Between Sunday, September 14 and Friday, September 19th, the IFP Market marked its 30th anniversary with a new name and a six day celebration filled with tons of valuable industry information and new and exciting film projects. The newly christened INDEPENDENT FILM WEEK (IFW) is the United States’s biggest and most established film market for developing projects seeking patrons and producers. In addition to changing its name, the IFW also moved from the elegant Puck Building (which housed the CONFERENCE) and Angelika Film Center (where all film presentations and screenings were held), to the centrally located FASHION INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY…
Author: Tanja Meding
FILM COMMENTS SELECTS is an inspiring film series presenting noteworthy international productions with little or no exposure in the US to NY audiences. The series’ most recent screening at the Walter Reade Theater was CAPTAIN AHAB by French filmmaker Philippe Ramos. Gavin Smith, editor of Film Comment, discovered the film at this years Rotterdam Film Festival and introduced his choice for the evening’s entertainment. CAPTAIN AHAB, a French-Swedish co-production, premiered at last years Locarno Film Festival and was awarded Best Director as well as the prestigious Fipresci Award – but so far has not been picked up for distribution in…
According to The New York Times latest electoral map, there are currently only 4 states that could either swing blue or red: Ohio, Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado. In 2004, Bush won Colorado by less than 5 %, and the NYT suggests that the Democrats might have a good chance of winning this state this election. They are working hard to do so. For one, Denver, Colorado will host one of the year’s most anticipated US events – the Democratic Convention – which will take place between Monday, August 25 and Thursday, August 28.In addition to the official convention, where…
Last week, the Film Society of Lincoln Center hosted the one and only US theatrical screening of Stephen Frears’ 2003 TV movie THE DEAL – a gripping political drama about the stormy relationship between British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown. The film tracks the pair’s relationship starting in the 1980’s when the two young, energetic, and ambitious politicians worked together as Members of Parliament in the opposition until 1994, when they allegedly brokered a power sharing deal at Islington’s Granita Restaurant; where Brown agreed to step aside and allowed Blair to run for…
Slovenia is an Eastern European country, approximately the size of New Jersey, which borders Italy, Hungary, Austria and Croatia. It declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991 after a short 10 day war. A country of 2 million citizens, 60% of which is covered by forests, vineyards and mountains with access to the Mediterranean Sea, Slovenia is becoming a popular tourist destination. What might not yet be well-known, is the country’s long history of film production, with a current output of 6-8 films a year. And so last week, The Film Society of Lincoln Center celebrated Slovenian Cinema with a…
REEL NEW YORK is Channel Thirteen’s summer film series that has been running for 13 seasons and is an exciting annual survey of independent filmmaking by established and emerging NY filmmakers. The series features classics as well as inspiring new works – all representing the diversity and creativity of the city.In 1996, when Thirteen postponed production of one its independent film series due to a financial downturn, film advocates Ruby Lerner, Terry Lawler, and Mona Jimenez approached Thirteen’s management and lobbied for more broadcast time for local independent filmmakers. Producer Garrison Botts, who had recently joined the station, was given…
Now in its 19th year, the HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL is an important annual event for the NY community. Since 1994 it has been co-presented and hosted by the Film Society of Lincoln Center. This year’s festival featured 23 films including feature length documentaries, fiction films, and shorts, as well as a special program of 9 shorts by young international filmmakers. Produced and curated by the independent organization HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH, the festival’s mission is to draw attention to the violation of human rights issues. The themes range from the fight for freedom of speech, to war stories,…
These days, the sun never sets in the city of Tromso, which lies far to the north, near the Arctic Circle in Norway. Just the other week I had the good fortune to visit this beautifully serene city of 45,000 – home to the 6th Nordic Youth Film Festival (NUFF). Founded in 2003, NUFF offers young filmmakers from around the world a forum to meet, work together, and view one another’s films. In addition to making a short film, the filmmakers also learn about other cultures, a lesson which is equally important to the NUFF experience. Festival director Hermann Greuel…
As Israel turns 60 this year, many celebrations and events have been taking place around the world and New York is no exception. One such birthday celebration came in the form of a major retrospective covering the past 10 years of Israeli filmmaking, co-produced by the Film Society of Lincoln Center together with the JCC, the Jewish Museum, and the Office of Cultural Affairs of the Consulate General of Israel. Curated by Richard Peña, program director at the Film Society of Lincoln Center, this retrospective saluted Israel with a series of films, that gave a comprehensive overview of the past…
Founded in 1998 by Italian filmmaker and Brooklyn resident Marco Ursino, this independent film festival in the borough of Brooklyn is a hidden gem that deserves to be noticed beyond its local audience. Truly dedicated to the independent filmmaking community, it is a great place to discover new and emerging talent from around the world, with most films by first or second time filmmakers. Now in it’s 11th year, this year’s festival theme and subheading is “CINERGY: a mutually advantageous conjunction where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”, as defined in the festival catalog. Between May…