Last Tuesday night, there’s a reason the show sold-out a week in advance and a wait-list line began congregating an hour prior to showtime. STF was screening Jonathan Demme’s rarely seen print SWIMMING TO CAMBODIA (1987) and everyone delighted in an opportunity to remember Spalding Gray. The evening was co-presented by the Woodstock Film Festival. Co-founder and executive director Meira Blaustein conducted the post-film Q&A with Demme, editor Carol Littleton (whose editing credits include E.T., THE BIG CHILL and many others) and impromptu guest Judy Arthur (member of the KILLING FIELDS crew and features in Spalding’s monologue). To read more about the evening, visit Karina Longworth’s blog here.
L to R: Judy Arthur, Jonathan Demme, Carol Littleton, Meira Blaustein, Raphaela Neihausen. Photo courtesy of Steven Krasnopolsky (Vernissage Studio 21).
Three years ago, I started a seasonal blog for the Toronto International Film Festival that traditionally starts in late July and runs through the September festival. This year, I’ve decided to do some early reporting from the Cannes Film Festival. In my first report, I preview the hidden pockets of nonfiction at the festival. You can follow the action at 
Two sold out theaters welcomed Doug Pray’s latest film 
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: 
The top documentary awards at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival went to… (drum roll please…):