Filmmaking

LETHEM’S FREE LOVE (MORE RIGHTS FOR FILMMAKERS!)

To complete my series of posts about author Jonathan Lethem and his recent work thinking about — and practicing — a sort of “open source” approach to creative rights management, here’s news of his new novel, You Don’t Love Me Yet, and how he’s handling the film rights. From his website: On May 15th I’ll give away a free option on the film rights to my novel You Don’t Love Me Yet to a selected filmmaker. In return for the free option, I’ll ask two things: I’d like the filmmaker to pay (something) for the purchase of the rights if […]

By Scott Macaulay on Mar 14, 2007 Filmmaking
OH, CANADA!

Canadian Front 2007 begins tonight with the New York premiere of Sarah Polley‘s Away From Her at MoMA. The next four days include eight films made in Canada by a diverse group of filmmakers including four women making their feature debuts (Polley being one of them). Film description and screening times are below. Remembering Arthur. 2006. Canada. Directed by Martin Lavut. Arthur Lipsett was a leading Canadian experimental filmmaker whose 1961 short Very Nice, Very Nice remains a seminal work of the avant-garde. A troubled man, Lipsett committed suicide in 1986. Martin Lavut, who knew Lipsett and many of his […]

By Jason Guerrasio on Mar 14, 2007 Filmmaking
LETHEM, AGAIN

A reader pointed out that I forgot to include the link to the great Jonathan Lethem essay I raved about below. Sorry about that — here it is: The Ecstasy of Influence.

By Scott Macaulay on Mar 13, 2007 Filmmaking
TRIBECA ANNOUNCES COMPETITION AND SPOTLIGHT SELECTIONS

The Tribeca Film Festival announced its World Narrative and World Documentary Feature Film Competitions as well as its selections in the Spotlight category today. The fest’s sixth edition will take place April 25-May 6. See below for the complete list of films. World Narrative CompetitionBorn and Bred (Nacido y Criado), directed by Pablo Trapero, written by Pablo Trapero and Mario Rulloni. (Argentina) – U.S. Premiere. When his life is shattered by a terrifying accident, a successful interior designer winds up in the desolate extremes of Patagonia, trying to find himself among other lost, disaffected men. Pablo Trapero’s haunting film demonstrates […]

By Jason Guerrasio on Mar 12, 2007 Filmmaking
STARING AT THE COMPUTER SCREEN

I’m on the Narrative Feature jury at South by Southwest, so I can’t really write about the movies I’m seeing down here. (Or, at least, I can’t until after Tuesday night when we give the awards.) But I’ll try to post on some of the panels and other events I’m attending. Yesterday I checked out Cinematech’s Scott Kirsner and his New Media and Film panel. If you read this blog you’ll know I’m a fan of Kirsner’s reporting on the business and technology of new media. In addition to Kirsner, the panel consisted of David Gale, exec. V.P. at MTV […]

By Scott Macaulay on Mar 12, 2007 Filmmaking
THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW

I’ve run into my old friend, colleague and Filmmaker co-founder Karol Martesko-Fenster at my favorite Tribeca coffee spot several times recently, and each time he’s been holding meetings at a large table filled with stacks of spreadsheets. Today, Indiewire confirms what he’s been up to: the launch of Tomorrow Unlimited. Writes Indiewire: Touting a plan to create “a network of global multi-platform properties,” Robert DeNiro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff’s Tribeca Enterprises (parent of the Tribeca Film Festival and Tribeca Cinemas) has announced the formation of Tomorrow Unlimited LLC with former principals of RES Media Group. The new division is […]

By Scott Macaulay on Mar 11, 2007 Filmmaking
STAIR MASTER

Joe Swanberg’s latest picture, Hannah Takes the Stairs, premiered here at SXSW tonight (it’s not in Competition, so I missed it — I’m on the jury and was watching another film at the time) — and Ray Pride has a mammoth interview up with the director. Here Swanberg talks about how he developed the film and got it produced following a meeting with producer Anish Savjanti here at the festival last year. [Anish] is from Austin. He saw LOL [at SxSW] and he came to the LOL party that night, said, “I like it, let’s talk.” I think three weeks […]

By Scott Macaulay on Mar 11, 2007 Filmmaking
GIFTS GIVEN AND RECEIVED

Jonathan Lethem (Motherless Brooklyn, The Fortress of Solitude) has a new novel out (You Don’t Love Me Yet, reviewed here in the Village Voice), a brilliant essay in Harper’s entitled The Ecstasy of Influence, and, on his website,, a provocatively intentioned yet wonderfully generous gift for young filmmakers. Before we get that incredible offer, I want to talk about the essay. I won’t spoil the astonishing reveal contained within its afterward — and I must insist you read it until the end — but even without clueing you in to the entirety of Lethem’s conception, I can say that the […]

By Scott Macaulay on Mar 9, 2007 Filmmaking
Battle Tested

300 COURTESY WARNER BROS. Zack Snyder brings Frank Miller’s ultraviolent graphic novel, 300, to life with amazing special effects and non-stop action. It’s been two years since Sin City introduced audiences to the world of Frank Miller. Under the direction of Robert Rodriguez, who shot actors using blue screen technology and then added the computer-generated backgrounds in post, Miller’s graphic novel made it to celluloid as a depraved trio of vignettes that both updated film noir and pointed towards a new way of making motion pictures. Now director Zack Snyder (2004’s Dawn of the Dead), employing the same production method […]

By Jason Guerrasio on Mar 9, 2007 Directing
GUIDE TO SXSW

For those on their way to SXSW, indieWIRE has compiled an excellent Insiders Guide to the in-things to do while you’re in Austin. My mouth’s watering just thinking of the great BBQ.

By Jason Guerrasio on Mar 9, 2007 Filmmaking

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