Documentary

SOFT VOICES

For all the talk this past week about mumblecore — what it is and how these films are similar — it should also be noted how different the aesthetics of its various directors are. A case in point is this week’s opening at the IFC Center, Quiet City, directed by Aaron Katz, which boasts some of the trademarks of the genre — 20-something protagonists, a focus on transitory lifestates, relationship issues, an extreme naturalism — but which also has its own very distinct sensibility that’s quite different from some of the genre’s other filmmakers. As its title suggests, the film […]
by Scott Macaulay on Aug 29, 2007
Still Goin’: In Conversation With John Voight

September Dawn has been attracting controversy ever since it began shooting last year. The film, directed and co-written by Christopher Cain (Young Guns), tells the story of the events surrounding the Mountain Meadows Massacre when, on the morning of September 11, 1857, a wagon train of over 100 Westward-bound Christian settlers were brutally slain by Mormon militia. The incident has continued to be a historical talking point as the Mormons accused of the murders were disguised as Native Americans and have always denied any culpability in the matter. However a wealth of documentation backs up the claims against the Mormons, […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Aug 24, 2007
IFP DOC ROUGH CUT LAB CALL FOR ENTRY

IFP Documentary Rough Cut Lab – November 6 – 9, 2007, NYC The IFP Documentary Rough Cut Lab is a national program connecting mentors and projects before they are submitted to festivals. The Lab aims to identify 10 high quality independently produced documentaries each year that can benefit from the support and expertise of experienced film professionals. The key creative teams of these projects receive feedback from a range of professionals in editing, scoring, post delivery, outreach, marketing and publicity, sales representation and festival strategy. The 2007 Documentary Lab Leaders: the documentary production team of Arts Engine, Inc.: (Election Day, […]
by Scott Macaulay on Aug 17, 2007
SIERRA LEONE’S “REFUGEE ALL STARS”

The uplifting documentary, Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars, follows a talented group of Sierra Leonean musicians who cope with the decade-long civil war ragging in their country by forming a band and touring to the neighboring camps to help their fellow West Africans forget their problems. Directed by Zach Niles and Banker White (and executive produced by Ice Cube), the doc was well received on the fest circuit and was awarded the Documentary Award at the AFI Fest. And last June it aired on PBS’ P.O.V. Through the doc the filmmakers follow the band, who have a Western-influenced R&B/Reggae style […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Aug 13, 2007
2007 Fast Track

Currently in its fifth year, Fast Track, a joint program of the Los Angeles Film Festival and Filmmaker magazine, was created to promote the careers of talented filmmakers over the course of a year, while spreading the word about their newest projects. The filmmakers chosen are alumni of the LAFF as well as alumni of Film Independent’s Talent Development Programs: the Filmmaker Labs, Project: Involve, and the grants awarded at the Spirit Awards. Here are the Fast Track filmmakers of 2007 and their upcoming projects. Robbie Pickering You know you’re in for some trouble when your dutiful Christian wife discovers […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Aug 6, 2007
Julie Gavras, Blame It On Fidel

NINA KERVEL-BEY IN JULIE GAVRAS’ BLAME IT ON FIDEL. COURTESY KOCH LORBER FILMS. Anyone wanting to prove that a there is a “cinematic gene” need look no further than Julie Gavras. The daughter of legendary director Costa-Gavras, most famous for films like Z (1968) and Missing (1982), and movie producer Michèle Ray-Gavras, Gavras initially resisted working in film and enrolled in law school. However, her desire to tell stories on film proved irrepressible. After a stint as an assistant director in France and Italy, Gavras started making documentaries, most notably The Pirate, the Wizard, the Thief and the Children (2002). […]
by Nick Dawson on Aug 3, 2007
BLADE RUNNER’S HAPPY ENDING

After years of fanboy speculation and internet chatter, Blade Runner: The Final Cut will debut theatrically in New York and L.A. on October 5 and on DVD from Warner Home VideoDecember 18. The slow-burning classic will receive three separate DVD editions: a two-disk Special Edition, a four-disk Collector’s Edition, and a five-disk Ultimate Collectors Edition. I first saw Blade Runner on its theatrical release many years ago. At the time I was underwhelmed. As a big Philip K. Dick fan, I didn’t like the noir tone that replaced the schlubby melodrama and cosmic satire of Dick’s novel. Over the years, […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 25, 2007
JEM COHEN EVENING AT THE IFC CENTER

If you’re in New York tomorrow night come and check out an evening we are co-hosting with the IFC Center that’s dedicated to one of the most vital film artists working in New York City today: Jem Cohen. Here’s what the press release says: “An Evening with Jem Cohen” features the acclaimed filmmaker of Chain, Benjamin Smoke, and Lost Book Found in person to present the New York premiere of his new documentary BUILDING A BROKEN MOUSTRAP, a portrait of the Dutch band The Ex, which Cohen describes as “Concert film. City film. Protest film.” With a stylistically unique but […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 23, 2007
CHINATOWN FILM PROJECT KICKOFF PARTY

The Museum of Chinese in Americas (MoCA), with New York’s premiere event promoters, Elements Nightlife, will be celebrating the launch of the MoCA’s Chinatown Film Project this Saturday at Jade Terrace in NYC. Hosting the event are actors Sung Kang, of the upcoming Undoing and previously of 2 Fast 2 Furious and Roger Fan, of the upcoming Finishing the Game and previously of Annapolis. Special guests include Chris Chan Lee, director of Undoing and Phil Yu of AngryAsianMan.com. Proceeds from the event will benefit MoCA/Chinatown Film Project. The Chinatown Film Project is a three-part film and interactive media program that […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Jul 18, 2007
Criterion: Ace In The Hole

Watching Billy Wilder’s Ace In The Hole, which has been beautifully re-mastered by Criterion in a 2-disc package ($39.95) available this week, two things come to mind: 1) How forward thinking Wilder was and 2) how the movie ever got released. Kirk Douglas plays Chuck Tatum, a despicable newspaper reporter who stumbles upon a man trapped inside an old Indian burial cavern in Albuquerque, N.M. and creates a sideshow out of it. Though Tatum has a nose for scoops, his ego and determination to escape the desert and get back to the big city causes him to destroy everything in […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Jul 15, 2007

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