Authors — Nick Dawson
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WHEN KENTUCKER AUDLEY MET WES ANDERSON
Two figures from different ends of the independent film spectrum have a chance meeting in 1998. For the story behind the picture, visit Kentucker Audley’s Tumblr.
by Nick Dawson on Jun 12, 2012 -
IFP NARRATIVE LAB SLATE ANNOUNCED
This morning, the eight edition of the IFP Narrative Labs kicked off in New York City, and the 10 films chosen to participate were unveiled for the first time. Projects chosen came from places as diverse as Vershire, Vermont and Miami, Florida. Each year, 20 indie films with budgets under $1 million — 10 documentary and 10 narrative — are selected for participation in the IFP post-production labs, which gives filmmakers strategic help and guidance regarding the completion, marketing and distribution of their projects. IFP’s Executive Director Joana Vicente said, “We are thrilled to welcome another talented class of emerging […]
by Nick Dawson on Jun 11, 2012 -
Ingmar Bergman Interviews Ingmar Bergman
Ingmar Bergman was not known for being a particularly lighthearted or funny fellow, but it turns out he was not always as dark and brooding as his movies may have lead us to believe. As part of the DVD release package of Summer with Monika, the Criterion Collection has included a translated conversation, first published in the Swedish publication Filmnyheter, in which Bergman interviews himself about his movie. And it’s really funny! You can check out the entire playful dialogue (or should it be monologue?) at the Criterion Current. What was it like making Monika? I didn’t make Monika. [Source novel […]
by Nick Dawson on Jun 7, 2012 -
“FINALLY, LILLIAN AND DAN” TONIGHT AT NO BUDGE
Mike Gibisser’s beautifully understated indie romance Finally, Lillian and Dan made a bit of an impact on the festival circuit a few years back, but never really got the attention it deserved. Karina Longworth, one of the most vocal champions of the film, said of it: It’s a find, a definite cousin of the work being made in the Bronstein household––as with Frownland, the mumbling here is so stylized and disturbed that it’s like a precision bomb against the twee subtleties explored by other contemporary filmmakers––it’s more like Tourettescore. But there’s also a tenderness here, and lofty aesthetic ambitions underpinned […]
by Nick Dawson on Jun 7, 2012 -
TRAILER WATCH: QUENTIN TARANTINO’S “DJANGO UNCHAINED”
Footage screened in Cannes for Tarantino’s massively over-the-radar Western, but this is the first time we’ve had a trailer to sink our teeth into. Enjoy!
by Nick Dawson on Jun 6, 2012 -
MATTHEW LILLARD ON HIS “FAT KID” KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN
Over at Turnstyle, micro-budget filmmaker Lucas McNelly has a chat with actor-turned-director Matthew Lillard about Fat Kid Rules the World, which had its world premiere at Sundance this past January. Lillard is currently running a Kickstarter push to self-distribute the film, and is aiming to raise $150,000 for this purpose. To my mind, the truly successful Kickstarter campaigns are those that approach the task of raising their target funds by using their creativity and finding innovative ways of reaching potential funders — and then engaging them. With Lillard’s campaign, he was greatly helped by a three-hour “AMA” session on Reddit, […]
by Nick Dawson on Jun 4, 2012 -
LIZ HOLM ON THE BIGGER PICTURE OF KICKSTARTER
Over on the Sundance website, Liz Holm — Kickstarter’s Film Program Director, as well as being a film producer in her own right — has a piece up about The Canyons, the collaboration between director Paul Schrader and novelist Bret Easton Ellis. The project is arguably the most high-profile film to turn to Kickstarter for funding and, understandably given the talent involved, it has already surpassed it’s fundraising goal of $100,000. (As I write this, it’s $40,000+ over its target, with 8 days still to go.) What I think is most interesting about Holm’s piece is not so much her […]
by Nick Dawson on Jun 1, 2012 -
Five Questions with Sean Pecknold on Kickstarter Project, “The Internet”
Sean Pecknold originally came to prominence a few years back on the strength of the beautiful stop-motion music videos he created for the retro folk outfit Fleet Foxes, a group fronted by Sean’s brother, Robin Pecknold. He subsequently went on to make promos for other buzz bands such as Beach House and Grizzly Bear, whose music also has a transcendent quality that meshes with his dazzlingly inventive hand-crafted visions. More recently, Pecknold has complemented his animated work with live-action music videos, like Here We Go Magic’s “How Do I Know?”, and is currently in postproduction on a live-action narrative feature […]
by Nick Dawson on May 30, 2012 -
BOB RAY’S AMAZING LEGAL COMMERCIAL
A few days ago we received an email from Austin filmmaker Bob Ray, best known for shorts such as Hillbilly Doomsday and the documentaries Hell on Wheels and Total Badass. His message began as follows: Last week, the criminal defense lawyer who defends Chad Holt in the documentary Total Badass (Adam Reposa, a.k.a. “Bulletproof,” a.k.a. Repo) asked me to help him make a commercial for his law practice here in Austin. As required by law, we submitted it to the State Bar of Texas for approval. The legal community in Texas is going crazy with it right now and the […]
by Nick Dawson on May 29, 2012 -
LCD SOUNDSYSTEM MOVIE “SHUT UP AND PLAY THE HITS” TO HAVE ONE-DAY RELEASE
Oscilloscope Pictures today announced a unique release strategy for Shut Up and Play the Hits, Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern’s documentary on the last days of LCD Soundsystem, which bowed at Sundance earlier this year. Instead of the usual platform release for a film like this, Shut Up and Play the Hits will open on July 18 at theaters around the United States — and end its theatrical run the same day. In short, this concert movie will, um, play the hits and shut up. (Is this the first time that a film’s title has inspired its release strategy?!) Oscilloscope already […]
by Nick Dawson on May 29, 2012
