WORLD PREMIERE The Reverend Gary Davis, blind since infancy, honed his music in North Carolina’s blues scene before moving to Harlem in the 1940s, preaching and performing on street corners. The 1960s folk revival saw a renewed interest in the virtuoso guitarist, culminating in a memorable performance at the Newport Folk Festival. This tribute gives […]
NYC PREMIERE In 1984, Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro made history when she was tapped by Walter Mondale to be his running mate. As the first-ever female vice-presidential candidate, she became an inspiring symbol, demonstrating that women could and should strive for political leadership. Through interviews and rare archival footage, director Donna Zaccaro, Ferraro’s daughter, reveals the path […]
US PREMIERE The World Famous *BOB*, Dirty Martini, Tigger!, Mat Fraser, Julie Atlas Muz, Bunny Love, Bambi the Mermaid, James Habacker and Rose Wood use satire and their own bodies to send up conventional notions of body image, gender, and sexuality in their modern burlesque performances. New York underground filmmaking legend Beth B enters their […]
NYC PREMIERE In 2003, it was revealed that New York Times reporter Jayson Blair was a plagiarist, regularly cobbling together his articles from others found on the Internet or otherwise fabricating facts. This precipitated the lowest point in the Grey Lady’s history, leading to an editorial regime change, resignations, and a review of hiring practices. […]
Impassioned individuals are the subjects of this program’s six shorts. Sunshine (14 min, Doug Nichol) looks at an American ad-man in China. The Bowler (14 min, Sean Dunne) introduces us to the ramblin’, gamblin’ Rocky Salemmo. Among Giants (14 min, Chris Cresci, Ben Mullinkosson & Sam Price-Waldman) follows an activist living in a redwood tree to stave […]
Four shorts reveal hidden aspects of the city. The Dentist (9 min, Alex Mallis) profiles the eccentric gatekeeper to an underworld. Racing Towards Red Hook (21 min, Jessica Scott) follows competitors in an intense fixed-gear bike race. Vulture Culture (21 min, Eric Rockey) looks at a community of recycling radicals in Bed-Stuy. Home Game (37 min, Suzannah Herbert) […]
Stan Lee has played a role in creating an astounding number of legendary pop culture characters, including Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, Iron Man, Thor and the Hulk. Now in his late 80s, he remains a vibrant personality. This film contains extensive interviews with Lee and his colleagues, combined with rare illustrations and photographs that trace his […]
CENTERPIECE GALA Introduced by Russell Simmons US PREMIERE Three-time felon, one-time Tony Award winner, Lemon Andersen is an acclaimed poet who broke out on Broadway in Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam. But Lemon has landed back in the projects, living with thirteen family members and desperate for a way out. He turns to the only things he has […]
The visionary theater director Richard Foreman has been an icon of New York’s avant garde for 40 years. Whether or not you’re familiar with his work, this portrait gives an accessible entry to understanding an important chapter of cultural history, packed with interviews including F. Murray Abraham, Eric Bogosian, James Cromwell, Willem Dafoe, Yoko Ono, […]
WINNER OF METROPOLIS SPECIAL JURY PRIZE For over a century, Carnegie Hall rented affordable studio apartments atop the famous music hall to artistic tenants such as Marlon Brando, Paddy Chayefsky and Isadora Duncan. As a privileged tenant, director Josef Birdman Astor began to videotape his neighbors whose lives intersected with decades of artistic history. But […]