Recent winners at the Cinema Eye Honors, THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE (Audience Prize) and THE COVE (Best Feature, Cinematography, Production) have been added to the STF winter season for February. Director R.J. Cutler and Vogue creative director Grace Coddington will take part in a Q&A for THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE on Wednesday, Feb 3; and director Louis Psihoyos will appear for THE COVE on Monday, Feb 8.
In other news, STF has announced titles for the Tuesday, Feb 2 event “A Night with Ross McElwee.” The director of SHERMAN’S MARCH, who was honored last week with the Cinema Eye Legacy Award, will present two early short works CHARLEEN (1977) and BACKYARD (1984). The double bill runs roughly 1 hour 20 minutes, followed by a Q&A with McElwee.
Brian Newman recently posted a blog listing 20 film leaders under the age of 40. That inspired me to make my own list, excluding those already on Brian’s and focusing on jobs other than filmmaking – curators, distributors, archivists, etc.
My list is entirely off the top of my head without other input. That influences why half the people are based in New York City; and why the group tilts heavily, though not exclusively, to documentary. Brian lamented not including more people from outside North America. I sympathize as my international contacts tend to be older than 40, but I did manage a smattering of overseas representation. I encourage list-makers based elsewhere to celebrate their own local talent. Readers should feel free to add names and comments to this post.
Here are my 20 to watch. Years from now when they hold positions of power, I hope they give me a job:
Snowden Becker, one of the founders of Home Movie Day, impressed me greatly when I first interviewed her at the Association of Moving Image Archivists conference six years ago. She and her Home Movie Day crew opened a new way for the public to understand film preservation: not just as Hollywood history, but as your family history. I look forward to the day when she runs the Library of Congress.
Laura Coxson of Maysles Films is among a group of young people who have infused new life into the venerable production company after its move to Harlem. Veteran filmmakers take heed from the Maysles example: if you want to ensure your company’s future, you need to train the next generation.
Hussain Currimbhoy, programmer for the Sheffield Documentary Film Festival, has proven to be an indefatigable seeker, supporter and host for filmmakers. He’s been as a key asset in helping Heather Croall to build Sheffield into a worthy fall destination.
Matt Dentler is almost too well established to be on a list of fresh talent. In his twenties, he elevated the profile of the SXSW Film Festival, adding to the prominence of Austin, Texas as a center of taste-making. Now at Cinetic Film Buff, he’s leading the charge into the unknown terrain of digital distribution. Whichever way that goes, we’ll all benefit from the lessons he learns.
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.
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”)
This month brings so many Top 10 film lists, it makes me nostalgic for the days of media monopolies. When only a few critics had a platform, I recall more passionate debate about neglected or over-rated films. Nowadays when venues like Indiewire are polling over 100 critics, there is scarcely a film that won’t end up on somebody’s list. Sure, the proliferation of list-making spreads around more recognition. But I wonder if it carries us further away from serious reflection. Rarely, do I see critics elaborate on how they arrived at their choices. In his book “Reverse Angle,” John Simon lamented the whole enterprise:
There is something antithetical to the very notion of criticism in the concept of a ten-best list: it is almost as deplorable as reviewing a movie by meting out to it one of four stars….
Criticism at best, of course, is only a set of subjective opinions. But it is opinions expounded at some length: explained, illustrated with examples and quotations, supported with comparisons and contrasts to other works, related to certain standards of aesthetics and even ethics, and viewed in a larger context of human life.
Having aired this misgiving, I’ll now proceed to flout it with my own list. For me, half of the experience of a film is to discuss it afterwards. So, continuing my tradition from last year, I’ve adapted the exercise of list-making to recall my favorite events in 2009 where those conversations took place.
1) SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL (January) – I was privileged to be a juror for the World Documentary Competition and wrote about that experience here. Over the course of the year, STF audiences got to enjoy a few stand out titles from that section: THE GLASS HOUSE, TIBET IN SONG, and BIG RIVER MAN.
2) WILLIAM GREAVES TRIBUTE AT STF (February) – No STF show ever caused as much of a ticket frenzy as the tribute to the pioneering filmmaker William Greaves. On the Monday before the show, when there were no more tickets to be had, I spent the day fielding desperate calls from luminaries trying various means to coax or bully an extra ticket. The most tactless was a downtown festival programmer who was an exemplar of entitlement and ingratitude. Much more gracious was Steve Buscemi who expected no special treatment and purchased a ticket in advance. At one point, I answered the phone to be greeted by the voice of Sidney Poitier. For him, I would have found a ticket. But he was in Los Angeles and merely wanted to send a note to be read in his absence. The lucky ticket holders were treated to clips from several of Greaves’ works including EMERGENCY WAR, THE FIGHT and SYMBIOPSYCHOTAXIPLASM: TAKE ONE, followed by a conversation with Elvis Mitchell, Orlando Bagwell and Thomas Allen Harris.
Recent winners at the Cinema Eye Honors, THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE (Audience Prize) and THE COVE (Best Feature, Cinematography, Production) have been added to the STF winter season for February. Director R.J. Cutler and Vogue creative director Grace Coddington will take part in a Q&A for THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE on Wednesday, Feb 3; and director Louis Psihoyos will appear for THE COVE on Monday, Feb 8.
Brian Newman recently 
This month brings so many Top 10 film lists, it makes me nostalgic for the days of media monopolies. When only a few critics had a platform, I recall more passionate debate about neglected or over-rated films. Nowadays when venues like Indiewire are polling over 100 critics, there is scarcely a film that won’t end up on somebody’s list. Sure, the proliferation of list-making spreads around more recognition. But I wonder if it carries us further away from serious reflection. Rarely, do I see critics elaborate on how they arrived at their choices. In his book “Reverse Angle,” John Simon lamented the whole enterprise: