ARTIST: JR “Women are Heros” and DIRECTOR: Alastair Siddons’ “Inside Out”
June 29, 2013 § Leave a comment
“Women and Fashion Film Fest”
June 9, 2013 § Leave a comment
The first annual “Women and Fashion Film Fest,” was founded by Jeanine Jeo-Hi Kim, and brings together the fashion and film industries in order to educate, inspire and examine pressing issues. The mission statement, as per Ms. Kim, “Our Film Fest will spotlight talent, create a forum of women’s issues, as well as, support the creative development of women and students. We will distinguish ourselves through content, compelling panels, and the participation of industry leaders.”
Day 1 was incredible.
In the documentary, “Girl Model,” the viewer follows Nadya Vall, a young, country girl living in Novokuznetsk, Siberia as she pursues a modeling contract with a Japanese agency that will allow her to travel to Tokyo and earn $8,000 USD. When she and her colleague arrive unchaperoned, they face language barriers, uncertainty of paid work, weight issues and homesickness.
As many turn to what appears to be the fun, glamorous, financially lucrative, “living the dream,” creative world of fashion, in order to escape from tough economic conditions, the harsh reality still remains that careers in the industry are difficult to break into, are usually begun when girls are just that, ‘girls’ and are still emotionally and physically immature. Also, it usually takes a major investment of your own money to get comp cards and a portfolio together, and can ultimately lead to many dangerous outcomes, such as, eating disorders, drug addiction, kidnappings, sexual harassment, and prostitution.
Luckily, documentaries and discussions can shed light on these human rights issues.
Some of the opinions and statements from the first day of screenings and panel discussions from fashion veterans:
“The Industry remains “The Wild West” and needs laws on the books to help sort through these disconcerting issues. Through legislation and collective conversation, change can occur.”
“Change starts at home through education, preparation and parenting.”
“The industry needs regulation.”
“It is society’s fault. Why do these models have to start at such a young age?”
“The industry needs to be unionized.”
“It is a human rights issue.”
“We are all accountable for our behavior.”
“The careers should be started at 18 years old, the legal working age.”
“Don’t take a job, unless you know how much you are going to make.”
This was a fast response to the problem at hand. As per an article on June 12, 2013,
http://www.buzzfeed.com/amyodell/new-york-passes-child-model-law
In the short film, “Blank Canvas,” a woman who has lost all of her hair due to an advanced stage of cancer, demonstrates how she handles the social stigma attached to being bald by having creative Henna designs drawn on to her scalp.
Meanwhile, the short film, “34” x 25″ x 36″,” philosophized, “Do we worship the perfect woman?” “Do people have to believe in something?” “What is our salvation as a society?” “Is ‘Barney’s’ the church for today? (insinuating that more people flock to the stores, than to church).
HBO documentary, “About Face: Supermodels, Then and Now” by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, starts off with the “Velvet Underground” and “Nico” song, “Mirror; I’ll be your mirror, reflect what you are.”
and gets up close and personal with the Supermodels from back in the day; Carmen Dell’Orefice, Isabella Rossellini, Christie Brinkley, Christy Turlington, Jerry Hall, Carol Alt, Paulina Porizkova, Pat Cleveland, Beverly Johnson, Eileen Ford, and Brooke Shields.
Main points from the film: “It is a woman’s business.” “It’s about character and beauty.” “Modelling allowed me to not have to rely on my father or husband for money.” “It offered me a way to express myself in a way that can not be expressed in words.” “It was an attitude.” “It was living in a bubble.” “I was told to act like I was the most beautiful thing.” “I watched a lot of friends get lost in the wave and pass away from drugs or disease.” “We were clothes hangers.” “Misogyny.” “Confidence.” “Innocent.” “Naivety.” “Discrimination. Color barriers.” “Glad I didn’t die in the process.” “Why shouldn’t we be allowed to age?” Woman are everything; mothers, wives, and business women.” “When I looked like that, I should have walked around naked all the time.” “Modeling: demonstrates insecurity. I’m more beautiful now that I am not a model.” “We all have to go sometime, I want to go with my high heels on.”
Topics discussed in the panel: “Diversity,” “Retouching Photos,” “Strong sense of self” “Strides in diversity,” “Beauty the way you are.” “The more women writers that enter the industry, the better.” “Media should promote healthy eating and living.” “Be true to yourself.” “Aging. Celebrate women as they advance.” “Be Humble.” “Be honest with yourself.” “Spontaneous.” “Fearlessness,” and a “Sense of Humor.”
And wrapping up Day 1: “Ralph Rucci: A Designer and his House,” by David Boatman displays the hard work involved in creating and displaying a collection.
Article by Sharon Abella
Photo of Sharon Abella taken by Roy Anthony Morrison
1worldcinema.com
Leonardo DiCaprio is ‘The Great Gatsby’ and ‘A Great Guy’
May 14, 2013 § Leave a comment
‘He who hesitates fails and regrets it the next day,’ exclaims the auctioneer with a thick British accent at the ’11th Hour Auction’ held at ‘Christie’s’ 20 Rock location in NYC on Monday night.
Over 30 of today’s most important living contemporary artists including: BANKSY, PETER BEARD, MARK GROTJAHN, RICHARD PRINCE, BHARTI KHER, RAYMOND PETTIBON, STERLING RUBY, ROBERT LONGO, JULIAN SCHNABEL, AND TAKASHI MURAKAMI donated their works for charity. The proceeds went to “The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation,” which is dedicated to protecting Earth’s last wild places and fostering a harmonious relationship between humanity and the natural world. http://www.leonardodicaprio.org
Leo stated, “My Foundation has worked on environmental issues since 1998, and despite the great efforts by organizations all over the world, our planet is in trouble. The modern world is placing enormous pressure on the very natural systems that sustain us; we are destroying our forests, polluting the air and water, overfishing our oceans and facing overwhelming extinction rates of plants and animals. Consequently less than 2% of our Oceans and 12% of our forests and wildlands are protected. Nature is abundant and it is resilient, but we have to take action now to protect our planet before it is too late. Given that less that 2% of philanthropic giving goes to environmental conservation projects, we are grateful that ‘Christie’s’ and the participating artists are providing this incredible opportunity.”
Many good times and laughs were had by well respected names in the art and film world including, Tobey Maguire, Salma Hayek, Bradley Cooper, Mark Ruffalo, Larry Gagosian, and Tony Shafrazi. Highlights from the evening included, the prices of four works were doubled by the benefactor, the auctioneer mistook Leo for bidding $600,000 on Joe Bradley’s ‘Muggles’, when in reality he was waving to a friend, however, Mr. DiCaprio did purchase the Takashi Murakami for $700,000, and Larry Gagosian’s $5 million bid on the Mark Grotjahn ‘Bird of Paradise’ oil on cardboard was out shined with a final selling price of $6.2 million.
Lot 1: Banksy, PROTECT FROM ALL ELEMENTS: $300,000
Lot 2: Sherrie Levine: JAVELINA: $180,000
Lot 3: Sterling Ruby: SP231: $1,700,000
Lot 4: Robert Longo, LEO: $1,500,000
Lot 5: George Condo: FRANKENSTORM: $800,000
Lot 6: Andreas Gursky: OCEAN V: $600,000
Lot 7: Julian Schnabel, UNTITLED: $350,000
Lot 8: Raymond Pettibon: THE LOWER HALF: $1,500,000
Lot 9: Mark Grotjahn: BIRD OF PARADISE: $6,200,000
Lot 10: Neo Rauch: BEERENPFLUCKER 1: $ 800,000
Lot 11: Carol Bove: UNTITLED: $300,000
Lot 12: Joe Bradley: MUGGLES: $650,000
Lot 13: Zeng Fanzhi: THE TIGER: $4,800,000
Lot 14: Rudolf Stingel: UNTITLED: $950,000
Lot 15: Bharti Kher: THE SKIN SPEAKS A LANGUAGE NOT ITS OWN: $1,700,000
Lot 16: Urs Fischer: GOOD PROBLEM: $1,050,000
Lot 17: Anis Kapoor: UNTITLED: $700,000
Lot 18: Takashi Murakami, MONONOKE: $700,000
Lot 19: Walton Ford: ANTHROPONOSIS: $800,000
Lot 20: Richard Prince: SILHOUETTE COWBOY: $1,200,000
Lot 21: Adam McEwen: UNTITLED: $300,000
Lot 22: John Currin, BRINDA: $150,000
Lot 23: Ugo Rondinone: ERSTERAPRILZWEITAUSENDUNDDREIZEHN: $270,000
Lot 24: Elizabeth Peyton: LEONARDO: $1,000,000
Lot 25: Sergej Jensen: UNTITLED: $250,000
Lot 26: Rob Pruitt: 6:20pm LATE SUMMER: $300,000
Lot 27: Cecily Brown: UNTITLED: $420,000
Lot 28: Mark Ryden: QUEEN BEE: $680,000
Lot 29: Dan Colen: CRUCIFY ME: $680,000
Lot 30: Edward Ruscha: BLISS BUCKET: $350,000
Lot 31: Peter Beard: THE EDGE OF THE WORLD: $260,000
Lot 32: Kai Althoff: UNTITLED: $150,000
Lot 33: Cady Noland: UNTITLED: $150,000
Article by Sharon Abella
1worldcinema.com
An Old NYC Firehouse, A New Place to Watch Documentaries
May 7, 2013 § Leave a comment
Downtown Community Television Center (DCTV)
Breaks Ground On New Theater Located at 87 Lafayette Street
(Between Walker and White)
“The NEW DCTV CINEMA will be a state-of-the-art fully interactive digital cinema, and the first “ALL DOCUMENTARY/ALL THE TIME” Academy Award eligible cinema in New York City!”
Earlier today, May 7, 2013 , New York City officials Kate Levin, Scott Stringer, Margaret Chin and Gale Brewer were joined by acclaimed filmmakers Michael Moore (Bowling For Columbine); Matthew O’Neill (China’s Unnatural Disaster, Redemption), and Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) at a ceremony to mark the groundbreaking of Downtown Community Television Center’s new documentary-only theater. The groundbreaking marks a significant milestone for Downtown Community Television (DCTV), a cultural fixture in Lower Manhattan since 1972 founded by the award-winning filmmaking team Jon Alpert & Keiko Tsuno.
The first of its kind in the United States, the 73 seat, fully-interactive, digital cinema will be the state-of-the-art venue specifically for documentaries in New York City, and will provide theatrical runs to non-fiction filmmakers for Academy Award qualification.
“The cinema will be built on the first floor of one of the most beautiful buildings in New York City, the 1896 firehouse that houses DCTV. The cinema will feature world-class documentaries made by prestigious filmmakers from around the globe. The cinema is expected to attract 20,000 attendees in its first year and millions more online. It will be the premier presentation venue for documentary filmmakers and an important component of the New York City Arts community. This documentary-focused Cinema will be unique with top-of-the line digital 4K projection systems, and the capability to both broadcast live events and, at the same time, invite participants to the conversations via the internet from anywhere in the world.”
“Yearly, DCTV serves over 13,000 New York City media artists, disadvantaged youth, and residents each year. Our documentaries have earned two Academy Award nominations, 15 Emmy Awards, and are viewed by millions around the world. DCTV’s PRO-TV is the most honored youth media arts program in the country.”
“The cinema, expected to open in early 2015, will mean a significant expansion of DCTV’s public services to include theatrical distribution along with its already highly attended workshops, screenings, master classes and access to affordable equipment and studio rentals, making DCTV a central hub for documentary filmmakers.”
About DCTV:
“Founded in 1972 by husband and wife filmmakers Jon Alpert and Keiko Tsuno, DCTV has grown into one of the leading documentary film education and production centers in the country, providing resources for thousands of filmmakers and students, including equipment and facility rentals, screenings, master classes, post-production services and educational programs.
DCTV is a unique space where community screenings, master classes, youth programs and affordable production resources all occur side by side in the firehouse with the award-winning documentary work. DCTV’s film and television work has been recognized with 15 National Emmy Awards, three duPont-Columbia Awards, and two Academy Award Nominations, a Peabody Award, 6 New York Emmy Awards and many other accolades at film festivals and competitions around the world.”
“New York City is the worldwide capital for documentary filmmaking. We have more documentarians per square inch than any place on the globe. For people who love docs, this is their home,” said DCTV co-founder Jon Alpert. “This theater is a place that celebrates their work.”
“Innovative cultural institutions like DCTV are an enormous part of what makes New York City a great place to live, work and visit,” said Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. “This new space will be another gem on our landscape of places where creative people can thrive and contribute to New York City’s unique cultural landscape.”
“At a time when documentary film-making is flourishing as never before, I am pleased to salute the new documentary-only theater that DCTV is opening here in New York City,” said Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer. “This theater, which will be the first of its kind in the United States, offers an exciting new venue for an art form that has increasingly come to play a major role—not only in the world of film, but in the discussion and exploration of public issues that affect millions of people around the world. I was proud to offer support to this worthy project and I know it will provide an important forum in our City for years to come.”
“For over 40 years, DCTV has helped New Yorkers shape and share their stories through an unwavering commitment to documentary film making,” said Cultural Affairs Commissioner Kate D. Levin. “The City is thrilled to join the public-private partnership that will transform space in this extraordinary landmark into a state-of-the-art cinema to serve professional filmmakers, talented students and countless audiences from across the five boroughs and beyond.”
“New York City is one of the world’s greatest hubs of culture and entertainment, and today’s groundbreaking is the latest example of how the City is investing in projects that promote the arts while spurring economic growth,” said NYC Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn. “The Downtown Community Television Cinema will be a great attraction for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers and countless visitors. I congratulate all those involved in this project and I will continue to support projects that promote the arts along with my colleagues in the City Council.”
The theater, designed by Lee H. Skolnick Architecture + Design Partnership will be built on the ground floor of the beautiful 1896 firehouse that DCTV has called home since 1979 and will boast a state-of-the-art 3D and 4K Digital Cinema projection system, and the ability to share live events with millions of people around the world via the Internet. It is expected to open in early 2015.
Supporters of the cinemas included: Lower Manhattan Development Corporation—funded through Community Development Block Grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; Office of the Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg; Office of the Speaker of the New York City Council, Christine Quinn; The New York City Council; Office of New York City Council Member Margaret Chin, Office of the Manhattan Borough President, Scott Stringer; The Rockefeller Foundation Cultural Innovation Fund; The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council; The Samuel Rubin Foundation; New York State Assembly Member Deborah Glick; The New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State legislature, Hyde & Watson Foundation, and SONY.
Advisory Council
The organization also announced the formation of their first Advisory Council, which will be made up of some of the brightest and most passionate members of the New York City filmmaking community.
In addition to aforementioned filmmakers Garbus (The Farm: Angola U.S.A.), Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side), Moore (Bowling for Columbine), O’Neill, and Spurlock, the council will include: actors Brooke Adams and James Gandolfini, Emmy-nominated filmmaker Daniel J. Chalfen, producer Abigail Disney (Queen of Versailles, Pray the Devil Back to Hell), Emmy-winner, Ellen Goosenberg (Alive Day Memories & Wartorn: 1861-2010), Oscar-winning filmmaker Barbara Kopple (Harlan County U.S.A. & American Dream), Cáitrín McKiernan (Bringing King to China), HBO Documentary Film president Sheila Nevins, filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi (Journey’s With George), Academy Award nominee Sam Pollard (4 Little Girls), and Oscar-winners Alan and Susan Raymond (I Am A Promise: The Children of Stanton Elementary School).
Technologically Advanced Theater
In keeping with DCTV’s mission to democratize access to digital film technology, the DCTV Cinema will create an affordable, high-end screening venue where independent filmmakers can exhibit their work to the public in 3D and 4K – the highest resolution available.
By focusing exclusively on documentaries, the DCTV Cinema will dramatically expand the total number of showings of nonfiction films in New York City. The cinema equipment and space will be fully DCI compliant and fulfill all rules to be eligible for official Academy Award qualifying runs. The DCTV Cinema will “open the door” for independent documentary filmmakers to qualify their films for an Academy Award nomination, giving them the best chance to bring their work to the widest possible audience.
Furthermore, the interactivity of the theater will allow anyone in the world to participate in the discussions that take place in the screening room. “We’re trying to cast a very wide net,” said Alpert. “This is a place where the tech measures up to the quality of the work. There aren’t as many fine theatrical settings as there should be for documentaries and this is one attempt to rectify that.”
Joining the above-mentioned filmmakers and other guests at the ceremony were: Kate Levin, Commissioner of NYC Department of Cultural Affairs; Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer; New York City Council Member Margaret Chin; Cora Weiss, President, Samuel Rubin Foundation, and Alec Shapiro, President of SONY Braodcast.
Reflecting on the all-star doc lineup of support for the theater, Alpert remarked that “The entire doc community has put their shoulder behind this project,” adding that since documentary directors are often a solitary bunch, “there isn’t often an opportunity for us all to work collectively.”
Enjoy!
“Lil Bub and Friendz” CAT CRAZE!!! WINNER Best Feature Film at Online Tribeca Film Festival 2013!
May 2, 2013 § Leave a comment
“Bart Simpson, Mickey Mouse, and Hello Kitty are OUT, and Internet Cats are IN.”
If you are in the know about the internet cat craze cultural phenomena, then you are already aware of how popular “Grumpy Cat” was at SXSW. ‘Lil Bub and Friendz’ proved to be just as popular at this years Tribeca Film Festival 2013, winning the Best Feature Film Online.
This short limbed, cat whose tongue sticks out all the time, who drools a lot, has extra toes on every paw, and has a bone disorder, Lil Bub, and other celebrity internet friends including, the cat who went viral, Nyan Cat, the 1980’s video rockstar, Keyboard Cat, Pudge, and THE Grumpy Cat, have come to be known the world over, thanks in large part to YouTube and other social media websites. A feline sociologist explains that dog owners are able to meet and converse at dog parks, whereas cat owners need the internet to form ties.
Watch as ‘Lil Bub’s’ owner, Mike Bridavsky, shows you the life of the celebrity cat from outer space, ‘Lil Bub’.
1worldcinema.com
“Bridegroom” WINNER Documentary Audience Award at Tribeca Film Festival 2013!
May 1, 2013 § Leave a comment
This documentary by Linda Bloodworth Thomason (creator of “Designing Women”), focuses on the legal rights of same-sex couples. “Shane and Tom faced extreme challenges in their relationship from family and society. When a tragedy tears them apart, one fights to be recognized as his soulmate’s legitimate counterpart.”
Practice tolerance.
“Whitewash” WINNER Best New Narrative Director at the Tribeca Film Festival 2013
April 30, 2013 § Leave a comment
Amazing performance by Thomas Hayden Church.
The movie opens on a very dark and blizzardy night in Northern Quebec, when a drunk man driving a small snowplow hits and kills a man standing in the middle of the road. The driver steals the man’s wallet and tries to dispose of the body by burying him under the snow. As his headlights begin to fade into the distance, you then see him go off-roading, recklessly driving until he finally crashes against a tree in the middle of nowhere. He wakes the next morning and begins to flashback to past events leading up to that fatal night. It is then that the viewer realizes that the driver knew the man he struck, and that it was probably intentional, and not an accident.
Bruce (Thomas Hayden Church), looks through the man’s wallet, his ID card, his cash, and begins to reflect back on their past conversations over beers in his house. Paul inquired about Bruce’s wife and Bruce shares that he is recently widowed, and that his wife died of cancer. Paul shared a story about his vacation in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico and asks if he can crash on his couch for a few nights. The sense that this man has hit financial hard times is conveyed.
Meanwhile (in real time), the plow is stuck, is running out of gas, Bruce is cold and hungry, and is afraid to turn himself in. He practices what he would say to an officer when and if he does get caught or does decide to turn himself in.
An interesting dark comedy about a man trapped in his own igloo prison.
WINNER Best New Narrative Director at the Tribeca Film Festival 2013!
1worldcinema.com
“Oxy-ana” WINNER of Best New Documentary Director Award
April 29, 2013 § Leave a comment
Welcome to Oceana, a town in West Virginia, United States, where the population was 1,394 at the 2010 census, and where a large majority work in the coal mines or sell and abuse the prescription pain killer, Oxycontin. In this small, rural town surrounded by the Appalachian mountains, locals state that it is a 45 minute drive to anything like a movie theater, mall, or bowling alley, and there is nothing to do. The people are bored. Locals confessed that 10-15 years ago they used to use light recreational drugs like pot or alcohol, but nowadays kids are slipping other kids Oxycontin, and everybody knows somebody who has OD’d and died. This once safe community that “was a great place to raise kids”, where no one locked their doors, is now faced with residents who are afraid to walk down the street alone, girls who sell their bodies for $5-$10, and frequent home break-in’s. They need to feed their addictions, or curb the withdrawal symptoms. The elders and Christians won’t agree to bring a methadone maintenance clinic to the town due to the stigma attached, and feel that a clinic is worse than the addiction itself.
The locals no longer trust anyone from the outside, as they have been taken advantage of one too many times by people looking to steal their land’s mineral rights, and the corporate big wigs who had instructed the doctors of their coal mining grandfathers, to keep them productive for as long as possible and prescribe them whatever they needed.
Watch as the documentarian, Sean Dunne, follows a local male, a pregnant woman, two young adult females, a man with cancer mets to the brain and his wife, and others as they walk you through their habits.
Very sad.
“The Kill Team” WINNER of the Best Documentary Award at the Tribeca Film Festival 2013!
April 28, 2013 § Leave a comment
“Wow!” All you can say is ‘Wow!’ From 8,000 miles away, stationed in Afghanistan, US Army Private Adam Winfield, cried for help. He conversed with his father via facebook and told him that a few of the soldiers were killing innocent Afghan’s just for sport, or just for the fun of it, and that he finds it very offensive and immoral. His dad was trying to help from the US, leaving phone messages for “the right people”. His calls were never returned. He knew that if he told authorities what was going on, he could put his son in jeopardy. Photos began to surface of ringleader, Sergeant Calvin Gibbs, Jeremy Morlock, and Michael Wagnon smiling over the bodies of innocent civilians, and the person who opposed this behaviour the most, Adam, found himself relunctantly along side of them. Seemingly kind-hearted and too good for the Army, Adam, wanted to be deployed to Afghanistan, because he “thought he could do good and make a change, however, all that changed, when the army let him down, and his concept of military honor and integrity of what you expect a soldier to be like, was shattered. Adam explained how a few of the soldiers were bored, their deployment was not at all what they expected it to be like, so they set up innocent people, would place them next to weapons, hurt them, and claim that the civilians approached them first, and that they acted in self defense and their actions, legitimate. This posed a moral and ethical conundrum for Adam. He feared for his life, because if he didn’t go along with the bullies, and told on them, he could wind up hurt, as Sgt. Gibbs threatened, “snitches get stiches.” However, if he went along with the bullies, he could wind up in jail.
Was Adam held accountable for the actions of others that he disapproved of?
Did his whistleblowing result in his own demise?
Was he able to defend himself against the Government which he once fought for?
Although the outcomes of “the Team’s” trial are available on the internet, the documentary is a MUST SEE !!!
One World Cinema 