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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…
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19th Annual Philadelphia Film Festival Coverage 2010 #PFF19
So I’m going to start from last night’s Stewart Bradley fundraiser at the Sumo Lounge at RAW and work my way backward to Saturday, with quick commentary, so that I can catch up with all my recent activity at the festival. This fan pictured with Bradley is not indicative of the crowd, which was mostly very young. Which is super to see a younger set supporting PFS. But I’m starting to feel very old, I really don’t enjoy club scenes at all anymore. I just wanted to survey the layout, get a nibble or two and get out. The eats were butlered: dumplings and bite size sushi rolls, including my…
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19th Annual Philadelphia Film Festival Coverage – BLUE VALENTINE
#PFF18 Continues with BLUE VALENTINE Q&A After the screening of Blue Valentine on Friday night, Producer Jamie Patricof gave us a little background on how long it has taken to get this film to the screen. He’s been on board for 9 of the 12 years Derek Cianfance (Brother Tide) was in the midst of both writing and directing this wonderfully heart-wrenching depiction of a couple learning each other, needing each other, and then needing different things. In the first incarnation of the screenplay Cianfrance had planned to cast an actress by the name of Shannon Plum, although she ultimately never got the role, she did land the director, Cianfrance…
