From the "On The Scene" Archives:
ON THE SCENE Articles Listed Alphabetically
Nashville Rising: A Look At The First Annual Watkins Independent Film Symposium
Note to the indie world: Nashville is a fertile ground of eager filmmaking talent, and the town has the opportunity to become a hotbed of production and development talent ripe for the picking. April 30 - May 3 saw the launch of the Watkins Independent Film Symposium, Chaired by Andy van Roon and organized by the Watkins institute...Mark Rabinowitz reports from the Nashville event. (May 21, 1998)
Nashville to Offer 200+ Films at 35th Fest, from "Festival Express" to "Grand Theft Parsons"
The 35th annual Nashville Film Festival, running Tuesday through Sunday, is living up to Music City's nickname with this year's festival, which will open with Bob Smeaton's "Festival Express," about a series of rock concerts in Canada in 1970 and will close with "Grand Theft Parsons," David Caffrey's tale about musician Gram Parsons' road manager trying to bury Parsons in Joshua Tree National Park. In all, more than 200 films (features, documentaries, shorts, and animated works) will play at this year's festival. The gala film midweek is Lawrence David Foldes' "Finding Home," about a young woman dealing with her family's past. Wendy Mitchell reports. (April 26, 2004)
National Cinema Lineup -- Harvest: South Korean Renaissance
The National Cinema Linuep for the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival. (July 20, 2002)
National Cinema Programme Lineup
The National Cinema Programme Linuep for the 2001 Toronto International Film Festival. (July 21, 2001)
National Geographic to Showcase Indigenous and Minority- Culture Film at All Roads Film Festival in D.C. & L.A.
The work of indigenous and other "under-represented minority-culture filmmakers and photographers from around the world" will be heralded at the upcoming All Roads Film Festival, taking place in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles beginning in September. The four-day multimedia event will feature four evening programs in addition to panel discussions and other events. The event in Los Angeles will take place in conjunction with the American Cinematheque September 22-25 at the Egyptian Theatre, and in Washington, D.C. September 29 - October 2 at the National Geographic Society. (August 15, 2005)
Native Forum Breaks Out
If you want to help Native filmmakers, hire Gary Farmer, says Gary Farmer with a laugh. This is no act of conceit, but rather a plea for funds. Sundance 2000 may have been a battle cry for such filmmakers trying to cash in on the attention 'Smoke Signals' got at the 1998 festival, but busy jacks-of-all-trades like Farmer are constantly looking further into the future, drumming up money for their next projects. Beth Pinsker looks at the changing purpose of the Native Forum and Shirley Cheechoo's 'Backroads,' the second Native American feature to break out of the program. (January 24, 2000)
ND/NF 2000: Korean Cinema Boom or Bust? Lee Myung-Se's "Nowhere to Hide" Breaks Out
In a recent issue of Sight & Sound, Tony Rayns claimed South Korean cinema's resurgence had petered out, while the New York Times' Howard French contended the opposite. To find out first hand about Korean "boom or bust" cinema, Brandon Judell spoke with veteran Korean filmmaker Lee Myung-Se, director of "Nowhere to Hide" -- "one of the most visually creative movies you'll see in years, a bombastic palette of colors, innovative compositions, jump shots, superb editing and off-beat humor." Lee is now in New York, presenting his film at the New Directors/New Films series, which screens the film tonight and tomorrow. ( 27, 2000)
ND/NF FEATURE: Long Shorts Come of Age, "Five Feet," "Cusp" and "Jacaranda" Garner Well-Deserved Wider Audience
What exactly does it mean to come of age? The great literary tradition that pushed Huck Finn out into the world has spawned cinematic darlings as diverse as "The Cider House Rules," "Puberty Blues," and "Babe." One by one, young heroes and heroines' naive and bright eyes are opened to life's joys and iniquities, on a journey that often involves imperfect role models, misguided advice, pain, humiliation, and an introduction to sex. Andrea Meyer looks at Peter Sollett's Sundance winner, "Five Feet High and Rising," Ruth Sergel's "Cusp" and Francisco Valásquez's "Jacaranda," the impressive trio of long-form shorts about kids flirting with adulthood that make up the program called Close Encounters at this year's New Directors/New Films series (screening this weekend). (April 07, 2000)
ND/NF INTERVIEW: Alison Maclean's Acclaimed Second Coming with "Jesus' Son
Dangerously close to becoming one of those 'What ever happened to's,' writer-director Alison Maclean has sufficiently bounced back from obscurity with her new feature "Jesus' Son," a remarkably faithful adaptation of Denis Johnson's beloved short story collection of drugs and redemption. After successful premieres in Telluride, Venice and Toronto -- all heralding the return of Maclean since her award-winning short "Kitchen Sink" (1989) and Cannes Competition entry "Crush" (1992) thrust her into the industry limelight some years ago -- "Jesus' Son" screens this weekend at the New Directors/New Films series and opens in theaters this June. indieWIRE's Anthony Kaufman speaks with Maclean about car crashes, narrative structure, drugs, and taking risks. (April 06, 2000)
ND/NF INTERVIEW: Girls 'Hood; Realist Jim McKay Returns with "Our Song"
Nowadays, most of the films about inner-city black and Latino youth negotiating the pitfalls of drugs, gang warfare and teen pregnancy are stylishly edited to the rhythms of hip-hop and gangster rap. As a result, these films look -- and sound -- more like music videos than carefully crafted cinema. Not true of Jim McKay's new film "Our Song" (screening tonight and tomorrow at New Directors/New Films), which is a subtle coming-of-age picture about the close friendship between three young teens. Recently, indieWIRE spoke with McKay about his realist filmmaking style -- informed by the films of Frederick Wiseman. We discovered what McKay has learned about teenagers: the peer pressure, the privilege of light skin among teens of color, and the realities of life in the 'hood, which he understands better than many. (April 05, 2000)
ND/NF INTERVIEW: Stéphane Brizé Sings "Hometown" Blues
When French filmmaker Stéphane Brizé set out to make his first feature "Le Bleu des Villes" ("Hometown Blue"), he only knew one thing: it would be about a meter maid who's married to a guy who works in a morgue. With this image cemented to his brain, he approached his writing partner Florence Vignon, and they got to work. After nine months of batting the script back and forth, Brizé and Vignon had created the story of Solange, a frustrated wife who doesn't know she's frustrated until her childhood friend, Mylène, now a famous TV weather woman, comes to town. Andrea Meyer recently spoke with the French director about co-writing, female psychology, and Madame Bovary. (April 04, 2000)
ND/NF INTERVIEW: The Visionaries Behind "The Eyes of Tammy Faye"
If Tammy Faye Bakker was the very last person you ever thought you'd want as a best friend, the startlingly enjoyable new documentary, "The Eyes of Tammy Faye," will change all that. Filled with sock puppets, narration by RuPaul, and wads of mascara, this solid piece of reporting goes far behind the media created image of a woman who served as our Clown Princess for quite some time. Much of the credit goes to its two directors, Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, whose projects include "Juror #5: 59 Days of Duty on the OJ Simpson Civil Trial," "Party Monster: The Michael Alig Story;" and "The Real Ellen Story." Just this week, on the eve of their New Directors/New Films debut, indieWIRE spoke with Mr. Barbato about Tammy, Madonna, and Sheila (that's Nevins, HBO's Executive VP of Original Programming). (March 30, 2000)
ND/NF: Argentine Indies, Reinvented and Revived
There is little in common between "Hidden River" ("Rio Escondido") and "Crane World" ("Mundo Grua"), the two Argentine movies at this year's New Directors/New Films festival. Both are first features by filmmakers who started making movies in the last decade, but the similarities stop here. "Hidden River" follows a young woman from Buenos Aires in a journey through the Argentine countryside; "Crane World" examines the troubles of a middle-aged man trying to find a job as a construction worker. One is austere and detached; the other is personal and elegant. Together, they show the diversity, both in theme and style, of contemporary Argentine cinema. Vinicius Navarro explores the films. (April 03, 2000)
ND/NF: "Northern Skirts" Raises Austrian Politics and Artists' Concerns in the Age of Haider
When "Nordrand" ("Northern Skirts"), the debut feature from 29-year-old Austrian filmmaker Barbara Albert, premiered in competition at the Venice film festival last Fall, many international observers immediately recognized its cinematic strengths. A subtle, almost "French" kind of realism, the use of music and visuals to portray a generation on the run and the radiating intensity of its two lead actresses. What the international community didn't recognize at the time, however, was the highly political nature of "Nordrand" in the context of contemporary Austrian culture. Former Viennale Fest Director Alex Horwath paints a picture of Austria's current politics, the struggles that artists face within the new right-wing regime, and "Nordrand"'s important role in the culture wars. "Nordrand" has its U.S. premiere Wednesday as part of New Directors/New Films. (March 29, 2000)
ND/NF: Sensitive Films Shine at New Directors; McKay's "Our Song" Resonates
For those novice filmmakers traversing the annual festival circuit, bopping from Sundance to any number of regional and international festivals around the globe, New Directors/New Films (which ended yesterday) should mark a special place on their calendars. indieWIRE's Anthony Kaufman surveys the film series, the surprising number of acquisition deals that culminated during its two week run, the marked success of Jim McKay's "Our Song" post-Sundance, and the strength of unclassifiable films. (April 10, 2000)
ND/NF: Short Films Make it Big, Where You'll Find the Next Spike Jonze
Spike Jonze, Errol Morris, Tim Burton. . . they all had to start somewhere. And more often than not, it was with short films. At this year's New Directors/New Film series, several promising shorts stand to make it big. Now more than ever, with the explosion of Web venues on the look out for product (IFILM, Atom Films, sputnik7 and every other dotcom looking to make a name for themselves), the film industry and its audiences are finally poised to take notice. Anthony Kaufman highlights three directors on the verge and their first-rate films, Dewey Nicks' "Hell House," Mike Mills' "Architecture of Reassurance," and Jason Reitman's "In God We Trust." (March 31, 2000)
ND/NF: "Voyages" with France's Best First Film Director, Emmanuel Finkiel
Emmanuel Finkiel's debut film "Voyages" elegantly and wistfully courses through three countries, over two continents, and in several languages, exploring the emotional landscape of the last generation of Holocaust survivors as they struggle to make peace with their uprooted pasts before it's too late. Life isn't so much beautiful in "Voyages" as it is enigmatic and unpredictable. New Yorker Films will release the movie Stateside in the fall. Director Finkiel and producer Yaël Fogiel spoke to indieWIRE on the eve of the film's American debut at New Directors/New Films (screening again tonight) about Holocaust films, loss, and learning from Kieslowski and Godard. (March 28, 2000)
Nearly 400 Projects On Tap For 20th IFFM; Lineup Marked By A Handful of Familiar Filmmakers
The Independent Feature Project announced the lineup for the 20th annual Independent Feature Film Market (IFFM) on Thursday, with almost 400 projects slated to screen at the week-long event...Mark Rabinowitz surveys some of the entries. (July 17, 1998)
Nelson's "Hauling Toto Big," Marcotte's "The Sickroom," and Green's "Rainbow Man" Take Top Ann Arbor Prizes; Other Winners Announced
The 36th Ann Arbor Film Festival wrapped up on Sunday ending a six- day run in Ann Arbor, Michigan. According to organizers, over 40 filmmakers attended the event from around the United States and Canada (one even visited from New Zealand. 113 of the 371 entries submitted were screened. Winners were announced on Sunday... (March 25, 1998)
New Breillat Film Among Titles Added to Rotterdam Lineup
Catherine Breillat's latest, "Anatomy of Hell," is among the films that will world premiere at the 2004 International Film Festival Rotterdam (January 21- February 1, 2004). The debut will come just ahead of the film's opening in France. Based on her novel, "Pornocratie," the film stars Amira Casar and Rocco Siffredi and organizers say it could be her most controversial and challenging film yet. Eugene Hernandez reports. (December 15, 2003)
New Brit Flicks; "One Life Stand," "Annie Mary," and "Darkest Light" Shine
Perhaps we've come to expect too much in recent years from British cinema. The David Puttnam-led charge in the early '80s which soon fizzled out, prompted a return, for a while, to more modest filmmaking before a renaissance commenced in 1994 with the success of "Four Weddings and a Funeral" (worldwide take: $262 million), followed by "Trainspotting," "The Full Monty," "Bean," "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels," and "Notting Hill." Over the past five years, however, the twin lifelines of the British film industry -- government-sponsored tax breaks and the National Lottery funds for film -- have seen a rise in the fortunes of films from England and Scotland and, more recently, from Wales too. The current crop of films being screened in the Lincoln Center's annual New British Cinema series (13-26 April) is an interesting snapshot of what may prove to be a crossroads for British cinema, with old themes given new treatments, disquieting issues addressed head-on, and a chronicling of change in contemporary Britain. Paul Power reports. (April 13, 2001)
New Directors Showcases International Independents, While "Judy" Nears Deal
The 28th New Directors/New Films (ND/NF) -- co-sponsored by New York's Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art -- is a hefty reminder of the global independent film scene. From 19 different countries around the world, this year's selection is just about as democratic as the United Nations General Assembly. Anthony Kaufman surveys the films, the importance of the New York Times review, and the latest news on Sundance critics favorite, "Judy Berlin." (March 28, 1999)
New Directors/New Films Celebrates 34th Year; Europe 'Fertile' with 'Marginals'
The best way to summarize a festival comprised of 25 features and eight shorts is to first explain what it is not. Now in its thirty-fourth year, New Directors/New Films is a forum for emerging talent, an elastic parameter that includes filmmakers who may be known everywhere but on these shores. Europe proves to be fertile ground for marginals of all stripes. Howard Feinstein reports. (April 04, 2005)
New Directors/New Films Unveils 2000 Slate
22 Feature films and 13 shorts will screen at the 2000 installment of New York's New Directors/New Films, the 29th annual showcase presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Department of Film and Video at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). The event will run at MoMA from March 24th to April 9th. (February 28, 2000)
New DoubleTake Doc Fest To Debut This Week
A new documentary film festival which focuses on general audiences and film content, instead of filmmakers and filmmaking opens this week. A star studded board of directors, co-chaired by Martin Scorsese and Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Cole, have thrown their weight behind the festival hoping to create a Sundance for documentaries... (March 31, 1998)
New Fest Highlights, from "Hedwig" to Stevies, "Eunuch" to "Guy"
With its strongest film line-up ever, the 13th annual New Festival disproved aforesaid number's unlucky associations. Director Basil Tsiokos and Development Director David Kwok outdid themselves in terms of selection and slamming fun events fueled by Sponsor Alize cognac. Things got off to a literally kicking start with rookie director John Cameron Mitchell's terrific screen transferral of his Off-Broadway show, "Hedwig and the Angry Inch." Mitchell, who also wrote and starred, opened the piece up brilliantly, making full use of the medium's ability to show what he could only talk about onstage. Todd Stephens' affecting "Gypsy 83" was another attempt at reinventing the musical, at a fraction of the cost of "Moulin Rouge." An autobiographical tale of Stevie Nicks-crazed Gypsy (Sara Rue), it turns out to be a funky road movie, with a gay goth-boy (Kett Turton) and cult favorite Karen Black along for the ride. It reached its empowering climax at the famed annual New York club event, "Night of 1,000 Stevies." David Noh reports on the New York Lesbian and Gay Film Festival's notable films. (June 18, 2001)
New Fest In Vegas; Chi-Fest and Atlanta Gay & Lesbian Fest Open; L.A. Latino Fest Wraps
Briefs include the formation of a new festival in Las Vegas, the kick-offs of the Atlanta Gay & Lesbian Film Festival and Chicago International FIlm Festival, and the wrap-up of the L.A. Latino festival. (October 08, 1998)
New Film, Not Just New Architecture, At Renovated MoMA
For film lovers, there are important changes at the new MoMA. The Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters have been completely gutted and renovated with new furnishings and state-of-the- art projectors and sound, and the Museum's second floor now houses its first media gallery for moving-image and sound works. Fittingly for such a momentous relaunch, MoMA has planned the 200-film program "Premieres." indieWIRE's Wendy Mitchell spoke to MoMA's Laurence Kardish about the changes and the exhibition. (November 19, 2004)
New German Titles Among Those Added to Toronto's World Cinema Roster
A trio of new German films are among the titles that will screen at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival. Margarethe von Trotta's "Rosenstrasse" will have its North American premiere during a gala screening at the Toronto festival, while German hit "Good Bye, Lenin!" and Soren Voigt's "Identity Kills" will screen in the festival's Contemporary World Cinema section, along with a handful of other titles that were announced on Tuesday. Eugene Hernandez reports. (July 30, 2003)
New Indie Fest In Prague
Since Prague's Golden Golem Festival has passed away, a new festival, Prague Indies - The International Independent Film Festival has stepped in to fill the void. (October 20, 1997)
New Montreal Fest Moves Inaugural Event to September; News Angers 25 Year Old Atlantic Film Festival
The new Festival International de Films de Montreal (FIFM) continues to ruffle feathers in Canada. Organizers of the new Montreal festival confirmed that the event has moved its dates to September, after frustrating organizers of the Montreal Festival de Nouveau Cinema. FIFM was set to compete with the Nouveau Cinema event, but now will run from September 18-25, kicking off the day after the Toronto International Film Festival closes, running September 18-25. The move, however, has angered organizers of the Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax, Nova Scotia who say they have were blindsided by the decision as they prepare for their 25th anniversary. Eugene Hernandez reports. (April 13, 2005)
New York Fest Opens with Celebrities Big and Small
After the first weekend of the 36th New York Film Festival, indieWIRE's Anthony Kaufman reports from the "Celebrity" press conference, speaks with Bill Condon, director of "Gods and Monsters" and Samira Makhmalbaf, the 18-year-old Iranian wonder, and director of "The Apple," and previews two of the films without US distribution. (September 28, 1998)
New York Festival Showcases Television Documentaries
A noncompetitive festival of telvision documentaries opens this week at New York's Museum of Television and Radio, offering a showcase for new work. It will run from April 24th - May 4th in Manhattan. The 2003 Television Documentary Festival will present the premieres alongside a retrospective, panel discussions, works-in-progress and Q & A sessions. Also on tap is a youth doc event. Eugene Hernandez reports. (April 22, 2003)
New York Film Fest: Round 2, Distributor's Showcase
This is a big week for producer Christine Vachon. On Saturday night she took the stage at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall alongside Todd Haynes, Michael Stipe, Toni Collette and others for the midnight screening of Haynes' new film "Velvet Goldmine" at the 1998 New York Film Festival. Later this week, Todd Solondz's "Happiness," another production from Vachon's Killer Films, will screen at the NYFF before opening theatrically, and along the way Vachon is participating in signings for her new book, "Shooting to Kill: How an Independent Producer Blasts Through the Barriers to Make Movies that Matter." indieWIRE caught up with Vachon while she was at the Edinburgh Film Festival. (October 05, 1998)
New York Film Festival 97: Avant Garde Visions, Part II
Stephen Kent Jusick investigates the New York Film Festival's expanded Avant Garde Visions Showcase, titled "The World Happens Twice". (October 16, 1997)
New York Film Festival Lineup Set; Peña Offers Insight into Programming and Planning
indieWIRE co-founder Eugene Hernandez reports on the lineup of the 1997 New York FIlm Festival and chats with selection committee chairman Richard Peña who took time to talk with indieWIRE from home where he is spending time with his wife and their one week-old daughter. Peña highlights Abbas Kirostami's Cannes Palme d'Or winner, "Taste of Cherry" (he calls it the greatest film yet from Iran's master director); "Hana-Bi", directed by noted Japanese artist and personality, Takeshi Kitano, and two films ("Happy Together" and Fallen Angels) from a director that Peña calls "one of the major talents of the 90's" -- Wong Kar-Wai. (August 25, 1997)
New York Horror Film Fest Materializes Upcoming Line up
The aptly named New York City Horror Film Festival was born in 2002. Hein's festival has since blossomed into one a pre-eminent showcase for independent horror features and shorts from around the world, and will celebrate again host its event Oct. 20-24 in Manhattan. Stu Van Airsdale reports. (October 18, 2004)
New York International Documentary Festival Announces Innaugural Lineup
Thirteen films have been selected to screen at "docfest", the first New York International Documentary Festival, running May 27 - 31 in Manhattan. Documentary filmmaker Gary Pollard founded the event and has spent the past two years putting it together as the first project of a new organization called The New York Documentary Center....Eugene Hernandez surveys the lineup and talks with Pollard about the festival. (April 28, 1998)
New York Latino Film Festival to Open with Sundance Competition Feature "How the Garcia Girls Spent their Summer"
Georgina Riedel's Sundance '05 competition feature "How the Garcia Girls Spent their Summer" will open the sixth annual New York International Latino Film Festival featuring 70 domestic and international features, documentaries and short films from emerging Latino filmmakers. The festival, which is presented by HBO, will take place from July 26-31 and will include panels, educational forums and special cultural events. Brian Brooks reports. (July 22, 2005)
New York Latino Shows Broad Spectrum; "MACHO," "Ballad" Unsung Highlights
Ranging from the ultra commercial "Crazy/Beautiful" -- a cute teenage love story -- to the obscure and downright weird "Animals" -- a story of one man's sexual relationship with a sheep, from American movies with only one or two Latino characters, to movies set and produced in Latin America, the second annual New York International Latino Film Festival accomplished what they set out to, namely to show a broad spectrum of Latino filmmaking, providing a diverse portrait of Latin American life. During the four-day event (June 20 - 24), 13 features and several shorts played at the Florence Gould Hall and Tinker Auditorium on 59th street in Manhattan. Categories included "international features" (Sergio Bizzio's "Animals" won best feature) and "domestic features" (Jan Egelson's "The Blue Diner" won best domestic) as well as "vanguard: shorts and documentaries." Sarah Sundberg reports on the fest, and highlights Kinan Valdez's premiere "Ballad of a Soldier," Lucinda Broadbent's "MACHO," and Lee Davis' "3 AM." (July 03, 2001)
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