I first met writer/director K. Lorrel Manning and actor/producer Michael Cuomo at the Santa Fe Independent Film Festival, where we found ourselves the fish-out-of-water New Yorkers in a sea full of Southwest cinephiles. Their SXSW 2011 (sold out) hit Happy New Year is grounded in star Cuomo’s nuanced portrayal of a fictional outsider named Cole Lewis, a sergeant who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and now finds himself battling demons both mental and physical in the psych ward of a veterans hospital. I spoke with the two about their veterans outreach effort, Indiegogo versus Kickstarter, and the best places to start a revolution over breakfast.
Filmmaker: Over the past couple years, there’ve been a slew of nonfiction flicks – such as Danfung Dennis’s Hell and Back Again and Heather Courtney’s Where Soldiers Come From – that address the difficulties encountered by Iraq and Afghanistan war vets returning home.
Filmmaker: Over the past couple years, there’ve been a slew of nonfiction flicks – such as Danfung Dennis’s Hell and Back Again and Heather Courtney’s Where Soldiers Come From – that address the difficulties encountered by Iraq and Afghanistan war vets returning home.
- 6/11/2012
- by Lauren Wissot
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Every film at South by Southwest gets three official screenings, but the audience demand for "Happy New Year" was so high, that by the time I spoke with writer/director K. Lorrel Manning and star Michael Cuomo, they'd already had three Austin screenings in just two days. The film, about a wounded Iraq War veteran coming to grips with what he's done and become, has drawn a lot of interest from local veterans; so much, in fact, that Manning and Cuomo had to arrange for an extra screening to accomodate over 100 extra guests who wanted to come and experience the film for themselves. I spoke with Manning and Cuomo about how veterans have been reacting to "Happy New Year" and why they were so driven to tell these men and women's stories. Along the way, I got plenty of stories from life in the trenches of modern indie film.
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- 3/18/2011
- by Matt Singer
- ifc.com
With the 2011 SXSW Film Conference and Festival kicking off today in Austin, indieWIRE is releasing more of its slate of SXSW filmmaker interviews, as part of the "Meet the 2011 SXSW Filmmakers" series, that spotlights directors with films in this year's Narrative Competition, Documentary Competition and Emerging Visions lineups. Today's last crop include K. Lorrel Manning's "Happy New Year" (Dramatic Competition), Sally Rowe's "A Matter of Taste" (Documentary Competition) ...
- 3/11/2011
- indieWIRE - People
With the 2011 SXSW Film Conference and Festival kicking off today in Austin, indieWIRE is releasing its final slate of SXSW filmmaker interviews, as part of the "Meet the 2011 SXSW Filmmakers" series, that spotlights directors with films in this year's Narrative Competition, Documentary Competition and Emerging Visions lineups. Today's last crop include K. Lorrel Manning's "Happy New Year" (Dramatic Competition), Sally Rowe's "A Matter of Taste" (Documentary Competition) and ...
- 3/11/2011
- Indiewire
With the 2011 SXSW Film Conference and Festival kicking off today in Austin, indieWIRE is releasing its final slate of SXSW filmmaker interviews, as part of the "Meet the 2011 SXSW Filmmakers" series, that spotlights directors with films in this year's Narrative Competition, Documentary Competition and Emerging Visions lineups. Today's last crop include K. Lorrel Manning's "Happy New Year" (Dramatic Competition), Sally Rowe's "A Matter of Taste" (Documentary Competition) and ...
- 3/11/2011
- indieWIRE - People
With the 2011 SXSW Film Conference and Festival kicking off today in Austin, indieWIRE is releasing more of its slate of SXSW filmmaker interviews, as part of the "Meet the 2011 SXSW Filmmakers" series, that spotlights directors with films in this year's Narrative Competition, Documentary Competition and Emerging Visions lineups. Today's last crop include K. Lorrel Manning's "Happy New Year" (Dramatic Competition), Sally Rowe's "A Matter of Taste" (Documentary Competition) ...
- 3/11/2011
- indieWIRE - People
Would have missed this, if Aaron Wolfolk (The Harimaya Bridge) hadn’t alerted me to it. It’s titled Happy new Year, and the writer/director, K. Lorrel Manning (pictured left) is a 2008 Sundance Lab Finalist. He’s also a playwright, and his works have been developed at theatres throughout New York City, one of which was awarded the New York Foundation for the Arts (Nyfa) fellowship. He holds an Mfa in Film from Columbia University, and is the lead singer of the rock band La Res (www.vivelares.com).
Happy New Year’s synopsis reads: “... the gripping story of Sgt. Cole Lewis who, mentally and physically scarred by his time served in Iraq and Afghanistan, finds humanity, compassion and friendship in a group of similarly injured veterans in the psychiatric ward at a remote Veterans Hospital… with them, he will attempt to redefine his sense of self, and find...
Happy New Year’s synopsis reads: “... the gripping story of Sgt. Cole Lewis who, mentally and physically scarred by his time served in Iraq and Afghanistan, finds humanity, compassion and friendship in a group of similarly injured veterans in the psychiatric ward at a remote Veterans Hospital… with them, he will attempt to redefine his sense of self, and find...
- 2/3/2011
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
South by Southwest, lovingly abbreviated to SXSW, for those who don’t know, is one of the premiere geek film festivals held in the United States. Always held in Austin, Texas, this year it runs from March 11-19, and it’s definitely one to watch out for. The official lineup has been revealed on the festival’s site, and you can take a look at part of it below.
It’s a pretty exciting assortment of movies set up for those lucky enough to attend, going across the board in terms of genre and profile. Below you can see the Narrative Feature Competition and the Documentary Feature Competition. The Headliners, over at the site, features some of the bigger films, such as Paul, Source Code (the opening night premiere), Win Win and The Beaver. Take a look at those below, and the rest over at the link above.
Narrative Feature...
It’s a pretty exciting assortment of movies set up for those lucky enough to attend, going across the board in terms of genre and profile. Below you can see the Narrative Feature Competition and the Documentary Feature Competition. The Headliners, over at the site, features some of the bigger films, such as Paul, Source Code (the opening night premiere), Win Win and The Beaver. Take a look at those below, and the rest over at the link above.
Narrative Feature...
- 2/2/2011
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
South by Southwest Film is delighted to present the features lineup for the 2011 Film Program. We’re excited to share all this amazing, cutting edge filmmaking talent with the world.
Find the complete lineup here, and take a peek at our Feature Competitions:
Narrative Feature Competition
96 Minutes
Director & Writer: Aimée Lagos
(World Premiere)
A Year in Mooring
Director: Chris Eyre, Writer: Peter Vanderwall
(World Premiere)
American Animal
Director & Writer: Matt D’Elia
(World Premiere)
Charlie Casanova (Ireland)
Director & Writer: Terry McMahon
(World Premiere)
Fly Away
Director & Writer: Janet Grillo
(World Premiere)
Happy New Year
Director & Writer: K. Lorrel Manning
(World Premiere)
Natural Selection
Director & Writer: Robbie Pickering
(World Premiere)
Small, Beautifully Moving Parts
Directors & Writers: Annie J. Howell & Lisa Robinson
(World Premiere)
Documentary Feature Competition
A Mouthful
Director: Sally Rowe
(World Premiere)
Better This World
Directors: Katie Galloway & Kelly Duane de la Vega
(World Premiere)
The City Dark
Director: Ian Cheney...
Find the complete lineup here, and take a peek at our Feature Competitions:
Narrative Feature Competition
96 Minutes
Director & Writer: Aimée Lagos
(World Premiere)
A Year in Mooring
Director: Chris Eyre, Writer: Peter Vanderwall
(World Premiere)
American Animal
Director & Writer: Matt D’Elia
(World Premiere)
Charlie Casanova (Ireland)
Director & Writer: Terry McMahon
(World Premiere)
Fly Away
Director & Writer: Janet Grillo
(World Premiere)
Happy New Year
Director & Writer: K. Lorrel Manning
(World Premiere)
Natural Selection
Director & Writer: Robbie Pickering
(World Premiere)
Small, Beautifully Moving Parts
Directors & Writers: Annie J. Howell & Lisa Robinson
(World Premiere)
Documentary Feature Competition
A Mouthful
Director: Sally Rowe
(World Premiere)
Better This World
Directors: Katie Galloway & Kelly Duane de la Vega
(World Premiere)
The City Dark
Director: Ian Cheney...
- 2/2/2011
- by Melissa Howland
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
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