Authors — Natalia Keogan
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“It Really Does Take a Village”: Ted Schaefer on Giving Birth to a Butterfly
Our projected identities—and the constant performance inherent in presenting ourselves—fuel the surrealist philosophy of Ted Schaefer’s Giving Birth to a Butterfly. The filmmaker’s directorial debut, from a script he co-wrote with author Patrick Lawler, delves into a psychedelic psychology of what truly constitutes “the self” (very fitting for a collaborative duo who met through a mutual therapist). Giving Birth to a Butterfly largely consists of a roadtrip odyssey shared by Diana (Annie Parisse), a pharmacist stuck in an unfulfilling marriage to aspiring chef Daryl (Paul Sparks), and Marlene (Gus Birney), a heavily pregnant young woman who’s dating Diana’s son Drew […]
by Natalia Keogan on May 30, 2023 -
“A Shifting Metaphor for a Lost Dream of Society”: Srđan Keča on The Museum of the Revolution
Investigating the death of a utopian vision coalesces with a survey of a “developing” dystopian hellscape in Museum of the Revolution, the sprawling, meditative effort from filmmaker, researcher and educator Srđan Keča. Through a series of charming vignettes that are nonetheless thick with human despair (and radical joy in the face of it), Keča’s documentary examines the crumbling remains of the titular edifice in the otherwise rapidly evolving city of Belgrade, Serbia. Construction of the building originally commenced in 1961, and the never-formally-erected Museum of the Revolution was conceived as a grand tribute to then-socialist Yugoslavia. Yet the project was […]
by Natalia Keogan on May 19, 2023 -
“I Sort of Became the Festival Therapist”: Writer-Director Jamie Sisley on Addiction Drama Stay Awake
The delicate coming-of-age process is curbed by one family’s struggle with a so-called “crisis” in Stay Awake, writer-director Jamie Sisley’s feature debut. Of course, the crisis at hand is the opioid epidemic, and the afflicted party is a tight-knit family living in a small Virginia town. Michelle (Chrissy Metz, best known for her role on NBC’s This Is Us) is a single mother who undeniably loves her two sons Ethan (Wyatt Oleff) and Derek (Fin Argus). But unfaltering devotion on its own cannot keep Michelle sober, particularly when her doctor keeps refilling her highly-addictive prescription. Most nights, the brothers find themselves desperately […]
by Natalia Keogan on May 18, 2023 -
The Academy Releases “The Art of Documentary” Podcast Hosted by Crip Camp Co-Director Jim LeBrecht
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has ventured into the realm of audio storytelling with “The Art of Documentary,” a six-episode podcast hosted by Jim LeBrecht, who co-directed and co-produced Crip Camp with Nicole Newnham. Each episode will feature LeBrecht engaging in a discussion with a different documentarian about their individual experiences while crafting their films. “I was approached by Randy Haberkamp and Dina Michelle at the Academy if I’d be interested in hosting and developing this podcast,” LeBrecht told Filmmaker. “To be honest, I was honored. I’ve been an Academy member for a few years but my […]
by Natalia Keogan on May 17, 2023 -
Exclusive Trailer: Natalia Sinelnikova’s We Might As Well Be Dead
Filmmaker presents the exclusive trailer premiere of German filmmaker Natalia Sinelnikova’s directorial debut We Might As Well Be Dead. The film was the opening night title at the 2022 Berlinale in the festival’s German Perspective category and winner of Best Cinematography at last year’s Tribeca Festival. Hope Runs High will release We Might As Well Be Dead in New York City this month before expanding to more U.S. and Canadian cities over the summer. Originally, We Might As Well Be Dead was conceived by Sinelnikova as a thesis film to win comparisons to Yorgos Lanthimos‘s The Lobster. The film’s official synopsis […]
by Natalia Keogan on May 11, 2023 -
15 Films to Catch During Prismatic Ground 2023
Prismatic Ground, the New York-based film festival that showcases experimental documentary and avant-garde works, kicks off this week. Spanning five days and six theaters, the festival will run from May 3-7 with screenings at the Museum of the Moving Image, Maysles Documentary Center, BAM Cinematheque, DCTV’s Firehouse Cinema, Light Industry and Anthology Film Archives. Now in its third year, Prismatic Ground’s 2023 slate features approximately 60 films, including both recent films from contemporary artists and new restorations of work from essential filmmakers. During a recent chat with Prismatic Ground’s founder and director Inney Prakash, he emphasized that the festival’s lineup […]
by Natalia Keogan on May 2, 2023 -
Exclusive Trailer: Film at Lincoln Center’s “The World of Apichatpong Weerasethakul” Series
Filmmaker is pleased to premiere the trailer for Film at Lincoln Center’s “The World of Apichatpong Weerasethakul” series, a complete retrospective of the Thai filmmaker’s career so far. The series will run from May 4-14 in New York City and feature seven feature films, four short film programs and Weerasethakul in attendance for select screenings. The filmmaker also programmed several films to screen alongside his own, including Chantal Ackerman’s La Captive, Russ Meyer’s Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, Hou Hsiao-hsien’s The Puppetmaster, Guy Maddin’s Careful, Abbas Kiarostami’s Homework and Frederick Wiseman’s Primate (presented in 16mm), among others. Several of the filmmaker’s […]
by Natalia Keogan on May 2, 2023 -
“There’s a Beauty to the Dark Feminine”: Nida Manzoor on Polite Society
The unbreakable bond of sisterhood threatens to be thwarted by a eugenic evil conspiracy in Polite Society, writer-director Nida Manzoor’s feature debut. The British filmmaker, who was raised in a Pakistani Muslim household, has encased vital aspects of her own life in each project she’s embarked on so far. Her Peacock/Channel 4 show We Are Lady Parts, which follows a punk band comprised entirely of Muslim women, incorporates her natural musical prowess through writing the show’s music with her siblings Shez and Sanya. Now with Polite Society, Manzoor reflects on another immutable aspect of her life: the chaos and camaraderie […]
by Natalia Keogan on Apr 28, 2023 -
Overlook Film Festival 2023: American Monsters and Final Musings (Matinee, The Tingler, The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster)
The last official day of Overlook arrived, and I was pleased to spend it watching a double feature of Joe Dante’s Matinee (a special 30th anniversary screening) and William Castle’s 1959 film The Tingler. The double header was programmed by Dante himself, and after the screening I was scheduled to conduct a 20-minute interview with the director. I’d seen Matinee before, and upon re-watch was struck again by how lush and detailed each aspect of the film’s production is. The set decoration only creeps up on ‘60s-era pastiche, managing to evoke nostalgic memory more than hokey over-stylization. Even the wardrobe […]
by Natalia Keogan on Apr 27, 2023 -
Prismatic Ground Reveals 2023 Lineup, Featuring Films From Tsai Ming-Liang, Kimi Takesue and More
Prismatic Ground, the annual New York-based film festival for experimental and avant-garde works, has unveiled the lineup for its 2023 edition, which will take place from May 3-7. Co-presented by Screen Slate, the festival will be hosted across several NYC theaters: Museum of the Moving Image, Maysles Documentary Center, BAM Cinematheque, DCTV’s Firehouse Cinema, Light Industry, and Anthology Film Archives. Featuring approximately 60 films, Prismatic Ground will showcase recent works from renowned artists, such as Tsai Ming-Liang and Kimi Takesue, alongside new restorations of essential filmmakers like Raphael Montañez Ortiz and Bill Brand. Retrospective screenings will also honor late filmmakers […]
by Natalia Keogan on Apr 18, 2023
