DIY Filmmaker Sujewa

Watch some new indie movies for free at No Budge

2012-01-27T01:30:00.002-05:00

Check out No Budge project here.

- S

Sundance interview on 2 Days In New York

2012-01-27T01:27:00.000-05:00

On Julie Delphy's new movie, sequel to 2 Days In Paris, this one co-starring Chris Rock. Read article here.

- S

A Joe Swanberg movie that doesn't suck - Marriage Material

2012-01-27T01:16:00.000-05:00

While virtually all Swanberg movies I've seen thus far has not worked for me (except for a short), this one - Marriage Material is pretty good (still, don't expect regular entertainment, not much happens). MM is shot well, acted well. Check it out for FREE until the end of January:

Marriage Material from Joe Swanberg on Vimeo.

- S

Spike Lee's post-Red Hook Summer premiere Q & A from Sundance

2012-01-27T01:13:00.000-05:00

See what all the drama is about. Red Hook Summer sounds like an interesting movie, looking forward to checking it out.

- S

All the God talk aside, pretty good advice from Tyler Perry

2012-01-27T01:08:00.000-05:00

As an agnostic & a fan of art/indie film (by & large) I usually do not have any use for Tyler Perry's movies & other work - but, he is productive - well, very productive - so probably a good idea to pay some attention to his approach to working. Pretty good advice here (aside from the God stuff) - basically he says to pick one thing & focus:

- S

Maybe we'll work this blog for another year

2012-01-27T01:05:00.000-05:00

I get the feeling that 2012 will be a good year for DIY film. So perhaps time to fire up this blog again. Lots of updates will be happening starting around 2/15 (in the middle of a move, so a little busy at the moment). Few new things going up until then.

- S

Date Number One (in several parts) on YouTube - A January 2012 Project

2012-01-14T03:39:00.000-05:00

This link will be more useful in a few days (as the entire Story 1 is already posted above on this blog), but, for now, this is where all of Date Number One will be posted (in segments) as they are added to YouTube this month. Check them out!

- S

Back to blogging daily with The Sujewa Blog

2011-11-28T04:12:00.000-05:00

Since quitting daily or other regular blogging at this blog I've been busy on Facebook (groups primarily), & with some Twitter, & several other blogs that I mostly just started & then left alone. I think, for me, blog entries are rough drafts for other creative projects, and blogs themselves are a reminder to myself of interesting subjects (material for future films or other creative projects). Anyway, I am back to blogging on a regular basis at The Sujewa Blog. This new blog will pull ideas from all of my other blogs (60+) & sites & will generally lead with posts re: my film projects. Also expect posts re: film & indie film, NYC, politics, art, the world, time travel, etc. Check it out.

- S

On the Hal Hartley Kickstarter project

2011-11-04T01:44:00.002-04:00

Here.

- S

Occupy Wall Street film project links

2011-10-05T00:13:00.000-04:00

There's a collaborative film being made about the Occupy Wall Street protests nation wide, get links to the project, & info on how you can help, here: http://sujewaekanayake.blogspot.com/2011/10/occupy-wall-street-film-project-links.html. Thanks!

- S

NYC Film Culture blog & Facebook group now up

2011-09-30T23:13:00.000-04:00

Check out the blog here (link for Facebook group is on blog). Thanks!

- S

DIY+, ex-DIY, post-DIY, life after DIY

2011-08-28T12:54:00.000-04:00

Some of the new film projects that I am working on are very DIY, but some are not (sprawling projects that take many collaborators & business entities to produce & distribute). So, most of my new blogging will be done at the new Sujewa Ekanayake blog. Will post links from time to time for that blog & other projects from this blog.

- S

Homemade-poster-to-assist-with-the-scriptwriting for The Real Ben Stiller posted at the film's blog

2011-08-23T00:57:00.000-04:00

this is just a part of the poster, click on the image to go see the entire thing

All Volunteer & Debt Free Filmmaking & Distribution may be a good replacement for Independent Film - 13 quick notes about the idea

2011-08-19T03:31:00.002-04:00

Read it here.

- S

new stuff at the SE blog

2011-08-03T02:06:00.000-04:00

dig it

- S

Time to replace Independent Films label with something like Interesting, Unsual Films

2011-08-01T03:41:00.001-04:00

Due to the success of the independent filmmaking movement, & the web, & the digital revolution, Independent Film, at this point in time, is largely a meaningless label. Because at this point Independent Film does not represent one set of ideas, or one particular political stance - it's just temporarily-outside-of-Hollywood filmmaking - covering genres from horror to coming of age romantic comedies - so almost anything can be called Independent now - even multi-million dollar movies featuring Hollywood stars. Also, no content - critical voices, just plain bizarre scenes, characters, dialogue, etc - are outside of the mainstream anymore - everything is readily available from one source or another, nothing is forbidden. So, Independent Film is largely an art/entertainment making movement of the very recent past. So, what's new - what do we have now?

We have all kinds of interesting filmed art & entertainment happening - on movie screens, on regular TV, on cable TV, on the internet, on DVDs, on cell phones. As a content creator or filmmaker - find out what you would like to make & find out the best available way to make it right now - maybe fully self financed on a budget of $100 or financed by investors on a budget of $100,000, or a TV series produced by a major studio - whatever works. As an audience member, seek out what excites you through all the available avenues. Indie recommendations, indie theaters, even indie film focused blogs, are no longer very relevant - as what is being considered officially indie has become very uninteresting (for example - Miranda July's The Future, pretty much most of the Mumblecore movies, etc) and very interesting things are starting to pop up from unexpected sources (Woody Allen's Midnight In Paris being better/more enjoyable than most indie movies by younger filmmakers that I've seen recently, also Star Trek: Enterprise coming up with some very interesting & entertaining episodes on Netflix - available for streaming).

So, thanks Independent Film, you changed the world, enjoy your retirement. If the media making & distribution & consumption landscape radically changes for the worse, I am sure you'll be brought back to action - like an old timey superhero.

In the meantime, hello interesting & unusual & enjoyable movies - regardless of the way you were made, how much or little money went into making you, who stars, etc.

All in all I think this post-indie film present-near future situation is an improvement on things. Lets see if we end up with better movies, more enjoyable movies, & more useful movies under this system than we did with the old indie vs. hollywood or indie & hollywood system.

- S

Did the indieWIRE blogs section used to be better (or am I just getting old)?

2011-07-30T02:01:00.000-04:00

The indie (real indie) & amature enthusiasm of indieWIRE blogs section seems to be over (or at least it feels like it) & there does not seem to be many blogs on there now that post interesting content. Maybe it's a temporary thing, a summer thing perhaps, maybe things will get better in the fall. Or, perhaps the days of indie-film-blogs-as-entertainment are over (i guess it was a good thing i filmed indie film blogger road trip back in '08 - which now seem like a golden era for indie film blogging). Maybe everyone's moved on to better things, or other platforms such as Twitter & Facebook. Anyway, kids, back in the day, you were able to go to the indieWIRE blogs page & read some very interesting stories about independent movies & business. Blogs then were as interesting or in some cases more interesting than the movies & the making of movies that they wrote about. Now, not so much (although, a couple of blogs on iW blogs page are still very interesting, so, maybe the iW blogs page will make a comeback).

Or, another option (other than waiting for indieWIRE blogs page to get better) is for someone to organize a well financed indie film blogging site that pulls in a lot of interesting voices/bloggers from all corners, & pays bloggers to blog, & create a more interesting/less dull alternative to indieWIRE - a fun place to visit to find out about indie movies, related drama & comedy, etc. Jump on this idea bright young entrepreneurs, make it happen (& get rich doing it - hopefully :)

- S

Furniture, summer light, & music

2011-07-24T14:07:00.000-04:00

check out a new cell phone video i shot in a brooklyn furniture warehouse.

- s

"The Real Ben Stiller" (working title) - new summer project

2011-07-10T12:15:00.000-04:00

the final half awake dream of last night was a conversation with movie star ben stiller at a doctor's office, & now it's a one page summary of a feature length script. new summer project - "The Real Ben Stiller" (working title). let me know if anyone knows a good ben stiller look-alike/actor in NYC.

i'd say, very loosely speaking, it's "being john malcovich"(sp?) meets maybe a certain kind of star trek episode (yes, space aliens are involved in this story) or maybe columbo/monk/quiet city - some kind of a mystery show meets john cassavette's (sp?) shadows (very, very lightly). how's that for a clear description? :)

- s

Jon Moritsugu on "Terminal USA"/Comcast in July & the old days of DIY distro

2011-07-08T00:35:00.000-04:00

Check out the article at Truly Free Film.

::

And here's the essential info re: "Terminal USA"/Comcast in July:

"TERMINAL USA will be available on COMCAST thru the entire month of JULY ON-DEMAND as part of the “Cinema Asian America” series. More info+cites at: http://www.jonmoritsugu.com/"

- S

Blog for Green Fig, excellent new cafe in Sunset Park, is up

2011-06-29T07:37:00.000-04:00

A great addition to Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Read all about it here.

- S

Photo by Sujewa Ekanayake. Copyright 2011 Ekanayake.

New short film "Khoobi (are you ok)"

2011-06-29T02:51:00.000-04:00

Khoobi (are you ok) - 2011 from Amir Motlagh on Vimeo.

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This new short film by Amir Motlagh was released yesterday. In "Khoobi (are you ok)" a character reflects on living in Iran during the Iran-Iraq war, some aspects of Iranian history, and about his attempt to make movies in America. A well made movie that features a couple of other interesting stories - a clip from an Iranian movie - about several treasure hunters, & a statement being read by a boy who fought in the Iran-Iraq war. There is humor throughout the movie - low key - specially enjoyed a brief casting scene where an actor persistently tries to play the lead role in a movie. "Khoobi", though it looks & sounds like a regular/mainstream accessible movie most of the times, is probably most likely an experimental movie - I will let critics & experts in experimental cinema comment on that aspect of the movie. So, multiple threads, multiple tones, and reflections within reflections - all shot extremely well & with great sound design & music. Check it out if you want to see a very interesting (in a positive sense) short film. Here is the official description of the film, from its Vimeo page:

"A young man born with an obsessive compulsive drive dreams of making a movie. His first feature length film. But obstacles lay in his path, including memories of his childhood days spent in a war torn world, that shake his soul to this day."

More here.

- S

Production Notes video re: tattoo culture doc Color Outside The Lines

2011-06-27T03:37:00.000-04:00

Production Notes: LA Edition from artemus jenkins on Vimeo.

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More about the doc at Afro-Punk.

- S

Conan's editors are not happy with Final Cut Pro X

2011-06-24T13:10:00.002-04:00

- S

Diversity In Independent Film Facebook Group page & blog are up

2011-06-15T19:17:00.000-04:00

Driven by recent events (FSLC panel discussion that overlooked minority & female indie filmmakers in NYC) & similar incidents over the years, I created a new Facebook page to help raise the profiles of minority & female independent filmmakers - Diversity In Independent Film. Check it out, join, post relevant links, stories, & other material. The Fb group page has a dozen or so links already.

Also, a blog for the same project has been started - see it here. The blog will be more accessible to the world since you do not have to log into Facebook to read the content. Should be able to develop the blog to a pretty good starting point over the next few days, & soon there will be lots of daily stories about minority & female independent filmmakers.

- S

Light Industry & friends Kickstarter project!

2011-06-13T22:12:00.002-04:00

Check it out, looks like the space will do some pretty neat things:

- S

Dear Film Center/Film Society of Lincoln Center...

2011-06-12T16:29:00.000-04:00

Posted below is an e-mail that I sent to Film Center/Film Society of Lincoln Center re: volunteering to help organize a panel discussion featuring NYC based minority filmmakers, an idea that rose out of this post at Ted Hope's blog.

"Sujewa Ekanayake to filminfo, members, patrons, editor

show details 3:38 PM (0 minutes ago)

Volunteer to help organize a panel discussion re: minority indie filmmakers in NYC at Film Center

Dear Film Center/Film Society of Lincoln Center,

I am a New York City (Brooklyn) based independent filmmaker & blogger (see details below my signature) and I enjoyed watching (live on web) the New Faces of NYC Indie Film panel discussion moderated by Ted Hope (http://blogs.indiewire.com/tedhope/archives/your_second_chance_new_faces_of_nyc_indie_film_video/ ) at Film Center yesterday. Since that panel discussion, and also many other indie film panel discussions that take place in New York City, did not feature many non-"white" filmmakers, and since there are, and have been for decades, many non-"white" indie filmmakers active in New York City & rest of the US, I think it would be beneficial to many (you, the American film scene in general, the filmmakers themselves) if the Film Center hosted a panel discussion (or several) featuring new (& maybe old) minority/non-"white" filmmakers. Of course this discussion does not have to be a totally segregated event as many such panel events are - the discussion can also feature "white" filmmakers who care about the issue of diversity in indie film & have actively worked to improve the situation. I am volunteering my time & work to help organize a panel discussion at Film Center that features a significant number of non-"white" filmmakers in NYC. Thank you, & I look forward to hearing your thoughts about this event suggestion as soon as it is possible for you to do so.

Sujewa Ekanayake
Director - Brooklyn Fantastic, Indie Film Blogger Road Trip, Date Number One, Capital Heartbreak & Sweetness: 17 DC Poets, Wild Diner, Fresh Coffee
Blogger - DIY Filmmaker (http://diyfilmmaker.blogspot.com/ )
e-mail: wilddiner@gmail.com
cell: xxx-xxx-xxxx

P.S: I personally do not believe in race theory or in its most popular form at the moment in US - dividing individuals into different camps based on physical features such as skin color, etc. However, by people who do believe in race theory, I am classified as non-"white". Since contemporary US is still holding on to the ideas of races (an invention of the age of discovery - about 500 years ago), divisions created by slavery in the US, then segregation, then ideas highlighted by WWII ear Germany, even though it does not benefit us to do so, & since these beliefs so thoroughly permeate all layers (or at least most) of life in the US, even a non-believer in race theory such as myself cannot avoid dealing with the fact that most people believe in race theory, and act accordingly, often producing negative results. The area of creation & consumption of mass entertainment, under which indie film falls, is a good area as any in American life to continue to deal w/ negative effects of race theory. Thus, a panel discussion featuring non'"white" filmmakers would also make a contribution to the overall/global & national, on-going, discussion about race, race theory, etc. Which, to me, sounds like an ideal project for a significant cultural institution such as the Lincoln Center."

- S

2 problems w/ Dynamo Player

2011-06-12T04:12:00.000-04:00

As you can see above this post I have one of my novies - Date Number One - available via Dynamo Player. Overall I am very happy w/ Dynamo, except there are two problems that I have not been able to solve yet (after trying several times over the last month):

1 - Can't add a free preview to my program
-- the upload happens, then nothing, not sure exactly what's going on here, perhaps it's my computer (though other uploads, to other sites, work fine), may need to try to add a preview using another computer

2 - Can't add a still image for the program
-- can't click on the ADD button for an image - nothing happens

Other than that, I am glad that the Dynamo option exists for independents. With a significant amount of publicity work, for some movies, it might be a good distribution option. Too early to tell for certain, but, Dynamo looks promising (& hopefully I can get my two problems solved soon).

- S

Latest on the EBM (Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center)

2011-06-10T01:11:00.000-04:00

So until someone comes up with a better/shorter/easier name, I am going to call the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center - the latest place for art, indie, foreign movies in NYC - the EBM. Here's some fresh news about the EBM.

Yeah, EBM sounds good, but not to be confused with BAM in Brooklyn of course.

- S

Film Society of Lincoln Center celebrating their new film center with free events weekend of June 10 - 12

2011-06-03T16:01:00.000-04:00

Read all about it at Film Society of Lincoln Center's site.

And here is an indieWire article on the festivities.

And here is a New York Times article about the new Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center.

- S

Thanks Madlab Post

2011-06-03T15:48:00.000-04:00

The Madlab Post blog says the following about this blog while giving us the Overlord Award:

"DIY Filmmaker
For championing indie film in a way that got others such as IndieWire to start paying more attention to certain philosophies on DIY and the state of the independent film community."

Thanks!

- S

Saw "Midnight in Paris" :: Link to a story about the making of Woody Allen's first movie

2011-05-29T03:54:00.000-04:00

Saw "Midnight in Paris" at the Angelika last night (if you're gonna watch a Woody Allen movie, doing it in Manhattan may be the best way to go - but, for this movie, Paris might be better), had a lot of fun at the show. Best to go see the movie w/ out reading too much about it. Highly recommended for fans of literature (at least of the big names from modern lit history) & the subject of time travel.

Good read here about the start of Woody Allen's filmmaking career.

- S

"Machan" benefit screening for Kandy International Film Festival, Wed 5/26, Brooklyn

2011-05-22T16:28:00.000-04:00

Here's the Facebook page for the event.

Basic Info (see Facebook page for more):

Time: Wednesday, May 26, 6 PM - 9 PM

Location: Rebar, 147 Front Street, Brooklyn.

Kandy International Film Festival website.

- S

Interview with 1970's breakthrough Sri Lankan alternative filmmaker Dharmasena Pathiraja

2011-05-22T02:23:00.002-04:00

While doing research for another project, stumbled on this very interesting interview. From the intro:

"He has been referred to as a "rebel with a cause," an "enfant terrible of the '70s, and is widely recognised as the pioneer of Sri Lankan cinema's "second revolution." However, from his speech and writings, one gathers Dharmasena Pathiraja is more interested in re-examining the values that underpin such popular labels than to let his work be framed by mere posturing. If Lester James Peries has been credited with the establishment of an indigenous Sinhala cinema coinciding with Sri Lanka's political, social and cultural revolution during the mid-1950s, and whose works were categorised as "art films" dissimilar to those of mainstream filmmaking, Dharmasena Pathiraja's arrival on the scene in the 1970s would redefine a socially conscious Other to Peries' gaze on "bourgeois idealism." For Pathiraja, critical engagement would be his "alternative.""

Read the rest of the interview at Kinema.

- S

Trailer for the under $1K feature LORD BYRON

2011-05-21T22:50:00.002-04:00

The feature length movie "Lord Byron" played at Sundance 2011, has gotten some good reviews (including a begrudgingly positive one from Mike "Hammer to Nail" Tully, who is not a fan of real indie movies/movies w/ out Hollywood/Indiewood production values or aesthetic values - but probably 'cause the flick got the Sundance stamp of approval, & also see the much better New York Times review), & some screenings, and most importantly was made for $700 - a budget that most DIY filmmakers can no doubt love. Here's the trailer:

- S

The Lokayata Series & update from NYC

2011-05-15T02:52:00.001-04:00

Fairly restless day today, but a very good off day from day job work, got a lot of writing & organizing done for film projects. Big news from life in NYC is the new day job is going pretty well - working for a DVD distribution company (believe it or not people still buy A LOT of DVDs in America) - still not able to make movies beyond the ultra-low budget level at best, but the job is making it possible to survive, deal with debt slowly, & get some film work done in NYC on off days - so not bad for now.

Alright, before the new film news, let's bring any new readers up to speed. Here are the titles of the movies that I've completed so far: Fresh Coffee, Wild Diner, Capital Heartbreak & Sweetness: 17 DC Poets, Date Number One, Indie Film Blogger Road Trip. And one more, Brooklyn Fantastic, is shot & is being edited, not yet complete. And there are a dozen screenplays at various stages of completion at the moment. Of the completed movies, Date Number One is available for rental from Dynamo Player, see link at top of blog. And Indie Film Blogger Road Trip is available to view for free from Blip.TV, see link on this blog. Brooklyn Fantastic will go out to festivals as soon as it is done, & then on DVD & VOD. The other movies, mostly early "learning experience" movies, will be made available via some form or format in the near future (perhaps extras on VOD programs or DVDs).

But onto the next thing: The Lokayata Series. I've planned out in great detail several movies - all ultra low/no budget, requiring no crew (maybe 1 other tech besides myself), & to be self-distributed - and all will be dealing with - in a mainstream accessible way - comedy basically - with important aspects of being alive at this moment in time & place - 2011 or so, USA, NYC. So, I guess you can say the movies are philosophical comedies, or just comedies that deal in some significant & entertaining way with some large questions for us humans (or some persistent questions of ours, maybe mental background noise or chatter for most people) - one of which is why is the world the way it is (maybe, from one character's perspective mostly evil than good, or at least mostly dysfunctional as opposed to functional), & what, if anything, can I do about it, & if not being able to immediately make changes I want to make, how do I successfully deal with life until that time for desired change comes - stuff like that, pretty much. Of course for each movie the questions dealt with will be very clearly defined, not vague as it may read here. By the way the term lokayata is said to be from or refers to an ancient materialist school of philosophy from India, now largely lost, that predates Buddhism & modern Hinduism. I also like the way the word sounds, reminds me of a word I heard in Sri Lanka as a kid - "lokaya" - or "the world".

So, that's it for coming attractions for now. Check out Date Number One, which went live on Dynamo Player on 5/4, if you haven't yet. I hope to deliver/make available a couple more movies - at least - next month - in June. And then hopefully new movies on a regular basis - every couple of months.

- Sujewa

Jay Duplass doc "Kevin" - Kickstarter project

2011-05-14T13:52:00.003-04:00

Midnight in Paris trailer, Movieline review

2011-05-13T14:37:00.000-04:00

Woody Allen's new movie Midnight in Paris gets a glowing review at Movieline - check it out.

Here's the trailer for the movie:

- S

right about now, 2 years ago - interview with reid gershbein

2011-05-11T02:42:00.001-04:00

still amazed that reid manages to make no budget features, very no budget features, w/ a no crew/tiny crew & that the movies look interesting (visually) & that they are interesting content wise - read interview that i did with him back in '09 here.

- s

Richard Brody is excited about the Maryland Film Festival

2011-05-10T12:39:00.000-04:00

Read all about it at this New Yorker blog post.

- S

3 min Preview of Date Number One

2011-05-07T12:07:00.000-04:00

3 min Preview of Date Number One from Sujewa Ekanayake on Vimeo.

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Watch the rest of the movie here, at Dynamo Player ($1.99 for a 7 day rental, can use Pay Pal or Amazon, do not need to have a Pay Pal account - can use your credit card with it).

- S

Date Number One available through Dynamo Player

2011-05-05T02:57:00.002-04:00

Pictured above - 4 characters from Date Number One, played by John Stabb Schroeder, Jewel Greenberg, Dele Butler, Jennifer Blakemore. Photos Copyright 2006 Sujewa Ekanayake/Wild Diner Films.
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5 years after it premiered in DC, my feature comedy Date Number One is finally available to view through a widely accessible method - a 7 day rental through the web for $1.99 (pay through Pay Pal or Amazon) from Dynamo Player - look at the top of the blog or click here to check out the comedy about a ninja that goes on a blind date and other first date stories.

- S

NYT article about African American Film Festival Releasing Movement :: "I Will Follow" discussion at Hope for Film

2011-05-04T13:40:00.000-04:00

Check out the New York Times article here.

And check out post by director of film "I Will Follow" at Hope for Film blog.

- S

Intro to Dynamo Player

2011-05-03T14:49:00.000-04:00

The Case of the Missing Verizon Tech

2011-05-02T23:40:00.002-04:00

The tale, based 100% on real life events, fresh in memory since it happened today:

1. Verizon tech is scheduled to show up between 8 AM - 12 Noon at my apartment in Brooklyn to get us their "amazingly fast" (or some such promising/exciting thing) internet service

2. Hours go by, no call from Verizon tech or anyone else from Verizon. A call is placed by me to Verizon around 2 PM, literally 12,000 menus later, the automated system tells me that I am still scheduled to get internet service today & that even a live representative will have that information only (their passive aggressive way of trying to keep potential customers from even attempting to try to get a hold of a live representative).

3. More hours go by, 6:45 PM, I call Verizon again to see what's going on. After dealing with 12,000 menus I get a hold of a live representative. She is not certain why the tech did not show up or call. And she is not sure when the tech can try to come back out to my place. She wants me to call Verizon in the morning & try & see if I can schedule another tech visit. There is no direct number to call, I must go through 12,000 automated menus again the next day.

4. Conclusion: Apparently Brooklyn, not unlike Bermuda Triangle for sailors of old, is a mysterious & difficult place for Verizon & their techs. They just disappear here, time & appointments & the accepted norms in businesses - such as updating your client when major changes happen to plans - cannot be observed by Verizon in Brooklyn. So I decide to look to other corporations for my internet needs.

Further Conclusions:

- perhaps Verizon is too big, not enough competition makes companies lazy & they start taking potential customers for granted, time for other folks to start up internet service companies for New Yorkers & everyone else for that matter

- all wise souls who reside in Brooklyn - & perhaps elsewhere for that matter - may want to think twice about ordering internet service from Verizon

- S

Movieline article on Tribeca fest closing night & "Newlyweds"

2011-05-01T16:24:00.001-04:00

Pretty good, check it out.

- S

2 video clips from Behind Jim Jarmusch post-screening Q & A, 4/29/11, NYC

2011-05-01T01:40:00.002-04:00

Featuring Lea Rinaldi (director of Behind Jim Jarmusch), & the world famous actor Isaach De Bankole (The Limits of Control, Night On Earth).

Clip 1

Clip 2

- S

Isaach De Bankole said the story in The Limits of Control is not symbolic

2011-04-29T22:45:00.007-04:00

L to R: Moderator from Museum of Arts and Design, "Behind Jim Jarmusch" director Lea Rinaldi, actor Isaach De Bankole, 4/29/11, NYC

Let me clarify that title above - of course anything can be symbolic - can hold a meaning other than what is primarily presented in a given object, story, or person, but, what I wanted to find out was that as an actor, when faced with a scene such as the one where De Bankole's character tells Bill Murray's character in the fortress scene that he (the hit man/De Bankole) got into the well guarded facility using his imagination, was that statement in the script accepted as truth in the real world (of the movie) by him (De Bankole, the actor, in playing the character, as opposed to the scene being a dream sequence, a fantasy, or a symbolic/not-real scene)?

De Bankole said it - the statement/the event - was real.

Further explanation: my question to De Bankole was how exactly did the hit man use his imagination to get into the well guarded room? De Bankole said that earlier in the script clues are given, such as being able to break the body down into small molecules, etc and by using those methods the hit man was able to get past the guards. So, if that is the truth, if De Bankole approached the script as a "real" story (specially that scene, the most important one in the entire movie in my opinion), & not a symbolic story, then the next time I watch The Limits of Control I am going to approach it the same way - the story presented is literal, or more literal than symbolic (the first time I watched the movie I did not know exactly what to make of it). So the hit man actually walks, walks, walks, & then uses special abilities to get into a guarded room & kill the bad guy - instead of that whole story being primarily a symbol for many other things (creative power vs guns, etc.). Cool, mystery cleared, thanks to everyone who had a hand in making the screening event mentioned below possible. I am going to take The Limits of Control as an actual story that happens in the world of the movie, just as Stranger Than Paradise, Mystery Train, Night On Earth were real stories, as opposed to dream sequences, or other primarily symbolic scenes, within the world of the movie.

That Q & A mentioned above happened earlier today at the NYC/Museum of Art and Design screening of Behind Jim Jarmusch, a doc about the making of The Limits of Control. I believe the doc is available as an extra on the Limits DVD. Check it out, great movie for Jarmusch fans.

- S

UN report on the end of the civil war in Sri Lanka

2011-04-28T23:21:00.004-04:00

Lots of killing by people who have divided themselves into two competing groups (Sinhala & Tamil) after buying into race theory, one of the oldest & most destructive lies/tool of war & conquest in the world. Read the report here.

- S

Perhaps the logic behind Limits of Control will be revealed in the doc about making of the movie

2011-04-28T22:54:00.002-04:00

The doc of which I speak is called Behind Jim Jarmusch (not a great title in my humble opinion, but perhaps it has more meaning in French, most likely the native language of the director of the doc), and it is screening in NYC tomorrow night (go here for info). Looking forward to seeing it. Perhaps the doc will illuminate exactly what's going on in Limits of Control - the most mysterious - design wise - of all of Jarmusch's movies. Here are 3 clips from the doc, go see it yo:

clip 3

*

clip 2

*

clip 1

*
- S

Doc on Jim Jarmusch screening on Fri 4/29 (tmrrw) in NYC

2011-04-28T14:00:00.002-04:00

*

Get info on the screening here.

- S

What's up with all the Elvis Mitchell hate?

2011-04-26T11:38:00.003-04:00

Here's Anne Thompson's reaction to a fellow film critic losing a job, pretty evil. That's just one of a dozen similar articles out there.

But on the bright side, here's Kim Voynar's reaction to the firing, pretty classy.

Anyway, back to the question - what's with all the hate re: Mitchell? Probably due to jealousy.

So, the future (that's the closest I can come to a Source Code reference at this time)? Mitchell will no doubt land another great gig, his supporters & friends will be happy, & the haters will either keep on hating or work on their writing & other creative skills so that they too may be able to one day experience the kind of success Mitchell has experienced. Really, has Anne Thompson appeared in Entourage playing herself - or will she ever? I don't think so.

What all this drama shows is that Mitchell is a genuine rock star film critic (perhaps the only one right now?). So whoever hires him next will benefit not only from his creative skills, but his reputation (even though they may have to work with Mitchell's apparently sometimes less than professional ways, but, you know, dealing with great talents takes some work & requires some flexibility, not an unusual thing in the entertainment biz). One thing is for certain, I did not know much about Mitchell or read much of his writing prior to the recent Movieline firing drama, and now, having read some reviews of his & having listened to interviews conducted by him, looks like he does very good work - looking forward to reading more.

- S

a statue of a diy filmmaker is up in new york

2011-04-24T19:33:00.003-04:00

a statue of andy warhol at union square, nyc.

- s

Short film "Koothu" - street theater & leprosy in a village in Sri Lanka

2011-04-23T00:16:00.001-04:00

Koothu from Kannan Arunasalam on Vimeo.

Of course artists (for the most part) have always worked other jobs

2011-04-22T23:05:00.001-04:00

But to some in the indie film world, this is a new reality - check out the shock & the sadness at this post by Ted Hope.

Indie film, for the most part, is art film people. Anything art will always require financial support from sources other than revenue generated by the selling of the said art (there are some exceptions to this view from time to time, of course).

But, on the other hand, it is only a short walk from art film to entertainment/most Hollywood type filmmaking - so, make a genre film every once in a while, distribute it, & see if u can pay some bills with the $s gained.

Anyway, everyone dies eventually, so might as well spend your time on Earth doing something that you love or at least enjoy a lot. So, if indie filmmaking is your choice for that, then enjoy it, & if you gotta have some day jobs in order to make it happen, then enjoy that part of being an indie filmmaker also.

- S

Driving without batteries & other stories from Sri Lanka - the short film Kerosene

2011-04-22T22:46:00.002-04:00

Check out the short film Kerosene in its entirety here.

- S

Koothu, paper and Kerosene trailer

2011-04-22T22:35:00.002-04:00

Trailer: Koothu, paper and kerosene from Kannan Arunasalam on Vimeo.

::

More about the films here.

- S

Daily News article on Ed Burns, "Newlyweds", & Tribeca film fest

2011-04-22T22:09:00.003-04:00

Read it here.

- S

Khoobi page

2011-04-22T21:56:00.002-04:00

Here's the page for Amir Motlagh's new movie Khoobi, which will be released to the world soon. If you are into Iranian history & or know about belonging to two worlds but not being at home in either, you will probably dig the movie. More on the movie when it becomes available for everyone to view - this summer I believe.

- S

James Spooner interview re: vegan tattooing

2011-04-22T21:28:00.000-04:00

check it out fans.

- s

Saw "Blank City"

2011-04-14T01:43:00.002-04:00

Saw "Blank City", doc about NYC underground film in the 1970's & 80's at the IFC Center last night. I think the neighborhood that IFC Center is at now was probably the same neighborhood that the filmmakers in the doc were hanging out in back in the day - in its rougher, run down incarnation. Anyway, about the doc - great if you are a fan of any of the artists featured in the doc - and me being a huge fan of Jarmusch movies it was a treat to connect some dots as to how films such as Stranger Than Paradise came to be. When I first saw Stranger in film school in the early 90's it seemed as if the film was beamed to earth from an alien planet, 'cause everything about it was far different from movies I had seen up to then - but now it turns out that there was a whole bunch of people & ideas that contributed to the eventual style that broke out into the world via Stranger. The scene at the screening was fun - people talked with each other - strangers - a bit before the screening, the folks working at IFC center were friendly & were fans of the movie, etc. "Blank City" will probably motivate contemporary indie filmmakers to get more work done since it is a lot easier now to produce high quality images & sounds and the whole idea of off-Hollywood/art/indie/underground filmmaking has been turned into a normal & accepted & known & commercially viable aspect of culture - something that the folks featured in "Blank City" had more than a little to do with, as far as I can tell. So, yeah, good movie, worth the $13, see it in a movie theater with other people/meet some like minded strangers at the screening & maybe do your own, modern version of the underground film scene afterwards. - S

They said they were shooting a show called Prime Suspect

2011-04-05T00:44:00.003-04:00

Some of what I saw when walking home from work today.

Blank City trailer & show times link

2011-03-30T23:22:00.002-04:00

Trailer:

Blank City Official Trailer from Celine Danhier on Vimeo.

:: Show times. & the official site for the movie. See ya there! - S

Trailers for 3 InDigEnt films, to celebrate the life & work of Gary Winick

2011-03-27T22:42:00.005-04:00

Here's indieWIRE's article about the passing of filmmaker (& founder of InDigEnt digital video indie film production project) Gary Winick. And here are the clips: :: :: Rest in peace Gary Winick, you made some good movies while you were here. . - S

Interview about making Jon Moritsugu's new movie PIG DEATH MACHINE

2011-03-26T01:35:00.002-04:00

Interview here.

Check out the trailer for the movie & some cool photos of the filmmaking team when u r at the page.

Go Jon, Amy & PDM Team!

- S

Greta Gerwig talks about Whit Stillman's new movie

2011-03-26T01:16:00.002-04:00

Check out the interview here.

- S

On Ed Burns' $9K shooting budget for new feature

2011-03-26T01:12:00.001-04:00

Interesting article at Filmmaker blog.

- S

Feeling alienated by the lack of community in the indie film community?

2011-03-25T00:53:00.003-04:00

Then you may want to to sit through Indie Film Blogger Road Trip in its entirety - available for FREE at Blip.TV - to see some old familiar faces (well, at least the faces that connect to the blogs about indie film you may have read a year or two or three ago) & to hear some thoughts about why we do what we do (at least some of us, at one point in time or another).

So, now that Indie Film Blogger Road Trip is available in its entirety on the web, off to work on getting the rest of my stuff - older movies - out on the web, DVD, etc. One partially down (still need to make more IFBRT DVDs), about 2+ to go (maybe I'll make stuff prior to Date Number One (Wild Diner, etc) a part of one DVD (later this year), & make a DNO DVD available + DNO available on the web (ASAP - by early April), & then follow up w/ a Brooklyn Fantastic DVD later this year, or just everything prior to BF on the web ASAP, & also as extra material on the BF DVD when that becomes available - maybe that's the best way to go, will see).

- S

Recently watched - Pollock & DIY of DIE

2011-03-20T02:07:00.002-04:00

Saw Pollock & DIY or DIE recently, both good movies:

- S

Next new movie is an arty kung fu movie

2011-03-20T01:17:00.002-04:00

Started a blog for it - Shaolin Slow Jams is the title of the movie. More here.

- S

I Am Michonne video - zombie fighting warrior woman in Brooklyn

2011-03-15T17:15:00.004-04:00

For more info go here.

- S

Soft Focus with Ad Rock

2011-03-07T03:09:00.001-05:00

- S

Interview with Matthew "PUTTY HILL" Porterfield & trailer for film

2011-03-06T23:12:00.002-05:00

Within 30 days: Date Number One, Indie Film Blogger Road Trip, Brooklyn Fantastic

2011-03-06T13:33:00.003-05:00

Well, at looooong last (3 months) re-settling in NYC (getting a nice day job(s) going, having only a dozen immediate problems to deal w/ daily as opposed to five dozen, etc.) is finally done. So, by April 6, should be able to make Date Number One DVDs & more Indie Film Blogger Road Trip DVDs easily available for interested people, also should have Brooklyn Fantastic completed & heading out to screening opportunities & on its way to DVD.

::

3/24/11 update: Indie Film Blogger Road Trip - entire movie - on Blip.TV

- S

Kaboom review at New York Times

2011-03-05T23:23:00.000-05:00

Check it Araki fans.

- S

Kaboom trailer

2011-03-05T23:16:00.001-05:00

Greg Araki's new movie:

The trailers for Uncle Kent & Septien are pretty good

2011-03-05T23:06:00.002-05:00

I really do not plan on going out of my way to watch either Uncle Kent (haven't liked previous Swanberg movies I've seen) or Septien (had some problems with Tully in the past, & also not a fan of his previous movies), but, the trailers for both movies are pretty good (see for yourself below). But, if nothing else, it is cool that these filmmakers are finishing new work & getting them out (a lot more than what I did last year on the film front, but hopefully 2011 will be a different story).

The trailers:

Uncle Kent:

Septien:

- S

For all my Farsi speaking readers - VOA interview with Amir Motlagh

2011-03-05T22:58:00.001-05:00

VOA Interviews Amir Motlagh from Amir Motlagh on Vimeo.

Amir Motlagh's WHALE in its entirety (2010 version)

2011-03-05T22:50:00.001-05:00

Whale_feature film (2010) from Amir Motlagh on Vimeo.

::

For more info on the film & the maker, go here.

- S

No, I am not the director of Egalite for All

2011-03-05T22:38:00.002-05:00

At the moment I (or another person who spells their name exactly the way I do, pretty unlikely) am listed as the director of Haitian revolution doc Egalite for All on Netflix & Amazon. IMDB lists Noland Walker as the director. Unless I have horrible memory or an alternate reality is bleeding into this one, most likely IMDB is correct. Hopefully Netflix & Amazon will update their records soon (pretty difficult to send an e-mail to Netflix about this issue btw).

- Sujewa

Uncle Boonmee review at New York Times

2011-03-03T20:50:00.001-05:00

Check it out - an enjoyable read that may make you want to see the movie.

- S

The Fear Inside's review of the movie Septien

2011-03-03T01:37:00.002-05:00

It's an amusing read - check it out. (well, amusing in the sense that it's funny to imagine the author of the review sitting through the movie, & also the maker of the movie is a film critic/film writer who also dabbles in filmmaking from time to time - which i imagine is a tough job - can a professional film critic/reviewer/film writer ever be a good filmmaker? probably, but it would be very difficult i think because to be a critic is to attempt to define a new work in relation to older works & to make judgements about the work not just for oneself but also for a select audience & to be a good filmmaker/artist (of the art film variety at least) is to attempt to pioneer new ways of doing things & primarily select elements that work well for oneself - anyway, all that lightly related stuff aside, i'll have to see Septien for myself & report at some point, if time permits (maybe when i get some time off in like 40 years or something :))

- S

COLD WEATHER review

2011-02-23T23:29:00.005-05:00

This is a movie review but it's an unusual review (probably) because I am going to just ramble on and on about the movie & related things for a while. Anyway, Cold Weather, made by director Aaron Katz & team was a good time at the movies. I saw it about a week or so ago at the IFC Center in NYC. Now, I was just very glad to get a couple of free hours & hang out at a movie theater (isolated from phone calls, e-mails, the never ending essential/do today 2 Do list, etc.) because life in NYC is pretty insanely busy (i call it New York Speed - which is like at least 4x faster than the pace of things in other parts of the country) so I wasn't taking a sharp critical eye to the movie but I was watching it with another filmmaker, & the discussion afterwards brought out some aspects of the movie that I did not think about earlier because I was too busy enjoying the movie - and those critical aspects will also be mentioned - later (maybe, if i feel like it when i get there). So let's get to the essential stuff & the good stuff. Cold Weather is about a dude who moves in with his sister (go here for a cast list) & then stumbles onto a mystery & then goes about trying to solve it with the help of a friend from work & the said sister (go here for a whole bunch of regular reviews of the movie, if you are interested in learning more stuff about the movie & getting some pro-reviewer perspectives). So, I enjoyed the movie - it was shot well, acted well, edited well, great music, unpredictable, and I liked the ending. The ordinary, domestic stuff, scenes that appear early in the film had an extra degree of tension & suspense to it since I knew going in to the theater that the movie is more or less a mystery movie (yup, i was busy looking for clues while the characters were doing their sibling bonding thing). Also, star Raul Castillo did a great job I thought (his character did not seem to be aware of the fact - well, far less than others - that he was in a movie - i guess the performance felt a little bit more "real" for me (i know, a vague & highly subjective statement, sorry)). For you filmmakers out there, the flick was shot on a Red camera for a $100K budget, according to statements made by the filmmakers. Film looked great, & sounded great, at/for any budget really. So, going forward, I guess we can't have any more excuses about low tech quality in indie movies because of the low budget. There's a little cafe/sandwich shop/whatever right outside one of the exits to Bedford Ave subway stop that looks just like (if i recall correctly) a restaurant that was in Katz's previous movie Quiet City.

- Sujewa

It's COLD WEATHER time

2011-02-08T23:35:00.003-05:00

Apparently, at the IFC Center in NYC.

new york year 2 blog is up

2010-12-08T02:28:00.001-05:00

king of a travel blog, except not traveling - living in one city for the most part (but living in nyc feels like traveling) - go here to see.

Back in Sunset Park

2010-12-03T01:59:00.004-05:00

Pic taken on 1st night at new apt (11/30 night). I expect to resume work on movies around 12/6.

- S

Gabe & Paula's (ex-Atlanta Film Festival) new projects!

2010-11-25T10:57:00.001-05:00

Gabe Wardell & Paula Martinez are going to be two very busy film professionals in the coming months - read all about the new projects that they have started since leaving the Atlanta Film Festival.

- S

Back to NYC!

2010-11-25T10:44:00.003-05:00

That's right, after being away for a few months (in MD), I am heading back to NYC - will be there starting in December. Didn't get any film work done while in MD (too busy working the day jobs & getting things set up for the move back to NYC), but I hope to pick work back up on the several film projects of mine when I am back in NYC. NYC Round 2 (Round 1 was Fall 2008 - Spring 2010) should be easier - got more & better work (day job work) to help pay the bills over there (& thus, hopefully, more time for filmmaking). Looking forward to December & 2011!

- S

Clip from Mysterious Object at Noon

2010-11-06T02:10:00.002-04:00

::

Read about the movie here.

Or here.

- S

Watching Nice Guy Johnny at the moment

2010-10-30T19:52:00.009-04:00

i was going to do a whole live blogging thing, but best just to watch the movie & write about it later. so, later on...

:: (about an hour later, movie is still rolling)

flick is shot very well. at some points looks like a J. Crew ad.

:: (flick is over)

Alright, saw Nice Guy Johnny - entertaining, time well spent, & $3.99 well spent (saw it via cable on-demand). Some thoughts about the movie:

- shot well/great cinematography from beginning to end

- great music

- the secondary character Uncle Terry is funny - an entire movie about that character might be fun to watch

- not clear about the motivations of the Brook (sp?) character - why she does some of the stuff she does - but - I guess that's like real life sometimes (maybe it would have been better if that character & Johnny had a previous thing in NY & then they met up again in NY, etc., etc. - but, the story is told/the film is set & out, what it is now is what it is)

- Ed Burns' minimalism is still at work (like in the early bar scene in the movie - clean, under populated, simply shot scene, very clean sound, etc.)

- movie's got a couple of nice shots of NYC (they should use those in the ads)

Anyway, I think that's all I'll say. Flick is worth checking out for fans of Ed Burns' movies, & perhaps also for people who are up and coming sports casters & are facing some issues with their significant others.

Here's the official trailer, iTunes access to the movie, etc:

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/niceguyjohnny/

& the official site for the movie.

::

&, just for fun, here is an homage (to french new wave films i think) trailer they made for NGJ:

- S

New developments in e-readers :: self-publishing e-books

2010-10-29T11:27:00.003-04:00

Had to learn a lot about the Nook e-reader (Barnes & Noble) for work recently (one of my day jobs is at a B&N store) - it's a cool device with some very useful features for readers (can barrow books from libraries, can lend books to others), & they have a color version of the Nook coming out soon (Nook color promo video at top) . Check out this NYT article about new developments in the e-reader market.

And, for the DIY crowd - here are two links related to self-publishing e-books:

- selfpublishebooks.com site - an intro to the process/business

- Pubit! - B&N's e-book self-publishing option

- S

Ed Burns on making money from iTunes, new 3 member crew $25K feature, etc.

2010-10-18T10:23:00.002-04:00

Lots of good info. from Ed Burns in this video clip (also stuff from other panelists, Burns speaks towards the middle/end):

Distribution Panel, Woodstock Film Festival 2010 from BEA Submitter on Vimeo.

A Barry Jenkins interview from SFIAAFF 2010

2010-10-17T01:41:00.001-04:00

The Unbelievable Truth (Re-Release) Interview

2010-10-09T02:11:00.000-04:00

::

Read it here.

- S

I like Armond White's review of The Social Network

2010-10-06T00:01:00.002-04:00

I have absolutely less than zero interest in watching a movie (which looks over hyped & hyper-fictionalized) about a guy who invented a website (which is no doubt vastly over-valued $s wise), but, Armond White's review of the said movie - The Social Network - is a pretty good read. Check out Creeps as Heroes here.

- S

AT & T tries to rob a film publicist using an iPhone bill

2010-10-04T12:25:00.003-04:00

::

Read the horror story at Reid Rosefelt's blog.

- S

"Untitled" trailer

2010-09-30T18:26:00.001-04:00

Saw "Untitled" today, fun movie, some laughs:

Woody Allen interview from 9/14/10

2010-09-28T10:52:00.000-04:00

::

Check it out at the NYT.

- S

Neverbloomers trailer

2010-09-27T12:37:00.000-04:00

*

*
For more on the movie, go here.

- S

Weerasethakul at Cannes

2010-09-22T13:50:00.000-04:00