Sundance Film Festival 2012
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MUSICIANS AND FRIENDS IN THE SNOW: SUNDANCE SNAPS
Here outside Zoom following BMI’s annual seat-switching dinner are elusive rock icon Rodriguez and Malik Bendjelloul, the director of his doc, Searching for Sugar Man. At the dinner, I asked Bendjellaul whether he was a fan of Rodrgiuez’s before the film. No, he said. He was looking for a story and hear about the Rodriguez saga from a private detective. The film was acquired at Sundance by Sony Pictures Classics. Left behind after the Sundance premiere of Exit to the Gift Shop was this Banksy artwork, nicely framed by the good folks in Park City. Caught checking out the artwork […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jan 26, 2012 -
SUNDANCE VIDEO: “ROBOT AND FRANK”‘S FRANK LANGELLA
One of the hits of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival has been Robot and Frank, Jake Schreier’s tale of a retired jewel thief and the caretaker robot his kids purchase to assist him in his final days. In addition to Frank Langella, the film costars James Marsden, Susan Sarandon and Liv Tyler, and it was jointly acquired at the festival by Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions and Samuel Goldwyn in a deal reported at over $2 million. In addition to being a great actor, Langella is a great sport. Here he is being interviewed by the National Film Society.
by Scott Macaulay on Jan 26, 2012 -
SUNDANCE ANNOUNCES JURY PRIZES IN SHORT FILMMAKING
At a ceremony last night, Sundance announced this year’s short film prize winners. The 2012 shorts jury, which included Beavis and Butthead creator Mike Judge, Pariah director Dee Rees, and TIFF public program director Shane Smith, narrowed down the sixty-four shorts currently playing at the festival to six winners. The big winner was Cutter Hodierne’s fictional Somali pirate expose Fishing Without Nets, which took home the Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking. Meanwhile, Ben and Josh Sadie’s (Daddy Longlegs) The Black Balloon was awarded the US Fiction Prize while Kosovo filmmaker Blerta Zeqiri’s The Return (Kthimi) won the International Fiction Prize. The […]
by Jane Schoenbrun on Jan 25, 2012 -
Five Questions with Goats Director Christopher Neil
Goats might be Chrisopher Neil’s first feature as director, but he’s worked for years as an acting coach and rehearsal adviser on projects as wide ranging as Adaptation, The Virgin Suicides, and Star Wars: Episode 3 – Revenge of the Sith. And it’s clear that Neil has accrued quite a stellar reputation among actors, as evidenced by Goats’ impressive ensemble (which includes David Duchovny, Vera Farmiga, and relative newcomer Graham Phillips.) Based on the quirky debut novel by Mark Jude Proirier (who also wrote the film’s screenplay), Goats is an odd but bittersweet coming of age story. Filmmaker: How did […]
by Jane Schoenbrun on Jan 25, 2012 -
PHOTO STREAM: SUNDANCE DIRECTORS, CAST, AND CREW
Celeste and Jesse Forever‘s Question & Answer Portion: Andy Samberg joked that it was finally nice to be acting in something where he “wasn’t rapping or wearing a bird suit.” Director Lee Toland Krieger. Elijah Wood’s co-stars cleared the stage, leaving him alone to answer a question regarding his influences for his gay character. Wood answered that most of the inspiration came from costume designer Julia Caston’s impeccable wardrobe choices. The End of Love‘s Question & Answer Portion: Director Mark Webber spoke about the process of making a film with his own son as the protagonist. The End of Love‘s […]
by Alexandra Byer on Jan 25, 2012 -
Watch Ten Sundance Shorts Online, Including New Works By Jeremiah Zagar and Todd Sklar
Jeremiah Zagar, the prolific documentary filmmaker behind 2008’s In a Dream is back with Heart Stop Beating: A Body Without A Pulse, a new short screening before Escape Fire this week at Sundance. Heart Stop Beating is a brief, fascinating look at Billy Cohn & Bud Frazier, two doctors who successfully replaced a dying man’s heart with a mechanical device this past March, proving that human physiology can be supported without a pulse. Over its four minute run-time, the documentary features glimpses into the operating room, as well as interviews with Cohn and Frazer. Watch it above. Also available to […]
by Jane Schoenbrun on Jan 25, 2012 -
REMEMBERING BINGHAM RAY, 1954 – 2012
I first met Bingham Ray in 1992, when I interviewed him and October Films partner Jeff Lipsky about their company’s expansion and move to New York. It was for Filmmaker‘s second issue, and in our talk, Bingham was all the things he’s now being remembered for — committed, combative, intelligent and garrulous. He was pitching me on his upcoming slate, a diverse lot that included Alain Corneau’s Tous Les Matins Du Monde, Mike Leigh’s Life is Sweet, and a shorts package that included Michael Moore’s Pets or Meat. The ostensible hook for the article, though, was Ray and Lipsky’s move […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jan 24, 2012 -
THE IFP ON BINGHAM RAY
The following statement was issued by Joana Vicente, Executive Director of the IFP: The board of directors and the staff of the IFP are shocked and extremely saddened by the death of indie veteran Bingham Ray. Bingham was a stalwart champion of independent film throughout his lifetime. He was an honorary board member of the IFP and was honored with a career tribute at the 2002 Gotham Awards. Bingham brought the independent film community together and always reminded us of the highest standards we should pursue as filmmakers with vision. He was not only an extraordinarily passionate figure, with an […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jan 23, 2012 -
VIDEO: “WE ARE LEGION: THE STORY OF THE HACKTIVISTS” DIRECTOR BRIAN KNAPPENBERGER
Patrick Epino and Stephen Dypiangco of the National Film Society are back with a video interview with director Brian Knappenberger, whose hacker documentary We Are Legion premieres in competition at Slamdance this week. During the interview, which will give those of you not in Park City a good idea of the snow situation, Patrick and Stephen speak with Knappenberger about hacker group Anonymous, infusing comedy into documentary, and SOPA. The full interview:
by Jane Schoenbrun on Jan 23, 2012 -
SHORTS PROGRAM II: EVALUATING RELATIONSHIPS YOUNG, OLD, AND NEW
The films that make up Sundance’s Shorts Program II all address issues of basic intimacy and loneliness. Whether telling the story of a homecoming between wife and husband, an unexpected encounter with a stranger, or in one case, the way technology’s interference in everyday life renders a relationship unidentifiable, these young filmmakers are all attempting to understand emotions that still remain mysterious. Take Brie Larson, Sarah Ramos, and Jessie Ennis’ The Arm, for example. The film begins misleadingly. A narrative seemingly about a power struggle between two male teenage friends turns quickly into a darkly humorous depiction of a subject […]
by Alexandra Byer on Jan 23, 2012
