Declare Your Independents: Volume 10
GITS development assistant Wendy Cohen here, and welcome to another edition of Declare Your Independents, our new series highlighting the latest developments in the world of independent film.
This week…
Why Getting on Upworthy is the New Goal for Kickstarter Campaigns
Penn Jillette Makes a Horror Film
The Future of Crowdfunding (And the Tax Implications)
Can a Movie Become a Best Picture Contender Without Festival Buzz?
AFFRM Launches New Black Filmmaker Conversations Podcast Series “The Call In”
Geena Davis Takes a Shot for Gender Equality
David Sedaris on the First Film Adaptation of His Work
A REMINDER:
- 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.
- When you go to the theater, why not whip out your cellphone and snap a shot of something that demonstrates you were there? A photo of the movie poster in the lobby. A shot of your ticket stubs. An image of the movie theater itself. You and youriconoclastic indie film freaks.
- For any conversations on Twitter re: this initiative, let’s use these two hashtags: #independents and #declareyourindependents
- While we’re at it, why not add our photos to CydM’s fantastic Pintrest page for everyone to enjoy?
- And if we come up with a nifty Declaration of Independents, we could try to make it go viral. If you were going to write a Declaration of Independents, what would you include? What if we made it a video manifesto?
We can’t make this work without your participation. Share your experiences with the community so we can open up readers to the fantastically diverse, exciting and evolving world of independent film. We’ll all be extremely grateful that you did!
INDIE SPOTLIGHT: MOVIES TO SEE IN THEATERS THIS WEEK
OPENING FRIDAY (9/20)
Rush
The epic action-drama stars Chris Hemsworth as the charismatic Englishman James Hunt and Daniel Brühl (Inglourious Basterds) as the disciplined Austrian perfectionist Niki Lauda, whose clashes on the Grand Prix racetrack epitomized the contrast between these two extraordinary characters, a distinction reflected in their private lives. Set against the sexy and glamorous golden age of Formula 1 racing, Rush portrays the exhilarating true story of two of the greatest rivals the world has ever witnessed — handsome English playboy Hunt and his methodical, brilliant opponent, Lauda. Taking us into their personal lives on and off the track, Rush follows the two drivers as they push themselves to the breaking point of physical and psychological endurance, where there is no shortcut to victory and no margin for error. If you make one mistake, you die.
Watch an interview with director Ron Howard and screenwriter Peter Morgan here.
Enough Said
A divorced and single parent, Eva (Julia Louis Dreyfus) spends her days enjoying work as a masseuse but dreading her daughter’s impending departure for college. She meets Albert (James Gandolfini) — a sweet, funny and like-minded man also facing an empty nest. As their romance quickly blossoms, Eva befriends Marianne (Catherine Keener), her new massage client. Marianne is a beautiful poet who seems “almost perfect” except for one prominent quality: she rags on her ex-husband way too much. Suddenly, Eva finds herself doubting her own relationship with Albert as she learns the truth about Marianne’s Ex. ENOUGH SAID is a sharp, insightful comedy that humorously explores the mess that often comes with getting involved again.
Read an interview with director Nicole Holofcener here.
Thanks for Sharing
From Academy Award-nominated screenwriter and first-time director Stuart Blumberg (THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT), THANKS FOR SHARING is a sharply comic and deeply moving look at a new kind of modern family, as a group of friends in recovery learns to face life together with heart, humor and humility. Academy Award-nominee Mark Ruffalo, Academy Award-winner Tim Robbins and Broadway star Josh Gad (“The Book of Mormon”) anchor a stellar ensemble that includes Academy Award-winner Gwyneth Paltrow and pop star Alecia Moore (“Get the Party Started”) in her first film role.
Q&A with producer Leslie Urdang to come.
Prisoners
How far would you go to protect your child? Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) is facing every parent’s worst nightmare. His six-year-old daughter, Anna, is missing, together with her young friend, Joy, and as minutes turn to hours, panic sets in. The only lead is a dilapidated RV that had earlier been parked on their street. Heading the investigation, Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) arrests its driver, Alex Jones (Paul Dano), but a lack of evidence forces the only suspect’s release. Knowing his child’s life is at stake, the frantic Dover decides he has no choice but to take matters into his own hands. The desperate father will do whatever it takes to find the girls, but in doing so, he may lose himself, begging the question: When do you cross the line between seeking justice and becoming a vigilante?
Listen to KCET’s Q&A with director Dennis Villeneuve here.
Q&A with producers Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson to come.
The striking feature film debut of writer-director Alexandre Moors, BLUE CAPRICE is a harrowing yet restrained psychological thriller about an abandoned boy lured to America into the shadows of a dangerous father figure. Inspired by true events, BLUE CAPRICE investigates the notorious and horrific Beltway sniper attacks from the point of view of the two perpetrators, whose distorted father-son relationship facilitated their long and bloody journey across America. Marked by captivating performances by Isaiah Washington and Tequan Richmond, lyrical camerawork, and a unique and bold structure, BLUE CAPRICE documents the mechanisms that lead its subjects to embrace physical violence. BLUE CAPRICE paints a haunting depiction of two cold-blooded killers and a riveting portrait of 21st-century America.
Q&A with stars Isaiah Washington and Tequan Richmond to come.
Adapted from an autobiographical short story by Grammy-nominated humorist David Sedaris, writer/director Kyle Patrick Alvarez’s gently humorous comedy-drama stars Glee’s Jonathan Groff as a young, self-righteous writer who learns more about life than he ever thought possible while spending a summer working on an Oregon apple farm. David (Groff) and his best friend Jennifer (Troian Bellisario) were planning to spend their summer working together on the farm when Jennifer cancelled on him at the last possible moment. Determined to carry on with the trip regardless, David eventually arrives at his rural destination, where he quickly discovers that his new coworkers seem to resent anyone with the ability to think independently. But in time things start to change; David wins the friendship of an amiable forklift driver named Curly (Corey Stoll), and encounters Jon (Denis O’Hare), a compassionate born-again artist with genuine concern for David’s well-being. By the time David’s soul-searching summer draws to a close, his arrogance has been eroded by the kindness of the people he once saw as inferior, resulting in a series of life-altering epiphanies.
Q&A with director Kyle Patrick Alvarez to come.
Haute Cuisine
Hortense Laborie (Catherine Frot), a renowned chef from Perigord, is astonished when the President of the Republic (Jean d’Ormesson) appoints her his personal cook, responsible for creating all his meals at the Elysée Palace. Despite jealous resentment from the other kitchen staff, Hortense quickly establishes herself, thanks to her indomitable spirit. The authenticity of her cooking soon seduces the President, but the corridors of power are littered with traps. Based on the extraordinary true story of President Francois Mitterand’s private cook.
A Single Shot
David M. Rosenthal’s white-knuckle thriller starts with a bang: a single shot, aimed at a lone deer, that hits and kills a young woman. The hunter, John Moon (Sam Rockwell, SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS), watches her die before discovering a box of money near her body. In a desperate panic, he takes the cash — hiring a low-rent lawyer (William H. Macy, FARGO) to fight his wife’s (Kelly Reilly, FLIGHT) divorce suit — and attempts to cover up the killing. But when he discovers that the money belonged to a group of hardened criminals, the hunter becomes the hunted in this tense cat-and-mouse struggle in the backwoods of West Virginia.
After Tiller
In 2009, Dr. George Tiller of Wichita, Kansas, one of the only doctors in the US who performed third-trimester abortions, was gunned down in his church. He was the eighth abortion clinic worker to be assassinated since the Supreme Court passed the Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion, in 1973. There are now only four doctors in the country, all former colleagues of Dr. Tiller, who openly provide late abortions, a procedure considered highly controversial even among those who consider themselves pro-choice. AFTER TILLER weaves together revealing interviews with the doctors with intimate scenes from their private lives and inside their clinics, where they counsel and care for their vulnerable patients. The personal and moral struggles of several of these women are revealed, forcing us to step into the shoes of both patient and practitioner as they confront the full complexity of each decision.
Read Indiewire’s interview with the directors here.
Generation Iron
Generation Iron — examines the professional sport of bodybuilding today and gives the audience front row access to the lives of the top 7 bodybuilders in the sport as they train to compete in the world’s most premiere bodybuilding stage — Mr. Olympia. Each athlete, has a story to tell of their life, journey, aspiration and motivation. They have been through ups and downs, overcoming the toughest judges in the world as they’ve entered the stages around the world and flexed their muscles for eager fans. To their fans, they are more than superstars — they are Olympian Gods.
My Lucky Star
A lively romantic comedy containing elements of mistaken identity and an international crime caper that takes our star, Zhang Ziyi, on a glamorous adventure from Beijing to Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau.
In Search of the American Dream
Five children and their adult brother desperately race across Texas for survival after their parents, undocumented for 30 years, were caught, arrested and thrown in jail in one fell swoop — deportation is only a matter of time. When CPS threatens to separate them, the children are forced to abandon the only home they’ve ever known. A routine traffic stop by a police officer goes terribly wrong and now they are not only running from CPS but also from the law. In Search of the American Dream tells the story of one family torn apart… and the fear and agony the children are forced to bear alone.
Jewtopia
Christian O’Connell (Ivan Sergei) has met the girl of his dreams in Alison Marks (Jennifer Love Hewitt). Unfortunately, Christian told Alison (who happens to be a rabbi’s daughter) that his name was Avi Rosenberg, and that he was Jewish- neither of which are true. Desperate to keep up the illusion, he turns to his childhood best friend, Adam Lipschitz (Joel David Moore) to teach him how to “act Jewish.” But Adam has problems of his own, with a fiancé (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) pushing him closer to a mental breakdown as their wedding approaches. With the best intentions, Adam and Christian attempt to help each other out, but things quickly go completely and hilariously off the rails in this outrageous all-star comedy from the creators of the original hit international play seen by millions.
The Short Game
THE SHORT GAME follows the lives of eight of the best 7-year old golfers in the world as they train for and compete in the World Championships of Junior Golf. The annual tournament held at golfing mecca Pinehurst, North Carolina, brings in 1500 young golfers from 54 different countries and determines who will be crowned golf’s next phenom. In its course, the eight stories entwine to form a fascinating and often funny portrait of a group of very young athletes and their families, in which the narrow-focused, peculiar and highly competitive junior golf subculture becomes both a window into contemporary global society and an inspiring reflection of the human condition.
Read SXSW’s interview with director Josh Greenbaum here.
Zaytoun
In 1982, amid the Lebanese Civil War, Israeli pilot Yoni (Stephen Dorff) is shot down over Beirut and is taken prisoner by inhabitants of a Palestinian refugee camp. Among the captors is ten-year-old Fahed, whose father obsessively tends to his prized, but sickly olive tree, refusing to replant it until they return to their ancestral land. Despite his deep-rooted hatred for Yoni, Fahed realizes he can use him to get past the border and into “Palestine” to plant his father’s olive tree. The two embark on a harrowing and dangerous journey — one that tests the very boundaries of humanity. ZAYTOUN is a story of survival, reconciliation and friendship.
NOW IN THEATERS
WADJDA is a 10-year-old girl living in a suburb of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Although she lives in a conservative world, Wadjda is fun loving, entrepreneurial and always pushing the boundaries of what she can get away with. After a fight with her friend Abdullah, a neighborhood boy she shouldn’t be playing with, Wadjda sees a beautiful green bicycle for sale. She wants the bicycle desperately so that she can beat Abdullah in a race. But Wadjda’s mother won’t allow it, fearing repercussions from a society that sees bicycles as dangerous to a girl’s virtue. So Wadjda decides to try and raise the money herself. At first, Wadjda’s mother is too preoccupied with convincing her husband not to take a second wife to realize what’s going on. And soon enough Wadjda’s plans are thwarted when she is caught running various schemes at school. Just as she is losing hope of raising enough money, she hears of a cash prize for a Koran recitation competition at her school.
Watch The Guardian’s interview with director Haifaa Al-Mansour here.
An ensemble drama set in the 1960s about families, co-written and directed by Academy Award-winner Billy Bob Thornton, Jayne Mansfield’s Car looks at two colorful clans brought together by the death of a woman who was married, first to the Southerner Jim Caldwell (Robert Duvall) and then to the British Kingsley Bedford (John Hurt). When she is brought back home for burial, the two families meet for the first time at the Caldwells’ Alabama home with uneasy curiosity. The culture clash of the Vietnam Era, and of the Old World versus the Old South, become a backdrop for the Caldwells’ and the Bedfords’ heartfelt and sometimes hilarious struggles with long-held resentments, family rivalries and secrets, and the memories of war and how it shaped three generations of fathers and sons.
Q&A with star Katherine LaNasa and writer Tom Epperson to come.
SALINGER features interviews with 150 subjects including Salinger’s friends, colleagues and members of his inner circle who have never spoken on the record before as well as film footage, photographs and other material that has never been seen. Additionally, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Edward Norton, John Cusack, Danny DeVito, John Guare, Martin Sheen, David Milch, Robert Towne, Tom Wolfe, E.L. Doctorow, Gore Vidal and Pulitzer Prize winners A. Scott Berg and Elizabeth Frank talk about Salinger’s influence on their lives, their work and the broader culture. The film is the first work to get beyond the Catcher in the Rye author’s meticulously built up wall: his childhood, painstaking work methods, marriages, private world and the secrets he left behind after his death in 2010.
Read The Huffington Post’s interview with director Shane Salerno here.
Q&A with director Shane Salerno to come.
Moving from a remote tribal village to the sprawling metropolis of Johannesburg, South Africa, a proud young Winnie (Jennifer Hudson) soon found love with a rising political star, Nelson Mandela (Terrence Howard). When Nelson was imprisoned for protesting the brutal Apartheid government, Winnie worked tirelessly to win his freedom and to carry on his message of peace and equality. Her struggle to keep the Mandela dream alive was rewarded by years of persecution and imprisonment, including 18 months of solitary confinement. Throughout, her resolve to fight for her freedom, her family and her country never wavered. Her leadership and unconquerable spirit caught the attention of the world and earned her the name “the mother of the nation.”
Freda Kelly was just a shy Liverpudlian teenager when she was asked to work for a local band hoping to make it big. Though she had no concept of how far they would go, Freda had faith in The Beatles from the beginning, and The Beatles had faith in her. History notes that The Beatles were together for 10 years, but Freda worked for them for 11. Many people came in and out of the band’s circle as they grew to international stardom, but Freda remained a staple because of her unfaltering loyalty and dedication. As the Beatles’ devoted secretary and friend, Freda was there as history unfolded; she was witness to the evolution — advances and setbacks, breakthroughs and challenges — of the greatest band in history.
Read an interview with producer Kathy McCabe here.
Q&A with director Ryan White to come.
Thanks, Wendy! This week, Declare Your Independents by checking out some of these movies via VOD or in a theater near you!