Features
Fever Dreams, Middle-Eastern Video Diaries, the Quest for Inspiration, and Memories on Tap
Neil Kendricks on the feature films from Sundance 2012.
February 1st, 2012 | Neil Kendricks
"The cumulative effect of both [5 Broken Cameras and ½ Revolution] makes you feel like you are there vicariously experiencing the events from the filmmakers’ subjective vantage points," writes Neil Kendricks about two standout features from Sundance 2012. He recaps fest highs and lows, including Grand Jury Prize winner, Beasts of the Southern Wild.
Utah, PARK CITY – For filmmakers, screenwriters, video artists and actors looking for inspiration or funding, or both, the 2012 Sundance Film Festival was the destination of choice. I started making the trek to Park City circa 2001, and I’ve been going, on and off, ever since, always on the lookout for undiscovered diamonds in the rough.
Alchemy Springs from the Striking Artistry of Sundance Shorts
From hand-drawn stick figures to real life pirates, Neil Kendricks describes the most captivating shorts from Sundance 2012.
January 26th, 2012 | Neil Kendricks
Lucy Walker’s The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom picked up Sundance's jury prize for short non-fiction and an Academy Award nomination. Hers is one of many shorts on Neil Kendricks' must-watch list from Sundance 2012.
Utah, PARK CITY – When it comes to challenging and adventurous short films, the 2012 Sundance Film Festival’s mojo was in top form as the nation’s most prominent tastemaker for the state of indie cinema, both in America and abroad.
Approaches to End of the World Docs
Courtney Sheehan compares and contrasts the filmmaking elements used by two anti-progress IDFA docs.
December 19th, 2011 | Courtney Sheehan
Voice-over or not? When to animate? And where to leave your viewers? Two IDFA docs, Four Horsemen and Surviving Progress tackle the consequences of progress by making different stylistic choices.
Two social justice docs at IDFA targeted and systematically attacked the same universal villain: progress. Four Horsemen and Surviving Progress are both "big picture" documentaries that tackle some of today's most globally pressing issues.
Postcard from Northern Ontario
John Charette reports from Sudbury, Ontario about the local films and filmmakers featured at the 23rd Cinefest Sudbury International Film Festival.
September 27th, 2011 | John Charette
For 23 years, the Cinefest Sudbury International Film Festival has come at the heels of the Toronto International Film Festival. But Cinefest has no red carpet, and the only big name you’re likely to see is on the screen. John Charrette introduces us to one Ontario filmmaker whose name you should know, Benjamin Paquette. His fourth feature, (Non) Fiction premiered at Cinefest over the weekend.
Filmmaker Benjamin Paquette stood stoically by the theater lobby with his crew, his friends and collages. He quietly greeted movie goers as they filed in to the premiere of his fourth feature film, (Non) Fiction, at this year’s Cinefest Sudbury International Film Festival in Sudbury, Ontario.
State of the Film Industry in Southeast Europe
Courtney Sheehan reports from the third annual Cinelink forum at the Sarajevo Film Festival.
September 19th, 2011 | Courtney Sheehan
Tax incentives. Public and private funding. Transnational co-productions. During a year abroad to study regional film festivals and exhibition, Courtney Sheehan takes in Southeast Europe through the lens of presenters at the third annual industry Cinelink forum during the Sarajevo Film Festival.
For the past three years, film professionals from all over Southeast Europe have gathered at the Sarajevo Film Festival (SFF) to discuss the state of the regional film industry during the Cinelink forum, the track of the festival established for that purpose.
Friend Your College Film Programmer, Pronto!
Courtney Sheehan gives a behind-the-scenes account of running a college film program in Iowa and suggests that filmmakers and distributors should seek out these venues now, before they disappear.
August 30th, 2011 | Courtney Sheehan
Every minute you let your nearest college film program go by without becoming acquainted with its schedule, leadership, and selection process, is a day you miss of fresh, often free cinema (and popcorn), and a chance to get eyes on your latest masterwork. Courtney Sheehan gives a behind-the-scenes account of running a college film program in Iowa and suggests that filmmakers and distributors should seek out these venues now, before they disappear.
Imagine if someone gave you over $50,000 to use for programming the film schedule at a movie theater for nine months. The theater doesn’t charge admission so your curatorial choices aren’t constrained by the pressure to sell tickets. You get to decide how many films to show, when to show them, and whether to show them on 35mm or digitally. You are effectively your own boss.
Just Like Us: The Truth About Light
Writer Lisa Pegram considers her friend Ahmed Ahmed's new documentary, "Just Like Us," relative to her own journeys.
July 15th, 2011 | Lisa Pegram
What happens when a friend accomplishes something huge, like finishing his film, when you're still struggling to find your own artistic way? Ahmed Ahmed's new documentary about comedy in the Middle East inspired poet and memoirist Lisa Pegram in more ways than one.
Late one night in early June, I was devouring a novel by candlelight after forgetting, for the third time in a week, to buy bulbs. The room was dim and though it was hell on my eyes, the poet in me was charmed by the whole feel of it. I took a short break to make the book last and contemplate a shadow in a far corner, when the room brightened with the flash of a text message on my cell phone.
10 Filmmakers to Watch in 2011
The Independent's Nikki Chase lists the top 10 filmmakers we think you should watch this year.
May 17th, 2011 | Nikki Chase
From animation and shorts, to Web series, narrative features and documentaries, The Independent's 10 to Watch list brings you filmmakers from all backgrounds and genres, each of whom has one very important thing in common: Crazy-big talent.
It's time for our annual 10 Filmmakers to Watch list. We’ve pooled our resources and brainpower to get the scoop on who’s who this year.
Four Docs to Watch on Halloween
From Norway’s black metal scene to a series on child murderers, Steven LaFond picks four horrorcore documentaries worthy of Halloween on the couch.
October 25th, 2010 | Steven LaFond
As doc filmmakers and fans well know, true criminals are often scarier than the masked marauders at multiplexes. Steven LaFond picks four docs that put the black in black metal and the heavy in murder.
In uncertain times, many filmgoers seek out horror or escapist narratives in order to get their minds off terrorism, unemployment, or their own lives. Over the past 10 years, my friends and I have kept up the tradition of watching terrifying films throughout the month of October in order to dispel the candy-colored cobwebs that have sterilized the holiday season into so much Scooby-Doo hijinx.
All Signs Point North
The Sixth Camden International Film Festival focuses on filmmakers’ growth as it grows in leaps and bounds itself.
September 29th, 2010 | Maddy Kadish
For six years now Ben Fowlie has been luring the documentary world north to the Camden International Film Festival. They come for pitch opportunities, a seminar for film professionals, a semester-long partnership with the University Maine, and for docs that embrace an activist edge.
The Camden International Film Festival (CIFF) is a documentary-exclusive festival that takes place September 29th through October 3rd in a picturesque Maine coastal town. It’s a small, but growing festival founded six years ago by Ben Fowlie, who also programs and coordinates the event.
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