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Film Festivals
Experimental Films of Nobuhiko Obayashi At Anthology Film Archives
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- Parent Category: Film Festivals
- Category: Previews
- Published on Monday, 24 September 2012 16:12
- Written by Renzo Adler
On December 9, 2012, the Anthology Film Archives (32 Second Avenue, New York) will be screening Nobuhiko Obayashi: Early Experimental Films. Obayashi started out as a darling of the Japanese experimental film boom of the 60’s and utilized his visual flare by making commercials through 70’s, and eventually shifted his focus to feature length films.
By applying the camera trickery and style of his experimental films, his commercials made him a renowned director and even featured celebrities like Kirk Douglas and Charles Bronson (search Mandom on YouTube).
In 1977, Toho wanted a horror film to compete with Spielberg’s Jaws, so Obayashi was assigned his first feature film and made House. Based on the nightmares of his young daughter, House is about seven young girls that are devoured by a haunted palatial estate. Simplistic premise aside, House is as bright and gleeful as it is sadistic and bizarre, like a marriage between Hello Kitty and Evil Dead.
Even though Obayashi has only recently caught the eyes of Western audiences when the Criterion Collection released House on DVD, he is revered in Japan as a master director to the point where whole generations of film-makers were dubbed “Obayashi’s Children.” These early films of Obayashi set his playful tone for decades to come and are a rare treat since almost none of them have been released in the states (except for Emotion as an extra on the DVD for House).
Obayashi’s films are dream-like in quality, as they can be sad and contemplative, or madcap and bizarre. The works of Obayashi, whether experimental, commercial, or cinematic, represent an enthusiam for cinematic experimentation that reminds me why I love Japanese cinema.
To learn more, go to: http://anthologyfilmarchives.org
Nobuhiko Obayashi: Early Experimental Films
December 9, 2012
The Anthology Film Archives
32 Second Avenue
New York, NY 10003
Harlem International Film Fest
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- Parent Category: Film Festivals
- Category: Previews
- Published on Wednesday, 19 September 2012 15:19
- Written by Renzo Adler
Taking inspiration from the Harlem Renaissance, the Harlem International Film Festival (September 19 – 23, 2012) at the Schomburg Center (515 Malcolm X Boulevard) embraces the unique stories that all people have to tell. Not only a venue for international cinema, HI emphasizes the history, art, and youth culture of Harlem. HI brings together a unique selection of films from countries who’s cinematic achievements often go unnoticed.
The opening night celebration is the New York premiere of Angad Bhalla’s Herman’s House, a documentary about an artist’s friendship with one of America’s longest serving solitary prisoners. Herman’s House will be preceded by a dance showcase by Deeply Rooted Dance Theater. Both Bhalla and the Deeply Rooted dancers will be doing a that evening.
A Gran Plan is a Singaporean film about a 10 year old Eurasian boy from a broken home and an Indian grandmother and the journey both have to try and find a complete life. Director Sangeeta Nambiar will be in attendance and do a Q&A after the screening.
The Chebeya Affair – A Crime of The State is a work of Congolese cinema and a court-room drama examining the suspected murder of a human rights activist at the hands of several police officers.
In Bringing King to China, after her father is killed in a suicide attack in Iraq; a woman relocates to China to teach civil rights and puts on a play about Martin Luther King while attempting to reconcile cultural differences and the global image of America’s foreign policy.
Many of the films in HI are very political in nature and broach subjects that are current, daring, and dangerous. HI embodies the artistic and socially minded works of the Harlem Renaissance.
To learn more, go to: http://www.harlemfilmfestival.com/
Harlem International Film Festival
September 19 – 23, 2012
Schomburg Center
515 Malcolm X Boulevard
New York, NY 10037
Oscar Winning Irish Short Films at Lincoln Center
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- Parent Category: Film Festivals
- Category: Previews
- Published on Wednesday, 12 September 2012 20:40
- Written by Renzo Adler
With the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s highly anticipated 50th edition of their New York Film Festival coming soon, it’s admirable to see that they haven’t lost sight of smaller and more niche productions.
September 12 -13, 2012, the Film Society of Lincoln Center will be exhibiting Oscar Winning Irish Short Films at the Film Center Amphitheater (144 West 65th Street), featuring five different shorts from contemporary Irish directors.
The series is put on in conjunction with Irish Film New York (IFNY), and the small cross-section of films pulls off a refreshing amount of variety in subject matter and style. The Shore, directed by Terry George about two longtime friends in Northern Ireland trying to reaffirm their bonds in the face of a monumental cultural conflict.
The Door, directed by Janita Wilson, was shot on location in Chernobyl and follows a family that has, since 1986, have been trying to piece their lives back together. Based on the book The Chernobyl Prayer by Svetlana Alexievich.
Six Shooter, direct by Martin McDonagh (In Bruges), prevails an air of intensity as a man that has just lost his wife meets a dangerous stranger on a train.
Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty, directed by Nicky Phelan, is an off-beat and comedic animated film as a surly grandmother gives her own twist on the classic fairytale.
Oscar Winning Irish Short Films presents a unique look at an oft-overlooked world of film-makers and shows that there is much more to Irish cinema than Once.
To learn more, go to: http://www.filmlinc.com
Oscar Winning Irish Short Films
September 12 -13, 2012
Film Center Amphitheater
144 West 65th Street
New York, NY 10023
A Tribute to FIFA: The International Festival of Films on Art Hits Lincoln Center
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- Parent Category: Film Festivals
- Category: Previews
- Published on Tuesday, 11 September 2012 06:06
- Written by Laura Blum
For even the most eager festival-goer, swarms of characters caught up in plots can cause vertigo. As if to shore up public immunity, the Film Society of Lincoln Center is prescribing A Tribute to FIFA: The International Festival of Films on Art (September 19 to 23, 2012) prior to the 50th New York Film Festival (September 28 - October 14).
Detox yourself in four days with real stories about artistic creativity.
The Rx comes from Canada. Since 1981, Montreal has been home to FIFA's annual booster of cinema about art forms as mingled as painting, sculpture, architecture, digital art, design, fashion and photography. Beyond the visual arts, the program additionally 
favors films exploring theater, dance and music, among other performing arts. Literature too bobs up among the predominantly documentary fare. Comparing the language of film to that of another expressive medium doesn't get much more literal than this.
