Obituaries
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Remembering DuArt Film Laboratories Chairman Irwin Young
Irwin Young, a foundational figure in the New York independent film world, died January 20, in Manhattan, at the age of 94. Chairman of DuArt Film Laboratories, his contributions across the field, which range from technical and business innovations to philanthropy to, simply, extending support to new and emerging filmmakers, are embedded within so many films that now define the American independent film movement. As distributor and director Ira Deutchman wrote at Indiewire, “If there were a Guinness Book of World Records entry for most ‘thank you’ credits at the end of films, I can’t imagine that anyone else could […]
by Scott Macaulay on Feb 4, 2022 -
Remembering Ben Barenholtz, 1935 – 2019
Exhibitor, distributor, producer and director — one of the seminal figures of the modern American independent film movement, Ben Barenholtz, died last Wednesday in Prague. He was 83. In the late ’60s, Barenholtz programmed New York rep house the Elgin Cinema, where his scheduled mixed experimental films with mainstream movies. It was also where he popularized the concept of the “midnight movie,” playing Alejandro Jodoworsky’s El Topo for months on end. Another midnight movie — Eraserhead — was an early marquee title of Barenholtz’s first distribution company, Libra Films, and later, at Circle Films, he bought and distributed the classic […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 3, 2019 -
Remembering Mark Urman, 1952 – 2019
Mark Urman, the film publicist, marketer, distributor, father and husband, was one of the significant figures of the indie film boom of the 1990s and 2000s, participating directly in its rise and adapting to its shifts over the decades. His death last weekend at the age of 66 came as a shock to his colleagues in the industry and a great loss to his friends and family. “We’ve all been shedding tears,” says Jamie Patricof, producer of Half Nelson, one of the breakthrough indies Urman shepherded. “He was such a unique voice in our business, and he was really able […]
by Anthony Kaufman on Jan 16, 2019 -
Remembering Chantal Akerman, 1950 – 2015
Director Chantal Akerman died three years ago today, and I wrote the following remembrance in the Filmmaker newsletter just a few days later but never posted it online. I wrote it from the Venice Biennale College Cinema, where I arrive again today. So, it seems fitting to remember Akerman once again by finally posting it here. (Photo above, taken on an 1MP digital camera at the Rotterdam Film Festival, 2001.) Here in Venice, on the small island of San Servolo, we were talking about Jeanne Dielman. Tom Quinn, one of the filmmakers attending the Biennale College Cinema, had included a […]
by Scott Macaulay on Oct 5, 2018 -
Radley Metzger, 1929 – 2017
Radley Metzger died on March 31st at the age of 88, something that has not been widely reported in the mainstream and film press. This omission doesn’t necessarily surprise — though it does disturb — me. Like his work, Radley was largely marginalized because his films often included naked people having sex. Yes, the films were about sex but they were also about a lot more. Films like Score, Camille 2000 and The Lickerish Quartet were more than just softcore films. As the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s 2014 sold-out retrospective demonstrated to new audiences, Metzer’s films had strong visuals […]
by Adam Schartoff on Apr 5, 2017 -
R.I.P. Muhammad Ali, 1942 – 2016
Indeed, the Greatest. Remembering Muhammad Ali with this trailer from also one of the greatest sports documentaries of all times, Leon Gast’s When We Were Kings. From Edward Guthmann’s review in the San Francisco Chronicle: At the height of his stardom, Muhammad Ali was possibly the most famous man on earth. Cocky, dynamic, a tremendous athlete and a wizard at homespun, extemporaneous verbal gymnastics, Ali had the world on a string…. On a deeper level — and this is where When We Were Kings exceeds its expectations and becomes a great film — Gast examines African American pride. He records […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jun 4, 2016 -
David Bowie, 1947 – 2016
I’ve been listening to David Bowie’s new Blackstar all week, and its lyrical ruminations on mortality — some aching, some cheeky — are inescapable. Still, the idea that these were prompted by anything more than an impending 70th birthday didn’t occur to me. It seemed unbelievable that David Bowie would not be around for a little while longer. So, it’s a sad day to wake up to the news that Bowie has died. So meaningful, influential and vital through so many different periods of our lives. For me, the Berlin trilogy, my first arena show, The Man Who to Earth, […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jan 11, 2016 -
Vilmos Zsigmond, 1930 – 2016
Legendary cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond, who shot a string of iconic pictures for Robert Altman, Steven Spielberg, Michael Cimino and Brian DePalma, among others, died January 1, Variety reports. Hungarian-born, Los Angeles-residing, Zsigmond was a steadfast proponent of shooting on film his entire life, and he was known for innovative techniques — such as flashing the stock on films like McCabe and Mrs. Miller — and his ability to create unique looks for his various movies. His work encompassed rugged styles in films like Deliverance or The Sugarland Express to composed, dense, painterly work in Heaven’s Gate. He won an Oscar […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jan 3, 2016 -
Remembering Setsuko Hara, 1920 – 2015
I once lived with a woman for two years because her face and her energy reminded me of Setsuko Hara. There was the promise of beautiful dignity. The potential of sensual morality. And then of course the Setsuko illusion shattered when the woman threw a plate at my head. I’m not alone in falling for the great Japanese actress who passed recently at 95. There aren’t many movie stars that one wants for a wife and to grow old with. For instance, no one sees By The Sea, and says, “Geez, I gotta go find me an Angelina to propose […]
by Noah Buschel on Nov 27, 2015 -
Remembering Candida Royalle, 1950 – 2015
Filmmaker Candida Royalle, who was interviewed in just the third issue of this magazine back in Summer of 1993, passed away this week. Below she is remembered by CineKink founder and occasional Filmmaker contributor Lisa Vandever. — SM A pioneering feminist filmmaker and prominent figure in the world of adult cinema, Candida Royalle died earlier this week, at the age of 64, after a lengthy fight with ovarian cancer. Candida and her work made many appearances at CineKink over the years, and we were grateful for the opportunity to present “A Tribute To ‘Club 90,” an evening honoring Candida and […]
by Lisa Vandever on Sep 12, 2015
