Hamptons International Film Festival

Hamptons International Film Festival Announces Participants of 12th Annual Screenwriters' Lab

Cameron Sinz — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 14:35:35 GMT

The Hamptons International Film Festival, which runs every October, has today announced the participants of its' 12th Annual Screenwriters' Lab, which will run April 12-14 in East Hampton, NY.

Screenwriters' Lab is one of HIFF's annual events, allowing a group of screenwriters to have one-on-one mentoring sessions with established screenwriters from within the industry, advising them on how to develop their scripts and eventually move into production. Past mentors in the program have included James Vanderbilt ("Zodiac"), Mark Heyman ("Black Swan"), Whit Stillman ("Metropolitan," "The Last Days of Disco"), and Hawk Ostby ("Children of Men"), among many others.

This year's mentor lineup will feature director-writer Oren Moverman ("Rampart"), producer Lisa Muskat ("Prince Avalanche" "Compliance"), writer Andrew Bienen ("Boys Don't Cry"), and writer Bill Collage (The upcoming "Moses," and "The General"). In addition to this year's mentors, the festival also announced this year's six participants. These include Caveh Zahedi, Arnold Barkus, Sara Colangelo, David Schwab, Joan Stein Schimke and Averie Storck.

Additionally, HIFF has awarded The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation $75,000 Discretionary Fund Award to Casey Cooper Johnson's "Unmanned," which follows an Air Force drone operator splitting time between a remote base and his home in Las Vegas who begins to become unable to cope with his surroundings after a disastrous mistake. The award's stated mission is to help "the most promising science and technology feature project get into production." "Unmanned" plans to start production in late Summer/early Fall of this year.

Anne Chaisson Appointed Executive Director of Hamptons Film Festival

Jay A. Fernandez — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 16:18:55 GMT

The Hamptons International Film Festival has appointed Anne Chaisson as its new executive director and promoted director of programming David Nugent to artistic director.

“Having Anne onboard seems like a natural progression of events,” said festival chairman Stuart Match Suna. “She has been such an integral part of the Festival for the past ten years and we are thrilled to have her here full time. Anne’s broad background in production, business and film education make her an incredible asset the Festival and I look forward to watching it flourish under her direction.”

A longtime producer (“Roger Dodger,” “P.S.”) and fundraiser, Chaisson has served as advisory co-chair of the Hamptons fest since 2003. She is a member of both the IFP Producers Group and the New York Women in Film and Television.

Nugent, who also teaches film history at the New School, has held his programming position since 2008.

“David has continuously programmed films that captivate our audiences and introduce us to new filmmakers that normally we may not get a chance to see, including films that have gone on to win Academy Awards each year,” said Match Suna. “David is an integral part of our HIFF team and he along with Anne will be an incredible force for the festival.”

The festival takes place annually in early October.

Karen Arikian Steps Down As Executive Director of the Hamptons Film Festival

Jay A. Fernandez — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 18:29:14 GMT

Hamptons International Film Festival executive director Karen Arikian is stepping down from her post at the end of November, the festival announced Tuesday. Arikian ran the festival for five years.

“I have been very fortunate to have led this wonderful organization since 2008,” said Arikian, “and I leave knowing that the festival is stronger than ever, having just completed its 20^th anniversary edition.”

Though she now plans to pursue other opportunities, Arikian will continue in her role as U.S./East Coast delegate for the Berlin International Film Festival.

“Karen has successfully led us through five outstanding festivals, and we are grateful for her many contributions, which have helped make the festival one of the foremost celebrations of independent film in this country,” said chairman of the board of directors Stuart Match Suna. “On behalf of the board and all of the festival’s many participants and supporters, I thank Karen for a job well done and wish her the best in her future endeavors.”

The Academy Celebrates the Career of Ann Roth

Melissa Silverstein — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 14:00:00 GMT

A couple of weeks ago I spent the weekend at the Hamptons International Film Festival. I was able to catch up on a bunch of films and attend some really cool events including a tribute to the costume designer Ann Roth by the Academy. It's not often that below the line talent gets a celebration of this magnitude, and at times it looked like Ms. Roth wanted to be anywhere but the stage of Guild Hall where everyone was calling her a legend.

The afternoon was a celebration of creativity and collaboration and an interesting behind the scenes look at how one of the best costumers operates.

There were some great tidbits shared:

The controversial nose created for Nicole Kidman in her Oscar winning turn in The Hours was inspired by a conversation with a shoemaker who said to Ms. Roth that he hoped she was able to create Virginia Woolf's voice (since he had heard it) and said he thought her distinctive voice came from her nose.

There is some magic that happens when you dress an actor as a character and you look in the mirror and don't recognize the actor, but you see the character - she and Mike Nichols described that happening when they saw Meryl Streep in her Silkwood costume.

Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth at first refused to wear the spandex costumes for the finale of Mamma Mia. She finally got Pierce in his spandex and they were walking across the Pinewood studio in England and ran into Daniel Craig in his gorgeous James Bond tuxedo. She said that Pierce Brosnan was mortified especially since he had been removed as James Bond.

She has worked with Mike Nichols for 47 years on 13 films and many stage productions.

Her goal is to make the director, actor and herself happy with the character. She thinks about what clothes would be at the foot of the bed of this character at the end of the day to help her create a look.

At the end of celebration Meryl Streep who flew in from the Tulsa set of August Osage County presented Ann Roth with an ode.

HIFF Review: Charming 'Sin Bin' Heavily Indebted To The Work Of Wes Anderson

Drew Taylor — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 22:02:00 GMT

Young filmmakers often reference their heroes outright. This isn't a phenomenon exclusive to creatively wayward directors; look at the early films of genuine auteur Paul Thomas Anderson to see wholesale theft from Martin Scorsese and Robert Altman (to name a few). But when the references are a distraction to the point of actively taking away from the enjoyment of the movie, that's when things become a problem. And it's a problem that plagues the otherwise wonderful "Sin Bin," a charming little comedy about a high school kid (Michael Seater) who rents his beat-up van out to his fellow students for sexual liaisons, which owes such a stylistic debt to the films of Wes Anderson that it makes you think somewhat less of the movie.

From the beginning, the movie seems to be tipping its hat to Anderson. Examples abound – the super-thick Futura bold font utilized for the title cards; the way the camera whips around as it follows Brian (Seater) through the halls of his prep school; the score that seems directly lifted from Mark Mothersbaugh's work on "Rushmore;" the fact that every high schooler dresses like Andre 3000, complete with tailored blazers and bowties the color of expensive pills; the slow-motion-for-no-good-reason pans. On their own, these flourishes are engaging and cute, much like the rest of the movie. The problem is that the references, both subtle and overt, seem to pile up like some catastrophic highway collision, so that by the time that the end titles start (after an unnecessarily drawn out slow-motion shot again reminiscent of Anderson), you shut down completely. (Somewhere, some festival nerd is already concocting a drinking game based around this.) Which is too bad. It would be less frustrating if "Sin Bin" didn't come so close to greatness. But it really, really does. It's got a smart script and a strong cast full of outrageously talented kids and captures some very real feelings of sexual frustration and isolation associated with the painfully awkward process of growing up. It would just be much more fun if the specter of Anderson wasn't haunting every goddamn frame.

From the frantic beginning, which shows Brian as he maneuvers reservations with various friends for use of the Sin Bin (named, it's later revealed, for the penalty box in hockey), the movie has a propulsive energy that is absolutely infectious. Brian, his hair whipped into a crazy swirl, his off-kilter smile betraying some inner melancholy, organizes these sexual encounters and facilitates them, but is still a virgin himself. He's in love with a class hottie (Emily Meade), but socially unequipped and terrified. So Brian enlists the help of Tony (Bo Burnham, stealing every scene), a posh dude who knows how to deal with the girls and drives a vintage Jaguar that Ferris Bueller would handily endorse (when Brian asks him why he drives shift, Tony shoots back, "The same reason why I don't wear shorts") Of course, the nature of their relationship changes when it's revealed that one of the girls Tony is bedding also happens to be the literal girl of Brian's dreams.

While it would be easy to classify "Sin Bin" as yet another twee-as-fuck coming-of-age confection, that would be doing it a disservice. There's a timelessness and simplicity to the movie that recalls the works of John Hughes, there isn't a cell phone or computer in sight (the suburban Chicago setting certainly lends something to this, too) and a frankness to its depiction of sex that is refreshing and totally contemporary. It's got a hooky central conceit that would be easy to be fully encased in some kind of "Porky's"-on-wheels sex romp; hermetically sealed in dick jokes and masturbation gags. The fact that it isn't is a testament to its maturity and sophistication; the fact that it manages to cover so much thematic and emotional ground within that framework is pretty astounding.

There are also a number of subplots that add some layers, and don't detract at all from the main thrust of the movie, most notably the return of Brian's absentee brother Benny (Brian Petsos) and the relationship their family has to the cop next door (Tim Blake Nelson), who was friends with the kids' dead father and keeps an eye on the family. There's a great sequence where Suzie (Meade) gets drunk in the van after being slighted by Tony and the three of them carry her inside the house. The way that the three of them interact and the way that Brian looks after Suzie suggests so much history between the characters and says so much more than pages of dialogue could ever achieve. Director Billy Federighi has a strong sense of narrative economy, letting scenes play out over long takes instead of quickly cutting around, which moves things along and also very smartly lets the actors take center stage.

It's the actors that really make "Sin Bin" such a blast to watch. Even though they are all very young and many of them unknown, their relative inexperience never comes through and they (largely) shine as bright as any movie star. Their chemistry is palpable and their comic timing snappy, and even though they're existing in a highly stylized world, wearing clothes they probably wouldn't put on in real life and speaking in screwball comedy-speak, a natural realism comes through. It's just that the naturalism seems to be a fight, given the cluttered amount of references and stylistic embroidery they're surrounded by. Had the filmmakers shaved away some of the embellished excess, they might have had a minor classic on their hands, worthy of the Anderson and Hughes canon. Instead, they have a very good movie whose reverence ends up bringing it down. [B]

Hamptons Top Prize Goes to 'Silver Linings Playbook,' Plus Cate Shortland's 'Lore,' Janet Tobias' 'No Place on Earth'

Beth Hanna — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 16:36:09 GMT

David O. Russell's "Silver Linings Playbook" adds another feather to its awards cap with the top prize at the 2012 Hamptons International Film Festival. The film wowed audiences at Toronto in September, taking home the fest's coveted audience award, cementing its place among the most-likely 2013 Oscar contenders. The complete list of Hamptons award winners is below.

Also check out our TOH! video interview with "Silver Linings Playbook" star Jennifer Lawrence here, and the film's most recent trailer here.

Audience Award Winner for Best Narrative "Excelsior": "Silver Linings Playbook" (dir. David O. Russell)

Award Winner for World Cinema: Documentary: "No Place on Earth" (dir. Janet Tobias)

Golden Starfish Award Winner for Best Narrative: "Lore" (dir. Cate Shortland) & "Kuma" (dir. Umut Dag)

Golden Starfish Competition Award for Best Short Film: "Growing Farmers" (dir. Michael Halsband)

Golden Starfish Award Winner for Best Documentary: "Colombianos" (dir. Tora Martens)

HIFF Review: Disney's 2D & 3D Animated 'Paperman' A Romantic & Inventive Short

Drew Taylor — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 21:20:59 GMT

This year's Hamptons International Film Festival has largely been defined by movies that make you want to cry your eyes out until they're squishy red gobs. Pictures like "Rust and Bone," "Amour" and "Silver Linings Playbook" challenge even the manliest audience members to sit there with a straight face and not be reduced to jags of blubbery weeping. But no movie at the festival has packed quite the emotional punch of the Disney Animation short film "Paperman," which, in its brief 7-minute run time, will defy even the most stoic viewer to keep a straight face. From the opening frame, the film's sweeping romanticism and groundbreaking visual style proves too much to resist. The fact that this might be the new face of traditional animation isn't something that even registers; it's that involving.

The story involves a couple who meet by chance on a train platform (it looks like sometime after World War II). He's some kind of office drone and is carrying a stack of papers with him. When a single sheet blows into her face, it leaves an impression of her red lipstick on the page (the red is the single dab of color in the entire black-and-white short). They go about their separate ways but the man is haunted by the encounter. Looking up from his desk he notices the woman in a neighboring building. He then takes a stack of papers and starts folding them into sharp paper airplanes; hang-gliding origami love letters. He shoots paper airplane after paper airplane across from one building to another; always missing her attention, all the while trying to avoid detection from his angry boss and fellow coworkers. Dejected, he leaves the office building, convinced that they were never meant to be. But fate has other plans.

John Kahrs, the director and longtime animation vet, wanted to push the medium into bold new territory, gleefully abandoning tradition to create something that mixes the tried-and-true with the completely new. Not only is the black-and-white modernist style of the animation striking and different than most of what you see (in both short-form and feature animation), but the animation approach is decidedly cutting edge. Kahrs folded a two-dimensional image on top of a three-dimensional shape, inventing a hybrid form that has the warmth and artistry of traditional animation with the fluid movement and shape of computer animation. The results are breathtaking and could, if properly applied to a feature-length project, be the new face of traditional animation (right now the division is temporarily shuttered after the less-than-spectacular box office from films "Princess and the Frog" and "Winnie the Pooh"). For traditional hand drawn animation, an evolutionary leap needed to be made. This was it.

Initially it's hard to figure out what the style really does for the film, but it's instantly involving in a way that, say, the DreamWorks Animation movies, for all their gilded sheen, can never accomplish. The narrative is lovingly draped in heartache (aided by a score from composer Christophe Beck) and the designs of the characters identifiable and easily emotive. Much of animation is purely interested in the dazzle, and there's a fair argument to be made that "Paperman" is simply a research-and-development test, to see if this merging would actually work. But it's very apparent that this is not simply some exercise in experimental newness; that this bold approach is here for a reason. "Paperman" is both touching and dizzying and it's hard not to get choked up, to have your head spin like one of those paper airplanes caught in a whirlwind, even if, at its heart, it is some elaborate proof-of-concept. But even in its brief running time, it makes an impression. [A]

Early Reviews: HBO's 'The Girl' Premieres at the Hampton Film Festival

Maggie Lange — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 17:08:13 GMT

HBO premiered its Alfred Hitchcock vs. Tippi Hedren flick "The Girl" at the Hamptons International Film Festival this past weekend. Early reviews hint that while the film set during the filming of "The Birds" entertains, it doesn't quite satisfy in terms of character development. Toby Jones' portrayal of Alfred Hitchcock is praised across the board, while critics say that Sienna Miller is passable if not notable. The film avoids the horror tropes that the master of suspense was known for, instead aiming to reveal the psychological underpinnings of the main characters. At the TCA critics' panel, Hedren called Hitchcock "evil and deviant."

Fox Searchlight will release its more positive take on Hitchcock (Anthony Hopkins) and collaborator/wife Alma Reville (Helen Mirren), "Hitchcock," on November 23.

David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter

This account of the obsessive master/muse relationship between Alfred Hitchcock and Tippi Hedren entertains but falls short on psychological insight… The script doesn’t quite build Hedron into a three-dimensional character, but Miller makes a suitably beguiling prey to Jones’ predator while still showing enough backbone not to fall completely victim to the puppet-master’s power games.

Drew Taylor, The Playlist

While it has a brief running time and a whole lot of personal Hitchcock narrative to squeeze in (including the production of the second movie that Hedren and Hitchcock did together, in spite of everything, "Marnie"), the film feels thin and uninvolving. Besides the conspicuously low budget (the photography is flat and the audio tinny), "The Girl" seems doggedly uninterested in exploring Hedren's emotional interior.

Matt Patches, Hollywood.com

Toby Jones is astounding as Hitchcock, conjuring up the charm on the surface and unearthing Hitchcock's twisted center that would occasionally bubble to the top. Jones' Hitch is plagued by his physical insecurities and, in turn, capitalizes on his clout to muscle others. The actor disappears into Hitchcock's voice and mannerisms, but they're never prohibitive of Jones layered performance. Miller, who has been out of the spotlight for a few years, plays Hedren like one of the blonde bombshells that would turn up in the Hitchcock's own films. Hedren's not fleshed out like Hitchcock, but Miller bounces back and forth gracefully…

The 2012 Hamptons International Film Festival Awards 'Lore,' 'Kuma' and More

Indiewire Staff — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 23:22:37 GMT

Umat Dag’s "Kuma" and Cate Shortland’s "Lore" tied for the 2012 Hamptons International Film Festival's Golden Starfish Narrative Feature Award, with the Golden Starfish Award for Best Documentary going to Tora Mårten's "Colombianos."

Baume & Mercier Audience Awards for narrative, documentary and short went to David O. Russell's "Silver Linings Playbook" and Janet Tobias' "No Place on Earth," and Michael Halsband's "Growing Farmers," respectively.

"Lore" DP Adam Arkapaw also received the Kodak Award for Cinematography. Fyzal Boulifa's "The Curse" received the Golden Starfish Award for best short.

The Narrative Jury awarded a special prize for performance to Carlos Vallarino's performance in Rodrigo Pla's "La Demora," while the documentary feature Jury gave a a special "inspiration" prize for "Jason Becker is Not Dead," directed by Jesse Vile.

Film critic Thelma Adams and filmmakers Chris Hegedus and Susan Lacy comprised the HIFF documentary feature jury. The narrative jury was film critic Joshua Rothkopf and producers Rachael Horovitz and Trudie Styler.

The Victor Rabinowitz and Joanne Grant Award for Social Justice went to "Call Me Kuchu" by Katherine Fairfax Wright and Malika Zouhali-Worrall, while "Lore" won the Jeremy Nussbaum Prize for Provocative Fiction. The Zelda Penzel Giving Voice to the Voiceless Award went to "One Nation Under Dog by Amanda Micheli, Jenny Carchman and Ellen Goosemberg-Kent.

Former LACMA film curator Ian Birnie also received a Golden Starfish Award for Curatorial Excellence.

HIFF Review: 'The Girl' Creates Dark Hitchcockian Mood, But At The Cost Of Virtually Everything Else

Drew Taylor — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 16:18:40 GMT

Like with the two competing Snow White movies earlier this year, Hollywood finds itself in the midst of battling Alfred Hitchcock pseudo-biographies this fall; each detailing the production of one of the master director's seminal films and his relationship with that film's comely leading lady. Timed for optimum Oscar impact, arriving in November is "Hitchcock," with Anthony Hopkins as the tumescent filmmaker and a story centered around the making of his touchstone horror classic "Psycho." And later this month HBO is airing "The Girl," starring Toby Jones and Sienna Miller as Hitchcock and ingénue Tippi Hedren, who the director provoked into starring in both "The Birds" and "Marnie."

The former picture begins with Hitchcock searching for a worthy follow-up to "Psycho," one he deems will be "bigger, better, and scarier." He finds what he's looking for in "The Birds," based on a story by Daphne DuMaurier (who wrote the novel that "Rebecca" was adapted from), wherein a shadowy blond woman, visiting a small island community, is ruthlessly and mysteriously attacked by flocks of killer birds. Prompted by a television commercial spotted by his wife Alma (Imelda Staunton, somewhat underserviced by the role), Hitchcock auditions the young Hedren. Seemingly possessing the fortitude to handle the role, the master of suspense quickly casts her in a role Hedren admits half of Hollywood is clamoring after. She has no idea what she's getting into, though.

The dynamics of the production start off relatively smoothly. The reputation of Hitchcock as a controlling auteur whose sensibilities bordered on the sociopathic had yet to permeate and Miller's Hedren, fresh-faced and naïve despite already having gone through a divorce (she had also already given birth to a young Melanie Griffith), is unprepared for the physical and mental abuse Hitchcock is about to unload. Hitchcock promises her a controlled environment utilizing mostly mechanical birds; what she receives instead are grueling conditions and constant interaction with real-life birds – birds that scrape and peck and flap their wings menacingly. And then there are the unwanted sexual advances. Initially Hedren is able to rebuff Hitch's growing flirtations, the off-color jokes he tells and the way he wraps his arms through hers while toasting the production, proclaiming, "To Alfie and Tippi!"

But as his leering become more menacing, the tone of the movie too starts to darken. Initial sequences that showcase production people trying fruitlessly to capture birds at a local dump are replaced with footsteps given an absurd amount of atmospheric weight and a full-on sexual assault in the back of a car, in which Hitchcock cups Hedren's breast and forces himself on top of her. Somewhat shapeless, structurally, the attack in the car sets the course for the rest of the movie, which more or less follows the pattern of Hitchcock doing something really, really terrible to Hedren and Hedren finding the inner strength to carry on and persevere.

One of the most memorable sequences involves the famous attic scene in "The Birds," when Hedren's character goes to take shelter and is attacked, furiously, by birds that have been seemingly lying in wait. Hitchcock orders real birds on set (the trailer ominously warns "don't let them get at your eyes") and multiple arduous takes. The way that director Julian Jarrold ("Becoming Jane," the excellent pending "Red Riding" section) cuts it together makes it feel like nothing less than a siege. The patter of wings becomes unbearable; the scraping of claws; the pecking of beaks: it's a symphony of torture orchestrated by Hitchcock. And it's deeply affecting.

The rest of the movie however is nowhere near as effective. While it has a brief running time and a whole lot of personal Hitchcock narrative to squeeze in (including the production of the second movie that Hedren and Hitchcock did together, in spite of everything, "Marnie"), the film feels thin and uninvolving. Besides the conspicuously low budget (the photography is flat and the audio tinny), "The Girl" seems doggedly uninterested in exploring Hedren's emotional interior. One day she returns to the set of "The Birds" triumphant, with a jet-black crow perched on her shoulder, but the filmmaker never clearly articulates how she arrives in this stronger state of mind. Psychologically Hedren is seen breaking down often, but the audiences is never really granted genuine access to the moments when she builds herself back up. Miller is terrific in the role, but it's unfortunate that she doesn't have more to do. Additionally troubling is a shifting perspective. Ostensibly about Hedren, the film vacillates between her and Hitch and it's never clear whose story this is. And so the picture's point of view is split, with just as much time devoted to Hitchcock and his surly but supportive wife (who, in a later scene, he says was more like a sister than a wife) than it is about "The Girl."

Jones does a wonderful job as the creepy filmmaker, the second great Film Festival performance of the month from him (after his tortured sound artist in the gob-smackingly brilliant "Berbarian Sound Studio," which was part of the first-ever midnight line-up at New York Film Festival), but it feels as if he is playing a character with depth who is forced into a much more two-dimensional corner. As the movie progresses, it becomes darker and darker, with Hitchcock transforming into a more violent and forceful figure in his behavior with Hedren. Had the movie really committed to this conceit, it could've been stronger, but Jarrold still toys with distracting winky Hitchcock references (there's an unmistakable shower head and a set of "Vertigo"-ish stairs) that don't supply much other than reflexive movie citations that aren't particularly clever given how iconic the films are. Less overt elements that might seem wise in terms of subliminally exploring the Hitchcock mythos are untapped (like a jazzy title sequence or perhaps an unconciously familar musical score), leaving the audience wondering what could have been.

Additionally, so much history is left on the cutting room floor, including the fact that Hitchcock locked Hedren into her contract even following the near-disastrous filming of "Marnie" (a movie "The Girl" notes is widely considered his final masterpiece -- which too quickly discounts "Frenzy"). This basically meant Hitchcock froze her out of work for several years after, effectively crippling her burgeoning career, something that Hedren has bitterly held onto to this day (Miller said as much in the post-screening Q&A). The fact that her recounting of events could have been colored by this heartache is never addressed. Jarrold's Hitchcock is a larger-than-life villain, both literally and figuratively, but while the movie does much to cast a sort of hypnotic mesmerism on its audience, it doesn't thrill or intrigue nearly as much as it could. "The Girl," quite frankly, is for the birds. [C+]

Hamptons Film Fest Review: 'Sparrows Dance' A Simple Story Delivered With Affecting Charm

Drew Taylor — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 15:56:01 GMT

The synopsis for "Sparrow's Dance," the new pocket-sized film from writer/director Noah Buschel, makes it literally sound like the most boring movies ever forged. It's about an unnamed agoraphobic woman (Marin Ireland, most notably from TV shows like "Homeland" and "The Killing"), who struggles with making the simplest human contact. All of that has to change when her apartment becomes flooded and she has to allow a plumber named Wes (Paul Sparks, the colorful goon Mickey Doyle on "Boardwalk Empire") in to fix the leak. That is pretty much as far as it goes for plot. But, amazingly, unburdened with excessive narrative and weighted by a pair of outstanding performances, "Sparrow's Dance" (under Buschel's inventive direction) absolutely flies.

Much of the movie obviously hinges on Ireland's performance, which is thankfully pitch-perfect. The early part of the movie (almost the first act, really), is just Ireland's character going about her business. She rides her exercise bike (always accompanied by some synth-y pop music), she goes to the bathroom, she watches television, and she sometimes takes out the small pistol she keeps in her kitchen. (It's a testament to the cramped nature of New York City real estate that we thought, 'Well, if you've got to be stuck inside an apartment, at least this one has decent square footage.') Flashes of how crippling her problem is crop up: when greeted by a delivery man, she makes up a story about coming out of the shower or talking to her friend on the phone, and then slides the money underneath the door. "You want me to leave the food on the floor?" the deliveryman asks. "Uh, yeah," she answers.

Ireland has an unconventional, expressive face, and if the movie consisted of a single static shot, centered on her mug, you would have no problem watching it. (Buschel decided to shoot the movie in the squared-off 4:3 aspect ratio, so she is front-and-center.) She's cute but not in a bouncy television show way, and you believe that she could have gone off the grid without a lot of people asking questions. When she seems pained or anguished or even just reacting emotionally to something she's watching on television, you can tell that she feels it deeply. And she adds enough flourishes, both physical and internal, that make her character engaging and entertaining to watch, even when she's huffing it on that stationary bike. There's something "off" about the performance, in a good way. You're happy to spend the whole movie with her.

This early section of the movie has its own particular groove, reminiscent of Bong Joon-ho's section of the underrated triptych travelogue "Tokyo," entitled "Shaking Tokyo." Both films feature characters imprisoned by their own psychology, forced to make contact with the outside world after some calamitous event (in "Shaking Tokyo" it's an earthquake, here it's a flooded bathroom). When the second person enters the picture, both films take on an entirely different dynamic. In "Sparrow's Dance," it also marks the debut of the chunky title card, a good half-hour into the movie. From that point, the movie focuses on the relationship between Wes and this young girl, him attempt to woo her (and eventually get out of the apartment), and her resisting. They are both characters in need of change, symbolized by her reluctance to leave the apartment and the fact that he is always wearing his plumbing overalls – they are confined by their lives and have to get outside of them (sometimes literally) to have a solid relationship.

With such a sparse premise, things could have run out of steam ridiculously fast. Thankfully Buschel keeps things playful and stylistic. He creates a nicely traceable rhythm to her daily routine, which acts as its own kind of structural backbone, so that when that routine changes (like when she gets ready for her first big date with Wes), it really means something. The aforementioned aspect ratio suggests entrapment in a way that few things in the actual movie could – you almost long for the film to expand to a widescreen as a symbol of her expanding freedom and self-confidence. There's also a standout sequence where Wes and the girl are dancing in a super-long take that starts outside of the apartment set. You can see lights flooding into the apartment, surrounded by the darkness of the soundstage, and as it pushes in, we get closer and closer to the couple dancing. It captures the movie's woozily romantic spirit, and you are more focused on the pair than how potentially showy and off-putting this shot could have been.

Wes and the girl have long conversations in bed, and since there's a blinking neon sign outside the apartment's window (oh that's how she can afford it), these sequences are lit solely by that blinking red light. It's gorgeous to look at (Gaspar Noe would approve) but it also speaks volumes about the film – the periods of the scene that are cast in blackness are just as vital as the ones that are illuminated. You don't learn a terribly great deal about either character but you grow to care about them deeply, and the movie's ending is as brightly triumphant as the destruction of any oversized comic book threat in any of the big budget Hollywood movies. "Sparrow's Dance" is a tiny film that is deeply affecting, smartly acted and thoroughly charming. It's one of the year's best films and also one of the smallest. We can't wait to see what Buschel does next. [A]

Watch: Exclusive Trailer for Hamptons Film Fest Comedy 'Sin Bin' (Video)

Indiewire — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 22:46:53 GMT

The Hamptons International Film Festival kicked off Thursday, and one of the films screening in the program this weekend is the high school comedy “Sin Bin.” Starring Tim Blake Nelson, Jeff Garlin, Michael Seater, Bo Burnham, Brian Petsos, Ben McKenzie and Emily Meade, “Sin Bin” will screen Saturday and Sunday nights at the UA East Hampton theater.

Directed by first-timer Billy Federighi and written by Christopher Storer, the film follows a shy kid who lends out his vintage van to friends for their romantic hookups while he remains a virgin. When he meets a helpful schoolmate and his girlfriend, things get complicated.

Check out the trailer, here on Indiewire exclusively:

26 of 84 Films in the Hamptons International Film Festival Are Directed by Women

Kerensa Cadenas — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 16:00:00 GMT

Last week the 20th edition of the Hamptons International Film Festival announced their line-up. The festival will run from October 4 – 8. With a slate of 84 films announced thus far, 26 are directed by women (this doesn’t include shorts). And in their Golden Starfish Award Competition (Narrative, Documentary and Short film) out of 15 films and shorts-- 3 women-directed films (1 feature, 1 documentary and 1 short) are in competition.

Here’s a list of the women-directed films and documentaries:

Love, Marilyn – Liz Garbus (Opening movie)

Lore – Cate Shortland (Golden Starfish Narrative Competitor)

Bay of All Saints –Annie Eastman (Golden Starfish Documentary Competitor)

Colombianos – Tora Mårtens

Electrick Children – Rebecca Thomas

Future Weather – Jenny Deller

Inch’Allah -- Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette

My Brother The Devil – Sally El Hosani

Refuge – Jessica Goldberg

Simon and the Oaks – Lisa Ohlin

American Masters: Inventing David Geffen – Susan Lacy

The Atomic States of America -- Co-directed by Sheena M. Joyce and Don Argott

Beyond Right and Wrong: Stories of Justice and Forgiveness – Co-directed by Lekha Singh and Roger Spottiswoode

Brooklyn Castle – Katie Dellamaggiore

Call Me Kuchu – Katherine Fairfax Wright and Malika Zouhali-Worrall

Citizen Hearst – Leslie Iwerks

Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey – Ramona S. Diaz

In Your Dreams – Stevie Nicks – Co-directed by Stevie Nicks and Dave Stewart

James Salter: A Sport and A Pastime – Co-directed by Sandy Gotham Meehan, Edgar Howard and Tom Piper

The New Public – Jyllian Gunther

One Day After Peace – Co-directed by Miri Laufer and Erez Laufer

One Nation Under Dog: Stories of Fear, Loss, & Betrayal – Jenny Carchman, Ellen Goosenberg Kent, Amanda Micheli

Romeo, Romeo – Lizzie Gottlieb

The Standbys – Stephanie Riggs

Venus and Serena – Maiken Baird, Michelle Major

Zen of Bennett – Unjoo Moon

Hamptons International Film Festival Announces Competition Slate and 'The Girl' Will Get Its World Premiere

Nigel M Smith — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 22:39:08 GMT

The 20th annual Hamptons International Film Festival has announced its Spotlight Films, World Cinema Section and the films competing for this year's Golden Starfish Award.

No doubt the highest-profile addition to the lineup is the world premiere of Julian Jarrold's Alfred Hitchcock biopic "The Girl," starring Toby Jones as the famed autuer and Sienna Miller as actress Tippi Hedren. The film will screen in the Spotlight section, which also includes other buzzed-about titles like Tim Burton's black-and-white stop-motion family film "Frankenweenie," Michael Haneke's Palme d'Or winner "Amour," Ben Lewin's Sundance award-winner "The Sessions" and Martin McDonagh's recent Toronto winner, "Seven Psychopaths."

In addition to the films, the festival will feature talks with guests including Richard Gere, Alan Cumming and Steve Nicks.

And as previously announced, "Love, Marilyn" will kick off the event, while "Argo" will serve as the centerpiece film and David Chase's feature directorial debut,"Not Fade Away," will close the event.

The festival runs October 4-8.

The full slate for the festival is listed on page two, with synopses provided by the festival. Several additional titles will be added to the program prior to opening night and will be announced in the coming weeks.
OPENING NIGHT & SOUTHAMPTON OPENING NIGHT FILMS

LOVE, MARILYN
Opening Night Film
US Premiere

Director: Liz Garbus

Cast: F. Murray Abraham, Elizabeth Banks, Adrien Brody, Ellen Burstyn, Glenn Close, Hope Davis, Viola Davis, Jennifer Ehle, Ben Foster, Paul Giamatti, Jack Huston, Stephen Lang, Lindsay Lohan, Janet McTeer, Jeremy Piven, Oliver Platt, David Strathairn, Lili Taylor, Uma Thurman, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood

Liz Garbus’ documentary feature LOVE, MARILYN is a startlingly intimate and revealing portrait of arguably the most famous female actor ever to grace the silver screen. With unprecedented access to Monroe’s never-before-seen personal correspondence, diary entries, and archival footage, LOVE, MARILYN traces the beginning of the legend, from Norma Jeane Mortenson to sexy starlet to American icon, through the desperate final year of her too-short life. Featuring Viola Davis, Marisa Tomei, Glenn Close, Adrien Brody, and many more celebrated actors, Garbus’ film celebrates the tenacity, sensitivity, and beauty of Marilyn Monroe on the 50th anniversary of her death. HBO will air in the film in 2013.

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
Southampton Opening Night Film

Director: David O. Russell

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Anupam Kher, Chris Tucker, Julia Stiles, John Ortiz

The Friday night Southampton opening is David O. Russell’s SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK. After a court-ordered stint at a psychiatric facility, Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper), who is bipolar, moves back in with his parents (Robert De Niro and Jackie Weaver) and tries to win back his estranged wife Nikki. Into his orbit flies Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), an equally volatile young widow who offers to help Pat get Nikki back… at a price. The film will be released by The Weinstein Company on November 21st.

CENTERPIECE & CLOSING NIGHT FILMS

ARGO
Centerpiece Film

East Coast Premiere

Director: Ben Affleck

Cast: Ben Affleck, John Goodman, Kyle Chandler, Barry Livingston, Tate Donovan, Alan Arkin, Victor Garber, Scoot McNairy, Bryan Cranston, Chris Messina

In the breathtaking political thriller ARGO, Ben Affleck plays Tony Mendez, a CIA agent and “exfiltration expert” who devised a daring, unconventional plan to rescue six Americans hiding in the Canadian embassy in Tehran during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis. Perfectly capturing the look, style, and tone of the period, Affleck’s third feature as a director also stars John Goodman, Alan Arkin, and Bryan Cranston in colorful, sharp performances. Based on the true account of the real-life Mendez and produced by George Clooney and Grant Heslov, ARGO is an awards-ready, exhilarating rush that’s not to be missed.

NOT FADE AWAY
Closing Night Film

Director: David Chase

Cast: John Magaro, James Gandolfini, Jack Huston, Will Brill, Bella Heathcote, Brad Garrett, Christopher McDonald

David Chase, the creator of THE SOPRANOS, makes his feature film directorial debut with Paramount Vantage's NOT FADE AWAY, which will close this year’s festival on Sunday, October 7th. The film is about a moment in time in the Sixties when the Rolling Stones appear on television and three best friends from the suburbs of New Jersey decide to form a rock band. The film reunites Chase with SOPRANOS star James Gandolfini. Paramount Pictures will release NOT FADE AWAY on December 21st.

SPOTLIGHT FILMS

FRANKENWEENIE
Opening Day Family Film

Director: Tim Burton

Cast: Martin Landau, Martin Short, Catherine O’Hara, Winona Ryder, Charlie Tahan, Frank Welker
From Tim Burton, the visionary filmmaker behind BEETLEJUICE, THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, and ALICE IN WONDERLAND, comes FRANKENWEENIE, a feature-length adaptation of his debut 1984 short film. Budding young scientist Victor Frankenstein loses his beloved dog Sparky in an accident. Soon after, Victor’s science teacher, Mr. Rzykruski (Martin Landau) conducts a class experiment showing the effects of electricity on a dead frog. In a flash of inspiration, Victor vows to bring Sparky back to life––with unexpected, monstrous consequences. Heartwarming and hilarious, this 3D stop-motion animated feature is a ghoulish good time for the whole family.

AMOUR

Director: Michael Haneke

Cast: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva, Isabelle Huppert

Legendary French actors Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva deliver career-capping performances as Georges and Anne, octogenarian retired music teachers living in a lovely Paris apartment. When Anne suffers a stroke, her condition rapidly deteriorates as George tries his best to cope and care for his ailing wife, all while his promise to never place her in a nursing home strains his relationship with his daughter (Isabelle Huppert). Director Michael Haneke (THE WHITE RIBBON, CACHÉ) won an unprecedented second Palme d’Or in four years for this uncompromising and masterful drama about the true meaning of growing old together.

THE DETAILS
East Coast Premiere

Director: Jacob Aaron Estes

Cast: Tobey Maguire, Elizabeth Banks, Laura Linney, Ray Liotta, Kerry Washington, Dennis Haysbert
Playing against type, Toby Maguire delights as the morally ambiguous Dr. Jeff Lang in this dark comedy with no shortage of laughs and gasps. When he attempts to rid his suburban Seattle backyard of raccoons, quickly earning the ire of his eccentric neighbor (Laura Linney), Jeff sets off a chain of events that leads to domestic rifts, adultery, blackmail, and murder. As his marriage to Nealy (Elizabeth Banks) and his life teeter dangerously on the brink of destruction, he seeks redemption by helping a friend in need, but it may be too late to stop the dominos in Jacob Aaron Estes’ offbeat dramedy.

THE GIRL
World Premiere

Director: Julian Jarrold

Cast: Toby Jones, Sienna Miller, Imelda Staunton
Alfred Hitchcock is not only perhaps the most famous film director of all time, creator of such classics as VERTIGO and PSYCHO, but among the most controversial, plagued for years with accusations about his personal treatment of his frequently blonde leading ladies. THE GIRL stars Toby Jones as Hitchcock and Sienna Miller as actress Tippi Hedren, delineating their on- and off-set relationship while filming the seminal horror film, THE BIRDS. Director Julian Jarrold stages the filming of many of THE BIRD’s most famous sequences with wit and flair, and the central performances of Jones and Miller dig into the lives and personas of two icons of cinema in this penetrating docudrama.

A LATE QUARTET
US Premiere
Director: Yaron Zilberman
Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Mark Ivanir, Imogen Poots, Christopher Walken, Catherine Keener
As the world renowned Fugue Quartet celebrates its 25th anniversary season, their patriarch Peter (Christopher Walken) discovers he may be forced into retirement by illness. Long held resentments surface, leaving the musicians to contemplate not only their future, but whether the quartet has trumped all other personal relationships. Tempestuous fights, long held rivalries, and adultery are offset by timeless, beautiful classical music in first time fiction director Yaron Zilberman’s engrossing drama, with pitch-perfect performances from Phillip Seymour-Hoffman, Catherine Keener, and Mark Ivanir, and a lovely turn from Imogen Poots.

LAY THE FAVORITE
East Coast Premiere

Director: Stephen Frears

Cast: Bruce Willis, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Rebecca Hall, Joshua Jackson, Vince Vaughn
Beth Waymer, played with humor and radiance by Rebecca Hall, is a dancer who heads to Las Vegas with dreams of becoming a cocktail waitress. When she meets Dink (Bruce Willis), a professional sports gambler, he notices her considerable talent for numbers amidst her bubbly demeanor. Pulling herself up by her wit instead of her bra straps, she discovers the lofty highs and sobering lows of the professional and underground gambling world. Based on a true story, Stephen Frears (THE GRIFTERS, THE QUEEN) directs a star-studded cast in this smart, fast paced, and entertaining comedy set in Sin City.

RUST & BONE
East Coast Premiere

Director: Jacques Audiard

Cast: Marion Cotillard, Matthias Schoenaerts
From the BAFTA Award-winning director of A PROPHET, Jacques Audiard’s RUST & BONE is a compelling and gritty drama starring Oscar® and BAFTA winner Marion Cotillard and Matthias Schoenaerts (BULLHEAD). Stephanie trains orca whales, and Ali is an emotionally broken, unfit single father and aspiring boxer. When Stephanie is crippled after an accident with one of her beloved whales, they begin an intense romance that doubles as an examination of human weakness and strength. Schoenaerts and Cotillard deliver sharp and subtle performances that drive this drama to powerful emotional heights.

THE SESSIONS
East Coast Premiere

Director: Ben Lewin

Cast: John Hawkes, Helen Hunt, William H. Macy
One of the most surprising and winning films of the year, THE SESSIONS follows the true story of Mark O’Brien, childhood polio survivor paralyzed from the neck down and confined to an iron lung. Far from melancholy, Mark, a poet and journalist by trade, vows to fulfill a lifelong goal: to have sex with a woman. To lose his virginity, Mark contacts a professional sex surrogate (the effervescent Helen Hunt) with the help of his therapist and his priest (William H. Macy). John Hawkes stars as Mark O’Brien in his best performance yet, more than matched by Hunt and Macy.

SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS
Director: Martin McDonagh

Cast: Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken, Tom Waits, Woody Harrelson

Martin, a morally conflicted screenwriter played by Colin Farrell, battles writer’s block on his new feature, SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS. Writer’s block is the least of Martin’s worries when his best friend Billy (Sam Rockwell) places ads seeking psychopaths in the paper. Billy’s side job of kidnapping dogs is no less of a nuisance when he and his partner Hans, played by a startlingly on-point Christopher Walken, accidentally snatch an L.A. crime boss’ prized pooch. From director Martin McDonagh (IN BRUGES), SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS subverts the traditional psychopath genre by infusing it with humor, self-awareness, and pitch-perfect performances, while still maintaining an absurd body count.

SHADOW DANCER
East Coast Premiere

Director: James Marsh

Cast: Andrea Riseborough, Clive Owen, Gillian Anderson, Domhnall Gleeson
SHADOW DANCER, directed by BAFTA Award-winner James Marsh, is a brilliant spy thriller set in the politically volatile Northern Ireland of the early ‘90s, is gripping from its intense opening sequences to its shattering climax. A guilt-ridden young Irish woman, Colette (Andrea Riseborough), has devoted her life to the IRA cause since her traumatic childhood. An MI5 agent (Oscar® nominee and BAFTA winner Clive Owen) intercepts a planned bombing attack in London, and Colette is handed a devastating ultimatum: to go to jail as a terrorist and be separated from her small son, or return to her family as a police informer and spy.

SMASHED
East Coast Premiere

Director: James Ponsoldt

Cast: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aaron Paul, Octavia Spencer, Nick Offerman, Megan
Mullally, Mary Kay Place

Mary Elizabeth Winstead delivers a career-making performance as Hannah, one half of an alcoholic couple with Aaron Paul (TV’s BREAKING BAD). After Hannah hits an all time low—puking in front of her first grade students—her colleague Dave (Nick Offerman, TV’s PARKS & RECREATION) encourages her to seek help with his AA group. Making progress, she bonds with Jenny, a fellow alcoholic turned baker played by Academy Award® winner Octavia Spencer (THE HELP). However, her new sobriety places her marriage in peril. A surprisingly funny and honest look at addiction and recovery, director James Ponsoldt breathes new life and poignancy to an oft-told story.

WHOLE LOTTA SOLE
Director: Terry George

Cast: Brendan Fraser, Colm Meaney, David O’Hara

BAFTA nominee, Oscar®-winner and Hamptons resident Terry George (HOTEL RWANDA) brings his immense talents to this entertaining comedy of errors set in Belfast. Jimbo Reagan owes local gangster Mad Dog Flynn five thousand dollars, but when he robs a fish market to secure the cash, things go from bad to worse, and he ends up with multiple hostages in a local antique shop currently run by the American cousin (Brendan Fraser) of its proprietor. With amusing turns by Colm Meaney as a cantankerous detective and David O’Hara as Flynn, this delightful comedy is a joy for film fans on both sides of the pond.

GOLDEN STARFISH AWARD: NARRATIVE

THE ALMOST MAN “Mer eller mindre mann”
US Premiere
Director: Martin Lund

Cast: Henrik Rafaelsen, Janne Heltberg, Tore Sagen, Per Kjerstad, Tov Sletta
Thirty-five-year old Henrik and his girlfriend Tone still act like teenagers, pulling pranks and having impromptu dance parties in their new apartment, but the responsibilities of adulthood are finally beginning to loom. When Tone becomes serious about a new career, Henrik pulls in the opposite direction by partying with his hard drinking buddies and playing hooky from his job. Preoccupied by that familiar “Peter Pan” longing for perpetual adolescence, Henrik navigates his state of arrested development in increasingly oddball ways in this fresh and charming Norwegian comedy.

DEAD MAN’S BURDEN
East Coast Premiere

Director: Jared Moshé

Cast: Barlow Jacobs, Clare Bowen, David Call, Joseph Lyle Taylor, Richard Riehle
New Mexico, 1870. A lone rider gallops through the New Mexico terrain and a troubled young woman looks on. She aims her rifle. A shocking scene sets the stage for Jared Moshé’s first feature, a pitch-perfect Western about the bonds of family and the slow, inevitable tide of progress. The young woman, Martha, and her husband find a ticket to a better life in San Francisco when they ready the sale of her family’s land to a mining company. Riding in from the horizon, though, is her oldest brother Wade—whom she had thought killed during the Civil War. The siblings reunite, but tensions, mysteries, and suspicions bubble to the surface.

LA DEMORA
US Premiere

Director: Rodrigo Plá

Cast: Roxana Blanco, Carlos Vallarino, Oscar Pernas
Agustín forgets things; he is aging and he knows it. María is never alone: she watches over everyone, sleeps very little, and works too much. She’s increasingly overwhelmed. One day, on impulse, María decides to abandon Agustín. The tightening grip of old age and the guilt of familial responsibility loom over this absorbing drama from rising director Rodrigo Plá. With an exacting gasp of the internal and external struggles María must endure, Plá explores the challenges of a timeless issue and society’s conflicted responses to life’s central questions.

KUMA
US Premiere

Director: Umut Dag

Cast: Nihal Koldas, Begum Akkaya, Vedat Erincin, Murathan Muslu, Alev Irmak

From debut director Umut Dag comes the powerful yet quiet family drama KUMA, which explores the relationship between Fatma, a dying woman clinging to old traditions, and her husband’s 19-year-old second wife, Ayse. As their close-knit Turkish family living in Vienna is forced come to terms with this new addition, friendships, jealousy, and hidden passions take unexpected turns. Heightened by strong performances, the film captures the complexities of a closed-circuit world living in a modern society. One of the most acclaimed films out of the Berlin Film Festival, KUMA is the story of different generations and cultures intersecting.

LORE
US Premiere

Director: Cate Shortland

Screenwriters: Robin Mukherjee, Cate Shortland
Cast: Saskia Rosendahl, Kai Malina, Nele Trebs, Ursina Lardi, Hans-Jochen Wagner, Mika Seidel

In the twilight days of WWII, Lore’s Nazi parents have disappeared into the vortex of Allied retribution, and she must shepherd her younger siblings to safety on the grey edge of the Baltic Sea. In breathtaking images of damaged luminosity, LORE makes us see the dawning realization of WWII’s atrocities as though we had never known them before. It is the story of a tentative coming-of-age set in a maelstrom of brutality; it is a profound meditation on the insidiousness of evil and the transformative power of love; and it is nothing short of extraordinary.

GOLDEN STARFISH AWARD: DOCUMENTARY

BAY OF ALL SAINTS
New York Premiere

Director: Annie Eastman

Filmed over six years, Annie Eastman’s debut is a lyrical portrait of three women who live on the palafitas, or shacks built on stilts, in the biggest bay in Bahia, Brazil. As the government threatens to reclaim the land for ecological reasons, generations of families, most of them single mothers, will be displaced. With Narato, the neighborhood refrigerator repairman as our guide, we meet Geni, Jesus, and Dona Maria, women with different mindsets but all compelled––in their own way––to fight for their family’s future and survival amidst the state’s urban development blunders and broken promises.

COLOMBIANOS
New York Premiere

Director: Tora Mårtens

With a subtle and captivating storytelling style, Tora Mårtens’ documentary feature meanders gingerly, yet thoughtfully, through the relationship of two brothers, making her debut feel almost like a fable. At his mother’s behest and struggling with substance abuse, Fernando moves from Stockholm to Medellin for six months, hoping the change of scenery and his brother Pablo’s support will help him get clean. Pablo, a college student, tries different tactics to help Fernando but nothing seems to stick. As each brother begins to reassess his own path, they learn when to let go and when to take charge.

EL HUASO
US Premiere

Director: Carlo Guillermo Proto

Carlo Guillermo Proto directs this intensely personal documentary, interviewing his father and tracing the bonds and expectations of four generations of his family. Growing up in Chile, Gustavo Proto (director Carlo Proto’s father) always wanted to be a huaso—a rodeo cowboy—but instead he became a businessman and brought his family to Toronto for a better life. Now retired and convinced that he will develop Alzheimer’s like his mother and depression like his father, he plans to live out his dream in Chile before ultimately committing suicide, a decision he announces to his family amidst general protestation.

JASON BECKER: NOT DEAD YET
New York Premiere

Director: Jesse Vile

Jason Becker was a musical prodigy, picking up the guitar at five years old, performing virtuoso solos at sixth grade talent shows, and signing a record deal at 19. But the following year, about to go on tour with David Lee Roth, Becker started limping and falling during performances. He was eventually diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, and was soon no longer able to hold a guitar. He lost the ability to speak and was given three to five years to live. But, as Jesse Vile’s award-winning first film reveals, that was not the last we would hear of Jason Becker. NOT DEAD YET is must-see cinema and a testament to a true musician.
 RISING FROM ASHES
World Premiere

Director: T.C. Johnstone

Narrator: Forest Whitaker

Recovering from one of the worse genocides in history, the Rwandan people find something to root for in this inspiring and beautifully shot documentary. Transcending the differences that once divided them -- and with the help of the first American to ride in the Tour de France -- five cyclists come together to form the first Team Rwanda while racing for spots in the 2012 Olympics. Cycling has long been a national pastime in “the land of a thousand hills,” and RISING FROM ASHES not only gives us a glimpse of this country’s changing landscape, it invites us to share in its epic comeback story.

WORLD CINEMA: NARRATIVE

28 HOTEL ROOMS
East Coast Premiere

Director: Matt Ross

Cast: Chris Messina, Marin Ireland

Evolving over 28 passionate nights, a nameless couple, played by Marin Ireland and Chris Messina, form an unexpected relationship and bond in 28 HOTEL ROOMS. After a chance encounter in a hotel barroom, Messina, a conflicted writer coming off of a bestseller, charms Ireland, an uptight corporate accountant, into a one-night-stand that becomes much more. Deftly maneuvering between the delicate and the humorous, the vicious and the loving moments, debut director/screenwriter Matt Ross gives an assured, incisive portrait of a mature yet complex relationship.

ANY DAY NOW

Director: Travis Fine

Cast: Alan Cumming, Garret Dillahunt, Isaac Leyva, Frances Fisher, Gregg Henry, Don Franklin
Based on true events and anchored by moving performances, ANY DAY NOW stars Alan Cumming as Rudy, an aspiring singer and part-time drag queen in 1970s Los Angeles. Rudy discovers his drug-addicted neighbor routinely abandons her teenage son with Down Syndrome, Marco (Isaac Leyva). After being finding Marco alone on the streets, Rudy and his new partner Paul, a closeted District Attorney (Garret Dillahunt), bring Marco home, and the three become the loving, stable family. When authorities discover Rudy and Paul are gay, they must battle a prejudiced judicial system to adopt the boy they now consider their son.

BETWEEN US
North American Premiere

Director: Dan Mirvish

Cast: Julia Stiles, Melissa George, Taye Diggs, David Harbour

Based on the hit Off-Broadway play of the same name, BETWEEN US is a darkly comedic portrait of two couples and how children, money, and success (or lack thereof) have affected their relationships. Grace (Julia Stiles) and Carlo (Taye Diggs) are still in their honeymoon phase when they visit Sharyl (Melissa George) and Joel (David Harbour) in their sprawling suburban home. They watch in horror as Sharyl and Joel’s marriage violently implodes. Three years later, Sharyl and Joel drop in on Grace and Carlo unannounced. Anchored by memorable performances, BETWEEN US showcases the deep bonds and wide rifts in marriage.

CAMION
US Premiere

Director/Screenwriter: Rafaël Ouellet

Cast: Julien Poulin, Patrice Dubois, Maude Giguère, Jacob Tierney, Stéphane Breton, Noémie Godin-Vigneau, Cindy Sampson

There is nary a false note in this quietly moving, subtly funny drama, which features wonderfully realistic performances against a beautiful rural Canadian backdrop. When longtime truck driver Germain gets into a horrific accident on the road, his two far-flung sons, each stuck in a rudderless malaise of his own, return home to help him deal with the ensuing depression. The time together has unforeseen consequences for all involved. Rafaël Ouellet takes a familiar cinematic story––family reconnecting in the face of tragedy––and makes it feel fresh and unique with his spare, elegant treatment.

THE DISCOVERERS
World Premiere

Director: Justin Schwarz

Cast: Griffin Dunne, Madeleine Martin, Devon Graye, Stuart Margolin, Cara Buono, John C. McGinley
Lewis Birch (Griffin Dunne) and his mid-life crisis couldn’t get much worse: on his rare trip home – with his apathetic teenage children in tow – to see his aging parents, he finds his mother dead and his father Stanley soon in a mute state. Silence doesn't stop Stanley from embarking once again on his favorite pastime: a Lewis and Clark historical reenactment trek. The Discoverers is a human comedy about a dysfunctional family forced to discover themselves and each other along the way. With a nod to Hal Ashby and the intimate character-driven comedies of the 1970s, the film shows how sometimes you have to get lost in order to find yourself. A HIFF Screenwriters’ Lab alum.

DRIFT
World Premiere

Director: Ben Nott, Morgan O'Neill

Cast: Myles Pollard, Xavier Samuel, Sam Worthington, Lesley-Ann Brandt, Robyn Malcolm

Set on Australia’s spectacular and rugged southwest coastline in the 1970s, DRIFT tells the story of two brothers (played by Myles Pollard and Xavier Samuel) at the genesis of the modern surfing industry. Determined to support their single mother, they begin selling custom boards and wetsuits, clashing with the values of their conservative small town and eventually violent drug dealers. This stylistic, compelling family drama strikes a perfect union with action and breathtaking surf footage, and features Sam Worthington as a surf photographer who exemplifies the laid-back vibe and strong bonds of surfer culture.

ELECTRICK CHILDREN
East Coast Premiere

Director: Rebecca Thomas

Cast: Julia Garner, Rory Culkin, Liam Aiken, Bill Sage, Billy Zane

“Don’t leave me hanging on the telephone.” These are divine words to Rachel, a precocious yet sheltered girl living with her Mormon fundamentalist family. On her fifteenth birthday, she stumbles upon a cassette tape blasting rock ‘n’ roll. Three months later, Rachel is pregnant by what she claims to be immaculate conception. Running away to Las Vegas to find that otherworldly voice from the tape, Rachel is transfixed and transformed. Featuring eye-popping cinematography and a heady rock soundtrack, ELECTRICK CHILDREN evokes the first rumblings of adulthood with exhilarating precision.

FUTURE WEATHER

Director: Jenny Deller

Cast: Perla Haney-Jardine, Amy Madigan, Lili Taylor, William Sadler, Marin Ireland
When her single mom runs off to California to become a make up artist to the stars, 13-year old and passionate environmentalist Lauduree clings to the rural home where a carbon sequestration experiment keeps her rooted. Her grandmother Greta, a caustic nurse, has other plans. Thrust together, the two women must learn to trust each other. Featuring outstanding performances by Lili Taylor, Amy Madigan, and newcomer Perla Haney-Jardine, FUTURE WEATHER is a compelling coming-of-age drama that explores the sorrow of saying goodbye to what we love. For its nuanced treatment of environmentalism, FUTURE WEATHER is this year’s Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Feature Film Prize Winner.

GAYBY

Director: Jonathan Lisecki

Cast: Jenn Harris, Matthew Wilkas, Mike Doyle, Anna Margaret Hollyman, Jack Ferver, Jonathan Lisecki, Adam Driver

Based on Jonathan Lisecki’s award winning short film, GAYBY is a hilarious look at life, love, and the pursuit of progeny. Both thirty-somethings and best friends since college, Jenn (Jenn Harris) is a perpetually single yoga teacher and Matt (Matthew Wilkas) is an unsuccessful comic book writer who can’t get over his ex-boyfriend. Realizing they might be each other’s best and only shot at having a baby, they attempt to procreate the old-fashioned way. With a strong and often sassy supporting cast, GAYBY is a sidesplitting look at choosing your family.

GREETINGS FROM TIM BUCKLEY

Director: Dan Algrant

Producers: John N. Hart Jr., Patrick Milling Smith, Amy Nauiokas, Fred Zollo

Cast: Penn Badgley, Imogen Poots, Ben Rosenfeld, Norbert Leo Butz

In 1991 Jeff Buckley (Penn Badgely), a young unknown L.A. musician, is invited to participate in a tribute concert in New York City for his late father Tim Buckley, the iconic folk rock star. Jeff grapples with his own self-doubts and the legacy of his famous father, but with the help of an enigmatic concert intern (Imogen Poots), he discovers his own voice singing his father’s songs. Simultaneously told in 1991 and 1966, GREETINGS FROM TIM BUCKLEY poignantly explores the interweaving paths of a father and son who were among the most beloved singer-songwriters of their generation.

IN ANOTHER COUNTRY “Da-reun na-ra-e-suh”

Director: Hong Sang-soo

Cast: Isabelle Huppert, Yu Junsang, Jung Yumi, Kwon Hyehyo, Youn Yuhjung, Moon Sori, Moon Sungkeun

French superstar Isabelle Huppert stars in Hong Sang-soo’s playful comedy of displacement, IN ANOTHER COUNTRY. Set in a Korean coastal resort town, this Cannes crowd pleaser features three vignettes centered around three different women named Anne––all played by Huppert––all staying at the same hotel and all involved in some degree of infidelity. Hong, the Korean auteur often called the most French director of the Korean New Wave, again orchestrates a roundelay of missed connections tinged with his vintage smirky humor. Enjoy your stay in this lighthearted triptych of joie de vivre.

INCH’ALLAH
US Premiere

Director: Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette

Cast: Evelyne Brochu, Sabrina Ouazani, Yousef Sweid, Sivan Levy, Carlo Brandt, Marie-Thérèse Frotin

From team behind INCENDIES and MONSIEUR LAZHAR (Oscar® nominees, Best Foreign Language Film) comes director Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette’s powerful drama INCH’ALLAH. A stranger in a strange land, Chloe is a young Quebec doctor who lives on the Israeli side of the West Bank and works at a refugee camp on the Palestinian side. In her unique and politically fraught position, she befriends civilians on both sides of the border. Between checkpoints and stray bullets Chloe learns about war as she becomes torn between the two sides of the conflict. Don’t miss this provocative and masterful film.

LET MY PEOPLE GO!
New York Premiere

Director: Mikael Buch

Cast: Nicholas Maury, Carmen Maura, Jean-François Stévenin, Jarkko Niemi, Amira Casar

Gay postman Reuben Steiner's life spins from candy colored perfection to French farce when a man shoves nearly 200,000 euros into his hands and promptly keels over on the lawn. Kicked out by his suspicious Finnish husband and forced to seek asylum amidst the lunacy of his Jewish family in France, Reuben seeks a way back to his “Promised Land,” but just where, or who, can it be? A surprisingly moving comedy, Let My People Go, tilts the camera off-center to a world where (though nothing is perfect) perhaps our most honest choices can set us free.

LUMPY
World Premiere

Director: Ted Koland

Cast: Justin Long, Addison Timlin, Jess Weixler, Tyler Labine, Frances O'Connor

Who was Lumpy: the life of the party or something more? In writer/director Ted Koland’s comedy, Lumpy is the best man who unexpectedly dies at the destination wedding of newlywed couple Scott and Kristin (played with aplomb by Justin Long and Jess Weixler). Forced to cancel their honeymoon and fly home to the snowy Midwest, Scott and Kristin arrange for Lumpy’s funeral, unexpectedly leading them to a 15 year-old girl in a small, northern Minnesota town and the “real” Lumpy. With its sharply drawn screenplay, LUMPY is both a hilarious and touching look at friendship.

MERCY “Gnade”
US Premiere

Director: Matthias Glasner

Cast: Jürgen Vogel, Birgit Minichmayr, Henry Stange, Ane Dahl Torp, Maria Bock, Stig Henrick Hoff, Iren Reppen

Maria and Markus move with their son from Germany to the remote town of Hammerfest, Norway. Here, they must endure with two winter months of daylong darkness known as polar nights just as the promise of this desolate and unbearably beautiful place is replaced with martial tension and resentment. One night, Maria hits something with her car. Soon, the couple must confront the horror and guilt of their actions and the crumbling façade of their marriage. Stunningly photographed at the edge of the world, featuring incredible central performances, MERCY will leave you breathless.

MY BROTHER THE DEVIL

Director: Sally El Hosani

Cast: Saïd Taghmaoui, James Floyd, Fady Elsayed, Aymen Hamdouchi, Ashley Thomas, Anthony Welsh

Mo is a young boy growing up in a traditional Egyptian household, but beyond the front door of the family's modest London flat lies the streets of Hackney. The impressionable Mo idolizes his charismatic older brother Rashid. However, Rashid wants a different life for his little brother and will do whatever it takes to put him through college. Aching to be seen as a tough guy himself, Mo takes a job that unlocks a fateful turn of events and forces the brothers to confront their inner demons. A galvanizing twist on the gangster film subgenre, MY BROTHER pulses with surprise.

PIAZZA FONTANA: THE ITALIAN CONSPIRACY
North American Premiere

Director: Marco Tullio Giordana

Cast: Valerio Mastandrea, Pierfrancesco Favino, Michela Cescon, Laura Chiatti, Fabrizio Gifuni, Luigi Lo Cascio

With shades of TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY, PIAZZA FONTANA is an impressively staged drama set in the politically volatile Italy of the 1960s and 70s. On December 12, 1969 a bomb is detonated at the National Agricultural Bank in Milan’s Piazza Fontana, killing 17 people, wounding 88, and leading to years of intrigue and recrimination. At the center of the investigation is police commissioner Luigi Calabresi, who becomes a controversial figure when a suspect is killed while under interrogation in his office. Cool performances and precision-sharp logic draw us in as Calabresi searches for answers to questions perhaps better left unasked.

RED FLAG
New York Premiere

Director: Alex Karpovsky

Cast: Alex Karpovsky, Onur Tukel, Jennifer Prediger, Caroline White, Dustin Guy Defa

Alex Karpovsky (HBO’s GIRLS, TINY FURNITURE) stars as Alex Karpovsky in this wryly funny film from the young actor-director-producer. Blurring reality and fiction in the vein of Larry David’s CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, Karpovsky takes us on a road trip as he promotes his 2008 film WOODPECKER at colleges and independent cinemas throughout the South. Having just broken up with his girlfriend, he asks an old buddy to come along for the ride and gets entwined with an ardent art house groupie. A through-the-looking-glass glance at independent film, RED FLAG is a blisteringly funny reflection on acting and filmmaking.

REFUGE
World Premiere

Director: Jessica Goldberg

Cast: Krysten Ritter, Brian Geraghty, Logan Huffman, Madeleine Martin

After just one year of college, Amy (Krysten Ritter) is forced to return home when her parents inexplicably abandon her younger brother and sister. The responsibilities of being a mother to her needy siblings weigh heavily on Amy, but the sudden appearance of Sam (Brian Geraghty), a handsome drifter, begins to change the family dynamic. Slowly breaking through the defenses they’ve erected against a hostile world, the group discovers that life isn’t as lonely as it seems. Boasting a standout cast, REFUGE is a touching, tragic-comic portrait of lost souls in destitute small town America.

A ROYAL AFFAIR “En kongelig affære”
US Premiere

Director: Nikolaj Arcel

Screenwriters: Rasmus Heisterberg, Nikolaj Arcel

Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Alicia Vikander, Mikkel Boe Folsgaard, Trine Dyrholm, David Dencik
Starring Alicia Vikander (Variety’s Ten Actors to Watch) and Mads Mikkelsen, A ROYAL AFFAIR brings to life the 18th century royal love triangle between Princess Caroline Matilda of Great Britain, mad King Christian VII of Denmark, and Johann Struensee, the King’s personal doctor and chief advisor. Caroline remains alienated and depressed since she married the cruel King at 15, but when her husband returns from Germany with a new confidante, she is soon taken with Johann’s shared enlightenment ideals. Bringing reform to feudal Denmark, they upset the ruling aristocrats in this sumptuous, engrossing period drama.

THE SAPPHIRES
New York Premiere

Director: Wayne Blair

Cast: Jessica Mauboy, Deborah Mailman, Shari Sebbens, Miranda Tapsell, Chris O'Dowd

Destined to be the crowd-pleasing hit of the year, THE SAPPHIRES is a boisterous, inspirational comedy set in the tumultuous days of the late 1960s about group of talented women from a remote Aboriginal mission. Discovered by a washed up talent scout (the wonderful Chris O’Dowd), they launch a career as an all-girl R&B group and land their biggest gig yet: singing for the troops in the Vietnam War. Based on a true story, THE SAPPHIRES is filled with pop and soul gems, immaculately sung by the breakout cast of Jessica Mauboy, Deborah Mailman, Shari Sebbens, and Miranda Tapsell. A must-see, stand-up-and-cheer film.

SIMON AND THE OAKS
East Coast Premiere

Director: Lisa Ohlin

Cast: Bill Skarsgård, Helen Sjöholm, Stefan Gödick, Jonatan Wächter, Jan Josef Liefers
A splendid, visually rich World War II epic, SIMON AND THE OAKS tells story of Simon (played as the adult by Bill Skarsgård, son of Stellan), who grows up in a loving working class family on the outskirts of Gothenburg but always feels out of place. As a boy he meets Isak, the son of a wealthy, artistic Jewish bookseller who has fled Nazi persecution in Germany. When Isak faces trouble at home, he is taken in by Simon’s family and the two households slowly merge, connecting in unexpected ways as war rages all over Europe.

SIN BIN
East Coast Premiere

Director: Billy Federighi

Cast: Michael Seater, Emily Meade, Bo Burnham, Brian Petsos, Gillian Jacobs, Jeff Garlin, Tim Blake Nelson

Shy Brian is a scholarship kid at a fancy Chicago prep school who lends out his beat-up van, the “Sin Bin,” to his classmates for their sexual exploits while he himself remains a virgin. One day he strikes a deal with Tony (the scene-stealing comedian Bo Burnham), a class kingpin who holds court in the handicap bathroom: in exchange for use of the van, Tony will help Brian with the ladies. With an affable nod to Wes Anderson and a stellar supporting cast, Billy Federighi’s first feature is a charming coming-of-age comedy sure to make you smile.

SPARROWS DANCE
World Premiere

Director: Noah Buschel

Cast: Marin Ireland, Paul Sparks

Award-winning filmmaker Noah Buschel turns his lens on the confines of a Brooklyn apartment in this charming and original love story. An agoraphobic former actress (Marin Ireland) has successfully shut herself off from the outside world, but when her toilet breaks, she is forced to open her door to Wes (Paul Sparks), a saxophone playing plumber, who is equal parts charismatic and disruptive to Ireland. The pair falls in love, but not without obstacles that threaten the new and tender relationship. Bringing nuance and humor to their roles, Ireland and Sparks anchor this winning film.

STARLET
East Coast Premiere

Director: Sean Baker

Cast: Dree Hemingway, Besedka Johnson, Stella Maeve, James Ransone, Karren Karagulian

Two women, 21-year-old Jane (Dree Hemingway) and 85-year-old reclusive widow, Sadie (Besedka Johnson), form an unlikely friendship in Sean Baker’s understated and beautiful film set in the San Fernando Valley. Featuring striking performances from the first time actresses, Jane buys a thermos at Sadie’s yard sale and discovers $10,000 hidden in the relic. Attempting to return the money, Sadie slams the door in her face before she can explain. Jane connives her way into Sadie’s life, and while hiding her motives, the two women find unmatchable companionship and understanding. Graphic content may not be suitable for children.

THE TAIWAN OYSTER
East Coast Premiere

Director: Mark Jarrett

Cast: Billy Harvey, Jeff Palmiotti, Leonora Lim

This quixotic road movie follows two ex-pat kindergarten teachers in Taipei who steal the corpse of a fellow American from a morgue in order to give him a proper burial. While sweet-talking the undertaker, they meet a receptionist who tags along for the ride. Brooding Simon (“You’re in love with sadness.”) and Darin, the energetic instigator of this partying duo, drive along the Taiwanese coast with Nikita, the girl who is at once appalled by their behavior yet drawn to it. With exquisite cinematography by Mike Simpson and music by Dylan Jones, THE TAIWAN OYSTER is a festival find.

WAR WITCH “Rebelle”
Director/Screenwriter: Kim Nguyen

Cast: Rachel Mwanza, Alain Bastien, Serge Kanyianda, Ralph Prosper, Mizinga Mwinga

“Each day I pray to God to give me the strength to love you.” Fourteen-year old Komona (Rachel Mwanza, in one of the finest performances of the year) tells her unborn son the story of her kidnapping and coercion into becoming a child soldier for the Great Tiger rebels. Set in nowhere Sub-Saharan Africa, WAR WITCH is filmed with the ultra realism of a documentary though its forests teem with ghosts, its villages with magic, its love story with unexpected reveries of laughter, and its child’s story with sudden tragedies that must be confronted in the search for peace. Graphic content not suitable for children.

ZARAFA
Directors: Rémi Bezançon, Jean-Christophe Lie

Cast: Simon Abkarian, Max Renaudin, Clara Quilichini, Francois-Xavier Demaison, Ronit Elkabetz, Roger Dumas, Thierry Fremont

Co-directed by Rémi Bezançon and Jean-Christophe Lie, who did the animation for THE TRIPLETS OF BELVILLE and TARZAN, ZARAFA’s charming tale is sure to capture the hearts of kids of all ages. Under a baobab tree, a griot, or storyteller, shares the epic adventures of Maki, a 10-year old boy in Africa who befriends a giraffe and tries to stop her from being sent to Paris as a gift for King Charles X. Their voyage takes them through Alexandria and Marseille, aboard a hot air balloon and a pirate ship, and over mirage-filled deserts and the snow-capped Alps.

WORLD CINEMA: DOCUMENTARY

56 UP
US Premiere

Director: Michael Apted

Inspired by the Jesuit maxim, “Give me a child at seven and I will show you the man,” British director Michael Apted undertook one of the great social experiments in the history of cinema: to follow a group of seven-year old children throughout their lives. The result is the unprecedented UP series, which began in 1964 with 7 UP and has continued every seven years since. Apted’s latest is 56 UP, following his subjects into middle age. Featuring footage and stories from all of the UP films, 56 UP is the latest chapter in Apted’s powerful document of human experience.

59 MIDDLE LANE
World Premiere

Director: Greg Ammon

When are you ready to find out who you really are? At the age of 10, adopted Russian children Grego and Alexa Ammon are rocked by the murder of their father Ted in the Hamptons by their stepfather Danny Pelosi. Soon afterwards, their mother Generosa died of cancer. Now twenty years old, they decide to unearth their roots in the Ukraine. Orphans made orphans again, seeking their identities because even reality doesn't seem real, 59 MIDDLE LANE is a deeply felt documentary that charts the human need to connect and the mysterious journey it takes to move from tragedy to joy.

AMERICAN MASTERS: INVENTING DAVID GEFFEN
US Premiere

Director: Susan Lacy

Cast: David Geffen, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Elton John, Yoko Ono, Cher, Neil Young
Described as “the single most successful entrepreneur in entertainment”, Asylum Records and Dreamworks SKG founder David Geffen rose from his humble beginnings in Brooklyn to become a one-man cultural juggernaut in the film and music industries. INVENTING DAVID GEFFEN offers a fascinating, sympathetic, and startlingly intimate look at the man behind the swagger and success. Effortlessly dovetailing personal events in his life—losing friends to AIDS, a misdiagnosis of cancer, coming out as a gay man after an emotionally devastating breakup with Cher—with his seemingly unstoppable professional ascent, director Susan Lacy has crafted a documentary to inspire anybody who has dared to dream big.

THE ATOMIC STATES OF AMERICA
New York Premiere

Director: Don Argott, Sheena M Joyce

Based on Kelly McMaster’s book about nuclear power plant in Long Island, THE ATOMIC STATES OF AMERICA looks at the resurgence of nuclear power as a viable, so-called “clean” energy source in the United States. The announcement of a new plant in 2010––the first in the U.S. for 32 years––and the Fukushima disaster in Japan a year later, heightened this ongoing debate. Filmmakers Sheena M. Joyce and Don Argott (THE ART OF THE STEAL) take us to reactor communities across the country, exposing the myths and truths about nuclear energy through interviews of those affected and those within the industry.

A BAND CALLED DEATH
East Coast Premiere

Directors: Mark Covino, Jeff Howlett
In the early 70s, an unlikely band of brothers came together in Detroit and began playing a style of high velocity music under the name of Death. Three decades later, the Hackney brothers make their debut. A BAND CALLED DEATH tells unprecedented story of the world's first black punk band, predating the Sex Pistols, the Ramones, and Bad Brains. Filled with timeless music, the documentary rightfully claims Death’s place in music history. As Jake White writes, "The first time the stereo played, I couldn't believe what I was hearing… Ahead of punk, and ahead of their time."

BEYOND RIGHT AND WRONG: STORIES OF JUSTICE AND FORGIVENESS
World Premiere

Directors: Lekha Singh, Roger Spottiswoode

Subtitled “Stories of Justice and Forgiveness,” Lekha Singh and Roger Spottiswoode’s documentary looks at areas of conflict around the world and asks what it takes to forgive, and what it takes to ask for forgiveness under the most difficult of circumstances. Paired personal interviews of aggressors and victims from Northern Ireland, Rwanda, Israel, and Palestine, BEYOND RIGHT AND WRONG examines anger, understanding, remorse, tolerance, and sometimes clemency. The survivors’ stories are haunting and inspiring, and the film is a beautifully shot meditation on justice and its role in national and personal healing.

BIG BOYS GONE BANANAS!*
Director: Fredrik Gertten

BIG BOYS GONE BANANAS!* is riveting chronicle of Swedish filmmakers Fredrik Gertten and Margarete Jangård’s battle to release BANANAS!*, a documentary about Nicaraguan farmers suing Dole Food Company for their use of banned pesticides. With the weight of the multinational’s legal team and shrewd PR firm against them, the filmmakers hire a film crew to follow them, as they are pulled from competition at a major L.A. film festival and find US distribution of their film blocked. Gertten becomes David fighting Dole’s Goliath as he takes a stand against censorship in a world of unchecked corporate and financial power.

BROOKLYN CASTLE

Director: Katie Dellamaggiore

P.S. 318 in Brooklyn is home to the most winning junior high school chess team in the country. For these students, chess isn’t just a game: it’s a chance to create a more promising future, hone their leadership skills, bring greater focus to their classes, and even compete for college scholarships. As the school faces draconian budget cuts that threaten the team’s ability to travel and compete, the students and teachers must fight to save their program. BROOKLYN CASTLE is a heartwarming and entertaining examination of the importance of after school programs and what’s at stake when education budgets become the frontline casualties of the financial crisis.

CALL ME KUCHU

Directors: Katherine Fairfax Wright, Malika Zouhali-Worrall

A powerful documentary with unprecedented access, CALL ME KUCHU examines the growing anti-gay movement in Uganda by following the charismatic David Kato, the first openly gay man from that country and a leading advocate for the rights of “kuchus,” his fellow lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered compatriots. From sensational headlines—“Homo Terror! We Name and Shame Top Gays in the City” screamed one Kampala tabloid—to systematic attempts to legalize anti-homosexual bills in Parliament, the filmmakers boldly attempt to get to heart of what is driving this hysteria while discovering the soul within this marginalized populous.

CITIZEN HEARST
World Premiere

Director: Leslie Iwerks

Narration: William H. Macy

CITIZEN HEARST, directed by Academy Award® nominated filmmaker Leslie Iwerks and narrated by Academy Award nominee William H. Macy, traces the 125-year history of the Hearst media empire, from William Randolph Hearst’s pioneering and controversial days of headline-grabbing yellow journalism, to the global impact of the company’s many successful media brands. Iwerks provides a rare glimpse behind the glass walls of the Hearst Tower, interviewing top magazine editors of Harper's Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, and Esquire, among others, while also traveling to San Simeon, California, for unprecedented access to the Hearst Castle and family members.

DECODING DEEPAK

Director: Gotham Chopra

Subjects: Deepak Chopra, Gotham Chopra, Lady Gaga, Larry King, Oprah Winfrey, Russell Simmons
DECODING DEEPAK probes what happens when we elevate men, inherently flawed by nature, to the level of Guru. Filmed with an all-access pass by the celebrity author and spiritual icon Deepak Chopra’s son, Gotham, the film spends a year following the two as the elder Chopra becomes ordained as a Thai monk, checks in on his various spiritual centers across the US, releases a new book, and spends what time he can with his family. As the son tries to make sense of his father, the film becomes its own journey, different from the one both men intended to embark on.

DON’T STOP BELIEVIN’: EVERYMAN’S JOURNEY
Director: Ramona S. Diaz

A testament to the democratic power of YouTube, a cross-cultural odyssey, and an unforgettable rock documentary, DON'T STOP BELIEVIN’ tells the tale of how Journey hired a Filipino bar singer as their new lead vocalist. Journey’s guitarist and leading light Neal Schon stumbled across videos of Arnel Pineda, a singer from Manila with an astounding voice, and flew him in to meet the band. Director Ramona S. Diaz chronicles the road to stardom for the singer whose charisma and work ethic infuse one of the most American of stadium rock bands with new life and identity.

THE FLAT “Hadira”
Director: Arnon Goldfinger

After his grandmother passes away, Israeli documentarian Arnon Goldfinger discovers an unexpected link to WWII-era Germany in her untouched Tel Aviv apartment. Compelled to delve further into his family history, Goldfinger pieces together her letters and newspaper clippings to reveal startling facts and frustrating ambiguities in the life of a woman glimpsed only in oil paintings and faded photographs. A multifaceted examination of a time period so often represented in stark black and white, THE FLAT tackles the endlessly fraught relationship between Germans and Jews, and the fundamentally mysterious nature of personal history.

THE GOOD SON: THE LIFE OF RAY “BOOM BOOM” MANCINI
World Premiere

Director: Jesse James Miller

Subjects: Ray Mancini, Sugar Ray Leonard

Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini went from working class Bronx kid to boxing superstar, but when he accidentally kills opponent Duk Koo Kim during a 1982 match, he becomes racked by guilt and regret. Years later, when Kim’s grown son decides he would like to meet the man responsible for his father’s death, both men have the opportunity to find some closure and bring decades of pain to an end. Miller’s documentary is more than just a slick, well-made biopic of a fascinating sportsman: it’s an exploration of the consuming nature of grief and the power of forgiveness.

HERMAN’S HOUSE

Director: Angad Singh Bhalla

Herman Wallace has been in solitary confinement in Louisiana over 36 years for a crime he may not have committed. Jackie Sumell is an artist who decided that the only way to get Herman out of prison was to get him to dream. HERMAN’S HOUSE is the documentary of that dream: his dream house, the friendship that inhabits it, and the nearly impossible task of making his home a physical reality. This is a film that demands we consider the stark reality of justice, the definition of “cruel and unusual punishment,” and the limits of compassion in America.

IN YOUR DREAMS – STEVIE NICKS
World Premiere

Directors: Dave Stewart, Stevie Nicks

Subjects: Stevie Nicks, Dave Stewart, Glen Ballard

With her bewitching, emotionally charged songs––from “Rhiannon” to “Landslide”, “Dreams” to “Gypsy”––singer/songwriter Stevie Nicks cemented her status as one of the most distinctive female voices in rock history as a member of Fleetwood Mac and through her own solo career. Producer/songwriter Dave Stewart was one half of the influential pop/rock group the Eurythmics with Annie Lennox. In 2010, these two icons paired up to write and record Nicks’ highly acclaimed album, IN YOUR DREAMS. Co-directed by Stewart and Nicks, this rousing documentary charts the album’s creation and peeks inside their unique creative process.

JAMES SALTER: A SPORT AND A PASTIME
US Premiere

Directors: Edgar Howard, Sandy Gotham Meehan, Tom Piper

In 1967, author and former air force pilot James Salter published what would become his most famous work, A SPORT AND A PASTIME. A love letter to youth, romance, and provincial France, the novel shocked and enthralled the world with its poetic prose and frank sexuality. This warm, incisive documentary intercuts Salter’s reflections on his life and work with archival photographs, commentary from friends like Robert Redford and Reynolds Price, and readings of text from the book. An intimate, deeply moving portrait of one of the greatest American writers of the last century.

LONDON: THE MODERN BABYON
US Premiere

Director: Julien Temple

In Julien Temple’s masterful new documentary, LONDON: THE MODERN BABYLON, the history of 20th and 21st century London is shaped by the diverse experience of the people who give shape to England’s grand metropolis. From the birth of the modern city through the great European wars and into a new era of post-colonial diversity, Temple creates a portrait of the city not as it is mythologized, but as it is lived. LONDON: THE MODERN BABYLON is a triumphant voyage through the century, a celebration of the complexity, beauty, and tragedy, an exultation of human civilization.

MEA MAXIMA CULPA: SILENCE IN THE HOUSE OF GOD
East Coast Premiere

Director: Alex Gibney

Cast: Jamey Sheridan, Chris Cooper, Ethan Hawke, John Slattery, Alex Gibney
Acclaimed documentarian and Academy Award® winner Alex Gibney investigates the sex scandals of the Roman Catholic Church, beginning in 1950s Milwaukee. Pledging to put a public face on sexual abuse, five deaf men and abuse survivors led the first publicly known protest against an abusive priest. This harrowing film travels the globe and unearths a systematic cover up of abuse and scandal. The survivors’ fight for justice is further complicated when Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the former Vatican overseer of sex-abuse cases, is named Pope Benedict XVI. MEA MAXIMA CULPA stands as an important document for social justice and change.

THE NEW PUBLIC
World Premiere

Director: Jylilian Gunther

Filmed over four years, THE NEW PUBLIC chronicles the ambitious efforts of a group of young educators, their students, and the community as they create a small, new public high school in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Their bold vision is put to the test as they struggle to adapt to the difficult reality of the community they serve. From Emmy Award®-winning filmmaker and HIFF alum (PULL OUT) Jyllian Gunther comes a verité-style documentary that considers what it means to bridge, “the urban achievement gap”: who is responsible, who is capable, and whether it's even possible.

ONE DAY AFTER PEACE “Yom echad achari ha-shalom”
East Coast Premiere

Directors: Erez Laufer, Miri Laufer

When Robi Damelin’s son was killed by a sniper while serving in the Israeli Army, her first reaction was to reach out to the Palestinian shooter, hoping to start a dialogue and come to terms with her grief. When the gesture was spurned, she looked to South Africa, her birth country, to learn how the wounds of apartheid have started to heal over the years. With fascinating archival footage of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee hearings, ONE DAY AFTER PEACE is a thought-provoking chronicle of one woman’s brave journey to find peace in two global conflict zones.

ONE NATION UNDER DOG: STORIES OF FEAR, LOSS, & BETRAYAL

Directors: Jenny Carchman, Ellen Goosenberg Kent, Amanda Micheli

Three award-winning directors present a trio of stories that examine the deep and complex relationship between man and his best friend. From the owner of a dog who has bite several neighbors, to pet loss support groups, to animal shelters and dedicated volunteers, this moving documentary examines the complicated intersection between ownership and responsibility, and how our love of dogs can both combat and contribute to the harsh reality that two million dogs are euthanized each year. A must-see for every pet owner. Graphic footage may not be suitable for children.

ORCHESTRA OF EXILES
North American Premiere

Director/Screenwriter/Producer: Josh Aronson

Subjects: Itzhak Perlman, Zubin Mehta, Pinchas Zuckerman, Joshua Bell, Leon Botstein
The story of Bronislaw Huberman and the creation of the Palestine Symphony (renamed the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in 1948) is one for the ages. As a child, Huberman, a virtuoso violinist, played Brahms’ concerto in front of an approving crowd that included Brahms himself. As an adult he declined an invitation to perform the solo at the Berlin Philharmonic’s 1934 opening, instead dedicating himself—and moving heaven and earth in the process—to establishing a new life and a musical haven for Jewish exiles. With deep admiration for its subject, ORCHESTRA IN EXILE explores the life of this extraordinary humanitarian and musician.

PLIMPTON! STARRING GEORGE PLIMPTON AS HIMSELF
New York Premiere

Director: Tom Bean, Luke Poling

Subjects: George Plimpton, Robert F. Kennedy, Freddy Plimpton, Hugh Hefner, Gay Talese
The founder/editor of The Paris Review, a bumbling quarterback for the Detroit Lions, an amateur percussionist in the New York Philharmonic, a hopeless stand-up comedian, an influential writer: George Plimpton was a renaissance man with a unique brand of self-deprecating, perceptive insight into cultural institutions. This spry documentary portrait tracks Plimpton’s everyman stabs at athletic and artistic greatness, as well as his influence on American pop culture as a man of letters. By turns delightful and touching, PLIMPTON! is a tribute to the brilliant man who (seemingly) did it all.

ROMEO, ROMEO
World Premiere

Director: Lizzie Gottlieb

Brooklyn based filmmaker Lizzie Gottlieb intimately documents her friends, a lesbian couple, as they attempt to conceive. With no holds barred access, Gotlieb follows warm, laid back Lexy and reserved, career woman Jessica every step of the way as they traverse the world of artificial insemination, from sperm donors to expensive and harrowing IVF to the possibility that LEXY might not be able to get pregnant. Filled with test tubes, laughter, and tears, ROMEO, ROMEO is a totem to the struggles and triumphs of marriage and family, and a relatable and compelling story both modern and timeless.

THE STANDBYS
East Coast Premiere

Director: Stephanie Riggs

Cast: Ben Crawford, Merwin Foard, Aléna Watters, Bebe Neuwirth, David Hyde Pierce
The curtain’s up, but not for Ben Crawford, Merwin Foard, and Aléna Watters, three incredibly talented musical theater actors all cast as “standbys” for some of Broadway’s biggest names. Unlike understudies who often play a part in a show’s ensemble, standbys wait in the wings night after night, and must be ready to slip into the leading lady’s or man’s shoes at a moment’s notice. THE STANDBYS tracks these actors as the try to climb the ladder of theatrical success: Crawford and Watters, both gunning for stardom, and Foard, a veteran standby ruminating over the chance for more.

VENUS AND SERENA
US Premiere

Directors: Maiken Baird, Michelle Major

Ever since Venus and Serena Williams started playing in tennis tournaments, they’ve provoked strong reactions, from awe and admiration to suspicion and resentment. They’ve been winning championships for over a decade, pushing the limits of longevity in such a demanding sport. How long can they last? In VENUS AND SERENA, we gain unprecedented access into their lives during the most intimidating year of their career. Over the course of 2011, Venus grappled with an energy-sapping autoimmune disease while Serena battled back from a life-threatening pulmonary embolism. Neither Venus nor Serena let their adversities hold them back, drawing strength from each other.

WAKALIWOOD: THE DOCUMENTARY
World Premiere

Directors: Ben Barenholtz, Alan Ssali Hofmanis

WAKALIWOOD takes viewers to the slums of Wakaliga, Uganda, where Isaac Godfrey Geoffrey (I.G.G.) Nabwana, a doting father of three, produces, directs, and edits action films with a collective of dedicated filmmakers and actors. Prop guns are made from welding metal and bullets from carving wood, and I.G.G. edits on a computer he built himself that has a tendency to overheat. Moving and inspiring, WAKALIWOOD is about a pure love for film, a joy for art that, for better or worse, has not been tainted by money and fame, and the power of a community united by a shared dream of making movies.

WILD IN THE STREETS
East Coast Premiere

Director: Peter Baxter

Every year at Lent, the whole town of Ashbourne, England gathers not to watch football, but to play it. The peculiar version they play, Shrovetide Football—in which a heaving sea of humanity wills a hand-painted, four-pound ball towards one of two goals set three miles apart--was developed in medieval times and is the origin of soccer, rugby, and American football. This spirited cross-town rivalry, and the river Henmore, divides the population into posh Up’ards and the dirty Down’ards. Played for a thousand years, the game is a time-honored, quintessentially British tradition, surviving edicts from kings, revolutions, and modern life.

ZEN OF BENNETT

Director: Unjoo Moon
Conceived, Created, and Produced by Danny Bennett

Subject: Tony Bennett

Created and conceived by son Danny Bennett, THE ZEN OF BENNETT is a seductive and soulful view into the mind of singer Tony Bennett as well as an intimate portrait of the artist’s creative process as he turns 85 years old. In a first person narrative, Tony Bennett reflects back over his 60-year career while looking ahead within the context of his latest recording project. We experience inspirational insights as Tony discusses his philosophies of life, lessons learned, and his passion for art and music. A smash hit at our annual SummerDocs series, HIFF is thrilled to bring THE ZEN OF BENNETT to this year’s Film Festival.

GOLDEN STARFISH AWARDS SHORT FILM COMPETITION
The Golden Starfish Awards Short Film Competition represents the finest achievements of the year in short form filmmaking. The winner will be announced at the awards ceremony on Sunday, October 7 and will qualify for consideration at the Academy Awards®.

ABIGAIL
North American Premiere

Director: Matthew James Reilly

Today is Abigail’s last day of work and she’s ready to catch the next train out of town, but by the end of her shift will she still have the conscience to leave? A winner at the Cannes Film Festival.

BYDLO
New York Premiere

Director: Patrick Bouchard

An allegory of mankind heading for disaster, BYDLO is a tragic vision inspired by one of Modest Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition.” The film is stunningly realized in painstaking claymation.

DANCE MUSIC NOW
North American Premiere

Director: Johan Jonason

If you didn’t think making “dance music” was an art form, just look at the egos of those who create it when a recording session turns up some deep seeded emotions.

THE RETURN “Kthimi”
East Coast Premiere

Director: Blerta Zeqiri

A young man, released from a POW camp in Serbia returns home after four years. At first glance his family seems to be exactly as he left them, but soon he learns that he wasn’t the only one affected by the war. Winner of Short Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival.

THE CURSE
North American Premiere

Director: Fyzal Boulifa

A young woman ventures far from her village into the red Moroccan desert to meet her older lover. When a small boy catches her, she can’t begin to imagine the trouble he will cause. Winner of the Short Film Prize at Cannes

FAMILY VALUES: DRAMATIC SHORTS
Love is at the center of these powerful award-winning shorts about family and friendship. The bonds are pushed to the limit, pulled, kneaded, and nearly broken, but family is family and some things never change.

BELIEVING “Geloven”
World Premiere

Director: Mijke de Jong

The female GP Martine deals with many immigrant patients and, over the years, has developed a strong respect for their diverse religious and cultural beliefs. When her daughter Anna chooses her own way and becomes a Muslim, will she be faithful to her convictions?

THE PLAIN “A Chjána”
Director: Jonas Carpignano

Ayiva, an African migrant worker and his best friend, Chico, are forced to escape Italy after its most significant race riots in history. Inspired by real events and featuring non-actors The Plain paints a devastating portrait of friendship, loss, and fear.

THE FACTORY “A Fabrica”
East Coast Premiere

Director: Aly Muritiba

A mother risks everything to smuggle a cell phone for her inmate son. However, it is not just any visiting day. Today, a very important phone call must be made.

REVOLUTION REYKJAVIK
Director: Ísold Uggadóttir

As Iceland sinks into economic meltdown, 58-year-old Gudfinna tries, against all odds, not to do the same.

SLICES OF ANOTHER LIFE: SHORTS
This program of short documentaries explores the overlooked, unseen, and ignored sections of society. Ranging from a cat’s double life to the men who make ballet shoes, there’s something for everyone in this fascinating look at others’ lives.

CAT CAM
Director: Seth Keal

Mr. Lee, an adopted stray cat, lives a double life. Like anyone else, his owner Juergen, constantly wonders about his disappearances. That is until he invents a tiny camera designed to fit around Mr. Lee’s neck.

THE PERFECT FIT
Director: Tali Yankelevich

Ballet shoes may be worn by delicate girls, but they’re crafted by burly men whose hands tell another story. Juxtaposing stories from both a seasoned shoemaker and dancer the film explores the balance that they must strike between pain and perfection.

ANOSMIA
New York Premiere

Director: Jacob LaMendola

A visual and lyrical portrait about people with the rare condition that renders them unable to smell.

EIGHTY EIGHT
US Premiere

Directors: Sebastian Feehan, Josh Bamford

Ralph Settle is 88, but besides looking at him, you would never know. The film is a charming snapshot of a man defying concepts of age by living, drinking, clubbing, and bicycling more than most half his age.

JIMMY
Director: Martin Smith

This touching documentary captures, in first-person, the trials and tribulations of Jimmy McIntosh as he campaigns for the rights of the disabled.

THE CHILDREN NEXT DOOR
US Premiere

Director: Doug Block

Doug Block captures one family’s struggle to cope with the deep psychic wounds left by their abusive father. Five-and-a-half years later, the family is closer than ever… but now the oldest daughter wants to visit her father in prison.

MISCONCEPTIONS: SHORTS
We’re often told not to take things at face value. This playful yet revelatory selection of short films proves why.

CORK’S CATTLEBARON
Director: Eric Steele

A young protégé and his boss (Robert Longstreet) sit down for the most epic steak dinner of their lives in Omaha, Nebraska.

FRIEND REQUEST PENDING
East Coast Premiere

Director: Chris Foggin

Relationships have always been hard, but in this humorous take on cyber romance starring Dame Judi Dench as a widow flirting on Facebook things get complicated.

A GIRLS’ NIGHT OUT “madchenabend ”
New York Premiere

Director: Timo Becker

Tired of life, Christine has just about given up when her roommate at the old person’s home abducts her for night in Hamburg’s red-light district. Suddenly, life doesn’t seem so boring to Christine.

TASTES LIKE CHICKEN?
New York Premiere

Director: Quico Meirelles

From literally a bird’s-eye view we follow the life of one chicken, or rather the life she thinks is possible. Employing a biting social commentary mixed with a distinctive visual style, director Qucio Mierelles makes this anthropomorphized hen cluck.

MR. UNIVERSE
East Coast Premiere

Director Chris Farrington

While driving in the desert at night, a couple wishes the worst on each other, leading to a bizarre and bloody turn of events in which both their twisted desires come true.

RHINOS
East Coast Premiere

Director: Shimmy Marcus

Thrown together by circumstance, an awkward Irish man and a jubilant German tourist reluctantly explore the city together.

FANTASTICAL MOMENTS: SHORTS
Removed from reality and steeped in imagination, these shorts manage to capture the raw passion and find truer emotion than that which exists in the everyday. Bolstered by the Safdie Brothers and the revered HIF alum Don Hertzfeldt, this is a must-see program.

THE BLACK BALLOON
Directors: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie

When one hundred balloons are accidentally released into the wild New York City sky, one lone black balloon manages to escape. Keeping company with the city’s complicated humans, it longs for its own kind. Winner of Sundance Film Festival’s Short Film Jury Prize.

BONA NOX
North American Premiere

Director: Jean-Frederic Eerdekens

Since mommy died in a car accident, daddy is crying all the time. And I move with ‘Wheelchair’, my wheelchair. But I can fix everything: I have a time machine. Told from the child’s perspective, this visually and emotionally arresting film depicts one imaginative way to cope with loss.

IT’S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DAY
Director: Don Hertzfeldt

Bill finds himself struggling with memory loss, in this third and final chapter to Don Hertzfeldt’s award-winning EVERYTHING WIL BE OK trilogy.

VOICE OVER
Director: Martin Rosete

A narrator describes vast, dark, and beautiful scenarios but never seems to get the story right… until he does.

LA VIANDE + L’AMOUR
East Coast Premiere

Director: Johanna Rubin

A very short romantic comedy, the essence, the very crescendo, the embrace, the kiss. All of it represented in raw meat. It can’t get more physical than this.

THE RUNAWAY

Director: Victor Carrey

Chewing gum. A dog leash. An Australia-shaped stain on the wall. A bent traffic light. Each of these elements has its own story, even though all of them together can create a new plot.

REAL HEALING: SPOTLIGHTING DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
While exploring the intricacies of the healthcare system and the failings within them, these three shorts uncover the most potent cures of all: support, dedication, and hope.

REMOTE AREA MEDICAL
East Coast Premiere

Directors: Jeff Reichert, Farihah Zaman

Over three days in April 2012, Remote Area Medical, the pioneers of “no-cost” health care clinics, treated nearly 2000 patients on the infield of Bristol, Tennessee’s massive NASCAR speedway.

MONDAYS AT RACINE
New York Premiere

Director: Cynthia Wade

Brassy Long Island sisters Cynthia and Rachel offer free beauty services for women undergoing chemotherapy. The story of what hair means to us quickly unfolds into a study of womanhood, marriage, and survival. MONDAYS AT RACINE will receive a special single screening on Monday, October 8 at 2PM.

OPEN HEART
World Premiere

Director: Kief Davidson

OPEN HEART is the uplifting story of eight Rwandan children who travel to Sudan to receive high-risk open-heart surgery in Africa’s only free-of-charge, state of the art cardiac hospital.

SHORTS FOR ALL AGES
This award-winning collection of family-friendly shorts appeals to viewers of all ages and includes plenty of wonderful comedies, animated films, and dramas.

PAULIE
East Coast Premiere

Director: Andrew Nackman

When a coveted school prize goes to his cheating, underachieving tormentor, wunderkind Paulie sets out to expose him and learns a lesson or two himself in the process.

PAPERMAN
Director: John Kahrs

After a chance encounter with a dream girl on the morning commute, a lonely young man goes to extreme lengths to catch her eye again in this charming animated Disney short.

THE MISSING KEY
East Coast Premiere

Director: Jonathan Nix

In a richly re-imagined Venice of the early 1920s, a young composer and his faithful oboe-playing cat compete against an unsavory cast of characters in the prestigious Abacus Scroll musical competition.

DRIPPED
Director: Léo Verrier

In this joyful homage to Jackson Pollack, an art-gobbling thief in New York City must paint his own masterpiece meal after he devours every piece in his stolen cache.

DUMBLEWEED
East Coast Premiere

Director: Brian Horn

The road is a very scary place for a tumbleweed. Especially when you have to cross it to save Christmas.

BUY BUY BABY
North American Premiere

Director: Gervais Merryweather

When a baby is left in the care of her father, a major player in the ‘20s NY stock exchange, no one is prepared for the commotion such a little thing can cause.

NEW YORK WOMEN IN FILM AND TELEVISION: SHORTS
We are very pleased to continue our partnership with New York Women in Film and Television for our ninth annual showcase of outstanding achievements by female filmmakers.

DYING AND DINNER PARTIES
World Premiere

Director: Lily Frances Henderson
After volunteering for 10 years at Hospice, death has become a part of life for Kathleen. Now facing her own inevitable end, she confronts it with dignity, poise, and quite a bit of clarity.

KINGS POINT
Director: Sari Gilman

The story of five seniors living in a typical Florida retirement home while they grapple with love, loss, and the fear of dying alone. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize for short film at Silverdocs Film Festival.

MISSION OF MERMAIDS
Director: Susan Rockefeller

A poetic ode to the seas and a plea for their protection, this short documentary captures the beauty and tranquility of the ocean. The mermaid archetype draws us into the ocean world and awakens us to action.

SMART IS WHAT YOU GET: THE CATHERINE FERGUSON ACADEMY
Director: Josette Persson

A heartwarming portrait of Principal Asenath Andrews and the Catherine Ferguson Academy, a school she created that offers teen moms a safe haven and a brighter future.

THAT WHICH ONCE WAS
East Coast Premiere

Director: Kimi Takesue

In 2032, global warming has drastically affected Earth’s environment displacing millions. An orphaned eight-year old boy must find his own path, while attempting to confront his troubled past.

SHORTS BEFORE FEATURES

LONG DISTANCE INFORMATION
Precedes THE FLAT
East Coast Premiere
Director: Douglas Hart
An awkward Christmas phone call between a father and a son leads to a darkly funny revelation.

HEAD OVER HEELS
Precedes THE ALMOST MAN
US Premiere

Director: Timothy Reckart
A long-married couple with wholly different perspectives on life find a new way to see eye to eye in the charming and poignant HEAD OVER HEELS.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF JOHN BALDESSARI
Precedes PLIMPTON! STARRING GEORGE PLIMPTON AS HIMSELF

Director: Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman

The epic life of the world-class conceptual artist John Baldessari, jammed into six minutes. Flecked with humor and humanity this short features deadpan narration of Tom Waits.

OCEAN KEEPER
Precedes JAMES SALTER: A SPORT AND A PASTIME
World Premiere

Director: Eileen Olivieri Torpey

A captivating blend of archival and contemporary footage, this short documentary takes us through the 100-year-plus history of the Amagansett Life-Saving Station.

MECONIUM
Precedes ROMEO, ROMEO
East Coast Premiere

Director: Rosanne Flynn

When Owain’s girlfriend Lorna unexpectedly goes into labor, he’s faced with some important choices… most of which are messy.

THE CHAIR
Precedes THE ATOMIC STATES OF AMERICA

Director: Grainger David

A hauntingly beautiful parable about a boy attempting to understand his mother’s death, his grandmother’s obsession with their discarded recliner, and the roots of an outbreak of poisonous mold in their small town.

ASAD
Precedes BAY OF ALL SAINTS

Director: Bryan Buckley

A Somali boy must choose between the pirate life or the life of an honest fisherman, and forge his own peculiar destiny. This coming-of-age fable, using an all-Somali refugee cast, won Best Narrative Short at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival.

GROWING FARMERS
Precedes HERMAN’S HOUSE
World Premiere

Director: Michael Halsband

This short documentary features the next generation of farmers on Long Island. The struggles they face, the community they’ve created, and the future of farming on Long Island.

CROOKED LINES
Precedes COLOMBIANOS
World Premiere

Director: Lucy Walker

From Lucy Walker, two time Oscar® nominee, comes a tale about Brazil’s best rower.

STUDENT AWARDS PROGRAM
Presented by Bloomingdale’s

CALLUM
Director: Michael van der Put, Drama Centre London, University of the Arts

When his ex-girlfriend is killed at a local train station, average schoolboy Callum struggles to cope with his feelings of guilt, grief, and fear. Increasingly isolated and under interrogation, he must look for courage to do the right thing.

FALLEN “Gefallen”
Director: Christoph Schuler, University of Television and Film, Munich

Returning home to Germany after their tour of duty in Afghanistan, three friends attempt to readjust to civilian life after losing their friend on the battlefield. What are they to do with all their anxiety? Where do they go with all their rage?

MONTAUK
Director: Charlie Kessler, New York University

For years, conspiracy theories have surrounded the Montauk area – from government projects to something deeper and more supernatural. Now, using film unearthed from the archives of the Suffolk County Police Department, bear witness to the latest––and most shocking––incident in the history of this area.

THE LEPIDOCTOR
Director: Jonathan Barenboim; University of Southern California

Baxter is obsessed with collecting and fixing strange gadgets. Armed with his childish wit, naïve courage, and a Victorian set of surgical instruments, Baxter embarks upon a strange, monumental journey that will help his accept the loss of his mother, reconnect with his father, and avenge the death of butterflies.

TUURNGAIT
Directors: Paul-Emile Boucher, Remy Dupont, Benjamin Flouw, Alexandre Toufaili, Mickael Riciotti; SUPINFOCOM, Arles, France

Fascinated by a wild bird, an Inuit child wanders away from his village. His father follows his trail, determined to find him before he gets lost on the ice floe.

WORLD CINEMA: SPECIAL SCREENINGS

BALIBO (2009)

Director: Robert Connolly

Cast: Anthony LaPaglia, Oscar Isaac, Damon Gameau, Gyton Grantley, Nathan Phillips

Robert Connolly’s visually layered political thriller is the story of Robert East (Anthony LaPaglia), a freelance journalist from Australia, and José Ramos-Horta (Oscar Isaac), the East Timor activist who eventually became its first President. Set during the Indonesian offensive in the country in 1975, East originally goes to Ramos-Horta’s homeland to run the country’s news agency, but instead he decides to investigate what happened to five missing Australian journalists who documented the off-shore invasion weeks before. This powerful film tells the true story of what happened to the Balibo Five and Roger East thirty years later. Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, José Ramos-Horta, will be present for a discussion following the screening of BALIBO.

A BEAUTIFUL MIND (2001)

Director: Ron Howard

Cast: Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Paul Bettany, Josh Lucas, Christopher Plummer
Academy Award® winner for Best Picture in 2001, A BEAUTIFUL MIND is the riveting and moving story of John Nash, a Nobel Laureate in Economics. The film follows Nash’s story from his early prodigy days at Princeton University through his early breakthroughs and charts his life-long struggle with paranoid schizophrenia. Inspired by a bestselling book by Sylvia Nasar. A BEAUTIFUL MIND stars Russell Crowe (Academy Award nominee, Best Actor), Ed Harris, and Jennifer Connelly (Academy Award Winner, Best Supporting Actress), and netted director Ron Howard his first Oscar for Best Director.

Nobel Laureate John Nash will be present for a discussion following the screening of A BEAUTIFUL MIND.

DAYS OF HEAVEN (1978)

Director: Terrence Malick

Cast: Richard Gere, Brooke Adams, Sam Shepard, Linda Manz

DAYS OF HEAVEN is Terrence Malick’s painfully beautiful classic starring Richard Gere in one of his breakthrough roles. Gere stars as Bill, a steel mill worker who flees Chicago with his girlfriend (Brooke Adams) and young sister (Linda Manz, who provides the haunting narration) after a violent incident. They land in the sweeping prairies of the Texas panhandle as migrant workers working for a wealthy farmer (Sam Shepard). A powerful and audacious parable, cast in Biblical overtones, DAYS OF HEAVEN features Academy Award®-winning cinematography and was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. Screening in honor of Richard Gere, the recipient of the 2012 Golden Starfish Award for Lifetime Achievement in Acting.

THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY (1999)

Director/Screenwriter: Anthony Minghella

Cast: Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Cate Blanchett, Philip Seymour Hoffman

Featuring Academy Award® nominated costumes by Ann Roth and Gary Jones, Anthony Minghella’s classic 1999 period thriller THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY unspools a nail-biting plot with elegant dread. Matt Damon stars as Tom Ripley, an insinuating young man who cons his way into the world of Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law), a rogue young millionaire. With a taste of Dickie’s life, Tom Ripley takes drastic measures to maintain it. Based on Patricia Highsmith’s famous novel, the film received huge acclaim upon its release, including a BAFTA Award® for Law’s performance. Ann Roth will be honored by HIFF and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences on 10/6 at 3PM at Guild Hall for her career achievements in costume design.

A CONVERSATION WITH…
Presented by Capital One

RICHARD GERE
Moderated by Alec Baldwin
The Hamptons International Film Festival presents an evening of conversation with humanitarian, actor, and Golden Globe winner Richard Gere. Gere’s legendary career has cemented his place as one of the cinema’s finest actors, from his breakthrough in Terrence Malick’s DAYS OF HEAVEN through his career-defining roles in AMERICAN GIGOLO, AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN, PRETTY WOMAN, PRIMAL FEAR, CHICAGO, and most recently, in Nicholas Jarecki’s ARBITRAGE. Gere’s unique blend of intensity and charm has created some of the screen’s most indelible characters. Join host Alec Baldwin as they discuss the craft and artistry behind Gere’s unforgettable performances. The evening will culminate in Gere being honored with the Golden Starfish Award for Lifetime Achievement In Acting.

ALAN CUMMING
A true, and utterly charming, chameleon, Alan Cumming is a force to be reckoned with in any medium. Groomed on the London stage, Cumming’s diverse and acclaimed resume spans Hollywood and independent features such as EMMA, ROMY AND MICHELLE’S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION, X2: X MEN UNITED, the SPY KIDS Trilogy, TITUS, and THE ANIVERSARY PARTY (which he also wrote and directed with Jennifer Jason Leigh); Broadway with CABARET (Tony Award) and THE THREE PENY OPERA; and television with his Emmy®-nominated turn as Eli Gold on CBS’s THE GOOD WIFE. Cumming also appears in the film, ANY DAY NOW, and watch him host our annual Golden Starfish Awards Ceremony on Sunday, October 7 at Guild Hall.

AN AFTERNOON TALK WITH…STEVIE NICKS
With her bewitching, emotionally charged songs—from “Rhiannon” to “Landslide”, “Dreams” to “Gypsy”—singer/songwriter Stevie Nicks cemented her status as one of the most distinctive female voices in rock history as a member of Fleetwood Mac and through her own solo career. Among her extraordinary accomplishments: over 40 Top 50 hits, 13 Grammy Award nominations, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 with Fleetwood Mac, over 140 million albums sold, and a repertoire that has inspired a generation of artist, songwriters, and performers. In 2012, she now steps behind the camera with another rock legend Dave Stewart (the Eurythmics) with IN YOUR DREAMS – STEVIE NICKS, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of their 2011 album. Join us for a lively conversation with one of rock music’s most distinctive voices. IN YOUR DREAMS screens on Sunday at Sag Harbor Cinemas.

Hamptons International Film Festival to Open With 'Love, Marilyn,' Close With 'Not Fade Away'

Indiewire — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 00:14:15 GMT

The Liz Garbus doc "Love, Marilyn" will open the 20th Hamptons International Film Festival Oct. 4 in East Hampton, followed by "The Silver Linings Playbook" in Southampton October 5.

The festival's centerpiece screening is Ben Affleck's "Argo." Closing the Hamptons October 7 is David Chase's directorial debut, "Not Fade Away."

Garbus' Marilyn Monroe doc, which will air on HBO next year, had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. "The Silver Linings Playbook" also premiered at TIFF, where it won the audience award.

"Argo" premiered at the Telluride Film Festival. "Not Fade Away" will have its world premiere the day prior, at the New York Film Festival.

Hamptons Film Fest Will Honor James Schamus

Peter Knegt — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 15:10:23 GMT

The Hamptons International Film Festival has announced that Focus Features CEO James Schamus will be honored at the festival's annual industry toast.

The event will come during the 20th anniversary edition of the fest, taking place October 5th at East Hampton Point. The festival itself runs October 4-8, 2012.

Past recipients of the honor have included Marcie Bloom, Bob Berney, Ted Hope, Wouter Barendrecht, and Ben Barenholtz.

Full press release below.

East Hampton, NY (June 18, 2012) – The 20^th Annual Hamptons International Film Festival is honored to present Focus Features CEO James Schamus with this year’s Industry Toast. Mr. Schamus will be fêted by his peers on Friday, October 5^th at East Hampton Point. The 20^th Annual Hamptons International Film Festival will take place this year over Columbus Day Weekend, from October 4^th – 8^th.

As a screenwriter, producer, and academic, Mr. Schamus has enjoyed a prolific career in the motion picture industry. He is Professor of Professional Practice in Columbia University’s School of the Arts, where he teaches film history and theory. Before co-founding the worldwide film company Focus Features, which is celebrating its 10^th Anniversary in 2012, he served as co-president of the independent film production company Good Machine. Among the highlights of Mr. Schamus’ screenwriting career are his work on The Ice Stormand Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, both directed by his longtime creative collaborator Ang Lee; he was Academy Award-nominated as producer on Mr. Lee’s Brokeback Mountain, which became Focus’ all-time top-grossing film.

“In the Festival’s 20^th year, it is a privilege to honor James, who is such a well- respected leader in the field,” said Hamptons International Film Festival Director Karen Arikian. “He has had a long and influential role in the independent film world in New York and in LA. and his deep understanding of the creative process has produced some of the most riveting films of the past years. He is also a generous mentor, passing on his knowledge and experience through his teaching career at Columbia University. There is no one more deserving of this honor.”

“It’s a great honor to be subjected to the Hamptons Roast – I mean, Toast – a now-venerable tradition that brings together a truly wonderful community of independent film lovers,” said Mr. Schamus.

The Hamptons International Film Festival Industry Toast honors those who have played a significant role in the independent film industry over the years. Past recipients have included Marcie Bloom, Bob Berney, Ted Hope, Wouter Barendrecht, and Ben Barenholtz.

ABOUT THE HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

The Hamptons International Film Festival was founded in 1993 to celebrate independent film – long, short, fiction and documentary – and to introduce a unique, varied spectrum of international films and filmmakers to the public. The Festival is committed to exhibiting films that express fresh voices and differing global perspectives, with the hope that these programs will enlighten audiences, provide invaluable exposure for filmmakers and present inspired entertainment for all. Taking place among the charming seaside historic villages of Long Island’s east end, the Hamptons International Film Festival’s intimate, informal atmosphere makes the festival an ideal destination for cinephiles. The 20^th anniversary edition takes place over Columbus Day weekend, October 4^th- 8^th, 2012.

The Hamptons International Film Festival greatly appreciates the support from their corporate sponsors including, American Airlines, Altour, Silvercup Studios, Baume & Mercier, A&E and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP; and thanks Focus Features for its support. For more information about the Festival and its year round programs, visit www.hamptonsfilmfest.org.

ABOUT JAMES SCHAMUS AND FOCUS FEATURES

An integral contributor to the American independent film business for over two decades, James Schamus has the unique distinction of being an award-winning screenwriter and producer who is also a film executive. He is chief executive officer (CEO) of Focus Features (www.focusfeatures.com), which exists to produce, acquire and distribute original and daring films that challenge the mainstream to embrace and enjoy voices and visions from around the world that deliver global commercial success. Mr. Schamus formed Focus with David Linde in May 2002. The singular global company operates as Focus Features in North America and Focus Features International (FFI) in the rest of the world. One of the world’s leading international sales agents, FFI also encompasses international distribution, marketing and publicity. FFI has the special ability to tailor international distribution to suit each film, whether licensing distribution rights to independent companies, or securing distribution through Universal Pictures International. FFI distributes up to 10 titles annually, approximately half of which are from Focus’ considerable domestic production/release slate and half of which come from partners across the globe.

Prior to the formation of Focus, Mr. Schamus was co-president of the independent film production company Good Machine, which he co-founded in 1991. Mr. Schamus and his partners at the company produced over 40 films during an 11-year period, in partnership with filmmakers such as Ang Lee, Todd Solondz, and Nicole Holofcener. Mr. Schamus received Academy Award nominations in the Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Song categories for his work on Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The blockbuster Good Machine feature, which Mr. Schamus co-wrote and executive-produced, won 4 Academy Awards.

Mr. Schamus has had a long collaboration as writer and producer with Ang Lee on eleven feature films, with the director’s Brokeback Mountain, starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, released worldwide through Focus Features. The film is Focus’ all-time top-grosser, with global ticket sales of over $180 million. Brokeback Mountain, on which Mr. Schamus served as a producer, won, among other honors, 3 Academy Awards; 4 Golden Globe Awards; 4 BAFTA Awards; and the Producers Guild of America’s top prize, the [Darryl F. Zanuck] Producer of the Year Award, Theatrical Motion Pictures.

Focus’ celebrated releases have included eight more Academy Award winners: Gus Van Sant’s Milk, Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation(which grossed over $100 million worldwide), Roman Polanski’s The Pianist, Mike Mills’ Beginners, Fernando Meirelles’ The Constant Gardener, Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Walter Salles’ The Motorcycle Diaries, and Joe Wright’s Atonement; and Henry Selick’s Coraline, Cary Fukunaga’s Sin Nombreand Jane Eyre, Joel and Ethan Coen’s Burn After Reading(which grossed over $155 million worldwide) and A Serious Man, Martin McDonagh’s In Bruges, Joe Wright’s Pride & Prejudiceand Hanna, Todd Haynes’ Far from Heaven, François Ozon’s Swimming Pool, Alejandro González Iñárritu’s 21 Grams, and Tomas Alfredson’s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.

Domestically, the Focus Features slate includes Moonrise Kingdom, the new feature from Wes Anderson, starring Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, and Jason Schwartzman; Lorene Scafaria’s Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, starring Steve Carell and Keira Knightley; Sam Fell and Chris Butler’s ParaNorman, the new 3D stop-motion comedy thriller from animation company LAIKA; Jamie Travis’ contemporary comedy For a Good Time, Call…, starring Ari Graynor and Lauren Anne Miller; Closed Circuit, the suspense thriller directed by John Crowley and starring Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall; Paul Weitz’s comedy/drama Admission, starring Tina Fey and Paul Rudd; Gus Van Sant’s Promised Land, the contemporary drama written by and starring Matt Damon and John Krasinski;the historical tale Hyde Park on Hudson, directed by Roger Michell and starring Academy Award nominees Bill Murray and Laura Linney; and Joe Wright’s epic love story Anna Karenina, starring Keira Knightley, Jude Law, and Aaron Johnson.

One of the world’s leading international sales agents, FFI also encompasses international distribution, marketing and publicity. FFI has the special ability to tailor international distribution to suit each film, whether licensing distribution rights to independent companies, or securing distribution through Universal Pictures International.

FFI distributes up to 10 titles annually, approximately half of which are from Focus’ considerable domestic production/release slate and half of which come from partners across the globe. In addition to those previously mentioned titles, the FFI slate includes Woody Allen’sTo Rome with Love, starring Woody Allen, Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Penélope Cruz, Judy Davis, Jesse Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig, and Ellen Page; Arthur Newman, Golf Pro, the comedy starring Colin Firth and Emily Blunt for director Dante Ariola; Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Ruairi Robinson’s thriller The Last Days on Mars; Mike Flanagan’s horror tale Oculus; Andrew Adamson’s drama Mr. Pip, based on the celebrated novel and starring Hugh Laurie; and the epic fantasy Cloud Atlas, starring two-time Academy Award winner Tom Hanks for writer/directors Tom Tykwer and Andy and Lana Wachowski.

Focus Features and Focus Features International are part of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. Comcast Corporation owns a controlling 51% interest in NBCUniversal, with GE holding a 49% stake.

Carter Burwell and Michael Almereyda at MoMA June 20 for Hamptons Fest

Jay A. Fernandez — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 20:23:52 GMT

Film composer Carter Burwell and “Nadja” writer-director Michael Almereyda will headline a MoMA panel June 20 as part of the 2012 Hamptons International Film Festival’s official program. In addition, the festival has launched a new partnership with the Silas Marder Gallery to present a summer outdoor screening series that will include Hal Ashby’s “Being There” and Preston Sturges’ “Sullivan’s Travels.”

The Long Island fest, which runs October 4-8, is in its 20^th year.

“As we begin our season of celebrating HIFF’s 20^th Anniversary year, we are looking forward to strong events both in New York and in the Hamptons,” said executive director Karen Arikian. “These two noteworthy happenings are just the first in a series of summer screenings perfectly launching what will be a significant year for HIFF.”

Burwell has scored films such as “Blood Simple,” “This Boy’s Life,” “Fargo,” “Gods and Monsters,” “Being John Malkovich,” “Three Kings,” “The Kids Are All Right” and the upcoming Warner Bros. crime film “Gangster Squad.” In 2000, he collaborated with Almereyda on his modern-day update of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” Their MoMA Film Plus Program discussion, titled “Common Language: The Art of Composing For Film,” will include film clips and focus on how directors and composers work together.

The Marder Gallery series, “Films on the Haywall,” will kick off June 15 with “Being There” and run through Labor Day. “Sullivan’s Travels” will screen June 22 in partnership with non-profit organization FilmAid.

The festival’s summer documentary series program will be released shortly.

Holly Herrick Takes Austin Film Society Associate Director Post

Bryce J. Renninger — Wed, 09 May 2012 15:28:31 GMT

Holly Herrick, formerly the Programming Deputy Director at the Hamptons Film Festival, has accepted the position of Associate Artistic Director at the Austin Film Society.

Herrick will follow in the footsteps of Bryan Poyser ("Lovers of Hate"), who left the organization in March to pursue filmmaking fulltime.

"For years, I have followed the work of AFS with great admiration for its dedication to the art of cinema and its smartly conceived programs that service the needs of working artists," Herrick said in a statement. "It’s a dream come true for me to work in the service of an organization with a rich history serving filmmakers and promoting film appreciation."

Herrick will be moving to Austin and starts her new position June 15.

Robot & Frank and Valley of Saints at Sundance via Sloan Foundation Support

Sydney Levine — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:30:00 GMT

One of the most exciting financial initiatives for the independent filmmaker is offered by The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. It believes that a carefully reasoned and systematic understanding of the forces of nature and society, when applied inventively and wisely, can lead to a better world for all. The Foundation makes grants to support original research and broad-based education related to science, technology, and economic performance; and to improve the quality of American life. Though founded in 1934 by Alfred P. Sloan Jr., then-President and CEO of General Motors, the Foundation is an independent entity and has no formal relationship with the General Motors Corporation.

Armed with this general knowledge of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation I was lucky to be able to interview Doron Weber, the Vice President of the Sloan Foundation who was at the Sundance Film Festival with a couple of their prize winning films. I also knew of the Sloan Foundation through Denise Kassel and the Coolidge Corner Theater who for two years running has been touting the Foundation at the Art House Convergence held just before the Film Festival.

"It is not fostering films that teach but films that integrate science into the drama that makes for good stories. This program brings public understanding of science and technology which is about bridging the gap between the two cultures and fostering a keener appreciation of the increasingly scientific and technological world in which we live. Also humanizing the face of science—and of the men and women engaged in scientific and technological pursuit.

The Public Understanding Program supports books, radio, television, film, theater, opera and special events. The film program specifically has three components, of which the first is film schools —- which includes AFI, Columbia, Carnegie Mellon, NYU, UCLA and USC -- and annual awards in screenwriting (feature scripts and film production, short films).

This is where Robot & Frank was hatched, as a $20,000 production grant to writer Chris Ford and director Jake Shcreier who eight years later turned it into a feature film (on their own. "We also give out a new $50,000 grand jury prize for the best script from the winning screenplays (Best of the Best) and a handful of $100,000 first feature production grants for camera-ready scripts. This is where Valley of Saints won its $100k grant. We later gave Valley of Saints a second grant through our screenplay development program which has four partners, our three film festival partners—Sundance, Tribeca and Hamptons—and Film Independent. Film Independent gave Valley its Sloan Producers Grant of $25k to keep that project going. So in this way we use our four partners as a “farm system” and keep nurturing projects until they get finished."

Two examples were highlights of Sundance this year. Jake Schreir's Premieres film, Robot & Frank, starring Frank Langella, a tale of a man who strikes up an unlikely friendship with his robotic caretaker was developed with Sloan support as was Musa Syeed's World Competition film Valley of Saints for which he granted $100,000 as a First Feature Grant.

But that is not the end of the story. Doron points to continual support of films the Foundation backs. The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Feature Film Prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival of $20,000 was split between Robot & Frank which is about technology and our relationship with it, and Valley of Saints for the innovative way the film depicts the scientist at the heart of the film. It takes a particular point of view to incorporate a scientific element into a feature. Think A Beautiful Mind, Social Network, Moneyball, Contagion, Memento, The Aviator, and even Frankenstein. There are many way to make a science and technology-themed film.

Valley of Saints : Teaser Trailer from People's Television on Vimeo.

Valley of Saints, also won the World Audience Award at Sundance. This beautiful film taking place in crown jewel of Kashmir, Dal Lake is a sprawling aquatic community where erupting political violence often distracts from the natural beauty. In Berlin's EFM, it will be represented by The Film Collaborative. See the trailer here.

Another element of the Sloan Foundation is its support of the distribution of these films. Art House Convergence has become a grantee of distribution support as well. Films like Frankenstein or any other film chosen by a member theater of the Art House Convergence can be chosen along with a speaker on the science in the film and distribution will be paid for by the Sloan Foundation. "This is a new program and so far no Sloan film has been distributed. But as a condition of the new grants, every theatre which agrees to screen three Science on Screen films will have to choose one from the Sloan Library of films that have either won prizes by us or been developed with foundation help."

The Science on Screen: Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Grant Program began at The Coolidge Corner Theater. Denise Kassel who left the Hamptons Film Festival to go to Coolidge Corner used her relationship with the Sloan Foundation to expand film and scientific literacy with this popular program, now in its eighth year. Last year, eight grants of $7,000 were awarded to Convergence participants. Those grant recipients returned this year to AHC to tell others about their Science on Screen experiences, and to encourage other theaters to apply for this year’s expanded grants program. Through generous funding support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Coolidge Corner Theatre is launching a second year of its national Science on Screen initiative at the Art House Convergence. In 2012, the Coolidge will issue 20 grants of $7,000 to art house cinemas across the country for use in implementing their own Science on Screen programming. Denise Kasell, Executive Director, Coolidge Corner Theatre discussed this with Beth Gilligan, Associate Director of Development, Marketing & Outreach, Coolidge Corner Theatre; Cheryl White, Science on Screen Program Manager, Coolidge Corner Theatre; Doron Weber, Vice President, Programs, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation; Brian Hearn, Film Curator, Oklahoma City Museum of Art; Tara Schroeder, Director of Programming & Marketing, Tampa Theatre.

The Foundation’s Public Understanding Project which includes film as one small part of its reach has four feature film projects that have been completed and are being released: Future Weather which might go to Tribeca, and Whaling City which is in post and received $100,000, Robot & Frank and Valley of Saints. They now have a library of 30 films.

Doron told me how it works. “First each partner institution selects a short list with a committee of film professional and scientists. Then they send me what they have. I weigh in about suitability only after they have chosen something as film-worthy. The films are not sci-fi or about medicine. They are about science or technology. The mission is to deepen appreciation of modern life via two cultures, that of everyday life and that of science.” He receives scripts from one of four partners who have chosen them: Tribeca, Sundance, Film Independent and the Hamptons Film Festival.

“We also read scripts from six film schools which is how we got Valley of Saints and Robot & Frank. “ The six film schools are NYU's Tisch School, Columbia U., USC, UCLA, AFI and Carnegie Mellon.

The material might be Alan Alda's current play at the Geffen Theater in L.A. on Marie Curie (though there are two other Marie Curie projects); they also will commission such plays, or books, radio, tv. The plays are a totally separate theatre program. "Here we have three theatre partners: Ensemble Studio Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Company and Playwrights Horizons. The Foundation comes in very early with development money which they recognize is very important and very hard to find. An example is How The World Began. This is just a play. The other play is Photograph 51 which is being developed into a screenplay by the playwright Anna Ziegler, Rachel Weisz as producer and Protozoa Pictures. There is no budget yet though I suspect it will come out closer to $5 million. Photographing Creationism which is about DNA went from a play to a screenplay with a budget of $10 million."

Doron Weber came to Sloan with a background in the humanities rather than in science. He has also written several books in the health and science arena and worked at the Rockefeller University, a world class biomedical center. “ My education is in the arts but my professional life has been at the intersection of science and the arts.” He came to Sloan who did not do art projects at that time, and he brought them in on mass media. He has been at the Foundation for more than sixteen years.

"Sleeping Beauty" Star Emily Browning: "I knew it would be more intense than anything I've done before."

Brian Brooks — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:09:10 GMT

Fascinating, shocking, beautiful and a bit of a mind-blow, Australian director Julia Leigh's "Sleeping Beauty" was anything but a passing fancy in Cannes where it had its world premiere in May. Ahead of its red carpet debut, journalists packed into the press screening earlier in the day and after the credits rolled, opinions flared in the foyer afterward.

"It will never be released in the U.S.," some said. "I'm ashamed to be Australian," said another about the film that takes place down under, starring Australian actress Emily Browning.

But the film, which did find American distribution via IFC Films and is opening Friday in limited release, also had its supporters at the festival - a group that seemed to increase as time went on. While not a resounding endorsement, IW's critic Eric Kohn observed that the film "will scare off a lot of audiences...[but] Leigh has firmly put herself on the map as a director to watch." And while the initial round of viewers debated the film's journey of a young woman's "reckless descent into a shocking world of erotic desires" as the official description states, most agreed that Emily Browning's acting was top notch.

She received a "Special Recognition" for her performance at the Hamptons International Film Festival in October where the film had its American debut. Indiewire jumped at the chance to talk with the very affable Browning at the festival who acknowledged that the film is going to divide audiences both here and abroad. And that's OK....

When I first saw the Cannes lineup and this film earlier this year the title of course drew my attention and I'm sure others too. The film is not maybe what people expect at first glance and in fact is very divisive, is that fair? What drew you to this role?

When I first read the script for the opening scene where Lucy has the tube put down her throat, I had a really visceral reaction, I had a bit of a panic and I had to put the script down. It made me really uncomfortable. I finished the script and it made me cry and it made me feel strange. It was so beautifully written. The character of Lucy was interesting and unlike anything I'd seen before. I thought her willingness and recklessness and nihilism and her strength was really cool. The fact that it made me uncomfortable was a plus for me. I'm not particularly brave in my everyday life. I'm generally anxious, so I figured if I can be a little fearless in the work that I do, it would balance everything out.

I met Julia in Toronto at an IFC dinner. She said she thought you were really brave.

I think it's hard to see yourselff in that way. I knew it was tough and would be more intense than anything I've ever done before. I had to muster up some courage, definitely. It's hard to be objective about that kind of thing. I just loved it and I wanted to be a part of it - so I did it. All of the nudity and all the intense scenes weren't as difficult as I thought they would be, to be honest.

So what was most difficult for you?

As far as emotionally demanding, it was the final scene. I can cry at the drop of a hat. I've always found that easier than laughing in films. But that kind of animalistic moaning catharsis was something I haven't done before. That was an intense scene for me. Also, the second sex scene with the man who licks my face wasn't the most pleasant thing to film. I trusted Julia so much that in the back of my head at all those moments, there was a voice telling me the film was gonna be great. I was so positive about it and I trusted her and that helped me. If I was having a horrible time on the film, it would have been a lot more difficult, but the fact that I really believed in it numbed me to it to some degree.

Just reading the script must have been a little shocking, though.

It's a good thing. I've been working for fourteen years, since I was eight years old, and when I first started it was a hobby. It was great and fun. And I got to the point where I thought, 'if I'm going to do this seriously for the rest of my life or for as long as possible, I need to challenge myself or it's going to be soul-destroying if I just work to work.' I need to push myself. I'm not saying that I just want to do anything that's shocking, but when you have that combination of a script that's really beautiful and extremely shocking, it's exciting for me.

When I first saw it in May, it was a real journey for me. I left the theater and I was shocked and really floored by the whole thing. It was one of the first screenings at the festival, and it stayed with me. I noticed I was talking about it every day with people, but honestly my initial reaction was not positive. But I kept talking about it as did my friends...

That's the best reaction.

Maybe I didn't get it all at first. It's not the most pleasant little ride, but it really does demand attention. There are some passionate people who really love this film, and there's a mass of detractors. Has this been your experience so far?

Yes, definitely. I kind of like it. I prefer to make a film that people have a really intense reaction to than have a film that people feel ambivalent about. I agree with you. It's always funny when I do a Q&A and people begin questions with "I love the film." That's weird to say straight away! I don't think it's the kind of film you see and say, "Oh, I love it!" I hope people have your reaction. You leave feeling like you don't know what to say about that, and then it sticks with you and makes you think and then you realize you love it.

I knew from the word go that there would be people who didn't feel comfortable with it or didn't like it. And that's fine. I've been doing this for a long time, and I stopped worrying about other people's opinions. If people love what I do, that's fantastic. And there's always going to be people who don't, and if I focus on that, then it'll destroy me. I have to just worry about my own opinion and the opinions of the people I'm working with and people who are close to me. Otherwise, it'll drive me crazy.

You've worked in Australia for a while now, and people there have been familiar with your work since appearing in television programming targeted to children. I would imagine there are people who have seen you grow up and some of them are gonna see you in this film. How does that affect you if at all?

I know what you mean, and I definitely thought about that. I think you can't be expected to stay in a hypostasis of perpetual childhood. It's not fair on the person. If it offends people for that reason, then I'm sorry, and it sounds horribly rude, but I can't make that my problem. I have to be able to grow in the way that I want to grow and this is part of it. There have been bad reactions, but there hasn't been anyone saying, "Oh, you used to be so sweet! What have you done?" I haven't gotten much of that. People who genuinely like what I do are generally understanding.

The first thing I wondered when I left the film was, "Who is going to release this in the U.S.?" One thing that worries me in this country is that we're totally fine with violence, but if there's a little bit of sexuality beyond the "conventional" and everyone seems to "freak out." Were you surprised at all when it did find U.S. theatrical distribution?

I was pleasantly surprised. I was worrying on the plane the other day about what American audiences would think of the film, and Australian audiences too, because we're kind of similar in that way. I mean, look: It's not a film for kids to see. It's adult content. I personally think that's because of the nudity. There's the other dark content. Maybe you don't want your children exposed to strange sexual fetishes at a young age. In terms of the nudity - obviously, I'm not a mother - but when I am, I feel like I'd much prefer for children to see a normal, naked human body than people getting killed. I've never understood that. I find it so strange.

People come up to me and say, "Oh, the nudity is so intense." It wasn't the nudity that was difficult for me. It's the content and the themes. I just don't get why that's a problem. Everyone's got a body. I do understand, but that's how I feel.

Was Lucy a sympathetic character for you?

I think that the bird man character is really the most important character in the film as far as Lucy being a sympathetic character. If he wasn't there and you didn't get that warmth from her, she wouldn't too sympathetic. She'd be cold. But I think when you see her and the way she reacts with the bird man, you get an understanding of her humanity. But also, it's easy for her to be sympathetic, because I came up with her backstory and Julia and I know exactly what happened with her in the past.

When we first started talking about the film in interviews, I wanted to protect Lucy and tell people, "Oh, but this happened to her and this happened to her." But Julia told me to let people find that out for themselves. Hopefully, if Lucy isn't sympathetic for people, I hope she's interesting to watch.

You worked from the time you were younger and I read you took some time off before you were in "Sucker Punch." Was that a time when you thought about not acting anymore?

Definitely. I did "Lemony Snicket" in Los Angeles and the film itself was a good experience, but being in Los Angeles and being around kids who were groomed for the industry - it wasn't good for me... It made me think that maybe [acting] wasn't good for me. It was so removed from high school and I had that inkling back then where I thought if I drop out of high school and continue to be a part of this world, it's gonna screw me up.

What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this bubble of showbiz and you only know people who make movies, you don't really have an understanding of the world outside. I just felt like it was really necessary for me to go home and be a normal kid, even though that term is so cliché. When I was in high school, there was a while where I thought I wanted to be a psychologist and go to university, but it pulled me back. If I don't work for a while, I get antsy with too many emotions and I need an outlet that isn't pouring out on friends and family. I need to challenge [emotion] into something creative. I was sucked back in. I can't imagine not doing it.

I came across a fan site of yours. There was some quote there that your father was under strict instruction not to see "Sleeping Beauty." Is that still the case?

My dad genuinely likes movies and likes seeing me in movies, but I said to him, "Don't see it." He hasn't talked to me about it.

Have other friends and family seen it?

I told my mother not to see it, and she sort of said, "Get fucked, I'm seeing it." She actually took my nana and my aunties and they went to the Sydney premiere of the film, and they liked it. My family's pretty open-minded, and, you know - I honestly wouldn't mind if my father saw it. I just don't want to talk to him about it.

My nana made the funniest comment. I remember calling her just after she'd seen it, and I was nervous. She's quite old-fashioned and she said, "I loved it! I loved it! I loved every moment of it, except where you offered that man a blowjob. I didn't like that..."

So, thanks, Nana. Thanks for your constructive feedback. My family have all been pretty good about it.

INTERVIEW | Anton Yelchin On Why "Like Crazy" Made Him Want to Finance Indies of His Own

Eric Kohn — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 06:38:30 GMT

At only 22, Anton Yelchin has acted alongside Mel Gibson ("The Beaver"), Christian Bale ("Terminator: Salvation"), starred in a TV show ("Huff") and played an iconic role in a blockbuster franchise (a teen Chekov in J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek" reboot). Despite this, Yelchin has the startling appearance of a newfound talent in "Like Crazy," Drake Doremos' Sundance-acclaimed romance that opens Friday. Yelchin maintains a balance between likable heartthrob and unfaithful scum in the improv-heavy story of the tumultuous long-distance relationship.

The microbudget project found Yelchin working in new turf, as he told indieWIRE earlier this month at the Hamptons International Film Festival, where he attended to participate in a panel of "breakthrough performers." Yelchin also explained why the experience led him to consider financing other small projects and why the independent filmmaking experience hasn't prevented him from enjoying Hollywood productions.

After you did “Star Trek,” you must have received some bigger offers. By taking on “Like Crazy,” are you trying to show that you're not limited to working on studio projects?

I knew Jonathan Schwartz, the producer. We’ve been good friends for a couple years. I just think he’s always been making interesting things. I’d heard about Drake [Doremus] over the years. I wanted to do something with Jonathan and Drake who had this movie and wanted to meet me. I just thought it was an amazing opportunity because it was improvised and it was extraordinary to do something like that. I met with Drake and we hit it off. I think these movies are under the radar in terms of...

When you say "these" movies, you mean…?

I mean these kinds of projects. This was a $250,000 movie. Institutions, agents, managers, they’re not thinking about these. I feel very lucky to be a part of it and I just jumped at the chance.

So you have to be proactive to find projects like this.

I think, to a certain extent, you do. Some of it has a lot to do with community. It is definitely a community. You meet the guys that made "Martha Marcy Marlene" and...

You missed the “May.”

Yeah, "Marcy May Marlene"!

It took me a while, too.

I always miss the “May"! Those guys, [from Borderline Films], one will direct, one will produce. I met ["Martha" actor] Brady Corbet recently. I think he’s a great and really cool guy. I think a lot of it has to do with groups of individuals supporting each other. So I felt very fortunate to be a part of this and meet Drake. I had to do “Fright Night” over the summer, so I said, “Let’s make this movie as soon as we can.”

I guess you couldn't really push that one aside.

No, I did that 10 days after I wrapped "Like Crazy."

Does it feel like a “one for them, one for me” sort of thing?

No, I feel lucky to be part of anything that I’m a part of. I look at it, and if I like it, I do it. The amazing thing about this job is that you get the opportunity to play so many different characters and have so many different kinds of experiences and do so many different character studies, whether they're in such a broad, generic format or a very specific genre format or a genre like a dramatic romance. My favorite thing about this job is doing all these different things.

You’re at that stage where you can be a credible teenager and also do these young adult things, so that kind of opens up a couple doors at once.

Yeah, I think after “Fright Night,” I’m not that into playing teenagers anymore. A lot of times, it can be one-note, over and over again. But with “Fright Night,” it was such a great cast and I was a fan of Craig [Gillespie] and I wanted to do it. After doing “Like Crazy,” it was something completely different.

After “Like Crazy” went to Sundance, it started to get more attention. Paramount picking it up is a part of that, as well as the film winning the Grand Jury Prize. Did you start hearing from more people who wanted you to do more smaller projects?

I’ve been getting a lot of different kinds of things. Like I said, I feel really lucky. I think that’s what this job affords, what makes this job great.

But actors always say, “I feel really lucky,” and you know it’s not just luck.

I guess. But if I sat here and said, “Hey, I’m a fucking great actor...” You know what I mean?

Then again, you're here at the Hamptons International Film Festival as a "breakthrough performer." It must be a funny way to get positioned because you didn’t exactly arrive last night.

I think the best way to put it is this: The reason I say I feel lucky is because I do what I do. I think when you love something and you get the opportunity to do it, and consistently do it and be able to play different characters or great people, you feel lucky. I’ve been doing it for kind of a long time at this point. Sometimes I think about it and it’s been almost 13, 14 years. It’s always humbling to have someone say, “You did a great job. Here’s an award.”

-Continued on next page--

I imagine when you do something like “Like Crazy,” you get to remind people that you don’t need the kind of money or support that a big production would bring, where even if you weren’t great, there were things they could do to kind of gloss over that. With “Like Crazy,” it's all about the performance.

Part of the reason we hit it off with Drake is that I’m a huge supporter of this, the idea that right now, because studios aren’t financing movies and you can take something for literally no money. We shot it on the Canon 7D. So the fact that there’s technology and means available to edit something at home and to shoot it on a consumer-level camera for no money with 10 people on the crew, a small group of really dedicated people -- I can’t say that enough -- how fundamental it is to the evolution of the industry and the development of filmmaking outside of spectacle filmmaking. I’m a huge supporter of it. I was talking with a buddy of mine about pitching in and making small movies for like five grand, 10 grand.

You mean you’re interested in producing?

I’m not so much interested in producing as I’d love to direct and write, and of course keep acting. But if someone needed a couple grand to make a small movie, I’m all for it. I’m just a huge supporter of this universe of filmmaking. It’s just fundamental. I can’t stress that enough. Felicity [Jones] and I did a Q&A in a classroom in Arizona for a film class and I just felt like they didn’t really understand. You can’t really understand until you’re out there making movies, just how crazy the climate of filmmaking is and how difficult it is and the kinds of conversations that you hear. When I was a little kid, you didn’t hear conversations like, “We’re not putting that together for a million dollars.” A million dollars? They used to put movies together for $15 million. That’s where we are. I think it’s extremely important. We didn't have the mega-budget [on "Like Crazy"] and I think everyone worked for free.

Speaking of mega-budgets, have you done "Star Trek 2" yet?

No, we’re going to start in the new year at some point.

So having transitioned into this new stage where you’re doing smaller movies, is it going to be weird to go back and do something huge again?

It’ll be a lot of fun. The thing about that movie is that the people are so great that are involved. I think J.J. [Abrams] is brilliant. I’m proud of this film and I’m equally proud of “Star Trek.” They’re completely different universes, no pun intended. But they’re both, for what they are, really good films. So I’m excited to go back because those guys want to make another really good film. I don’t know anything about what they’re doing and they keep you in the dark until the last minute, but I do know that they want to make something really good, which is exciting. And it’ll be fun to fly around in a spaceship again at Paramount, and to be with those guys again.

And I’m so proud of “Like Crazy,” because of the process and how hard we worked and we put everything into it. And we made it just because we wanted to make it. We had no idea that this is going to happen. To have this is just icing on the cake.

What else is going on for you these days?

I finished a movie called “Odd Thomas,” with Willem Dafoe and Addison Timlin. I think Willem’s extraordinary. When he signed onto “Odd Thomas,” I was just so honored to be on set with him. He’s also just the nicest, kindest man, and a legend. He’s someone that I admire so much because he’s done it all. He’s been in huge blockbusters, he’s been nominated for Academy Awards, he’s gone and done amazing cameos in Cronenberg films, Lynch films and he does experimental theater. He’s amazing.

What's the movie like?

It’s [based on] a Dean Koontz book. It’s kind of like a supernatural thriller. It was fun. Stephen Sommers directed it. Stephen is obviously known for the “Mummy” movies. It was interesting to work with Stephen and for Stephen to work with me because I would come to him with all my notes and he would say, “Whoa, you’re doing notes!” And I would say, “Yeah, man. That’s how I work. That’s my job.” I had a really good time. I hope it turns out well.

When you’re doing a bigger shoot and you’re around various different people, do you want to pump up your other stuff and say, “Check out this smaller movie I did?”

I’d love to show it to people, but I think when you’re on a film, you’re sharing that experience. I’ll tell friends of mine about what I’m doing, but I don’t walk around going, “Hey, we’re making this movie, but forget this for a second and check out this other movie I’m in.”

Video: Matthew Broderick Interviewed by Alec Baldwin at Hamptons Film Festival

Brian Brooks — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 07:39:34 GMT

Over the weekend, actor Matthew Broderick took the spotlight for an hour-long onstage interview moderated by Alec Baldwin at the Hamptons International Film Festival.

Tony-Award winner Broderick recalled his career on stage and film, sharing anecdotes about some of his biggest roles and even some of his less successful acting jobs.

Alec Baldwin and Matthew Broderick also talk about their collaborations with John Hughes: Matthew worked with him in the iconic '80s high school comedy, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," while Baldwin worked with the director in "She's Having a Baby."

Broderick noted that the late director was sometimes "hilariously funny and very quiet," sometimes so much so that he wondered whether "he hated me." But Broderick noted that he was very easy to work with, but sometimes "a bit difficult getting there."

Broderick also talks about his work with Alexander Payne ("Election"), Mike Nichols ("Biloxi Blues") and more.

Alec Baldwin revealed that Broderick "does the greatest Marlon Brando impersonation of anyone out there," but said he wouldn't put him on the spot to do it. But eventually, Broderick obliges while recalling his work with the screen legend.

He also talks about meeting his wife Sarah Jessica Parker while working with both of her brothers.

iW shares about 28 minutes of the hour0long conversation, including some of the audience Q&A period. There is one part toward the end where an apparently disturbed audience member asks for help from the pair because she's a "victim of the Patriot Act." (She's eventually removed.)

"The Artist" & "The Fairy" Among Top Winners at Hamptons International Film Festsival

Brian Brooks — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 14:52:59 GMT

"The Artist" by Michel Hazanavicius and Marc Levin’s "Hard Times: Lost on Long Island" took the audience awards at the Hamptons International Film Festival Sunday evening, while "The Fairy," directed by Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon, was named the winner of The Golden Starfish Narrative Feature Award. The Golden Starfish Award for Best Documentary, meanwhile, went to Fellipe Barbosa’s “Laura.”

In other honors, Mark Jackson’s “Without” won two awards this weekend. The Kodak Award for Best Cinematography in the Narrative category as well as being awarded The Wouter Barendrecht Pioneering Vision Award.

The Narrative Jury awarded a special jury mention to “The Forgiveness of Blood” “For engrossing storytelling that makes a specific cultural experience feel vividly personal.”

And, a special award of the festival went to “You’ve Been Trumped,” which took the Victor Rabinowitz and Joanne Grant Award for Social Justice.

"Once again the weekend proved to be a true celebration of the art of cinema," commented HIFF Executive Director Karen Arikian in a statement. "We are so moved by the continued support of our community and their appetite for the films we offered this year."

The Hamptons International Film Festival winners:

“The Artist”
Audience Award Narrative
Directed by Michel Hazanavicius

“Hard Times: Lost on Long Island”
Audience Award Documentary
Directed by Marc Levin’s

“Two’s a Crowd”
Audience Award Winner for Best Short
Directed by Jim Isler and Tom Isler

“The Fairy”
Narrative Jury Winner
Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon

“Laura”
Documentary Jury Winner
Directed by Fellipe Barbosa’s

“The Strange Ones”
Short Documentary Jury Winner
Directed by Christopher Radcliff and Lauren Wolkstein

“Without”
The Kodak Award for Best Cinematography.
The Wouter Barendrecht Pioneering Vision Award
Directed by Mark Jackson.

“You’ve Been Trumped”
Winner of the Victor Rabinowitz and Joanne Grant Award for Social Justice
Director Anthony Baxter

Previously announced honors:

“Small, Beautifully Moving Parts”
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Feature Film Prize
Directed by Annie Howell and Lisa Robinson

“The Bully Project”
The Brizzolara Family Foundation Award for a Film of
Conflict and Resolution
Directed By Lee Hirsch

2011 Breakthrough Performer Recipients
Emily Browning – “Sleeping Beauty”
Alexander Skarsgard- “Melancholia”
Stine Fischer Christensen – “Cracks in the Shell”
Ezra Miller – “Another Happy Day”
Shailene Woodley – “The Descendants”
Anton Yelchin – “Like Crazy”

HAMPTONS REVIEW | "Rum Diary," Johnny Depp's Homage to Hunter S. Thompson, is Flawed But Earnest

Eric Kohn — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 08:58:07 GMT

"Vividly average" is the term used to describe the Puerto Rican readership of a raggedy newspaper in "The Rum Diary," Bruce Robinson's adaptation of the early Hunter S. Thompson novel. It could also describe the resulting movie. Depp coaxed Robinson out of retirement to write and direct "The Rum Diary" as a tribute to the author and his late friend. The result is a subpar comic adventure that's nonetheless admirable for its restrained vision of Thompson in his early gestation period.

Robinson gives the material a light touch that only clicks when its origin story takes shape. While that's not enough to rescue it from general mediocrity, the "Withnail & I" director delivers a peculiarly amusing prequel to the more significant chaos of Thompson in full bloom (memorably embodied by Depp in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"). In "The Rum Diary," Depp plays a fictionalized version of Thompson without the gonzo bite. That makes the story less excitingly wacky, but it's ultimately enjoyable for outlining the birth of Thompson's muckraking attitude.

American journalist Paul Kemp (Depp), Thompson's alter ego, arrives in bustling San Juan during the late 1950s to work for the flailing English language newspaper The Daily News. Hung over on the first day of the job, he immediately faces the ire of a jaded editor, Lotterman (Richard Jenkins, relishing the opportunity to play against type with a role that calls for extreme overstatement). Fully aware that the paper is a sinking ship, Lotterman assigns Kemp to innumerable blasé stories about the local tourist scene.

Disinterested from the start, Kemp wanders through the landscape in a drunken haze, commiserating with colleagues Sala (Michael Rispoli) and the drug-addled Moburg (Giovanni Ribisi). He eventually meets scheming real estate mogul Sanderson (Aaron Ekchart) and gets suckered into assisting him with a sketchy hotel complex while falling for Sanderson's arm candy, Chenault (Amber Heard, the cast's weakest link and a sorely underwritten character).

Establishing Kemp's world during the messy first hour, "The Rum Diary" tumbles through a series of flimsy non-events strung together by gorgeous scenery. (This issue plagues the novel as well, but Thompson's prose makes it gel.) Depp, monotonous as ever and dialing down his Thompson impersonation, barely seems present in the role. Over time, however, he's surrounded by intrigue that glosses over his muted stare.

Kemp's eventual motivation to take a stand against the corruption of the island's affluent powers and racist oppression of its working class gives "The Rum Diary" a deeper meaning in its second half, at which point Robinson's screenplay improves its perceptive powers. Kemp's transition from careless alcoholic to irreverent avenger takes place with a series of loony moments that hint at the legacy in question.

Even the requisite Thompson hallucination quietly comes and goes. Robinson teases the possibility of a major psychedelic sequence when Sala and Kemp take a mysterious drug, then concludes the scene with a single amusing hallucination. As the Thompson/Kemp revelations arrive slowly, "The Rum Diary" effectively ponders the flaws of mainstream media as an agent of change, explaining Thompson's need to escape the system and pave his own path.

However, Robinson doesn't push the material in any inspired direction. "The Rum Diary" stumbles through a few enjoyable moments of slapstick (notably in a scene that finds Kemp in Sala's lap while escaping police pursuit in a broken vehicle), but it can't find a way to energize its sense of purpose.

That's partly because, unlike Thompson's writings, "The Rum Diary" exists outside his head. It doesn't assume a first-person voice (with the exception of a random, fleeting voiceover). Robinson takes a step back from the story's hapless protagonist to observe the evolution of his behavior. That's both to the movie's credit and its chief flaw. Kemp's desperate efforts to cobble together a grassroots publishing effort assumes the form of a loopy adventure and yet it never explodes as advertised. The plot fizzles along with the newspaper at its center.

However, "The Rum Diary" still has enough spirit to turn it into a sufficiently entertaining romp in between the lulls. It's not essential Thompson, but even Thompson-lite has firm appeal. As the movie approaches a descent into mayhem and then pulls back, it remains -- against all odds -- a fairly sober history of journalism's loosest cannon.

["The Rum Diary" had its East Coast premiere at the Hamptons International Film Festival, which continues through Monday.]

criticWIRE grade: B-

HOW WILL IT PLAY? Set for a release on October 28 by FilmDistrict, "The Rum Diary" is bound to attract crowds interested either in Depp or Thompson, but a generally underwhelming critical reaction and subdued narrative will likely prevent it from gaining much long-term traction.

HAMPTONS FEST DISPATCH | David Bailey Recalls "Warhol" Censorship In 1973

Eric Kohn — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 09:14:40 GMT

The 1973 British television documentary "Warhol," directed by photographer David Bailey, starts off with the definition of an understatement: According to scrawling text at the beginning, Andy Warhol and his close-knit team of collaborators "do not think and work in a conventional way." The proceeding two-part, 47-minute production, which was banned by censors in the UK for its allegedly offensive content, emulates the unconventional thinking and working to which it alludes at the beginning. The focus is Warhol, but the program might as well take place inside his head.

Through a collection of interviews with the reluctant subject and his peers, playful interactions between Warhol and Bailey, erratic editing strategies and other experimental narrative techniques, Bailey replicates the irreverence associated with Warhol's art while digging around for the essence of the man behind it. He only gets so much from the tight-lipped Warhol, who at one point has a friend answer questions for him off-camera while Warhol mouths along in dummy mode.

Still, "if there's any merit in the film, it's that I got Andy to speak," Bailey said during a discussion moderated by critic Thelma Adams following a screening of "Warhol" at the Hamptons International Film Festival on Friday. "You have no idea how hard that was. Andy's sitting there dazed all the time and you're just trying to get him to say anything."

The film ends with a tongue-in-cheek acknowledgement of the challenge at hand: Bailey literally goes to bed with his subject--or at least lies down next him--to coax Warhol into talking about his 1968 brush with death when he was shot by Valerie Solanas. And yet, by only capturing bits and pieces of the man behind the myth, Bailey arrives at his greater truth--mainly, as a colleague in the film suggests, that "the technique is the star."

At the time of its production, "Warhol" was among several documentaries directed by Bailey about famous artists, joining a prestigious crowd that also included Luchino Visconti. However, it was "Warhol" that found the director running into institutional opposition. As Bailey recalled, labor unions in the 1970s required "a directors' ticket," which he did not have while making "Warhol." As a result, he found himself blacklisted when it was discovered that he had made a documentary.

To navigate that problem, Bailey removed his name from the directing credits and replaced it with "William Verity," the spiritual advisor of a friend. Considering both the logistical challenges of interviewing Warhol and the subsequent barriers he encountered with the production, Bailey said, "Over the years, I've done quite a few interviews. I guess Andy was the hardest."

Which isn't to say that the two men didn't get along. Bailey said he met Warhol a decade earlier through the art director of Glamour magazine, and the movie successfully documents their relationship: Rather than deconstructing Warhol's mystique, the director comes to terms with it. Shot in three weeks in and around New York City, "Warhol" includes behind-the-scenes peeks at productions of Warhol Factory films (including the shot of Warhol yawning as he holds a boom mic). The director also gets in on the fun by mocking the mania surrounding Warhol's fame. One scene finds him running along the beach with a dog tied to his ankle in a merciless parody of a JFK spread from Life magazine.

When Bailey couldn't get Warhol himself to speak to the camera, the director hired an actor to read some of the artist's most famous lines. "Sometimes, I didn't know where he was," Bailey explained. "So I said, 'Screw this, I'll have a double.'" Bailey made no apologies for avoiding documentary conventions. "I feel like a fraud because I'm not a real filmmaker," he said, discussing some of the more recent radical art of his own making, including a painting series called "Hitler Killed the Duck." He also recently participated in a new BBC4 drama called "We'll Take Manhattan," which chronicles his love affair with Jean Shrimpton in New York.

Bailey's creativity, not unlike Warhol's, met harsh opposition during the production of "Warhol." The program was censored due to several uses of the word "fuck" and a scene where a member of Warhol's Factory "painted with her tits," as Bailey described it.

The offending moments speak to a legacy of Warhol-fueled provocations that--as even Bailey realized--look vastly different by today's standards. Near the end of his conversation at the Hamptons, Bailey singled out an 11-year-old sitting in the front row of the audience. After confirming that the boy liked the movie, Bailey asked, "Did you know who Andy Warhol was?" When his latest subject shook his head, Bailey smiled. "Weird, isn't it?"