Authors — Jane Schoenbrun
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Five Questions with Electrick Children Director Rebecca Thomas
Working from an uber-quotable central question – “pregnant from rock and roll?”- Electrick Children follows Rachel (Julia Garner), a young woman growing up in a fundamentalist Mormon household that eschews all forms of modern technology. When, after her fifteenth birthday, Rachel accidentally hears a cassette tape with rock music on it, and subsequently discovers that she’s immaculately pregnant, she puts two and two together and answers the question above with a resounding yes. The debut feature from director Rebecca Thomas, Electrick Children follows Rachel to Las Vegas, where she searches for the singer on the tape (who she assumes must […]
by Jane Schoenbrun on Mar 9, 2012 -
Five Questions with Pilgrim Song Director Martha Stephens
A winding, ephemeral jaunt through the Appalachian backwoods, Pilgrim Song is so well-executed and carefully made that it almost appears effortless. The film follows James, a recently unemployed music teacher who decides to spend his first days of unemployment questing down Kentucky’s Sheltowee Trace Trail. Through a series of vignettes, director Martha Stephens gets at the psychological roots for James’ trek, roots which have as much to do with a desire to escape as with loftier transcendental ideals. In the film’s latter half, as James forms an unexpected bond with a single father he meets along the trail, Pilgrim Song […]
by Jane Schoenbrun on Mar 9, 2012 -
WATCH: MUSICIAN PETER BRODERICK RELEASES NEW VIDEO EP
Peter Broderick’s http://www.itstartshear.com is as sprawling, heartfelt, and lovingly-rendered a collection of songs as you’re likely to hear this year; sixty-five minutes of controlled chaos running the gamut between bombastic and hushed, often times within the same track. And no, you didn’t read that wrong, Broderick, a 25-year old classically trained multi-instrumentalist living in Berlin (and definitely not the distribution guru who shares his name), has indeed titled his new record after a web domain. In the album’s press materials, Broderick explains his reasoning for this title, arguing: “http://www.itstartshear.com serves the music well by automatically becoming a link any time […]
by Jane Schoenbrun on Mar 5, 2012 -
MARCH 2012 VOD TITLES
Filmmaker has launched the March edition of its curated monthly list of notable VOD titles. Highlights include Dee Rees’ stunning debut Pariah, a recent winner at the Gotham Awards and Independent Spirit Awards, David Cronenberg’s psychological drama A Dangerous Method, Alexander Payne’s Oscar winning dramedy The Descendants, and Pedro Almodovar’s foray into body-horror The Skin I Live In. For titles from previous months, be sure to check out our VOD Calendar homepage.
by Jane Schoenbrun on Mar 1, 2012 -
NEW DIRECTORS/NEW FILMS ANNOUNCES 2012 LINEUP
The Film Society of Lincoln Center and The Museum of Modern Art have announced the lineup for their annual New Directors/New Films festival, running March 21–April 1 in New York City. This year’s festival opens with Nadine Labaki’s Where Do We Go Now, which premiered last year at Cannes and is being distributed by Sony Pictures Classics. Also screening this year are several Sundance alums, including Gareth Huw Evans’s The Raid, Terence Nance’s An Oversimplification of Her Beauty, Joachim Trier’s Oslo, August 31st, David Hamel’s How to Survive a Plague, and Mads Brugger’s The Ambassador. The full lineup is below. For […]
by Jane Schoenbrun on Feb 23, 2012 -
SHORT WATCH: HAMMER TO NAIL WINNER “ONCE IT STARTED IT COULD NOT END OTHERWISE”
Over at Hammer to Nail, Michael Tully has announced the winner for the inaugural edition of his monthly Short Film Contest. This month’s winner, Kelly Sears’ Once It Started It Could Not End Otherwise, is available to watch online, and it’s unforgettable; a nightmare-ish collage of refracted high school memories, manipulated yearbook photos, and an escalating sense of dread. You can stream Once It Started It Could Not End Otherwise over at Vimeo. My advice – don’t watch it at work unless you want your coworkers to see your terrified face. Previously supported by Rooftop’s Filmmakers’ Fund, Sears’ short was […]
by Jane Schoenbrun on Feb 22, 2012 -
IFP ANNOUNCES INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR PRODUCERS
The Independent Feature Project is now accepting applications for two of its international programs. The Cannes Producer’s Network, a week-long immersion program, runs concurrently with the Cannes International Film Festival in May. The program is specifically designed for experienced producers looking to build their international networks and share expertise on the international production, financing, and packaging marketplace. Recent participants have included Howard Gertler (Shortbus), Anita Onadine & Lance Weiler (Head Trauma, Pandemic), Mike Ryan (Choke), Susan Stover (Laurel Canyon), and Ron Simons (Gun Hill Road, Night Catches Us). To apply, please send a resume and one-page letter of interest to […]
by Jane Schoenbrun on Feb 22, 2012 -
SXSW ADDS TODD ROHAL’S “NATURE CALLS,” MORE TO LINE-UP
SXSW has announced a few late additions, rounding out a lineup that already includes high-profile world-premieres from Nelson George, Lena Dunham, Drew Goddard, Caveh Zahedi, and the Duplass Brothers. Notably, Todd Rohal’s Nature Calls, his Johnny Knoxville and Patton Oswald-starring followup to last year’s surrealist comedy The Catechism Cataclysm, will premiere in the Narrative Spotlight section, while Sundance favorites such as Shut Up and Play the Hits, Safety Not Guaranteed, and Sleepwalk with Me will screen as well. The full list of additions: NARRATIVE SPOTLIGHT Blue Like Jazz Director: Steve Taylor, Screenwriters: Donald Miller, Steve Taylor, Ben Pearson A Texas […]
by Jane Schoenbrun on Feb 15, 2012 -
SHORT WATCH: COLE SCHREIBER’S “REST”
Released just in time for Valentine’s Day, check out this beautiful new short from California-based filmmaker Cole Schreiber. A morbid and atmospheric story of love and mortality, it just might be the most romantic zombie tale I’ve seen since Return of the Living Dead 3. Per Cole’s Vimeo page: Rest, is the story of a young American solider who dies in WW1 and ninety years later unearths himself from a grave in the European countryside. Shot over the course of a week in Mendocino County, Morongo Valley and New York City, the film is a dark, but beautiful meditation on […]
by Jane Schoenbrun on Feb 14, 2012 -
SXSW ANNOUNCES MIDNIGHTER AND SHORTS PROGRAMS
SXSW announced today the lineups for their Midnighters and Shorts programs. The Midnighters section pulls together a batch of genre-heavy world premieres, including Spanish found-footage horror sequel [REC] ³ GENESIS and dark comedy Girls Against Boys, as well as proven festival favorites V/H/S and John Dies at the End. The shorts program meanwhile is as extensive as ever, featuring 135 selections including works from James M. Johnson, Jeremiah Zagar, Bill Plympton, Dustin Guy Defa, and Josh and Benny Safdie (who present their Sundance Jury Prize winner The Black Balloon.) The full lineups: MIDNIGHTERS Scary, funny, sexy, controversial – provocative after-dark […]
by Jane Schoenbrun on Feb 8, 2012
