Documentary
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BEASTIE BOY STARTS DISTRIBUTOR WITH THINK EXEC
Interesting news via Pitchfork Media: Beastie Boy Adam Yauch has launched Oscilloscope Pictures, a new independent distributor, with former Think Film V.P. David Fenkel and former Think employee Dan Berger. The Pitchfork article quotes this Reuters/Hollywood Reporter piece, which gives more details. From the Gregg Goldstein piece: Yauch and Fenkel plan to acquire narrative and documentary features from festivals for release in the U.S. and provide funds to complete and release unfinished films. The pair, who worked on Yauch’s Beastie Boys documentary “Awesome! I F***in’ Shot That!” at ThinkFilm, will oversee postproduction and marketing work at Oscilloscope Laboratories’ downtown Manhattan […]
by Scott Macaulay on Feb 6, 2008 -
ROAD TO OSCAR NIGHT
Looking at our coverage of films last year we realized we did a pretty good job choosing films that went on to get Oscar nominations (yes, there was much rejoicing in the office). Some appeared in Nick Dawson’s Director Interviews section on the Website, others were Web Exclusives, while a good deal was in the magazine and we never got them online. So beginning tonight and going all the way to Oscar night on Feb. 24, we’ll be republishing those pieces in the Oscar Preview section on the main page (except for There Will Be Blood (nominated for Best Picture, […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Feb 5, 2008 -
NEWSHOUNDING ON SUPER TUESDAY
Over at the FilmInFocus site there’s a five-part series beginning today in which five documentary filmmakers (or filmmaking teams) tell us their top sources for news and political reporting and commentary. The first set, picked by Jesus Camp directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, spans an “alternative news nexus” to a site that measures “hostility across the political spectrum.” Their selections are at the link.
by Scott Macaulay on Feb 5, 2008 -
Rotterdam 2008: Who’s Afraid of Kathy Acker?
Who’s Afraid of Kathy Acker?, premiering here in Rotterdam, is Barbara Caspar’s thoughtful and creative film biography/essay on the late writer, whose formally inventive novels, published from the ’70s through the mid-90s, challenged assumptions about gender roles, sexuality, and the literary canon. A beguiling and intensely contradictory figure, Acker is best known for books which creatively appropriated texts from Great White Male writers, retelling them in an emotionally raw, sexually blunt, and politically questioning female voice. And with her appearance in several conceptual art videos in the ’70s, her close-cropped dyed blond hair, her tattoos and her piercings, Acker was […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jan 29, 2008 -
SUNDANCE ANNOUNCES WINNERS
Below is the complete list of Sundance 2008 Winners: Grand Jury Prize: DocumentaryTrouble The Water — directed by Tia Lessin and Carl Deal Grand Jury Prize: DramaticFrozen River — directed by Courtney Hunt World Cinema Jury Prize: DocumentaryMan on Wire — directed by James Marsh World Cinema Jury Prize: DramaticKing of Ping Pong (Ping Pongkingen) — directed by Jens Jonsson Audience Award: DocumentaryFields of Fuel — directed by Josh Tickell Audience Award: DramaticThe Wackness — directed by Jonathan Levine World Cinema Audience Award: DocumentaryMan on Wire — directed by James Marsh World Cinema Audience Award: DramaticCaptain Abu Raed — directed […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Jan 26, 2008 -
Catherine Owens, U2 3D
BONO AND THE EDGE IN CATHERINE OWENS AND MARK PELLINGTON’S U2 3D. COURTESY NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ENTERTAINMENT. Though her body of work is famous, Catherine Owens — the woman behind the visual design of U2’s legendary stadium tours of the past 15 years — until now has maintained a much lower profile. Beginning with the band’s revolutionary ZooTV tour in 1992, Irish artist Owens used her expertise in many media (sculpture, video art, sound design, photography, etc.) as inspiration for their subsequent PopMart, Elevation and Vertigo tours, helping the band gain a reputation as the best live act in the world. […]
by Nick Dawson on Jan 23, 2008 -
“A COMPLETE HISTORY OF MY SEXUAL FAILURES” co-writer-director, Chris Waitt
I made a documentary where I tried to interview my ex-girlfriends to find out why they dumped me. I wish 10 percent more of them had agreed to talk to me. In fact I wish 50 percent more had talked to me. But they didn’t. So for a couple of months I wandered ’round, scratched my head and tried to think of ways to persuade them. When I couldn’t persuade them I tried to come up with other things to film. As a result I think I ended up doing a lot of naval gazing, or in my case, a […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Jan 18, 2008 -
Bryan Gunnar Cole, Day Zero
CHRIS KLEIN, JON BERNTHAL AND ELIJAH WOOD IN DIRECTOR BRYAN GUNNAR COLE’S DAY ZERO. COURTESY FIRST LOOK PICTURES. It is common for directors to have a background in theater, documentary filmmaking or editing, but Bryan Gunnar Cole is almost unique for having made a mark in all three fields. Cole was one of the founders of the Annex Theatre, a fringe company based in his native Seattle which memorably put on shows like Wonka, a colorful musical version of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He gained a BA in Film at Yale and then an MFA at NYU, […]
by Nick Dawson on Jan 18, 2008 -
SLAMDANCE DIRECTOR INTERVIEW: EVA WEBER, CITY OF CRANES
Fri, Jan 18th 4:30pmTues, Jan 22nd, 7pm Interview by Brandon Harris Eva Weber’s doc short City of Cranes takes you on a journey high up in the sky, to look at London’s ever-changing landscape through the eyes and words of crane drivers. It is a glimpse into a world unnoticed by most of us, yet fundamental to our lives. What initially drew you to the world of cranes?I started making this film as I was fascinated by the fact that there is almost another world above London; yet most of us never look up to notice cranes or their drivers. […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jan 18, 2008 -
SUNDANCE: AN AIRBORNE PREVIEW
As I type this I’m on my way to the Sundance Film Festival, where the Filmmaker team will be filing coverage all week. I’ll be blogging along with Jason Guerrasio and Justin Lowe; Jamie Stuart will be shooting video – creating one of his own typically personal and idiosyncratic portraits of festival life as well as filming interviews with directors and actors which you’ll see in the months ahead; if all goes well, Brian Chirls will be shooting and posting video from the fest’s panels and programs; and, Brandon Harris will be covering Slamdance, blogging news and reviews from the […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jan 17, 2008
