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

On my way back from the Atlanta Film Festival at the moment - had a great time at the ATLFF on Saturday, The State of Film Criticism Coffeehouse Conversation went really well (the hour flew by, event was well attended, great audience & panel & moderator) - learned some things, met some great people - ATLFF taped the discussion so we may see it up on the web at some point. Photos & more notes, & links, from my visit to Atlanta later today. Saw Moon at ATLFF, really good movie - links, clips, & notes soon. Also met up with We Fun team & Buster team - more on those films soon. Special thanks to Noralil for being an awesome host & Team ATLFF for creating a great film festival. - Sujewa

Paul Gilroy's book Postcolonial Melancholia sounds interesting - check out this review at the site Boston Review . From the review: "Paul Gilroy’s Postcolonial Melancholia is a deeply engaging exploration of this question. The book, Gilroy’s most recent assault on both racism and the concept of race, examines Britain’s urban centers to extend the cosmopolitan anti-race project he began in his influential books, There Ain’t No Black in the Union Jack and Against Race. Here, Gilroy applies the Freudian concept of melancholia, as it was adapted by German social psychologists to explain Germany’s postwar reactions to its “loss of a fantasy of omnipotence.” He argues that, while Britain attempts to deny the contemporary effects of its imperialist past, it has effectively reaffirmed the colonial order, with its racial divisions, through the post-9/11 “politics of security.” At the same time, this reaffirmation neglects the spontaneous and vibrant multiculturalism that has emerged i

Read all about it at Atlanta Journal-Constitution .

On to something lighter - check out the trailer for the rock doc We Fun : * Flick is playing at the Atlanta Film Festival this weekend, will try to catch it. More about We Fun, from the ATLFF site : We Fun is an insider's look at a small group of bands that have come to international prominence in the last year. Atlanta area bands like the Black Lips, Mastodon and Deerhunter that started playing at house parties and offbeat local venues are now playing festivals around the world. It is the story of the Peter Pan syndrome reaching critical mass and the creativity that follows. It is also a portrait of how a scene develops, in this case the Atlanta indie rock scene. It starts as simply with talented musicians who just want to play their music with no compromises, followed by venues that make themselves accessible to new and rising acts, and fans who take ownership and pride in helping to nurture a burgeoning community. Eventually, the rest of the world notices. There is fire, firewo

The videos are specifically about serving in the Israeli military vs. conscientious objectors - but outside of that limited context the videos are dealing with an important universal human issue - the obligation to the nation vs. obligation to the individual's sense of right & wrong (or just not wanting to kill other humans & or get killed). I think both videos make their point well/each is a great propaganda tool/device for their respective perspectives - check them out at this Sepia Mutiny post . (ultimately, i think, it is nearly impossible to have a country w/ out having a good military or just a military period, so hopefully enough talented & driven people will find their sense of right & wrong to be compatible with military service so that nations can exist - at least until we all collectively decide to give up war in like ten thousand years or so :) - that's what i think about this issue at the moment) - Sujewa

Interview with director Steven Soderbergh re: his new movie The Girlfriend Experience - at Village Voice (from 3/17/09, by Aaron Hillis - in case you've read that one already). And of course, soon to be gracing the top of every film site in the western world (i got the embed codes from Filmmaker Mag's post - thanks FMB ), the trailer for TGE: (note: prostitution = wrong/unhealthy, destructive (generally) - don't do it kids, arty movies about prostitution = could be good) - Sujewa

To be updated throughout ATLFF days (4/16 - 25) & beyond. 8. Indie Film Blogger Road Trip now available to view from Atlanta Film Festival's site - 4/15/09 7. The People Speak, Howard Zinn, movie & rock stars open Atlanta Film Festival (with a little help from Amnesty International) this Thu 4/16! - 4/13/09 6. Article about That Evening Sun, Beeswax, We Fun - 4/11/09 5. Break 'till Atlanta - 4/9/09 4. Both new movies about film journalism are a part of Atlanta Film Festival '09 - 4/6/09 3. BUSTER - a feature shot on super 8 - 4/6/09 2. Bunch of film festival people promoting one film festival at another film festival - 4/5/09 1. All the rules & secrets re: indie film & film festivals to be revealed on 4/17 in Atlanta! - 4/5/09