May 8, 2008

indieWIRE INTERVIEW | "Battle for Haditha" Director Nick Broomfield

by Eric Kohn (May 8, 2008)

As a documentarian, Nick Broomfield has dissected American pop culture with films like "Biggie & Tupac" and "Kurt & Courtney." With his more recent forays into narrative feature filmmaking, he has broadened his scope to include global issues. "Ghosts" explored the dark world of Chinese migrant workers in the UK, and his latest work, "Battle for Haditha," which opened at Film Forum earlier this week, recreates the infamous 2005 incident where U.S. marines murdered two dozen Iraqi civilians in a small village, driven by rage after encountering a roadside bomb. An attempt by the military to cover up the role of the American soldiers in the slaughter didn't last long. Media scrutiny led to an internal investigation, and the events have now been thoroughly recorded in various reports.
[ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Interviews, Lead Story ]

May 2, 2008

indieWIRE INTERVIEW | "Redbelt" Director David Mamet

by Erica Abeel (May 2, 2008)

Well, you can't accuse David Mamet of slacking off. That "Redbelt," his new martial arts film, hits the screen May 2, while "November," a hilarious political broadside, plays to packed houses on Broadway highlights the man's amazing productivity. In the theatre, Mamet has created, of course, his own dramatic idiom, a tough-guy vernacular of fractured speech and pauses which masks male insecurity, while skewering venality and the decline of values. With his 1988 "House of Games" he annexed a second career directing films, often centered on con men and tricksters. The hyper-busy Mamet has also written numerous screenplays. Add to that essays, novels and non-fiction books, the TV series, "The Unit." Plus he's got a family and a life.
[ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Interviews, Lead Story ]

April 29, 2008

indieWIRE INTERVIEW | "Mister Lonely" Director Harmony Korine

by Eric Kohn (April 29, 2008)

Much time has passed since Larry Clark discovered Harmony Korine skateboarding in Washington Square Park and hired him to write "Kids." In its wake, Korine exploded into the mainstream as a radical artist with a bad boy streak. His first two features, "Gummo" and the Dogme '95 entry "Julian Donkey-boy," divided critics and furthered his reputation as a fiercely independent figure. Just when his world seemed to be moving too fast, Korine left New York City for his native home in Nashville, got married and made a new movie to reflect his comparatively happier state of mind.
[ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Interviews, Lead Story ]

April 23, 2008

FIRST PERSON | Jeremy Walker on Independent Film PR: "What I think publicity really is and also what it should not be"

by Jeremy Walker (April 23, 2008)

Here's some of what I know: in the next seventy-two hours I will attend a TriBeCa Film Festival screening of Dan Myrick's smart, scary new movie "The Objective" with Sara Vilkomerson of The New York Observer as my date; the next morning the movers will arrive and remove about forty cardboard boxes, a few pieces of beloved furniture and the huge French "Mommie Dearest" poster; and the morning after that my partner Judd, our cat and I will board a California-bound Delta Airlines flight out of JFK. I am much less sure of everything else swimming in my head: hard facts are elusive and everything else is tinted with every stripe of emotion.
[ read more in People ] [ 5 comments ] [ filed under First Person, Lead Story ]

April 22, 2008

indieWIRE INTERVIEW | "Standard Operating Procedure" Director Errol Morris

by Howard Feinstein (April 22, 2008)

Boston-based Errol Morris is that rarity among filmmakers: an intense documentarian (he has worked as a private investigator) and a great aestheticist. Harper's called him "the most obsessive and relentless forensic documentary filmmaker of our time." He probes thoroughly, interviewing his exceptionally candid subjects through a device he invented known as the Interrotron, a two-camera set-up allowing the interviewee to see Morris but also inviting the viewer into an eyeline rapport with the witness. "Standard Operating Procedure" is in the tradition of Morris's "The Thin Blue Line" (1988), in which he spoke to many people in pursuit of the truth about a murder case, rather than, say, "The Fog of War" (2003), in which he deconstructed top decisionmaker Robert McNamara's role in the Vietnam War.
[ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Documentary, Interviews, Lead Story ]

April 21, 2008

indieWIRE INTERVIEW | "Roman de Gare" Director Claude Lelouch

by Erica Abeel (April 21, 2008)

That the number of French films to find distribution here continues to dwindle is hardly news. What's less noted is that while American cinephiles are familiar with French art film -- Jacques Rivette, Olivier Assayas, Arnaud Desplechin come to mind -- they've had less exposure to France's "boulevard" crowd pleasers. (Exceptions, of course, are art crossovers "Amelie" and "La Vie en Rose"). Now along comes "Roman de Gare" from Claude Lelouch, a thriller with the pace and jolting twists of a studio film. It proudly flaunts its pop creds: roman de gare translates as "airport reading' or "potboiler" and Lelouch embraces the strong suit, as he sees it, of commercial fare.
[ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Interviews, Lead Story, World Cinema ]

April 16, 2008

indieWIRE INTERVIEW | "Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts" Director Scott Hicks

by indieWIRE (April 16, 2008)

Director Scott Hicks' documentary "Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts" traces an eventful year in contemporary composer Philip Glass's life as he stages the opera "Waiting for the Barbarians," writes his eighth symphony, scores several films, travels the world and maintains a family with his fourth wife, Holly. Given unprecedented access to Glass' working process, family life, spiritual teachers and long time collaborators, Hicks gives us a unique glimpse behind the curtain into the life of a surprising and complex man. Koch Lorber Films opens the film Friday, April 18 at New York's IFC Center with subsequent release dates to be announced.
[ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Documentary, Interviews, Lead Story ]

April 15, 2008

indieWIRE INTERVIEW | "Shotgun Stories" Writer/director Jeff Nichols

by indieWIRE (April 15, 2008)

Writer/director Jeff Nichols' thriller "Shotgun Stories" tracks a feud that erupts between two sets of half brothers following the death of their father. Set against the cotton fields and back roads of Southeast Arkansas, these brothers discover the lengths to which each will go to protect their family. The film was nominated for the John Cassavetes Award at the 2008 Film Independent Spirit Awards and won the feature film award at the Austin Film Festival and the New American Cinema Award at the 2007 Seattle International Film Festival. The film is currently playing in New York and opens April 25 in Los Angeles.
[ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Interviews, Lead Story ]

April 11, 2008

indieWIRE INTERVIEW | "Body of War" Co-Director Ellen Spiro

by indieWIRE (April 11, 2008)

Director Ellen Spiro, whose slew of documentaries have played in film festivals and won awards across the world, most recently teamed up with ex-talk show host Phil Donahue for "Body of War." "War" chronicles the story of Tomas Young, a young U.S. soldier who returns from Iraq paralyzed from a bullet in his spine. After premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival last September, the film won the National Board of Review's best documentary award and the audience award at the Hamptons International Film Festival, and begins a limited release in New York this weekend.
[ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Documentary, Interviews, Lead Story ]

April 3, 2008

ND/NF '08 INTERVIEW | "Falling From Earth" Director Chadi Zenneddine

Tribeca Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by indieWIRE (April 3, 2008)

In the sixth installment of short interviews spotlighting emerging filmmakers in the current series New Directors/New Films, indieWIRE received remarks from "Falling From Earth" director Chadi Zenneddine, about his film that details four lonely people in 1958 Beirut. The films is screening in ND/NF, co-hosted by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art through April 6 in New York.
[ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Interviews, Lead Story, New York ]

April 2, 2008

iW PROFILE | "My Blueberry Nights" Director Wong Kar Wai

by Benjamin Crossley-Marra (April 2, 2008)

"I don't think of this as a road movie," filmmaker Wong Kar Wai told New Yorkers last night, during a conversation about his new movie, "My Blueberry Nights," which was partially filmed in Lower Manhattan. "The original idea was to have the film just be about Norah and her relationship with the owners of this restaurant," Wong Kar Wai revealed. "But it was too expensive to shoot just in New York and the characters began to expand across the country."
[ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Profiles, World Cinema ]

ND/NF '08 INTERVIEW | "Valse Sentimentale" Director Constantina Voulgaris and "XXY" Director Lucia Puenzo

Tribeca Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by indieWIRE (April 2, 2008)

In the fifth installment of short interviews spotlighting emerging filmmakers in the current series New Directors/New Films, indieWIRE received remarks from "Valse Sentimentale" director Constantina Voulgaris, about her film that focuses on a summer of love in Athens as well as Lucia Puenzo's film about an intersex adolescent, "XXY." Both films are screening in ND/NF, co-hosted by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art through April 6 in New York.
[ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Interviews, Lead Story, New York ]

March 31, 2008

ND/NF '08 INTERVIEW | "Soul Carriage" Director Conrad Clark and "Japan Japan" Director Lior Shamriz

Tribeca Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by indieWIRE (March 31, 2008)

In the third installment of short interviews spotlighting emerging filmmakers in the current series New Directors/New Films, indieWIRE received remarks from "Soul Carriage" director Conrad Clark on his story of urbanization set against the backdrop of an evolving China as well as "Japan Japan" director Lior Shamriz on his film about a boy adrift. Both films are screening in ND/NF, co-hosted by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art through April 6 in New York.
[ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Interviews, Lead Story, New York ]

March 28, 2008

ND/NF '08 INTERVIEW | "Wonderful Town" Director Aditya Assarat and "The Toe Tactic Director Emily Hubley

Tribeca Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by indieWIRE (March 28, 2008)

In the second round of interviews spotlighting emerging filmmakers being spotlighted in the New Directors/New Films series in New York, indieWIRE received short responses from "Wonderful Town" director Aditya Assarat and "The Toe Tactic" director Emily Hubley. "Wonderful Town" tells the story of loneliness against the backdrop of a town ravaged by a tsunami, while "The Toe Tactic" focuses on a woman facing life after the death of her father and her wallet... Both films are screening in ND/NF, co-hosted by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art through April 6.
[ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Interviews, Lead Story, New York ]

March 27, 2008

ND/NF '08 INTERVIEW | "Jellyfish" Co-director Etgar Keret and "Munyurangabo" Director Lee Isaac Chung

Tribeca Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by indieWIRE (March 26, 2008)

In the first of two interviews running over the coming days as part of the spotlight on New Directors/New Films series in New York, indieWIRE received short responses from co-director Etgar Keret's Festival de Cannes Camera'd'Or winner, "Jellyfish" (Meduzot), also directed by Shira Geffen set along the scenic Tel Aviv seaside about the lives of three women. Also screening in the series is Lee Isaac Chung's "Munyurangabo," about two boys of opposite ethnicities set against the backdrop of the end of Rwanda's genocide. The films will screen during the event taking place now though April 6.
[ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Interviews, Lead Story, New York ]

March 26, 2008

indieWIRE INTERVIEW | "A Four Letter Word" Director Casper Andreas

by indieWIRE (March 26, 2008)

Director Casper Andreas' second feature film, "A Four Letter Word," stars Jesse Archer (who co-wrote the film with Andreas) as Luke, a gay man whose promiscuous ways are challenged when he falls for Luke (Charlie David). The film is Andreas' follow-up to 2004's "Slutty Summer," won best feature film at the Fort Worth Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, and a special jury prize for best screenplay at Outfest. indieWIRE talked to Andreas about the film, which is being self-released by the director on March 28 in New York City and April 11 in Los Angeles.
[ read more in People ] [ 1 comments ] [ filed under Interviews, Lead Story, Queer Cinema ]

March 25, 2008

indieWIRE INTERVIEW | "Towards Darkness" Director Jose Antonio Negret

by indieWIRE (March 25, 2008)

Director Jose Antonio Negret's thriller "Towards Darkness" stars Roberto Urbina and America Ferrera in the story of Jose, the son of a Colombian banker living in New York. While visiting his family back home for the Christmas holidays, he is reunited with a streetwise old flame and reacquainted with the casual violence that mars his country. Within days of his return, Jose is beaten and kidnapped, his captors demanding an exorbitant ransom from his parents. Aware that the local police would do more harm than good, Jose's frantic parents enlist the aid of a covert American special operations team to recover their son alive... Peace Arch Entertainment Group opens the film in limited release beginning Friday, March 25.
[ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Interviews, Lead Story ]

March 20, 2008

indieWIRE INTERVIEW | "Love Songs" Director Christophe Honore

by Lisa Rosman (March 20, 2008)

Whatever it is that Americans glamorize about Paris, the films of Christophe Honore possess in spades. Stylish, irreverent, gorgeously rendered and unabashedly romantic, his features are both modern and classically Gallic and "Love Songs," a musical that IFC Films opens in the U.S. this Friday theatrically (and also on demand), may be his best yet. indieWIRE couldn't have been more enthused to talk with him about this film and on the state of French film in general during an interview during NYC's Rendezvous With French Cinema series.
[ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Interviews, Lead Story, World Cinema ]

March 12, 2008

indieWIRE INTERVIEW | "Wetlands Preserved" Director Dean Budnick

by indieWIRE (March 12, 2008)

Director Dean Budnick's feature directorial debut, "Wetlands Preserved," is a documentary that details "activist nightclub" The Wetlands Preserve. In 1989, Larry Bloch and his collective opened a nightclub just south of the Holland Tunnel in the then-underdeveloped Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan. The club had been the first venue for New York performances of bands like Pearl Jam and Rage Against The Machine, and fused music with environmental activism in an entirely unique manner. Budnick's doc portrays a critical moment in recent music history, and is a tribute to a club that closed prematurely on September 10, 2001. Budnick, who is also the senior editor of Relix Magazine, talked to indieWIRE about the film.
[ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Documentary, Interviews, Lead Story ]

March 10, 2008

SXSW '08 INTERVIEW | "We Are Wizards" Director Josh Koury

by indieWIRE (March 10, 2008)

EDITORS NOTE: This is part of a series of interviews, conducted via email, profiling directors who have films screening at the 2008 South By Southwest Film Festival. Screening in the Documentary Feature Competition, Josh Koury's "We Are Wizards" is having its world premiere at the South By Southwest Film Festival. The doc is a portrait of the unusual and passionate culture of Harry Potter fans. As the SXSW catalog describes the film, "The 'Harry Potter' mythos allows the nerdy, the average, the young, the downtrodden, and the bored a chance to borrow a little inspiration and step out of their respective worlds to be a part of something 'big.'"
[ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Documentary, Interviews, Lead Story, SXSW ]