Author: Kurt Brokaw

Kurt Brokaw joined The Independent in 2010 as Senior Film Critic,

covering New York’s six major film festivals and reviewing individual

features and shorts of merit. He was Associate Teaching Professor

at The New School for 33 years, and has taught courses on film noir,

early lesbian fiction and Jewish-themed cinema at The 92nd Street Y

for 15 years. His memoir, The Paperback Guy, was published in 2020.

Articles Written by Kurt Brokaw:

Best of New Directors/New Films: The Red Chapel

Posted March 22nd, 2010

The Red Chapel (Mads Brügger. 2009. Denmark. 87 min.) Repression. Imprisonment. Extermination. North Korea’s shameful secret is its network of hidden rural prisons, where over a quarter million dissidents have been locked up to rot and die. Last year’s Yodok Stories, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, was a closeup look at one escapee,… Read more »

Best of New Directors/New Films: The Father of My Children

Posted March 19th, 2010

The Father Of My Children (Le père de mes enfants) (Mia Hansen-Love. 2009. France/Germany. 110 min.) For a long, long time in Mia Hansen-Love’s heartbreakingly beautiful tribute to the French indie film producer Humbert Balsan, the camera holds tight on the actor (Louis-Do de Lencquesaing) playing Grégoire, the maverick producer. Grégoire is brisk, casually but… Read more »

Best of New Directors/New Films: Beautiful Darling

Posted March 18th, 2010

Beautiful Darling: The Life and Times of Candy Darling, Andy Warhol Superstar (James Rasin. 2010. USA. 86 min.) The defining artifact that seems to have launched the persona, transformation, and life journey (1944-74) of a Long Island boy named James Slattery was a letter from Kim Novak. It’s a generic response to a fan, but… Read more »

Advance Look at New Directors/New Films

Posted March 17th, 2010

For the past 38 years in Manhattan, The Film Society of Lincoln Center and The Museum of Modern Art have collaborated on an annual presentation of New Directors/New Films. This year’s 27 features and 11 shorts, representing 20 countries, will screen at both locales between March 24th and April 4th. Many events host directors for… Read more »

Best of New Directors/New Films: The Man Next Door