Currently Browsing: Arts: Cinema Arts
Seven years ago today was the theatrical release of Miss Stevens, the directorial debut of the incomparable Julia Hart.
Julia Hart is an American filmmaker known for the complexity, depth, and heart that she brings to every genre (which, for her, spans from young adult musical romance to crime thriller). Raised by James Hart, a Hollywood screenwriter known for his literary adaptations such as Dracula, Frankenstein, and Hook, Julia was exposed to the world of film from a young age.… read more.
Nine years ago today, Brush With Danger was released in theaters. The extraordinary Livi Zheng wrote, directed, co-produced, and starred in the film!
Livi Zheng is an Indonesian filmmaker whose entrance into the film industry was both unconventional and early. At 15, she was a stuntwoman. She came to the US to attend the University of Washington, where she majored in economics (no doubt influencing her future as a producer).… read more.
I did not have a big bat mitzvah. Like Bree and Danny Friedman of Netflix’s recent You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (played by Idina Menzel and Adam Sandler respectively), my parents were not fans of big b’nei mitzvah parties. “When I got bar mitzvahed, we had a party in Grandma’s basement” wasn’t something my dad ever said, but I lost track of how many times I heard “It’s not about the party” during the process.… read more.
Strike!, the 1998 film written and directed by Sarah Kernochan, was not supposed to be titled that. And, sometimes, it’s known as All I Wanna Do.
“The original title, my title, was The Hairy Bird,” Sarah Kernochan introduced at a rare and recent screening at the Metrograph in New York, “which was a euphemism in the 60s at boarding schools for penis.… read more.
On this day in 2016, School Life, a heartwarming documentary about the last remaining boarding school for primary age children in Ireland, was released in theaters. This film was directed by Neasa Ní Chianáin, whose career has included many gems, including this one.
Neasa Ní Chianáin is an Irish documentary filmmaker whose work has ranged from controversial to beloved.… read more.
Today, I am celebrating a milestone intimately connected with my own life: The world premiere of The Company – twenty years ago today – at the Toronto International Film Festival
In 2003, I was in Chicago – in a period of transition from my old life as a health care computer consultant to my new life as a writer – when I learned that Indie Icon Robert Altman was also in Chicago making a new film with our world-renown Joffrey Ballet Company.… read more.