Authors — Jason Guerrasio
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David Wilson
You may know David Wilson best as the co-founder of the True/False Film Festival with Paul Sturtz. But in the seven years the well-loved documentary fest has been steadily increasing its visibility, Wilson has also been quietly honing his skills as a filmmaker. In 1996, after graduating from Hampshire College in Massachusetts and spending some time working on films in New York City, he returned to his hometown of Columbia, Mo., to make the short Magic City, which looks at the underground youth culture in the state. He followed that by spending the next few years helping to start up […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Jul 17, 2010 -
Brent Stewart
When you live next to Harmony Korine some unconventional ideas can creep into your head. So when Brent Stewart was thinking about making a chamber-piece drama on 35mm and shooting the whole thing with little to no camera movement he went to his famous filmmaking neighbor for some advice. “I knew it would be a challenge to pull off because even Harmony said to me, ‘Man, that’s risky.’” But, The Colonel’s Bride, Stewart’s debut feature, is an intimate look at loneliness, old age and death with striking photography, a haunting score and a stirring lead performance that shouldn’t be missed. […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Jul 17, 2010 -
Sean Durkin
After living in London as a child, Sean Durkin spent his final year before moving back to the States in the English countryside. For the then 11 year old, the sprawling, beautiful landscape was a world away from the hectic streets of the city. But when night came, so did dark seclusion and feelings of fear and anxiety — feelings heightened by the scary movies Sean and his mother would spend their evenings watching. “As a child I built this irrational fear of home invasion,” Durkin, 28, recalls. “All of these unsolved mysteries seemed to always happen in Southern California, […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Jul 17, 2010 -
IFP ANNOUNCES INDEPENDENT FILMMAKER LABS NARRATIVE LINEUP
IFP has announced the 10 projects selected for participation in this year’s narrative edition of Independent Filmmaker Labs which takes place June 7-11 in New York City. The 2010 Labs include an initial five days of workshops that assist filmmakers with the technical, creative and strategic advice needed to complete their films; a Strategy & Networking Lab following in September with specialized workshops on web building, sales & marketing and audience building, as well as pre-scheduled meetings for the projects with potential buyers, funders and festival programmers during IFP’s Independent Film Week; and a winter intensive Distribution Lab, specifically focused […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Jun 7, 2010 -
“TONY MANERO”
Set during Augusto Pinochet’s brutal dictatorship in Chile during the 1970s, director Pablo Larrain mixes social commentary and the love for cinema to create a horrific (and darkly humors) tale with a tour-de-force performance by lead actor Alfredo Castro. We meet Raul (Castro) as he shows up to a popular talent show prepared to take the crown as the Chilean Tony Manero. Yes, John Travolta’s legendary character from Saturday Night Fever. Unfortunately for Raul he shows up on the wrong week (they’re currently finding the Chilean Chuck Norris). A small man with little to say, we almost feel sorry for […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Jun 1, 2010 -
Criterion: Stagecoach
Legend has it when John Ford read the short story that would be the inspiration behind his first Western with sound, he immediately took it to his boss David O. Selznick, who, just as quickly as it was pitched to him, tossed it aside as a forgettable picture. Lucky for us, Ford didn’t move on. He dug into his own pocket, made the film himself (and later sold it to United Artists), packed up the production and went out to Utah’s picturesque Monument Valley (which would be the site for many of his Westerns to come) — far from the […]
by Jason Guerrasio on May 25, 2010 -
IFP HAS JON REISS THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX
On June 5 and 6 IFP will present a weekend-long workshop with Bomb It director Jon Reiss on DIY hybrid distribution and marketing in New York City. Reiss has highlighted his journey releasing and marketing Bomb It in the pages of Filmmaker, and went into greater detail in his book Think Outside the Box Office. In the workshop Reiss will go over everything from creating a distribution strategy to advertising campaigns to transmedia platforms. And you also get into a networking happy hour. Lean more about the event and how to get tickets below. IFP PRESENTS THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX […]
by Jason Guerrasio on May 24, 2010 -
“UNCLE BOONMEE” TOPS CANNES WINNERS
The 63rd edition of the Cannes Film Festival wrapped up this evening in France with Apichatpong Weerasethakul‘s Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (pictured) taking the coveted Palme d’Or. Other winners include Xavier Beauvois‘s Of God and Men receiving the Grand Prix, Mathieu Amalric winning Best Director for Tournee, Juliette Binoche was awarded Best Actress for Certified Copy and in a tie Javier Bardem (Biutiful) and Elio Germano (La Nostra Vita) won Best Actor. See full list of winners below. Palme d’Or: Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul Grand Prix (runner-up): Des […]
by Jason Guerrasio on May 23, 2010 -
“HA HA HA” WINS UN CERTAIN REGARD
South Korean filmmaker Hong Sangsoo‘s Ha Ha Ha received top honors for Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section last night. The jury also gave a special award to the three actresses from Ivan Fund and Santiago Losa’s Los Labios (The Lips), Adela Sanchez, Eva Bianco, and Victoria Raposo. The main Cannes jury awards will be announced later today.
by Jason Guerrasio on May 23, 2010 -
CERTIFIED FRESHER
Anne Thompson reports that starting today Rotten Tomatoes has integrated with Apple‘s iTunes store. According to Thompson: “Rotten Tomatoes is now part of Flixster; together the sites and their mobile apps reach more than 30 million moviegoers each month.”
by Jason Guerrasio on May 20, 2010
