May 11, 2008

indieWIRE INTERVIEW | "Bloodline" Director Bruce Burgess

by indieWIRE (May 2, 2008)

Documentarian Bruce Burgess has directed a series of conspiracy-oriented films over the past decades, from 1996's "Dreamland: Area 51" to 2002's "Bigfootville." In his first foray into theatrically released documentaries, Burgess (who usually hosts the films as well) takes on the so-called "bloodline conspiracy" that suggests that Jesus Christ married Mary Magdalene, and that she had his child. Taking over three years to complete, the film is the first investigation into this conspiracy to bring forth new evidence in the form of both a mummified corpse bearing a red cross and a buried chest with artifacts dating back to Christ's days. indieWIRE talked to Burgess about his film, "Bloodline," which opens in New York on Friday, May 9.
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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.
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May 2, 2008

indieWIRE INTERVIEW | "Hollywood Chinese" Director Arthur Dong

by indieWIRE (May 2, 2008)

Documentary director Arthur Dong has been working since the early 1980s, when one of his first shorts, "Sewing Woman," was nominated for an Academy Award. Since then, he has directed a series of docs on political and social issues, including 1994's Peabody Award winning "Coming Out Under Fire" and 1997's Sundance favorite "Licensed To Kill," which took a chilling look at the lives of people convicted of violent hate crimes against gay men (Dong himself was a victim of gay bashing in 1977). His latest work, "Hollywood Chinese," goes in a different but certainly not less imperative direction, examining the placement of Asian-Americans in Hollywood cinema. Premiering at last year's Toronto International Film Festival, the doc shines a light on decades of underwhelming representations. The film opens Friday, May 2 at New York's Quad Cinemas.
[ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Documentary, Interviews ]

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 30, 2008

TRIBECA '08 INTERVIEW | "Old Man Bebo" Director Carlos Carcas and "Donkey in Lahore" Director Faramarz K-Rahber

Tribeca Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by indieWIRE (April 30, 2008)

EDITORS NOTE: This is part of a series of interviews, conducted via email, profiling directors who have films screening at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. Carlos Carcas' "Old Man Bebo and Faramarz K-Rahber's "Donkey in Lahore" are both screening in the World Documentary Competition at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. "Bebo," a Spanish doc, follows the career of legendary musician Bebo Baldes, a key figure in the development of mambo. "Donkey," from Australia, details couple Brian and Amber, who are tested when Brian has to convert to Islam to marry Amber. Both directors talked to indieWIRE about their films and their expectations for Tribeca.
[ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Interviews, New York ]

April 29, 2008

TRIBECA '08 INTERVIEW | "Baghdad High" Co-Directors Ivan O'Mahoney and Laura Winter

Tribeca Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by indieWIRE (April 29, 2008)

EDITORS NOTE: This is part of a series of interviews, conducted via email, profiling directors who have films screening at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. Ivan O'Mahoney and Laura Winter's "Baghdad High" follows the lives of ordinary Iraqis during the war. Screening in the World Documentary Competition at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival, O'Mahoney and Winter gave four Iraqi high school seniors a digital camera to record a year in the lives. The result is a film that shows how remarkably similar these teenagers' lives are compared to those in the Western world. indieWIRE talked to both filmmakers about the film and their expectations for its North American Premiere at Tribeca.
[ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Interviews, New York ]

TRIBECA '08 INTERVIEW | "57,000 Kilometers Between Us" Director Delphine Kreuter

Tribeca Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by indieWIRE (April 29, 2008)

EDITORS NOTE: This is part of a series of interviews, conducted via email, profiling directors who have films screening at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. Screening in the World Narrative Competition at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival, director Delphine Kreuter makes her feature film debut with "57,000 Kilometers Between Us." Kreuter, a photographer and video artist, takes on the idea of connecting in today's world by following one dysfunctional family. Kreuter talked to indieWIRE about the film and her hopes for its North American premiere at Tribeca.
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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 28, 2008

TRIBECA '08 INTERVIEW | "Trucker" Director James Mottern

Tribeca Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by indieWIRE (April 28, 2008)

EDITORS NOTE: This is part of a series of interviews, conducted via email, profiling directors who have films screening at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. Screening in the World Narrative Competition at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival, John Mottern makes his feature directorial debut with "Trucker." The film follows Diane Ford (Michelle Monaghan), a truck driver with a tendency for bar benders and one-night stands. That changes when her estranged 11-year old son shows up at her door when her ex-husband (Benjamin Bratt) is hospitalized. Mottern, who previously wrote and directed documentaries for BBC and Discovery, talked to indieWIRE about the film and his expectations for its world premiere at Tribeca.
[ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Interviews, New York ]

TRIBECA '08 INTERVIEW | "Ball Don't Lie" Director Brin Hill

by indieWIRE (April 28, 2008)

EDITORS NOTE: This is part of a series of interviews, conducted via email, profiling directors who have films screening at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. Screening in the Discovery section of the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival, short film director Brin Hill makes his feature debut with "Ball Don't Lie." "Ball" tells the tale of Sticky, a young streetballer who with a lot of talent for the sport but also a lot of baggage from a childhood tragedy. Starring newcomers Grayson Boucher and Kim Hidaglo, as well as Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Nick Cannon and Rosanna Arquette, "Ball" is based on the popular novel of the same name by Matt de la Pena, who co-wrote the screenplay with Hill. indieWIRE talked to Hill about the film and his expectations for its world premiere at Tribeca.
[ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Interviews ]

April 26, 2008

TRIBECA '08 INTERVIEW | "My Marlon and Brando" Director Huseyin Karabey

Tribeca Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by indieWIRE (April 26, 2008)

EDITORS NOTE: This is part of a series of interviews, conducted via email, profiling directors who have films screening at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. Huseyin Karabey's "My Marlon and Brando retells the true story of Turkish actress Ayca Damgaci, who heads to Baghdad in search of her husband (her "marlon and brando"), Kurdish actor Hama Ali Khan. Damgaci co-wrote the script with Karabey and stars as herself i the film, which also features Khan's actual love letter videos he sent to Damgaci. indieWIRE talked to Karabey about the film, which is screening in the World Narrative Competition at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival.
[ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Interviews, New York ]

TRIBECA '08 INTERVIEW | "Newcastle" Director Dan Castle

Tribeca Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by indieWIRE (April 26, 2008)

EDITORS NOTE: This is part of a series of interviews, conducted via email, profiling directors who have films screening at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. Screening in the World Narrative Competition at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival, Dan Castle makes his directorial debut with "Newcastle." Previously helming a number of award-winning short films, Castle tells the story of three Australian brothers, each struggling to find a role in a world centered around surfing culture. indieWIRE talked to Castle about the film and its world premiere at Tribeca.
[ read more in People ] [ 1 comments ] [ filed under Interviews, New York ]

April 25, 2008

TRIBECA '08 INTERVIEW | "Love, Pain & Vice Versa" Director Alfonso Pineda-Ulloa

by indieWIRE (April 25, 2008)

EDITORS NOTE: This is part of a series of interviews, conducted via email, profiling directors who have films screening at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. Screening in the World Narrative Competition at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival, Alfonso Pineda-Ulloa's "Love, Pain & Vice Versa" follows Chelo, a woman whose dreams are visited by a mysterious man. The dreams develop into an obsession, as Chelo is certain the man in the dreams is the man of her dreams. Pineda-Ulloa, currently an MFA student at UCLA, is making his directorial debut with "Love," and talked to indieWIRE about the experience, and his hopes for Tribeca.
[ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Interviews ]

TRIBECA '08 INTERVIEW | "War, Love, God & Madness" Director Mohamed Al-Daradji

Tribeca Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by indieWIRE (April 25, 2008)

EDITORS NOTE: This is part of a series of interviews, conducted via email, profiling directors who have films screening at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. Four years ago, Baghdad-born Mohamed Al-Daradjireturned how after Saddam Hussein was overthrown, and directed the award-winning narrative feature "Ahlaam." The experience of shooting in the film was so challenging that Al-Daradji made a documentary about it. The result, "War, Love, God & Madness," is screening in the World Documentary Feature Competition at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. Al-Daradji talked to indieWIRE about the film, and his hopes for the festival.
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indieWIRE INTERVIEW | "Up the Yangtze" Director Yung Chang

by indieWIRE (April 25, 2008)

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Yung Chang's interview for his doc "Up the Yangtze" first appeared in indieWIRE as part of our profiles of first-time feature directors with films debuting at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Zeitgeist Films opens the film today (4/25) at IFC Center in New York.] Premiering at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) in November and then Sundance in January, Yung Chang's "Up The Yangtze" examines the effects of the construction of the massive Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River. The dam is to become the largest hydroelectric power station in the world, but with this comes the displacement of millions of residents and the destruction of landmarks. Yang follows two young people effected by the project, and the result provides "a final snapshot of a rapidly disappearing cultural landscape," says Sundance's Rosie Wong. Wong notes that "juxtaposing the Yangtze's stunning panorama with the reality of Yu Shui's poignant story, Chang shows the tenuous balance between China's rich cultural past and its modernized future."
[ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Interviews ]

April 24, 2008

TRIBECA '08 INTERVIEW | "Guest of Cindy Sherman" Directors Paul H-O and Tom Donahue

Tribeca Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by indieWIRE (April 24, 2008)

EDITORS NOTE: This is part of a series of interviews, conducted via email, profiling directors who have films screening at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. Screening in the World Documentary Feature Competition, "Guest of Cindy Sherman" is a series of interviews between Paul H-O and press-shy artist Cindy Sherman that began in the early 1990s. During the interviews, H-O, a fixture in the New York art scene, attains not only gains unique access to Sherman's artistic process, but also develops a romantic attachment to her. Filmed over 15 years, H-O and co-director Tom Donahue have turned in the sessions into a film, adding interviews with a wide array of personalities (including John Waters, Carol Kane and Danny deVito). Both directors talked to indieWIRE about their experience and the film's screening at Tribeca.
[ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Interviews, New York ]

TRIBECA '08 INTERVIEW | "Pray The Devil Back To Hell" Director Gini Reticker

Tribeca Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by indieWIRE (April 24, 2008)

EDITORS NOTE: This is part of a series of interviews, conducted via email, profiling directors who have films screening at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. Screening in the World Documentary Feature Competition at the Tribeca Film Festival, Gini Reticker's "Pray The Devil Back To Hell" tells the often overlooked story of how thousands of women in Liberia helped end a horrific civil war. Under the dictatorship of Charles Taylor, hundreds of thousands of citizens were being raped, murdered and terrorized. The women of Liberia used nonviolent and peaceful protest, culminating in the election of Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Africa's first elected female head of state. indieWIRE talked to Reticker about the film and its screening at Tribeca.
[ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Interviews, New York ]

April 23, 2008

TRIBECA '08 INTERVIEW | "Kassim The Dream" Director Kief Davidson

Tribeca Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by indieWIRE (April 23, 2008)

EDITORS NOTE: This is part of a series of interviews, conducted via email, profiling directors who have films screening at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. American director Kief Davidson's Tribeca Film Festival world documentary competition film "Kassim the Dream" is the story of world champion boxer Kassim "The Dream" Ouma. Born in Uganda and kidnapped at the age of six to be a child story, Kassim was forced to commit horrific atrocities. He also discovered the army's boxing team and realized it could be his way to freedom. After living with 12 years of war, he defected to the United States and quickly rose through the boxing ranks and became junior middleweight champion of the world...
[ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Interviews, New York ]

TRIBECA '08 INTERVIEW | "Milosevic on Trial" Director Michael Christofersen

Tribeca Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by indieWIRE (April 23, 2008)

EDITORS NOTE: This is part of a series of interviews, conducted via email, profiling directors who have films screening at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. Director Michael Christoffersen's doc competition film "Milosevic on Trial" is based on 2000 hours of tape from court proceedings pf tje four year-long trial of former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic before the international tribunal in the Hague. The former leader is the first sitting head of state to be indicted by an international court and the case itself proved dramatic when Milosevic himself refused to be represented by counsel, and then later died in prison shortly before the conclusion of the trial. Incorporating interviews with people involved in the case, including prosecutor Geoffrey Nice and Milosevic lawyer Dragoslav Ognjanovic, the film presents the case and its controversy in full detail.
[ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Interviews, New York ]

April 22, 2008

TRIBECA '08 INTERVIEW | "An Omar Broadway Film" Co-Director Douglas Tirola

Tribeca Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by indieWIRE (April 22, 2008)

EDITORS NOTE: This is part of a series of interviews, conducted via email, profiling directors who have films screening at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. Screening in the World Documentary Feature Competition, first-time director Omar Broadway collaborated with director Douglas Tirola on the "outside" to create "An Omar Broadway Film." The film documents Broadway's life as an inmate inside Newark's high-security Northern State Prison. Broadway had secretly got a hold of a video camera in 2004 and began to film his experiences, before joining forces with Tirola to bring the footage into a film. indieWIRE spoke to Tirola about his experiences and hopes for its screening at Tribeca.
[ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Interviews, New York ]