After the roaring success of the 5th annual Dallas-Fort Worth South Asian Film Festival (DFW SAFF), Toyota Motor North America presents its second film festival in the United States, the New York City South Asian Film Festival (NYC SAFF), gearing up to make its debut in mid-November at various venues around Chelsea in Manhattan.
"Cultural diversity is something we celebrate every day at Toyota,” said Vinay Shahani, vice president, integrated marketing operations, Toyota Motor North America. “After the success of our partnership with DFW SAFF, we look forward to continuing the celebration of storytelling at the first-ever NYC SAFF, and we hope that festival-goers are inspired by the films."
Produced by JINGO Media, a NYC and Dallas-based events and public relations company, the inaugural, three-day festival boasts world, U.S. and New York City premieres of more than 25 shorts, documentaries and feature films focused on the unique stories of the South Asian Diaspora and those of our brothers and sisters back home. JINGO Media is also the parent company of DFW SAFF, which was conceptualized and created in 2015.
"We are so proud to create yet ANOTHER platform for world-class independent cinema from India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Afghanistan and the Maldives," said Jitin Hingorani, CEO/Principal of JINGO Media, a public relations company that launched in New York City in 2010. "We're coming full circle with this festival because Manhattan is where it all began for us almost 10 years ago. We are certain that the community-at-large will embrace us and celebrate our joyous homecoming."
NYC SAFF has also partnered with The India Center Foundation (ICF), a New York City-based nonprofit organization dedicated to the study of the Indian subcontinent, the promotion of its cultural life and the unique relationship between India and the United States. "To partner with NYC SAFF means that ICF is reaching the audience we wish to serve: contemporary, aware, woke desis and lovers of Indian and Diasporic creativity and storytelling. As a filmmaker whose film was so lovingly received at DFW SAFF, I know we are working with a staff who is dedicated and eager to give New Yorkers the film experience they deserve when it comes to screening South Asian cinema. We are looking forward to partnering on great conversations and panels around the films we see together," said Priya Giri Desai, Founding Director of ICF.
NYC SAFF's exclusive music partner is JioSaavn (founded in 2007 as Saavn), the online music streaming service and a digital distributor of Bollywood, English and other regional Indian music across the world.
“Music has always been an integral part of South Asian culture. We have all experienced a range of it in classical Indian cinema to contemporary Bollywood to regional films to completely new and independent genres. We look forward to the next generation of visual arts conceived in the South Asian Diaspora, and that's why JioSaavn is proud to partner with NYC SAFF and ICF to help create more awareness of their artists' creative work and engaging stories," said Vinodh Bhat, Co-Founder, President, and Chief Strategy Officer.
The inaugural NYC SAFF will take place from November 15 to 17, 2019. The opening night film, red carpet and VIP party will be held the Altman Building (135 W 18th, between 6th and 7th). The film screenings on Saturday and Sunday will be at the AMC 34th Street (between 8th and 9th). Centerpiece party will be held at Tailor Public House (505 8th Avenue), and the closing night festivities and awards ceremony take place at the brand new Rumi Event Space (229 W 28th, between 8th and 9th). The entire festival lineup and schedule will be be unveiled in mid-October at www.nycsaff.com.
12th Manhattan Film Festival premieres 'KACHREWALA: Five Cents Each', a short film about bottlepickers in NYC
The 12th Manhattan Film Festival runs from April 18-29, bringing some wonderful feature, shorts and documentaries from NYC and around the world . One of the buzzed-about short films takes a look into the subculture of New York City bottle pickers, giving a rare glimpse into what it really means to pick up discarded bottles, and cans using the money as necessary income.
"KACHREWALA: Five Cents Each", Written, starring and produced by Indian immigrant Art Shrian Tiwari, takes a moment to step back and look at a “secretive” world that's taking place in plain sight, in the city, and being able to capture and present this as his first short film actually ushered in a sweeping change in the writers/actors' life.
There is another perspective that a person gains when they are "literally" getting their hands dirty and being viewed, by so many New Yorkers' as undesirable people in the city, performing an act that many, dare I suggest, would never do out of sheer pride, opting to beg. As one character, an older white woman in her late 70 says in the short film, "begging is a lot harder than picking bottles, I tell you that!"
To get ready for the role, and to become a part of the fabric of this subculture Tiwari, did just that. He rolled up his sleeves, and picked up discarded cans and bottles, turning them in for 5 cents each in the drop off locations around the city. It's hard work and it's messy. A far, far cry from the job that Tiwari, performed when he arrived, from India, years ago.
For a long time, in New York, Tiwari, worked as in software engineering and program management, with extensive experience in e-commerce and financial services as well as an expertise in web and mobile domains. In those roles, he’s worked for such well-established organizations as the Weight Watchers, Scholastic, Sprint, Starwood Hotels and New York Stock Exchange.
Now in his early 30s he decided to make a change. He left the financial security of working in the i.t. field and stepped out, in faith, to pursue his writing and acting life, full time. This along with being a husband, and new father.
Says Tiwari “I am proud of being an immigrant in America, an Indian-American. I grew up in a middle-class family, with a happy upbringing surrounded by family, love, and support. My father was in Air Force, with a transferable job, thus we moved a lot. That opened me up to experiencing new cultures, people and be more open-minded in general”.
Writers write about what the know, or what they live. For this, again, Tiwari took a look inside another part of a glamours city, that most New Yorkers never glimpse, or care to know about.
The core of “Kachrewala: Five Cents Each,” is about a single day in the life of a bottle collector, and his challenges of navigating the streets of New York. As Tiwari explained about wrestling his idea into a script, he learned quite a bit about bottle people. “We see these people around us in this great city every day. But we don't know anything about them. We just assume them to be homeless, scavengers or beggars of the sort. But in reality, they truly work hard for a meager amount of money. Of course, that little money can mean a lot, when you are in need."
The April 24th screening of the short film “Kachrewala: Five Cents Each,” will take place at Cinema Village East Theater at 5 pm. It stars Tiwari, Nitin Mandan, Ilissa Jackson, Dequan Deveraux, and Mary Lu Garmone, it was directed by Daniel Guillaro, written by Tiwari.
You can follow the film on Facebook & Twitter at @KachrewalaFilm. To learn more and get your tickets for the screening, check out the link below.
http://manhattanff.com/event/kachrewala-five-cents-each
About Manhattan Film Festival
Manhattan Film Festival was founded by independent filmmakers that learned first-hand how hard it is to find an independent film an audience. Originally launched as the start-up Independent Features, MFF evolved into a globally recognized brand. The festival is covered by local, national, and international media outlets. This includes The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Good Morning America, The New York Times, as well as international outlets such as The Sun, BBC, and The Guardian. The festival has been named both “25 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee” and “The Coolest Film Festivals in the World” by MovieMaker Magazine. Although we have grown into one of the largest independent film festivals on the circuit, we have stayed true to our principals. We have thrived by building our festival through the voices of filmmakers rather than corporate sponsors. That is one of the keys of our success and a main reason MFF was founded.
http://manhattanff.com
Viola Davis's JuVee brings "NIGHT SHIFT" @ #Sundance
Executive produced by Viola Davis and Juvee Productions, Marshall Tyler's NIGHT SHIFT was selected for the 2017 Sundance Film Festival Shorts program. It's definitely one of the best short films at Sundance 2017, and the competition is tough there. It's not only an intriguing and interesting story that's beautifully acted and shot. But it's also a movie that showcases diversity & inclusion, in a truly entertaining way. The film brings several new voices to Hollywood. It's a wonderful time for black art, with Black History Month approaching in February. NIGHT SHIFT explores uncharted ground and is a part of a new millenium of the black art movement epitomized by films like Moonlight.
With NIGHT SHIFT, director Marshall Tyler makes his transition from the documentary world to narrative film with a richly-textured piece that zooms in on one man's last chance to change his life. Starring famed musician Tunde Adebimpe (TV on the Radio) and with new original compositions from producer Michael Uzowuru ( Nights, the stand out track from Frank Ocean's acclaimed 2016 album blond). The film also stars CHINA SHAVERS, a native New Yorker who grew up in Spanish Harlem.
We had a chance to talk to Marshall, Tunde, China and rest of the amazing cast. Here it is:
“Marshall has such a unique voice and, with JuVee, we're always looking for ways to support the next wave of up-and-coming artists and filmmakers like him." - Viola Davis
Written, Produced and Directed by Marshall Tyler
Presented by JuVee Productions, New Bumper & Paint and Flourishing Films
Exec-Producers: Viola Davis, Julius Tennon, John Evangelista, Bryan H Carroll
Producers: Moira Griffin, Efuru Flowers
SYNOPSIS:
OLLY JEFFRIES (Tunde Adebimpe - Nasty Baby) is an on-again off-again actor whose stagnant career leads him to a long-term gig as a bathroom attendant in an LA nightclub called “The Fix.” At first, it was quick, easy, tax-free money to hold him over between jobs. But it didn't take long for him to realize that the strange solitude of the job agreed with him. Olly has always found joy in being invisible, it's something he calls the art of disappearing and besides this, working in close quarters with random strangers gives him the perfect opportunity to study human behavior in its purest, unadulterated form...bathroom habits. Even as the attendant part of him eclipsed the actor part of him, he never stopped telling himself that this is something he can use to create believable performances if ever cast in something again.
But on this particular night, a series of random and sometimes degrading encounters become too much to bear and Olly is forced to overcome the disrespect of his customers and confront the specter of his failed marriage and his soon-to-be ex-wife TRACEY (China Shavers- Mulignans) in a bid for another shot at the visible side of life.
"The Lost City of Z" closes 54th New York Film Festival.
"The Lost City of Z", directed by James Gray, and starring Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland and Sienna Miller, was the closing night film for the 54th New York Film Festival. It describes real events, about British explorer Percy Fawcett who made several attempts to find an ancient lost city in the Amazon and finally disappeared in 1925 along with his son in the search for the city. It stars Charlie Hunnam as Fawcett along with Robert Pattinson as his fellow explorer Henry Costin and Sienna Miller as his wife Nina Fawcett. The screening of the film at NYFF, was followed by a panel talk with the director James Gray, along with cast members Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Sienna Miller, and Angus Macfadyen.
They shared their experiences of shooting this film in Colombia, in the jungles and rivers amongst black caymans (not crocodiles!). James is not just a wonderful filmmaker but a hilarious guy, and had the entire panel and audience in splits. Tom Holland (who broke his chair, on stage!), shared how he broke his nose, on set. Robert Pattinson talked about daring the flood and tough environment. Although Angus seems to love the place, and James's pasta. Sienna was lucky to be shooting in Ireland, but talked about the complexity of her character and joy of working with James and Charlie. Here's the full video:
James Gray’s emotionally and visually resplendent epic tells the story of Lieutenant Colonel Percy Fawcett (a remarkable Charlie Hunnam), the British military-man-turned-explorer whose search for a lost city deep in the Amazon grows into an increasingly feverish, decades-long magnificent obsession that takes a toll on his reputation, his home life with his wife (Sienna Miller) and children, and his very existence. Gray and cinematographer Darius Khondji cast quite a spell, exquisitely pitched between rapture and dizzying terror. Also starring Robert Pattinson and Tom Holland, The Lost City of Z represents a form of epic storytelling that has all but vanished from the landscape of modern cinema, and a rare level of artistry.
The film is not just an adventure film, but also deals with several serious subjects like destruction of indigenous race and their land, racism, feminism and prejudices in general, along with war, family, love and pursuit to happiness. The European and American race to conquer south America and Amazonia; assuming indigenous people to be savages, is clearly portrayed in the film. The scene portraying Percy's desire to explore, discover and treat all humans as equals, are quite powerful. Although it does remind you of "white savior" complex as well. But Percy's struggle is also to clear his name, due to "being born with wrong ancestry". That struggle is of course, still relevant in today's world. And the film does a decent job of showcasing that.
James also portrays the subject of gender equality quite beautifully. Although you also have to give credit to Sienna Miller's beautiful performance, as a woman struggling to keep balance between keeping her family together, supporting her husband, and following her own pursuits, in a world where women are almost considered secondary citizen. Talking of performances, the film is beautifully cast with every actor just fit for the role. Charlie Hunnam is wonderful as Percy Fawcett. He brings out the explorer, the warrior, the family man and the human being in him, just perfectly.
Tom Holland as Percy's son, is also quite wonderful. From being an angry teenager, to a companion in his father's explorations, it's quite wonderful to see him in this film. His performance guarantees another complex layer to his Peter Parker (aka Spiderman). And the surprise performance of the film is the wonderful Robert Pattinson. He's almost unrecognizable in the supporting role he plays in the film. But he completely immerses him in that role, and gives a wonderful performance as Henry Costin a fellow explorer, companion and true friend to Percy. The rest of the cast, including casting of indigenous people is also pretty good.
The film is beautifully shot in Colombia, on 35mm, a choice James made due to quality of output he got on film. The script is wonderful and the film is nicely edited, keeping the story tight and moving. The war scene is also quite brutal, but realistic looking. But nothing beats the beautiful shots of jungles & river, and indigenous people in ether land. It was lil annoying to see the indigenous people speak Spanish, but not sure if that's correct or not. But for the most part, film looks realistic and moves nicely.
An Amazon Studios/Bleecker Street release.
A wonderful weekend with Films & Coffee Talks, at LA Film Festival. only 4 days left!
Los Angeles Film Festival 2016 is the best film event in the town. If you're a film lover, you're in LA (or can make it to LA), and you're not here, you're really missing on some serious fun, wonderful talks, amazing films and lot more. Culver City is hosting this awesome event, brought to us by Film Independent, and it's amazing!
This weekend was a clear example of all that this festival brings to you. There were some amazing films screening at the Arclight Cinema in Culver City. The historic Culver Hotel (owned by likes of Charlie Chaplin and John Wayne, in the past) has been hosting some fun parties, events and great talks like COFFE TALKS yesterday.
Coffee Talks: Directors - The Culver Hotel – 9400 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232 – with introduction by Paul Cowlin with Tim Miler (Deadpool) and Patricia Riggen (The 33)
Coffee Talks: Actors – The Culver Hotel – 9400 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232 – with talent John Cho, Tony Hale, Paul Scheer and Michaela Watkins
Coffee Talks: Documentarians – The Culver Hotel – 9400 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232 – with introduction by Paul Cowling and talent Lucy Walker (The Crash Reel), Kirby Dick, Ondi Timoner
Coffee Talks: Screenwriters – The Culver Hotel – 9400 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232 – with introduction by Paul Cowling with Fede Alvarez (Evil Dead, Don’t Breathe), Phil Johnston (Zootopia), Phyllis Nagy (Carol)
These artists shared an impressive insight into their art form over a casual chat amongst there peers, along with free coffee for everyone there. John Cho talked about being Asian in the industry and some great advice to actors of color, "say yes, make up for the lack of opportunities, avoid negative stereotype, love your family & your work, and keep pushing forward". Phyllis Nagy shared how her stories take form and advised inspiring screenwriters to watch as much as possible, and learn from others. And follow your instinct too.
Some hilarious stories were shared too where Paul Scheer talked about his most embarrassing TV show about cats, for cats, by cats. John laying under a naked man, for an indie student film. Faded talked about finishing his writing at most uncomfortable places in his house, in most uncomfortable positions. It was a joyful event filled with inspiring information for all.
The weekend also saw some wonderful movies and talks with the team from the films:
Don't Hang Up – with French Directors Damien Mace, Alexis Wajsbort, London Producer Laurie Cook, LA writer Joe Johnson and LA stars Gregg Sulking and Garrett Clayton
Sensitivity Training – with introduction and Q&A with Jenn Wilson with Producer Megha Kohli, Writer/Director Melissa Finell, Executive Producer/Actor Charles Haid, Actress Anna Lise Phillips, Actress Jill Alexander, Actress Quinn Marcus, Actress Amy Madigan, Associate Producer/Actress Amy Varpahl, Actor Andy Gala, Actor Michael Laskin, Actress Courtney Fansler, Actress Challen Cates, Actor Finnegan Haid, Actress Tessa Goss, Director of Photography Paul Cannon
Dr Feelgood – with Director Eve Marson, Producer Sara Goldblatt, Exectutive Producer Alison Block, Executive Producer Tim Poore, writer David Boodell, writer Mark Monroe, and talent William Hurwitz
A Moving Image - ArcLight Culver City Theater 8 – 9500 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232 – with introduction by Roya Rastegar and Q&A by Stephanie Owens, with Writer/Director Shola Amoo, Producer Rienkje Attoh, Actress Tanya Fear, Actor Aki Omoshaybi, Actress Yrsa Daley Ward and Composer Segun Akinola.
My First Kiss and the People Involved – with introduction by Drea Clark with Director Luigi Campi, Executive Producer Gerry Kim, Producer Andy Nguyen, Producer Ko-Rely Pi, Producer Mayuran Tiruchelvam, Co-Producer Rob Cristiano, Co-Producer Andrew Hauser, Cast India Menuez, Cast Robert Beitzel, Production Designer Charlotte Royer and Composer Bonnie McAlvin.
HEIS – with introduction and Q&A by Stephanie Ownes with Director Anais Volpe, actor Alexandre Desane, actor Matthieu Longatte and Actress Emilia Derou-Bernal.
Episodes: Indie Series From the Web – with introduction and Q&A by Cooper Hopkins with Brothers: Writer/Director Emmett Lundberg, Producer Sheyam Ghieth and cast Will Krisanda; Caring: Director Maggie Kiley, Writer/Creator Erin Wagoner, Producer Ellie Wen, Producer Winnie Kemp, Producer Lena Bubenechik, actor Lynn Chen, actor Diana DeLaCruz;Fridays: Director Anna Kerrigan, Writer/Creator/star Shoshannah Stern, Writer/Creator/star Josh Feldman, Producer Ellie Wen and Producer Winnie Kemp
11:55 – with introduction and Q&A by Roya Rastegar with Writer/Director Ari issler, Writer/Director Ben Snyder, Writer/actor Victor Almanzar, Producer Danny Mendoza, Producer Joshua Blum, Producer Matthew Thurm, actress Shirley Rumierk and talent Mike Carlsen
Lupe Under the Sun – with introduction and Q&A by Ray Price with Director Rodrigo Reyes, Producer Su Kim, actor Daniel Muratalla, Producer and Director of Photography Justin Chin and Associate Producer Pablo Mondragon
Denial - with introduction and Q&A by Jenn Wilson with talent Anoosh Tertzakian, Aaron Woolf, Derek Hallquist, Christine Hallquist, Christopher St. John, Shirel Kozak, Kyle Wilson, Dan DiMauro, Savannah Woods and Phil Schewe
The festival is more than half over, with only 4 days left. For more details, check there website below:
http://www.filmindependent.org/la-film-festival/
Schedule & Tickets
https://tickets.lafilmfestival.com/Online/
https://s3.amazonaws.com/lafilmfestival2016/2016_LAFF_ScheduleGrid.pdf
http://www.filmindependent.org/la-film-festival/ticket-info/
16th Annual NEW YORK INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL FULL LINEUP ANNOUNCED
The New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) announced the full lineup last night for their 16th year of celebrating independent, art house, alternate, and diaspora films from/about/connected to the Indian subcontinent (May 7 - May 14). Dedicated to bringing these films to a New York audience, the festival will feature 40 screenings (35 narrative, 5 documentary) - all seen for the first time in New York City. In addition, the festival will also feature five programs of short films.
The festival highlights various cinemas of India's different regions. All the films are subtitled in English and some of the languages this year include Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Telegu, Assamese, Haryanavi and Urdu. This year’s festival will feature a couple of sidebars --NFDC restored first films of filmmakers and a three-generations sidebar, films of Bimal Roy, Basu Bhattacharya and Aditya Bhattacharya.
The festival’s film lineup includes 2016 National Award winners A FAR AFTERNOON, BIRDS WITH LARGE WINGS and THE RIVER OF FABLES (KOTHANODI). THE RIVER OF FABLES is an Assamese language feature film written and directed by Bhaskar Hazarika and stars Seema Biswas and Adil Hussain. The story of the film is based on folktales from Assam, India.
“We are thrilled to be able to share these films with the New York audience,” states Aseem Chhabra, NYIFF festival director. “Three of the feature films are National Award winners. And out of the nearly 40 shorts we are showing this year, there are two National Award winners: FAMOUS IN AHMEDABAD and DAARVATHA.”
Straight from the Sundance Film Festival, BRAHMAN NAMAN is a true Indian teenage comedy. It is funny, touching and will be universal in its appeal. It is about the exhilaration and confusion of being 17 - the pleasure of being in a gang, breaking the rules, acting big, falling in love - coming of age.
From the Tamil films, CRIME IN PUNISHMENT is the latest film from NYIFF alum and 2015 NYIFF award winner M. Manikandan. FOR THE LOVE OF A MAN is a documentary film that explores the popularity of the Tamil Superstar Rajinikanth.
GOOD OL’ BOY is the feel-good, coming-of-age story of Smith, a 10-year-old boy from India growing up in Small Town, America in 1979. This Diaspora film features actors Samrat Chakrabarti (Midnight’s Children, The Waiting City) and Poorna Jagannathan (Delhi Belly, Nirbhaya).
Bengali master, Soumitra Chatterjee starrer PEACE HAVEN is the story of three septuagenarian friends who embark on a journey to build their very own mortuary.
Multiple award winner and fresh from the international film festival circuit PARCHED is a story about women set in the heart of parched rural landscape of Gujarat, India. It traces the bittersweet tale of four ordinary women Rani, Lajjo, Bijli and Janaki. We see them unapologetically talk about men, sex and life as they struggle with their individual boundaries to face their demons and stage their own personal wars.
WORLD PREMIERE of KAGAZ KI KASHTI (PAPERBOAT)
In an era when Bollywood music ruled the Indian households and when Ghazal as a genre was limited to only the connoisseurs, Jagjit Singh made Ghazals a necessity of every music lover's collection. KAAGAZ KI KASHTI traces the life journey of a down-to-earth, small-town boy, who made it big by breaking through the norms and the Ghazal scenario, by texturing traditional Ghazal singing with western instrumentation and making it simple and hummable, enticing new listeners into becoming Ghazal fans.
“The 2016 festival features a wide array of films from all over the South Asian diaspora,” states IAAC founder Aroon Shivdasani. This year our films reflect the reality of India, dealing both with LGBT issues that have surfaced in the supreme court and on the streets, as well as strong feminist films dealing with female infanticide, child marriage, domestic abuse, trafficking and several other key issues that affect women in a world that still leans towards chauvinism.”
Festival Passes and Individual Tickets can be purchased at the festival's website:
Full line up Schedule with films synopsis:
URL: http://www.iaac.us/NYIFF2016/schedule.htm
The 16th Annual NYIFF’s features selections include:
OPENING NIGHT GALA
Saturday May 7, 2016 at 6 pm at Skirball Center for Performing Arts, NYC
Let's Dance to The Rhythm
NEW YORK PREMIERE
India/2014/2 hr 36 min Directed by Bardroy Baretto Cast: Vijay Maurya, Palomi Ghosh, Prince Jacob
CENTERPIECE
Tuesday May 10, 2014 at 6:30 pm at Village East Cinemas, 2nd Ave & 12th Street, NYC
Highway
US PREMIERE
India/2015/ 2 hr 17 min Directed by Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni Cast: Mukta Barve, Sunil Barve, Tisca Chopra
CLOSING NIGHT
Saturday May 14, 2016 at 5 pm at Skirball Center for Performing Arts, NYC
Aligarh
NEW YORK PREMIERE
India/2015/114 min Directed by Hansal Mehta Cast: Manoj Bajpai, Rajkummar Rao
A Far Afternoon- A painted saga by Krishen Khanna
Sruti Harihara Subramaniam
Documentary
2015/India/1 hr 11 min 9 sec
English
Krishen Khanna, Ashvin Rajagopalan, Gayatri Sinha, A.Ramachandran, Ranjit Hoskote, Akbar Padamsee
Anubhav
Basu Bhattacharya
Feature Narrative
1971/India/2 hr 19 min
Hindi with English subtitles
Sanjeev Kumar, Tanuja Samarth, Dinesh Thakur, A. K. Hangal
Arshinagar
Aparna Sen
2015/India/2 hr 14 min
Bengali with English subtitles
Dev, Rittika Sen, Jisshu Sengupta, Waheeda Rehman, Kaushik Sen, Jaya Seal Ghosh, Roopa Ganguly, Swagata Mukherjee
Arvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastan
Saeed Mirza
Feature Narrative
1978/India
Hindi with English subtitles
Dilip Dhawan, Anjali Paigankar, Shreeram Lagoo, Om Puri, Sulabha Deshpande, Rohini Hattangadi, Satish Shah
Birds with Large Wings
Dr. Biju Damodaran
Feature Narrative
2015/India/1 hr 56 min
Malayalam with English subtitles
Kunchacko Boban, Nedumudi Venu, Suraj venjaramoodu, Salim Kumar, Prakash Bare, James Bradford, Thampy Antony, Sajeev Pillai, Anumol
Brahman Naman
Qaushiq Mukherjee
Feature Narrative
2016/USA/1 hr 35 min, English
Shashank Arora, Tanmay Dhanania, Chaitanya Varad, Vaishwath Shankar, Sindhu Sreenivasa Murthy, Subholina Sen
Cinemawala
Kaushik Ganguly
Feature Narrative
2015/India/1 hr 35 min
Bengali with English subtitles
Paran Bandopadhay, Parambrata Chatterjee,Arun Guha Thakurta, Sohini Sarkar, Lama Halder
Cities of Sleep
Aman Mann
Documentary
2015/India/1 hr 14 min
Hindi with English subtitles
City of Dark
Spandan Banerjee
Feature Narrative
2015/India/1 hr 15 min
Bengali with English subtitles
Crime in Punishment
M. Manikandan
Feature Narrative
2016/India/1hr 37 min 22 sec
Tamil with English subtitles
Dubai Return
Aditya Bhattacharya
Feature Narrative
2005/India/1 hr 36 min
Hindi with English subtitles
Irrfan Khan, Divya Dutta, Razak Khan, Vijay Maurya, Mukesh Bhatt, Anupam Shyam, Ritu Shivpuri, Shaukat Baig as Casper
For the Love of a Man
Rinku Kalsy
Feature Narrative
2015/India, Netherlands/1 hr 22 min
Tamil with English subtitles
G. Mani, Suganthi Mani, N. Ravi, N. Murugan, Kamal Anand, Quadir Hoseyn, Ravi Anna, K. Hariharan, Uma Vangal
G - A wanton heart
Feature Narrative
2015/India/1hr 43 min 13 sec
Haryanavi with English subtitles
Gaman
Rajah Muzaffar Ali
Feature Narrative
1978/India/2 hr 15 min
Hindi with English subtitles
Farooq Shaikh, Smita Patil, Jalal Agha, Nana Patekar, Gita Siddharth
Good Ol' Boy
Frank Lotito
Feature Narrative
2015/USA/1hr 43 min
English
Jason Lee, Anjul Nigam, Brighton Sharbino, Hilarie Burton, Roni Akurati
Island City
2015/India/1hr 51 min
Feature Narrative
Hindi with English subtitles
Tannishtha Chatterjee, Vinay Pathak, Ashwin Mushran, Amruta Subhash
Ka Bodyscapes
Jayan K Cherian
Feature Narrative
2016/India/1 hr 38 min 44 sec
Malayalam with English subtitles
Naseera, Jason Chacko, Rajesh Kannan
Kadambari
Suman Ghosh
Feature Narrative
2015/India/1 hr 30 min
Konkona SenSharma, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Kousik Sen, Titas Bhowmick, Srikanto Acharya, Sanjoy Nag, Senjuti Mukhopadhyay, Sreelekha Mitra
Kagaz Ki Kashti (Paperboat)
Brahmanand S Singh
Documentary
2016/India/
Hindi/ Urdu with English subtitles
Jagjit Singh, Chitra Singh, Gulzar, Mahesh Bhatt, Pankaj Udhas, Anup Jalota
Khoya
Sami Khan
Feature Narrative
2015/Canada/1 hr 22 min
English
Rupak Ginn, Ravi Khanvikar, Rachel Wilson
Life in Metaphors: A Portrait of Girish Kasaravalli
OP Srivastava
Documentary
2015/India/1 hr 24 min
English
Girish Kasaravalli
Luka Chuppi (Hide and Seek)
Bash Mohammed
Feature Narrative
2015/India/1 hr 49 min
Malayalam with English subtitles
Murali Gopy, Jayasurya, Joju George
Moh Maya Money (In greed we trust)
Munish Bhardwaj
Feature Narrative
2016/India/1 hr 48 min
Hindi with English subtitles
Ranvir Shorey, Neha Dhupia, Devendra Chauhan, Vidushi Mehra, Ashwath Bhatt
Nila
Selvamani Selvaraj
Feature Narrative
2015/India/1 hr 36 mins
Sruthi Hariharan, Vicky, Sarvesh Sridhar, Rajan Sekri, Srikanth, Pooja
Parched
Leena Yadav
Feature Narrative
2015/India/1 hr 58 min
Hindi with English subtitles
Tannishtha Chatterjee, Surveen Chawla, Radhika Apte, Lehar Khan
Peace Haven
Suman Ghosh
Feature Narrative
2015/India, USA/1 hr 17 min
Bengali with English subtitles
Soumitra Chatterjee, Arun Mukhopadhyay, Poran Bandopadhay
Rajkahini
Srijit Mukherji
Feature Narrative
2015/India/2 hr 40 min
Bengali with English subtitles
Rituparna Sengupta, Lily Chakraborty, Parno Mitra, Jaya Ahsan, Sudiptaa Chakraborty, Priyanka Sarkar, Sohini Sarkar
Sahib Bibi Aur Goolam (The Drifters)
Pratim Dasgupta
Feature Narrative
2016/India/2 hr
Bengali with English subtitles
Anjan Dutt, Swastika Mukherjee, Ritwick Chakraborty
Sujata
Bimal Roy
Feature Narrative
1959/India/2 hr 41 min
Hindi with English subtitles
Nutan, Sunil Dutt, Shashikala, Lalita Pawar, Tarun Bose, Sulochana Latkar, Asit Kumar Sen
The River of Fables
Feature Narrative
2015/India/1 hr 58 min
Assamese with English subtitles
Adil Hussain, Seema Biswas
The Silence
Gajjendra Ahire
Feature Narrative
2015/India/1 hr 31 min
Marathi with English subtitles
Raghuvir Yadav, Nagraj Manjule, Anjali Patil
The Threshold
Pushan Kripalani
Feature Narrative
2015/India/1 hr 27 min
Hindi, Punjabi, and English
Rajit Kapoor, Neena Gupta
Tiladaanam (The Rite, a passion)
K.N.T. Sastry
Feature Narrative
2002/India/1 hr 29 min
Telugu with English subtitles
H. G. Dattatraya, Jaya Seal, Brahmaji, Thanikella Bhavani, Attili
U Turn
Pawan Kumar
Feature Narrative
2016/India/2 hr
Kannada with English subtitles
Roger Narayan, Shraddha Srinath, Dileep Raj
Waiting
Anu Menon
Feature Narrative
2015/India/1 hr 30 min
Hindi/English
Naseeruddin Shah, Kalki Koechlin
White Nights
Razi Muhammed
Feature Narrative
2015/India/2 hr 10 min 28 sec
Malayalam with English subtitles
About the Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC):
The Indo-American Arts Council is a registered 501(c)3 not-for-profit, secular service and resource arts organization charged with the mission of promoting and building the awareness, creation, production, exhibition, publication and performance of Indian Sub-Continental and cross-cultural art forms in North America. The IAAC supports all artistic disciplines in the classical, fusion, folk and innovative forms influenced by the arts of India. We work cooperatively with colleagues around the United States to broaden our collective audiences and to create a network for shared information, resources and funding. Our focus is to work with artists and arts organizations in North America as well as to facilitate artists and arts organizations from the Indian Sub-Continent to exhibit, perform and produce their works here.
About the New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF):
The New York Indian Film Festival is the oldest, most prestigious Indian film festival in the United States. It is dedicated to showcasing, promoting and building an awareness of Independent, art house and diaspora films from/about/connected to the Indian subcontinent. Our mission is to encourage filmmakers to tell their stories, to educate North America about them and their talent and to facilitate the making and distribution of these films. NYIFF boasts eight days of premiere screenings of feature, documentary & short films, industry panels, special events, retrospectives, red carpet galas, an award ceremony, packed audiences and amazing media coverage.
***
THE 16th ANNUAL NEW YORK INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES OPENING NIGHT GALA FILM
Festival also reveals centerpiece and closing films
The New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) announced the Opening Night Gala film: Bardroy Baretto's Nachom-ia Kumpasar (Let's Dance to the Rhythm). LET'S DANCE TO THE RHYTHM is a Konkani feature film- a tribute to Goan music and her musicians. Narrated through the emotional rollercoaster of a love story destined to tragedy, it celebrates Goan music through the eyes of its eclectic's generation of musicians in the 1960s and 70s.
"Lets Dance to the Rhythm is a beautiful representation of another era, where jazz music flourished outside of the realms of the popular Hindi cinema of Bombay. The film is a joyful celebration of the music, the energy and the musicians and it is a story that not many people know about, states Film Festival Director Aseem Chhabra. "It is truly a happy film and a perfect way for us to launch the 16th edition of the New York Indian Film Festival."
The festival is widely recognized as the oldest, most prestigious Indian film festival in the United States, showcasing some of the greatest talents working in the diaspora. Celebrating its 16th year, NYIFF will run May 7 to 14 at a variety of prestigious New York City venues, including the Skirball Center for Performing Arts, where the opening and closing films are set to take place.
In addition, the centerpiece and closing films were announced. Renowned filmmaker Hansal Mehta will be closing the festival with his latest work, ALIGARH. Director Mehta provides a look into the real life incident of Dr. Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras, who was suspended from his job because of his sexual orientation. Siras was the professor of Marathi at the Aligarh Muslim University. After successfully appealing his suspension, he died under suspicious circumstances.
HIGHWAY will be featured as the centerpiece film. Umesh Kulkarni's HIGHWAY is a Marathi film set on the Bombay-Pune Highway and it examines diversity and soul searching.
Aroon Shivdansani, Executive Director and Artistic Director of IAAC states "The excitement is growing as our festival approaches! Our flagship event, NYIFF 2016 is proving to be even more exciting than last year!" She adds "The recently announced Indian National Awards included both our 2015 Opening & Closing Night films as well as five films from our current schedule. This year our festival has grown in the number of days, the number of films screened, as well as the depth and variety of themes and languages. Three theatres will screen films simultaneously all day for 8 days with films from all over India and the subcontinent representing myriad regional languages (with English subtitles) while the fourth theatre will entice audiences with fascinating panels on LGBT, Regional Language Cinema, Directors' First Films, Animation, Industry Panels on Shooting in NYCity & NYState as well as Special Events such as the presentation of films from three generations of filmmakers in the Bimal Roy/Basu Bhattacharya family. Guests to our Opening & Closing Night Galas will be welcomed by amazing local dancers, while filmmakers & celebrities walk off the red carpets to glamorous cocktail parties prior to the reality screenings."
The full line-up of screenings and events will be announced April 10, 2016.
For IAAC Membership and NYIFF Tickets:
Celebrating its 16th year, NYIFF will run May 7 to May 14. Memberships may be purchased at:http://www.iaac.us/Contribution.htm
Festival Passes and Individual Tickets are on sale at the film festival website: http://www.iaac.us/NYIFF2016
About the Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC):
The Indo-American Arts Council is a registered 501(c)3 not-for-profit, secular service and resource arts organization charged with the mission of promoting and building the awareness, creation, production, exhibition, publication and performance of Indian Sub-Continental and cross-cultural art forms in North America. The IAAC supports all artistic disciplines in the classical, fusion, folk and innovative forms influenced by the arts of India. We work cooperatively with colleagues around the United States to broaden our collective audiences and to create a network for shared information, resources and funding. Our focus is to work with artists and arts organizations in North America as well as to facilitate artists and arts organizations from the Indian Sub-Continent to exhibit, perform and produce their works here.
About the New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF):
The New York Indian Film Festival is the oldest, most prestigious Indian film festival in the United States. It is dedicated to showcasing, promoting and building an awareness of Independent, art house and diaspora films from/about/connected to the Indian subcontinent. Our mission is to encourage filmmakers to tell their stories, to educate North America about them and their talent and to facilitate the making and distribution of these films. NYIFF boasts eight days of premiere screenings of feature, documentary & short films, industry panels, special events, retrospectives, red carpet galas, an award ceremony, packed audiences and amazing media coverage.
OPENING NIGHT GALA
Saturday May 7, 2016 at 6 pm at Skirball Center for Performing Arts, NYC
Let's Dance to The Rhythm
NEW YORK PREMIERE
India/2014/2 hr 36 min
Directed by Bardroy Baretto
Cast: Vijay Maurya, Palomi Ghosh, Prince Jacob
CENTERPIECE
Tuesday May 10, 2014 at 6:30 pm at Village East Cinemas, 2nd Ave & 12th Street, NYC
Highway
US PREMIERE
India/2015/ 2 hr 17 min
Directed by Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni
Cast: Mukta Barve, Sunil Barve, Tisca Chopra
CLOSING NIGHT
Saturday May 14, 2016 at 5 pm at Skirball Center for Performing Arts, NYC
Aligarh
NEW YORK PREMIERE
India/2015/114 min
Directed by Hansal Mehta
Cast: Manoj Bajpai, Rajkummar Rao
Montclair Film Festival 2016 with Colbert, along with Richard Curtis, Rob Reiner, Norman Reedus & more! #MFF2016
Right after Tribeca Film Festival 2016, today is the start of Montclair Film Festival, and goes till May 8th. As the name suggests, this festival is based in Montclair, NJ and it’s in its 5th year already. Now if you ask why you should care for a festival based all the way in Montclair, New Jersey? Well, we have couple of good reasons:
- Let me present the most interesting fact first ~ this is “Colbert’s film festival”. No, not exactly Stephen Colbert’s. This would be Evelyn Colbert. Yes, she’s related to Stephen Colbert, who’s her husband. Evelyn is president of board of Trustees for the festival. And Stephen is on the Festival’s advisory board.
- That means Stephen Colbert is quite involved in the festival. He conducts multiple talks for this festival. This could be your opportunity to see him close & personal. This year, Stephen would be hosting talks with filmmakers Richard Curtis (Love Actually, Bridget Jones’s diary etc.) on April 30 at 4:30 pm, and Robert Reiner (When Harry Met Sally, Princess Bride, Few Good Men etc.) on May 1st at 5 pm.
- There would also be several other talks with likes of Norman Reedus (Walking Dead), Margo Martindale (The Americans, Justified), Patrick Wilson (The Full Monty musical, Watchmen, Insidious). You can find all the details here.
- There’s also a special event on April 30th, honoring Richard Curtis, which will include his live commentary on his superhit film LOVE ACTUALLY, and celebrating RED NOSE day, contributing to a good cause.
- The following films will be among those featured at the festival:
o "Life, Animated" — a documentary about Owen Suskind, an autistic boy who couldn't speak for years but subsequently memorized dozens of Disney movies — will be the 7:30 p.m. April 29 opening night film, and director Roger Ross Williams, Suskind and members of Suskind's family will appear at a post-show discussion moderated by Colbert.
o Ido Haar's "Presenting Princess Shaw," about New Orleans singer Samantha Montgomery (known as Princess Shaw), will be the documentary centerpiece, May 6 at 8 p.m, with Princess Shaw participating in a Q&A session.
o "Indignation," adapted from the Philip Roth Novel, will be the narrative centerpiece on May 7 at 4:30 p.m., and director James Schamus will participate in a Q&A session.
o The closing night film, May 7 at 7:30 p.m., will be Barbara Kopple's "Miss Sharon Jones!," a documentary about soul singer Sharon Jones. Kopple and members of Jones' band The Dap Kings will appear in a Q&A session.
- Several other selected features, shorts, documentaries etc will be screened through out the festival. List, details and schedule can be found here.
- Besides films, there’s also fun events, parties etc. Checkout here.
These should be enough reasons to give this wonderful event a shot, and enjoy some amazing film programming, wonderful talks, nice events & parties, and have lots of fun!
For more details about this festival, check the link below:
LA FILM FESTIVAL UNVEILS 2016 COMPETITION LINEUP #LAFilmFestival
42 World Premieres chosen for U.S. Fiction, Documentary, World Fiction, LA Muse, and Nightfall Competitions
***
The LA Film Festival, produced by Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that also produces the Film Independent Spirit Awards, unveiled the official U.S. Fiction, Documentary, World Fiction, Nightfall and LA Muse sections. The 2016 LA Film Festival will screen a diverse slate of feature films, shorts and web series, along with programs such as the Filmmaker Retreat, Coffee Talks and Master Classes. The Festival runs June 1-9, 2016 at the ArcLight Cinemas.
“Our Programming team, led by Roya Rastegar and Jennifer Cochis, killed it,” said Festival Director, Stephanie Allain. “The competition lineup of 42 world premieres echoes Film Independent’s mission to celebrate diversity and showcases a multitude of innovative, fresh voices. We can’t wait to share these films with audiences and industry alike, and, following years which saw films like Meet the Patels, Code Black, Nightingale, The Drew, Out of My Hand and French Dirty acquired out of the Festival, are confident that 2016 will mark our best Festival yet.”
“Discovering storytellers is our raison d’être,” said Roya Rastegar, Director of Programming. “We invest a great deal to learn about filmmaking communities across the globe. We look for films with conviction in perspective, style and voice.”
“Curating films for LA audiences is so special because Angelenos have a uniquely homegrown love of cinema,” added Creative Director, Jennifer Cochis. “It’s with true film lovers in mind that we program: from political theater to musical theater, we’re highlighting storytelling in all its forms.”
The 2016 LA Film Festival, which will have its headquarters at the ArcLight Culver City, announces a diverse slate of 56 feature films, 58 short films and 13 short episodic works representing 28 countries. Previously announced, the Opening Night Film is the World Premiere of Ricardo De Montreuil’s Lowriders, sponsored by Jaeger-LeCoultre. This year’s Guest Director is Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station, Creed) and Ava DuVernay (Selma, Middle of Nowhere) and Array Releasing will receive the Spirit of Independence Award. More special screenings and programs will be announced in the coming weeks.
The Festival’s five competitions feature 42 World Premieres. Across the five feature competition categories, 43% of the films are directed by women and 38% of the films are directed by people of color.
This year, LA Film Festival Director Stephanie Allain is joined by Creative Director Jennifer Cochis, Director of Programming Roya Rastegar and Managing Director Ralph Rivera. Film Independent Curator Elvis Mitchell continues to oversee signature programs and LACMA events.
Passes are currently on sale to Film Independent Members and the general public. In addition to access to screenings and events (even after they sell out), Festival passes provide access to networking receptions and the Festival Lounge, where pass holders interact with Festival filmmakers and professionals in the film community. General admission tickets to individual films go on sale to Film Independent Members beginning Thursday, May 5 and to the general public beginning Tuesday, May 10. Contact the Ticket Office for passes, tickets and event information by calling 866.FILM.FEST (866.345.6337) or visit www.filmindependent.org/la-film-festival.
US Fiction Competition (12)
Original voices with distinct visions from emerging and established American independent filmmakers.
11:55, dir. Ari Issler, Ben Snyder, USA, World Premiere
72 Hours, dir. Raafi Rivero, USA, World Premiere
Blood Stripe, dir. Remy Auberjonois, USA, World Premiere
Chee and T, dir. Tanuj Chopra, USA, World Premiere
Destined, dir. Qasim Basir, USA, World Premiere
Dreamstates, dir. Anisia Uzeyman, USA, World Premiere
GREEN / is / GOLD, dir. Ryon Baxter, USA, World Premiere
My First Kiss and the People Involved, dir. Luigi Campi, USA, World Premiere
Paint it Black, dir. Amber Tamblyn, USA, World Premiere
Tracktown, dir. Jeremy Teicher, Alexi Pappas, USA, World Premiere
The View from Tall, dir. Erica Weiss, Caitlin Parrish, USA, World Premiere
Woven, dir. Salome Mulugeta, Nagwa Ibrahim, USA, World Premiere
Documentary Competition (12) Sponsored by Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television
Compelling, character-driven non-fiction films from the U.S. and around the world.
Company Town, dir. Natalie Kottke-Masocco, Erica Sardarian, USA, World Premiere
Denial, dir. Derek Hallquist, USA, World Premiere
Dr. Feelgood, dir. Eve Marson, USA, World Premiere
Dying Laughing, dir. Lloyd Stanton, Paul Toogood, USA/UK, World Premiere
The House on Coco Road, dir. Damani Baker, Grenada/USA, World Premiere
Jackson, dir. Maisie Crow, USA, World Premiere
The Last Gold, dir. Brian T. Brown, Germany/USA, World Premiere
Looking at the Stars, dir. Alexandre Peralta, Brazil/Nicaragua/USA, World Premiere
Olympic Pride, American Prejudice, dir. Deborah Riley Draper, USA, World Premiere
Out of Iraq, dir. Eva Orner, Chris McKim, Canada/Iraq/Lebanon/USA, World Premiere
Political Animals, dir. Jonah Markowitz, Tracy Wares, USA, World Premiere
They Call Us Monsters, dir. Ben Lear, USA, World Premiere
World Fiction Competition (6)
Unique fiction films from around the world from emerging and established filmmakers, especially curated for LA audiences.
HEIS (chronicles), dir. Anaïs Volpé, France, World Premiere
Like Cotton Twines, dir. Leila Djansi, Ghana/USA, World Premiere
London Town, dir. Derrick Borte, UK, World Premiere
Lupe Under the Sun, dir. Rodrigo Reyes, Mexico/USA, World Premiere
A Moving Image, dir. Shola Amoo, UK, World Premiere
Play the Devil, dir. Maria Govan, Trinidad/Bahamas/USA, World Premiere
LA Muse (6)
Fiction and documentary films that capture the spirit of LA.
Actors of Sound, dir. Lalo Molina, Argentina/Finland/Germany/India/Ireland/USA, World Premiere
Girl Flu., dir. Dorie Barton, USA, World Premiere
Manchild: The Schea Cotton Story, dir. Eric “Ptah” Herbert, USA, World Premiere
Namour, dir. Heidi Saman, USA, World Premiere
No Light and No Land Anywhere, dir. Amber Sealey, USA, World Premiere
Sensitivity Training, dir. Melissa Finell, USA, World Premiere
Nightfall (6)
From the bizarre to the horrifying, these are films to watch after dark.
Abattoir, dir. Darren Lynn Bousman, USA, World Premiere
Beyond the Gates, dir. Jackson Stewart, USA, World Premiere
Don’t Hang Up, dir. Alexis Wajsbrot, Damien Macé, UK, World Premiere
Mercy, dir. Chris Sparling, USA, World Premiere
Officer Downe, dir. M. Shawn Crahan, USA, World Premiere
Villisca, dir. Tony Valenzuela, USA, World Premiere
Short Films (58): From over 2,500 submissions, the short films selected represent 15 countries and 64% are directed by women. Short films are shown before features and as part of seven short film programs. Shorts will compete for juried prizes for fiction and documentary shorts, as well as an Audience Award for Best Short Film.
Future Filmmakers Showcase: High School Shorts (33): The LA Film Festival’s Future Filmmaker Showcase brings to the big screen the best films made by budding young filmmakers from across the country and the globe. In this diverse slate of films, incredibly accomplished high school students will present wild comedies, moving dramas, mesmerizing animation, introspective experimental films and everything in between. Program sponsored by Loyola Marymount UniversitySchool of Film and Television and Time Warner Foundation.
Episodes: Indie Series from the Web (13)
A showcase of independently crafted web series, celebrating rising creators whose work and subjects are innovative and unfiltered.
20 Seconds to Live, dir. Ben Rock, USA
Brothers, dir. Emmett Jack Lundberg, USA
Caring, dir. Maggie Kiley, USA
Fridays, dir. Anna Kerrigan, USA
The Ghost and The Negro, dir. Sylvester Folks, USA
Her Story, dir. Sydney Freeland, USA
Instababy, dir. Rosie Haber, USA
Literally So Busy, dir. Jerad Sloan, USA
Little Things, dir. Lex Halaby, Mila Shah, USA
Outside Comedy: Beth Stelling, dir. Thomas Wood, USA
Quirky Female Protagonist, dir. Yulin Kuang, USA
Shangri-L.A., dir. Drew Rosas, USA
Time Out with Yes Please!, dir. Kholi Hicks, USA.
For more information, please visit:
THE FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER AND ISTITUTO LUCE CINECITTÀ ANNOUNCE COMPLETE LINEUP FOR THE 16TH EDITION OF OPEN ROADS: NEW ITALIAN CINEMA, JUNE 2-8
- The 16-film festival features nine North American premieres and a 40th-anniversary screening of Ettore Scola’s Cannes Best Director–winning Ugly, Dirty and Bad in a new restoration
The Film Society of Lincoln Center and Istituto Luce Cinecittà announce the complete lineup for Open Roads: New Italian Cinema, June 2-8. For 16 years, Open Roads has proudly offered North American audiences the most diverse and extensive lineup of contemporary Italian film available. As always, the series includes both commercial and independent fare, ranging from a vérité documentary to a superhero movie, outrageous comedies to gripping dramas, with nine North American Premieres and in-person appearances by many of the filmmakers.
The 2016 edition strikes a satisfying balance between emerging talents and esteemed veterans, including two feature debuts—the lyrical coming-of-age tale Arianna by Carlo Lavagna and Adriano Valerio’s poetic Banat, starring I Am Love’s Edoardo Gabbriellini—plus the latest from Gianni Zanasi (The Complexity of Happiness) and Vincenzo Marra (First Light), and the final work from late cult director Claudio Caligari, Don’t Be Bad, Italy’s submission for the 2015 Best Foreign Language Oscar.
This year also marks the 40th anniversary of Ettore Scola’s brilliant satirical tragedy Ugly, Dirty and Bad, for which he won the Best Director award at Cannes in 1976. Starring the great Nino Manfredi as a patriarch who refuses to share the payout of an insurance policy with his outrageous family, the film will screen in a beautiful new digital restoration at a special anniversary screening.
Other notable North American premieres include Gabriele Mainetti’s gritty superhero anti-blockbuster They Call Me Jeeg, winner of seven David di Donatello Awards (Italy’s top film honors); the witty relationship comedy Solo by writer-director-star Laura Morante; Claudio Cupellini’s torrid love saga The Beginners; the Dardenne Brothers–produced Long Live the Bride by Ascanio Celestini; Maria Sole Tognazzi’s lesbian romantic comedy Me, Myself and Her; Gianluca De Serio & Massimiliano De Serio’s River Memories, a vérité portrait of a Turin shantytown; and revered documentary filmmaker Gianfranco Pannone’s The Smallest Army in the World, paired with the premiere of the short documentary Viva Ingrid!, about Ingrid Bergman’s years in Italy, directed by Alessandro (grandson of Roberto) Rossellini.
Open Roads: New Italian Cinema is co-presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Istituto Luce Cinecittà. Organized by Dennis Lim and Dan Sullivan.
Tickets will go on sale Thursday, May 12. A pre-sale to Film Society members will begin Tuesday, May 10. Single tickets are $14; $11 for students and seniors (62+); and $9 for Film Society members. See more and save with the $99 All Access Pass or the 3+ film discount package.
FILMS & DESCRIPTIONS
All screenings take place at the Walter Reade Theater (165 West 65th Street) unless otherwise noted.
40th Anniversary Screening
Ugly, Dirty and Bad / Brutti, sporchi e cattivi
Ettore Scola, Italy, 1976, 115m
Italian with English subtitles
A master of the commedia all’italiana, Ettore Scola won Best Director 40 years ago at the Cannes Film Festival for this outrageous “satirical tragedy” about a sub-proletariat household in Rome. The sprawling extended Mazzatella family lives shoulder to shoulder in a shack that overlooks a busy highway. In an extraordinary comic performance, the great Nino Manfredi stars as Giacinto, the grizzled old patriarch who has received a one-million-lire insurance payout for the loss of his left eye—money he refuses to share with any of the two-dozen children, grandchildren, and assorted other relatives who share his cramped abode. Soon enough, the family members are plotting their revenge, only to discover that Giacinto has no plans of going gently into that good night. Returning to the screen in a beautiful new digital restoration, Scola’s film contains a pitch-perfect blend of hilarity and brutality, which amounts to a brilliant portrait of squalor and cynicism unlike any other. A Film Movement release. New digital restoration!
Saturday, June 4, 1:00pm
Tuesday, June 7, 8:00pm*
*Venue: Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, 144 West 65th Street
Arianna
Carlo Lavagna, Italy, 2015, 84m
Italian with English subtitles
“I was born twice. Actually, three times.” So begins director Carlo Lavagna’s feature debut, a beguiling and lyrical coming-of-age story centered on timely and timeless questions about gender, adulthood, family, and self-knowledge. Unfolding on an idyllic lakeshore in the Italian countryside, the film features first-time actress Ondina Quadri as the young woman of the title who, years after leaving, returns with her parents to her early-childhood home for a summer retreat. While there, she embarks on a profoundly personal emotional journey, spurred on by enigmatic memories and present-day desires, and gradually sheds light on secrets from her past that will transform her relationships and understanding of herself. An Uncork’d Entertainment release.
Sunday, June 5, 3:30pm
Wednesday, June 8, 4:30pm
Banat (Il Viaggio)
Adriano Valerio, Italy/Romania/Bulgaria/Republic of Macedonia, 2015, 85m
English, Italian, and Romanian with English subtitles
In the Italian city of Bari, Ivo (I Am Love’s Edoardo Gabbriellini), an unemployed agronomist, is moving out of his apartment and preparing to take a job in Romania, just as Clara (Elena Radonicich), a newly single shipbuilder, is moving in. Though the two cross paths for only a day, it’s the beginning of a surprising journey—both geographic and emotional—for them both as she eventually follows him to Romania, where they set about trying to start a new life together on a hardscrabble farm. Beautifully blending realism with moments of quiet poetry, the promising feature debut from Adriano Valerio is a sensitively observed study of cross-cultural exchange and souls in transition.
Friday, June 3, 1:00pm (Q&A with Adriano Valerio)
Wednesday, June 8, 6:30pm
The Beginners / Alaska
Claudio Cupellini, Italy/France, 2015, 125m
Italian and French with English subtitles
This torrid saga of money, sex, and violence is a wild, careening joyride. When Fausto (Elio Germano), an Italian man living in France, meets Nadine (Astrid Bergès-Frisbey), an aspiring model, it ignites an obsessive, years-long case of l’amour fou that takes the couple from the highest highs to the lowest lows, from prison to power and fortune, and from love to hate and everything in between. Driven by the explosive chemistry between Germano and Bergès-Frisbey and backed by a soundtrack that skips from indie rock to Motown to opera, The Beginners is a breathless, one-of-a-kind love story that keeps the shocking surprises and hairpin turns coming. North American Premiere
Friday, June 3, 8:45pm (Q&A with Claudio Cupellini)
Wednesday, June 8, 2:00pm
Call Me Francesco – The Pope / Chiamatemi Francesco – Il Papa della gente
Daniele Luchetti, Italy, 2015, 98m
Spanish with English subtitles
This unsentimental biopic forgoes hagiography to delve into the darkest chapter of the life of the man the world now knows as Pope Francis. Before he was the leader of the Catholic Church, he was Jorge Mario Bergoglio, a young priest living in Buenos Aires. As he rises through the ranks of the church, Bergoglio (played by The Motorcycle Diaries star Rodrigo de la Serna) finds himself frequently at odds with the brutal military dictatorship that ruled Argentina in the 1970s, a potentially perilous situation that forces him to make some tough moral choices. Told with the verve of a political thriller, Call Me Francesco – The Pope is a humanizing look at the experiences that shaped one of the world’s most influential men.
Sunday, June 5, 6:00pm (Q&A with Daniele Luchetti)
The Complexity of Happiness / La felicità è un sistema complesso
Gianni Zanasi, Italy, 2015, 114m
English and Italian with English subtitles
In Gianni Zanasi’s latest feature, Valerio Mastandrea stars as Enrico Giusti, a comfortably unattached businessman whose empathy and compassion are put to the test when, returning home one night from a business trip, he finds a lonely Israeli exchange student (Hadas Yaron) waiting in his apartment, abandoned there by his commitment-averse younger brother. Just as he’s beginning to navigate this unexpected turn in his personal life, Enrico’s professional life will take on its own unforeseen complications when he is named co-director of a family-run corporation, along with the two recently orphaned, adolescent children of the company’s founders. Anchored by Mastandrea’s warm, subtly generous lead performance, this film quietly asks what it means to make a positive difference in the lives of others, and suggests that kindness and simple human decency can go a long way in improving the lives of everyone they touch.
Saturday, June 4, 3:30pm (Q&A with Gianni Zanasi)
Don’t Be Bad / Non essere cattivo
Claudio Caligari, Italy, 2015, 102m
Italian with English subtitles
The final film from the late cult director Claudio Caligari (Toxic Love) is a gritty, hard-hitting crime saga set in Ostia (the outskirts of Rome immortalized by Pasolini) in the 1990s. Best friends Cesare (Luca Marinelli) and Vittorio (Alessandro Borghi) are petty drug dealers whose favorite pastimes are getting high and drinking themselves into oblivion. But when Vittorio endeavors to turn his life around, the self-destructive Cesare spirals further downward. Submitted as Italy’s candidate for the 2015 Best Foreign Language Oscar, Don’t Be Bad evocatively captures the cocaine-fueled, neon-nightclub highs and the grim, morning-after lows of life in the fast lane.
Thursday, June 2, 8:30pm
Monday, June 6, 4:15pm
First Light / La prima luce
Vincenzo Marra, Italy, 2015, 104m
Spanish and Italian with English subtitles
This gripping human drama tackles a complex issue—an international custody battle—with emotion and suspense. One of Italy’s best-known stars, Riccardo Scamarcio, plays Marco, a lawyer with a short fuse but an undeniable love for the son he has with his long-term partner Martina (Daniela Ramirez). Alienated in Italy and desperately unhappy in her relationship, Martina longs to return home to South America. One day, while Marco is away, she does the unthinkable: books a one-way plane ticket and absconds with her son back to Chile. What begins as an absorbing relationship drama develops into a low-key thriller as the desperate Marco travels halfway across the world to find his child. Director and erstwhile documentarian Vincenzo Marra lends a vivid realism to this compelling look at the lengths a parent will go for his child. Winner of a Francesco Pasinetti Award at the Venice Film Festival. North American Premiere.
Friday, June 3, 3:30pm (Q&A with Vincenzo Marra)
Wednesday, June 8, 8:30pm
God Willing / Se Dio vuole
Edoardo Maria Falcone, Italy, 2015, 84m
Italian with English subtitles
The great “faith vs. reason” debate gets a comedic workout in this by turns goofy and heartfelt satire. Tommaso (Marco Giallini), a famed surgeon, is thrown for a loop when his son Andrea (Enrico Oetiker) informs him that he wants to ditch his medical studies and become a priest. A strict atheist who believes the boy is squandering his potential, Tommaso embarks on a harebrained campaign to discredit the charismatic, motorcycle-riding evangelist (Alessandro, son of Vittorio, Gassman) influencing Andrea—but finds his own values being transformed in the process. Far from preachy, God Willing gently lampoons bourgeois vapidity, while offering a fresh perspective on the role of spirituality in the modern world.
Saturday, June 4, 6:30pm (Q&A with Edoardo Falcone and Laura Morante)
Long Live the Bride / Viva la sposa
Ascanio Celestini, Italy/France/Belgium, 2015, 87m
Italian with English subtitles
The Dardenne Brothers co-produced this engagingly offbeat character study, which, like the acclaimed auteurs’ own work, is set on the lowest rungs and in the outermost margins of society. The film’s sinister humor and subtle surrealism, however, belong entirely to writer-director-star Ascanio Celestini. He plays Nicola, an aimless alcoholic who (barely) supports himself doing (wildly inappropriate) children’s theater, but primarily spends his time wandering the outskirts of Rome in his big red van and consorting with various other misfits: a fellow barfly (Alba Rohrwacher), a prostitute (Veronica Cruciani), and a con man (Salvatore Striano) who teaches Nicola the tricks of his trade. Their intersecting lives form a picaresque, ultimately poignant portrait of people on the edge. North American Premiere
Tuesday, June 7, 6:00pm*
*Venue: Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, 144 West 65th Street
Me, Myself and Her / Io e lei
Maria Sole Tognazzi, Italy, 2015, 102m
Italian with English subtitles
On the surface, Federica (Margherita Buy) and Marina (Sabrina Ferilli) appear to have the perfect relationship, sharing a posh apartment in Rome, working dream jobs (architect and restaurateur, respectively) by day, and cozying up on the couch to watch episodes of Top of the Lake by night. But when retired actress Marina suddenly decides to get back into the movies and Federica—still questioning her sexuality—pursues a fling with a man, their commitment to each other is put to the test. Blending light-as-a-soufflé comedy, postcard-perfect views of Italy, and witty observations on the challenges that all couples face, this irresistible romance is as refreshing as a Mediterranean vacation. A Wolfe Releasing release. North American Premiere
Thursday, June 2, 6:00pm (Q&A with Maria Sole Tognazzi)
Tuesday, June 7, 1:30pm
River Memories / I ricordi del fiume
Gianluca De Serio & Massimiliano De Serio, Italy, 2015, 96m
Romanian and Italian with English subtitles
Along a river in Turin, over 1,000 people live in a sprawling makeshift shantytown, a vibrant multiethnic melting pot slated to be razed by the government. As some residents are relocated to public housing and others are left dispossessed, this vérité documentary captures everyday moments from the last days of life in the community—children playing amid the rubble, a family praying fervently at home, revelry at a late-night fireside gathering. A haunting, strikingly shot work of anthropological preservation, River Memories is an elegiac record of a vanishing way of life. North American Premiere
Sunday, June 5, 1:00pm (Q&A with Gianluca De Serio & Massimiliano De Serio)
The Smallest Army in the World / L’esercito più piccolo del mondo
Gianfranco Pannone, Italy, 2015, 80m
Italian, German, and French with English subtitles
The renowned documentarian Gianfranco Pannone turns his camera on “the smallest army in the world”: the Pontifical Swiss Guard, a centuries-old military unit comprised of young Swiss soldiers who are stationed at the Vatican and tasked with guarding the Pope. The film follows Leo and René as they bid farewell to their families in Switzerland and embark on the first months of their assignment in Rome. Under Pannone’s inquisitive and sensitive gaze, the young men are fitted for customary striped uniforms, train in the drills and procedures of the Guard, practice their Italian-language skills, and contemplate the cultural and personal significance of participating in a religious and military tradition that has been sustained over hundreds of years in the Church’s history. Leo, René, and their fellow guardsmen are compelling and endearing subjects, and the documentary doubles as a joyous love letter to the sights and sounds of the ancient city. North American Premiere
Screening with:
Viva Ingrid!
Alessandro Rossellini, Italy, 2015, 20m
English, Italian, and French with English subtitles
This charming ode to the late Ingrid Bergman tells the story of her time spent in Italy, beginning with the production of her first film with Roberto Rossellini (the director’s grandfather), and ending with the couple’s separation eight years later—narrated via a collage of home movies, interviews, newsreel footage, and scenes from her films. North American Premiere
Sunday, June 5, 8:30pm (Q&A with Gianfranco Pannone)
Solo / Assolo
Laura Morante, Italy, 2016, 97m
Italian with English subtitles
The multitalented Laura Morante wrote, directed, and stars in this snappy relationship comedy, which plays like a Woody Allen sex farce told from the female point of view. Morante is Flavia, a neurotic middle-aged woman and human doormat, who clings to her two remarried ex-husbands while letting her female friends walk all over her. With the help of her no-nonsense therapist (Piera Degli Esposti), the timid Flavia confronts her fear of being alone and sets out to reclaim her life. Boasting a delightfully deadpan lead performance and bursting with playful stylistic touches—including surreal fantasy sequences and fourth-wall-breaking direct addresses—Solo is a witty, wise, and empowering portrait of a late bloomer coming into her own. North American Premiere.
Friday, June 3, 6:15pm (Q&A with Laura Morante)
Monday, June 6, 2:00pm
They Call Me Jeeg / Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot
Gabriele Mainetti, Italy, 2015, 112m
Italian with English subtitles
After a plunge into Rome’s toxic Tiber River, Enzo (Claudio Santamaria), a porn-addicted petty criminal, finds himself transformed into an indestructible, superhuman strongman. Against his own instincts, he becomes something of an avenging angel: the protector of an emotionally fragile, anime-obsessed young woman (who believes he is the robot hero of the 1970s manga series Steel Jeeg) and the nemesis of a sadistic, germophobic gangster (Luca Marinelli). This gritty, grimy take on the superhero film is the antidote to Hollywood-slick blockbusters. It’s bloody, bruising, bone-crunching, and a total blast. Winner of seven David di Donatello Awards. An Uncork’d Entertainment release. North American Premiere
Saturday, June 4, 8:45pm (Q&A with Gabriele Mainetti)
Tuesday, June 7, 3:30pm
For more information, visit www.filmlinc.org.
Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards 2016 #TDIA2016
Craig Hatkoff is an activist, philanthropist, mentor and true Disruptive Innovator. He took upon himself, along with his wonderful film-producer wife Jane Rosenthal and none-other-than Robert DeNiro, to do his best to recover city from the post 9/11 trauma. In 2002, they together started the Tribeca Film Festival, which has become one of the best showcase of entertainment, film, TV and new-media, not only in NYC but in entire country. And in 2010 they introduced the Disruptive Innovation Awards. Spearheaded by Craig Hatkoff in collaboration with renowned Harvard Business School Professor Clay Christensen and the Disruptor Foundation, the Tribeca Disruptive Innovations Awards aim to share insights into innovation to help solve some of the world’s most challenging problems. The awards celebrate innovators who have broken the mold to significantly impact industries and business models, creating significant change in humanitarian efforts, global conservation, social justice, education, media and community engagement.
The 6th annual Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards took place Friday as part of the 15th edition of the Tribeca Film Festival. This year's awards honored innovators from around the world who are making significant contributions to social justice, community engagement and environmental science - just in time for Earth day.
Honorees included Lin-Manual Miranda for his work bringing American History into the spotlight and encouraging access to theater for all income levels. Miranda accepted his award via video message.
Humanitarian and BIRTH OF A NATION filmmaker Nate Parker received the Theodore Parker Prize for social justice. In his emotional acceptance speech, Parker admitted that "being a disruptor is a lonely place," going on to explain that the role is not always an easy one.
The event also included special guest presenter Edward Snowden via robot from a top secret location, who presented Anthony Romero, executive director of the ACLU with his award. While Snowden remained mum on the 2016 presidential election, the duo encouraged more innovators to step forward and discussed the adversity they faced when no one believed them.
Lifetime achievement winner Dr. Richard Leakey announced to a standing ovation that next week, he will burn 120 tons of ivory, over $100 million US dollars, effectively removing the illegal commodity from the market.
The two intrepid sisters from Pennsylvania, Hilde (9) and Isabel (12) Lysiak, were recognized for their homegrown newspaper and bravery in the face of doubts because of their ages and gender. Hilde, in a video montage of their reporting, read the negative reactions posted to their social media and closed their acceptance speech with a plee for adults never to doubt them or tell them they are too young to accomplish their dreams.
The entire list of winners and details can be found at the links below:
A Conversation with Matthew Manson & Chaize Macklin | WANNABE #Tribeca2016
Matthew Manson is a writer and director who has created over 900 commercials, branded web series, and short films. He's won several advertising and narrative awards, including an audience award for Best Short at the Tribeca Film Festival. His newest short Wannabe is based on his feature film shooting this summer in NYC.
Inspired by the director's childhood, Wannabe is about neurotic Jewish boy who must win over his crush by impressing her skeptical Jamaican family. Set in 1990s New York City - a time of intense social and political strife - the film stars Malcolm Jamal-Warner (The Cosby Show, American Crime Story: People v. O.J. Simpson), David Bloom (Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp), Chaize Macklin, and Donis Leonard Jr. (House of Lies). It is based on a feature script of the same name.
The feature recently went through the Film Independent Producers Lab. It was a finalist for the Sundance Writers Lab, a semi-finalist for the Nicholls Fellowship, and won the Richard Vague / Christopher Columbus grant, which awarded a cash prize towards production.
The film is currently being packaged at CAA and is scheduled to shoot this summer.
FIFTEENTH ANNUAL TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES JURIED AWARD WINNERS
- DEAN, JUNCTION 48, and DO NOT RESIST take home top awards in U.S. and International Narrative and World Documentary Competitions
- NOTES ON BLINDNESS: INTO DARKNESS wins Storyscapes Award; Rachel Tunnard for ADULT LIFE SKILLS wins fourth annual Nora Ephron Prize; and HEARING COLORS for Samsung wins the inaugural Tribeca X Award
- FESTIVAL AWARDS $155,000 IN CASH PRIZES
The 15th annual Tribeca Film Festival, co-founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff, and presented by AT&T, announced the winners of its competition categories at the awards ceremony at 42 W NY. Top awards went to Dean, Junction 48, and Do Not Resist. The Festival runs through April 24, 2016.
For the first time in the Festival’s history there were separate US and International narrative competition categories. In total winners were awarded in the following feature film competition categories: US Narrative, International Narrative, World Documentary, New Narrative Director, The Albert Maysles New Documentary Director, and the Nora Ephron Prize. Awards were also given in the short film categories: Narrative, Documentary, and Student Visionary.
In addition, the Festival announced the recipients of the Storyscapes Award, for immersive storytelling, and the inaugural Tribeca X Award, a new juried award for branded storytelling recognizing the intersection of advertising and entertainment.
This year’s Festival included 102 features, 74 short films, and 38 immersive storytelling projects from 42 countries.
“We are proud to celebrate the winning filmmakers, artists, and creators from our 15th edition,” said Jane Rosenthal, co-founder, Tribeca Film Festival. “Their stories have entertained, inspired, and challenged us to think about the world and we are grateful to them for sharing their work with us.”
Screenings of the award–winning films will take place throughout the final day of the Festival: Sunday, April 24, at various venues. Specific times and ticketing information are available at www.tribecafilm.com/festival
The winners of the Audience Awards, powered by Infor, which are determined by audience votes throughout the Festival, will be announced on April 23.
In addition to cash awards and in-kind services provided by sponsors including AKA Hotel Residences, AT&T, Bira 91, Coach, Company 3, Freixenet Cava, HBO, Infor, and Netflix, the Festival presented the winners with original pieces of art created by 10 contemporary artists: Keith Edmier, Marc Hundley, Zak Kitnick, John Miller, Virginia Overton, Laura Owens, Josh Tonsfeldt Sara VanDerBeek, Stephen Hannock and Clifford Ross.
The winners, awards, and comments from the jury who selected the recipients are as follows:
U.S. NARRATIVEFEATURE COMPETITION CATEGORIES:
The jurors for the 2016 U.S. Narrative Competition, sponsored by AKA Hotel Residences, were Anne Carey, James Le Gros, Chris Nashawaty, Mya Taylor and Jennifer Westfeldt.
- The Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature – Dean, written and directed by Demteri Martin. Winner receives $20,000, sponsored by AT&T, and the art award “Waking Up in the Painted World” by Stephen Hannock. The award was given by Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal joined by Fiona Carter, SVP of Brand Marketing, Advertising, and Sponsorships, AT&T, and Jennifer Westfeldt.
Jury Comment: “We have had the great privilege of seeing ten accomplished and ambitious films over the last seven days here at Tribeca. But we all fell in love with this next film. It manages the near impossible task of breathing new life into a well-worn genre, balancing humor and pathos with an incredibly deft touch, and offering a unique perspective on the way we process loss.”
- Best Actor in a U.S. Narrative Feature Film –Dominic Rains in The Fixer. The award was given by Chris Nashawaty.
Jury Comment: “For his deeply emotional and empathic portrayal of a man who’s a stranger in a strange land.”
- Best Actress in a U.S. Narrative Feature Film – Mackenzie Davis in Always Shine. The award was given by Mya Taylor.
Jury Comment: “For the unapologetic, fierce, brave, compelling, and vulnerable portrayal.”
- Best Cinematography in a U.S. Narrative Feature Film – Cinematography by Michael Ragen for Kicks. Winner receives $50,000 in post-production services donated by Company 3. The award was given by Anne Carey along with David Feldman, Company 3 Director of Feature Services.
Jury Comment: “At times lyrical and other times visceral, the seductive cinematography of this film lured us into the violent world of busted childhood.”
- Best Screenplay in a U.S. Narrative Feature Film – Women Who Kill written by Ingrid Jungermann. Winner receives $2,500 sponsored by Freixenet Cava. The award was given by James Le Gros along with Tom Burnet, President, Freixenet America.
Jury Comment: “As Miles Davis said, ‘The hardest thing is to be original.’ This unique and deftly hilarious tale told in Brooklyn is from a fresh voice and a true original.”
INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVEFEATURE COMPETITION CATEGORIES:
The jurors for the 2016 International Narrative Competition were Hany Abu-Assad, Jean Reno, Lydia Dean Pilcher, Sam Taylor-Johnson and Danny Glover.
- The Best International Narrative Feature – Junction 48, written and directed by Udi Aloni. Winner receives $20,000, sponsored by Netflix, and the art award “Temple of the Moon” by Sara VanDerBeek. The award was given by Danny Glover.
Jury Comment: “This award goes to a phenomenal, stand-out, powerful, thoughtful movie. It offers a new perspective and insightful approach to a story about how to be different and live together.”
- Best Actor in an International Narrative Feature Film –Alan Sabbagh in The Tenth Man. The award was given by Jean Reno.
Jury Comment: “A performance of natural subtlety that reflected a community that is unknown to most of us. An intriguing journey for connection in search for identity.”
- Best Actress in an International Narrative Feature Film – Radhika Apte in Clean Shaven, a part of Madly. The award was given by Jean Reno.
Jury Comment: “This award goes to an actress who has conveyed bravery and emotional depth in different relationships around her. A contemporary story that breaks through established culture.”
- Best Cinematography in an International Narrative Feature Film – Cinematography by Kjell Vassdal for El Clasico . Winner receives $50,000 in post-production services donated by Company 3. The award was given by Sam Taylor-Johnson along with David Feldman, Company 3 Director of Feature Services.
Jury Comment: “This award goes to an expansive, naturalistic photography in serving the narrative and the emotional journey of the characters.”
- Best Screenplay in an International Narrative Feature Film – Perfect Strangers written by Filippo Bologna, Paolo Costella, Paolo Genovese, Paola Mammini, and Rolando Ravello. Winners receive $2,500 sponsored by Freixenet Cava. The award was given by Hany Abu-Assad along with Tom Burnet, President, Freixenet America.
Jury Comment: “This award goes to a well-crafted, entertaining scenario, with deep character development. It’s an original story about private lives and hidden secrets.”
WORLD DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION CATEGORIES:
The jurors for the 2016 World Documentary Competition, sponsored by Bira 91, were Laura Poitras, Douglas Tirola and Roger Ross Williams.
- Best Documentary Feature – Do Not Resist, directed by Craig Atkinson (USA). Winner receives $20,000, sponsored by Netflix, and the art award “Untitled” by Virginia Overton. The award was given by Roger Ross Williams.
Jury Comments: “This film that uses documentary to go deep into a world with a cinematic experience. We were excited by the directorial debut of a cinematographer who already has created a great body of work. Do Not Resist shines a light on the frightening story of the militarization of the police. In an impactful way the director uses his amazing access to look at power and force from the inside.”
- Best Documentary Cinematography – Cinematography by Jarred Alterman for Contemporary Color (USA). Winner receives $2,500, sponsored by Bira 91. The award was given by Doug Tirola and Ankur Jain, CEO, Bira 91.
- Best Documentary Editing – Editing by Bill Ross for Contemporary Color (USA). Winner receives $2,500, sponsored by Bira 91. The award was given by Doug Tirola and Ankur Jain, CEO, Bira 91.
Jury Comments: “One film above all others demonstrated filmmakers completely in control of their craft. Through both the editing and cinematography this film takes the audience deep into a unique world and its characters with nuance, emotion and beauty while also showcasing performances in a spectacular and grand cinematic way."
BEST NEW NARRATIVE DIRECTOR COMPETITION:
The jurors for the 2016 Best New Narrative Director Competition were Hill Harper, Col Needham and Ry Russo-Young.
- Best New Narrative Director – Priscilla Anany, director of Children of the Mountain (USA, Ghana). Winner receives $10,000 sponsored by HBO, and the art award “The Transit of Venus (Melanie)” by Keith Edmier. The award was given by the jury.
Jury Comments: "So many of the films we had the pleasure of viewing were expertly directed and worthy of recognition. The winning director presents a fearless and heart wrenching tale of an embattled mother's high stakes journey to heal her sick child and ultimately herself. The film delicately and powerfully directs us through an emotionally resonant story that is dark for truthful reasons and simultaneously hopeful. The best new narrative director award goes to Priscilla Anany for Children of the Mountain."
BEST NEW DOCUMENTARY DIRECTOR COMPETITION:
The jurors for the 2016 Albert Maysles New Documentary Director Award were Jason Biggs, Karen Cooper and Sebastian Silva.
- Albert Maysles New Documentary Director Award – David Feige for Untouchable (USA). Winner receives $10,000 sponsored by Netflix, and the art award “Lenox Hill” by Josh Tonsfeldt. The award was given by Sebastian Silva.
Jury Comment: “The film opens our eyes to the suffering of people on both sides of a controversial fence. Made with compassion for all of its subjects, the film is a fascinating look into how laws are created with the best of intentions, but enforced in problematic and sometimes destructive ways.”
SHORT FILM COMPETITION CATEGORIES:
The 2016 Best Narrative Short Competition jurors were Mike Birbiglia, Chloe Grace Moretz and Sheila Nevins.
- Best Narrative Short – Hold On (Houvast), directed by Charlotte Scott-Wilson (Netherlands).Winner receives $5,000 sponsored by Netflix, and the art award “It's You and Me Kid” by Marc Hundley. The award was given by Mike Birbiglia.
Jury Comments: “The jury was moved by one particular film because it is simultaneously about the price of performance, and the entirely unique idea that the protagonist’s musical performance itself succeeds on the back of her own self-doubt, torture, and anxiety. We were also blown away by the remarkable performance of the lead actress in both her emotional depth combined with her musical proficiency.”
The 2016 Best Documentary Short and Student Visionary Award jurors were Maria Cuomo Cole, Mark Conseulos, Jessica Yu, Parker Posey and Alan Yang.
- Best Documentary Short – Extremis directed by Dan Krauss (USA). Winner receives $5,000 sponsored by AKA Hotel Residences, and the art award “Untitled (11/30/96)” by John Miller. The award was given by Maria Cuomo Cole along with Larry Korman, President, AKA Hotel Residences.
Jury Comments: “This film's cinematography is intimate yet unobtrusive; its point of view is empathetic and non-judgemental. And ultimately, it respects the conflicting perspectives at a morally wrenching crossroads.”
- Student Visionary Award – Ping Pong Coach (乒乓), directed by Yi Liu. (Taiwan R.O.C., USA). Winner receives $5,000 sponsored by HBO. The award was given by Sharon Badal, Tribeca’s Vice President Shorts Programming and Filmmaker Relations along with Larry Korman, President, AKA Hotel Residences.
Jury Comments: “For its naturalistic tone and compelling performances, this film impacted us in a real way.”
STORYSCAPES AWARD
The 2016 Storyscapes Award, presented by AT&T, which recognizes groundbreaking approaches in storytelling and technology, jurors were Jessica Brillhart, Jigar Mehta and Saschka Unseld.
● Storyscapes Award: Notes on Blindness: Into Darkness created by Arnaud Colinart, Amaury La Burthe, Peter Middleton, and James Spinney. Winner receives $10,000, presented by AT&T. The award was given by Jessica Brillhart, Saschka Unseld, and Olga Serna, Senior Marketing Manager, AT&T.
Jury Comments: “The most powerful stories allow us to see the world and its vast array of experiences through someone else's eyes. One project took us on that journey in a most unexpected way. Through its creative use of a medium and its meticulous and elegantly crafted audio landscape. Through its dedication to nuance and aesthetic. Through its care and compassion not only for the protagonist, but for those who take the journey with him. Because as the piece so eloquently ends: ‘After all, being human is not seeing, it’s loving.”
THE NORA EPHRON PRIZE
The 2016 Nora Ephron Prize, sponsored by Coach, jurors were Rachael Leigh Cook, Judy Greer and Mary Stuart Masterson.
- The Nora Ephron Prize: Rachel Tunnard, director, writer and editor of Adult Life Skills (UK). Winner receives $25,000, sponsored by Coach, and the art award “Untitled” by Laura Owens. The award was given by the jury along with Margaret Coady, Executive Director of Corporate Social Responsibility and Coach Foundation at Coach, Inc.
Jury Comments: “We selected someone whose originality of voice, deft handling of tone, assured visual and editorial style, and moving poetic screenplay combined to make us feel from the opening sequence that we were in good hands. She made a tiny—even miniaturized—world, seem vast. She handled grief in a wholly unique way. Using wit and emotional restraint to pull the audience in. And make us root for our protagonist to blow up the shed!”
TRIBECA X AWARD
The Tribeca X award, sponsored by GE, jurors were Laurie Anderson, Scott Carlson, Judy McGrath, Liev Schreiber and Hank Willis Thomas.
● Tribeca X award: Hearing Colors created by Greg Brunkalla for Samsung. The award was given by Scott Carlson and Hank Willis Thomas along with Andy Goldberg, Chief Creative Officer, GE.
Jury Comments: “We were drawn in by the story and the inventive way it was told, we loved what it taught us about ways to see the world. The piece communicated Samsung's brand values effortlessly without ever overtly talking about the brand itself. So we appreciated the approach and we appreciated that Samsung supported this film and all the creativity that made it possible. When the world is given entertaining stories and novel ways of telling these stories, there is no doubt they will be shared.”
FULL LIST OF ELIGIBLE 2016 TFF FILMS IN EACH CATEGORY OF COMPETITION:
U.S. Narrative Feature Competition:
- Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature:10 films
- Best Actress in a U.S. Narrative Feature: 9 actresses
- Best Actor in a U.S. Narrative Feature: 9 actors
- Best Cinematography in a U.S. Narrative Feature: 10 films
- Best Screenplay for a U.S. Narrative Feature: 10 films
- Best Editing in a U.S. Narrative Feature: 10 films
International Narrative Feature Competition:
- Best International Narrative Feature: 8 films
- Best Actress in an International Narrative Feature: 9 actresse
- Best Actor in an International Narrative Feature: 10 actors
- Best Cinematography in an International Narrative Feature: 8 films
- Best Screenplay for an International Narrative Feature: 8 films
- Best Editing in an International Narrative Feature: 8 films
World Documentary Feature Competition:
- Best Documentary Feature: 12 films
- Best Editing in a Documentary Film: 12 filmmakers
- Best Cinematography in a Documentary Film: 12 filmmakers
Best New Narrative Director Competition:
- Best New Narrative Director: directors selected from 13 films
Albert Maysles New Documentary Director Competition:
- Albert Maysles New Documentary Director Award: directors selected from 12 films
Short Film Competition:
- Best Narrative Short: 29 films
- Best Documentary Short: 16 films
- Student Visionary Award: 8 films
Storyscapes Competition:
- Storyscapes Award: 10 projects
Nora Ephron Prize:
- Awarded to a female director or screenwriter. Selected from 13 eligible films, with 6 female writer-directors, 10 female writers, and 4 female directors
Tribeca X Award
• Selected from more than 100 submissions of scripted and documentary work for film, TV, digital, social, and VR/AR, in both feature or short length, funded with support from a brand in collaboration with artists or filmmakers.
**For more information on all of the films in the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival, please visit tribecafilm.com/festival.
A Conversation with Joel Fendelman, director of Game Night #Tribeca2016
Game Night is a movie about a lonely taxi driver, who when happens upon a football field, he falls into a memory of his past. Here’s excerpts from conversation with the director of Game Night, Joel Fendelman.
Art Shrian: What inspires you to be a storyteller? And as a storyteller, what kind of story you want to tell?
Joel Fendelman: Storytelling to me is a vehicle to look within and outward at the same time. It is the method as to investigate and heal blocks with in myself and then through that I can connect with other people, many times people I would otherwise never connect with otherwise which what makes it so special. These are the stories I am interested in telling, the ones that show the universality between all of us showing how alike we are.
A: What inspired you to make this particular film?
J: For this film I was looking at the idea that when we are younger we have certain ambitions of what we make accomplish in the future. It is usually very rosy fantasies and since it can be 10, 15, 20 years or more in the future it all seems possible. But one day we wake up and those years have passed and the future is now the present so we must confront the unfulfilled ambitions. For me this film spawned from this concept. I think we all in some way or another can resonate with that feeling.
A: What was the most best & worst part of making this film?
J: The best part about making this film was filming. We could only shoot 2hrs a day for three nights because the field closed at 10pm. It was fast paced and exciting. The biggest challenge was the rain. I literally had to post-pone three times because of the rained out field. Sometimes minutes before call time. With that said, it was the best thing to happen because the days we did end up filming were much better in many ways.
A: How do you feel about being at Tribeca Film Festival, and NYC?
J: Screening at the Tribeca film festival has been a dream come true. It has been a pleasure feels really good to be validated in such a way. I lived here for ten years and feel tingling sensations every time I come back. New York city is the best city in the world!
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Joel Fendelman has worked ten years in the film industry in New York City producing content for companies such as A&E, PBS, American Express, Ovation TV, Allure, and MTV. His films have shown around the world at prestigious festivals such as Cannes, Chicago, Miami. He has lectured about Independent filmmaking at various film festivals and is currently pursuing an MFA in Film at the University of Texas.
Further details and Tribeca 2016 schedule here:
2016 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL AND DISRUPTOR FOUNDATION ANNOUNCE HONOREES FOR SEVENTH ANNUAL DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION AWARDS
Award Collaboration with Harvard professor Clayton M. Christensen Recognizes Leading Innovators and Creators Impacting Social Transformation
Alec Ross’ “The Industries of the Future” to receive 2016 Book of the Year.
The Tribeca Film Festival (TFF), presented by AT&T, today announced the honorees for its seventh annual Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards, held in collaboration with Harvard professor Clay Christensen and the Disruptor Foundation. Co-sponsored by Accenture, AT&T and media sponsor The Guardian, the awards will be moderated by Perri Peltz at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center BMCC on Friday April 22 at 11:00am. Festival co-founder, Craig Hatkoff, is the Chief Curator of the awards. The 15th edition of the Tribeca Film Festival runs from April 13 to 24.
The goal of the awards is to share insights into innovation to help solve the some of the world’s most intractable problems. Inspired by Christensen’s ground-breaking theory of disruptive innovation, the Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards celebrate innovators who have broken the mold to significantly impact industries and business models in traditional and non-traditional domains, including media, healthcare, social justice, education, politics, sports and philanthropy.
Over the past seven years honorees have included Jack Dorsey (Twitter/Square); Jimmy Wales (Wikipedia); Shane Smith (Vice); Jared Cohen, Eric Schmidt (Google); Twyla Tharp, Kickstarter, Warby Parker, David Lynch, Rick Rubin, Kanye West, Uber, DARPA (Big Dog, Cheetah and Hummingbird robots), Airbnb; Justin Bieber and Scooter Braun; Dr. Francis Collins (National Institutes of Health), MITx , City of Manchester, Keith Richards and Stanford Office of Technology and Licensing.
The 2016 Lifetime Achievement Awards will be given to Thomas Heatherwick for his dedication to bringing design, architecture and urban planning together in a single workspace at his own Heatherwick Studio, and Kenya Wildlife Service Chair Dr. Richard Leakey, one of the world’s leading paleoanthropologists and conservationists, for his leadership and past and current efforts in shutting down the ivory trade in Africa.The 2016 honorees include:
The 2016 honorees include:
Actor, director, producer, writer, and humanitarian Nate Parker will receive the Theodore Parker Prize (presented by Darren Walker of the Ford Foundation); Scott Harrison, Founder and CEO of Charity Water; Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, the nation’s premier defender of liberty and individual freedom; Louie Psihoyos, Academy Award-winning filmmaker (“the Cove” and “Racing Extinction”); Professor Jennifer Jacquet, Ph.D., author of “IS SHAME NECESSARY?” (Pantheon, 2015) and an environmental social scientist who studies large-scale cooperation dilemmas, such as overfishing, climate change, and the wildlife trade; Fabio Zaffagnini, the creator of Rockin’1000, whose crowdsourced 1000-musician performance of the Foo Fighters’ Learn To Fly has reached 30 million views on YouTube; Brent Stapelkamp, a researcher who tracked and photographed Cecil the Lion for nine years; Alan Eustace, world-record holder for Highest Freefall Jump (135,889 feet) earned in the process of piloting the system built by the StratEx team; Max Kenner, founder and executive director of Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) which enrolls incarcerated individuals in academic programs culminating in Bard College degrees; Emily Callahan and Amber Jackson, co-founders of Blue Latitudes, whose mission is to globally scale the conversion of oil rigs into coral reefs; Renaud Laplanche, founder and CEO of Lending Club, the world’s largest online marketplace connecting borrowers and investors; The Suskind Family (Ron, Cornelia, Walter and Owen Suskind) for unleashing ability and creativity in those with autism; Jenna Arnold and Greg Segal, co-founders of ORGANIZE, which is looking to put itself out of business by solving the organ donation crisis; juvenile justice reformer Adam Foss, who by shifting his focus from incarceration to transforming lives is reinventing the role of the criminal prosecutor; and Hilde Kate and Isabel Rose Lysiak, who run the monthly community newspaper Orange Street News, based out of Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.
The 2016 Book of the Year is New York Times bestseller “The Industries of the Future” (Simon & Schuster, 2016) by leading innovation expert Alec Ross who explains what’s next for the world: the advances and stumbling blocks that will emerge in the next ten years, and how we can navigate them.
“This year’s honorees are a diverse group whose achievements lead by example uniting communities that are offering new solutions to some of society’s most challenging issues,” said Craig Hatkoff, TFF co-founder and chief curator for TDIA. “We are thrilled to celebrate Professor Christensen’s original theory and the new frontiers of innovation theory and application. Disruptors represent a new kind of billionaire – innovators who have the potential to help a billion people”
“Technology alone cannot solve the world’s most intractable problems. We must learn to crawl up inside and shine a light on what makes people tick,” said Christensen, “Each year’s crop of honorees help me refine and advance my thinking about disruptive innovation theory”
Honorees receive the iconic red hammer as the official Disruptor Award, symbolic for both building new business models and smashing broken ones.
The 2016 Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Award honorees are as follows:
Thomas Heatherwick: Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree
Founder and Design Director, Heatherwick Studio
Thomas Heatherwick is a British designer whose prolific and varied work is characterized by its ingenuity, inventiveness and originality. He founded Heatherwick Studio in 1994 to bring design, architecture and urban planning together in a single workspace. Known for projects like the UK Pavilion at the Shanghai 2010 Expo, the cauldron for the 2012 London Olympics, and the Learning Hub at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, Heatherwick Studio is currently working in four continents on projects valued at over £2 billion. Thomas is a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, a Royal Academician and in 2004 became the youngest Royal Designer for Industry.
Richard Leakey: Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree
Chair, Kenya Wildlife Service and Founder & Chair, Turkana Basin Institute
Dr. Richard Leakey is currently a Professor of Anthropology at Stony Brook University, New York where he also serves as the Founder and Chair of the Turkana Basin Institute, a Kenya-based research facility that studies the history of life, past climate change and origins of humans. He is also Chairman of the Board of the Kenya Wildlife Service. Formerly Director of Kenya’s National Museums, Director of the Wildlife Conservation and Management Department, founding Director and Chairman of the Kenya Wildlife Service, Member of Parliament in Kenya and Head of the Public Service and Secretary to the Cabinet, Richard is now focused on funding the research institute at Turkana and working as Chair of the Kenya chapter of Transparency International and Founder of Wildlife Direct. Richard has played a key role in efforts to combat elephant and rhino poaching since the early 1990s, has actively campaigned for the protection of the Great Apes and he has become increasingly vocal about the threats to biodiversity arising from global climate change and the human population growth.
Activist, Filmmaker
Actor, director, producer, writer, and humanitarian Nate Parker recently won both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award for The Birth of a Nation, a 7-year labor of love for Parker which he wrote, directed, produced and starred in, to rousing acclaim and fanfare at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. Following its debut, the film received an enthusiastic standing ovation and was quickly acquired by Fox Searchlight Pictures, who will release the film October 7, 2016.
Founder and CEO, Charity Water
Scott Harrison is the founder and CEO of Charity Water, a nonprofit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing countries. In nine years, with the help of more than 500,000 donors worldwide, Charity Water has raised over $207 million and funded over 19,000 water projects in 24 countries. When completed, those projects will provide over 6.18 million people with clean, safe drinking water.
Executive Director, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
Anthony D. Romero is the Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union, the nation’s premier defender of liberty and individual freedom. He took the helm of the organization just seven days before the September 11, 2001 attacks. Shortly afterward, the ACLU launched its national Keep America Safe and Free campaign to protect basic freedoms during a time of crisis. They achieved court victories on the Patriot Act, uncovering thousands of pages of documents detailing the torture and abuse of detainees in U.S. custody, and filing the first successful legal challenge to the Bush administration’s illegal NSA spying program.
Executive Director, Oceanic Preservation Society and Director, “Racing Extinction” & “The Cove”
Louie Psihoyos is an Academy Award-winning filmmaker and Executive Director of the Oceanic Preservation Society (OPS). He is recognized as one of the top still photographers in the world, having created iconic images for National Geographic for 18 years, and hundreds of covers for other magazines. His ability to bring humanity and wit to complicated science stories carries over to his filmmaking. Psihoyos’s first film, “The Cove”, won the Oscar for Best Documentary Film of 2009 and over 75 other awards around the world. His second film, “Racing Extinction”, aired in 220 countries and territories and sparked the #StartWith1Thing movement.
Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Studies at NYU
Jennifer Jacquet is an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Studies at NYU. She is an environmental social scientist who studies large-scale cooperation dilemmas, such as overfishing, climate change, and the wildlife trade. She is the author of “Is Shame Necessary?” (Pantheon, 2015) about the evolution, function and future of the use of social disapproval in solving the tragedy of the commons.
Conservationist and Photographer
Lion-obsessed Brent Stapelkamp has studied nature’s majestic apex predator in Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe for Oxford University’s Wildlife and Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU). Brent’s work is primarily about promoting ways to mitigate the conflict between lions and livestock owners with a healthy dose of wildlife photography to get his “lion fix.” He lives off-grid with his wife, Laurie Simpson and their seven year-old-son Oliver. For nine years Stapelkamp tracked and photographed Cecil the Lion who rose to fame after being hunted down under questionable circumstances. Cecil has become the global icon for conservation andBrent’s extensive collection of photos of Cecil and other wildlife in Africa is a true treasure trove.
Creator, Rockin’1000
Fabio Zaffagnini is the creator of Rockin’1000, a crowd-funded project that culminated in a performance where 1000-musicians gathered on a field in Italy to play one song: Learn to Fly by the Foo Fighters. The YouTube video chronicling this event went viral and has to date attracted 30 million views. The event served as an invitation for the Foo Fighters to come perform in Cesena, Italy which they accepted. Furthermore, Fabio is a co-founder of Trail Me Up, a startup that creates augmented virtual reality experiences of hike trails. In 2015 he entered the European Commission’s Expert list for his product design skills. Previously, he dealt with Technology Transfer and Industrial Research for private and public research centers. Earlier in his career, Fabio was a marine geologist at the Institute of Marine Sciences of the Italian National Research Center and the Euro-Mediterranean Centre for Climate Change. Fabio is an expert in social innovation, crowdfunding, crowdsourcing and product design and loves travelling, rock music and beach volleyball.
Engineer/Stratospheric Explorer
World–record free faller Alan Eustace retired as Senior Vice President of Knowledge in April 2015 after 13 years with Google. His lifelong interest in flying, skydiving, and engineering lead him to work with the world-class StratEx team to design, build, and fly, scuba-like system for the exploration of the Stratosphere. In the final test of this system, Alan and the StratEX team set three new skydiving world records, including the highest exit altitude (135,899 feet, 41,422 meters). Alan served as executive producer of the film “14 Minutes from Earth”.
Emily Callahan and Amber Jackson
Co-Founders, Blue Latitudes
Emily Callahan and Amber Jackson founded Blue Latitudes to unite science, policy and economics to create innovative solutions for the complex ecological challenges associated with offshore structures. Ms. Callahan is a marine conservation biologist, oil and gas consultant and explorer. She has a B.A. in Environmental Science and an M.A.S degree in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation from Scripps Institution of Oceanography. She has worked in the field of environmental consulting for over four years and conducted both international and domestic environmental impact assessments for governmental agencies and private sector clients, her key industry of expertise is in offshore oil and gas development and decommissioning. She worked as a field technician on the BP 252 Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico. This is where she witnessed firsthand the destruction and devastation wrought by an oil spill. However, it is also where she learned of a unique silver lining to the reality of offshore oil and gas development, the Rigs to Reefs program – a program that worked to preserve the ecosystems thriving beneath the surface.
Ms. Jackson is an oceanographer, environmental scientist and entrepreneur. She has a B.A. in Marine Science from UC Berkeley and a M.A.S in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation from Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Her expertise is unique, using technology to facilitate the intersection of science and communication. A former Ocean Curator at Google in partnership with the Sylvia Earle Alliance, she engineered and launched intelligent map layers in Google Maps that distill and relate complex concepts in ocean science for a variety of audiences. Ms. Jackson also has an established foundation as a scientist. A former National Science Foundation Researcher at the California Academy of Sciences, she developed a curiosity for using artificial habitats to mitigate anthropogenic losses and degradation of natural habitats. In California, the Rigs to Reefs program is an active example of this.
Accepting on behalf is Founder & CEO, Renaud Laplanche
Lending Club is the world’s largest online credit marketplace, facilitating personal loans, business loans, and financing for elective medical procedures. The company’s mission is to transform the banking system to make credit more affordable and investing more rewarding. Lending Club operates at a lower cost than traditional bank lending programs and passes the savings on to borrowers in the form of lower rates and to investors in the form of solid returns.
As Founder and CEO, Renaud is responsible for overseeing the overall strategic direction and operation of Lending Club, which he grew from a disruptive idea in 2006 to the world’s largest online credit marketplace today. He also serves as Chairman of Lending Club’s Board of Directors. Before founding Lending Club, Renaud was the Founder & CEO of TripleHop Technologies, an enterprise software company acquired by Oracle Corporation in June 2005. Prior to that, Renaud was a Senior Associate at New York law firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton. Renaud was recognized on Bloomberg Markets’ 2015 Most Influential List, an annual list that acknowledges 50 of the top leaders across technology, finance and politics around the globe. In 2014 he won the Economist Innovation Award in the consumer products category. He was ranked one of the top SMB CEOs by the Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Awards in 2015 and was named the “best start-up CEO to work for” by Business Insider in 2014. Renaud holds two world speed sailing records, including the Transpacific record. Renaud has an MBA from HEC and London Business School and a JD from Montpellier University. He is a frequent guest lecturer at Columbia Business School and a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization.
Founder and Executive Director, Bard Prison Initiative
Max Kenner is the Founder and Executive Director of Bard Prison Initiative (BPI), which enrolls incarcerated individuals in academic programs culminating in Bard College degrees. He co-founded the Consortium for the Liberal Arts in Prison, supporting similar programs in 10 states. Kenner is Vice President for Institutional Initiatives and Advisor to the President on Public Policy & College Affairs at Bard College. He was a 2013-14 fellow-in-residence in American History at Harvard University and serves on Governor Cuomo’s NY State Council on Community Re-Entry and Reintegration, Re-Entry Subcommittee. Recent awards include The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s 40 Under 40, Richard Cornuelle Award for Social Entrepreneurship, and Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award in Education.
Ron, Cornelia, Walter and Owen Suskind
Owen Suskind, a boy silenced by autism, methodically memorized dozens of Disney movies. When his family realized this, they began to speak to him in Disney dialogue and turned their world into a stage, playing animated characters. Over years, Owen regained speech, learned to read by reading credits and eventually invented an original language — using scripts and lyrics — to express love, loss, kinship, and brotherhood. In turning his passion into a pathway, the Suskind family developed an approach, called “affinity therapy,” that is driving research and showing broad success in addressing the core social communication deficits of autism. Owen’s father, the author Ron Suskind, is now leading an effort to develop technology that allows multiple neurodiverse populations to harness their strong interests to drive social, emotion, and practical learning. Owen’s story can soon be seen in the new documentary Life, Animated from Academy Award® winning director Roger Ross Williams, an official selection of the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival.
Co-Founders, ORGANIZE
ORGANIZE is a nonprofit organization based in New York that leverages health data to end the organ donor shortage by applying smarter technologies, building more creative partnerships, and advocating for data-driven policies. Founded by Greg Segal and Jenna Arnold after Greg’s father waited five years for a heart transplant, ORGANIZE’s goal is to flip supply-and-demand for organ transplants in the US by building the country’s first central organ donor registry and creating more culturally relevant ways for people to share their donor wishes. Fast Company called ORGANIZE “the [one] to end the organ shortage.”
Juvenile Justice Reformer
As Assistant District Attorney in the Juvenile Division of Suffolk County, Adam Foss has become one of Boston’s leading voices for compassion in criminal justice. Recognizing that prosecutors have a unique opportunity to intervene in offender’s lives, Foss co-founded the Roxbury CHOICE Program, a collaborative effort between defendants, the court, the probation department, and the D.A. to recast probation as a transformative experience rather than a punitive process. In addition to his work with the DA’s office, Foss is the founder of the SCDAO Reading Program, a project designed to bridge the achievement gap of area elementary school students.
Hilde Kate and Isabel Rose Lysiak
Orange Street News
Hilde Kate and Isabel Rose Lysiak run the monthly community newspaper Orange Street News, based out of Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. The OSN recently received widespread acclaim for its reporting on community news and its response to critics who questioned its publishers ability to cover serious news because of their young age and gender. The Publisher of the OSN, Hilde Kate Lysiak, 9, is in charge of all content, reporting, writing, and taking all pictures while her older sister Isabel, 12, runs its multimedia operations where she produces, edits, and directs all video content for www.orangestreetnews.com
- See more at: http://www.tribecadisruptiveinnovationawards.com/#sthash.l3drwIJV.dpuf
Tribeca Talks Daring Women Summit, powered by the Li.st
Join Samantha Bee (Full Frontal’s host), Rosie Perez (actress and activist), LaLa Anthony (actress, musician, and producer), Donna Karan(fashion designer), Phoebe Robinson (co-host of WNYC’s newest hit podcast 2 Dope Queens), and many more influential women in arts and technology as they discuss their remarkable careers, paths to success and the other women who have inspired them along the way.
Tribeca has long been a platform for female empowerment, beginning with its creative leadership team led by co-founder and Executive Chair Jane Rosenthal, Executive Vice President Paula Weinstein and Festival Director Genna Terranova. TFF debuted the Nora Ephron Prize four years ago to support women filmmakers, and this year a record number – one third of the slate - of women filmmakers have films in the program.
Below, please find the complete schedule for the day.
10:35-11:10 - Opening Keynote Conversation
Samantha Bee, Host, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
Allana Harkin, Producer, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
Rachel Sklar, Co-Founder, TheLi.st
11:15-11:25
Interstitial
How I Built It: The Muse Story
Kathryn Minshew, Founder & CEO, The Muse
11:30-12:10 - Conversation with Rosie Perez
Rosie Perez, Actress and Activist
Interviewer: Kate Ward, Editor-In-Chief, Bustle.com
12:15-12:45 - Power of Podcasting
Podcasts have become a go-to content choice for a diverse range of audiences, and WNYC Studios has been at the forefront of putting this medium back on the map. Laura Walker, President and CEO of New York Public Radio / WNYC and two of its podcast hosts -- Anna Sale, host “Death, Sex & Money” and Phoebe Robinson, co-host of “2 Dope Queens” – come together for a conversation about this exciting creative medium. You’ll learn about why podcasting is so great for women, the opportunities it offers advertisers seeking to cater to passionate audiences, and what the future might hold for this platform.
Laura Walker, President and CEO, New York Public Radio (NYPR)
Phoebe Robinson, Co-Host, 2 Dope Queens; Stand-Up Comedian, Writer, and Actor
Moderator: Anna Sale, Host and Creator, Death, Sex & Money
12:50 -1:00 - Negotiating Master Class
Cindy Gallop, Founder & CEO, MakeLoveNotPorn
1:45-2:25 - Creating Compelling Television That Resonates
It’s no easy feat creating a television show that truly resonates with viewers. This all-female panel of media stars gathers for a discussion on the elements that make for good television, the importance of on-screen visibility for creating opportunities, as well the challenges they face getting their voices heard in a male-dominated business.
Nahnatchka Khan, Showrunner, Fresh Off the Boat
Liz Meriwether, Creator and Executive Producer, New Girl
Julie Klausner, Creator/Executive Producer/Writer/Star, Difficult People
Moderator: Danielle Nussbaum, Senior West Coast Editor, Entertainment Weekly
2:30-2:55 - Cracking the Code - Hollywood, Diversity and Computer Science
Google’s research tells us that media perceptions matter, they’re the primary drivers that motivate girls to pursue computer science, and Julie Ann Crommett leads a team at Google that is focused on changing those perceptions by dispelling stereotypes and showcasing positive portrayals of women and underrepresented minorities in tech. In her talk Julie Ann will speak to the work she’s doing alongside writers, producers, networks, studios, and our own YouTube team to create new and diverse storylines about the limitless creative opportunities computer science provides. Her talk will explore gender in media, including how computer scientists are portrayed in films and the opportunities for female and underrepresented minority creatives behind the camera. She’ll also touch on the trainings she’s led with Hollywood influencers on Unconscious Bias in order to make them more aware of their own biases as they develop characters and storylines.
Julie Ann Crommett, Entertainment Industry Educator in Chief, Google
3:00-3:40 - Making Their Own Opportunities Online
The digital landscape has opened up opportunities for women to get their voices out there and put out their own interpretations of what they want to see. Our panel of digital natives who are democratizing the entertainment landscape explains how to win audiences with strong, shareable content that highlights their mission and showcases other female voices. They'll also delve into which new platforms they are finding most effective.
Amy Emmerich, Chief Content Officer, Refinery29
Kathleen Grace, Chief Creative Officer, New Form Digital
Sophia Rossi, Co-Founder, HelloGiggles
Stephanie Laing, Creator, PYPO
Moderator: Lea Goldman, Executive Editor, Marie Claire
3:40-4:05 - Using Your Platform
There’s no better time to be a female creative than now. This group of esteemed actresses and entrepreneurs sit down for an honest conversation about the passion they share for their craft and how they use their platforms to promote special causes and interests, including the advancement of women in a male-dominated industry. You’ll leave this important conversation inspired to elevate your own work and mission even higher.
LaLa Anthony, Actress, Entrepreneur and Best-selling Author
Mya Taylor, Actress
Moderator: Catie Lazarus, Writer, and Host, Employee of the Month
4:10-4:50 - Conversation with Donna Karan
Donna Karan, Founder, Donna Karan Company and Urban Zen SPEAKERS
Check below for more details
https://tribecafilm.com/filmguide/tribeca-talks-daring-women-summit-powered-by-the-list-2016
Conversation with Ingrid Jungermann - WOMEN WHO KILL #Tribeca2016
Ingrid Jungermann is one of the most talented storytellers I have met. She’s a writer, director and an actress, “all-in-one”. And she’s a very honest, intelligent and inspiring person as well. Her wonderful film WOMEN WHO KILL, premiered at Tribeca Film Festival 2016, in New York City. The film is an evolved-adaptation of her WGA-nominated web-series ‘F to 7th’. It’s definitely a must watch film for all film lovers. I had an opportunity to talk to her, and it was just a great conversation. Read below, and you'll agree for yourself.
Art Shrian – Congratulations on your wonderful film, and it’s world premiere at Tribeca Film Festival. You’re a brilliant writer, director, actor, “all-in-one”. So, what inspires you to be a storyteller?
Ingrid Jungermann – I think it really started as a kid, me being the youngest of 3 siblings, with single mom. As the youngest of 3, you are lucky enough to just be an observer, and you’re kind of the one without the voice. While you may get more attention and people think what you say is cute, people do not take you that seriously. And coming from that, and being innately drawn to any kind of arts, I started writing at a very young age. I started to realize that, through writing I could have a voice. I could process things that were happening in my life. So I learned it as a coping mechanism, and a way to be heard.
A.S – What’s your message to other people who want to be storytellers?
I.J – For me specially, female filmmakers, people of color, socio economic challenges are all important subjects. Sometimes in this diversity conversation, poor people are not talked about. Making a film is not a poor person’s art form, unfortunately. That perspective is really lacking. I would say to people, who feel like there’s no opportunity, everyone is telling them to not do the thing they want to do, there’s no other point. I don’t see another reason to live a life, without doing the thing that you love. That makes no sense to me. It sucks some time, a lot of times. But I do not see any reason, why you would ever take the tiny amount of time we have, and do something you don’t love.
A.S – Wow, that’s very inspiring and moving. Thanks… So, how has been your journey? From working in Taco Bell, to Blockbuster, to selling Swarovski crystals, to being a filmmaker in New York; it’s quite a journey. How do you feel?
I.J – I don’t know if I’m a person who’s able to live in the moment, unfortunately. I struggle with that for my whole life. I feel like, I have some blinders on. I might keep those on, just because I want to do the work. And I think you constantly have to be able to tap into who you are, and be honest with yourself. Of course I appreciate it all, I feel amazing. But I also feel that this is what I wanted. I took the steps to get here. I kind of weirdly, expect it. But also realize, that it could be fleeing. And it’s going to take 10 harder steps to get to next place. I’m not sure I’m answering your question. I probably can answer that in 3 months from now (laughs).
A.S – I think I understand. You set new goals, and you’re always focused and working hard to just keep moving towards that.
The subject of the film is quite interesting. The general Hollywood perception or perspective about woman filmmakers could be quite narrow. But you make an amazing comedy/drama/thriller. What inspired you?
I.J – I think the perspective in Hollywood has mostly been masculine, by males. Like every other industry, men run entertainment too. Things are slowly changing, which is really exciting. But I have always been, sort of drawn to both sides of myself, masculine & feminine. If we are talking about a masculine film, not gender wise, since both male & female can be masculine, is like horror or even comedy. But there’s this exciting thing happening, where this great group of talented women filmmakers, are making horror or comedy or all kind of genre. They were finally given the opportunity, to embrace our masculine perspective, along with the feminine. And if people started to think more on the lines of perspective, in terms of masculine and feminine, rather than male and female, then that will open up the world little bit more. This applies across the board, even in life, if we didn’t separate it so much into male & female.
But that said, I’m very excited for what’s happening right now, because if it hadn’t been for all the female filmmakers before us, making those films they were “supposed to be making”, we wouldn’t have had opportunity to change things a little bit, and leave our stamp on films, that otherwise are not supposed to be “female films”. I’m thankful to all those women before me!
A.S – Very true. And it’s changing a lot with wonderful shows like Jessica Jones or others, where women TV/filmmakers are making these wonderful shows.
What was the most challenging and most fun part of being a writer, director and an actor for the film?
I.J – The most challenging is not being able to be at 2 places at once. So you have to give up some control of your vision. And it’s really challenging, since you start to feel, am I failing as a director if I’m not in control every moment. In the same way, that’s very freeing, because you have to trust your team - my first AD Eric LaFranchi, my DP Rob Leitzell, my PD Olga Miasnikova, my producer Alex Scharfman, my entire team and there artists. So, where it made me uncomfortable to have to let go, luckily I was lifted by the people who knew my vision, and they wanted to communicate it. So communicating your vision early on is very important, when you are in your own movie. Prep is very important, being very clear as to what you want, what you’re trying to get constantly is very important.
A.S – So where do you see yourself heading? Woody Allen of women?
I.J – My initial response is, no. I really want to sink my teeth into writing-directing, and see how far and deep I can go with that. There are many-many things that I haven’t even tapped into. And many things I want to learn. And acting, while it’s incredible, it’s keeping me from exploring other things I want to explore. I would love to be in other people’s films, but I don’t think I’ll be a lead in my own. I could be supporting character. But if I want to grow as a filmmaker, I think I need to focus.
A.S – Your next project is a Sci-Fi? How did that come up?
I.J – I started the story with Stewart Thorndike. She’s a huge inspiration to me, and she’s of that up & coming crop I was talking about. We were very collaborative for little while. She inspired me and we talked about and developed the story together for this film. I said, I want to do a female fight club movie; she suggested that we should set this in Barnard College. So this is like a privileged female fight club thing. When I was in comedy, I was always drawn to dark comedy. She comes from horror sci-fi world. So together we came up with this idea. I wrote the script, and she has been a major inspiration in creating that world for that film. It’s in development stage. And right now I’m focusing on a TV project, adapting my web-series ‘F to 7th’ into a TV show.
A.S – Last question, how do you feel about being a filmmaker in and from New York?
I.J – Is there any other city to be a filmmaker? (laughs). I want to be here. People that we are surrounded by, inspire me. I have been to LA a few times, and I’m not drawn in. I think it’s beautiful; there are very talented people there. There’s a cool indie filmmaker thing happening. But New York is my home, and the people here are the smartest, coolest and most neurotic bunch, that I’m drawn to. I feel right here!
WOMEN WHO KILL – Synopsis
Commitment phobic Morgan and her ex-girlfriend Jean are locally famous true crime podcasters obsessed with female serial killers. There’s a chance they may still have feelings for each other, but co-dependence takes a back seat when Morgan meets the mysterious Simone during her Food Coop shift. Blinded by infatuation, Morgan quickly signs up for the relationship, ignoring warnings from friends that her new love interest is practically a stranger.
When Jean shows Morgan proof that Simone may not be who she says she is, Morgan accuses Jean of trying to ruin the best thing that’s ever happened to her. But as she and Simone move into commitment territory, Morgan starts to notice red flags -- maybe Jean was right and Simone isn’t as perfect as Morgan’s made her out to be.
Morgan and Jean investigate Simone as if she were a subject of their podcast, they uncover disturbing clues -- a death at the Food Coop, a missing friend, a murder weapon -- leading them to suspect her not only of mystery, but of murder. In the end, Morgan has to examine all the evidence in front of her: Is she just afraid of what it means to be in a relationship or is her life actually in danger?
- Checkout the film at Tribeca Film Festival below:
https://tribecafilm.com/filmguide/women-who-kill-2016
- More about the film:
Imagination Day - Tribeca Film Festival
Every breakthrough is born in the imagination
The 2016 Tribeca Festival® Hub hosts some of the most influential, provocative, and groundbreaking creative minds for an all-day summit on what happens when our wildest dreams become reality and what that reality will be in the not-so-distant future. Experience the wonder and inspiration of new technologies, as tech's thought leaders reveal what is just beyond the horizon.
2016 AGENDA
10amDoors open
10:30amOpening Remarks: Jason Kelly, New York Bureau Chief of Bloomberg
10:45am Bryan Johnson, OS Fund: Tools of Creation: Reorienting Humanity's Identity and Aspirations
11:20am Jon Iwata, IBM: From Metropolis to Her — Artificial Intelligence in Film and the Real World
11:55am Dr. James Canton, Institute for Global Futures: The Extreme Future of Medicine: From Prediction to Longevity
Medicine is being transformed by radical technologies that will offer a new era of prevention, prediction and longevity. Discover the future of how digital health, mobile, big data, artificial intelligence, robotics, genetics, nanotech, neuroscience, synthetic biology and smart drugs will offer health and human performance enhancement.
12:30pmMeredith Perry, uBeam: World Without Wires
Meredith Perry, founder and CEO of uBeam will talk about the potential for truly wireless power and the impact this technology will have on the world. In this session, Meredith will share how she founded uBeam in her college dorm room and discuss the impact it will have on our daily lives by wirelessly powering everything from smartphones to lightbulbs to hearing aids. Find out how close we are to living in a world without wires, and what that world might look like
1:05pm - 1:50pm Lunch Break
1:50pm VR Headsets (need to be in your seats to get one)
2:20pm Felix Lajeunesse & Paul Raphael, Felix & Paul Studios: Inside Story: A Journey Into Virtual Reality
An immersive virtual reality experience as a talk by the masters of virtual reality. See the most evocative worlds and feel the story as VR channels empathy. See it, feel it, how they do it, and the future of the technology and creativity
3:15pm Philip Rosedale, High Fidelity: The Final Medium: Humans in the Machine
Is it possible that Virtual Reality in its maturity may allow us to communicate and be creative in ways that are more sublime than even our greatest real-life experiences? As computers become ever more powerful, might our virtual worlds grow to become larger and more unknowable that our own planet? An examination of how the growth of VR technology may give us something more disruptive and unpredictable than the Internet.
3:50pmDerek Belch, STRIVR Labs: Virtual Reality in Sports: Immersive Performance Training and Immersive Entertainment
Just as sports have become one of the last television events that people actually watch, many folks in the VR industry are betting that sports content will be a driving in helping drive mass adoption of headsets sales and content consumption. STRIVR founder and CEO Derek Belch will share the company's experience working with more than a dozen NFL and collegiate football teams over the past year, while also creating and staffing several major VR fan engagement experiences. Belch will share the positives and negatives of sports-focused VR.
4:15pm Sir Richard Branson & Jason Hirschhorn: Daring to Dream
From starting his own airline to ballooning around the world and shooting for the stars, Sir Richard Branson has never shied away from a challenge either in business or personally. He discusses his penchant for dreaming what could be possible and the gut instinct that drives his endeavors
4:55pm Katherine Oliver: Advisor to Bloomberg Philanthropies and Principal of Media and Technology at Bloomberg Associates
5:05 - 5:25pmBreak
5:30pmScreening: Don't Look Down
7:00pm Q&A Sir Richard Branson
Event Description
WHEN
Tuesday, April 19, 2016 from 10:30 AM to 5:30 PM (EDT) - Add to Calendar
WHERE
Spring Studios - 50 Varick Street , New York, NY 10013 - View Map
For more details check the link below:
https://tribecafilm.com/festival/imagination
VIRTUAL ARCADE PRESENTED BY AT&T
Virtual Arcade debuts at the 2016 Festival, helping to expand the immersive entertainment slate with thirteen additional VR experiences from some of the leading creators and emerging voices in this new medium. The selections, available April 18-23, include:
ALLUMETTE
Project Creators: Eugene Chung, Jimmy Maidens, Penrose Studios
An orphan girl, living in a fantastical city in clouds, endures tragedy. Lighting enchanted matches, she relives her past and grasps at future hope. The story is a meditation on the sacrifices people make for the greater good. Crafted by Penrose Studios, ALLUMETTE is set in a fully-immersive, virtual reality world.
THE ARTIST OF SKID ROW
Project Creator: Molly Swenson, Tyson Sadler, Hayley Pappas/RYOT
Key Collaborators: Bryn Mooser, LAMP
Ramiro Puentes is an outstanding artist – photographs, paintings, sculpture, poetry. But more than that, he’s risen from crippling poverty and used art to reimagine the streets of Skid Row.
ASHES
Project Creator: Jessica Kantor/supported by Vrideo
Playing with movement, space and time, ASHES shares the tragic story of two lovers, told specifically for 360-headset environment. Director/Producer Jessica Kantor draws upon her classical ballet training to bring us this unique piece inspired by choreographer Pina Bausch, known for telling stories through dance.
THE CRYSTAL REEF
Project Creator: Cody Karutz and Lauren Knapp/Stanford University
Key Collaborator: Jeremy Bailenson
A rocky reef off the coast of Italy demonstrates the future of climate change. Meet Dr. Fio Micheli, the marine scientist who studies this reef, and dive underwater with her to learn about ocean acidification and how human-produced carbon dioxide will turn all the world’s oceans into what scientists are calling “the ocean moonscape.”
THE CRYSTAL REEF: INTERACTIVE
Project Creator: The Virtual Human Interaction Lab (VHIL)
Key Collaborator: Stanford University
Experience climate change firsthand in this fully immersive virtual reality experience. Use your hands to swim and examine marine life as you become a scientist and discover “ocean acidification.” Dive through a digital replica of the reefs of Ischia, Italy and learn about how these reefs are a “crystal ball” that show the future of all the world’s oceans.
DRAGONFLIGHT
Project Creators: Michael Conelly, Will Telford, Keith Goldfarb, Lyndon Barrois/Blackthorn Media
A spectacular dragon embarks on a hero’s journey to do battle against a duplicitous sorcerer and protect the world from the second coming of his ancient and powerful progenitor. DRAGONFLIGHT is the debut project of VR studio Blackthorn Media, an Academy and Emmy Award-winning team of story-tellers, visual effects veterans, programmers and artists.
HARD WORLD FOR SMALL THINGS
Project Creator: Janicza Bravo/Wevr
Key Collaborators: Wevr, Seed&Spark, Han West
Award-winning film and theater director Janicza Bravo ventures into the world of VR with an exploration of the circumstances and lives affected by a single tragedy in Los Angeles. Drawing from a real-life experience, Bravo and studio collaborators Wevr craft a remarkably powerful narrative that culminates in a devastating conclusion.
Read an interview with Janicza Bravo about making Hard World for Small Things and tackling social justice through film, at TribecaFilm.com.
HOLIDAYS: CHRISTMAS VR
Project Creators: Distant Corners/John Hegerman, Scott Stewart, Amanda Mortimer, Gabriela Revilla Lugo, Wevr
When a man stoops to dangerous new lows to get his son the ultimate VR headset for Christmas, he finds out more about himself and his family than he ever wanted to know. From writer/director Scott Stewart (LEGION, PRIEST) and starring Emmy Award-winning actor Seth Green and Clare Grant, CHRISTMAS is part of Distant Corners’ HOLIDAYSanthology feature created by John Hegeman and produced in association with XYZ Films.
Read an interview with Christmas VR filmmaker Scott Stewart about tapping into virtual reality's potential in the horror genre, at TribecaFilm.com.
INVASION
Project Creators: Eric Darnell, Maureen Fan/Baobab Studios
Directed by Eric Darnell (Antz and Madagascar), this interactive and animated film follows menacing aliens with vastly superior technology who come to claim the Earth and destroy anyone in their way. Despite incredible odds, Earth's citizens rise up and defeat the evil aliens. Surprisingly, these Earthly citizens are not humans but a pair of the cutest, meekest and cuddliest creatures of our planet -- two fluffy white bunnies.
KANJU
Project Creator: Stephanie Riggs / Azimyth Creation Studios
Key Collaborators: The Nantucket Project, Harbers Studios
Journey across Africa in search of Kanju, “creativity born of struggle.” Visit a floating school rising from the slums of Makoko. Witness President Obama's historic speech in Nairobi from the press pit. This uplifting, immersive documentary seamlessly layers traditional narrative techniques and 360o live action. Feel the power of storytelling merged with technology and rediscover Africa as the bright continent.
KILLER DEAL
Project Creators: Irad Eyal, Aaron Rothman, Anthony C. Ferrante, iMan Productions, Better VR Studios
Key Collaborator: Ian Ziering
Directed by Anthony C. Ferrante (Sharknado 1, 2 & 3), Killer Deal follows a struggling machete salesman who runs into trouble when his discount hotel room comes with an unwelcome guest. A very unwelcome guest. The experience takes all the things we love about over-the-top horror and puts the viewer right in the middle of the “splash zone.”
Read an interview with Killer Deal filmmaker Anthony C. Ferrante about tapping into virtual reality's potential in the horror genre, at TribecaFilm.com.
MY MOTHER'S WING
Project Creators: Gabo Arora, Ari Palitz/Vrse.works
Key Collaborators: Chris Milk, Patrick Milling Smith, Samantha Storr
In Gaza, foundations are built, destroyed, and built again. This virtual reality experience follows the struggle and strength of a mother coping with the death of her two children in the 2014 war.
Read an interview with My Mother's Wing co-creator Gabo Arora about working with the United Nations to expand virtual reality's potential, at TribecaFilm.com.
OLD FRIEND
Project Creator: Tyler Hurd/Wevr
Lose yourself in a vibrant psychedelic dance party brimming with joyful insanity. VR filmmaker Tyler Hurd and Wevr present a fun animated VR music video experience for Old Friend by Future Islands. Gaze upon the elegant dance routines and enjoy the blissful absurdity. Unhinge yourself, feel the ridiculousness and dance like everyone is watching.
SEEKING PLUTO'S FRIGID HEART
Project Creator: New York Times Key Collaborators: Lunar Planetary Institute, Universities Space Research Association
Seeking Pluto’s Frigid Heart is a stereoscopic VR experience that brings viewers to Pluto. Watch the New Horizons spacecraft zoom through space, soar over rugged mountains and bright plains, and stand on Pluto’s unique surface as its largest moon hovers over the horizon.
THE CLICK EFFECT
Project Creators: Sandy Smolan, James Nestor
Annapurna Pictures, Vrse, Vrse.works, The New York Times Op-Docs, The Sundance Institute
Free-dive one hundred feet below the ocean’s surface to discover the “click” communication of dolphins and sperm whales. The Click Effect is a live-action VR experience from Annapurna Pictures, Vrse.works, Sandy Smolan, and James Nestor; the first in a series of immersive journalism experiments commissioned by New Frontier at Sundance Institute, published by The New York Times Op-Docs.
GRATEFUL DEAD: TRUCKIN’
Project Creator: Jaunt VR
Key Collaborators: Ryan Wiederkehr, Patrick Meegan, Joey Santana, Dennis “Wiz” Leonard, Cliff Plumer
A sneak peek VR experience of the Grateful Dead's historic "Fare Thee Well" final tour. Mixed in Dolby Atmos, the audience is given unprecedented access to the bands performance of the hit song "Truckin", from a vantage that is otherwise impossible to experience.
COLLISIONS
Project Creator: Lynette Wallworth
Key Collaborators: Nyarri Morgan (featured); Nicole Newnham (producer); Curtis Taylor (narrator); Karryn de Cinque (editor); Patrick Meegan (director of photography); Jaunt VR
From acclaimed Australian artist/filmmaker Lynette Wallworth, Collisions is a virtual reality journey to the homeland of indigenous elder Nyarri Morgan and the Martu tribe in the Western Australian desert. It explores the dramatic collision between Nyarri's traditional world view and the cutting edge of Western science and technology, when he witnessed firsthand and with no context, an atomic test.
PERSPECTIVE 2: THE MISDEMEANOR
Project Creators: Rose Troche, Morris May
Key Collaborators: Amy Lo, Charles Ottoway
When two young men are stopped by a police officer in Brooklyn, a simple misdemeanor spirals out of control. A gripping drama shot live-action in 360 degrees and weaving between four distinct points-of-view, The Misdemeanor highlights the subjectivity of memory and personal experience with an ambitious approach to narrative storytelling in virtual reality.
Conversation with Daniel Burman from THE TENTH MAN #TFF2016
Director Daniel Burman (All In, TFF 2012) returns to Tribeca with THE TENTH MAN, continuing to wrestle with notions of identity, home and the intricacies of the father-son relationship. This well-observed comedy is at once a heartfelt valentine to the El Once district, Burman’s own Jewish upbringing and his continuing desire to use cinema as a means of self-exploration.
THE TENTH MAN tells the story of Ariel, a man who returns to his childhood neighborhood in Buenos Aires, a Jewish district named El Once, after a long stay in New York City. In the process of trying to meet his father Usher, and getting entangled in his charitable commitments, Ariel also reconnects with his own Jewish roots. But Usher appears to be staving off a meeting with his son; instead he keeps roping him into a number of small assignments during the course of which Ariel meets Eva who volunteers for Usher’s charity. Eva’s radiant inner strength and independent spirit inspires Ariel to come to grips with the religious customs of his Jewish community as well as the traditions that once divided him and his father and rethink his own identity.
THE TENTH MAN (EL REY DEL ONCE) (Section: International Narrative Competition)
Director: Daniel Burman (Lost Embrace, All In)
Starring: Alan Sabbagh (Focus), Julieta Zylberberg (Wild Tales), Usher, Elvira Onetto, Adrian Stoppelman, Elisa Carricajo
TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL 2016 - PUBLIC SCREENING SCHEDULE:
Friday, April 15 at 6:15PM at Regal Cinemas Battery Park 06 (US PREMIERE)
Sunday, April 17 at 3:15PM at Bow Tie Cinemas Chelsea 04
Tuesday, April 19 at 3:30PM at Regal Cinemas Battery Park 01
Wednesday, April 20 at 9:30PM at Bow Tie Cinemas Chelsea 06
Running Time: 82 Minutes/ Language: Spanish / Country: Argentina
OFFICIAL SELECTION: Berlin Film Festival 2016 (Opening Night Film-Panorama Section)
KINO LORBER will release THE TENTH MAN theatrically in New York and major cities in August 2016.
Conversation with Justin Tipping of KICKS #TFF2016
Art Shrian had an opportunity to talk with wonderful director Justin Tipping at the Tribeca Film Festival, where he had premier of his debut feature film KICKS. Let me warn you, he is a director to lookout for. His debut feature shows what a talent house he is. He's also the debutant writer, with his co-writer Joshua Berine-Golden, and the story is as wonderful as the film. It entertains, it's funny, it's dramatic, its thriller and it's good. Very well edited, with amazing music as well, that you could practically call it a musical. Watch the interview above for more insight from the man himself!
In director Justin Tipping's feature debut Kicks, nothing is as simple as it seems. Fifteen-year-old Brandon longs for a pair of the freshest sneakers that money can buy; assuming that merely having them on his feet will help him escape the reality of being poor, neglected by the opposite sex and picked on by everyone even his best friends. Working hard to get them, he soon finds that the titular shoes have instead made him a target after they are promptly snatched by local hood, Flaco. Seemingly the embodiment of menace, Flaco harbors complexities of his own that will be revealed when Brandon goes on a mission to retrieve his stolen sneakers with his two best friends in tow
Boasting a strong ensemble cast, and featuring a memorable lead performance by newcomer Jahking Guillory, the film transcends a deceptively traditional hero's journey to deliver an entertaining and sobering look at the realities of inner city life, the concept of manhood and the fetishization of sneaker culture. Visually and thematically rich, with an amazing soundtrack of both hip hop classics and Bay Area favorites, Kicks creates an authentic and original portrait of a young man drowning in the expectations of machismo.
This summer Focus Features will be taking us on a new journey with the July release of their anticipated film KICKS.
Cast: Jahking Guillory, Christopher Jordan Wallace, Christopher Meyer, Kofi Siriboe, Mahershala Ali
#KICKSfilm
KICKS Twitter: https://twitter.com/kicksfilm
KICKS Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kicksfilm/