NYC PREMIERE In 1985, German filmmaker Peter Braatz was invited to Wilmington, North Carolina, to document the filming of David Lynch’s Blue Velvet on Super 8, in photographs and through audio recordings, with the full participation of Lynch and actors Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern and Jack Nance. Three decades later, Braatz […]
NYC PREMIERE Music is an integral part of most films, adding emotion and nuance while often remaining invisible to audiences. Matt Schrader shines a spotlight on the overlooked craft of film composing, gathering many of the art form’s most influential practitioners, from Hans Zimmer and Danny Elfman to Quincy Jones and Randy Newman, to uncover […]
Special offer: 5 for $5 sale on this film ends at midnight, Nov 5. NYC PREMIERE A veteran of the American independent film scene since its inception, Bob Hawk has been a secret weapon for filmmakers for decades, having helped launch the careers of the likes of Kevin Smith and Ed Burns. The cinephile has discovered innovative work […]
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE Kukan (1941), one of the first documentaries honored with an Academy Award®, was long considered lost. A chronicle of Chinese resistance to Japanese aggression, the project was credited to Rey Scott, an adventurer who had never before made a film. When Hawaiian filmmaker Robin Lung learns that a driving force behind Kukan […]
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE Ken Loach’s latest drama I, Daniel Blake, about an aging British worker, won the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. During its making, documentarian Louise Ormond (Dark Horse) captured Loach’s process. She looks back on his 50-year career, tracing his passionate commitment to working-class voices through films such as Cathy […]
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE In this Venice Film Festival winner, director Claire Simon goes behind closed doors during the months-long admissions period at France’s most selective film school, La Fémis, where thousands of hopefuls apply for only 40 available slots. The state-run institution, which teaches aspiring filmmakers their craft through handson training with working professionals, also turns […]
NYC PREMIERE Director Gillian Armstrong (Little Women) tells the story of the Oscar-winning costume designer (and her fellow Australian) Orry-Kelly. Drawing upon clips from his work in Hollywood classics – Some Like It Hot, An American in Paris, Irma la Douce – Armstrong captures Kelly’s on-screen genius and his hidden life as a gay man. […]
NYC PREMIERE While the LGBT community began to experience greater visibility in the wake of 1969’s Stonewall riots, generations had quietly lived their lives before, out of the public eye. Stu Maddux reveals this hidden history by unearthing a treasure trove of rare home movies made by gay people – some dating to the 1930s […]
NYC PREMIERE In 1973, French journalist Claude Lanzmann set out to make a documentary about the Holocaust. After twelve long years, he finally released the nearly ten-hour-long Shoah to critical acclaim. For the first time, the 89-year-old auteur reflects on the challenges he faced to realize his vision. Adam Benzine combines fascinating unused footage from […]
NYC PREMIERE When three Mississippi preteens set out to pay tribute to their favorite film in 1982, little did they know it would become an obsession that lasted three decades. Committed to making their own version of Raiders of the Lost Ark, they spent seven eventful summers recreating the epic adventure, shot for shot – […]