Articles

Sundance 2019: Writer/Director Soudade Kaadan
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Sundance 2019: Writer/Director Soudade Kaadan

Filmmaker Soudade Kaadan lends her darkly comic voice to humanity under siege in the short film Aziza, winner of the Short Film Grand Jury Prize at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.  In this interview, Neil Kendricks speaks with the filmmaker about how she transformed her experience as a Syrian exile into this award-winning short.

A virtual reality screen grab of a tiger in the jungle.

The Wild Immersion: What is The Role of VR in Saving Wildlife?

Ready for an unforgettable ride? Fasten your VR headset as Courtney Gardner shares her first experience with VR in The Wild Immersion at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. The film’s director, Adrien Moisson, takes the journey too, sharing with Courtney his views about the potential for  VR technology to create new forms of compassion and empathy—in this case around the needs of large animals around the world.

Meet the Director: Alice Waddington
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Meet the Director: Alice Waddington

Courtney Gardner, who attended this year’s Sundance Film Festival (January 23—February 3) shares insights abut Paradise Hills, the feature debut of 28-year-old, Spanish director Alice Waddington. Bringing her love of science fiction and fantasy to the screen, Alice tells a story of women traditionally underrepresented in film.  Alice spoke with Courtney about the identities she holds close, the barriers she sees and has faced in the film industry, and of the symbolism in Paradise Hills

A Tribute to Jonas Mekas (1922-2019)
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A Tribute to Jonas Mekas (1922-2019)

Immigrant artisan, insatiable curator, preservationist, fearless exhibitor who got the world to understand that raw and unruly “underground” cinema could be classic independent moviemaking —Jonas Mekas did it all, passing away January 23 at age 96. Senior film critic Kurt Brokaw salutes the life and work of the pioneer who built Anthology Film Archives in lower Manhattan, proudly calling himself a filmer and not a filmmaker.

People sitting inside a movie theater.

Revisiting Summer: Reflections from Coolidge Corner Theater’s New Film Series

Mike Sullivan introduces readers to the Coolidge Corner Theater’s new “Summer Seminar” series by revisiting memorable screenings from the 2018 season. As part of the educational series, seminar attendees enjoy a pre-screening presentation and participate in post-film analysis, led by experts in various aspects of film: technique, theory, style, trivia, etc. In this article, Mike describes the fascinating lectures and evocative screenings of Jaws (a Coolidge Corner Theater summer tradition!) and The Silence of the Lambs.

New York Jewish Film Festival—January 9-22

New York Jewish Film Festival—January 9-22

Senior Film Critic Kurt Brokaw offers recommendations from the 28th edition of the New York Jewish Film Festival (32 features, 6 shorts, most US, World, or New York premieres). The festival, which runs from January 9th through the 22nd, is co-sponsored by the Jewish Museum and the Film Society of Lincoln Center. Check through January 22nd for updates!