finalists' work at a screening event in Amsterdam in September.
"The Vimeo Festival & Awards is an acknowledgement of -- and showcase for -- the unprecedented level of creativity, skill and innovation coming from online video today," Vimeo general manager Dae Mellencamp said. "We believe that the awards will not only honor the best work but, by pairing it with a festival, will also bring creative online communities together to learn from and be inspired by each other."
An independent panel...
April 3
8:00 p.m.
Ata Gallery
992 Valencia (@ 21st)
San Francisco, CA
Hosted by: Other Cinema
Love the 1922 silent film Nosferatu directed by F.W. Murnau? Well, you’re going to love it a whole lot more with a new, live modern soundtrack performed by the Evolution Control Committee. But, here’s the real gimmick: The new soundtrack is composed entirely of soundtracks from other movies that Ecc will DJ live as the film unspools.
Culling snippets from The Sound of Music, Jaws, Dr. No, Star Wars, Eraserhead and dozens more, the Ecc spin the vinyl soundtracks into one amazingly unified score. To witness a sample of this amazing process, check out the video below.
And, in addition to Nosferatu, there will be a screening of the documentary Copyright Criminals directed by Kembrew McLeod and Ben Franzen, which examines the history, controversy and ongoing debate over music sampling. Featured in the doc are Public Enemy,...
8:00 p.m.
Ata Gallery
992 Valencia (@ 21st)
San Francisco, CA
Hosted by: Other Cinema
Love the 1922 silent film Nosferatu directed by F.W. Murnau? Well, you’re going to love it a whole lot more with a new, live modern soundtrack performed by the Evolution Control Committee. But, here’s the real gimmick: The new soundtrack is composed entirely of soundtracks from other movies that Ecc will DJ live as the film unspools.
Culling snippets from The Sound of Music, Jaws, Dr. No, Star Wars, Eraserhead and dozens more, the Ecc spin the vinyl soundtracks into one amazingly unified score. To witness a sample of this amazing process, check out the video below.
And, in addition to Nosferatu, there will be a screening of the documentary Copyright Criminals directed by Kembrew McLeod and Ben Franzen, which examines the history, controversy and ongoing debate over music sampling. Featured in the doc are Public Enemy,...
- 3/30/2010
- by screenings
- Underground Film Journal
Radiohead’s Thom York, singer/songwriter Damien Rice and composer Philip Glass has all written songs for a new documentary about Tibet. “When the Dragon Swallowed the Sun,” a film about Tibet and China’s troubled relationship directed by Dirk Simon. Yorke penned three songs for the project, according to a posting by Simon on the film’s website. U.K. newspaper, The Guardian, further reports that the soundtrack will include previously released material from such acts as Bjork, DJ Spooky, Eric Clapton and Massive Attack’s Rob Del Naja. The film also includes interviews with the Dalai Lama as well as long-time Tibetan supporter Richard Gere and Desmond...
- 1/6/2010
- Hitfix
The Radiohead frontman has written three new tracks for a forthcoming film about Tibet, alongside new material by songwriter Damien Rice and composer Philip Glass
Radiohead's Thom Yorke has written three new songs for a forthcoming documentary about Tibet, according to the film's director. Yorke's tunes will appear alongside new material by songwriter Damien Rice and celebrated composer Philip Glass.
When the Dragon Swallowed the Sun, directed by Dirk Simon, explores Tibet's political struggle with China, and the factors that have brought the Tibetan Freedom movement to a relative standstill. "Seven years in the making," according to the film's website, the footage includes interviews with Tibetan exiles, Chinese artists and the Dalai Lama, as well as actor Richard Gere and South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Glass has composed the main theme of the documentary, Simon told Twentyfourbit this week, as well as a suite for the film's "grand finale...
Radiohead's Thom Yorke has written three new songs for a forthcoming documentary about Tibet, according to the film's director. Yorke's tunes will appear alongside new material by songwriter Damien Rice and celebrated composer Philip Glass.
When the Dragon Swallowed the Sun, directed by Dirk Simon, explores Tibet's political struggle with China, and the factors that have brought the Tibetan Freedom movement to a relative standstill. "Seven years in the making," according to the film's website, the footage includes interviews with Tibetan exiles, Chinese artists and the Dalai Lama, as well as actor Richard Gere and South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Glass has composed the main theme of the documentary, Simon told Twentyfourbit this week, as well as a suite for the film's "grand finale...
- 1/5/2010
- by Sean Michaels
- The Guardian - Film News
Click images to enlarge...
Canadian film distributors Kinosmith are offering the following DVD titles of note from their extensive film collection :
"The Art Star And The Sudanese Twins" follows Vanessa Beecroft’s intentions to adopt orphaned twins, and how it affects her art and personal life.
"...Pop star of the art world, Vanessa Beecroft is determined to adopt orphaned twins, an intention that bleeds into her art and reveals her volatile relationship with her husband. Alongside the adoption process Vanessa photographs herself breast feeding the twins, creating her own artwork. Like Angelina and Madonna, Vanessa is a white westerner intent on rescuing third world babies. But at what cost to her personal life?..."
In "Ghosts", a 17 year-old girl left on her own, creates an intriguing journey to meet a new companion and reunite with her mother.
"...Nina (Julia Hummer) is a vulnerable 17-year old, alone in the world except...
Canadian film distributors Kinosmith are offering the following DVD titles of note from their extensive film collection :
"The Art Star And The Sudanese Twins" follows Vanessa Beecroft’s intentions to adopt orphaned twins, and how it affects her art and personal life.
"...Pop star of the art world, Vanessa Beecroft is determined to adopt orphaned twins, an intention that bleeds into her art and reveals her volatile relationship with her husband. Alongside the adoption process Vanessa photographs herself breast feeding the twins, creating her own artwork. Like Angelina and Madonna, Vanessa is a white westerner intent on rescuing third world babies. But at what cost to her personal life?..."
In "Ghosts", a 17 year-old girl left on her own, creates an intriguing journey to meet a new companion and reunite with her mother.
"...Nina (Julia Hummer) is a vulnerable 17-year old, alone in the world except...
- 12/7/2009
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Canadian-based film distributors Kinosmith, in association with DVD partner Project X Distribution have announced new DVD titles to their extensive film collection. The Art Star And The Sudanese Twins follows Vanessa Beecroft.s intentions to adopt orphaned twins, and how it affects her art and personal life. "...Pop star of the art world, Vanessa Beecroft is determined to adopt orphaned twins, an intention that bleeds into her art and reveals her volatile relationship with her husband. Alongside the adoption process Vanessa photographs herself breast feeding the twins, creating her own artwork. Like Angelina and Madonna, Vanessa is a white westerner intent on rescuing third world babies. But at what cost to her personal life?..." In Ghosts, a 17 year-old girl left on her own, creates an intriguing journey to meet a new companion and reunite with her mother. "...Nina (Julia Hummer) is a vulnerable 17-year old, alone in the world except...
- 11/20/2009
- HollywoodNorthReport.com
The 33rd annual Margaret Mead Film and Video Festival will screen 33 films, including documentaries and other non-narrative works, animation, experimental films and indigenous media, at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
The event will open Nov. 12 with the Gotham premiere of Peter Kerekes' "Cooking History," in which the helmer tours 20th century battlefields by revisiting mess halls and field kitchens and having the cooks re-create the meals they served on the front lines. Reliving the battles while they prepare these military meals, the cooks are proud of their roles in serving their countries but are haunted by the horrors of war.
The local premiere of Raffaele Brunetti and Marco Leopardi's "Hair India" will close the fest Nov. 15. Centered on a Hindu belief that the only way to repay a debt to the gods is by sacraficing one's hair, the film follows the course of this...
The event will open Nov. 12 with the Gotham premiere of Peter Kerekes' "Cooking History," in which the helmer tours 20th century battlefields by revisiting mess halls and field kitchens and having the cooks re-create the meals they served on the front lines. Reliving the battles while they prepare these military meals, the cooks are proud of their roles in serving their countries but are haunted by the horrors of war.
The local premiere of Raffaele Brunetti and Marco Leopardi's "Hair India" will close the fest Nov. 15. Centered on a Hindu belief that the only way to repay a debt to the gods is by sacraficing one's hair, the film follows the course of this...
- 10/14/2009
- by By Tricia Ro
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Gen Art held the I (Heart) Gen Art: 15th Anniversary Benefit on Wednesday night at 7W, bringing together patrons of the charity that has supported film, fashion, music and art for a decade and a half. Founded in 1994 by Ian and Stefan Gerard, Gen Art has showcased over 1,000 designers, filmmakers, musicians and visual artists, and has been responsible for helping stars like Zac Posen, Peter Som, and Adrien Grenier launch their careers. An exhibition of work from over 60 members of Gen Art's artistic family was on display -- including work by Louise Bourgeouis, Paul D. Miller aka DJ Spooky, Nick Zinner and Mattia Baigi -- as well as items from over 20 fashion houses, all of which were available for sale with proceeds going to benefit the Gen Art Foundation. Due to the recession and a drastic...
- 6/26/2009
- by Marissa Bronfman
- Huffington Post
A prolific artist and writer, Paul D. Miller is still best known under his "constructed persona" as the experimental trip-hop musician DJ Spooky, That Subliminal Kid. Miller's latest multimedia project could begin classifying him as a film director, sort of, as his "Rebirth of a Nation" is a feature-length remix of D. W. Griffith's seminal yet blatantly racist 1915 Civil War epic "Birth of a Nation." Applying a similar methodology to what he does as a sampling, manipulating DJ, Miller's deconstruction of the original film has been hyper-colorized, with digital effects added, its previously silent soundtrack reinvented musically (aided by the Kronos Quartet) and politically (via Miller's eloquent commentary running throughout). I spoke with DJ Spooky himself earlier this month to mix it up about the (former) white man's world, who owns memory and why he wants to collaborate artistically with Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly and Dubya himself.
Can you remember...
Can you remember...
- 6/22/2009
- by Aaron Hillis
- ifc.com
President Woodrow Wilson famously described D.W. Griffith's "The Birth of a Nation" as "history written in lightning." Others have had less flattering things to say about this racist classic, even if it did virtually invent the modern feature film.
The latest chapter in the 94-year debate over the film is "Rebirth of a Nation," a "remix" by Paul D. Miller (better known as DJ Spooky, That Subliminal Kid), which is getting a weeklong run, alongside Griffith's original, at the Museum of Modern Art.
Performed for years as a multimedia piece,...
The latest chapter in the 94-year debate over the film is "Rebirth of a Nation," a "remix" by Paul D. Miller (better known as DJ Spooky, That Subliminal Kid), which is getting a weeklong run, alongside Griffith's original, at the Museum of Modern Art.
Performed for years as a multimedia piece,...
- 6/22/2009
- by By LOU LUMENICK
- NYPost.com
New York -- As the Tribeca Film Festival unveiled lineups for its Midnight, Restored/Rediscovered and new Encounters sections Tuesday, co-founder Jane Rosenthal explained the downsizing of her star-filled slate.
"Everyone told us there was so much to choose from last year, so hopefully this raises the bar for pictures and allows us to be a bit more selective," said Rosenthal, recovering from a flu that left her virtually unable to talk Monday. "Our curatorial program is a stronger program for it."
Organizers on Monday had announced the elimination of two NY/NY sections and plans to screen 159 features this year, down from 174 in 2006 (Hr 3/13).
Rosenthal added that the number of screening venues, which increased and expanded uptown last year, will increase and allow for more screenings of each film. The AMC Loews Kips Bay 15, AMC Loews 72nd Street 1 and Clearview Chelsea West will be added.
She seemed most enthusiastic about DJ Spooky's "Rebirth of a Nation," a "remix" of D.W. Griffith's 1915 epic "The Birth of a Nation" that deconstructs the controversial film. In an equally unusual event, film archivist Paolo Cherchi Usai will screen historical films to the "Passio of Arvo Part" music at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and Trinity Church.
The new Encounters program -- developed by festival executive director Peter Scarlet, managing director and programmer Nancy Schafer and senior programmer David Kwok -- will "focus on people stretching themselves, either the subjects or the filmmakers," Rosenthal said. The 23-film slate will include world premieres from actors-turned-producers Rosario Dawson ("Descent") and Benicio Del Toro ("Lovesickness") and actors-turned-directors Mary Stuart Masterson ("The Cake Eaters"), James Franco ("Good Time Max") and Diego Luna ("Chavez").
Other features in the new section are "The Air I Breathe," featuring five actors (Forest Whitaker, Brendan Fraser, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Andy Garcia and Kevin Bacon) as characters in life-altering situations; Italy's Ellis Island-themed Oscar entry "Golden Door" (Nuovomondo); and "Suburban Girl," Marc Klein's adaptation of the best-selling novel "The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing."
Martin Scorsese and Scarlet have curated Restored/Rediscovered, preserving and presenting rare films. Cinda Firestone's prison riot docu "Attica," Grigori Chukrai's post-Stalin-era Russian love story "The Forty-First" (Sorok Fervyi) and actor Gerard Blain's 1973 French directorial effort "The Pelican" (Le Pelican) made this year's cut.
The 11-film Midnight program follows the offbeat, more commercial taste of similar late-night fest sections. Films include Michael Addis' fame docu "Hecklers," featuring Jamie Kennedy; Jim Hickey's gross-out comedy "Dirty Sanchez," featuring the eponymous U.K. comedy troupe; and John Erick Dowdle's serial killer thriller "The Poughkeepsie Tapes."
The entire 2007 Tribeca slate encompasses 244 films, including 75 world, 32 North American and 18 domestic premieres. Some 4,550 films were submitted to the fest, including 2,250 features.
"Everyone told us there was so much to choose from last year, so hopefully this raises the bar for pictures and allows us to be a bit more selective," said Rosenthal, recovering from a flu that left her virtually unable to talk Monday. "Our curatorial program is a stronger program for it."
Organizers on Monday had announced the elimination of two NY/NY sections and plans to screen 159 features this year, down from 174 in 2006 (Hr 3/13).
Rosenthal added that the number of screening venues, which increased and expanded uptown last year, will increase and allow for more screenings of each film. The AMC Loews Kips Bay 15, AMC Loews 72nd Street 1 and Clearview Chelsea West will be added.
She seemed most enthusiastic about DJ Spooky's "Rebirth of a Nation," a "remix" of D.W. Griffith's 1915 epic "The Birth of a Nation" that deconstructs the controversial film. In an equally unusual event, film archivist Paolo Cherchi Usai will screen historical films to the "Passio of Arvo Part" music at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and Trinity Church.
The new Encounters program -- developed by festival executive director Peter Scarlet, managing director and programmer Nancy Schafer and senior programmer David Kwok -- will "focus on people stretching themselves, either the subjects or the filmmakers," Rosenthal said. The 23-film slate will include world premieres from actors-turned-producers Rosario Dawson ("Descent") and Benicio Del Toro ("Lovesickness") and actors-turned-directors Mary Stuart Masterson ("The Cake Eaters"), James Franco ("Good Time Max") and Diego Luna ("Chavez").
Other features in the new section are "The Air I Breathe," featuring five actors (Forest Whitaker, Brendan Fraser, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Andy Garcia and Kevin Bacon) as characters in life-altering situations; Italy's Ellis Island-themed Oscar entry "Golden Door" (Nuovomondo); and "Suburban Girl," Marc Klein's adaptation of the best-selling novel "The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing."
Martin Scorsese and Scarlet have curated Restored/Rediscovered, preserving and presenting rare films. Cinda Firestone's prison riot docu "Attica," Grigori Chukrai's post-Stalin-era Russian love story "The Forty-First" (Sorok Fervyi) and actor Gerard Blain's 1973 French directorial effort "The Pelican" (Le Pelican) made this year's cut.
The 11-film Midnight program follows the offbeat, more commercial taste of similar late-night fest sections. Films include Michael Addis' fame docu "Hecklers," featuring Jamie Kennedy; Jim Hickey's gross-out comedy "Dirty Sanchez," featuring the eponymous U.K. comedy troupe; and John Erick Dowdle's serial killer thriller "The Poughkeepsie Tapes."
The entire 2007 Tribeca slate encompasses 244 films, including 75 world, 32 North American and 18 domestic premieres. Some 4,550 films were submitted to the fest, including 2,250 features.
- 8/18/2008
- by By Gregg Goldstein
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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