The new Minetta Tavern

  • by Thom Powers, May 03, 2009

image 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

image 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.

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THE WAY STF GETS BY

  • by Raphaela Neihausen, April 29, 2009

image 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). 

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Tribeca 09: Jewish docs

  • by Raphaela Neihausen, April 28, 2009
imageThere 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.
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TRIBECA 09: ONLY WHEN I DANCE

  • by Raphaela Neihausen, April 28, 2009
imageBeadie 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. 
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Upcoming Screenings

Sep 20: THE HOUSE OF STEINBRENNER

image from THE HOUSE OF STEINBRENNER by Barbara Kopple
STF pre-season MONDAY SPECIAL (Season passes now on sale at early bird rate through Thurs. Sept. 16; Individual tickets go on sale Fri. Sept. 17, subject to availability) Love them or hate them, ...
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Sep 28: MARWENCOL

image from MARWENCOL by Jeff Malmberg
STF Fall Season Opening Night (Season passes now on sale at early bird rate through Thurs. Sept. 16; Individual tickets go on sale later in Sept.) STF kicks off its fall season with MARWENCOL, ...
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Oct 5: AMERICAN SPLENDOR

image from AMERICAN SPLENDOR by Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
(Season passes now on sale at early bird rate through Thurs. Sept. 16; Individual tickets go on sale later in Sept.) STF pays tribute to Harvey Pekar, who recently died, with this special screening ...
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Oct 12: ON COAL RIVER

image from ON COAL RIVER by Francine Cavanaugh & Adams Wood
Coal River Valley, West Virginia is a community surrounded by lush mountains and a looming toxic threat. ON COAL RIVER follows a former miner and his neighbors in a David-and-Goliath struggle for ...
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Oct 19: THE CANAL STREET MADAM

image from THE CANAL STREET MADAM by Cameron Yates
Until an FBI bust upended her life, Jeanette Maier was a successful New Orleans madam. Her discreet clientele included a number of powerful, high-ranking politicians. The ensuing very public trial - ...
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Oct 26: TAKING ON THE KENNEDYS

image from TAKING ON THE KENNEDYS by Joshua Seftel
“A film that would be mistaken for a Robert Altman political satire if it weren’t absolutely and horribly true.” —USA TODAY Originally released in 1996, the classic political documentary TAKING ON ...
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Nov 2: WO AI NI MOMMY (I LOVE YOU MOMMY)

image from WO AI NI MOMMY (I LOVE YOU MOMMY) by Stephanie Wang-Breal
In presenting WO AI NI MOMMY with the Sterling Award for Best US Feature this past June, the jury at Silverdocs noted: “The film dives so deeply into its story that the filmmaker’s hands disappear. ...
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Nov 9: WAR DON DON

image from WAR DON DON by Rebecca Richman Cohen
Profiled in Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces in Independent Film as an “up-and-comer poised to shape the next generation of independent film”, Rebecca Richman Cohen won Special Jury at SXSW and the ...
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Nov 16: 12TH & DELAWARE

image from 12TH & DELAWARE by Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady
Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, the filmmaking team behind the 2006 Oscar-nominated doc JESUS CAMP, take us on another controversial journey with 12TH & DELAWARE.  Description from Sundance 2010 ...
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Nov 23: MARLENE

image from MARLENE by Maximilian Schell
Director Maximilian Schell got the reclusive Marlene Dietrich to agree to appear in this documentary only on the stipulation that she not be photographed as she looked today. Instead, we only hear ...
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Nov 30: SURVIVING HITLER: A LOVE STORY

image from SURVIVING HITLER: A LOVE STORY by John-Keith Wasson
Winner of the Inspiration Award at the 2010 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival As a teenager in Nazi Germany, Jutta is shocked to discover she is Jewish. She joins the German resistance and meets ...
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