Declare Your Independents — Vol. 49
GITS development assistant Wendy Cohen here, and welcome back to Declare Your Independents, our new series highlighting the latest developments in the world of independent film!
This week…
Are the Oscars and the Spirit Awards About To Have the Same Winners (Again)?
Why Filmmakers Need the Festival Forum
How to Make a Feature Film for $10,000 (Hint: Look on Craigslist)
SXSW 2015 Announced Midnight Movies And Full Shorts Line-Up
Scott and I encourage any of you who go to see an independent movie to post your reactions to the film in these posts. Good, bad, indifferent, whatever. If there’s a film you want to recommend, do it. Use your words to inspire readers to transport themselves into a local cinema.
INDIE SPOTLIGHT: MOVIES TO SEE IN THEATERS THIS WEEK
OPENING FRIDAY (2/13)
HITS, comedian David Cross’s first directorial effort, is a dark comedy exploring the nature of fame in 21st Century YouTube America. The film takes place in a small town in upstate New York populated by people who trade in unrealistic expectations. It’s a story in which fame, delusion, earnestness, and recklessness meet, shake hands, and disrupt the lives around them. A talentless teen (Meredith Hagner) will do anything to get on TV’s “The Voice.” Meanwhile, her father (Matt Walsh), a municipal worker, creates an uproar when a video of his rants at City Hall goes viral.
Watch a Q&A with writer/director David Cross and the film’s cast here.
A Spike Lee Joint, DA SWEET BLOOD OF JESUS is a new kind of love story, one that centers on an addiction to blood that once doomed a long forgotten ancient African tribe. When Dr. Hess Green (Stephen Tyrone Williams) is introduced to a mysteriously cursed artifact by an art curator, Lafayette Hightower (Elvis Nolasco), he is uncontrollably drawn into a newfound thirst for blood that overwhelms his soul. He however is not a vampire. Lafayette quickly succumbs to the ravenous nature of the infliction but leaves Hess a transformed man. Soon Lafayette’s wife, Ganja Hightower (Zaraah Abrahams), comes looking for her husband and becomes involved in a dangerous romance with Hess that questions the very nature of love, addiction, sex, and status in our seemingly sophisticated society. A reinterpretation of Bill Gunn’s horror cult film “Ganja & Hess”, which played as a Critics’ Choice at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival, Spike Lee’s stylized thriller features an Original Score by Bruce Hornsby.
Watch an interview with writer/director Spike Lee here.
Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem
An Israeli woman (Ronit Elkabetz) seeking to finalize her divorce from her cruel and manipulative husband finds herself effectively put on trial by her country’s religiously-based marriage laws, in this riveting drama from sibling directors Shlomi and Ronit Elkabetz (Late Marriage and The Band’s Visit) who is also one of Israeli cinema’s most acclaimed actresses. In Israel there is neither civil marriage nor civil divorce; only rabbis can legalize a marriage or its dissolution, which is only possible with the husband’s full consent. Viviane Amsalem has been applying for a divorce for three years but her husband Elisha (Simon Ebkarian of Casino Royale and Persepolis), will not agree. His cold intransigence, Viviane’s determination to fight for her freedom, and the ambiguous role of the judges shape a procedure in which tragedy vies with absurdity, and where everything is brought out for judgment, apart from the initial request.
Watch a Q&A interview with writer/directors Shlomi and Ronit Elkabetz here.
Once upon a time, Keith Michaels (Hugh Grant — About a Boy, Love Actually) was an Award-winning Hollywood screenwriter, but divorce and a string of unsuccessful films have left him with nothing but bad debts and blank pages. So when his agent arranges a job as guest screenwriting professor at a remote university in upstate New York, a desperate Keith can’t say no. Initially hoping to give minimal effort to actual teaching so he can focus on his next script, Keith unexpectedly finds himself becoming invested in his students lives, including Holly (Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler), a single mom looking to start her own new chapter. The Rewrite features an all-star cast, including J.K. Simmons (Whiplash), Allison Janney (“Mom”), Chris Elliott (Groundhog Day) and Bella Heathcote (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies).
Watch an interview with the film’s writer/director Marc Lawrence and star Hugh Grant here.
In this adaptation of the hit musical, The Last Five Years is a musical deconstruction of a love affair and a marriage taking place over a five year period. Jamie (Jordan), a young, talented up-and-coming Jewish novelist falls in love with Cathy (Kendrick), a Shiksa Goddess and struggling actress. Their story is told almost entirely through song. All of Cathy’s songs begin at the end of their marriage and move backwards in time to the beginning of their love affair, while Jamie’s songs start at the beginning of their affair and move forward to the end of their marriage. They meet in the center when Jamie proposes.
Watch an interview with writer/director Richard LaGravenese here.
WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS chronicles the adventures of four vampire roommates trying to get by in a modern world that’s not always hospitable to the undead. Clement and Waititi, creators of the HBO hit series “Flight of the Conchords,” co-wrote, co-directed, and co-star in this hilarious send-up in which an endearingly unhip quartet of friends reveal to us or, rather, to the documentary crew that’s filming them, the details of their daily-make that nightly-routine. Ranging in age from 183 to 8,000, and in appearance from adorably youthful to Nosferatu-crusty, they squabble over household chores, struggle to keep up with the latest trends in technology and fashion, antagonize the local werewolves, cruise clubs for lovely ladies, and deal with the rigors of living on a very, very strict diet. The film also stars Rhys Darby, Jonathan Brugh, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer, Stu Rutherford, and Jackie Van Beek, and was produced by Waititi, Chelsea Winstanley and Emanuel Michael.
Watch an interview with the film’s writer/directors Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi here.
Harlon Mackey (Nick Krause) has been tormented by visions since his alcoholic father (Sam Trammell) forced him to kill an innocent rabbit while hunting as a boy. Now that Harlon is a bullied high school student, his undiagnosed mental illness is getting worse. He begins to hear voices and his imagination encourages him to carry out violent acts. Things begin to look up when Julie (Britt Robertson), a rebellious young girl, moves to town and befriends Harlon… But when she betrays him, the rabbit along with other imaginary comic book characters taunt him into committing one final act of revenge.
A woman looks at herself in the mirror. Despite having the same beautiful angelic face and body her entire life, Carmen is now ashamed of her obesity.The change is brought upon by her move from the suburbs to the city, and the taunting and rejection felt by her husband’s co-workers. In an effort to lose weight and fit into her new environment, Carmen pressures her husband into starting a diet with her, while at the same time discovering that the only thing that makes her happy is her new found cooking class. As their bodies transform, so does their relationship, putting their love to the test. Paraiso is a heart-warming comedy about rediscovering yourself and realizing true beauty comes from within.
NOW IN THEATERS
Cinematographer and documentarian Jody Lee Lipes crafts an intimate, fly-on-the-wall documentary offering a rare peek into the highly-guarded world of professional ballet. The film shadows Justin Peck, the 25-year old choreographer of the New York City Ballet, as he undertakes the Herculean task of creating the company’s 422nd original piece while simultaneously fulfilling his role as a Corps de Ballet member. Lipes chronicles Peck’s creative process from its embryonic stages to its highly anticipated premiere, quietly observing as he balances a roster of musicians, designers, and dancers from this famed institution. Ballet 422 is a powerful celebration of the skill and endurance of Peck and his fellow NYCB dancers-as well as those who remain hidden in the wings.
Watch an interview with director Jody Lee Lipes here.
Jerry is a seemingly normal man trying to succeed in his new job at the Milton Bathtub Factory. He lives in a normal apartment the type you would expect from a young bachelor with his dog, Bosco, and his cat, Mr. Whiskers. Yet something seems off. As the new guy at work, Jerry is asked to help plan the company picnic, and he meets Fiona, an attractive English girl from accounting. Jerry immediately takes a liking to Fiona and excitedly goes home to tell his pets about her. And surprisingly, they answer. But all this is just the beginning of an insanely bizarre and twisted tale.
Watch SundanceTV’s interview with director Marjane Satrapi here.
Not far from Timbuktu, now ruled by the religious fundamentalists, Kidane lives peacefully in the dunes with his wife Satima, his daughter Toya, and Issan, their twelve-year-old shepherd. In town, the people suffer, powerless, from the regime of terror imposed by the Jihadists determined to control their faith. Music, laughter, cigarettes, even soccer have been banned. The women have become shadows but resist with dignity. Every day, the new improvised courts issue tragic and absurd sentences. Kidane and his family are being spared the chaos that prevails in Timbuktu. But their destiny changes when Kidane accidentally kills Amadou, the fisherman who slaughtered “GPS,” his beloved cow. He now has to face the new laws of the foreign occupants. Timbuktu is Mauritania’s first entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award.
Watch DP/30’s interview with the film’s writer/director Abderrahmane Sissako here.
Tracing the relationship between Sam (Martin Starr, Knocked Up, “Freaks & Geeks”) an Iraq war veteran, and Amira (Dina Shihabi), an Iraqi immigrant on the verge of deportation, Sean Mullin’s feature film debut is an assured romantic drama that packs a true emotional punch.
Watch an Q&A with writer/director Sean Mullin and the film’s cast here.
Fed up with her abusive family situation, lack of school prospects and the “boys’ law” in the neighborhood, Marieme starts a new life after meeting a group of three free-spirited girls. She changes her name, her style, drops out of school and starts stealing to be accepted into the gang. When her home situation becomes unbearable, Marieme seeks solace in an older man who promises her money and protection. Realizing this sort of lifestyle will never result in the freedom and independence she truly desires, she finally decides to take matters into her own hands.
Watch the British Film Institute’s Q&A interview with writer/director Céline Sciamma here.
Many thanks to Wendy for today’s post and the many others she has contributed in the past. Remember to Declare Your Independents by going to a theater or use V.O.D. to watch an indie feature this weekend.