Orphan films find a home at STF

• by Raphaela Neihausen, March 11, 2010
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Best of the Orphan Film Symposium has appeared at STF every two years. The third edition on March 9 featured a sneak preview of a newly discovered film by Henri Cartier-Bresson, shot during the Spanish Civil War, along with other rarely seen works spanning the 20th century from left-wing newsreels to experimental animation to sublime home movies.  Below are some photos from the night, courtesy of STF passholder EJ.

Dan Streible, founder and curator of the Orphan Film Symposium

Bill Morrison, filmmaker of DECASIA, who showed his short work HOW TO PRAY

Jeanne Houck of Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives who was last at STF with THE GOOD FIGHT

Juan Salas, film scholar who discovered Henri Cartier-Bresson film WITH THE ABRAHAM LINCOLN BRIGADE in the collection of the NYU Tamiment Library

Michael Nash, head of NYU Tamiment Library, introducing the film THE PASSIAC TEXTILE STRIKE (1926)

Author Farai Chideya introducing Helen Hill’s film SCRATCH AND CROW

Dwight Swanson of Home Movie Day introducing THINK OF ME FIRST AS A PERSON, a home movie honored by the National Film Registry

Jon Wynne introducing his sister Christine Wynne’s 8 mm documentation of a landmark gay wedding, CHUCK & VINCE: WEDDING OF THE YEAR, APRIL 8, 1978

Related Film/Screening:
BEST OF THE ORPHAN FILM SYMPOSIUM (THIRD EDITION) by

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STF launches spring season on April 6 with Steven Soderbergh doc about Spalding Gray

• by Raphaela Neihausen, March 10, 2010
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STF launches its thirteenth season on April 6, 2010 with a sneak preview of AND EVERYTHING IS GOING FINE (2010), including a Q&A with director Steven Soderbergh. This doc is an intimate portrait of master monologist Spalding Gray, as described by his most critical, irreverent and insightful biographer: Spalding Gray. The film pulls from some 90 hours of material to fashion a new narrative exploring, among other things, art-making, mental illness and the sometimes thin line between the two. This sneak preview is part of STF’s mission to present the most exciting new work in documentary. (Please note: Opening Night is currently available only for season pass sales. Any remaining ticket supply will go on sale the week before the screening.)

Another STF aim is to bring fresh attention to older work. A notable example is the pioneering classic MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA (1929), directed by Dziga Vertov and showing on May 25. Filmmaker John Walter (HOW TO DRAW A BUNNY; THEATER OF WAR) has painstakingly edited a new modern score to accompany this film. The season also features docs from the world’s best festivals: Amsterdam (IDFA), Full Frame, Sheffield, Slamdance, Sundance, SXSW, and Toronto (TIFF).

“This season will round out five years of STF,” said Artistic Director Thom Powers, who also serves as the documentary programmer for the Toronto International Film Festival. “We started in fall 2005 with Doug Block’s 51 BIRCH STREET as our first film. Now we’re proud to have him back with his latest, THE KIDS GROW UP.”

The STF spring season takes place at the IFC Center every Tuesday night at 8:00 pm for ten weeks, through June 8. Each event includes a discussion with the filmmakers, followed by a gathering at the nearby bar Alibi Lounge. Tickets for Stranger Than Fiction screenings are $16 for the general public and $13 for IFC Center members. A Season Pass, good for admission to all 10 evenings per season (plus additional specials) is available for $110, or for $85 for IFC Center members. 

See below for complete line-up.

STF Spring 2010 Line-Up:

APR 6: Opening Night – AND EVERYTHING IS GOING FINE (2010, Q&A w/ dir Steven Soderbergh)
APR 13: HORSES (2010, Q&A w/ dir Liz Mermin)
APR 14: Wednesday Night Spring Special – FAMILY AFFAIR (2010, Q&A w/ dir Chico Colvard)
APR 20: THE KIDS GROW UP (2009, Q&A w/ dir Doug Block)
APR 27: CLEANFLIX (2009, Q&A w/ dirs Andrew James and Joshua Ligairi)
MAY 4: PIN GODS (1996, Q&A w/ dir Larry Locke)
MAY 11: LIFE 2.0 (2010, Q&A w/ dir Jason Spingarn-Koff)
MAY 18: MY PERESTROIKA (2010, Q&A w/ dir Robin Hessman)
MAY 25: MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA (1929, Q&A w/ John Walter, editor of a new soundtrack)
JUNE 1: HAYNESVILLE (2009, Q&A w/ dir Gregory Kallenberg)
JUNE 8: Closing night – TBA

(Note: Ticket links are currently active through May 4 screening; others will go live in coming days)

Related Film/Screening:
AND EVERYTHING IS GOING FINE by Steven Soderbergh

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Last 2 weeks at STF: Knicks, monks and surviving cancer

• by Thom Powers, March 08, 2010
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Playing catch up on the past couple weeks of STF. On Feb 23, director Dan Klores brought his highly entertaining film WINNING TIME: REGGIE MILLER VS THE NEW YORK KNICKS. As a basketball fan, I wasn’t sure if non-fans would share my appreciation for this. But did they ever. My favorite reaction came from passholder Hemal Trivedi who admitted that she didn’t know a Knick from a knack, but the film reminded her of a rivalry closer to her own experience between India and Pakistan’s cricket teams. (Photo courtesy of Joshua Weinstein - Thom Powers, director Dan Klores and editor David Zieff)

Two days later, for a Thursday night special, STF audiences braved a blizzard to turn out in full force for the Oscar-nominated BURMA VJ. Joining for the Q&A was the editor-in-chief of the Democratic Voice of Burma, Aye Chan Naing, visiting from his base in Scandanavia. Naing described his organization’s efforts to smuggle footage out of Burma for the rest of the world to have a better understanding of the country. Afterwards, I introduced him to another political exile Ngwang Choephel who brought his film TIBET IN SONG to STF last spring (photo).

On March 2, filmmaker Judith Helfand celebrated her 20th anniversary of having beaten cancer as chronicled in her film A HEALTHY BABY GIRL. The intensely personal documentary was even more poignant for the presence of Helfand’s mother and other family in the audience. During the Q&A, Helfand previewed a few outtakes that she’s contemplating for a new DVD release of the film from Docurama. (Photo courtesy of EJ)

WINNING TIME:

Q&A - L to R: STF curator Thom Powers, director Dan Klores and editor David Zieff.

Editors Jean Tsien (PLEASE VOTE FOR ME, BIGGEST CHINESE RESTAURANT IN THE WORLD) and David Zieff (WINNING TIME).

Filmmakers Doug Block (51 BIRCH STREET) and Hemal Trivedi.

A HEALTHY BABY GIRL:

Q&A -Thom Powers and director Judith Helfand.

Alicia Svigals, one of the foremost Klezmer violinists in the world, was one of the composers on A HEALTHY BABY GIRL as part of the Klezmatics in 1997.  She played live at the screening to one of Judith’s new dvd extras.

Related Film/Screening:
A HEALTHY BABY GIRL by Judith Helfand

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STF Announces Orphan Film Line-Up: Rediscovered Cartier-Bresson, Bill Morrison; The Jungle & more

• by Thom Powers, February 23, 2010
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BEST OF THE ORPHAN FILM SYMPOSIUM returns for its third STF engagement with its most exciting line-up ever on Tuesday, March 9. (Tickets now on sale). Archivists use the term “orphan” to describe a variety of works whose origins are obscure. Every other year, NYU professor Dan Streible organizes a symposium to present the most exciting of these works and he brings a sampling to STF. Headlining this third edition is a rediscovered film shot by Henri Cartier-Bresson called “With the Abraham Lincoln Brigade in Spain” (1937-38). Film scholar Juan Salas (who will introduce the film) recently discovered the 18-minute silent work in the collection the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives at NYU’s Tamiment Library. The original 16 mm print has been preserved and blown up to 35 mm. The STF event will mark its first public sneak preview.

Other highlights of the night include:

Bill Morrison, the acclaimed filmmaker of DECASIA, presents his 11-minute film HOW TO PRAY (2005). Read an interview with Morrison here.

THE JUNGLE (1967), a ground-breaking 22-minute film about a Philadelphia street gang, recently named to the National Film Registry

THINK OF ME FIRST AS A PERSON (1960-75, Dwight Core, Sr. and George Ingmire III) sound; 35mm; 8 min. Print source: Library of Congress, Center for Home Movies Collection

CHUCK & VINCE: WEDDING OF THE YEAR, APRIL 8, 1978 (1978, Christine Wynne) 6 min.  Super 8 sound home movie

STFers gobble up FOOD, INC.

• by Raphaela Neihausen, February 22, 2010
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“That’s where I edited my first documentary,” Robert Kenner said, pointing to a building on a walk through Soho on Wednesday. That fledgling effort, filmed in 1971, focused on George Jackson, the author of “Soledad Brother” who was killed in prison. Since then, Kenner has many years of documentary work behind him, including extensive work for PBS’s “American Experience” and a collaboration on “The Road to Memphis” in the series THE BLUES produced by Martin Scorsese. Not to mention Kenner’s production crew credit in RUNNING FENCE recently seen at STF.

After nearly four decades of work, Kenner has broken through to a new level with FOOD, INC., nominated for an Academy Award. Produced by Participant Media, FOOD, INC. had made extensive penetration into the national consciousness since its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2008 - distributed via theaters, VOD, in-flight and more. Now on DVD, the film was recently topping Amazon charts after being featured on Oprah a few weeks ago.

On Wednesday, Kenner paid a visit to STF where the film played strongly on the big screen. Introducing the night, STF host Thom Powers noted that it was somehow fitting to hold the screening on the day when Lent begins “because this film will make you want to give up all food.”

(Photo courtesy of Chris Hondros)