ANDY WARHOL AND DANNY WILLIAMS IN DIRECTOR ESTHER ROBINSON’S A WALK INTO THE SEA: DANNY WILLIAMS AND THE WARHOL FACTORY. COURTESY ARTHOUSE FILMS. Esther Robinson has an effusive passion for cinema that is infectious, and has led her to dedicate her career to helping artists and filmmakers. She studied film and television at NYU’s Tisch School for the Arts, and at the age of only 24 produced Alive TV, a television show for PBS about alternative and experimental film. In 1998, she started Wavelength Releasing, a company established to explore new ways to make, distribute and show movies, which was […]
The Dubai fest kicked into another gear Thursday night as the work week for Emiratis came to a close (their weekend is Friday and Saturday). With a performance by Gloria Estefan at Media City (her husband Emilio Estefan has his doc, 90 Millas, in the fest) and a gala reception highlighting their “Building Cultures” theme that went on until the wee hours, it was a fitting end to my week in Dubai. Though there were so many things that I wasn’t able to do and places I didn’t have time to visit, during my time here I met friendly people […]
There’s a very popular phrase used in the Arab world that usually ends every statement. And I’ve heard it a lot during my time here in Dubai. “The screening will begin at 7:00, insha’Allah.” “Your welcome pack will be in your room tonight, insha’Allah.” “The shuttle is on it’s way, insha’Allah.” (though, the constant gridlock on the three main roads in Dubai is a big proponent for the lack of shuttle service. Monorail service begins in 2009!) Translated in english insha’Allah means God willing and for most who work or live here the phrase is just part of everyday life. […]
As today is Human Rights Day, the 49th anniversary of the U.N.’s adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it’s a good time to link to Witness.org, the organization founded by musician Peter Gabriel that, as it explains on its home page, “uses video and online technologies to open the eyes of the world to human rights violations. We empower people to transform personal stories of abuse into powerful tools for justice, promoting public engagement and policy change.” Witness recently launched The Hub, which it calls “the first global platform dedicated to human rights media and action.” This section […]
One of the twentieth century’s great artists, the composer and electronic music pioneer Karlheinz Stockhausen, died last week. Pitchfork has a short appreciation, and our memoriam, his Helicopter Symphony, is below.
It’s my first day here in Dubai and my initial observations are the obvious ones: beautiful sights, impeccable service and construction (I mean a lot!). For those who don’t know a lot about this jewel of the United Arab Emirates, imagine Las Vegas before it became the tourist trap it is now, but instead of it built on mob money, this playground for adults is blossoming from the wealthy sheiks whose palaces are buried behind high gates along the coast. The picture above (not taken by me, but my images will appear in future posts) highlights the coast with Dubai’s […]
Cynthia Lester’s film My Mother’s Garden has been selected for the Slamdance Documentary Competition and will premiere at Park City in January. The film has a MySpace page which streams the extraordinary show reel (also embedded below) and contains this summary of the film: My Mother’s Garden explores one woman’s extreme attachment to material objects and her emotional struggle to let go of them. My Mother’s Garden is the story of Eugenia Lester whose hoarding disorder has entered a dangerous and life threatening stage. Directed by her daughter Cynthia, it documents how one family comes together to cope with their […]
Last winter in a Filmmaker article recapping 2006’s most notable trends in independent film, I used as my lede a discussion of metrics — how, in every business, there’s some kind of unit of evaluation, but how in independent film that yardstick is often hopelessly confused. First-time filmmakers exorcising personal demons or doc makers espousing outside-the-mainstream viewpoints are later shocked and disheartened when their films don’t get picked up by a mini-major and gross Michael Moore numbers. Why don’t, I wrote, filmmakers consider things like the importance of transmitting the film’s message and their own enjoyment and personal growth as […]
I stopped by Other Music this weekend and discovered on the racks photographer Paula Court’s book, New York Noise: Art and Music from the New York Underground 1978-88. I first moved to New York during those years and became Programming Director at The Kitchen during the tail-end of that span, and for me the book, full of striking, energetic portraits of NYC’s key downtown art players, was not just a nostalgic blast-from-the-past but also a welcome confirmation that, yes, there was something special and perhaps unrepeatable about that scene and its casual cross-pollination. The Times Online has an article and […]
BILLY PRICE, THE STAR OF DIRECTOR JENNIFER VENDITTI’S DOCUMENTARY BILLY THE KID.COURTESY ELEPHANT EYE FILMS. You might say that Jennifer Venditti is a people person. After starting out as a fashion stylist, she moved on to casting where she distinguished herself as someone with an eye for the unconventional as well as the beautiful. In 1998, she started JV8inc, a New York-based casting company working in fashion, commercials and film, which has become known for its use of street scouting, finding “real” people for campaigns or movies by going out and pounding the pavements. Since starting JV8, Venditti has worked […]