October 7, 2014

DO I SOUND GAY?

OPENING NIGHT FILM US PREMIERE After a breakup with his boyfriend, journalist David Thorpe embarks on a hilarious and touching journey of self-discovery, confronting his anxiety about “sounding gay.” Enlisting acting coaches, linguists, friends, family, total strangers and celebrities, he quickly learns that many people—both gay and straight—often wish for a different voice. What starts […]

October 8, 2013

SHORTS: THEN & NOW

Nostalgia and changing times. The Photo Man (USA, 7 min., Ben Kitnick) trades in old photographs. An antique store owner welcomes visitors in Not for Sale (USA, 10 min., Matthew C. Levy). The Final Note (USA, 16 min., Mayeta Clark) profiles a South Bronx piano warehouse. A young couple takes over The Mercantile (USA, 16 […]

October 8, 2013

SHORTS: PEOPLE & PLACES

Unexpected environments. A Beautiful Waste (USA, 6 min., Jon Kasbe) explores NYC’s vibrant sewer system, while men reflect on their time living in the tunnels under Lost Vegas (USA, 24 min., Steve Birnbaum). White Blaze (USA, 22 min., Brian Bolster) profiles a trail angel who helps Appalachian Trail hikers. An artist becomes walking artwork to […]

October 8, 2013

SHORTS: OBSESSIONS

Collectors, curiosity seekers, and compulsives. Flutter (USA/Canada, 8 min., Dara Bratt) explores a lonely retiree’s love of butterfly collecting, while Bug People (USA, 15 min., Paul Meyers) examines our odd aversion to insects. Tango (Brazil, 6 min., Louis Robin) questions racetrack attendees about gambling. Discarded photos lead to a search for vaudeville performers Derby & […]

October 8, 2013

SHORTS: BLOOD IS THICKER

This program demonstrates the bonds of family, even under the most trying circumstances. In Beyond Broken, Vasso, dependent on her family after a brutal attack, turns to art to find the will to go on (USA, 38 min., Andrew Morreale). A grandson realizes his late grandfather’s secret dream of becoming a filmmaker in quicksand (USA, 8 min., Lance […]

October 8, 2013

WE DON’T WANNA MAKE YOU DANCE

WORLD PREMIERE In a rock band twist on the 7 Up series, Lucy Kostelanetz intermittently checks in on a white teen funk band—three brothers and their friend—whose plan of making it big in 1980s NYC didn’t exactly pan out. In 1983, Miller, Miller, Miller & Sloan seemed on the brink of stardom, with positive press […]

October 8, 2013

THE UNKNOWN KNOWN

NYC PREMIERE In The Unknown Known, Academy Award-winning director Errol Morris (The Fog of War) offers a mesmerizing portrait of Donald Rumsfeld, the former Secretary of Defense whose career will cast a long shadow over the 21st century. Over multiple interviews, Rumsfeld and Morris engage in a verbal duel over recent history and even the […]

October 8, 2013

THE SARNOS – A LIFE IN DIRTY MOVIES

US PREMIERE In the 1960s and ‘70s, Joe Sarno was a master of softcore porn, known as the Ingmar Bergman of 42nd Street for his striking B&W photography and focus on women’s desire in films like Sin In The Suburbs, Young Playthings, and Confessions of a Young American Housewife. While his career faded as sexploitation […]

October 8, 2013

THE PLEASURES OF BEING OUT OF STEP

2013 METROPOLIS COMPETITION WINNER NYC PREMIERE A pioneer in music criticism, Nat Hentoff has spent more than six decades championing jazz in the pages of the Village Voice, The Wall Street Journal, Down Beat, and numerous other publications. Mirroring music’s free flow, he has also been an outspoken civil libertarian and free speech advocate, often […]

October 8, 2013

SOLE SURVIVOR

NYC PREMIERE Just 17 at the time, George Lamson was the only survivor of the 1985 Galaxy Airlines crash that claimed the lives of the 73 other passengers on board, including his father. More than two decades later, he still wrestles with the experience, turning to the only people who can relate: the handful of […]