Margaret Mead Film Fest '14 Preview

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Tuesday, 23 September 2014 15:19

Written by Renzo Adler

Happiness

With this year’s theme of “Past Forward,” the Margaret Mead Film Festival (October 13 - 26, 2014) at NYC's American Museum of Natural History (77th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Ave), aims to look at what creates our cultural identity and how people change and grow, but at the same time must look back in life. Filmmakers from all over the world, including South Africa, Poland, South America, and Colombia, tell their stories of environmental, personal, and political change.

Films being screened include, but are not limited to:

• Madame Phung’s Last Journey
  Follow a troupe of Vietnamese cross-dressing singers on their journey through the country’s back roads for a year.

• Master and Divino
  Step into the Amazon valley for an absorbing and whimsical look at Catholic missionary culture among the indigenous people.

• Happiness
  As TV and the Internet come to rural Bhutan, a young monk’s trip to the capital becomes a bittersweet meditation on technological progress.

• 28 Up South Africa
  Diverse stories of young South Africans illuminate the tumultuous cultural and political history of the country since the end of apartheid.

• Cast in India
  A glimpse into the lives of men in Indian factories who forge the ubiquitous bits of street life New Yorkers step on daily: manhole covers!

• Hollow
  A participatory, web-based documentary project examining the future (and past) of rural America through the history of McDowell County, West Virginia.

Also part of the festival are a series of lectures and panel discussions called Mead Dialogues which give the audience a forum for discussion on the themes of the festival along with a tribute to filmmaker Robert Gardner. Special events during the fest include a Friday night mixer, a lesson on the Pacific Northwest Native American culture, and Gapuwiyak Calling: an art installation combining cell phone technology with the culture and mythology of the Gapuwiyak people of Australia.

The Margeret Mead Film Festival brings together a diverse and challenging array of films and filmmakers for NYC’s audiences and offers a unique chance to see some truly unique films.

To learn more, go to: http://www.amnh.org/explore/margaret-mead-film-festival/

The Margaret Mead Film Festival
October 13 - 26, 2013

The American Museum of Natural History
Central Park W & 79th St
New York, NY 10024

4th Annual Puppets on Film Fest at BAM

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Friday, 19 September 2014 16:01

Written by Renzo Adler

Not quite a live performance, but not quite animation, puppets occupy a strange space on the screen. Brought to life through skilled craftsmanship and imaginative performances, the puppet is a versatile vehicle for comedy or tragedy throughout the world. And now the BAMcinematek in conjunction with the Jim Henson Foundation, will be presenting the fourth annual Puppets on Film festival, October 24 – 26, 2014.

Opening the fest is a celebration of the 1980’s cult classic, Dark Crystal with appearances by conceptual designers Brian and Wendy Froud, the New York premiere of Toby Froud’s award-winning short Lessons Learned.

Steven Lippman’s documentary, Behind the Lid, about the life of puppeteer Basil Twist, will be having its world premiere at the fest, along with an appearance by Twist.  Premiering along with it will be Emily Lobsenz’s short film The Never Bell.

The Shortstack! Kids Shorts Programs highlights short films for kids of all ages, along with a screening of Muppets Most Wanted, with an appearance by puppeteer Bil Baird.
There are also workshops for teens and adults looking to try their own hand at the craft of puppetry with the Puppets Dreams Filmmaking Symposium. And for those of you craving some sci-fi, both Return of the Jedi and Attack the Block will be screened with guest speakers.

To learn more, go to: http://www.bam.org/BAMcinematek

Puppets on Film festival
October 24 – 26, 2014

BAM
Peter Jay Sharp Building
30 Lafayette Ave
New York, NY 11217

4th Annual Golden Door Film Festival

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Tuesday, 16 September 2014 15:03

Written by John Matthews & Evelyn von Gizycki

Rumer Willis & Chris Marquette in Odd Way Home

Running from Thursday, Sept 18th to Sunday Sept 21st, 2014, the 4th Annual Golden Door Film Festival returns to Jersey City. This year’s festival is the largest so far, with more submissions, films, venues and bigger names. 

With just short of 100 films being shown at eight different venues across Jersey City, the fest includes a reprise of the opening night films at the Washington Park Live festival on Saturday Sept 20th.

Prior to the actual event, a gala kickoff party hosted by Tommy Hilfiger takes place at the Historic Landmark Lowe’s Jersey Theatre in Jersey City’s Journal Square on  Tuesday, September 16th, from 7 to 9pm. There will be other red carpet events, and seminars taking place over the four days of the film festival. 

Among the venues showing films during the festival are: 

• The Westin Hotel
• The Brightside Tavern
• The Hudson County Community College Culinary Center
• The Panepinto Galleries

The Festival also includes three after-parties at The Bistro At Grove Square (16 Newark Ave), taking place in the all-day filmmakers’ lounge being hosted by the wine bar. 

The annual film festival provides an ideal forum for filmmakers, distributors, agents, actors, and others in the film industry local and beyond, and also film lovers to make new contacts and network over the four days of the festival. This year among the corporate sponsors is for the first time fashion house Tommy Hilfiger. 

While this festival is about film it’s also about another message — to increase awareness about autism. The Festival’s co-founder and director is actor and Jersey City native Bill Sorvino who has two children that have struggled with autism. Although nine-year Sofia has grown out of it, Sorvino’s five year old son Luca still struggles with the disorder. In fact, as part of the festival Autism Speaks will host a talk with their disability advocate and author Kerry Magro and Sonia Zayas, occupational therapist and CEO of Sensory Kids & Social Minds, regarding what it means to grow up in treatment and become a functioning adult at the autistic children's center Sensory Kids & Social Minds on 158 Newark Avenue on Sunday, September 21st at 10AM until noon.

The Both opening night films address autism. The Off Way Home directed by Rajeev Nirmalakhandan and a short 16-minute film Six Letter Word directed by Lisanne Sartor. Both films feature Rumer Willis the daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis. In In the Off Way Home Rumer Willis plays a bad girl wanting to rob a house and winds up with an autistic guy in her car who she has to take care of as they drive cross-country. This film will also be screened for residents in Jersey City’s Heights Arts District at Washington Park Live! on Saturday, September 20th at 7PM. In the short film Six Letter Word also starring Rumor Willis, she plays a mother who goes to extreme lengths in order to pay for treatment for her autistic son. 

For Sorvino, growing up in Jersey City and fostering a love of family and the community meant launching the GDIFF within reach of the house he grew up in,  where his parents still reside. In creating the fest, he has fulfilled a lifelong desire: “Our overarching dream is to see Jersey City as a nexus for film production.  I do believe we are on well on our way to accomplishing that.”

Presented this year by fashion giant Tommy Hilfiger and Autism Speaks, attendance at the GDIFF is an opportunity for local filmmakers and the film-going public in NJ and the tri-state area to enjoy a stimulating four-day event while creating awareness and raising funds for autism research.

The organizers carefully curated and collated different film genres and seminars to include something for about everyone,with breathtaking views of the New York City skyline as a backdrop.  Among the films featured are one that fit into categories as diverse as Asian American, Women, Alternative, Dramedy, Disability Culture and Coming of Age.

Look for local filmmaker John Trigonnis, author of Crowdfunding for Filmmakers at the seminars, (included with the festival ticket) and Italy’s Per Mano Ignota (For Hand Unknown)film, making an appearance.

For more information about the Golden Door Film Festival and for a full schedule visit: GoldenDoorFilmFestival.org