![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZjI2NDg4MGItNWI5My00MmY3LWExOWUtYTA3M2E3ZThkNTYyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,26,500,281_.jpg)
Exclusive: Performance footwear brand Hoka is providing traction for a new documentary filmed within California’s oldest state prison.
The company based in Goleta, California will fund the upcoming theatrical release of 26.2 to Life, according to an announcement today from Film Hālau, producer of the documentary. The film directed by Christine Yoo “goes behind the walls of California’s San Quentin State Prison, where three men sentenced to life in prison for murder undertake running a marathon on a quest for redemption and freedom — or something like it.”
Markelle Taylor, known as “the Gazelle of San Quentin,” runs on the track inside the prison yard.
26.2 to Life will arrive in theaters in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and Boston on September 22. It will also have a 72-hour virtual presentation nationwide, which audiences can experience between September 29 through October 1. According to a release, select screenings will feature a forward from lawyer,...
The company based in Goleta, California will fund the upcoming theatrical release of 26.2 to Life, according to an announcement today from Film Hālau, producer of the documentary. The film directed by Christine Yoo “goes behind the walls of California’s San Quentin State Prison, where three men sentenced to life in prison for murder undertake running a marathon on a quest for redemption and freedom — or something like it.”
Markelle Taylor, known as “the Gazelle of San Quentin,” runs on the track inside the prison yard.
26.2 to Life will arrive in theaters in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and Boston on September 22. It will also have a 72-hour virtual presentation nationwide, which audiences can experience between September 29 through October 1. According to a release, select screenings will feature a forward from lawyer,...
- 8/14/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
![Jennifer M. Kroot](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTQwNjk2OTIzN15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNzI4OTk4MDE@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR8,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Jennifer M. Kroot](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTQwNjk2OTIzN15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNzI4OTk4MDE@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR8,0,140,207_.jpg)
The key paradox to emerge from Jennifer M. Kroot's The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin is that the counterculture-era Dickens of San Francisco's Lgbt community was the son of an unapologetic white supremacist, whose connections helped him land his first TV writing gig, working for arch conservative Jesse Helms, of all people. Few readers devouring Maupin's cherished Tales of the City books can have guessed that the creator of Anna Madrigal, the enigmatic, weed-smoking trans landlady of 28 Barbary Lane, was in fact the great-great-grandson of a Confederate general who became a congressman in order to defend his slave-owner rights.
...
...
- 6/24/2017
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
For pride month, we're looking at a new queer-themed documentary each week beginning with The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin, which continues to play festivals around America.
“I’d like to tell you about the first time I had sex.”
This is a like spoken by the one and only Armistead Maupin in Jennifer M. Kroot’s documentary The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin. It’s spoken by him as he sits in a relaxed chair on a plainly adorned stage in front of a crowd of predominantly gay men. It garners a laugh from those in the audience there (as well as presumably the audience at home; I did), but it’s a moment that is quite indicative of the film around it.
Kroot’s film is not one that is shy about sex. It couldn’t possibly be. To do so would be to deny the essence of...
“I’d like to tell you about the first time I had sex.”
This is a like spoken by the one and only Armistead Maupin in Jennifer M. Kroot’s documentary The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin. It’s spoken by him as he sits in a relaxed chair on a plainly adorned stage in front of a crowd of predominantly gay men. It garners a laugh from those in the audience there (as well as presumably the audience at home; I did), but it’s a moment that is quite indicative of the film around it.
Kroot’s film is not one that is shy about sex. It couldn’t possibly be. To do so would be to deny the essence of...
- 6/6/2017
- by Glenn Dunks
- FilmExperience
![Israel (2013)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMzBkYWQzYmEtMDEyZS00OWUxLWFkYTUtM2U0OTgxYWZmMWY4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTQ0MTM1MDI@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR9,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Israel (2013)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMzBkYWQzYmEtMDEyZS00OWUxLWFkYTUtM2U0OTgxYWZmMWY4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTQ0MTM1MDI@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR9,0,140,207_.jpg)
Keep up with the always-hopping film festival world with our weekly Film Festival Roundup column. Check out last week’s Roundup right here.
Lineup Announcements
– Exclusive: Jcc Manhattan’s 5th Annual Israel Film Center Festival announced its complete line-up of feature films from acclaimed Israeli filmmakers. The festival, which highlights Israel’s latest groundbreaking cinema and also features conversations among industry creative, runs June 8 – 13, 2017 with two pre-festival previews on May 21, and May 23, at Jcc Manhattan, 334 Amsterdam Avenue at 76th Street.
Highlights of this year’s film line-up include the New York premieres of Meni Yaish’s “Our Father,” Erez Tadmor’s “Home Port,” Roee Florentin’s “Mr. Predictable,” and a special preview of “Aida’s Secrets,” set to open in theaters in the fall. Most films included in this year’s slate are New York premieres.
This year’s festival includes popular films coming out of Israel’s industry. “Most...
Lineup Announcements
– Exclusive: Jcc Manhattan’s 5th Annual Israel Film Center Festival announced its complete line-up of feature films from acclaimed Israeli filmmakers. The festival, which highlights Israel’s latest groundbreaking cinema and also features conversations among industry creative, runs June 8 – 13, 2017 with two pre-festival previews on May 21, and May 23, at Jcc Manhattan, 334 Amsterdam Avenue at 76th Street.
Highlights of this year’s film line-up include the New York premieres of Meni Yaish’s “Our Father,” Erez Tadmor’s “Home Port,” Roee Florentin’s “Mr. Predictable,” and a special preview of “Aida’s Secrets,” set to open in theaters in the fall. Most films included in this year’s slate are New York premieres.
This year’s festival includes popular films coming out of Israel’s industry. “Most...
- 4/27/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
![Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Jon Hamm, Eiza González, Lily James, and Ansel Elgort in Baby Driver (2017)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjM3MjQ1MzkxNl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwODk1ODgyMjI@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Jon Hamm, Eiza González, Lily James, and Ansel Elgort in Baby Driver (2017)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjM3MjQ1MzkxNl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwODk1ODgyMjI@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,207_.jpg)
The 2017 South by Southwest Film Festival announced their Audience Award and Virtual Cinema Jury Award winners on March 18. The full list is below.
2017 SXSW Film Festival Audience Award Winners:
Narrative Feature Competition
Audience Award Winner: “The Light of the Moon”
Director: Jessica M. Thompson
Documentary Feature Competition
Audience Award Winner: “Dealt”
Director: Luke Korem
Headliners
Audience Award Winner: “Baby Driver”
Director: Edgar Wright
Narrative Spotlight
Audience Award Winner: “Mr. Roosevelt”
Director: Noël Wells
Documentary Spotlight
Audience Award Winner: “The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin”
Director: Jennifer M. Kroot
Visions
Audience Award Winner: “Becoming Bond”
Director: Josh Greenbaum
Midnighters
Audience Award Winner: “68 Kill”
Director: Trent Haaga
Episodic
Audience Award Winner: “Dear White People”
Director: Justin Simien
24 Beats Per Second
Audience Award Winner: “May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers”
Directors: Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio
Global
Audience Award Winner: “Divine Divas”
Director: Leandra Leal
Festival Favorites
Audience Award Winner:...
2017 SXSW Film Festival Audience Award Winners:
Narrative Feature Competition
Audience Award Winner: “The Light of the Moon”
Director: Jessica M. Thompson
Documentary Feature Competition
Audience Award Winner: “Dealt”
Director: Luke Korem
Headliners
Audience Award Winner: “Baby Driver”
Director: Edgar Wright
Narrative Spotlight
Audience Award Winner: “Mr. Roosevelt”
Director: Noël Wells
Documentary Spotlight
Audience Award Winner: “The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin”
Director: Jennifer M. Kroot
Visions
Audience Award Winner: “Becoming Bond”
Director: Josh Greenbaum
Midnighters
Audience Award Winner: “68 Kill”
Director: Trent Haaga
Episodic
Audience Award Winner: “Dear White People”
Director: Justin Simien
24 Beats Per Second
Audience Award Winner: “May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers”
Directors: Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio
Global
Audience Award Winner: “Divine Divas”
Director: Leandra Leal
Festival Favorites
Audience Award Winner:...
- 3/18/2017
- by William Earl
- Indiewire
![Edgar Wright at an event for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTMxMjgyMjQ4NF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMTU0ODk2Mw@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR4,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Edgar Wright at an event for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTMxMjgyMjQ4NF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMTU0ODk2Mw@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR4,0,140,207_.jpg)
Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver voted top film in Headliners section.
Jessica M. Thompson’s narrative feature selection The Light Of The Moon and the documentary selection Dealt by Luke Korem earned top honours on Sunday.
The festival announced its audience winners on Sunday as they prepared to wrap the 2017 edition.
The jury and special prize winners were unveiled last week and reported here.
2017 SXSW Film Festival Audience Award winners:
Narrative Feature Competition
The Light Of The Moon, dir. Jessica M. Thompson
Documentary Feature Competition
Dealt, dir. Luke Korem
Headliners
Baby Driver, dir. Edgar Wright
Narrative Spotlight
Mr. Roosevelt, dir. Noël Wells
Documentary Spotlight
The Untold Tales Of Armistead Maupin, dir. Jennifer M. Kroot
Visions
Becoming Bond, dir. Josh Greenbaum
Midnighters
68 Kill, dir. Trent Haaga
Episodic
Dear White People, dir. Justin Simien
24 Beats Per Second
May It Last: A Portrait Of The Avett Brothers, dirs. Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio
Global
Divine Divas, dir. [link...
Jessica M. Thompson’s narrative feature selection The Light Of The Moon and the documentary selection Dealt by Luke Korem earned top honours on Sunday.
The festival announced its audience winners on Sunday as they prepared to wrap the 2017 edition.
The jury and special prize winners were unveiled last week and reported here.
2017 SXSW Film Festival Audience Award winners:
Narrative Feature Competition
The Light Of The Moon, dir. Jessica M. Thompson
Documentary Feature Competition
Dealt, dir. Luke Korem
Headliners
Baby Driver, dir. Edgar Wright
Narrative Spotlight
Mr. Roosevelt, dir. Noël Wells
Documentary Spotlight
The Untold Tales Of Armistead Maupin, dir. Jennifer M. Kroot
Visions
Becoming Bond, dir. Josh Greenbaum
Midnighters
68 Kill, dir. Trent Haaga
Episodic
Dear White People, dir. Justin Simien
24 Beats Per Second
May It Last: A Portrait Of The Avett Brothers, dirs. Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio
Global
Divine Divas, dir. [link...
- 3/18/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The new documentary from To Be Takei director Jennifer M. Kroot, The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin, will have its World Premiere at SXSW this year. ScreenAnarchy is pleased to offer you this exclusive clip as an appetizer. In the clip Laura Linney, who starred in the television adaptation of his Tales of the City series, and Sir Ian McKellen speak fondly of their friend, both a literary and Lgbtq icon, not just to people of all walks in the Bay Area but from all over the World. The Untold Tales Of Armistead Maupin examines the life and work of one of the world's most beloved storytellers, following his evolution from a conservative son of the Old South into a gay rights pioneer whose novels have...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 3/8/2017
- Screen Anarchy
Thundercrack!
Directed by Curt McDowell
Written by George Kuchar
USA, 1975
When one looks at the underground cult film scene of the 1960s and 1970s, the names Mike Kuchar and George Kuchar definitely come to mind. Twin-brothers who have spent the majority of their lives making short films, Mike and George utilized over-the-top titles and experimental storylines, all of the home movie variety shot on a rather “stylized” no-budget that Ed Wood would’ve been jealous of. Mike Kuchar’s work seemed to be inspired by pop genre films with a dash or two of wild fantasy: his best known film (well, best known in regards to the underground) is Sins of the Fleshapoids (1965), a trippy sci-fi/fantasy whatsit, all shot in color 16mm inside various rooms with limited art direction, utilizing dubbed-in narration and on-screen dialogue represented by optical cartoon-like speech-bubbles, and cribbing some music cues of Bernard Herrmann’s...
Directed by Curt McDowell
Written by George Kuchar
USA, 1975
When one looks at the underground cult film scene of the 1960s and 1970s, the names Mike Kuchar and George Kuchar definitely come to mind. Twin-brothers who have spent the majority of their lives making short films, Mike and George utilized over-the-top titles and experimental storylines, all of the home movie variety shot on a rather “stylized” no-budget that Ed Wood would’ve been jealous of. Mike Kuchar’s work seemed to be inspired by pop genre films with a dash or two of wild fantasy: his best known film (well, best known in regards to the underground) is Sins of the Fleshapoids (1965), a trippy sci-fi/fantasy whatsit, all shot in color 16mm inside various rooms with limited art direction, utilizing dubbed-in narration and on-screen dialogue represented by optical cartoon-like speech-bubbles, and cribbing some music cues of Bernard Herrmann’s...
- 1/20/2016
- by Christopher Koenig
- SoundOnSight
Curt McDowell and George Kuchar's comedy epic of oversexed sensationalists running amuck while trapped in a storm-battered house goes beyond strange. It's a legit experimental film but -- gasp! -- also 2.5 hours of hardcore porn and other forms of giddy depravity. A movie guaranteed to make conservative heads explode -- read with caution, please! Thundercrack! Blu-ray Synapse Films 1975 / B&W /1:33 flat full frame / 160 min. / Street Date December 8, 2015 / 39.95 Starring Marion Eaton, Melinda McDowell, George Kuchar, Mookie Blodgett, Ken Scudder, Bernie Boyle, Mark Ellinger, Laurie Hendricks, John Thomas. Cinematography & Film Editor Curt McDowell Makeup Mr. Dominic Original Music Mark Ellinger Written by Mark Ellinger, George Kuchar, Curt McDowell Produced by Charles Thomas, John Thomas Directed by Curt McDowell
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
*Not your usual Savant review.* As a student in the 1970s I worked as an usher at a couple of Filmex exhibitions at Grauman's Chinese. I then volunteered...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
*Not your usual Savant review.* As a student in the 1970s I worked as an usher at a couple of Filmex exhibitions at Grauman's Chinese. I then volunteered...
- 12/19/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Jay Martin’s directorial debut also stars Luke Mitchell, Leven Rambin and Kris Kristofferson
Starz Digital Media has acquired all North American rights to Jay Martin’s crime thriller “7 Minutes” and will release the film theatrically and on VOD this summer.
“7 Minutes,” which premiered at the Austin Film Festival in October, marks the directorial debut of Martin, a veteran music video director who also wrote the screenplay.
Also Read: ‘Avengers’ Star Clark Gregg’s Comedy ‘Trust Me’ Acquired by Starz Digital Media
The film stars Luke Mitchell, Jason Ritter, Leven Rambin (“The Hunger Games”), Kris Kristofferson and Zane Holtz, and...
Starz Digital Media has acquired all North American rights to Jay Martin’s crime thriller “7 Minutes” and will release the film theatrically and on VOD this summer.
“7 Minutes,” which premiered at the Austin Film Festival in October, marks the directorial debut of Martin, a veteran music video director who also wrote the screenplay.
Also Read: ‘Avengers’ Star Clark Gregg’s Comedy ‘Trust Me’ Acquired by Starz Digital Media
The film stars Luke Mitchell, Jason Ritter, Leven Rambin (“The Hunger Games”), Kris Kristofferson and Zane Holtz, and...
- 1/22/2015
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
![George Takei](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNDU4MDUwMTAxOV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNjEzOTU4NjE@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR8,0,140,207_.jpg)
![George Takei](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNDU4MDUwMTAxOV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNjEzOTU4NjE@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR8,0,140,207_.jpg)
In recent years, George Takei, once known mainly as the guy who played Sulu on the original Star Trek in the '60s, has become a fixture on talk shows and just about everywhere else — partly because of his out-and-proud status as a gay American, and partly because of his willingness to speak about his family’s imprisonment in a World War II Japanese-American internment camp. He’s a great spokesman for these causes — funny, self-deprecating, earnest but not sanctimonious. But he also bridges an important gap: He can speak both to America’s sordid, bigoted past and to its fundamental capacity for goodness. He’s a man who was imprisoned by his country — literally, for his ethnicity, and figuratively, for his sexual orientation. And yet, here he is, persistent, happy, driven. The very picture of the country’s can-do spirit. Jennifer M. Kroot’s To Be Takei is the...
- 8/22/2014
- by Bilge Ebiri
- Vulture
Living Long and Prospering: Kroot Recounts the Star’s Trek From Internment to the Internet
Thanks to his witty and sincere presence on various social media platforms, George Takei has been born again as a sort of cyber celebrity whose meme-esque social commentary has become an internet staple, despite the loss of translation of his singular silky smooth baritone voice into jpgs and text. With To Be Takei, director Jennifer M. Kroot compounds the actor’s life and career into a 94 minute portrait of virtuous celebrity, glorifying the man’s faith in humanity while reluctant to give any real critique of his public or private persona.
You are either a Trekkie or some kind of sci-fi derelict, but either way it’s likely you are familiar with the USS Enterprise’s original Commander Sulu, known to the Star Trek illiterate, the Lbgt community and the internet at large simply as Takei.
Thanks to his witty and sincere presence on various social media platforms, George Takei has been born again as a sort of cyber celebrity whose meme-esque social commentary has become an internet staple, despite the loss of translation of his singular silky smooth baritone voice into jpgs and text. With To Be Takei, director Jennifer M. Kroot compounds the actor’s life and career into a 94 minute portrait of virtuous celebrity, glorifying the man’s faith in humanity while reluctant to give any real critique of his public or private persona.
You are either a Trekkie or some kind of sci-fi derelict, but either way it’s likely you are familiar with the USS Enterprise’s original Commander Sulu, known to the Star Trek illiterate, the Lbgt community and the internet at large simply as Takei.
- 8/22/2014
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
![Alfred Molina and John Lithgow in Love Is Strange (2014)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTk5MTkxOTI1N15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNzAwNDA4MTE@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Alfred Molina and John Lithgow in Love Is Strange (2014)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTk5MTkxOTI1N15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNzAwNDA4MTE@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,207_.jpg)
There was a time when two veteran straight actors such as John Lithgow and Alfred Molina, taking on the roles of a gay couple and their subsequent travails at married life would have been the tabloid equivalent of shock and awe. It still might raise some eyebrows, but Ira Sachs’ Love Is Strange is a testimony to societal progress in terms of storytelling. Now it will face the box office as the Specialty title platforms this weekend via Sony Classics. A real-life gay marriage takes the spotlight this weekend courtesy of Starz Digital doc To Be Takei about the multi-faceted actor/activist and social media talent who is best known for playing Hikaru Sulu in TV’s original Star Trek. It will be joined by Millennium Entertainment’s Are You Here with Owen Wilson, Zach Galifianakis and Amy Poehler which will open day and date by Mad Men writer Matthew Weiner.
- 8/22/2014
- by Brian Brooks
- Deadline
Directed by Jennifer M. Kroot with George Takei, Brad Takei, Walter Koenig, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Nichelle Nichols.
It’s the voice. That mellifluous, basso profundo, deep down rumbling that issues words, sentences, entire speeches with such authority, sincerity and such relish that we cannot but pay attention. We hang on every word because we hear the intelligence, the humor, the irony and most of all the joy of someone who is in love; with life, with his partner, with acting, with being in the world and a part of human society, with the absolute joy of living. That voice is as recognizable and distinctive as Orson Welles, John Huston, Ed Begley or Roger Corman, that voice takes us by the hand and reveals to us a life lived full out, in every sense of the word; complicated, tragic, loving, generous and most of all fun.
It appears to be...
It’s the voice. That mellifluous, basso profundo, deep down rumbling that issues words, sentences, entire speeches with such authority, sincerity and such relish that we cannot but pay attention. We hang on every word because we hear the intelligence, the humor, the irony and most of all the joy of someone who is in love; with life, with his partner, with acting, with being in the world and a part of human society, with the absolute joy of living. That voice is as recognizable and distinctive as Orson Welles, John Huston, Ed Begley or Roger Corman, that voice takes us by the hand and reveals to us a life lived full out, in every sense of the word; complicated, tragic, loving, generous and most of all fun.
It appears to be...
- 8/21/2014
- by Sam Moffitt
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Director/writer Jennifer M. Kroot documents one of America’s most beloved national treasures, Star Trek star and civil rights activist George Takei, in To Be Takei. The actor is of course most known for his role as Hikaru Sulu of the USS Enterprise, though in recent years, he has become a recognized face in the equal marriage community in addition to supporting human rights in general. He was one of the more than 100,000 people of Japanese descent — many of them Americans — who were confined to internment camps after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. Takei starred in the 2012 musical Allegiance, based on this experience. This unique list of personal attributes, accomplishments and allegiances makes Takei the perfect theme for Kroot’s documentary, a light-hearted affair despite the weightiness of some of its issues. Fans of Takei, who love him not only as Sulu but also as a Facebook and Twitter legend, won...
- 8/20/2014
- by Emily Estep
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
To Be Takei is an entertaining and moving look at the many roles played by eclectic 76-year-old actor/activist George Takei whose wit, humor and grace has allowed him to become an internationally beloved figure.
It balances unprecedented access to the day-to-day life of George and his husband/business partner Brad Takei with George’s fascinating personal journey, from his childhood in a Japanese American internment camp, to his iconic and groundbreaking role as Sulu on “Star Trek,” through his rise as an internet phenomenon with over 6-million Facebook likes.
From director Jennifer M. Kroot, this insightful film features interviews with George Takei, Brad Takei, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Nichelle Nichols, Dan Savage, and Walter Koenig.
The documentary premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2014, played in St. Louis at Q Fest in April and opens in select cities, VOD platforms and iTunes on August 22nd.
Recently I spoke...
It balances unprecedented access to the day-to-day life of George and his husband/business partner Brad Takei with George’s fascinating personal journey, from his childhood in a Japanese American internment camp, to his iconic and groundbreaking role as Sulu on “Star Trek,” through his rise as an internet phenomenon with over 6-million Facebook likes.
From director Jennifer M. Kroot, this insightful film features interviews with George Takei, Brad Takei, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Nichelle Nichols, Dan Savage, and Walter Koenig.
The documentary premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2014, played in St. Louis at Q Fest in April and opens in select cities, VOD platforms and iTunes on August 22nd.
Recently I spoke...
- 8/20/2014
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
![Jennifer M. Kroot](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTQwNjk2OTIzN15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNzI4OTk4MDE@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR8,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Jennifer M. Kroot](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTQwNjk2OTIzN15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNzI4OTk4MDE@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR8,0,140,207_.jpg)
Jennifer M. Kroot’s To Be Takei is an affectionate portrait of the hardest-working member of the original cast of Star Trek, George Takei. That’s pronounced tuh-Kay, not tuh-kai, as so many have misspoken it over the years, including but not limited to William Shatner, whose strained non-relationship with Takei — particularly Shatner’s absence from Takei’s wedding — is one of the film’s many running threads. Others include Takei’s recent Internet fame, his intimate partnership with his husband, Brad, how Takei’s campaigning for marriage equality contributed to them being able to get married in the first place, and, perhaps most poignantly, Los Angeles–born Takei’s time spent in internment camps as a c...
- 8/20/2014
- Village Voice
George Takei is an easy man to like. Even in his late seventies, the Star Trek actor and activist has seen a meteoric rise in the popular consciousness. His Facebook page, filled with wry photos and Lgbt-friendly articles, has amassed nearly seven and a half million followers. His face and voice is a familiar sight to anyone who has turned on a television set, either from his playful, purry exclamations of “Oh my!” in commercials or playing himself on programs like The Big Bang Theory. Meanwhile, he boldly went where few public figures had gone before: a path to become an ardent advocate for gay marriage equality. (Today, Takei is married to his longtime boyfriend, Brad.)
In the pleasant and entertaining biographical doc To Be Takei, director Jennifer M. Kroot shows a different side of celebrity. Beloved by more fans by the day, the 77-year-old look like the most down-to-earth celebrity in Los Angeles.
In the pleasant and entertaining biographical doc To Be Takei, director Jennifer M. Kroot shows a different side of celebrity. Beloved by more fans by the day, the 77-year-old look like the most down-to-earth celebrity in Los Angeles.
- 8/20/2014
- by Jordan Adler
- We Got This Covered
We wanted to discuss magic, laughter and the difficult stuff that lies in between on this week’s show because Robin Williams was so much more than a comedian. One of the very best, to be sure, but he was like a Guinness World Record holder who somehow found time for a dozen other hobbies. Which he then mastered. So what was supposed to be a normal-length segment ballooned into a winding conversation about a tireless artist’s power to find a human connection in everything he did. We talk funny stuff, dark stuff, and Geoff explains how Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire made him understand his own dad. Plus, we speak with To Be Takei director Jennifer M. Kroot about chronicling Sulu in his natural habitat (and a little on how to hide in plain sight with a massive camera on your shoulder). You should follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for...
- 8/15/2014
- by Scott Beggs
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
This past Wednesday, August 6th, saw the close of the 18th edition of Montreal's Fantasia Film Festival; and now that the dust has settled, we have the full list of this year's award winners plus the Fest's dates for 2015.
From the Press Release:
Returning to its home at Concordia University after the location’s massive 2013 renovations, the acclaimed Fantasia International Film Festival, North America’s longest-running genre film fest, benefited from having three theaters in which to screen its record 160+ films.
Among the numerous highlights that took place during the three-week festival were the crowd-pleasing, revelatory world premieres of Leo Gabriadze’s Cybernatural (review here), Sarah Adina Smith’s The Midnight Swim, and Bennett Jones’ I Am A Knife With Legs. Also of note were massively successful screenings of Richard Linklater’s Boyhood, James Gunn’s Guardians Of The Galaxy, Lee Su-jin’s Han Gong-ju, Keishi Otomo’s Rurouni Kenshin – Kyoto Inferno,...
From the Press Release:
Returning to its home at Concordia University after the location’s massive 2013 renovations, the acclaimed Fantasia International Film Festival, North America’s longest-running genre film fest, benefited from having three theaters in which to screen its record 160+ films.
Among the numerous highlights that took place during the three-week festival were the crowd-pleasing, revelatory world premieres of Leo Gabriadze’s Cybernatural (review here), Sarah Adina Smith’s The Midnight Swim, and Bennett Jones’ I Am A Knife With Legs. Also of note were massively successful screenings of Richard Linklater’s Boyhood, James Gunn’s Guardians Of The Galaxy, Lee Su-jin’s Han Gong-ju, Keishi Otomo’s Rurouni Kenshin – Kyoto Inferno,...
- 8/9/2014
- by Debi Moore
- DreadCentral.com
![Thou Wast Mild and Lovely (2014)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjI0MjI1NzI1N15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNDQ1MjExMTE@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR2,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Thou Wast Mild and Lovely (2014)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjI0MjI1NzI1N15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNDQ1MjExMTE@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR2,0,140,207_.jpg)
Montreal-based genre festival to screen over 160 films at its 18th edition, which runs July 17-Aug 6.
Fantasia International Film Festival has unveiled the full line-up for its 18th edition, which takes place in Montreal from July 17-Aug 6.
Along with those previously announced in the first two waves, this year’s festival will also host the world premieres of Gun Ho Jang’s Heavenly Sword, Simon Boisvert’s Bold & Brash: Filmmaking Boisvert Style, Nick Szostakiwskyj’s Black Mountain Side, Maude Michaud’s Dys-, Chad Archibald & Matt Wiele’s Ejecta and LeRoy McCoy’s McCoy the Space Cowboy.
As previously announced, Jacky in the Kingdom of Women and Welcome to New York bookend this year’s festival.
Strands
Jonas Alexander Amby’s Cannes title When Animals Dream will receive its North American premiere as part of the festival’s Camera Lucida strand, which will also screen the likes of Josephine Decker’s Thou Wast Mild and Lovely and the North...
Fantasia International Film Festival has unveiled the full line-up for its 18th edition, which takes place in Montreal from July 17-Aug 6.
Along with those previously announced in the first two waves, this year’s festival will also host the world premieres of Gun Ho Jang’s Heavenly Sword, Simon Boisvert’s Bold & Brash: Filmmaking Boisvert Style, Nick Szostakiwskyj’s Black Mountain Side, Maude Michaud’s Dys-, Chad Archibald & Matt Wiele’s Ejecta and LeRoy McCoy’s McCoy the Space Cowboy.
As previously announced, Jacky in the Kingdom of Women and Welcome to New York bookend this year’s festival.
Strands
Jonas Alexander Amby’s Cannes title When Animals Dream will receive its North American premiere as part of the festival’s Camera Lucida strand, which will also screen the likes of Josephine Decker’s Thou Wast Mild and Lovely and the North...
- 7/10/2014
- by ian.sandwell@screendaily.com (Ian Sandwell)
- ScreenDaily
Following previous announcements of their film lineup, the Fantasia International Film Festival has released their full lineup of movies to be shown at the 18th Annual festival, starting July 17.
New additions to the lineup include 2014 Cannes Selection When Animals Dream, directed by Jonas Alexander Amby and the return of Fantasia’s showcase of animated films, Axis.
Tickets for the festival go on sale starting July 16, and the festival runs through August 5.
View the whole press release of additional announcements below:
Fantasia Celebrates Its 18th Birthday
With Over 160 Feature Films Montreal, Thursday July 10, 2014 – 2014 is the year that Fantasia turns 18. We can’t believe it either. Fantasia’s 18th birthday means over 160 features and something in the neighborhood of 300 shorts, many being shown for the first time on this continent, a good number screening here for the first time anywhere in the world.In addition to being stacked with a multitude of breathtaking debut filmmaker discoveries,...
New additions to the lineup include 2014 Cannes Selection When Animals Dream, directed by Jonas Alexander Amby and the return of Fantasia’s showcase of animated films, Axis.
Tickets for the festival go on sale starting July 16, and the festival runs through August 5.
View the whole press release of additional announcements below:
Fantasia Celebrates Its 18th Birthday
With Over 160 Feature Films Montreal, Thursday July 10, 2014 – 2014 is the year that Fantasia turns 18. We can’t believe it either. Fantasia’s 18th birthday means over 160 features and something in the neighborhood of 300 shorts, many being shown for the first time on this continent, a good number screening here for the first time anywhere in the world.In addition to being stacked with a multitude of breathtaking debut filmmaker discoveries,...
- 7/10/2014
- by Brian Welk
- SoundOnSight
Watch the first trailer for director Jennifer M. Kroot’s To Be Takei.
Starring George Takei, Brad Takei, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Nichelle Nichols, Dan Savage, and Walter Koenig, the film will premiere July 3rd on Directv and opens in theaters, On Demand and iTunes on August 22nd.
To Be Takei is an entertaining and moving look at the many roles played by eclectic 76-year-old actor/activist George Takei whose wit, humor and grace has allowed him to become an internationally beloved figure.
It balances unprecedented access to the day-to-day life of George and his husband/business partner Brad Takei with George’s fascinating personal journey, from his childhood in a Japanese American internment camp, to his iconic and groundbreaking role as Sulu on “Star Trek,” through his rise as an internet phenomenon with over 6-million Facebook likes.
The film shows what it truly means To Be Takei.
To Be Takei...
Starring George Takei, Brad Takei, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Nichelle Nichols, Dan Savage, and Walter Koenig, the film will premiere July 3rd on Directv and opens in theaters, On Demand and iTunes on August 22nd.
To Be Takei is an entertaining and moving look at the many roles played by eclectic 76-year-old actor/activist George Takei whose wit, humor and grace has allowed him to become an internationally beloved figure.
It balances unprecedented access to the day-to-day life of George and his husband/business partner Brad Takei with George’s fascinating personal journey, from his childhood in a Japanese American internment camp, to his iconic and groundbreaking role as Sulu on “Star Trek,” through his rise as an internet phenomenon with over 6-million Facebook likes.
The film shows what it truly means To Be Takei.
To Be Takei...
- 6/30/2014
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
![To Be Takei (2014)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjI2NzQxNDEzMF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMTg1MTU0MjE@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,207_.jpg)
![To Be Takei (2014)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjI2NzQxNDEzMF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMTg1MTU0MjE@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,207_.jpg)
Starz Digital Media announced Thursday the George Takei documentary To Be Takei will debut July 3 on DirecTV and will run exclusively on the platform until Aug. 5. On Aug. 22, To Be Takei will be released theatrically in the United States and Canada and will also be available on all major video on demand outlets on that date.
To Be Takei, which premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, offers “an entertaining and moving look at the many roles played by eclectic 77-year old actor/activist George Takei,” states a press release. Written and directed by Jennifer M. Kroot (It Came From Kuchar...
To Be Takei, which premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, offers “an entertaining and moving look at the many roles played by eclectic 77-year old actor/activist George Takei,” states a press release. Written and directed by Jennifer M. Kroot (It Came From Kuchar...
- 6/19/2014
- by Chancellor Agard
- EW.com - PopWatch
The third annual Oak Cliff Film Festival, a celebration of all things independent, starts tonight, June 19, and runs through June 22. The opening night presentation is To Be Takei, a documentary about actor / activist George Takei, directed by Jennifer M. Kroot and Bill Weber.Held in the North Oak Cliff neighborhood in Dallas, Texas, the festival will take place at the historic Texas Theatre, the Kessler Theater, the Bishop Arts Theater, and other nearby venues. It's a long-established neighborhood that's been revitalized in recent years by a growing arts community, and the festival reflects that combination of the old and the new, with a keen awareness of its important place in the local scene and a desire to connect with the world at large. This...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 6/19/2014
- Screen Anarchy
QFest St. Louis which begins this weekend, will screen the documentary To Be Takei at 6:30pm Sunday April 27th.
QFest St. Louis, the annual gay and Lesbian Film Festival presented by Cinema St. Louis, kicks off this Sunday, April 27th. It runs through May 1st and all films will be screened at The Tivoli Theater (6350 Delmar in The Loop, University City, Mo)
QFest uses the art of contemporary gay cinema to spotlight the lives of Lgbtq people and celebrate queer culture. The 2014 event features an eclectic slate of contemporary Lgbtq-themed feature films, documentaries, and shorts. Tickets are now on sale for all shows.
To Be Takei screens at 6:30pm Sunday April 27th
Over the past seven decades, actor and activist George Takei has boldly journeyed from a World War II internment camp to the helm of the Starship Enterprise to the daily news feeds of Facebook fans. Best...
QFest St. Louis, the annual gay and Lesbian Film Festival presented by Cinema St. Louis, kicks off this Sunday, April 27th. It runs through May 1st and all films will be screened at The Tivoli Theater (6350 Delmar in The Loop, University City, Mo)
QFest uses the art of contemporary gay cinema to spotlight the lives of Lgbtq people and celebrate queer culture. The 2014 event features an eclectic slate of contemporary Lgbtq-themed feature films, documentaries, and shorts. Tickets are now on sale for all shows.
To Be Takei screens at 6:30pm Sunday April 27th
Over the past seven decades, actor and activist George Takei has boldly journeyed from a World War II internment camp to the helm of the Starship Enterprise to the daily news feeds of Facebook fans. Best...
- 4/23/2014
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Heading into the annual SXSW festival, Starz Digital Media has snagged the rights to the film, To Be Takei. The documentary about pop-culture icon George Takei premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival and was directed by Jennifer M. Kroot It Came from Kuchar. The company has acquired all rights for U.S. and Canada. The company will distribute with a theatrical release planned for 2014. The announcement was made today by Kevin Kasha, Head of Acquisitions for Starz.
- 3/8/2014
- by Movies News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
![Jennifer M. Kroot](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTQwNjk2OTIzN15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNzI4OTk4MDE@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR8,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Jennifer M. Kroot](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTQwNjk2OTIzN15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNzI4OTk4MDE@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR8,0,140,207_.jpg)
A winning biographical subject compensates for unremarkable documentary storytelling in Jennifer M. Kroot’s structurally disorganized but mostly engaging portrait of George Takei, the erstwhile Captain Sulu from the original Star Trek, who became a crusader for same-sex marriage and a social media humorist beloved by millions. Despite brutal childhood experiences with his family in a dehumanizing Japanese-American internment camp, the portrait that emerges from To Be Takei is of a civic-minded citizen and an eternal optimist, who at 76 still gets a kick out of being a breakthrough Asian figure in Western entertainment culture. In press notes
read more...
read more...
- 1/19/2014
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
![Walter Koenig, Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, James Doohan, DeForest Kelley, George Takei, and Nichelle Nichols in Star Trek (1966)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNDRkMTNiNjgtZDIyOC00NmE1LTlkZjEtMGZiNTcyZDQ0NjcxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTE1NjY5Mg@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR3,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Walter Koenig, Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, James Doohan, DeForest Kelley, George Takei, and Nichelle Nichols in Star Trek (1966)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNDRkMTNiNjgtZDIyOC00NmE1LTlkZjEtMGZiNTcyZDQ0NjcxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTE1NjY5Mg@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR3,0,140,207_.jpg)
Once known only as the enterprising Mr. Sulu on the initial iteration of “Star Trek,” George Takei has since blossomed into so much more. Jennifer M. Kroot’s decently entertaining if somewhat one-note portrait “To Be Takei” tracks the Asian-American actor’s transition from supporting player to major pop culture figure, emphasizing his late career emergence as a modern gay icon. Though not as sophisticated look at creativity found in Kroot’s Kuchar brothers documentary “It Came From Kuchar,” the new movie similarly goes down easy by letting its affable subject lead the way. Now almost as popular for his amusing Facebook posts as his original “Star Trek” performances, Takei makes for a genial screen presence as Kroot’s movie capably acknowledges his contemporary appeal even while adding nothing new. Mainly pairing interviews with Takei, his family, friends and colleagues alongside footage from his recent public appearances, “To Be Takei...
- 1/19/2014
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
![George Takei](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNDU4MDUwMTAxOV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNjEzOTU4NjE@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR8,0,140,207_.jpg)
![George Takei](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNDU4MDUwMTAxOV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNjEzOTU4NjE@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR8,0,140,207_.jpg)
George Takei’s hailing us and we’re putting him on screen. The Star Trek star is the focus of a new documentary, To Be Takei, which premieres at Sundance this week and he’s taking a few minutes to talk about the film and his extraordinary life with EW and YouTube at the Park City, Utah fest. You can participate in the Google+ hangout live Sunday, Jan. 19 at 6 p.m. Pt/7 p.m. Mt/9 p.m. Et by sharing your questions for Takei and the film’s director Jennifer M. Kroot using the hashtags #EWTalksSundance and #YouTubeSundance or by posting in the comments below.
- 1/17/2014
- by EW staff
- EW.com - PopWatch
The Sundance Documentary Premieres: “Renowned filmmakers and films about far-reaching subjects comprise this section highlighting ongoing commitment to documentaries. Each film is a world premiere.”
Roger Ebert’s life is chronicled in “Life Itself”
Life Itself
Directed by Steve James
On the heels of the death of critic Roger Ebert comes a documentary based on his autobiography, released in 2012. Life Itself delves into Ebert’s cinephilia, alcoholism, battle with cancer, and epic rivalry with fellow critic Gene Siskel. His passionate opinions were widely applauded, as he provoked the public into discussions about movies for the better. Directed by Steve James, whose acclaimed documentary Hoop Dreams premiered at Sundance 20 years ago, Life Itself is poised to present Ebert as a man besieged by difficulties who forged a way for film criticism on television and helped ingrain it in the public’s conscious.
The charismatic George Takei presides over a faithful fandom...
Roger Ebert’s life is chronicled in “Life Itself”
Life Itself
Directed by Steve James
On the heels of the death of critic Roger Ebert comes a documentary based on his autobiography, released in 2012. Life Itself delves into Ebert’s cinephilia, alcoholism, battle with cancer, and epic rivalry with fellow critic Gene Siskel. His passionate opinions were widely applauded, as he provoked the public into discussions about movies for the better. Directed by Steve James, whose acclaimed documentary Hoop Dreams premiered at Sundance 20 years ago, Life Itself is poised to present Ebert as a man besieged by difficulties who forged a way for film criticism on television and helped ingrain it in the public’s conscious.
The charismatic George Takei presides over a faithful fandom...
- 1/13/2014
- by Lane Scarberry
- SoundOnSight
Though the larger social purpose of a counterculture is still a little bit fuzzy (largely, it seems to exist to be plundered by more mainstream media when the larger audience is ready to accept), the more immediate need of providing an environment where people like George and Michael Kuchar have a forum to be heard is very clear. While Stan Brakhage was experimenting with form and light in highly experimental short films, the brothers Kuchar were producing films that seemed to absorb the iconography of the day and regurgitate it back out in a form halfway between parody and melodrama. Their progression from obscurity to underground fame, as well as their extracurricular activities and production methods, are chronicled in the documentary It Came From Kuchar, a film that is always interesting and amusing without being especially penetrating. But then again, that is probably reflective of the Kuchars themselves: their appeal...
- 7/13/2010
- by Anders Nelson
- JustPressPlay.net
As illustrated in Jennifer Kroot’s affectionate documentary It Came From Kuchar, brothers George and Mike Kuchar seem driven by an almost pathological need to create. Today, anyone with a cheap digital-video camera can claim to be a director, but when the twin brothers began making homemade mini-epics in the mid-’50s, the cost of entry for filmmaking was prohibitively high for all but the very wealthy. Yet the brothers soldiered on regardless, making bizarrely personal films across a variety of genres with minimal financial resources, production values, trained actors, or even the faintest semblance of professionalism. It Came From ...
- 7/7/2010
- avclub.com
I think this is my longest collection of links yet. Enjoy!
Professor Chuck Tryon is working on a new book, which should be awesome since his first one was so great. In preparation, he’s interviewing indie filmmakers about their experiences working in our new digital culture and posting the results online. His first interview is up and it’s with fellow professor Chris Hansen, whose films are routinely reviewed on Bad Lit. Hansen provides some great, insightful answers about the challenges of still getting one’s films in front of viewer eyeballs amid the deluge of video online these days. The interview is up in two parts, and you should read them both: Part One and Part Two. In a vaguely related link, the Film Doctor linked to a superb article by Caitlin Kelly on True/Slant called appropriately enough “Why Crap Gets Read And Real News Doesn’t:...
Professor Chuck Tryon is working on a new book, which should be awesome since his first one was so great. In preparation, he’s interviewing indie filmmakers about their experiences working in our new digital culture and posting the results online. His first interview is up and it’s with fellow professor Chris Hansen, whose films are routinely reviewed on Bad Lit. Hansen provides some great, insightful answers about the challenges of still getting one’s films in front of viewer eyeballs amid the deluge of video online these days. The interview is up in two parts, and you should read them both: Part One and Part Two. In a vaguely related link, the Film Doctor linked to a superb article by Caitlin Kelly on True/Slant called appropriately enough “Why Crap Gets Read And Real News Doesn’t:...
- 6/6/2010
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Movie lovers who are familiar with the ’60s underground film scene are at least aware of and may have seen some work by twin filmmaking brothers George and Mike Kuchar, but general movie audiences are not.
It’s probably a good bet that there are more people who are unfamiliar with the Kuchars than there are people who are committed fans. Happily, Jennifer Kroot’s documentary profile of these unique movie directors, It Came From Kuchar, should appeal to both die-hard and casual fans, as well as to virgin initiates.
Kroot begins with a quick introduction to the ’60s underground film world where the Kuchars occupied a totally unique space. While most other avant-garde and experimental filmmakers were concerned with making art or creating a cinematic revolution, the Kuchars made goofy, impassioned parodies of the Hollywood melodramas that they were obsessed with as kids. However, their attempts at humor were not to ridicule Hollywood conventions,...
It’s probably a good bet that there are more people who are unfamiliar with the Kuchars than there are people who are committed fans. Happily, Jennifer Kroot’s documentary profile of these unique movie directors, It Came From Kuchar, should appeal to both die-hard and casual fans, as well as to virgin initiates.
Kroot begins with a quick introduction to the ’60s underground film world where the Kuchars occupied a totally unique space. While most other avant-garde and experimental filmmakers were concerned with making art or creating a cinematic revolution, the Kuchars made goofy, impassioned parodies of the Hollywood melodramas that they were obsessed with as kids. However, their attempts at humor were not to ridicule Hollywood conventions,...
- 5/21/2010
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
First, I know I’m probably setting myself up for disaster by putting up an Underground Film Links post three Sundays in a row. There’s going to come a Sunday — I predict at some point — when I don’t have time to do this, people will come expecting a links post and … nothing. And they will be mad and disappointed. But, until that day, here’ some more links for you, including a few I forgot to post last week:
Mike Plante of Cinemad fame has created a Google map pinpointing all of the microcinemas and oddball screening locations he knows of from around the world. There’s a few on there I need to add to Bad Lit’s own theater, non-map list. And if you have a location that you want added, you can contact Plante at Cinemad. I meant to do a full post on this bit o’ news,...
Mike Plante of Cinemad fame has created a Google map pinpointing all of the microcinemas and oddball screening locations he knows of from around the world. There’s a few on there I need to add to Bad Lit’s own theater, non-map list. And if you have a location that you want added, you can contact Plante at Cinemad. I meant to do a full post on this bit o’ news,...
- 4/18/2010
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Start: 04/16/2010 End: 04/23/2010 Start: 04/16/2010 End: 04/23/2010
Jennifer Kroot's documentary about horror filmmakers The Kuchar Brothers, It Came From Kuchar, is opening for a week in San Francisco and Berkeley starting Friday April 16th, 2010! Director Jennifer Kroot and subject Mike Kuchar will be in attendence at several screenings.
Long before YouTube, there were the brilliantly insane, no-budget movies of underground, filmmaking twins George and Mike Kuchar. It Came From Kuchar is a character driven documentary about the legendary, underground filmmaking twins, the Kuchar brothers. As kids in the 1950s, George and Mike Kuchar borrowed their aunt’s 8mm home movie camera and began making no-budget epics in their Bronx neighborhood starring friends and family. They innocently parodied the popular Hollywood melodramas they saw in the theatres....
In the 1960s the Kuchars became part of Warhol’s New York, underground film scene. Their most popular titles were “Hold Me While I’m Naked...
Jennifer Kroot's documentary about horror filmmakers The Kuchar Brothers, It Came From Kuchar, is opening for a week in San Francisco and Berkeley starting Friday April 16th, 2010! Director Jennifer Kroot and subject Mike Kuchar will be in attendence at several screenings.
Long before YouTube, there were the brilliantly insane, no-budget movies of underground, filmmaking twins George and Mike Kuchar. It Came From Kuchar is a character driven documentary about the legendary, underground filmmaking twins, the Kuchar brothers. As kids in the 1950s, George and Mike Kuchar borrowed their aunt’s 8mm home movie camera and began making no-budget epics in their Bronx neighborhood starring friends and family. They innocently parodied the popular Hollywood melodramas they saw in the theatres....
In the 1960s the Kuchars became part of Warhol’s New York, underground film scene. Their most popular titles were “Hold Me While I’m Naked...
- 4/17/2010
- by Superheidi
- Planet Fury
Bad Lit’s inaugural Underground Film Links post last week proved to be pretty popular, so here’s a second edition with hopes to keep it going:
In case you missed it, Jonas Mekas has a spiffy new website after splitting with the Stedhal Gallery last year. His old website is now completely dead. The new site has an RSS feed and he’s already put up a couple blog posts already with video clips. It’s a really nice site befitting the man and his work. Bookmark or subscribe! Also in case you missed it, I’ve made the Jonas Mekas entry on my own Underground Film Guide much more detailed with tons of links, book and DVD references and a YouTube video player with lots of videos. If I missed something that should be included — and I’m sure I have, feel free to let me know. Not...
In case you missed it, Jonas Mekas has a spiffy new website after splitting with the Stedhal Gallery last year. His old website is now completely dead. The new site has an RSS feed and he’s already put up a couple blog posts already with video clips. It’s a really nice site befitting the man and his work. Bookmark or subscribe! Also in case you missed it, I’ve made the Jonas Mekas entry on my own Underground Film Guide much more detailed with tons of links, book and DVD references and a YouTube video player with lots of videos. If I missed something that should be included — and I’m sure I have, feel free to let me know. Not...
- 4/11/2010
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
The 12th annual Boston Underground Film Festival isn’t set to start until March 25 — and will run until April 1 — but they’ve leaked a couple of early picks to Bad Lit. Even with just this little tease to start whetting New England underground film fans’ appetites, it looks like the venerable fest is in for another real doozy of a year.
The festival kicks off in high riotous fashion with the Opening Night feature Love Exposure (Ai no mukidashi), a four-hour Japanese whirlwind of sinful transgression by Sion Sono about a good Christian schoolboy who’s obsessed with taking pictures of girls’ panties — while they’re wearing them. Eventually, he meets the love of his young life, who doesn’t much like being his object of obsession.
Then, after the Love Exposure screening on March 25 at 7:00 p.m. at the Kendall Square Cinema in Cambridge, Ma — where the entire...
The festival kicks off in high riotous fashion with the Opening Night feature Love Exposure (Ai no mukidashi), a four-hour Japanese whirlwind of sinful transgression by Sion Sono about a good Christian schoolboy who’s obsessed with taking pictures of girls’ panties — while they’re wearing them. Eventually, he meets the love of his young life, who doesn’t much like being his object of obsession.
Then, after the Love Exposure screening on March 25 at 7:00 p.m. at the Kendall Square Cinema in Cambridge, Ma — where the entire...
- 2/5/2010
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
![Ella Lemhagen](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZTNjNzFiNjctODQ3ZC00NTkzLTkwMGMtOWM0MmFkMzQ0MTEzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUyNDk2ODc@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
![Ella Lemhagen](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZTNjNzFiNjctODQ3ZC00NTkzLTkwMGMtOWM0MmFkMzQ0MTEzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUyNDk2ODc@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
Ella Lemhagen's "Patrik, Age 1.5" won the audience award for best feature and Dee Mosbacher and Fawn Yacker's "Training Rules" took the audience prize for best documentary at Frameline33, the San Francisco International Lgbt Film Festival, which concluded Sunday, with the world premiere of Wendy Jo Carlton's "Hannah Free."
Maria Breaux's "Lucha" won the best short film award.
The annual Frameline Award for excellence in Lgbt filmmaking went to experimental directors George and Mike Kuchar, whose careers and antics were documented in Jennifer Kroot's "It Came from Kuchar."
The Frameline Volunteer of the Year Award went to longtime volunteer captains Andy Friend and Edric Kwan, who had the honor of selecting Kimberly Reed's documentary "Prodigal Sons" to receive a $2,500 grant.
The fest screened 226 films in eleven days at the Castro Theatre, the Roxie Film Center, the Victoria Theatre, and the Rialto Cinemas Elmwood in Berkeley.
Maria Breaux's "Lucha" won the best short film award.
The annual Frameline Award for excellence in Lgbt filmmaking went to experimental directors George and Mike Kuchar, whose careers and antics were documented in Jennifer Kroot's "It Came from Kuchar."
The Frameline Volunteer of the Year Award went to longtime volunteer captains Andy Friend and Edric Kwan, who had the honor of selecting Kimberly Reed's documentary "Prodigal Sons" to receive a $2,500 grant.
The fest screened 226 films in eleven days at the Castro Theatre, the Roxie Film Center, the Victoria Theatre, and the Rialto Cinemas Elmwood in Berkeley.
One of the best parts of SXSW this year was catching glimpses of legendary filmmaker George Kuchar, who, along with his brother Mike, is profiled in Jennifer Kroot's documentary It Came From Kuchar. The Kuchar Brother's wild, campy underground films were a major influence on a whole generation of filmmakers, some of whom -- John Waters, Atom Egoyan, Guy Maddin, Wayne Wang, Buck Henry -- are interviewed in the movie. The Kuchars were contemporaries of Andy Warhol and Kenneth Anger, but their films are much more funny-sexy-weird; they were obsessed with Hollywood melodrama and seemingly immune from any hipster aspirations or demimonde acceptance. To really understand the history of underground film, check out It Came From Kuchar this weekend...
- 6/5/2009
- by Alicia Van Couvering
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Ghosted (Directed by Monica Treut and written by Astrid Stroner), It Came From Kuchar by Jennifer Kroot, and El Niño Pez (The Fish Child) are stand-out genre films by women playing at the 2009 Outfest Film Festival.
These award-winning women directors deal with subjects like murder, revenge, twisted love, unsolved murders, and the absolutely awesome B-movie industry in their films...
Writer-director Lucía Puenzo won awards - including two prizes at Cannes - and critical acclaim all over the world for Xxy, and now the Argentine filmmaker returns with a lesbian romance that’s also a Chabrol-esque mystery thriller and a scathing examination of class differences in the South American nation. Lala (Inés Efron, whose performance has inspired comparisons to the early film roles of both Sissy Spacek and Chloë Sevigny), the privileged daughter of a powerful judge, wants to run off with her Paraguayan lover La Guayi (Mariela Vitale), a maid...
These award-winning women directors deal with subjects like murder, revenge, twisted love, unsolved murders, and the absolutely awesome B-movie industry in their films...
Writer-director Lucía Puenzo won awards - including two prizes at Cannes - and critical acclaim all over the world for Xxy, and now the Argentine filmmaker returns with a lesbian romance that’s also a Chabrol-esque mystery thriller and a scathing examination of class differences in the South American nation. Lala (Inés Efron, whose performance has inspired comparisons to the early film roles of both Sissy Spacek and Chloë Sevigny), the privileged daughter of a powerful judge, wants to run off with her Paraguayan lover La Guayi (Mariela Vitale), a maid...
- 6/3/2009
- by Superheidi
- Planet Fury
![Jon Voight at an event for The 66th Primetime Emmy Awards (2014)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTc2NTE3NDA3M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMDMyNTM1MjE@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR2,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Jon Voight at an event for The 66th Primetime Emmy Awards (2014)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTc2NTE3NDA3M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMDMyNTM1MjE@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR2,0,140,207_.jpg)
The 11th annual CineVegas Film Festival, which takes place next month in Las Vegas, will honor actors Jon Voight and Willem Dafoe, directors George and Mike Kuchar and videogame developers Jenova Chen and Kellee Santiago.
The awards will be presented on June 14 at the CineVegas Awards Reception at Rain Nightclub in the Palms Casino Resort.
Voight, with credits ranging from "Midnight Cowboy" to the just-completed season of "24" and an Oscar for "Coming Home," will be given the Marquee Award, recognizing "his artistic excellence, professional accomplishment and dedication to cinema." As part of its tribute to the actor, CineVegas will present a newly remastered director's cut of Hal Ashby's "Lookin' to Get Out," in which Voight starred.
Dafoe, who stars in the controversial "Antichrist," which bowed at the Festival de Cannes, is to receive the Vanguard Actor Award, which honors "the distinctive mark he has made in film through his brave performances.
The awards will be presented on June 14 at the CineVegas Awards Reception at Rain Nightclub in the Palms Casino Resort.
Voight, with credits ranging from "Midnight Cowboy" to the just-completed season of "24" and an Oscar for "Coming Home," will be given the Marquee Award, recognizing "his artistic excellence, professional accomplishment and dedication to cinema." As part of its tribute to the actor, CineVegas will present a newly remastered director's cut of Hal Ashby's "Lookin' to Get Out," in which Voight starred.
Dafoe, who stars in the controversial "Antichrist," which bowed at the Festival de Cannes, is to receive the Vanguard Actor Award, which honors "the distinctive mark he has made in film through his brave performances.
- 5/28/2009
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
As we recently reported, Horror director Rania Ajami (Katalog, And The Earth Fell Silent Again) is world-premiering her latest horror/fantasy/comedy movie, Asylum Seekers, at the 2009 CineVegas Film festival. She's being joined by several other women and their genre films, like The Ghost and Us by Emily Carmichael and the documentary about underground filmmakers The Kuchar brothers It Came From Kuchar directed by Jennifer Kroot. Included in the lineup is the work-in-progress documentary Beautiful Darling about Andy Warhol superstar Candy Darling... read more...
- 4/16/2009
- by Superheidi
- Planet Fury
One of the titles to look out for at the 2009 SXSW Film Festival and Conference is Jennifer Kroot’s documentary It Came from Kuchar. The film examines the lives of the twin pioneers of experimental films: George and Mike Kuchar. Kroot’s film, which will have its world premiere at SXSW on March 14th, 2009, is described as follows:
The documentary tells the story of legendary underground film pioneers George and Mike Kuchar. In addition to compelling interviews with the twins themselves, It Came From Kuchar features conversations with celebrated personalities of independent and underground film that were influenced by the Kuchars including John Waters, who himself claims, “George and Mike Kuchar’s films were my first inspiration,” B. Ruby Rich, Buck Henry, Atom Egoyan, Guy Maddin and Wayne Wang.
A documentary about the people behind films such as Thundercrack and Sins of the Fleshapoids seems like a sure bet. However,...
The documentary tells the story of legendary underground film pioneers George and Mike Kuchar. In addition to compelling interviews with the twins themselves, It Came From Kuchar features conversations with celebrated personalities of independent and underground film that were influenced by the Kuchars including John Waters, who himself claims, “George and Mike Kuchar’s films were my first inspiration,” B. Ruby Rich, Buck Henry, Atom Egoyan, Guy Maddin and Wayne Wang.
A documentary about the people behind films such as Thundercrack and Sins of the Fleshapoids seems like a sure bet. However,...
- 3/8/2009
- by Rodney Perkins
- Screen Anarchy
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