This ‘official’ look at the Metropolitan Opera offers an inadvertent and fascinating history of New York’s West Side, amid quietly absorbing shop talk
Ruben Östlund’s The Square necessarily took the fictional route in order to have wicked fun at the expense of the great cultural institution. But “official” accounts don’t have to be a dead loss: The Opera House, commissioned to mark the 50th anniversary of New York’s Metropolitan Opera setting up shop at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, joins 2014’s The Great Museum as a documentary with pressing questions about the place and weight of culture in modern society.
Given the ululating Valkyries and moustachioed tenors available, it’s a surprise when The Opera House quickly gets deep into the nuts and bolts of the federal urban renewal plan in the Us. Yet it’s here, describing the slum clearance that took place...
Ruben Östlund’s The Square necessarily took the fictional route in order to have wicked fun at the expense of the great cultural institution. But “official” accounts don’t have to be a dead loss: The Opera House, commissioned to mark the 50th anniversary of New York’s Metropolitan Opera setting up shop at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, joins 2014’s The Great Museum as a documentary with pressing questions about the place and weight of culture in modern society.
Given the ululating Valkyries and moustachioed tenors available, it’s a surprise when The Opera House quickly gets deep into the nuts and bolts of the federal urban renewal plan in the Us. Yet it’s here, describing the slum clearance that took place...
- 6/29/2018
- by Phil Hoad
- The Guardian - Film News
The Opera House, Fate/Stay Night and Spice World top our January events guideThe Opera House, Fate/Stay Night and Spice World top our January events guideScott Goodyer1/2/2018 2:02:00 Pm
It's a new year, new Cineplex Events lineup!
Check out our list of January showings below and for the full list - click here!
Jan 7th: NFL Wild Card
For three NFL playoff games leading up to Super Bowl Lii special screenings will be hosted at Cineplex’s luxurious, adults-only VIP Cinemas, where football fans can cheer on their favourite team from ultra-wide, luxury recliners. Fans will also enjoy in-seat food and beverage service throughout the game from an expanded menu, which includes a wide selection of beer, wine and spirits as well as classic game-day favourites likes burgers, boneless wings and tacos….and of course, Cineplex’s famous popcorn. Teams and times to be determined. Showtimes for Wild...
It's a new year, new Cineplex Events lineup!
Check out our list of January showings below and for the full list - click here!
Jan 7th: NFL Wild Card
For three NFL playoff games leading up to Super Bowl Lii special screenings will be hosted at Cineplex’s luxurious, adults-only VIP Cinemas, where football fans can cheer on their favourite team from ultra-wide, luxury recliners. Fans will also enjoy in-seat food and beverage service throughout the game from an expanded menu, which includes a wide selection of beer, wine and spirits as well as classic game-day favourites likes burgers, boneless wings and tacos….and of course, Cineplex’s famous popcorn. Teams and times to be determined. Showtimes for Wild...
- 1/2/2018
- by Scott Goodyer
- Cineplex
Woody Allen's inspiration for the title of his latest film - Wonder Wheel in Coney Island Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
The Film Society of Lincoln Center announced additional screenings of the New York Film Festival's Closing Night selection, Woody Allen's melancholic Wonder Wheel, starring Kate Winslet, Juno Temple, James Belushi, and Justin Timberlake.
Spotlight on Documentary films: Brett Morgen's Jane; Alex Gibney's No Stone Unturned; Nancy Buirski's The Rape Of Racy Taylor; Myles Kane and Josh Koury's Voyeur - Main Slate: Chloé Zhao's The Rider; Dee Rees' Mudbound; Hong Sang-soo's The Day After; Special Event: Susan Froemke's The Opera House, and Film Comment Presents: A Gentle Creature, directed by Sergei Loznitsa, are the Sunday Encore films.
Public screenings of Wonder Wheel: Saturday, October 14 at 6:00pm and 9:00pm - - Alice Tully Hall; 6:15pm and 9:15pm - Walter Reade...
The Film Society of Lincoln Center announced additional screenings of the New York Film Festival's Closing Night selection, Woody Allen's melancholic Wonder Wheel, starring Kate Winslet, Juno Temple, James Belushi, and Justin Timberlake.
Spotlight on Documentary films: Brett Morgen's Jane; Alex Gibney's No Stone Unturned; Nancy Buirski's The Rape Of Racy Taylor; Myles Kane and Josh Koury's Voyeur - Main Slate: Chloé Zhao's The Rider; Dee Rees' Mudbound; Hong Sang-soo's The Day After; Special Event: Susan Froemke's The Opera House, and Film Comment Presents: A Gentle Creature, directed by Sergei Loznitsa, are the Sunday Encore films.
Public screenings of Wonder Wheel: Saturday, October 14 at 6:00pm and 9:00pm - - Alice Tully Hall; 6:15pm and 9:15pm - Walter Reade...
- 10/14/2017
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Site-specific screenings hardly get more appropriate than the world premiere of Susan Froemke’s new documentary at the Metropolitan Opera House. Chronicling the history of the storied institution from its beginnings at a long-demolished home on 39th St. and Broadway to its transfer to the specially built, lavish theater in Lincoln Center, The Opera House is a feast for opera lovers and anyone interested in urban planning. The doc, receiving its world premiere at the New York Film Festival, should prove a natural fit for home video formats and public television.
Legendary singer Leontyne Price, who performed at the...
Legendary singer Leontyne Price, who performed at the...
- 10/3/2017
- by Frank Scheck
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
"Everybody wanted more..." "The chandeliers happened as an accident." The New York Film Festival has unveiled an official trailer for the documentary The Opera House, which is getting a special premiere at the festival this October. The Opera House is a profile of the world-renowned, iconic Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center in New York City. The film examines its history and development, beginning as the old opera house on 39th Street, before being rebuilt at Lincoln Center in 1966. This iconic building is known around the world, and has featured in many movies, TV shows, and is also the home of the Metropolitan Opera Company, and the American Ballet Theatre during the summer. I very much enjoy documentaries like this, they're so totally fascinating with such extensive historical details and information. I'd love to see this. Here's the first official trailer for Susan Froemke's documentary The Opera House, from...
- 9/11/2017
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Claude Lanzmann's Four Sisters to screen as a New York Film Festival Special Event Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
The Film Society of Lincoln Center has announced the 55th New York Film Festival Special Events section which will include a conversation with Woody Allen's Wonder Wheel star Kate Winslet. Other highlights include Film Comment Presents: A Gentle Creature directed by Sergei Loznitsa; Susan Lacy's Spielberg on Steven Spielberg (with interviews of Francis Coppola, Brian De Palma, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, Tom Hanks, John Williams, Janusz Kamiński); Rory Kennedy's Without a Net; Susan Froemke's The Opera House, and Claude Lanzmann’s Four Sisters.
Bruce Weber's documentary on Robert Mitchum, Nice Girls Don’t Stay For Breakfast, has been added to the Retrospective Section honouring Robert Mitchum’s centenary.
As previously announced, the Opening Night is Richard Linklater’s Last Flag Flying, Todd Haynes’s Wonderstruck is Centerpiece,...
The Film Society of Lincoln Center has announced the 55th New York Film Festival Special Events section which will include a conversation with Woody Allen's Wonder Wheel star Kate Winslet. Other highlights include Film Comment Presents: A Gentle Creature directed by Sergei Loznitsa; Susan Lacy's Spielberg on Steven Spielberg (with interviews of Francis Coppola, Brian De Palma, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, Tom Hanks, John Williams, Janusz Kamiński); Rory Kennedy's Without a Net; Susan Froemke's The Opera House, and Claude Lanzmann’s Four Sisters.
Bruce Weber's documentary on Robert Mitchum, Nice Girls Don’t Stay For Breakfast, has been added to the Retrospective Section honouring Robert Mitchum’s centenary.
As previously announced, the Opening Night is Richard Linklater’s Last Flag Flying, Todd Haynes’s Wonderstruck is Centerpiece,...
- 8/28/2017
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
This year’s New York Film Festival has just unveiled a slew of Special Events to round out its already full-to-bursting lineup, and it includes some late-breaking entries to previously announced sections and a selection of brand new events that are very special indeed. Highlights include a trio of documentary premieres, including Susan Lacy’s “Spielberg” (focused on the eponymous director, with both Lacy and her subject set to appear at the festival), along with Jennifer Lebeau’s Bob Dylan concert film “Trouble No More,” and Susan Froemke’s “The Opera House,” a history of the Metropolitan Opera and a love letter to the art form that will (appropriately enough) screen at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center.
Other standouts include four brand-new films from Claude Lanzmann, a sparkling new restoration of G.W. Pabst’s “Pandora’s Box.” Elsewhere, Kate Winslet will be on hand for a career-spanning chat...
Other standouts include four brand-new films from Claude Lanzmann, a sparkling new restoration of G.W. Pabst’s “Pandora’s Box.” Elsewhere, Kate Winslet will be on hand for a career-spanning chat...
- 8/28/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
A Montana rancher, a Kansas farmer and a Louisiana commercial fishermen might not necessarily fit our stereotype of environmental activist, but as the new documentary “Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman” shows the drastic changes to the earth’s environment are directly affecting the professions these men love. In this epic documentary, based on best-selling author Miriam Horn’s book, co-directors Susan Froemke, John Hoffman and Beth Aala had to rely on three different cinematographers to capture the three men’s stories and the stunning landscapes they call their office.
Cinematographer Bob Richman’s work was largely focused on the capturing the footage shot of ranching in Montana, while DPs Buddy Squires and Thorsten Thielow were tasked with shooting in Kansas and Louisiana.
IndieWire recently caught up with Richman to learn about how he approached capturing the majesty of “Big Sky” country and the life of a rancher.
What camera and lenses did you use?...
Cinematographer Bob Richman’s work was largely focused on the capturing the footage shot of ranching in Montana, while DPs Buddy Squires and Thorsten Thielow were tasked with shooting in Kansas and Louisiana.
IndieWire recently caught up with Richman to learn about how he approached capturing the majesty of “Big Sky” country and the life of a rancher.
What camera and lenses did you use?...
- 3/3/2017
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
Relationships between documentary filmmakers and their subjects must balance access and editorial control, which leaves them walking a line between establishing trust and respecting boundaries. It’s a tricky business.
IndieWire recently asked nonfiction filmmakers behind this year’s Sundance documentary features about the understandings they established with their subjects before they started shooting, and if they considered their stars to be collaborators.
Read More: Fox Searchlight Buys Documentary ‘Step’ For More Than $4 Million — Sundance 2017
Amanda Lipitz “Step” The process started with discussing the idea with the families, especially the mothers of the young women on the step team. We set up a meeting after school one day and all the parents/guardians were invited to attend. I explained my vision of the story, with the emphasis on wanting to tell a positive story about Baltimore, these young women, and what they were trying to accomplish. I absolutely consider them collaborators.
IndieWire recently asked nonfiction filmmakers behind this year’s Sundance documentary features about the understandings they established with their subjects before they started shooting, and if they considered their stars to be collaborators.
Read More: Fox Searchlight Buys Documentary ‘Step’ For More Than $4 Million — Sundance 2017
Amanda Lipitz “Step” The process started with discussing the idea with the families, especially the mothers of the young women on the step team. We set up a meeting after school one day and all the parents/guardians were invited to attend. I explained my vision of the story, with the emphasis on wanting to tell a positive story about Baltimore, these young women, and what they were trying to accomplish. I absolutely consider them collaborators.
- 1/28/2017
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
The announcement was made at the Discovery Channel’s Reception which also celebrated the world premiere of Discovery Impact’s “Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman” by Susan Froemke and John Hoffman and honored Sundance Institute’s The New Climate.“Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman” by Susan Froemke and John Hoffman
John Hoffman, Executive Vice President of Documentaries and Specials, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, and Science Channel, announced filmmaker Laura Nix (“The Yes Men are Revolting”) as the second Sundance Institute | Discovery Impact Fellow at Discovery Channel’s 2017 Sundance Film Festival reception.
“Laura has established herself as an exciting voice in the documentary film world by telling stories of people working to change the way we think about our environment,” says Hoffman. “Her innovative work chronicling the crusades of ‘The Yes Men’ was thoroughly enjoyable, and we are thrilled to support her as she continues on with other films, including her current project on teenage...
John Hoffman, Executive Vice President of Documentaries and Specials, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, and Science Channel, announced filmmaker Laura Nix (“The Yes Men are Revolting”) as the second Sundance Institute | Discovery Impact Fellow at Discovery Channel’s 2017 Sundance Film Festival reception.
“Laura has established herself as an exciting voice in the documentary film world by telling stories of people working to change the way we think about our environment,” says Hoffman. “Her innovative work chronicling the crusades of ‘The Yes Men’ was thoroughly enjoyable, and we are thrilled to support her as she continues on with other films, including her current project on teenage...
- 1/27/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
IndieWire reached out to the filmmakers behind the feature-length narrative and documentary films premiering this week to find out what cameras they used and why they chose them. Here are their responses.
Read More: The 2017 IndieWire Sundance Bible – Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During the Festival
Dramatic Competition & Next
Cory Finley, “Thoroughbred”
Arri Alexa Mini. Panavision G-Series lenses.
The Dp, Lyle Vincent, was very particular about getting a hold of both. They gave us flexibility in shooting and helped create the very precise, high-contrast, and slightly dreamy look we were going for.
Gillian Robespierre, “Landline”
Arri Alexa with some vintage lenses
“Landline” takes place in 1990’s Manhattan. My Dp Chris Teague and I talked a lot about what shooting a period movie from a recent period would look and feel like. Unfortunately, we were not able to shoot on film, and added a texture of LiveGrain during color...
Read More: The 2017 IndieWire Sundance Bible – Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During the Festival
Dramatic Competition & Next
Cory Finley, “Thoroughbred”
Arri Alexa Mini. Panavision G-Series lenses.
The Dp, Lyle Vincent, was very particular about getting a hold of both. They gave us flexibility in shooting and helped create the very precise, high-contrast, and slightly dreamy look we were going for.
Gillian Robespierre, “Landline”
Arri Alexa with some vintage lenses
“Landline” takes place in 1990’s Manhattan. My Dp Chris Teague and I talked a lot about what shooting a period movie from a recent period would look and feel like. Unfortunately, we were not able to shoot on film, and added a texture of LiveGrain during color...
- 1/25/2017
- by Annakeara Stinson and Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
“City of Ghosts” is documentarian Matthew Heineman’s third film to bow at Sundance, after 2012’s health care doc “Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare” (co-directed with Susan Froemke), and 2015’s searing “Cartel Land,” an immersive, bone-rattling film embedded on the front lines of the drug cartel war in Mexico. This year, he brings “City of Ghosts,” to Park City, which could be described as “ ‘Cartel Land’ but with Isis,” however Heineman’s too sophisticated a filmmaker for that facile comparison.
Continue reading Documentary ‘City Of Ghosts’ Is A Wide-Eyed, Jaw Dropping Look At The Battle Against Isis [Sundance Review] at The Playlist.
Continue reading Documentary ‘City Of Ghosts’ Is A Wide-Eyed, Jaw Dropping Look At The Battle Against Isis [Sundance Review] at The Playlist.
- 1/22/2017
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Magnificent aerial shots of breathtaking landscapes from the mighty Mississippi River to the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains open Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman, an enlightening film for Discovery Channel based on Miriam Horn's bestselling book of the same name. Opening text reminds us that those lands and waterways forged the American character, but the traditional livelihoods that defined them are under threat. Filmmakers Susan Froemke, John Hoffman and Beth Aala focus on a handful of maverick but influential conservationists safeguarding their commercial futures while protecting the country's natural resources.
Premiering at Sundance as part of this year's New Climate programming...
Premiering at Sundance as part of this year's New Climate programming...
- 1/21/2017
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It took a team of four seasoned documentary DPs to capture the stories of Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman. Shot in Montana, Kansas and Louisiana, the film documents the lives of three men (the titular rancher, farmer and fisherman) who act as environmental conservationists in their respective fields. Directors Susan Froemke and John Hoffman have the action unfold in a vérité fashion, which stresses the land and the people who work it. Among the DPs they hired for the project were Bob Richman (An Inconvenient Truth), Buddy Squires (The Central Park Five) and Thorsten Thielow (30 for 30). Below, these three cinematographers discuss the unique challenges […]...
- 1/20/2017
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Above: Us poster for Salesman (Maysles Brothers & Charlotte Zwerin, USA, 1968). Designer: Henry Wolf. Courtesy of Film/Art Gallery.Starting today, Film Forum in New York is hosting The Maysles & Co., a comprehensive two-week long retrospective of the work of the legendary “Direct Cinema” documentarians Albert and David Maysles—best known for Gimme Shelter (1970) and Grey Gardens (1976)—and their various collaborators, most especially Charlotte Zwerin. Grey Gardens, a film whose title has entered the lingua franca, is the only documentary ever to be turned into a Tony-winning Broadway musical, an Emmy-winning TV dramatization, and an SNL-alumni parody, but its poster, a simple framing of a photograph by Herb Goro, doesn’t really do the film justice. Gimme Shelter, on the other hand—the Maysles’ biggest international success—has inspired a wide variety of designs. For me, the stand-out is the stark black and white one sheet with all-Helvetica type, the first one featured below.
- 4/16/2016
- by Adrian Curry
- MUBI
Dailies is a round-up of essential film writing, news bits, videos, and other highlights from across the Internet. If you’d like to submit a piece for consideration, get in touch with us in the comments below or on Twitter at @TheFilmStage.
NYC’s IFC Center has plans to expand, and they could use your help to let city officials know you support it.
Watch Don Cheadle analyze a scene from Miles Ahead:
Xavier Dolan‘s The Death and Life of John F. Donovan begins shooting on July 9th, Le Journal de Quebec reports.
Cinematographer Jeff Cutter discusses shooting 10 Cloverfield Lane with Filmmaker Magazine:
Anamorphic lenses just have a feeling that reminded Dan and I of what it used to be like watching these great widescreen movies when we were kids that were shot anamorphic. It just makes it feel like a big movie and that was something that we really,...
NYC’s IFC Center has plans to expand, and they could use your help to let city officials know you support it.
Watch Don Cheadle analyze a scene from Miles Ahead:
Xavier Dolan‘s The Death and Life of John F. Donovan begins shooting on July 9th, Le Journal de Quebec reports.
Cinematographer Jeff Cutter discusses shooting 10 Cloverfield Lane with Filmmaker Magazine:
Anamorphic lenses just have a feeling that reminded Dan and I of what it used to be like watching these great widescreen movies when we were kids that were shot anamorphic. It just makes it feel like a big movie and that was something that we really,...
- 4/4/2016
- by TFS Staff
- The Film Stage
Director Matthew Heineman’s first feature documentary (co-directed with Susan Froemke) was the incendiary and illuminating health care reform piece “Escape Fire.” His second feature “Cartel Land,” solo-directed this time, focuses on a much different issue and takes a more action-oriented, on-the-ground approach, resulting in a film that is more fiery than the first. With unprecedented access to vigilante groups both north and south of the U.S./Mexico border, the film captures searing footage from the front lines of the narco wars, and provides a new perspective on the issue. The film opens with a sequence that is essentially "Breaking Bad: The Documentary." A team of masked Mexican meth cooks unload their supplies from a truck in the desert in the dead of night and proceed to cook the crystal under the harsh glare of the camera’s spotlight. Their spokesperson is both articulate and contrite, admitting their knowledge...
- 6/30/2015
- by Katie Walsh
- The Playlist
With the passing of seminal documentarian Albert Maysles on March 5, it would only be appropriate to speak to Susan Froemke, his long time friend and frequent co-director. Albert Maysles –along with his brother David - made some of the most iconic American documentaries of all time, all the while revolutionizing the art form, largely through the utilization of cinema verite or direct cinema. This documentary motif, which grew popular by the Maysles and their contemporaries like D.A. Pennebaker and Richard Leacock, actually had been invented by Jean Rouch and originally inspired by Dziga Vertov’s theory about Kino Pravda nearly a century ago.
Cinema verite is sometimes called observational cinema, but that does not entirely explain its phenomenon; the style is largely concerned with the recording of events in which the subject and audience become unaware of the camera’s presence. One can feel the visceral and –at times- spontaneous reactions by its performers. (Take for instance Mick Jagger’s despair upon seeing footage of one of his fans killed at the Altamont Free Concert by a member of the Hells Angels in "Gimme Shelter").
The Maysles’ brothers were co-directors of acclaimed films such as the aforementioned "Gimme Shelter," "Grey Gardens" and "Salesman." They continued to make cinema verite documentaries together for thirty years until David’s death in 1987. They chronicled Hollywood luminaries like Orson Welles and Marlon Brando, and also chronicled the Beatles’ first visit to the U.S. Their range was vast and eclectic. They were nominated for a Best Documentary, Short Subjects Academy Award in 1974 for "Christo’s Valley Curtain." Afterward, Albert Maysles would co-direct with Deborah Dickson and Susan Froemke, and would go on to win an Emmy in 1992 for "Abortion: Desperate Choices." Up until his death, Albert continued making films on his own and in collaboration with other filmmakers for HBO and others. The collaboration between Albert Maysles and Susan Froemke had been just as impressive. Such films as "Vladimir Horowitz: The Last Romantic" and "Ozawa" are part of their canon. Perhaps their most prominent collaboration (along with Deborah Dickson) was the 2001 Oscar nominated "Lalee’s Kin: The Legacy of Cotton," which followed a Mississippi Delta school district and a struggling Delta family. The film reflected the damaging effects of poverty in the Deep South.
In this Exclusive interview, Susan Froemke discusses Albert Maysles’ brilliance as co-director, collaborator, his integral place within cinematic history as well as generous artistic spirit.
Jared Feldschreiber: What were the circumstances in which you met Albert Maysles as film artists? Since you both collaborated on close to twenty films, how would you characterize your relationship both artistically and on a personal basis?
Susan Froemke: I arrived at Maysles Films in the early 70’s, 21 years old, and worked with Al and David until 2003. The Maysles shied away from hiring people right out of film schools because they wanted you to be open to their approach. They didn’t want to “un-teach you”—their word. I was an English Lit major which pleased them. I was privileged to be one of the few allowed to be on shoots with them (Bob Richman was too) so I saw their filming approach first hand. I worked very closely with David, Charlotte Zwerin and Ellen Hovde in the edit room. I eventually produced for them.
Jf: How would you describe your collaborative process?
Sf: When David died in 1987, Al and I partnered as a filming team--Al on camera while I took sound. A two person filming crew—no larger-- was essential to capturing the intimate footage we loved. Maysles Films was very much a family and it lasted for over 40 years. Everyone who worked there, and many talented filmmakers came through the company, felt the spirit of the place and we were all committed to the Maysles’ approach and very close personally.
We’d find a subject we thought was worthy of filming, follow the direction that subject took us on and then edit the footage all as a team. Our end credits were “a film by” and that was the true working relationship. Everyone had an equal voice. We are all so sad today.
Jf: In a TV interview, Albert disclosed a telling adage by Orson Welles, which seemed to fit his approach to documentaries: ‘In a fiction film, the director is God, in a non-fiction film, God is the director,' Albert cited Welles. Would you say that this was Albert’s modus operandi, and if so, would you say as a documentarian he remained resolute to never ‘prejudge’ his subjects and let the events on camera determine the film’s focus?
Sf: Oh yes, I heard that quote often from Al. Al and David (and I have to always include David as well because they developed their approach—their philosophy—together) took their direction from their subject. The only thing we asked from a subject was access. Al and David never told a subject what to do, never asked them to repeat an action or sentence. They never talked to the subject while filming. Never. They wanted to minimize the fact that filming was going on. They wanted to keep the true-life situation as real as possible. But this was Not fly on the wall filming. They hated being called that because there was always a deep bond between filmmaker and subject. A deep trust. Wherever the subject took us always produced the strongest footage. And reality never disappointed us.
Jf: Do you know who were Albert’s main film inspirations?
Sf: I don’t think Al ever saw any films except his own. He didn’t really go to the movies. Certainly not fiction films! He was inspired by the people he met on a train; or walking down the street, if he saw someone sad, he’d ask them why; faces in the crowd, this is what interested him. I do know that he did admire Henri Cartier–Bresson’s photographs.
Jf: In layman’s terms, what’s the value of cinema verite? How can one define it? Do you feel as though the modern sensibility is patient enough to deal with its approach? Was this ever a concern for you and Albert over time that you may lose your audience?
Sf: Al was never interested in any approach to filmmaking but “direct cinema” which we defined as the truth that unfolded before our camera. This is a timeless approach, one that allowed us to examine the human spirit. I think it will last through the ages, like great literature. It never occurred to us to worry about losing an audience. If you have a complex narrative with charismatic characters, your film will always find viewership.
Jf: How many films did you work on with Albert, and which ones were your favorites in terms of content, their form and other personal collaborative memories?
Sf: I made over 20 films with Al. Favorites include "Grey Gardens", "Vladimir Horowitz: The Last Romantic," "Lalee’s Kin: The Legacy of Cotton," "Soldiers Of Music: Rostropovich Returns to Russia." There are so many. The trip to Russia in the early 90’s with Al to film Rostropovich’s return to Russia after 16 years of exile was a magnificent trip. Al had a tremendously nostalgic feeling towards Russia because he and David had taken a motorcycle trip there in the 50’s and began filming then. We traveled with Rostropovich and his family for a week and each encounter they had—whether musical or political-- was profound so we came back with rich, beautiful footage that told a story of courage and bravery. Al’s intuitive, lyrical camera was stunning whether filming Rostropovich playing the cello or just faces of strangers in a crowd.
Jf: In which scenes in the films you worked on together would you say you achieved a kind of ‘cinema truth?’
Sf: There is a scene in "Lalee’s Kin" which was filmed in the Mississippi Delta’s poorest county where Lalee, a 60 year old Great Grandmother, realizes her 12 year old granddaughter hasn’t made it to school on the first day of classes because she didn’t have any pencils or paper to take with her. The granddaughter is softly crying as Lalee searches through her house trying to find some pencils. This is a child who wants to be educated but painfully knows the odds aren’t in her favor. It’s a heartbreaking scene that illuminates the scale of the problems of poverty—how difficult it is to educate the child from an illiterate family. It is ‘cinema truth’ at it’s best.
Albert Maysles’ documentary film career began in 1955 when he traveled abroad to shoot "Psychiatry in Russia." He made films until his death, as exemplified by his latest “In Transit," which is due to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in April. The film centers on the Empire Builder - America’s busiest long-distance train route that runs from Chicago to Seattle. "Iris," another documentary of the fashion icon Iris Apfel, will also be released next month.
Cinema verite is sometimes called observational cinema, but that does not entirely explain its phenomenon; the style is largely concerned with the recording of events in which the subject and audience become unaware of the camera’s presence. One can feel the visceral and –at times- spontaneous reactions by its performers. (Take for instance Mick Jagger’s despair upon seeing footage of one of his fans killed at the Altamont Free Concert by a member of the Hells Angels in "Gimme Shelter").
The Maysles’ brothers were co-directors of acclaimed films such as the aforementioned "Gimme Shelter," "Grey Gardens" and "Salesman." They continued to make cinema verite documentaries together for thirty years until David’s death in 1987. They chronicled Hollywood luminaries like Orson Welles and Marlon Brando, and also chronicled the Beatles’ first visit to the U.S. Their range was vast and eclectic. They were nominated for a Best Documentary, Short Subjects Academy Award in 1974 for "Christo’s Valley Curtain." Afterward, Albert Maysles would co-direct with Deborah Dickson and Susan Froemke, and would go on to win an Emmy in 1992 for "Abortion: Desperate Choices." Up until his death, Albert continued making films on his own and in collaboration with other filmmakers for HBO and others. The collaboration between Albert Maysles and Susan Froemke had been just as impressive. Such films as "Vladimir Horowitz: The Last Romantic" and "Ozawa" are part of their canon. Perhaps their most prominent collaboration (along with Deborah Dickson) was the 2001 Oscar nominated "Lalee’s Kin: The Legacy of Cotton," which followed a Mississippi Delta school district and a struggling Delta family. The film reflected the damaging effects of poverty in the Deep South.
In this Exclusive interview, Susan Froemke discusses Albert Maysles’ brilliance as co-director, collaborator, his integral place within cinematic history as well as generous artistic spirit.
Jared Feldschreiber: What were the circumstances in which you met Albert Maysles as film artists? Since you both collaborated on close to twenty films, how would you characterize your relationship both artistically and on a personal basis?
Susan Froemke: I arrived at Maysles Films in the early 70’s, 21 years old, and worked with Al and David until 2003. The Maysles shied away from hiring people right out of film schools because they wanted you to be open to their approach. They didn’t want to “un-teach you”—their word. I was an English Lit major which pleased them. I was privileged to be one of the few allowed to be on shoots with them (Bob Richman was too) so I saw their filming approach first hand. I worked very closely with David, Charlotte Zwerin and Ellen Hovde in the edit room. I eventually produced for them.
Jf: How would you describe your collaborative process?
Sf: When David died in 1987, Al and I partnered as a filming team--Al on camera while I took sound. A two person filming crew—no larger-- was essential to capturing the intimate footage we loved. Maysles Films was very much a family and it lasted for over 40 years. Everyone who worked there, and many talented filmmakers came through the company, felt the spirit of the place and we were all committed to the Maysles’ approach and very close personally.
We’d find a subject we thought was worthy of filming, follow the direction that subject took us on and then edit the footage all as a team. Our end credits were “a film by” and that was the true working relationship. Everyone had an equal voice. We are all so sad today.
Jf: In a TV interview, Albert disclosed a telling adage by Orson Welles, which seemed to fit his approach to documentaries: ‘In a fiction film, the director is God, in a non-fiction film, God is the director,' Albert cited Welles. Would you say that this was Albert’s modus operandi, and if so, would you say as a documentarian he remained resolute to never ‘prejudge’ his subjects and let the events on camera determine the film’s focus?
Sf: Oh yes, I heard that quote often from Al. Al and David (and I have to always include David as well because they developed their approach—their philosophy—together) took their direction from their subject. The only thing we asked from a subject was access. Al and David never told a subject what to do, never asked them to repeat an action or sentence. They never talked to the subject while filming. Never. They wanted to minimize the fact that filming was going on. They wanted to keep the true-life situation as real as possible. But this was Not fly on the wall filming. They hated being called that because there was always a deep bond between filmmaker and subject. A deep trust. Wherever the subject took us always produced the strongest footage. And reality never disappointed us.
Jf: Do you know who were Albert’s main film inspirations?
Sf: I don’t think Al ever saw any films except his own. He didn’t really go to the movies. Certainly not fiction films! He was inspired by the people he met on a train; or walking down the street, if he saw someone sad, he’d ask them why; faces in the crowd, this is what interested him. I do know that he did admire Henri Cartier–Bresson’s photographs.
Jf: In layman’s terms, what’s the value of cinema verite? How can one define it? Do you feel as though the modern sensibility is patient enough to deal with its approach? Was this ever a concern for you and Albert over time that you may lose your audience?
Sf: Al was never interested in any approach to filmmaking but “direct cinema” which we defined as the truth that unfolded before our camera. This is a timeless approach, one that allowed us to examine the human spirit. I think it will last through the ages, like great literature. It never occurred to us to worry about losing an audience. If you have a complex narrative with charismatic characters, your film will always find viewership.
Jf: How many films did you work on with Albert, and which ones were your favorites in terms of content, their form and other personal collaborative memories?
Sf: I made over 20 films with Al. Favorites include "Grey Gardens", "Vladimir Horowitz: The Last Romantic," "Lalee’s Kin: The Legacy of Cotton," "Soldiers Of Music: Rostropovich Returns to Russia." There are so many. The trip to Russia in the early 90’s with Al to film Rostropovich’s return to Russia after 16 years of exile was a magnificent trip. Al had a tremendously nostalgic feeling towards Russia because he and David had taken a motorcycle trip there in the 50’s and began filming then. We traveled with Rostropovich and his family for a week and each encounter they had—whether musical or political-- was profound so we came back with rich, beautiful footage that told a story of courage and bravery. Al’s intuitive, lyrical camera was stunning whether filming Rostropovich playing the cello or just faces of strangers in a crowd.
Jf: In which scenes in the films you worked on together would you say you achieved a kind of ‘cinema truth?’
Sf: There is a scene in "Lalee’s Kin" which was filmed in the Mississippi Delta’s poorest county where Lalee, a 60 year old Great Grandmother, realizes her 12 year old granddaughter hasn’t made it to school on the first day of classes because she didn’t have any pencils or paper to take with her. The granddaughter is softly crying as Lalee searches through her house trying to find some pencils. This is a child who wants to be educated but painfully knows the odds aren’t in her favor. It’s a heartbreaking scene that illuminates the scale of the problems of poverty—how difficult it is to educate the child from an illiterate family. It is ‘cinema truth’ at it’s best.
Albert Maysles’ documentary film career began in 1955 when he traveled abroad to shoot "Psychiatry in Russia." He made films until his death, as exemplified by his latest “In Transit," which is due to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in April. The film centers on the Empire Builder - America’s busiest long-distance train route that runs from Chicago to Seattle. "Iris," another documentary of the fashion icon Iris Apfel, will also be released next month.
- 3/8/2015
- by Jared Feldschreiber
- Sydney's Buzz
Director Matthew Heineman’s first feature documentary (co-directed with Susan Froemke) was the incendiary and illuminating health care reform piece “Escape Fire.” His second feature “Cartel Land,” solo-directed this time, focuses on a much different issue and takes a more action-oriented, on-the-ground approach, and is more fiery than the first. With unprecedented access to vigilante groups both north and south of the U.S./Mexico border, the film captures searing footage from the front lines of the narco wars, and provides a new perspective on the issue. The film opens with a sequence that is essentially "Breaking Bad: The Documentary." A team of masked Mexican meth cooks unload their supplies from a truck in the desert in the dead of night and proceed to cook the crystal under the harsh glare of the camera’s spotlight. Their spokesperson is both articulate and contrite, admitting their knowledge of the negative effects of cooking and trafficking drugs,...
- 1/24/2015
- by Katie Walsh
- The Playlist
By Anjelica Oswald
Managing Editor
This year’s Oscar race could make history with two possible best picture nominees directed by women — Ava DuVernay’s Selma and Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken. If both women are nominated for best director, that would also be a historical moment. But though these accomplishments in the narrative field are possible, more women directors are breaking into the documentary categories. Four of the 15 shortlisted documentaries feature women at the helm: Jennifer Grausman (co-directed with Sam Cullman and Mark Becker) with Art and Craft, Tia Lessin (co-directed with Carl Deal) with Citizen Koch, Laura Poitras with Citizenfour and Rory Kennedy with Last Days in Vietnam. Additionally, three of the eight shortlisted documentary shorts feature female directors: Ellen Goosenberg Kent with Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1, Aneta Kopacz with Joanna and Lucy Walker with The Lion’s Mouth Opens. More often than not, women directors tend to...
Managing Editor
This year’s Oscar race could make history with two possible best picture nominees directed by women — Ava DuVernay’s Selma and Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken. If both women are nominated for best director, that would also be a historical moment. But though these accomplishments in the narrative field are possible, more women directors are breaking into the documentary categories. Four of the 15 shortlisted documentaries feature women at the helm: Jennifer Grausman (co-directed with Sam Cullman and Mark Becker) with Art and Craft, Tia Lessin (co-directed with Carl Deal) with Citizen Koch, Laura Poitras with Citizenfour and Rory Kennedy with Last Days in Vietnam. Additionally, three of the eight shortlisted documentary shorts feature female directors: Ellen Goosenberg Kent with Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1, Aneta Kopacz with Joanna and Lucy Walker with The Lion’s Mouth Opens. More often than not, women directors tend to...
- 12/16/2014
- by Anjelica Oswald
- Scott Feinberg
Do you think Albert and David Maysles knew they were creating not just a documentary but launching cultural icons when they filmed the mesmerizing “Grey Gardens,” now available in a Criterion Blu-ray edition? The film about “Little Edie” and “Big Edie,” relatives of American royalty in Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, became a cult phenomenon, inspiring a follow-up (which is included in this release), an award-winning fictionalized version of their story with Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange, and even a full-length musical.
Rating: 4.5/5.0
What is it about the Beales that fascinates us? It is a special kind of crazy that can be embraced this thoroughly and Little Edie & Big Edie were certainly unique characters, two self-obsessed socialites living in a dilapidated mansion in the Hamptons. Their lives, as brilliantly captured in “Grey Gardens” seemed so unique and so perfectly Hollywood and yet tragic at the same time. The genius of the Maysles was not to intrude,...
Rating: 4.5/5.0
What is it about the Beales that fascinates us? It is a special kind of crazy that can be embraced this thoroughly and Little Edie & Big Edie were certainly unique characters, two self-obsessed socialites living in a dilapidated mansion in the Hamptons. Their lives, as brilliantly captured in “Grey Gardens” seemed so unique and so perfectly Hollywood and yet tragic at the same time. The genius of the Maysles was not to intrude,...
- 12/29/2013
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Dec. 10, 2013
Price: Blu-ray $39.95
Studio: Criterion
The lives of Big Edie (top) and Little Edie Beale are revealed in Grey Gardens.
Meet Big and Little Edie Beale: mother and daughter, high-society dropouts, and reclusive cousins of Jackie Onassis, in the 1976 documentary Grey Gardens.
The two “Edie Gals” manage to thrive together amid the decay and disorder of their East Hampton, New York, mansion, making for an eerily ramshackle echo of the American Camelot.
A remarkably intimate portrait, this movie by Albert and David Maysles (Salesman)—co-directed by Ellen Hovde and Muffie Meyer—quickly became a cult classic and established Little Edie as a fashion icon and philosopher queen.
This special edition also features the 2006 follow-up to the film, The Beales of Grey Gardens, constructed from hours of extra footage in the filmmakers’ vaults.
Here’s a complete breakdown of the disc’s features:
• New 2K digital film restoration,...
Price: Blu-ray $39.95
Studio: Criterion
The lives of Big Edie (top) and Little Edie Beale are revealed in Grey Gardens.
Meet Big and Little Edie Beale: mother and daughter, high-society dropouts, and reclusive cousins of Jackie Onassis, in the 1976 documentary Grey Gardens.
The two “Edie Gals” manage to thrive together amid the decay and disorder of their East Hampton, New York, mansion, making for an eerily ramshackle echo of the American Camelot.
A remarkably intimate portrait, this movie by Albert and David Maysles (Salesman)—co-directed by Ellen Hovde and Muffie Meyer—quickly became a cult classic and established Little Edie as a fashion icon and philosopher queen.
This special edition also features the 2006 follow-up to the film, The Beales of Grey Gardens, constructed from hours of extra footage in the filmmakers’ vaults.
Here’s a complete breakdown of the disc’s features:
• New 2K digital film restoration,...
- 9/30/2013
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
With health care still very much a topic at the forefront of public debate, CNN Films has picked up Susan Frömke and Matthew Heineman's documentary "Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare," which premiere at Sundance last year and received a theatrical release from Roadside Attractions in October. CNN will air the doc on Sunday, March 10 at 8pm and against at 11pm. The film digs into the problems with America's patchwork healthcare system, looking into why the country spends so much more money on healthcare while lagging in life expectancy behind almost every industrialized nation, and investigating how our system is economically incentivized to focus more on disease management than disease prevention. "CNN Films is very pleased to bring this documentary to television," said CNN president Jeff Zuckera. "The physical health of our nation and the cost of healthcare, impact every current fiscal challenge we face. This compelling...
- 3/1/2013
- by Alison Willmore
- Indiewire
Exclusive: CNN Films has picked up U.S. TV rights to Escape Fire: The Fight To Rescue American Healthcare. The two-hour film will air on CNN on March 10 at 8 Pm and 11 Pm, with encore broadcasts March 16. The 2012 Sundance Film Festival alumni about the flaws, failings and patchwork nature of the nation’s healthcare system was produced and directed by Matthew Heineman and Oscar-nominee Susan Froemke. “CNN Films is very pleased to bring this documentary to television. The physical health of our nation and the cost of healthcare, impact every current fiscal challenge we face. This compelling film gives us an explanation of some of the factors that have contributed to our broken system and explains why we urgently need to fix it,” said network Worldwide president Jeff Zucker in a statement Friday. Related: Sundance: CNN Films Makes Buying Debut The cable news network plans to air a 30-minute discussion with...
- 3/1/2013
- by DOMINIC PATTEN
- Deadline TV
Title: Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare Directors: Matthew Heineman, Susan Froemke As the United States stands on the precipice of another presidential election, with one major party committed to striking down legislation that provided the most reform on the issue in many generations, health care is again in the headlines — if frequently only tangentially, as Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama tangle over claims over what the Affordable Care Act will and will not provide when it goes fully into effect. A new documentary from Matthew Heineman and Susan Froemke, however, rather persuasively suggests a collective societal myopia on the subject — that a more accurate diagnosis [ Read More ]
The post Escape Fire Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Escape Fire Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 10/8/2012
- by bsimon
- ShockYa
"Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare" opens with an anecdotal analogy that initially seems out of place in a documentary about health care systems. Dr. Don Berwick relates how a firefighter, while combatting an out of control forest fire, chose to set a fire around him in order to burn up the fuel and wait out the rampaging flames to escape unscathed. Quickly though, the film, directed by documentarians Matthew Heineman and Susan Froemke, establishes that the forest fire our nation currently faces is our inefficient, money-gobbling health care system, and the best idea might just be to torch the whole thing to the ground. This thesis is quickly laid out with a sense of extreme urgency in a title sequence that juxtaposes talking heads, statistics, news reports and footage of patients in hospitals in order to get us all on the same page: this health care system...
- 10/5/2012
- by Katie Walsh
- The Playlist
"Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare" is one of those documentaries that makes you angry, but for the same reasons that make it essential viewing for anyone living in this country. The film, directed by Susan Froemke and Matthew Heineman and nominated for the documentary Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, arrives in theaters and on VOD and iTunes October 5. Director Heineman introduces our exclusive clip below: "In America, you’re twice as likely to get your knee replaced as you are in other Western countries. You’re two or three times as likely to get a heart catheterization or have a stent put in your coronaries. We’ve set up a reimbursement system that often pushes physicians and hospitals into doing more. It doesn’t reward doctors for doing a better job. It doesn’t reward them for keeping their patients healthy. It rewards them for delivering more care.
- 10/3/2012
- by Sophia Savage
- Thompson on Hollywood
Watch new clips from Roadside Attractions' Escape Fire: The Fight to Save American Healthcare which opens in theaters on October 5th. The documentary helmed by Susan Frömke and Matthew Heineman first showed up at this year's Sundance Film Festival and tackles one of the most pressing issues of our time: how can we save our badly broken healthcare system? American healthcare costs are rising so rapidly that they could reach $4.2 trillion annually, roughly 20% of our gross domestic product, within ten years. We spend $300 billion a year on pharmaceutical drugs – almost as much as the rest of the world combined. We pay more, yet our health outcomes are worse.
- 10/3/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Watch new clips from Roadside Attractions' Escape Fire: The Fight to Save American Healthcare which opens in theaters on October 5th. The documentary helmed by Susan Frömke and Matthew Heineman first showed up at this year's Sundance Film Festival and tackles one of the most pressing issues of our time: how can we save our badly broken healthcare system? American healthcare costs are rising so rapidly that they could reach $4.2 trillion annually, roughly 20% of our gross domestic product, within ten years. We spend $300 billion a year on pharmaceutical drugs – almost as much as the rest of the world combined. We pay more, yet our health outcomes are worse.
- 10/3/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
I don't have any answers in this entry, which will calm those who think I never do. I have questions, and the answers will appear in the comments. I want you to share your experience with acupuncture.
I saw an extraordinary documentary a few days ago titled "Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare." It argued that when we speak of "American health care," we should in fact be calling it "American sickness care." There's more money to be made in making healing sick people than in keeping them well in the first place.
This harmonizes with my own notions, and ties into my last blog entry about vegetarianism. The doc, directed by Susan Froemke and Matthew Heineman, doesn't specifically recommend a vegetarian diet. But one of the authorities we meet is Dr. Dean Ornish, has proven that a vegetarian diet, joined with exercise and meditation, can reverse arterial blockage and heart disease.
I saw an extraordinary documentary a few days ago titled "Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare." It argued that when we speak of "American health care," we should in fact be calling it "American sickness care." There's more money to be made in making healing sick people than in keeping them well in the first place.
This harmonizes with my own notions, and ties into my last blog entry about vegetarianism. The doc, directed by Susan Froemke and Matthew Heineman, doesn't specifically recommend a vegetarian diet. But one of the authorities we meet is Dr. Dean Ornish, has proven that a vegetarian diet, joined with exercise and meditation, can reverse arterial blockage and heart disease.
- 9/29/2012
- by Roger Ebert
- blogs.suntimes.com/ebert
Watch the new theatrical trailer for Susan Frömke and Matthew Heineman's Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare documentary The film seen at this year's Sundance Film Festival, opens in theaters on October 5th via Roadside Attractions. Escape Fire tackles one of the most pressing issues of our time: how can we save our badly broken healthcare system? American healthcare costs are rising so rapidly that they could reach $4.2 trillion annually, roughly 20% of our gross domestic product, within ten years. We spend $300 billion a year on pharmaceutical drugs – almost as much as the rest of the world combined. We pay more, yet our health outcomes are worse.
- 9/14/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Watch the new theatrical trailer for Susan Frömke and Matthew Heineman's Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare documentary The film seen at this year's Sundance Film Festival, opens in theaters on October 5th via Roadside Attractions. Escape Fire tackles one of the most pressing issues of our time: how can we save our badly broken healthcare system? American healthcare costs are rising so rapidly that they could reach $4.2 trillion annually, roughly 20% of our gross domestic product, within ten years. We spend $300 billion a year on pharmaceutical drugs – almost as much as the rest of the world combined. We pay more, yet our health outcomes are worse.
- 9/14/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Wagner’S Dream The Metropolitan Opera Director: Susan Froemke Cast: Robert LePage, Deborah Voigt, Jay Hunter Morris, Peter Gelb, James Levine, Fabio Luisi, and the Metropolitan Opera Screened at: Dolby 24, NYC, 7/11/12 Opens: July 19, 2012 in NY; July 27, 2012 in L.A. Let me take a wild guess that more people have heard of Spider-Man than Götterdämmerung and that, further, more people have seen “Spider-Man-Turn Off the Dark” on Broadway this year than Richard Wagner’s 15-hour long Ring Cycle at the Met. What do they have in common aside from the sounds of music? Both productions embraced avant-garde staging that includes flying actors and singers. A month from its [ Read More ]...
- 7/13/2012
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
Clips from Escape Fire: The Fight to Save American Healthcare Rioadside Attractions sends their documentary to theaters on October 5th, after the film was first seen at this year's Sundance Film Festival. Directed and produced by Susan Frömke and Matthew Heineman, Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare tackles one of the most pressing issues of our time: how can we save our badly broken healthcare system? American healthcare costs are rising so rapidly that they could reach $4.2 trillion annually, roughly 20% of our gross domestic product, within ten years. We spend $300 billion a year on pharmaceutical drugs – almost as much as the rest of the world combined. We pay more, yet our health outcomes are worse.
- 6/27/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Clips from Escape Fire: The Fight to Save American Healthcare Rioadside Attractions sends their documentary to theaters on October 5th, after the film was first seen at this year's Sundance Film Festival. Directed and produced by Susan Frömke and Matthew Heineman, Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare tackles one of the most pressing issues of our time: how can we save our badly broken healthcare system? American healthcare costs are rising so rapidly that they could reach $4.2 trillion annually, roughly 20% of our gross domestic product, within ten years. We spend $300 billion a year on pharmaceutical drugs – almost as much as the rest of the world combined. We pay more, yet our health outcomes are worse.
- 6/27/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Susan Froemke's documentary follows Robert Lepage's five-year journey as he stages Wagner's Ring Cycle for New York's Metropolitan Opera
Reading this on mobile? click here to view
Wagner's four-part 16-hour Ring Cycle is one of opera's most monumental challenges. Visionary director Robert Lepage has been on a five-year journey to create the most ambitious staging in Metropolitan Opera history, featuring a 90,000-pound set (c 41 tonnes) that was known as "the Machine" designed to realise all of Wagner's scenic instructions.
Reading this on mobile? Click here to view
This documentary follows Lepage, his creative team and his singers, and the challenges they faced realising the director's daring attempt to achieve Wagner's dream of a perfect Ring.
Reading this on mobile? Click here to view
Wagner's Dream is at cinemas internationally from 20 June, each opera in the Ring Cycle follows on subsequent weekends. UK details here.
Read more about the cycle here,...
Reading this on mobile? click here to view
Wagner's four-part 16-hour Ring Cycle is one of opera's most monumental challenges. Visionary director Robert Lepage has been on a five-year journey to create the most ambitious staging in Metropolitan Opera history, featuring a 90,000-pound set (c 41 tonnes) that was known as "the Machine" designed to realise all of Wagner's scenic instructions.
Reading this on mobile? Click here to view
This documentary follows Lepage, his creative team and his singers, and the challenges they faced realising the director's daring attempt to achieve Wagner's dream of a perfect Ring.
Reading this on mobile? Click here to view
Wagner's Dream is at cinemas internationally from 20 June, each opera in the Ring Cycle follows on subsequent weekends. UK details here.
Read more about the cycle here,...
- 6/20/2012
- The Guardian - Film News
Roadside Attractions has acquired all U.S. rights to Matthew Heineman and Susan Froemke’s Sundance documentary “Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare.” The indie distributor will release the film theatrically October 5, just as the presidential election hits its final stretch. “Fire,” which had its world premiere in competition at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, explores the U.S. healthcare system, the people who work in it, the people affected by it and those in government trying to reform it. The subject, as well as a critical Supreme Court decision on President Obama’s Affordable Care Act due over the summer, will likely play a major part in the fall campaigns. “Before I saw ‘Escape Fire,’ I thought the problems surrounding healthcare were unsolvable, but the film shows that we have the power to fix this,” said Roadside Attractions co-president Howard Cohen. “The upcoming Supreme Court...
- 5/30/2012
- by Jay A. Fernandez
- Indiewire
Wagner's Dream comes true
Filmmakers Susan Froemke and Bob Eisenhardt, opera soprano Deborah Voigt and tenor Jay Hunter Morris, Met's General Manager Peter Gelb on the red carpet
Wagner's Dream, the film about the opera cycle about "reaching the unattainable", is clearly one of the best movies in Tribeca 2012. The film's scope and clarity and joy will make people curious about opera who never had a dream about Wagner in...
Filmmakers Susan Froemke and Bob Eisenhardt, opera soprano Deborah Voigt and tenor Jay Hunter Morris, Met's General Manager Peter Gelb on the red carpet
Wagner's Dream, the film about the opera cycle about "reaching the unattainable", is clearly one of the best movies in Tribeca 2012. The film's scope and clarity and joy will make people curious about opera who never had a dream about Wagner in...
- 4/28/2012
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Following up on last week's preview of the Tribeca Film Festival (site), this'll be the entry that'll carry us through to Sunday. Introducing Slant's package of reviews, Ed Gonzalez argues that Tribeca "has blossomed from a celebration of the Big Apple as a filmmaking center into a great facilitator and promoter of international film and video culture." The Los Angeles Times' Steven Zeitchik agrees that it's "a prime venue to discover international films." More packages and lists: Smithsonian Magazine's Daniel Eagan ("What to See"), indieWIRE ("12 New Films We're Excited For"), Filmmaker's Scott Macaulay ("25 Films I'm Looking Forward To"), Movies.com ("20 Most Anticipated Movies"), Time's Lily Rothman ("Top 15 Chatter-Worthy Films"), Time Out New York and Twitch ("Top 15 Picks").
Having previewed "30-odd films" for the Voice, Eric Hynes recommends 14, and Take This Waltz is one of them: "Sarah Polley's follow-up to her moving directorial debut, Away From Her, is a modern...
Having previewed "30-odd films" for the Voice, Eric Hynes recommends 14, and Take This Waltz is one of them: "Sarah Polley's follow-up to her moving directorial debut, Away From Her, is a modern...
- 4/25/2012
- MUBI
The Dallas International Film Festival announced its first fifteen films for the 2012 festival, which runs April 12-22. At this sixth edition of the festival (which will showcase nearly 180 films), Narrative Feature and Documentary competition films will compete for $10,000 cash prizes, while Environmental Visions category fills will be up for a $10,000 prize from Whole Foods and the Embrey Family Foundation will give a $10,000 Silver Heart Award to a film that fights injustice and/or ignites social change. The titles include Nadine Labaki's "Where Do We Go Now?", Sheldon Candis's "Luv," Ryan O'Nan's "The Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best," Lawrence Kasdan's "Darling Companion" Matthew Heineman and Susan Froemke's "Escpae Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare" and Takashi Shimizu's "Tormened. The Atomic States of America." (The complete list of titles and details are below.) ...
- 2/15/2012
- Indiewire
Associated Press Ai Weiwei
The Sundance Film Festival’s best kept secret are its documentaries. While dramatic films and celebrity casts draw the headlines and paparazzi, the Park City event has become the preeminent launchpad for the best nonfiction films in the U.S. Some of the most successful documentaries of all time ”March of the Penguins,” “An Inconvenient Truth,” “Super Size Me,” “Hoop Dreams” first premiered at Sundance, while recent Oscar winners “No End In Sight” and “Man on Wire...
The Sundance Film Festival’s best kept secret are its documentaries. While dramatic films and celebrity casts draw the headlines and paparazzi, the Park City event has become the preeminent launchpad for the best nonfiction films in the U.S. Some of the most successful documentaries of all time ”March of the Penguins,” “An Inconvenient Truth,” “Super Size Me,” “Hoop Dreams” first premiered at Sundance, while recent Oscar winners “No End In Sight” and “Man on Wire...
- 1/18/2012
- by Anthony Kaufman
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
Matthew Heineman learned the "Truth is stranger than fiction" maxim while traveling across America in an Rv with friends. They were out to discover what made their generation tick; with no formal training they began The Young Americans Project and interviewed a spectrum of American youth (this later became his first film "Our Time"). He fell hard for filmmaking; "I loved the bond and trust that was quickly formed between my subjects and me. I loved the unpredictable." Now, Heineman and his co-director Susan Froemke want to transcend the misinformation about the countries' healthcare woes. Everyone has been affected, but there is still a significant lack of clarify. "Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare" (Us Documentary) addresses what might be done to create a sustainable healthcare system for the future and hopes to inspire people to take control of their health and push for change once they understand the preserve.
- 1/10/2012
- Indiewire
Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare / U.S.A. (Directors: Matthew Heineman, Susan Froemke) — What can be done to save our broken medical system? Powerful forces are trying to maintain the status quo in a profit-driven medical industry, but a movement to bring innovative methods of prevention and healing is finally gaining ground – potentially saving the health of a nation.
- 12/2/2011
- by Kyle Reese
- SoundOnSight
Jeff Orlowski's Chasing Ice U.S. Documentary Competition I The world premieres of 16 American documentary films. Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry / U.S.A., China (Director: Alison Klayman) — Renowned Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei has garnered international attention as much for his ambitious artwork as his political provocations and increasingly public clashes with the Chinese government. The Atomic States of America / U.S.A. (Directors: Don Argott, Sheena M. Joyce) — In 2010, the United States announced construction of the first new nuclear power plant in more than 32 years. A year later, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck the Fukushima Power Plant in Japan sparking a fierce debate in the U.S. over the safety and viability of nuclear power. Chasing Ice / U.S.A. (Director: Jeff Orlowski) — Science, spectacle and human passion mix in this stunningly cinematic portrait as National Geographic photographer James Balog captures time-lapse photography of glaciers over several years...
- 12/2/2011
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
“Valley of Saints”, a love story set in Kashmir is all set to compete for the top award in the World Dramatics category of Sundance Film Festival 2012. The film, directed by an American filmmaker Musa Sayeed, had earlier won Film Independent and Sloan Foundation Producer’s Grant for the same films.
“Valley of Saints” is about a Kashmiri boatman Gulzar, who plans to run away from the war and poverty surrounding his village in Kashmir with his best friend, but a beautiful young woman researching the dying lake leads him to contemplate a different future. Sundance Film Festival announced its competition line up on November 30, 2011. Here is the complete lineup:- U.S. Dramatic Competition The world premieres of 16 American narrative feature films.
Beasts of the Southern Wild / U.S.A. (Director: Benh Zeitlin, Screenwriters: Benh Zeitlin, Lucy Alibar) — Waters gonna rise up, wild animals gonna rerun from the grave, and...
“Valley of Saints” is about a Kashmiri boatman Gulzar, who plans to run away from the war and poverty surrounding his village in Kashmir with his best friend, but a beautiful young woman researching the dying lake leads him to contemplate a different future. Sundance Film Festival announced its competition line up on November 30, 2011. Here is the complete lineup:- U.S. Dramatic Competition The world premieres of 16 American narrative feature films.
Beasts of the Southern Wild / U.S.A. (Director: Benh Zeitlin, Screenwriters: Benh Zeitlin, Lucy Alibar) — Waters gonna rise up, wild animals gonna rerun from the grave, and...
- 12/1/2011
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
For Ellen, Luv, and the other competition films have been announced for the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. The Sundance Film Festival is “a film festival that takes place annually in the state of Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States…the festival is the premier showcase for new work from American and international independent filmmakers.” For the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, “110 feature-length films were selected, representing 31 countries and 44 first-time filmmakers, including 26 in competition. These films were selected from 4,042 feature-length film submissions composed of 2,059 U.S. and 1,983 international feature-length films. 88 films at the Festival will be world premieres.”
The 2012 Sundance Film Festival will run from January 19, 2011 to January 29, 2011 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.
The full listing of the competition films in the 2011 Sundance Film Festival are below.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
The world premieres of 16 American narrative feature films.
The 2012 Sundance Film Festival will run from January 19, 2011 to January 29, 2011 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.
The full listing of the competition films in the 2011 Sundance Film Festival are below.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
The world premieres of 16 American narrative feature films.
- 12/1/2011
- by filmbook
- Film-Book
I love the Sundance Film Festival. The winners of the fest normally have long legs enough to last all the way until the Oscars. This year, for example, "Pariah" was one of the breakout hits from Sundance, and the Dee Rees coming-of-age flick is being distributed by Focus this month. Its star, Adepero Oduye, recently received the Best Female Lead nomination from the Independent Spirit Awards.
So now, Sundance has unveiled its in-competition slate for 2012 and the films, as always, are quite intriguing. The fest runs from Jan. 19th to the 29th in Park City, Utah. Check out the full list below:
U.S. Dramatic Competition
The world premieres of 16 American narrative feature films.
Beasts of the Southern Wild / U.S.A. (Director: Benh Zeitlin, Screenwriters: Benh Zeitlin, Lucy Alibar) . Waters gonna rise up, wild animals gonna rerun from the grave, and everything south of the levee is goin. under,...
So now, Sundance has unveiled its in-competition slate for 2012 and the films, as always, are quite intriguing. The fest runs from Jan. 19th to the 29th in Park City, Utah. Check out the full list below:
U.S. Dramatic Competition
The world premieres of 16 American narrative feature films.
Beasts of the Southern Wild / U.S.A. (Director: Benh Zeitlin, Screenwriters: Benh Zeitlin, Lucy Alibar) . Waters gonna rise up, wild animals gonna rerun from the grave, and everything south of the levee is goin. under,...
- 11/30/2011
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Park City, Ut – Sundance Institute announced today the films selected for the U.S. and World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary Competitions of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. The Sundance Film Festival will take place January 19 through 29 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. The complete list of films is available at www.sundance.org/festival.
Robert Redford, Founder and President of Sundance Institute remarked, “We are, and always have been, a festival about the filmmakers. So what are they doing? What are they saying? They are making statements about the changing world we are living in. Some are straight-forward, some novel and some offbeat but always interesting. One can never predict. We know only at the end, and I love that.”
John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival, said, “In these challenging economic times, filmmakers have had to be more resourceful and truly independent in their approaches to filmmaking.
Robert Redford, Founder and President of Sundance Institute remarked, “We are, and always have been, a festival about the filmmakers. So what are they doing? What are they saying? They are making statements about the changing world we are living in. Some are straight-forward, some novel and some offbeat but always interesting. One can never predict. We know only at the end, and I love that.”
John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival, said, “In these challenging economic times, filmmakers have had to be more resourceful and truly independent in their approaches to filmmaking.
- 11/30/2011
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The Sundance Film Festival is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, the festival is a showcase for new work from American and international independent filmmakers. The Festival has changed over the decades from a low-profile venue for small-budget, independent creators from outside the Hollywood system to a media extravaganza for Hollywood celebrity actors, paparazzi, and luxury lounges set up by companies that are not affiliated with Sundance.
Now the festival is getting ready for the 2012 edition and today they announced the films competing in all categories.
Here is the Sundance press release.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
The world premieres of 16 American narrative feature films.
Beasts of the Southern Wild / U.S.A. (Director: Benh Zeitlin, Screenwriters: Benh Zeitlin, Lucy Alibar) — Waters gonna rise up, wild animals gonna rerun from the grave, and everything south of the levee is goin’ under,...
Now the festival is getting ready for the 2012 edition and today they announced the films competing in all categories.
Here is the Sundance press release.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
The world premieres of 16 American narrative feature films.
Beasts of the Southern Wild / U.S.A. (Director: Benh Zeitlin, Screenwriters: Benh Zeitlin, Lucy Alibar) — Waters gonna rise up, wild animals gonna rerun from the grave, and everything south of the levee is goin’ under,...
- 11/30/2011
- by Kyle Reese
- SoundOnSight
By Sean O’Connell
Hollywoodnews.com: The 2012 Sundance Film Festival unveiled the first wave of programming for its upcoming event, scheduled for Jan. 19-29, 2012. Multiple titles have been handpicked for the U.S. and World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary Competitions. Additional programming announcements will come over the following week.
“We are, and always have been, a festival about the filmmakers. So what are they doing? What are they saying? They are making statements about the changing world we are living in. Some are straight-forward, some novel and some offbeat but always interesting. One can never predict. We know only at the end, and I love that,” said Robert Redford, Founder and President of Sundance Institute.
Information on the full slate of announced titles follows, directly from the Sundance press release. For more details, visit www.sundance.org/festival.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
The world premieres of 16 American narrative feature films.
Hollywoodnews.com: The 2012 Sundance Film Festival unveiled the first wave of programming for its upcoming event, scheduled for Jan. 19-29, 2012. Multiple titles have been handpicked for the U.S. and World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary Competitions. Additional programming announcements will come over the following week.
“We are, and always have been, a festival about the filmmakers. So what are they doing? What are they saying? They are making statements about the changing world we are living in. Some are straight-forward, some novel and some offbeat but always interesting. One can never predict. We know only at the end, and I love that,” said Robert Redford, Founder and President of Sundance Institute.
Information on the full slate of announced titles follows, directly from the Sundance press release. For more details, visit www.sundance.org/festival.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
The world premieres of 16 American narrative feature films.
- 11/30/2011
- by Sean O'Connell
- Hollywoodnews.com
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