New York African Film Festival Looks Towards Visions of Freedom
Film at Lincoln Center and African Film Festival, Inc. will celebrate the 29th New York African Film Festival (NYAFF) at…
Editor's Desk
For information about our Editorial Team, please visit the Masthead http://independent-magazine.org/about/bios/.
10 To Watch Filmmakers in 2018: Gabriel Silverman, and Fiona Dawson, and Jamie Coughlin
The Independent‘s Editor speaks with Gabriel Silverman, Fiona Dawson, and Jaime Coughlin on their award-winning documentary TransMilitary.
New Horizons of Virtual Reality: Exploring Utopia Through the Evolution of Second Life
Annie Berman, named one of The Independent’s ten filmmakers to watch (2016), is a media artist living and working in New York City. Her background in photography and psychology inspires work about visual culture, virtual realities, and the changing media landscape. Her films, videos, performances, and installations have shown internationally including at the Museum of Modern Art’s Doc Fortnight, Rooftop Films, Galerie Patrick Ebensperger Berlin, Kassel Hauptbahnhof, and the Rome Independent Film Festival where she was awarded the Best Experimental Film Prize. Recently, Annie spoke with The Independent’s editor about her newest VR project—an exploration of the possibilities and limitations of virtual reality through the aftermath of Second Life.
New Documentary on Historic “Rumble in the Jungle” Boxing Match
The Independent’s Editor speaks with Gnimbin Ouattara, Associate Professor of History and International Studies at Brenau University on his new documentary Ali, mbomayé’s. The film centers on four African people who vividly remember the 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle” fight in Zaire, where Muhammad Ali, former heavyweight champion, defeated George Foreman, the undefeated world heavyweight champion in a knockout.
First Time Feature Film Director Discusses Success with Kaufman’s Game
Kaufman’s Game is the award-winning, full-length drama by first time Writer/Directer Helier Bissell-Thomas. The film stars Jye Frasca as Stanley, an unemployed man with a passion for boxing, who becomes drawn into the violent operations of a powerful organization. The Independent’s editor caught up with Bissell-Thomas to discuss the film’s production and its influences.
On Art and Healing
The Independent’s editor speaks with Ricardo Bouyett, filmmaker, writer, and photographer of the new short No Love For Fuckboys. The film, which won “Best Experimental Short” at the Short To The Point International Film Festival, is an exploration—at once personal and more broadly social—of the intricacies of navigating dating, friendship, love, and desire after the trauma of sexual assault.
New Documentary Shines a Light on Brooklyn Teenager Miasia Clark
The Independent catches up with Yvonne Michelle Shirley, creator of the new documentary, Miasia: The Nature of Experience. The film, which featured at BlackStar Film Festival, chronicles the life of Brooklyn teenager Miasia Clark as she navigates her everyday world and prepares to present at the first ever Black Girl Movement National Conference. Miasia is joined in this effort by members of her activist group, Girls for Gender Equity.
(Dis)Ability in the Work of an Australian Filmmaker
The Independent speaks with gough, a screen writer, director, and producer based in Australia. gough, who is legally blind, runs the successful company Beernuts Productions, which has produced a variety of documentaries, shorts, and other media content. Here gough reflects on how his disability informs his work and comedy.
Harry Assouline on the Award Winning, Futuristic Sci-Fi Thriller New York 2150
Writer, Director, and Producer Harry Assouline talks with The Independent about his award-winning, sci-fi thriller New York 2150. The film stars Kalen J. Hall as intergalactic bounty hunter Jaydon Jaxon, who partners with Mac Cole (Marcus Brandon) to apprehend a psycho-killer. Together the two face a variety of haunts, surreal and actual, in the futuristic terror-world of New Manhattan.