The new Minetta Tavern
- by Thom Powers, May 03, 2009
Many STF goers will recall the old Minetta Tavern, where we held post-show gatherings from fall 07 to spring 08 before it was closed for renovation. If you follow New York restaurants, you may know that it was bought by Keith McNally, the successful owner of hot spots like Balthazar and Pastis, and recently reopened to extensive press coverage: http://nymag.com/restaurants/reviews/56267/. Now it takes a week to get a reservation.
Last night, Raphaela and I finally ventured back to the space where we have so many memories. We were in the company of Andrew Rossi and his wife Kate Novack who made the docs EAT THIS NEW YORK and A TABLE IN HEAVEN.
It was a little like revisiting your old home after someone else has moved in. I’m happy to report that the decor has been well-preserved, only now with better lighting and leather. The pictures have been moved around and I couldn’t find the old painting of Joe Gould. The back room was more crowded than I’d ever seen it (with Orlando Bloom occupying a corner table).
Tribeca 09: Wrap-Up
- by Raphaela Neihausen, May 03, 2009
The top documentary awards at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival went to… (drum roll please…):
Best Documentary Feature: Racing Dreams
Marshall Curry’s documentary is a gripping tale about young go-karters who one day dream of driving in the big leagues of NASCAR. “We reacted with unanimous, unquestioned affection for Racing Dreams,” the jurors state, “and found it a completely compelling, entertaining film of incredible quality.” Read my previous blog on this film here.
THE WAY STF GETS BY
- by Raphaela Neihausen, April 29, 2009
Winner of the audience award at Full Frame and a special jury prize at SXSW, THE WAY WE GET BY had its first New York sneak preview at Stranger Than Fiction last night and won over yet another sold out crowd. This moving film tells the story of an airport in Bangor, Maine where senior citizens volunteer and greet soldiers that are flying to or returning from war. A strength of the documentary is that it steers clear of political trappings and instead focuses on the importance of supporting soldiers as fellow Americans who are serving their country. The film also succeeds in shedding light on the many obstacles facing the elderly, demonstrating how volunteering at an airport provides them with a vital sense of purpose and community. Director Aron Gaudet and producer Gita Pullapilly (photo) joined us for a Q&A in which they shared many entertaining anecdotes about the film’s protagonists. My favorite is that at the Cleveland Film Festival, audiences were so moved by the film that they showed up at the airport to send off film subject Jerry. Now that’s the power of a documentary!
The evening was copresented by the Camden International Film Festival (a wonderful Maine event now in its fifth year) and the highly esteemed PBS strand POV (that will broadcast THE WAY WE GET BY this coming fall).
Camden International Film Festival founder Ben Fowlie and fellow programmer Leah Hurley generously treated the crowds at 99 Below to a round of drinks and then hosted the after-after party at Santos. 
Director Aron Gaudet poses alongside IFC Center’s inimitable whiteboard with POV’s Vice President Cynthia Lopez and Executive Director Simon Kilmurry.
Enjoying a drink at the after-party, blogger Pamela Cohn of 
STF host Thom Powers with the curator of the Hanoi Cinemateque, visiting from Vietnam, Gerry Herman.
Gita Pullapilly with her filmmaker friend Nara Garber.
POV’s Simon Kilmurry joined by musician Zack Martin who not only did the score for THE WAY WE GET BY, but also played live for the STF audience before last night’s screening.
Filmmaker Robin Hessman (who also programs the American Film Festival of Moscow) and filmmaker Danielle Beverly.
Journalist Vera Brozzoni and filmmaker Emma Franz.
Related Film/Screening:
Tribeca 09: Jewish docs
- by Raphaela Neihausen, April 28, 2009
There were several films at Tribeca this year that piqued my personal interest as M.O.T. (Member Of the Tribe). The first was PARTLY PRIVATE , Danae Elon’s exploration of male circumcision. While pregnant with a boy, Elon must confront her Algerian-Jewish husband’s strong preference for circumcising their future son, a belief which clashes with her own misgivings as a secular Jew. What ensues is a trip around the world, questioning different cultural histories and views on the matter. Particularly entertaining is her visit to Turkey where boys are circumcised at the age of 8 in the equivalent of a bridal banquet hall while wearing regal costumes. Clowns, roller coasters and big screen televisions serve to entertain the kids in what would otherwise be quite an awful day. After watching this film, all I can say is that I hope if I am ever pregnant - it’s a girl. 
Israeli director Yoav Shamir’s latest film 
Director Yoav Shamir recovering from all my questions with a nice cold beer.
TRIBECA 09: ONLY WHEN I DANCE
- by Raphaela Neihausen, April 28, 2009
Beadie Finzie’s ONLY WHEN I DANCE is a moving portrait of two Brazilian teenagers who struggle to break out of their lives of poverty by using dance as their vehicle. Beautifully shot, this captivating story shows the sacrifices their hard-working families must make to help them achieve their dreams of dancing abroad. 
A picture of me and Beadie after the Sunday evening premiere, celebrating in Brazilian style at a party with proper caipirinhas. 
Thom Powers and Ingrid Kopp of
Join the STF Mailing List »
Upcoming Screenings
Feb 7: UNFINISHED SPACES
by Alysa Nahmias and Benjamin Murray“Cuba will count as having the most beautiful academy of arts in the world.” —Fidel Castro (1961) Cuba’s ambitious National Art Schools project, designed by three young artists in the wake of ...
Get More info or Buy Tickets »
Feb 14: ZELIG
by Woody Allen”[Allen’s] new, remarkably self-assured comedy is to his career what… Berlin Alexanderplatz is to Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s and… Fanny and Alexander is to Ingmar Bergman’s ... Zelig is not only ...
Get More info or Buy Tickets »
Feb 21: TOOTIE’S LAST SUIT
by Lisa Katzman“Tootie represented a kind of soulfulness in the community, and a certain type of style, and everybody loved him.” – Wynton Marsalis TOOTIE’S LAST SUIT explores the complex relationships, rituals, ...
Get More info or Buy Tickets »
Feb 28: THE PROMISE: THE MAKING OF DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN
by Thom ZimnyDescription from TIFF 2010 catalog by Thom Powers: The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town takes us into the studio with Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band for the recording of ...
Get More info or Buy Tickets »
Mar 6: SMASH HIS CAMERA
by Leon Gast“Famously and successfully sued by Jackie Onassis, and slugged just as famously and successfully by Marlon Brando, denounced from the pulpits of punditry for decades, Galella has been a man easy to ...
Get More info or Buy Tickets »
Mar 13: THE MAN NOBODY KNEW: IN SEARCH OF MY FATHER, CIA SPYMASTER WILLIAM COLBY
by Carl ColbyA son’s riveting look at a father whose life seemed straight out of a spy thriller, THE MAN NOBODY KNEW: IN SEARCH OF MY FATHER, CIA SPYMASTER WILLIAM COLBY uncovers the secret world of a legendary ...
Get More info or Buy Tickets »
Mar 20: GIRL MODEL
by Ashley Sabin and David Redmon Description from TIFF 2011 catalog by Thom Powers: Girl Model shows a rarely seen side of the fashion industry. The film brings a novelist’s eye for emotional and psychological complexity to its ...
Get More info or Buy Tickets »
