FilmClick

Mass Romantic, a new independent feature by Richard Paro, follows activists and academics struggling to find love while creating political art. The film focuses on relationships, while the characters work with controversial topics such as healthcare, queer politics, abortion, transphobia, food activism and corporate control of media.

Mass Romantic plays at the Reel Time Film Festival at 3pm on Friday, December 12th.  For more information go to:

http://reeltimefilmfestival.org/venue

Tell us about your film.  Why should people see it?

Richard Paro (Director, Co-Producer) - They’ll be entertained. There’s a lot happening in it. I don’t think you’ve seen many movies like this. It has great acting and a great soundtrack. And it’ll leave you feeling good.

Cyra K. Polizzi (Co-Producer, Actor) - To tell you a bit about it, Mass Romantic follows a group of 20-somethings, falling in and out of love while creating political art. It features underrepresented people, stories and methods of filmmaking. You can check out the trailer at www.mudgeonsoul.org , www.myspace.com/MassRomanticFilm and www.youtube.com/mudgeonsoul   .

What led you to make this film?

Richard- I wanted to tell a story that reflects the people I know.

Cyra - Richard conceived of an amazing project and so although I only signed on to act in the film initially, I was quickly drawn into just about every aspect of making the film. It has been a truly collaborative process.

What were some of the greatest challenges you faced in making this film?

Richard- Casting took almost a full year. We had a large cast and because there was so much collaboration and improvisation, the actors had to be comfortable enough with the subjects to be able to work like that. Once we had the cast set and we started filming, they were all pretty amazing.

Cyra - Also, we shot without a budget, which was extremely challenging. Now looking back, I see how this served the film in many ways, but it wasn’t easy.

Trailer:

What impact do you hope this film will have?

Richard- On me, I’d like to be able to make another film. On others, I hope they leave the theatre possibly thinking about things a little differently, possibly meeting some people they didn’t know before or seeing people they know but haven’t seen on screen before…

Cyra - A major theme of Mass Romantic is the importance of community, so one of the greatest responses from audience members is when they tell us that they recognize themselves and their friends in the characters in a way they rarely do in mainstream media.

What are you working on now, or next, and how do you find projects?

Richard- I just finished directing a short called “Allison, My Love”, that we shot with three of the actors from Mass Romantic, including Cyra, that we’re just starting to submit to festivals. After that, I’m focusing on acting while writing a new feature. Though I may shoot a short or music video somewhere in there.

Cyra - I spend a lot of time acting. As a director, I have a couple shorts I’m working on and I’m writing a play.

What are your three favorite films?

Richard- Well, seeing how my Top 10 list each year consists of 20 movies or more it’s really hard to pick just three, but if I have to pick only three, today, it would be “Harold and Maude”, ” Me, You and Everyone We Know”, and “Before Sunrise/Sunset”. See, I even managed to make my top 3 films into 4.

Cyra - Ooo, “Before Sunrise/Sunset,” good answer. Hmm… there are just too many, I wouldn’t know where to begin.

Many of our users are just starting out; what advice do you have for aspiring filmmakers?

Richard - Cast actors, at least for the main roles, instead of your friends. If your friends want to help, have them help with things like set up, transportation and food.

Cyra - If you can, surround yourself with people who love to create, and collaborate with them. Take a risk and fully commit to a project you believe in. And then stop calling yourself “aspiring.”

Have you placed your films online and do you think it’s a good outlet for young filmmakers to get exposure?

Richard- I put trailers on line, and I posted a short film series I did. I think it’s no longer really a question but a pretty essential way to be seen, find festivals and publicize screenings.

Cyra - I think it completely depends on the film.

Did you go to film school?  If yes, where and what did you think of the experience?

Richard- No, I took a few classes but always knew what I wanted to do so I went out and did it. I think it would be different for everyone.

Cyra - I majored in Theatre Acting at UW-Madison and took some film classes while I was there. I had an excellent experience in school and the film classes were a part of that experience.

What are the other films you have made?

Richard- I directed the short film series “haunting perpetually dead squirrels”, the feature “an obvious moment of happiness” and just finished the short “Allison, My Love”. I also shot, produced and/or acted in a bunch of other things including shooting and producing “Most Wonderful People” which was one of Film Threat’s Top 10 shorts of 2004.

Cyra - Primarily, I work as an actor. Also, I’ve made a few shorts and a feature documentary, “13 Genders.”

Which filmmakers have most influenced your work?

Richard- Robert Altman, Woody Allen, Richard Linklater, Nicole Holofcener, Hal Ashby… I could actually list a lot here.

Cyra - My filmmaking is also very influenced by people outside the film industry, since much of my formal training is in Theatre, Women’s Studies and Environmental Studies. And it sounds cheesy, but the way my parents, a professional potter and a librarian, approach their work, certainly has an impact on the way I view filmmaking and the “industry.”

What’s you motto?

Richard- stop, collaborate and listen.
Cyra - Isn’t that someone else’s motto?

What format (film, video, hi-def) and camera did you use and why did you choose the format and camera?  If you had a choice, would you use that camera again?

Richard- We shot with two cameras (mini dv), a Canon XL-1 and a JVC GY-HD100U. I had used the Canon before and like it. It was the first time shooting with the JVC and I think it looked beautiful.

What other festivals is your film appearing in?

Richard- Mass Romantic screened at the LINK Film Festival- Best Director (Olympia, WA), Women’s International Film Festival (Miami, FL), Entzaubert Queer Film Festival (Berlin, Germany), Portobello Film Festival (London, England), Deep Fried Film Festival (Lanarkshire, Scotland), Illinois International Film Festival (St. Charles, IL), Vacant Era Film Festival (Norman, OK) and then coming up after Reel Time in NYC, we have British Film Festival LA (Los Angeles, CA) and International Film Festival Thailand (Phuket, Thailand).

What was your goal when you decided to make the film?

Richard- To finish it the way I envisioned it (I did!).
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Mass Romantic, a new independent feature by Richard Paro, follows activists and academics struggling to find love while creating political art. The film focuses on relationships, while the characters work with controversial topics such as healthcare, queer politics, abortion, transphobia, food activism and corporate control of media. Mass Romantic celebrates the everyday lives of activists, queer people and their allies, and acknowledges the importance of allies in building meaningful, enriching communities. The theme of coalition-building present in Mass Romantic is reflected by the diverse group of individuals involved in the making of the film, many of whom are underrepresented in American cinema and identify as women, LGBTQ, people of color, non-native speakers and/or activists. Paro, along with partner Cyra K. Polizzi, produced Mass Romantic with a DIY sensibility after extensive story development and workshopping, utilizing the creative input and improvisational skills of the cast.

After years of development, Mass Romantic was shot in the sweltering Chicago heat of late summer in just 11 days featuring 40 actors in over 10 locations, producing 33 hours of footage. The film features 13 independent bands, including live performances by Carrie Lydon, Kate Brown, ROFO and members of Head of Femur.
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Jamie and Erin’s activist theater company sets out to create a play based on PJ’s book of political short stories. PJ hasn’t written much in a while… or socialized much either, except for hanging out at Olson’s vegan cafe. Erin’s girlfriend Bel, having just moved from New York, prepares for a conference and searches for an apartment, as well as community, in Chicago. Meanwhile, Billy is void of direction even with the self-fulfillment classes, but his partner Sally hopes his new job at Olson’s cafe will help. Olson’s partner Annette is writing her third quantum physics book and feeling uninspired… as are her students.

When you’re an artist, academic or activist and known for your passion, where do you turn when it wanes? Your work? Your partner? How do you fall in love with life again?

112 Minutes . Black & White . Not Rated . English

The Big Apple Film Festival will be held in NYC at the Tribeca Cinemas from November 19-22. This annual festival showcases independent films made by individuals residing and/or working in the metropolitan area of New York.  BAFF, which was named “one of MovieMaker Magazine’s top 25 film festivals worth the entry fee,” will screen 90 films of various genres (narrative, documentary, animation, experimental) and lengths (features and shorts).  Here are a few highlights:

Wednesday, November 19th 7:30 PM: Tribeca Cinemas, Theater 2

The Living Wake

Directed by Sol Tryon (2007)

This bleak comedy follows K. Roth Binew, a self-proclaimed artist and genius, on his final day of existence.  Discovering that he has a fatal disease, K. Roth Binew sets off to uncover life’s baffling mysteries.  Enlisting his best friend, Mills Joquin, an unrecognized poet, as his biographer, K. Roth records his final hours of living.

Thursday, November 20th 6:00 PM: Tribeca Cinemas, Theater 2

The River of Copsa Mica

Directed by Ryan Uzilevsky (2008)

A period piece set in 1916, Transylvania.  A runaway boy steps into the mystifying world of a tribe of Gypsies.

Thursday, November 20th 6:30 PM: Tribeca Cinemas, Theater 1

One Step Behind

Directed by Gregoire Jeudy (2008)

Unsuccessful writer, Josh Person, has once again failed to get his latest novel published.  Desperate for a good story, he observes people in Central Park in hopes of finding interesting material for his next book.

Saturday, November 22nd 8:15 PM: Tribeca Cinemas, Theater 2

The Project

Directed by Ryan Piotrowicz (2008)

The Project is a self-reflexive film focusing on three aspiring filmmakers that set out to document NYC’s inner-city struggles and confrontations.  As the film progresses, the filmmakers are confronted by several events that complicate the project’s original objectives.  No longer detached voyeurs, the filmmakers develop into active participants within this underground world of violence.

For more information on the Big Apple Film Festival, visit: 

http://www.bigapplefilmfestival.com/index.html 

By Nikki Zhang, FilmClick staff

nzhang@filmclick.com

Japan Cuts: Festival of New Japanese Film
7.2.08 - 7.13.08
New York, NY

I spent my July 4th celebrating at the Japan Society on the Upper East Side with a sold-out crowd of film maniacs, laughing our guts out at the ridiculous Dainipponjin, Japanese comedian Hitoshi Matsumoto’s new film about Tokyo’s most underappreciated hero of the same name.

Dainipponjin

Deadpan humor fills the long takes in between the action, until Dainipponjin, literally translated as “Big Japanese Person,” rushes to the nearest transformer station, electrocutes himself until he is the size of one of Japan’s iconic corporate-neon-clad skyscrapers and fights various “baddies,” monsters of similar size that occasionally wander into the city. Needless to say, totally ridiculous, yet there are countless occasions for social comment, and Matsumoto misses no opportunity. Watch for this awesome and unique piece of cinema. It’s just been scheduled for release in the states, under the title Big Man Japan. The plot is pretty darn close to Will Smith’s new movie, Hancock, but trust me, definitely seek out this one instead.

The Japan Cuts program, a selection of new and recent Japanese films currently playing at Japan Society’s Lila Acheson Wallace Auditorium isn’t the only Pacific cinema event these past few weeks in New York, though.

For more information about the film festival, please visit: http://www.japansociety.org/content.cfm/japancuts

New York Asian Film Festival
6.20.08 - 7.6.08
New York, NY

The New York Asian Film Festival, in conjunction with Subway Cinema, powered through an epic selection of films from the usual suspects, including Hong Kong, Japan, and the newly emerging production mecca of South Korea. But apart from the expected, it was nice to see offerings from Vietnam, Indonesia, and another major new player in world cinema, Thailand. A member of the Thai royal family, Prince Chatrichalem Yukol, directs a two-part historical epic showcasing the production value and technical skill of mainstream Thai films, though I’d still take Apichatpong Weerasethakul any day.

The Kon Ichikawa films are going to kill next weekend at Japan Society, and this year’s Takashi Miike pieces are apparently a fine continuation of his superhuman career. I caught the legendary actor, Tatsuya Nakadai, giving a press conference at Film Forum thanks to an invitation from my friend at Janus Films. The world-famous actor was discovered by Masaki Kobayashi in the 1960’s and became a frequent Kurosawa lead as well. His sense of humor and sharp wit made for a warming experience. M, by Korean auteur Lee Myung Se is also supposed to have brought down the house (Manhattan’s IFC Theatre, to be specific, where Mr. Lee gave a Q & A afterward), but it was the Johnnie To retrospective that was the shining star of this extravaganza. Mad Detective, in its New York premier, was a dark yet humorous take on what it really means to be “mad,” starring Lau Ching-wan, while Sparrow revels in its formal beauty as Simon Yam and his crew of pickpockets dance their way through a shiny and visually rhythmic Hong Kong.

Sparrow

To’s production coordinator was on the other end of a cell phone before the film screened, speaking to the audience: “Enjoy the film,” he said, “It’s unique. There is only one drop of blood in the entire thing.” When referring to Asian Cinema, that’s something you sure can’t say too often.

For more information about the film festival, please visit: http://www.subwaycinema.com/

by Michael Prall, FilmClick Staff, mprall@filmclick.com

Human Rights Watch International Film Festival
6.12.08 – 6.26.08
New York, NY

Some films are made to make artistic statements, many more are made to make millions, and a small few are made to make a difference in the world.  The Human Rights Watch International Film Festival celebrates these latter category films that put a human face on threats to individual freedoms, while also celebrating the power of the human spirit to survive and overcome.  Utilizing the power of cinema to inform and galvanize the public, the HRW International Film Festival has become a leading venue for world-class fiction and documentary films, and strives to initiate global change and make a difference, one film at a time.

The Dictator Hunter

***
“If you kill one person, you go to jail. If you kill 40 people, they put you in an insane asylum. But if you kill 40,000 people, you get a comfortable exile with a bank account in another country, and that’s what we want to change here.” – Reed Brody, Counsel, Human Rights Watch
***

Known as the HRW’s “Dictator Hunter,” Reed Brody works tirelessly as a lawyer and outspoken human rights advocate.  In Klaartje Quirijns’s powerful documentary, The Dictator Hunter, we follow Brody and his team in their groundbreaking and precedent-setting legal case to bring the cruel ex-dictator, Hisséne Habré, to justice.

For most of the 1980’s, Habré lead a reign of terror in Chad that lead to the imprisonment, torture, and ultimate death of countless victims.  Souleymane Guenguenge is one of the fortunate few to have survived Habré’s rule.  After spending two horrifying years in one of Habré’s prisons, Gruenguenge lost his vision but not his fighting spirit and thirst for justice.  Now living in the United States, Gruenguenge works closely with Brody as one of the few remaining survivors spearheading the case against Habré.

Quirijns’s film is as intriguing and suspenseful in its documentation of Brody’s harrowing legal struggles as it is compelling and heart wrenching in its telling of Guenguenge’s own struggles, both within the case and as a survivor attempting to start life anew.  In every aspect, The Dictator Hunter succeeds in depicting the resiliency and determination of the human spirit as it stands toe-to-toe against some of the world’s greatest injustices.

The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo

In this emotionally-charged and gripping documentary, filmmaker Lisa Jackson turns an unflinchingly eye upon the war torn Democratic Republic of Congo and how sexual violence is used as a weapon of warfare by its clashing factions.  Jackson, herself a survivor of rape, attempts to shatter the silence that has, until now, surrounded this national travesty of widespread rape which is inflicted upon Congolese women, both old and young alike, in epidemic number. 

The staggering power of Jackson’s film resides in the raw emotionality she elicits in her interviews with national activists, local peacekeepers and physicians, several of the women survivors, and even a number of the combatant rapists themselves. 

The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo was honored at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival with its Special Jury Prize, and will also be featured on HBO throughout the remainder of 2008.  Be sure to check your listings for this film, as its gripping portrayal of courage and grace by these victimized yet resilient and courageous Congolese women, is one to not be missed!

This year’s New York festival also featured a special photo exhibit held in the Walter Reade Theater’s Frieda and Roy Furman Gallery.  The exhibit featured the work of Dutch photographer Kadir van Lohuizen and focused upon the salient and highly controversial topic of human rights violations in China.

For more information on the work done by the Human Rights Watch and the HWR International Film Festival, visit: http://hrw.org/iff/

For more information on Kadir van Lohuizen’s photographs, visit: http://china.hrw.org/

By Meghan Chandler, FilmClick Staff, mchandler@filmclick.com

NewFest: The NY LGBT Film Festival
6.5.08 – 6.15.08
New York, NY

Harbinger to the full-out Pride festivities that will commence later this month, the 2008 NewFest Film Festival took place June 5-15 and showcased some of this year’s best LGBT film/video offerings from around the global.  NewFest celebrates their 20th Anniversary with this year’s festival, and has much to celebrate indeed!  Over the past 20 years, NewFest has distinguished itself as one of New York’s premiere LGBT film organizations, marked by a proven dedication to not only entertain audiences but, even more importantly, to educate and empower the LGBT community and the metropolitan region at large.  I was privileged enough to catch several screenings at this year’s fest, including: The Storm, Affinity, The Open Diary of R, and OMG/HAHAHA. 

The Storm

Director Paris P. Pickard’s 10 minute short chronicles a dark and stormy night where a woman succumbs to the temptations of alluring and equally ominous sirens.  The Storm presents as an almost experimental/abstract film with a vague narrative, absence of dialogue, and heavy reliance upon mood and suggestion.  The film’s main strength resides in its strong atmospheric overtones that reflect a similar type of unsettling, ominous tenor that Roman Polanski achieved in his 1965 classic film, Repulsion.

Affinity

British author Sarah Waters has cultivated somewhat of a “cult” following around her popular, twisting tales of Victorian-era lesbian love, in both novel and film forms.  This year, Affinity takes its turn at big-screen adaptation, joining the ranks of other adapted Waters works including Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith.  Set in dark and murky Victorian London, Affinity follows the complex and bizarre relationship that forms between a grieving high-society lady (Anna Madeley) and a strangely alluring, imprisoned mystic woman (Zoe Tapper).  While falling a bit short of the brilliance that Tipping the Velvet achieves, Affinity does deliver with absorbing atmospherics, jarring plots twists, and strong performances from both Madeley and Tapper.

The Open Diary of R

This Brazilian short falls victim, perhaps, of being just a bit too short.  It would seem that 16 minutes is just not enough time to fully flesh-out onscreen characters to identify and sympathize with, which is exactly what this type of angst-driven, high school crush story relies upon.

OMG/HAHAHA

Easily my favorite film of the festival, OMG/HAHAHA is a clever, self-aware reflection of this generation’s MySpace/YouTube/Facebook-saturated youth.  Constructed as a series of loosely- connected vignettes – with angsty stories ranging from unexpected pregnancy, to homophobia, to dying parents, and existential musings on life – the film touches upon the types of themes you would find on the most “professionally-Emo” kid’s MySpace page, with all the aptly included emoticons and web-jargon to boot.  In the Q&A following the film, director Morgan Jon Fox paid verbal homage to the clear influence of both Lars Von Trier and Gus Van Sant, who’s inspiration is clearly evident in OMG/HAHAHA’s improvisational style, cinemagraphic simplicity, and narrative structure.  Fox, a Memphis-native himself, also utilized local acting and musical talent to form the film, epitomizing the very nature, charm, and power of true grassroots Indie filmmaking.

Missed out on this year’s NewFest Festival?  Live in the New York area?  Well, then you’re in luck!  From August 22-24, you can catch “The Best of NewFest” at the BAM Rose Cinema where a selection of the festival’s top winners and fan favorites will be reprised.

For more information, visit: http://www.newfest.org/

By Meghan Chandler, FilmClick Staff, mchandler@filmclick.com

NewFest: The NY LGBT Film Festival
6.5.08 – 6.15.08
New York, NY

Cruise over to midtown Manhattan and scope the 20th annual NewFest, New York’s LGBT Film Festival. Hundreds of films crowd just a few screens at the AMC Loews on 34th Street, so the block-busting lines this past week have rivaled even those for the testosterone-fueled Iron Man and Indiana Jones spectaculars. Luckily, NewFest’s lines keep out of the way, as they naturally lean to the left. The fest is not without it’s flagship premiers, though. Another Gay Movie: Gays Gone Wild is apparently a laugh riot, although I must confess I missed the first one as well, which premiered at NewFest in 2006. This year’s special events included workshops and seminars on producing independent films, producing independent queer films, and the importance of networking. Included in ticket prices was an access pass to the Festival Lounge, a place to network with other independent filmmakers and enthusiasts.

I caught an experimental program that included shorts by a favorite of mine, Guy Maddin, and an interesting Austrian filmmaker named Ulrich Seidl. Although neither is an exclusively queer film director, both shorts seemed to have a good grip on the fundamentals of the genre (Seidl’s literally). Queer cinema has definitely carved an identity onto the walls of the indie cave, and is even now breaking out into the light of mainstream, thanks to monumental efforts by organizations like NewFest and its devoted members and fans. My experience ended on a touching note, as Don Bachardy, the star of Guido Santi and Tina Mascara’s striking documentary Chris and Don: A Love Story, strode down the aisle after the film was over and held a Q & A. The film recounts the lives of two openly homosexual Los Angeles socialites in a loving relationship that spanned some 30 years. Don survives his (significantly) older partner with pride, courage, and a quirkiness that allows for some truly gorgeous on-screen moments.

The most brilliant, though, was a video piece by photo/video artist Todd Herman called Forbidden Acts, which features disabled, black, and sexually ambiguous poet Leroy Moore reading several of his heart-stopping poems. Out of his wheelchair, he drags his impaired and misshapen body across the floor, while Mr. Herman fixes him in a distorted world of media, and yet he is able to still give us a bit of his marvelous and optimistic textual imagery.

For more information about the film festival, please visit: http://www.newfest.org/

by Michael Prall, FilmClick Staff, mprall@filmclick.com

Brooklyn International Film Festival
5.30.08 – 6.08.08
Brooklyn, NY

The heat wave here in New York is ushering in a host of new film fests. A juggernaut of under-the-radar indie jewels make the Brooklyn International Film Festival’s 10th year extra special, gracing several viewing screens this side of the bridge at venues including: Brooklyn Lyceum, Brooklyn Heights Cinema, the super cool Greenpoint’s Studio B, and East Coast Aliens neighborhood theater and green screen studio.

I caught a free showing of experimental and animated shorts there on June 5th, including Carolyn and Andy London’s heroically hand-rotoscoped short, Letter to Colleen. The first time I caught this little gem was at BE Film Underground a couple months back, and this time I fell in love with its stripped-down, punky aesthetic, Ralph Bakshi-esque musical taste, and sly sense of humor. Also snuck into the program was another epic Signe Baumane toon snippet, The Very First Desire Now and Forever. Check her out.

The festival’s big winner was the fast fan favorite, Fix, a madhouse story from Italian-American-by-way-of-Bangkok Tao Ruspoli, about a race across Los Angeles to make an important rehab appointment. Another shining star was Crawford, a salient portrait of George Bush’s descent upon a small Texas town by David Modigliani, a favorite at SXSW last year, and winner of an audience award this year at BIFF. Also, Alison Murray’s Carny was BIFF’s best documentary feature. Ms. Murray depicts the trials and tribulations of carnival workers struggling amid today’s down-turning economy and cultural melting pot.

At the Brooklyn Heights Cinema I was able to catch a Spanish short, Killing Time, that combined bloodlust and existentialism with ease and an Estonian narrative called The Class, a clever story about a pair of middle-school kids who have had just about enough peer abuse and decided to do something about it. The thematic Cinergy (this year’s festival’s subtitle) was definitely in effect for this program, but violence fueling violence makes the whole world blind, or something like that, and by the end of the screening I must admit I felt a bit Cinergized out.

For more information about the film festival, please visit: http://www.wbff.org/ 

by Michael Prall, FilmClick Staff, mprall@filmclick.com

Asbury Shorts New York
5.17.08
New York

Melvin van Peebles, this year’s New York host of the touring festival, said of the first half, “That was the most fun I’ve had with my clothes on in years.” Perhaps a bit off-color, but the comment was fitting for the giddy mood and in fact wasn’t too far off the mark. Manhattan’s Director’s Guild Theatre is a classy venue with a touch of unhinged humor, as characterized by the photos on the wall of historic DGA members. The images represent artists both serious and silly at the same time, including John Landis, Sydney Pollack, and Billy Wilder. So it’s no surprise that Mr. van Peebles was able to lighten us up with his sardonic quips and our laughter continued throughout the entire night, prompting the fest director to call us “the best audience the New York screening has ever had.”

For the last 28 years, Asbury Shorts has screened on the road and in New York a handpicked selection of recent award winning shorts from festivals around the world. Their mission was to present those amazing and funny short films at a cinematic venue (many of them even projected on film) that are too often only seen on YouTube or as DVD Extras.

This year’s selections were astounding, entertaining, and straight from the heart. Indie darling Jason Reitman had a funny piece called Consent, with lawyers duking it out over a couple’s sexual agreement. There were clever animations by Kimberly Miner and Signe Baumane. The YouTube favorite, Spider by Nash Edgerton, built us up slowly until its spine-tingling ending. Australian Rob Carlton’s piece about favoritism toward his twin sons was hilarious, and renowned independent giant Bill Morrison’s tender mixed media piece about the loss of archived film reels nearly made me cry my eyes out.

The standouts were definitely last year’s Tribeca Short Films competition winner, The Super Powers, about a couple who saves their marriage and a local shop owner at the same time, and a Belgian film called Tanghi Argentini by Guy Thys, about re-lighting the fire of passion. This film was absolutely beautiful, and with an Oscar nomination and several wins worldwide, obviously Asbury Shorts isn’t the only film showcase that thinks so.

For more information about the film festival, please visit: http://www.asburyshortsnyc.com/

by Michael Prall, FilmClick Staff, mprall@filmclick.com

Brooklyn Arts Council International Film Festival
4.29.08 - 5.9.08
New York

May’s festival scene isn’t complete without a trip across the bridge to New York City’s more eclectic and, arguably, more exciting borough. The Brooklyn Arts Council’s annual film festival is a mainstay for local film lovers, especially the ones interested in work by unknown artists and neighbors. I was pleased to attend the “Brooklyn Filmmakers” section of the fest, which screened on a Friday night at the prestigious (yet still undiscovered) Brooklyn Museum. This museum is perpetually host to a rich variety of exhibits, currently featuring the trippy and ultra-hip pop art of Takashi Murakami. The screening itself, in the Cantor Auditorium, featured a few gems of its own.

Locals Tamara Yadao and Sara Sun showed experimental videos showcasing rich and personal documentary colored by the Asian American experience. It was a fitting prelude to the feature doc, a heartfelt journey by Doan Hoang who returns to Vietnam in search of a pre-war family history. Many films missed the mark, typical of a local filmmakers exhibition, but nonetheless, that admirable independent spirit was in the air.

A gorgeous and smart film by Daniel Garcia and Rania Attieh,  Almost, Brooklyn, gives us an old man doing just what audiences did, crossing the bridge. “I’ve lived in Manhattan all my life, and I’ve never been to Brooklyn. Take me there,” says the old man, armed with an 8mm camera, to the South Asian cabbie. The film, a pet project of the living legend and Iranian new-waver Abbas Kiarostami, ushers the audience through a surreal and very telling sojourn in the magical borough.

Another shining star was the world premier of Jasper Goldman and Loren Talbot’s documentary, City of Water, which reminded New Yorkers that although they are surrounded by waterfront, it’s sadly very hard to actually make physical contact with it. It was inspiring and said much about how effective community initiatives can be. Cheers to this magical borough, and the Brooklyn Arts Council that keeps its creative spirit alive.

For more information about the film festival, please visit: http://www.brooklynartscouncil.org/documents/771

by Michael Prall, FilmClick Staff, mprall@filmclick.com

Columbia University Film Festival
New York, NY: 4.28.08 – 5.09.08
Los Angeles, CA: 6.04.08 – 6.06.08

Columbia University proudly displays the work of seven talented and up-and-coming graduate student filmmakers during last Thursday’s final screenings of the 21st Annual Columbia University Film Festival. The IFC Theater was pulsating with enthusiasm and energy unique to this type of festival, which truly celebrates the emerging new talent embodied by these student filmmakers. While each of the seven films screened during this final night where commendable for their technical and narrative qualities, two standouts of the evening had to be Carrie Schrader’s Don’t Mess With Texas and Alex Winckler’s Ralph.

Director Carrie Schrader showed not just one, but two films at this year’s festival: The Thorny Rose and Don’t Mess With Texas. In her latter effort, Schrader delivers a comic road tale of two tough and cocky lesbians who embark on a two-woman mission to mark the great state of Texas – from highway signs to the backs of truckers – with bold stickers proclaiming “a dyke was here.” When they stumble into a tiny roadside diner, the ladies bite off a bit more than they can chew and are taken by surprise by a great little gender-bender twist featuring a cameo appearance from By Hook or By Crook co-director/star Silas Howard.

Utilizing striking cinematography and a wonderfully vibrant color pallet, director Alex Winckler paints a beautiful portrait of love, loss, confusion, and hope in Ralph. Chosen among seven other films at the festival to receive the “Faculty Selects” honor, Ralph chronicles the turmoil experienced by Ralph, a young and naïve Englishman who is desperately searching for his elusive lover in France. Winckler not only succeeds in capturing the complex emotions bound up with first love, but also the sympathetic difficulty of being plunged aimless and neck-deep into a foreign country. While evoking a somewhat wistful and melancholy tone throughout, Ralph ends on a final hopeful and sweetly romantic note that reminds us even when everything seems to be going wrong, you never know when something better may come your way.

For dates and showtimes, visit: http://www.cufilmfest.com/

by Meghan Chandler, FilmClick Staff, mchandler@filmclick.com