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

No, as far as I know, this film does not have anything to do w/ Guatemala (couple of people were wondering on YouTube) - but is supposed to be very good: * For DVD info & ordering, go here . From the official announcement: "We are pleased to announce that, after 2 years of screenings around the world, THE GUATEMALAN HANDSHAKE will finally available on DVD on April 29th online, in stores and for rental. To make up for the long wait, the DVD is being released as a deluxe 2-disc edition, containing over 2 1/2 HOURS of bonus material, including a collection of short films created by some of the cast and crew from the film. The DVD contains a brand-new HD transfer created from a new 35mm print....so even if you have a bootleg copy, it's time to trade it in. As an extra incentive, when you order directly from our website, you'll receive an additional DVD - "Short Films By Todd Rohal" which includes THE GUATEMALAN HANDSHAKE director's first four short films: SIN

This article is not only a good & brief introduction to the war in Sri Lanka, the author recognizes that the concept of race is a lie. From Ancient Ethnic Hatreds in Sri Lanka, and other myths by Justin Podur: "How is the conflict a legacy of colonialism? The communalists on both sides claim the conflict is merely the latest manifestation of a 2500-year long race war. The Sinhala are supposedly 'Aryans', like the people of northern India, who conquered the island in ancient times. The Tamils are 'Dravidians', who are darker, and who came later (another population of Tamils was brought by the British to work on tea plantations in colonial times). This story of ancient ethnic hatreds itself, it turns out, is a legacy of colonial racist scholarship. Although ethno-linguists have classified language 'families' into 'Indo-Aryan' languages (like Sinhala and Hindi) and 'Dravidian' ones (like Tamil and Malayalam), there is no biological, r

An article about recording, editing, & mixing sound for a low budget horror movie called Freak Out. - Sujewa

For all you Forgetting Sarah Marshall & On The Road fans:

Today (4/13 or 4/14, depending on where you are on the int'l date line) is the Sri Lankan New Year. I remember getting gifts & hanging out with family & friends on New Year's Day when I lived in the SL :) Also firecrakers, lots of firecrackers. Happy New Year Sri Lanka! - Sujewa

There's a new indie film called Cookies & Cream in the works ( MySpace ); here's an early trailer or a teaser (i think that's what a teaser is):

Here's the MySpace page for the new doc We Saw Such Things . When I see some clips & or other significant links for the doc, will post 'em up. In the meantime, a description of the doc from this year's Sarasota Film Fest site : " We Saw Such Things A visit to Weeki Wachee in 2007 proves that the mermaid theme park is still working its old Florida magic." - Sujewa

Oscar Micheaux has more claim to the title of being the Godfather of American Indie Film than John Cassavetes - in my opinion - since Micheaux had no choice but to work outside of Hollywood in both production & distribution, due to the racism & segregation of his time, & even with those significant limitations he built a decades spanning career (1919 - 1948)/created at least 33 films . Here's an interview about Micheaux at AmericanHeritage .com, with Patrick McGilligan - author of Oscar Micheaux : The Great & Only - The Life of America's First Black Filmmaker . From the interview: " Do enough of Micheaux ’s films survive to give us an accurate sense of his ability as a director? Is there anyone in mainstream Hollywood you might compare him to? Only about one third of Micheaux ’s nearly four dozen films survive, and those that do survive exist in truncated form, largely because Micheaux could not afford to manufacture numerous prints of his films, and

2 do item #400whatever is done - there is now a donate button (look above this post, or scroll to the very top of the blog, if you haven't seen it already) at the blog; so if ya dig the stuff here, go click on the donate button, sign on to your PayPal account & send some support this way. More $s = more blogging. Thanksalot. - Sujewa

DOCUCLUB “IN-THE-WORKS” AT SILVERDOCS - CALL FOR ENTRIES DocuClub is pleased to announce its participation in the 2008 SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival with an “In-the-Works” program. The deadline for submissions is APRIL 18, 2008. SILVERDOCS takes place June 16-23, just outside Washington DC. For more information about the Festival, go to: http://www.silverdocs.com/ DocuClub is currently accepting submissions for an “In-the-Works” program at SILVERDOCS. The “In-the-Works” program offers filmmakers a safe environment to screen a rough-cut of their documentaries before an audience of their peers and lovers of the form. The audience is encouraged to give constructive feedback about the structure, content, characters and clarity of the film in a post-screening discussion facilitated by an experienced filmmaker. Past films that have screened “In-the-Works” include BORN INTO BROTHELS, METALLICA: SOME KIND OF MONSTER, and THE BOYS OF BARAKA, which won an Audience Award

Says Anthony Kaufman , check it out, a good read . Art, indie/real indie, foreign movies getting more theater screens would certainly be a good thing; even watching a relatively quiet & low-key indie such as Medicine for Melancholy would be far more enjoyable on a big movie theater screen than on my TV - in my opinion. - Sujewa

Yeah, this movie might suck, but I am gonna check it out, mostly 'cause it's got mammoths & saber tooth tigers: