Massive Morricone Retrospective at MoMA

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Tuesday, 28 November 2023 16:28

Written by Brad Balfour

 Photo© Piano B Produzioni

The name Morricone is synonymous with sound and cinema. The legendary composer has left an indelible mark on film history during his brief time on Earth. The Museum of Modern Art will be doing a massive retrospective of Morricone’s career, simply called ENNIO MORRICONE, running December 1, 2023 to January 10, 2024.  The retrospective includes more than 35 films, spanning his nearly 60-year career. 

With more than 17 new digital restorations as well as 35mm archival prints, from classics such as A Fistful of Dollars to his work with Pier Paolo Pasolini.

The retrospective opens  with a screening of Cinema Paradiso, written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore. On Saturday, December 2, the documentary Ennio: The Maestro, also directed by Giuseppe Tornatore will be shown. The documentary was released shortly after the composer’s death in 2020.

Other works being screened include:

• The Thing
• Le clan des Siciliens (The Sicilian Clan)
• Two Mules for Sister Sara
• Once Upon a Time in America [European theatrical version]
• Diabolik (Danger: Diabolik)
• A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin

And more!

MoMA has a long history of showcasing Ennio Morricone’s work, with an exhibition of his films in 2007 to celebrate his first concert at Radio City Music Hall.

To learn more, go to: https://www.moma.org/calendar/film/5658

Ennio Morricone
December 1, 2023 -  January 10, 2024

The Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters
The Museum of Modern Art
11 West 53rd Street 

Miracles, Barbie Dolls, and The RZA at the Urbanworld Film Festival

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Wednesday, 01 November 2023 13:16

Written by Brad Balfour

The 27th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival is a five-day festival, based in New York City, showcasing narrative and documentary features, short films, web originals, music videos, spotlight screenings and conversations, and live staged screenplay readings. Running November 1st to the 5th at various venues in New York City, Urbanworld was founded in 1997 by Stacy Spikes and today a slate of films, documentaries, and shorts from a variety of voices and genres.

Special presentations include Flower, directed by Lauren Finerman. In homage to Black silent films of the 1920s, Finerman directs a poignant story about a young woman named Rose (Misty Copeland), who has had to place her dreams on hold to care for her mother, Gloria (Christina Johnson), living with dementia. A potent subtext to the film is the housing affordability crisis that's devastated the Bay Area. As Rose struggles to keep a roof over their heads, she watches the neighborhood around her fade away much like her mother's memory, until the mysterious Sterling (Babatunji Johnson) helps to highlight the power of community and the strength found through unity, bringing Rose renewed hope for the future.

In Chronicles of a Wandering Saint, written and directed by Tomás Gómez Bustillo, Rita, an elderly chapel keeper, stages a miracle, setting off a series of strange events. Through intimate access to a charismatic Mattel insider, Beulah Mae Mitchell, the documentary Black Barbie delves into the cross section of merchandise and representation as Black women strive to elevate their own voices and stories, refusing to be invisible.

Having its world premiere is A Wu-Tang Experience: Live at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, combining performances, interviews and revealing insights from various group members and associates, classical musicians and concertgoers, this feature documents the extraordinary concert at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre where The Wu-Tang Clan, backed by the 60-piece Colorado Symphony Orchestra, weaves together songs from their vast discography of group and solo albums to create a live score to a real-time screening of the seminal martial arts film "The 36th Chamber of Shaolin" - the movie that largely inspired the Clan's aesthetic and the title of their groundbreaking debut album "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)." Through exploring the question of whether hip-hop has earned the legitimacy of more prestigious musical genres, "A Wu-Tang Experience" delivers answers that inform, reveal and inspire. After the screening is a discussion with co-directors The RZA and Gerald K. Barclay.

Urbanworld Film Festival celebrates the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop with "Lights, Cameras, Rhymes: 50 Years of Hip Hop on Screen." This program includes A Love Letter to Hip Hop, a visual journey through the history of Hip Hop. Directed by Benny Boom and starring Tariq (Black Thought) Trotter, this homage brilliantly captures 50 years of Hip Hop history, from its humble beginnings to the multi-billion dollar global ecosystem and lifestyle it is today. Followed by a montage of iconic Hip Hop music videos, and a panel discussion with RZA, Benny Boom, Black Thought, and special guests.

To learn more, go to: https://urbanworld.org/

Urbanworld Film Festival
November 1 - 5, 2023

Various venues in NYC

Chelsea Film Festival 2023: Global Voices in Film

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Friday, 29 September 2023 14:58

Written by Brad Balfour

With filmmakers from around the world, The Chelsea Film Festival hits downtown NYC October 12th to the 15th, 2023. Running at the Regal Union Square (850 Broadway), the CFF features a wide array of features, shorts and documentaries looking at global issues. The Indie Episodics portion of the festival is an array of comedies, dramas, and documentaries ranging from four to thirty minutes in length, featuring unique voices in filmmaking. 

The festival opens with the world premiere of The Dirty South, directed by Matthew Yerby. In podunk Louisiana, Sue Parker (Willa Holland) manages the family bar, providing for her young brother and drunken father. Behind on their mortgage, the local big-wig, Jeb Roy (Dermot Mulroney), gives Sue 3 days to pay $30k or he takes the property. With no options, Sue catches a wanderer, Dion (Shane West), stealing from her regulars. An idea strikes, and a partnership is set. But robbing powerful people in a small town has deadly consequences.

Celebrate the Golden Age of Hip Hop with the World Premiere of Closing Film, Yasmyn. Clarity For a Day or Two. This documentary follows the journey of Yasmyn (Sinencia Jasmine Kass), a visionary artist whose roots span Dominican and Estonian heritage, a fusion that reflects her unique perspective in a world still discovering diversity. Yasmyn’s daring, experimental music carved a niche and won her a devoted following. However, when the pandemic brought live concerts to a grinding halt, Yasmyn faced a daunting challenge. Forced to navigate the uncertainties of her twenties, she found herself balancing a life as a nail technician while fiercely holding onto her musical dreams.

To learn more, go to: https://chelseafilm.org/

Chelsea Film Festival
October 12 - 15, 2023

Regal Union Square
850 Broadway
New York, NY 10003