STF Fall 2010 - Harvey Pekar, Marlene Dietrich, Adolf Hitler & more!

• by Raphaela Neihausen, August 17, 2010
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Stranger Than Fiction launches its fourteenth season on Sept. 28, 2010 with a sneak preview of MARWENCOL (2010, pictured left), including a Q&A with director Jeff Malmberg. The STF fall season takes place at the IFC Center every Tuesday night at 8:00 pm for ten weeks, through Nov. 30. Each event includes a discussion with the filmmakers, followed by a gathering at a nearby bar. The full season schedule appears below.

MARWENCOL, winner of SXSW Grand Jury Prize, uncovers a story that truly embodies “stranger than fiction.” Mark Hogancamp, who suffered a brutal beating, finds a therapeutic outlet by staging dolls in World War II era costumes. Starting out as a personal project, his work gets discovered by the art world and his story takes unexpected turns. STF honors another one-of-a-kind artist Harvey Pekar (who recently died) by presenting the innovative documentary and fiction hybrid AMERICAN SPLENDOR, based on his comic book. The Q&A will feature several members of the film’s creative team including actor Paul Giamatti. Other STF fall highlights include the first NYC sneak previews of ON COAL RIVER and SURVIVING HITLER: A LOVE STORY, featuring their directors visiting from out of state; and a revival of MARLENE the classic documentary about Marlene Dietrich, directed by Maximilian Schell, for a rare chance to see it on the big screen.

“This season will mark STF’s sixth year,” said Artistic Director Thom Powers who also serves as the documentary programmer for the Toronto International Film Festival and the new DOC NYC festival. “We have a little of everything: art, politics, sex, glamor, activism, emotion, travel and history. Many of these titles have won acclaim at festivals such as Sundance, SXSW and Silverdocs. We’re pleased to bring them to New York audiences. As the STF t-shirt says, ‘Tuesday is the new Friday.’”

(Season passes now on sale at early bird rate through Thurs. Sept. 16; Individual tickets go on sale Fri. Sept. 17, subject to availability)

STF FALL 2010 LINE-UP

Pre-season SPECIAL - Mon. Sept 20
THE HOUSE OF STEINBRENNER (2010)
Two-time Academy Award winner Barbara Kopple looks at the Yankees’ transition from old to new stadium and how baseball serves as a link between fathers and sons.
Q&A w/ dir Barbara Kopple

Fall Season OPENING NIGHT - Tues. Sept 28
MARWENCOL (2010)
Injured by thugs, Mark Hogancamp rehabilitates by building a scale model of a fictional WWII town “Marwencol” that gains art world esteem. SXSW jury winner.
Q&A w/ dir Jeff Malmberg & Tod Lippy, editor of “Esopus”; Co-presented by Woodstock Film Festival

Tues. Oct. 5
AMERICAN SPLENDOR (2003)
Cleveland’s Harvey Pekar pioneered autobiographical comic books with Robert Crumb & others. This innovative hybrid of documentary, fiction & animation celebrates Pekar who recently died.
Q&A w/ actor Paul Giamatti, prod Ted Hope, dirs Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini

Tues. Oct. 12
ON COAL RIVER
In Coal River, West Virginia, four individuals fight for the future of their lush valley as they face a looming toxic threat.
Q&A w/ dirs Francine Cavanaugh & Adams Wood

Tues. Oct. 19
THE CANAL STREET MADAM (2010)
Jeanette Maier, who ran an infamous family-run brothel in New Orleans catering to powerful clients, sets out to re-invent herself.
Q&A w/ dir Cameron Yates & prod Mridu Chandra

Tues. Oct. 26
TAKING ON THE KENNEDYS (1996)
Timely for election season, this Congressional campaign doc follows Rhode Island Republican Kevin Vigilante as he takes on Patrick Kennedy in a hard fought race.
Q&A w/ dir Joshua Seftel; Co-presented by Docurama

Tues. Nov. 2
WO AI NI MOMMY - I LOVE YOU MOMMY (2010)
An American family adopts an 8-year-old Chinese orphan girl who undergoes a surprising transformation over several months. Silverdocs jury winner.
Q&A w/ dir Stephanie Wang-Breal; Co-presented by Silverdocs / Chicken & Egg Pictures

Tues. Nov. 9
WAR DON DON (2010)
In Sierra Leone, a UN tribunal hears the war crimes case of Issa Sesay, raising questions over the conduct of international justice.
Q&A w/ dir Rebecca Richman Cohen

Tues. Nov. 16
12TH & DELAWARE
On the Florida street corner of 12th & Delaware, an abortion clinic operates opposite a pro-life center, supplying a microcosm of the country’s ideological battleground.
Q&A w/ dirs Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady

Tues. Nov. 23
MARLENE (1984)
Actor Maximilian Schell directs this classic portrait of Marlene Dietrich, containing a remarkable interview, richly illustrated with film clips.
Q&A to be announced

FALL SEASON CLOSING NIGHT - Tues. Nov. 30
SURVIVING HITLER: A LOVE STORY (2010)
Uncovering remarkable home movies, this film tells the love story of a Jewish woman and German soldier in the doomed plot to kill Hitler.
Q&A w/ dir John-Keith Wasson

Catching up with STF: bowling and avatars and Russia - oh my!

• by Raphaela Neihausen, May 23, 2010

The last few weeks have been jam-packed at STF.  Larry Locke (an STF passholder) presented his 1996 classic PIN GODS about professional bowling.  To commemorate the special occasion, STF hosts Thom Powers and I sported matching retro-bowling shirts (pictured left), courtesy of the generous filmmaker. For the Q&A, Larry was joined onstage by film subject Sonny Pavelchak and his father Tony Pavelchak. The audience then moved on to Alibi Lounge for further drinks and conversation, and were treated to delicious pizza from Two Boots. 

The following week was all about Second Life as Jason Spingarn-Koff brought LIFE 2.0 to a sold-out crowd.  The film had its premiere at Sundance last January and this was its first NY screening.  Mrs. Stranger (me) hosted the evening while Mr. Stranger (Thom) was in Cannes at the film festival (which he calls “working”).  When I started off the Q&A by asking the audience how many people had avatars, only a few hands were raised.  When I repeated the question and asked people to be honest, dozens more hands were raised.  Jason discussed the complexities of making this doc – from shooting within Second Life (they even had a screening of this film in a virtual SL theater) to finding characters willing to be candid on camera.  The film took years to complete.  An unexpected surprise was the lawyer who appears in the film (arguing in defense of individual user’s intellectual property within SL) - he happened to be in the STF audience that evening and said a few words from the audience.  Two days later we shifted gears when Marshall Curry presented RACING DREAMS – you can read guest host Steve Holmgren’s blog here.

And then last week was MY PERESTROIKA (also a Sundance 2010 premiere) with Robin Hessman.  Neither rain nor cold could stop this crowd eager to see a slice of modern Russia.  A standby line snaked down the block (at least 10 got in) and the theater was packed.  Robin discussed her deep involvement with Russia (which began when she first lived there in the early 1990s) and the challenges of making this film over the past five years.  Getting access to official archives was at times a difficult process, but luckily her film subjects happened to have a treasure trove of home movies.  I was delighted to host this evening due to my own Russian heritage (my family left Latvia in 1972 and I’m the first generation born here in America).  I’ve also been tracking this doc ever since it got a Sundance Documentary Fund grant in 2006 and a Garrett Scott development grant in 2007 so it was a treat to finally see it complete on the big screen.

The season continues next week with another doubleheader.  Next Tuesday night is Dziga Vertov’s 1929 classic MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA - although this time with a score by filmmaker John Walter (described as what Vertov would have created if he’d lived in the era of electronic music and DJ mix culture).  Then Wednesday night is PROMISED LAND by Yoruba Richen – a film about land reform and racial reconciliation in the new South Africa.

Click “Read More” for additional photos

PIN GODS

Tony Pavelchak and Larry Locke.

Sonny and Tony Pavelchak

Mini-Stranger (Bez) joined us for the film’s intro.

LIFE 2.0

Q&A with filmmaker Jason Spingarn-Koff.

MY PERESTROIKA

L to R: STF Executive Director Raphaela Neihausen, MY PERESTROIKA filmmaker Robin Hessman with her editor Garret Savage

L to R: Suzanne Costas, filmmaker Hamid Rahmanian (THE GLASS HOUSE), Senain Kheshgi (coincidentally her film PROJECT KASHMIR was showing on the bar’s tv!), and filmmaker David Sampliner.

L to R: Filmmaker Josh Fox (GASLAND - premieres on HBO this summer), Robin’s fiance Lorin Wertheimer and filmmaker Lucia Small (THE AXE IN THE ATTIC)

L to R: Filmmaker Gwendolen Cates (WATER FLOWING TOGETHER), IFP’s Danielle DiGiacomo and producer Pamela Cohn.

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KEVORKIAN AND OBAMA COME TO STF

• by Thom Powers, May 17, 2010

Ok, I don’t want the headline to mislead, I should say that films about Jack Kevorkian and Barack Obama are coming to STF. I’m pleased to announce the Closing Night film for STF’s spring season will be KEVORKIAN, being co-presented by HBO Documentary Films. This will be the film’s first public sneak preview. Directed by Matthew Galkin (who chronicled the Pixies in “loudQUIETloud”), KEVORKIAN follows the infamous Dr. Death following his release from prison as he makes a quixotic run for Congress in the 2008 elections. (His district in Oakland County, MI happens to be where I grew up). Recently, Kevorkian was back in the spotlight being portrayed by Al Pacino in the critically acclaimed HBO movie. Don’t miss this opportunity to discover the complexity of the real man.

Once the spring season comes to an end, you’ll only need to wait another week for a fresh dose of STF. On June 15, we’ll show Jeff Deutchman’s innovative project, drawing upon footage from all over the world, to chronicle the day Obama was elected, a work fittingly titled “11/4/08.” Having premiered at SXSW, the film reflects the grass roots support – in particular of youth – that swept Obama to victory. Looking back on the day gives us a measure for where we find ourselves now and gives cause for anticipating the upcoming Congressional elections in November.

UnionDocs co-hosts RACING DREAMS at STF

• by Raphaela Neihausen, May 17, 2010

Written by: Steve Holmgren, UnionDocs Programmer

Last Thursday, UnionDocs co-presented a special Thursday edition of STF, screening Marshall Curry’s RACING DREAMS.  I had the pleasure of moderating the discussion with Curry (pictured left - thanks for the Blackberry photo, Cathryne!), and participating in the conversation that followed at a nearby bar.  Winner of the best documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival, RACING DREAMS chronicles three pre-teens competing in the World Karting Association who aspire to become the next generation of NASCAR racers.  Culling hundreds of hours of footage, Curry has crafted an impressive feel-good movie that gives insight into the little known world of teen racing, and ultimately becomes a portrait of American kids facing the immense pressure of pre-professional sports alongside daily challenges of growing up.

After the screening, filmmaker Paul Devlin, myself, and other STF regulars got a chance to chat with Curry at length about the pending theatrical release of RACING DREAMS courtesy of Hanover House.  Curry has become a hot property in the doc world after his low-budget first feature, STREET FIGHT, on the 2002 Newark mayoral campaign, garnered much critical acclaim and an Oscar nomination.  RACING DREAMS certainly has the ingredients for box office success, and plays as exciting narrative drama, surpassing the standard documentary -as-information routine.  They are wisely rolling out in Southern, racing-centric states, before hitting New York City and Los Angeles. With the right marketing push and outreach, this movie should break out as widely or wider than many narrative features on the same playing field.  Curry summed up his success in crafting this as a moving story first and foremost by quoting a reaction from one of his subjects after seeing the film, “I thought you said it was going to be a documentary?”  Time will tell how the market reacts, but we’re wishing the film all the best.

Related Film/Screening:
RACING DREAMS by Marshall Curry

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CANNES, PART 2

• by Thom Powers, May 15, 2010

As I try to jot down a few thoughts after midnight, I have renewed respect for journalists who cover festivals on a regular basis. I must confine myself to summaries.

In Cannes’ opening days, docs in the Special Screenings section have made a strong showing. I heard reports of people being turned away from premieres in theaters with 300-400 seats of both Sabina Guzzanti’s DARQUILA: ITALY TREMBLES and Patricio Guzman’s NOSTALGIA FOR LIGHT. I caught up with them in market screenings on Saturday.

NOSTALGIA FOR LIGHT continues Guzman’s long effort to chronicle Chile after the coup d’etat that killed Salvador Allende in 1973. The filmmaker’s work began with the epic BATTLE FOR CHILE that belongs in the documentary canon and continued through films such as OBSTINATE MEMORY and SALVADOR ALLENDE. I will admit to feeling like I’d had my fill of this topic after recent works by other filmmakers such as SUGAR CURTAIN (TIFF 06); A PROMISE TO THE DEAD (TIFF 07) and CALLE SANTA FE (which received the top prize when I sat on the jury at CPH:DOX 07). But in this new work Guzman finds a novel approach by training his eye on Chile’s Atacama desert where astronomers come to “touch the stars” thanks to unique conditions that make it an ideal place for a telescope.

Guzman takes an essayistic approach, speaking in his own voice over carefully composed shots that make us alert to the play of light, the sound of wind and the texture of the earth. To study the stars is to study the past, explains one astronomer. He adds that “everything takes place in the past including this conversation – even if by millionths of a second.” Outside the observatories in the desert, a different search for the past is conducted as a group of older women who dig for bodies of “the disappeared” from Pinochet’s regime. Guzman skillfully weaves these two threads together, particularly in a wordless scene near the end that welled up my jaded eyes.

DRAQUILA: ITALY TREMBLES brings a more whimsical approach in the hands of Guzzanti, an experienced Italian provocateur whose previous film VIVA ZAPATERO chronicled her battle against Silvio Berlusconi’s media empire. This time she’s taking Berlusconi to task for his response to the 2009 earthquake in the town of L’Aquila. DRAQUILA has moments of feeling like the Daily Show with plenty of comic graphics and sound effects to illustrate its points. But Gazzanti is no lightweight. She doggedly follows a trail of corruption, greed and abuses of power. For fans of Erik Gandini’s film VIDEOCRACY that raised curiosity about Berlusconi when it played at TIFF and STF last year, DRAQUILA offers a vast catalogue of his malfeasances. She makes the case that Berlusconi took advantage of the L’Aquila crisis in order to consolidate power when his popularity was sinking. In the words of one L’Aquila resident, Italy is a “shit dictatorship” only using television instead of torture. The film has already made waves covered in the New York Times.