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Commentary- Waste Land & Cafe (19th Philly Film Fest)
As promised, here’s a post on the two films screened during the festival that I never got a chance to write about: Waste Land (synopsis) Filmed over nearly three years, Waste Land follows renowned artist Vik Muniz as he journeys from his home base in Brooklyn to his native Brazil and the world’s largest garbage dump, Jardim Gramacho, located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. There he photographs an eclectic band of “catadores”—self-designated pickers of recyclable materials. Muniz’s initial objective was to “paint” the catadores with garbage. However, his collaboration with these inspiring characters as they recreate photographic images of themselves out of garbage reveals both the dignity and…
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19th Annual Philadelphia Film Festival CLOSING Coverage 2010
By Le Anne Lindsay, Editor Sunday, (10.24.10) the official last day of The Philadelphia Film Festival, was my first screenings at Ritz Five, it was unintentional, but everything else I saw just happened to play in University City or The Prince. I saw Housemaid a South Korean film about a overly privileged, insufferably arrogant rich business man who takes advantage of his housekeeper/nanny. When she becomes pregnant his wife and mother-in-law conspire to get rid of her. The set production of their mansion is awesome, looks as if they’re living in a exquisitely appointed 4 star hotel. The film however, plays rather all on one level, felt as if scenes…
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19th Annual Philadelphia Film Festival – NIGHT CATCHES US & SEX MAGIC
by Le Anne Lindsay, Editor Not only was Friday night’s screening of Night Catches Us sold out, but attracted a cool, racial mix of peeps. This Centerpiece screening included a Q & A with writer/director Tanya Hamilton and lead Kerry Washington who looked really chic in her Costello burnt orange dress. Washington was drawn to the film not only because of it’s strong writing, but also the opportunity to humanize an important time period in our history, apart from the stereotypical depiction of afros, machine guns and fists in the air. The film is set around my neighborhood of Germantown/Mount Airy, a fact that one audience member was livid about.…
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19th Annual Philadelphia Film Festival Coverage – M. Night Shyamalan
Q&A with M. Night Shyamalan for 10 Anniversary of UNBREAKABLE during #PFF19 The Prince was packed last night for the 10th Anniversary screening of Unbreakable (starring Bruce Willis, Samuel L Jackson & Robin Wright Penn). Yes, it’s a good movie, worth revisiting on the big screen, but the crowded theater of excited people were truly there to see and hear from the film’s director and master of all things eerie – M. Night Shyamalan! You could tell Shyamalan really wanted to be there to share his thoughts on Unbreakable and filmmaking in general. Too bad there was another film scheduled after his Q & A, otherwise I think he would…
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19th Annual Philadelphia Film Festival Coverage – 11/4/08 Participatory Doc
11/4/08 – Obama/McCain Presidential Election Day, a date declared historic well before it ever happened. Director Jeff Deutchman commissioned friends across the globe to contribute to this unique living document by asking them to film the chatter, the atmosphere, the last minute voting push, the skepticism, the hope, the celebration, the feelings and reactions of people around the world on this day. At Monday’s Penn Bookstore Cafe Cinema discussion they used this film as an example of Omnibus filmmaking. Deutchman didn’t set a shooting schedule, or location shots, I don’t believe he shot any of the footage, although that would have been a good question for the Q & A…
