Second Annual Migrating Forms Festival at Anthology

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Sunday, 09 May 2010 15:20

Written by Perry Santanachote

After its well-received first run last year, the Migrating Forms Festival is back with its second annual edition at Anthology Film Archives, from May 14 to 23, 2010. Contemporary works by more than 50 film and video artists comprise the program, which has expanded from five days to 10. Led by Nellie Killian and Kevin McGarry of the now defunct New York Underground Film Festival, Migrating Forms continues the tradition of showcasing new experimental cinema and visual arts.

Kevin Jerome Everson's fourth feature-length film, Erie, kick-starts the festival on Friday, May 14, at 8:30 pm. Erie keeps up with Everson's continual theme of the African American working class - this time focusing on Black migration in the U.S. through scenes in and around Lake Erie.

This is the Ohio-born, Virginia-based artist's fourth feature-length project, following Spicebush (2005), Cinnamon (2006) and The Golden Age of Fish (2008), all of which received their New York premieres at NYUFF. Spicebush won the 2005 Jury Prize at NYUFF for Best Documentary.

Everson is also the prolific maker of more than 70 short films and videos since the late 1990s. His work is regularly exhibited internationally, at venues including the International Film Festival Rotterdam; Sundance Film Festival; Images Festival, Toronto; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Pompidou Centre, Paris; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; REDCAT, Los Angeles; and Whitechapel Gallery, London, among others.

Other highlights of the festival include retrospectives by:

Jean-Pierre Gorin
The filmmaker will present a program of his work including two films from his California Trilogy, Poto and Cabengo (1976) and Routine Pleasures (1986). Most famous for his work as a member of the Dziga Vertov Group with Jean-Luc Godard, Gorin created a trio of films on, to quote Senses of Cinema, “language, arrested development and cultural displacement in Southern California” that are important touchstones for the essay film genre. 
Co-presented with Light Industry.

Kerry Tribe
This survey of the Los Angeles / Berlin-based artist tracks her continued exploration of the limits, failures and crises of cognition. Tribe will present and discuss her projects made for screen and those made for installation over the past 15 years. Her most recent film, H.M. (2009), is currently on view in the 2010 Whitney Biennial.

Tribe's work has also been exhibited at the New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York; the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC; the Generali Foundation, Vienna; Kunst Werke, Berlin; and SMAK, Gent. She was a fellow at the American Academy in Berlin in 2005-2006, received her MFA from UCLA in 2002, was a Whitney Independent Study Program fellow in 1997–98 and received her BA in art and semiotics from Brown University in 1997.

There will also be a program of 16mm films by the world-renowned Ed Ruscha. Introduced by Linda Norden, this rare East Coast presentation screens the seminal American artist's only film works, Premium (1971) and Miracle (1975).


Bruce and Norman Yonemoto's 
Made in Hollywood (1990) -- an irony-steeped personal and cultural mediation of reality and fantasy, desire and identity, stirred by the myths of television and cinema with a cult cast featuring Patricia Arquette, Mike Kelley, Ron Vawter and more -- will also screen. It will be preceded by the Yonemotos’ classic short video Vault (1984).
 Presented by Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI) 
and introduced by Bruce.

There will also be programs by Brian McCarthy, Matt Keegan and James Richards.

Of course staging this at Anthology Film Archives makes ultimate sense since it is an international center for the preservation, study and exhibition of film with a focus on American independent and avant-garde cinema, founded by avant gardist filmmaker Jonas Mekas. In 1979, Anthology acquired Manhattan’s Second Avenue Courthouse building. Under the guidance of the architects Raimund Abraham and Kevin Bone, and at a cost of $1,450,000, the building was adapted to house two motion picture theaters, a reference library, a film preservation department and a gallery.

Tickets are $9/day in advance; $10/day at the box office; and $60 for a festival pass.

For more information and the full schedule, go to http://migratingforms.org

Migrating Forms Festival
May 14, 2010 - May 23, 2010
Anthology Film Archives
32 2nd Ave.
New York, NY 10003

Cannes Film Festival 2010 Does the Obvious

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Sunday, 09 May 2010 03:16

Written by Ron Dicker

The Cannes Film Festival / Le Festival de Cannes announcing its lineup always strikes me as the way we hear Charlie Brown's teacher: "Wah wah. Wah wah wah." We know she's talking, but we don't care so much about what she's actually saying.

As we near the 63rd edition of the festival, running May 12 to 23, 2010, this becomes clearer to me: It doesn't really matter what Cannes chooses. Cannes is Cannes. With a few exceptions, Cannes makes the movies, not the other way around.

Cannes remains the only festival with that power. Founded in 1946, it is one of the world's oldest and most prestigious film festivals. It doesn't have the North American marketing muscle of Toronto or the indie veneer of Sundance. It has tradition. It has the French Riviera -- the Cote D'Azur. It has unrestrained snootiness. And it has a circus atmosphere that film reporters like me find irresistible. 

Most of the movies will never be viewed in the dark expanse of an American cinema. If you're a foreign movie buff, maybe you'll catch them when they arrive via Netflix. But when you watch them for the first time in the cinephile-saturated Palais des Festivals -- in the resort town of Cannes -- they seem like the most important movies ever. At least for the first few minutes.

Here's hoping to an entry with breakout power like last year's Inglourious Basterds. This year, Doug Liman's take on the Valerie Plame spy scandal, Fair Game, will at least have Sean Penn on hand to spice up the proceedings. It's the only U.S. entry in the Official Competition. And the President of the Jury is the American director Tim Burton. Yank this, Cannes.

The festival also reared its clubby side in choosing its original sweet 16. Returning for another stab at the prestigious Palme d'Or are:

Iranian Abbas Kiarostami with Certified Copy
Brit Mike Leigh with Another Year
Mexican-born Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu with Biutiful
Japan's Takeshi Kitano with the Yakuza shoot-em-up Outrage

For those of you keeping score, eight of the main entries have French ties, including Mathieu Amalric's Tournee and Xavier Beauvois's Of Gods and Men. Being on the home team has its privileges.

Most of the American studio presence got ushered aside like a paparazzo without a tux. Robin Hood, yet another Ridley Scott/Russell Crowe collaboration; Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps from director Oliver Stone, and Woody Allen's You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger will all screen out of competition. At age 74, it's satisfying to see Allen still cranking them out.

But he's got nothing on Portuguese director Manoel de Oliveira, who's bringing The Strange Case of Angelica to the Un Certain Regard category. He's 102. That's 1-0-2. I plan to attend the press conference just to find out what vitamins this guy takes.

The Cannes Film Festival is organized in various sections:

The Official Selection - The main event of the festival:
         • In Competition - The 20 films competing for the Palme d'Or. They are projected in the Théâtre Lumière.
         • Un Certain Regard - 20 original, different films selected from cultures near and far. They are projected at the Salle Debussy.
         • Out of Competition - These films are also projected in the Théâtre Lumière but do not compete for the main prize.
         • Special Screenings - The selection committee chooses for these films an environment specially adapted to their particular identity.
         • Cinéfondation - About 15 shorts and medium-length motion pictures from film schools over the world are presented at the Salle Buñuel.
         • Short Films - The shorts competing for the Short Film Palme d'Or are presented at the Buñuel and Debussy theaters.

Parallel Sections - These are non-competitive programs dedicated to discovering other aspects of cinema:
         • Cannes Classics - Celebrates the heritage of film, aiming to highlight works of the past, presented with brand new or restored prints.
         • Tous les Cinémas du Monde - A showcase of world cinema. Each day, one country present features and shorts in celebration of its culture, identity and film works.
         • Caméra d'Or - It rewards the best first film of the Fest, choosing from the Official Selection, the Directors' Fortnight and the International Critics' Week selections.
         • Cinéma de la Plage - Screening of Cannes Classics and Out of Competition films for the public on Macé Beach, preceded by a program of film music.

Other Sections - Produced by outside organizations during the Cannes Festival:
         • Directors' Fortnight
         • International Critics' Week

Events
         • Marché du Film - The busiest movie market of the world.
         • Masterclasses - Given in public by world renowned filmmakers.
         • Tributes - Honors internationally renowned artists with the presentation of the Festival Trophee following the screening of one of their films.
         • Producers Network - An opportunity to make international co-productions.
         • Exhibitions - Each year, an artist, a body of work or a cinematographic theme is the focus of an exhibition that diversifies or illustrates the event's program.
         • 60th Anniversary - Events organized in 2007 dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the Festival.

Juries
Prior to the beginning of each event, Cannes’ board of directors appoints juries who choose which films will receive an award. Jurors are chosen from a wide range of international artists, based on their work and respect from their peers:  
    • Feature Films - An international jury composed of a President and various film or art personalities , who determine the prizes for the feature films in Competition.
    • Cinéfondation and Short Films - Composed of a President and four film personalities. It awards the Short Film Palme d'Or as well as its three best films.
    • Un Certain Regard - Composed of a President, journalists, cinema students and industry professionals. It awards this Prize for best film and can honor two other films.
    • Caméra d'Or - Composed of a President, as well as film directors, technicians and French and international critics. They reward the best first film in any selection.

Awards
          • Palme d'Or - Golden Palm - The most prestigious award given for the best film.
          • Grand Prix - Grand Prize of the Festival
          • Prix du Jury - Jury Prize
          • Palme d'Or du court métrage - Best Short Film
          • Prix d'interprétation féminine - Best Actress
          • Prix d'interprétation masculine - Best Actor
          • Prix de la mise en scène - Best Director
          • Prix du scénario - Best Screenplay
          • Prix Un Certain Regard - Young talent, innovative and audacious works
          • Cinéfondation prizes - Student films
          • Caméra d'Or - Best first feature film

Given by Independent Entities
          • Prix de la FIPRESCI - International Federation of Film Critics Prize
          • Prix Vulcain - Awarded to a technical artist by the CST
          • International Critics' Week Prizes
          • Prize of the Ecumenical Jury
          • Palm Dog, for best canine performance

For more info go to: http://www.festival-cannes.com/en.html

The Cannes Film Festival
the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès
Cannes, France

[general info courtesy of Wikipedia]

related FFTraveler stories:

http://filmfestivaltraveler.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=736:comestible-survival-in-cannes&catid=105:travel-feature&Itemid=107

http://filmfestivaltraveler.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=78:the-cannes-film-festival&catid=44:features&Itemid=29

http://filmfestivaltraveler.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=79:cannes-2004&catid=44:features&Itemid=29

Toronto's Hot Docs Divvies Awards

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Saturday, 08 May 2010 15:54

Written by Laura Blum

During its 11-day swing, Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival (April 29 to May 9, 2010) screened 166 films from more than 40 countries. North America’s largest non-fiction film festival, conference and market, reconvened in Toronto for the 17th year as an essential passage for the international doc community.

A Film Unfinished, Yael Hersonski's look at an incompleted Nazi propaganda film shot in the Warsaw Ghetto, was anointed Best International Feature at the May 7th awards bash in the Isabel Bader Theatre. Already an award-winner at this year's Sundance Film Festival, the production has Hot Docs to thank for its $10,000 cash prize.

Nine other trophies were dispensed at the Hot Docs Awards Presentation emcee'd by CBC's Jian Ghomeshi.

Leave Them Laughing  took the Special Jury Prize / Canadian Feature Award. And it could be the motto for the annual fest, which played to packed audiences even as business slackened at its companion market. So the $72,000 worth of cash infusions administered at the fest is Rx that went down especially easy with its recipients.

Directed by Oscar-winner John Zaritsky, the film is about laughing in the face of terminal illness as seen through the eyes of 46-year-old writer, singer and smart-ass comedian Carla Zilbersmith. How to live despite tough odds is a challenge the documentary community knows all too well. For his part, Zaritsky scored a $10,000 hit, courtesy of the Brian Linehan Charitable Foundation. 

The Special Jury Prize - International Feature went to The Oath, Laura Poitras's layered essay about Osama bin Laden's former driver and his Guantanamo Bay-held brother-in-law, which, per the jury statement, "challenges our preconceived notions about radical Islam." The Ontario Media Development Corporation sponsored the award, involving a $5,000 shot of cash given by Hot Docs.

Shelley Saywell walked away with Best Canadian Feature Award for her expose of honor killing in North America, In The Name Of The Family. "We were all moved by the young teenage Muslim women struggling to figure out their own identities, caught between two opposing worlds, to whom it gave voice," went the jury statement. The Brian Linehan Charitable Foundation sprang for the $15,000 prize, which is sponsored by the Documentary Organization of Canada.

Tomer Haymann's I Shot My Love earned top honor in the Mid-Length Documentary category. The film follows the Israeli filmmaker's relationship with the German lover he met when presenting his film, Paper Dolls, at the Berlin Film Festival. Awarded by the Canada Council for the Arts, the $3,000 prize comes courtesy of Hot Docs.

Tussilago, by Swedish director Jonas Odell, was triaged as Best Short Documentary Award. The jury commended this hybrid live action/animation about the former girlfriend of West German terrorist Norbert Kröcher for its "innovative and ever-evolving use of animation to recreate a historical era." Playback is behind the award, which carries a $3,000 sum accorded by Hot Docs.

Jeff Malmberg, director of Marwencol, bagged the HBO Documentary Films Emerging Artist Award. The film tracks unfolding dramas in the miniature WW II-era town that beating victim Mark Hogencamp constructed as art therapy. In its statement, the jury acknowledged that "Hogencamp, robbed of his memory, creates a fantasy world through which he rediscovers his identity and realizes his true self." HBO Documentary Films proffered the award.

This year's Outstanding Achievement Award was presented to acclaimed UK filmmaker Kim Longinotto. The Hot Docs Board of Directors did the honors. Spanning such award-heavy, female-centric portraits as Rough Aunties, Divorce Iranian Style and Sisters in Law, Longinotto's globally minded work commanded a retrospective at the 2010 Hot Docs.

Philip Lyall and Nimisha Mukerji snared the Don Haig Award, set up by documentary to encourage emerging Canadian documentarians. Lyall and Mukerji are the makers of Hot Docs' 2009 official selection and audience pick, 65_RedRoses. Awarded by the Don Haig Foundation, the prize packs a $20,000 cash bounty underwritten by documentary.

Twenty-year-old director Ayanie Mohamed went home with the Lindalee Tracey Award, which gives props to an emerging Canadian filmmaker with "a passionate point of view, a strong sense of social justice and a sense of humour."  As part of the accolade, Mohamed will pocket $6,000 in cash prize and $3,000 in film stock donated by Kodak Canada.

Jurors of the Canadian features were Now magazine CEO Alice Klein; Liz Mermin, director of Horses; and IDFA's Martijn te Pas. The international features jury brought together Gonzalo Arijón, director of Eyes Wide Open - Exploring Today’s South America; Directors Guild of Canada president Sturla Gunnarsson; and Chris Hegedus, co-director of Kings of Pastry. Serving on the short and mid-length films jury were CPH:DOX festival director Tine Fischer; Judy Gladstone, executive director of Canada's Bravo!FACT foundation; and Havana Film Festival programmer and film critic Alberto Ramos Ruiz.

With the Rooftop Docs: Shorts Film Program now scheduled for Sunday, May 9, at the Citipark Cumberland Garage, across from the Cumberland Cinemas, there's one more chance to experience the fest's quality programming. This selection of shorts will screen with the award-winning Marwencol. 

Stay tuned May 10, when the winners of the Hot Docs Audience Award and audience top 10 favorites will be revealed.

For more info, award winners and wrap-up, go to: www.hotdocs.ca

Hot Docs
April 29 - May 9, 2010
55 Avenue Road
Hazelton Lanes
Toronto, Canada
416 637 5150