g The Film Panel Notetaker: August 2008

Friday, August 29, 2008

2008 Woodstock Film Festival Announces Opening Films


Not one, but three films will open the 2008 Woodstock Film Festival. The three lucky films opening the Upstate New York fest on Thursday, October 2 are the U.S. premiere of Pride & Glory in Woodstock, Mike Leigh's Happy-Go-Lucky in Rhinebeck, and Flash of Genius in Rosendale. The Film Panel Notetaker will make a return to Woodstock after its first outing in 2007, where the Actor's Dialogue made it into the top 10 panels of 2007. Will lightning strike again this year? You'll just have to wait and find out.

Here is the full announcement:

(Woodstock, NY) For the first time, the Woodstock Film Festival will present THREE Opening Films, including the U.S. Premiere of Pride and Glory, to kick-off its annual "fiercely independent" film extravaganza in the towns of Woodstock, Rhinebeck and Rosendale, all on Thursday evening, Oct. 2nd .The 9th Annual Festival runs from Oct. 1 through 5 , featuring more than 150 outstanding films & shorts, thought-provoking panels, exciting concerts and other luminous events.

"You might say we hit the trifecta of quality films with our three opening selections, and we are especially pleased to be able to offer the U.S. premiere of 'Pride and Glory', which will be a major film this year," said Meira Blaustein, festival executive director and co-founder: "For the past several years we have been screening films in Rosendale as well as Woodstock and Rhinebeck, and we have developed a strong following there, so we are delighted to celebrate with a great opening film in Rosendale as well."

The search for enduring love and the quest for justice and honor are the recurring themes of this year's opening films, all of which comes with impeccable credentials!

- In Woodstock, the U.S. premiere of Pride and Glory, a fast-paced, cop family drama by award-winning director Gavin O'Connor and starring Edward Norton and Colin Farrell, examines a family's moral codes in the face of police corruption in New York City. The family is tested when Ray Tierney (Norton), investigates a case that reveals an incendiary police corruption scandal involving his own brother-in-law (Farrell), a Pandora's Box that threatens to upend not only the Tierney legacy but the entire NYPD. This tightly-crafted, exciting story explores honor and loyalty when a family's honesty and safety are put in danger. Director O'Connor will be at the screening for a Q & A after the film.O'Connor's previous feature, Tumbleweeds won three independent film awards and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. His producing credits include the award winning The Slaughter Rule.

- In Rhinebeck, the jubilant Happy Go Lucky follows the life of Polly, a freethinking, carefree schoolteacher as she searches for love and happiness. This infectiously joyous comedy is directed by Mike Leigh, a multiple Academy Award nominee in directing and writing for his films Vera Drake and Secrets and Lies and for his screenplay of Topsy-Turvy. Happy Go Lucky will send you away happy and transformed and was the winner of the Berlin Film Festival's award for Best Actress, and an official selection of The Toronto Film Festival and The Telluride Film Festival.

- In Rosendale, Flash of Genius, is based on the true story of college professor and part-time inventor Robert Kearns (Greg Kinnear), whose long battle with the U.S. automobile industry, comes at a heavy price. The Kearns were a typical 1960s Detroit family, trying to live their version of the American Dream. When Bob invents the intermittent windshield wiper – a device that would eventually be used by every car in the world - their aspirations are dashed after the auto giants unceremoniously shun the man who invented it. He becomes a man obsessed with justice and the conviction that his life's work be acknowledged by those who stood to benefit. While paying the toll for refusing to compromise his dignity, this everyday David will try the unthinkable: to bring Goliath to his knees. Director Marc Abraham is a multi-talented filmmaker whose credits also include producing (Children of Men, The Road to Wellville), and writing (The Earth Day Special, 21 Jump Street) as well as directing.

These three fabulous films are just the beginning of a festival famous for its entertaining and insightful programming.

The five day gathering kicks off Wednesday night, Oct. 1, 8pm, with a highly anticipated concert at The Bearsville Theater featuring Abigail Washburn and The Sparrow Quartet featuring the incomparable Bela Fleck along with Casey Driessen and Ben Sollee. Films and events run through Sunday evening, Oct. 5, with the Gala WFF Awards Ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 4. The full schedule of events will be announced in Mid-September. For film and ticket information, visit http://www.woodstockfilmfestival.com/.

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Thursday, August 28, 2008

"August Evening" Opens In New York On Sept. 5

Just received an email promoting the theatrical release of a film called August Evening that I recall was nominated for a Film Independent Spirit Award earlier this year. It's opening in New York City next Friday, September 5!

Here's the announcement:

August Evening opens in NYC on next Friday, September 5! Even if you won't be in NYC, your help would be much appreciated.

Please help spread the word—the number of people who buy tickets during opening weekend will determine how many other cities and theaters the film will play in.

We hope you'll email your friends, and you can join the Myspace and Facebook pages:
http://www.myspace.com/support_august_evening
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=70780350173&ref=nf

It will play at City Cinemas Village East on 2nd Avenue between 11th and 12th. Tickets can be purchased here:
http://www.villageeastcinema.com/angelika_index.asp?hiD=166

There won't be much publicity for the film, but there's supposed to be a Q&A on Fri/Sat nights, and the New York Times will include our actor Pedro Castaneda in the "Breakout Performances of the Year" section of their Fall Movie Preview on Sunday, September 7.

Thanks on behalf of all the cast and crew,
-Chris
www.augustevening.com
(more cities/dates listed on the website)

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Wednesday, August 27, 2008

16th Annual Hamptons International Film Festival Announcement

Q: Where was the #1 panel discussion held in 2007 that The Film Panel Notetaker attended?
A: The Hamptons International Film Festival

Will it reach the same feat this year? You'll have to wait till the end of the year to find out, so in the mean time, here’s the festival's announcement below on what you can expect to see in October:



The Hamptons International Film Festival Sixteen Years in the Making


The 16th annual Hamptons International Film Festival will run October 15th through the 19th, celebrating some of the finest films from around the world. Spanning across the East End, from East Hampton, Sag Harbor, Montauk and Southampton, this year’s Festival promises everything we have grown to love from this culturally-rich festival, while expanding the international scope of films, industry and attendees. For more information: www.hamptonsfilmfest.org.

“This is a very exciting time,” says Executive Director, Karen Arikian. “The Hamptons International Film Festival has proven itself in so many ways over the past fifteen years, and is now poised to take a more prominent position in the global film festival market. I feel privileged to be part of the current team of hard working and highly creative individuals who are dedicated to fostering the growth of this wonderful festival.”

This year will welcome a number of new additions, while continuing many of the popular programs, including: Conflict and Resolution, World Cinema, Narrative & Documentary competitions, Spotlight Films, Shorts, The Rising Stars and (straight from The Berlin Film Festival) The Shooting Stars program, The Alfred P. Sloan Award, Conversation With…and many more.

“We continue to see new, exciting developments from filmmakers in countries such as Germany, Israel, Romania and Denmark - filmmakers willing to take risks and push the creative envelope in ways that are defining the new face of cinema,” Festival Programmer, David Nugent states. “We are honored to bring these films to audiences who might otherwise not know about the movements in film that continue to flourish around the world."

Some advance highlights of the 2008 Festival include:

The 2008 Festival poster will be an original creation by acclaimed artist and East End resident, Malcolm Morley.
A man of many talents and visions, know for his individuality in the art world, Malcolm Morley was the first artist to win the Turner Prize, in 1984. Morley’s life has been his source of motivation and his trials have influenced his work and styles over the years from Abstract Expressionism to Neo Expressionism. He has received many prestigious awards and continues to be courageous in the expression of his artwork.

Hamptons/indieWIRE ‘Industry Toast’
Founder and Co-Chairman of Fortissimo Films Wouter Barendrecht, will be honored at this year’s Industry Toast: an intimate Festival event celebrating his energy, vision, and acumen, which enhances the industry and propels the art of film to greater heights. Master of Ceremonies, John Cameron Mitchell, will join colleagues and friends, to raise a glass to Mr. Barendrecht. Past ‘Toastee’s include: Sony Picture Classics Co-President Marcie Bloom, Picturehouse President Bob Berney and producer Ted Hope.

Israel at 60
This year, the Hamptons International Film Festival will celebrate Israel's 60th Anniversary with a program focusing on films and filmmakers from contemporary Israel. The "Israel at 60" program will feature films both by emerging directors as well as acclaimed masters, and will shed light on the current state of the nation of Israel and it's culture, identity and people. In addition to the screenings, we will hold a panel discussion with the filmmakers and finally, we are offering our audiences the opportunity to “create peace in the Middle East” via the video game “Peacemaker”, designed by Asi Burak, and featured at Sundance Film Festival and other notable international events.

CNN iReport Film Festival
Excited about the election? Have a video camera? CNN has put out a call to all aspiring filmmakers to make a short film for the iReport Film Festival, an online festival of short films from the campaign trail! The films will cover anything from a topic or candidate, to a behind-the-scenes look at a campaign or grassroots political organization. Judges include Richard Roeper (At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper) and Alex Gibney, whose film, Taxi to the Dark Side wowed audiences at the 2007 Hamptons International Film Festival and later went on to win a 2008 Academy Award. The films chosen will have their world premiere at the 2008 Hamptons International Film Festival. And from there the chance to be featured on Anderson Cooper 360°.

The Hamptons International Film Festival is once again proud to be teaming up the following sponsors: The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Heineken, Fox 5 New York, OK! Magazine, Kodak, The Hallmark Channel, Lifetime Movie Network and Silvercup Studios. In addition, the Festival is pleased to welcome new sponsors RoC (which has launched a national ticket sweepstakes to bring five lucky winners to the Festival), Andrew Saunders & Associates Real Estate, Nespresso, A&E Indie Films and Traditional Home Magazine. While the reach extends around the world, it would not be so without Presenting Sponsors, Altour International and American Airlines. Their significant contributions and support help bring filmmakers from around the world to the Hamptons for the intimate dialogues for which the Festival is famous.

The Hamptons International Film Festival has screened some of the best films of our time and the 16th year will be sure to continue this tradition. A few of the films that started at the Hamptons and went on to critical acclaim include: “Nowhere In Africa,” “No Man’s Land”, “Open Water,” “Evil,” “Hotel Rwanda,” The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till,” “A Touch of Greatness,” “In The Bedroom,” “Kinsey,” “Pollock,” “The Triplets Of Belleville”, “Walk The Line”, “Body of War”, “The Savages”, and many others.

The Hamptons International Film Festival was founded to celebrate independent film - long, short, narrative and documentary - introducing a unique and varied spectrum of international films and filmmakers to our audiences. The festival is committed to exhibiting films that express fresh voices and differing global perspectives, with the hope that these programs will enlighten audiences, provide invaluable exposure for filmmakers and present inspired entertainment for all. The 16th Annual Hamptons International Film Festival will be held October 15 through October 19, 2008. Announcements on additional films, programs, events and guests will be forthcoming.

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Thursday, August 21, 2008

Lee Isaac Chung To Receive 2008 Rooftop Films and Eastern Effects Equipment Grant

Here's the latest news from Rooftop Films as sent to me by Mark Elijah Rosenberg, who I saw last weekend at Rooftop's screening of Song Sung Blue (which I missed at Silverdocs) and Neil Diamond karaoke on Roosevelt Island in New York.

Here's a picture I took from my cell phone (which didn't come out too great, but all I have) of Thunder, one half of the Neil Diamond tribute band Lightning and Thunder that is profiled in the documentary Song Sung Blue. Here, Thunder sings the ABBA song "S.O.S."


And here's Rooftop's latest news on its Equipment Grant Recipient, Lee Isaac Chung, director of Munyurangabo.

Rooftop Films and Eastern Effects announce Equipment Grant recipient Lee Isaac Chung (director of the acclaimed Munyurangabo, screening at Rooftop on August 23) will receive a fully-loaded lighting and grip truck for 30 days for his feature narrative Lucky Life.

Details at http://rooftopfilms.com/produce.html
And http://easterneffects.com/

Rooftop Films is committed to helping emerging filmmakers in a variety of ways, from providing large and diverse audiences for underexposed films at our screenings and online, to helping artists produce new films through the Rooftop Filmmakers’ Fund. In 2008, Rooftop Films and Eastern Effects, a film equipment rental house in Brooklyn, inaugurated an Equipment Grant, lending one Rooftop alumni filmmaker a two-ton lighting and grip package for 30 days, to be used on a feature-length film. Dozens of excellent filmmakers submitted their treatments and screenplays in the hopes of receiving the package, valued at approximately at $15,000.

We are now pleased to announce that Lee Isaac Chung will be the recipient of the 2008 Rooftop Films and Eastern Effects Equipment Grant. Chung screened his short film Sex and Coffee at Rooftop in 2006, and will use the grant for a drama entitled Lucky Life, about four friends on a poignant road trip. Mark and Karen are preparing for the birth of their first child, while Jason is coping with his recent diagnosis with terminal cancer. A meditation on life, death and spirituality, Chung says the film, which will begin production in September, was inspired by his trips to Spanish cathedrals, and the revelation of “cinema as a medium for creating spiritual space.” The title comes from a book of poetry by Gerald Stern: “Lucky life isn't one long string of horrors / and there are moments of peace, and pleasure, as I lie in between the blows.”

Lucky Life will be Chung’s second feature film, following on the tremendous success of his debut Munyurangabo, which screened festivals including Berlin, Toronto, and Cannes, where Variety praised the film as “flat-out, the discovery of this year's Un Certain Regard [section].”

Munyrangabo will screen at Rooftop Films on Saturday, August 23, at the Old American Can Factory, in Gowanus (near Park Slope), Brooklyn.

Saturday, August 23, 2008
Rooftop Films and Eastern Effects present
Munyrangabo (Lee Isaac Chung Rwanda & USA 1:37:00)
A stunning neo-realist drama about revenge and friendship in post-genocide Rwanda. The debut feature from the 2008 recipient of the Rooftop Films and Eastern Effects Equipment Grant.

Venue: on the roof of The Old American Can Factory
Address: 232 3rd Street @ 3rd Avenue (Gowanus / Park Slope, Brooklyn)
Directions: F/G to Carroll St. or M/R to Union Ave.
Rain: In the event of rain the show will be held indoors at the same location
8:00PM: Doors open
8:30PM: Sound Fix presents live music by Twi the Humble Feather
9:00PM: Film
Tickets: $6 in advance at http://www.rooftopfilms.com/ $9 at the door
Presented in partnership with: IFC.com, New York magazine & XO Projects
“Like a bolt out of the blue, Korean American filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung achieves an astonishing and thoroughly masterful debut with Munyurangabo, which is—by several light years—the finest and truest film yet on the moral and emotional repercussions of the 15-year-old genocide that wracked Rwanda.” — Robert Koehler, Variety

“We hear so often today of the “collapse of Western culture” that it comes to sound like a bit of cocktail party repartee, almost taken for granted, such an obvious fact of life that of course there’s nothing we can do about it, like global warming. Nothing could be more dangerous. Munyurangabo also grows out of cultural collapse on a grand (and horrific) scale, and then proceeds to transcend it.” — Robin Wood, Film Comment

Munyrangabo (Lee Isaac Chung Rwanda & USA 1:37:00)
There is an old axiom in narrative that a weapon seen in the first act will be used in the final act. The drama is what lies in between. Munyurangabo opens with a scene of a young man in a Rwandan market, watching a nearby fistfight, and stealing a machete. But the portent of that act—under violent circumstances and in a nation still reeling from a brutal Genocide in 1994—is immediately destabilized in one of Chung’s astonishing camera moves, which manages to be naturalistic and subtle, but also momentous. From a close-up on the now bloody machete, the camera tilts up to the troubled face of Ngabo, then back down to the machete, clear of blood. The drama posed within Munyurangabo does not follow your typical action/revenge plot—the question posed is not if or how Ngabo will use the machete. The question is should he use it.

Ngabo and his best friend Sangwa set out on a journey. If there is any doubt as to their goal, it’s cleared up early in the film, when Ngabo asks Sangwa, “Do you forget that we’re on a journey to kill a man?” The conversation is covered with direct addresses to the camera, quietly accosting and implicating the viewer, and mirroring a stunning moment later in the film, when the opposite sentiment is expressed in a direct address from Edouard B. Uwayo, Rwanda's actual poet laureate, who recites a stark and lovely poem calling for peace. The poem is aptly titled “Liberation is a Journey.”

Along the way, Sangwa must deal with his own difficult past, returning to his home after three years with no communication. The rich back-story is subtly revealed, perfectly weighing the tension of the scenes, which are played with a minumum of dialogue, few close-ups, and a langorous delivery that belies the complex passions. Long takes and wide angles allow the subtle gestures of body language to grandly enrich the emotions—Sangwa’s mother eagerly feeding her grown son when there is so little food, and dejectedly waiting alone in the doorway as her son leaves the house off-camera; Sangwa’s father aggressively showing his son how to till a field after the boy had abandoned the family for city life; Ngabo contemplatively hacking at a tree stump with the machete; and everyone moving as if exhausted by the myriad burdens of heat, poverty, hunger, illness, and guilt.

As the friends press on, Sangwa and Ngabo’s friendship is tested, torn between their expectations for a brutal fate, and their hope that somewhere in them lies the willpower to discover liberation. By leaving us with core ambiguities in the plot, Chung challenges the audience to ask complex and poignant questions. As an individual, what is the moral thing to do, when given the opportunity for revenge? And given that Western manipulations and indifference have forced Rwanda and much of Africa to prey on itself, what is the proper punishment for a criminal, when the entire nation has become a victim?

* * *

Lee Isaac Chung was awarded Rooftop Films and Eastern Effects 2008 Equipment Grant, lending him a complete two-ton lighting and grip package to shoot his second feature film, Lucky Life. The film will begin production in September. Read more about the grant and Lucky Life in the “About Rooftop Films” section.

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Friday, August 15, 2008

"The Emperor Has Arrived" Wins CAPE Foundation New Writers Award


Jay Paramsothy's and Catherine Torphy's feature screenplay The Emperor Has Arrived (which I attended a reading for back in April) has won a prestigious Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE) Foundation New Writers Award in the Feature Film Category. The award is being sponsored by FOX. Paramsothy and Torphy will receive a prize of $4,000, as well as writing software and meetings with top industry executives. Past winners include Alice Wu, who wrote and directed her winning script, Saving Face.

CAPE will be hosting all of the Film and TV finalists for a dinner on September 10 in Los Angeles. A staged reading of last year's winning scripts in Film and TV will take place on Sept. 11 where the winners from this year's competition will also be presented.

CAPE is dedicated to advancing diversity and creating social change by actively developing, promoting and positioning Asian Pacific Americans for key artistic and leadership roles in the entertainment industry and media arts.

Jay Paramsothy completed a BA in Film and Theater with an emphasis on directing at Trinity College in Hartford, CT. He also studied screenwriting and film production at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. After graduation, he worked on various independent and studio films as a production coordinator and producer. In addition, he wrote and produced on-air promotions for HBO’s Cinemax Channel and Comedy Central. His first directorial effort was “Blinding Goldfish,” which premiered at the Pan African Film Festival in 2005 and continued to play on the festival circuit. In April of 2008, Jay directed a stage reading of “The Emperor Has Arrived,” a feature-length screenplay that he co-wrote with Catherine Torphy, at the Salaam Theatre in New York City. Jay and Catherine are currently collaborating on their next screenplay. He lives in New York City.


Catherine Torphy completed an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Arizona in 2005 and received her BA from Colby College, where she majored in English with a creative writing concentration. She also studied film production and screenwriting at New York University’s Tisch School of the Art. She lived in Italy for several years, writing for Time Out and other publications, while continuing her work on fiction and screenwriting projects. Her stories have been published in various literary journals and have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Most recently, “The Emperor Has Arrived,” a feature-length screenplay that she co-wrote with Jay Paramsothy, was performed at New York’s Salaam Theatre in April 2008. Catherine and Jay are currently collaborating on their next screenplay, and she is also at work on a novel set in Italy. She lives in New York City.

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Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Falling For the New York Film Festival

I know we still have about a month and a half of summer left, but I was reminded today when I received the press release for the 46th New York Film Festival line-up that fall will soon be upon us, and I for one cannot wait! It's no secret that fall is The Film Panel Notetaker's favorite season for film festivals. There's one nearly every week in and around New York starting in late September and going through most of the rest of the season. But let's stick to the New York Film Festival for now. I started going in 2001 with my friend Marissa (my first film festival experience ever being David Lynch's Mulholland Drive and a panel on Making Movies that Matter right after 9/11 with Oliver Stone and Christine Vachon), but didn't officially start notetaking there till 2006. Last year, I took to the ticket line at Jazz at Lincoln Center for my annual sojourn of sitting for hours in line for tickets as they go on sale to the public. Even though I now go as press, I still make my way to the box office (this year at Avery Fisher Hall) for nostalgic purposes and to see the same people I see every year (only in that line and at the festival and never anywhere else). Here's a quick glance (here, here, and here) at some notes I've taken at the festival since 2006.

This year's opening night film is the Cannes Golden Palm winner The Class (Entre Les Murs) from France by Laurent Cantent. The centerpiece is Clint Eastwood's Changeling starring Angelina Jolie and featuring Eddie Alderson (Matthew Buchanan of TV's One Life to Live). Finally, closing night is Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler starring Mickey Rourke.

Tickets for the festival will go on sale Sunday, Sept. 7, at 12:00 noon at Avery Fisher Hall, corner of Columbus Avenue and 65th St.; Monday, Sept. 8, online at filmlinc.com; and on Saturday, Sept. 27, at the Ziegfeld Theater, 141 West 54th St. For all other details and further information, please visit filmlinc.com.

Without further adieu, here is the entire lineup for the 46th New York Film Festival taking place Sept. 26 - Oct. 12.

Main slate, screening at the Ziegfeld Theatre, 141 West 54th St., except where noted

OPENING NIGHT (AVERY FISHER HALL / ZIEGFELD THEATRE)
The Class / Entre les murs
Laurent Cantet, France, 2008; 128m
A tough, lively and altogether revelatory look inside a high school classroom, enacted by
real teachers and students.

CENTERPIECE
Changeling
Clint Eastwood, USA, 2008; 140m
Angelina Jolie is a single mother whose troubles are just beginning when her son goes
missing in Clint Eastwood’s majestic fact-based period drama.

CLOSING NIGHT (AVERY FISHER HALL)
The Wrestler
Darren Aronofsky, USA, 2008; 109m
Mickey Rourke gives the performance of a lifetime in Darren Aronofsky’s raw and raucous new movie.

24 City / Er shi si cheng ji
Jia Zhangke, China/Hong Kong/Japan, 2008; 112m
The rise and fall of a Chinese factory town is chronicled in this film, straddling the border
between fiction and documentary.

Afterschool
Antonio Campos, USA, 2008; 122m
When two students at a posh prep school accidentally overdose, a student filmmaker
struggles to create an appropriate tribute for them.

Ashes of Time Redux
Wong Kar Wai, Hong Kong, 2008; 93m
The final, definitive version of Wong Kar Wai’s modernist take on the classic Chinese
martial arts tale.

Bullet in the Head / Trio en la cabeza
Jaime Rosales, Spain/France, 2008; 85m
A powerful, engrossing meditation on politics and the contemporary cult of surveillance.

Che
Steven Soderbergh, France/Spain, 2008; 268m
Steven Soderbergh’s two-part Spanish-language epic about Che Guevara’s revolutionary
military campaigns in Cuba and Bolivia features a brilliant lead performance by Benicio del Toro.

Chouga / Shuga
Darezhan Omirbaev, France/Kazakhstan, 2007; 91m
A Kazakh, minimalist adaptation of Anna Karenina.

A Christmas Tale / Un conte de Noël
Arnaud Desplechin, France, 2008; 150m
Arnaud Desplechin’s grand banquet of a movie brims with life, as Catherine Deneuve,
Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Devos and the other members of a marvelous ensemble
cast come home for Christmas.

Four Nights with Anna / Cztery noce z Anna
Jerzy Skolimowski, Poland/France, 2008; 87m
This visually mesmerizing tale of a shy man and his obsession with the woman across the
way marks the triumphant return of Polish maestro Jerzy Skolimowski.

Gomorrah / Gomorra
Matteo Garrone, Italy, 2008; 137m
A blistering version of Roberto Saviano’s modern true crime classic about the modern-day
Neapolitan mafia.

Happy-Go-Lucky
Mike Leigh, UK, 2008; 118m
An affectionate portrait of an unattached, 30-something London schoolteacher coming to
terms with the fact that she’s no longer young.

The Headless Woman / La mujer sin cabeza
Lucrecia Martel, Argentina/France/Italy/Spain, 2008; 87m
Argentine filmmaker Lucrecia Martel’s powerful third feature takes us into an altered
perceptual state with a woman who hits something with her car.

Hunger
Steve McQueen, UK, 2008; 96m
British visual artist Steve McQueen’s feature film debut is an uncompromising look at the
hunger strike led by IRA prisoner Bobby Sands in 1974.

I’m Going to Explode / Voy a explotar
Gerardo Naranjo, Mexico, 2008; 103m
Two Mexican teenagers go into hiding to see the reactions their disappearance will get
from relatives and friends.

Let It Rain / Parlez-moi de la pluie
Agnès Jaoui, France, 2008; 110m
A portrait of a rising feminist politician may be the ticket to fame and jobs for two aspiring
filmmakers.

RETROSPECTIVE
Lola Montès
Max Ophuls, France/West Germany, 1955; 115m
The life of the legendary courtesan and circus performer—lover of kings, knaves and
Franz Liszt—is presented in its definitive, restored version.

Night and Day / Bam guan nat
Hong Sang-soo, South Korea, 2008; 144m
When his life in Seoul becomes too complicated, an artist hightails it to Paris—but things
don’t get any easier.

The Northern Land / A Corte do Norte
João Botelho, Portugal, 2008; 101m
A woman searches for the truth about her life in the stories of ancestors and the distant
manor house they inhabited.

Serbis
Brillante Mendoza, Philippines/France, 2008; 90m
A family tries to quell the tensions tearing it apart while it struggles to keep the family
business—a porn movie theater—afloat

Summer Hours / L’heure d’eté
Olivier Assayas, France, 2008; 103m
Juliette Binoche is one of three siblings brought face-to-face with time and mortality by the
sudden death of her mother in this moving new film from Olivier Assayas.

Tokyo Sonata
Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Japan/Netherlands, 2008; 85m
A Japanese family struggles to re-define itself after the father loses his corporate job.

Tony Manero
Pablo Larrain, Chile/Brazil, 2008; 98m
In the dark days of the Pinochet dictatorship, a John Travolta wannabe blazes a
murderous trail through the back alleys of Chile.

Tulpan
Sergey Dvortsevoy, Germany/Kazakhstan/Poland/Russia/Switzerland, 2008; 100m
Winner of the Un Certain Regard Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Tulpan charts
an aspiring herdsman’s efforts to win the attention of his intended.

Waltz with Bashir / Vals in Bashir
Ari Folman, Israel/Germany/France, 2008; 90m
Israeli filmmaker Ari Folman’s haunting autobiographical memory piece about his
experiences as a soldier during the 1982 war in Lebanon are given a hyper-real spin by
state-of-the-art animation.

Wendy and Lucy
Kelly Reichardt, USA, 2008; 80m
In Kelly Reichardt’s follow-up to her acclaimed Old Joy, Wendy (Michelle Williams)
searches for her dog Lucy. The troubled spirit of modern America is beautifully evoked
along the way.

The Windmill Movie
Alexander Olch, USA, 2008; 80m
Filmmaker Alexander Olch, using material left by the late filmmaker Richard Rogers for a never completed film autobiography, attempts to make sense of the life of his former
teacher and friend.

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Friday, August 08, 2008

Infinicine Navigates The Digital Distribution Landscape for Indies


Laure Parsons, whom I met earlier this year at a bunch of film panel discussions, has launched a new website today (8/8/08) called Infincine, which covers the digital film distribution marketplace from the perspective of the independent, arthouse and documentary film community. This is a great resource I urge you to check out with important and comprehensive information from the latest news on digital distribution and interviews with movers and shakers in the field. It even includes a discussion board where you can post and respond to such topics as "Online Markets- Your Experience," "Theatrical/Semi-Theatrical," "Piracy or Freedom," "Other Territories" and "Case Studies." She also directs readers to online retail/rental/streaming sites that pay filmmakers something for their content such as Jaman.com, Netflix, iTunes, IndiePix, and more. Be sure to bookmark or add Infinicine to your RSS feed.

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Tuesday, August 05, 2008

IndieGoGo Adds The Film Panel Notetaker As a Resource

I'm happy to announce that IndieGoGo has added The Film Panel Notetaker to its Resources page. Check it out here.

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