QPORIT

Labels: Daphne Rubin-Vega, Fall To Rise, Jayce Bartok, Katherine Crockett, Stony Brook Film Festival, The Cake Eaters, Tiny Dancer

# posted by QPORIT @ 11:06 PM 0 comments

The Stony Brook Film Festival is one of the best venues for festival screenings in the New York area. The films are presented one at a time (no simultaneous screenings) on a big beautiful screen in a comfortable auditorium for a large, intelligent, appreciative audience. I've been there the last two years, and enjoyed the screenings (and parties) I attended.

Seven world premieres, five U.S. premieres, eight East Coast premieres and six New York premieres will be among the 32 feature and short films presented during the Stony Brook Film Festival from July 22 through July 31 on the large Main Stage screen at Staller Center for the Arts at Stony Brook University.


Prices and Schedules

Film passes are $75 for ten days of films.
Single tickets are $9 general admission; $7 for students and seniors. (A ticket includes a short film followed by a feature through most of the Festival.)

Visit http://www.stonybrookfilmfestival.com/
or call (631) 632-ARTS to order.

Opening Night
The Storm, on Thursday, July 22 at 7:00 pm, stars Sylvia Hoeks and Barry Atsma, Followed by a 9:15 pm screening of Bride Flight, which includes a strong ensemble cast including Karina Smulders, Waldemar Torenstra, Anna Drijver and Elise Schaap.

Sylvia Hoeks, the Dutch actress and central character of The Storm, will attend Opening Night, as will its main producer, Alain De Levita, whose company in The Netherlands has been instrumental in bringing films to the Stony Brook Film Festival before.

The Storm and Bride Flight, are both the work of director Ben Sombogaart, and the stories are driven by one of the most critical post World War II events, the devastating North Sea Flood of 1953.

Stony Brook Film Festival Director Alan Inkles notes, “Our Opening Night is unique in film fest circles: two Dutch films in a double billing by the same director. The producer, Alain De Levita produced Alice in Glamourland (Ellis in Glamourland), which shared a Jury Award for Best Feature at Stony Brook in 2005. We are honored to screen The Storm this year as well as Bride Flight.

“It seems the support for The Storm was unprecedented—filming took place in an area where permission was given to open floodgates and 90 landowners allowed their farmlands to be submerged specially for the film. Digital technology also played a major part in creating realism in the film. Our Festival will follow the historical chronology and open with The Storm, since the story of Bride Flight is about the emigration of young Dutch women to New Zealand after the North Sea Flood,” said Mr. Inkles.


World Premieres

The Pardon
Returning filmmaker Tom Anton, (At Last), brings the World Premiere of The Pardon to the Stony Brook Film Festival this year. The Pardon is based on the true story of Toni Jo Henry, the only woman to be sentenced to the electric chair in the State of Louisiana for a 1940 robbery and murder. Playing the 26-year-old Toni Jo is Jaime King (The Spirit, My Bloody Valentine) who will attend the screening along with Tom Anton and Sandi Russell (writer/producer) on Friday, July 23 at 9:30 pm.

Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story
This World Premiere documentary,celebrates the contributions of Jewish major leaguers and the special meaning that baseball has had in the lives of American Jews. Interviews with Al Rosen, Hank Greenberg and Sandy Koufax as well as baseball managers and fans, including Larry King and Ron Howard, complement archival materials.

Peter Miller is the Director/Producer of Jews and Baseball. His award-winning documentaries include the film Sacco and Vanzetti; the American Experience PBS series “A Class Apart”; and The Internationale, shown on PBS and the winning documentary at the Woodstock Film Festival. He has produced numerous documentaries by Ken Burns, including The War and Jazz. He teaches documentary filmmaking at Columbia University’s MFA program in film. Mr. Miller will attend the World Premiere at Stony Brook on Sunday, July 25 at 5:00 pm.

Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story is written by Ira Berkow, sports columnist and feature writer for The New York Times for 26 years. He shared the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting in 2001 and is the author of 18 books, including Minority Quarterback and Other Lives in Sports.


Autobiographical, Biographical and Historically-Driven Films

Many of the films in the 2010 Festival are based on true stories, including The Pardon.
Along with the Dutch films that revolve around the North Sea Flood of 1953, (The Storm,
Bride Flight) there are numerous films this year that reflect the director’s own story or are historically based.

Berlin 36 - A German film directed by Kaspar Heidelbach is a fictionalized version of Jewish high jumper Gretel Bergmann’s experience competing in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Karoline Herfurth and Sebastian Urzendowsky star in the film. Screening Sunday, July 25 at 7:15 pm.

Kaifeck Murder – East Coast Premiere
Based on the biggest unresolved murder case in Germany, a slaying on a remote Bavarian farm, Kaifeck Murder is directed by Esther Gronenborn. Benno Fürmann (North Face) and Alexandra Maria Lara (Downfall) star. Screening Monday, July 26 at 9:15 pm.

The Big Dream (Il Grande Sogno)- East Coast Premiere
An autobiographical film by director Michele Placido, a policeman during the student protests in 1968 who eventually became an actor. “The 1968 that I relate here is that of my ‘conversion’: that of a young man of twenty from southern Italy, a policeman who, after beating up university students, understood their protests and crossed to the other side of the barricades,” writes Mr. Placido. The film stars Riccardo Scamarcio, Jasmine Trinca and Luca Argentero. Screening Tuesday, July 27 at 9:30 pm.

The Army of Crime – Based on the story of actual Resistance fighters in Paris led by a poet of Armenian descent, Missak Manouchian. The story of the group that fought against Nazi occupation is a powerful World War II Holocaust drama. Directed by Robert Guédiguian. Screening Thursday, July 29 at 7:00 pm.

Howl- East Coast Premiere
In an ode to Allen Ginsberg, the biographical film stars James Franco, performing “Howl” in a smoky bar and recreating the early Ginsberg years. In black and white and color, with animation accompanying the reading of the poem. Written and directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. Screening Thursday, July 29 at 9:40 pm.

Last Train Home
A documentary by Lixin Fan is about the mass movement of Chinese workers leaving the cities to return to their rural villages at Chinese New Year, focusing on one family.
Screening Friday, July 30 at 7:00 pm.

The Sicilian Girl - N.Y. Premiere
The true story based on the life of Rita Atria, a 17-year-old daughter of a Mafioso. When her father and brother were murdered she was the first to break the code of silence and go to the police. Writer/director Marco Amenta made a documentary from the same material in 2002. Screening Friday, July 30 at 9:00 pm.

Closing Night

Mao’s Last Dancer – East Coast Premiere –Based on a true story, the autobiography of Li Cunxin, a Chinese peasant boy chosen to study ballet. A film about his journey to America and his quest for freedom. Directed by Bruce Beresford (Driving Miss Daisy, Tender Mercies). Li Cunxin is played by Birmingham Royal Ballet dancer-turned-actor, Chi Cao.
Screening Saturday, July 31 at 8:30 pm.


U.S. Premieres

New features shown for the first time in the U. S. include:
Love and Savagery – U.S. Premiere – Directed by John N. Smith. Filmed in The Burren in Ireland. A Canadian geologist meets a woman who is about to dedicate her life to the Church. Starring Allan Hawco and Sarah Greene.
Screening Sunday, July 25 at 9:30 pm.

Ayla - U.S. Premiere - Directed by Su Turhan. An independent Turkish woman in Germany deals with family, traditions and temptations.
Screening Monday, July 26 at 7:00 pm.

Bon Appetit – U.S. Premiere –– Directed by David Pinillos. Set inside the kitchen of a Zurich gourmet restaurant.
Screening Wednesday, July 28 at 9:15 pm.

Beloved Berlin Wall – U.S. Premiere – Directed by Peter Timm. A romantic comedy about the last days of the GDR (East Germany). Starring Felicitas Woll and Maxim Mehmet.
Screening Tuesday, July 27 at 7:00 pm.


American Independent Films

A select showing of American indie films rounds out the Stony Brook Film Festival:

The East Coast Premiere of Five Star Day directed by Danny Buday with Cam Gigandet (Twilight), Jena Malone (Book of Stars, 2001 Stony Brook Film Festival; Donnie Darko, Into the Wild), Brooklyn Sudance and Max Hartman.

Lovely, Still – East Coast Premiere of a film by director Nicholas Fackler, starring Martin Landau and Ellen Burstyn, which unfolds to provide a poignant look at the effects of aging.
Screening Saturday, July 24 at 7:00 pm.

The Extra Man – N.Y. Premiere. Directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini.
Starring Kevin Kline, Paul Dano, Katie Holmes, John C. Reilly, Cathy Moriarity and Alicia Gornanson. A quirky comedy about a male escort who serves as a social companion for wealthy widows.
Screening Saturday, July 24 at 9:30 pm.

Howl- East Coast Premiere- with James Franco playing the beat poet Allen Ginsberg. Also with Mary-Louise Parker, Jon Hamm, Jeff Daniels, David Strathairn, Alessandro Nivola, Treat Williams, Aaron Tveit, Bob Balaban, John Prescott, Todd Rotondi and Andrew Rogers.
Screening Thursday, July 29 at 9:40 pm.


Short Films

Twelve short films have been selected for the Stony Brook Film Festival out of hundreds
of entries. Five are World Premieres being shown for the first time at Stony Brook. Short films screen before features at the Festival: before films on Friday, July 23 through Wednesday, July 28.


About the Festival

The Stony Brook Film Festival has a reputation for being one of the best on the circuit, and was dubbed “super selective” by Moviemaker Magazine. Formats accepted for projection at the Festival are 35 mm and beta formats. The Festival is produced by Staller Center for the Arts, Long Island’s most comprehensive arts center.

Filmmakers attend screenings to represent their films and winning filmmakers are brought back for the closing night awards, which will be hosted by film critic John Anderson once again this year. The reception is held on the Main Stage of Staller Center directly after the closing night film screening.

For more information about past festivals and a complete schedule of this summer’s
films, go to

http://www.stonybrookfilmfestival.com/.



Here are some links for more information about the opening night films and the filmmakers:

Ben Sombogaart
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0813786/


The Storm
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1230194/


Sylvia Hoeks
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1679778/


Profile (in Dutch, but it's pretty clear)
http://www.cinema.nl/nff-2009/media/5368141/nieuwe-generatie-actrices-sylvia-hoeks

Short film with Sylvia Hoeks (in English)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1-2Yfq4xv0


Sylvia Hoeks in Wikipedia Dutch
http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvia_Hoeks


(translated)
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=nl&u=http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvia_Hoeks&ei=d4AeTJnnD4H6lweYzYS-Dg&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=13&ved=0CFIQ7gEwDA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dsylvia%2Bhoeks%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us%26rlz%3D1I7GGLL_en%26prmd%3Div

Labels: SBFF, Stony Brook Film Festival, Sylvia Hoeks

# posted by QPORIT @ 4:46 PM 0 comments

Labels: Bliss, Stony Brook Film Festival

# posted by QPORIT @ 3:06 PM 0 comments

(aka Arlen Faber when it played at Sundance), with Jeff Daniels, Lauren Graham and a superior supporting cast, including Kat Denning (from Nick & Norah's infinite playlist), and Nora Dunn.

Jeff Daniels and Max Antisell
The Answer Man, a Magnolia Pictures release.
Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
Jeff Daniels is mostly brilliant (like the film, the script, the choice of music, and some of the cinematography), playing a religious-type author, and Lauren is properly down to earth.

Writer/Director John Hindman on set.Photo courtesy of John Hindman.

The writer/director, John Hindman, may be a big new talent.

Labels: Jeff Daniels, John Hindman. Lauren Graham, Stony Brook Film Festival, The Answer Man

# posted by QPORIT @ 2:08 AM 0 comments

To get to the screening, the amenities begin with a huge, clean and free parking garage, then you walk through a pleasant courtyard to the Staller Center, past the opulent ($40M 125,000-square-foot cultural center on 4.5 acres) Wang Asian American Center.

Before the screening, there was a slideshow of advertisements for an impressive calendar of significant cultural events during the 2008-2009 season of the Center. The Staller screen is big and clear, and they could not have chosen a better looking film for the opening of the Festival. The Festival director was energetic and cheerful, coping and dealing nicely with the long, long list of people and companies who are essential to thank. The audience was enthusiatic and responsive, and filled a large, pleasant, comfortable theater to capacity. The after-screening party in the Art Center was elegant and an easy place to mingle and talk.

PAOLO BARZMAN
DIRECTOR OF EMOTIONAL ARITHMETIC
AT THE AFTER-PARTY

Emotional Arithmetic was a powerful film to open the Festival, dealing with the scars of the horrors of the holocaust, family and inter-generational relationships, and the conflict between remembering and forgetting -- things too terrible to remember and too important to forget. A superb cast, including Gabriel Byrne, Christopher Plummer, Susan Sarandon, and Max von Sydow, deliver a complex, understated story. (More about this film in another post.) The Canadian location and cinematography are especially beautiful.

Returning to the parking garage, after the after-party, on a hot night, with a full moon and the path illuminated with colored lights shining on almost tropical style plants, accessorized with a water fountain, the campus reminded me of a posh conference center in Florida. This was my first time on campus since I worked as a post doctoral fellow at SUNY SB many years ago when it was almost barren.

This is the way a modern, growing university should look, with the promise of comfort, dedication, and the cultivation of cultural arts and all knowledge. It was great to see the Staller auditorium full of people; and it would be great to see the intellectual and cultural experience in and around SUNY SB continue to expand.

I have a strong personal interest in the fusion of intellectual activities with entertainment. Given the support of a major university, the large enthusiastic audience, and the outstanding physical environment, this is a terrific place for a film festival, and for a film festival to contribute to that fusion. The growth of the film festival can benefit the university, the film industry and, in a larger sense, intellectual popular culture generally. It’s a great place to showcase important films.

Labels: Emotional Arithmetic, SBFF, Staller Center, Stony Brook Film Festival

# posted by QPORIT @ 2:37 AM 0 comments

(SBFF) will run from July 17 through July 26, with films from around the world... And Long Island!

Films at SBFF are projected on a large screen, to a large audience, with a single film shown in each time slot (no competing venues; no hard decisions about which film to see of the films playing at the same time) – three quite unique attributes at a film festival.

ELIZABETH ASHLEY IN THE CAKE EATERS

Among the many, very interesting films to be shown at SBFF is The Cake Eaters, the sensitive and interesting directorial debut for actress Mary Stuart Masterson. Shot in upstate New York (with cinematography by her brother), it is a drama, both realistic and romantic, with a cast that includes Bruce Dern and Elizabeth Ashley.

Lot's of great movie stars! World premieres! Many languages spoken in the films to be presented at SBFF. Here are a few of the highlights (grouped loosely by language) ......

Chinese –

BLOOD BROTHERS

N.Y. Premiere—Taiwan/China/Hong Kong—In Chinese with subtitles.

Directed by Alexi Tan.

Written by Alexi Tan, Jiang Dan and Tony Chan.

With Daniel Wu, Chang Chen, Shu Qi, Liu Ye, Sun Honglei, Tony Yang and Lulu Yi.

1930s Shanghai: a glittering city of vice and decadence.


HOME SONG STORIES

HOME SONG STORIES

N.Y. Premiere—Australia/Singapore—In English, Mandarin and Cantonese with subtitles.

Written and directed by Tony Ayres.

With Joan Chen (the extraordinary actress from Lust, Caution), Qi Yuwu, Joel Lok, Irene Chen, Steve Vidler and Kerry Walker.

A glamorous Hong Kong nightclub singer meets an Australian sailor and migrates with him to the state of Victoria along with her two children.


Russian

WIND MAN- a film by Khuat Akhmetov;


Spanish

TWINS FOR PRESIDENT

TWINS FOR PRESIDENT

East Coast Premiere—Spain—In Spanish with subtitles.

Directed by Miguel Ángel Calvo Buttini.

Written by Álvaro Lión-Depetre and Miguel Ángel Calvo Buttini.

With Andoni Gracia, Txema Blasco, María Galiana, Merce Llorens and Teresa Gimpera.

An emotional comedy. Somewhere near a beautiful river, salmon, frogs and other species coexist with the inhabitants of a small and quaint village.


Irish Gaelic

KINGS (Ireland’s official entry to the Foreign Language Oscar 2008).


Hungarian –

CHILDREN OF GLORY - N.Y. Premiere

Directed by Krisztina Goda.

Written by Joe Eszterhas and Éva Gárdos

With Kata Dobó and Iván Fenyö.

In Budapest 1956. During the brewing anti-Soviet Revolution, a fiery student, Viki, catches the eye of Karcsi, A young waterpolo star.


French –

BARBARA BROADCAST (short); BUNNY GAMES (short); SUMMIT CIRCLE;


BLUFF

N.Y. Premiere—Canada—In French with subtitles.

Directed by Simon Olivier Fecteau and Marc-André Lavoie.

Written by Marc-André Lavoie, Simon Olivier Fecteau and David Gauthier.

With Emmanuel Bilodeau, Isabelle Blais, Raymond Bouchard, Nicholas Canuel and Eve Duranceau.

Tenants with things to hide…


Hindi

AMAL

Written and directed by Richie Mehta.

With Rupinder Nagra, Koel Purie, Naseeruddin Shah, Roshan Seth and Seema Biswas.

...“Sometimes the poorest of men are the richest.”


Dutch –

FOR A FEW MARBLES MORE (short)


Bosnian –

IN THE NAME OF THE SON (short)


IN THE NAME OF THE SON

German, Polish –

AND ALONG CAME TOURISTS takes place in the present-day town of Oswiecim, Poland, site of the Auschwitz extermination camp. A young German chooses civil work over military service and finds himself helping out in Auschwitz, where tour buses unload a million visitors a year.


Hebrew –

THE SECRETS

An adult film that explores the place of women and sexuality in Orthodox Judaism with Fanny Ardant, Ania Bukstin and Michal Shtamler.

“Three stories. One highway…”


CAT CITY

Labels: SBFF, Stony Brook Film Festival

# posted by QPORIT @ 2:37 AM 0 comments