KINYARWANDA Sundance Preparations
Jon Reiss spits knowledge on Major & Minor Festival Prep. A must read for indie filmmakers. Notice his mention of KINYWANDA. Join us on Facebook & become a part of our distribution plan.
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From “Plainfield to Sundance” KINYARWANDA will premiere at the 2011 SUNDANCE Film Festival
Honored, humbled, and proud of our entire cast and crew, as well as all those who have supported along the way. Thanks mom!
Read the official announcement:
http://www.sundance.org/festival/article/2011-competition-film-announcement/
Click here for the: Courier News Article
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My New Favorite Movie!
To understand the very nature of media and politics in the United States one does not have to look much further than Elia Kazan‘s A FACE IN THE CROWD. I recently watched it after much time ‘planning too’ and was blown away by Kazan’s direction, the cinematography (camera placement to be precise), the performances of all the actor’s particularly the work of Patricia Neal, and the writing of Bud Schulberg. The film also stars Andy Griffith and Anthony Franciosa.I knew the concept but still went into this one pretty blind and so should you. The trailer and synopsis, in my opinion, give to much of the film away. However, it is still a worthwhile journey. See this prophetic film to understand the presidency of George W. Bush, the fame and success of Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, Snooki and to a greater extent the way politics, business, media and entertainment have become entangled.
The political context of the film is a part of the reason Schulberg & Kazan put so much into this one. Like much of Kazan’s more intense work, it was produced after they were swept up in the anti-communist movement led by Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House of Un-American Activities Committee investigations. That is an aspect of Kazan and Shulberg’s journey worth looking further into. Art born out of the true complexities of life is always far more interesting. A FACE IN THE CROWD is one piece of such art that should not be overlooked. In fact, it should be required.
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Keynote Speaker for Plainfield’s Promise
Film director & Plainfield native Alrick Brown will be the keynote speaker for Plainfield’s Promise. Alrick will speak on defining success & show highlights of his upcoming movie. Please contact me if interested in attending and let’s show our kids we care and will help protect, provide and prepare them. October 30, 11……-2 pm at Washington school in Plainfield, New Jersey.
Contact: Lucy Sanchez @ youthexposure@gmail.com www.youthexposure.org
A 2010 Plainfield Police Athletic League Youth Exposure Event
Co-sponsored by Omega Psi Phi – Omicron Chi Chapter, Wazito Freestyle, Tiaras Crowns & Mother to Son
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KINYARWANDA receives CINEREACH GRANT!!!
We are proud to announce that KINYARWANDA is one of the recipients of this summer’s cycle CINEREACH GRANT. Congrats to all of the other filmmakers. Thank you CINEREACH & IFP for the continued support!!!!!!!!
Click the link:
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I will be teaching at “Autumn Youth School” in the UKRAINE
Thanks to an invitation from the U.S. Embassy’s Cultural Affairs Office in the Ukraine, I will be teaching a few workshops in Crimea, Ukraine. The students whose ages range from 16-21 will be creating short documentaries with some social or environmental focus. It is an honor. I look forward to collaborating with my Ukrainian colleagues as well as their amazing students.
Learn More:
http://www.vzayemodiya.net/omsh_en_teach_06.html
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KINYARWANDA at IFW
Our team is attending Independent Film Week. We are privileged to sit in on panels and meet with industry professional we may not otherwise have access too. It is a great place for independent filmmakers to connect, share, and grow.
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Going the Distance
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CONGRATULATIONS to Nanette Burstein, creator of the IFC Docu-Drama FILM SCHOOL that chronicles my 2nd year at NYU film school and has become a time capsule for my classmates. Nanette is also responsible for the groundbreaking documentary THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE about the life of legendary producer Robert Evans. Starring Drew Barrymore & Justin Long, GOING THE DISTANCE marks Nanette’s narrative feature film debut. Her documentary work is consistently engaging and I am looking forward to this one. I rarely look forward to romantic comedies.
KINYARWANDA in indieWIRE
You can check out the article here:Also check out articles on other IFP lab films: I’M NOT ME, directed by Zak Mulligan, Rodrigo Lopresti and YELLING TO THE SKY directed by Victoria Mahoney.
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“INCEPTION”…If you see something, say something.
I am not a film critic and I don’t want to be. But I am doing what the Bush administration told me to do. There are signs in the subway that read, “If you see something, say something.” Well I saw something.I sat in a sold out theater in Manhattan with a few hundred other people but it felt like we were all sitting there alone…hypnotized. Christopher Nolan did something right. I am not sure exactly what it was, but he did. He is sick when it comes to writing and directing. Very few come close.
As we walked out of the theater someone said, “This is a new genre of film making.” I responded, “No, this is just a bold exploration of what is actually possible in the art of film making.” Very few artistic mediums have the ability of controlling time the way film does. INCEPTION exemplified this. The film took us to layers and depths only possible in novels. In fact, it was a cinematic novel, not because of the 2hour and 22minute length but because the audience was still allowed to imagine possibilities, characters, their own dreams, and their own ‘inceptions’ while going on the journey of Nolan’s characters.
It was a strong ensemble cast led by Leonardo DiCaprio, who bares the name Cobb a character in Nolan’s first feature film FOLLOWING. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was solid. It’s cool to watch him grow and develop as an actor. I’ve been sweating Tom Hardy since LAYER CAKE and it was nice to see him and Ken Watanabe do their thing. Ellen Page (HARD CANDY baby!) although a solid actress was one of the wholes in this film for me however. Her character’s motivations were ‘Hollywood’ corny and so too were some of her lines. I don’t watch movies to find fault. I want to be take be taken away from reality too but if you slap me in the face and take me out of the journey then hey…
In the midst of this cinematic beast, some of the shoot-out and fight scenes were highly far-fetched and not in a good way. If you establish rules and create a world where people can get ‘hurt’ ‘killed’ and there are deadly specially trained guards all around then you can’t have shootouts where people don’t get hit when they clearly should. (Unless it’s a dream, right?…See the movie.) Audiences let this stuff go but they still feel cheated when these things go down. (Yeah, Nolan should probably smack me in the face.)
All in all, I think the audience last night got their money’s worth. Like Nolan has done with all of his previous films, he seems to really respect our intelligence. INCEPTION made us walk out of the theater in a kind of good silence, like we were a part of a dream as well. The embodiment of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “willing suspension of disbelief.” It made me walk out wanting to make films. It made me love my craft. It made me dream. It made me want to write. It planted new seeds. From the marketing of the film to it’s final shot, the INCEPTION worked.
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