Open | Filmmaker Magazine

“PARIAH” | writer-director, Dee Rees

[PREMIERE SCREENING: Thursday, Jan. 20, 9:30 pm — Eccles Theatre] The biggest surprise associated with making Pariah came after watching the first rough cut when we discovered that this was not a “black lesbian” movie. We had fought this BRUTAL uphill battle in funding the film with financiers and investors balking at the story because it was “too small and specific” (which is code for “too black and too gay”). After we screened the first cut, one of our early advisors went so far as to describe it as “commercial.” We didn’t know whether to slap them or celebrate. After […]

by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 18, 2011

WHAT’S IN MY INSTAPAPER: SUNDAY MORNING LINKS, 1/16/11

A quick, commentary-lite version… Joseph Conrad wrote a science-fiction novel. “Young and Restless Never Gets Old” — Dennis Lim in the Times on Gregg Araki. Big tech news this week: Google announces that it won’t support the H.264 codec and the HTML5 video tag in its Chrome browser in favor of its own WebM codec. It’s all very complicated and tech-y, but Google’s argument is that they’re supporting “open standards” by backing a codec without royalty issues. Problem is, Apple’s Safari and Microsoft’s IE both use the H.264 format and the short-term victor is likely to be Adobe, whose Flash […]

by Scott Macaulay on Jan 16, 2011

HANS PETER MOLAND, “A SOMEWHAT GENTLE MAN”

In Hans Peter Moland’s glumly humorous, sneakily moving Norwegian dramedy A Somewhat Gentle Man, a graying, ponytailed ex-con named Ulrik, played with droll aplomb by the always reliable Stellan Skarsgard, fumbles his way back into civilian life after 12 years in prison for manslaughter. He finds a job as a mechanic for a body shop owner (Bjorn Sundquist), who insists he be on time and stay away from oddly alluring office secretary Merete (Jannike Kruse). After finding a room in the basement of an aging, horny matron (a terrific Jorun Kjellsby), the sister of Ulrik’s former boss and petty crime […]

by Brandon Harris on Jan 12, 2011

21st Century Man: Abel Ferrara

In person, Abel Ferrara is a whirlwind of gestures and jokes, of quick smiles and vulgar asides, digressions piled upon digressions, even if he’s much sharper and in control of his staccato New Yorkese vernacular than he lets on. Ferrara, who will turn 60 this year, has had one of American indie cinema’s strangest and most fascinating careers, one which has taken the Bronx native from the old 42nd Street’s row of exploitation and porn cinemas to the Croissette in Cannes. Often we talk of middle-aged artists mellowing, but Ferrara maintains a manic, youthful energy that is both infectious and […]

by Brandon Harris on Jan 11, 2011

WHAT’S IN MY INSTAPAPER: SUNDAY MORNING LINKS, 1/9/11

Here are some articles of interest I’ve sent to my Instapaper this week. At Script Shadow, Carson Reeves lists the 10 ways he knows he’s reading an amateur script. All of these are quotable, but here’s one: BORING ON-THE-NOSE DIALOGUE – This is probably the biggest clue that you’re dealing with an amateur. The dialogue is really straightforward and boring. Characters say exactly what they mean: “You make me so angry!’ Characters get way more specific than people in real life would: “I’m going to head over to get a cheeseburger at Portillo’s and then call my mom.” (instead of […]

by Scott Macaulay on Jan 9, 2011

CAULEEN SMITH PREMIERES VIDEO INSTALLATION AT THE KITCHEN

Filmmaker and artist Cauleen Smith, one of our “25 New Faces of 1998,” is premiering a new video installation at New York’s The Kitchen this week. Remote Viewing will be on view January 7 – March 5, 2011. Admission is free. There will be an opening reception for the exhibition at The Kitchen on Friday, January 7 from 6:00-8:00pm, and a special screening curated by the artist on Monday, February 28 at 7:00pm. From the catalog: California-based filmmaker, screenwriter, and video installation artist, Cauleen Smith is best known for Afro-futurist cinematic works that weave intimate narratives of love, yearning, and […]

by Scott Macaulay on Jan 6, 2011

ELIA SULEIMAN, “THE TIME THAT REMAINS”

Award-winning Palestinian filmmaker Elia Suleiman (Divine Intervention) makes idiosyncratic films about the endless conflict between Arabs and Israelis, stitching together wryly humorous tableaux that speak to the absurdity of life under occupation. Suleiman himself is often a character in these tragicomic dramas, a mute witness quietly observing the agitations of the Middle East at ground level, with lidded eyes and a mournful face that commentators have repeatedly likened to Buster Keaton’s. As a youth infatuated with socialism, Suleiman (now 50) fled a pending arrest warrant in Nazareth (the authorities were under the impression he was a gang member) and moved […]

by Damon Smith on Jan 5, 2011

FILMMAKER PARTNERS WITH CINEMA EYE ON THE HETERODOX AWARD

I’ll be writing more about this award and the films in the days ahead, but, for the moment, here is a press releasing announcing a new award Filmmaker is very happy to be sponsoring at Cinema Eye this year. New York – The Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking announced today the five nominees for the first annual Cinema Eye Heterodox Award, sponsored by Filmmaker Magazine. The Cinema Eye Heterodox Award marks a new award category created to honor a narrative film that imaginatively incorporates nonfiction strategies, content and/or modes of production. These films illuminate the formal possibilities of nonfiction […]

by Scott Macaulay on Jan 4, 2011

Director Zachary Oberzan on Your Brother. Remember?

One of the great joys of being a critic is the childlike sense of wonder that comes with being the first to discover something new (that, and as the esteemed music critic Lester Bangs once put it, getting free shit). I first met Zachary Oberzan after seeing his one-man show Rambo Solo, developed with Nature Theater of Oklahoma, in early 2009. (Yes, for the record the tickets were comp since I was reviewing for Theater Online.) At the time I wrote, “I have seen the theater future and its name is Rambo – or more accurately, one fearless thespian named […]

by Lauren Wissot on Jan 4, 2011

NEW FINAL CUT SUITE RUMORED; iPAD CLIPTOUCH APP RELEASED

Back in September we asked, “Is Apple Delaying a New Final Cut Studio?” The French rumor site Hardmac reported that the next version of editing software had experience “setbacks” and that, furthermore, engineering talent was being transfered to the iOS department. Now, Hardmac is reporting that a new version of Final Cut Studio “should” come out in March or April. From the site: Let’s start with Final Cut Suites. AS we reported earlier, all version of Final Cut should be unveiled in March or early April. It should be a substantial update when compared to the previous version, but not […]

by Scott Macaulay on Jan 4, 2011

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