As the lead singer for Morphine, Mark Sandman left an indelible imprint as one of the most distinctive musicians of his generation. His life was cut short in 1999 when, at the age of 46, he collapsed during a performance and died shortly thereafter. Drawing on previously unseen home movies, photos, archival footage, and intimate interviews with family […]
Better Than Something profiles garage-rock icon Jay Reatard. Filmed only months before his passing, this intimate portrait captures Jay in his hometown of Memphis, during a week-long break from touring in the spring of 2009. With moving and insightful interviews with friends and family, and remarkable early concert performances, Better Than Something is an honest and poetic chronicle […]
Co-presented by Cowan DeBaets Abrahams & Sheppard LLP. When it comes to Wall Street corruption, the worst criminals rarely grant interviews. But Unraveled marks an exception. Prominent attorney Marc Dreier committed fraud on a scale that made him second only to Bernie Madoff. While confined under house arrest, he opened his life to filmmaker and attorney Marc H. Simon […]
WORLD PREMIERE Billboards and commercial messages dominate the public space like never before. Can we reverse this visual pollution? This Space Available looks at diverse activists from the worlds of advertising, street art, and politics. Influenced by the writing of Marc Gobé (Emotional Branding), his daughter Gwenaëlle directs with tremendous verve in her depiction of New Yorkers and others […]
CENTERPIECE GALA Introduced by Russell Simmons US PREMIERE Three-time felon, one-time Tony Award winner, Lemon Andersen is an acclaimed poet who broke out on Broadway in Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam. But Lemon has landed back in the projects, living with thirteen family members and desperate for a way out. He turns to the only things he has […]
WORLD PREMIERE Whatever happened to The Sugarhill Gang? After scoring a mega-hit with “Rapper’s Delight,” the band’s creative leaders Master Gee and Wonder Mike became the victims of nightmare contracts. They lost their income and even their names. Twenty-five years later, they set out to reclaim their identities and place in hip-hop history, going up against ruthless adversaries […]
2011 METROPOLIS COMPETITION WINNER US PREMIERE Inside the legendary (and soon to be transformed) Chelsea Hotel, first-time director Corinne van der Borch discovers Bettina, a resident since the 1960s, once a mysterious beauty and now a recluse. Filmed over two years, Bettina lets down her guard and reveals a treasure trove of her artwork. This exquisite portrait captures […]
2011 AUDIENCE AWARD WINNER Ballet students, ages 9-19, travel to New York City from all over the world to compete for awards and scholarships in the Youth America Grand Prix. New York-based director Bess Kargman follows six students from diverse backgrounds in the US, Italy, Colombia, and Sierra Leone as they strive to achieve their dreams. Even if […]
Blazing the Trail reveals the legacy of New York’s silent movie pioneer The Kalem Film Company, toplined by the creative combo of director Sidney Olcott and actress Gene Gauntier. In 1910, they traveled to Ireland to produce the country’s first feature film, The Lad from Old Ireland, and built on its success with other tales of immigration, romance […]
Like a real-life Friday Night Lights, this emotional film paints an enthralling portrait, whether or not you care about football. Volunteer coach Bill Courtney takes over a beleaguered high school program in urban Memphis where players are more likely to go to jail than to college. Filmmaker Dan Lindsay and T.J. Martin follow the team’s season with masterful […]