Escapes at the IFC Center: "It's like that Thom Andersen movie Los Angeles Plays Itself. This is not a portrait of a place but a portrait of a person." Photo: Ed Bahlman
Escape artist Hampton Fancher reveals beating out Jean-Pierre Léaud and the pathway that led him to star in Michael Pfleghar's Romeo und Julia 70, opposite Tina Sinatra. Norman Taurog's Blue Hawaii starring Elvis Presley and Joan Blackman, Teri Garr, Brian Kelly and Flipper surface. Michael Almereyda makes a Skinningrove (his film on photographer Chris Killip) connection to a scene with Harrison Ford in Ridley Scott's Blade Runner and remarks "it's called Escapes for a reason as almost every episode involves a near-death experience."
Hampton Fancher starred with Tina Sinatra in Michael Pfleghar's Romeo Und Julia 70
When do you think you know a person? What does this knowing entail? A face, a name, a voice,...
Escape artist Hampton Fancher reveals beating out Jean-Pierre Léaud and the pathway that led him to star in Michael Pfleghar's Romeo und Julia 70, opposite Tina Sinatra. Norman Taurog's Blue Hawaii starring Elvis Presley and Joan Blackman, Teri Garr, Brian Kelly and Flipper surface. Michael Almereyda makes a Skinningrove (his film on photographer Chris Killip) connection to a scene with Harrison Ford in Ridley Scott's Blade Runner and remarks "it's called Escapes for a reason as almost every episode involves a near-death experience."
Hampton Fancher starred with Tina Sinatra in Michael Pfleghar's Romeo Und Julia 70
When do you think you know a person? What does this knowing entail? A face, a name, a voice,...
- 8/6/2017
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Michael Almereyda with Hampton Fancher on the form of Escapes, executive produced by Wes Anderson: "This is my tribute to Bruce Conner." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
In my Escapes conversation with Michael Almereyda (Experimenter, starring Peter Sarsgaard) and Hampton Fancher (co-screenwriter of Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049) we start out with Federico García Lorca, Bruce Conner, Philip K Dick and Chris Marker. Then we encounter a Jean-Pierre Léaud, Tina Sinatra, Michael Pfleghar (Romeo Und Julia 70) connection and next stop over at Thom Andersen's Los Angeles Plays Itself, Brian Kelly and Flipper, Skinningrove on photographer Chris Killip, Yasujiro Ozu's influence on Wim Wenders (Yuharu Atsuta in Tokyo-Ga) and Jim Jarmusch.
Hampton Fancher: "It's looking at my life through other people's eyes."
Michael Almereyda's approach in Escapes turns the idea of a biopic inside out. Clips from Hampton Fancher's television and movie performances mixed with those...
In my Escapes conversation with Michael Almereyda (Experimenter, starring Peter Sarsgaard) and Hampton Fancher (co-screenwriter of Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049) we start out with Federico García Lorca, Bruce Conner, Philip K Dick and Chris Marker. Then we encounter a Jean-Pierre Léaud, Tina Sinatra, Michael Pfleghar (Romeo Und Julia 70) connection and next stop over at Thom Andersen's Los Angeles Plays Itself, Brian Kelly and Flipper, Skinningrove on photographer Chris Killip, Yasujiro Ozu's influence on Wim Wenders (Yuharu Atsuta in Tokyo-Ga) and Jim Jarmusch.
Hampton Fancher: "It's looking at my life through other people's eyes."
Michael Almereyda's approach in Escapes turns the idea of a biopic inside out. Clips from Hampton Fancher's television and movie performances mixed with those...
- 7/26/2017
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
A happy surprise in the Premiere section of the 2015 Sundance Film Festival is a new feature from the prolific independent filmmaker Michael Almereyda. And yes, while Almereyda always seems to be releasing striking and important work, his new feature, Experimenter, does count as a surprise because in recent years that work has been mostly short films and documentary essay films. (One, the excellent Sundance winner Skinningrove, can be watched here.) Now, with Experimenter premiering at Sundance and the new Shakespeare-themed feature Anarchy, starring Ethan Hawke, opening soon, Almereyeda is seeing two theatrical releases in as many weeks — a […]...
- 1/25/2015
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
A happy surprise in the Premiere section of the 2015 Sundance Film Festival is a new feature from the prolific independent filmmaker Michael Almereyda. And yes, while Almereyda always seems to be releasing striking and important work, his new feature, Experimenter, does count as a surprise because in recent years that work has been mostly short films and documentary essay films. (One, the excellent Sundance winner Skinningrove, can be watched here.) Now, with Experimenter premiering at Sundance and the new Shakespeare-themed feature Anarchy, starring Ethan Hawke, opening soon, Almereyeda is seeing two theatrical releases in as many weeks — a […]...
- 1/25/2015
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Starting this week, I’ll be posting a round-up of stray news items and articles — mostly film, though not all — that caught my eye. Let’s get started: • The great Michael Almereyda’s short film Skinningrove won the short film jury award at Sundance this year, and now you can watch it at the New York Review of Books. It’s about 15 minutes of photographer Chris Killip discussing and showing mostly unpublished photos of the titular Yorkshire village from the ’80s. • Here’s an interesting obituary for Thomas C. Senesac, owner of Chicago’s Acme Prop Rental, a company which got […]...
- 7/25/2014
- by Vadim Rizov
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Starting this week, I’ll be posting a round-up of stray news items and articles — mostly film, though not all — that caught my eye. Let’s get started: • The great Michael Almereyda’s short film Skinningrove won the short film jury award at Sundance this year, and now you can watch it at the New York Review of Books. It’s about 15 minutes of photographer Chris Killip discussing and showing mostly unpublished photos of the titular Yorkshire village from the ’80s. • Here’s an interesting obituary for Thomas C. Senesac, owner of Chicago’s Acme Prop Rental, a company which got […]...
- 7/25/2014
- by Vadim Rizov
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
A 93-minute collection of eight short films from the 2013 edition of the festival, the Sundance Film Festival Short Films program showcases a variety of both young and established filmmakers. Already playing now at the IFC Center in New York until January 2, the series is coming to a city near you. Log lines below, and program dates after the jump. Check out Sundance's 2014 shorts lineup here.The Date Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction Tino’s manhood is put to the test in front of two women when he has to host a date for Diablo, the family’s stud cat. (Jenni Toivoniemi, Finland, 8 min) Whiplash Short Film Jury Award: Us Fiction An aspiring drummer enters an elite conservatory's top jazz orchestra. (Damien Chazelle, USA, 17 min) Skinningrove Short Film Jury Award: Non-Fiction Photographer Chris Killip shares unpublished images chronicling time spent among the fiercely independent residents of a remote English fishing village.
- 12/31/2013
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Thompson on Hollywood
The 51st Ann Arbor Film Festival, held back on March 19-24, gave out 20 awards to 28 films, as selected by the three-panel jury of filmmakers Kevin Jerome Everson, Laida Lertxundi and Marcin Gizycki.
The big winner was Penny Lane’s documentary Our Nixon, which took home the Best of the Fest Award. The film, assembled from “home” movies taken by Richard Nixon’s staff has quickly become one of the most talked about indie films of the year so far.
Other winners include Michael Almereyda’s short profile of a Northern England fishing village, Skinningrove, won for Best Documentary Film; Yuri Ancarani’s surgical film Da Vinci won for the Most Technically Innovative Film; and Frédéric Moffet’s meditation on Montgomery Clift, Postface, won for Best Experimental Film.
The full list of winners is below and you can check out the entire lineup of 2013 Ann Arbor Film Festival here.
Ken Burns...
The big winner was Penny Lane’s documentary Our Nixon, which took home the Best of the Fest Award. The film, assembled from “home” movies taken by Richard Nixon’s staff has quickly become one of the most talked about indie films of the year so far.
Other winners include Michael Almereyda’s short profile of a Northern England fishing village, Skinningrove, won for Best Documentary Film; Yuri Ancarani’s surgical film Da Vinci won for the Most Technically Innovative Film; and Frédéric Moffet’s meditation on Montgomery Clift, Postface, won for Best Experimental Film.
The full list of winners is below and you can check out the entire lineup of 2013 Ann Arbor Film Festival here.
Ken Burns...
- 4/1/2013
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
The Ann Arbor Film Festival, having survived their half-a-century blowout in 2012, is back with another rip-roarin’ 51st edition in 2013, which will run from March 19-24, screening a mind-boggling amount of experimental short films and a few features.
Highlights of the fest include:
Special presentations by this year’s jurors, including Marcin Gizycki round-up of Polish animation from the 1950s to the present; Laida Lertxundi’s selection of some of her films as well as her biggest influences; and Kevin Jerome Everson’s mini-retrospective of his own films.
There’s also special tributes to Pat O’Neill, including a retrospective of his short films from the ’70s to the present as well as a screening of his 1989 35mm experimental epic Water and Power; Suzan Pitt, with selections of short films from her career; and a screening of Ken Burns’ latest doc The Central Park Five, co-directed with his daughter Sarah Burns and son-in-law David McMahon,...
Highlights of the fest include:
Special presentations by this year’s jurors, including Marcin Gizycki round-up of Polish animation from the 1950s to the present; Laida Lertxundi’s selection of some of her films as well as her biggest influences; and Kevin Jerome Everson’s mini-retrospective of his own films.
There’s also special tributes to Pat O’Neill, including a retrospective of his short films from the ’70s to the present as well as a screening of his 1989 35mm experimental epic Water and Power; Suzan Pitt, with selections of short films from her career; and a screening of Ken Burns’ latest doc The Central Park Five, co-directed with his daughter Sarah Burns and son-in-law David McMahon,...
- 3/19/2013
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Vol. I Issue 7
Sundance programmed 65 short films selected from 8,102 submissions. The Academy only goes through about 160 films to arrive at the 10 nominations; one might say winning at Sundance is harder than winning an Oscar. Every year when I watch the Sundance shorts I wonder if they just run out of energy when they get to the end. With over 100 films to choose from for every one of the slots, I am always amazed by the choices. (I also feel that way about the documentary films selected.)
If you submitted one of the 8,102 films you might feel you were robbed or, if you’re honest and critical, you might feel that at least the winners should have been programmed. You can always make another short and try next year or submit your short to one of the over 200 festivals in the world that run short films. Many of the winners are on the Web so take a look at them and see what you think.
I feel this year’s Sundance 2013 Short Film Award winners are a mixed bag if one is looking for works that will launch careers, entertain and have artistic merit, which I always insist on when I am teaching. This group of films, except in one case, gets two of the three: two are wonderful career launching works, five are very entertaining and three have artistic merit. Its great to be “art” but I think it is better to be entertaining “art.” I have written about all of the films which I had the good fortune of seeing on the web-in all but one case.
Oddly, getting one of the films proved really challenging. The filmmakers decided not to post to protect it from Academy rules (The Academy requires a film first qualify before being shown.) on the web. Or to even post it with a password which the Academy permits prior to the film qualifying for award consideration. Sundance did not even have a web version of this work. So they sent a copy over via messenger which I appreciated. I think if a work is out, it makes a lot of sense to have it on the web (with a password) so that critics and festival programmers, etc. can see it.
I am glad I did get to see it.
Short Film Grand Jury Prize – The Whistle
The Whistle is a special work. It has a large cast, lots of locations and is a successful bigger short film. Telling the story of Marcin, it is both entertaining and moving. Marcin is a lowest-leagues football (soccer) referee who lives in a small town near Krakow, Poland, and who dreams of better times. At his mother’s urging, he decides to change his life and find himself a girlfriend and a better job. He succeeds. The film is unique among this selection of award winners because it does not depend on any gimmicks, plot twists or narrative surprises. The film is well directed, shot and edited. The filmmaker handles the soccer matches and action sequences well. Marcin is able to handle the soccer players’ aggression and, to my delight, the filmmaker holds the action at a realistic level.
While this film is not the audience winner as are some of the other films, it is very deserving of the grand prize.
Director: Grzegorz Zariczny 16 minutes
Production Company Link: http://polishshorts.pl/en/film_catalogue/documentary/1090/
Short Film Jury Award, Us Fiction – Whiplash
Whiplash is the story of a jazz percussionist in a high school setting with a faculty member who, while musically talented, should have opted for a career in Marine training (as one can imagine it from movies) instead of being a teacher. This conductor from hell is abusive, a liar and unusually cruel to his students. Whiplash is the name of the jazz composition the band is playing. This short was written as a “calling card” aimed at attracting backing for a feature-length version of the story. Jason Reitman is an executive producer of this short.
Without revealing more about the narrative, this is an exceptionally realized work. Perfect in every regard except its humanity. The directing and pacing is spot on. Camera and the tech credits first rate, professional. The performance by J.K. Simmons (“Up in the Air”) is first rate. As the parent of a jazz playing high school trumpet player, I must confess that if this character was my son’s teacher I would have him arrested for child abuse. Of course, this is only a movie. The filmmakers got me. Well done. Let’s hope they have the sense to not turn it into a feature or a television series if the longer work follows this concept.
This film is not available on the web.
Director and screenwriter: Damien Chazelle
The Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction – The Date
In this student film from Finland, Tino’s manhood is put to the test in front of two women when he has to host a date for Diablo, the family’s stud cat.
The Date, a wonderfully realized short fiction film from the Elo Film School Helsinki, is a stand out. This four actor, two cat, one location work (an apartment) deals with a mother (Mirka) and her daughter (Päibvi) bringing in their female cat to mate for the first time with the young man’s (Tino) cat. This is a process Tino has been through before. As they drink tea and eat cookies the cats are having a great time, very loudly in the back ground. The mother talks about the cats having sex in somewhat graphic terms. The teens try not to react. Afterwards the two young people go out on the balcony and she talks about her concern for her cat and the cat’s sexual experience for this first mating. Tino, the young man, is a perfect foil. Despite his youth he handles this in a very mature fashion. This film is deserving of its prize.
It’s great to see a student film where the focus is on execution of a clever and simple idea. A cat date. This is also perfect. While one might quibble about some small things, the filmmaker shows control, excellent coverage of scenes, executing humor, making a film that has characters that seem real and no violence. I think the director should have not had his characters smoke and perhaps use the “F” word for the sake of getting a young audience, rather than an older teen audience. It would be nice for middle-schoolers to see this work and to see it on television/cable. Jenni Toivonlemi has made a work that is truly international and a great portfolio film.
Directed and written by: Jenni Toivoniemi 7 minutes
This work is not available (at press time) on the Web.
Company Link: http://www.tuffifilms.com/productions
The Short Film Jury Award Documentary – Skinningrove
This short documentary narrated by British photographer Chris Killip shows his unpublished images that chronicle the time he spent among the residents of a remote English fishing village, Skinningrove. It feels like a home movie or very minimal despite the distinguished reputation of filmmaker Mr. Almereyda or the subject. Because of the slow pacing it is doubtful it will get much broadcast or cable exposure. The work is all shot in one location, Mr. Killip is speaking but we never hear the filmmaker nor is there any interaction between them. While the photographs are striking, they are shown without a critical context and no information is provided by the filmmaker about Mr. Killip so we must evaluate the images as shown without a critical context. This makes the work very challenging. It is a shame the filmmaker does not share Mr. Killip’s biographical information or his critical reputation. (He is a tenured professor at Harvard.)
Director: Michael Almereyda 15 minutes
Link to Mr. Killip’s web site: http://chriskillip.com/index.html
Short Film Audience Award – Catnip: Egress to Oblivion
This mocumentry while sure to be a crowd pleaser is a one note film. It’s a shame. Had the filmmaker seen one film by Marc Lewis (Cane Toads: An UnnaturalHistory) for example, the film could have been great. Less is more.
Directed by Jason Willis 7 minutes
Short Film Special Jury Award – Until the Quiet Comes
Directed by: Kahlil Joseph about 4 minutes
This music video by Kahlil Joseph is beautifully shot, performed, choreographed, cast. It was shot in the Nickerson Gardens housing projects in Watts, Los Angeles. The narrative comes from the music. The film is silent and reactive to the music. It’s eye candy with a serious subject.
Link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLHH6N2tkFc&playnext=1&list=PLauTLaPMBllP9NLi-lJixdyJZi2_aSzM3&feature=results_video
Short Film Special Jury Award, Acting – Joel Nagle, Palimpsest
Kathleen Wise and Joel Nagle in Palimpsest
A successful house tuner provides clients with a unique form of therapy that examines subtle details in their living spaces. This is a perfect short film. A very simple idea done with skillful filmmaking, a wonderful cast and nuanced directing it is magical and full of surprises. Let’s hope it is put in for Academy consideration. Tyburski was robbed.
Palimpsest stands out as one of the Sundance star films it is beautifully directed and acted and succeeds doing all of the things a short film should accomplish. The film’s male lead Joel Nagle won a jury award for his amazingly nuanced performance of a home audio tuner. This work resonates both as a work of art and an audience pleaser. The other lead actor in the film Kathleen Wise also should have taken an award. She is unknowingly being upset by the sounds her home makes. What a delightful and original concept for a short film. Let’s hope it launches a theatrical career for its director, Michael Tyburski and its two stars.
Director: Michael Tyburski 17 minutes
Link: Not available.
Website for film/filmmaker: www.palimpsestfilm.com
Short Film Jury Award, Animation – Irish Folk Furniture
This stop action animation short is a straight narrative documentary about some dressers.
Perhaps more than we’ll ever want to know about Irish traditional dressers. It’s an interesting choice since it is not drawn or computer generated. Not very “flash” but, with the use of the voice over interviews by, I assume, the filmmaker, the work is sensitive and deceptively simple in its approach. It is an excellent work that some audiences will find challenging.
Animation and Camera: Tony W. Donoghue 8 minutes
________________________________________________________________________
Credits: Editing by Jessica Just for SydneysBuzz
________________________________________________________________________
Block Doc Workshops in Los Angeles February 2013 Ida Doc U
The International Documentary Association will be hosting Documentary Funding and Documentary Tune-Up Workshops with Block on February 9/10. http://www.documentary.org/news/february-documentary-producing-workshops-mitchell-block
Mitchell Block specializes in conceiving, producing, marketing & distributing independent features & consulting. He is an expert in placing both completed works into distribution & working with producers to make projects fundable. He conducts regular workshops in film producing in Los Angeles and most recently in Maine, Russia and in Myanmar (Burma).
Poster Girl, produced by Block was nominated for a Documentary Academy Award and selected by the Ida as the Best Doc Short 2011. It was also nominated for two Emmy Awards and aired on HBO. He is an executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Carrier, a 10-hour series that he conceived & co-created. Block is a graduate of Tisch School and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. He is a member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Television Academy, a founding member of BAFTA-la and has been teaching at USC School of Cinematic Arts since 1979. Currently Block teaches a required class in the USC Peter Stark Producing Program.
©2013Mwb All Rights Reserved All Rights Reserved. All information and designs on the Sites are copyrighted material owned by Block. Reproduction, dissemination, or transmission of any part of the material here without the express written consent of the owner is strictly prohibited.All other product names and marks on Block Direct, whether trademarks, service marks, or other type, and whether registered or unregistered, is the property of Block.
Sundance programmed 65 short films selected from 8,102 submissions. The Academy only goes through about 160 films to arrive at the 10 nominations; one might say winning at Sundance is harder than winning an Oscar. Every year when I watch the Sundance shorts I wonder if they just run out of energy when they get to the end. With over 100 films to choose from for every one of the slots, I am always amazed by the choices. (I also feel that way about the documentary films selected.)
If you submitted one of the 8,102 films you might feel you were robbed or, if you’re honest and critical, you might feel that at least the winners should have been programmed. You can always make another short and try next year or submit your short to one of the over 200 festivals in the world that run short films. Many of the winners are on the Web so take a look at them and see what you think.
I feel this year’s Sundance 2013 Short Film Award winners are a mixed bag if one is looking for works that will launch careers, entertain and have artistic merit, which I always insist on when I am teaching. This group of films, except in one case, gets two of the three: two are wonderful career launching works, five are very entertaining and three have artistic merit. Its great to be “art” but I think it is better to be entertaining “art.” I have written about all of the films which I had the good fortune of seeing on the web-in all but one case.
Oddly, getting one of the films proved really challenging. The filmmakers decided not to post to protect it from Academy rules (The Academy requires a film first qualify before being shown.) on the web. Or to even post it with a password which the Academy permits prior to the film qualifying for award consideration. Sundance did not even have a web version of this work. So they sent a copy over via messenger which I appreciated. I think if a work is out, it makes a lot of sense to have it on the web (with a password) so that critics and festival programmers, etc. can see it.
I am glad I did get to see it.
Short Film Grand Jury Prize – The Whistle
The Whistle is a special work. It has a large cast, lots of locations and is a successful bigger short film. Telling the story of Marcin, it is both entertaining and moving. Marcin is a lowest-leagues football (soccer) referee who lives in a small town near Krakow, Poland, and who dreams of better times. At his mother’s urging, he decides to change his life and find himself a girlfriend and a better job. He succeeds. The film is unique among this selection of award winners because it does not depend on any gimmicks, plot twists or narrative surprises. The film is well directed, shot and edited. The filmmaker handles the soccer matches and action sequences well. Marcin is able to handle the soccer players’ aggression and, to my delight, the filmmaker holds the action at a realistic level.
While this film is not the audience winner as are some of the other films, it is very deserving of the grand prize.
Director: Grzegorz Zariczny 16 minutes
Production Company Link: http://polishshorts.pl/en/film_catalogue/documentary/1090/
Short Film Jury Award, Us Fiction – Whiplash
Whiplash is the story of a jazz percussionist in a high school setting with a faculty member who, while musically talented, should have opted for a career in Marine training (as one can imagine it from movies) instead of being a teacher. This conductor from hell is abusive, a liar and unusually cruel to his students. Whiplash is the name of the jazz composition the band is playing. This short was written as a “calling card” aimed at attracting backing for a feature-length version of the story. Jason Reitman is an executive producer of this short.
Without revealing more about the narrative, this is an exceptionally realized work. Perfect in every regard except its humanity. The directing and pacing is spot on. Camera and the tech credits first rate, professional. The performance by J.K. Simmons (“Up in the Air”) is first rate. As the parent of a jazz playing high school trumpet player, I must confess that if this character was my son’s teacher I would have him arrested for child abuse. Of course, this is only a movie. The filmmakers got me. Well done. Let’s hope they have the sense to not turn it into a feature or a television series if the longer work follows this concept.
This film is not available on the web.
Director and screenwriter: Damien Chazelle
The Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction – The Date
In this student film from Finland, Tino’s manhood is put to the test in front of two women when he has to host a date for Diablo, the family’s stud cat.
The Date, a wonderfully realized short fiction film from the Elo Film School Helsinki, is a stand out. This four actor, two cat, one location work (an apartment) deals with a mother (Mirka) and her daughter (Päibvi) bringing in their female cat to mate for the first time with the young man’s (Tino) cat. This is a process Tino has been through before. As they drink tea and eat cookies the cats are having a great time, very loudly in the back ground. The mother talks about the cats having sex in somewhat graphic terms. The teens try not to react. Afterwards the two young people go out on the balcony and she talks about her concern for her cat and the cat’s sexual experience for this first mating. Tino, the young man, is a perfect foil. Despite his youth he handles this in a very mature fashion. This film is deserving of its prize.
It’s great to see a student film where the focus is on execution of a clever and simple idea. A cat date. This is also perfect. While one might quibble about some small things, the filmmaker shows control, excellent coverage of scenes, executing humor, making a film that has characters that seem real and no violence. I think the director should have not had his characters smoke and perhaps use the “F” word for the sake of getting a young audience, rather than an older teen audience. It would be nice for middle-schoolers to see this work and to see it on television/cable. Jenni Toivonlemi has made a work that is truly international and a great portfolio film.
Directed and written by: Jenni Toivoniemi 7 minutes
This work is not available (at press time) on the Web.
Company Link: http://www.tuffifilms.com/productions
The Short Film Jury Award Documentary – Skinningrove
This short documentary narrated by British photographer Chris Killip shows his unpublished images that chronicle the time he spent among the residents of a remote English fishing village, Skinningrove. It feels like a home movie or very minimal despite the distinguished reputation of filmmaker Mr. Almereyda or the subject. Because of the slow pacing it is doubtful it will get much broadcast or cable exposure. The work is all shot in one location, Mr. Killip is speaking but we never hear the filmmaker nor is there any interaction between them. While the photographs are striking, they are shown without a critical context and no information is provided by the filmmaker about Mr. Killip so we must evaluate the images as shown without a critical context. This makes the work very challenging. It is a shame the filmmaker does not share Mr. Killip’s biographical information or his critical reputation. (He is a tenured professor at Harvard.)
Director: Michael Almereyda 15 minutes
Link to Mr. Killip’s web site: http://chriskillip.com/index.html
Short Film Audience Award – Catnip: Egress to Oblivion
This mocumentry while sure to be a crowd pleaser is a one note film. It’s a shame. Had the filmmaker seen one film by Marc Lewis (Cane Toads: An UnnaturalHistory) for example, the film could have been great. Less is more.
Directed by Jason Willis 7 minutes
Short Film Special Jury Award – Until the Quiet Comes
Directed by: Kahlil Joseph about 4 minutes
This music video by Kahlil Joseph is beautifully shot, performed, choreographed, cast. It was shot in the Nickerson Gardens housing projects in Watts, Los Angeles. The narrative comes from the music. The film is silent and reactive to the music. It’s eye candy with a serious subject.
Link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLHH6N2tkFc&playnext=1&list=PLauTLaPMBllP9NLi-lJixdyJZi2_aSzM3&feature=results_video
Short Film Special Jury Award, Acting – Joel Nagle, Palimpsest
Kathleen Wise and Joel Nagle in Palimpsest
A successful house tuner provides clients with a unique form of therapy that examines subtle details in their living spaces. This is a perfect short film. A very simple idea done with skillful filmmaking, a wonderful cast and nuanced directing it is magical and full of surprises. Let’s hope it is put in for Academy consideration. Tyburski was robbed.
Palimpsest stands out as one of the Sundance star films it is beautifully directed and acted and succeeds doing all of the things a short film should accomplish. The film’s male lead Joel Nagle won a jury award for his amazingly nuanced performance of a home audio tuner. This work resonates both as a work of art and an audience pleaser. The other lead actor in the film Kathleen Wise also should have taken an award. She is unknowingly being upset by the sounds her home makes. What a delightful and original concept for a short film. Let’s hope it launches a theatrical career for its director, Michael Tyburski and its two stars.
Director: Michael Tyburski 17 minutes
Link: Not available.
Website for film/filmmaker: www.palimpsestfilm.com
Short Film Jury Award, Animation – Irish Folk Furniture
This stop action animation short is a straight narrative documentary about some dressers.
Perhaps more than we’ll ever want to know about Irish traditional dressers. It’s an interesting choice since it is not drawn or computer generated. Not very “flash” but, with the use of the voice over interviews by, I assume, the filmmaker, the work is sensitive and deceptively simple in its approach. It is an excellent work that some audiences will find challenging.
Animation and Camera: Tony W. Donoghue 8 minutes
________________________________________________________________________
Credits: Editing by Jessica Just for SydneysBuzz
________________________________________________________________________
Block Doc Workshops in Los Angeles February 2013 Ida Doc U
The International Documentary Association will be hosting Documentary Funding and Documentary Tune-Up Workshops with Block on February 9/10. http://www.documentary.org/news/february-documentary-producing-workshops-mitchell-block
Mitchell Block specializes in conceiving, producing, marketing & distributing independent features & consulting. He is an expert in placing both completed works into distribution & working with producers to make projects fundable. He conducts regular workshops in film producing in Los Angeles and most recently in Maine, Russia and in Myanmar (Burma).
Poster Girl, produced by Block was nominated for a Documentary Academy Award and selected by the Ida as the Best Doc Short 2011. It was also nominated for two Emmy Awards and aired on HBO. He is an executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Carrier, a 10-hour series that he conceived & co-created. Block is a graduate of Tisch School and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. He is a member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Television Academy, a founding member of BAFTA-la and has been teaching at USC School of Cinematic Arts since 1979. Currently Block teaches a required class in the USC Peter Stark Producing Program.
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- 2/12/2013
- by Mitchell Block
- Sydney's Buzz
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