The 21st annual Chicago Underground Film Festival, which will run April 2-6 at the Logan Theater, will be extra special this year. Why? Because Mike Everleth, the Executive Editor of the Underground Film Journal, is sitting on this year’s festival jury! And looking over the fest lineup below, he is incredibly excited to witness this visual extravaganza of revolutionary cinematic madness. (Other jurors are Brian Chankin, Therese Grisham and Alison Cuddy.)
Opening Night Film: What I Love About Concrete is the debut feature by the directing team of Katherine Dohan and Alanna Stewart and is a surreal suburban tale about a teenage girl who believes she is transforming into a swan.
Closing Night Film: Usama Alshaibi will be making his triumphant return to Chicago with his latest documentary, American Arab, a personal and sociological examination of what it means to be an Arab in a post-9/11 United States. This...
Opening Night Film: What I Love About Concrete is the debut feature by the directing team of Katherine Dohan and Alanna Stewart and is a surreal suburban tale about a teenage girl who believes she is transforming into a swan.
Closing Night Film: Usama Alshaibi will be making his triumphant return to Chicago with his latest documentary, American Arab, a personal and sociological examination of what it means to be an Arab in a post-9/11 United States. This...
- 3/28/2014
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Lori Felker says:
Hi!
This is me: Runts
I’m a Chicago-based filmmaker and I make weird videos and films that vary in shape and size. I was also a programmer and organizer for the Chicago Underground Film Festival for a little while, until I took this year off.
My cat’s name is Czubek (it’s Polish), she’s 16 (on March 18!) and feisty. She likes to sit on my lap while I edit, and she consoled me after I tripped and fell on my face while carrying a bunch of equipment home from an off-season Cuff screening. She’s made appearances in a few of my experiments, but I’m working on a film that will feature her. She’s that amazing.
Lori’s website.
Underground Film Journal says:
Lori Felker is one of the foundations of the Chicago filmmaking community. As she says above, she has worked for...
Hi!
This is me: Runts
I’m a Chicago-based filmmaker and I make weird videos and films that vary in shape and size. I was also a programmer and organizer for the Chicago Underground Film Festival for a little while, until I took this year off.
My cat’s name is Czubek (it’s Polish), she’s 16 (on March 18!) and feisty. She likes to sit on my lap while I edit, and she consoled me after I tripped and fell on my face while carrying a bunch of equipment home from an off-season Cuff screening. She’s made appearances in a few of my experiments, but I’m working on a film that will feature her. She’s that amazing.
Lori’s website.
Underground Film Journal says:
Lori Felker is one of the foundations of the Chicago filmmaking community. As she says above, she has worked for...
- 3/25/2014
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
The 52nd annual Ann Arbor Film Festival will be a jam-packed experimental feature and short film screening event running for six days and nights, this time on March 25-30.
Opening Night will feature a reception and an after-party, and stuffed between those will be a block of nine short films, including new ones by Bryan Boyce, Michael Robinson, Jennifer Reeder and Martha Colburn, as well as a never-before-released work by the legendary Bruce Baillie called Little Girl in which Baillie captured scenes of natural beauty.
Special Events scattered throughout the festival include a retrospective of indie filmmaker Penelope Spheeris that will feature her rock ‘n’ roll-based work, including the original The Decline of Western Civilization, plus The Decline of Western Civilization Part III, her influential punk film Suburbia (screening twice) and a collection of short films.
There will also be several films and presentations by filmmaking scholar Thom Andersen, such...
Opening Night will feature a reception and an after-party, and stuffed between those will be a block of nine short films, including new ones by Bryan Boyce, Michael Robinson, Jennifer Reeder and Martha Colburn, as well as a never-before-released work by the legendary Bruce Baillie called Little Girl in which Baillie captured scenes of natural beauty.
Special Events scattered throughout the festival include a retrospective of indie filmmaker Penelope Spheeris that will feature her rock ‘n’ roll-based work, including the original The Decline of Western Civilization, plus The Decline of Western Civilization Part III, her influential punk film Suburbia (screening twice) and a collection of short films.
There will also be several films and presentations by filmmaking scholar Thom Andersen, such...
- 3/18/2014
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
On Friday (April 19), bass player for the rock band 3 Doors Down Robert Todd Harell was charged with vehicular homicide by intoxication after being involved in a car accident that took the life of Paul Shoulders Jr. Police say Harrell was speeding when his car clipped a pickup truck on a Tennessee highway, sending it down an embankment.
When police arrived, they say Harrell showed signs of impairment and "acknowledged consuming hard cider and taking prescription Lortab and Xanax." Police noted that in addition to the vehicular homicide charge, Harrell would also be charged with bringing controlled substances into a jail, after a bag with prescription medication was found in his sock.
Following the accident, the members of 3 Doors Down made a statement on their website, saying they were saddened by the loss of Shoulders. Monday (April 22), the band released a second statement, reading, "Out of respect to Paul Howard Shoulders,...
When police arrived, they say Harrell showed signs of impairment and "acknowledged consuming hard cider and taking prescription Lortab and Xanax." Police noted that in addition to the vehicular homicide charge, Harrell would also be charged with bringing controlled substances into a jail, after a bag with prescription medication was found in his sock.
Following the accident, the members of 3 Doors Down made a statement on their website, saying they were saddened by the loss of Shoulders. Monday (April 22), the band released a second statement, reading, "Out of respect to Paul Howard Shoulders,...
- 4/22/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
The 26th annual Images Festival will be taking over Toronto on April 11-20 with an epic series of experimental film screenings, media installations, expanded cinema performances, workshops, artist talks and tons more. With so much going on, the Underground Film Journal is just listing all the screening events below. For everything Images has to offer, please visit their official website.
Before the screenings list, here are some of the highlights:
Opening Night: Accompanying the documentary imagery of prolific filmmaker Robert Todd will be live music performed by electronic music deconstructionist Tim Hecker. Plus, there will be a new audiovisual work by SlowPitch called Emoralis, which pairs images of snails with crackly and droning rhythms.
Closing Night: Corredor will be a live performance piece combining South American imagery by artist Alexandra Gelis, accompanied by live music by drummer Hamid Drake and saxophonist David Mott.
Live Performances: Jodie Mack will provide live...
Before the screenings list, here are some of the highlights:
Opening Night: Accompanying the documentary imagery of prolific filmmaker Robert Todd will be live music performed by electronic music deconstructionist Tim Hecker. Plus, there will be a new audiovisual work by SlowPitch called Emoralis, which pairs images of snails with crackly and droning rhythms.
Closing Night: Corredor will be a live performance piece combining South American imagery by artist Alexandra Gelis, accompanied by live music by drummer Hamid Drake and saxophonist David Mott.
Live Performances: Jodie Mack will provide live...
- 4/11/2013
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
The Ann Arbor Film Festival, having survived their half-a-century blowout in 2012, is back with another rip-roarin’ 51st edition in 2013, which will run from March 19-24, screening a mind-boggling amount of experimental short films and a few features.
Highlights of the fest include:
Special presentations by this year’s jurors, including Marcin Gizycki round-up of Polish animation from the 1950s to the present; Laida Lertxundi’s selection of some of her films as well as her biggest influences; and Kevin Jerome Everson’s mini-retrospective of his own films.
There’s also special tributes to Pat O’Neill, including a retrospective of his short films from the ’70s to the present as well as a screening of his 1989 35mm experimental epic Water and Power; Suzan Pitt, with selections of short films from her career; and a screening of Ken Burns’ latest doc The Central Park Five, co-directed with his daughter Sarah Burns and son-in-law David McMahon,...
Highlights of the fest include:
Special presentations by this year’s jurors, including Marcin Gizycki round-up of Polish animation from the 1950s to the present; Laida Lertxundi’s selection of some of her films as well as her biggest influences; and Kevin Jerome Everson’s mini-retrospective of his own films.
There’s also special tributes to Pat O’Neill, including a retrospective of his short films from the ’70s to the present as well as a screening of his 1989 35mm experimental epic Water and Power; Suzan Pitt, with selections of short films from her career; and a screening of Ken Burns’ latest doc The Central Park Five, co-directed with his daughter Sarah Burns and son-in-law David McMahon,...
- 3/19/2013
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
The Bradford International Film Festival is typically an underground-friendly fest. This year appears to be no exception with two very special experimental film retrospectives, as well as a few modern underground-type flicks.
The 19th annual Biff will roll on April 11-21 at several locations around Bradford and Leeds in England, including the National Media Museum, Hebden Bridge Picture House, Hyde Park Picture House and other venues.
Biff is hosting a tribute to Stan Brakhage this year by screening the prolific filmmaker’s magnum opus, Dog Star Man, as well as a selection of his short films, from 1963′s legendary Mothlight to 1994′s Black Ice. There’s also going to be an epic-sized tribute/retrospective of experimental films from Austria, a country with a proud avant-garde filmmaking tradition that’s typically overlooked.
From Austria, Biff is, of course, screening two works from one of the experimental film world’s biggest masters,...
The 19th annual Biff will roll on April 11-21 at several locations around Bradford and Leeds in England, including the National Media Museum, Hebden Bridge Picture House, Hyde Park Picture House and other venues.
Biff is hosting a tribute to Stan Brakhage this year by screening the prolific filmmaker’s magnum opus, Dog Star Man, as well as a selection of his short films, from 1963′s legendary Mothlight to 1994′s Black Ice. There’s also going to be an epic-sized tribute/retrospective of experimental films from Austria, a country with a proud avant-garde filmmaking tradition that’s typically overlooked.
From Austria, Biff is, of course, screening two works from one of the experimental film world’s biggest masters,...
- 3/11/2013
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
The 9th annual Florida Experimental Film/Video Festival, aka Flex, was held on February 15-17 in Gainesville, Florida. This year was one of the fest’s competitive years — (it alternates years with a curated event) – so they gave out 12 awards to 14 deserving filmmakers.
Awards were given out to both film and video artists and were broken up into both long form and short form categories. The film awards included projects in 35mm (Scott Stark), 16mm (Robert Todd) and Super 8 (Paul Clipson).
Below is the full list of winners. And below that is the full program lineup of the fest.
Film (long)
1. Scott Stark, Traces ($600 Kodak product grant)
2. Josh Gibson, Kudzu Vine ($200)
3. Shinya Isobe, Eden ($100)
Film (short)
1. Anja Dornieden and Juan David González Monroy, Awe Shocks ($600 Kodak product grant)
2. Robert Todd, Cove ($200)
3. Paul Clipson, Compound Eyes No. 1 ($100)
Video (long)
1. Ben Russell and Jim Drain, Ponce de León ($300)
2. Benjamin Pearson, Former Models ($200)
3. Paul Tarragó,...
Awards were given out to both film and video artists and were broken up into both long form and short form categories. The film awards included projects in 35mm (Scott Stark), 16mm (Robert Todd) and Super 8 (Paul Clipson).
Below is the full list of winners. And below that is the full program lineup of the fest.
Film (long)
1. Scott Stark, Traces ($600 Kodak product grant)
2. Josh Gibson, Kudzu Vine ($200)
3. Shinya Isobe, Eden ($100)
Film (short)
1. Anja Dornieden and Juan David González Monroy, Awe Shocks ($600 Kodak product grant)
2. Robert Todd, Cove ($200)
3. Paul Clipson, Compound Eyes No. 1 ($100)
Video (long)
1. Ben Russell and Jim Drain, Ponce de León ($300)
2. Benjamin Pearson, Former Models ($200)
3. Paul Tarragó,...
- 2/20/2013
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
The mighty and all-powerful Chicago Underground Film Festival has done the absolute unthinkable: Reached their 20th year of operation! How many underground festivals have accomplished that feat? None, until now! Well, “now” being March 6-10 at the fest’s new location: The Logan Theatre.
Obviously, there are a lot of people who have worked with the fest over the years to help make it last for exactly two fantastic decades, but, truly, there is one special person who has to be specially lauded for his tireless dedication to the advancement of underground film and its makers. Especially because Cuff hasn’t just been around for 20 years: It’s been fucking awesome for 20 years.
That person, of course, is Artistic Director Bryan Wendorf, who has been with the fest for the very first edition to it’s most recent, mind-blowing one. Year after year, Wendorf has guided Cuff into defining, challenging,...
Obviously, there are a lot of people who have worked with the fest over the years to help make it last for exactly two fantastic decades, but, truly, there is one special person who has to be specially lauded for his tireless dedication to the advancement of underground film and its makers. Especially because Cuff hasn’t just been around for 20 years: It’s been fucking awesome for 20 years.
That person, of course, is Artistic Director Bryan Wendorf, who has been with the fest for the very first edition to it’s most recent, mind-blowing one. Year after year, Wendorf has guided Cuff into defining, challenging,...
- 2/13/2013
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
The fourth annual Strange Beauty Film Festival will screen on January 24-26 at the Manbites Dog Theater in Durham, North Carolina. The fest primarily screens avant-garde and experimental short films.
Special Events: On Jan. 25, Tom Whiteside’s Circle Spiral Slow, featuring films from Whiteside’s film collection accompanied by live music by local band Arrows Out. And on Jan. 26, give your eyes a rest and your ears a workout with the “Strange Beauty Aural Fixation” experimental audio program.
Bad Lit picks: Leslie Supnet’s The Animated Heavy Metal Parking Lot (Jan. 24), which is quite frankly one of the most charming animated films of all time; and Clint Enns’ psychosexual 8-bit adventure ♥++ (Jan. 24). Also be on the lookout for films by Aaron Zeghers, Kelly Sears, Bill Brown, Robert Todd and Roger Beebe.
For more info and to buy tickets, please visit the official Strange Beauty Film Festival website.
Full lineup below:
January 24
8:15 p.
Special Events: On Jan. 25, Tom Whiteside’s Circle Spiral Slow, featuring films from Whiteside’s film collection accompanied by live music by local band Arrows Out. And on Jan. 26, give your eyes a rest and your ears a workout with the “Strange Beauty Aural Fixation” experimental audio program.
Bad Lit picks: Leslie Supnet’s The Animated Heavy Metal Parking Lot (Jan. 24), which is quite frankly one of the most charming animated films of all time; and Clint Enns’ psychosexual 8-bit adventure ♥++ (Jan. 24). Also be on the lookout for films by Aaron Zeghers, Kelly Sears, Bill Brown, Robert Todd and Roger Beebe.
For more info and to buy tickets, please visit the official Strange Beauty Film Festival website.
Full lineup below:
January 24
8:15 p.
- 1/22/2013
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Ann Arbor Film Festival 16mm films at the Los Angeles Filmforum The Los Angeles Filmforum will present the 50th Ann Arbor Film Festival’s 16mm short-film show, featuring recent U.S.-made experimental, narrative, documentary and animated movies. The program, which will be screened at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, February 3, at the Steven Spielberg Theatre at the Egyptian Theatre complex on Hollywood Boulevard, also includes two films from the Los Angeles area and several L.A. premieres. L.A.-based filmmaker Charlotte Pryce, whose Curious Light is part of the program, is expected to attend the screening. (Photo: Owl in Robert Todd’s Undergrowth.) Among the other 16mm short films screening at the Spielberg Theatre are the following: Fern Silva’s Passage Upon the Plume ("Plumes dust the arid land, east to west, shapeshifting as they lift in ascension.") Tomonari Nishikawa’s Tokyo-Ebisu, which "shows the views from the...
- 1/18/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
For most of the world the name most associated with the United States presidency is Abraham Lincoln. He could easily be considered a superstar of American history. His face is on the coins and currency we use almost everyday. His monument and statue in the nation’s capitol are high on the must see lists of visitors. He is part of the presidential quartet on Mount Rushmore. Scores of schools and towns share his name (even a line of automaobiles). Since the invention of cinema Lincoln as been portrayed by many, many actors (even Bugs Bunny donned the stove-pipe hat and beard in Southern Fried Rabbit). Just earlier this year he was an action hero in the fantastical Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter. Everyone knows that somber iconic image, but how much do we really know about the flesh and blood human being? It turns out that one of America’s...
- 11/16/2012
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
When you've got a big, sprawling historical epic like Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln," all the attention tends to swirl around the lead, particularly when you've got such a magnetic one in the form of multiple Oscar-winner Daniel Day-Lewis playing the man behind the beard.
But who are the men behind the man behind the beard?
"Lincoln" boasts one of the most impressive supporting casts in recent memory, and, since many of them are going untrumpeted in the trailers and media attention surrounding the film, we've got them front and center so you can keep an eye out for 'em as Day-Lewis chews the scenery.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Levitt has followed in some mighty big footsteps this year, playing the heir to the Batman legacy in "The Dark Knight Rises," a young Bruce Willis in "Looper" and now Robert Todd Lincoln, the great man's only surviving son. Fun Fact: Sometime in the...
But who are the men behind the man behind the beard?
"Lincoln" boasts one of the most impressive supporting casts in recent memory, and, since many of them are going untrumpeted in the trailers and media attention surrounding the film, we've got them front and center so you can keep an eye out for 'em as Day-Lewis chews the scenery.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Levitt has followed in some mighty big footsteps this year, playing the heir to the Batman legacy in "The Dark Knight Rises," a young Bruce Willis in "Looper" and now Robert Todd Lincoln, the great man's only surviving son. Fun Fact: Sometime in the...
- 11/7/2012
- by Max Evry
- NextMovie
Opening in a limited release this Friday, Steven Spielberg's Lincoln brings to the screen a character study not only of the 16th President's final weeks in office, but also of the complicated politics of the day and the all-too-true tale of how some of the human rights that define our nation very nearly never came to pass. Featuring a wholly transformative performance by Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln 's enormous cast includes character performances by the likes of Sally Field, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tommy Lee Jones, James Spader, Hal Holbrook and dozens more. ComingSoon.net sat down with three of the film's key players: Field, who plays Lincoln's wife, Mary Todd, Gordon-Levitt, who plays his and her son, Robert Todd and Spader, who plays a political operative and precursor to the...
- 11/5/2012
- Comingsoon.net
The 15th annual Antimatter Film Festival is grinding out, as it always does, an incredible program of avant-garde and experimental short films and features from all over the world. The visual smorgasbord is assaulting Victoria, British Columbia on Oct. 12-20.
Some of the features include Matt McCormick‘s lyrical travelogue road trip The Great Northwest, Sabine Gruffat‘s Detroit & Dubai contrast and comparison I Have Always Been a Dreamer and Ben Rivers‘ acclaimed pastoral odyssey Two Years at Sea.
On the short film front, there’s Salise Hughes‘ vanishing Erasable Cities, Deborah Stratman‘s reworked silent film Village, silenced, Matt McCormick‘s meditation on abandoned spaces Future So Bright, Jem Cohen‘s portrait doc Crossing Paths With Luce Vigo, Lyn Elliot‘s stop-motion Another Dress, Another Button, Alyssa Timon‘s A Dog Wearing Glasses; and tons more.
Plus, there’s the special “Home Movie Day” tribute to Victoria, BC on Oct.
Some of the features include Matt McCormick‘s lyrical travelogue road trip The Great Northwest, Sabine Gruffat‘s Detroit & Dubai contrast and comparison I Have Always Been a Dreamer and Ben Rivers‘ acclaimed pastoral odyssey Two Years at Sea.
On the short film front, there’s Salise Hughes‘ vanishing Erasable Cities, Deborah Stratman‘s reworked silent film Village, silenced, Matt McCormick‘s meditation on abandoned spaces Future So Bright, Jem Cohen‘s portrait doc Crossing Paths With Luce Vigo, Lyn Elliot‘s stop-motion Another Dress, Another Button, Alyssa Timon‘s A Dog Wearing Glasses; and tons more.
Plus, there’s the special “Home Movie Day” tribute to Victoria, BC on Oct.
- 10/15/2012
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
During a Google+ hangout with director Steven Spielberg and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, they unveiled the first full trailer for Dreamwork's presidential epic Lincoln. Gordon-Levitt plays Robert Todd Loncoln, while Daniel Day-Lewis puts on the beard and stovepipe hat as the 16th President himself.
The movie focuses on the Lincoln’s tumultuous final months in office. In a nation divided by war and the strong winds of change, Lincoln pursues a course of action designed to end the war, unite the country and abolish slavery. With the moral courage and fierce determination to succeed, his choices during this critical moment will change the fate of generations to come. The story is based in part on the Doris Kearns Goodwin book, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.
The movie also stars Sally Field, David Strathairn, Jackie Earle Hayley, Lee Pace, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, and Tommy Lee Jones. Lincoln will...
The movie focuses on the Lincoln’s tumultuous final months in office. In a nation divided by war and the strong winds of change, Lincoln pursues a course of action designed to end the war, unite the country and abolish slavery. With the moral courage and fierce determination to succeed, his choices during this critical moment will change the fate of generations to come. The story is based in part on the Doris Kearns Goodwin book, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.
The movie also stars Sally Field, David Strathairn, Jackie Earle Hayley, Lee Pace, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, and Tommy Lee Jones. Lincoln will...
- 9/13/2012
- by Eli Reyes
- GeekTyrant
Today’s Must Read is a fantastic sneak peek inside the Film-Makers’ Coop archives on the Capital New York website. Learn about the more oddball artifacts it keeps, the efforts to preserve older films and more. The only thing I object to is Coop executive director M.M. Serra flatly stating that experimental film is not “entertainment.” Yeah, I understand the need to differentiate experimental film from mainstream film, but experimental film is Highly entertaining! It’s just “entertaining” in different ways than plot-driven film is. Watching an experimental film is not a downer of an intellectual experience. It’s fun! Can we all start saying this from now on: Experimental film is fun!Rick Trembles tackles Ridley Scott’s Prometheus for Motion Picture Purgatory. Sadly, the Montreal Mirror, the alt-weekly in which Rick’s strip appeared for well over a decade went under last week.Donna k. also reviews Prometheus.
- 6/24/2012
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
The 24th annual Onion City Experimental Film and Video Festival is the largest, most jam-packed edition of Chicago’s long-running avant-garde and experimental media fest ever! Held at the Gene Siskel Film Center on June 21 and at Columbia College on June 22-23, this year’s event features two days and three nights of fantastic experimental work, including both short films and feature-length productions.
Two feature-length films will get two screenings each. First, there’s collage animator Lewis Klahr‘s latest epic work The Pettifogger, a film noir about the year in the life of a ’60s era gambler; and Tributes – Pulse, a collaboration between filmmaker Bill Morrison and Danish composer Simon Christensen. Both films will screen on the 22nd and the 23rd.
Other feature-length works include Wolfgang Lehmann’s experimental nature film Dragonflies With Birds and Snake, Barry Doupé’s computer animated mystery The Colors That Combine to Make White Are Important,...
Two feature-length films will get two screenings each. First, there’s collage animator Lewis Klahr‘s latest epic work The Pettifogger, a film noir about the year in the life of a ’60s era gambler; and Tributes – Pulse, a collaboration between filmmaker Bill Morrison and Danish composer Simon Christensen. Both films will screen on the 22nd and the 23rd.
Other feature-length works include Wolfgang Lehmann’s experimental nature film Dragonflies With Birds and Snake, Barry Doupé’s computer animated mystery The Colors That Combine to Make White Are Important,...
- 6/12/2012
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
The 19th annual Chicago Underground Film Festival, which just ran for the entire first week of June at the Gene Siskel Film Center, have announced their award winners. Picking the winners this year was a jury composed of Julia Gibbs (University of Chicago’s Film Studies Center), Dan Koretzky (Drag City Records) and Jonathan Marlow (Fandor).
Awards were given in seven categories, each of which have a singular winning film and several honorable mentions. Taking home the coveted Made in Chicago Award was Jesse McLean‘s experimental short film Remote, a haunting meditation on nature and technology.
Other short films winning awards were Ben Russell‘s ethnographic film River Rites for Best Documentary Short, Bryan Boyce‘s hilarious Walt Disney’s Taxi Driver for Best Film Using Appropriation or Pre-existing Material and Peter Jessien Laugesen’s Nature’s Voice for Best Animation/Experimental Short.
On the feature film front, Daniel Schmidt...
Awards were given in seven categories, each of which have a singular winning film and several honorable mentions. Taking home the coveted Made in Chicago Award was Jesse McLean‘s experimental short film Remote, a haunting meditation on nature and technology.
Other short films winning awards were Ben Russell‘s ethnographic film River Rites for Best Documentary Short, Bryan Boyce‘s hilarious Walt Disney’s Taxi Driver for Best Film Using Appropriation or Pre-existing Material and Peter Jessien Laugesen’s Nature’s Voice for Best Animation/Experimental Short.
On the feature film front, Daniel Schmidt...
- 6/8/2012
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Having been around for eighteen years, the Chicago Underground Film Festival has continually changed what it defines as “underground.”
So its 19th annual edition, which will be held on May 31 to June 7 at the Gene Siskel Film Center, feels like its most experimental edition in recent years.
While things kick off on the 31st with the Vice-produced anthology film The Fourth Dimension by Alexsei Fedorchenko, Harmony Korine and Jan Kwiecinski, the rest of the fest is packed with feature-length and short experimental work, documentaries and alternative narratives.
Some of the experimental feature highlights include the vastly prolific Robert Todd‘s Master Plan, which examines theories of modern housing from private residences to prisons; Australia’s two-person art collective Soda_Jerk’s epic rip on media piracy, Hollywood Burn; Michael Kosakowski’s compendium on murder fantasies, Zero Killing; L.A. filmmaker Daniel Martinico’s meditation on the acting process, Ok, Good...
So its 19th annual edition, which will be held on May 31 to June 7 at the Gene Siskel Film Center, feels like its most experimental edition in recent years.
While things kick off on the 31st with the Vice-produced anthology film The Fourth Dimension by Alexsei Fedorchenko, Harmony Korine and Jan Kwiecinski, the rest of the fest is packed with feature-length and short experimental work, documentaries and alternative narratives.
Some of the experimental feature highlights include the vastly prolific Robert Todd‘s Master Plan, which examines theories of modern housing from private residences to prisons; Australia’s two-person art collective Soda_Jerk’s epic rip on media piracy, Hollywood Burn; Michael Kosakowski’s compendium on murder fantasies, Zero Killing; L.A. filmmaker Daniel Martinico’s meditation on the acting process, Ok, Good...
- 5/8/2012
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Student-run at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Underground Film Festival will once again screen a selection of phenomenal experimental and avant-garde short films from all over the world. The 2012 edition will run May 4-5 at various locations around Milwaukee, including the Uwm Union Theatre, Walker’s Point Center for the Arts and the the Peck School of the Arts Kenilworth Studios.
Some films to look out for at the fest include Georg Koszulinski‘s tranquil landscape experimental documentary The Search for Norumbega; new animation films by Jodie Mack (Point de Gaze) and Ben Popp (Lazslo Lassu); Clint Enns‘ environmental search for the spiritual, Connecting With Nature; two films by Winnipeg’s Aaron Zeghers, The Story of Thomas Edison and I See a Light; a visually arresting Chromadepth experiment from Kerry Laitala, Chromatic Cocktail 180 Proof; plus, films by Jim Haverkamp, Lyn Elliot, Tony Gault, Kelly Sears and more.
The...
Some films to look out for at the fest include Georg Koszulinski‘s tranquil landscape experimental documentary The Search for Norumbega; new animation films by Jodie Mack (Point de Gaze) and Ben Popp (Lazslo Lassu); Clint Enns‘ environmental search for the spiritual, Connecting With Nature; two films by Winnipeg’s Aaron Zeghers, The Story of Thomas Edison and I See a Light; a visually arresting Chromadepth experiment from Kerry Laitala, Chromatic Cocktail 180 Proof; plus, films by Jim Haverkamp, Lyn Elliot, Tony Gault, Kelly Sears and more.
The...
- 4/30/2012
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
The historic 50th annual Ann Arbor Film Festival wrapped up on April 1 with a whole gaggle of awards going to numerous filmmakers, celebrating the best in experimental, animation, documentary, Lgbt, international, music video and more categories.
The big winner of the event was Hayoun Kwon for her animated short film Lack of Evidence (Manque de Preuves), about a Nigerian child who survives a ritualistic murder by his own father. The Seoul-born, Paris-based filmmaker took home the Ken Burns Award for Best of the Festival.
On the experimental film front, Betzy Bromberg won the Stan Brakhage Film at Wit’s End award for her feature-length experimental film Voluptuous Sleep; while Sylvia Schedelbauer won the Gus Van Sant Award for Best Experimental Film for her short film Sounding Glass; and Robert Todd won the Kodak/Colorlab Award for Best Cinematography for two films, Undergrowth and Within.
Renown animator Don Hertzfeldt shared the...
The big winner of the event was Hayoun Kwon for her animated short film Lack of Evidence (Manque de Preuves), about a Nigerian child who survives a ritualistic murder by his own father. The Seoul-born, Paris-based filmmaker took home the Ken Burns Award for Best of the Festival.
On the experimental film front, Betzy Bromberg won the Stan Brakhage Film at Wit’s End award for her feature-length experimental film Voluptuous Sleep; while Sylvia Schedelbauer won the Gus Van Sant Award for Best Experimental Film for her short film Sounding Glass; and Robert Todd won the Kodak/Colorlab Award for Best Cinematography for two films, Undergrowth and Within.
Renown animator Don Hertzfeldt shared the...
- 4/2/2012
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
March 23
8:00 p.m.
The Menil Collection (outdoors)
1533 Sul Ross
Houston, Texas 77006
Hosted by: Aurora Picture Show
Inspired by the Menil Collection‘s retrospective of the drawings of Richard Serra, which is currently on display until June 10, Aurora Picture Show curator Mary Magsamen will screen a series of short films that focus on gestures and lines created through animation, documentary and/or computer graphics.
This is an outdoor screening, so please bring your own blankets, lawn chairs and, if you like, a picnic dinner.
The Richard Serra exhibit inside the Menil is the first retrospective of the sculptor’s drawings, some of which have directly inspired his sculpture work while some remain completely independent of his other art. The show is organized chronologically and includes new large-scale works that were produced specifically for this exhibit.
The films and videos that will be shown, which range from work by accomplished filmmakers...
8:00 p.m.
The Menil Collection (outdoors)
1533 Sul Ross
Houston, Texas 77006
Hosted by: Aurora Picture Show
Inspired by the Menil Collection‘s retrospective of the drawings of Richard Serra, which is currently on display until June 10, Aurora Picture Show curator Mary Magsamen will screen a series of short films that focus on gestures and lines created through animation, documentary and/or computer graphics.
This is an outdoor screening, so please bring your own blankets, lawn chairs and, if you like, a picnic dinner.
The Richard Serra exhibit inside the Menil is the first retrospective of the sculptor’s drawings, some of which have directly inspired his sculpture work while some remain completely independent of his other art. The show is organized chronologically and includes new large-scale works that were produced specifically for this exhibit.
The films and videos that will be shown, which range from work by accomplished filmmakers...
- 3/19/2012
- by screenings
- Underground Film Journal
It’s the 50th anniversary of the Ann Arbor Film Festival and they’re preparing an all-out blowout on March 27 to April 1 to celebrate! The fest is crammed to the gills with the latest and greatest in experimental and avant-garde film, in addition to a celebration of classic work from Ann Arbors past.
Filmmaker Bruce Baillie was there at the first Aaff — and numerous times since. He’s back this year with a major retrospective of his entire career that spans three separate programs. Baillie, who’ll be in attendance of course, will present a brand-new restored version of his epic pseudo-Western Quick Billy, plus screenings of his classic short movies such as Castro Street, Yellow Horse, Quixote, To Parsifal and more.
There’s also a program dedicated to the films of the late Robert Nelson, including Bleu Shut and Special Warning, as well as sprinklings of underground classics throughout...
Filmmaker Bruce Baillie was there at the first Aaff — and numerous times since. He’s back this year with a major retrospective of his entire career that spans three separate programs. Baillie, who’ll be in attendance of course, will present a brand-new restored version of his epic pseudo-Western Quick Billy, plus screenings of his classic short movies such as Castro Street, Yellow Horse, Quixote, To Parsifal and more.
There’s also a program dedicated to the films of the late Robert Nelson, including Bleu Shut and Special Warning, as well as sprinklings of underground classics throughout...
- 3/7/2012
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
This year mark’s the amazing 20th anniversary of $100 Film Festival, making it Calgary’s oldest film fests and one of the last ones devoted solely to film. The cinematic fun will run at the Stanford Perrot Lecture Theater on March 8-10 with three nights of short movies produced on 16mm and 8mm film.
What began as a modest affair simply to promote local filmmaking efforts, the $100 is now an international festival with movies this year from the U.S., Germany, Spain, Japan and, of course, Canada. The fest is also celebrating the work of American filmmaker Robert Todd, who will be on hand to screen some of his movies as well as host a workshop on experimental documentary filmmaking techniques.
Each night of the festival kicks off with a live music and film performance. The first night features the a jam film by local filmmakers Brenda Lieberman, Luke Black,...
What began as a modest affair simply to promote local filmmaking efforts, the $100 is now an international festival with movies this year from the U.S., Germany, Spain, Japan and, of course, Canada. The fest is also celebrating the work of American filmmaker Robert Todd, who will be on hand to screen some of his movies as well as host a workshop on experimental documentary filmmaking techniques.
Each night of the festival kicks off with a live music and film performance. The first night features the a jam film by local filmmakers Brenda Lieberman, Luke Black,...
- 3/5/2012
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
CinemaSpace is proud to launch its winter/spring 2012 programming with The Travelling Tour of the 49th Ann Arbor Film Festival, the longest-running experimental film festival in North America.
Ann Arbor Film Festival is back again with its tour programs! Divided into two high-quality digital and 16mm programs, the travelling tour of the 49th Ann Arbor Film Festival (Aaff) offers 17 short films 7 different countries, featuring award-winning and favourite new works from the 2011 edition across all genres: experimental, documentary, fiction, animation and hybrids. Some of the highlights of the programs include Home Movie (Best Narrative Film Award) by Braden King, director of the award-winning feature Here (Berlinale 2011, Sundance 2011), and The Florestine Collection (Jury Award) by the late animator Helen Hill, who was murdered in a home invasion in New Orleans in 2007, and her husband Paul Gailiunas, who survived the incident and eventually completed the film three years later.
Here is all the info:
Program I: Thursday,...
Ann Arbor Film Festival is back again with its tour programs! Divided into two high-quality digital and 16mm programs, the travelling tour of the 49th Ann Arbor Film Festival (Aaff) offers 17 short films 7 different countries, featuring award-winning and favourite new works from the 2011 edition across all genres: experimental, documentary, fiction, animation and hybrids. Some of the highlights of the programs include Home Movie (Best Narrative Film Award) by Braden King, director of the award-winning feature Here (Berlinale 2011, Sundance 2011), and The Florestine Collection (Jury Award) by the late animator Helen Hill, who was murdered in a home invasion in New Orleans in 2007, and her husband Paul Gailiunas, who survived the incident and eventually completed the film three years later.
Here is all the info:
Program I: Thursday,...
- 1/10/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
The 6th annual Ata Film & Video Festival will run on Oct. 19-21 with another edition of their typically outstanding selection of the best experimental media being produced around the world.
The fest’s opening night, the 19th, is a meet and greet with many of the filmmakers who will have their films screened over the next two nights. Plus, attendees will have the opportunity to check out the art installation Insecurity Booth by Sam Manera that combines live and collected feeds from numerous security cameras.
The festival is also mixing things up a little bit by including, along with the films, a couple live vocal performances. The night of the 20th will open with two performances by Tommy Becker, while the night of the 21st will close with a performance by Douglas Katelus.
As for the films, there will be one programming block of shorts each night. The Oct. 20 block...
The fest’s opening night, the 19th, is a meet and greet with many of the filmmakers who will have their films screened over the next two nights. Plus, attendees will have the opportunity to check out the art installation Insecurity Booth by Sam Manera that combines live and collected feeds from numerous security cameras.
The festival is also mixing things up a little bit by including, along with the films, a couple live vocal performances. The night of the 20th will open with two performances by Tommy Becker, while the night of the 21st will close with a performance by Douglas Katelus.
As for the films, there will be one programming block of shorts each night. The Oct. 20 block...
- 10/19/2011
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
The 14th annual Antimatter Film Festival in Vancouver, BC, Canada is an epic 9-day event of expanded cinema performances, feature-length documentaries an a ton of experimental short films and festivals.
There are seven feature documentaries screening including Marie Losier‘s hit The Ballad of Genesis & Lady Jaye, a profile of the pandrogenous entity, Breyer P-Orridge; and Chris Metzler & Lev Kalman’s popular Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone, about the legendary ska punk band. Plus, there’s Adele Horne’s And Again and more.
On the expanded cinema front, Antimatter welcomes retrospectives of Kerry Laitala, who will be presenting a selection of her 3D light and motion experiments; and Roger Beebe will screen a series of multi-projector performances.
As for the short films, the real highlight of the fest is a screening of Jaimz Asmundson‘s trippy and powerful The Magus, a fictional/documentary hybrid of his father’s Satanic painting process.
There are seven feature documentaries screening including Marie Losier‘s hit The Ballad of Genesis & Lady Jaye, a profile of the pandrogenous entity, Breyer P-Orridge; and Chris Metzler & Lev Kalman’s popular Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone, about the legendary ska punk band. Plus, there’s Adele Horne’s And Again and more.
On the expanded cinema front, Antimatter welcomes retrospectives of Kerry Laitala, who will be presenting a selection of her 3D light and motion experiments; and Roger Beebe will screen a series of multi-projector performances.
As for the short films, the real highlight of the fest is a screening of Jaimz Asmundson‘s trippy and powerful The Magus, a fictional/documentary hybrid of his father’s Satanic painting process.
- 10/12/2011
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Deadline say Jackie Earle Haley has joined DreamWorks & Steven Spielberg’s rapidly close to filming biopic of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. The Oscar nominated actor has taken the role of the infamous Alexander Stephens, a pro-slavery historical figure who was Vice President of the Confederates during the American Civil War and a staunch political rival to Lincoln’s office. He infamously said at the Cornerstone Speech;
“Our new Government is founded upon exactly the opposite ideas; its foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery, subordination to the superior race, is his natural and moral condition.”
Clearly him and Lincoln didn’t get on and Haley is likely to be depict him as the bastard that history records (and his own quotes) tell us he was. Stephens was said to be a ghastly physical appearance,...
“Our new Government is founded upon exactly the opposite ideas; its foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery, subordination to the superior race, is his natural and moral condition.”
Clearly him and Lincoln didn’t get on and Haley is likely to be depict him as the bastard that history records (and his own quotes) tell us he was. Stephens was said to be a ghastly physical appearance,...
- 9/21/2011
- by Matt Holmes
- Obsessed with Film
Joseph Gordon-Levitt might only be 30 years old, but he has already distinguished himself as an actor with a wide range. Beginning in commercials as a young child, he made his film debut in 1992′s Beethoven, but it wasn’t until 1996 that he became a household name, co-starring in the television sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun. After a hiatus during which he attended Columbia University, Gordon-Levitt left television for film acting, and ever since, his career has continued to grow year after year. Levitt has been one of my favourite upcoming actors of the past decade, starring in some of my favourite indie films. Of course there are many reasons to love Jgl. I could mention his gorgeous slanted smile, his dark wavy hair or his noirish and intense eyes – I mean, this dude even looks hot in drag (see above photo). But with that said, lets instead focus on his film career.
- 8/31/2011
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
The 23rd annual Onion City Experimental Film and Video Festival, which wrapped up on June 26, has announced a trio of award winners, plus a trio of honorable mentions.
The first place winner is prolific experimental filmmaker Robert Todd for his film Morning Glory. Todd, a film professor at Emerson College, regularly screens new work at Onion City. The second and third place winners both have animals for film titles: Pawel Wojtasik’s Pigs and Milena Gierke’s Toads, respectively.
The three filmmakers who won honorable mentions are: Yoel Meranda, Neil Beloufa and Lennon Batchelor.
The jury for this edition of Onion City were: Lou Mallozzi, an audio artist; Spencer Parsons, a filmmaker and film professor at Northwestern University; and Jennifer Wild, a Cinema and Media Studies professor at the University of Chicago.
The list of winners is below:
First Place
Morning Glory, dir. Robert Todd
Second Place
Pigs, dir. Pawel Wojtasik
Third Place
Toads,...
The first place winner is prolific experimental filmmaker Robert Todd for his film Morning Glory. Todd, a film professor at Emerson College, regularly screens new work at Onion City. The second and third place winners both have animals for film titles: Pawel Wojtasik’s Pigs and Milena Gierke’s Toads, respectively.
The three filmmakers who won honorable mentions are: Yoel Meranda, Neil Beloufa and Lennon Batchelor.
The jury for this edition of Onion City were: Lou Mallozzi, an audio artist; Spencer Parsons, a filmmaker and film professor at Northwestern University; and Jennifer Wild, a Cinema and Media Studies professor at the University of Chicago.
The list of winners is below:
First Place
Morning Glory, dir. Robert Todd
Second Place
Pigs, dir. Pawel Wojtasik
Third Place
Toads,...
- 6/28/2011
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
The 23rd annual Onion City Experimental Film and Video Festival presents four nights of international avant-garde and experimental media from all over the world. The fest runs June 23-26 with the Opening Night festivities taking place at the Gene Siskel Film Center and the rest of the screenings held at the venerable Chicago Filmmakers, which has been behind the event for the past 11 years.
The Opening Night presentation begins with the new short film from the Brothers Quay, Maska, which was produced in Poland and based on a short story by Polish author Stanislaw Lem (Solaris). Also included in the opening screening are films by Thom Anderson, Mati Diop, Christopher Becks, Milena Gierke and more.
The Closing Night film is the much anticipated new feature by former Chicagoan James Fotopoulos. He will be screening Alice in Wonderland, an adaptation of an 1886 musical based on the classic children’s book. The film features hundreds of drawings,...
The Opening Night presentation begins with the new short film from the Brothers Quay, Maska, which was produced in Poland and based on a short story by Polish author Stanislaw Lem (Solaris). Also included in the opening screening are films by Thom Anderson, Mati Diop, Christopher Becks, Milena Gierke and more.
The Closing Night film is the much anticipated new feature by former Chicagoan James Fotopoulos. He will be screening Alice in Wonderland, an adaptation of an 1886 musical based on the classic children’s book. The film features hundreds of drawings,...
- 6/10/2011
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Once again, in a perfect blend of Canadian and U.S. experimental film harmony, the cities of Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan are teaming up for the 17th annual Media City. It’s four nights of great experimental videos and films from all over the world that will run on May 24-28.
Special events this year include a retrospective of the work of Dutch filmmaker Jaap Pieters, which opens the fest. Pieters specializes in shooting 3-minute reel Super 8 films of the interesting people and events that pass by his apartment window, which he has been making for three decades.
There will also be a retrospective of the films of William Raban, who has been making experimental documentaries about the changing face of east London over the past 25 years. Plus, artist Silvi Simon will host a discussion of her sculptural film projections, which will be on display at the Art Gallery of Windsor.
Special events this year include a retrospective of the work of Dutch filmmaker Jaap Pieters, which opens the fest. Pieters specializes in shooting 3-minute reel Super 8 films of the interesting people and events that pass by his apartment window, which he has been making for three decades.
There will also be a retrospective of the films of William Raban, who has been making experimental documentaries about the changing face of east London over the past 25 years. Plus, artist Silvi Simon will host a discussion of her sculptural film projections, which will be on display at the Art Gallery of Windsor.
- 5/20/2011
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
The 18th annual Chicago Underground Film Festival is ready to have another monumental year at the Gene Siskel Film Center on June 2-9, featuring a killer lineup with new films from some true underground legends.
First, Usama Alshaibi will screen his latest, most visually stunning and conceptually innovative feature Profane, about a spiritually confused Muslim sex worker trying to recapture her lost jinn — a demon of smokeless fire — on streets of the Windy City.
Then, documentary filmmakers Jeff Krulik and John Heyn return to their hard rockin’ roots with Heavy Metal Picnic, which relives one of the most notorious ’80s weekend parties in the history of Maryland and the world — the Full Moon Jamboree, which if you can remember it means you weren’t there. Plus, Hmp will be screened with Heyn and Krulik’s underground classic Heavy Metal Parking Lot.
Also in the documentary vein, are Marie Losier‘s...
First, Usama Alshaibi will screen his latest, most visually stunning and conceptually innovative feature Profane, about a spiritually confused Muslim sex worker trying to recapture her lost jinn — a demon of smokeless fire — on streets of the Windy City.
Then, documentary filmmakers Jeff Krulik and John Heyn return to their hard rockin’ roots with Heavy Metal Picnic, which relives one of the most notorious ’80s weekend parties in the history of Maryland and the world — the Full Moon Jamboree, which if you can remember it means you weren’t there. Plus, Hmp will be screened with Heyn and Krulik’s underground classic Heavy Metal Parking Lot.
Also in the documentary vein, are Marie Losier‘s...
- 5/13/2011
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
The 3rd annual Migrating Forms is set to run on May 20-29 at the Anthology Film Archives with yet another stunning lineup of current and classic experimental and avant-garde films and videos.
New work includes the U.S. premiere of Melanie Gilligan’s experimental sci-fi feature Popular Unrest for the fest’s Opening Night event. Then, throughout the fest, will be Jacqueline Goss‘ meteorology meditation The Observers, Liu Jiayin’s two-part family drama Oxhide and Oxhide II, Madison Brookshire’s light processing experimentation Color Series, Oliver Laxe’s meta-documentary You Are All Captains for the Closing Night event, and more.
New short works in the group programs include films and videos by Adele Horne, Andrew Lampert, Kevin Jerome Everson, Shana Moulton, Fern Silva, Olga Chernysheva, Dani Leventhal and more.
Classic retrospectives include Brazilian films by Glauber Rocha and French films written by Georges Perec. Electric Arts Intermix presents little-seen personal videos by L.
New work includes the U.S. premiere of Melanie Gilligan’s experimental sci-fi feature Popular Unrest for the fest’s Opening Night event. Then, throughout the fest, will be Jacqueline Goss‘ meteorology meditation The Observers, Liu Jiayin’s two-part family drama Oxhide and Oxhide II, Madison Brookshire’s light processing experimentation Color Series, Oliver Laxe’s meta-documentary You Are All Captains for the Closing Night event, and more.
New short works in the group programs include films and videos by Adele Horne, Andrew Lampert, Kevin Jerome Everson, Shana Moulton, Fern Silva, Olga Chernysheva, Dani Leventhal and more.
Classic retrospectives include Brazilian films by Glauber Rocha and French films written by Georges Perec. Electric Arts Intermix presents little-seen personal videos by L.
- 5/10/2011
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Migrating Forms has just revealed the full program for its third edition, running May 20 through 29 at Anthology Film Archives in New York. And it's pretty impressive, so we're going to go the quickest route here and reproduce the release below the jump.
Special Events
Georges Perec Double Bill
Serie Noire Dir Alain Corneau (1979)
Georges Perec wrote dialogue made up almost entirely of cliches and aphorisms for this adaptation of Jim Thompson's A Hell of a Woman. "The only Thompson adaptation to truly express the author's deeply personal darkness." - Moving Image Source
Un homme qui dort (The Man Who Slept) Dir. Georges Perec and Bernard Queysanne (1974)
Adapted from Georges Perec's novel of the same name. Structured as a filmic sestina, Perec and Queysanne reimagine the framework of the novel while maintaining much of the original narration (read by Shelly Duvall in the English version!).
The Art of the...
Special Events
Georges Perec Double Bill
Serie Noire Dir Alain Corneau (1979)
Georges Perec wrote dialogue made up almost entirely of cliches and aphorisms for this adaptation of Jim Thompson's A Hell of a Woman. "The only Thompson adaptation to truly express the author's deeply personal darkness." - Moving Image Source
Un homme qui dort (The Man Who Slept) Dir. Georges Perec and Bernard Queysanne (1974)
Adapted from Georges Perec's novel of the same name. Structured as a filmic sestina, Perec and Queysanne reimagine the framework of the novel while maintaining much of the original narration (read by Shelly Duvall in the English version!).
The Art of the...
- 5/9/2011
- MUBI
Source: FilmShaft - Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tommy Lee Jones And James Spader In talks For Spielberg’s ‘Lincoln’
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tommy Lee Jones and James Spader are in talks to star in Steven Spielberg’s biopic of Abraham Lincoln. Spielberg has Lee Jones pencilled in for the role of Thaddeus Stevens, a Pennsylvanian Republican congressman who was instrumental in the abolition of slavery, while ‘Inception’ star Gordon-Levitt is being considered for the portrayal of Lincoln’s son Robert Todd in the film, simply titled Lincoln.
These high-profile stars would join an already impressive line-up, with Daniel-Day Lewis confirmed as the eponymous President, and Sally Field on board as wife Mary Todd Lincoln. As we at FilmShaft reported last year upon Day-Lewis’ confirmation for the role, the film will focus on ‘the political collision of Lincoln and the powerful men of his cabinet on the road to abolition and the end of...
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tommy Lee Jones and James Spader are in talks to star in Steven Spielberg’s biopic of Abraham Lincoln. Spielberg has Lee Jones pencilled in for the role of Thaddeus Stevens, a Pennsylvanian Republican congressman who was instrumental in the abolition of slavery, while ‘Inception’ star Gordon-Levitt is being considered for the portrayal of Lincoln’s son Robert Todd in the film, simply titled Lincoln.
These high-profile stars would join an already impressive line-up, with Daniel-Day Lewis confirmed as the eponymous President, and Sally Field on board as wife Mary Todd Lincoln. As we at FilmShaft reported last year upon Day-Lewis’ confirmation for the role, the film will focus on ‘the political collision of Lincoln and the powerful men of his cabinet on the road to abolition and the end of...
- 5/6/2011
- by Rob Fred Parker
- FilmShaft.com
Steven Spielberg's look at the life of the 16th president will have more than a handful of recognizable faces when it opens next year.
Among the actors who've signed on for Lincoln are Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Hal Holbrook (Water for Elephants), James Spader (Stargate), John Hawkes (Winter's Bone), Tim Blake Nelson (The Incredible Hulk), Bruce McGill (Law Abiding Citizen), and Joseph Cross (Milk).
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jones will portray Thaddeus Stevens, a Pennsylvania congressman who supports abolishing slavery and is crucial in the government's funding of the Civil War. Gordon-Levitt will play Lincoln's oldest son, Robert Todd, the only one of the president's four children to live past his teenage years. The other roles were not specified.
Next Showing: Lincoln is scheduled for a late 2012 release
Link | Posted 5/6/2011 by Chris
Bruce McGill | Joseph Cross | Steven Spielberg | Hal Holbrook | James Spader | Tim Blake Nelson | Tommy Lee Jones...
Among the actors who've signed on for Lincoln are Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Hal Holbrook (Water for Elephants), James Spader (Stargate), John Hawkes (Winter's Bone), Tim Blake Nelson (The Incredible Hulk), Bruce McGill (Law Abiding Citizen), and Joseph Cross (Milk).
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jones will portray Thaddeus Stevens, a Pennsylvania congressman who supports abolishing slavery and is crucial in the government's funding of the Civil War. Gordon-Levitt will play Lincoln's oldest son, Robert Todd, the only one of the president's four children to live past his teenage years. The other roles were not specified.
Next Showing: Lincoln is scheduled for a late 2012 release
Link | Posted 5/6/2011 by Chris
Bruce McGill | Joseph Cross | Steven Spielberg | Hal Holbrook | James Spader | Tim Blake Nelson | Tommy Lee Jones...
- 5/6/2011
- by Chris Ortiz
- Reelzchannel.com
Steven Spielberg has been dicking around with his Abraham Lincoln movie for a decade now, having first acquired the rights to Doris Kearns Goodwin's presidential biography, Team of Rivals, back in 2001. Now, things finally seem to be moving forward, with a number of potential castmembers announced in a recent press release.
Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Hal Holbrook, James Spader, John Hawkes, Tim Blake Nelson, Bruce McGill and Joseph Cross are all currently in talks to join a cast that already has Daniel Day-Lewis playing Lincoln himself. Unlke other Lincoln projects in development, this one (probably) won't have our 16th president fighting any vampires, but we've got our fingers crossed for some kind of Brokeback Mountain-esque forbidden romance between Day-Lewis and pretty much whoever.
If he's neither gay nor fighting monsters, what's the hook, Stevie?
The film and the book it's based upon detail the political maneuverings...
Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Hal Holbrook, James Spader, John Hawkes, Tim Blake Nelson, Bruce McGill and Joseph Cross are all currently in talks to join a cast that already has Daniel Day-Lewis playing Lincoln himself. Unlke other Lincoln projects in development, this one (probably) won't have our 16th president fighting any vampires, but we've got our fingers crossed for some kind of Brokeback Mountain-esque forbidden romance between Day-Lewis and pretty much whoever.
If he's neither gay nor fighting monsters, what's the hook, Stevie?
The film and the book it's based upon detail the political maneuverings...
- 5/6/2011
- UGO Movies
Washington, May 6: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who emerged as a prominent actor in Christopher Nolan's 'Inception', is ready to make his second appearance in the Oscar winning director Steven Spielberg's forthcoming Abraham Lincoln biopic.
Gordon-Levitt is in talks to play the role of Lincoln's son Robert Todd in the movie, which features Daniel Day Lewis as the titular.
Gordon-Levitt is in talks to play the role of Lincoln's son Robert Todd in the movie, which features Daniel Day Lewis as the titular.
- 5/6/2011
- by realbollywood
- RealBollywood.com
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is set to star in Steven Spielberg's 'Lincoln'. The 'Inception' actor is in negotiations to play the role of 16th Us President Abraham Lincoln's son Robert Todd in the movie, which features Daniel Day Lewis as the titular character. Tommy Lee Jones, James Spader, John Hawkes and Bruce McGill are among the other stars expected to play roles in the film. Sally Field is already signed up to play Lincoln's wife Mary in the movie, which is based on the book 'Team of Rivals' by Doris Kearns Goodwin. The project...
- 5/6/2011
- Virgin Media - Movies
Steven Spielberg has his sights set on a star-studded cast for the movie adaptation of Abraham Lincoln’s life.
DreamWorks partners Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider have announced their plans to bring some of the industry’s best on board, in a bid to shape Lincoln’s biopic on the big-screen.
The big-shot director has already secured Daniel Day Lewis in the role of the 16th Us President, but not satisfied with one big name in the mix, he has also approached several other established actors to bring the biopic to life.
On his wish list are; Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Bruce McGill, Joseph Cross, John Hawkes, David Costabile, James Spader, Tim Blake Nelson and Jeremy Strong.
If Spielberg’s dream cast sign on the dotted line – which they almost certainly will - rumours suggest that Jones will play Pennsylvanian Republican congressman Thaddeus Stevens and Gordon-Levitt will play Lincoln’s son Robert Todd.
DreamWorks partners Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider have announced their plans to bring some of the industry’s best on board, in a bid to shape Lincoln’s biopic on the big-screen.
The big-shot director has already secured Daniel Day Lewis in the role of the 16th Us President, but not satisfied with one big name in the mix, he has also approached several other established actors to bring the biopic to life.
On his wish list are; Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Bruce McGill, Joseph Cross, John Hawkes, David Costabile, James Spader, Tim Blake Nelson and Jeremy Strong.
If Spielberg’s dream cast sign on the dotted line – which they almost certainly will - rumours suggest that Jones will play Pennsylvanian Republican congressman Thaddeus Stevens and Gordon-Levitt will play Lincoln’s son Robert Todd.
- 5/6/2011
- by jennifer.trevorrow@lovefilm.com (Jennifer Trevorrow)
- LOVEFiLM
Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" is eying a star-studded cast. Nine actors; Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeremy Strong, Hal Holbrook, James Spader, John Hawkes, Tim Blake Nelson, Bruce McGill and Joseph Cross are officially on board the film.
In addition, the producers are still in negotiations with several other actors to fill in the other roles. They are David Costabile, Byron Jennings, Dakin Matthews, Boris McGiver, Gloria Reuben, and David Warshofsky. According to Variety, the film is mirroring "JFK" in terms of having a lot of stars making cameo-like appearances.
Jones in particular is slipping in the role of a Republican leader and powerful congressman from Pennsylvania, Thaddeus Stevens. The character was "a staunch supporter of abolishing slavery and was critical to writing the legislation that funded the American Civil War." Gordon-Levitt is tapped to play Lincoln's eldest son Robert Todd while Strong is Lincoln's right hand man and private...
In addition, the producers are still in negotiations with several other actors to fill in the other roles. They are David Costabile, Byron Jennings, Dakin Matthews, Boris McGiver, Gloria Reuben, and David Warshofsky. According to Variety, the film is mirroring "JFK" in terms of having a lot of stars making cameo-like appearances.
Jones in particular is slipping in the role of a Republican leader and powerful congressman from Pennsylvania, Thaddeus Stevens. The character was "a staunch supporter of abolishing slavery and was critical to writing the legislation that funded the American Civil War." Gordon-Levitt is tapped to play Lincoln's eldest son Robert Todd while Strong is Lincoln's right hand man and private...
- 5/6/2011
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
Ok, so Steven Spielberg is totally no longer screwing around with his forever in the making Lincoln biopic at DreamWorks. For years the re-telling of the life of America’s 16th President that he claimed to want to make but in reality seemed too scared to and he strung along poor Liam Neeson in the process with his frequent dilly-dallying, surprisingly got serious in November with the casting of Daniel Day-Lewis in the title role.
Neeson, who had dedicated at least five years of his life on researching Lincoln had dropped his attachment from the project six months earlier and had seemingly never got a call back from Spielberg when he finally manned up to make the movie. So Day-Lewis we got (frankly, a much better suited Great Abe) and his casting was followed up last month with confirmation that Sally Field would play his wife Mary Todd Lincoln,...
Neeson, who had dedicated at least five years of his life on researching Lincoln had dropped his attachment from the project six months earlier and had seemingly never got a call back from Spielberg when he finally manned up to make the movie. So Day-Lewis we got (frankly, a much better suited Great Abe) and his casting was followed up last month with confirmation that Sally Field would play his wife Mary Todd Lincoln,...
- 5/6/2011
- by Matt Holmes
- Obsessed with Film
Every year, the student-run Milwaukee Underground Film Festival shows off a collection of world-class experimental and avant-garde films, screening work from some of today’s most acclaimed filmmakers. This year’s stellar event will take place on May 6-8 and will screen at several venues, including Uwm’s Union Theatre, the Walker’s Point Center for the Arts and Uwm/Psoa Kenilworth Square East.
Included in the lineup, which is printed in full below, are two films by prolific experimental animator Jodie Mack, Unsubscribe #1: Special Offer Inside and Unsubscribe #4: The Saddest Song in the World; Kerry Laitala‘s eye-popping ChromaDepth experiment Afterimage: A Flicker of Life (Version 2); Self Improvement by Clint Enns, one of Canada’s finest filmmakers; Zachary Epcar‘s haunting architecture study, A Time Shared Unlimited; and Steve Cossman‘s Jive.
Serving on this year’s jury are film professor at the University of Florida, Roger Beebe...
Included in the lineup, which is printed in full below, are two films by prolific experimental animator Jodie Mack, Unsubscribe #1: Special Offer Inside and Unsubscribe #4: The Saddest Song in the World; Kerry Laitala‘s eye-popping ChromaDepth experiment Afterimage: A Flicker of Life (Version 2); Self Improvement by Clint Enns, one of Canada’s finest filmmakers; Zachary Epcar‘s haunting architecture study, A Time Shared Unlimited; and Steve Cossman‘s Jive.
Serving on this year’s jury are film professor at the University of Florida, Roger Beebe...
- 5/3/2011
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
The 24th annual Images Festival is once again overstuffed with experimental and avant-garde media goodness. From March 31 to April 9, Toronto will be overrun with film & video screenings, live cinema performances, artist talks, gallery installations, forum discussions and more.
The fest opens with Rivers and My Father — a documentary and fictional narrative blend that explores the family stories of filmmaker Luo Li — and ends with a live hardcore music soundtrack accompanying Todd Brown’s classic silent movie West of Zanzibar.
In between that, there are artist talks with John Gianvito, Paul Clipson, Mario Pfeifer, Beatrice Gibson, James MacSwain, Steve Reinke and others; several programs exploring the state of cinema in Africa; live cinematic performances by Andrew Lampert, Ellie Ga, Lindsay Seers, Icaro Zorbar and more.
Plus, don’t forget the experimental film & video screenings, including John Gianvito’s documentary essay Vapor Trails (Clark); and short works by Jodie Mack, Lewis Klahr,...
The fest opens with Rivers and My Father — a documentary and fictional narrative blend that explores the family stories of filmmaker Luo Li — and ends with a live hardcore music soundtrack accompanying Todd Brown’s classic silent movie West of Zanzibar.
In between that, there are artist talks with John Gianvito, Paul Clipson, Mario Pfeifer, Beatrice Gibson, James MacSwain, Steve Reinke and others; several programs exploring the state of cinema in Africa; live cinematic performances by Andrew Lampert, Ellie Ga, Lindsay Seers, Icaro Zorbar and more.
Plus, don’t forget the experimental film & video screenings, including John Gianvito’s documentary essay Vapor Trails (Clark); and short works by Jodie Mack, Lewis Klahr,...
- 3/31/2011
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
It’s lucky 13 for the Boston Underground Film Festival as they celebrate their raucous 13th annual edition this year. Opening with the much buzzed about bloody feature film Hobo With a Shotgun starring Rutger Hauer and directed by Jason Eisener, the fest then barrels on for eight wild nights and days from March 24-31.
While there’s plenty of underground goodness from the U.S.A., this year Buff feels like it’s a much more international affair with several sick features from around the globe. There’s gory horror and quirky black comedy from Japan in the guise of Yoshihiro Nishimura’s Helldriver and Sion Sono’s Cold Fish; the Argentinian freak-out Phase7 by Nicolas Goldbart; David Blyth’s Wound is a psychological thriller from New Zealand; and Mark Hartley’s Machete Maidens Unleashed! is a look at Philippine exploitation cinema from the ’70s.
Stateside there’s Usama Alshaibi‘s Profane,...
While there’s plenty of underground goodness from the U.S.A., this year Buff feels like it’s a much more international affair with several sick features from around the globe. There’s gory horror and quirky black comedy from Japan in the guise of Yoshihiro Nishimura’s Helldriver and Sion Sono’s Cold Fish; the Argentinian freak-out Phase7 by Nicolas Goldbart; David Blyth’s Wound is a psychological thriller from New Zealand; and Mark Hartley’s Machete Maidens Unleashed! is a look at Philippine exploitation cinema from the ’70s.
Stateside there’s Usama Alshaibi‘s Profane,...
- 3/10/2011
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
The 49th annual Ann Arbor Film Festival is an epic celebration of experimental media that runs for six days on March 22-27. There’s so much great stuff screening this year, it makes one wonder what they’ll have left for their 50th anniversary next year!
A couple of the highlights include the highly anticipated feature-length documentary The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye by Marie Losier, which chronicles the pandrogynous love story between industrial music pioneer Genesis P-Orridge and his late wife. The film already made a big splash at the Berlinale earlier in the year and looks to be a major hit on the festival circuit this year.
Also not to be missed is a special retrospective of one of this year’s festival jury members, Vanessa Renwick, a longtime favorite on Bad Lit: The Journal of Underground Film. Renwick will screen 10 of her quirky and artistic documentary portraits,...
A couple of the highlights include the highly anticipated feature-length documentary The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye by Marie Losier, which chronicles the pandrogynous love story between industrial music pioneer Genesis P-Orridge and his late wife. The film already made a big splash at the Berlinale earlier in the year and looks to be a major hit on the festival circuit this year.
Also not to be missed is a special retrospective of one of this year’s festival jury members, Vanessa Renwick, a longtime favorite on Bad Lit: The Journal of Underground Film. Renwick will screen 10 of her quirky and artistic documentary portraits,...
- 3/7/2011
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
It’s four days of experimental media madness in the Sunshine State when the 7th annual Florida Experimental Film/Video Festival — also known as Flex Fest — runs in Gainesville on Feb. 17-20. The majority of the festival will take place at the Top Secret Space, with the exception of a Saturday afternoon screening of all 35mm films at the Hippodrome State Theater.
This year’s judges for the festival are film preservationist Mark Toscano and filmmaker Vanessa Renwick, both of whom will open the fest with two curated programs. First, Toscano will be screening several rare underground films from the late ’50s to the early ’70s, from filmmakers such as Fred Worden, David Bienstock, Chris Langdon and more. Then, Renwick will screen several of her own short documentaries, including the wonderfully eerie Britton, South Dakota and the touching 9 is a secret. These are two events that really are not to be missed.
This year’s judges for the festival are film preservationist Mark Toscano and filmmaker Vanessa Renwick, both of whom will open the fest with two curated programs. First, Toscano will be screening several rare underground films from the late ’50s to the early ’70s, from filmmakers such as Fred Worden, David Bienstock, Chris Langdon and more. Then, Renwick will screen several of her own short documentaries, including the wonderfully eerie Britton, South Dakota and the touching 9 is a secret. These are two events that really are not to be missed.
- 2/11/2011
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
The 39th annual Festival du Nouveau Cinema is set to run in Montreal on Oct 13-24. But, within the overall, massive festival is the Fnc Lab, the avant-garde and experimental section that will be having screenings and live film performances every night on Oct. 14-22.
This year, the Fnc Lab is showcasing two retrospectives; plus, a short film program of strictly 16mm films, films from the Korean Jeonju Digital Project, four feature-length projects and several special one-of-a-kind performances.
The retrospectives are of two key American women experimental filmmakers. First, in conjunction with the Double Negative Collective, the fest presents a career overview of Chick Strand, the eminent ethnographic filmmaker who sadly passed away last year at the age of 77.
Then, there’s also a retrospective of playful avant-garde filmmaker Marie Losier, who is well known for her collaborations with and film portraits of key underground figures like George Kuchar, Tony Conrad and Genesis P-Orridge.
This year, the Fnc Lab is showcasing two retrospectives; plus, a short film program of strictly 16mm films, films from the Korean Jeonju Digital Project, four feature-length projects and several special one-of-a-kind performances.
The retrospectives are of two key American women experimental filmmakers. First, in conjunction with the Double Negative Collective, the fest presents a career overview of Chick Strand, the eminent ethnographic filmmaker who sadly passed away last year at the age of 77.
Then, there’s also a retrospective of playful avant-garde filmmaker Marie Losier, who is well known for her collaborations with and film portraits of key underground figures like George Kuchar, Tony Conrad and Genesis P-Orridge.
- 10/6/2010
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
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