Follow a humble yellow school bus as it is transformed into something joyous and defiant. It’s like discovering that your grandma has another life as a secret agent. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
It’s like discovering that your grandma has another life as a secret agent or something. The humble yellow school bus, the kind we see rumbling through sleepy American suburban streets, the kind you may once have actually ridden yourself… when they are done with their relatively short service ferrying kids to school — after 150,000 miles or so — they are still in excellent shape. So they are sold at auction, and many of them end up in Guatemala, where they become las camionetas, the so-called “chicken buses” in the ad hoc public transit network.
Documentarian Mark Kendall, making his feature debut,...
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
It’s like discovering that your grandma has another life as a secret agent or something. The humble yellow school bus, the kind we see rumbling through sleepy American suburban streets, the kind you may once have actually ridden yourself… when they are done with their relatively short service ferrying kids to school — after 150,000 miles or so — they are still in excellent shape. So they are sold at auction, and many of them end up in Guatemala, where they become las camionetas, the so-called “chicken buses” in the ad hoc public transit network.
Documentarian Mark Kendall, making his feature debut,...
- 4/3/2014
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
It might seem strange that the protagonist of Mark Kendall’s feature debut is also, in fact, the conveyance vehicle of the film’s journey. La Camioneta begins by embracing the inherent oddity of its premise, gently anthropomorphizing the titular bus by assigning it religious properties. In fact, it might even seem impossible that the voyage of a re-appropriated bus could possibly be so utterly absorbing. Indeed, in the hands of a lesser filmmaker, it’s the type of documentary that might have been either completely swallowed up by the dreamlike cinematography, or bludgeoned by message-mongering....
- 11/8/2013
- Pastemagazine.com
A lot of films have gone down the “we’re all connected” route whether they’re big budget spectacles like Cloud Atlas or melodramatic quasi-think-pieces like Crash, but one of the most interesting low-key movies along those lines I’ve seen lately comes in the form of a great documentary about the journey of decommissioned American school buses that are bought and sent to Guatemala to be remade into camionetas – the Central American country’s most common form of public transportation. La Camioneta tracks one particular school bus and the people involved in its shipment from the auction block outside Pittsburgh, through the dangerous wilds of Mexico, all the way to the streets of Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala. It’s a wonderful little film that makes us see something as familiar as a big yellow school bus in a decidedly unfamiliar way.
The film’s superficial journey is grounded in the rapid realities of globalization,...
The film’s superficial journey is grounded in the rapid realities of globalization,...
- 6/7/2013
- by Sean Hutchinson
- LRMonline.com
This interview originally ran at the time of the film’s world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival 2012, and is now being republished to coincide with with La Camioneta‘s theatrical release, which starts today at Brooklyn’s reRun Theater. Visit the official website of La Camioneta for dates of further theatrical screenings. Director Mark Kendall carries a spirit of adventurous, a keen eye for character, and a wellspring of ambition into his first documentary feature, La Camioneta: The Journey of One American School Bus. Starting out at an auction in rural Pennsylvania for decommissioned school-buses, Kendall boards one of the buses sold and accompanies the …...
- 5/31/2013
- by Dan Schoenbrun
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
It might take the viewer a moment to realize that the voiceover guiding us through director Mark Kendall's documentary La Camioneta is meant to be the thoughts of one of the refurbished buses that are part of the film's focus. In dulcet tones, the audience is served a healthy portion of age-old spiritual beliefs that have been contemporarily gummed into New Age triteness: "When you die, your body dies. But . . . your energy lives on inside everyone." With that, we have the metaphysical framework for the film's examination of the international journey of decommissioned American school buses. Every day, dozens of the vehicles are sold at auction, snapped up by drivers whose job it is to take them from the U.S., through Mexico, to their final destination in Guatemala. There they ar...
- 5/30/2013
- Village Voice
The Guatemalan documentary “La Camioneta: The Journey of One American School Bus,” from American director Mark Kendall, sheds light on a little known connection between the United States and Central America. After discovering that most of Guatemala’s public transportation buses – known as camionetas – are actually refurbished American school buses, Kendall set out to capture the process by which these vehicles gained a second life. In doing so, he has created a work of sociological significance as well as a surprisingly personal account of a community that has ensured its survival by salvaging these buses. The film begins its lengthy journey at a rural Pennsylvania auction, held in an empty field teeming with decommissioned school buses that still operate efficiently and are generally in good condition; they are only eight to 12 years old, after all. Most of the auction’s bidders have traveled from Central America, and many will drive...
- 5/29/2013
- by Emma Bernstein
- The Playlist
Spotsylvania County, Virginia and Queztal City, Guatemala are separated by nearly 3,000 miles of road, and by what would seem, at first, an unbridgeable cultural distance. But in Mark Kendall's remarkable documentary "La Camioneta" -- a brilliant microhistory of our globalized world -- you're hard pressed to consider them anything but neighbors. The film debuted at SXSW 2012 and opens in limited release starting May 31. At a mere 71 minutes, "La Camioneta" takes the shape of a novella (per Merriam-Webster, "compact and pointed... psychologically subtle"), deploying its transnational tale with the utmost economy. A sort of nonfiction film version of the literary form, it distills the poetics of an epic journey into a powerful miniature: its story of a handful of Guatemalan men who purchase, transport, refurbish, and recycle a decommissioned Virginia school bus is both a graceful, ground-level portrait of Guatemala's working class and a cri de coeur from the shadows of.
- 5/29/2013
- by Matt Brennan
- Thompson on Hollywood
One of my favorite documentaries this year, "Searching for Sugar Man," received top honors at the 2012 Ida Documentary Awards winning the Best Feature prize. The documentary about the search for the elusive musician, Rodriguez, is truly a brilliant film illuminating failed dreams and eventual redemption.
Here's the complete winners list of the 2012 Ida Documentary Awards:
Career Achievement Award
Arnold Shapiro
Jacqueline Donnet Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award
David France
Pioneer Award
Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program And Fund
Best Feature Award
Searching For Sugar Man
Director/Producer/Writer: Malik Bendjelloul
Producer: Simon Chinn
Executive Producer: John Battsek
Red Box Films, Sony Pictures Classics
Best Short Award
Saving Face
Director: Daniel Junge, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
Producers: David Coombe, Daniel Junge, Alison Greenberg, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Sabiha Sumar
Co-Producers: Aaron Kopp, Fazeelat Aslam
Senior Producer: Lisa Heller (HBO)
Executive Producer: Sheila Nevins (HBO)
HBO Documentary Films, Milkhaus, LLC, and JungeFilm, LLC
Best Limited Series Award...
Here's the complete winners list of the 2012 Ida Documentary Awards:
Career Achievement Award
Arnold Shapiro
Jacqueline Donnet Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award
David France
Pioneer Award
Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program And Fund
Best Feature Award
Searching For Sugar Man
Director/Producer/Writer: Malik Bendjelloul
Producer: Simon Chinn
Executive Producer: John Battsek
Red Box Films, Sony Pictures Classics
Best Short Award
Saving Face
Director: Daniel Junge, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
Producers: David Coombe, Daniel Junge, Alison Greenberg, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Sabiha Sumar
Co-Producers: Aaron Kopp, Fazeelat Aslam
Senior Producer: Lisa Heller (HBO)
Executive Producer: Sheila Nevins (HBO)
HBO Documentary Films, Milkhaus, LLC, and JungeFilm, LLC
Best Limited Series Award...
- 12/8/2012
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Many of you know by now that three members of the Russian punk band and activist group Pussy Riot were found guilty of hooliganism charges today, with Moscow Judge Marina Syrova announcing a prison sentence of two years for the three women who staged the anti-Putin protest in Russia's Cathedral of Christ the Savior last February.
Following the guilty verdict's announcement this morning, small protests were held in dozens of cities across the world, including demonstrations in Barcelona, Paris, Berlin and Washington, D.C.
In New York City, around 40 protestors gathered in Manhattan's Upper East Side, beginning with a small number of demonstrators playing musical instruments in front of St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Manhattan. The group of balaclava-clad supporters then moved to the Russian Consulate, where marchers were met by a mixture of English and Russian-speaking participants, many of whom donned paper masks and held signs that read, "Confront...
Following the guilty verdict's announcement this morning, small protests were held in dozens of cities across the world, including demonstrations in Barcelona, Paris, Berlin and Washington, D.C.
In New York City, around 40 protestors gathered in Manhattan's Upper East Side, beginning with a small number of demonstrators playing musical instruments in front of St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Manhattan. The group of balaclava-clad supporters then moved to the Russian Consulate, where marchers were met by a mixture of English and Russian-speaking participants, many of whom donned paper masks and held signs that read, "Confront...
- 8/17/2012
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
The Guatemalan documentary “La Camioneta: The Journey of One American School Bus,” from American director Mark Kendall, sheds light on a little known connection between the United States and Central America. After discovering that most of Guatemala’s public transportation buses – known as camionetas – are actually refurbished American school buses, Kendall set out to capture the process by which these vehicles gained a second life. In doing so, he has created a work of sociological significance as well as a surprisingly personal account of a community that has ensured its survival by salvaging these buses.
The film begins its lengthy journey at a rural Pennsylvania auction, held in an empty field teeming with decommissioned school buses that still operate efficiently and are generally in good condition; they are only eight to 12 years old, after all. Most of the auction’s bidders have traveled from Central America, and many will drive...
The film begins its lengthy journey at a rural Pennsylvania auction, held in an empty field teeming with decommissioned school buses that still operate efficiently and are generally in good condition; they are only eight to 12 years old, after all. Most of the auction’s bidders have traveled from Central America, and many will drive...
- 6/28/2012
- by Emma Bernstein
- The Playlist
How do you locate an American school bus that’s headed for a second life in Guatemala? That was the first challenge facing director Mark Kendall, whose feature debut, “La Camioneta,” tells the story of the yellow and black American standards that travel south of the border to be repurposed into colorfully painted “camionetas,” or Guatamalen public transport buses.
The ambitious documentary, which ends a sold-out run at the Los Angeles film festival today, isn’t the children’s story it might sound like on paper: camioneta drivers are among Guatemala’s most endangered workers, targeted and often killed by organized crime rings hungry for bribes. It was into this world of extremes that Kendall, a freshly minted film school graduate, found himself plunged after launching his documentary in a Spotsylvania County school bus headed from Texas to Guatemala City. It's a scene no documentarian would ignore, but how does...
The ambitious documentary, which ends a sold-out run at the Los Angeles film festival today, isn’t the children’s story it might sound like on paper: camioneta drivers are among Guatemala’s most endangered workers, targeted and often killed by organized crime rings hungry for bribes. It was into this world of extremes that Kendall, a freshly minted film school graduate, found himself plunged after launching his documentary in a Spotsylvania County school bus headed from Texas to Guatemala City. It's a scene no documentarian would ignore, but how does...
- 6/19/2012
- by Mallika Rao
- Huffington Post
Welcome to one of the most moving and technically beautiful trailers we’ve ever had the pleasure of posting in the name of film festival coverage. Mark Kendall‘s La Camioneta: The Journey of One American School Bus is just that – a documentary that charts the “retirement” of a decommissioned school bus sent to Guatemala to be reinvented as a “camioneta,” the most common public transportation vehicle in the country. But being a camioneta is not easy, and neither is being a camioneta driver, as Kendall’s film teaches us that in the past six years alone nearly one thousand drives and and fare collectors have been murdered due to vicious demands by local gangs. Kendall’s film weaves together the camioneta’s tale with that of five men who either make or drive the vehicle, and if the final film is even half as visually interesting and emotionally stirring as this trailer, La...
- 6/13/2012
- by Kate Erbland
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
More from the Latino scene from our woman in L.A., free lance festival programmer extraordinaire, Christine Davila, from her blog Chicana from Chicago:
Looking at yesterday’s announcement of Film Independent’s Los Angeles Film Festival reveals a healthy Latino presence among the 62 features and 48 short films in the program. Here’s how I break down the Latino/ Ibero/ U.S. Latino component of the program.
Chile continues to give Argentina a run for its cache of exciting and growing cinematic output from South America with the inclusion of Thursday Til Sunday (Isa & Distributor: FiGa) written and directed by Dominga Sotomayor ♀, in Narrative Competition.
Although the traveling Mexican film festival Ambulante is no longer a program spotlight, Mexican films continue to be a mainstay of the festival. There are four feature-length films and three short films from/about Mexico. In Narrative Competition, The Compass is Carried by the Dead Man (Isa: Kafilms, Argentina) written and directed by Arturo Pons [about a young Mexican aiming for Chicago], and in Documentary Competition, Drought by Everado González (recently awarded Best Documentary at FICG27) . Out of competition is the gorgeously shot documentary, Canícula, and although the funding is mainly stateside, Bernardo Ruiz paints a fascinating portrait of the risky journalistic practice and history of the seminal Tijuana weekly, Zeta in Reportero.
Also of note in the program is that four short films list Cuba as a co-production/origin of country.
But what of the U.S. Latino filmmakers and stories? Last year Los Angeles Film Festival was a great launchpad for Mamitas (Distributor: ScreenMedia, Producer rep: Traction Media), an authentic Chicano portrayal of young love set in Echo Parque written and directed by Nicolas Ozeki (a non-Latino), co-starring fast rising hot talents Veronica Diaz-Carranzo (Blaze You Out) and E.J. Bonilla. The film is currently in theaters now. (Big recommend,theater listings here-go support it!)
The closest we have to representing U.S. Latino in the features section is Four, the feature debut of Joshua Sanchez who hails from Houston, Texas. Based on a Christopher Shinn play, the July 4th-eve-set story is a snapshot of two disparate relationships tensely intertwined and their at-odd dynamics of desire. Coincidentally, E.J. Bonilla also stars (this guy is blowing up!). I would also include as U.S. Latino, Searching for Sugar Man, the documentary by Malik Bendjelloul about singer songwriter Sixto Rodriguez’s fascinating rise and fall into obscurity as a Uj.S. Latino story. As a matter of fact, the film seems to suggest that perhaps Sixto’s Mexican-American identity might have been a reason he was not embraced by the 60s and 70s mainstream. [Per Sydney: The film was snatched up at Sundance by Sony Pictures Classics and by Isa Protagonist who is screening it twice in Cannes.]
As for U.S. Latino shorts, Fireworks written and directed by Victor Hugo Duran, which is also incidentally centered around 4th of July, is an L.A. set story about boys trying to rap on girls.
My favorite Miami based hooligans, Jillian Mayer and Lucas Leyva, keep representing with their fresh and experimental short film, Life and Freaky Times of Uncle Luke. They are part of a collective of go-there filmmakers, Borscht Corp who had four crazy shorts screen at SXSW (and they were a riot to bootie shake dance with at SXSW Film’s Closing Night Party). You must carve out an hour and look at their work on the site (Nsfw!)
And lastly, in front of camera there’s some America Ferrera in Todd Berger’s It’s a Disaster (Isa: Maya), and rising boriqua actress April Hernandez Castillo, of hit webseries East Willy B, Dexter and other TV, is in The History of Future Folk [Per Sydney: one of 7 horror films in the festival, another being It's A Disaster per Dread Central, so take note Latino distributors like Lionsgate because horror films are a favorite of a certain Latino demographic!] by J. Anderson Mitchell and Jeremy Kipp Walker, described as a “sweet sci-fi musical comedy”. Below is the rest of the Latino and Ibero-American (includes Spain and Portugal). Descriptions provided by L.A. Film Festival, and bold cap commentary by me.
Narrative Competition:
o All Is Well – Portugal (Director Pocas Pascoal ♀, Producer Luis Correia Cast Cheila Lima, Ciomara Morais) – Strangers in a strange land, two beautiful Angolan sisters fleeing a civil war in their homeland struggle to survive in Lisbon. Pocas Pascoal’s deeply personal saga shows us the face of exile with quietly stunning power. North American Premiere
o The Compass is Carried by the Dead Man – Mexico (Director/Writer Arturo Pons Producer Ozcar Ramírez González Cast Gael Sanchez Valle, Pedro Gamez, Ana Ofelia Murguía, Eligio Melendez, Luis Bayardo, Marco Perez) – A young man and a dead man journey north through a subtly surreal desert landscape, picking up a wagonful of odd characters as they go in this darkly humorous satire of contemporary Mexico. North American Premiere
o Four – (Director/Writer Joshua Sanchez Producer Christine Giorgio Cast Wendell Pierce, Emory Cohen, Aja Naomi King, E.J. Bonilla) – Over the course of a steamy 4th of July night, a father and daughter, each trapped in loneliness, reach out for sexual connection — he with a self-hating teenage boy, she with a smooth-talking wannabe homeboy — in this psychologically complex, beautifully acted drama. World Premiere
o Thursday till Sunday – Chile (Director/Writer Dominga Sotomayor ♀ Producers Gregorio González, Benjamin Domenech Cast Santi Ahumada, Emiliano Freifeld, Francisco Pérez-Bannen, Paola Giannini) – With uncommon beauty and style, this Chilean road movie finds a family at a crossroads, as the daughter slowly realizes the divide between the adults in the front seat and the kids in back. North American Premiere
Documentary Competition:
o Drought – Mexico (Director Everado González Producer Martha Orozco) – Contrasting the lives of a cattle-ranching community with the arid northeastern Mexican landscape that surrounds them, this cinema vertité documentary paints a poetic portrait of a community on the verge of extinction. Us Premiere
o Sun Kissed – (Directors Maya Stark ♀, Adi Lavy ♀ Producers Jocelyn Glatzer, Maya Stark, Adi Lavy) – With remarkable strength of spirit, a husband and wife examine their lives and why their children and others have been struck with a rare genetic disorder in this powerful portrait of a small Navajo community. World Premiere ~ Okay Not Latino But It'S Native American So I’M Giving It A Shout Since There Are Not Enough Native American Stories.
International Showcase:
o Canícula – Mexico (Director José Álvarez Writers Sebastián Hoffman, José Álvarez Producer Mauricio Fabre Cast Hermelinda Santes, Esteban González, Mario García) – This is a hauntingly beautiful portrait of the rituals and crafts of contemporary Indians in remote Veracruz, who teach their boys to fly. ~ See My Interview With Jose Here.
o The Last Elvis – Argentina (Director Armando Bo Writers Armando Bo, Nicolás Giacobone Producers Steve Golin, Hugo Sigman, Patricio Alvarez Casado, Victor Bo, Armando Bo Cast John McInerny, Griselda Siciliani, Margarita Lopez) – John McInerny gives a staggering performance in this poignant tale of a Buenos Aires Elvis impersonator who only comes alive when he dons the King’s clothes to perform. How can he reconcile his dreams of glory with his dead end factory job and an estranged wife and daughter who can’t live inside his fantasies?
o Neighboring Sounds – Brazil (Director/Writer Kleber Mendonça Filho Producer Emilie Lesclaux Cast Irandhir Santos, Gustavo Jahn, Maeve Jinkings, W.J. Solha) – Kleber Mendonca Filho’s astonishing, suspenseful debut film focuses on one upscale street in the seaside town of Recife, where a private security team is enlisted to protect the residents from crime. By its startling conclusion, you feel you’ve seen all of Brazilian society exposed.
o The Strawberry Tree – Canada/Cuba/Italy (Director/Producer Simone Rapisarda Casanova) – Filmed in a small Cuban fishing village mere weeks before a hurricane decimated the entire region, this stunning documentary unknowingly captures the town’s final days even as it reframes the usual filmmaker-film subject relationship.
Summer Showcase:
o La Camioneta: The Journey of One American School Bus – USA/Guatemala (Director Mark Kendall Producers Mark Kendall, Rafael González, Bernardo Ruiz) – The journey and transformation of a yellow American school bus into a vibrant Central American camionetasensitively reveals both the beauty and violence of everyday life in Guatemala.
o Reportero – (Director Bernardo Ruiz Producers Bernardo Ruiz, Patricia Benabe, Anne Hubbell Featuring Sergio Haro Cordero, Adela Navarro Bello) – A look at the incredible danger facing journalists in Mexico through the eyes of investigative reporter Sergio Haro and other staff at Zeta, the defiant Tijuana-based newsweekly.~ See My Interview With Bernardo Here
o Searching for Sugar Man – (Director/Writer Malik Bendjelloul Producers Simon Chinn, Nicole Stott, George Chignell) – Years after fading into obscurity at home, the music of ’70s U.S. singer/songwriter Rodriguez became an underground sensation in South Africa. Decades after his disappearance, two fans uncover the startling truth behind the legend.
Beyond:
o Juan of the Dead – Cuba (Director/Writer Alejandro Brugués Producers Gervasio Iglesias, Inti Herrera Cast Alexis Días de Villegas, Jorge Molina, Andrea Duro, Andros Perugorría, Jazz Vila, Eliecer Ramírez) – The streets of Havana are alive with the undead in Cuba’s first zombie comedy, a wild and bloody romp that sinks its sharp satirical teeth into the Cuban body politic. Castro may not be amused, but you will be.
Short Film Competition:
Against the Sea (Contra el mar) – Mexico, USA (Director) Richard Parkin
Black Doll (Prita Noire) – Mexico (Director) Sofia Carrillo
Kendo Monogatari – Cuba, Guatemala (Director) Fabián Suárez
Scanning (Ecografía) – Cuba (Director) Aleksandra Maciuszek Mukoid
Life and Freaky Times of Uncle Luke – (Directors) Jillian Mayer, Lucas Leyva ~Crazy Talented! Miami Represent!
Fireworks – (Director) Victor Hugo Duran -
Kendo Monogatari – Cuba, Guatemala (Director) Fabián Suárez
Paraíso – (Director) Nadav Kurtz ~Doc Subject Is About 3 Mexicans
Scanning (Ecografía) – Cuba (Director) Aleksandra Maciuszek Mukoid
Voice Over – Spain (Director) Martín Rosete
For full lineup and more info go to L.A. Film Festival...
Looking at yesterday’s announcement of Film Independent’s Los Angeles Film Festival reveals a healthy Latino presence among the 62 features and 48 short films in the program. Here’s how I break down the Latino/ Ibero/ U.S. Latino component of the program.
Chile continues to give Argentina a run for its cache of exciting and growing cinematic output from South America with the inclusion of Thursday Til Sunday (Isa & Distributor: FiGa) written and directed by Dominga Sotomayor ♀, in Narrative Competition.
Although the traveling Mexican film festival Ambulante is no longer a program spotlight, Mexican films continue to be a mainstay of the festival. There are four feature-length films and three short films from/about Mexico. In Narrative Competition, The Compass is Carried by the Dead Man (Isa: Kafilms, Argentina) written and directed by Arturo Pons [about a young Mexican aiming for Chicago], and in Documentary Competition, Drought by Everado González (recently awarded Best Documentary at FICG27) . Out of competition is the gorgeously shot documentary, Canícula, and although the funding is mainly stateside, Bernardo Ruiz paints a fascinating portrait of the risky journalistic practice and history of the seminal Tijuana weekly, Zeta in Reportero.
Also of note in the program is that four short films list Cuba as a co-production/origin of country.
But what of the U.S. Latino filmmakers and stories? Last year Los Angeles Film Festival was a great launchpad for Mamitas (Distributor: ScreenMedia, Producer rep: Traction Media), an authentic Chicano portrayal of young love set in Echo Parque written and directed by Nicolas Ozeki (a non-Latino), co-starring fast rising hot talents Veronica Diaz-Carranzo (Blaze You Out) and E.J. Bonilla. The film is currently in theaters now. (Big recommend,theater listings here-go support it!)
The closest we have to representing U.S. Latino in the features section is Four, the feature debut of Joshua Sanchez who hails from Houston, Texas. Based on a Christopher Shinn play, the July 4th-eve-set story is a snapshot of two disparate relationships tensely intertwined and their at-odd dynamics of desire. Coincidentally, E.J. Bonilla also stars (this guy is blowing up!). I would also include as U.S. Latino, Searching for Sugar Man, the documentary by Malik Bendjelloul about singer songwriter Sixto Rodriguez’s fascinating rise and fall into obscurity as a Uj.S. Latino story. As a matter of fact, the film seems to suggest that perhaps Sixto’s Mexican-American identity might have been a reason he was not embraced by the 60s and 70s mainstream. [Per Sydney: The film was snatched up at Sundance by Sony Pictures Classics and by Isa Protagonist who is screening it twice in Cannes.]
As for U.S. Latino shorts, Fireworks written and directed by Victor Hugo Duran, which is also incidentally centered around 4th of July, is an L.A. set story about boys trying to rap on girls.
My favorite Miami based hooligans, Jillian Mayer and Lucas Leyva, keep representing with their fresh and experimental short film, Life and Freaky Times of Uncle Luke. They are part of a collective of go-there filmmakers, Borscht Corp who had four crazy shorts screen at SXSW (and they were a riot to bootie shake dance with at SXSW Film’s Closing Night Party). You must carve out an hour and look at their work on the site (Nsfw!)
And lastly, in front of camera there’s some America Ferrera in Todd Berger’s It’s a Disaster (Isa: Maya), and rising boriqua actress April Hernandez Castillo, of hit webseries East Willy B, Dexter and other TV, is in The History of Future Folk [Per Sydney: one of 7 horror films in the festival, another being It's A Disaster per Dread Central, so take note Latino distributors like Lionsgate because horror films are a favorite of a certain Latino demographic!] by J. Anderson Mitchell and Jeremy Kipp Walker, described as a “sweet sci-fi musical comedy”. Below is the rest of the Latino and Ibero-American (includes Spain and Portugal). Descriptions provided by L.A. Film Festival, and bold cap commentary by me.
Narrative Competition:
o All Is Well – Portugal (Director Pocas Pascoal ♀, Producer Luis Correia Cast Cheila Lima, Ciomara Morais) – Strangers in a strange land, two beautiful Angolan sisters fleeing a civil war in their homeland struggle to survive in Lisbon. Pocas Pascoal’s deeply personal saga shows us the face of exile with quietly stunning power. North American Premiere
o The Compass is Carried by the Dead Man – Mexico (Director/Writer Arturo Pons Producer Ozcar Ramírez González Cast Gael Sanchez Valle, Pedro Gamez, Ana Ofelia Murguía, Eligio Melendez, Luis Bayardo, Marco Perez) – A young man and a dead man journey north through a subtly surreal desert landscape, picking up a wagonful of odd characters as they go in this darkly humorous satire of contemporary Mexico. North American Premiere
o Four – (Director/Writer Joshua Sanchez Producer Christine Giorgio Cast Wendell Pierce, Emory Cohen, Aja Naomi King, E.J. Bonilla) – Over the course of a steamy 4th of July night, a father and daughter, each trapped in loneliness, reach out for sexual connection — he with a self-hating teenage boy, she with a smooth-talking wannabe homeboy — in this psychologically complex, beautifully acted drama. World Premiere
o Thursday till Sunday – Chile (Director/Writer Dominga Sotomayor ♀ Producers Gregorio González, Benjamin Domenech Cast Santi Ahumada, Emiliano Freifeld, Francisco Pérez-Bannen, Paola Giannini) – With uncommon beauty and style, this Chilean road movie finds a family at a crossroads, as the daughter slowly realizes the divide between the adults in the front seat and the kids in back. North American Premiere
Documentary Competition:
o Drought – Mexico (Director Everado González Producer Martha Orozco) – Contrasting the lives of a cattle-ranching community with the arid northeastern Mexican landscape that surrounds them, this cinema vertité documentary paints a poetic portrait of a community on the verge of extinction. Us Premiere
o Sun Kissed – (Directors Maya Stark ♀, Adi Lavy ♀ Producers Jocelyn Glatzer, Maya Stark, Adi Lavy) – With remarkable strength of spirit, a husband and wife examine their lives and why their children and others have been struck with a rare genetic disorder in this powerful portrait of a small Navajo community. World Premiere ~ Okay Not Latino But It'S Native American So I’M Giving It A Shout Since There Are Not Enough Native American Stories.
International Showcase:
o Canícula – Mexico (Director José Álvarez Writers Sebastián Hoffman, José Álvarez Producer Mauricio Fabre Cast Hermelinda Santes, Esteban González, Mario García) – This is a hauntingly beautiful portrait of the rituals and crafts of contemporary Indians in remote Veracruz, who teach their boys to fly. ~ See My Interview With Jose Here.
o The Last Elvis – Argentina (Director Armando Bo Writers Armando Bo, Nicolás Giacobone Producers Steve Golin, Hugo Sigman, Patricio Alvarez Casado, Victor Bo, Armando Bo Cast John McInerny, Griselda Siciliani, Margarita Lopez) – John McInerny gives a staggering performance in this poignant tale of a Buenos Aires Elvis impersonator who only comes alive when he dons the King’s clothes to perform. How can he reconcile his dreams of glory with his dead end factory job and an estranged wife and daughter who can’t live inside his fantasies?
o Neighboring Sounds – Brazil (Director/Writer Kleber Mendonça Filho Producer Emilie Lesclaux Cast Irandhir Santos, Gustavo Jahn, Maeve Jinkings, W.J. Solha) – Kleber Mendonca Filho’s astonishing, suspenseful debut film focuses on one upscale street in the seaside town of Recife, where a private security team is enlisted to protect the residents from crime. By its startling conclusion, you feel you’ve seen all of Brazilian society exposed.
o The Strawberry Tree – Canada/Cuba/Italy (Director/Producer Simone Rapisarda Casanova) – Filmed in a small Cuban fishing village mere weeks before a hurricane decimated the entire region, this stunning documentary unknowingly captures the town’s final days even as it reframes the usual filmmaker-film subject relationship.
Summer Showcase:
o La Camioneta: The Journey of One American School Bus – USA/Guatemala (Director Mark Kendall Producers Mark Kendall, Rafael González, Bernardo Ruiz) – The journey and transformation of a yellow American school bus into a vibrant Central American camionetasensitively reveals both the beauty and violence of everyday life in Guatemala.
o Reportero – (Director Bernardo Ruiz Producers Bernardo Ruiz, Patricia Benabe, Anne Hubbell Featuring Sergio Haro Cordero, Adela Navarro Bello) – A look at the incredible danger facing journalists in Mexico through the eyes of investigative reporter Sergio Haro and other staff at Zeta, the defiant Tijuana-based newsweekly.~ See My Interview With Bernardo Here
o Searching for Sugar Man – (Director/Writer Malik Bendjelloul Producers Simon Chinn, Nicole Stott, George Chignell) – Years after fading into obscurity at home, the music of ’70s U.S. singer/songwriter Rodriguez became an underground sensation in South Africa. Decades after his disappearance, two fans uncover the startling truth behind the legend.
Beyond:
o Juan of the Dead – Cuba (Director/Writer Alejandro Brugués Producers Gervasio Iglesias, Inti Herrera Cast Alexis Días de Villegas, Jorge Molina, Andrea Duro, Andros Perugorría, Jazz Vila, Eliecer Ramírez) – The streets of Havana are alive with the undead in Cuba’s first zombie comedy, a wild and bloody romp that sinks its sharp satirical teeth into the Cuban body politic. Castro may not be amused, but you will be.
Short Film Competition:
Against the Sea (Contra el mar) – Mexico, USA (Director) Richard Parkin
Black Doll (Prita Noire) – Mexico (Director) Sofia Carrillo
Kendo Monogatari – Cuba, Guatemala (Director) Fabián Suárez
Scanning (Ecografía) – Cuba (Director) Aleksandra Maciuszek Mukoid
Life and Freaky Times of Uncle Luke – (Directors) Jillian Mayer, Lucas Leyva ~Crazy Talented! Miami Represent!
Fireworks – (Director) Victor Hugo Duran -
Kendo Monogatari – Cuba, Guatemala (Director) Fabián Suárez
Paraíso – (Director) Nadav Kurtz ~Doc Subject Is About 3 Mexicans
Scanning (Ecografía) – Cuba (Director) Aleksandra Maciuszek Mukoid
Voice Over – Spain (Director) Martín Rosete
For full lineup and more info go to L.A. Film Festival...
- 5/2/2012
- by Christine Davila
- Sydney's Buzz
HollywoodNews.com: Today the Los Angeles Film Festival, in conjunction with Presenting Media Sponsor the Los Angeles Times and Host Partner L.A. Live, announced the Closing Night film and official Us and international selections for the 2012 Festival. Guest Director, Artists in Residence and Conversations with special guests will be announced later this month. The 2012 Los Angeles Film Festival will screen a diverse slate of nearly 200 feature films, short films, and music videos, representing more than 30 countries, along with signature programs such as the Filmmaker Retreat, Poolside Chats, Coffee Talks, music events and more. As previously announced, Woody Allen’s To Rome With Love will be Opening Night, sponsored by Virgin America, and Lorene Scafaria’s Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Ava DuVernay’s Middle of Nowhere and Benh Zeitlin’s Beasts of the Southern Wild were selected for the Galas section.
Returning to downtown Los Angeles and headquartered at L.
Returning to downtown Los Angeles and headquartered at L.
- 5/1/2012
- by Josh Abraham
- Hollywoodnews.com
Source: La Camioneta
Mark Kendall is the director and producer of the documentary “La Camioneta,” which plays this week at the Nashville Film Festival.
I’ve always been interested in how people define and seek to transcend the boundaries of their own individual worlds. I studied anthropology in college and was most interested in exploring the psychological elements of ritual and how individuals develop different cultural expressions to reflect and reaffirm their own understanding of their relationship to the universe.
Mark Kendall is the director and producer of the documentary “La Camioneta,” which plays this week at the Nashville Film Festival.
I’ve always been interested in how people define and seek to transcend the boundaries of their own individual worlds. I studied anthropology in college and was most interested in exploring the psychological elements of ritual and how individuals develop different cultural expressions to reflect and reaffirm their own understanding of their relationship to the universe.
- 4/24/2012
- by Mark Kendall
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
After riding a colorful camioneta across Guatemala in 2009, Mark Kendall was inspired to explore the origins of the retrofitted school bus. "I found myself thinking about the old school bus I used to ride to basketball games in high school," says Kendall. "Where was it now? Is it driving around somewhere in Guatemala? Who were the people that buy and repair these buses? How and why did they bring them to Guatemala? And who puts so much time and energy into carefully decorating them? A year later I decided to find out." What It's About: "Every day dozens of decommissioned school buses migrate from the United States to Guatemala, where they are repaired, repainted, and resurrected as the brightly-colored camionetas that bring the vast majority of Guatemalans to work each day. "Since 2006, nearly 1,000 camioneta drivers and fare-collectors have been killed for either being unable or refusing to pay the extortion money demanded by local.
- 3/8/2012
- by Devin Lee Fuller
- Indiewire
Director Mark Kendall carries a spirit of adventurous, a keen eye for character, and a wellspring of ambition into his first documentary feature, La Camioneta: The Journey of One American School Bus. Starting out at an auction in rural Pennsylvania for decommissioned school-buses, Kendall boards one of the buses sold and accompanies the driver on the perilous journey to the vehicle’s new home – Guatemala.
The road to Guatemala is fraught with corruption and violence, with local gangs demanding bribes from drivers to ensure their safety. Since 2006, nearly 1,000 bus drivers have been killed along the route, and Kendall captures the personal stakes behind this haunting statistic in colorful detail. But beyond that, he crafts an intimate meditation on the tapestries that bind societies together; on how an object as seemingly stagnant as a school bus can mean so many different things to so many different people.
Filmmaker: What initially drew you to this subject?...
The road to Guatemala is fraught with corruption and violence, with local gangs demanding bribes from drivers to ensure their safety. Since 2006, nearly 1,000 bus drivers have been killed along the route, and Kendall captures the personal stakes behind this haunting statistic in colorful detail. But beyond that, he crafts an intimate meditation on the tapestries that bind societies together; on how an object as seemingly stagnant as a school bus can mean so many different things to so many different people.
Filmmaker: What initially drew you to this subject?...
- 3/6/2012
- by Dan Schoenbrun
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Sound On Sight will once again be covering the SXSW Film Festival this year, making it our second time attending. 130 feature films will screen at the Austin, Texas fest taking place March 9-17, including 65 World Premieres, 17 North American Premieres and 10 U.S. Premieres. As previously announced, Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon’s The Cabin in the Woods will have the honours of opening the festival, and now they have released the full list of films – and it’s looking pretty amazing. Enjoy!
Narrative Feature Competition
This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin
When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.
Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail (World Premiere)
Eden
Director: Megan Griffiths,...
Narrative Feature Competition
This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin
When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.
Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail (World Premiere)
Eden
Director: Megan Griffiths,...
- 2/3/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Iggy Pop and Debbie Harry, shot by Bob Gruen in 1977
Rock 'N' Roll Exposed: The Photography of Bob Gruen
screens as part of 24 Beats per Second
SXSW Film has just announced its features lineup for the 2012 edition, running March 9 through 17. We already knew that the Opening Night Film would be Drew Goddard's The Cabin in the Woods. For its Closing Night Film, the festival will host the world premiere of of Emmett Malloy’s documentary Big Easy Express (more below). The lineup, with descriptions from the festival:
Narrative Feature Competition
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin. When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted. Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail. (World Premiere)
Eden
Director: Megan Griffiths, Screenwriters: Richard B. Phillips, Megan Griffiths, Story by: Richard B. Phillips & Chong Kim.
Rock 'N' Roll Exposed: The Photography of Bob Gruen
screens as part of 24 Beats per Second
SXSW Film has just announced its features lineup for the 2012 edition, running March 9 through 17. We already knew that the Opening Night Film would be Drew Goddard's The Cabin in the Woods. For its Closing Night Film, the festival will host the world premiere of of Emmett Malloy’s documentary Big Easy Express (more below). The lineup, with descriptions from the festival:
Narrative Feature Competition
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin. When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted. Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail. (World Premiere)
Eden
Director: Megan Griffiths, Screenwriters: Richard B. Phillips, Megan Griffiths, Story by: Richard B. Phillips & Chong Kim.
- 2/1/2012
- MUBI
With Sundance 2012 Film Festival over, the next big one on the horizon is South by Southwest, which we’ll be heavily covering. The biggest chunk of the line-up has been announced today, which has some great premieres including 21 Jump Street, Tiff and Sundance hit The Raid, Will Ferrell‘s Casa de mi Padre, the documentary Girl Model (which we liked at Tiff), as well as the next from Broken Lizard, The Babymakers. There are many other promising titles included and you can see them all below. Check back for our coverage for the fest, kicking off March 9th.
Narrative Feature Competition
This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin
When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.
Narrative Feature Competition
This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin
When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.
- 2/1/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Attendees of South by Southwest 2012 are in for a treat. 130 feature films will screen at the Austin, Texas festival taking place March 9-17. Among them are 65 World Premieres, 17 North American Premieres and 10 U.S. Premieres. The organization already announced [1] Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon's The Cabin in the Woods would open the festival (the movie is phenomenal [2]) and today the majority of the remaining line up has been revealed. One of the highlights is the unbelievably smart and hilarious 21 Jump Street, directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller. Both of those are World Premieres. Other highlights include The Hunter, Killer Joe, The Babymakers, frankie goes boom, God Bless America, The Imposter, The Raid, Bernie and Casa de mi Padre just to name a few. After the jump, read descriptions of all the films that have been announced so far. Before I copy and paste the rest of the list, a few minor notes.
- 2/1/2012
- by Germain Lussier
- Slash Film
In honor of Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 1 raking in $139 million on opening weekend, I decided to compile my top ten non-Twilight vampire movies for NapiersNews.com. Let’s face it vampires are a hot commodity, and whether you love or hat Twilight you have to be happy that the franchise has spawned more interest in vampires.
Here is an excerpt of my top ten non-Twilight vampire movies:
10. Shadow Of The Vampire (2000)
John Malkovich, Willem Dafoe, Cary Elwes and Udo Kieer star. The filming of Nosferatu is hampered by the fact that the star is taking his role far more seriously than what seems humanly possible. The movie has drama, horror and comedy rolled into one.
9. Once Bitten (1985)
Jim Carrey stars in one of his early roles in this campy 80′s horror comedy. The story follows a vampire Countess needs to drink the blood of a virgin in order to keep her eternal beauty.
Here is an excerpt of my top ten non-Twilight vampire movies:
10. Shadow Of The Vampire (2000)
John Malkovich, Willem Dafoe, Cary Elwes and Udo Kieer star. The filming of Nosferatu is hampered by the fact that the star is taking his role far more seriously than what seems humanly possible. The movie has drama, horror and comedy rolled into one.
9. Once Bitten (1985)
Jim Carrey stars in one of his early roles in this campy 80′s horror comedy. The story follows a vampire Countess needs to drink the blood of a virgin in order to keep her eternal beauty.
- 11/21/2011
- by Tiberius
- GeekTyrant
The Ifp and the Film Society of Lincoln Center have announced a collaborative program to take place during this year’s New York Film Festival called Emerging Visions.
According to the press release, Emerging Visions will take place Oct. 3 at Lincoln Center’s Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center with 25 emerging filmmaking talents attending with a documentary or narrative feature that has been selected from Ifp and the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s talent pool. They will be paired with an established director or producer who will mentor them through the current filmmaking landscape, offering guidance and connections to filmmakers on both their current projects and careers. Each filmmaker will receive mentorship and year round support from both organizations through annual memberships and participation in panels and events. The program will also include a live pitching session featuring panelists Christine Vachon (producer, Killer Digital), John Sloss (principal, Cinetic Media), Lucy Stille (agent,...
According to the press release, Emerging Visions will take place Oct. 3 at Lincoln Center’s Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center with 25 emerging filmmaking talents attending with a documentary or narrative feature that has been selected from Ifp and the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s talent pool. They will be paired with an established director or producer who will mentor them through the current filmmaking landscape, offering guidance and connections to filmmakers on both their current projects and careers. Each filmmaker will receive mentorship and year round support from both organizations through annual memberships and participation in panels and events. The program will also include a live pitching session featuring panelists Christine Vachon (producer, Killer Digital), John Sloss (principal, Cinetic Media), Lucy Stille (agent,...
- 9/13/2011
- by Jason Guerrasio
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Today’s official news from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences is the announcement of the U.S. Finalists for 2011′s Student Academy Awards®. Here’s what the Academy had to say…
33 students from 22 U.S. colleges and universities have been selected as finalists in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 38th Annual Student Academy Awards competition. Academy members will view the finalists’ films at special screenings and vote to select the winners. Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal awards, along with accompanying cash grants of $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000, respectively, may be presented in each of four categories: Alternative, Animation, Documentary and Narrative. The winning filmmakers will be brought to Los Angeles for a week of industry-related activities and social events that will culminate in the awards ceremony on Saturday, June 11, at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
The finalists are (listed alphabetically by film title):
Alternative
“Bitter,...
33 students from 22 U.S. colleges and universities have been selected as finalists in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 38th Annual Student Academy Awards competition. Academy members will view the finalists’ films at special screenings and vote to select the winners. Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal awards, along with accompanying cash grants of $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000, respectively, may be presented in each of four categories: Alternative, Animation, Documentary and Narrative. The winning filmmakers will be brought to Los Angeles for a week of industry-related activities and social events that will culminate in the awards ceremony on Saturday, June 11, at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
The finalists are (listed alphabetically by film title):
Alternative
“Bitter,...
- 5/2/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Magazine
Today’s official news from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences is the announcement of the U.S. Finalists for 2011′s Student Academy Awards®. Here’s what the Academy had to say…
33 students from 22 U.S. colleges and universities have been selected as finalists in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 38th Annual Student Academy Awards competition. Academy members will view the finalists’ films at special screenings and vote to select the winners. Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal awards, along with accompanying cash grants of $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000, respectively, may be presented in each of four categories: Alternative, Animation, Documentary and Narrative. The winning filmmakers will be brought to Los Angeles for a week of industry-related activities and social events that will culminate in the awards ceremony on Saturday, June 11, at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
The finalists are (listed alphabetically by film title):
Alternative
“Bitter,...
33 students from 22 U.S. colleges and universities have been selected as finalists in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 38th Annual Student Academy Awards competition. Academy members will view the finalists’ films at special screenings and vote to select the winners. Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal awards, along with accompanying cash grants of $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000, respectively, may be presented in each of four categories: Alternative, Animation, Documentary and Narrative. The winning filmmakers will be brought to Los Angeles for a week of industry-related activities and social events that will culminate in the awards ceremony on Saturday, June 11, at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
The finalists are (listed alphabetically by film title):
Alternative
“Bitter,...
- 5/2/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Network
Beverly Hills, CA – 33 students from 22 U.S. colleges and universities have been selected as finalists in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 38th Annual Student Academy Awards competition. Academy members will view the finalists’ films at special screenings and vote to select the winners. Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal awards, along with accompanying cash grants of $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000, respectively, may be presented in each of four categories: Alternative, Animation, Documentary and Narrative. The winning filmmakers will be brought to Los Angeles for a week of industry-related activities and social events that will culminate in the awards ceremony on Saturday, June 11, at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
The finalists are (listed alphabetically by film title):
Alternative
.Bitter,. Vlad Korishev, the Art Institute of California – San Francisco
.The Dust Machine,. Damon Mohl, University of Colorado, Boulder
.The Vermeers,. Tal S. Shamir, The New School, New York
.Unreal City,. Bryan Bykowicz,...
The finalists are (listed alphabetically by film title):
Alternative
.Bitter,. Vlad Korishev, the Art Institute of California – San Francisco
.The Dust Machine,. Damon Mohl, University of Colorado, Boulder
.The Vermeers,. Tal S. Shamir, The New School, New York
.Unreal City,. Bryan Bykowicz,...
- 5/2/2011
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Nestled in the foothills of northern California, the Nevada City Film Festival has evolved from a locals-only fest into a four-day international smorgasbord of short films, plus a couple of features thrown in for good measure. There’s also filmmaking panels, award ceremonies, a live comedy show and some very special guests.
This year, Ncff welcomes Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim of the Adult Swim hit Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! On the 21st, they’ll be screening a very special selection of shorts and music videos from the show.
The features they’re screening are Brett Haley’s The New Year, which stars indie breakout actress Trieste Kelly Dunn (Vacation!); Stuck! by underground bad boy director Steve Balderson; and the innovative animated film Mars, directed by Geoff Marslett, who way back in the day (1999) directed the underground music video Monkey vs. Robot for James Kolchaka.
Ncff is...
This year, Ncff welcomes Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim of the Adult Swim hit Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! On the 21st, they’ll be screening a very special selection of shorts and music videos from the show.
The features they’re screening are Brett Haley’s The New Year, which stars indie breakout actress Trieste Kelly Dunn (Vacation!); Stuck! by underground bad boy director Steve Balderson; and the innovative animated film Mars, directed by Geoff Marslett, who way back in the day (1999) directed the underground music video Monkey vs. Robot for James Kolchaka.
Ncff is...
- 8/10/2010
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
No bubble gum here. The members of Great White are consummate pros of true Rock n' Roll. After twenty five-plus years together, they have it down, and they haven't lost their edge. PopStar caught up with this legendary band when they played at the House of Blues in Chicago, just a couple of weeks after our exclusive interview with Great White's guitarist and keyboardist Michael Lardie. As revved-up fans waited patiently in a "standing room only" music theater at the House of Blues, the theme song from Jaws began echoing through the sound system, evoking chills and thrills of anticipation from the crowd. Their favorite sharks, after all, were about to make a splash. Call it Rock and Roll. That was the song they opened up with anyway, after a weathered but willing Jack Russell, the band's lead singer, hobbled onto the stage with the assistance of a multi-colored crutch and a black cane.
- 2/16/2010
- by jmaurer@corp.popstar.com (Jennifer Maurer)
- PopStar
Great White is having great fun these days. The popular rock band, which began their rise to fame back in the mid 1980's, has assembled their core members and hit the road. Jack Russell, Mark Kendall, Audie Desbrow, Michael Lardie, and newcomer Scott Snyder say this time around they're having a blast, as they reacquaint themselves with longtime fans and welcome a new generation of admirers. With 13 studio albums and an impressive list of hits like Once Bitten Twice Shy, Save Your Love, Rock Me, House of Broken Love, and Call it Rock and Roll, Great White, like their music, has endured. PopStar recently had the pleasure of speaking with Michael Lardie, the guitarist for Great White, who discussses what life is like now vs. then, their current live tour, today's music, and a few thoughts on the bands past, present, and future. Michael, Great White has been playing together...
- 2/2/2010
- by jmaurer@corp.popstar.com (Jennifer Maurer)
- PopStar
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