Reporting from the fest, Belle Burke sends this dispatch on what’s in store this year. VFF begins today and wraps Sept. 12. Stay tuned to the blog for more reports from Venice. Do all film festivals begin with disclaimers, denials, and disappointments? In Venice, where discussions can be as heated as the weather, they often do, but maybe it clears the way for the bragging rights of the world’s oldest film festival. Marco Muller, back again as the festival director, still somewhat apprehensive as last-minute plans evolve, emphasizes that it will not be a “provincial festival” even though it has […]
With news today from Variety that the Criterion Collection will release some IFC Films titles on DVD and Blu-ray (including A Christmas Tale and Gomorrah in Nov. and Che and Hunger in Dec.) I’m curious what other IFC titles should get the coveted Criterion treatment. 1) In The Loop – Not only would director Armando Iannucci do a great commentary but also included could be episodes of the inspiration for the film, the BBC series The Thick of It. Essay could be written by David Frost (hey, this is a wish list, I can dream). 2) Antichrist – Yes, sex […]
Seeing this poster of Steven Soderbergh‘s latest film, The Informant!, got me thinking about how much I enjoy the creativity behind his one sheets. There’s the ode to the 1940s studio system with The Good German, the pulpy feel of Out of Sight, then there’s the fragmented visual style with The Limey and The Girlfriend Experience. In a time when most filmmakers are just happy audiences show up to the theaters, it’s nice to see there’s at least one who’s still nostalgic for the oldest form of movie marketing (though I have no idea if he has a hand in […]
Hey Julie and Julia — two can play at that game! The ever forward-thinking Criterion Collection is shaking up the dusty confines of specialty film marketing with their latest promotion. Read: There’s more to cooking on camera than Top Chef, and despite films like Big Night or Julie and Julia that have inspired foodies across the country to run out and prepare elaborate meals, it’s rare that we get a cinematic look at how ordinary folks cook every day. It might not be the first thing that comes up when people talk about Chantal Akerman’s masterpiece Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai […]
We’ve envied the Brit’s public funding for feature films, government support for new talent, and innovative tax schemes supporting production. They’ve envied our culture of private equity investment for film. Now we’re both about even… or maybe not. From a worthwhile read by Killian Fox in today’s Guardian entitled “Digital: Take a Short Cut to the Cinema”: In [London Film School Director Ben] Gibson’s view, funding opportunities for first-time film-makers are desperately limited, and the lucky few who receive support are being hobbled by the whims of commissioning bodies, who place more weight on “the availability of a certain actor […]
If you aren’t able to make it to the IFC Center tonight for Ondi Timoner’s Sundance Prize-winning We Live in Public, you can catch the Q&A via a live webcast. The webcast is embedded below, and it’s scheduled to be live at 9:15 and 11:20. Get the Pseudo Button widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox!
I haven’t seen Philip Ridley’s second feature, The Passion of Darkly Noon…. but I am a fan of his debut film, The Reflecting Skin, which I saw at its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival many years ago. On the basis of that grandiose, gothic picture, I’ve been wanting to see more of him. So, like the BBC’s Mark Kermode, I am looking forward to his new one.
PATTON OSWALT IN WRITER-DIRECTOR ROBERT SIEGEL’S BIG FAN. COURTESY FIRST INDEPENDENT PICTURES. For someone who says his main creative motivation is boredom, Robert Siegel has done rather well for himself. Born and raised in the Long Island town of Merrick, Siegel graduated from the University of Michigan 1993 with a B.A. in History, after which he followed his then-girlfriend to Madison, Wisconsin, where she was studying for a PhD. In addition to working for the local newspaper and volunteering at Madison’s public radio station, Siegel started writing for a small satirical rag that was given away free in the town’s […]
Robin Wilby’s Loop Planes , produced by Christine Vachon, is the first project to emerge from the partnership between Massify and Killer Films, and it has just wrapped production. Brooke Sebold is documenting the process over at Massify, and the first video is now up. It is embedded below, and make sure to visit the page and the site for more on the project and Massify in general. Massify + Killer Films Episode 1 from Massify on Vimeo.
Last year producer Ted Hope gave the keynote address at Film Independent’s Fourth Annual Filmmaker Forum and began a dialogue on the changing face of independent film that he has carried over to regular postings on his Truly Free Film blog. Last week Hope received the Vision Award at Vision Fest 09 from the Filmmaker’s Alliance. Presented by Alan Ball, the award has heretofore only been given to directors. The clips have just gone up on YouTube — check out Hope’s message to the independent community.