Documentary

PARSING THE MEANINGS OF NEIL BLOMKAMP’S DISTRICT 9

Unlike many critics, I liked the $30 million South African-shot sci-fi feature District 9 better as it went along, finding the apartheid metaphor set-up a little awkward and unrewarding. The more I thought about it, the more I found some of the movie’s strategies kind of contradictory to its implied social conscience. But the film works as a straight-out action film, which why its is looking like this week’s box-office winner. It’s easy to get off on the movie’s pulp-y energy and a vibe that reminded me of Robocop and the first Terminator movie. For a discussion of the metaphors […]
by Scott Macaulay on Aug 15, 2009
FROM ROBERT FRANK TO JEM COHEN TO… GOOGLE

After seeing Jem Cohen’s excellent historical reverie/political essay/performance documentary/poetic image symphony Empires of Tin at the IFC Center the other night, I’ve been thinking about street photography. Cohen’s practice has always involved a vaguely melancholy and Sebaldian filmic extension of the work of great street photographers like Robert Frank. In Empires of Tin, the kind of people typically captured by the street photographer (more, perhaps, Cartier-Bresson than a skeptic like Frank) are less caught in meaningfully decisive moments as they are announced as anonymous everymen, markers of history or, perhaps, poetic ciphers. Wall Street workers drifting down those sad streets […]
by Scott Macaulay on Aug 13, 2009
IFP ANNOUNCES 31st ANNUAL INDEPENDENT FILM WEEK LINE UP

The IFP has announced its line up for the 31st annual Independent Film Week, taking place in NYC Sept. 19-24. In a release the organization has also announced the expansion of its strategic relationship with the Sundance Institute; and new partnerships with B-Side, the four-year-old tech company which runs websites that handle ticketing and mine audience response data for 250-plus fests in North America, and The Good Pitch, a forum produced by Channel 4 BRITDOC Foundation which brings together inspiring social-purpose film projects and a group of expert participants from charities, foundations, brands, government and media to form powerful alliances […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Aug 12, 2009
DUBAI FILM CONNECTION DEADLINE, AUGUST 15

As my brief interview with Cherien Dabis in festival coverage of the Dubai International Film Festival (in our Spring, 2009 edition and which I’ve just posted online) noted, some of the financing for her debut feature Amreeka was found at the DIFF’s Dubai Film Connection, a CineMart-like financing market aimed at films from directors of Arab nationality or origin. Producers (who can be of any nationality) have until August 15 (that’s one week from now) to submit projects for this year’s edition. Here’s the official word: The DFC is open for documentary and feature film projects that are currently in […]
by Scott Macaulay on Aug 8, 2009
INDIEGOGO & SNAGFILMS JOIN FORCES

In a press release sent out yesterday the fundraising/promotion site, IndieGoGo, and the documentary film site, SnagFilms, announced a partnership where select IndieGoGo works-in-progress are featured on the SnagFilms site. Three works have been on the site since mid-July and according to the release have received over half a million impressions on SnagFilms and promotional partner sites. Those three projects are: Connected, by Tiffany Shlain – Connected takes audiences on a stream-of-consciousness ride through the interconnectedness of humankind. Pelotero, by Jon Paley – A Dominican baseball story. Tapestries of Hope, by Michaelene Christini Risly – Two activists from two corners […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Aug 4, 2009
A FILMMAKER’S GLAMOROUS LIFE: SAM GREEN

In “A Filmmaker’s Glamorous Life,” online and in our latest print edition, Esther Robinson surveyed a number of filmmakers about the jobs they’ve taken to support themselves when they are not making films. In this blog series we’ll run the unedited responses we received that were then condensed for the piece. Below: Sam Green. Filmmaker: How did you support yourself during the production of your last movie/movies? And what was good/not good about these jobs? Green: I’ve done a bunch of different things to support myself while making films. I started off doing freelance editing. I did some terrible outdoors/nature […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 30, 2009
ON THE MAIN PAGE: CHRIS FULLER, THE DARDENNES, AND ARMANDO IANNUCCI

Up on the main page are three web-only interviews of particular interest. The first, posted moments ago, is David Lowery’s interview with Chris Fuller, director of Loren Cass. This no-budget indie (nominated for a Filmmaker-sponsored Gotham Award) is in theaters now from Kino and scored a surprise rave from Nathan Lee in the New York Times. I saw the film a couple of years ago at Cinevegas and was intrigued by its blend of art film aesthetics and documentary style realism. Lowery’s interview really gets at these issues and I recommend it; it’s a great read. Also up is Nick […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 29, 2009
A FILMMAKER’S GLAMOROUS LIFE: NATALIA ALMADA

In “A Filmmaker’s Glamorous Life,” online and in our latest print edition, Esther Robinson surveyed a number of filmmakers about the jobs they’ve taken to support themselves when they are not making films. In this blog series we’ll run the unedited responses we received that were then condensed for the piece. Below: Natalia Almada. Filmmaker: How did you support yourself during the production of your last movie/movies? Almada: I was very lucky with El General because I was able to support myself with funding for the film for the most part of the production. It was only in the very […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 29, 2009
“BAD LIEUTENANT”: SPECIAL EDITION

When a film is labeled controversial on its release, often times with the passage of time things that made it risqué become tamer, leaving the story less effective. Abel Ferrara’s Bad Lieutenant is not one of those films. 17 years after being released, Ferrara’s disturbing look at a dirty cop (played by Harvey Keitel in one of his most powerful performances) running rampant on the streets of New York City is still as gritty, horrifying and powerful as when it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 1992. Receiving a much needed special edition, out this week through Lions […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Jul 28, 2009
A FILMMAKER’S GLAMOROUS LIFE: ROSS KAUFFMAN

In “A Filmmaker’s Glamorous Life,” online and in our latest print edition, Esther Robinson surveyed a number of filmmakers about the jobs they’ve taken to support themselves when they are not making films. In this blog series we’ll run the unedited responses we received that were then condensed for the piece. Below: Ross Kauffman. Filmmaker: How did you support yourself during the production of your last movie/movies? Kauffman: About 14 years ago, I took long term leases on a raw space, built apartments, and rented them. I supported myself by being a landlord. Filmmaker: What was good/not good about this […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 28, 2009

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