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

By eric anthamatten @eAnthamatten on Twitter The werewolf exists somewhere between man and wolf. The ninja exists somewhere between the light and the shadows. The philosopher exists somewhere between the lie and the truth. In this liminal intersection, a werewolf that is a ninja that is a philosopher searches for a serial killer, a sadistic murderer who targets art filmmakers. Like its title, Werewolf Ninja Philosopher (2018) is a hybrid of hybrids, part noir mystery, part absurdist comedy, part cinephile fetish. The name alone is enough to conjure a whole interesting set of possible stories and worlds, and like a good philosophy text, WWNP invokes a series of questions: How did the werewolf get to Brooklyn? Why is he here? Where is he going? Is he as ancient as the philosophers he studies? Did he walk alongside Aristotle? Did he train under Musashi? Was he once an assassin? Who did he kill? Did he kill? Will he kill again? Why is he trying to stop the killi

Song From the Forest from First Pond on Vimeo .

For indie/DIY filmmakers Vimeo VOD is one of the best ways to release their films to the world.  So I will be going through Vimeo VOD's collection of films from time to time and will be posting links to good indie films (films I like basically, or films that look good to me) at this blog.  Let's start things off with some Jonas Mekas films from Vimeo VOD. Jonas Mekas - Sleepless Night Stories from Re:Voir Video on Vimeo . * Jonas Mekas - Guns of the Trees from Re:Voir Video on Vimeo . * Jonas Mekas - Out-Takes from the Life of a Happy Man from Re:Voir Video on Vimeo . *

By early March we'll have more info.  Indie film screenings in NYC.

Joans Mekas has died.  He lived a long time - 96 years - and made a lot of movies (he once said that he shot video on a daily basis) - and championed underground and avant-garde cinema, and inspired several generations of filmmakers and other artists.  Among other achievements he was one of the founders of Anthology Film Archives . Mekas is a great source of inspiration for indie filmmakers.  He was often a one person crew, shooting video in available light, using things and people around him as his subjects - and he delivered moving, poetic movies. Here is an example of Mekas's work: * One about World Trade Center: * And another one - a long walk in NYC: * Here is a Q & A session with Mekas: * From the New York Times : "A Lithuanian immigrant who, with a younger brother, Adolfas, arrived in New York City in 1949 speaking little English, he became within a handful of years an effective spokesman for avant-garde film. (Adolfas, who die

Check out the most excellent and fun movie Forbidden Power at Vimeo VOD - FORBIDDEN POWER from Paul Kyriazi on Vimeo .

Pardon me for being hysterically positive about Sujewa Ekanayake's latest indie comedy creation, Werewolf Ninja Philosopher , but when a no-budget flick like this shows up with everything in place – great casting, great B&W images, clever scriptwriting, perfect music, gutsy editing and scene-building, both meaningful and funny too – it's time to cheer for the entire (thought-of-as-dead) real indie scene.   An original 'breakthrough' feature like this, helmed by an artist who did the whole job himself, of scripting, directing, shooting, cutting & producing, should be enough to add Ekanayake's name to the list of Brooklyn film notables who dare to risk all for their cinematic art.   – Rick Schmidt * Werewolf Ninja Philosopher from Sujewa Ekanayake on Vimeo .