Video games nowadays are plentiful; gamers everywhere cannot choose because there are so many games on the market. games like Helldivers 2 and franchises like Call of Duty reign supreme, but where did it all start? Gaming has been in existence for a long time, but it only started catching steam when Nintendo brought it back in the 1980s.
But there were other platforms that were getting games too. People who did not own a Nintendo Entertainment System wanted to play games on their preferred device, a PC. And one company was more than ready to serve them; it was none other than ID software. According to legendary developer John Romero, one game they developed felt like a Nintendo game was running on a PC.
John Romero talks about one of his most legendary games
Commander Keen is one of the first games by ID Software.
Years ago, Adrian Carmack, John Carmack,...
But there were other platforms that were getting games too. People who did not own a Nintendo Entertainment System wanted to play games on their preferred device, a PC. And one company was more than ready to serve them; it was none other than ID software. According to legendary developer John Romero, one game they developed felt like a Nintendo game was running on a PC.
John Romero talks about one of his most legendary games
Commander Keen is one of the first games by ID Software.
Years ago, Adrian Carmack, John Carmack,...
- 4/4/2024
- by Rohit Sejwal
- FandomWire
Fresh from his Academy Award win for best actor, “Oppenheimer” star Cillian Murphy now has a chance to claim the same honor at his local awards.
The Irish Film and TV Academy (IFTA) has unveiled the nominees for its 2024 awards, with Murphy going up against “Saltburn’s'” Barry Keoghan and “All of Us Strangers” star Andrew Scott in the best actor category. Elsewhere, Jessie Buckley (“Fingernails”) and Saoirse Ronan (“Foe”) are among those nominated for best actress, while Paul Mescal (“All of Us Strangers”) and Kenneth Branagh (“Oppenheimer”) are in the running for best supporting actor.
But it was actually Irish features leading the pack of nominees, with Lisa Mulcahy’s “Lies We Tell” landing 13, followed by “That They May Face the Rising Sun” and “Double Blind.”
The IFTAs ceremony will be take place on April 20 at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre with Irish TV personality Baz Ashmawy on hosting duties.
The Irish Film and TV Academy (IFTA) has unveiled the nominees for its 2024 awards, with Murphy going up against “Saltburn’s'” Barry Keoghan and “All of Us Strangers” star Andrew Scott in the best actor category. Elsewhere, Jessie Buckley (“Fingernails”) and Saoirse Ronan (“Foe”) are among those nominated for best actress, while Paul Mescal (“All of Us Strangers”) and Kenneth Branagh (“Oppenheimer”) are in the running for best supporting actor.
But it was actually Irish features leading the pack of nominees, with Lisa Mulcahy’s “Lies We Tell” landing 13, followed by “That They May Face the Rising Sun” and “Double Blind.”
The IFTAs ceremony will be take place on April 20 at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre with Irish TV personality Baz Ashmawy on hosting duties.
- 3/14/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
Nominations are out for the 21st Irish Film & Television Awards with Lisa Mulcahy’s thriller Lies We Tell leading the pack on the feature side at 13, and crime drama Kin heading up the TV fields with 11 (scroll down for the ful list of nominees). The Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA) will hand out its prizes on April 20 in Dublin.
Alongside Lies We Tell in the Best Film category are Double Blind, Flora and Son, Lola, That They May Face the Rising Sun and Verdigris. Each of those films also scored a mention for their directors.
In what was a banner year for Irish talent, there are several awards season notables vying for Best Actor as well, including Oppenheimer Oscar winner Cillian Murphy, Saltburn’s Barry Keoghan and All of Us Strangers’ Andrew Scott.
The Best International Film race includes All of Us Strangers, Oppenheimer, Past Lives, Poor Things, Saltburn and The Holdovers.
Alongside Lies We Tell in the Best Film category are Double Blind, Flora and Son, Lola, That They May Face the Rising Sun and Verdigris. Each of those films also scored a mention for their directors.
In what was a banner year for Irish talent, there are several awards season notables vying for Best Actor as well, including Oppenheimer Oscar winner Cillian Murphy, Saltburn’s Barry Keoghan and All of Us Strangers’ Andrew Scott.
The Best International Film race includes All of Us Strangers, Oppenheimer, Past Lives, Poor Things, Saltburn and The Holdovers.
- 3/14/2024
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Lies We Tell, with 13, That They May Face the Rising Sun and Double Blind, with 11 each, are leading the nominations for the movie portion of the Irish Film & Television Awards 2024.
Lies We Tell is about an orphaned teenage heiress in 19th-century Ireland who is forced to embrace the dark legacy of her family when she becomes the ward of an uncle determined to marry her off. Rising Sun is an adaptation of John McGahern’s novel of passion, war, and migration. Double Blind is a horror film about an experimental drug trial that goes horribly wrong. Andrew Legge’s Lola, a science fiction drama set in 1940, received seven noms on Thursday.
Among the lead acting nominees are such big names as Cillian Murphy, Barry Keoghan, Andrew Scott, Pierce Brosnan, Saoirse Ronan, Eve Hewson, and Jessie Buckley. The best supporting film actor category, meanwhile, includes Kenneth Branagh and Paul Mescal.
And...
Lies We Tell is about an orphaned teenage heiress in 19th-century Ireland who is forced to embrace the dark legacy of her family when she becomes the ward of an uncle determined to marry her off. Rising Sun is an adaptation of John McGahern’s novel of passion, war, and migration. Double Blind is a horror film about an experimental drug trial that goes horribly wrong. Andrew Legge’s Lola, a science fiction drama set in 1940, received seven noms on Thursday.
Among the lead acting nominees are such big names as Cillian Murphy, Barry Keoghan, Andrew Scott, Pierce Brosnan, Saoirse Ronan, Eve Hewson, and Jessie Buckley. The best supporting film actor category, meanwhile, includes Kenneth Branagh and Paul Mescal.
And...
- 3/14/2024
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
This year’s Montclair Film Festival has announced its full lineup, with new films from Andrew Haigh, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Alice Rohrwacher, and Wim Wenders joining previously announced titles like Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers” and Todd Haynes’s “May December.”
Among the films in competition for fiction film are “La Chimera” by Rohrbacher, “Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World” (directed by Radu Jude), “Evil Does Not Exist” by Hamaguchi, “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell” directed by Phạm Thiên Ân, and “Totem” directed by Lila Avilés.
Among the highlight films, screening throughout the festival, are “All of Us Strangers” by Haigh, “Fingernails” directed by Christos Nikou, “Nyad” directed by Jimmy Chin & Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, and “The Taste of Things” directed by Trân Anh Hùng.
Those films join the previously announced opening night film “Dream Scenario,” the centerpiece film “The Holdovers,” and the closing night film “Eileen.
Among the films in competition for fiction film are “La Chimera” by Rohrbacher, “Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World” (directed by Radu Jude), “Evil Does Not Exist” by Hamaguchi, “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell” directed by Phạm Thiên Ân, and “Totem” directed by Lila Avilés.
Among the highlight films, screening throughout the festival, are “All of Us Strangers” by Haigh, “Fingernails” directed by Christos Nikou, “Nyad” directed by Jimmy Chin & Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, and “The Taste of Things” directed by Trân Anh Hùng.
Those films join the previously announced opening night film “Dream Scenario,” the centerpiece film “The Holdovers,” and the closing night film “Eileen.
- 9/30/2023
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
The lineup for Montclair Film’s 2023 festival is set to feature screenings of Dream Scenario, Eileen and Stamped From the Beginning, as well as discussions with director Todd Haynes and award-winning musician Jon Batiste.
The 12th annual edition of the New Jersey-based event will kick off with an opening night screening and Q&a for Kristoffer Borgli’s Dream Scenario, a comedy starring Nicolas Cage as a listless family man and professor who becomes an overnight celebrity after becoming a central figure of others’ dreams. It will close with William Oldroyd’s period psychological thriller Eileen, starring Anne Hathaway and Thomasin McKenzie.
This year, the Alexander Payne-directed and Paul Giamatti-starring The Holdovers has been named the Fiction Centerpiece selection and Pablo Berger’s Robot Dreams, based on Sara Varonas’ popular graphic novel, is the Family Centerpiece. As the 2023 Documentary Centerpiece, Roger Ross Williams’ adaptation of Dr. Ibram X. Kendi...
The 12th annual edition of the New Jersey-based event will kick off with an opening night screening and Q&a for Kristoffer Borgli’s Dream Scenario, a comedy starring Nicolas Cage as a listless family man and professor who becomes an overnight celebrity after becoming a central figure of others’ dreams. It will close with William Oldroyd’s period psychological thriller Eileen, starring Anne Hathaway and Thomasin McKenzie.
This year, the Alexander Payne-directed and Paul Giamatti-starring The Holdovers has been named the Fiction Centerpiece selection and Pablo Berger’s Robot Dreams, based on Sara Varonas’ popular graphic novel, is the Family Centerpiece. As the 2023 Documentary Centerpiece, Roger Ross Williams’ adaptation of Dr. Ibram X. Kendi...
- 9/20/2023
- by Abbey White
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Martin Scorsese will receive a filmmaker tribute honor at next month’s Montclair Film Festival and also take part in an onstage interview with major fest backer Stephen Colbert.
The October 27 conversation will touch on the director’s latest project, Killers of the Flower Moon, which will be released theatrically on October 20 by Apple and Paramount, plus Scorsese’s entire six-decade career. Killers, Scorsese’s 27th narrative feature film as a director, had its world premiere in Cannes last May.
As a resident of Montclair, a New Jersey suburb of New York City where a number of media and entertainment pros make their homes, Colbert has been a longtime advocate of the festival. His wife, Evie Colbert, is its president, and Colbert convenes annual sit-downs with notable figures at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark as well as making other appearances. While it remains largely a Northeast regional fest,...
The October 27 conversation will touch on the director’s latest project, Killers of the Flower Moon, which will be released theatrically on October 20 by Apple and Paramount, plus Scorsese’s entire six-decade career. Killers, Scorsese’s 27th narrative feature film as a director, had its world premiere in Cannes last May.
As a resident of Montclair, a New Jersey suburb of New York City where a number of media and entertainment pros make their homes, Colbert has been a longtime advocate of the festival. His wife, Evie Colbert, is its president, and Colbert convenes annual sit-downs with notable figures at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark as well as making other appearances. While it remains largely a Northeast regional fest,...
- 9/6/2023
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
The Montclair Film Festival has announced its centerpiece and closing night films for the 11th edition of the event, with the 2022 lineup including a Q&a with Brendan Fraser following a special screening of Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale.
Maria Schrader’s She Said, the film based on the book of the same name about the New York Times‘ landmark Harvey Weinstein exposé, starring Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan, will serve as this year’s closing night film.
Tobias Lindholm’s crime drama The Good Nurse, based on Charles Graeber’s 2013 book and starring Eddie Redmayne and Jessica Chastain, will serve as the centerpiece film, as will Mark Fletcher’s Patrick and The Whale, a marine doc that follows Patrick Dykstra into the underwater world of whales.
A24 film The Inspection, which serves as director Elegance Bratton’s narrative feature debut and stars Jeremy Pope,...
The Montclair Film Festival has announced its centerpiece and closing night films for the 11th edition of the event, with the 2022 lineup including a Q&a with Brendan Fraser following a special screening of Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale.
Maria Schrader’s She Said, the film based on the book of the same name about the New York Times‘ landmark Harvey Weinstein exposé, starring Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan, will serve as this year’s closing night film.
Tobias Lindholm’s crime drama The Good Nurse, based on Charles Graeber’s 2013 book and starring Eddie Redmayne and Jessica Chastain, will serve as the centerpiece film, as will Mark Fletcher’s Patrick and The Whale, a marine doc that follows Patrick Dykstra into the underwater world of whales.
A24 film The Inspection, which serves as director Elegance Bratton’s narrative feature debut and stars Jeremy Pope,...
- 9/23/2022
- by Abbey White
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland” has been selected at the opener for the ninth edition of the Montclair Film Festival on Oct. 16, with Regina King’s “One Night in Miami” as the Oct. 24 closing title.
“Nomadland” premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Sept. 11, and won the Golden Lion. The film is set after the economic collapse of a company town in rural Nevada, with Frances McDormand’s character Fern exploring a life outside of conventional society as a modern-day nomad.
“One Night in Miami” is King’s feature directorial debut in a fictionalized story of Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Jim Brown, and Sam Cooke celebrating Ali’s surprise title win over Sonny Liston in Miami. It had its world premiere at Venice on Sept. 7, 2020, the first film directed by an African-American woman to be selected in the festival’s history.
Both films will screen at the Carpool Theater drive-in, as...
“Nomadland” premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Sept. 11, and won the Golden Lion. The film is set after the economic collapse of a company town in rural Nevada, with Frances McDormand’s character Fern exploring a life outside of conventional society as a modern-day nomad.
“One Night in Miami” is King’s feature directorial debut in a fictionalized story of Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Jim Brown, and Sam Cooke celebrating Ali’s surprise title win over Sonny Liston in Miami. It had its world premiere at Venice on Sept. 7, 2020, the first film directed by an African-American woman to be selected in the festival’s history.
Both films will screen at the Carpool Theater drive-in, as...
- 9/18/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
So it’s that intense festival time of year again. You’re considering festivals, applying to festivals, maybe excited about the festivals you’ve been accepted to or recalibrating your expectations after unexpected rejection letters. If so, then the following ten do’s and don’ts may be helpful to you. These suggestions are based not only on my own work with clients, but also from some amazing advice from some really knowledgeable folks who I have had the pleasure of being on panels with over this past year: Basil Tsiokis (programmer, Sundance and Doc NYC), Tom Hall (programmer, Montclair Film Festival), Dan Nuxoll (Rooftop Films), […]...
- 12/19/2017
- by Jon Reiss
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
The nonfiction organization Cinema Eye and its nominations committee of top international documentary film programmers, curators, and filmmakers has picked their annual list of “Unforgettables” who helped to define documentary cinema in 2017. They selected 30 individuals from 15 different films to be in the running for this year’s Cinema Eye awards. Like the Doc NYC shortlist, many of the films on this curated list are in the running for the year’s top awards, including the Oscar. “Jane,” “Faces Places,” “City of Ghosts,” and “Strong Island” continue to lead the documentary awards pack.
The full slate of Cinema Eye nominations for nonfiction feature, short, and broadcast films/series will be be announced on Friday, November 3 in San Francisco at Sffilm’s Doc Stories event. Awards will be presented in New York City at the Museum of the Moving Image on Thursday, January 11, 2018.
Read More:doc NYC Announces Its Awards Short List, Including ‘Icarus,...
The full slate of Cinema Eye nominations for nonfiction feature, short, and broadcast films/series will be be announced on Friday, November 3 in San Francisco at Sffilm’s Doc Stories event. Awards will be presented in New York City at the Museum of the Moving Image on Thursday, January 11, 2018.
Read More:doc NYC Announces Its Awards Short List, Including ‘Icarus,...
- 10/18/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The nonfiction organization Cinema Eye and its nominations committee of top international documentary film programmers, curators, and filmmakers has picked their annual list of “Unforgettables” who helped to define documentary cinema in 2017. They selected 30 individuals from 15 different films to be in the running for this year’s Cinema Eye awards. Like the Doc NYC shortlist, many of the films on this curated list are in the running for the year’s top awards, including the Oscar. “Jane,” “Faces Places,” “City of Ghosts,” and “Strong Island” continue to lead the documentary awards pack.
The full slate of Cinema Eye nominations for nonfiction feature, short, and broadcast films/series will be be announced on Friday, November 3 in San Francisco at Sffilm’s Doc Stories event. Awards will be presented in New York City at the Museum of the Moving Image on Thursday, January 11, 2018.
Read More:doc NYC Announces Its Awards Short List, Including ‘Icarus,...
The full slate of Cinema Eye nominations for nonfiction feature, short, and broadcast films/series will be be announced on Friday, November 3 in San Francisco at Sffilm’s Doc Stories event. Awards will be presented in New York City at the Museum of the Moving Image on Thursday, January 11, 2018.
Read More:doc NYC Announces Its Awards Short List, Including ‘Icarus,...
- 10/18/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Keep up with the always-hopping film festival world with our weekly Film Festival Roundup column. Check out last week’s Roundup right here.
Lineup Announcements
– Montclair Film has announced the full program for the 6th annual Montclair Film Festival (Mff), taking place April 28 – May 7, 2017 in Montclair, NJ and featuring over 150 films, events, discussions, and parties, with over 150 filmmakers and industry guests attending. Highlights include “Casting JonBenet,” “Strong Island,” “Lady Macbeth,” “Menashe” and “Beach Rats.”
“This year, we have been fortunate to find filmmakers who are making work that gives depth and shape to the vital conversations of our time,” said Montclair Film Executive Director Tom Hall. “The festival is an opportunity for bringing audiences together with these incredible artists, so that, together, we can enjoy and engage with the images, ideas, and insights that are illuminated in these wonderful films.” Check out the full lineup right here.
– The Film Society...
Lineup Announcements
– Montclair Film has announced the full program for the 6th annual Montclair Film Festival (Mff), taking place April 28 – May 7, 2017 in Montclair, NJ and featuring over 150 films, events, discussions, and parties, with over 150 filmmakers and industry guests attending. Highlights include “Casting JonBenet,” “Strong Island,” “Lady Macbeth,” “Menashe” and “Beach Rats.”
“This year, we have been fortunate to find filmmakers who are making work that gives depth and shape to the vital conversations of our time,” said Montclair Film Executive Director Tom Hall. “The festival is an opportunity for bringing audiences together with these incredible artists, so that, together, we can enjoy and engage with the images, ideas, and insights that are illuminated in these wonderful films.” Check out the full lineup right here.
– The Film Society...
- 4/6/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
The Montclair Film Festival has unveiled its opening, closing and centerpiece films.
Amanda Lipitz's Step will open and Zoe Lister-Jones' Band Aid will close the the annual New Jersey event. Geremy Jasper's Patti Cake$ and Stanley Nelson's Tell Them We Are Rising: America's Black Colleges and Universities will serve as the fiction and documentary centerpiece films, respectively.
The fest will also screen restorations of George Romero's Night of the Living Dead and Andrei Tarkovsky's Stalker.
“Today’s announcement highlights the diversity of programs and ideas that we’ll be bringing to the 2017 Montclair Film Festival,” Mff executive director Tom Hall said...
Amanda Lipitz's Step will open and Zoe Lister-Jones' Band Aid will close the the annual New Jersey event. Geremy Jasper's Patti Cake$ and Stanley Nelson's Tell Them We Are Rising: America's Black Colleges and Universities will serve as the fiction and documentary centerpiece films, respectively.
The fest will also screen restorations of George Romero's Night of the Living Dead and Andrei Tarkovsky's Stalker.
“Today’s announcement highlights the diversity of programs and ideas that we’ll be bringing to the 2017 Montclair Film Festival,” Mff executive director Tom Hall said...
- 3/28/2017
- by Hilary Lewis
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Doom reboot won't focus entirely on story, and we discuss why that is entirely okay with us!
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According to a recent interview with Game Informer, Executive Producer Martin Stratton talked a bit about where the game will go story wise. To break things down rather bluntly he notes that the game focuses primarily on action and gameplay, then the story is secondary to all of that.
“If you come into Doom to have amazing combat, then I really think people are going to enjoy themselves. We’ve spent so much time to try to get that right, to try to get the challenge of it right.”
From there he talks with the interviewer about how the difficulty has been turned up since several journalists last played the game. He said that of all things people wanted, it was a bigger challenge to...
Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none
According to a recent interview with Game Informer, Executive Producer Martin Stratton talked a bit about where the game will go story wise. To break things down rather bluntly he notes that the game focuses primarily on action and gameplay, then the story is secondary to all of that.
“If you come into Doom to have amazing combat, then I really think people are going to enjoy themselves. We’ve spent so much time to try to get that right, to try to get the challenge of it right.”
From there he talks with the interviewer about how the difficulty has been turned up since several journalists last played the game. He said that of all things people wanted, it was a bigger challenge to...
- 1/26/2016
- by [email protected] (Dustin Spino)
- Cinelinx
For the Montclair Film Festival, a week just wasn’t enough. The festival, a combination of community event for its hometown of Montclair, N.J., and regional film showcase, is expanding from a week to 10 days for its 2015 edition, which opens Friday. From 46 films and events in its first edition, in 2012, it’s grown to more than 100 this year, with an eclectic lineup ranging from Sundance and SXSW hits to documentaries by local filmmakers to guests such as actor Richard Gere and director Jonathan Demme.
- 4/30/2015
- by Michael Rapoport
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
Read More: Tom Hall Named Executive Director of the Montclair Film Festival Stephen Colbert's Montclair Film Festival is pulling out all the stops for its 4th edition this May. The New Jersey-based film festival has announced its official selections for its opening, closing and centerpiece screenings and they include major award-winning titles from this year's biggest festivals, including Sundance Grand Jury and Audience Award Winner "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" and SXSW Audience Award Winner "Hello, My Name is Doris." "We are truly honored to bring these remarkable films to the Montclair Film Festival," said Mff Executive Director Tom Hall. "These are movies that our audiences will love, and we could not be more excited to support these wonderful filmmakers and showcase their work." The special screenings include: "Hello, My Name is Doris" - Opening Night Film (May 1, 7:30 Pm, The Wellmont Theater) Director: Michael...
- 3/25/2015
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
At the recent New York Ifp Meetings in mid September Just after Tiff, I attended a day devoted to an initiative called the Ifp Festival Forum.This nascent professional association of film festivals has been convening at Ifp’s independent Film Week and the Sundance Film Festival for a couple years, as it seeks to become an independent organization focused on the needs and interests of festival organizers. At Independent Film week they were presenting multiple panels hitting on issues of interest to festivals.
The next meeting will take place at 2014 Art House Convergence, and Film Festivals are invited to attend and to participate. The deadline for reduced registration to the Art House Convergence is looming, so read this to decide whether you should attend. Let me give my personal overview of this quite momentous event.
I was an original founder of Ifp when Sandra Schulberg organized a meeting in the early '80s in New York of indie film people who felt the need for us to be organized, to "have a voice". I then went on to open the L.A. office of Ifp West (now Film Independent / Find) and ran that for a year, effectively setting up the now vibrant La organization.
My partner Sydney Levine and myself have, in recent years, been very aware of the need for the burgeoning film festival scene in the U.S. and internationally to meet, get organized and discuss common issues, problems, solutions in the same way as filmmakers did in those early Ifp days.
For example - In Berlin now for several years my partner Sydney Levine has led, and I have worked closely with her, workshops organized each year during the week pre-Berlinale by Germany's large well-funded PBS-type-entity Deutsche Welle link. She and I have counseled pre and during Berlinale large groups (30 or more) of young film fest directors from Africa, Asia, and Latin America about the international independent film marketplace. She also takes them on her unique walking tours of the physical Berlinale marketplace. (She conducts other tours for various groups at the Berlinale each year and also at Cannes Marche du Film.)
This July at the invitation of U.K.'s International Cinema Office link I went to their week's session in Motovun Croatia and met with 40 or more young festival directors from all over Europe (U.K. and also eastern, southern and central Europe) to discuss the various common problems of festival management, organization, financing, marketing etc. My focus there was on the business of festivals and their connection with the international film markets such as Berlinale and Cannes. I blogged about them and this meeting at IndieWire at SydneysBuzz. You can read that piece Here
My partner Sydney has attended every Art House Convergence meeting in Utah since its second year inception and will also attend this coming January '14 meeting pre-Sundance.
In New York last week I sat down with members of the Ifp Festival Forum Executive Committee to learn what their vision is for this new organization.
The Executive Committee attendees were:
Jody Arlington, Interim Director Ifp Festival Forum Executive Committee
Sarah Pearce, Sundance Institute Co-Managing Director, Operations & Utah Community Relations
Colin Stanfield, San Francisco Film Society Managing Director
Joana Vicente, Executive Director, Ifp introduced the NYC meeting last week.
Sundance Institute’s Sarah Pearce commented on the motives behind this new organization. She said, "we need a voice to advocate for needs in the film festival world. We also want to create a platform to share resources.
Sarasota's Tom Hall sees the next step as "a further discussion of partnership with the Art House Convergence, an organization dedicated to business and organizational needs of art house cinemas. The difference is only that we are dedicated to film festivals. This is the first truly professional conference of this sort organized by and for film festival collaboration".
Jody Arlington, Interim Director Ifp Festival Forum Executive Committee described their efforts like this."Since ratifying our vision, mission, bylaw and strategic plan at Sundance in January, the executive committee has been focused on developing and delivering value against our three core objectives: developing and sharing best practices, advocating for the needs and interests of festivals at the local, national and international level, and of course ensuring everything is aligned with our mission and values. Each panel and discussion at Ifp was aligned with our goals. Art House Convergence will be a more ambitious offering, by which time we’ll have launched our website and have industry research to present.”
This statement has just been released describing the upcoming January 2014 meeting in Utah presented by Ifp Festival Forum and Art House Convergence.
The Ifp Festival Forum and Art House Convergence to Present Film Festival Program at 2014 Art House Convergence Conference
January 13-16, 2014 in Midway, Ut
The Ifp Festival Forum and Art House Convergence (Ahc) announced during Ifp’s Independent Film Week that they are joining forces for this year’s 2014 Art House Convergence Conference, January 13-16 in Midway Utah. For the first time the Art House Convergence will feature a full program of panels, discussions, meetings and presentations seeking to enhance the professional and organizational development of film festivals. The film festival program at Ahc will be open to all attending delegates, and all Ahc programs will be open to attending festival delegates. Registration for all attending film festival delegates is open until October 21, 2013 and registration can be completed Here
“Art Houses and Film Festivals share similar DNA, and often work together symbiotically already,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director, Ifp. “They also face similar organizational challenges and benefit from the type of professional development and best practices shared at the Ifp Festival Forum during Independent Film Week, and now at the upcoming Art House Convergence Conference.”
Festival Program Conference Topics include:
• Defining Festivals in the New Cinematic Landscape
• The Ethics of Film Festival Programming: A Filmmaker Bill Of Rights
• Digital Conversion For Festivals: How to Program and Exhibit In The Digital Age
• Come Together: How Do We Organize To Tell The Story of Film Festivals To The World?
• Festival To Festival: Models for Collaboration
• Audiences Unleashed: Making Your Festival Valuable to Distributors and Filmmakers
• Festival Nightmares: Horror Stories and Best Practices For Festival Organizers
• Side By Side: A Case Study of Festival Operations and Management
• Data and Transparency: Survey Presentation and Developing A Model for Information Sharing
“The Art House Convergence has dedicated itself to improving the quality and effectiveness of art house cinemas, where so many festivals make their homes. We look forward to working with our festival colleagues who are also dedicated to fostering collaboration and a thriving film community,” said Russ Collins, Director, Art House Convergence.
The Art House Convergence is a four-day, action packed conference that provides productive tips about programming, marketing, fundraising, technology and industry trends to help improve the quality and effectiveness of community-based, mission-driven art house cinemas. The Ifp Festival Forum is an emerging professional association that advocate for the needs and interests of film festivals and their organizers, providing a collaborative platform for members to develop and share operational and curatorial efficiencies, set professional standards, and establish best practices.
About Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp)
The Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp) is the premier advocacy organization for independent filmmakers, championing the future of storytelling in the digital age by fostering a vibrant and sustainable independent filmmaking community. Ifp has supported over 7,000 films and offered resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers over its 34-year history, developing 350 new feature and documentary films each year. Ifp represents a growing network of 10,000 filmmakers and artists in New York City and around the world.
Ifp guides filmmakers in the art, technology and business of independent filmmaking through its year-round programming and now the state of the art Made In NY Media Center by Ifp, a new incubator space developed with the Mayor’s Office for Media and Entertainment, where storytellers from multiple disciplines, industries and platforms create, collaborate and connect. In addition to its workshops, seminars, conferences, mentorships, and Filmmaker Magazine, Ifp’s year-round programs include Independent Film Week, Envision, The Cross-Media Forum, The Gotham Independent Film Awards, and the Independent Filmmaker Labs.
About the Ifp Festival Forum™
A professional association that advocates for the needs and interests of Film Festivals and their organizers. The Festival Forum provides a collaborative platform for members to develop and share operational and curatorial efficiencies, set professional standards, and establish best practices. The Forum serves the collective priorities of its membership while leveraging its leadership, expertise, and vision within the international film community and the broader cultural landscape.
Founded in 2010, the Festival Forum includes over 200 U.S. & International festival programmers and executives, including representatives from Berlin, Cannes, Full Frame, Hot Docs, New York Film Festival, New Directors, Rotterdam, Slamdance, Sundance, SXSW, and Tribeca.
About the Art House Convergence
The Art House Convergence conference is an educational program organized by the Michigan Theater and other Sundance Institute Art House Project theaters. At this important annual conference, delegates enjoy inspirational speakers, informative sessions and panel discussions that provide productive tips about programming, marketing, fundraising, technology and industry trends to help improve the quality and quantity of community-based, mission-driven art house cinemas.
The next meeting will take place at 2014 Art House Convergence, and Film Festivals are invited to attend and to participate. The deadline for reduced registration to the Art House Convergence is looming, so read this to decide whether you should attend. Let me give my personal overview of this quite momentous event.
I was an original founder of Ifp when Sandra Schulberg organized a meeting in the early '80s in New York of indie film people who felt the need for us to be organized, to "have a voice". I then went on to open the L.A. office of Ifp West (now Film Independent / Find) and ran that for a year, effectively setting up the now vibrant La organization.
My partner Sydney Levine and myself have, in recent years, been very aware of the need for the burgeoning film festival scene in the U.S. and internationally to meet, get organized and discuss common issues, problems, solutions in the same way as filmmakers did in those early Ifp days.
For example - In Berlin now for several years my partner Sydney Levine has led, and I have worked closely with her, workshops organized each year during the week pre-Berlinale by Germany's large well-funded PBS-type-entity Deutsche Welle link. She and I have counseled pre and during Berlinale large groups (30 or more) of young film fest directors from Africa, Asia, and Latin America about the international independent film marketplace. She also takes them on her unique walking tours of the physical Berlinale marketplace. (She conducts other tours for various groups at the Berlinale each year and also at Cannes Marche du Film.)
This July at the invitation of U.K.'s International Cinema Office link I went to their week's session in Motovun Croatia and met with 40 or more young festival directors from all over Europe (U.K. and also eastern, southern and central Europe) to discuss the various common problems of festival management, organization, financing, marketing etc. My focus there was on the business of festivals and their connection with the international film markets such as Berlinale and Cannes. I blogged about them and this meeting at IndieWire at SydneysBuzz. You can read that piece Here
My partner Sydney has attended every Art House Convergence meeting in Utah since its second year inception and will also attend this coming January '14 meeting pre-Sundance.
In New York last week I sat down with members of the Ifp Festival Forum Executive Committee to learn what their vision is for this new organization.
The Executive Committee attendees were:
Jody Arlington, Interim Director Ifp Festival Forum Executive Committee
Sarah Pearce, Sundance Institute Co-Managing Director, Operations & Utah Community Relations
Colin Stanfield, San Francisco Film Society Managing Director
Joana Vicente, Executive Director, Ifp introduced the NYC meeting last week.
Sundance Institute’s Sarah Pearce commented on the motives behind this new organization. She said, "we need a voice to advocate for needs in the film festival world. We also want to create a platform to share resources.
Sarasota's Tom Hall sees the next step as "a further discussion of partnership with the Art House Convergence, an organization dedicated to business and organizational needs of art house cinemas. The difference is only that we are dedicated to film festivals. This is the first truly professional conference of this sort organized by and for film festival collaboration".
Jody Arlington, Interim Director Ifp Festival Forum Executive Committee described their efforts like this."Since ratifying our vision, mission, bylaw and strategic plan at Sundance in January, the executive committee has been focused on developing and delivering value against our three core objectives: developing and sharing best practices, advocating for the needs and interests of festivals at the local, national and international level, and of course ensuring everything is aligned with our mission and values. Each panel and discussion at Ifp was aligned with our goals. Art House Convergence will be a more ambitious offering, by which time we’ll have launched our website and have industry research to present.”
This statement has just been released describing the upcoming January 2014 meeting in Utah presented by Ifp Festival Forum and Art House Convergence.
The Ifp Festival Forum and Art House Convergence to Present Film Festival Program at 2014 Art House Convergence Conference
January 13-16, 2014 in Midway, Ut
The Ifp Festival Forum and Art House Convergence (Ahc) announced during Ifp’s Independent Film Week that they are joining forces for this year’s 2014 Art House Convergence Conference, January 13-16 in Midway Utah. For the first time the Art House Convergence will feature a full program of panels, discussions, meetings and presentations seeking to enhance the professional and organizational development of film festivals. The film festival program at Ahc will be open to all attending delegates, and all Ahc programs will be open to attending festival delegates. Registration for all attending film festival delegates is open until October 21, 2013 and registration can be completed Here
“Art Houses and Film Festivals share similar DNA, and often work together symbiotically already,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director, Ifp. “They also face similar organizational challenges and benefit from the type of professional development and best practices shared at the Ifp Festival Forum during Independent Film Week, and now at the upcoming Art House Convergence Conference.”
Festival Program Conference Topics include:
• Defining Festivals in the New Cinematic Landscape
• The Ethics of Film Festival Programming: A Filmmaker Bill Of Rights
• Digital Conversion For Festivals: How to Program and Exhibit In The Digital Age
• Come Together: How Do We Organize To Tell The Story of Film Festivals To The World?
• Festival To Festival: Models for Collaboration
• Audiences Unleashed: Making Your Festival Valuable to Distributors and Filmmakers
• Festival Nightmares: Horror Stories and Best Practices For Festival Organizers
• Side By Side: A Case Study of Festival Operations and Management
• Data and Transparency: Survey Presentation and Developing A Model for Information Sharing
“The Art House Convergence has dedicated itself to improving the quality and effectiveness of art house cinemas, where so many festivals make their homes. We look forward to working with our festival colleagues who are also dedicated to fostering collaboration and a thriving film community,” said Russ Collins, Director, Art House Convergence.
The Art House Convergence is a four-day, action packed conference that provides productive tips about programming, marketing, fundraising, technology and industry trends to help improve the quality and effectiveness of community-based, mission-driven art house cinemas. The Ifp Festival Forum is an emerging professional association that advocate for the needs and interests of film festivals and their organizers, providing a collaborative platform for members to develop and share operational and curatorial efficiencies, set professional standards, and establish best practices.
About Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp)
The Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp) is the premier advocacy organization for independent filmmakers, championing the future of storytelling in the digital age by fostering a vibrant and sustainable independent filmmaking community. Ifp has supported over 7,000 films and offered resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers over its 34-year history, developing 350 new feature and documentary films each year. Ifp represents a growing network of 10,000 filmmakers and artists in New York City and around the world.
Ifp guides filmmakers in the art, technology and business of independent filmmaking through its year-round programming and now the state of the art Made In NY Media Center by Ifp, a new incubator space developed with the Mayor’s Office for Media and Entertainment, where storytellers from multiple disciplines, industries and platforms create, collaborate and connect. In addition to its workshops, seminars, conferences, mentorships, and Filmmaker Magazine, Ifp’s year-round programs include Independent Film Week, Envision, The Cross-Media Forum, The Gotham Independent Film Awards, and the Independent Filmmaker Labs.
About the Ifp Festival Forum™
A professional association that advocates for the needs and interests of Film Festivals and their organizers. The Festival Forum provides a collaborative platform for members to develop and share operational and curatorial efficiencies, set professional standards, and establish best practices. The Forum serves the collective priorities of its membership while leveraging its leadership, expertise, and vision within the international film community and the broader cultural landscape.
Founded in 2010, the Festival Forum includes over 200 U.S. & International festival programmers and executives, including representatives from Berlin, Cannes, Full Frame, Hot Docs, New York Film Festival, New Directors, Rotterdam, Slamdance, Sundance, SXSW, and Tribeca.
About the Art House Convergence
The Art House Convergence conference is an educational program organized by the Michigan Theater and other Sundance Institute Art House Project theaters. At this important annual conference, delegates enjoy inspirational speakers, informative sessions and panel discussions that provide productive tips about programming, marketing, fundraising, technology and industry trends to help improve the quality and quantity of community-based, mission-driven art house cinemas.
- 10/4/2013
- by Peter Belsito
- Sydney's Buzz
Sarasota Film Festival director Tom Hall delivered succinct advice to filmmakers on Thursday during Ifp Film Week.Hall, who, along with Ifp and festivals from around the world, is developing a set of Best Practices for Film Festivals with the goal of greater transparency. "One of the things we're pushing for as a group is to come up with a set of standards and practices where you know exactly what you're getting – we can do a much better job as an industry telling you how we operate and what happens with your screening fees," said Hall, who assured the filmmakers that "we're not counting on screening fees to keep our festivals afloat, but we're trying to pay for the actual process of watching 1000 movies in 4 months." Hall doled out these 5 tips for to filmmakers on how to navigate the film festival world:1. Focus on long-term relationships. If you are programmed in a film festival,...
- 9/20/2013
- by Paula Bernstein
- Indiewire
The "Fair Trade for Filmmakers" debate has been raging for a few weeks now (See the original post from Sean Farnel and responses from Heather Croall, Tom Hall and Brian Newman. And also a blow-by-blow of a Full Frame Festival panel on the topic and a recap of that panel from Farnel), and as of yet, no filmmaker has explained exactly how they navigate the festival world. To do that, documentary producer Daniel Chalfen has offered his two cents on what festivals do for his films... The mildly raging debate about film festival compensation to filmmakers has been interesting and challenging. Until now though the filmmaker voice has been conspicuously silent. Of course filmmakers must be compensated for their labor, but there appears to be a distasteful underlying perception behind the premise of this discussion to date: That filmmakers can’t ascertain what is best for themselves. That the Full...
- 4/15/2013
- by Daniel Chalfen
- Indiewire
"Fair Trade for Filmmakers," an article by Sean Farnel that we published last week, attracted a lot of attention from filmmakers, festival programmers and other industry members, who carried on an intense debate in the comments about the feasibility of Sean's suggestion that festivals pay filmmakers a percentage of their event's earned revenues. We invited Tom Hall, the Director of the Sarasota Film Festival, to write a response to the piece and offer a perspective from someone currently involved in running a major regional festival. Last week, Indiewire ran a piece by Sean Farnel, a friend and colleague, asking a vital question about the future of film festivals: with the proliferation of film festivals and the decline in the viability of theatrical distribution for many independent films, what role can festivals play in creating a sustainable economic platform for filmmakers? Sean's conclusion, which argued in favor of film festivals offering cash payments.
- 2/13/2013
- by Tom Hall
- Indiewire
by Tom Hall
in Distribution,Filmmaking
Each year, the owners and operators of America’s art house cinemas gather the week before the start of the Sundance Film Festival at a resort nestled in the mountains of Midway, Ut. The Art House Convergence, this year celebrating its 6th anniversary, brings together theaters from all over the Us and Canada to help foster the growth and viability of art house and independent cinemas. The Convergence, organized under the non-profit status of the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor, Mi and chaired by the Michigan’s Executive Director, Russ Collins, has continued to grow over the past six years; what began as a meeting of 20 people in a basement in Salt Lake City has blossomed into one of the must-attend events for the independent film business. This year’s event, orchestrated under the banner of “The Brave New Art House,” drew over 350 attendees, each facing an environment of intensifying change in the art house business and an uncertain future for the theatrical presentation of independent, international and non-fiction film in this country.
The presence of uncertainty was palpable throughout the Convergence, which added not only to its importance, but also provided a vibrant sense of community among delegates; there were no radical outliers in attendance. Instead, the commonality of concern and the need for information sharing and best practices only deepened the existing feeling that everyone was pulling in roughly the same direction. Throughout the panel discussions, meetings and meals, art house owners gave voice to significant concerns about the future of their business and, as an outsider attending for the first time, provided a clear picture of how changes in film technology and distribution will shape the theatrical landscape for the next few years.
Listening to attendees speak, it was clear that there has already been a near-complete resignation among art house owners that digital cinema has become the industry standard; nearly every theater in attendance had already or planned on making the conversion to digital cinema projection. But if the pace of change seemed remarkable, the multiplicity of digital cinema options and the pending obsolescence of every technology (including digital cinema projectors) gave me pause when considering how I, or any owner, might hedge their bets. On the one hand, Dcp prints, delivered by mail on hard drives, seemed to be the industry standard, but with satellite delivery currently in limited practice and the long-term compatibility of digital cinema projectors, servers and hardware a cause for some concern, art house owners looking to convert would be excused if they didn’t splash big money on a single, comprehensive digital solution. Add in a series of revenue generating steps in the film presentation process, from Dcp “key” fees to virtual print fees designed to shift a portion of the cost of financing digital cinema conversion to distributors, and the range of options available to art houses seemed not only daunting, but almost impractical.
Instead of developing a single standard among the studios and digital cinema manufacturers, the industry seems to be using innovation as a way to drive the market forward. If it only took forward momentum to ensure the viability of the art house business, things would be in great shape, with 2K, 4K, 3D, 48fps and a host of other options pacing a period of incredible digital development. Unfortunately for the art houses, who must plan longterm capital campaigns (and, in some cases, highly effective Kickstarter campaigns), the pace of change is outstripping the ability of many to efficiently run their businesses. And yet, everyone seems desperate to do something, lest they be left behind by the ever-changing digital landscape. Most have made one decision or another, with a large number of art house theaters already having converted screens to digital cinema systems.
Ironically, one of the most prominent themes at this year’s Convergence was the return of old fashioned showmanship at the movie theaters. In an era when art house theaters are competing for the time and attention of younger audiences, several speakers harkened back to the days of vaudeville, when films and live performance blended together on a single bill. And so, facing a runaway train of digital possibilities, theaters were encouraged to maximize the human elements of the cinematic experience, drawing audiences in for special events and unique programs that featured a hybrid of projection and performance. Liesl Copeland of William Morris Entertainment even went so far as to push back against the received wisdom of so much of the art house movement by suggesting that a reverent environment for film screenings– phones off, technology disengaged — might be set aside for some screenings in order to encourage consumers to use their digital devices to both access and promote the art house experience. The importance of audience growth and engagement was a constant theme throughout the Convergence; the figure was quoted more than once that, across the film industry, 80% of film tickets are purchased by 10% of ticket buyers, which only underscored the need to convert young people into ticket buying, cinema-loving patrons. Grow that 10% and the pie gets bigger for everyone.
But given the newest distribution models, many of which find films available on VOD or online prior to or simultaneous with their theatrical run, why would anyone, young or old, leave their couch for the art house? Looking at much of the data and testimonial evidence presented, there is a great deal of optimism that the experience of going to the movies will be around for a long time. In his brilliant closing address, Ira Deutchman, Managing Partner of Emerging Pictures and Chair of the Columbia University Film Program, gave a personal tour through the modern history of the art house, pulling from his vast experience to provide perspective on the modern art house environment. But after speaking about the past, Deutchman offered some interesting ideas about the day-and-date model for distribution, proposing that distributors should consider sacrificing week-long runs for films already in digital distribution channels, allowing art houses to re-create appointment viewing by once again exerting the exclusivity of the theatrical experience. So, instead of a film playing on VOD while simultaneously incubated in the local art house for 28 screenings a week, perhaps art houses could engage in a festival model of one or two days of screenings, with a much quicker rotation of their film calendars.
Finally, it was Deutchman who also reframed the competitive landscape for cinemas in a common sense idea that seemed to have unique ramifications for the business. If, indeed, 10% of the audience is buying 80% of the admissions, then perhaps the decision to see a film is not, in the end, about whether it is available at home or not, but rather about the attractiveness of the cinema as a consumer choice once the decision has been made to leave the house for entertainment. Instead of competing against television and the internet, Deutchman proposed, art house cinemas are competing against bars, restaurants and other entertainment options. Thriving businesses like the Alamo Draft House Cinemas, which provide a unique entertainment experience, seem to suggest that this framework for competitive analysis is more than valid. And so, in the end, with consumers generally agnostic about digital cinema (as long as it works and the film is good) and always needing to, at some point, leave their homes and connect with their communities for an array of reasons, maybe the art house can thrive after all by sticking to its commitment to generating a new experience out of that communal, sacred space in the dark.
in Distribution,Filmmaking
Each year, the owners and operators of America’s art house cinemas gather the week before the start of the Sundance Film Festival at a resort nestled in the mountains of Midway, Ut. The Art House Convergence, this year celebrating its 6th anniversary, brings together theaters from all over the Us and Canada to help foster the growth and viability of art house and independent cinemas. The Convergence, organized under the non-profit status of the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor, Mi and chaired by the Michigan’s Executive Director, Russ Collins, has continued to grow over the past six years; what began as a meeting of 20 people in a basement in Salt Lake City has blossomed into one of the must-attend events for the independent film business. This year’s event, orchestrated under the banner of “The Brave New Art House,” drew over 350 attendees, each facing an environment of intensifying change in the art house business and an uncertain future for the theatrical presentation of independent, international and non-fiction film in this country.
The presence of uncertainty was palpable throughout the Convergence, which added not only to its importance, but also provided a vibrant sense of community among delegates; there were no radical outliers in attendance. Instead, the commonality of concern and the need for information sharing and best practices only deepened the existing feeling that everyone was pulling in roughly the same direction. Throughout the panel discussions, meetings and meals, art house owners gave voice to significant concerns about the future of their business and, as an outsider attending for the first time, provided a clear picture of how changes in film technology and distribution will shape the theatrical landscape for the next few years.
Listening to attendees speak, it was clear that there has already been a near-complete resignation among art house owners that digital cinema has become the industry standard; nearly every theater in attendance had already or planned on making the conversion to digital cinema projection. But if the pace of change seemed remarkable, the multiplicity of digital cinema options and the pending obsolescence of every technology (including digital cinema projectors) gave me pause when considering how I, or any owner, might hedge their bets. On the one hand, Dcp prints, delivered by mail on hard drives, seemed to be the industry standard, but with satellite delivery currently in limited practice and the long-term compatibility of digital cinema projectors, servers and hardware a cause for some concern, art house owners looking to convert would be excused if they didn’t splash big money on a single, comprehensive digital solution. Add in a series of revenue generating steps in the film presentation process, from Dcp “key” fees to virtual print fees designed to shift a portion of the cost of financing digital cinema conversion to distributors, and the range of options available to art houses seemed not only daunting, but almost impractical.
Instead of developing a single standard among the studios and digital cinema manufacturers, the industry seems to be using innovation as a way to drive the market forward. If it only took forward momentum to ensure the viability of the art house business, things would be in great shape, with 2K, 4K, 3D, 48fps and a host of other options pacing a period of incredible digital development. Unfortunately for the art houses, who must plan longterm capital campaigns (and, in some cases, highly effective Kickstarter campaigns), the pace of change is outstripping the ability of many to efficiently run their businesses. And yet, everyone seems desperate to do something, lest they be left behind by the ever-changing digital landscape. Most have made one decision or another, with a large number of art house theaters already having converted screens to digital cinema systems.
Ironically, one of the most prominent themes at this year’s Convergence was the return of old fashioned showmanship at the movie theaters. In an era when art house theaters are competing for the time and attention of younger audiences, several speakers harkened back to the days of vaudeville, when films and live performance blended together on a single bill. And so, facing a runaway train of digital possibilities, theaters were encouraged to maximize the human elements of the cinematic experience, drawing audiences in for special events and unique programs that featured a hybrid of projection and performance. Liesl Copeland of William Morris Entertainment even went so far as to push back against the received wisdom of so much of the art house movement by suggesting that a reverent environment for film screenings– phones off, technology disengaged — might be set aside for some screenings in order to encourage consumers to use their digital devices to both access and promote the art house experience. The importance of audience growth and engagement was a constant theme throughout the Convergence; the figure was quoted more than once that, across the film industry, 80% of film tickets are purchased by 10% of ticket buyers, which only underscored the need to convert young people into ticket buying, cinema-loving patrons. Grow that 10% and the pie gets bigger for everyone.
But given the newest distribution models, many of which find films available on VOD or online prior to or simultaneous with their theatrical run, why would anyone, young or old, leave their couch for the art house? Looking at much of the data and testimonial evidence presented, there is a great deal of optimism that the experience of going to the movies will be around for a long time. In his brilliant closing address, Ira Deutchman, Managing Partner of Emerging Pictures and Chair of the Columbia University Film Program, gave a personal tour through the modern history of the art house, pulling from his vast experience to provide perspective on the modern art house environment. But after speaking about the past, Deutchman offered some interesting ideas about the day-and-date model for distribution, proposing that distributors should consider sacrificing week-long runs for films already in digital distribution channels, allowing art houses to re-create appointment viewing by once again exerting the exclusivity of the theatrical experience. So, instead of a film playing on VOD while simultaneously incubated in the local art house for 28 screenings a week, perhaps art houses could engage in a festival model of one or two days of screenings, with a much quicker rotation of their film calendars.
Finally, it was Deutchman who also reframed the competitive landscape for cinemas in a common sense idea that seemed to have unique ramifications for the business. If, indeed, 10% of the audience is buying 80% of the admissions, then perhaps the decision to see a film is not, in the end, about whether it is available at home or not, but rather about the attractiveness of the cinema as a consumer choice once the decision has been made to leave the house for entertainment. Instead of competing against television and the internet, Deutchman proposed, art house cinemas are competing against bars, restaurants and other entertainment options. Thriving businesses like the Alamo Draft House Cinemas, which provide a unique entertainment experience, seem to suggest that this framework for competitive analysis is more than valid. And so, in the end, with consumers generally agnostic about digital cinema (as long as it works and the film is good) and always needing to, at some point, leave their homes and connect with their communities for an array of reasons, maybe the art house can thrive after all by sticking to its commitment to generating a new experience out of that communal, sacred space in the dark.
- 2/2/2013
- by Tom Hall
- Sydney's Buzz
He is best known for having a famous acting dad – Brendan – and admits he isn't classic leading-man material. But will his roles in the films Dredd and Anna Karenina change that?
On a fiercely sunny afternoon in London, Domhnall Gleeson lopes into the hotel courtyard in a blue hoodie and grey jeans, and sticks out a hand to shake mine. The cheerful 29-year-old pulls up a chair in the shade; he is pink and tall and skinny, with a shock of short orange hair in place of the lank locks worn in some of his most widely seen work. (He was Ron Weasley's scarred brother Bill in the final Harry Potter instalments, and a whimpering outlaw in the Coen brothers' True Grit.) He is well known for his well-known father, Brendan Gleeson, who makes such a feast of supporting parts that you wish he got more leads. The same can...
On a fiercely sunny afternoon in London, Domhnall Gleeson lopes into the hotel courtyard in a blue hoodie and grey jeans, and sticks out a hand to shake mine. The cheerful 29-year-old pulls up a chair in the shade; he is pink and tall and skinny, with a shock of short orange hair in place of the lank locks worn in some of his most widely seen work. (He was Ron Weasley's scarred brother Bill in the final Harry Potter instalments, and a whimpering outlaw in the Coen brothers' True Grit.) He is well known for his well-known father, Brendan Gleeson, who makes such a feast of supporting parts that you wish he got more leads. The same can...
- 8/17/2012
- by Ryan Gilbey
- The Guardian - Film News
Last week, when Cannes announced its all-male list of competition directors, I was in a room in Florida filled with 25 talented women directors, producers, writers and distributors. This was the second annual Side By Side Symposium organized by Holly Herrick, director of Sarasota Film Festival Women (and former programmer at Sff). Along with the ongoing Through Women’s Eyes program of women's issues documentaries, this new program contributes to making Sarasota a primary film festival destination for women. Some female directors at the festival, a list that included Olivia Silver with her directorial debut "Arcadia" and Ry Russo-Young with her third film "Nobody Walks," commented on the ultra-rare experience of not being the only woman director in the room. "The numbers about the representation of women in the film business are disgusting. They’re incredibly low," said festival director Tom Hall. "I think it's...
- 4/27/2012
- by Miriam Bale
- Indiewire
★★★☆☆ If asked to name an Irish comedy from 2011, John Michael McDonagh's debut feature The Guard, starring Brendan Gleeson, would spring to most people's minds. Lesser-known Irish offering Sensation (2010) also hit our screens last year, starring Gleeson's son Domhnall Gleeson in the lead role. Whilst Sensation lacks the punch of The Guard in comparison and takes a while to get going, once writer (and director) Tom Hall's witty script is brought out by the fine, fresh cast of talent, his own debut becomes a rewarding watch.
Read more »...
Read more »...
- 4/10/2012
- by CineVue
- CineVue
The sixth annual Indie Grits Festival, hosted by the Nickelodeon Theatre in Columbia, South Carolina, is actually more than just a film festival. Much, much more. From April 20-28, there will be film screenings, food tastings, bands playing, theater performances, a craft fair, a technology conference and oh so much more.
As for the films, though, every night — and a few afternoons — of Indie Grits is jam-packed with unique and creative independent feature-length movies and short films. Screenings take place at two locations: At the original Nickelodeon theater at 937 Main St. and at the New Nick location just up the road at 1607 Main St.
The fest opens with Bill and Turner Ross’ narrative feature Tchoupatoulis, about three brothers who sneak into New Orleans on their own to witness the visual spectacles the city has to offer; and the documentary Dragons of Jim Green, directed by Randy M. Salo, about a...
As for the films, though, every night — and a few afternoons — of Indie Grits is jam-packed with unique and creative independent feature-length movies and short films. Screenings take place at two locations: At the original Nickelodeon theater at 937 Main St. and at the New Nick location just up the road at 1607 Main St.
The fest opens with Bill and Turner Ross’ narrative feature Tchoupatoulis, about three brothers who sneak into New Orleans on their own to witness the visual spectacles the city has to offer; and the documentary Dragons of Jim Green, directed by Randy M. Salo, about a...
- 4/6/2012
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
The Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art have announced that they'll be presenting 29 features and 12 shorts in the 41st edition of New Directors/New Films, running March 21 through April 1). The series, dedicated to "the discovery of new works by emerging and dynamic filmmaking talent," opens with Nadine Labaki's Where Do We Go Now? (see the Cannes roundup). A few notes on the other features:
The Ambassador (Mads Brügger). The La Weekly's Karina Longworth suggests that Brügger is "sort of the Vice magazine version of Sacha Baron Cohen, as financed by Lars von Trier. His last film was The Red Chapel, an exercise in hidden camera comedy with unusual socio-political stakes, which I put on my top 10 list for 2010." In "his hilarious, troubling new film," Brügger poses as "a diplomat in Africa, a decadent Westerner plundering a third-world nation…. For a six-figure outlay, Brugger is promised a Liberian passport,...
The Ambassador (Mads Brügger). The La Weekly's Karina Longworth suggests that Brügger is "sort of the Vice magazine version of Sacha Baron Cohen, as financed by Lars von Trier. His last film was The Red Chapel, an exercise in hidden camera comedy with unusual socio-political stakes, which I put on my top 10 list for 2010." In "his hilarious, troubling new film," Brügger poses as "a diplomat in Africa, a decadent Westerner plundering a third-world nation…. For a six-figure outlay, Brugger is promised a Liberian passport,...
- 2/26/2012
- MUBI
Sé Merry Doyle's documentary 'Dreaming The Quiet Man', Tom Hall's 'Sensation' and Darragh Byrne's 'Parked' are among the titles set to screen at the Toronto Irish Film Festival on March 9th and 10th. Opening with 'Dreaming the Quiet Man', the festival will see 11 Irish movies receive their Canadian debut screenings. Spotlighting emerging Filmmakers in 2012, Tirff will also feature the work of Toronto-based Irish filmmakers.
- 2/16/2012
- IFTN
Parker Posey was all set to host last night's awards ceremony, but fell ill — and so, as live-bloggers Eric Hynes and Claiborne Smith report, Sundance festival director John Cooper reluctantly took the helm, choking up a bit right at the top as he drove himself through a remembrance of Bingham Ray. Rebounding, he brought on director and actress Katie Aselton as co-host and it was on to the awards. You can actually watch all this here (select "2012 Sundance Film Festival"). An overview of what the critics are saying about the winners:
Grand Jury Prize: Documentary. The House I Live In, "a lucid, long-view unpacking of the War on Drugs from Eugene Jarecki, who ably dissected the lead-up to the Iraq War in Why We Fight." The Boston Globe's Ty Burr: "The movie marshals a wide selection of talking heads, from Oklahoma prison guards and Reagan-era appointees to street dealers and Jarecki's own nanny,...
Grand Jury Prize: Documentary. The House I Live In, "a lucid, long-view unpacking of the War on Drugs from Eugene Jarecki, who ably dissected the lead-up to the Iraq War in Why We Fight." The Boston Globe's Ty Burr: "The movie marshals a wide selection of talking heads, from Oklahoma prison guards and Reagan-era appointees to street dealers and Jarecki's own nanny,...
- 1/30/2012
- MUBI
Sundance 2012. Craig Zobel's "Compliance"
Compliance is evidently a pretty rattling experience and, while writer-director Craig Zobel and his cast have been met with catcalls and hostility from audiences in Park City, the reaction of most critics so far seems to have been to go back to their hotel rooms and write raves. Qualified raves, but still.
Time Out New York's David Fear: "Having already started her day off on a bum note due to an employee fuck-up, a fast-food manager (Ann Dowd) is simmering at the lack of respect her crew shows her during a shift. A phone call from a police officer then informs her that a 19-year-old counter girl (Dreama Walker) has stolen money from a customer's purse; his team is going to investigate the matter, but until they get there, could the manager keep the alleged perp locked in the back office? It would be a big help to the cops.
Time Out New York's David Fear: "Having already started her day off on a bum note due to an employee fuck-up, a fast-food manager (Ann Dowd) is simmering at the lack of respect her crew shows her during a shift. A phone call from a police officer then informs her that a 19-year-old counter girl (Dreama Walker) has stolen money from a customer's purse; his team is going to investigate the matter, but until they get there, could the manager keep the alleged perp locked in the back office? It would be a big help to the cops.
- 1/27/2012
- MUBI
"Parts of Todd Louiso's Hello I Must Be Going made me happier than I have a right to be," blogs the Boston Globe's Ty Burr, "especially the early scenes in which Melanie Lynskey burrows into the misery of her character, Amy Minsky, a 30-something divorcee who has crawled back home to her parents' suburban home in defeat…. The actress finds a cosmic nobility in Amy's degradation, even as her parents — John Rubenstein and a superb Blythe Danner — look on in growing horror. There's a touch of Harold and Maude whimsy to the character's romance with a disaffected 19-year-old (Christopher Abbott), but their relationship is hotter and funnier and more emotional than you expect…. I liked this movie so much, in fact, that I tried to ignore screenwriter Sarah Koskoff's increasing tendency to have her characters state their innermost feelings in psychologically accurate terms…. Points for the Marx brothers clips,...
- 1/25/2012
- MUBI
Marthe Keller in Black Sunday (1977)
Catherine Grant's post-holiday return to blogging and tweeting has reminded me that some of her invaluable pointers to online resources over the past couple of weeks slipped right on past me during the year-end crunch. High time to catch up:
The new World Picture, #6, bears the ominous title "Wrong."
"The Disgust Issue" of Film-Philosophy. In her introduction, guest editor Tina Kendall notes an increasing interdisciplinary "concern with thinking through the relations between bodily sensation, emotion, and cognition (especially as these are mediated by films and other cultural forms), and with probing the political, moral, and ethical implications that arise from those particular conditions of embodiment."
The second issue of Cinema: Journal of Philosophy and the Moving Image.
Stoffel Debuysere has collected and posted hours of video from Goodbye Cinema, Hello Cinephilia, an event that took place in October in Brussels. The talks and discussions are led by Adrian Martin,...
Catherine Grant's post-holiday return to blogging and tweeting has reminded me that some of her invaluable pointers to online resources over the past couple of weeks slipped right on past me during the year-end crunch. High time to catch up:
The new World Picture, #6, bears the ominous title "Wrong."
"The Disgust Issue" of Film-Philosophy. In her introduction, guest editor Tina Kendall notes an increasing interdisciplinary "concern with thinking through the relations between bodily sensation, emotion, and cognition (especially as these are mediated by films and other cultural forms), and with probing the political, moral, and ethical implications that arise from those particular conditions of embodiment."
The second issue of Cinema: Journal of Philosophy and the Moving Image.
Stoffel Debuysere has collected and posted hours of video from Goodbye Cinema, Hello Cinephilia, an event that took place in October in Brussels. The talks and discussions are led by Adrian Martin,...
- 1/3/2012
- MUBI
Brad Pitt in Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life Alexander Payne, Terrence Malick In; Woody Allen Out: Gotham Awards 2011 Best Feature (tie) * Beginners Mike Mills, director; Leslie Urdang, Dean Vanech, Miranda de Pencier, Jay Van Hoy, Lars Knudsen, producers (Focus Features) The Descendants Alexander Payne, director; Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor, producers (Fox Searchlight Pictures) Meek’s Cutoff Kelly Reichardt, director; Neil Kopp, Anish Savjani, Elizabeth Cuthrell, David Urrutia, producers (Oscilloscope Laboratories) Take Shelter Jeff Nichols, director; Tyler Davidson, Sophia Lin, producers (Sony Pictures Classics) * The Tree of Life Terrence Malick, director; Sarah Green, Bill Pohlad, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Grant Hill, producers (Fox Searchlight Pictures) Best Documentary * Better This World Katie Galloway and Kelly Duane de la Vega, directors; Katie Galloway, Kelly Duane de la Vega, Mike Nicholson, producers (Loteria Films, Picturebox, Motto Pictures and Passion Pictures; Itvs in association with American Documentary | Pov) Bill Cunningham New York Richard Press,...
- 11/29/2011
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
Solas Nua, a Washington based organisation dedicated to highlighting Irish arts in America is to hold 'The Capital Irish Film Festival' next month, showcasing the best of Irish film from 2011. The festival, which runs from the 1st to the 10th of December, will play host to special guests including director Tom Hall (Sensation, Wide Open Spaces), actress Antonia Campbell Hughes (Lotus Eaters, Other Side of Sleep) and director Juanita Wilson (As If I'm Not There, The Door).
- 11/23/2011
- IFTN
Following rounds 1 and 2, this one will take us right on through the countdown to Halloween and will surely be the most actively updated of the bunch. Best to begin, then, by grounding it in a classic, so we turn to David Kalat: "Frankenstein isn't a science fiction story about an arrogant scientist who intrudes on God's domain, it's a metaphor about our relationship to God." That's his argument, and I'll let him explain, but I want to pull back to a couple of earlier sentences in his piece. Mary Shelley's novel, "and the 1910 film version, treated the 'science' of Frankenstein as just so much folderol, a MacGuffin to introduce the artificial man into the story. Whale was so good at providing a reasonably convincing visualization of reviving the dead — no, more than that, a stunningly satisfying visualization of reviving the dead — it focused popular attention on that part of...
- 10/27/2011
- MUBI
Before we turn to others to set up Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, let me recommend two pieces right at the top here, the first by Ari Arikan, whose review for Fandor opens with an engaging and quite funny tale of his experience with the sheer vastness of the film's setting, and the second by Bilge Ebiri, a long-time champion of Nuri Bilge Ceylan who considers Anatolia to be among his best works.
First, though, Scott Foundas, writing for Cinema Scope before the film screened in Toronto: "From Memories of Murder (2003) to Zodiac (2007), Bellamy (2009), and Police, Adjective (2009), the past decade has witnessed its fill of revisionist takes on the police procedural — films in which politics, personal obsession, or personal exhaustion eclipse the underlying question of 'Whodunnit?' Movies, in short, that push the audience's lust for closure ever more towards an existential or absurdist void. The co-winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes,...
First, though, Scott Foundas, writing for Cinema Scope before the film screened in Toronto: "From Memories of Murder (2003) to Zodiac (2007), Bellamy (2009), and Police, Adjective (2009), the past decade has witnessed its fill of revisionist takes on the police procedural — films in which politics, personal obsession, or personal exhaustion eclipse the underlying question of 'Whodunnit?' Movies, in short, that push the audience's lust for closure ever more towards an existential or absurdist void. The co-winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes,...
- 10/9/2011
- MUBI
"Béla Tarr is the cinema's greatest crafter of total environments and in The Turin Horse, working in his most restricted physical setting since 1984's Almanac of Fall, he dials up one of his most vividly immersive milieus," begins Andrew Schenker in Slant. "Excluding one of the director's now-famous virtuoso, film-opening tracking shots, the film is entirely confined to the dilapidated rural spread where a farmer lives with his daughter and the horse he depends on for his livelihood, but in Tarr's hands, the unpromising setting teems with textures and, if not exactly vitality, then an almost tangible sense of presence…. In this most Beckettian of films, the characters endlessly enact the same quotidian tasks over the course of six days, unable to leave their property both because of a windstorm that rages the entire time and because of the horse's stubborn Bartleby-like refusal to not only pull the man's wagon,...
- 10/9/2011
- MUBI
The New Yorker's Richard Brody sets up Aki Kaurismäki's Le Havre, "set in the port city in the present day, where Marcel Marx (André Wilms) — a former writer, now an itinerant shoe-shine man — provides refuge for Idrissa Saleh (Blondin Miguel), a boy from Gabon who arrived clandestinely in a ship container and is being hotly pursued by the authorities. The probings of the black-clad police inspector Henri Monet (Jean-Pierre Darroussin) recall the sinister ways of the Vichy regime, as the hunted boy evokes Jewish wartime refugees, and the solidarity of the shopkeepers and laborers who protect him reflects a bygone but heartwarming class unity (as well as the comforting myth of a nation of resisters)."
"What is truly remarkable about Le Havre," finds Michael Sicinski, dispatching from Toronto to Cargo, "is Kaurismäki's clear, unfussy depiction of a bedrock of humanist decency within French society, wherein people don't think twice about helping the immigrant,...
"What is truly remarkable about Le Havre," finds Michael Sicinski, dispatching from Toronto to Cargo, "is Kaurismäki's clear, unfussy depiction of a bedrock of humanist decency within French society, wherein people don't think twice about helping the immigrant,...
- 10/5/2011
- MUBI
Let's begin with Andrew Hultkrans, writing for Artforum: "Based on the award-winning 2006 play Le Dieu du Carnage (God of Carnage) by French playwright and novelist Yasmina Reza, Carnage is a minor, stagey film that returns [Roman Polanski] to the physical and emotional claustrophobia of the boat in Knife in the Water (1962) and the apartment in Repulsion (1965), as well as to the misanthropic gallows humor of Cul-de-sac (1966). The narrative draws on a well-worn dramatic trope — No Exit and Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) being just two examples; since the 1980s, they're too numerous to count — that of the small group of presumably normal adults who come together in an enclosed space and, over time, degenerate into psychological sadism and monstrous behavior…. In several respects, Carnage feels like Polanski's version of a late Woody Allen film — a modest, naturalistic production that gathers great actors, nurtures their craft, and doesn't let a...
- 10/3/2011
- MUBI
At the top of its roundup of all things Farocki, Alt Screen notes that MoMA will be hosting An Evening with Harun Farocki tonight in conjunction with the exhibition Harun Farocki: Images of War (at a Distance), on view through January 2. Farocki will then be at Anthology Film Archives tomorrow night for the launch of their retrospective, running through October 10.
Ben Rivers will be at the Harvard Film Archive this evening for a double bill: Slow Action (2010) and Sack Barrow (2011). His latest, Two Years at Sea, premiered in Venice, and Neil Young wrote: "This Is My Land (2006) was an intimate portrait of Jake Williams and his hermit-like existence in the middle of Aberdeenshire's forests, and Two Years at Sea, Rivers's first feature-length work, is a 90-minute variation on similar themes, with only one line of audible dialogue ('chesty cough,' mumbles Jake, examining a bottle of expectorant.) A hoarder of old photographs,...
Ben Rivers will be at the Harvard Film Archive this evening for a double bill: Slow Action (2010) and Sack Barrow (2011). His latest, Two Years at Sea, premiered in Venice, and Neil Young wrote: "This Is My Land (2006) was an intimate portrait of Jake Williams and his hermit-like existence in the middle of Aberdeenshire's forests, and Two Years at Sea, Rivers's first feature-length work, is a 90-minute variation on similar themes, with only one line of audible dialogue ('chesty cough,' mumbles Jake, examining a bottle of expectorant.) A hoarder of old photographs,...
- 10/3/2011
- MUBI
"The title of Julia Loktev's The Loneliest Planet refers to the rocky, grassy, depopulated expanse of the Caucasus Mountains traversed by a young, Western couple and their Eastern (Georgian) guide," begins Andrew Schenker in Slant. "But it also refers to the emptiness of a world in which a woman must wend her way alone accompanied only by men on whom she's forced to rely for both emotional nourishment and survival. A feminist dry heave of disgust, Loktev's relationship drama skillfully parallels outer and inner landscapes as it traces its couple-in-turmoil against an alternatively foreboding and picturesque landscape, but it's somewhat less satisfying in addressing the fallout of the central crisis or in suggesting much beyond some rather obvious conclusions about male aggression."
At Fandor, Phil Coldiron dismisses any reading of the film as a feminist critique and argues instead that "The Loneliest Planet is, first and foremost, is the...
At Fandor, Phil Coldiron dismisses any reading of the film as a feminist critique and argues instead that "The Loneliest Planet is, first and foremost, is the...
- 10/3/2011
- MUBI
Independent Film Week wrapped up last night with a closing night party swankier than most of us in the non-profit indie film world are used to. There were lobster rolls. There was paella (seriously, more paella in one place than I’ve seen over my entire life.) And there were three-hundred underfed indie filmmakers. Not a bad deal
This was my third time at Film Week, and easily the best. Over five days, we hosted 2,200 filmmaker/industry meetings, as well as a conference, a screening series and a boatload of other special events. Here are some final photographic highlights:
Writer/Director Thomas Hyungkyun Kim pitches his screenplay The Singing Road during Project Forum on Wednesday morning.
The Sundance Film Festival’s David Courier, Ifp’s Amy Dotson, WithoutaBox’s Christian Gaines, and the Sarasota Film Festival’s Tom Hall at Wednesday’s Festival Forum, a meeting of the minds and...
This was my third time at Film Week, and easily the best. Over five days, we hosted 2,200 filmmaker/industry meetings, as well as a conference, a screening series and a boatload of other special events. Here are some final photographic highlights:
Writer/Director Thomas Hyungkyun Kim pitches his screenplay The Singing Road during Project Forum on Wednesday morning.
The Sundance Film Festival’s David Courier, Ifp’s Amy Dotson, WithoutaBox’s Christian Gaines, and the Sarasota Film Festival’s Tom Hall at Wednesday’s Festival Forum, a meeting of the minds and...
- 9/23/2011
- by Dan Schoenbrun
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Greece may be on the verge of financial collapse, but that hasn't stopped its film festival from going ahead. Its artistic director hopes it may even create jobs
Reading the reports from most film festivals, it would be easy to forget that the world is in the grip of economic crisis. Brad and Angelina take their familiar spot on the red carpet in Cannes, gorgeous George beams yet again from the deck of his Venice water taxi , glamour and escapism still rule. These festivals pay lip service to the locals, but their main concern is image.
This year's Athens international film festival, however, has had a different outlook. As its artistic director Orestis Andreadakis puts it: "We want to give hope."
Greece, of course, is getting it in the neck; not only is its economy in shreds, but it is being paraded as the pariah of Europe, the only country...
Reading the reports from most film festivals, it would be easy to forget that the world is in the grip of economic crisis. Brad and Angelina take their familiar spot on the red carpet in Cannes, gorgeous George beams yet again from the deck of his Venice water taxi , glamour and escapism still rule. These festivals pay lip service to the locals, but their main concern is image.
This year's Athens international film festival, however, has had a different outlook. As its artistic director Orestis Andreadakis puts it: "We want to give hope."
Greece, of course, is getting it in the neck; not only is its economy in shreds, but it is being paraded as the pariah of Europe, the only country...
- 9/23/2011
- by Demetrios Matheou
- The Guardian - Film News
"It's possible, after all, to cross-pollinate Mumblecore and Hollywood," announces the Boston Globe's Ty Burr. "Lynn Shelton's Your Sister's Sister sounds as genially preposterous as her last film, 2009's Humpday. In fact, it's funnier and more unexpectedly touching, a three-hander set in a remote cabin north of Seattle. Most intriguing is how the warts-'n'-stubble acting style of a 'Core veteran like Mark Duplass, playing the good-hearted schmoe who loves one sister and drunkenly sleeps with the other, interlocks with the more polished approach of 'real' actors Emily Blunt and Rosemarie DeWitt as the siblings. You'd think you'd need an algorithm to put these three on the screen together, but Your Sister's Sister — which was picked up by IFC late yesterday — works effortlessly while you're watching and only falls apart in the light of day, when (or if) you care to examine it more deeply once you've left the theater.
- 9/15/2011
- MUBI
Qaushik Mukherjee’s Gandu (Asshole) will compete at the 17th Athens International Film Festival that opens on Thursday.
The opening film of the festival is Michel Hazanavicius’ The Artist.
Around 175 titles will be presented at the festival under 15 sections. The festival will pay tribute to Japanese filmmaker Yasuzo Masumura and Dutch filmmaker Johan van der Keuken. The country in focus will be Norway.
The festival will close on September 25 with Asghar Farhadi’s A Separation.
International competition lineup:
Bellflower, dir Evan Glodell (USA)
Silver Tongues, dir Simon Arthur (USA)
Volcano (Eldfjall), dir Runar Runarsson (Iceland)
Asshole (Gandu), dir Qaushik Mukherjee (India)
Familiar Grounds (En terrains connus), dir Stephane Lafleur (Canada)
Natural Selection, dir Robbie Pickering (USA)
Sensation, dir Tom Hall (Ireland)
Submarine, dir Richard Ayoade (UK, Us)
Sidewalls (Medianeras), dir Gustavo Tarreto (Argentina)
Bullhead (Rundscop), dir Michael Roskam (Belgium)
Love, dir William Eubank (USA)
Silver Forest (Silberwald), dir Christine Repond (Switzerland)
On the Ice,...
The opening film of the festival is Michel Hazanavicius’ The Artist.
Around 175 titles will be presented at the festival under 15 sections. The festival will pay tribute to Japanese filmmaker Yasuzo Masumura and Dutch filmmaker Johan van der Keuken. The country in focus will be Norway.
The festival will close on September 25 with Asghar Farhadi’s A Separation.
International competition lineup:
Bellflower, dir Evan Glodell (USA)
Silver Tongues, dir Simon Arthur (USA)
Volcano (Eldfjall), dir Runar Runarsson (Iceland)
Asshole (Gandu), dir Qaushik Mukherjee (India)
Familiar Grounds (En terrains connus), dir Stephane Lafleur (Canada)
Natural Selection, dir Robbie Pickering (USA)
Sensation, dir Tom Hall (Ireland)
Submarine, dir Richard Ayoade (UK, Us)
Sidewalls (Medianeras), dir Gustavo Tarreto (Argentina)
Bullhead (Rundscop), dir Michael Roskam (Belgium)
Love, dir William Eubank (USA)
Silver Forest (Silberwald), dir Christine Repond (Switzerland)
On the Ice,...
- 9/15/2011
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
When, in 1934, Jean Vigo died of tuberculosis, he was only 29, "a neglected figure at the margins of the industry who had seen one of his films (Zéro de Conduite) banned by the French authorities and another (L'Atalante) recut and retitled by its producer." Dennis Lim in the Los Angeles Times: "Vigo lends himself to romanticization, and not just because of his tragic early death and the aura of unfulfilled promise. He led a brief but colorful life as a fellow traveler of the French surrealists and the son of a well-known anarchist who was apparently murdered in prison. Vigo's first film, the silent, 23-minute À Propos de Nice (On the Subject of Nice), part of the 'city symphony' genre that flourished in the 1920s, confirmed that the young Jean was very much his father's son…. All of Vigo's films were shot by Boris Kaufman, brother of the Soviet film pioneer...
- 8/31/2011
- MUBI
Element Pictures Distribution have confirmed release dates for Galway Film Fleadh hit 'Parked' on October 14th and Tom Hall's latest film 'Sensation' on November 4th 2011. 'Parked' stars Colm Meaney and received four Ifta nominations earlier this year and was also jointly awarded the 'Best First Feature' Award at this year's Galway Film Fleadh. 'Sensation' is an Irish-Dutch co-production directed by Tom Hall (Wide Open Spaces) and stars Domhnall Gleeson.
- 8/16/2011
- IFTN
"In 1993 the artist Anselm Kiefer left his native Germany and moved to a derelict silk factory on 86 acres in the southern French town of Barjac," begins Kristin Hohenadel in the New York Times. "He shored up the old industrial buildings to make them habitable. Then he brought in a crew of locals to bulldoze bare land, dig a network of underground tunnels and erect concrete structures to house his large-scale paintings and sculptures made from lead, wood, glass and other materials, transforming the landscape into a giant workshop and a monumental work of art. Mr Kiefer has since moved here, where he lives with his family and works in a warehouse outside the city. But his final days in Barjac were captured in Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow, a documentary by the British director Sophie Fiennes that runs at Film Forum in New York from Wednesday through Aug 23."
"The...
"The...
- 8/12/2011
- MUBI
Will Daniel Radcliffe show up? Shall the heavens open on Rupert Grint? And can Emma Watson's hair cope with the wind? Watch a live video stream of the final Harry Potter premiere with us from 16:00-19:00 BST. Plus our correspondents will be reporting direct from Trafalgar Square
.
4.00pm: It all ends. Finally. After what feels like just 500 short years, the Harry Potter film franchise tonight comes to a finish. Or at least starts the beginning of that finish - the world premiere in London being only the first of many before the actual opening date (next week). And then there's the DVD and Blu-ray etc, so actually it'll be 2013-ish before we can stop hearing about the boy wizard.
But anyway, for the next three hours join us as we watch a live video stream of the festivities in Trafalgar Square, where the cast and crew will...
.
4.00pm: It all ends. Finally. After what feels like just 500 short years, the Harry Potter film franchise tonight comes to a finish. Or at least starts the beginning of that finish - the world premiere in London being only the first of many before the actual opening date (next week). And then there's the DVD and Blu-ray etc, so actually it'll be 2013-ish before we can stop hearing about the boy wizard.
But anyway, for the next three hours join us as we watch a live video stream of the festivities in Trafalgar Square, where the cast and crew will...
- 7/7/2011
- by Henry Barnes, Catherine Shoard
- The Guardian - Film News
Updated through 6/26.
"The golden age of New York moviegoing is now," argues Ao Scott in the New York Times. "Two events in the coming days offer confirmation of this hunch." Tonight "in Brooklyn the BAMcinemaFest opens with Weekend, Andrew Haigh's bracing, present-tense exploration of sex, intimacy and love, the first of 26 features that will play, along with 24 short films, over the next 10 days. And Friday is the official opening night of the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, a charming two-screen jewel box carved (by the architect David Rockwell) out of garage and office space at Lincoln Center." He touches on the Museum of the Moving Image and the reRun Gastropub Theater as well, before returning to BAMcinemaFEST: "Not everything in the lineup is quite so perfectly realized as Weekend, but the range and generosity of the sampling make it hard to go wrong. Even the misfires and train wrecks are interesting,...
"The golden age of New York moviegoing is now," argues Ao Scott in the New York Times. "Two events in the coming days offer confirmation of this hunch." Tonight "in Brooklyn the BAMcinemaFest opens with Weekend, Andrew Haigh's bracing, present-tense exploration of sex, intimacy and love, the first of 26 features that will play, along with 24 short films, over the next 10 days. And Friday is the official opening night of the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, a charming two-screen jewel box carved (by the architect David Rockwell) out of garage and office space at Lincoln Center." He touches on the Museum of the Moving Image and the reRun Gastropub Theater as well, before returning to BAMcinemaFEST: "Not everything in the lineup is quite so perfectly realized as Weekend, but the range and generosity of the sampling make it hard to go wrong. Even the misfires and train wrecks are interesting,...
- 6/26/2011
- MUBI
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