STF launches its thirteenth season on April 6, 2010 with a sneak preview of AND EVERYTHING IS GOING FINE (2010), including a Q&A with director Steven Soderbergh. This doc is an intimate portrait of master monologist Spalding Gray, as described by his most critical, irreverent and insightful biographer: Spalding Gray. The film pulls from some 90 hours of material to fashion a new narrative exploring, among other things, art-making, mental illness and the sometimes thin line between the two. This sneak preview is part of STF’s mission to present the most exciting new work in documentary. (Please note: Opening Night is currently available only for season pass sales. Any remaining ticket supply will go on sale the week before the screening.)
Another STF aim is to bring fresh attention to older work. A notable example is the pioneering classic MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA (1929), directed by Dziga Vertov and showing on May 25. Filmmaker John Walter (HOW TO DRAW A BUNNY; THEATER OF WAR) has painstakingly edited a new modern score to accompany this film. The season also features docs from the world’s best festivals: Amsterdam (IDFA), Full Frame, Sheffield, Slamdance, Sundance, SXSW, and Toronto (TIFF).
“This season will round out five years of STF,” said Artistic Director Thom Powers, who also serves as the documentary programmer for the Toronto International Film Festival. “We started in fall 2005 with Doug Block’s 51 BIRCH STREET as our first film. Now we’re proud to have him back with his latest, THE KIDS GROW UP.”
The STF spring season takes place at the IFC Center every Tuesday night at 8:00 pm for ten weeks, through June 8. Each event includes a discussion with the filmmakers, followed by a gathering at the nearby bar Alibi Lounge. Tickets for Stranger Than Fiction screenings are $16 for the general public and $13 for IFC Center members. A Season Pass, good for admission to all 10 evenings per season (plus additional specials) is available for $110, or for $85 for IFC Center members.
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.
Cinema Eye Honors pulled off its third annual event celebrating documentary craft and innovation in multiple categories. The ceremony, held at the auditorium in the New York Times building, was co-hosted by AJ Schnack and Esther Robinson and featured an array of doc luminaries as presenters including Barbara Kopple, Albert Maysles and Peter Davis. The night’s big winners were THE COVE (Best Feature, Cinematography, Production), Agnes Varda (Best Director), THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE (Audience Award), and OCTOBER COUNTRY (Best Debut, Composer). See Indiewire for the full list of winners.
After the ceremony, the party moved down 41st Street to the Arena nightclub. Pictured on top are presenters Carl Deal and Tia Lessin (TROUBLE THE WATER), flanking Peter Davis (HEARTS & MINDS) with Amir Bar-Lev (THE TILLMAN STORY) on right.
The day after STF concludes its Fall Season, we’ll return on Wednesday, Dec 2 with the Sundance sensation BIG RIVER MAN, an Amazonian epic that plays like a cross between Borat and Fitzcarraldo. It will be the first of three December specials serving as appetizers to the STF Winter Season. The other events include a screening of the cinema verite classic A MARRIED COUPLE, as a tribute to filmmaker Allan King who died earlier this year; and a sneak preview of I’M DANGEROUS WITH LOVE, the latest work by Michel Negroponte, fresh from its debut at Sheffield Docfest. Act now to buy a STF Winter Season pass to attend all three December specials, plus the regular 10 STF shows every Tuesday from January 12 to March 16. That’s a total of 13 films – plus 2 free Docurama DVDs – for the early bird discount price of $95. That price will rise to $110 in January. You can get the early bird price by clicking through to the tickets page for any December special. Don’t let the winter blues get you down. Join us at STF for inspiring films and great conversations.
This year marks the 15th anniversary since HOOP DREAMS premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the audience award for Best Documentary. Roger Ebert described this film as “one of the great moviegoing experiences of my lifetime.”
To celebrate this special anniversary, STF will screen HOOP DREAMS on Monday November 9th. Due to the length of the film – the screening will commence at 7pm. Filmmaker Peter Gilbert will be in attendance. Tickets now on sale here.
STF launches its thirteenth season on April 6, 2010 with a sneak preview of AND EVERYTHING IS GOING FINE (2010), including a Q&A with director Steven Soderbergh. This doc is an intimate portrait of master monologist Spalding Gray, as described by his most critical, irreverent and insightful biographer: Spalding Gray. The film pulls from some 90 hours of material to fashion a new narrative exploring, among other things, art-making, mental illness and the sometimes thin line between the two. This sneak preview is part of STF’s mission to present the most exciting new work in documentary. (Please note: Opening Night is currently available only for season pass sales. Any remaining ticket supply will go on sale the week before the screening.)
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 
The day after STF concludes its Fall Season, we’ll return on Wednesday, Dec 2 with the Sundance sensation 
This year marks the 15th anniversary since