Sunday, February 22, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
2009 Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival entered its 25th year in 2009 which also marked my 13th year covering the festival. There has been a lot of changes in this time. Photographers used to shoot with film in the old days and now we all use digital cameras. A growing number of the films at Sundance arew now shot with digital video and then transferred onto film. Attenced has increased every year, although I don’t have the statistics for this year.
Festival founder Robert Redford kicked off the festival in earnest with a press conference in Park City’s’ Egyptian Theater.
“If you want to come into this business, you need to want it more than anything else in life because it's going to be a hard road," Redford said at the press event.. "It's going to take things like love, and hard work, and diligence, and tenacity, and bravery, and courage. And really to go through that, you're going to have to want it more than anything."
Redford expressed some frustration over the lack of funding for art and lashed out at the lack of financial support for the National Endowment for the Arts. He expressed hope that the incoming administration would be able to accomplish that.
"I think that there is going to be some change," he said. "Obviously with the economics the way it is, there's going to be priorities put in place that might get ahead of art. But I do believe we can't get any worse than we've had. So anything is going to be better."
The festival had a green theme. Gone were the water bottles of past festivals. Prominently displayed on the table at the press conference was a Brita water purifier and a couple of green nalgene bottles. The bottles were distributed in various places at the festival where you could refill your depleted bottle. The festivals’ closing film “Earth Days” recounts the history of the modern environmental movement in the United States. There were some other environmentally themed films in the festival including End of the Line” and “The Cove”.
The festival opened Thursday night at the Eccles Theater in Park City with the premiere of a claymation animation called “Mary and Max“, about an 8 year-old Australian girl and her middle-age pen pal in New York.
And now the movies, a few of my favorites……..
Sin Nombre
Sin Nombre is Fukunga’s first feature film. It tells a story of two Central American immigrants, Sayra(Paulina Gaitan) and Caspar(Edgar Flores) from Honduras attempt to make it the United States through Mexico whose route is the same as an estimated 70,000 Central Americans who try to make it to El Norte. They ride on a freight train to make the journey northward. Caspar is a member of the Mara Salvatrucha, the gang along the
Mexico- Guatemala border that preys on immigrants as they make their journey northward.
After the screening of the film two standing ovations were given.
“Sin Nombre;, directed by Cary Fukunaga, winner of the Sundance Film Festival Directing award: U.S.Dramatic at the Awards Ceremony.
Amreeka
One of my favorite films was “Amreeka” a film where a Palestinian women received a US visa and immigrated to the United States with her 17 year old son. Her story was no different in many respects than that of other immigrants.
Director Cherien Dabis’s auspicious debut feature, Amreeka, is a warm and lighthearted film about one Palestinian family’s tumultuous journey into Diaspora amidst the cultural fallout of America’s war in Iraq. Muna Farah, a Palestinian single mom, struggles to maintain her optimistic spirit in the daily grind of intimidating West Bank checkpoints, the constant nagging of a controlling mother, and the haunting shadows of a failed marriage. Everything changes one day when she receives a letter informing her that her family has been granted a U.S. green card. Reluctant to leave her homeland, but realizing it may be the only way to secure a future for Fadi, her teenage son, Muna decides to quit her job at the bank and visit her relatives in Illinois to see about a new life in a land that gives newcomers a run for their money.Dabis weaves an abundance of humor and levity into this tale of struggle, displacement, and nostalgia and draws an absorbing and irresistibly charming performance from actress Nisreen Faour as Muna, who stands at the heart of this tale. Amreeka glows with the truth and magic of everyday life and signals the arrival of an exciting, new directorial talent.-Shari Frilot
CASTNisreen Faour, Melkar Muallem, Hiam Abbass, Yussuf Abu-Warda, Alia Shawkat, Joseph Ziegler
El General Artists statement
“EL GENERAL” is inspired by six hours of audiocassette recordings that my grandmother, Alicia Calles, made about her life and her father,
Plutarco Elias Calles, a general in the Mexican Revolution and president of Mexico from 1924 to 1928. She wanted to write her father’s
biography, but all that remains of that intention are the audio recordings that were handed down to me - presumably to complete the biography that she never finished. The film examines my grandmother’s conflict in reconciling her memories of her father with history’s portrait of “EL GENERAL” while exploring how this past shapes Mexico today.”
Almadas’ great-grandfather is a controversial figure in Mexican history. Born in Guymas he rose to become a general in Mexico’s 1910 revolution. Calles was also founder of the PRI, the party that ruled Mexico for 70 years until the election of Vicente Fox.
“How do we reconcile the contradictions between our personal family memories and our country’s collective memory?” asks filmmaker Almada
Almada displayed a lot of courage by using some still photographs of priests hanging from lamposts during Calles term in office. He Was known as the “el Quema-Curas” (the priest-burner), “El Bolshevique” , which he was not, and “El Jefe Maximo” (the formost chief). These images are much different than the picture that the recordings made by her grandmother along with the family photos. Represent. The family photos and recordings show a family man.
Almada roamed about Mexico City and filmed working people in all aspects of life from the vendors in the market to the gas deliveryman. She filmed the dismantling of a apartment building in a working class neighborhood. This was after the disputed Mexican presidential election in 2006. She included dramatic footage of the street protests after the election with the protesters demanding “Sufragio Efectivo”, a vote, but also a vote that counts.
In 1910 the revolutionaries fought to overturn of the 30 year dictatorship as well as for a redistribution of wealth and land. Yet today the minumum wage in Mexico is $4.50 a day where at the same time Mexico also has some of the world’s wealthiest people, Almada says that “El General” moves between my grandmothers fractured memories of her father and my meanderings through Mexico City. The line between what is past, passing and to come is blurred as I look to the past to understand the present and at the present to understand the past.”
Almada said after the screening at the festival that her intent was not to make this an historical biography, that task has been taken on by historians.
Almada was the recipient of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival
Directing Award: U.S. Documentary. The film will be broadcast on P.O.V. in 2010.
Wounded Knee
Stanley Nelsons’ film, “Wounded Knee” brought back memories of the political turmoil that occurred during my youth. Besides Vietnam and the Civil Rights Movement I remember the American Indian Movement occupying Alcatraz Island and joining other Indians in taking over Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. The 71 day standoff in 1973 captured the attention of people throughout the world as 200 armed Sioux held off U.S. Marshalls and the FBI. Iconic images of proud Indians holding the US government at bay is a powerful part of the film.
The work of Salt Lake City documentary filmmaker Diane Orr who filmed the rebellion was used by Nelson as well as archival news footage from the vaults of ABC news. Recent interviews with the participants gave first hand accounts. Nelson also used historical still photographs and animation to help his story telling efforts.
The Wounded Knee rebellion was a response to the racism prevalent at the time. Indian children were removed from their families and forced to go to boarding schools. Corrupt officials from the US governments’ Bureau of Indian Affairs teamed up with reservation elected officials to rule the reservations with an iron fist. Old treaties were consistently dishonored.
The film is part of a five part series on Native Americans and will be shown on PBS sometime in April.
A couple of films I saw with a synopsis from the festival’s film guide:
Good Hair
When Chris Rock’s daughter, Lola, came up to him crying and asked, “Daddy, how come I don’t have good hair?” the bewildered comic committed himself to search the ends of the earth and the depths of black culture to find out who had put that question into his little girl's head! Director Jeff Stilson’s camera followed the funnyman, and the result is Good Hair, a wonderfully insightful and entertaining, yet remarkably serious, documentary about African American hair culture.An exposé of comic proportions that only Chris Rock could pull off, Good Hair visits hair salons and styling battles, scientific laboratories, and Indian temples to explore the way black hairstyles impact the activities, pocketbooks, sexual relationships, and self-esteem of black people. Celebrities such as Ice-T, Kerry Washington, Nia Long, Paul Mooney, Raven Symoné, Maya Angelou, and Reverend Al Sharpton all candidly offer their stories and observations to Rock while he struggles with the task of figuring out how to respond to his daughter’s question. What he discovers is that black hair is a big business that doesn’t always benefit the black community and little Lola’s question might well be bigger than his ability to convince her that the stuff on top of her head is nowhere near as important as what is inside. -Shari Frilot
Recipient of A Special Jury Prize: U.S. Documentary.
La Mission
Set in the colorful, seedy streets of the San Francisco district that bears its name, La MISSION is a story of redemption imbued with the curative power of Aztec tradition. Feared, yet respected, as the baddest Chicano on the block, Che (Benjamin Bratt), a reformed inmate and recovering alcoholic, resorts to violence and intimidation to get what he wants. A bus driver by day, Che lives for his beloved son, Jesse, his lifelong friends, and his passion for lowrider cars. Che and the “Mission Boyz” salvage junked cars, transforming them into classics.Che’s macho world is crushed when he discovers that Jesse’s been living a secret life. In a violent rage, Che pummels Jesse and throws him out of the house. Lena, an attractive neighbor and a force to be reckoned with, is a woman with a few secrets of her own. Mutual attraction percolates as Lena challenges Che to reconcile the life he thought he had.Sundance veteran Peter Bratt (Follow Me Home) returns with a powerful second feature. Propelled by commanding performances from Jeremy Ray Valdez as Jesse and Erika Alexander as Lena—and featuring an exceptional turn by Benjamin Bratt—La MISSION is a haunting story of healing and transformation: the healing of a broken man, of a father’s relationship with his son, and of a neighborhood struggling to break the chains of violence.-David Courier,
CASTBenjamin Bratt, Erika Alexander, Jeremy Ray Valdez, Jesse Borrego, Talisa Soto Bratt
Rudo Y Cursi
Y Tu Mamá También costars Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna are reunited on the big screen in Rudo y Cursi, a delightful romp of a comedy drama deftly directed by Carlos Cuaron.Beto (Luna) and Tato (Bernal) are a pair of rivaling, dim-witted brothers who work on a dusty banana ranch and play soccer for their local team. Beto, a goalie whose hot temper on the field earns him the nickname of Rudo, dreams of becoming a professional soccer player, while Tato wants to be a famous singer. They both share the dream of building a big house for their mother, Elvira, but all of their desires seem completely out of reach, that is, until a talent scout, Batuta, discovers their skill on the field. To Beto’s chagrin, it is Tato, whose curlicue field play earns him the nickname of Cursi, who is chosen to become a star player. Not to be bested, Beto scores a goalie position on a rival team, further intensifying the competition between them. But success makes the brothers confront their own personal demons and sets them on a chase for more than just soccer balls.Cuaron keeps the energy high and the laughter rolling even as he crafts a moral into the story. But even if the dueling brothers do find a way out of the banana ranch, will the banana ranch ever find a way out of them?-Shari FrilotCASTDiego Luna, Gael García Bernal, Guillermo Fracella
I watched this film at Rose Wagner Theater in Salt Lake City. It played to a packed house and the audience loved the film. Diego Luna, Gael García Bernal are veteran and talented Mexican actors and played their roles well. I didn’t like the film. The film had its moments where it was funny but it was also sexist, stereotypical, and crude at times. It really seemed to me that it was a little brothers’attempt to make another Y Tu Mamá También.
Sundance continues throughout the year in Utah starting with screenings of the best of the festival January 26 and continuing throughout the year. Here are some links to the sponsors.
Park City Film Series: http://www.blogger.com/:%20slcfilmcenter.org/
Salt Lake City Film Center: http://www.blogger.com/:%20slcfilmcenter.org/
href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30816404@N04/sets/72157612627150500/">
Sundance institute: www.sundance.org/
2009 Sundance Film Festival my pictures are here
Festival founder Robert Redford kicked off the festival in earnest with a press conference in Park City’s’ Egyptian Theater.
“If you want to come into this business, you need to want it more than anything else in life because it's going to be a hard road," Redford said at the press event.. "It's going to take things like love, and hard work, and diligence, and tenacity, and bravery, and courage. And really to go through that, you're going to have to want it more than anything."
Redford expressed some frustration over the lack of funding for art and lashed out at the lack of financial support for the National Endowment for the Arts. He expressed hope that the incoming administration would be able to accomplish that.
"I think that there is going to be some change," he said. "Obviously with the economics the way it is, there's going to be priorities put in place that might get ahead of art. But I do believe we can't get any worse than we've had. So anything is going to be better."
The festival had a green theme. Gone were the water bottles of past festivals. Prominently displayed on the table at the press conference was a Brita water purifier and a couple of green nalgene bottles. The bottles were distributed in various places at the festival where you could refill your depleted bottle. The festivals’ closing film “Earth Days” recounts the history of the modern environmental movement in the United States. There were some other environmentally themed films in the festival including End of the Line” and “The Cove”.
The festival opened Thursday night at the Eccles Theater in Park City with the premiere of a claymation animation called “Mary and Max“, about an 8 year-old Australian girl and her middle-age pen pal in New York.
And now the movies, a few of my favorites……..
Sin Nombre
Sin Nombre is Fukunga’s first feature film. It tells a story of two Central American immigrants, Sayra(Paulina Gaitan) and Caspar(Edgar Flores) from Honduras attempt to make it the United States through Mexico whose route is the same as an estimated 70,000 Central Americans who try to make it to El Norte. They ride on a freight train to make the journey northward. Caspar is a member of the Mara Salvatrucha, the gang along the
Mexico- Guatemala border that preys on immigrants as they make their journey northward.
After the screening of the film two standing ovations were given.
“Sin Nombre;, directed by Cary Fukunaga, winner of the Sundance Film Festival Directing award: U.S.Dramatic at the Awards Ceremony.
Amreeka
One of my favorite films was “Amreeka” a film where a Palestinian women received a US visa and immigrated to the United States with her 17 year old son. Her story was no different in many respects than that of other immigrants.
Director Cherien Dabis’s auspicious debut feature, Amreeka, is a warm and lighthearted film about one Palestinian family’s tumultuous journey into Diaspora amidst the cultural fallout of America’s war in Iraq. Muna Farah, a Palestinian single mom, struggles to maintain her optimistic spirit in the daily grind of intimidating West Bank checkpoints, the constant nagging of a controlling mother, and the haunting shadows of a failed marriage. Everything changes one day when she receives a letter informing her that her family has been granted a U.S. green card. Reluctant to leave her homeland, but realizing it may be the only way to secure a future for Fadi, her teenage son, Muna decides to quit her job at the bank and visit her relatives in Illinois to see about a new life in a land that gives newcomers a run for their money.Dabis weaves an abundance of humor and levity into this tale of struggle, displacement, and nostalgia and draws an absorbing and irresistibly charming performance from actress Nisreen Faour as Muna, who stands at the heart of this tale. Amreeka glows with the truth and magic of everyday life and signals the arrival of an exciting, new directorial talent.-Shari Frilot
CASTNisreen Faour, Melkar Muallem, Hiam Abbass, Yussuf Abu-Warda, Alia Shawkat, Joseph Ziegler
El General Artists statement
“EL GENERAL” is inspired by six hours of audiocassette recordings that my grandmother, Alicia Calles, made about her life and her father,
Plutarco Elias Calles, a general in the Mexican Revolution and president of Mexico from 1924 to 1928. She wanted to write her father’s
biography, but all that remains of that intention are the audio recordings that were handed down to me - presumably to complete the biography that she never finished. The film examines my grandmother’s conflict in reconciling her memories of her father with history’s portrait of “EL GENERAL” while exploring how this past shapes Mexico today.”
Almadas’ great-grandfather is a controversial figure in Mexican history. Born in Guymas he rose to become a general in Mexico’s 1910 revolution. Calles was also founder of the PRI, the party that ruled Mexico for 70 years until the election of Vicente Fox.
“How do we reconcile the contradictions between our personal family memories and our country’s collective memory?” asks filmmaker Almada
Almada displayed a lot of courage by using some still photographs of priests hanging from lamposts during Calles term in office. He Was known as the “el Quema-Curas” (the priest-burner), “El Bolshevique” , which he was not, and “El Jefe Maximo” (the formost chief). These images are much different than the picture that the recordings made by her grandmother along with the family photos. Represent. The family photos and recordings show a family man.
Almada roamed about Mexico City and filmed working people in all aspects of life from the vendors in the market to the gas deliveryman. She filmed the dismantling of a apartment building in a working class neighborhood. This was after the disputed Mexican presidential election in 2006. She included dramatic footage of the street protests after the election with the protesters demanding “Sufragio Efectivo”, a vote, but also a vote that counts.
In 1910 the revolutionaries fought to overturn of the 30 year dictatorship as well as for a redistribution of wealth and land. Yet today the minumum wage in Mexico is $4.50 a day where at the same time Mexico also has some of the world’s wealthiest people, Almada says that “El General” moves between my grandmothers fractured memories of her father and my meanderings through Mexico City. The line between what is past, passing and to come is blurred as I look to the past to understand the present and at the present to understand the past.”
Almada said after the screening at the festival that her intent was not to make this an historical biography, that task has been taken on by historians.
Almada was the recipient of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival
Directing Award: U.S. Documentary. The film will be broadcast on P.O.V. in 2010.
Wounded Knee
Stanley Nelsons’ film, “Wounded Knee” brought back memories of the political turmoil that occurred during my youth. Besides Vietnam and the Civil Rights Movement I remember the American Indian Movement occupying Alcatraz Island and joining other Indians in taking over Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. The 71 day standoff in 1973 captured the attention of people throughout the world as 200 armed Sioux held off U.S. Marshalls and the FBI. Iconic images of proud Indians holding the US government at bay is a powerful part of the film.
The work of Salt Lake City documentary filmmaker Diane Orr who filmed the rebellion was used by Nelson as well as archival news footage from the vaults of ABC news. Recent interviews with the participants gave first hand accounts. Nelson also used historical still photographs and animation to help his story telling efforts.
The Wounded Knee rebellion was a response to the racism prevalent at the time. Indian children were removed from their families and forced to go to boarding schools. Corrupt officials from the US governments’ Bureau of Indian Affairs teamed up with reservation elected officials to rule the reservations with an iron fist. Old treaties were consistently dishonored.
The film is part of a five part series on Native Americans and will be shown on PBS sometime in April.
A couple of films I saw with a synopsis from the festival’s film guide:
Good Hair
When Chris Rock’s daughter, Lola, came up to him crying and asked, “Daddy, how come I don’t have good hair?” the bewildered comic committed himself to search the ends of the earth and the depths of black culture to find out who had put that question into his little girl's head! Director Jeff Stilson’s camera followed the funnyman, and the result is Good Hair, a wonderfully insightful and entertaining, yet remarkably serious, documentary about African American hair culture.An exposé of comic proportions that only Chris Rock could pull off, Good Hair visits hair salons and styling battles, scientific laboratories, and Indian temples to explore the way black hairstyles impact the activities, pocketbooks, sexual relationships, and self-esteem of black people. Celebrities such as Ice-T, Kerry Washington, Nia Long, Paul Mooney, Raven Symoné, Maya Angelou, and Reverend Al Sharpton all candidly offer their stories and observations to Rock while he struggles with the task of figuring out how to respond to his daughter’s question. What he discovers is that black hair is a big business that doesn’t always benefit the black community and little Lola’s question might well be bigger than his ability to convince her that the stuff on top of her head is nowhere near as important as what is inside. -Shari Frilot
Recipient of A Special Jury Prize: U.S. Documentary.
La Mission
Set in the colorful, seedy streets of the San Francisco district that bears its name, La MISSION is a story of redemption imbued with the curative power of Aztec tradition. Feared, yet respected, as the baddest Chicano on the block, Che (Benjamin Bratt), a reformed inmate and recovering alcoholic, resorts to violence and intimidation to get what he wants. A bus driver by day, Che lives for his beloved son, Jesse, his lifelong friends, and his passion for lowrider cars. Che and the “Mission Boyz” salvage junked cars, transforming them into classics.Che’s macho world is crushed when he discovers that Jesse’s been living a secret life. In a violent rage, Che pummels Jesse and throws him out of the house. Lena, an attractive neighbor and a force to be reckoned with, is a woman with a few secrets of her own. Mutual attraction percolates as Lena challenges Che to reconcile the life he thought he had.Sundance veteran Peter Bratt (Follow Me Home) returns with a powerful second feature. Propelled by commanding performances from Jeremy Ray Valdez as Jesse and Erika Alexander as Lena—and featuring an exceptional turn by Benjamin Bratt—La MISSION is a haunting story of healing and transformation: the healing of a broken man, of a father’s relationship with his son, and of a neighborhood struggling to break the chains of violence.-David Courier,
CASTBenjamin Bratt, Erika Alexander, Jeremy Ray Valdez, Jesse Borrego, Talisa Soto Bratt
Rudo Y Cursi
Y Tu Mamá También costars Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna are reunited on the big screen in Rudo y Cursi, a delightful romp of a comedy drama deftly directed by Carlos Cuaron.Beto (Luna) and Tato (Bernal) are a pair of rivaling, dim-witted brothers who work on a dusty banana ranch and play soccer for their local team. Beto, a goalie whose hot temper on the field earns him the nickname of Rudo, dreams of becoming a professional soccer player, while Tato wants to be a famous singer. They both share the dream of building a big house for their mother, Elvira, but all of their desires seem completely out of reach, that is, until a talent scout, Batuta, discovers their skill on the field. To Beto’s chagrin, it is Tato, whose curlicue field play earns him the nickname of Cursi, who is chosen to become a star player. Not to be bested, Beto scores a goalie position on a rival team, further intensifying the competition between them. But success makes the brothers confront their own personal demons and sets them on a chase for more than just soccer balls.Cuaron keeps the energy high and the laughter rolling even as he crafts a moral into the story. But even if the dueling brothers do find a way out of the banana ranch, will the banana ranch ever find a way out of them?-Shari FrilotCASTDiego Luna, Gael García Bernal, Guillermo Fracella
I watched this film at Rose Wagner Theater in Salt Lake City. It played to a packed house and the audience loved the film. Diego Luna, Gael García Bernal are veteran and talented Mexican actors and played their roles well. I didn’t like the film. The film had its moments where it was funny but it was also sexist, stereotypical, and crude at times. It really seemed to me that it was a little brothers’attempt to make another Y Tu Mamá También.
Sundance continues throughout the year in Utah starting with screenings of the best of the festival January 26 and continuing throughout the year. Here are some links to the sponsors.
Park City Film Series: http://www.blogger.com/:%20slcfilmcenter.org/
Salt Lake City Film Center: http://www.blogger.com/:%20slcfilmcenter.org/
href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30816404@N04/sets/72157612627150500/">
Sundance institute: www.sundance.org/
2009 Sundance Film Festival my pictures are here
Thursday, February 5, 2009
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