Last week, STF audiences enjoyed great docs from both ends of the decade. On Monday, director Louie Psihoyos and producer Fisher Stevens (pictured here) presented their Oscar-nominee THE COVE that plays like a thriller. The pair received a rare standing ovation from the sold out audience. During the Q&A, they announced that they had just fulfilled a long held ambition to have the film distributed theatrically in Japan where it takes place. The New York Times Carpetbagger has a report on the Japan deal and Film Panel Notetaker offers a report on the Q&A. Afterwards, the crowd moved to The Dove lounge on Thompson Street (a one night departure from our usual hangout at the Alibi Lounge) to keep the conversation going.
On Tuesday, the STF screening of STARTUP.COM took us back to the start of the decade when New York City was undergoing the boom and bust of the dotcom economy. In her Q&A, co-director Chris Hegedus recalled how she had researched several Internet companies – including Prodigy featured in the recent film WE LIVE IN PUBLIC – before joining forces with collaborator Jehane Noujaim to focus on GovWorks.com.
STF fans, we want to alert you to a very special documentary presentation at the IFC Center. On Wed. Feb 24 at 8pm, there will be a screening of TELL THEM ANYTHING YOU WANT: A PORTRAIT OF MAURICE SENDAK (2009), followed by a Q&A w/ directors Lance Bangs & Spike Jonze. Tickets are available here:.
In conjunction with the filming of WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, director Spike Jonze teamed up with Lance Bangs to document an intimate portrait of the author behind the original book. TELL THEM ANYTHING YOU WANT is a deeply moving tribute to Maurice Sendak, whose conflict with success and lifelong obsession with death have subtly influenced his work. Now 81, Sendak is best known for WILD THINGS, which he created twelve years into his career as a writer and illustrator. WILD THINGS would go on to become one of the most beloved and critically lauded children’s books of all time and, much to Sendak’s chagrin, would come to define his career. Through his own words, personal photos, and illustrations, Sendak offers a rare, intimate, and unexpected look at his exceptional life.
Following the 40-minute film, Jonze and Bangs will join me for an extended conversation about the making of this work.
Please note, the STF season pass does NOT apply to this event; a separate ticket is required.
THE BIGGEST CHINESE RESTAURANT IN THE WORLD played to a sold out audience on January 26. The film’s editor Jean Tsien regaled the audience in her Q&A, discussing how she first worked with Chinese director Weijun Chen on the film PLEASE VOTE FOR ME without ever having met him. The tapes from the film were shipped from China to her base in New York. Working without any input, Tsien constructed the film from raw tapes. The same working method was used for BIGGEST CHINESE RESTAURANT IN THE WORLD. In addition to the feature length version, Tsien also cut the material as a series for Sundance Channel and BBC.
Tsien recalled her own family experience running a Chinese restaurant in the Bronx and her monotonous labor as a teenager peeling cold shrimp. Another chore was to shove take-out menus under apartment doors in the neighborhood. The audience included past collaborators including Barbara Kopple, director of SHUT UP & SING and THE HAMPTONS; and Danny Anker, director of SCOTTSBORO: AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY and MUSIC FROM THE INSIDE OUT. All four of those titles were edited by Tsien.
(Above photo courtesy of EJ; below photos courtesy of Jean Tsien)
[Melissa Hibbard files her latest report in a series, submitted Jan 28]
Winding down to the last couple of days of the festival, the docs that seem to be getting the most buzz are WAITING FOR SUPERMAN by Davis Guggenheim (AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH; IT MIGHT GET LOUD) and CATFISH by directors Henry Joos and Ariel Schulman, which I haven’t been able to see because it’s been completely sold out with wait list lines in the triple digits! Even the P&I screening was full!
With three docs about Russia I think Sundance is trying to tell us something. MY PERESTROIKA, by Robin Hessman, is a strong film that looks at the collapse of the Soviet Union defined by the history of the 20th century. The editing is incredible and Hessman’s obvious familiarity with Russian culture creates an intimate look at the nostalgia of the past and discontent with the present. Her choice of following four classmates who have all taken different paths was smart. It’s obvious that she spent a lot of time on this film. It’s well crafted, entertaining and thought provoking. Three of the characters traveled from Russia to attend the premier and as always, the audience delighted in meeting the subjects. It’s always smart to bring your subjects to Sundance.
[In her first dispatch, STF passholder Melissa Hibbard wrote about Sundance docs HIS & HERS and SECRETS OF THE TRIBE; and in her second about SPACE TOURISTS and THE RED CHAPEL. Now she dives back in for this report filed on Jan 26]:
So, first I have to say that for those of you who are filmmakers, if you haven’t been to Sundance without a film, or any festival for that matter, I encourage you to attend. It’s a great experience to attend a festival without the pressure to sell your film, yourself or your next project.
Today my head is whirling with images of aging comics, freedom fighters and graffiti artists. I started the day with JOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK by powerhouse directors Ricki Stem and Annie Sundberg [pictured in Q and A]. I went in expecting not to like the film; I’m not a big fan of celebrity docs. But I have to say it was thoroughly entertaining. And more than just being entertaining, it was a revealing look into the insecurities, obsessions and fears that propel great talent to stardom. For the Q and A, Joan Rivers surprised audiences with an appearance and took questions from fans. Popping one joke after the next, she thanked the gay community for their endless support, encouraged young women comics to keep pushing boundaries and insulted the locals. She even confirmed a rumor that she has collections of ashes from all her dear friends who have died. When someone in the audience gasped, she reassured them that the ashes were resting peacefully in small Louis Vuitton cases.
Last week, STF audiences enjoyed great docs from both ends of the decade. On Monday, director Louie Psihoyos and producer Fisher Stevens (pictured here) presented their Oscar-nominee THE COVE that plays like a thriller. The pair received a rare standing ovation from the sold out audience. During the Q&A, they announced that they had just fulfilled a long held ambition to have the film distributed theatrically in Japan where it takes place. The New York Times Carpetbagger has a report on the Japan deal and Film Panel Notetaker offers a report on the Q&A. Afterwards, the crowd moved to The Dove lounge on Thompson Street (a one night departure from our usual hangout at the Alibi Lounge) to keep the conversation going.
STF fans, we want to alert you to a very special documentary presentation at the IFC Center. On Wed. Feb 24 at 8pm, there will be a screening of TELL THEM ANYTHING YOU WANT: A PORTRAIT OF MAURICE SENDAK (2009), followed by a Q&A w/ directors Lance Bangs & Spike Jonze. Tickets are available 
[Melissa Hibbard files her latest report in a series, submitted Jan 28]
[In her