October 15, 2021

LISTENING TO KENNY G

OPENING NIGHT FILM NYC PREMIERE Smooth-jazz artist Kenny G is beloved by millions for songs like “Songbird” and “Silhouette,” but the curly-haired performer also came to symbolize what people hate about elevator music, making him the butt of jokes from The Simpsons to South Park. Filmmaker Penny Lane (Hail Satan?) takes a witty and provocative approach to tell Kenny G’s story while asking a […]

October 14, 2021

DIONNE WARWICK: DON’T MAKE ME OVER

CENTERPIECE SCREENING  NYC PREMIERE Dionne Warwick emerged from New Jersey gospel groups, launched her career at the Apollo Theater and has been dazzling audiences for decades—both musically and, more recently, on Twitter. In this career-spanning biography, richly illustrated with vintage musical performances, she’s a marvelous raconteur sharing candid stories behind her hit songs. We hear […]

November 8, 2020

ON THE RECORD

What does it mean to bring a rape accusation against one of the most powerful figures in the entertainment industry? Examining the complex factors that make it difficult for Black women to speak out and be heard, Oscar-nominated filmmakers Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering (The Hunting Ground, DOC NYC 2015) follow several women, including Drew […]

October 7, 2020

TINY TIM: KING FOR A DAY

US PREMIERE | For a brief but wondrous time in the late 1960s, Tiny Tim was, improbably, a household name. Generating attention for his distinctive falsetto vocal stylings and unusual appearance, the performer began appearing on various television programs, culminating in his wedding on The Tonight Show, which was watched by more than 40 million people. […]

October 7, 2020

WHEN I WRITE IT

Two Oakland teens explore what it means to be young, Black, and committed to making art in their rapidly changing city. Included with the screening ticket is an exclusive pre-recorded Q&A with Shannon St. Aubin (Filmmaker), immediately following the film. This film is part of the the shorts program SHORTS: ART TIME

October 7, 2020

SHORTS: ROOTS

An exploration of who we are and where we come from. (TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 79 MIN) Motherland | Director: Ellen Evans Two young men are forcibly returned to Jamaica after a lifetime in Britain, as part of a controversial government policy on national identity.  (UK, 13 MIN) Crescendo! | Director: Alex Mallis Acclaimed operatic tenor Michael Fabiano […]

October 7, 2020

SHORTS: ART TIME

Visual creatives and the perspectives they imagine.  (TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 81 MIN)  Her New York | Director: David Gross An intimate portrait of artist Jill Gill, whose paintings, dating back to the 1950s, capture the never-ending cycle of change New Yorkers have come to accept as a part of daily living.   (USA, 8 MIN) The Incredulity […]

October 7, 2020

CRESCENDO!

Acclaimed operatic tenor Michael Fabiano faces concerns about living openly as a gay man within the traditionally conservative culture of his field. Included with the screening ticket is an exclusive pre-recorded Q&A with Alex Mallis (Filmmaker), immediately following the film. This film is part of the shorts program SHORTS: ROOTS

October 5, 2020

OFF THE ROAD (FUERA DEL CAMINO)

Each year, the slow-paced lifestyle on Mexico’s Baja Peninsula is given a turbo boost by the Baja 1000, the largest off-road motorsport race in the world. In this modern-day western—complete with a commissioned soundtrack of epic corridos performed by a trio of colorful musicians—local drivers and a young journalist spend the year preparing for the […]

October 5, 2020

NO ORDINARY MAN

For decades, the life of American jazz musician Billy Tipton was framed as the sensationalistic story of an ambitious woman passing as a man in pursuit of a music career. Now that history gets re-interrogated by trans artists as they try to reimagine Tipton’s life through acts of performance, reclaiming him as a trans icon. […]