FSLC & Jaeger-LeCoultre announce Athina Rachel Tsangari as 2015 Filmmaker in Residence

The Film Society of Lincoln Center and Jaeger-LeCoultre announced the selection of writer and director Athina Rachel Tsangari (Attenberg, 2011 New Directors/New Films) as their 2015 Filmmaker in Residence, the third annual initiative and partnership between the two  organizations. Previous participants include award-winning directors Lisandro Alonso (Jauja) and Andrea Arnold (Red Road).

Lesli Klainberg, Executive Director of the Film Society of Lincoln Center said: “We are very excited to welcome Athina Tsangari as the third annual Filmmaker in Residence during the 53rd New York Film Festival. Athina is a dynamic and fearless filmmaker, and we are thrilled to provide her with the space and time to develop new work while connecting her with a vibrant New York film community. Athina has already had a remarkable career, and we are so excited to see what she does next.”

“I feel greatly honored to be hosted as the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Filmmaker in Residence this year,” said Tsangari. “I am looking forward to working on my new script, part of which is set in New York City, and to drawing inspiration from the city itself, camaraderie from its essential film community, and stimulation from the Film Society’s invigorating programming. It is always an invaluable gift when Xenia—the goddess of hospitality—and cinema join their graces and forces.”

During her residency in New York, Tsangari will be working on a screwball action-thriller called White Knuckles that centers on two criminal sisters (a burglar and a bookkeeper) dealing with “VAT fraud, amour fou, architectural infiltration, and electrically amplified fistfighting.” Her newest feature, Chevalier, is a buddy comedy that takes place on a luxury yacht astray on the Aegean Sea and will have its world premiere in August at the Locarno l Film Festival.

Athina Rachel Tsangari holds a BA in Comparative Literature, Philosophy, and Drama from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece. After graduation, she moved to Austin to study film directing. Her introduction to cinema came by a happy accident, with a small role in Richard Linklater’s seminal 1991 film Slacker, and her relationship with Linklater continued when she served as co-producer on Before Midnight (2013), in which she also appeared as Ariadni. Her first short, Fit, was a finalist at the Student Academy Awards. Her MFA thesis feature at the University of Texas at Austin, The Slow Business of Going (2001), a lo-fi sci-fi road movie starring Lizzie Martinez, was shot with a skeleton crew in hotel rooms in nine cities around the world. The 2002 Village Voice Critics’ Poll listed it as one of the year’s “best first films,” and it also garnered several directing awards and now belongs in MoMA’s permanent film collection. 

Her sophomore feature, Attenberg (2010), premiered in the main competition of the Venice Film Festival, where its lead Ariane Labed won the Coppa Volpi Award for Best Actress, and then went on to win several best film/directing awards at festivals worldwide. It was Greece’s Best Foreign Language Film submission for the 2012 Academy Awards, and a runner-up for the LUX Prize for Best European film. The Capsule(2012), made in collaboration with Polish artist Aleksandra Waliszewska and commissioned by the Deste Foundation for Contemporary Art as both a film and an installation, premiered at dOCUMENTA (13) in Kassel, followed by the Locarno, Toronto, and Sundance film festivals to critical acclaim. The script for her sci-fi “screwball tragedy” Duncharon (co-written with her longtime collaborator and Haos Film partner Matt Johnson) was awarded the "ARTE France Cinéma" Award for best European project in development, at Rotterdam IFF’s CineMart in 2012. 

The Filmmaker in Residence program was launched in 2013 by Jaeger-LeCoultre and the Film Society of Lincoln Center as an annual initiative designed to support filmmakers at an early stage in the creative process against the backdrop of New York City and the New York Film Festival (NYFF). 

The 2013 Filmmaker in Residence, Andrea Arnold (Wuthering Heights, Fish Tank), utilized her residency to develop the script and work on pre-production for first feature project shot in the United States,American Honey starring Shia LaBeouf, which was introduced to buyers at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.

The 2014 Filmmaker in Residence, Lisandro Alonso (Jauja, Liverpool, Fantasma, Los Muertos) is working on development for an untitled project that began during his residency at FSLC and is currently meeting with producers in South America, aiming to shoot soon in the United States. 


***The Film Society receives generous, year-round support from American Airlines, The New York Times, HBO, Stella Artois, The Kobal Collection, Variety, Trump International Hotel and Tower, RowNYC, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York State Council on the Arts.

***Support for the New York Film Festival is also generously provided by Jaeger-LeCoultre, Fiji Water, and WNET New York Public Media.

For more information, please visit:

www.filmlinc.com, @filmlinc

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Amy Harrison Named Executive Director of RIOULT Dance NY

Critically acclaimed, NYC-based troupe RIOULT Dance NY, announces that it has selected Amy Harrison as its new Executive Director. Ms. Harrison has worked with RIOULT Dance NY in a variety of capacities for the last ten years, most notably booking.

"It is always most rewarding for me to promote employees from within the company whether dancers or administrators," said Pascal Rioult, Artistic Director of RIOULT Dance NY. "I have known Amy for over a decade and value her dedication to the company, her extensive knowledge of its history, and her deep understanding of my work. I could not think of a more perfect choice for our Executive Director. I am looking forward to working with her to steward this company into an even brighter future."

"We are so thrilled to have Amy in the role of Executive Director," noted Hope Greenfield, Board Chair of RIOULT Dance NY. "She brings not only her enthusiasm and strong background with RIOULT Dance NY but also her deep knowledge of the dance world to help us enhance our strategy going forward."
 
 Amy Harrison has spent more than 15 years as an arts administrator, educator, manager, and agent. Since 2005, she has worked with RIOULT Dance NY and has worn nearly every administrative hat while maintaining responsibility for securing the company's bookings and tour management. She has influenced the company's growth in touring and worked to raise its profile among the presenting and dance communities across the country. Her deft management and interpersonal skills have proven invaluable to the company whether producing projects on tour or at home. 

Prior to joining RIOULT Dance NY, Ms. Harrison worked with the Martha Graham School and Company, helped to usher them through the landmark intellectual property legal case, and was instrumental in resuming activities for both the company and school. For five years she was the Manager of New Amsterdam Singers and now sits on its board as well as the board of the Emergency Fund for Student Dancers. 

A respected member of the NYC dance community, she has been invited to serve on professional panels for the Arts and Business Council, the LEAP project for the Queens Arts Council, and The Performing Arts Exchange, among others. She has also consulted with the Emerging Choreographers Series through Mare Nostrum Elements and Pentacle's Cultivating Leadership in Dance.

RIOULT Dance NY fast became an established name in modern dance with a reputation for bringing the sensual, articulate, and exquisitely musical dance works of Pascal Rioult to audiences worldwide. The ten-dancer company, based in New York City, is led by husband-and-wife team Artistic Director/Choreographer Pascal Rioult and Associate Artistic Director Joyce Herring - both former Martha Graham Dance Company principal dancers. With an established repertoire of over 40 dances that expands each year, RIOULT Dance NY presents an annual New York Season and tours nationally and abroad. In addition, in-school arts education and community outreach have been integral to the company since its inception, introducing students and families to the art of modern dance.

www.rioult.org

Livin’ the Dream (3/4)

Written By: Spurlock Sisters! Kim & Mai

Actors: Laura Campbell, Meng Ai, Geri-Nikole Love, Shannon Beeby, Erin Fritch, Samuel Douglas Clark, Annie Unold, Priya Anita, Laura Barbiea, Nick Ordway, Marianne Tatum, Katie Morrison, Olivia Costello, Todd Cerveris, Remy Germinario

Producers: Stavroula Toska, Byron Beane, Vassilea Terzaki, Erik Urtz

The Spurlock sisters have come up with an excellent 8 episode web-series highlighting the ups and downs of Indie film writing, directing, casting, and the type of tasks to achieve in order to make a film happen.  The genre is comedy.  The first few episodes easily do an amazing job with character exposition and setting up a climax to keep you wanting more.  Kit gets an award in Film school.  She is not exactly viewed as a confident hot-shot. Kit is nerdy, quirky, intelligent, and oh-so pretty at 35 years old.  This web series shows the triumphs, emotions, trial-and-error part of striving to be an Indie film director/writer. It highlights the entrepreneur, always-working side of the business.  It’s a reminder that there’s going to be barriers. There’s going to be people who are hard to work with.  There’s going to be stressful days.  I think this can be inspirational for any career path and entrepreneur to keep believing in yourself, your passion, and your purpose.  The genuine always win.  Do they? See this web series!

I recommend this web-series to anyone, whether it be a writer, performer, or someone not in the Entertainment industry. You never know what opportunity is around the corner…

Note: These ratings and review are personal opinion of the author.

FSLC, FILM COMMENT & INDIEWIRE announce call for entires for 4th NYFF Critics Academy

The Film Society of Lincoln Center, Film Comment magazine, and Indiewire has announced a call for entries for the 2015 New York Film Festival Critics Academy, a workshop for aspiring New York–based film critics that takes place during the festival (September 25 – October 11). 

The Critics Academy—the initiative by the Film Society, Film Comment, and Indiewire to assist aspiring film critics with the process of kickstarting their careers—was first launched at the 2012 Locarno Film Festival, and a local version was then produced that fall during the 2012 New York Film Festival. Later this month, the finalists will be announced for the next Locarno Critics Academy, whose participants will cover the 68th edition of the festival from August 5-15.

The fourth edition of the New York–based Critics Academy is scheduled to coincide with the upcoming NYFF, and will begin accepting applications today. Details for applicants can be found below.

For this year’s NYFF, six participants will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in a wide variety of international cinema while dealing with the practical challenges of covering a festival at the epicenter of New York’s film culture. The participants will cover the festival with reviews of films in the selection, articles on sidebar events, in-depth reflections on the various program sections, or interviews with the festival’s guests.

The 2015 NYFF Critics Academy will begin several days prior to the start of the festival with roundtable discussions continuing over the course of the following   five days (participants will also have the option of attending press screenings earlier in the month). Participants will then work on covering the festival once it begins, with guidance from the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Eugene Hernandez, Indiewire’s Deputy Editor and Chief Film Critic Eric Kohn, Film Comment magazine Senior Editor Nicolas Rapold, and Film Comment Digital Editor Violet Lucca. The workshop will officially conclude on October 11, the last day of the festival.

In a very short amount of time, the multifaceted nature of the Critics Academy has allowed the workshop approach to have a direct impact on the way budding critics think about the opportunities to cover films around the world. In advance of this year’s NYFF, critics will engage in candid discussions with working critics, distributors, filmmakers, and others who come into direct contact with their work to bring a greater context to its ongoing relevance. They will then provide written work for Indiewire’s Criticwire blog (a part of their Criticwire Network) and Film Comment magazine, the official publication of the Film Society of Lincoln Center, and other outlets to be arranged closer to the event.

The Film Society of Lincoln Center continues to innovate with its multiple ways of positively affecting contemporary film culture—from festivals to first-run theaters and various educational initiatives, including this one. The Critics Academy initiative is a natural fit for a partnership between the Film Society, Film Comment, and Indiewire, as it works toward assuring that New York’s vibrant film culture continues to benefit from talented critics willing to take advantage of the city’s cinematic riches.

The application process begins today; the deadline is Friday, July 31.

Accepted critics will be notified by August 10. Emphasis will be placed on a diversity of voices, backgrounds, and cinematic interests.

Requirements: Applicants must have completed a minimum of three years of undergraduate study or have no more than two years of experience creating critical and/or journalistic content about movies. They must demonstrate an interest in film criticism and/or film journalism as well as the ability to speak and write fluently in English. They must also live in New York City or the greater New York area.

Applications must include the following:
    •    CV: A basic one-page résumé
    •    Five writing samples about film. These can take the form of film reviews, scholarly papers, blog posts, college newspaper clips, podcasts, or any other work that you think demonstrates your skills.
    •    A 500-word statement of intent. Tell us about your background and why you would make an ideal candidate for the Critics Academy. Make sure to note any particular interests (genres, national cinemas, etc.). Passion, strong writing skills, and a deep knowledge of film history matter more than overall professional experience.

Please send applications to: CRITICSACADEMY@FILMLINC.COM
For more information, visit www.filmlinc.com