When Heather Matarazzo’s indelible film debut “Welcome to the Dollhouse,” went to the Sundance Film Festival in 1996, the young star didn’t attend. “I didn’t go,” she told IndieWire during a recent interview. “Sony wouldn’t pay for me.” Now, it’s hard to imagine a breakout star of Matarazzo’s caliber, let alone the lead of a Grand Jury Prize winner, not being feted in the mountains of Park City.
At the time — and, as a tween herself — she wasn’t fazed by the decision on the part of distributor Sony Pictures Classics. “I didn’t know what a big deal it was,” she said.
Matarazzo’s performance as Dawn Wiener was a shock to the system. In Solondz’s pastel-colored New Jersey suburbia, Dawn is a gangly 11-year-old with glasses whose classmates call her “lesbo” and whose teachers chide her for being a “grade grubber.” Matarazzo,...
At the time — and, as a tween herself — she wasn’t fazed by the decision on the part of distributor Sony Pictures Classics. “I didn’t know what a big deal it was,” she said.
Matarazzo’s performance as Dawn Wiener was a shock to the system. In Solondz’s pastel-colored New Jersey suburbia, Dawn is a gangly 11-year-old with glasses whose classmates call her “lesbo” and whose teachers chide her for being a “grade grubber.” Matarazzo,...
- 8/16/2022
- by Esther Zuckerman
- Indiewire
For the past 25 years, Variety editors and staff have compiled annual lists of industry talent to look out for, stretching various capacities, including directors, writers, producers, cinematographers, and comics. When looking back on the lists from each year, it’s striking to see how many impactful names have blossomed with hugely successful careers within Hollywood, and with some of the individuals taking a surprising route to stardom. It also underscores the innate ability of the Variety team to discover and take early note of the many talented people who have become entertainment icons over several generations.
The first 10 Actors to Watch list was released in 1998, with Luke Wilson (“Rushmore”), Sarah Polley (“Go!”), Adrien Brody (“The Thin Red Line”), Patricia Clarkson (“High Art”), Larenz Tate (“Why Do Fools Fall in Love?”), and Samantha Morton (“Under the Skin”) finding inclusion. It’s interesting to note that Polley would later be selected for...
The first 10 Actors to Watch list was released in 1998, with Luke Wilson (“Rushmore”), Sarah Polley (“Go!”), Adrien Brody (“The Thin Red Line”), Patricia Clarkson (“High Art”), Larenz Tate (“Why Do Fools Fall in Love?”), and Samantha Morton (“Under the Skin”) finding inclusion. It’s interesting to note that Polley would later be selected for...
- 1/26/2022
- by Nick Clement
- Variety Film + TV
If 2021 has been a calvacade of bad decisions, dashed hopes, and warning signs for cinema’s strength, the Criterion Channel’s monthly programming has at least buttressed our hopes for something like a better tomorrow. Anyway. The Channel will let us ride out distended (holi)days in the family home with an extensive Alfred Hitchcock series to bring the family together—from the established Rear Window and Vertigo to the (let’s just guess) lesser-seen Downhill and Young and Innocent—Johnnie To’s Throw Down and Orson Welles’ The Magnificent Ambersons in their Criterion editions, and some streaming premieres: Ste. Anne, Lydia Lunch: The War is Never Over, and The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love.
Special notice to Yvonne Rainer’s brain-expanding Film About a Woman Who . . .—debuting in “Female Gaze: Women Directors + Women Cinematographers,” a series that does as it says on the tin—and a Joseph Cotten retro boasting Ambersons,...
Special notice to Yvonne Rainer’s brain-expanding Film About a Woman Who . . .—debuting in “Female Gaze: Women Directors + Women Cinematographers,” a series that does as it says on the tin—and a Joseph Cotten retro boasting Ambersons,...
- 11/21/2021
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
We received word from readers that the Apple Podcast/iTunes service has suddenly gone glitchy with The Film Experience so we wanted to let you know that you can also listen on Stitcher or on Spotify if you haven't yet given the conversation a go. One more round of applause please for writer/director/showrunner Leslye Headland, actor Mitch Silpa, DJ Rob Campion (Cooler Than Ecto), writer Jenelle Riley (Variety), and animator/illustrator Dashiell Silva.
Read the Full Post Here
Conversation Index (74 minutes)
00:01 - Introduction of the Smackdown Panel and the 1998 Nominees
04:00 - Primary Colors. What works (Kathy Bates) and what doesn't, and how it plays in today's much different political climate.
15:41 - A detour to the 2020 Oscar race and "Da Butt"
17:00 - Hilary and Jackie's odd structure, sadness porn, and tortured artists
28:30 - A detour to The English Patient (1996) and the Weinstein/Miramax industrial...
Read the Full Post Here
Conversation Index (74 minutes)
00:01 - Introduction of the Smackdown Panel and the 1998 Nominees
04:00 - Primary Colors. What works (Kathy Bates) and what doesn't, and how it plays in today's much different political climate.
15:41 - A detour to the 2020 Oscar race and "Da Butt"
17:00 - Hilary and Jackie's odd structure, sadness porn, and tortured artists
28:30 - A detour to The English Patient (1996) and the Weinstein/Miramax industrial...
- 7/28/2021
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Exclusive: Anthony Ruivivar (The Haunting of Hill House), Brandon Jay McLaren (The Twilight Zone), and Jeremy Maguire (Modern Family) are set as series regulars and Becca Tobin (Glee) will recur in Turner & Hooch, Disney+’s reboot of the classic 1989 buddy-cop comedy feature. The TV series, which has a 12-episode order, comes from Matt Nix and 20th TV. The four join previously cast Josh Peck, Lyndsy Fonseca, Carra Patterson and Vanessa Lengies.
Like the movie, the hourlong series centers on Scott Turner (Peck), who now is a U.S. marshal — versus the police detective played by Tom Hanks in the movie. When the ambitious, buttoned-up marshal inherits a big unruly dog, he soon realizes the pet he didn’t want may be the partner he needs.
Ruivivar will play US Marshall Chief James Clark, Scott Turner’s boss. Chief Clark respects Scott, but is very uncomfortable around Scott’s new dog,...
Like the movie, the hourlong series centers on Scott Turner (Peck), who now is a U.S. marshal — versus the police detective played by Tom Hanks in the movie. When the ambitious, buttoned-up marshal inherits a big unruly dog, he soon realizes the pet he didn’t want may be the partner he needs.
Ruivivar will play US Marshall Chief James Clark, Scott Turner’s boss. Chief Clark respects Scott, but is very uncomfortable around Scott’s new dog,...
- 9/22/2020
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s been 10 years since “The Kids Are All Right,” a queer family dramedy that was the darling of that year’s Sundance Film Festival, charted an unlikely ride to the Oscars and helped shift popular opinion about gay marriage.
Written by Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg, and directed by Cholodenko, the movie arrived as attitudes about gay rights were shifting dramatically. Annette Bening and Julianne Moore starred as a couple whose long marriage had grown stale, further strained by an emptying nest. As their eldest child prepares to leave for college, she hatches a plan with her teen brother to meet their biological father, an Echo Park-dwelling free spirit played by Mark Ruffalo. Tensions escalate as Moore and Ruffalo embark on a secret affair, the kids launch into full rebellion, and Bening unravels with boozy abandon.
While controversial in the LGBTQ community upon release for depicting a lesbian having...
Written by Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg, and directed by Cholodenko, the movie arrived as attitudes about gay rights were shifting dramatically. Annette Bening and Julianne Moore starred as a couple whose long marriage had grown stale, further strained by an emptying nest. As their eldest child prepares to leave for college, she hatches a plan with her teen brother to meet their biological father, an Echo Park-dwelling free spirit played by Mark Ruffalo. Tensions escalate as Moore and Ruffalo embark on a secret affair, the kids launch into full rebellion, and Bening unravels with boozy abandon.
While controversial in the LGBTQ community upon release for depicting a lesbian having...
- 7/30/2020
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
A new documentary world premiere — the latest from Jeff Orlowski, dealing with the social controls and neuroprogramming aspects of technology platforms and social networks — and two restored works from the Sundance Collection were announced today. Orlowski’s film, The Social Dilemma, will screen next month in Park City as will two distinguished works that are favorites here at the magazine: Lisa Cholodenko’s High Art and Zana Briski and Ross Kaufman’s Born into Brothels. From the press release: Archival screenings are made possible by the Sundance Institute Collection at UCLA, and give audiences the opportunity to discover and rediscover the […]...
- 12/18/2019
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
A new documentary world premiere — the latest from Jeff Orlowski, dealing with the social controls and neuroprogramming aspects of technology platforms and social networks — and two restored works from the Sundance Collection were announced today. Orlowski’s film, The Social Dilemma, will screen next month in Park City as will two distinguished works that are favorites here at the magazine: Lisa Cholodenko’s High Art and Zana Briski and Ross Kaufman’s Born into Brothels. From the press release: Archival screenings are made possible by the Sundance Institute Collection at UCLA, and give audiences the opportunity to discover and rediscover the […]...
- 12/18/2019
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Lisa Cholodenko, known for her directorial work on the “Olive Kitteridge” miniseries at HBO and the 2010 feature “The Kids Are All Right,” has been tapped to helm a Showtime pilot.
The project in question is “Rita,” an hour-long dramedy which is set to star “Game of Thrones” actress Lena Headey in the title role. Headey’s character in the project is described as a headstrong, unconventional teacher and single mother who takes on every kind of authority – as well as her family – in a messy and unfiltered way. Cholodenko and Headey will also executive produce.
“Rita” is being written and executive produced by Christian Torpe and is based on his original Danish series. The prospective series hails from Showtime and Platform One Media, which is headed by Katie O’Connell Marsh and has Elisa Ellis exec producing on the pilot.
Most recently, Cholodenko directed the first three episodes of the...
The project in question is “Rita,” an hour-long dramedy which is set to star “Game of Thrones” actress Lena Headey in the title role. Headey’s character in the project is described as a headstrong, unconventional teacher and single mother who takes on every kind of authority – as well as her family – in a messy and unfiltered way. Cholodenko and Headey will also executive produce.
“Rita” is being written and executive produced by Christian Torpe and is based on his original Danish series. The prospective series hails from Showtime and Platform One Media, which is headed by Katie O’Connell Marsh and has Elisa Ellis exec producing on the pilot.
Most recently, Cholodenko directed the first three episodes of the...
- 10/2/2019
- by Will Thorne
- Variety Film + TV
NewFest has released its full lineup for their 31st annual fest that features the year’s best Lgbtq films from around the world. The fest runs October 23-29 at the Sva Theatre, Cinépolis Chelsea, as well as The Lgbt Community Center in New York City.
As Deadline revealed exclusively last week, the festival will feature Mike Doyle’s Manhattan-set ensemble rom-com Sell By as their opening night film. The film stars Scott Evans (Grace and Frankie), Kate Walsh (Grey’s Anatomy), Academy Award-nominee and Emmy Award-winner Patricia Clarkson, Michelle Buteau (Tales of the City) and Augustus Prew (High-Rise). The fest will feature Martha Stephen’s To The Stars as the U.S. Centerpiece Gala and close with Rodrigo Bellott’s award-winning Tu Me Manques.
NewFest will also feature the world premiere of Alexis Clements’ documentary All We’ve Got which looks into what it takes in America for queer, spaces for women to survive and why/how they are disappearing. In addition, Megan Wennberg’s Drag Kids, which follows the lives of four young drag performers from around North America, will make its U.S. premiere and the fest will have a spotlight screening of Martin Krejcí’sThe True Adventures of Wolfboy, a modern-day fairytale starring Jaeden Martell, John Turturro. and Chloë Sevigny.
NewFest will also serve up some scares with thier queer-centric “HalloKween” program with the transgender vampire film Bit with Nicole Maines, the documentary Scream Queen: My Nightmare on Elm Street about the controversial sequel of the Wes Craven classic that ended Mark Patton’s acting career, and the Spanish alien rescue mission film Brief Story From the Green Planet which won the coveted Teddy Award at this year’s Berlinale Film Festival.
The full program of 27 narrative features, 14 documentary features, 15 episodic series, 8 centerpiece and spotlight screenings, and 100 shorts from all over the world. 71% of content is by and about underrepresented voices.
The complete lineup of full-length features can be read below. Read the lineup of shorts here.
Opening Night Gala
Sell By
New York Premiere
Dir. Mike Doyle, USA, 2019, 94 mins
Cast: Scott Evans, Augustus Prew, Kate Walsh, Michelle Buteau, Zoe Chao, Patricia Clarkson, Christopher Gray, Colin Donnell, John Doman
Having been together for five years, Adam and rising social media celeb Marklin are faced with confronting their commitment to each other, while both Cammy and Haley (Zoe Chao) face their own challenges with companionship. Rounding out the lively and talented cast under Doyle’s assured direction is Kate Walsh (Grey’S Anatomy) and Academy Award-nominee Patricia Clarkson (High Art). Imbued with a can-do charm so becoming of our great metropolis, Sell By captures both how we let ourselves go, as well as how we grow closer to those we love.
Closing Night Gala
Tu Me Manques
New York Premiere
Dir. Rodrigo Bellott, USA/Bolivia, 2019, 110 mins
Cast: Oscar Martinez, Rossy de Palma, Fernando Barbosa
After his son Gabriel passes away, conservative Bolivian patriarch Jorge (Oscar Martínez) accidentally Skypes Gabriel’s ex-boyfriend Sebastian (Fernando Barbosa), leading him on a journey from Bolivia to New York City in search for the truth about his child. Based on writer/director Rodrigo Bellott’s own electrifying and influential play, Tu Me Manques is an inspiring story that celebrates community, love, and storytelling, and excavates both familial and international homophobia with tremendous tact and care.
International Centerpiece
And Then We Danced
New York Premiere
Dir. Levan Akin, Sweden/France, 2019, 113 mins
Cast: Levan Gelbakhiani, Bachi Valishvili, Ana Javakishvili
Sweden’s official selection for Best International Feature Film at the 2019 Academy Awards, And Then We Danced offers a riveting and visceral lead performance from newcomer Gelbakhiani, while featuring dynamic cinematography and a cathartic dance sequence that will leave you breathless.
U.S. Centerpiece
To The Stars
New York Premiere
Dir. Martha Stephens, USA, 2019, 111 mins
Cast: Kara Hayward, Liana Liberato, Jordana Spiro, Malin Akerman, Shea Whigham, Tony Hale, Lucas Zumann, Adelaide Clemens
Set in the conservative, bobby-socked setting of a 1960s Oklahoma high school, mysterious cosmopolitan new girl Maggie (Liana Liberato)—a coveted recruit among the popular girls—takes an unexpected shining to Iris, a withdrawn pariah. As the two teens grow closer, we learn the curious circumstances behind Maggie’s sudden arrival in the small Dust Bowl town.
New York Centerpiece
Cubby
New York Premiere
Dir. Mark Blane, USA, 2019, 83 mins
Cast: Mark Blane, Joseph Seuffert, Patricia Richardson, Zachary Booth, Christian Patrick
Written and co-directed by breakout star Mark Blane and shot in crisp 16mm, this quirky dark comedy tells the semi-autobiographical story of an anxious midwestern twenty-something who moves to New York City in hopes of becoming an artist. We follow Mark as he navigates his new life in this overwhelming city and chemically imbalanced flights of fancy, all while fostering a friendship with Milo, a precocious 6-year-old he begins to babysit in brownstone-filled Brooklyn.
Documentary Centerpiece
Drag Kids
Us Premiere
Dir. Megan Wennberg, Canada, 2019, 78 mins
This documentary follows the four young stars as they prepare for the biggest performance of their lives at Montreal Pride, demonstrating the importance of artistic expression, community-building, and non-judgmental support for people of all ages. A surprisingly moving film about gender, art, and affirming parenting, Drag Kids will have you cheering through tears by its end. This oft misunderstood segment of the drag community deserves more accurate representation in media, and Megan Wennberg’s film is only the beginning.
Narrative Features
15 Years
New York Premiere
Dir. Yuval Hadadi, Israel, 2019, 89 mins Cast: Oded Leopold, Udi Persi, Ruth Asarsai
When his best friend becomes pregnant and his longtime boyfriend starts talking about adopting, the often-unfazed Yoav begins to unravel. Small arguments fester to extreme degrees in Yuval Hadadi’s stunning portrait of a relationship in crisis. Shot against the backdrop of contemporary Tel Aviv, Hadadi explores ingrained pressures on the Israeli Lgbt community in his confident feature directorial debut.
A Dog Barking At The Moon
New York Premiere
Dir. Lisa Zi Xiang, China/Spain, 2019, 107 mins
Cast: Naren Hua, Nan Ji, Wu Reyuan, Thomas Fiquet
While visiting her broken family with her American husband, pregnant writer Huang Xiaoyu finds herself trapped between her cult-brainwashed mother and her secretly homosexual father. An epic Chinese family saga that unfolds over–and weaves together–multiple periods of time, Lisa Zi Xiang’s directorial debut is a masterful tale of secrets, infidelity, and the enormous weight of societal norms.
Benjamin
New York Premiere
Dir. Simon Amstell, UK, 2019, 85 mins
Cast: Gabe Gilmour, Jack Rowan, Colin Morgan, Anna Chancellor, Robin Peters, Arnab Chanda, Jessica Raine, James Bloor, Joel Fry, PhéniYES Brossard, Jessie Cave
Benjamin is an anxious, awkward filmmaker who feels stuck ahead of the premiere of his second feature. His lack of confidence in the film is eating him away, and, though love fuels his writing material, he’s overwhelmed by his self-proclaimed inability to love. When a beautiful young French musician named Noah comes into Benjamin’s life, he begins to let go of his past love traumas and see the light. It’s not long, however, before Benjamin’s insecurities come knocking and threaten to throw his life and relationship into disarray.
Billie & Emma
New York Premiere
Dir. Samantha Lee, Philippines, 2019,107 mins
Cast: Gabby Padilla, Zar Donato, Beauty Gonzales, Chelo Aquino
In the Philippines during the 1990s, out teenager and rock music-lover Billie is sent from Manilla to live with her aunt in a rural village. Sticking out like a sore thumb in her strict Catholic high school, Billie develops an intimate bond with Emma, an ambitious classmate who is hiding the fact that she’s pregnant from their peers. Together, Billie and Emma stand up against oppressive school officials and gossipy classmates, and discover there is so much more to live for aside from religious doctrine.
Holy Trinity
New York Premiere
Dir. Molly Hewitt, USA, 2019, 97 mins
Cast: Molly Hewitt, Theo Germain, Heather Lynn, Imp Queen
Holy Trinity is an absolute acid trip of kinky, drug-induced, gender-fluid adventures through an alternative universe’s Chicago. We follow Trinity, a queer dominatrix, who, after huffing a new brand of magic aerosol, can see dead people.
Last Ferry
New York Premiere
Dir. Jaki Bradley, USA, 2019, 86 mins
Cast: Ramon O. Torres, Myles Clohessy, Sheldon Best
When lonely lawyer Joseph ventures out to The Pines for the first time, he is drugged and mugged, and witnesses a murder on the beach. After he is found and taken in by a group of friends he quickly acclimates, but then begins to wonder, who can he trust? This taut thriller offers a delightfully gay spin on the classic thriller formula and features excellent cinematography from Alexa Wolf, who manages to capture the beauty and brightness of beaches and mimosa-drenched brunches, as well as the darkness that always seems to be lurking underneath this story’s surface.
Monsters
East Coast Premiere
Dir. Marius Olteanu, Romania, 2019, 116 mins Cast: Judith State, Cristian Popa
Presenting a clear snapshot of a contemporary Romanian couple through three distinct chapters, Marius Olteanu’s formal portrait of a marriage in quiet disarray is immersive in its naturalism and sneaky in its sense of humor. Subtly exploring the varied routes through which humans seek connection, whether through an extended all-night conversation with a cab driver or a secretive Grindr hookup, Monsters. is an observational film that refuses to judge its characters no matter how desperate they appear to be at times.
Music For Bleeding Hearts
World Premiere
Dir. Rafael Gomes, Brazil, 2019, 102 mins
Cast: Victor Mendes, Mayara Constantino, Caio Horowicz, Icaro Silva, Denise Fraga
In present day São Paulo, a trio of young hearts are about to break. Ricardo has both a steady boyfriend and a wandering eye for a new coworker. Isabella is taking a break from both her boyfriend and best friend Ricardo. And hopeless romantic Felipe has suddenly found himself caught between the two of them. These three have big dreams, yearning passion, and opinionated acquaintances, but they’re all unprepared for what’s to come from Cupid’s arrows.
Nevrland
New York Premiere
Dir. Gregor Schmidinger, Austria, 2019, Tbc mins Cast: Simon Frühwirth, Paul Forman, Josef Hader
Seeking escape from his drab life at home and at work in a slaughterhouse, Jakob retreats into online worlds in search of excitement. After making a connection with tight-torsoed Kristjan in a cam chatroom, Jakob ventures out to meet up in person, leading to a mind-bending journey to the center of the self that will irreparably alter both of their lives.
Second Star On The Right
New York Premiere
Dir. Ruth Caudeli, Colombia, 2019, 82 mins
Cast: Silvia Varón, Ximena Rodríguez, Alejandra Lara, Tatiana Rentería, Diana Wiswell, Andrés Jiménez, Lorena Castellanos, Justin Vahala, Gina Medina
In the blink of an eye, gregarious bisexual Emilia (Silvia Varón) has gone from being a core member of a tight-knit group of women to its biggest burden. As her thirties close in on her, Emilia flits from day job to passion project to romantic interest without wholly committing to any. As the group’s focus shifts from friendship to careers, partners, and kids, Emilia becomes yet another load its members must shoulder.
Seventeen
New York Premiere
Dir. Monja Art, Austria, 2019, 104 mins
Cast: Elisabeth Wabitsch, Magdalena Wabitsch
As summer looms in bucolic Austria, seventeen year-old Paula studies and silently pines for her boarding school classmate and close friend, Charlotte, who is biding time with an unremarkable boyfriend and exercising restraint in her shared feelings for Paula. Rather than dwelling, Paula attempts to date Tim, an eccentric but earnest classmate, in turn striking an imperfect balance between erotic connection and attraction that ultimately proves satisfying.
Siberia & Him
World Premiere
Dir. Viatcheslav Kopturevskiy, USA/Russia, 2019, 72 mins
Cast: Ilya Shubochkin, Anastasiya Voskresenskaya, Irina Novokreshennyh, Aleksandr Savin, Viatcheslav Kopturevskiy
Meek farmhand Sasha and policeman Dima have a fraught relationship. They’re brothers-in-law, travel companions, and—secretly—lovers. Over the course of their journey to visit Sasha’s grandmother, unspoken truths are uttered, intimacy is built, and authenticity is challenged. Although they may be far from the peering eyes of their oppressive society, their relationship teeters on a dangerous precipice.
Straight Up
New York Premiere
Dir. James Sweeney, USA, 2019, 95 mins
Cast: Katie Findlay, James Sweeney, Randall Park
Writer/director/producer James Sweeney stars in this witty comedy as Todd, an obsessive-compulsive and Gilmore Girls-loving twentysomething plagued by intense anxieties. Todd has never been comfortable with his queerness, or with most aspects of his life, and consistently struggles with insecurity. That is until he thinks he’s met his soulmate. The only problem? She’s a woman.
Tremblores (Tremors)
New York Premiere
Dir. Jayro Bustamante, Guatemala/France/Luxembourg, 2019, 107 mins Cast: Juan Pablo Olyslager, Mauricio Armas, Diane Bathen
In Guatemala, earthquakes (or tremors) can be a very common occurrence. Temblores explores what happens to an affluent religious family as a rumbling rift symbolically tears them apart after patriarch Pablo (a revelatory Juan Pablo Olyslager) reveals that he’s been sustaining a loving relationship with another man. What follows is a tale of passionate romance, immense inner conflict and devastating tragedy. Separated from his wife, his children and his life of Evangelical tradition, Pablo initially finds a sense of freedom. But how long can he sustain this new and exciting life when he’s fired from his job and his religious creed begins to take over again?
The Shiny Shrimps
New York Premiere
Dir. MaYESime Govare and Cédric Le Gallo, France, 2019, 103 mins Cast: Nicolas Gob, Alban Lenoir, Michaël Abiteboul, Geoffrey Couët
After an Olympic swimmer near the end of his career makes a homophobic comment on TV, he’s barred from any further events unless he agrees to coach the Shiny Shrimps, a flambouyant gay water-polo team. They might have the worst record in the amateur league, but they’re dead-set on qualifying for the most prestigious and challenging Lgbtq sporting event in Europe, the Gay Games.
Top 3 (And Other Animated Tales)
New York Premiere
Dir. Sofie Edvardsson, Sweden, 2019, 44 mins
Cast: Eric Ernerstedt, Jonas Jonsson, Caroline Johansson Kuhmunen
In this inventive and bittersweet animated rom-com, perpetual list-maker Anton falls in love with David and the two share a globetrotting young romance. But things start to go awry when Anton realizes that his dreams could be in direct opposition to his crush’s. Sofie Edvardsson’s charming and moving tale of miscommunication, idealization, and star-crossed love premiered at Frameline and won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at Outfest.
Zen In The Ice Rift
New York Premiere
Dir. Margherita Ferri, Italy, 2019, 90 mins
Cast: Eric Ernerstedt, Jonas Jonsson, Caroline Johansson Kuhmunen
Maia “Zen” Zenassi is a quick-tempered, nonconforming sixteen year-old living in a provincial Italian mountain village. A standout on the local boys hockey team, Zen uses the sport as a vital outlet for rage, an escape from emotional vulnerability, and a stage for gender performance. While being scouted for the national women’s team, Zen develops an improbable friendship with a male teammate’s reluctant girlfriend, causing an icy demeanor to melt away as Zen finally shares a closely-guarded desire to be a boy. Here, an open heart comes with mixed results.
Documentary Features
A Night At Switch ‘N’ Play
New York Premiere
Dir. Cody Stickels, USA, 2019, 72 mins
You are cordially invited to a night at Switch n’ Play! Meet the daring and dazzling Queer artists behind one of Brooklyn’s most popular and groundbreaking performance groups. Come along for the ride as they display their own unique blend Burlesque and drag, and navigate how gender identity, body image, and familial issues affect their performance personas and personal lives.
All We’Ve Got
World Premiere
Dir. Alexis Clements, USA, 2019, 67 mins
Since 2010, over 100 queer women’s spaces—from dive bars to bookstores and dance halls to health centers—have shuttered across the United States. As concern grows over this death and dearth of these essential social hubs, this documentary takes inventory of those that continue to thrive across the country, inciting a powerful conversation about the importance of community. Whether at Alibi’s Club in Oklahoma City or Wow Café Theatre in our own New York City, queer women are tirelessly making room for one another on barstools, stages, and activism’s front lines.
Burn Down The House (Screening with Fabulous)
Dir. Giselle Bailey and Nneka Onuorah, France, 2019, 44 mins
Giselle Bailey & Nneka Onuorah’s immersive documentary follows Kiddy Smile and several Parisian dancers as they prepare to perform in his next concert (and also features Fabulous’ Lasseindra Ninja). After DJing for Emmanuel Macron in a T-shirt that read “Fils d’immigrés, noir et pédé”, Smile was the subject of extraordinary praise and backlash. But he and his friends won’t let that faze them. As they discuss contemporary racism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, and the art that binds them, these rising stars make it clear that they won’t stop until everyone knows Paris is still burning.
Fabulous (Screening with Burn Down The House)
Dir. Audrey Jean-Baptiste, France, 2019, 46 mins
Audrey Jean-Baptiste’s triumphant Fabulous follows Lasseindra Ninja, a notable fixture of the ballroom scene in Paris, who travels from France to French Guiana in order to teach the art of voguing to Lgbtq young adults in her home country. A powerful and personal look at one woman’s return home, Fabulous gives the gift of empowerment and community to the next generation of queer dancers.
Jonathan Agassi Saved My Life
Dir. Tomer Heymann, Israel/Germany, 2019, 106 mins
Jonathan Agassi, one of the world’s most successful gay porn stars, splits his time between Israel, where both his parents live, and Berlin. The recipient of multiple international porn awards, Agassi built his fame on something considered taboo but enjoyed by millions worldwide. But as Agassi’s success starts to wane, he responds in increasingly self-destructive ways.
Leonard Soloway’S Broadway
New York Premiere
Dir. Jeff Wolk, USA, 2019, 84 mins
Leonard Soloway is a Broadway legend, and he’s got the Tony Awards, Pulitzer Prizes, and unforgettable stories to prove it. Narrated by Campbell Scott, this documentary follows the octogenarian producer as he works tirelessly to bring Maurice Hines’ musical memoir Tappin Thru Life to New York City. Interwoven with footage from Soloway’s more than 70 years in show business, the film features hilarious anecdotes about Lauren Bacall, Marlene Dietrich, and Elaine Stritch, alongside candid interviews with friends and colleagues including John Slattery, Olympia Dukakis, Elizabeth Ashley, and Tovah Feldshuh. Leonard Soloway’S Broadway vividly paints the portrait of a great man of the theater, and pulls back the curtain on what it takes to get a show to the Great White Way.
Markie In Milwaukee
New York Premiere
Dir. Matt Kliegman, USA, 2019, 88 mins
Markie Wenzel, a transgender Tsa agent and former minister, struggles with being ostracized within her conservative community as she debates whether to de-transition. On the eve of her confirmation surgery, Markie professes that she heard the voice of God who convinced her not to go forward with it. In the aftermath of this decision, Markie reintegrates into her family and fundamentalist church, while reconciling the mutability of gender and the explicit and implicit transphobia of those she loves. Shot over ten years, director Matt Kliegman provides space for Markie to tell her own story while beautifully stitching together an endearing and often challenging portrait of gender fluidity, transphobia, and self-acceptance in the American Midwest.
Mr. Leather
New York Premiere
Dir. Daniel Nolasco, USA, 2019, 85 mins
Brazil’s leather community gets up close and personal in Daniel Nolasco’s playful documentary about the titular competition. Nolasco follows judges, past winners, and current contenders for the title of Mr. Leather Brazil, as they prepare for the annual contest, where one participant will win the honor of representing their country at Chicago’s annual International Mr. Leather contest. Combining vérité footage with stylized sequences, Mr. Leather keeps its audience on their toes through its illuminating, playful, and uncompromising depiction of this kinky subculture. Sex, activism, and community-building collide to make Mr. Leather a one-of-a-kind glimpse into São Paulo’s fetish scene.
One Taxi Ride
New York Premiere
Dir. Mak Ck, Mexico/Sinagpore, 2019, 84 mins
When Erick was seventeen-years-old, his life changed forever. Ten years after a traumatic taxi ride, he’s ready to reclaim his future and set out on a journey that will not only shift his path, but that of those closest to him. One Taxi Ride is a thoughtful and delicate look at how sexual violence impacts survivors, their relationships, and their futures. C.K. Mak’s documentary doesn’t turn Erick’s trauma into a source of spectacle, but, rather, a means of healing and honest introspection.
Our Dance Of Revolution
New York Premiere
Dir. Phillip Pike, Canada, 2019, 102 mins
Our Dance Of Revolution is an enriching documentary that celebrates the unsung heroes of Toronto’s black Lgbtq community. Tracing four decades of necessary rebellion while highlighting the crucial role of black women and black queer spaces, director Phillip Pike gives voice to the trailblazers who fought on the frontlines against violence and police brutality via fascinating archival footage and first person interviews.
Queen Of Lapa
New York Premiere
Dir. Theodore Collatos and Carolina Monnerat, Brazil, 2019, 73 mins
Against the backdrop of political corruption and flagrant transphobia in Brazil, the late, great Luana Muniz—cabaret performer, activist, and sex worker since age eleven—minced no words about the challenges in calling Lapa, Rio de Janeiro home. In her hostel, she provided a rare safe haven and a heavy dose of tough love for the next generation of trans sex workers.
Queer Japan
New York Premiere
Dir. Graham Kolbeins, USA/Japan, 2019, 100 mins
While queer and trans subject-matter remains somewhat taboo in parts of Japan, Graham Kolbeins assembled an extraordinary group of artists, activists, and community-leaders who are fighting to shift societal and political perspectives on the Lgbtq+ community. Featuring the country’s first transgender elected-official Aya Kamikawa, erotic manga illustrator Gengoroh Tagame, lesbian bar-owner Chiga Ogawa, and many more, Kolbeins’ film demonstrates the wide range of experiences, identities, and obstacles among Japan’s queer and trans pioneers.
The Archivettes
New York Premiere
Dir. Megan Rossman, USA/Australia, 2019, 61 mins
Led by local heroes Deb Edel and Joan Nestle in the 1970s, a group of young lesbians frustrated by misogyny and homophobia within academia huddled together and built an accessible archive of lesbian documents and artifacts for those conducting research, both professional and personal. The location: a bedroom in a modest apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
Unsettled: Seeking Refuge In America
New York Premiere
Dir. Tom Shepard, USA, 2019, 84 mins
Tom Shepard’s new documentary follows four asylum-seekers from Syria, Angola, and The Democratic Republic of Congo as they try to start fresh in the United States. Subhi, Junior, Mari, and Cheynne have come a long way from home, but their journies are just beginning. Even before Donald Trump’s election, the asylum process has been notoriously labyrinthine for many refugees. Nonetheless, these four extraordinary individuals have persisted tenaciously.
Your Turn
New York Premiere
Dir. Eliza Capai, Brazil, 2019, 93 mins
Lucas “Koka” Penteado, Marcela Jesus, and Nayara Souza were three ordinary high school students whose lives suddenly changed when the state of São Paulo announced plans to close ninety-four public schools. In response to corruption and inefficiency in their government, these teens started to organize. Beginning with protests in which local students occupied their schools for weeks on end, the student labor movement reached extraordinary heights in 2015 and 2016, bringing awareness to numerous injustices in Brazil and remedying widespread problems for the country’s poorest residents. That was until 2018, when Jair Bolsonaro was elected with 55% of the popular vote. As the tides shift against activists and social justice movements, Koka, Marcela, and Nayara are faced with a jarring reality.
Episodic
A Luv Tale: The Series
New York Premiere
Dir. Kay Oyegun, USA, 2019, 75 mins
Cast: Vanessa Williams, Leon, Rotim, Sheria Irving, Amber Whittington
Based on the 1999 award-winning film, writer and creator Sidra Smith brings us back to Harlem: a section of New York City vibrant with brilliant, Black artists in A Luv Tale: The Series. When we meet Taylor, she has a magical one stand with an older woman named Candice. The next night at Taylor’s gallery opening, she meets Candice again. Only this time, Candice is with her husband. (This is when things start to really get crazy.) Taylor then discovers that Candice is not only married to a man, but that she’s also Taylor’s best friend Jake’s Mother. At the same time, Taylor’s roommate Akila navigates her own love life, and her work as a musician, all while still having to defend herself and her sexuality against her Mother who is a famous singer.
These Thems: Season 1 (Episodes 1-7)
New York Premiere
Dir. Jett Garrison, USA, 2019, 82 mins
Cast: Gretchen Wylder, Victoria Ortiz, Shaan Dasani, Nick Park
After realizing she may be a lesbian, Gretchen (Gretchen Wylder) befriends non-binary dog-walker Vero (Victoria Ortiz), who decides to stop training dogs and start training cishets. Vero takes Gretchen under their wing and introduces her to the queer world of New York City as she navigates what it’s like to be newly out at the age of 30.
Work In Progress: Episode 101 & Season Sneak Preview
Dir. Tim Mason, USA, 2019
Cast: Abby McEnany, Karin Anglin, Celeste Pechous, Julia Sweeney
Work In Progress, a new half-hour comedy series created by Chicago improv mainstays Abby McEnany and Tim Mason, and co-written by Lilly Wachowski is a funny and uniquely human comedy, Work In Progress features McEnany as a 45-year-old self-identified fat, queer dyke from Chicago whose misfortune and despair unexpectedly lead her to a vibrantly transformative relationship. Chicago-based performer Karin Anglin co-stars alongside Celeste Pechous, with Julia Sweeney (Saturday Night Live) appearing in a crucial role as herself and serving as executive producer. Theo Germaine (The Politician) will also appear as a guest star.
Hallokween
HalloKween Centerpiece
Scream Queen: My Nightmare On Elm Street
New York Premiere
Dir. Roman Chimienti and Tyler Jensen, USA, 2019, 100 mins Cast: Mark Patton, Robert Englund, Kim Myers, Robert Rusler
Following a successful stint on Broadway alongside stars such as Cher, Karen Black, and Sandy Dennis, closeted actor Mark Patton launched his film career with a prominent role in A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy’S Revenge in 1985. What initially seemed like the opportunity of a lifetime soon became a horror story worthy of its own midnight movie. Appreciated fondly by razor-gloved connoisseurs the world over, Freddy’S Revenge’s intricately crafted gay subtext decimated its lead’s job prospects in a single swipe. In Scream Queen! My Nightmare On Elm Street, Patton finally strikes back.
Bit
New York Premiere
Dir. Brad Michael Elmore, USA, 2019, 90 mins
Cast: Diana Hopper, Nicole Maines, James Paxton, Jimmy Jagger, Julia Voth, Mc Gainey
Think Los Angeles is soulless? Try surviving the city’s underground feminist vampire scene. In this comedic-horror flick with a flair for the postmodern, Laurel (Supergirl’s Nicole Maines) leaves the suburbs hoping to catch a breather and a couple of good rock shows while crashing with her with her brother Mark (James Paxton) in the City of Angels. Instead, she quickly finds herself swept up in a faction of vampires with hazy motives. Led by a centuries-old, discerning sanguine by the name of Duke (Diana Hopper), entry into this clique might be more than Laurel bargained for. As the age-old queer girl adage goes, she must find out whether they want to befriend her, date her, or turn her—before it’s too late.
Brief Story From The Green Planet
New York Premiere
Dir. SantIago Loza, Argentina/Germany/Brazil/Spain, 2019, 75 mins
Cast: Romina Escobar, Paula Grinszpan, Luis Soda, Elvira Onetto, Pablo Cura, Anabella Bacigalupo, Leo Kildare Louback
In the eerie early moments of this mesmerizing Teddy Award winner, Tania–a transgender club performer–finds out that her grandmother has died. When she brings her two friends (the depressed Daniela and the dancey Pedro) to visit her late relative’s home, they discover that Tania’s grandmother spent her last years with a very special pal of her own: a small blue alien. Now Tania, Daniela, and Pedro must journey through rural Argentina to bring the alien back home before time runs out for the creature.
Special Events
Crystal City
New York Premiere
Dir. Terrence Crawford, USA, 2019, 89 mins Cast: David Fawcett, PhD
Filmmaker Terrence Crawford delivers a respectful and intimate look into the lives of gay men dealing with the re-emerging crisis of crystal meth addiction in New York City. Crawford expertly traces the history of the drug while making connections to the HIV/AIDS epidemic and mental health in the Lgbtq community. Through first hand experiences we learn about how these men became addicts and about their road to recovery via essential and life changing queer support groups. Simultaneously revealing, compassionate, and deeply informative, this essential documentary humanizes a stigmatized subject matter, ensuring awareness across our community rather than shame and isolation.
Queer Genius
New York Premiere
Dir. Chet Catherine Pancake, USA, 2019, 114 mins
Cast: Barbara Hammer, Eileen Myles, Black Quantum Futurism, Moor Mother, Jibz Cameron Aka Dynasty Handbag
Effortlessly multigenerational, interdisciplinary, and diverse in scope, Queer Genius peers into the lives of five virtuosos who have challenged artistic formalism, gender roles, and heterosexism without apology in both their private lives and creative practices. Composed of rare and in-depth portraits of late experimental filmmaker Barbara Hammer, the art collective Black Quantum Futurism, East Village poet Eileen Myles, and performance artist Jibz Cameron, this documentary charts the robust family tree of the lesbian and queer avant-garde across six decades. It’s a lineage that shows no sign of growing dormant.
Queering The Script
New York Premiere
Dir. Gabrielle Zilkha, USA/Canada, 2019, 93 mins
Cast: Angelica Ross, Dominique Provost-Chalkley, Gloria Calderon Kellett & Mike Royce, Ilene Chaiken, Lucy Lawless, Tanya Saracho
Fangirls have long been overlooked and disregarded, but Gabrielle Zilkha’s documentary beautifully honors the queer women who have consistently supported some of television’s most popularly coded shows, such as Xena: The Warrior Princess and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Queering The Script looks at queer representation over past decades—charting its course from mild subtext to fully realized queer characters—and its impact on the women who were watching.
Steven Arnold: Heavenly Bodies
New York Premiere
Dir. Vishnu Dass, USA, 2019, 81 mins
Academy Award-winner Anjelica Huston narrates this exploration of the spectacularly dreamlike world of Salvador Dalí protégé Steven Arnold and his strikingly creative body of work. Arnold’s photography, filmography, paintings, and illustrations are filled with occult rituals, Hollywood camp, and surrealist whimsy. Taken from more than 70 hours of original and archival footage,
director Vishnu Dass digs deeply into the inspiring life of this unheralded multimedia artist and countercultural icon.
As Deadline revealed exclusively last week, the festival will feature Mike Doyle’s Manhattan-set ensemble rom-com Sell By as their opening night film. The film stars Scott Evans (Grace and Frankie), Kate Walsh (Grey’s Anatomy), Academy Award-nominee and Emmy Award-winner Patricia Clarkson, Michelle Buteau (Tales of the City) and Augustus Prew (High-Rise). The fest will feature Martha Stephen’s To The Stars as the U.S. Centerpiece Gala and close with Rodrigo Bellott’s award-winning Tu Me Manques.
NewFest will also feature the world premiere of Alexis Clements’ documentary All We’ve Got which looks into what it takes in America for queer, spaces for women to survive and why/how they are disappearing. In addition, Megan Wennberg’s Drag Kids, which follows the lives of four young drag performers from around North America, will make its U.S. premiere and the fest will have a spotlight screening of Martin Krejcí’sThe True Adventures of Wolfboy, a modern-day fairytale starring Jaeden Martell, John Turturro. and Chloë Sevigny.
NewFest will also serve up some scares with thier queer-centric “HalloKween” program with the transgender vampire film Bit with Nicole Maines, the documentary Scream Queen: My Nightmare on Elm Street about the controversial sequel of the Wes Craven classic that ended Mark Patton’s acting career, and the Spanish alien rescue mission film Brief Story From the Green Planet which won the coveted Teddy Award at this year’s Berlinale Film Festival.
The full program of 27 narrative features, 14 documentary features, 15 episodic series, 8 centerpiece and spotlight screenings, and 100 shorts from all over the world. 71% of content is by and about underrepresented voices.
The complete lineup of full-length features can be read below. Read the lineup of shorts here.
Opening Night Gala
Sell By
New York Premiere
Dir. Mike Doyle, USA, 2019, 94 mins
Cast: Scott Evans, Augustus Prew, Kate Walsh, Michelle Buteau, Zoe Chao, Patricia Clarkson, Christopher Gray, Colin Donnell, John Doman
Having been together for five years, Adam and rising social media celeb Marklin are faced with confronting their commitment to each other, while both Cammy and Haley (Zoe Chao) face their own challenges with companionship. Rounding out the lively and talented cast under Doyle’s assured direction is Kate Walsh (Grey’S Anatomy) and Academy Award-nominee Patricia Clarkson (High Art). Imbued with a can-do charm so becoming of our great metropolis, Sell By captures both how we let ourselves go, as well as how we grow closer to those we love.
Closing Night Gala
Tu Me Manques
New York Premiere
Dir. Rodrigo Bellott, USA/Bolivia, 2019, 110 mins
Cast: Oscar Martinez, Rossy de Palma, Fernando Barbosa
After his son Gabriel passes away, conservative Bolivian patriarch Jorge (Oscar Martínez) accidentally Skypes Gabriel’s ex-boyfriend Sebastian (Fernando Barbosa), leading him on a journey from Bolivia to New York City in search for the truth about his child. Based on writer/director Rodrigo Bellott’s own electrifying and influential play, Tu Me Manques is an inspiring story that celebrates community, love, and storytelling, and excavates both familial and international homophobia with tremendous tact and care.
International Centerpiece
And Then We Danced
New York Premiere
Dir. Levan Akin, Sweden/France, 2019, 113 mins
Cast: Levan Gelbakhiani, Bachi Valishvili, Ana Javakishvili
Sweden’s official selection for Best International Feature Film at the 2019 Academy Awards, And Then We Danced offers a riveting and visceral lead performance from newcomer Gelbakhiani, while featuring dynamic cinematography and a cathartic dance sequence that will leave you breathless.
U.S. Centerpiece
To The Stars
New York Premiere
Dir. Martha Stephens, USA, 2019, 111 mins
Cast: Kara Hayward, Liana Liberato, Jordana Spiro, Malin Akerman, Shea Whigham, Tony Hale, Lucas Zumann, Adelaide Clemens
Set in the conservative, bobby-socked setting of a 1960s Oklahoma high school, mysterious cosmopolitan new girl Maggie (Liana Liberato)—a coveted recruit among the popular girls—takes an unexpected shining to Iris, a withdrawn pariah. As the two teens grow closer, we learn the curious circumstances behind Maggie’s sudden arrival in the small Dust Bowl town.
New York Centerpiece
Cubby
New York Premiere
Dir. Mark Blane, USA, 2019, 83 mins
Cast: Mark Blane, Joseph Seuffert, Patricia Richardson, Zachary Booth, Christian Patrick
Written and co-directed by breakout star Mark Blane and shot in crisp 16mm, this quirky dark comedy tells the semi-autobiographical story of an anxious midwestern twenty-something who moves to New York City in hopes of becoming an artist. We follow Mark as he navigates his new life in this overwhelming city and chemically imbalanced flights of fancy, all while fostering a friendship with Milo, a precocious 6-year-old he begins to babysit in brownstone-filled Brooklyn.
Documentary Centerpiece
Drag Kids
Us Premiere
Dir. Megan Wennberg, Canada, 2019, 78 mins
This documentary follows the four young stars as they prepare for the biggest performance of their lives at Montreal Pride, demonstrating the importance of artistic expression, community-building, and non-judgmental support for people of all ages. A surprisingly moving film about gender, art, and affirming parenting, Drag Kids will have you cheering through tears by its end. This oft misunderstood segment of the drag community deserves more accurate representation in media, and Megan Wennberg’s film is only the beginning.
Narrative Features
15 Years
New York Premiere
Dir. Yuval Hadadi, Israel, 2019, 89 mins Cast: Oded Leopold, Udi Persi, Ruth Asarsai
When his best friend becomes pregnant and his longtime boyfriend starts talking about adopting, the often-unfazed Yoav begins to unravel. Small arguments fester to extreme degrees in Yuval Hadadi’s stunning portrait of a relationship in crisis. Shot against the backdrop of contemporary Tel Aviv, Hadadi explores ingrained pressures on the Israeli Lgbt community in his confident feature directorial debut.
A Dog Barking At The Moon
New York Premiere
Dir. Lisa Zi Xiang, China/Spain, 2019, 107 mins
Cast: Naren Hua, Nan Ji, Wu Reyuan, Thomas Fiquet
While visiting her broken family with her American husband, pregnant writer Huang Xiaoyu finds herself trapped between her cult-brainwashed mother and her secretly homosexual father. An epic Chinese family saga that unfolds over–and weaves together–multiple periods of time, Lisa Zi Xiang’s directorial debut is a masterful tale of secrets, infidelity, and the enormous weight of societal norms.
Benjamin
New York Premiere
Dir. Simon Amstell, UK, 2019, 85 mins
Cast: Gabe Gilmour, Jack Rowan, Colin Morgan, Anna Chancellor, Robin Peters, Arnab Chanda, Jessica Raine, James Bloor, Joel Fry, PhéniYES Brossard, Jessie Cave
Benjamin is an anxious, awkward filmmaker who feels stuck ahead of the premiere of his second feature. His lack of confidence in the film is eating him away, and, though love fuels his writing material, he’s overwhelmed by his self-proclaimed inability to love. When a beautiful young French musician named Noah comes into Benjamin’s life, he begins to let go of his past love traumas and see the light. It’s not long, however, before Benjamin’s insecurities come knocking and threaten to throw his life and relationship into disarray.
Billie & Emma
New York Premiere
Dir. Samantha Lee, Philippines, 2019,107 mins
Cast: Gabby Padilla, Zar Donato, Beauty Gonzales, Chelo Aquino
In the Philippines during the 1990s, out teenager and rock music-lover Billie is sent from Manilla to live with her aunt in a rural village. Sticking out like a sore thumb in her strict Catholic high school, Billie develops an intimate bond with Emma, an ambitious classmate who is hiding the fact that she’s pregnant from their peers. Together, Billie and Emma stand up against oppressive school officials and gossipy classmates, and discover there is so much more to live for aside from religious doctrine.
Holy Trinity
New York Premiere
Dir. Molly Hewitt, USA, 2019, 97 mins
Cast: Molly Hewitt, Theo Germain, Heather Lynn, Imp Queen
Holy Trinity is an absolute acid trip of kinky, drug-induced, gender-fluid adventures through an alternative universe’s Chicago. We follow Trinity, a queer dominatrix, who, after huffing a new brand of magic aerosol, can see dead people.
Last Ferry
New York Premiere
Dir. Jaki Bradley, USA, 2019, 86 mins
Cast: Ramon O. Torres, Myles Clohessy, Sheldon Best
When lonely lawyer Joseph ventures out to The Pines for the first time, he is drugged and mugged, and witnesses a murder on the beach. After he is found and taken in by a group of friends he quickly acclimates, but then begins to wonder, who can he trust? This taut thriller offers a delightfully gay spin on the classic thriller formula and features excellent cinematography from Alexa Wolf, who manages to capture the beauty and brightness of beaches and mimosa-drenched brunches, as well as the darkness that always seems to be lurking underneath this story’s surface.
Monsters
East Coast Premiere
Dir. Marius Olteanu, Romania, 2019, 116 mins Cast: Judith State, Cristian Popa
Presenting a clear snapshot of a contemporary Romanian couple through three distinct chapters, Marius Olteanu’s formal portrait of a marriage in quiet disarray is immersive in its naturalism and sneaky in its sense of humor. Subtly exploring the varied routes through which humans seek connection, whether through an extended all-night conversation with a cab driver or a secretive Grindr hookup, Monsters. is an observational film that refuses to judge its characters no matter how desperate they appear to be at times.
Music For Bleeding Hearts
World Premiere
Dir. Rafael Gomes, Brazil, 2019, 102 mins
Cast: Victor Mendes, Mayara Constantino, Caio Horowicz, Icaro Silva, Denise Fraga
In present day São Paulo, a trio of young hearts are about to break. Ricardo has both a steady boyfriend and a wandering eye for a new coworker. Isabella is taking a break from both her boyfriend and best friend Ricardo. And hopeless romantic Felipe has suddenly found himself caught between the two of them. These three have big dreams, yearning passion, and opinionated acquaintances, but they’re all unprepared for what’s to come from Cupid’s arrows.
Nevrland
New York Premiere
Dir. Gregor Schmidinger, Austria, 2019, Tbc mins Cast: Simon Frühwirth, Paul Forman, Josef Hader
Seeking escape from his drab life at home and at work in a slaughterhouse, Jakob retreats into online worlds in search of excitement. After making a connection with tight-torsoed Kristjan in a cam chatroom, Jakob ventures out to meet up in person, leading to a mind-bending journey to the center of the self that will irreparably alter both of their lives.
Second Star On The Right
New York Premiere
Dir. Ruth Caudeli, Colombia, 2019, 82 mins
Cast: Silvia Varón, Ximena Rodríguez, Alejandra Lara, Tatiana Rentería, Diana Wiswell, Andrés Jiménez, Lorena Castellanos, Justin Vahala, Gina Medina
In the blink of an eye, gregarious bisexual Emilia (Silvia Varón) has gone from being a core member of a tight-knit group of women to its biggest burden. As her thirties close in on her, Emilia flits from day job to passion project to romantic interest without wholly committing to any. As the group’s focus shifts from friendship to careers, partners, and kids, Emilia becomes yet another load its members must shoulder.
Seventeen
New York Premiere
Dir. Monja Art, Austria, 2019, 104 mins
Cast: Elisabeth Wabitsch, Magdalena Wabitsch
As summer looms in bucolic Austria, seventeen year-old Paula studies and silently pines for her boarding school classmate and close friend, Charlotte, who is biding time with an unremarkable boyfriend and exercising restraint in her shared feelings for Paula. Rather than dwelling, Paula attempts to date Tim, an eccentric but earnest classmate, in turn striking an imperfect balance between erotic connection and attraction that ultimately proves satisfying.
Siberia & Him
World Premiere
Dir. Viatcheslav Kopturevskiy, USA/Russia, 2019, 72 mins
Cast: Ilya Shubochkin, Anastasiya Voskresenskaya, Irina Novokreshennyh, Aleksandr Savin, Viatcheslav Kopturevskiy
Meek farmhand Sasha and policeman Dima have a fraught relationship. They’re brothers-in-law, travel companions, and—secretly—lovers. Over the course of their journey to visit Sasha’s grandmother, unspoken truths are uttered, intimacy is built, and authenticity is challenged. Although they may be far from the peering eyes of their oppressive society, their relationship teeters on a dangerous precipice.
Straight Up
New York Premiere
Dir. James Sweeney, USA, 2019, 95 mins
Cast: Katie Findlay, James Sweeney, Randall Park
Writer/director/producer James Sweeney stars in this witty comedy as Todd, an obsessive-compulsive and Gilmore Girls-loving twentysomething plagued by intense anxieties. Todd has never been comfortable with his queerness, or with most aspects of his life, and consistently struggles with insecurity. That is until he thinks he’s met his soulmate. The only problem? She’s a woman.
Tremblores (Tremors)
New York Premiere
Dir. Jayro Bustamante, Guatemala/France/Luxembourg, 2019, 107 mins Cast: Juan Pablo Olyslager, Mauricio Armas, Diane Bathen
In Guatemala, earthquakes (or tremors) can be a very common occurrence. Temblores explores what happens to an affluent religious family as a rumbling rift symbolically tears them apart after patriarch Pablo (a revelatory Juan Pablo Olyslager) reveals that he’s been sustaining a loving relationship with another man. What follows is a tale of passionate romance, immense inner conflict and devastating tragedy. Separated from his wife, his children and his life of Evangelical tradition, Pablo initially finds a sense of freedom. But how long can he sustain this new and exciting life when he’s fired from his job and his religious creed begins to take over again?
The Shiny Shrimps
New York Premiere
Dir. MaYESime Govare and Cédric Le Gallo, France, 2019, 103 mins Cast: Nicolas Gob, Alban Lenoir, Michaël Abiteboul, Geoffrey Couët
After an Olympic swimmer near the end of his career makes a homophobic comment on TV, he’s barred from any further events unless he agrees to coach the Shiny Shrimps, a flambouyant gay water-polo team. They might have the worst record in the amateur league, but they’re dead-set on qualifying for the most prestigious and challenging Lgbtq sporting event in Europe, the Gay Games.
Top 3 (And Other Animated Tales)
New York Premiere
Dir. Sofie Edvardsson, Sweden, 2019, 44 mins
Cast: Eric Ernerstedt, Jonas Jonsson, Caroline Johansson Kuhmunen
In this inventive and bittersweet animated rom-com, perpetual list-maker Anton falls in love with David and the two share a globetrotting young romance. But things start to go awry when Anton realizes that his dreams could be in direct opposition to his crush’s. Sofie Edvardsson’s charming and moving tale of miscommunication, idealization, and star-crossed love premiered at Frameline and won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at Outfest.
Zen In The Ice Rift
New York Premiere
Dir. Margherita Ferri, Italy, 2019, 90 mins
Cast: Eric Ernerstedt, Jonas Jonsson, Caroline Johansson Kuhmunen
Maia “Zen” Zenassi is a quick-tempered, nonconforming sixteen year-old living in a provincial Italian mountain village. A standout on the local boys hockey team, Zen uses the sport as a vital outlet for rage, an escape from emotional vulnerability, and a stage for gender performance. While being scouted for the national women’s team, Zen develops an improbable friendship with a male teammate’s reluctant girlfriend, causing an icy demeanor to melt away as Zen finally shares a closely-guarded desire to be a boy. Here, an open heart comes with mixed results.
Documentary Features
A Night At Switch ‘N’ Play
New York Premiere
Dir. Cody Stickels, USA, 2019, 72 mins
You are cordially invited to a night at Switch n’ Play! Meet the daring and dazzling Queer artists behind one of Brooklyn’s most popular and groundbreaking performance groups. Come along for the ride as they display their own unique blend Burlesque and drag, and navigate how gender identity, body image, and familial issues affect their performance personas and personal lives.
All We’Ve Got
World Premiere
Dir. Alexis Clements, USA, 2019, 67 mins
Since 2010, over 100 queer women’s spaces—from dive bars to bookstores and dance halls to health centers—have shuttered across the United States. As concern grows over this death and dearth of these essential social hubs, this documentary takes inventory of those that continue to thrive across the country, inciting a powerful conversation about the importance of community. Whether at Alibi’s Club in Oklahoma City or Wow Café Theatre in our own New York City, queer women are tirelessly making room for one another on barstools, stages, and activism’s front lines.
Burn Down The House (Screening with Fabulous)
Dir. Giselle Bailey and Nneka Onuorah, France, 2019, 44 mins
Giselle Bailey & Nneka Onuorah’s immersive documentary follows Kiddy Smile and several Parisian dancers as they prepare to perform in his next concert (and also features Fabulous’ Lasseindra Ninja). After DJing for Emmanuel Macron in a T-shirt that read “Fils d’immigrés, noir et pédé”, Smile was the subject of extraordinary praise and backlash. But he and his friends won’t let that faze them. As they discuss contemporary racism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, and the art that binds them, these rising stars make it clear that they won’t stop until everyone knows Paris is still burning.
Fabulous (Screening with Burn Down The House)
Dir. Audrey Jean-Baptiste, France, 2019, 46 mins
Audrey Jean-Baptiste’s triumphant Fabulous follows Lasseindra Ninja, a notable fixture of the ballroom scene in Paris, who travels from France to French Guiana in order to teach the art of voguing to Lgbtq young adults in her home country. A powerful and personal look at one woman’s return home, Fabulous gives the gift of empowerment and community to the next generation of queer dancers.
Jonathan Agassi Saved My Life
Dir. Tomer Heymann, Israel/Germany, 2019, 106 mins
Jonathan Agassi, one of the world’s most successful gay porn stars, splits his time between Israel, where both his parents live, and Berlin. The recipient of multiple international porn awards, Agassi built his fame on something considered taboo but enjoyed by millions worldwide. But as Agassi’s success starts to wane, he responds in increasingly self-destructive ways.
Leonard Soloway’S Broadway
New York Premiere
Dir. Jeff Wolk, USA, 2019, 84 mins
Leonard Soloway is a Broadway legend, and he’s got the Tony Awards, Pulitzer Prizes, and unforgettable stories to prove it. Narrated by Campbell Scott, this documentary follows the octogenarian producer as he works tirelessly to bring Maurice Hines’ musical memoir Tappin Thru Life to New York City. Interwoven with footage from Soloway’s more than 70 years in show business, the film features hilarious anecdotes about Lauren Bacall, Marlene Dietrich, and Elaine Stritch, alongside candid interviews with friends and colleagues including John Slattery, Olympia Dukakis, Elizabeth Ashley, and Tovah Feldshuh. Leonard Soloway’S Broadway vividly paints the portrait of a great man of the theater, and pulls back the curtain on what it takes to get a show to the Great White Way.
Markie In Milwaukee
New York Premiere
Dir. Matt Kliegman, USA, 2019, 88 mins
Markie Wenzel, a transgender Tsa agent and former minister, struggles with being ostracized within her conservative community as she debates whether to de-transition. On the eve of her confirmation surgery, Markie professes that she heard the voice of God who convinced her not to go forward with it. In the aftermath of this decision, Markie reintegrates into her family and fundamentalist church, while reconciling the mutability of gender and the explicit and implicit transphobia of those she loves. Shot over ten years, director Matt Kliegman provides space for Markie to tell her own story while beautifully stitching together an endearing and often challenging portrait of gender fluidity, transphobia, and self-acceptance in the American Midwest.
Mr. Leather
New York Premiere
Dir. Daniel Nolasco, USA, 2019, 85 mins
Brazil’s leather community gets up close and personal in Daniel Nolasco’s playful documentary about the titular competition. Nolasco follows judges, past winners, and current contenders for the title of Mr. Leather Brazil, as they prepare for the annual contest, where one participant will win the honor of representing their country at Chicago’s annual International Mr. Leather contest. Combining vérité footage with stylized sequences, Mr. Leather keeps its audience on their toes through its illuminating, playful, and uncompromising depiction of this kinky subculture. Sex, activism, and community-building collide to make Mr. Leather a one-of-a-kind glimpse into São Paulo’s fetish scene.
One Taxi Ride
New York Premiere
Dir. Mak Ck, Mexico/Sinagpore, 2019, 84 mins
When Erick was seventeen-years-old, his life changed forever. Ten years after a traumatic taxi ride, he’s ready to reclaim his future and set out on a journey that will not only shift his path, but that of those closest to him. One Taxi Ride is a thoughtful and delicate look at how sexual violence impacts survivors, their relationships, and their futures. C.K. Mak’s documentary doesn’t turn Erick’s trauma into a source of spectacle, but, rather, a means of healing and honest introspection.
Our Dance Of Revolution
New York Premiere
Dir. Phillip Pike, Canada, 2019, 102 mins
Our Dance Of Revolution is an enriching documentary that celebrates the unsung heroes of Toronto’s black Lgbtq community. Tracing four decades of necessary rebellion while highlighting the crucial role of black women and black queer spaces, director Phillip Pike gives voice to the trailblazers who fought on the frontlines against violence and police brutality via fascinating archival footage and first person interviews.
Queen Of Lapa
New York Premiere
Dir. Theodore Collatos and Carolina Monnerat, Brazil, 2019, 73 mins
Against the backdrop of political corruption and flagrant transphobia in Brazil, the late, great Luana Muniz—cabaret performer, activist, and sex worker since age eleven—minced no words about the challenges in calling Lapa, Rio de Janeiro home. In her hostel, she provided a rare safe haven and a heavy dose of tough love for the next generation of trans sex workers.
Queer Japan
New York Premiere
Dir. Graham Kolbeins, USA/Japan, 2019, 100 mins
While queer and trans subject-matter remains somewhat taboo in parts of Japan, Graham Kolbeins assembled an extraordinary group of artists, activists, and community-leaders who are fighting to shift societal and political perspectives on the Lgbtq+ community. Featuring the country’s first transgender elected-official Aya Kamikawa, erotic manga illustrator Gengoroh Tagame, lesbian bar-owner Chiga Ogawa, and many more, Kolbeins’ film demonstrates the wide range of experiences, identities, and obstacles among Japan’s queer and trans pioneers.
The Archivettes
New York Premiere
Dir. Megan Rossman, USA/Australia, 2019, 61 mins
Led by local heroes Deb Edel and Joan Nestle in the 1970s, a group of young lesbians frustrated by misogyny and homophobia within academia huddled together and built an accessible archive of lesbian documents and artifacts for those conducting research, both professional and personal. The location: a bedroom in a modest apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
Unsettled: Seeking Refuge In America
New York Premiere
Dir. Tom Shepard, USA, 2019, 84 mins
Tom Shepard’s new documentary follows four asylum-seekers from Syria, Angola, and The Democratic Republic of Congo as they try to start fresh in the United States. Subhi, Junior, Mari, and Cheynne have come a long way from home, but their journies are just beginning. Even before Donald Trump’s election, the asylum process has been notoriously labyrinthine for many refugees. Nonetheless, these four extraordinary individuals have persisted tenaciously.
Your Turn
New York Premiere
Dir. Eliza Capai, Brazil, 2019, 93 mins
Lucas “Koka” Penteado, Marcela Jesus, and Nayara Souza were three ordinary high school students whose lives suddenly changed when the state of São Paulo announced plans to close ninety-four public schools. In response to corruption and inefficiency in their government, these teens started to organize. Beginning with protests in which local students occupied their schools for weeks on end, the student labor movement reached extraordinary heights in 2015 and 2016, bringing awareness to numerous injustices in Brazil and remedying widespread problems for the country’s poorest residents. That was until 2018, when Jair Bolsonaro was elected with 55% of the popular vote. As the tides shift against activists and social justice movements, Koka, Marcela, and Nayara are faced with a jarring reality.
Episodic
A Luv Tale: The Series
New York Premiere
Dir. Kay Oyegun, USA, 2019, 75 mins
Cast: Vanessa Williams, Leon, Rotim, Sheria Irving, Amber Whittington
Based on the 1999 award-winning film, writer and creator Sidra Smith brings us back to Harlem: a section of New York City vibrant with brilliant, Black artists in A Luv Tale: The Series. When we meet Taylor, she has a magical one stand with an older woman named Candice. The next night at Taylor’s gallery opening, she meets Candice again. Only this time, Candice is with her husband. (This is when things start to really get crazy.) Taylor then discovers that Candice is not only married to a man, but that she’s also Taylor’s best friend Jake’s Mother. At the same time, Taylor’s roommate Akila navigates her own love life, and her work as a musician, all while still having to defend herself and her sexuality against her Mother who is a famous singer.
These Thems: Season 1 (Episodes 1-7)
New York Premiere
Dir. Jett Garrison, USA, 2019, 82 mins
Cast: Gretchen Wylder, Victoria Ortiz, Shaan Dasani, Nick Park
After realizing she may be a lesbian, Gretchen (Gretchen Wylder) befriends non-binary dog-walker Vero (Victoria Ortiz), who decides to stop training dogs and start training cishets. Vero takes Gretchen under their wing and introduces her to the queer world of New York City as she navigates what it’s like to be newly out at the age of 30.
Work In Progress: Episode 101 & Season Sneak Preview
Dir. Tim Mason, USA, 2019
Cast: Abby McEnany, Karin Anglin, Celeste Pechous, Julia Sweeney
Work In Progress, a new half-hour comedy series created by Chicago improv mainstays Abby McEnany and Tim Mason, and co-written by Lilly Wachowski is a funny and uniquely human comedy, Work In Progress features McEnany as a 45-year-old self-identified fat, queer dyke from Chicago whose misfortune and despair unexpectedly lead her to a vibrantly transformative relationship. Chicago-based performer Karin Anglin co-stars alongside Celeste Pechous, with Julia Sweeney (Saturday Night Live) appearing in a crucial role as herself and serving as executive producer. Theo Germaine (The Politician) will also appear as a guest star.
Hallokween
HalloKween Centerpiece
Scream Queen: My Nightmare On Elm Street
New York Premiere
Dir. Roman Chimienti and Tyler Jensen, USA, 2019, 100 mins Cast: Mark Patton, Robert Englund, Kim Myers, Robert Rusler
Following a successful stint on Broadway alongside stars such as Cher, Karen Black, and Sandy Dennis, closeted actor Mark Patton launched his film career with a prominent role in A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy’S Revenge in 1985. What initially seemed like the opportunity of a lifetime soon became a horror story worthy of its own midnight movie. Appreciated fondly by razor-gloved connoisseurs the world over, Freddy’S Revenge’s intricately crafted gay subtext decimated its lead’s job prospects in a single swipe. In Scream Queen! My Nightmare On Elm Street, Patton finally strikes back.
Bit
New York Premiere
Dir. Brad Michael Elmore, USA, 2019, 90 mins
Cast: Diana Hopper, Nicole Maines, James Paxton, Jimmy Jagger, Julia Voth, Mc Gainey
Think Los Angeles is soulless? Try surviving the city’s underground feminist vampire scene. In this comedic-horror flick with a flair for the postmodern, Laurel (Supergirl’s Nicole Maines) leaves the suburbs hoping to catch a breather and a couple of good rock shows while crashing with her with her brother Mark (James Paxton) in the City of Angels. Instead, she quickly finds herself swept up in a faction of vampires with hazy motives. Led by a centuries-old, discerning sanguine by the name of Duke (Diana Hopper), entry into this clique might be more than Laurel bargained for. As the age-old queer girl adage goes, she must find out whether they want to befriend her, date her, or turn her—before it’s too late.
Brief Story From The Green Planet
New York Premiere
Dir. SantIago Loza, Argentina/Germany/Brazil/Spain, 2019, 75 mins
Cast: Romina Escobar, Paula Grinszpan, Luis Soda, Elvira Onetto, Pablo Cura, Anabella Bacigalupo, Leo Kildare Louback
In the eerie early moments of this mesmerizing Teddy Award winner, Tania–a transgender club performer–finds out that her grandmother has died. When she brings her two friends (the depressed Daniela and the dancey Pedro) to visit her late relative’s home, they discover that Tania’s grandmother spent her last years with a very special pal of her own: a small blue alien. Now Tania, Daniela, and Pedro must journey through rural Argentina to bring the alien back home before time runs out for the creature.
Special Events
Crystal City
New York Premiere
Dir. Terrence Crawford, USA, 2019, 89 mins Cast: David Fawcett, PhD
Filmmaker Terrence Crawford delivers a respectful and intimate look into the lives of gay men dealing with the re-emerging crisis of crystal meth addiction in New York City. Crawford expertly traces the history of the drug while making connections to the HIV/AIDS epidemic and mental health in the Lgbtq community. Through first hand experiences we learn about how these men became addicts and about their road to recovery via essential and life changing queer support groups. Simultaneously revealing, compassionate, and deeply informative, this essential documentary humanizes a stigmatized subject matter, ensuring awareness across our community rather than shame and isolation.
Queer Genius
New York Premiere
Dir. Chet Catherine Pancake, USA, 2019, 114 mins
Cast: Barbara Hammer, Eileen Myles, Black Quantum Futurism, Moor Mother, Jibz Cameron Aka Dynasty Handbag
Effortlessly multigenerational, interdisciplinary, and diverse in scope, Queer Genius peers into the lives of five virtuosos who have challenged artistic formalism, gender roles, and heterosexism without apology in both their private lives and creative practices. Composed of rare and in-depth portraits of late experimental filmmaker Barbara Hammer, the art collective Black Quantum Futurism, East Village poet Eileen Myles, and performance artist Jibz Cameron, this documentary charts the robust family tree of the lesbian and queer avant-garde across six decades. It’s a lineage that shows no sign of growing dormant.
Queering The Script
New York Premiere
Dir. Gabrielle Zilkha, USA/Canada, 2019, 93 mins
Cast: Angelica Ross, Dominique Provost-Chalkley, Gloria Calderon Kellett & Mike Royce, Ilene Chaiken, Lucy Lawless, Tanya Saracho
Fangirls have long been overlooked and disregarded, but Gabrielle Zilkha’s documentary beautifully honors the queer women who have consistently supported some of television’s most popularly coded shows, such as Xena: The Warrior Princess and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Queering The Script looks at queer representation over past decades—charting its course from mild subtext to fully realized queer characters—and its impact on the women who were watching.
Steven Arnold: Heavenly Bodies
New York Premiere
Dir. Vishnu Dass, USA, 2019, 81 mins
Academy Award-winner Anjelica Huston narrates this exploration of the spectacularly dreamlike world of Salvador Dalí protégé Steven Arnold and his strikingly creative body of work. Arnold’s photography, filmography, paintings, and illustrations are filled with occult rituals, Hollywood camp, and surrealist whimsy. Taken from more than 70 hours of original and archival footage,
director Vishnu Dass digs deeply into the inspiring life of this unheralded multimedia artist and countercultural icon.
- 9/19/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Patricia Clarkson’s portrayals of complicated women “who aren’t 25” in indie films, pay-tv and streaming series, and on stage have offered her a rewarding second act to a career in which she once felt trapped in suburban mom roles.
Speaking to Variety’s chief film critic Peter Debruge as part of the magazine’s Critics Corner video interview series at the Karlovy Vary film fest, the actress said she was amazed to see Czech crowds thronging to her master class. “I thought there would be four people here,” Clarkson confessed.
The actress, at the fest to receive a Crystal Globe for artistic contribution to world cinema, said she feels the confidence to pick and choose her roles and even to take a break once in while, after decades of steady work – not all of it artistically rewarding.
The change from type casting (“I’ve played a lot of conventional...
Speaking to Variety’s chief film critic Peter Debruge as part of the magazine’s Critics Corner video interview series at the Karlovy Vary film fest, the actress said she was amazed to see Czech crowds thronging to her master class. “I thought there would be four people here,” Clarkson confessed.
The actress, at the fest to receive a Crystal Globe for artistic contribution to world cinema, said she feels the confidence to pick and choose her roles and even to take a break once in while, after decades of steady work – not all of it artistically rewarding.
The change from type casting (“I’ve played a lot of conventional...
- 7/6/2019
- by Will Tizard
- Variety Film + TV
Joseph Baxter Oct 2, 2019
Fresh off Game of Thrones, Lena Headey is set to star in Rita, a subversive Showtime comedy pilot.
Lena Headey’s eight years in the role of the imperious, calculatingly cruel, shallow-end-of-the-gene-pool-fishing Cersei Lannister may seem to distance the actress from the concept of comedy, but that, indeed, is what the former Game of Thrones star has just procured, with a new TV pilot, with Showtime, called Rita.
Back in June, Showtime announced its pilot order for Rita, an adaptation of the 2012-2017 Danish series of the same name, in which Lena Headey will star as its title character, who’s described as “a headstrong, unconventional teacher and single mother who takes on every kind of authority – as well as her family – in a messy and unfiltered way.” Danish actress Mille Dinesen played the role in the original series.
In the latest news on Rita, Lisa Cholodenko...
Fresh off Game of Thrones, Lena Headey is set to star in Rita, a subversive Showtime comedy pilot.
Lena Headey’s eight years in the role of the imperious, calculatingly cruel, shallow-end-of-the-gene-pool-fishing Cersei Lannister may seem to distance the actress from the concept of comedy, but that, indeed, is what the former Game of Thrones star has just procured, with a new TV pilot, with Showtime, called Rita.
Back in June, Showtime announced its pilot order for Rita, an adaptation of the 2012-2017 Danish series of the same name, in which Lena Headey will star as its title character, who’s described as “a headstrong, unconventional teacher and single mother who takes on every kind of authority – as well as her family – in a messy and unfiltered way.” Danish actress Mille Dinesen played the role in the original series.
In the latest news on Rita, Lisa Cholodenko...
- 6/27/2019
- Den of Geek
The Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival Honorees
Julianne Moore, Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema
An actress, author and activist, Moore has long earned accolades on her diverse career path.
The North Carolina native won a Daytime Emmy with her first major TV role on the soap opera “As the World Turns,” and a Golden Globe for one of her first big-screen performances, as part of an ensemble cast in Robert Altman’s “Short Cuts” (1993).
Her wide-ranging work has paired her with the likes of Paul Thomas Anderson, Alfonso Cuaron and the Coen brothers. She’s also had roles in the blockbuster “Jurassic Park” and “Hunger Games” franchises.
A five-time Academy Award nominee, she won her first Oscar for “Still Alice” (2014). Moore recently signed on to star in and executive produce the Apple series “Lisey’s Story,” from Stephen King and J.J. Abrams.
In Karlovy Vary, she and her husband,...
Julianne Moore, Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema
An actress, author and activist, Moore has long earned accolades on her diverse career path.
The North Carolina native won a Daytime Emmy with her first major TV role on the soap opera “As the World Turns,” and a Golden Globe for one of her first big-screen performances, as part of an ensemble cast in Robert Altman’s “Short Cuts” (1993).
Her wide-ranging work has paired her with the likes of Paul Thomas Anderson, Alfonso Cuaron and the Coen brothers. She’s also had roles in the blockbuster “Jurassic Park” and “Hunger Games” franchises.
A five-time Academy Award nominee, she won her first Oscar for “Still Alice” (2014). Moore recently signed on to star in and executive produce the Apple series “Lisey’s Story,” from Stephen King and J.J. Abrams.
In Karlovy Vary, she and her husband,...
- 6/25/2019
- by Variety Staff
- Variety Film + TV
Though it takes place in 2006, Rhys Ernst‘s directorial debut feels like a throwback in more than just its setting. “Adam” is premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, and it’s reminiscent of the Lgbtq+ indie movies that were hallmarks of the fest in the ’90s and ’00s, like “High Art,” “But I’m a Cheerleader” and “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.” What feels like a breakthrough here is that we have a transgender director casting trans actors to tell their stories, which still feels embarrassingly revolutionary in a decade that has produced “The Danish Girl,” “Dallas Buyers Club” and last year’s controversial “Girl.” This gentle comedy likely won’t achieve that level of chatter, but there’s value in its earnest and authentic take on the coming-of-age film.
Continue reading ‘Adam’: A Case Of Mistaken Sexual Identity Makes For A Charming, Timely Rom-Com [Sundance Review] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Adam’: A Case Of Mistaken Sexual Identity Makes For A Charming, Timely Rom-Com [Sundance Review] at The Playlist.
- 1/26/2019
- by Kimber Myers
- The Playlist
From the Academy Awards to the young adult TV networks, the last five years have seen an explosion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender stories across all manner of film and television projects. It’s an embarrassment of riches completely unimaginable 30 years ago, when NewFest: New York’s Lgbt Film Festival was founded in 1988 by two friends energized by The Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1987 and the specter of the AIDS crisis.
Thirty years later, the festival boasts sponsors from HBO to Stoli to Twitter, and has plastered Times Square with billboards advertising genres such as bisexual glam-rock opera, trans-Filipino fairytale, and queer Muslim thriller. The 30th annual festival includes programming such as Trans and Non-Binary Shorts, the New York premiere of banned Kenyan lesbian film “Rafiki,” and a 20th anniversary screening of “High Art,” with filmmaker Lisa Cholodenko and Patricia Clarkson in attendance.
Thirty years later, the festival boasts sponsors from HBO to Stoli to Twitter, and has plastered Times Square with billboards advertising genres such as bisexual glam-rock opera, trans-Filipino fairytale, and queer Muslim thriller. The 30th annual festival includes programming such as Trans and Non-Binary Shorts, the New York premiere of banned Kenyan lesbian film “Rafiki,” and a 20th anniversary screening of “High Art,” with filmmaker Lisa Cholodenko and Patricia Clarkson in attendance.
- 10/27/2018
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
In today’s film news roundup, “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” adds to its cast, Afm announces its programming, “Bullitt County” gets a release, and “1985” will open NewFest.
Castings
CBS Films and eOne have hired Lorraine Toussaint, Dean Norris, and Gil Bellows for the “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” movie.
The film is being directed by André Øvredal from a script by Kevin Hageman, Dan Hageman, Guillermo del Toro, Patrick Melton, and Marcus Dunstan from the bestselling trilogy of books by Alvin Schwartz. Del Toro is producing with Sean Daniel and Jason Brown of Hivemind along with J. Miles Dale and Elizabeth Grave.
The movie follows a group of teens who must solve the mystery surrounding a wave of spectacularly horrific deaths in their small town. Previously announced cast members include Zoe Colletti, Michael Garza, Austin Abrams, Gabriel Rush, Austin Zajur, and Natalie Ganzhorn.
CBS Films...
Castings
CBS Films and eOne have hired Lorraine Toussaint, Dean Norris, and Gil Bellows for the “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” movie.
The film is being directed by André Øvredal from a script by Kevin Hageman, Dan Hageman, Guillermo del Toro, Patrick Melton, and Marcus Dunstan from the bestselling trilogy of books by Alvin Schwartz. Del Toro is producing with Sean Daniel and Jason Brown of Hivemind along with J. Miles Dale and Elizabeth Grave.
The movie follows a group of teens who must solve the mystery surrounding a wave of spectacularly horrific deaths in their small town. Previously announced cast members include Zoe Colletti, Michael Garza, Austin Abrams, Gabriel Rush, Austin Zajur, and Natalie Ganzhorn.
CBS Films...
- 9/13/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Balletic, stylized and rather aloof, MGM’s biggest musical for 1954 still has what musical lovers crave — good dancing, beautiful melodies and unabashed romantic sentiments. Savant has a bad tendency to fixate on the inconsistencies of its fantasy concept — in which God places an ideal Scottish village outside the limits of Time itself.
Brigadoon
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1954 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 108 min. / Street Date September 26, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Gene Kelly, Van Johnson, Cyd Charisse, Elaine Stewart, Barry Jones, Albert Sharpe, Virginia Bosler, Jimmy Thompson.
Cinematography: Joseph Ruttenberg
Art Direction: Preston Ames, Cedric Gibbons
Film Editor: Albert Akst
Original Music: Frederick Loewe
Screenplay, book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Produced by Arthur Freed
Directed by Vincente Minnelli
MGM underwent some severe cutbacks in 1953; most of its contract players were dropped including the majority of its proud roster of stars. The studio would have to survive in a new kind of Hollywood,...
Brigadoon
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1954 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 108 min. / Street Date September 26, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Gene Kelly, Van Johnson, Cyd Charisse, Elaine Stewart, Barry Jones, Albert Sharpe, Virginia Bosler, Jimmy Thompson.
Cinematography: Joseph Ruttenberg
Art Direction: Preston Ames, Cedric Gibbons
Film Editor: Albert Akst
Original Music: Frederick Loewe
Screenplay, book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Produced by Arthur Freed
Directed by Vincente Minnelli
MGM underwent some severe cutbacks in 1953; most of its contract players were dropped including the majority of its proud roster of stars. The studio would have to survive in a new kind of Hollywood,...
- 9/23/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Welcome to the final film of the aesthetically precise, rigorously austere Robert Bresson, an adaptation of a fateful tale by Leo Tolstoy visualized in Bresson’s frequently maddening personal style. An extreme artist makes a fascinatingly unyielding show: as with the classic paintings that Bresson admires, appreciation requires special knowledge.
L’argent
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 886
1983 / Color / 1:85 anamorphic 16:9 / 85 min. / Money / Street Date July 11, 2017 / 39.95
Starring: Christian Patey, Vincent Risterucci, Caroline Lang, Sylvie Van den Elsen, Báatrice Tabourin, Didier Baussy.
Cinematography: Pasqualino De Santis, Emmanuel Machuel
Production Designer: Pierre Guffroy
Film Editor: Jean-Francois Naudon
Written by Robert Bresson from a short story by Leo Tolstoy
Produced by Antoine Gannagé, Jean-Marc Henchoz, Daniel Toscan du Plantier
Written and Directed by Robert Bresson
Some movies need disclaimers, and many of the pictures of Robert Bresson could use a caption reading, ‘not for beginners.’ Bresson’s filmography includes the spiritually mysterious Diary of a Country Priest...
L’argent
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 886
1983 / Color / 1:85 anamorphic 16:9 / 85 min. / Money / Street Date July 11, 2017 / 39.95
Starring: Christian Patey, Vincent Risterucci, Caroline Lang, Sylvie Van den Elsen, Báatrice Tabourin, Didier Baussy.
Cinematography: Pasqualino De Santis, Emmanuel Machuel
Production Designer: Pierre Guffroy
Film Editor: Jean-Francois Naudon
Written by Robert Bresson from a short story by Leo Tolstoy
Produced by Antoine Gannagé, Jean-Marc Henchoz, Daniel Toscan du Plantier
Written and Directed by Robert Bresson
Some movies need disclaimers, and many of the pictures of Robert Bresson could use a caption reading, ‘not for beginners.’ Bresson’s filmography includes the spiritually mysterious Diary of a Country Priest...
- 7/1/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Here’s how studios say they see it: Sure, we really want to hire women directors. But there’s almost no studio movie that isn’t big budget, and we can’t find women who have the experience necessary to handle the really big movies. (Never mind Colin Trevorrow. Or Marc Webb. Or Gareth Edwards. Or Jon Watts.)
Of course, that logic is a vicious cycle at best, but here’s a chance to break it. Director Reed Morano’s dazzling execution of the first three episodes of Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” suggests another excellent source for future women directors: top cinematographers.
Read More: 7 Female Genre Filmmakers You Should Get to Know Right Now
Women cinematographers work harder, longer, and have to be gifted and tough in order to keep landing jobs. As a cinematographer, make one mistake and you’re through. Any working cinematographer has more than...
Of course, that logic is a vicious cycle at best, but here’s a chance to break it. Director Reed Morano’s dazzling execution of the first three episodes of Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” suggests another excellent source for future women directors: top cinematographers.
Read More: 7 Female Genre Filmmakers You Should Get to Know Right Now
Women cinematographers work harder, longer, and have to be gifted and tough in order to keep landing jobs. As a cinematographer, make one mistake and you’re through. Any working cinematographer has more than...
- 5/10/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Here’s how studios say they see it: Sure, we really want to hire women directors. But there’s almost no studio movie that isn’t big budget, and we can’t find women who have the experience necessary to handle the really big movies. (Never mind Colin Trevorrow. Or Marc Webb. Or Gareth Edwards. Or Jon Watts.)
Of course, that logic is a vicious cycle at best, but here’s a chance to break it. Director Reed Morano’s dazzling execution of the first three episodes of Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” suggests another excellent source for future women directors: top cinematographers.
Read More: 7 Female Genre Filmmakers You Should Get to Know Right Now
Women cinematographers work harder, longer, and have to be gifted and tough in order to keep landing jobs. As a cinematographer, make one mistake and you’re through. Any working cinematographer has more than...
Of course, that logic is a vicious cycle at best, but here’s a chance to break it. Director Reed Morano’s dazzling execution of the first three episodes of Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” suggests another excellent source for future women directors: top cinematographers.
Read More: 7 Female Genre Filmmakers You Should Get to Know Right Now
Women cinematographers work harder, longer, and have to be gifted and tough in order to keep landing jobs. As a cinematographer, make one mistake and you’re through. Any working cinematographer has more than...
- 5/10/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
With a multi-generational reunion of sorts between Brat Pack alum Molly Ringwald and Andrew McCarthy’s son in the works, we’re taking the opportunity to catch up with all of the former ’80s teen phenoms — and their offspring — over 30 years after they first earned their iconic nickname.
During a recent appearance on The Moms, McCarthy revealed that his 15-year-old son, Sam, will appear in an upcoming movie called All These Small Moments alongside the famous red-head.
“She emailed me on the first day and she said, ‘Your son just did a scene and when he walked away, it was...
During a recent appearance on The Moms, McCarthy revealed that his 15-year-old son, Sam, will appear in an upcoming movie called All These Small Moments alongside the famous red-head.
“She emailed me on the first day and she said, ‘Your son just did a scene and when he walked away, it was...
- 3/30/2017
- by Mike Miller
- PEOPLE.com
Columbus certainly doesn’t look like a standard American independent film: even if you didn’t know debuting director kogonada’s background as a video essayist primarily concerned with High Art (Bresson, Tarkovsky et al.), it’s clear this is made by somebody who’s studied the framing of Hou Hsiao-hsien, Edward Yang et al. quite closely. No matter how mundane the setting — average small downtown streets, a drab university library — kogonada and Dp Elisha Christian stick to the visual philosophy espoused by architecture-obsessed protagonist Casey (Haley Lu Richardson) as she annotates one building’s properties, noting how it’s “asymmetrical but also still balanced.” I […]...
- 1/23/2017
- by Vadim Rizov
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Who are we to resist a movie full of cats? We’re a bunch of ol’ softies here at The Playlist, and an entire movie filled with felines may not hit the upper reaches of High Art, but you won’t find too many us around here complaining about having to watch it.
Directed by Ceyda Torun, the documentary “Kedi” takes viewers to Istanbul, and follows seven of the thousands of cats that famously roam the streets, with each possessing their own unique personalities.
Continue reading Discover The Cats Of Istanbul In New Trailer For ‘Kedi’ at The Playlist.
Directed by Ceyda Torun, the documentary “Kedi” takes viewers to Istanbul, and follows seven of the thousands of cats that famously roam the streets, with each possessing their own unique personalities.
Continue reading Discover The Cats Of Istanbul In New Trailer For ‘Kedi’ at The Playlist.
- 12/15/2016
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
‘Manifesto’ First Look: Cate Blanchett Channels Lars Von Trier and Jim Jarmusch In Sundance Premiere
How do you follow-up a critically acclaimed, Oscar-nomianted turn in a prestige drama like “Carol”? If you’re Cate Blanchett, you start taking some serious risks. The past year has seen the actress take roles in blockbusters like “Thor: Ragnarok” and “Ocean’s Eight,” plus star in an experimental short film where she plays a “spider-like woman who eats her partner after sex.” Now we can add “Manifesto” to the growing list of unconventional Blanchett roles that sound totally awesome.
Read More: ‘Red’ Trailer: Cate Blanchett Goes High Art in Creepy Experimental Film Teaser
Buried in yesterday’s Sundance Film Festival announcement, “Manifesto” comes from German artist and filmmaker Julian Rosefeldt. The project premiered as a multi-screen visual installation at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in March 2015, with Blanchett playing 13 different roles that embody major artistic movements. “Manifesto” will be making its world premiere as a 90-minute feature at Sundance.
Read More: ‘Red’ Trailer: Cate Blanchett Goes High Art in Creepy Experimental Film Teaser
Buried in yesterday’s Sundance Film Festival announcement, “Manifesto” comes from German artist and filmmaker Julian Rosefeldt. The project premiered as a multi-screen visual installation at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in March 2015, with Blanchett playing 13 different roles that embody major artistic movements. “Manifesto” will be making its world premiere as a 90-minute feature at Sundance.
- 12/6/2016
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
High art, potboiler crime, and lingering heartache are the ingredients of Tom Ford‘s upcoming “Nocturnal Animals,” an ambitious, glossy movie that walks a knife-edge of camp and gritty drama in what’s easily one of the more unique awards season offerings. And four new clips from the movie highlight the differing sensibilities found within the picture.
Read More: Michael Shannon & Imogen Poots Have An Explosive Affair In New Trailer For ‘Frank & Lola’
Starring Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Shannon, the narrative centers around an art gallery owner (Adams), who is sent an early copy of the new novel by her ex-husband (Gyllenhaal).
Continue reading There’s Romance & Crime With 4 Clips From ‘Nocturnal Animals’ With Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal & Michael Shannon at The Playlist.
Read More: Michael Shannon & Imogen Poots Have An Explosive Affair In New Trailer For ‘Frank & Lola’
Starring Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Shannon, the narrative centers around an art gallery owner (Adams), who is sent an early copy of the new novel by her ex-husband (Gyllenhaal).
Continue reading There’s Romance & Crime With 4 Clips From ‘Nocturnal Animals’ With Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal & Michael Shannon at The Playlist.
- 10/31/2016
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Back in 1991, Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in “Terminator 2: Judgement Day,” the follow-up to the 1984 James Cameron’s sci-fi film. Now flash forward 25 years and the actor’s son, Joseph Baena, is taking after his father and creating his own “Terminator” legacy.
The 18-year-old stars in a two-minute short film that is a shot-by-shot remake of the iconic “T2” scene where the cyborg steals a motorcycle, takes the owner’s rifle and snatches his shades, while “Bad to the Bone” plays in the background.
Read More: Arnold Schwarzenegger To Produce TV Series ‘Pump’ Inspired By His Bodybuilding Days
The teen is a spitting image of his famous dad and does his best at imitating Arnold’s scowl.
The clip was shot last week at a restaurant outside of Bakersfield and is directed by Baena’s friend, Ben Hess, who according to TMZ, submitted the short film for a competition for Film Riot.
The 18-year-old stars in a two-minute short film that is a shot-by-shot remake of the iconic “T2” scene where the cyborg steals a motorcycle, takes the owner’s rifle and snatches his shades, while “Bad to the Bone” plays in the background.
Read More: Arnold Schwarzenegger To Produce TV Series ‘Pump’ Inspired By His Bodybuilding Days
The teen is a spitting image of his famous dad and does his best at imitating Arnold’s scowl.
The clip was shot last week at a restaurant outside of Bakersfield and is directed by Baena’s friend, Ben Hess, who according to TMZ, submitted the short film for a competition for Film Riot.
- 9/1/2016
- by Liz Calvario
- Indiewire
Before Arnold Schwarzenegger was an action star or the Governor of California, he was pumping iron on Venice Beach with a small group of pals who later became competitive bodybuilders and created an entire fitness industry. Now, Deadline reports that these formative years will now be the inspiration for the upcoming TV series “Pump,” an eight-episode hour-long drama produced by Schwarzenegger in conjunction with The Tannenbaum Company and CBS Television Studios. The series’ showrunner will be Bryan Goluboff, who has previously worked on “Blue Bloods,” “Smash,” and “Law & Order: Svu.”
Read More: Arnold Schwarzenegger To Star In Taran Killam’s Hitman Comedy ‘Why We’re Killing Gunther’
The former California Governor said that he knew “Pump” would be a hit from the very beginning. “The 70’s were such a colorful, transformational time, for me and for our entire country,” Schwarzenegger says. “I look forward to bringing that color to people...
Read More: Arnold Schwarzenegger To Star In Taran Killam’s Hitman Comedy ‘Why We’re Killing Gunther’
The former California Governor said that he knew “Pump” would be a hit from the very beginning. “The 70’s were such a colorful, transformational time, for me and for our entire country,” Schwarzenegger says. “I look forward to bringing that color to people...
- 7/18/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
What does it take to succeed in a man’s world? A Los Angeles Film Festival panel of women cinematographers ivealed what it took to make it to the top of a competitive industry.
1. A shot of LSD. Cinema verite shooter Joan Churchill (“Last Days in Vietnam”) started out by recovering from an eight-hour acid trip, she admitted, to shoot some of the most iconic images from the Rolling Stones Altamont doc, “Gimme Shelter.” That led to the assignment of shooting the Louds in PBS’s “An American Family.” A documentary cameraperson, often working with a hand-held camera and natural light, has to have “people skills,” she said. “You have to be interested in your subjects.” When she moved to London, she couldn’t get work until she joined the Asc—and became its first woman member. Her membership card read: “Lady Cameraman.”
2. Read and reread the script. French-born Maryse Alberti...
1. A shot of LSD. Cinema verite shooter Joan Churchill (“Last Days in Vietnam”) started out by recovering from an eight-hour acid trip, she admitted, to shoot some of the most iconic images from the Rolling Stones Altamont doc, “Gimme Shelter.” That led to the assignment of shooting the Louds in PBS’s “An American Family.” A documentary cameraperson, often working with a hand-held camera and natural light, has to have “people skills,” she said. “You have to be interested in your subjects.” When she moved to London, she couldn’t get work until she joined the Asc—and became its first woman member. Her membership card read: “Lady Cameraman.”
2. Read and reread the script. French-born Maryse Alberti...
- 6/6/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
For this weeks Q&A I asked for an art theme to celebrate the joint birthday of Vincent Van Gogh and Francisco de Goya on this very day! So we'll start with a few art-focused topics before venturing to rando questions.
Tom: Which film about an artist (in any field of the Arts) that you were not particularly knowledgeable about made you want to see/hear the real work by that artist?
I vastly prefer non-traditional biopics so I'm susceptible to stuff that piques curiosity rather than gives you a greatest hits. So I like bios like Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993). I have some problems with I'm Not There (2007) which is my least favorite Todd Haynes film but I respect the hell out of it conceptually. In terms of movies about painters I definitely became more interested in Francis Bacon after Love is the Devil (1998) and not...
Tom: Which film about an artist (in any field of the Arts) that you were not particularly knowledgeable about made you want to see/hear the real work by that artist?
I vastly prefer non-traditional biopics so I'm susceptible to stuff that piques curiosity rather than gives you a greatest hits. So I like bios like Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993). I have some problems with I'm Not There (2007) which is my least favorite Todd Haynes film but I respect the hell out of it conceptually. In terms of movies about painters I definitely became more interested in Francis Bacon after Love is the Devil (1998) and not...
- 3/31/2016
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
While film festivals are generally seen as the place where cinephiles sit down for nourishing meals of High Art and Important Films, even the most devout follower of celluloid sometimes just wants to relax a bit. And at this year's Berlin International Film Festival, "War On Everyone" may play that role. Read More: The 10 Most Anticipated Films Of The 2016 Berlin Film Festival The picture, which makes its World Premiere at the fest, is directed by John Michael McDonagh ("Calvary," "The Guard"), stars Michael Peña, Alexander Skarsgård, Theo James, Tessa Thompson, Caleb Landry Jones, Paul Reiser, Stephanie Sigman, and David Wilmot, and follows a pair of crooked cops who blackmail everyone in their path, until one criminal offers them a true challenge. Here's the synopsis: Terry & Bob: tougher than Starsky & Hutch, funnier than Laurel & Hardy and better looking...
- 2/11/2016
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Forget your 'Jan in the Pan' jokes and all those 'thing in the closet' remarks about gay subtext. This loopy, kooky and kinky horror offering from New York's Tarrytown is a keeper despite its primitive direction and campy screenplay. Mad scientist Herb Evers answered the call to Bring Me the Head of Virginia Leith, and goes on a sleazy shopping spree to find a voluptuous body to make her complete, in the literal sense. It's all in the worst of taste: in other words, delightful. The Brain that Wouldn't Die Blu-ray Scream Factory 1962 / B&W / 1:66 widescreen / 81 min. / Street Date December 22, 2015 / 26.99 Starring Herb (Jason) Evers, Virginia Leith, Leslie Daniels, Adele Lamont, Bonnie Sharie, Paula Maurice, Marilyn Hanold, Bruce Brighton Cinematography Stephen Hajnal Special Effects Byron Baer Art Direction Paul Fanning Film Editors Leonard Anderson, Marc Anderson Original Music Abe Baker, Tony Restaino Written by Rex Carlton and Joseph Green Produced by Rex Carlton,...
- 11/28/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Australian actor Radha Mitchell will walk the red carpet at the Melbourne premiere of Sue Brooks. new film Looking For Grace at the Astor Theatre on November 24.
La-based Mitchell (The Waiting City, High Art, Finding Neverland) will be joined by Brooks (Japanese Story) in her home city, along with fellow cast members Odessa Young, Terry Norris and Julia Blake when the film is screened to Melbourne audiences for the first time.
In the film, Mitchell stars as Denise, the mother of eponymous Grace (Young) and wife of Dan (Richard Roxburgh), whose quiet suburban lives are thrown into turmoil when their daughter absconds with a large amount of money from their family safe.
It was only Australian film of the year to be selected In Competition for both Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals, where it had its World and North American Premieres in September.
The film had its Australian premiere...
La-based Mitchell (The Waiting City, High Art, Finding Neverland) will be joined by Brooks (Japanese Story) in her home city, along with fellow cast members Odessa Young, Terry Norris and Julia Blake when the film is screened to Melbourne audiences for the first time.
In the film, Mitchell stars as Denise, the mother of eponymous Grace (Young) and wife of Dan (Richard Roxburgh), whose quiet suburban lives are thrown into turmoil when their daughter absconds with a large amount of money from their family safe.
It was only Australian film of the year to be selected In Competition for both Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals, where it had its World and North American Premieres in September.
The film had its Australian premiere...
- 11/5/2015
- by Inside Film Correspondent
- IF.com.au
High art meets low trash in new art book. Visionary cinema-slinger Nicolas Winding Refn is perhaps the most important contemporary filmmaker alive; a singular artist who, starting with his radical Danish films like the edgy Pusher series and the unforgettable Valhalla Rising and moving through modern works like the hypnotic Drive and the Suspiria-steeped dream thriller Only…
The post Nicolas Winding Refn and “The Act of Seeing” appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
The post Nicolas Winding Refn and “The Act of Seeing” appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
- 9/30/2015
- by Chris Alexander
- shocktillyoudrop.com
Read More: Outfest Film Festival 2015 Award Winners Though Outfest finished up their film festival in late July, the La-based non-profit devoted to Lgbt support has just announced plans to honor Tom Hanks and writer-director Lisa Cholodenko at the upcoming Legacy Awards on Thursday, November 5. The Legacy Awards serve as the fundraiser for Outfest's UCLA Legacy project, which boasts the largest archive of Lgbt moving images in the world. Since her first film "High Art", which featured a frank account of a blossoming lesbian relationship, Lisa Cholodenko has been a prominent figure in both independent film and the Lgbt community. Her Academy Award nominated follow-up "The Kids are Alright" is credited by the interim Executive Director of Outfest as having "made the biggest impact, showing the the world that Lgbt parenting is just as joyful, complicated and challenging as straight parenting." Cholodenko will be honored with the Visionary Award,...
- 9/3/2015
- by Aubrey Page
- Indiewire
I recently sat down with director Isabel Coixet, and actors Patricia Clarkson and Sarita Choudhury at the Crosby Hotel in New York City, to discuss their new film "Learning to Drive." The film, written by Sarah Kernochan, is based on the autobiographical New Yorker short story by Katha Pollit, a long-time political columnist for the Nation.
Wendy is a fiery Manhattan author whose husband has just left her for a younger woman; Darwan is a soft-spoken taxi driver from India on the verge of an arranged marriage. As Wendy sets out to reclaim her independence, she runs into a barrier common to many lifelong New Yorkers: she’s never learned to drive. When Wendy hires Darwan to teach her, her unraveling life and his calm restraint seem like an awkward fit. But as he shows her how to take control of the wheel, and she coaches him on how to impress a woman, their unlikely friendship awakens them to the joy, humor, and love in starting life anew.
My conversation began with Isabel Coixet and Sarita Choudhury
Isabel Coixet’s award-winning film credits include "Demaisiado viejo para morir joven," "Things I Never Told You,""My Life Without Me," "The Secret Life of Words," "Paris, je t’aime," "Elegy," "Map of the Sounds of Tokyo," "Yesterday Never Ends," "Another Me," "Nobody Wants the Night," as well as documentaries, including "Invisibles."
Currently, Sarita Choudhury can be seen on Showtime’s "Homeland." Her film credits include "Admission," "Gayby," "Midnight’s Children," "Generation Um…," "Entre Nos," "The Accidental Husband," "Lady in the Water," "The War Within," "Mississippi Masala," "Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love," "She Hate Me," "Just a Kiss," "Wild West," "High Art," "The House of the Spirits," "Gloria," and "A Perfect Murder."
Susan Kouguell: Tell me about the process of how "Learning to Drive" came about.
Isabel Coixet: We started talking about making this film with Patricia and Ben Kingsley when we were making "Elegy" (directed by Coixet, starring Clarkson and Kingsley) and we got along very well and we wanted to make another film together. Patricia discovered the short story by Katha Pollit, and she gave it to me and I thought it was wonderful. And then we got the screenwriter Sarah Kernocha involved. The film is a comedy but not a classical comedy. It was a very difficult film to pitch because you know financiers and producers want something they can put in one box and you can’t with this film. It was a long process. It took nine years.
Some Words Unspoken and the Intimacy of the Camera
Isabel Coixet: There is always this romantic feeling underneath [subtext], I think there is that possibility. You have to be true to your words. If they are true, you will have to stick to your words.
Sarita Choudhury: That’s what happens with people you meet. No you were my inspiration don’t make me your inspiration.
Isabel Coixet: I love Henry James. There is a possibility of romance in the air. My romantic side is always excited when I see something like this.
Sarita Choudhury: I had so few words in the film. In a way, I kept the words because I had to know not to say them. For us the script -- the situational was also in the script; the languidness. It was because Isabel holds the camera. There was a pace created to it. When you’re acting you can feel where the camera is, but when the camera is at the end of Isabel’s hand and she’s moving it, it almost creates an intimacy between you and the camera, and you and the actor. There’s a pace you normally don’t get in film. You didn’t know when she was on your face; you had to keep acting like acting in the theatre.
On The Lack of Women Directors
Isabel Coixet: There are so many articles about it. I’m always afraid to play the victim, to complain too much. I know there is an inequity with men and women directors. This is an issue in the world. I always say, (Coixet smiles) we have to ask for more salary to make up for all these years and maybe if we ask for more they’ll give us the same as a man.
I want to put my words where my mouth is by producing female directors; they are amazing talented people. I’m producing three short films and a feature documentary. That’s what I do.
Sarita Choudhury: I just did a young woman’s short film; there is something about her that’s brilliant. I’ve done two short films. I can’t change the caste system and I can’t do the voluntary work I need to be doing. Film is no different from the world, like Isabel said. That’s our work, to get every woman involved. And if a man is brilliant, let him in too.
I then asked Patricia Clarkson about her involvement with "Learning to Drive."
Academy Award® nominee and Emmy Award-winning actress, Patricia Clarkson, has worked extensively in independent films. The National Board of Review and the National Society of Film Critics named her Best Supporting Actress of the Year for "Pieces of April" and "The Station Agent." Her many film credits include "The Maze Runner," "Last Weekend," "Friends With Benefits," "One Day," "Easy A," "Shutter Island," "Vicky Christina Barcelona," "Elegy," "No Reservations," "All the Kings’ Men," "Lars and the Real Girl, and "Good Night, and Good Luck."
Susan Kouguell: What attracted you to the project?
Patricia Clarkson: I loved the Katha Pollit story in The New Yorker; it serendipitously came to me. I love Wendy, I love this character. I was nine years younger at the time, but I still felt I knew her. I was relentless trying to get this film made with producer Dana Friedman. I found it an equal dose of funny and tragic. I liked the almost commedia dell'arte aspect; this absurd situation and finding the tragic comedy. A woman who is brilliant who lives a great life -- she has everything, but “forgets to look up,” and then meets a man who has experienced tragic loss. They have disparate worlds. I found it a quintessential New York story, but it’s also universal. It’s an independent film, but it’s not independently-minded.
Some Final Words
The disparate worlds about which Clarkson refers to in regard to her character, Wendy’s relationship with Darwan [Ben Kingsley] -- the life of a financially successful New Yorker compared to the immigrant’s struggle, was a thematic element that I further discussed with Coixet and Choudhury. As Choudhury said to me, Coixet’s visual choices of her character, such as the moment when she watches feet walk by her basement apartment window, feeling trapped, underscore the poignancy of this fish-out-of-water situation. Coixet captures these elements with a delicate balance of both drama and comedy.
It was an inspiring morning to speak with these three powerful and talented women, who are committed to sharing their knowledge with the next generation of female filmmakers.
Award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker, Susan Kouguell teaches screenwriting at Purchase College Suny, and presents international seminars on screenwriting and film. Author of Savvy Characters Sell Screenplays! and The Savvy Screenwriter, she is chairperson of Su-City Pictures East, LLC, a consulting company founded in 1990 where she works with writers, filmmakers, and executives worldwide. www.su-city-pictures.com, http://su-city-pictures.com/wpblog...
Wendy is a fiery Manhattan author whose husband has just left her for a younger woman; Darwan is a soft-spoken taxi driver from India on the verge of an arranged marriage. As Wendy sets out to reclaim her independence, she runs into a barrier common to many lifelong New Yorkers: she’s never learned to drive. When Wendy hires Darwan to teach her, her unraveling life and his calm restraint seem like an awkward fit. But as he shows her how to take control of the wheel, and she coaches him on how to impress a woman, their unlikely friendship awakens them to the joy, humor, and love in starting life anew.
My conversation began with Isabel Coixet and Sarita Choudhury
Isabel Coixet’s award-winning film credits include "Demaisiado viejo para morir joven," "Things I Never Told You,""My Life Without Me," "The Secret Life of Words," "Paris, je t’aime," "Elegy," "Map of the Sounds of Tokyo," "Yesterday Never Ends," "Another Me," "Nobody Wants the Night," as well as documentaries, including "Invisibles."
Currently, Sarita Choudhury can be seen on Showtime’s "Homeland." Her film credits include "Admission," "Gayby," "Midnight’s Children," "Generation Um…," "Entre Nos," "The Accidental Husband," "Lady in the Water," "The War Within," "Mississippi Masala," "Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love," "She Hate Me," "Just a Kiss," "Wild West," "High Art," "The House of the Spirits," "Gloria," and "A Perfect Murder."
Susan Kouguell: Tell me about the process of how "Learning to Drive" came about.
Isabel Coixet: We started talking about making this film with Patricia and Ben Kingsley when we were making "Elegy" (directed by Coixet, starring Clarkson and Kingsley) and we got along very well and we wanted to make another film together. Patricia discovered the short story by Katha Pollit, and she gave it to me and I thought it was wonderful. And then we got the screenwriter Sarah Kernocha involved. The film is a comedy but not a classical comedy. It was a very difficult film to pitch because you know financiers and producers want something they can put in one box and you can’t with this film. It was a long process. It took nine years.
Some Words Unspoken and the Intimacy of the Camera
Isabel Coixet: There is always this romantic feeling underneath [subtext], I think there is that possibility. You have to be true to your words. If they are true, you will have to stick to your words.
Sarita Choudhury: That’s what happens with people you meet. No you were my inspiration don’t make me your inspiration.
Isabel Coixet: I love Henry James. There is a possibility of romance in the air. My romantic side is always excited when I see something like this.
Sarita Choudhury: I had so few words in the film. In a way, I kept the words because I had to know not to say them. For us the script -- the situational was also in the script; the languidness. It was because Isabel holds the camera. There was a pace created to it. When you’re acting you can feel where the camera is, but when the camera is at the end of Isabel’s hand and she’s moving it, it almost creates an intimacy between you and the camera, and you and the actor. There’s a pace you normally don’t get in film. You didn’t know when she was on your face; you had to keep acting like acting in the theatre.
On The Lack of Women Directors
Isabel Coixet: There are so many articles about it. I’m always afraid to play the victim, to complain too much. I know there is an inequity with men and women directors. This is an issue in the world. I always say, (Coixet smiles) we have to ask for more salary to make up for all these years and maybe if we ask for more they’ll give us the same as a man.
I want to put my words where my mouth is by producing female directors; they are amazing talented people. I’m producing three short films and a feature documentary. That’s what I do.
Sarita Choudhury: I just did a young woman’s short film; there is something about her that’s brilliant. I’ve done two short films. I can’t change the caste system and I can’t do the voluntary work I need to be doing. Film is no different from the world, like Isabel said. That’s our work, to get every woman involved. And if a man is brilliant, let him in too.
I then asked Patricia Clarkson about her involvement with "Learning to Drive."
Academy Award® nominee and Emmy Award-winning actress, Patricia Clarkson, has worked extensively in independent films. The National Board of Review and the National Society of Film Critics named her Best Supporting Actress of the Year for "Pieces of April" and "The Station Agent." Her many film credits include "The Maze Runner," "Last Weekend," "Friends With Benefits," "One Day," "Easy A," "Shutter Island," "Vicky Christina Barcelona," "Elegy," "No Reservations," "All the Kings’ Men," "Lars and the Real Girl, and "Good Night, and Good Luck."
Susan Kouguell: What attracted you to the project?
Patricia Clarkson: I loved the Katha Pollit story in The New Yorker; it serendipitously came to me. I love Wendy, I love this character. I was nine years younger at the time, but I still felt I knew her. I was relentless trying to get this film made with producer Dana Friedman. I found it an equal dose of funny and tragic. I liked the almost commedia dell'arte aspect; this absurd situation and finding the tragic comedy. A woman who is brilliant who lives a great life -- she has everything, but “forgets to look up,” and then meets a man who has experienced tragic loss. They have disparate worlds. I found it a quintessential New York story, but it’s also universal. It’s an independent film, but it’s not independently-minded.
Some Final Words
The disparate worlds about which Clarkson refers to in regard to her character, Wendy’s relationship with Darwan [Ben Kingsley] -- the life of a financially successful New Yorker compared to the immigrant’s struggle, was a thematic element that I further discussed with Coixet and Choudhury. As Choudhury said to me, Coixet’s visual choices of her character, such as the moment when she watches feet walk by her basement apartment window, feeling trapped, underscore the poignancy of this fish-out-of-water situation. Coixet captures these elements with a delicate balance of both drama and comedy.
It was an inspiring morning to speak with these three powerful and talented women, who are committed to sharing their knowledge with the next generation of female filmmakers.
Award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker, Susan Kouguell teaches screenwriting at Purchase College Suny, and presents international seminars on screenwriting and film. Author of Savvy Characters Sell Screenplays! and The Savvy Screenwriter, she is chairperson of Su-City Pictures East, LLC, a consulting company founded in 1990 where she works with writers, filmmakers, and executives worldwide. www.su-city-pictures.com, http://su-city-pictures.com/wpblog...
- 8/21/2015
- by Susan Kouguell
- Sydney's Buzz
All week long our writers will debate: Which was the greatest film year of the past half century. Check here for a complete list of our essays. Just one glance at the Oscar nominees for 1998 might make it seem less a questionable choice for “best year in film” — and more an insane one. Instead of a 1974 – The Godfather II, The Conversation, Chinatown, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, etc – or even a 1994, where Shawshank, Quiz Show, and Pulp Fiction lost to Gump – you choose a year where the Oscars would allow Roberto Benigni to climb atop both the figurative and literal chairs of the Shrine? Fine, step away from the Oscars. Would you still celebrate a year that saw not one, but two movies about asteroids threatening the Earth? A year that saw such scars carved across cinematic history as Patch Adams, My Giant, Stepmom, and Krippendorf’s Tribe? It bears repeating: Krippendorf’S Tribe?...
- 4/27/2015
- by Michael Oates Palmer
- Hitfix
Last week the Internet had a collective heart attack as it became apparent that the anniversary of the day that "The Breakfast Club" is supposed to take place happened 31 years earlier. Of course, "The Breakfast Club" is a movie and not a historical document (one that came out 30 years ago), but that doesn't matter. Because talking about John Hughes's immortal classic is fun and people will do it at every conceivable juncture.
"The Breakfast Club," of course, starred Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy, as a group of disparate teens united for a Saturday's worth of detention (Paul Gleason very memorably essayed the role of the meddling principle -- "I make over $30,000 a year!"). Recently, to celebrate the movie's anniversary and commemorate the newly released (and truly incredible deluxe edition Blu-ray package), the film held a pair of screenings in Austin, Texas, as...
"The Breakfast Club," of course, starred Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy, as a group of disparate teens united for a Saturday's worth of detention (Paul Gleason very memorably essayed the role of the meddling principle -- "I make over $30,000 a year!"). Recently, to celebrate the movie's anniversary and commemorate the newly released (and truly incredible deluxe edition Blu-ray package), the film held a pair of screenings in Austin, Texas, as...
- 3/31/2015
- by Drew Taylor
- Moviefone
30 years ago today, John Hughes's teen movie The Breakfast Club opened in the Us, and although it wasn't a runaway box office hit, in the years since it has rightly claimed a place as a screen classic.
Buoyed by brilliant performances, a sharp script and direction from Hughes and that Simple Minds track, this is a film we return to again and again. But what happened to its stars? We go then and now with the cast to find out what happened to the brain, the athlete, the basket case, the princess and the criminal.
Anthony Michael Hall - Brian Johnson
A staple of John Hughes movies in the '80s, Hall brought endearing geeky charm to National Lampoon's Vacation , Sixteen Candles and Weird Science.
As he grew out of child star roles, Hall sought to shed his established screen persona with a diverse selection of character parts across film and TV.
Buoyed by brilliant performances, a sharp script and direction from Hughes and that Simple Minds track, this is a film we return to again and again. But what happened to its stars? We go then and now with the cast to find out what happened to the brain, the athlete, the basket case, the princess and the criminal.
Anthony Michael Hall - Brian Johnson
A staple of John Hughes movies in the '80s, Hall brought endearing geeky charm to National Lampoon's Vacation , Sixteen Candles and Weird Science.
As he grew out of child star roles, Hall sought to shed his established screen persona with a diverse selection of character parts across film and TV.
- 2/15/2015
- Digital Spy
After scooping up the New Auteur Award at AFI Fest 2013, Nothing Bad Can Happen continued to garner a decidedly divisive response upon a limited theatrical release (which began after the Cannes premiere in 2013 Un Certain Regard Sidebar, where the jeers were as resounding as the guffaws, with director, cast, and Ucr President Thomas Vinterberg in attendance). At best a lurid conversation piece about despicable tendencies in human nature and at worst a hopelessly exploitative examination of based-on-a-true event terror, Gebbe’s film is a slippery slope of degradation with a heavy dose and conjecture and assumption.
Gebbe’s debut doesn’t quite reach the same levels of finesse as uncomfortably similar fare and often tries too hard to be shockingly provocative, sometimes at the expense of some narrative and character development. Nevertheless, Gebbe’s film never loses its choke-hold and will have you squirming uncomfortably until its final frames.
Tore...
Gebbe’s debut doesn’t quite reach the same levels of finesse as uncomfortably similar fare and often tries too hard to be shockingly provocative, sometimes at the expense of some narrative and character development. Nevertheless, Gebbe’s film never loses its choke-hold and will have you squirming uncomfortably until its final frames.
Tore...
- 10/14/2014
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Patty Clarkson last night in NYCLast night I attended Teen Vogue's Maze Runner screening and though I'll be writing it up for my gig at Towleroad later this week, I must share with you, my devout fellow actressexuals and the only ones who will understand, that I made the night all about Patricia Clarkson.
I didn't even realize she was in the movie until she was there at the reception and I was powerless to stop myself from beelining straight toward her while the other guests of the studio and fans (who presumably won a contest or something?) spent the evening squealing about Dylan O'Brien who plays "Xander" excuse me... "Stiles" on Teen Wolf, the only non-supernatural teen on that very popular show, now officially run by dadaists. (Yes, I still watch it but it doesn't make a lick of sense anymore... not just from episode to episode but within...
I didn't even realize she was in the movie until she was there at the reception and I was powerless to stop myself from beelining straight toward her while the other guests of the studio and fans (who presumably won a contest or something?) spent the evening squealing about Dylan O'Brien who plays "Xander" excuse me... "Stiles" on Teen Wolf, the only non-supernatural teen on that very popular show, now officially run by dadaists. (Yes, I still watch it but it doesn't make a lick of sense anymore... not just from episode to episode but within...
- 9/16/2014
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Toronto — Hollywood has long embraced the trope of the suffering superstar. You know the story, don’t you? A talented but misunderstood singer or actor struggles with the downside of living in the spotlight. Often there is a parent trying to live dreams through his or her child’s adult career. There might even be a hero who will appear from outside the creative world to protect the artist from the perils of fame and fortune. Yes, this is a narrative idea that has been explored countless times in movies and TV shows. It’s also the very simple logline for the new Relativity Media drama "Beyond the Lights." Thanks to the masterful direction of Gina Prince-Bythewood, however, the film shatters these cliché origins and turns into an unexpectedly electric and moving romantic drama. “Lights” has three stars that allow it to transcend the genre. The first is British born actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw,...
- 9/8/2014
- by Gregory Ellwood
- Hitfix
Ifp announced its 2014 slate of 133 new films in development and works in progress selected for its esteemed Project Forum at Independent Film Week. This one-of-a-kind event brings the international film and media community to New York City to advance new projects by nurturing the work of both emerging and established independent artists and filmmakers. Through the Project Forum, creatives connect with financiers, executives, influencers and decision-makers in film, television, new media and cross-platform storytelling that can help them complete their latest works and connect with audiences. Under the curatorial leadership of Deputy Director/Head of Programming Amy Dotson & Senior Director of Programming Milton Tabbot, this one-of-a-kind event takes place September 14-18, 2014 at Lincoln Center supporting bold new content from a wide variety of domestic and international artists.
“As we set to embark on our 36th Independent Film Week, we are impressed by the outstanding slate of both U.S. and international projects selected for this year’s Project Forum,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director of Ifp. “We know that the industry will be as excited as we are with the accomplished storytellers and their diverse and boundary pushing films.”
Featured works at the 2014 Independent Film Week include filmmakers and content creators from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. From documentarians Tony Gerber ("Full Battle Rattle"), Pamela Yates ("Granito: How To Nail A Dictator"), and Penny Lane ("Our Nixon") to Michelangelo Frammartino ("Quattro Volte") and Alexis Dos Santos ("Unmade Beds"), as well as new work from critically acclaimed artists and directors Aurora Guerrero ("Mosquita y Mari"), Barry Jenkins ("Medicine for Melancholy"), Travis Matthews ("Interior. Leather. Bar") and Yen Tan ("Pit Stop").
Independent Film Week brings the international film and media community to New York City to advance new documentary and narrative works-in-progress and support the future of storytelling. The program nurtures the work of both emerging and established independent artists and filmmakers through the facilitation of over 3,500+ custom, one-to-one meetings with the financiers, executives, influencers and decision-makers in film, television, new media and cross-platform storytelling that can help them complete their latest works and connect with audiences. In recent years, it has also played a vital role in launching the first films of many of today’s rising stars on the independent scene including Rama Burshtein ("Fill The Void"), Derek Cianfrance ("Blue Valentine"), Marshall Curry ("If A Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth LIberation Front"), Laura Poitras ("The Oath"), Denis Villeneuve ("Incendies") and Benh Zeitlin ("Beasts of the Southern Wild").
For the full 2014 Project Forum slate visit Here
New For 2014
Evenly split between documentary and narrative features, selected projects hail from throughout the U.S., Europe and Canada, as well Africa, Asia, South America, and the Middle East. New this year, Ifp will be including web series in it programming, as well as spotlighting Latin & Central American artists and content with 15 projects featured across all programs in the Forum.
In a joint effort to recognize the importance of career and creative sustainability, Ifp and Durga Entertainment have partnered on a new $20,000 filmmaker grant for an alumnus of Ifp. The grant is intended for active, working filmmakers who are also balancing a filmmaking career with parenting. The grant provides a $20,000 unrestricted prize to encourage the recipient to continue on her or his career path of making quality independent films. American directors or screenwriters working in narrative film who have participated in the Ifp Filmmaker Labs or Ifp Independent Film Week's Emerging Storytellers or No-Borders International Co-Production market are encouraged to apply by the deadline of August 8, 2014.
Narrative Feature Highlights
Narrative features and webseries in Rbc’s Emerging Storytellers and No Borders International Co-Production Market sections highlight new work from top emerging and established creative visionaries on the U.S. and international independent scene.
This year’s slate includes new feature scripts featuring directors Dev Benegal ("Road, Movie"), Alexis Dos Santos ("Unmade Beds"), Jason Cortlund and Julia Halperin ("Now, Forager"), Michelangelo Frammartino ("Le Quattro Volte"),Terry George ("Hotel Rwanda"), Rashaad Ernesto Green ("Gun Hill Road"), Aurora Guerrero ("Mosquita Y Mari"), Barry Jenkins ("Medicine for Melancholy"),Alison Klayman ("Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry"), Travis Mathews ("Interior. Leather Bar"), Stacie Passon ("Concussion"), Yen Tan ("Pit Stop"), as well as up-an-coming actor/directors Karrie Crouse ("Land Ho!") and Peter Vack ("Fort Tilden""I Believe in Unicorns").
Producers and executive producers of note attached to participating projects include Jennifer Dubin and Cora Olson ("Good Dick"), Jonathan Duffy and Kelly Williams ("Hellion"),Laura Heberton ("Gayby"), Dan Janvey ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"), Kishori Rajan ("Gimme the Loot"), Adele Romanski ("The Myth of the American Sleepover"), Kim Sherman ("A Teacher"), Susan Stover ("High Art"), and Alicia Van Couvering ("Tiny Furniture").
Web Storytellers Highlights
For the first time this year, Ifp presents a dedicated spotlight within the Rbc’s Emerging Storytellers program for creators developing episodic content for digital platforms. The inaugural slate for the Web Storytellers spotlight includes new works from filmmakers Desiree Akhavan ("Appropriate Behavior", HBO’s Girls), Calvin Reeder ("The Rambler"), and Gregory Bayne ("Person of Interest"), as well as producers Elisabeth Holm ("Obvious Child"), Susan Leber ( "Down to the Bone"), and Amanda Warman ("The Outs,"Whatever This Is"). Two of the series participating are currently in post-production, and will be making their online debut in the coming months – Rachel Morgan’s Middle Americans, starring Scott Thompson, Carlen Altman, and Alex Rennie, and Daniel Zimbler and Elisabeth Gray’s Understudies, starring Richard Kind and David Rasche. [p Spotlight On Documentaries Highlights
The documentary selection includes new work from seasoned non-fiction directors such as Emmy winners Robert Bahar andAlmudena Carracedo ("Made in La"), Pamela Yates ("Granito: How to Nail a Dictator"),Ramona Diaz ("Imelda," "Don’t Stop Believin’") Gini Reticker ("Pray the Devil Back to Hell") Tony Gerber ("Full Battle Rattle"); from producers such as Court 13’s Benh Zeitlin and Dan Janvey ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"), Liran Atzmor ("The Law in These Parts"), Tim Williams ("Once In A Lifetime") and Hilla Medalia ("Web Junkie"), and follow-up second features from recent doc world “breakouts”Steve Hoover ("Blood Brother") Penny Lane ("Our Nixon"), Michael Collins ("Give Up Tomorrow"), and Michael Nichols and Christopher Walker ("Flex is Kings").
Exciting new work from debut documentary directors previously known for fiction films include Alex Sichel ("All over Me") with her personal doc The Movie about Anna, Lisa Cortés (producer, "Precious") with "Mothership: The Untold Story of Women and Hip Hop," and Daniel Patrick Carbone ("Hide Your Smiling Faces") with Phantom Cowboys.
Sponsors
Independent Film Week’s Premier sponsors are Royal Bank of Canada (Rbc) and HBO. Gold sponsors are A&E IndieFilms and SAGIndie. Silver sponsors are Durga Entertainment, Eastman Kodak Company, National Film & Video Foundation of South Africa and Telefilm Canada. Official Independent Film Week Partner is Film Society of Lincoln Center. Independent Film Week is supported, in part, by funds provided by the Ford Foundation, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council for the Arts and Time Warner Foundation.
About Ifp
The Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp) champions the future of storytelling by connecting artists with essential resources at all stages of development and distribution. The organization fosters a vibrant and sustainable independent storytelling community through its year-round programs, which include Independent Film Week, Filmmaker Magazine, the Gotham Independent Film Awards and the Made in NY Media Center by Ifp, a new incubator space developed with the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. Ifp represents a growing network of 10,000 storytellers around the world, and plays a key role in developing 350 new feature and documentary works each year. During its 35-year history, Ifp has supported over 8,000 projects and offered resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers, including Debra Granik, Miranda July, Michael Moore, Dee Rees, and Benh Zeitlin. More info at www.ifp.org.
“As we set to embark on our 36th Independent Film Week, we are impressed by the outstanding slate of both U.S. and international projects selected for this year’s Project Forum,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director of Ifp. “We know that the industry will be as excited as we are with the accomplished storytellers and their diverse and boundary pushing films.”
Featured works at the 2014 Independent Film Week include filmmakers and content creators from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. From documentarians Tony Gerber ("Full Battle Rattle"), Pamela Yates ("Granito: How To Nail A Dictator"), and Penny Lane ("Our Nixon") to Michelangelo Frammartino ("Quattro Volte") and Alexis Dos Santos ("Unmade Beds"), as well as new work from critically acclaimed artists and directors Aurora Guerrero ("Mosquita y Mari"), Barry Jenkins ("Medicine for Melancholy"), Travis Matthews ("Interior. Leather. Bar") and Yen Tan ("Pit Stop").
Independent Film Week brings the international film and media community to New York City to advance new documentary and narrative works-in-progress and support the future of storytelling. The program nurtures the work of both emerging and established independent artists and filmmakers through the facilitation of over 3,500+ custom, one-to-one meetings with the financiers, executives, influencers and decision-makers in film, television, new media and cross-platform storytelling that can help them complete their latest works and connect with audiences. In recent years, it has also played a vital role in launching the first films of many of today’s rising stars on the independent scene including Rama Burshtein ("Fill The Void"), Derek Cianfrance ("Blue Valentine"), Marshall Curry ("If A Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth LIberation Front"), Laura Poitras ("The Oath"), Denis Villeneuve ("Incendies") and Benh Zeitlin ("Beasts of the Southern Wild").
For the full 2014 Project Forum slate visit Here
New For 2014
Evenly split between documentary and narrative features, selected projects hail from throughout the U.S., Europe and Canada, as well Africa, Asia, South America, and the Middle East. New this year, Ifp will be including web series in it programming, as well as spotlighting Latin & Central American artists and content with 15 projects featured across all programs in the Forum.
In a joint effort to recognize the importance of career and creative sustainability, Ifp and Durga Entertainment have partnered on a new $20,000 filmmaker grant for an alumnus of Ifp. The grant is intended for active, working filmmakers who are also balancing a filmmaking career with parenting. The grant provides a $20,000 unrestricted prize to encourage the recipient to continue on her or his career path of making quality independent films. American directors or screenwriters working in narrative film who have participated in the Ifp Filmmaker Labs or Ifp Independent Film Week's Emerging Storytellers or No-Borders International Co-Production market are encouraged to apply by the deadline of August 8, 2014.
Narrative Feature Highlights
Narrative features and webseries in Rbc’s Emerging Storytellers and No Borders International Co-Production Market sections highlight new work from top emerging and established creative visionaries on the U.S. and international independent scene.
This year’s slate includes new feature scripts featuring directors Dev Benegal ("Road, Movie"), Alexis Dos Santos ("Unmade Beds"), Jason Cortlund and Julia Halperin ("Now, Forager"), Michelangelo Frammartino ("Le Quattro Volte"),Terry George ("Hotel Rwanda"), Rashaad Ernesto Green ("Gun Hill Road"), Aurora Guerrero ("Mosquita Y Mari"), Barry Jenkins ("Medicine for Melancholy"),Alison Klayman ("Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry"), Travis Mathews ("Interior. Leather Bar"), Stacie Passon ("Concussion"), Yen Tan ("Pit Stop"), as well as up-an-coming actor/directors Karrie Crouse ("Land Ho!") and Peter Vack ("Fort Tilden""I Believe in Unicorns").
Producers and executive producers of note attached to participating projects include Jennifer Dubin and Cora Olson ("Good Dick"), Jonathan Duffy and Kelly Williams ("Hellion"),Laura Heberton ("Gayby"), Dan Janvey ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"), Kishori Rajan ("Gimme the Loot"), Adele Romanski ("The Myth of the American Sleepover"), Kim Sherman ("A Teacher"), Susan Stover ("High Art"), and Alicia Van Couvering ("Tiny Furniture").
Web Storytellers Highlights
For the first time this year, Ifp presents a dedicated spotlight within the Rbc’s Emerging Storytellers program for creators developing episodic content for digital platforms. The inaugural slate for the Web Storytellers spotlight includes new works from filmmakers Desiree Akhavan ("Appropriate Behavior", HBO’s Girls), Calvin Reeder ("The Rambler"), and Gregory Bayne ("Person of Interest"), as well as producers Elisabeth Holm ("Obvious Child"), Susan Leber ( "Down to the Bone"), and Amanda Warman ("The Outs,"Whatever This Is"). Two of the series participating are currently in post-production, and will be making their online debut in the coming months – Rachel Morgan’s Middle Americans, starring Scott Thompson, Carlen Altman, and Alex Rennie, and Daniel Zimbler and Elisabeth Gray’s Understudies, starring Richard Kind and David Rasche. [p Spotlight On Documentaries Highlights
The documentary selection includes new work from seasoned non-fiction directors such as Emmy winners Robert Bahar andAlmudena Carracedo ("Made in La"), Pamela Yates ("Granito: How to Nail a Dictator"),Ramona Diaz ("Imelda," "Don’t Stop Believin’") Gini Reticker ("Pray the Devil Back to Hell") Tony Gerber ("Full Battle Rattle"); from producers such as Court 13’s Benh Zeitlin and Dan Janvey ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"), Liran Atzmor ("The Law in These Parts"), Tim Williams ("Once In A Lifetime") and Hilla Medalia ("Web Junkie"), and follow-up second features from recent doc world “breakouts”Steve Hoover ("Blood Brother") Penny Lane ("Our Nixon"), Michael Collins ("Give Up Tomorrow"), and Michael Nichols and Christopher Walker ("Flex is Kings").
Exciting new work from debut documentary directors previously known for fiction films include Alex Sichel ("All over Me") with her personal doc The Movie about Anna, Lisa Cortés (producer, "Precious") with "Mothership: The Untold Story of Women and Hip Hop," and Daniel Patrick Carbone ("Hide Your Smiling Faces") with Phantom Cowboys.
Sponsors
Independent Film Week’s Premier sponsors are Royal Bank of Canada (Rbc) and HBO. Gold sponsors are A&E IndieFilms and SAGIndie. Silver sponsors are Durga Entertainment, Eastman Kodak Company, National Film & Video Foundation of South Africa and Telefilm Canada. Official Independent Film Week Partner is Film Society of Lincoln Center. Independent Film Week is supported, in part, by funds provided by the Ford Foundation, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council for the Arts and Time Warner Foundation.
About Ifp
The Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp) champions the future of storytelling by connecting artists with essential resources at all stages of development and distribution. The organization fosters a vibrant and sustainable independent storytelling community through its year-round programs, which include Independent Film Week, Filmmaker Magazine, the Gotham Independent Film Awards and the Made in NY Media Center by Ifp, a new incubator space developed with the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. Ifp represents a growing network of 10,000 storytellers around the world, and plays a key role in developing 350 new feature and documentary works each year. During its 35-year history, Ifp has supported over 8,000 projects and offered resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers, including Debra Granik, Miranda July, Michael Moore, Dee Rees, and Benh Zeitlin. More info at www.ifp.org.
- 7/25/2014
- by Peter Belsito
- Sydney's Buzz
Book of Job 2: Gebbe’s Divisive Debut High Brow Torture Porn
The only German entry in 2013’s Cannes film festival also happened to be one of the most grueling with Katrin Gebbe’s debut, Tore Tanzt (Nothing Bad Can Happen), which is bound to inspire as much derision as it does praise. Unfortunately, Gebbe’s debut doesn’t quite reach the same levels of finesse as uncomfortably similar fare and often tries too hard to be shockingly provocative, sometimes at the expense at some narrative and character development. Nevertheless, Gebbe’s film never loses its choke-hold and will have you squirming uncomfortably until its final frames.
Tore (Julius Feldmeier) is a kindly drifter who we assume has been abandoned by his family like many of the ragtag misfits in the group he is now affiliated with known as The Jesus Freaks. Living (or maybe even squatting) in what looks...
The only German entry in 2013’s Cannes film festival also happened to be one of the most grueling with Katrin Gebbe’s debut, Tore Tanzt (Nothing Bad Can Happen), which is bound to inspire as much derision as it does praise. Unfortunately, Gebbe’s debut doesn’t quite reach the same levels of finesse as uncomfortably similar fare and often tries too hard to be shockingly provocative, sometimes at the expense at some narrative and character development. Nevertheless, Gebbe’s film never loses its choke-hold and will have you squirming uncomfortably until its final frames.
Tore (Julius Feldmeier) is a kindly drifter who we assume has been abandoned by his family like many of the ragtag misfits in the group he is now affiliated with known as The Jesus Freaks. Living (or maybe even squatting) in what looks...
- 6/25/2014
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
It's a shock to go back and watch "Midnight Cowboy" 45 years after its debut (on May 25, 1969) and see how raw and otherworldly it looks. After all, the X-rated Best Picture Oscar-winner has been so thoroughly assimilated into American pop culture that even kiddie entertainments like the Muppets have copied from it.
The tale of the unlikely friendship between naïve Texas gigolo Joe Buck (Jon Voight) and frail Bronx con man Enrico "Ratso" Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman), "Midnight Cowboy" was initially considered so risqué that it's the only X-rated movie ever to win the Academy's top prize (though after it won, the ratings board reconsidered and gave the film an R). Still, the film featured two lead performances and a few individual scenes that were so iconic that homages (and parodies) have popped up virtually everywhere. (Most often imitated is the scene where Ratso, limping across a busy Manhattan street, is nearly...
The tale of the unlikely friendship between naïve Texas gigolo Joe Buck (Jon Voight) and frail Bronx con man Enrico "Ratso" Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman), "Midnight Cowboy" was initially considered so risqué that it's the only X-rated movie ever to win the Academy's top prize (though after it won, the ratings board reconsidered and gave the film an R). Still, the film featured two lead performances and a few individual scenes that were so iconic that homages (and parodies) have popped up virtually everywhere. (Most often imitated is the scene where Ratso, limping across a busy Manhattan street, is nearly...
- 5/23/2014
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
Jasper Johns: Regrets Museum of Modern Art Through September 1, 2014
The image is dead. The icon is dead. The painting is dead. - Patricia Cronin
Keep everything on the surface, even with the knowledge that the surface fades and can't be held together forever -- take advantage before the expiration date appears in the nearing distance. - Bret Easton Ellis, Imperial Bedrooms
Art asks: How do we know anything about other people? The tension between an artist's public and private roles is a constant preoccupation to the audience. The artist is challenged to dwell within this conundrum and elaborate most fully the questions of how to articulate the private in a public forum, and whether the private life will be able to find an image for itself that can stand up in this forum. - Dr. Hope Ardizzone, Anatomy of Art's Murder
During this test you will be shown a series of inkblot images.
The image is dead. The icon is dead. The painting is dead. - Patricia Cronin
Keep everything on the surface, even with the knowledge that the surface fades and can't be held together forever -- take advantage before the expiration date appears in the nearing distance. - Bret Easton Ellis, Imperial Bedrooms
Art asks: How do we know anything about other people? The tension between an artist's public and private roles is a constant preoccupation to the audience. The artist is challenged to dwell within this conundrum and elaborate most fully the questions of how to articulate the private in a public forum, and whether the private life will be able to find an image for itself that can stand up in this forum. - Dr. Hope Ardizzone, Anatomy of Art's Murder
During this test you will be shown a series of inkblot images.
- 3/21/2014
- by bradleyrubenstein
- www.culturecatch.com
Well, here's a weird sensation we haven't felt in a long time — excitement for a new Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. Okay, maybe "excitement" is overstating it a bit, but we're genuinely curious about "Sabotage," his upcoming flick co-written and directed by David Ayer because it actually looks kinda good. High art? Surely not, but perhaps a better than average B-movie which is all we could ask for. Anyway, a couple more peeks at the film have arrived with a new clip and UK trailer dropping online. They provide more testosterone fuelled marketing with the brief sequence highlight a beef between Arnie and Joe Manganiello, while the promo pumps more bullets into the story of a DEA task force who rips off a drug cartel and pays the price as the body count begins to rise. Like we said, it could be a pretty nifty crime potboiler if it's pulled off the way we hope.
- 3/4/2014
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Late last night on The Super Channel, Reel One unleashed its new pitch black comedy, 24 Hour Rental upon an unsuspecting world. Described as a “no-holds-barred, deviant gangster satire” the series is produced and directed by George Mihalka, and stars Romano Orzari as Tracker, a gangster heavily in debt to the Russian Mob trying to make ends meet. He runs a seedy video store that serves as a front for petty crimes and soon gets caught up in a series of increasingly bizarre events involving drug addicts, surly video store clerks, mobsters, Satanists, rude customers and Black Magic murderers. 24 Hour Rental was written by former Sound on Sight contributor, Al Kratina, who just may have been inspired by his time working at the very same video store that gave birth to this website. I talked to Al recently and demanded that he explain himself.
For the benefit of some of our...
For the benefit of some of our...
- 2/19/2014
- by Derek Gladu
- SoundOnSight
Allison Schulnik: Eager
ZieherSmith Gallery, NYC
Through February 22, 2014 And it's a battered old suitcase to a hotel someplace and a wound that will never heal no prima donna, the perfume is on an old shirt that is stained with blood and whiskey and goodnight to the street sweepers, the night watchmen flame keepers and goodnight Mathilda, too.
Tom Waits, "Waltzing Mathilda"
"The Hobo, as a visual trope, represents the last truly transgressive figure in art… kitsch paintings of clown-like characters with bindlestiffs and colorful handkerchiefs camouflage a predatory underclass of thieves, pedophiles, rapists, and murderers."
Dr. Hope Ardizzone, Oblivion and Contingency in Post-Modern Painting
Allison Schulnik's second exhibition at ZieherSmith presents drawings, sculpture, paintings, and installation pieces surrounding and supporting her most recent animated film, Eager (2013). Schulnik, drawing from a variety of sources (Busby Berkeley, Lewis Carroll, her former teachers Jules Engel and Corny Cole, Bob Ross, and Antoine Watteau) choreographs a stop-motion,...
ZieherSmith Gallery, NYC
Through February 22, 2014 And it's a battered old suitcase to a hotel someplace and a wound that will never heal no prima donna, the perfume is on an old shirt that is stained with blood and whiskey and goodnight to the street sweepers, the night watchmen flame keepers and goodnight Mathilda, too.
Tom Waits, "Waltzing Mathilda"
"The Hobo, as a visual trope, represents the last truly transgressive figure in art… kitsch paintings of clown-like characters with bindlestiffs and colorful handkerchiefs camouflage a predatory underclass of thieves, pedophiles, rapists, and murderers."
Dr. Hope Ardizzone, Oblivion and Contingency in Post-Modern Painting
Allison Schulnik's second exhibition at ZieherSmith presents drawings, sculpture, paintings, and installation pieces surrounding and supporting her most recent animated film, Eager (2013). Schulnik, drawing from a variety of sources (Busby Berkeley, Lewis Carroll, her former teachers Jules Engel and Corny Cole, Bob Ross, and Antoine Watteau) choreographs a stop-motion,...
- 1/17/2014
- by bradleyrubenstein
- www.culturecatch.com
Since the Sundance Film Festival's inception 30 years ago, the vast majority of the best American independent films by and/or about queer people have screened at Sundance, including "The Times of Harvey Milk," "Longtime Companion," "Poison," "The Living End," "Swoon," "Paris is Burning," "Go Fish," "High Art," "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," "The Kids Are All Right," "Pariah," "How To Survive a Plague," "Keep The Lights On" and -- last year alone -- "Kill Your Darlings," "Concussion," "Interior. Leather Bar," "C.O.G." and "Pit Stop" (and we could truly go on and on and on). This year's festival -- which kicks of tomorrow -- is primed to add a few more films to that list. Of the 115 feature films screening at Sundance, at least 15 of them feature prominent queer content and characters. Those are ratios that would please Kinsey, and collectively these films should end up becoming a sizeable...
- 1/15/2014
- by Peter Knegt
- Indiewire
Adèle Exarchopoulos (‘Blue Is the Warmest Color’) and Cate Blanchett (‘Blue Jasmine’): Best Actress tie two years in a row at Los Angeles Film Critics Awards (photo: Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos in ‘Blue Is the Warmest Color’) (See previous post: "James Franco Tattoos, Gold Teeth: Lafca Winners." Another non-Hollywood Los Angeles Film Critics Association’s selection was Best Actress co-winner Adèle Exarchopoulos, cited for her performance as a young woman who falls in love with blue-haired Léa Seydoux in Abdellatif Kechiche’s controversial Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or winner Blue Is the Warmest Color. The lesbian romantic drama also took home the Lafca’s Best Foreign Language Film Award. Blue was also the luckiest color, at least in the Best Actress category: Cate Blanchett was Exarchopoulos’ co-winner, for her performance in Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine, in which she plays a character somewhat similar to A Streetcar Named Desire...
- 12/9/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
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