Last Tuesday, THE ART OF THE STEAL screened as a sneak preview at STF with the filmmakers in person. Inclement weather didn’t deter viewers from filling the theater, following the film’s critical acclaim at the Toronto and New York film festivals last fall.
Director Don Argott was joined on stage by producer Sheena Joyce and executive producer Lenny Feinberg (pictured) to discuss their muck-raking investigation into the fate of Albert Barnes’ art collection, valued in the billions. The film is the subject of a Sunday New York Times article and won attention for its poster on the Auteurs site.
This film will begin its official run at the IFC Center starting on Friday.
Last week, STF sold out two nights in a row for unforgettable films and conversations. On Tuesday was A NIGHT WITH ROSS MCELWEE, featuring the acclaimed director of SHERMAN’S MARCH presenting two early short works CHARLEEN (1977) and BACKYARD (1984) that are rarely screened. McElwee described how both films were shot around the same time while he was still a graduate student at MIT, where the faculty included Ricky Leacock and Ed Pincus. In CHARLEEN, McElwee introduces the title character who would later appear in SHERMAN’S MARCH, TIME INDEFINITE and SIX O’CLOCK NEWS, exhibiting a knack for making poetry out of everyday life. In CHARLEEN, McElwee takes a traditional observational approach without his voice over commentary that became characteristic of his work. His transition to that style came in BACKYARD where he looks at his southern family and their longtime house workers, introducing his own voice as a guide. The Film Panel Notetaker blog has a full report of McElwee’s conversation here. STF host Thom Powers began the night with a tribute to the film editor Karen Schmeer who was killed in a car accident on the previous Friday. (Photos courtesy of Joshua Weinstein) On Wednesday, STF hosted a special screening of THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE, followed by a conversation with director R.J. Cutler and Vogue creative director Grace Coddington. The audience was arguably the most fashionable looking STF audience ever. Coddington described her initial reluctance to get involved with the film. In order to woo her, Cutler gave her copies of A PERFECT CANDIDATE (that he directed) and MY ARCHITECT (shot by his DP Bob Richman). “I never did watch those,” said Coddington. See coverage on New York Magazine’s blog. (Photos courtesy of EJ)
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)
Although I always enjoy STF greatly, once in a while there are evenings that are tinged with some additional inspiration and magic. That’s how I would describe last Tuesday’s screening of RUNNING FENCE (1978). Co-presented with the Maysles Cinema, the evening began with a moving intro by STF curator Thom Powers who mentioned that RUNNING FENCE was extra poignant to him now that two of its central people had passed away: David Maysles (Albert’s brother and collaborator) and Jeanne-Claude (Cristo’s partner and collaborator). He also pointed out that the Eagles’ song “Take It To The Limit” which features prominently in RUNNING FENCE was played at David’s memorial service in 1987 – with not a dry eye in the entire room.
So what if you’re not going to Sundance. You can meet great filmmakers in person all winter long at STF. The year kicked off with pre-season events featuring docs on the Oscar shortlist, WHICH WAY HOME and VALENTINO: THE LAST EMPEROR. Last Tuesday, the STF Winter Season officially got started with the opening night presentation of SNOWBLIND, featuring a Q&A with director Vikram Jayanti. SNOWBLIND was the last film to be funded by Discovery Films that produced MAN ON WIRE and ENCOUNTERS AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD before closing down. As a result of the division’s closure, SNOWBLIND has been left orphaned for distribution. Jayanti told the STF audience that the screening boosted his morale.
On Jan 19, STF is proud to welcome Albert Maysles to present one of his most memorable collaborations with the artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, RUNNING FENCE. There are two more special bonus winter screenings that will be announced next week. That means if you buy a season pass now, you can get 11 shows for just $110.
Below are some fun photos from earlier this week – (click “read more”)
Last Tuesday, THE ART OF THE STEAL screened as a sneak preview at STF with the filmmakers in person. Inclement weather didn’t deter viewers from filling the theater, following the film’s critical acclaim at the Toronto and New York film festivals last fall.
Last week, STF sold out two nights in a row for unforgettable films and conversations. On Tuesday was 
On Wednesday, STF hosted a special screening of 
Although I always enjoy STF greatly, once in a while there are evenings that are tinged with some additional inspiration and magic. That’s how I would describe last Tuesday’s screening of