The 80th annual Venice Film Festival launches on the Lido on August 30. This edition features a slew of Oscar hopefuls including Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla,” Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro,” David Fincher’s “The Killer,” Yorgas Lanthimos’ “Poor Things” and Michael Mann’s “Ferrari.” They’re all vying for the top prize, the Golden Lion.
Seventy years ago, there were four now-classics in competition: William Wyler’s “Roman Holiday,” for which Audrey Hepburn would win Oscar, John Huston’s “Moulin Rouge,” Samuel Fuller’s “Pickup on South Street” and Vincente Minnelli’s “The Bad and the Beautiful,” which had recently picked up five Oscars. But the Golden Lion didn’t roar at the 14th edition of the international film festival.
The jury headed by future Nobel Prize laureate in literature Eugenio Montale just couldn’t decide on the best of the fest because according to the New York Times “the quality...
Seventy years ago, there were four now-classics in competition: William Wyler’s “Roman Holiday,” for which Audrey Hepburn would win Oscar, John Huston’s “Moulin Rouge,” Samuel Fuller’s “Pickup on South Street” and Vincente Minnelli’s “The Bad and the Beautiful,” which had recently picked up five Oscars. But the Golden Lion didn’t roar at the 14th edition of the international film festival.
The jury headed by future Nobel Prize laureate in literature Eugenio Montale just couldn’t decide on the best of the fest because according to the New York Times “the quality...
- 8/29/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
After a hiatus as theaters in New York City and beyond closed their doors during the pandemic, we’re delighted to announce the return of NYC Weekend Watch, our weekly round-up of repertory offerings. While many theaters are still focused on a selection of new releases, there’s a handful of worthwhile repertory screenings taking place.
IFC Center
Solaris screens for its 50th anniversary.
Metrograph
As a retro of melodrama master John M. Stahl gets underway, the six-film retrospective of Miklós Jancsó has its final weekend.
Museum of the Moving Image
Films by Paul Thomas Anderson, Sergei Eisenstein, and Ulrike Ottinger screen for “See It Big: Extravaganzas!“
Museum of Modern Art
“To Save and Project,” one of the most eye-opening series in any given year, has its final weekend as a pre-code series kicks off.
Film Forum
As a new 35mm print of The Conversation continues its run, a collection...
IFC Center
Solaris screens for its 50th anniversary.
Metrograph
As a retro of melodrama master John M. Stahl gets underway, the six-film retrospective of Miklós Jancsó has its final weekend.
Museum of the Moving Image
Films by Paul Thomas Anderson, Sergei Eisenstein, and Ulrike Ottinger screen for “See It Big: Extravaganzas!“
Museum of Modern Art
“To Save and Project,” one of the most eye-opening series in any given year, has its final weekend as a pre-code series kicks off.
Film Forum
As a new 35mm print of The Conversation continues its run, a collection...
- 2/3/2022
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
After a hiatus as theaters in New York City and beyond closed their doors during the pandemic, we’re delighted to announce the return of NYC Weekend Watch, our weekly round-up of repertory offerings. While many theaters are still focused on a selection of new releases, there’s a handful of worthwhile repertory screenings taking place.
IFC Center
A Paul Verhoeven retro is underway as the 4K restoration of Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s masterpiece Cure continues and World of Wong Kar-wai keeps going, Lost Highway, Mulholland Dr., House, and Persona have showings.
Museum of the Moving Image
“See It Big: Extravaganzas!” offers Daisies and films by Guy Maddin and Wes Anderson; Little Fugitive plays on Saturday.
Metrograph
A series on punk cinema is underway, spearheaded by Dennis Hopper’s incredible Out of the Blue. Karyn Kusama’s Girlfight screens on Sunday.
Film Forum
While the stacked series of road movies continues,...
IFC Center
A Paul Verhoeven retro is underway as the 4K restoration of Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s masterpiece Cure continues and World of Wong Kar-wai keeps going, Lost Highway, Mulholland Dr., House, and Persona have showings.
Museum of the Moving Image
“See It Big: Extravaganzas!” offers Daisies and films by Guy Maddin and Wes Anderson; Little Fugitive plays on Saturday.
Metrograph
A series on punk cinema is underway, spearheaded by Dennis Hopper’s incredible Out of the Blue. Karyn Kusama’s Girlfight screens on Sunday.
Film Forum
While the stacked series of road movies continues,...
- 11/26/2021
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
After a hiatus as theaters in New York City and beyond closed their doors during the pandemic, we’re delighted to announce the return of NYC Weekend Watch, our weekly round-up of repertory offerings. While many theaters are still focused on a selection of new releases, there’s a handful of worthwhile repertory screenings taking place.
Film Forum
There’s a rare opportunity to see Martin Scorsese’s Hugo in 3D this Sunday, while a stacked series of road movies is underway and the miraculously rediscovered and restored Iranian film Chess of the Wind continues.
Museum of the Moving Image
Seasons 8-11 of On Cinema are screening this weekend; On the Waterfront and Little Fugitive play for “Made in New York“; “See It Big: Extravaganzas!” offers films by von Sternberg, Fellini, and Wes Anderson.
Roxy Cinema
Fox and His Friends and The Last Detail have 35mm showings.
Metrograph
A series on punk cinema is underway,...
Film Forum
There’s a rare opportunity to see Martin Scorsese’s Hugo in 3D this Sunday, while a stacked series of road movies is underway and the miraculously rediscovered and restored Iranian film Chess of the Wind continues.
Museum of the Moving Image
Seasons 8-11 of On Cinema are screening this weekend; On the Waterfront and Little Fugitive play for “Made in New York“; “See It Big: Extravaganzas!” offers films by von Sternberg, Fellini, and Wes Anderson.
Roxy Cinema
Fox and His Friends and The Last Detail have 35mm showings.
Metrograph
A series on punk cinema is underway,...
- 11/18/2021
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
The end of summer and start of fall has seen the release of several books that qualify as major entries in film studies—specifically Fun City Cinema and Inland Empire—along with some wild, wooly appreciations for the likes of Shaun of the Dead and Kevin Smith. Read on for details about these and much more.
Fun City Cinema: New York City and the Movies That Made It by Jason Bailey (Abrams Books)
Billed as a visual history of a century of filmmaking in New York City, Fun City Cinema is the book NYC deserves, Jason Bailey without question the right author for the job. As he showed in books on Richard Pryor and 1970s detective pictures, Bailey is adept at analyzing why certain films and individuals make such a deep impact on the cultural and artistic landscape. Fun City Cinema might be his most ambitious yet—large-scale, photo-heavy, and...
Fun City Cinema: New York City and the Movies That Made It by Jason Bailey (Abrams Books)
Billed as a visual history of a century of filmmaking in New York City, Fun City Cinema is the book NYC deserves, Jason Bailey without question the right author for the job. As he showed in books on Richard Pryor and 1970s detective pictures, Bailey is adept at analyzing why certain films and individuals make such a deep impact on the cultural and artistic landscape. Fun City Cinema might be his most ambitious yet—large-scale, photo-heavy, and...
- 10/21/2021
- by Christopher Schobert
- The Film Stage
Next month’s Criterion Channel selection is here, and as 2021 winds down further cements their status as our single greatest streaming service. Off the top I took note of their eight-film Jia Zhangke retro as well as the streaming premieres of Center Stage and Malni. And, yes, Margaret has been on HBO Max for a while, but we can hope Criterion Channel’s addition—as part of the 63(!)-film “New York Stories”—opens doors to a more deserving home-video treatment.
Aki Kaurismäki’s Finland Trilogy, Bruno Dumont’s Joan of Arc duology, and Criterion’s editions of Irma Vep and Flowers of Shanghai also mark major inclusions—just a few years ago the thought of Hou’s masterpiece streaming in HD was absurd.
I could implore you not to sleep on The Hottest August and Point Blank and Variety and In the Cut or, look, so many Ernst Lubitsch movies,...
Aki Kaurismäki’s Finland Trilogy, Bruno Dumont’s Joan of Arc duology, and Criterion’s editions of Irma Vep and Flowers of Shanghai also mark major inclusions—just a few years ago the thought of Hou’s masterpiece streaming in HD was absurd.
I could implore you not to sleep on The Hottest August and Point Blank and Variety and In the Cut or, look, so many Ernst Lubitsch movies,...
- 8/25/2021
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Six String Samurai writer/director Lance Mungia discusses the movies that made an impact on him with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Six-String Samurai (1998)
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Big Trouble In Little China (1986)
Seven Samurai (1954)
It Happened One Night (1934)
Frankenstein (1931)
King Kong (1933)
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
Little Fugitive (1953)
The Wizard Of Oz (1939)
Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)
A Fistful Of Dollars (1964)
The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (1966)
The Searchers (1956)
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon (1949)
Once Upon A Time In The West (1969)
Wrath Of Man (2021)
Yojimbo (1961)
Last Man Standing (1996)
Ikiru (1952)
Oldboy (2003)
Schindler’s List (1993)
Gremlins (1984)
Jaws (1975)
Psycho (1960)
Dances With Wolves (1990)
The Postman (1997)
Waterworld (1995)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
The Day After (1983)
Fail Safe (1964)
Behind The Green Door (1972)
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
The Irishman (2019)
Other Notable Items
The Vinegar Syndrome 4K Blu-ray of Six-String Samurai
Flicker Alley
Elijah Drenner
Kristian Bernier
Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
Martin Scorsese
Frank Capra...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Six-String Samurai (1998)
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Big Trouble In Little China (1986)
Seven Samurai (1954)
It Happened One Night (1934)
Frankenstein (1931)
King Kong (1933)
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
Little Fugitive (1953)
The Wizard Of Oz (1939)
Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)
A Fistful Of Dollars (1964)
The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (1966)
The Searchers (1956)
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon (1949)
Once Upon A Time In The West (1969)
Wrath Of Man (2021)
Yojimbo (1961)
Last Man Standing (1996)
Ikiru (1952)
Oldboy (2003)
Schindler’s List (1993)
Gremlins (1984)
Jaws (1975)
Psycho (1960)
Dances With Wolves (1990)
The Postman (1997)
Waterworld (1995)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
The Day After (1983)
Fail Safe (1964)
Behind The Green Door (1972)
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
The Irishman (2019)
Other Notable Items
The Vinegar Syndrome 4K Blu-ray of Six-String Samurai
Flicker Alley
Elijah Drenner
Kristian Bernier
Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
Martin Scorsese
Frank Capra...
- 6/1/2021
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Beneath the New York City subway system lies a shadowy labyrinth teeming with people living on the margins of society. It’s a natural cinematic backdrop, and the 2000 documentary “Dark Days” probed it so well it has served as the last word on the subject for the past 20 years. However, the riveting drama “Topside” finds a unique way in. The directorial debut from co-directors Logan George and Celine Held (who also stars) around the prospects of raising a child in that darkness, only to find that the world above contains much scarier prospects.
Despite its rough-hewed aesthetic and a jittery, moment-to-moment pace, “Topside” adopts a familiar subgenre of kid-in-peril movies, from “Little Fugitive” to “The Florida Project.” Much of the drama takes place from the innocent perspective of five year-old Little (Zhaila Farmer), who roams her subterranean surroundings with unfettered curiosity. Her parents are hopeless junkies resigned to a daily struggle,...
Despite its rough-hewed aesthetic and a jittery, moment-to-moment pace, “Topside” adopts a familiar subgenre of kid-in-peril movies, from “Little Fugitive” to “The Florida Project.” Much of the drama takes place from the innocent perspective of five year-old Little (Zhaila Farmer), who roams her subterranean surroundings with unfettered curiosity. Her parents are hopeless junkies resigned to a daily struggle,...
- 9/8/2020
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Since any New York City cinephile has a nearly suffocating wealth of theatrical options, we figured it’d be best to compile some of the more worthwhile repertory showings into one handy list. Displayed below are a few of the city’s most reliable theaters and links to screenings of their weekend offerings — films you’re not likely to see in a theater again anytime soon, and many of which are, also, on 35mm. If you have a chance to attend any of these, we’re of the mind that it’s time extremely well-spent.
Museum of Modern Art
“It’s All in Me” surveys black heroines onscreen.
Films by Fassbinder, Mike Leigh, and more play in a series on television films.
Metrograph
The earth is ending and there’s nothing we can do, but “Climate Crisis Parables” will send you out with some great movies.
“To Hong Kong with...
Museum of Modern Art
“It’s All in Me” surveys black heroines onscreen.
Films by Fassbinder, Mike Leigh, and more play in a series on television films.
Metrograph
The earth is ending and there’s nothing we can do, but “Climate Crisis Parables” will send you out with some great movies.
“To Hong Kong with...
- 2/20/2020
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Back in 1964 a lot of people still thought dolphins were fish, but by the time this TV show was finished, we all knew that our happy undersea friend was smarter than the average bear and lives in a world full of wonder. Ivan Tors’ grandly successful Florida-shot family show kept a lot of seagoing movie veterans in green seaweed, including both original ‘Creature’ Gill Men.
Flipper, Season One
Blu-ray
Olive Films
1964-65 / Color / 1:33 flat TV / 780 min. / Street Date August 29, 2017 / available through the Olive Films website / 39.95
Starring: Brian Kelly, Luke Halpin, Tommy Norden.
Cinematography: Clifford H. Poland Jr., Lamar Boren
Original Music: Henry Vars, song by
Written by: Jack Cowden, Ricou Browning, Peter L. Dixon, Laird Koenig, Stanley H. Silverman, Orville H. Hampton, Lee Erwin, Art Arthur, Jess Carneol, Key Lenard, Ivan Tors, Alan Caillou, Arthur Richards, Robert Sabaroff.
Produced by Ivan Tors, Ricou Browning, Leon Benson, Andrew Marton
Directed by: Ricou Browning,...
Flipper, Season One
Blu-ray
Olive Films
1964-65 / Color / 1:33 flat TV / 780 min. / Street Date August 29, 2017 / available through the Olive Films website / 39.95
Starring: Brian Kelly, Luke Halpin, Tommy Norden.
Cinematography: Clifford H. Poland Jr., Lamar Boren
Original Music: Henry Vars, song by
Written by: Jack Cowden, Ricou Browning, Peter L. Dixon, Laird Koenig, Stanley H. Silverman, Orville H. Hampton, Lee Erwin, Art Arthur, Jess Carneol, Key Lenard, Ivan Tors, Alan Caillou, Arthur Richards, Robert Sabaroff.
Produced by Ivan Tors, Ricou Browning, Leon Benson, Andrew Marton
Directed by: Ricou Browning,...
- 9/4/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
“The Little Rascals” meets “The Little Fugitive” in Sean Baker’s “The Florida Project,” a loose, endearing followup to “Tangerine” and another deep dive into impoverished America from the inside out. Baker has staked his filmmaking career on coaching vivid performances from non-traditional actors, and “The Florida Project” features a six-year-old girl in a freeflowing narrative and largely inhabits the limitations of her perspective, with mostly winning results.
Where “Tangerine” took place across the across the busy streets of Los Angeles, “The Florida Project” unfolds almost exclusively within the constraints of a budget motel on the outskirts of Orlando. The purple-hued Magic Castle Motel exists in Disney World’s decrepit backyard, and provides a very different sort of playground for the kids who live in its confines.
See MoreWillem Dafoe Goes to Disney World: Sean Baker Reveals Details and Photos of ‘The Florida Project’ — Exclusive
These include Moonee (Brooklynn Prince...
Where “Tangerine” took place across the across the busy streets of Los Angeles, “The Florida Project” unfolds almost exclusively within the constraints of a budget motel on the outskirts of Orlando. The purple-hued Magic Castle Motel exists in Disney World’s decrepit backyard, and provides a very different sort of playground for the kids who live in its confines.
See MoreWillem Dafoe Goes to Disney World: Sean Baker Reveals Details and Photos of ‘The Florida Project’ — Exclusive
These include Moonee (Brooklynn Prince...
- 5/22/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Two movies into a promising career, Eliza Hittman has already developed a significant vision of restless urban youth troubled by their emerging sexuality and a society that hinders their development. Her feature-length debut, 2013’s “It Felt Like Love,” focused on the bumpy trajectory of an introverted teenage woman exploring her urges with dangerous results; with the markedly similar “Beach Rats,” Hittman brings the same tropes to the plight of a young man in a film that has the precision of a great short story and the uneasiness of body horror. Even as its plot suggests more traditional coming-of-age dynamics, the filmmaker doesn’t retread familiar territory so much as reinvent it.
Both eerie and exciting, “Beach Rats” finds its closeted protagonist hiding his gay dalliances from his masculine buddies against a grimy Brooklyn backdrop. His unnerving experiences take place against an uneven series of circumstances and occasional plot holes, but...
Both eerie and exciting, “Beach Rats” finds its closeted protagonist hiding his gay dalliances from his masculine buddies against a grimy Brooklyn backdrop. His unnerving experiences take place against an uneven series of circumstances and occasional plot holes, but...
- 1/24/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit the interwebs. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
A War (Tobias Lindholm)
In only his second outing as sole director after 2012’s acclaimed A Hijacking, Tobias Lindholm is commanding unusual levels of respect and anticipation with A War – undoubtedly earned with the establishing of a very personal brand of filmmaking, rooted in observation, deliberate pacing and a terse directing style. Viewers familiar with his previous film, a hostage drama detailing the hijacking of a...
A War (Tobias Lindholm)
In only his second outing as sole director after 2012’s acclaimed A Hijacking, Tobias Lindholm is commanding unusual levels of respect and anticipation with A War – undoubtedly earned with the establishing of a very personal brand of filmmaking, rooted in observation, deliberate pacing and a terse directing style. Viewers familiar with his previous film, a hostage drama detailing the hijacking of a...
- 7/8/2016
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
A major talent of the New German Cinema finds his footing out on the open highway, in a trio of intensely creative pictures that capture the pace and feel of living off the beaten path. All three star Rüdiger Vogler, an actor who could be director Wim Wenders' alter ego. Wim Wenders' The Road Trilogy Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 813 1974-1976 / B&W and Color / 1:66 widescreen / 113, 104, 176 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date May 30, 2016 / 99.95 Starring Rüdiger Vogler, Lisa Kreuzer, Yetta Rottländer; Hannah Schygulla, Nasstasja Kinski, Hans Christian Blech, Ivan Desny; Robert Zischler. Cinematography Robby Müller, Martin Schäfer Film Editor Peter Przygodda, Barbara von Weltershausen Original Music Can, Jürgen Knieper, Axel Linstädt. Directed by Wim Wenders
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
This morning I 'fessed up to never having seen David Lynch's Lost Highway. Now I get to say that until now I've never seen Wim Wenders'...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
This morning I 'fessed up to never having seen David Lynch's Lost Highway. Now I get to say that until now I've never seen Wim Wenders'...
- 5/16/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
There's more to childhood in the movies and real life than cute fish and happy endings. Why is the genre so neglected?
Fountain of youth: how a film-maker recaptured his passion for the craft
A small boy does something he thinks is terrible and irreversible. Later, he rubs candyfloss between his hands, shrinking the goo to a sticky nothing. As an adult, you may have forgotten how these things feel. But on this quiet Sunday morning, a group of us are having our memories jogged. We are at London's Cinema Museum, home to a young Charlie Chaplin in its former role as Lambeth Workhouse, watching Little Fugitive a 1953 children's film in which a seven-year-old adventures through New York's Coney Island.
The film is one of 17 featured in The Cinema of Childhood, a touring season curated by film-maker Mark Cousins, devoted to works with a child's-eye view. A dozen countries are represented.
Fountain of youth: how a film-maker recaptured his passion for the craft
A small boy does something he thinks is terrible and irreversible. Later, he rubs candyfloss between his hands, shrinking the goo to a sticky nothing. As an adult, you may have forgotten how these things feel. But on this quiet Sunday morning, a group of us are having our memories jogged. We are at London's Cinema Museum, home to a young Charlie Chaplin in its former role as Lambeth Workhouse, watching Little Fugitive a 1953 children's film in which a seven-year-old adventures through New York's Coney Island.
The film is one of 17 featured in The Cinema of Childhood, a touring season curated by film-maker Mark Cousins, devoted to works with a child's-eye view. A dozen countries are represented.
- 4/3/2014
- by Danny Leigh
- The Guardian - Film News
Edinburgh exhibitor Filmhouse is to tour a season of films about childhood across the UK, curated by documentary filmmaker Mark Cousins.
The season will comprise 17 films about childhood (see below for full list).
Most of the titles in the season are featured in Cousins’ documentary A Story of Children and Film, which premiered at Cannes last year.
The April-June tour will take in London, Belfast, Cardiff, Nottingham, Glasgow, Brighton, Bristol and Sheffield among other cities.
The season is managed by Filmhouse, which has also licensed VoD rights to a number of the titles.
The project is backed by the BFI’s Programming Development Fund. Adam Dawtrey and Mary Bell, who also produced A Story of Children and Film, are producers.
The full list of titles screening in the Cinema of Childhood season are:
• “Willow and Wind” (Bid-o Baad). Iran, Japan, 1999. D. Mohammad-Ali Talebi. 77 mins. A boy breaks a school window, and must mend...
The season will comprise 17 films about childhood (see below for full list).
Most of the titles in the season are featured in Cousins’ documentary A Story of Children and Film, which premiered at Cannes last year.
The April-June tour will take in London, Belfast, Cardiff, Nottingham, Glasgow, Brighton, Bristol and Sheffield among other cities.
The season is managed by Filmhouse, which has also licensed VoD rights to a number of the titles.
The project is backed by the BFI’s Programming Development Fund. Adam Dawtrey and Mary Bell, who also produced A Story of Children and Film, are producers.
The full list of titles screening in the Cinema of Childhood season are:
• “Willow and Wind” (Bid-o Baad). Iran, Japan, 1999. D. Mohammad-Ali Talebi. 77 mins. A boy breaks a school window, and must mend...
- 2/4/2014
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
During this year’s Festival du nouveau cinéma, held in Montréal from October 9th until the 20th, the Special Presentation section is once again packed with an exceptional line-up of films, 26 new works in all, curated from some of the world’s most respected festivals.
Here is a list of the films being presented in this section of the festival:
A Touch of Sin (Tian Zhu Ding), Jia Zhang Ke (China/Japan), winner of the Best Screenplay Award at Cannes
All is Lost, J.C. Chandor (United States)
L’Amour est un crime parfait (Love is the Perfect Crime), Arnaud Larrieu and Jean-Marie Larrieu (France/Switzerland)
La Chute de la maison Usher (The Fall of the the House of Usher), Jean Epstein (France/United States/1928), set to the music of Montréal’s own Rock Forest
Closed Curtain, Jafar Panahi and Kamboziya Partovi (Iran)
Le Démantelement, Sébastien Pilote (Québec/Canada)
Le Dernier...
Here is a list of the films being presented in this section of the festival:
A Touch of Sin (Tian Zhu Ding), Jia Zhang Ke (China/Japan), winner of the Best Screenplay Award at Cannes
All is Lost, J.C. Chandor (United States)
L’Amour est un crime parfait (Love is the Perfect Crime), Arnaud Larrieu and Jean-Marie Larrieu (France/Switzerland)
La Chute de la maison Usher (The Fall of the the House of Usher), Jean Epstein (France/United States/1928), set to the music of Montréal’s own Rock Forest
Closed Curtain, Jafar Panahi and Kamboziya Partovi (Iran)
Le Démantelement, Sébastien Pilote (Québec/Canada)
Le Dernier...
- 9/25/2013
- by Trish Ferris
- SoundOnSight
Logo for Zipper: Coney Island's Last Wild Ride Photo: Courtesy Amy Nicholson Known to the world through the eyes of Woody Allen's characters in Annie Hall or Radio Days, Coney Island has an illustrious history. Amy Nicholson's documentary Zipper: Coney Island’s Last Wild Ride effectively takes on the challenge of archiving where films like The Little Fugitive, directed by Morris Engel and Ruth Orkin, and Douglas Sirk's Imitation Of Life left off. New York Post reporter Rich Calder, seen as a commentator in Nicholson's film, calls the Zipper, one of Coney Island's most famous rides, "a casualty of a game of chicken between the city and a developer over the seaside amusement district's future".
I first saw Zipper as a member of the jury at the inaugural First Time Fest, where it won for Outstanding Achievement in Editing (more on the winners here).
In the...
I first saw Zipper as a member of the jury at the inaugural First Time Fest, where it won for Outstanding Achievement in Editing (more on the winners here).
In the...
- 8/1/2013
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The Venice International Film Festival has announced the lineup for its 70th edition.
Official Competition
Es-Stouh (Merzak Allouache, Algeria/France)
L'Intrepido (Gianna Amelio, Italy)
Miss Violence (Alexandros Avranas, Greece)
Via Castellana Bandiera (Emma Dante, Italy/Switzerland/France)
Tom à la ferme (Xavier Dolan, Canada/France)
Child of God (James Franco, USA)
Philomena (Stephen Frears, UK)
La Jalousie (Philippe Garrel, France)
The Zero Theorem (Terry Gilliam, UK/USA)
Ana Arabia (Amos Gitai, Israel/France)
Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer, UK/USA)
Joe (David Gordon Green, USA)
The Police Officer's Wife (Philip Gröning, Germany)
Parkland (Peter Landesman, USA)
The Wind Rises (Hayao Miyazaki, Japan)
The Unknown Known: The Life and Times of Donald Rumsfeld (Errol Morris, USA)
Night Moves (Kelly Reichardt, USA)
Sacro Gra (Gianfranco Rosi, Italy)
Stray Dogs (Tsai Ming-liang, Chinese Taipei/France)
Out Of Competition
Space Pirate Captain Harlock (Shinji Aramaki, Japan)
Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón, USA)
Summer '82 — When Zappa Came to Siciliy (Salvo Cuccia,...
Official Competition
Es-Stouh (Merzak Allouache, Algeria/France)
L'Intrepido (Gianna Amelio, Italy)
Miss Violence (Alexandros Avranas, Greece)
Via Castellana Bandiera (Emma Dante, Italy/Switzerland/France)
Tom à la ferme (Xavier Dolan, Canada/France)
Child of God (James Franco, USA)
Philomena (Stephen Frears, UK)
La Jalousie (Philippe Garrel, France)
The Zero Theorem (Terry Gilliam, UK/USA)
Ana Arabia (Amos Gitai, Israel/France)
Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer, UK/USA)
Joe (David Gordon Green, USA)
The Police Officer's Wife (Philip Gröning, Germany)
Parkland (Peter Landesman, USA)
The Wind Rises (Hayao Miyazaki, Japan)
The Unknown Known: The Life and Times of Donald Rumsfeld (Errol Morris, USA)
Night Moves (Kelly Reichardt, USA)
Sacro Gra (Gianfranco Rosi, Italy)
Stray Dogs (Tsai Ming-liang, Chinese Taipei/France)
Out Of Competition
Space Pirate Captain Harlock (Shinji Aramaki, Japan)
Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón, USA)
Summer '82 — When Zappa Came to Siciliy (Salvo Cuccia,...
- 7/26/2013
- by Notebook
- MUBI
Following the announcement that came earlier this week, launching yet another hugely impressive line-up at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival, the respective line-up has now been announced for what is in some ways its European counterpart, the 2013 Venice Film Festival.
The announcement shows that the two will continue to have a number of films overlapping, including Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity (the Opening Night Film in Venice), Peter Landesman’s Parkland, Stephen Frears’ Philomena, and more. But it also brings with its news of where a number of films will be making their debut, including Terry Gilliam’s The Zero Theorem; the latest film from Hayao Miyazaki, The Wind Rises; James Franco’s Child of God; Lee Sang-il’s Yurusarezaru Mono, the Japanese remake of Unforgiven; and Steven Knight’s Locke, led by Tom Hardy, and shot in one take.
In Competition
Es-Stouh – Merzak Alloucache (Algeria, France, 94’) L’Intrepido – Gianni Amelio (Italy,...
The announcement shows that the two will continue to have a number of films overlapping, including Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity (the Opening Night Film in Venice), Peter Landesman’s Parkland, Stephen Frears’ Philomena, and more. But it also brings with its news of where a number of films will be making their debut, including Terry Gilliam’s The Zero Theorem; the latest film from Hayao Miyazaki, The Wind Rises; James Franco’s Child of God; Lee Sang-il’s Yurusarezaru Mono, the Japanese remake of Unforgiven; and Steven Knight’s Locke, led by Tom Hardy, and shot in one take.
In Competition
Es-Stouh – Merzak Alloucache (Algeria, France, 94’) L’Intrepido – Gianni Amelio (Italy,...
- 7/26/2013
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Italian actress Claudia Cardinale to be guest host for the section at the 70th Venice International Film Festival where William Friedkin will receive a lifetime achievement honour.
Claudia Cardinale, best known for roles in Once Upon a Time in the West and Fellini’s 8 ½, is to be the guest host of Venezia Classici, the section devoted to restored films and to documentaries about cinema of the 70th Venice International Film Festival (August 28 – September 7.
The section, introduced last year, features a selection of classic film restorations completed over the past year by film libraries, cultural institutions or production companies around the world.
Cardinale will attend the screening of Vaghe stelle dell’Orsa, Luchino Visconti’s 1965 film in which she starred that won the Golden Lion at the 30th Viff and has been restored by Sony Pictures Entertainment.
It is is one of the four classics restored this year that has been conserved at the Historic Archives of the...
Claudia Cardinale, best known for roles in Once Upon a Time in the West and Fellini’s 8 ½, is to be the guest host of Venezia Classici, the section devoted to restored films and to documentaries about cinema of the 70th Venice International Film Festival (August 28 – September 7.
The section, introduced last year, features a selection of classic film restorations completed over the past year by film libraries, cultural institutions or production companies around the world.
Cardinale will attend the screening of Vaghe stelle dell’Orsa, Luchino Visconti’s 1965 film in which she starred that won the Golden Lion at the 30th Viff and has been restored by Sony Pictures Entertainment.
It is is one of the four classics restored this year that has been conserved at the Historic Archives of the...
- 7/15/2013
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Moviefone's New Release of the Week "Lincoln" What's It About? Steven Spielberg and Daniel Day-Lewis take on the story of The Great Emancipator in "Lincoln." The film centers on honest Abe's final months in office, trying to unite a divided country and abolish slavery. See It Because: With the incomparably method Day-Lewis at the forefront, looking like the spitting image of the 16th President, he successfully altered the public's perception of Lincoln -- and went on to win an unprecedented third Academy Award for Best Actor . New on DVD & Blu-ray "Easy Money" What's It About? Three men -- a status-chasing business student, a two-bit crook, and a single-dad mafia hitman -- collide in this heavy, stylish Swedish crime thriller. In or Out?: In. "The Collection" What's It About? A poor man's version of the "Saw" franchise tries to get a sequel off the ground, and fails. In or Out?...
- 3/28/2013
- by Eric Larnick
- Moviefone
I support this new NYC Film Fest which a lot of our friends attended and also support. I went to their inaugural event in NYC a few weeks back and it felt good and I certainly like their Indie lineup. The following is from a recent press release:
Celebrating first-time filmmakers with a grand prize of theatrical distribution, hosted by the historic Players Club, First Time Fest also had additional participants to this year's unique event.
Harry Belafonte, Gay Talese, Michael Shannon & Ellen Burstyn have joined Christine Vachon, Fred Schneider, Sofia Coppola, Todd Solondz, Barbara Kopple, Scott Foundas, Eric Kohn, Emily Russo, Jenny Lumet, Darren Aronofsky, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Hal Hartley, Peter Saraf, Nancy Savoca, Amy Ryan And Martin Scorsese participated In First Time Fest.
Belafonte & Shannon appeared onstage in the Ftf’s “Stand Alone! – Conversations With The Outstanding” series, one-on-one interview with notable cinema artists. Renowned author Gay Talese joined Christine Vachon and the B-52s Fred Schneider as another of the Ftf’s five jurors (the entire live audience at each of the 12 competition films was the 5th juror). Together, the jury and audience ultimately selected Grand Prize winner, Sal, a modern-day Western by Argentinian writer-director Diego Rougier which was offered theatrical distribution and full international sales representation from the renowned American film distributor, Cinema Libre Studio.
Acclaimed actress Ellen Burstyn, who worked with both Scorsese and Aronofsky served as the host of the Ftf Closing Night Awards program. As part of that festive evening, Martin Scorsese added his illustrious presence and belief in the art of cinema, presenting the first John Huston Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinema to Darren Aronofsky. John Huston was one of the most prolific and versatile directors in the history of cinema. And with his mesmerizing debut film, Pi – made independently on black-and-white 16mm film – Darren Aronofsky was instantly recognized as a uniquely gifted new talent. His subsequent films: Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, The Wrestler and Black Swan, have more than fulfilled that promise.
In addition, Ftf had a special presentation of Andy Grieve and Lauren Lazin’s documentary about the band The Police, Can't Stand Losing You, featuring Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers.
On an exciting party note, and in conjunction with Ftf’s presentation of the Australian/Mongolian documentary Mongolian Bling, First Time Fest and Hip Hop Saves Lives presented “Project Haiti,” an album release party for Zing Experience at Webster Hall.
Representing a hybrid between a traditional film festival and a highly motivated audience participation event, Ftf presented a dozen Competition Films, which were judged by a panel of industry luminaries and the Ftf audience. All competition screenings were followed by “hot-seat” discussions between the jury and filmmakers, and all audience members then voted on the films. It was truly a contest of the best emerging filmmakers competing for the Ultimate Audience Award.
Competition Films – (please visit here for competition films & descriptions).
In addition to the Competition Films, Ftf presented First Exposure, a series of first films from now prominent filmmakers. Joining the line-up - and mostly attending the fest - was the exciting Opening Night presentation of Sofia Coppola with The Virgin Suicides, Todd Solondz with Welcome to the Dollhouse, Wes Anderson’s Bottle Rocket, Barbara Kopple with Harlan County, USA, Melvin Van Peebles with The Story of a Three-Day Pass, Pi from Darren Aronofsky, The Maltese Falcon from director John Huston, Poison from Todd Haynes, Jack Goes Boating from director Philip Seymour Hoffman, Hal Hartley’s The Unbelievable Truth, and True Love from Nancy Savoca.
First Exposure Films – (please visit here, for First Exposure descriptions)
First Exposure also includes a 60th Anniversary Tribute to Morris Engel’s The Little Fugitive, a cinema vérité classic from 1953 that was shot on Coney Island and has inspired countless filmmakers, from Jean-Luc Godard to the Coen brothers. The tribute included a panel hosted by film historian Foster Hirsch including Mary Engel, daughter of Morris Engel and Ruth Orkin, and James Sanders, author of Celluloid Skyline: New York and the Movies. In addition there was a Special Presentation of Everardo Gout’s thrillingly over-the-top action thriller Days Of Grace (Dĺas De Gracia), which won the Mexican Academy of Film’s prestigious Ariel Award for Best First Feature and was nominated for the Camera d’Or at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.
First Time Fest included a series of panels called “How They Did It,” in which a diverse group of award-winning filmmakers moderated filmmaking case studies and spotlighted some of the most successful and accomplished masters of the industry.
First Time Fest is a four-day, multi-faceted event hosted in New York City’s Gramercy Park by the celebrated Players (16 Gramercy Park South), the club founded by Edwin Booth, Mark Twain and John Singer Sargent, the oldest and most exclusive arts organization of its kind whose membership includes the greatest stars of stage and screen. Each of First Time Fest’s twelve finalists receive high-level industry mentorship and a one-year membership to The Players. The Players was the location for all Ftf panels and events as well as the Filmmaker and VIP Lounge. First Time Fest’s screenings were all held at the Loews Village VII on Third Avenue (on 11th St. & 3rd Ave).
Among the Fest’s terrific sponsors is the delicious Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte. "The forward-thinking Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte draws its inspiration from the call of ‘faraway lands.’ One of the youngest and most fashionable Champagne brands, Nicolas Feuillatte has captured the world's imagination by sharing its passion for creativity and arts in a record 37 years, becoming the #1 Champagne in France. In its role as discoverer of talent, the brand awards its prestige cuvée Palmes d'Or to First Time Fest's winners to complement the celebration in style."
Other terrific sponsors of the fest include Brooklyn Brewery, Moscot, Marquis Vodka and Technicolor Postworks.
For additional Festival Information - Visit The Festival Website at www.FirstTimeFest.com
Johanna Bennett and Mandy Ward are the co-founders of First Time Fest. As an accomplished philanthropist, actor and social entrepreneur, as well as the daughter of singer Tony Bennett, Johanna Bennett has immersed herself within the entertainment and artistic community her entire life. Mandy Ward has worked in the film industry for the past decade in varied capacities, namely as a film producer of several projects. Mitch Levine, CEO of The Film Festival Group, is producing the festival. Through his company, Mitch offers consulting services and expertise to film festivals, film commissions, distribution companies and filmmakers around the world, and was formerly the CEO and Executive Director of the renowned Palm Springs International Film Festival. The Festival’s Director of Programming is David Schwartz, the Chief Curator of Museum of the Moving Image.
Celebrating first-time filmmakers with a grand prize of theatrical distribution, hosted by the historic Players Club, First Time Fest also had additional participants to this year's unique event.
Harry Belafonte, Gay Talese, Michael Shannon & Ellen Burstyn have joined Christine Vachon, Fred Schneider, Sofia Coppola, Todd Solondz, Barbara Kopple, Scott Foundas, Eric Kohn, Emily Russo, Jenny Lumet, Darren Aronofsky, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Hal Hartley, Peter Saraf, Nancy Savoca, Amy Ryan And Martin Scorsese participated In First Time Fest.
Belafonte & Shannon appeared onstage in the Ftf’s “Stand Alone! – Conversations With The Outstanding” series, one-on-one interview with notable cinema artists. Renowned author Gay Talese joined Christine Vachon and the B-52s Fred Schneider as another of the Ftf’s five jurors (the entire live audience at each of the 12 competition films was the 5th juror). Together, the jury and audience ultimately selected Grand Prize winner, Sal, a modern-day Western by Argentinian writer-director Diego Rougier which was offered theatrical distribution and full international sales representation from the renowned American film distributor, Cinema Libre Studio.
Acclaimed actress Ellen Burstyn, who worked with both Scorsese and Aronofsky served as the host of the Ftf Closing Night Awards program. As part of that festive evening, Martin Scorsese added his illustrious presence and belief in the art of cinema, presenting the first John Huston Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinema to Darren Aronofsky. John Huston was one of the most prolific and versatile directors in the history of cinema. And with his mesmerizing debut film, Pi – made independently on black-and-white 16mm film – Darren Aronofsky was instantly recognized as a uniquely gifted new talent. His subsequent films: Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, The Wrestler and Black Swan, have more than fulfilled that promise.
In addition, Ftf had a special presentation of Andy Grieve and Lauren Lazin’s documentary about the band The Police, Can't Stand Losing You, featuring Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers.
On an exciting party note, and in conjunction with Ftf’s presentation of the Australian/Mongolian documentary Mongolian Bling, First Time Fest and Hip Hop Saves Lives presented “Project Haiti,” an album release party for Zing Experience at Webster Hall.
Representing a hybrid between a traditional film festival and a highly motivated audience participation event, Ftf presented a dozen Competition Films, which were judged by a panel of industry luminaries and the Ftf audience. All competition screenings were followed by “hot-seat” discussions between the jury and filmmakers, and all audience members then voted on the films. It was truly a contest of the best emerging filmmakers competing for the Ultimate Audience Award.
Competition Films – (please visit here for competition films & descriptions).
In addition to the Competition Films, Ftf presented First Exposure, a series of first films from now prominent filmmakers. Joining the line-up - and mostly attending the fest - was the exciting Opening Night presentation of Sofia Coppola with The Virgin Suicides, Todd Solondz with Welcome to the Dollhouse, Wes Anderson’s Bottle Rocket, Barbara Kopple with Harlan County, USA, Melvin Van Peebles with The Story of a Three-Day Pass, Pi from Darren Aronofsky, The Maltese Falcon from director John Huston, Poison from Todd Haynes, Jack Goes Boating from director Philip Seymour Hoffman, Hal Hartley’s The Unbelievable Truth, and True Love from Nancy Savoca.
First Exposure Films – (please visit here, for First Exposure descriptions)
First Exposure also includes a 60th Anniversary Tribute to Morris Engel’s The Little Fugitive, a cinema vérité classic from 1953 that was shot on Coney Island and has inspired countless filmmakers, from Jean-Luc Godard to the Coen brothers. The tribute included a panel hosted by film historian Foster Hirsch including Mary Engel, daughter of Morris Engel and Ruth Orkin, and James Sanders, author of Celluloid Skyline: New York and the Movies. In addition there was a Special Presentation of Everardo Gout’s thrillingly over-the-top action thriller Days Of Grace (Dĺas De Gracia), which won the Mexican Academy of Film’s prestigious Ariel Award for Best First Feature and was nominated for the Camera d’Or at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.
First Time Fest included a series of panels called “How They Did It,” in which a diverse group of award-winning filmmakers moderated filmmaking case studies and spotlighted some of the most successful and accomplished masters of the industry.
First Time Fest is a four-day, multi-faceted event hosted in New York City’s Gramercy Park by the celebrated Players (16 Gramercy Park South), the club founded by Edwin Booth, Mark Twain and John Singer Sargent, the oldest and most exclusive arts organization of its kind whose membership includes the greatest stars of stage and screen. Each of First Time Fest’s twelve finalists receive high-level industry mentorship and a one-year membership to The Players. The Players was the location for all Ftf panels and events as well as the Filmmaker and VIP Lounge. First Time Fest’s screenings were all held at the Loews Village VII on Third Avenue (on 11th St. & 3rd Ave).
Among the Fest’s terrific sponsors is the delicious Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte. "The forward-thinking Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte draws its inspiration from the call of ‘faraway lands.’ One of the youngest and most fashionable Champagne brands, Nicolas Feuillatte has captured the world's imagination by sharing its passion for creativity and arts in a record 37 years, becoming the #1 Champagne in France. In its role as discoverer of talent, the brand awards its prestige cuvée Palmes d'Or to First Time Fest's winners to complement the celebration in style."
Other terrific sponsors of the fest include Brooklyn Brewery, Moscot, Marquis Vodka and Technicolor Postworks.
For additional Festival Information - Visit The Festival Website at www.FirstTimeFest.com
Johanna Bennett and Mandy Ward are the co-founders of First Time Fest. As an accomplished philanthropist, actor and social entrepreneur, as well as the daughter of singer Tony Bennett, Johanna Bennett has immersed herself within the entertainment and artistic community her entire life. Mandy Ward has worked in the film industry for the past decade in varied capacities, namely as a film producer of several projects. Mitch Levine, CEO of The Film Festival Group, is producing the festival. Through his company, Mitch offers consulting services and expertise to film festivals, film commissions, distribution companies and filmmakers around the world, and was formerly the CEO and Executive Director of the renowned Palm Springs International Film Festival. The Festival’s Director of Programming is David Schwartz, the Chief Curator of Museum of the Moving Image.
- 3/11/2013
- by Peter Belsito
- Sydney's Buzz
Apart from some foreign items Lore (Music Box Films – 2/8/13) and Kiarostami’s Like Someone in Love (Sundance Selects – 2/15/13), classic re-issue of Little Fugitive (Artists Public Domain – 2/1/13), a guilty pleasure in Soderbergh’s Side Effects (Open Road Films – 2/8/13) and experimental docu A Rubberband Is an Unlikely Instrument (Factory 25 – 2/8/13), it’ll once again slim pickings in the month of February. Here our this month’s top 3 Critic’s Picks.
Caesar Must Die – Paolo and Vittorio Taviani
Lincoln Plaza Cinemas & Film Forum on Wednesday the 6th – Adopt Films
Festival Awards: Golden Berlin Bear & Prize of the Ecumenical Jury (Berlin Film Festival – 2012)
What the critic’s are saying?: Screen Daily’s Lee Marshall appears to be much impressed stating “now into their eighties, the Taviani brothers show with this remarkable, fresh and moving drama-documentary they have lost none of that mix of observational rigour and sympathy for the underdog that marked early films like Padre Padrone,...
Caesar Must Die – Paolo and Vittorio Taviani
Lincoln Plaza Cinemas & Film Forum on Wednesday the 6th – Adopt Films
Festival Awards: Golden Berlin Bear & Prize of the Ecumenical Jury (Berlin Film Festival – 2012)
What the critic’s are saying?: Screen Daily’s Lee Marshall appears to be much impressed stating “now into their eighties, the Taviani brothers show with this remarkable, fresh and moving drama-documentary they have lost none of that mix of observational rigour and sympathy for the underdog that marked early films like Padre Padrone,...
- 1/31/2013
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
This was an interesting new roll out of an upcoming NYC based Festival event . This announcement party was held in one of my favorite areas of Manhattan, Gramercy Park - and not far from the Hospital where I was born - NYC's Beth Israel. But seeing Tony Bennett in person was special. His daughter Johanna Bennett, an accomplished philanthropist, actor and social entrepreneur, is organizing this new Festival. Tony is a trim nice looking 85 year old - and who has not loved his singing??
Seeing him personally stirred some emotions in me I could not recall until almost a day later. It was this - When I was 7 or so many years ago my family summered in New Jersey and one night we were all on Atlantic City's Steel Pier to hear him, Tony Bennett, sing. My cousin was as usual beating me up and I remember I was crying disconsolately in a public lounge area sitting on a couch. Suddenly a man put his arms across my shoulders and said to me, 'Peter it is going to be alright, everything will be okay'. I looked up and it was Tony Bennett the great singer comforting me, he had asked my family what was wrong and my mother told him and also my my name. So now I only remembered this much later after the Fest party and I only wished that when I saw the great man that I had thanked him personally for helping a little guy so many years ago .... And oh yes i stopped crying then too...
First Time Fest, a celebration of first time filmmakers, is a new and unique film festival, event and opportunity taking place in New York City from March 1-March 4, 2013.
First Time Fest’s mission is to discover and present the next generation of great cinema by first time screenwriters, producers, directors, editors, composers and cinematographers to a cinema-loving public and to select and present these films and filmmakers in a most unique and dynamic fashion. Ftf is currently seeking submissions for its inaugural event.
First Time Fest will be a four-day, multi-faceted event based in New York City’s Gramercy Park at the celebrated Players Club, founded by Edwin Booth and Mark Twain, the oldest and most exclusive arts organization of its kind. Films will be screened at the Loews Village VII (on 11th St. & 3rd Ave).
First Time Fest represents a hybrid between a traditional film festival and a highly motivated audience participation event. The featured films of First Time Fest will embody the work of 12 finalists, selected from a submission pool of potentially thousands of films. Each of the 12 finalists will have his or her feature screened during the Festival before an audience of industry professionals and the general public. A panel of five jurors will then decide the Grand Prize winner. Four of these judges will be of the film industry elite, while the fifth judge, unlike any other festival in the world, will be the collective “Voting Public” or "VPs." These VPs – 120 on each of the Festival’s days – will be selected by lottery from the thousands of moviegoers expected to attend First Time Fest. Additionally, 12 special VPs will be selected in a nationwide contest to represent the country at large.
The Grand Prize winner of First Time Fest will be presented at an exclusive gala on the final day of the Festival, and will receive an offer of theatrical distribution arranged through a partnership between First Time Fest and Cinema Libre Studio, a successful international entertainment company based in Los Angeles, California. Cinema Libre has produced over 15 award-winning international films, and has distributed more than 100 films in its 20 years of operations. Beyond distribution, the winner will be provided international sales representation by Cinema Libre and will receive a host of other major prizes. First Time Fest will also present other prizes during the Awards Ceremony, including: “Outstanding Direction,” Outstanding Screenplay,” “Outstanding Cinematography,” “Outstanding Editing,” and “Outstanding Score.”
Each of First Time Fest’s twelve finalists will receive a one-year, high-level industry mentorship. This mentorship will involve regular contact with prominent members of the independent filmmaking community: producers, distributors, sales agents, talent representatives (agents and managers), lawyers, consultants, and, most importantly, respected cinema artists: directors, writers, editors, cinematographers and composers. First Time Fest deeply believes in the artistic and professional development of its participants, and will coordinate these intensive mentorship opportunities on their behalf. And, as each finalist is granted a one-year membership at the Player’s Club, they also have a fantastic opportunity to regularly interact with the Player’s entertainment industry members.
First Time Fest will also include a series of panels called “How They Did It,” in which a diverse group of award-winning filmmakers will moderate filmmaking case studies which spotlight some of the most successful and accomplished masters of the industry.
In addition, First Time Fest and the Players Club will be presenting the first John Huston Prize for Lifetime Achievement in Cinema. The Award will be presented to an individual who has made s significant contribution to the art of cinema, and whose presence in our community has offered leadership and inspiration to other cinema artists. The Award is named in honor of one of America’s greatest filmmakers, who was an esteemed member of the Players Club (John Huston’s membership in the Club was sponsored by his friend and colleague, Humphrey Bogart). It will be an extraordinary event.
They will also be celebrating the 60th anniversary of Morris Engel’s The Little Fugitive. This film, a cinema vérité classic from 1953, was shot entirely on Coney Island and has inspired countless filmmakers, including Martin Scorsese, François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard, who credit it for launching the French New Wave. Unfortunately, few members of the public (and even many filmmakers) know of Engel’s work, and we hope that this tribute curated by renowned film historian Foster Hirsch, along with a panel to scheduled to include his daughter Mary Engel, and the star of the film, Richard Brewster, will redress that..
Johanna Bennett and Mandy Ward serve as co-founders of First Time Fest. Johanna has immersed herself within the entertainment and artistic community her entire life. Mandy has worked in the film industry for nearly 10 years in varied capacities, namely as a film producer of several projects. David Schwartz, the Artistic Director and Head Curator of Museum of the Moving Image, has come on to become the Director of Programing for First Time Fest.
Seeing him personally stirred some emotions in me I could not recall until almost a day later. It was this - When I was 7 or so many years ago my family summered in New Jersey and one night we were all on Atlantic City's Steel Pier to hear him, Tony Bennett, sing. My cousin was as usual beating me up and I remember I was crying disconsolately in a public lounge area sitting on a couch. Suddenly a man put his arms across my shoulders and said to me, 'Peter it is going to be alright, everything will be okay'. I looked up and it was Tony Bennett the great singer comforting me, he had asked my family what was wrong and my mother told him and also my my name. So now I only remembered this much later after the Fest party and I only wished that when I saw the great man that I had thanked him personally for helping a little guy so many years ago .... And oh yes i stopped crying then too...
First Time Fest, a celebration of first time filmmakers, is a new and unique film festival, event and opportunity taking place in New York City from March 1-March 4, 2013.
First Time Fest’s mission is to discover and present the next generation of great cinema by first time screenwriters, producers, directors, editors, composers and cinematographers to a cinema-loving public and to select and present these films and filmmakers in a most unique and dynamic fashion. Ftf is currently seeking submissions for its inaugural event.
First Time Fest will be a four-day, multi-faceted event based in New York City’s Gramercy Park at the celebrated Players Club, founded by Edwin Booth and Mark Twain, the oldest and most exclusive arts organization of its kind. Films will be screened at the Loews Village VII (on 11th St. & 3rd Ave).
First Time Fest represents a hybrid between a traditional film festival and a highly motivated audience participation event. The featured films of First Time Fest will embody the work of 12 finalists, selected from a submission pool of potentially thousands of films. Each of the 12 finalists will have his or her feature screened during the Festival before an audience of industry professionals and the general public. A panel of five jurors will then decide the Grand Prize winner. Four of these judges will be of the film industry elite, while the fifth judge, unlike any other festival in the world, will be the collective “Voting Public” or "VPs." These VPs – 120 on each of the Festival’s days – will be selected by lottery from the thousands of moviegoers expected to attend First Time Fest. Additionally, 12 special VPs will be selected in a nationwide contest to represent the country at large.
The Grand Prize winner of First Time Fest will be presented at an exclusive gala on the final day of the Festival, and will receive an offer of theatrical distribution arranged through a partnership between First Time Fest and Cinema Libre Studio, a successful international entertainment company based in Los Angeles, California. Cinema Libre has produced over 15 award-winning international films, and has distributed more than 100 films in its 20 years of operations. Beyond distribution, the winner will be provided international sales representation by Cinema Libre and will receive a host of other major prizes. First Time Fest will also present other prizes during the Awards Ceremony, including: “Outstanding Direction,” Outstanding Screenplay,” “Outstanding Cinematography,” “Outstanding Editing,” and “Outstanding Score.”
Each of First Time Fest’s twelve finalists will receive a one-year, high-level industry mentorship. This mentorship will involve regular contact with prominent members of the independent filmmaking community: producers, distributors, sales agents, talent representatives (agents and managers), lawyers, consultants, and, most importantly, respected cinema artists: directors, writers, editors, cinematographers and composers. First Time Fest deeply believes in the artistic and professional development of its participants, and will coordinate these intensive mentorship opportunities on their behalf. And, as each finalist is granted a one-year membership at the Player’s Club, they also have a fantastic opportunity to regularly interact with the Player’s entertainment industry members.
First Time Fest will also include a series of panels called “How They Did It,” in which a diverse group of award-winning filmmakers will moderate filmmaking case studies which spotlight some of the most successful and accomplished masters of the industry.
In addition, First Time Fest and the Players Club will be presenting the first John Huston Prize for Lifetime Achievement in Cinema. The Award will be presented to an individual who has made s significant contribution to the art of cinema, and whose presence in our community has offered leadership and inspiration to other cinema artists. The Award is named in honor of one of America’s greatest filmmakers, who was an esteemed member of the Players Club (John Huston’s membership in the Club was sponsored by his friend and colleague, Humphrey Bogart). It will be an extraordinary event.
They will also be celebrating the 60th anniversary of Morris Engel’s The Little Fugitive. This film, a cinema vérité classic from 1953, was shot entirely on Coney Island and has inspired countless filmmakers, including Martin Scorsese, François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard, who credit it for launching the French New Wave. Unfortunately, few members of the public (and even many filmmakers) know of Engel’s work, and we hope that this tribute curated by renowned film historian Foster Hirsch, along with a panel to scheduled to include his daughter Mary Engel, and the star of the film, Richard Brewster, will redress that..
Johanna Bennett and Mandy Ward serve as co-founders of First Time Fest. Johanna has immersed herself within the entertainment and artistic community her entire life. Mandy has worked in the film industry for nearly 10 years in varied capacities, namely as a film producer of several projects. David Schwartz, the Artistic Director and Head Curator of Museum of the Moving Image, has come on to become the Director of Programing for First Time Fest.
- 10/11/2012
- by Peter Belsito
- Sydney's Buzz
Andrew Davis Returns To Stony Island
By Alex Simon
Director Andrew Davis made his name with hard-hitting action blockbusters like The Fugitive, Under Siege and The Guardian, but like most filmmakers, his first effort was a small film with a modest budget and a lot of heart. Davis’ directing debut Stony Island was shot in 1977, helmed by the then 30 year-old who had made a name for himself as a cinematographer, and conceived as a love letter to the South Chicago neighborhood where he grew up. Based loosely on the story of Davis’ younger brother Richie (starring as a fictionalized version of himself), who grew up as one of the few white kids in a largely African-American neighborhood, Stony Island follows a group of young musicians who try to form an R&B group in their racially-mixed neighborhood. Featuring the film debuts of now-notable names such as Dennis Franz, Susanna Hoffs,...
By Alex Simon
Director Andrew Davis made his name with hard-hitting action blockbusters like The Fugitive, Under Siege and The Guardian, but like most filmmakers, his first effort was a small film with a modest budget and a lot of heart. Davis’ directing debut Stony Island was shot in 1977, helmed by the then 30 year-old who had made a name for himself as a cinematographer, and conceived as a love letter to the South Chicago neighborhood where he grew up. Based loosely on the story of Davis’ younger brother Richie (starring as a fictionalized version of himself), who grew up as one of the few white kids in a largely African-American neighborhood, Stony Island follows a group of young musicians who try to form an R&B group in their racially-mixed neighborhood. Featuring the film debuts of now-notable names such as Dennis Franz, Susanna Hoffs,...
- 4/24/2012
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
While we had our ideas about the possible influences on Wes Anderson's "Moonrise Kingdom" after watching and deconstructing the trailer -- Jean-Luc Godard's "Le Pierrot Fou" and "Little Fugitive" -- the director himself has gone ahead and cleared up the movies that were in his mind when he set out to make the film.
“There’s two movies that I really love that were both kind of huge inspirations for 'Moonrise Kingdom,' ” Anderson told EW. “One is a movie called 'Black Jack' that’s directed by Ken Loach. The other one is another British movie that’s the first thing Alan Parker ever did. He wrote the script. It’s called 'Melody.' They’re both movies that I only found as I worked on this story. I was looking for movies that are about pre-teenage romance. And there’s a Truffaut movie 'Small Change.
“There’s two movies that I really love that were both kind of huge inspirations for 'Moonrise Kingdom,' ” Anderson told EW. “One is a movie called 'Black Jack' that’s directed by Ken Loach. The other one is another British movie that’s the first thing Alan Parker ever did. He wrote the script. It’s called 'Melody.' They’re both movies that I only found as I worked on this story. I was looking for movies that are about pre-teenage romance. And there’s a Truffaut movie 'Small Change.
- 4/10/2012
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Last week 30-year-old writer and director Adam Leon’s feature debut Gimme the Loot, a buddy caper about teenage Bronx graffiti artists whiling away two hot summer days, was awarded SXSW’s Narrative Feature Grand Jury Prize. Today it was announced that Sundance Selects has acquired the North American and Latin American rights to the film.
After the jump, EW spoke with Leon about Gimme the Loot, which stars Tysheeb Hickson and Tashiana R. Washington as 17-year-old friends Malcolm and Sofia, and his most triumphant world premiere.
Entertainment Weekly: How did you celebrate your big win in Austin?
Adam Leon...
After the jump, EW spoke with Leon about Gimme the Loot, which stars Tysheeb Hickson and Tashiana R. Washington as 17-year-old friends Malcolm and Sofia, and his most triumphant world premiere.
Entertainment Weekly: How did you celebrate your big win in Austin?
Adam Leon...
- 3/19/2012
- by Karen Valby
- EW - Inside Movies
Shadows
Written by John Cassavetes
Directed by John Cassavetes
USA, 1959
“We did everything wrong, technically…. The only thing we did right was to get a group of people together who were young, full of life, and wanted to do something of meaning.” – John Cassavetes
As one of the first movies to be produced outside of the Hollywood studio system, John Cassavetes’ self-financed Shadows (1959) is a pioneering movie in the history of American independent cinema. Favoring an approach influenced by theatre, Cassavetes cast amateur actors and friends in a semi-improvised character study about three siblings living in 1950’s New York. Produced on a small budget, Shadows was shot in Cassavetes’ own apartment and out on the streets of Manhattan, while friends stood on look out watching for the police.
In the final credits of Shadows Cassavetes mischievously proclaimed, “The film you have just seen was an improvisation”. If Jean-Luc Godard’s...
Written by John Cassavetes
Directed by John Cassavetes
USA, 1959
“We did everything wrong, technically…. The only thing we did right was to get a group of people together who were young, full of life, and wanted to do something of meaning.” – John Cassavetes
As one of the first movies to be produced outside of the Hollywood studio system, John Cassavetes’ self-financed Shadows (1959) is a pioneering movie in the history of American independent cinema. Favoring an approach influenced by theatre, Cassavetes cast amateur actors and friends in a semi-improvised character study about three siblings living in 1950’s New York. Produced on a small budget, Shadows was shot in Cassavetes’ own apartment and out on the streets of Manhattan, while friends stood on look out watching for the police.
In the final credits of Shadows Cassavetes mischievously proclaimed, “The film you have just seen was an improvisation”. If Jean-Luc Godard’s...
- 11/1/2011
- by Tom Jarvis
- SoundOnSight
Netflix has revolutionized the home movie experience for fans of film with its instant streaming technology. Netflix Nuggets is my way of spreading the word about independent, classic and foreign films made available by Netflix for instant streaming.
This Week’s New Instant Releases…
Promised Lands (1974)
Streaming Available: 04/19/2011
Cast: Documentary
Director: Susan Sontag
Synopsis: Set in Israel during the final days of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, this powerful documentary — initially barred by Israel authorities — from writer-director Susan Sontag examines divergent perceptions of the enduring Arab-Israeli clash. Weighing in on matters related to socialism, anti-Semitism, nation sovereignty and American materialism are The Last Jew writer Yoram Kaniuk and military physicist Yuval Ne’eman.
Vision: From the Life of Hildegard von Bingen (2009)
Streaming Available: 04/19/2011
Cast: Barbara Sukowa, Heino Ferch, Hannah Herzsprung, Gerald Alexander Held, Lena Stolze, Sunnyi Melles
Synopsis: Directed by longtime star of independent German cinema Margarethe von Trotta, this reverent...
This Week’s New Instant Releases…
Promised Lands (1974)
Streaming Available: 04/19/2011
Cast: Documentary
Director: Susan Sontag
Synopsis: Set in Israel during the final days of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, this powerful documentary — initially barred by Israel authorities — from writer-director Susan Sontag examines divergent perceptions of the enduring Arab-Israeli clash. Weighing in on matters related to socialism, anti-Semitism, nation sovereignty and American materialism are The Last Jew writer Yoram Kaniuk and military physicist Yuval Ne’eman.
Vision: From the Life of Hildegard von Bingen (2009)
Streaming Available: 04/19/2011
Cast: Barbara Sukowa, Heino Ferch, Hannah Herzsprung, Gerald Alexander Held, Lena Stolze, Sunnyi Melles
Synopsis: Directed by longtime star of independent German cinema Margarethe von Trotta, this reverent...
- 4/20/2011
- by Travis Keune
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Ever since Morris Engel and Ruth Orkin’s 1953 charmer Little Fugitive, indie filmmakers have gotten a lot of mileage out of the premise of children out on their own in a big city, confronting its wonders and dangers. Lance Daly’s Kisses lands squarely in that pre-teen runaway genre, though writer-director Daly is more preoccupied with the danger than the wonder. Kisses begins in a run-down Dublin suburb, where Kelly O’Neill lives in a house full of people who barely notice her, while next-door neighbor Shane Curry lives with a drunken father who’s already driven one son ...
- 7/15/2010
- avclub.com
Sometimes it pays off to be the kind of kid that teachers hate, that parents slap around, that are anything but the Good-Two-Shoes types who think they have it made. In the movies and in literature, they make for more interesting characters, the kind that the girls go for before settling down with the nice guys who will make good fathers. Think of the vastly entertaining "400 Blows," which features Jean-Pierre Léaud as Antoine Doinel, a misunderstand teen who is ignored at home and opts for a life of petty crime. Or how about Richie Andrusco's role as Joey Norton in Ray Ashley and Morris Engel's 1953 movie "Little Fugitive," a fellow who runs away to Coney Island thinking that he had killed his brother. Spellbinding stuff.
- 6/18/2010
- Arizona Reporter
By Michael Atkinson
Malian filmmaker Abderrahmane Sissako may have made the one African film everybody needs to see . at least for its disarming fugue of frank political awareness and state-of-the-quotidian African life. In most other ways, though, "Bamako" (2006) is a challenge to orthodoxy, because it's not driven by its narrative, and hardly even provides an establishing context for itself. Before we know it, we're in a sun-dappled Mali courtyard (Sissako's family home, as it turns out), in which a kind of tribunal is going on, complete with black-robed jurists, waiting witnesses, anxious journalists and stacks of documentation. This is, we slowly realize, a fantasy trial in which the African people have taken civil proceedings against the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and American-led global capitalism in general, for the crime of exploiting and loan-sharking the continent and its peoples. The testimony is not from actors, but from real African citizens,...
Malian filmmaker Abderrahmane Sissako may have made the one African film everybody needs to see . at least for its disarming fugue of frank political awareness and state-of-the-quotidian African life. In most other ways, though, "Bamako" (2006) is a challenge to orthodoxy, because it's not driven by its narrative, and hardly even provides an establishing context for itself. Before we know it, we're in a sun-dappled Mali courtyard (Sissako's family home, as it turns out), in which a kind of tribunal is going on, complete with black-robed jurists, waiting witnesses, anxious journalists and stacks of documentation. This is, we slowly realize, a fantasy trial in which the African people have taken civil proceedings against the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and American-led global capitalism in general, for the crime of exploiting and loan-sharking the continent and its peoples. The testimony is not from actors, but from real African citizens,...
- 5/6/2008
- by Michael Atkinson
- ifc.com
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