ARTHOUSE FILM NEWS - Cosmic Disco Detective Rene at Facets, Chicago 11/29/23

One of the ways that publicity & interest is built in the indie/real indie film world right now is through blogs. So, if you are a minority or other filmmaker who wants some press from this blog, include the URL to your blog when you e-mail me or leave me a comment re: your blog. Document your production & distribution story for each film on your blog. Also write about other things that you care about at your blog; this will be a good way to build a fan base & also contacts that may be useful to you in your film production & distribution work. We definitely need to create a multi-ethnic indie film blog network; as the current indie film bloggers (that I know of) are mostly "white" and that can, through no ill-will or malice, can end up with just a lot of "white" filmmakers or films featuring all-"white" casts being hyped (as it has been the case for the last few years). Some of my favorite filmmakers are "white" & some of my f

Even if you skip reading through the other 5 or 6 excellent posts GreenCine Daily will put up today (if they hold true to their usual rate of work), make sure you read this post about a new fictionalized Brian DePalma movie about a real life crime that took place in Iraq. Though film is used mostly for escapism, Readacted might actually be a movie that matters; a movie that affects things beyond the world of entertainment. - Sujewa

So, once again, the name of this blog has changed, from DIY FILM EXPLOSION to THE WILD DINER FILMS & NEW AMERICAN (MULTI-ETHNIC) INDEPENDENT FILM BLOG. Yeah, it's a long name, but, that's cool; I operate in the indie/real indie film world & there is plenty of room here. So starting now the main focus of the blog will be 1) my own movies and 2) other American (made in the US or with people or ideas from/related to here having significant roles in the production of the movie) indie movies featuring a diverse/multi-ethnic casts and or movies directed by minority filmmakers. In addition, I will be writing about whatever else that I feel like writing about; be it film (even Hollywood!) or politics or building time travel machines in your basement. Should be fun. - Sujewa

As the current indie fest (mainstream fests, not ethnic focused fests)/indie film press/indie theatrical distribution & indie DVD distribution scene is heavily in favor of all-"white" art/indie films, the multi-ethnic art/indie film movement (see couple of posts below for the intro to that) will most likely have to be at first a heavily D.I.Y./"underground" scene with DIY screenings (screenings produced by the filmmakers themselves) & DVD sales/distribution - self-distribution being the main methods of getting the films to the interested audiences, and the press will have to come from our own (filmmakers & fans) blogs & websites & other self-promotional efforts (plus random mainstream indie or general mainstream press that we might luck out with for a film/DVD or a screening here and there) until there are a significant number of films & sales/customers for this movement at which point I am sure the mainstream indie players will take notice &

This article might be of interest to some people. - Sujewa

Anyone who wants to join & are: 1) making movies - indie/real indie movies now, and 2) these movies feature multi-ethnic casts or at least some significant diversity, can sign up in comments, your application will be reviewed. Eventually we will establish a membership review board. For now, leave a comment. Minority directors are highly encouraged to sign up for this new filmmaking movement. As are "white" directors (given that they are not closed off to using minority talent in front of & behind the camera). We will promote our movies, get fest & investor & theatrical & DVD & cable distro support & tons of press as Mumblecore has gotten; except of course our movies will reflect the ethnic diversity in America far better. HONARARY MEMBERS of this New American Indie Film Movement: Jon Moritsugu, Greg Pak, Gene Cajayon, James Spooner, Greg Araki, Jim Jarmusch, Jim McKay (i am sure there are more that would qualify, suggest some names in Comments) R

It's morning in DC, just getting my day started, so I will flesh this post out later today with links & names. In the meantime there is some important info. to communicate; at a long conversation me & Tom Hall are having at the comments in this blog (see recent post re: '06 Swanberg quote) & AJ Schnack's blog, Tom has pointed out that beyond the Mumblecore films at IFC Center's Generation DIY series, there are a couple of other Mumblecore films that do have significant minority presence. He points to Aaron Hillis's (sp?) Mumblecore chart at Cinephiliac (link later) & reminds us that David Gordon Green's film Goerge Washington featured a young African-American actor in the main role, and also that the film In Between Days was directed by an Asian American director and features an Asian lead. Also, as I've said at several times, of the films at Gen DIY series, Bujalski's Mutual Appreciation does feature a significant minor character (the

Stephen Holden's review of Aaron Katz's new film Quiet City (opening today at the IFC Center in Manhattan) makes the movie sound interesting & good (at least for me, I like that under populated & beautiful urban look/feel in movies - as seen in Mystery Train, also possibly a tiny bit Before Sunrise type story). Here is the opening paragraph of the review: "Aaron Katz’s film “Quiet City” is punctuated with images of New York at twilight that cast a mood of reflective melancholy reminiscent of the loneliness at the heart of Edward Hopper paintings. Silhouettes of television aerials against a glowing orange and purple sky; yellow traffic lights on a nearly deserted avenue; a silvery subway train in the middle distance slipping through the dusky, blue-gray light; an industrial landscape at sunset: These and other beautiful images, photographed by Andrew Reed, resonate with the characters’ lives." Read the rest of the review here . Get info. on show times &

Aaron Katz's first feature Dance Party, USA is screening today at the IFC Center in Manhattan. Here is the link to my review of the movie, from last year. And here is the link to my interview with Katz re: DPUSA. Screening times & ticket info. for IFC Center here . - Sujewa

Since I've been catching all manner of heat from friends, fellow indie filmmakers, & friends of Mumblecore re: pointing out (in this post ) that there is a significant lack of minority (dark skinned people was my specific complaint) participation in Mumblecore (even though the US reportedly has over 100 million minorities) I thought about why I even thought of this topic in the first place (in relation to this one group of ultra-indie/low/"no" budget/DIY filmmakers - filmmakers who I often write positive things about re: their DIYness). Then I remembered (while responding to a comment by David Lowery at AJ Schnack's blog today) something I read last year; a quote from an interview with Joe Swanberg (who I otherwise think is cool, I talked to him briefly when I went to see his movie Hannah Takes the Stairs premiere in NYC last week, and even this quote has many possible interpretations, but this was what was - in part/a significant item - on my mind, no doubt, re:

From Kamp Katrina review at New York Times : "Mr. Cross and Ms. Pearl kept the camp open despite not-in-my-backyard complaints from neighbors and attempts by Mayor C. Ray Nagin to shut it down. Their blunt-spoken decency is inspiring. So is the movie’s portrait of New Orleans after the flood, a debris-strewn ghost town where human kindness is overflowing." From Pioneer's site : "screening to coincide with the two year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina "Riveting . . . It's hard to overstate the impact of KAMP KATRINA's honesty; fresh off their acclaimed venture MARDI GRAS: MADE IN CHINA, the filmmakers' six-month survey arguably captured the city's wounded spirit more frankly than any of its contemporaries. The result is a disturbing yet essential record."- S.T. VanAirsdale, THE REELER "You settle in with these people and become immersed in the chaos, brutality and surreal humor of their situation, seen close-up and often in fragments. Th

Found out about this project from one of my commenters (on the diversity in indie film post/re: iW article, couple of posts below), sounds interesting. Here is a little bit from the press release: " The Momentum Experience marries the live urban theater model with the traditions of African-American filmmakers who self-distributed in the early 1900s, such as Oscar Michaeux. Momentum will offer an enhanced entertainment component to the price of each ticket. From a live concert performance by soundtrack artists to a cast meet-and-greet to a comedy pre-show, each feature presentation will be preceded by a unique added-value attraction for ticket holders." Read the rest here . The press release is from '05, so I'll have to search & learn about the current status of this project. UPDATE: Looks like Momentum's The Seat Filler did well theatrically & was acquired by Magnolia for home video - so says this 2/06 press release . If anyone has any info. on where to g

Quiet City trailer!: Now, just because I keep an eye on ethnic diversity in indie film & speak up about it does not mean that I do not appreciate a good (possibly good for many indie filmmakers; including minority indie filmmakers) thing when it happens; an ultra-low/"no" budget DV (or is it HD?) film by a promising young director starting a week long run in the media capital of the world, at a venue owned by a cable television company that deals in indie film - OR - Aaron Katz's (of Dance Party, USA fame; which plays today 8/28 & tomorrow 8/29 also @ IFC Center by the way) new & beautiful looking feature Quiet City opening tomorrow (Wed 8/29) in NYC @ the IFC Center. If I were in NYC, I would be at a screening. LINKS!: Quiet City page at IFC's Generation DIY program Quiet City MySpace Quiet City review at New York Magazine Quiet City review at indieWIRE Quiet City review at eFilmCritic Interview with Aaron Katz at Spoutblog Buy tickets for Quiet City &

This iW article from May '04 is still relevant & interesting; re: ethnic diversity in American indie film. Here is the introduction to the article by Eugene Hernandez: "The genesis of this article was a recent SXSW panel discussion on the "state of independent film" that included panelists Michael Barker from Sony Classics, former producer and rep John Pierson, Film Movement's Larry Meistrich, Micah Green from Cinetic Media, Newmarket's Bob Berney, Magnolia's Eamonn Bowles, and former UA and October head Bingham Ray. During the session, New York Times film critic Elvis Mitchell raised a question about the lack of new African-American filmmakers emerging since the movement led by Spike Lee back in the '80s. Sitting in the audience listening to the panel of white males tackling the topic I was reminded that ethnic diversity is a major challenge within the specialized and/or independent film industry." And later in the same article, here's

Hmmm, retiring from blogging is not such a bright idea, in second thought, 'cause the blog helps with promoting my movies & flicks by other interesting filmmakers (in these sad days of relatively uninteresting/apolitical/disengaged from the wider world low budget real indie fiction feature movies getting a ton of hype, it would be useful for many to keep this blog active). So I am back. :: Check out this great interview with Jonas Mekas at Sense of Cinema. Although I have only seen very little of his movies (so far just a few of the 365 shorts project that he is doing this year), the amount of work he's done over the years on behalf of avant-garde cinema is staggering & deserving of much respect. The Anthology Film Archives, an organization that Mekas had a key role in creating, is still around & contributing to the NYC film scene (i saw the place with my own eyes last week, scroll down a couple of posts for a pic of the venue). Here is an interesting segment from