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

What We Do Is Secret is a new movie - about Darby Crash, the singer of the (late 70's? early 80's?) LA punk band The Germs. Don't know much about it but I am always interested in finding out more & checking out art & entertainment related to punk 'cause punk is the philosophical ancestor (that's kind of a funny line :) to DIY filmmaking as I practice it. Anyway, here is the link to the LAist review of What We Do Is Secret . UPDATE: According to this Wikipedia page The Germs appeared in the late '70's. - Sujewa

This Town is available to view, in segments, through this blog . Here is the synopsis of the film: " Is it really all about the shoes? Meet Rick, a 21st century guy facing the eternal quest of finding love that lasts. But designer footwear is only the start on the path to true love... Playing the dating game in this town requires patience, tenacity and an emotional bulletproof vest, not to mention a good sense of humor and an active imagination! Fantasy and fact merge with cheek biting repartee in this hilarious, edgy exploration of men, women and the inexplicable differences between the sexes." Here's a little bit from the blog about the making of the movie and the current promotion : " Hello, and welcome to the online version of our feature film This Town, a project made over a 3 year period, premiering at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, in 2002. Since then it has screened in several festivals, and from time to time found a venue in the Boston area. Now that we all

Matt Dentler is the South By Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference & Festival Producer (see SXSW Film site here ). He is also a blogger; the keeper of an on-line journal , a fan & commentator on film who also shares notes and observations about his life and non-filmic passions. He may also be found at various film festivals around the country throughout the year as a panel member or a judge. I spoke with Matt late yesterday through the magic of e-mail regarding his SXSW career and related mysterious & exciting matters such as his current home town Austin, Texas - a place that, as I have been informed by several t-shirts, the locals are trying to keep "weird" . And while we are on the topic; click over at some point soon & check out some excellent shorts at the SXSWClick on line shorts fest. Now, the interview: Sujewa: Matt, how did you get interested in working in or with film, and specifically independent film? Matt: I've been a film buff/geek as

Been having some problems with the computer that I use to edit & publish my main site www.wilddiner.com , getting it fixed now, so I should be able to update the site before this week is out. I'll probably set up a back up site also - later this week. The MAP link from the 7/12 - 18 run listing from Screenings page of the main site does not seem to work. Use the MAP link off the post above - from the one announcing the 7/12 - 18 run. Hopefully that one works, if not, will update later tonight. UPDATE: Here's the MAP link . Working on posting up some new clips from Date Number One , from the final version that will screen 7/12 - 18 in Kensington. Also will be adding down-loadable stills for media, and director's notes, and other press & publicity friendly material. Gearing up for the home run - 7/12 is just around the corner, lots more news coming soon. - Sujewa

All those interviews should have been up on the blog by now, but, DNO 7/12 - 18 run work needed attention, so, those interviews will be up before this week is over. UPDATE 7/2/07: Fully busy with DNO 7/12 - 18 run prep & publicity, will post up the interviews after 7/18. - Sujewa

Check out Ali Naderzad's blog here . Quite a few interesting posts there; re: Cannes, Columbia U. film events, etc. Always nice to run into people you knew from the very early 90's (or was it '88 -'89?). Me & Ali worked at the same place for a bit back then - at no doubt the "coolest" retail store in Montgomery County, MD :) :) :) Ali is currently the film editor at Anthem magazine . Here's Anthem on Hal Hartley's Fay Grim . Now go check out Ali's blog ! - Sujewa

Check it out here . The Devil Came On Horseback is about the genocide in Darfur. The documentary is directed by Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern. Here is an exchange from the interview conducted by Pamela Cohn: " SIM : Do you think a film like this can change things? AS : It’s going to happen more and more with other documentaries, but I think something like An Inconvenient Truth broke the mold in a lot of ways in terms of making direct impacts on people’s perception of an issue and has directly resulted in putting the issue of global warming on the map. It engaged viewers at the house parties where it was shown, it changed behavior--the Prius is now the top-selling car. With our film, I feel we're using the same kind of power of “shaming.” The power of photographs and the power of documentary to compel action, that’s vital. One, it can inspire viewers to actually take on an active role in an issue, but it’s also part of the public shaming that apparently needs to h

Fellow Kensingtonian Mark Wenner has been playing with the blues & roots rock band The Nighthawks longer than I've been alive. Check out The Nighthawks story at this past Friday's Washington Post. Here is a paragraph from the article: "On liner notes for "Rock 'n' Roll," the Nighthawks' 1974 debut two years after the addition of bass player Jan Zukowski and drummer Pete Ragusa, Wenner had written about reinventing rock-and-roll "by using the same processes with which it had been invented in the first place, going to the various sources and mixing them together -- soul, rockabilly, jump, country, R&B and etc. -- taking all these previously used ingredients, pouring them into a stew and turning it up and stirring it around and seeing what comes out again." " Check out the entire article here . - Sujewa

Chuck Tryon has written & published a review of the Andrew Semans directed, well shot & well acted short film All Day Long . Check it out here . - Sujewa

Jennifer Fox is the director of the Sundance Film Festival 2007 premiered Flying: Confessions of a Free Woman . Flying is a six hour long, six part documentary that explores the life of Fox and her female friends around the world as they deal with major issues as well as minor challenges and interesting details that come their way. Among other situations, the movie deals with Fox's own debate regarding getting married and also regarding having children, her romantic relationships, a major illness of a friend, and a divorce of another friend. Flying opens for a New York City theatrical run on July 4th at Film Forum and will be available throughout the US and several other countries through theatrical exhibition, television broadcasts and on DVD in the coming months. I spoke with Fox recently about her acclaimed documentary. :: About Jennifer Fox (from the Flying website): Jennifer Fox is an internationally acclaimed, award-winning director, producer, camera woman and educator who h

From the introduction to the list : "...the list presents a provisional sense of a Chicano film and video heritage, one that remains outside the official histories of the American cinema." Check it out here . - Sujewa

Check it out here . Got the link from The Chutry Experiment blog. - Sujewa

The AFI 's got their list, based on their tastes & other selection criteria that does not recognize Jim Jarmusch's work, and, as far as I can tell at first glance, no minority directors other than Spike Lee (and only 1 Lee movie at that - what no Malcolm X ???). So let's make another list to go along with the AFI's list, an alternative list, featuring 100 indie movies that people who watch a lot of indie movies (& movies in general) would recommend to someone who is interested in checking out some of the best American indie films. I chose 1959 as the starting point since Shadows was released that year; because it seems as if many observers of American film history believe Shadows was the starting point of art/independent moviemaking as we now know it. I chose 2000 as the end point for the list since, well, that seemed like a good place to stop since the first decade of the '00's are still unfolding and we would need some time after the decade is over in

Visit the indie book company here to get the story. Thanks Just A Few Of My Days blog for the link. - Sujewa

Not enough singles in your town? Perhaps this map will come in handy when you make moving plans. According to the map lots of single men in the west, with a lot of single women in the east (i knew there had to be some good reasons for staying in the DC area/not moving to LA :). Not sure if the info. on the map is correct, but it is an interesting idea. Thanks The Chutry Experiment for the link. - Sujewa