Hey folks, Harry here with an article from that wonderful Cpt. Yossarian in New York. He's part of the crew Sheldrake is heading up at this year's TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL. And AICN has decided for various nefarious reasons to muscle in on GENCO's exclusive coverage of the festival - and if they don't like it, we'll make them an offer they can't refuse. Btw - if you should happen to run into a fella by the name of Matt Dentler - give him the secret handshake and he'll buy dinner. Or at the very least you can buy him dinner. Or at least rent a seedy room nearby and waste a few sweaty hours. Or just meet a helluva nice guy. Well, without further ado, here yus goes...
THIS IS Cpt. Yossarian...in New York at the Tribeca Film Festival. You know, if you want to review this many movies, you're crazy, it could literally endanger your health, but if you're sane you still have to review movies. If you don't want to review movies, all you have to do is ask and you can stop, because reviewing that many movies is crazy, but asking to stop proves your sane, and therefore you have to review more movies. That's the Catch-TFF and it's some catch.
More of that later. In the meantime, here's my summary of the review.
TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL: A NEIGHBORHOOD FESTIVAL FOR THE WORLD
Going into its fourth year, the sprawling Tribeca Film Festival expands further, adding more days, new events, more sponsors and several other film programming blocks. As it adds the "Wide Angle" section-devoted to North American premieres of films seen elsewhere-and expands on the sections already in place, the Festival strives to offer a comprehensive overview of film as it appears internationally. Some films shown are distinctly Hollywood oriented; others are about as conceptually opposite as possible, international and offbeat. In previous years, TFF was still defining itself as a neighborhood fest, as a cutting-edge, more populist alternative to New York Film Festival, and as spotlight for a few huge films-making it was a kind of "Hollywood on the East Coast" event as well, with high-profile premieres scattered throughout the festival's 13 days.
Clearly, though the festival remains an event in the neighborhood-it's just that this neighborhood of Tribeca happens to be in the cultural capital of the world. Established in the wake of 9/11, TFF co-founders Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff decided something was needed to revitalize downtown. Presented by American Express as the Founding Sponsor, The 2005 Festival takes place from April 19th to May 1st in various locations throughout lower Manhattan. Part of a multi-year relationship, the sponsorship demonstrates the company's dedication to the Festival's goals and the revitalization of lower Manhattan. The Festival offers special events, outdoor concerts and screenings, a street fair, and panel discussions with noted filmmakers (for a complete 2005 schedule go to tribecafilmfestival.org).
Now that the festival is establishing a history of its own, it's even debuting several films by creators who got their film's start as a screenplay on display at the festival. Said David Kwok, one of the Festival's chief programmers, "We have some filmmakers returning to the festival that have had films in previous editions like Tim McCann ("Runaway"), Evan Oppenheimer ("Alchemy"), Paul Cronin ("Mackendrick on Film"), Henry Corra ("Same Sex America") and Natalia Almada, whose film, 'To the Other Side,' actually took part in the Tribeca All Access program last year alongside director Phil Bertelsen's 'Rock the Paint.'"
Bertelsen added, "Having my debut feature premiere at the TFF feels very complete to me. It comes full circle from last year when I was given the Creative Promise Award in the 'All Access' program. That honor set in motion the financing needed to get the film made. The festival's endorsement from script to screen has been critical to the making this movie and launching my feature career. I can't imagine premiering "Rock The Paint" anywhere else."
An element unique to TFF, now in its second year, is Tribeca All Access (TAA) Connects which fosters relationships between U.S.-based filmmakers of color and the film industry. The Tribeca Film Institute's program has selected 29 projects and added a new component this year-one that highlights a select number of un-represented screenwriters who join the narrative and documentary directors in four days of one-on-one meetings and events designed to generate exposure for their work with over 80 film companies or organizations. said DeNiro, co-founder of the Tribeca Film Institute, "We're proud to bring attention to worthy projects and create connections for filmmakers of color."
A new prize has been added to this year's festival. Amazon.com has joined in to launch an online search for next great short-film maker-the Amazon Theater/Tribeca Film Festival Short-Film Competition. Amazon.com customers can select a winner to receive $50,000 for their film and the top five films to be screened at Tribeca Cinemas (see amazon.com/shortfilms). But besides these shorts, there's also extensive shorts programming throughout the fest as well.
This year's addition of days (from 10 to 13 days) just increases the chance to see more films without being stressed by the overlap of films you want to see from the different tracks. Obviously, the films in competition are often by unknown or relatively obscure filmmakers-whether they be narratives or docs; the film premieres in the Spotlight, Wide Angle or Showcase tracks offer a chance to see films that will eventually come out in some theater-but here's the chance to see them first. Explained programmer Nancy Schafer, "We've created the "Wide Angle" section which is devoted completely to at least North American Premieres of notable films the general public may not have heard of." And there's The Restored/Rediscovered section, "which," said Executive Director Peter Scarlet, "Martin Scorsese once again lends an invaluable hand in programming," will offers just that-films like Sydney Pollack's 1969 classic, "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?"
Kwok added, "Speaking of talent, it's amazing to have new films from the likes of James Benning ("13 Lakes"), David Mackenzie ("Asylum"), Wong Kar-Wai ("2046"), Jacques Audiard ("The Beat My Heart Skipped"), along with brand new talent making their debuts." Among the higher profile films, Academy Award winner Pollack's new film "The Interpreter"-starring Sean Penn and Nicole Kidman, kicks off the Fest with a world premiere. Griffin Dunne's new drama, "Fierce People" (starring Diane Lane, Donald Sutherland and written by Dirk Wittenborn), also has its world premiere here. Another world premiere, "The Great New Wonderful" stars Maggie Gyllenhaal, Edie Falco, Tony Shalhoub and Olympia Dukakis that interweaves five stories in post-9/11 New York City. "Ladies In Lavender" starring Dames Judi Dench and Maggie Smith (about a musician shipwreck in a small English town) premieres here as well. The uninhibited and poetic story of a passionate affair between an American scientist (Joan Allen) and a Lebanese chef (Simon Abkarian) forms the basis of noted director Sally Potter's latest, "Yes," which also debuts at TFF. Others in the Special Screenings category represent 15 New York premieres, 11 narrative and four documentary features including Michael Winterbottom's "9 Songs," Rosanna Arquette's doc "All We Are Saying, and Costa-Gavras' "The Ax" among others.
Though many directors debuting at TFF are unknown, they often makes films with established talent. "Slingshot"-a story of two cunning and manipulative drifters who venture into affluent Connecticut looking to seduce wealthy and lonely housewives-stars David Arquette, Balthazar Getty, Thora Birch, and Julianna Margolis). One quirky film, "Satellite" is a romantic fable about a young couple who give up everything they have in order to find something better, except that Ro has a secret which threatens to destroy the relationship. TFF vet Jenn Elster, whose "Particles of Truth" premiered at Tribeca 2003 makes another TFF showing indirectly, because she wrote and produced. with director Lewis Helfer, "Life On The Ledge," a dark comedy about a guy who wants to die until he finds out he's actually dying.
Since his wonderfully irreverent 1991 debut "A Little Stiff" filmmaker Caveh Zahedi has turned his personal obsessions into a brand of deadpan comedy with "I Am A Sex Addict" (in the Narrative Feature Competition). Another film with a unique twist in the Feature Competition is director Audiard's follow-up to "Read My Lips"), an adaptation of American eccentric James Toback's 1978 cult classic, "Fingers," with actor Romain Duris. Added Schafer, "At midnight, on the final Saturday of the festival, we'll be showing a special screening of the new remake of [the 1953 horror classic] "House of Wax"[starring Elisha Cuthbert, Paris Hilton, and Jon Abrahams] which should also be a lot of fun.
As for TFF's substantial documentary programming, Kwok said, "The documentaries this year reflect the programming as a whole. There is a wide range of docs from many biographies on people from Taylor Mead to George Michael and Charles Busch. We also have many historical, personal, and music themes as well as many about war. There are some that blur the line between nonfiction and fiction like The American Ruling Class. And we have three titles that focus on the Bloods and the Crips." Among those in the Showcase is NY filmmaker Joe Angio's playful documentary (full of rare archival footage and unforgettable backstage stories), "How To Eat Your Watermelon In White Company (And Enjoy It)", about and made with iconoclast filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles.
Also in the documentary competition, "The Devil's Miner" tells of 14-year-old Basilio Vargas who worked in the Bolivian silver mines, where millions have died since the Conquistadors-to support his family. Basilio learns that he must sever his ties with God and worship the devil of the mountain to survive.
Director Christopher Monger's documentary "Special Thanks To Roy London" stars Sharon Stone, Hank Azaria, Forrest Whitaker, Lanford Wilson, Arye Gross, Patrick Swayze, Famke Janssen, and many more notable actors, writers, directors. It details the life of a great teacher and profound influence on the Los Angeles acting world.
The entertainment and sports world is the subject of several docs including "Through the Fire," a world premiere that follows star basketball player Sebastian Telfair through his senior year in high school; and "Show Business," a world premiere that tracks four Broadway musicals-"Avenue Q", "Taboo," "Caroline, or Change," and "Wicked" from inception through the Tony Awards. Another sports oriented film is Lexi Alexander's award-winning film "Hooligans" making its NY premiere, starring Elijah Wood and Claire Forlani about the world of English soccer thugs.
"Excavating Taylor Mead" director William A. Kirkley says this about his doc's inclusion here, "With our film, we saw New York, and specifically the Tribeca Film Festival as the best place to premiere our film. We put all of our eggs into one basket and luckily it paid off. Just being accepted was a prize in itself."
One of the most intriguing international films screening will be "A State Of Mind" by Daniel Gordon, examines the hearts and minds of North Koreans. The film follows two North Korean schoolgirls, 13 year-old Pak Hyon Sun and 11 year-old Kim Song Yun, for seven months leading up to the Mass Games, the biggest and most elaborate human performance on earth. The film reveals more of North Korea than anything seen before.
One cute and quirky world premiere will be ABC's "The Muppets' Wizard Of Oz" as part of The TFF Family Festival. Ashanti will join Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and the Rest of the Muppet Gang at the Red Carpet Festivities. Also targeting the family side, said Shafer, "We're showing a really fun documentary called "Mad Hot Ballroom" about more than 6000 NYC fourth and fifth graders who learn how to ballroom dance and participate in a citywide competition."
Renowned actors, directors, writers and industry insiders discuss cinematic issues as part of the various panels in the Tribeca Talks Series. Sydney Pollack and Irwin Winkler, among others, will contribute to the thought-provoking series of conversations from Sunday, April 24 through Sunday, May 1. Hosted by Delta Airlines, these discussions include The Musician's Musician: Jon Brion on Music in the Movies. Additionally, the Music & Film Series, presented in conjunction with The Future of Music Coalition, will explore how the importance of a film's soundtrack. The Working Breakfast Series features some of the biggest names from the industry side of the movie business: Bob Berney (President, Unnamed HBO Films/New Line Cinema Venture), Tom Bernard (Sony Pictures Classics), Keri Putnam (HBO) and Ruth Vitale (Paramount Classics), John Sloss (Cinetic), Bart Walker (CAA), Glen Basner (Focus Features) and others.
Just as the panels cross boundaries between the film business and a love of film so does the Festival; best of all, whether you're an insider or just standing on the sidelines, TFF offers more flavors than can be quantified or qualified. Don't even try. Just enjoy.
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