KUCI: Film School

Indian Point / Film School interview with director Ivy Meeropol

NDIAN POINT takes an unblinking look at the dramatic debate over nuclear power by going inside the aging plant that looms just 35 miles from New York City. With over 50 million people living in close proximity to the facility, it has stoked a great deal of controversy in the surrounding community, including a vocal anti-nuclear contingent concerned that the kind of disaster that happened at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant could happen here. At the same time, its continued operation has the support of the plant’s operators and the NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) as they campaign to relicense Indian Point for another 20 years of operation. INDIAN POINT presents a complex story through the people who are most invested in the nuclear industry—the owners of the plant, the workers at the plant and the activists who want to shut it down. The debate at the center of INDIAN POINT is more timely now than ever. In February of 2016, news broke that the groundwater below Indian Point had been contaminated with radioactive material, prompting a state investigation.
 Director and producer Ivy Meeropol takes full advantage of her unprecedented access to the plant at the center of the most contentious relicensing process in the history of the industry. Her even-handed approach to the history and issues surrounding nuclear energy in general and INDIAN POINT specifically makes the film compelling filmmaking and indispensable viewing for anyone who cares about our energy future.
For news and updates go to: firstrunfeatures.com/indianpoint

March of the Living / Film School interview with director Jessica Sanders

MARCH OF THE LIVING tells the story of the last generation of Holocaust survivors traveling to Poland with thousands of teenagers from around the world to revisit the sites of the Holocaust and retrace the Death March from Auschwitz to Birkenau, in a journey of remembrance. Filmed in Brazil, Germany, Poland, Israel and the US, the film tells the moving story of the survivors’ hope of passing down their history and memory of the Holocaust to the next generation. MARCH OF THE LIVING follows survivors and teens from Sao Paulo, Los Angeles and Berlin on an emotional journey as they confront the enormity of the past and the possibility of hope in a visit to Israel on its 60th anniversary. A contemporary and unique look at the Holocaust, the film features striking cinematography of the concentration camps today and images and artifacts never seen. MARCH OF THE LIVING raises questions about Holocaust memory as it relates to genocides worldwide today, and about what will happen when the remaining survivors, now in their 80’s and 90’s, will be gone. MARCH OF THE LIVING director and writer Jessica Sanders joins us to talk about the desire of Holocaust survivors to share their memories and the hope that the world will say once and for all never again to racism, indifference, anti-semitism and injustice.
For news and updates on Jessica Sanders go to: jessicasandersfilm.com
For news and updates on March of the Living go to: www.visitfilms.com

Wiener Dog / Film School interview with Director Todd Solandz

WIENER-DOG is a dark, starkly funny story of a single dog and the many different people she touches over her short lifetime. Man’s best friend starts out teaching a young boy some contorted life lessons before being taken in by a compassionate vet tech named Dawn Wiener. Dawn reunites with someone from her past and sets off on a road trip. After leaving Dawn, Wiener-Dog encounters a floundering film professor, as well as an embittered elderly woman and her needy granddaughter—all longing for something more. Solondz’s perversely dark comedy offers an appallingly honest look at the American experience, brought to life by its all-star cast. As to be expected, WIENER-DOG has all the characteristics of the Solondz oeuvre — quick wit, dark tragedy, familiar characters, and an incredible ensemble cast—but the film’s brainchild also found inspiration in classic films. As Solandz says, “The touchstones were movies like AU HASARD BALTHAZAR and BENJI. In between those two is where I think this film lies.” Solandz joins us to talk about the making of Wiener Dog and the state of independent filmmaking in 2016.
For news and updates go to: ifcfilms.com/films/wiener-dog

Hunt for the Wilderpeople / Film School interview with Producer Carthew Neal

HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE is a zany tale of a defiant city kid, Ricky, raised on hip-hop and foster care, gets a fresh start in the New Zealand countryside. He quickly finds himself at home with his new foster family: the loving Aunt Bella, the cantankerous Uncle Hec, and dog Tupac. When a tragedy strikes that threatens to ship Ricky to another home, both he and Hec go on the run in the bush. As a national manhunt ensues, the newly branded outlaws must face their options: go out in a blaze of glory or overcome their differences and survive as a family. Equal parts road comedy and rousing adventure story, director Taika Waititi (WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, upcoming THOR: RAGNORAK) masterfully weaves lively humor with emotionally honest performances by Sam Neill, Rima Te Wiata, Rachel House and Julian Dennison. A hilarious, touching crowd-pleaser, HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE reminds us about the journey that growing up is (at any age) and those who help us along the way. Producer Carthew Neal (Tickled, A Band Called Hook Ups) joins us to talk about how Barry Crump’s classic book, Wild Pork and Watercress found its way into the hands of the talented director and writer Taika Waititi and onto the screen.
For news and updates go to: wilderpeople.film

Art Bastard / Artist and Subject Robert Cenedella

In a madcap art world obsessed with money, fame and hype, how does an artist driven by justice, defiance and his own singular style thrive? ART BASTARD is the rousing tale of a rebel who never fit into today’s art world… yet has become one of its most provocative, rabble-rousing characters nevertheless. At once a portrait of the artist as a young troublemaker, an alternate history of modern art and a quintessential New York story, ART BASTARD is as energetic, humorous and unapologetically honest as the uncompromising man at its center: Robert Cenedella. Cenedella was a contemporary of Andy Warhol. But he has essentially served as the anti-Warhol. His noisy, raucous, color-splashed paintings of city scenes approach the world with a sincerity that defies the irony, frivolity and controversy-for-the-sake-of-controversy that have become the cultural currency since the 60s. In a fast-moving series of riveting interviews with family members, art critics, museum directors, New York power brokers, art students and Cenedella himself, director Victor Kanefsky candidly presents Cenedella’s personal journey – and reveals the creation of a modern art career that ignored all the modern art rules. What ART BASTARD shows, in stunning cinematic detail, are the living, breathing, storytelling canvases that Cenedella has created for six decades. The result is a visceral art documentary that also has the sweeping impact of a feature film – at once an investigation of a man’s identity, an inquiry into what art is and who it’s for and a feisty portrait of the ups and downs of a life lived on one’s own terms. The artist and subject of ART BASTARD, Robert Cenedella joins us for a spirit discussion of love, life and art.
For news and updates go to: artbastard.com

Tickled / Film School interview with co-director Dylan Reeve

One of the most talked-about films at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, TICKLED begins with reporter David Farrier stumbling upon a bizarre “competitive endurance tickling” video online, wherein young men are paid to be tied up and tickled, and reaching out to request a story from the company. But the reply he receives is shocking—the sender mocks Farrier's sexual orientation and threatens extreme legal action should he dig any deeper. So, like any good journalist confronted by a bully, he does just the opposite: he travels to the hidden tickling facilities in Los Angeles and uncovers a vast empire, known for harassing and harming the lives of those who protest their involvement in these films. The more he investigates, the stranger it gets, discovering secret identities and criminal activity. Discovering the truth becomes Farrier’s obsession, despite increasingly sinister threats and warnings. With humor and determination, Farrier and co-director Dylan Reeve summon up every resource available to get to the bottom of this tickling worm-hole. Reeve joins us for a conversation on the world of competitive tickling, the competitors and promoters involved in tickling as well as the litigious and threatening environment that making TICKLED has engendered.
For news and updates go to: tickledmovie.com

The Witness / Film School interview with Director James Solomon

Fifty years ago, the name "Kitty Genovese" became synonymous with urban apathy after 38 eyewitnesses did nothing while an attacker stabbed her to death on a street in New York City. “For more than half an hour,” The New York Times report began, “38 respectable, law-abiding citizens watched a killer stalk and stab a woman in three separate attacks.” Forty years later, her brother Bill, who was 16 at the time of his sister’s death, decides to re-examine the details of the crime. THE WITNESS is a probing and deeply personal investigation into one of the most iconic crimes in New York history, featuring interviews with those closest to the murder including the surviving witnesses to Kitty’s death. It offers an illuminating look into the way stories take form and their rippling effects on the lives they touch. THE WITNESS, a gripping and emotional documentary look at the mythic death and little-known life of Kitty Genovese, is the directorial debut of New York screenwriter ("The Conspirator") James Solomon. James sits down to talk about Kitty’s brother and his personal story and how Kitty’s tragic story came to condemn a city and define an era.
For news and updates go to: thewitness-film.com

Misfortune / Film School interview with director Desmond Devenich

In his feature film debut crime heist thriller, MISFORTUNE, director-writer-producer-lead actor Desmond Devenish takes us through a world of intrigue, family secrets and double crosses. Mallick, after his prison release, hunts down his ex-partner's son, Boyd, an out of work mechanic, whom he believes could lead the way to the missing, stolen diamonds, which landed him in lockup years earlier. With the threat of death and chance at a potential small fortune, Boyd, his girlfriend Sloan and best friend Russell, a small time crook, set out on a rugged search through the treacherous Arizona desert. As events spiral out of control, the prospects of a criminal fugitive lifestyle become an inevitable reality. In addition to Devenish MISFORTUNE also stars co-screenwriter Xander Bailey, Jenna Kanell, Kevin Gage, Steve Earle and Nick Mancuso. Director-writer-producer-lead actor Desmond Devenish joins us to talk about the challenges and rewards that come with taking on the heavy responsibilities of the multi-hyphens he takes on for MISFORTUNE while staying true to his original vision.
For news and updates go to:facebook.com/MisfortuneFilm

King Jack / Film School interview with director, writer Felix Thompson

KING JACK is the story of a scrappy fifteen year-old kid, Jack, stuck in a run-down small town. Trapped in a violent feud with a cruel older bully and facing another bout of summer school, Jack’s got all the problems he can handle. So when Jack’s aunt falls ill and his runty younger cousin must stay with him for the weekend the last thing Jack wants to do is look after him. Unfortunately no one really cares what Jack wants. Set over a hazy summer weekend, KING JACK is a tough and tender coming of age story about friendship and finding happiness in rough surroundings. It feature a terrific ensemble cast of young actors headed up by an beautifully realized performance from Charlie Plummer, as Jack. Director Felix Thompson previous short films have been in competition at festivals such as SXSW, Tribeca and the BFI’s London Film Festival. His first short film “Bedford Park Boulevard” was awarded a grant from the National Board of Review and also picked up the top prizes at NYU’s First Run Film Festival in 2010. KING JACK is his first feature film and was selected for the Sundance Creative Producing Labs along with producer Gabrielle Nadig. Director Felix Thompson joins us to talk about his honest, gritty, award winning feature film debut.
For news and updates go to: kingjackmovie.com

The Music of Strangers/ Film School interview with director Morgan Neville

THE MUSIC OF STRANGERS: YO-YO MA AND THE SILK ROAD ENSEMBLE follows an ever-changing lineup of performers drawn from the ensemble’s more than 50 instrumentalists, vocalists, composers, arrangers, visual artists and storytellers as they gather in locations across the world, exploring the ways art can both preserve traditions and shape cultural evolution. Over the past 16 years, an extraordinary group of musicians has come together to celebrate the universal power of music. Named for the ancient trade route linking Asia, Africa and Europe, The Silk Road Ensemble, an international collective created by acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma, exemplifies music’s ability to blur geographical boundaries, blend disparate cultures and inspire hope for both artists and audiences. Blending performance footage, personal interviews and archival film, Academy Award winning director of 20 FEET FROM STARDOM Morgan Neville (Cool School, Beauty is Embarrassing, Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story, Best of Enemies) and producer Caitrin Rogers focus on the journeys of a small group of Silk Road Ensemble mainstays from across the globe to create an intensely personal chronicle of passion, talent and sacrifice.
For news and update go to:themusicofstrangers.film