File this evergreen headline under “no alarms and no surprises.” After working together on There Will Be Blood, The Master, Inherent Vice, Junun, Phantom Thread, and Licorice Pizza, Jonny Greenwood has confirmed he’s already started to work on the score for the next feature from Paul Thomas Anderson.
“I’m incredibly lucky that Paul indulges me and gives me so much time to experiment and compose,” Greenwood tells The Guardian. “That’s not usually the case in Hollywood, where the soundtrack writers are often very far down the food chain, and are sometimes given only a couple of days to bash out a complete score.”
This will mark the first time a Greenwood score will be heard in IMAX theaters as PTA’s currently untitled film has been set for an August 8, 2025 wide release from WB. With a cast of Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, Wood Harris,...
“I’m incredibly lucky that Paul indulges me and gives me so much time to experiment and compose,” Greenwood tells The Guardian. “That’s not usually the case in Hollywood, where the soundtrack writers are often very far down the food chain, and are sometimes given only a couple of days to bash out a complete score.”
This will mark the first time a Greenwood score will be heard in IMAX theaters as PTA’s currently untitled film has been set for an August 8, 2025 wide release from WB. With a cast of Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, Wood Harris,...
- 5/10/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Alamo Drafthouse has partnered with ScreenPlus and Vista Cinema to serve another helping of cinematic goodness with their own VOD platform Alamo On Demand. The new “video store” is curated by Drafthouse programmers, with studio partners that include Lionsgate, Magnolia Pictures, Neon, among others.
Launching today, Alamo On Demand will include a library of entertainment for rental or purchase that is suitable for the discerning Drafthouse audience.
“I’ll describe the scenario that sold me on the ScreenPlus platform,” said Tim League, Alamo Drafthouse founder and Executive Chairman. “Alamo Drafthouse had been promoting Portrait of a Lady on Fire to our guests for months. We love people to see films in the cinema first and foremost, but the reality is not everyone can always make the time for every movie they want to see. This platform allows us to give folks who missed Portrait of a Lady on Fire in...
Launching today, Alamo On Demand will include a library of entertainment for rental or purchase that is suitable for the discerning Drafthouse audience.
“I’ll describe the scenario that sold me on the ScreenPlus platform,” said Tim League, Alamo Drafthouse founder and Executive Chairman. “Alamo Drafthouse had been promoting Portrait of a Lady on Fire to our guests for months. We love people to see films in the cinema first and foremost, but the reality is not everyone can always make the time for every movie they want to see. This platform allows us to give folks who missed Portrait of a Lady on Fire in...
- 5/7/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Boutique cinema chain Alamo Drafthouse is getting into the VOD space, and has today announced the launch of a new VOD platform that allows users to rent or buy a wide selection of recent and classic films curated by the chain’s programmers. Some of the first available titles include the Best Picture-winning “Parasite,” the lauded “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” and the newly released “Spaceship Earth.”
Alamo On Demand is now live on the company’s website and will soon be available via iPhone and Android apps. The platform was created in partnership with ScreenPlus and Vista Cinema, a pair of companies that last month created a VOD program to help cinemas earn revenue during a time when theaters are closed.
“I’ll describe the scenario that sold me on the ScreenPlus platform,” said Tim League, Alamo Drafthouse founder and newly named executive chairman in a statement. “Alamo...
Alamo On Demand is now live on the company’s website and will soon be available via iPhone and Android apps. The platform was created in partnership with ScreenPlus and Vista Cinema, a pair of companies that last month created a VOD program to help cinemas earn revenue during a time when theaters are closed.
“I’ll describe the scenario that sold me on the ScreenPlus platform,” said Tim League, Alamo Drafthouse founder and newly named executive chairman in a statement. “Alamo...
- 5/7/2020
- by Chris Lindahl
- Indiewire
Even three years ago, it was already quite obvious that the collaboration between filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson and Radiohead multi-instrumentalist Jonny Greenwood was one of the most special and exciting partnerships in contemporary cinema. Back then — and after they had already worked together on “There Will Be Blood,” “The Master,” and “Inherent Vice” — it probably would have seemed inconceivable that the best was yet to come, or that the chemistry between them was combustible enough to essentially generate a movie from scratch. But, on both counts, it was. It really was.
In February of 2015, Anderson got a phone call inviting him to hop on a plane and spend three weeks inside a massive 15th century fort atop a hill in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India. Anderson said yes even before he learned what he would be going there to film: Greenwood and Israeli poet-musician Shye Ben Tzur were recording an album together in the towering Mehrangarah Fort,...
In February of 2015, Anderson got a phone call inviting him to hop on a plane and spend three weeks inside a massive 15th century fort atop a hill in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India. Anderson said yes even before he learned what he would be going there to film: Greenwood and Israeli poet-musician Shye Ben Tzur were recording an album together in the towering Mehrangarah Fort,...
- 7/10/2018
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Junun, the musical project of Radiohead‘s Jonny Greenwood, Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur and the Rajasthan Express, made their late-night TV debut on The Late Show Monday with an electric performance of their eponymous song, “Junun.” The song is also the the title-track of the band’s debut album.
“Junun” boasts a potent mix of classical Indian instruments–the harmonium and thundering Nagara drums–while blaring horns gave the performance a jazzy energy. Greenwood’s bass anchored the song while Ben Tzur provided guitar and assisted vocalists Zaki Ali Qawwal and Zakir Ali Qawwal.
“Junun” boasts a potent mix of classical Indian instruments–the harmonium and thundering Nagara drums–while blaring horns gave the performance a jazzy energy. Greenwood’s bass anchored the song while Ben Tzur provided guitar and assisted vocalists Zaki Ali Qawwal and Zakir Ali Qawwal.
- 7/10/2018
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Paul Thomas Anderson’s characters are all defective in some way — not flawed so much as broken and incomplete. In an unpredictable filmography that spans from the waining days of the mid-’90s indie boom to the tenuous post-celluloid landscape of the modern age — a scattershot collection of stories that hops across the last 100 years as though its unstuck in time, resolving into a strange and feral people’s history of America in the 20th century — a fundamental sense of inherent vice might be the most consistent through-line. That feels especially true in the aftermath of “Phantom Thread,” which finds Anderson ditching his hometown of Los Angeles for London, but still retaining (or even doubling down on) his sincere affection for obsessive people with holes in their hearts.
Common wisdom suggests that Anderson’s career has been split down the middle, with 2002’s “Punch-Drunk Love” functioning as a gentle transition...
Common wisdom suggests that Anderson’s career has been split down the middle, with 2002’s “Punch-Drunk Love” functioning as a gentle transition...
- 12/21/2017
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
News of Todd Haynes making his first documentary should’ve come as something of a curveball, but it was reported that the “Carol” director is planning a non-fiction project about the Velvet Underground, it seemed like the most natural thing in the world. Haynes’ “Velvet Goldmine” is such a knowing, textured, and vividly remembered reflection on the glam rock era that it can be easy to forget that its story merely alludes to the likes of Lou Reed.
But the fascination the Velvet Underground holds for Haynes isn’t the only thing that makes this newly announced documentary feel like such a perfect pairing between subject and storyteller. With the landmark “The Velvet Underground & Nico” LP, Reed and his cohorts effectively forged a new language for countercultural expression, synthesizing the subversive pop stylings of Andy Warhol into a rock movement that had already been neutered of its rebellious beginnings. With films like “Poison” and “Safe,...
But the fascination the Velvet Underground holds for Haynes isn’t the only thing that makes this newly announced documentary feel like such a perfect pairing between subject and storyteller. With the landmark “The Velvet Underground & Nico” LP, Reed and his cohorts effectively forged a new language for countercultural expression, synthesizing the subversive pop stylings of Andy Warhol into a rock movement that had already been neutered of its rebellious beginnings. With films like “Poison” and “Safe,...
- 8/8/2017
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
For almost his entire career, Paul Thomas Anderson has aligned himself with the great Robert Elswit. The acclaimed cinematographer has shot every Anderson picture to date, with the exception of “The Master” which was lensed by Mihai Malaimare Jr., and the documentary “Junun,” which was essentially assembled from footage from a variety of consumer-grade digital cameras. Clearly, Anderson has been paying attention and taking notes, because for his upcoming, tentatively titled “Phantom Thread” he shouldered one more responsibility in addition to writing and directing the picture.
Continue reading Paul Thomas Anderson Is Also The Cinematographer On ‘Phantom Thread’ at The Playlist.
Continue reading Paul Thomas Anderson Is Also The Cinematographer On ‘Phantom Thread’ at The Playlist.
- 6/29/2017
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood will score a new film starring Joaquin Phoenix, You Were Never Really Here, that will premiere at Cannes Film Festival, which runs May 17th through 28th, The Playlist reports.
Lynne Ramsay directed You Were Never Really Here, which is an adaptation of Jonathan Ames' novella of the same name. The film tells the story of a war veteran who tries to save a young girl from a sex trafficking ring. Greenwood previously scored Ramsay's 2011 thriller, We Need to Talk About Kevin.
Ramsay is the only...
Lynne Ramsay directed You Were Never Really Here, which is an adaptation of Jonathan Ames' novella of the same name. The film tells the story of a war veteran who tries to save a young girl from a sex trafficking ring. Greenwood previously scored Ramsay's 2011 thriller, We Need to Talk About Kevin.
Ramsay is the only...
- 5/3/2017
- Rollingstone.com
Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood will once again provide the score for Paul Thomas Anderson's upcoming film, Focus Features announced Wednesday while confirming that production on the film is underway.
According to Focus (via The Playlist), Anderson's new film "is a drama set in the couture world of 1950s London. The story illuminates the life behind the curtain of an uncompromising dressmaker commissioned by royalty and high society."
The as-yet-untitled film, which stars Daniel Day-Lewis, marks the fourth time Greenwood scored an Anderson film, following There Will Be Blood, The Master and,...
According to Focus (via The Playlist), Anderson's new film "is a drama set in the couture world of 1950s London. The story illuminates the life behind the curtain of an uncompromising dressmaker commissioned by royalty and high society."
The as-yet-untitled film, which stars Daniel Day-Lewis, marks the fourth time Greenwood scored an Anderson film, following There Will Be Blood, The Master and,...
- 2/1/2017
- Rollingstone.com
Mubi has been a preferred streaming platform among arthouse-inclined cinephiles for years. It recently upped its game by entering the sphere of theatrical distribution with Rachel Lang’s “Baden Baden,” which opened in New York and Los Angeles on November 25. Next on the docket is Eugène Green’s “Son of Joseph,” which is due in theaters early next year. Watch its trailer below.
Read More: Streaming Platform Mubi Is Getting Into the Theatrical Marketplace With First U.S. Release
Though an exciting development, this was also a long time coming. Paul Thomas Anderson’s documentary “Junun” premiered exclusively on Mubi immediately after premiering at the New York Film Festival last year, and the company partnered on the UK releases of both “Arabian Nights” and “The Blue Room.” “Connecting exceptional films with audiences who may not otherwise have the chance to see them is at the heart of what we do,...
Read More: Streaming Platform Mubi Is Getting Into the Theatrical Marketplace With First U.S. Release
Though an exciting development, this was also a long time coming. Paul Thomas Anderson’s documentary “Junun” premiered exclusively on Mubi immediately after premiering at the New York Film Festival last year, and the company partnered on the UK releases of both “Arabian Nights” and “The Blue Room.” “Connecting exceptional films with audiences who may not otherwise have the chance to see them is at the heart of what we do,...
- 12/1/2016
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Mubi is getting into the theatrical game. The curated streaming platform is making its way into the North American theatrical marketplace with their release of Rachel Lang’s “Baden Baden,” which the previously online-only outfit will open the film in New York and Los Angeles on November 25. The film will then be available exclusively on Mubi’s digital site.
The film marks the third collaboration between Lang and the superb young actress Salomé Richard and completes the trilogy which develops the character of Ana through two short films (including “For You I Will Fight” and “White Turnips Make it Hard to Sleep”). Lang said of the news, “It’s such an honor for me that my film is the first U.S. theatrical release for Mubi. The wonderful Mubi team worked incredibly well to release it in the U.K., and now they are doing the same for the U.
The film marks the third collaboration between Lang and the superb young actress Salomé Richard and completes the trilogy which develops the character of Ana through two short films (including “For You I Will Fight” and “White Turnips Make it Hard to Sleep”). Lang said of the news, “It’s such an honor for me that my film is the first U.S. theatrical release for Mubi. The wonderful Mubi team worked incredibly well to release it in the U.K., and now they are doing the same for the U.
- 10/27/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Paul Thomas Anderson has been involved with the band Radiohead for a few years now. Lead guitarist Jonny Greenwood has composed the scores for the last three Anderson films — “There Will Be Blood,” “The Master,” and “Inherent Vice” — and in turn both collaborated on the documentary “Junun” about the making of an album in Mehrangarh Fort in Rajasthan, India, by Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur. Most recently, Anderson has directed music videos for songs off of Radiohead’s latest album “A Moon Shaped Pool,” such as “Daydreaming” and “Present Tense.” His latest video for the band is for the song “The Numbers,” which features frontman Thom Yorke and Greenwood playing the song in the woods alongside a Roland Cr-78 drum machine. Watch the video below.
Read More: Paul Thomas Anderson Directs Live Video for Radiohead’s ‘Present Tense’ — Watch
Anderson is no stranger to directing music videos as he’s...
Read More: Paul Thomas Anderson Directs Live Video for Radiohead’s ‘Present Tense’ — Watch
Anderson is no stranger to directing music videos as he’s...
- 10/5/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
Unknown Pleasures, this year’s eighth installment of the Berlin American Independent Film Festival, screened fifteen films, including a program of shorts, at four locations throughout the city from June 3 through June 18. The Up, as they call themselves, offers un-Hollywood movements of current American cinema (on days with multiple screenings one could live in this world a bit, believing America only produces this kind of serious, quirky, deeply curious filmic content). “Consistent in form and content, varied and adventurous, the films make for intelligent and engaging cinema that defies both Hollywood and mainstream independent film,” writes the Up on their festival website.
I had the opportunity to see Paul Thomas Anderson’s quietly extraordinary documentary, Junun, at the festival’s Kino Arsenal location in Berlin’s Sony Plaza along Potsdamer Strasse this year. The multi-level building, walls strewn with Marlene Dietrich and movie posters, also houses a film and television...
I had the opportunity to see Paul Thomas Anderson’s quietly extraordinary documentary, Junun, at the festival’s Kino Arsenal location in Berlin’s Sony Plaza along Potsdamer Strasse this year. The multi-level building, walls strewn with Marlene Dietrich and movie posters, also houses a film and television...
- 7/3/2016
- by Dina Paulson
- CinemaNerdz
As the main topic of this year’s festival, Docaviv will feature a select group of thought-provoking films about a world that is changing with the collapse of physical and social boundaries, growing economic disparities, the waves of refugees and immigrants, civil wars, international terrorism, and the ultimate undoing of social solidarity.
Within the framework of this theme the program does not only include documentaries about terror and refugees, but also about a fragmented society which is losing its solidarity. Both in Israel and elsewhere the gap between the haves and the have-nots is widening, and so are the frustrations and the unrest. Israeli and international titles correlating to these themes can be found throughout the entire festival program:
“Death in the terminal” - Directors Tali Shemesh (“The Cemetery Club”) and Assaf Surd
A tense, minute-by-minute, Rashomon-style account of a tragic day. On October 18, 2015, a terrorist armed with a gun and a knife entered Beersheba’s bus terminal. Within 18 minutes Omri Levy, a soldier was killed and Abtum Zarhum, Eritrean immigrant asylum seeker, was lynched after being mistaken for a terrorist.
“The Settlers” - Premiered in Sundance, Director Shimon Dotan.
A far-reaching, comprehensive look at the Jewish settlement enterprise in the West Bank. It examines the origins of the settlement movement and the religious and ideological visions that propelled it, while providing an intimate look at the people at the center of the greatest geopolitical challenge now facing Israel and the international community. (Isa Contact: Cinephil)
“Town on a Wire” - premiered at Cph: Dox Dir: Uri Rosenwaks
While Tel Aviv is thriving, just ten minutes away lies the town of Lod, right in the backyard of Israel’s bustling urban center. Unlike its affluent neighbor, Lod is a city that suffers from the blight of racism, crime, and sheer desperation. Can it be saved? Is there some way to bring hope to Lod’s Arab and Jewish residents?
“Foucoammare”/ “Fire at Sea” - by Gianfranco Rosi - winner of Golden Bear, Berlinale 2016 -every day the inhabitants of the Italian Island Lampedusa are confronted with the flight of refugees to Europe . These people long for peace and freedom and often only their dead bodies are pulled out of the water. (Contact Isa: Doc & Film Int’l. U.S.: Kino Lorber)
“Between fences” – by Avi Mograbi -. In an Israeli detention center asylum-seekers from Eritrea and Sudan can’t be sent back to their own countries, but have no prospects in Israel either thanks to the country’s policies. Chen Alon and Avi Mograbi, initiate a theatre workshop to give these people the opportunity to address their own experiences of forced migration and discrimination and to confront an Israeli society that views them as dangerous infiltrators.
“A Syrian Love Story” – by Sean McAllister -You can’t be Che Guevara and a mother Amer tells Raghda, but maybe she can't do it any other way. After years of struggle, life without her homeland and the revolution has no meaning for her. It is hard to determine what is more demanding in this bold film: the revolution, or the search for inner peace. (Contact Isa: Cat & Docs)
“Homo Sapiens” – by Nikolaus Geyrhalter - what does humanity leave behind when its gone? It sometimes seems as if the mark that humans leave on this planet will last forever. The truth is that the iron, bricks, cement, and steel – the human traces everywhere abandoned and forgotten – are erased by the forces of nature. This unusually beautiful film may lack people and words, but that leaves even more room for thought.(Contact Isa: Autlook)
“Land of the Enlightened” – Premiered at Sundance Ff 2016. Shot over seven years on evocative 16mm footage, first-time director Pieter-Jan De Pue paints a whimsical yet haunting look at the condition of Afghanistan left for the next generation. As American soldiers prepare to leave, we follow De Pue deep into this hidden land where young boys form wild gangs to control trade routes, sell explosives from mines left over from war, making the new rules of war based on the harsh landscape left to them. (Contact Isa: Films Boutique)
“Flickering Truth” - Premiered at Toronto Ff 2015. Director Pietra Brettkelly (The Art Star and the Sudanese Twins) directs this harrowing, compelling film about the power of cinema to preserve our history and in so doing potentially change our futures. (Contact Isa: Film Sales Company)
“Requiem for the American Dream” - Directed by Peter D. Hutchison, Kelly Nyks, Jared P. Scott. In ten chilling but lucid chapters, Noam Chomsky, one of the great intellectuals of our time, analyzes the “system,” which allows wealthy capitalists to seize the reins of government and turn those without wealth into a passive herd, willing to forego power, solidarity, and democracy itself. (U.S.: Gravitas. Contact Isa: Films Transit)
The festival will open with a first film by Israeli director Roman Shumunov
“Babylon Dreamers” Directed by Roman Somonob. An intimate report about a troupe of immigrants from the former Soviet Union, from one of Ashdod’s poorest neighborhoods; they struggle to survive facing harsh conditions - poverty, mental illness, and broken families. They channel their anger and cling to their dream of attending and winning the International Breakdance Championship.
Israeli Competition
Some 70 Israeli films produced over the last year were submitted out of which 13 films have been selected for the Israeli Competition. They will be competing for the largest cash prize for documentary filmmaking in Israel 70,000 Nis (Us$ 15,000). Other awards in the competition include the Mayor’s Prize for the Most Promising Filmmaker, the Prize for Editing, the Prize for Cinematography, the Prize for Research, and the Prize for Original Score.
"The Wonderful Kingdom of Papa Alaev," directors Tal Barda, Noam Pinchas -Tajikistan’s answer to the Jackson Family. A modern-day Shakespearean tale about a famous Tajik musical family, controlled by their charismatic patriarch-grandfather - Papa Alaev.
"A Tale of Two Balloons" by Zohar Wagner - The tale of a women who thought a pair of perfect breasts would help her find true love. But when that love came along, those perfect breasts had to go.
"Aida's Secrets," director Alon Schwarz - At 68, Izak learns he has a brother he never knew about. As part of the discoveries about the family, the film uncovers the story of the Displaced Persons camps- the vibrant and often wild social life that flourished immediately after WW2.
"Child Mother" by Yael Kipper and Ronen Zaretzky - The story of elderly women born in Morocco and Yemen, who were married off when they were still little girls. Only now, as they enter the final chapter of their lives, do they openly face their past and the ways it still affects them and their families.
"The Last Shaman" directed by Raz Degan - Inspired by an article he read, James decides to travel to the Amazon rainforests, in search of a shaman whom he thinks can save him from a clinical depression that haunts him.
"The Patriarch's Room" by Danae Elon -The bizarre imprisonment of the former head of the Greek Orthodox Church in a tiny monastic cell in Jerusalem’s Old City leads to a fascinating journey in search of the truth, penetrating the remote world of the priesthood. The complex and unfamiliar picture that emerges is revealed here, on camera, for the very first time.
"Poetics of the Brain" by Nurith Aviv –weaving associative links between her personal biographical stories and neuroscientists’ accounts of their work. They discuss topics such as memory, bilingualism, reading, mirror neurons, smell, traces of experience.
"Shalom Italia," by Tamar Tal Anati (winner of Docaviv for Life in Stills) -Three Italian Jewish brothers set off on a journey through Tuscany, in search of a cave where they hid as children to escape the Nazis. Their quest, full of humor, food and Tuscan landscapes, straddles the boundary between history and myth, both of which really, truly happened.
"Week 23" by Ohad Milstein - Rahel, the daughter of a Swiss bishop, is coping with a difficult pregnancy in Israel. One of the identical twins she is carrying has died in utero, and now poses an almost certain threat to its sibling. The doctors are unequivocal about it. They tell Rahel that she should abort the surviving fetus and end her pregnancy.
"The Settlers" by Shimon Dotan; Town On A Wire directed by Uri Rosenwaksand Eyal Blachson; Death in the Terminal by Tali Shemesh and Asaf Sudry, and Babylon Dreamers by Roman Shumunov.
The Members of the selection committee included Sinai Abt, artistic director of the Docaviv Film Festival; director Reuven Brodsky, winner of Docaviv in 2012 for his film Home Movie and of Honorable Mention at Docaviv in 2015 and film editor Ayelet Ofarim.
Twelve films have been selected for the International Competition, which will open with the The Happy Film by Stefan Seigmeister. Also competing are Jerzy Sladkowski’s Don Juan, winner of the Idfa Award; Author: The J.T. LeRoy Story about the imaginary cult figure who became the darling of New York society and nightlife, picked up by Amazon at Sundance as its first doc title. Another festival favorite is A Flickering Truth and Sean McAllister's daring award winning documentary A Syrian Love Story.
The Depth of Field Competition will open with LoveTrue by director Alma Har’el, who will be a juror for the Israeli Film Competition. This is the Competition’s third year, held in conjunction with the Film Critics’ Forum that will award films for an outstanding and daring artistic vision. Other films that will be screened as part of the competition include Sundance winners Kate Plays Christine by Robert Greene, and Pieter-Jan De Pue’s hybrid documentary The Land of the Enlightened; other titles that will be shown are Hotel Dallas by wife and husband artist duo Livia Ungur and Sherng-Lee Huang, The Hong Kong Trilogy by noted cinematographer Christopher Doyle , and the musical- turned into documentary London Road by Rufus Norris and Alecky Blythe.
The Masters Section, a new category in the festival, highlighting new films by world renowned directors will be opened by Fire at Sea by director Gianfranco Rosi, winner of the Golden Bear at this year’s Berlinale. Avi Mograbi’s Between Fences will be accompanied by a play by the Holot Legislative Theater, with a cast of actors that includes Israelis and African asylum seekers.
Other films in this section include amongst others Junun, Paul Thomas Anderson’s portrayal of a musical project involving Shye Ben-Tzur and Jonny Greenwood, Homo Sapiens by director Nikolaus Geyrhalter, Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine by director Alex Gibney, To the Desert by director Judd Neeman, Unlocking the Cage by directors D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, De Palma by co-director Noah Baumbach and He Named Me Malala by David Guggenheim.
The Panorama selection of films will include amongst others the moving Strike a Pose, by Ester Gould and Reijer Zwaan about the dancers who accompanied Madonna on her “Blond Ambition” tour, Roger Ross Williams ‘Life, Animated depicting the remarkable story of an autistic boy, who learned how to communicate with his surroundings through Disney films, Those Who Jump about an African refugee who films attempts by other refugees to jump the barbed wire border fence in North Africa and Louis Theroux: My Scientology Film.
This year’s Arts Section will include Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble by Academy Award winner Morgan Neville; I Don’t Belong Anywhere: The Cinema of Chantal Akerman, which was produced shortly before her tragic death, Listen to Me, Marlon, which tells the story of Marlon Brando through the audio recordings he made throughout his life, Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict, the salacious story of art collector Peggy Guggenheim, Koudelka Shooting Holy Land, Gilad Baram’s film about famous Czech photographer Josef Koudelka’s travels along the Separation Fence, and more.
Seven films produced by the top film schools in Israel were selected to compete in the annual Student Film Competition. The prize for the competition was donated by the Gottesman family in memory of Ruti Gottesman, a leading supporter of Docaviv and of documentary.
The Members of the selection committee included Karin Ryvind Segal, programming director for Docaviv, Hila Avraham, curator and expert on film and audiovisual media preservation and screenwriter Danny Rosenberg, whose work includes the films My Father’s House , Susia and the television series Johnny and the Knights of the Galilee.
Special Guests attending the Festival:
Award winning Director Ondi Timoner, will be attending the Israeli premiere of her film Russell Brand: A Second Coming. Her Sundance-winning film Dig! will be among the music documentaries screened at the Tel Aviv Port. In conjunction with the Film Department of Beit Berl College, Timoner will also be conducting a special master class for students, professionals, and amateurs.
This year’s festival will include a special tribute to acclaimed director Nikolaus Geyrhalter who will be attending the festival with his recent Homo Sapiens. This year’s festival will also include two previous films of his, Our Daily Bread and Abendland,.
International jury members attending the festival include:
Adriek van Nieuwenhuyzen, Director of the Idfa industry office; Gary Kam, producer of Planet of Snail; film director Alma Har’el (Bombay Beach; LoveTrue) ; Nilotpal, Director of Docedge Kolkata, Sascha Lara Bleuler, Director of the Human Rights Film Festival in Zurich, and film director Tatiana Brandrup.
The Israeli jurors include:
Director Dror Moreh, director and producer Barak Heymann, director Robby Elmaliah, producer Elinor Kowarsky, photographer David Adika, and film editor Tal Rabiner.
Around town. A record number of twelve screening venues spread out across Tel Aviv will offer free screenings. These are: Habima Square, the Beit Danny Community Center, the Hatikvah neighborhood, the Arab-Jewish Community Center in Jaffa, the rooftop of Tel Aviv City Hall, WeWork, Levinsky Park, Bar Kayma, Beit Romano, the Nalaga’at Center, Picnic Little Italy-Sarona Tel Aviv, and Artport.
Outdoors. The Tel Aviv Port will continue to host the festival this year, with outdoor screenings of music films with guest deejays from KZRadio. Films to be screened at the port include Janis: Little Girl Blue, The Reflektor Tapes about the band Arcade Fire, P.T Andersoan’s Junun about the musical collaboration between Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood, Nigel Godrich, and a dozen Indian musicians.
Festival Firsts. DocaviVR: a collaboration between Docaviv and Steamer, Israel’s first Interactive and Virtual Reality Film Festival, presents original documentary projects from Israel and around the world, created especially for viewing with Vr gear. The event will take place at Beit Romano. A cinema will pop up in one of Tel Aviv’s trendy hubs, with 25 stations equipped with Vr gear.
The Docommunity conference aims to promote dcomentary across the country by bringing together cultural coordinators and artistic directors from across the country to introduce them to the latest documentary films from Israel and around the world.
The Platform for Alternative Documentation at Artport art space: A performative piece that brings together film artists, social activists, and researchers studying the various aesthetic, social, and philosophical aspects of documentation. Curated by Laliv Melamed and Gilad Reich.
Young audiences. For the first time, films from The Next Doc will be screened, a special initiative of Docaviv, the Second Channel, and the New Fund for Film and Television, which led to the production of three films created especially for a teenage audience.
Docaviv will also be hosting the final event of Docu Young, at which films by students in residential schools, who participated in film workshops , will be screened.
The Docyouth Competition will feature the best documentary films produced by students in high school film programs throughout the country. For the first time, voting for this year’s competition will be held online and open to high school students across the country.
Among the Screenings of docs for kids are Victor Kosakovsky’s “Varicella”, and “Landfilharmonic”.
Over the course of the festival, 110 films will be screened.
Within the framework of this theme the program does not only include documentaries about terror and refugees, but also about a fragmented society which is losing its solidarity. Both in Israel and elsewhere the gap between the haves and the have-nots is widening, and so are the frustrations and the unrest. Israeli and international titles correlating to these themes can be found throughout the entire festival program:
“Death in the terminal” - Directors Tali Shemesh (“The Cemetery Club”) and Assaf Surd
A tense, minute-by-minute, Rashomon-style account of a tragic day. On October 18, 2015, a terrorist armed with a gun and a knife entered Beersheba’s bus terminal. Within 18 minutes Omri Levy, a soldier was killed and Abtum Zarhum, Eritrean immigrant asylum seeker, was lynched after being mistaken for a terrorist.
“The Settlers” - Premiered in Sundance, Director Shimon Dotan.
A far-reaching, comprehensive look at the Jewish settlement enterprise in the West Bank. It examines the origins of the settlement movement and the religious and ideological visions that propelled it, while providing an intimate look at the people at the center of the greatest geopolitical challenge now facing Israel and the international community. (Isa Contact: Cinephil)
“Town on a Wire” - premiered at Cph: Dox Dir: Uri Rosenwaks
While Tel Aviv is thriving, just ten minutes away lies the town of Lod, right in the backyard of Israel’s bustling urban center. Unlike its affluent neighbor, Lod is a city that suffers from the blight of racism, crime, and sheer desperation. Can it be saved? Is there some way to bring hope to Lod’s Arab and Jewish residents?
“Foucoammare”/ “Fire at Sea” - by Gianfranco Rosi - winner of Golden Bear, Berlinale 2016 -every day the inhabitants of the Italian Island Lampedusa are confronted with the flight of refugees to Europe . These people long for peace and freedom and often only their dead bodies are pulled out of the water. (Contact Isa: Doc & Film Int’l. U.S.: Kino Lorber)
“Between fences” – by Avi Mograbi -. In an Israeli detention center asylum-seekers from Eritrea and Sudan can’t be sent back to their own countries, but have no prospects in Israel either thanks to the country’s policies. Chen Alon and Avi Mograbi, initiate a theatre workshop to give these people the opportunity to address their own experiences of forced migration and discrimination and to confront an Israeli society that views them as dangerous infiltrators.
“A Syrian Love Story” – by Sean McAllister -You can’t be Che Guevara and a mother Amer tells Raghda, but maybe she can't do it any other way. After years of struggle, life without her homeland and the revolution has no meaning for her. It is hard to determine what is more demanding in this bold film: the revolution, or the search for inner peace. (Contact Isa: Cat & Docs)
“Homo Sapiens” – by Nikolaus Geyrhalter - what does humanity leave behind when its gone? It sometimes seems as if the mark that humans leave on this planet will last forever. The truth is that the iron, bricks, cement, and steel – the human traces everywhere abandoned and forgotten – are erased by the forces of nature. This unusually beautiful film may lack people and words, but that leaves even more room for thought.(Contact Isa: Autlook)
“Land of the Enlightened” – Premiered at Sundance Ff 2016. Shot over seven years on evocative 16mm footage, first-time director Pieter-Jan De Pue paints a whimsical yet haunting look at the condition of Afghanistan left for the next generation. As American soldiers prepare to leave, we follow De Pue deep into this hidden land where young boys form wild gangs to control trade routes, sell explosives from mines left over from war, making the new rules of war based on the harsh landscape left to them. (Contact Isa: Films Boutique)
“Flickering Truth” - Premiered at Toronto Ff 2015. Director Pietra Brettkelly (The Art Star and the Sudanese Twins) directs this harrowing, compelling film about the power of cinema to preserve our history and in so doing potentially change our futures. (Contact Isa: Film Sales Company)
“Requiem for the American Dream” - Directed by Peter D. Hutchison, Kelly Nyks, Jared P. Scott. In ten chilling but lucid chapters, Noam Chomsky, one of the great intellectuals of our time, analyzes the “system,” which allows wealthy capitalists to seize the reins of government and turn those without wealth into a passive herd, willing to forego power, solidarity, and democracy itself. (U.S.: Gravitas. Contact Isa: Films Transit)
The festival will open with a first film by Israeli director Roman Shumunov
“Babylon Dreamers” Directed by Roman Somonob. An intimate report about a troupe of immigrants from the former Soviet Union, from one of Ashdod’s poorest neighborhoods; they struggle to survive facing harsh conditions - poverty, mental illness, and broken families. They channel their anger and cling to their dream of attending and winning the International Breakdance Championship.
Israeli Competition
Some 70 Israeli films produced over the last year were submitted out of which 13 films have been selected for the Israeli Competition. They will be competing for the largest cash prize for documentary filmmaking in Israel 70,000 Nis (Us$ 15,000). Other awards in the competition include the Mayor’s Prize for the Most Promising Filmmaker, the Prize for Editing, the Prize for Cinematography, the Prize for Research, and the Prize for Original Score.
"The Wonderful Kingdom of Papa Alaev," directors Tal Barda, Noam Pinchas -Tajikistan’s answer to the Jackson Family. A modern-day Shakespearean tale about a famous Tajik musical family, controlled by their charismatic patriarch-grandfather - Papa Alaev.
"A Tale of Two Balloons" by Zohar Wagner - The tale of a women who thought a pair of perfect breasts would help her find true love. But when that love came along, those perfect breasts had to go.
"Aida's Secrets," director Alon Schwarz - At 68, Izak learns he has a brother he never knew about. As part of the discoveries about the family, the film uncovers the story of the Displaced Persons camps- the vibrant and often wild social life that flourished immediately after WW2.
"Child Mother" by Yael Kipper and Ronen Zaretzky - The story of elderly women born in Morocco and Yemen, who were married off when they were still little girls. Only now, as they enter the final chapter of their lives, do they openly face their past and the ways it still affects them and their families.
"The Last Shaman" directed by Raz Degan - Inspired by an article he read, James decides to travel to the Amazon rainforests, in search of a shaman whom he thinks can save him from a clinical depression that haunts him.
"The Patriarch's Room" by Danae Elon -The bizarre imprisonment of the former head of the Greek Orthodox Church in a tiny monastic cell in Jerusalem’s Old City leads to a fascinating journey in search of the truth, penetrating the remote world of the priesthood. The complex and unfamiliar picture that emerges is revealed here, on camera, for the very first time.
"Poetics of the Brain" by Nurith Aviv –weaving associative links between her personal biographical stories and neuroscientists’ accounts of their work. They discuss topics such as memory, bilingualism, reading, mirror neurons, smell, traces of experience.
"Shalom Italia," by Tamar Tal Anati (winner of Docaviv for Life in Stills) -Three Italian Jewish brothers set off on a journey through Tuscany, in search of a cave where they hid as children to escape the Nazis. Their quest, full of humor, food and Tuscan landscapes, straddles the boundary between history and myth, both of which really, truly happened.
"Week 23" by Ohad Milstein - Rahel, the daughter of a Swiss bishop, is coping with a difficult pregnancy in Israel. One of the identical twins she is carrying has died in utero, and now poses an almost certain threat to its sibling. The doctors are unequivocal about it. They tell Rahel that she should abort the surviving fetus and end her pregnancy.
"The Settlers" by Shimon Dotan; Town On A Wire directed by Uri Rosenwaksand Eyal Blachson; Death in the Terminal by Tali Shemesh and Asaf Sudry, and Babylon Dreamers by Roman Shumunov.
The Members of the selection committee included Sinai Abt, artistic director of the Docaviv Film Festival; director Reuven Brodsky, winner of Docaviv in 2012 for his film Home Movie and of Honorable Mention at Docaviv in 2015 and film editor Ayelet Ofarim.
Twelve films have been selected for the International Competition, which will open with the The Happy Film by Stefan Seigmeister. Also competing are Jerzy Sladkowski’s Don Juan, winner of the Idfa Award; Author: The J.T. LeRoy Story about the imaginary cult figure who became the darling of New York society and nightlife, picked up by Amazon at Sundance as its first doc title. Another festival favorite is A Flickering Truth and Sean McAllister's daring award winning documentary A Syrian Love Story.
The Depth of Field Competition will open with LoveTrue by director Alma Har’el, who will be a juror for the Israeli Film Competition. This is the Competition’s third year, held in conjunction with the Film Critics’ Forum that will award films for an outstanding and daring artistic vision. Other films that will be screened as part of the competition include Sundance winners Kate Plays Christine by Robert Greene, and Pieter-Jan De Pue’s hybrid documentary The Land of the Enlightened; other titles that will be shown are Hotel Dallas by wife and husband artist duo Livia Ungur and Sherng-Lee Huang, The Hong Kong Trilogy by noted cinematographer Christopher Doyle , and the musical- turned into documentary London Road by Rufus Norris and Alecky Blythe.
The Masters Section, a new category in the festival, highlighting new films by world renowned directors will be opened by Fire at Sea by director Gianfranco Rosi, winner of the Golden Bear at this year’s Berlinale. Avi Mograbi’s Between Fences will be accompanied by a play by the Holot Legislative Theater, with a cast of actors that includes Israelis and African asylum seekers.
Other films in this section include amongst others Junun, Paul Thomas Anderson’s portrayal of a musical project involving Shye Ben-Tzur and Jonny Greenwood, Homo Sapiens by director Nikolaus Geyrhalter, Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine by director Alex Gibney, To the Desert by director Judd Neeman, Unlocking the Cage by directors D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, De Palma by co-director Noah Baumbach and He Named Me Malala by David Guggenheim.
The Panorama selection of films will include amongst others the moving Strike a Pose, by Ester Gould and Reijer Zwaan about the dancers who accompanied Madonna on her “Blond Ambition” tour, Roger Ross Williams ‘Life, Animated depicting the remarkable story of an autistic boy, who learned how to communicate with his surroundings through Disney films, Those Who Jump about an African refugee who films attempts by other refugees to jump the barbed wire border fence in North Africa and Louis Theroux: My Scientology Film.
This year’s Arts Section will include Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble by Academy Award winner Morgan Neville; I Don’t Belong Anywhere: The Cinema of Chantal Akerman, which was produced shortly before her tragic death, Listen to Me, Marlon, which tells the story of Marlon Brando through the audio recordings he made throughout his life, Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict, the salacious story of art collector Peggy Guggenheim, Koudelka Shooting Holy Land, Gilad Baram’s film about famous Czech photographer Josef Koudelka’s travels along the Separation Fence, and more.
Seven films produced by the top film schools in Israel were selected to compete in the annual Student Film Competition. The prize for the competition was donated by the Gottesman family in memory of Ruti Gottesman, a leading supporter of Docaviv and of documentary.
The Members of the selection committee included Karin Ryvind Segal, programming director for Docaviv, Hila Avraham, curator and expert on film and audiovisual media preservation and screenwriter Danny Rosenberg, whose work includes the films My Father’s House , Susia and the television series Johnny and the Knights of the Galilee.
Special Guests attending the Festival:
Award winning Director Ondi Timoner, will be attending the Israeli premiere of her film Russell Brand: A Second Coming. Her Sundance-winning film Dig! will be among the music documentaries screened at the Tel Aviv Port. In conjunction with the Film Department of Beit Berl College, Timoner will also be conducting a special master class for students, professionals, and amateurs.
This year’s festival will include a special tribute to acclaimed director Nikolaus Geyrhalter who will be attending the festival with his recent Homo Sapiens. This year’s festival will also include two previous films of his, Our Daily Bread and Abendland,.
International jury members attending the festival include:
Adriek van Nieuwenhuyzen, Director of the Idfa industry office; Gary Kam, producer of Planet of Snail; film director Alma Har’el (Bombay Beach; LoveTrue) ; Nilotpal, Director of Docedge Kolkata, Sascha Lara Bleuler, Director of the Human Rights Film Festival in Zurich, and film director Tatiana Brandrup.
The Israeli jurors include:
Director Dror Moreh, director and producer Barak Heymann, director Robby Elmaliah, producer Elinor Kowarsky, photographer David Adika, and film editor Tal Rabiner.
Around town. A record number of twelve screening venues spread out across Tel Aviv will offer free screenings. These are: Habima Square, the Beit Danny Community Center, the Hatikvah neighborhood, the Arab-Jewish Community Center in Jaffa, the rooftop of Tel Aviv City Hall, WeWork, Levinsky Park, Bar Kayma, Beit Romano, the Nalaga’at Center, Picnic Little Italy-Sarona Tel Aviv, and Artport.
Outdoors. The Tel Aviv Port will continue to host the festival this year, with outdoor screenings of music films with guest deejays from KZRadio. Films to be screened at the port include Janis: Little Girl Blue, The Reflektor Tapes about the band Arcade Fire, P.T Andersoan’s Junun about the musical collaboration between Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood, Nigel Godrich, and a dozen Indian musicians.
Festival Firsts. DocaviVR: a collaboration between Docaviv and Steamer, Israel’s first Interactive and Virtual Reality Film Festival, presents original documentary projects from Israel and around the world, created especially for viewing with Vr gear. The event will take place at Beit Romano. A cinema will pop up in one of Tel Aviv’s trendy hubs, with 25 stations equipped with Vr gear.
The Docommunity conference aims to promote dcomentary across the country by bringing together cultural coordinators and artistic directors from across the country to introduce them to the latest documentary films from Israel and around the world.
The Platform for Alternative Documentation at Artport art space: A performative piece that brings together film artists, social activists, and researchers studying the various aesthetic, social, and philosophical aspects of documentation. Curated by Laliv Melamed and Gilad Reich.
Young audiences. For the first time, films from The Next Doc will be screened, a special initiative of Docaviv, the Second Channel, and the New Fund for Film and Television, which led to the production of three films created especially for a teenage audience.
Docaviv will also be hosting the final event of Docu Young, at which films by students in residential schools, who participated in film workshops , will be screened.
The Docyouth Competition will feature the best documentary films produced by students in high school film programs throughout the country. For the first time, voting for this year’s competition will be held online and open to high school students across the country.
Among the Screenings of docs for kids are Victor Kosakovsky’s “Varicella”, and “Landfilharmonic”.
Over the course of the festival, 110 films will be screened.
- 5/11/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Michael Almereyda will be in Berlin and discuss Experimenter on the opening night of the eighth edition of Unknown Pleasures, the festival of American Independent Film. Brigitta Wagner will be on hand for screenings of Rosehill with Kate Chamuris and Josephine Decker and Patrick Wang will be in town for the first screening of The Grief of Others. There'll be a special program of films by Ed Pincus plus Frederick Wiseman's In Jackson Heights, Travis Wilkerson's Machine Gun or Typewriter?, Thom Andersen's Juke: Passages from the Films of Spencer Williams, Stephen Cone's Henry Gamble's Birthday Party, Paul Thomas Anderson's Junun and Nathan Silver's Stinking Heaven. » - David Hudson...
- 5/10/2016
- Keyframe
Michael Almereyda will be in Berlin and discuss Experimenter on the opening night of the eighth edition of Unknown Pleasures, the festival of American Independent Film. Brigitta Wagner will be on hand for screenings of Rosehill with Kate Chamuris and Josephine Decker and Patrick Wang will be in town for the first screening of The Grief of Others. There'll be a special program of films by Ed Pincus plus Frederick Wiseman's In Jackson Heights, Travis Wilkerson's Machine Gun or Typewriter?, Thom Andersen's Juke: Passages from the Films of Spencer Williams, Stephen Cone's Henry Gamble's Birthday Party, Paul Thomas Anderson's Junun and Nathan Silver's Stinking Heaven. » - David Hudson...
- 5/10/2016
- Fandor: Keyframe
In his seven feature-length films over the last two decades, there are few filmmakers who have displayed as much skill and artistry with each new work as Paul Thomas Anderson. After finishing up similarly comprehensive series on David Fincher and Stanley Kubrick, Cameron Beyl has returned with another multi-part documentary, this time dedicated to the work of the There Will Be Blood director.
Beginning in his early days of crafting The Dirk Diggler Story and other shorts, as well as his debut Hard Eight, the next section segues to his sprawling Los Angeles stories Boogie Nights and Magnolia. Then we dive into his more comedic side with Punch-Drunk Love and various comedy sketches and shorts around the era before getting to his portraits of power with There Will Be Blood and The Master. Lastly, it looks at his more groovy side with Inherent Vice, Junun, and recent music videos.
So...
Beginning in his early days of crafting The Dirk Diggler Story and other shorts, as well as his debut Hard Eight, the next section segues to his sprawling Los Angeles stories Boogie Nights and Magnolia. Then we dive into his more comedic side with Punch-Drunk Love and various comedy sketches and shorts around the era before getting to his portraits of power with There Will Be Blood and The Master. Lastly, it looks at his more groovy side with Inherent Vice, Junun, and recent music videos.
So...
- 5/5/2016
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Exclusive: A total of 110 films will screen at the festival, including recent Golden Bear-winner Fuocoammare and a selection of Israeli docs.
Topics including immigration and instability in the West Bank region will be highlighted at this year’s Docaviv international documentary festival (May 19-28) in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Among the 2016 programme is Gianfranco Rosi’s Berlin Golden Bear-winning Fuocoammare, Shimon Dotan’s Sundance premiere The Settlers and Sean McAllister’s BAFTA-nominated A Syrian Love Story.
The festival will open with Babylon Dreamers [pictured], about a group of immigrants from the former Soviet Union who, despite struggling to survive in tough circumstances in Israeli city Ashdod, decide to pursue their dream of entering the International Breakdance Championships.
That film will compete in the festival’s Israeli competition, which offers a prize of $18.5k (70k Ils), alongside 12 other titles including films about arranged marriages in Morocco and Yemen (Child Mother), depression-curing shamans in the Amazon rainforest (The Last Shaman), and three...
Topics including immigration and instability in the West Bank region will be highlighted at this year’s Docaviv international documentary festival (May 19-28) in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Among the 2016 programme is Gianfranco Rosi’s Berlin Golden Bear-winning Fuocoammare, Shimon Dotan’s Sundance premiere The Settlers and Sean McAllister’s BAFTA-nominated A Syrian Love Story.
The festival will open with Babylon Dreamers [pictured], about a group of immigrants from the former Soviet Union who, despite struggling to survive in tough circumstances in Israeli city Ashdod, decide to pursue their dream of entering the International Breakdance Championships.
That film will compete in the festival’s Israeli competition, which offers a prize of $18.5k (70k Ils), alongside 12 other titles including films about arranged marriages in Morocco and Yemen (Child Mother), depression-curing shamans in the Amazon rainforest (The Last Shaman), and three...
- 4/19/2016
- ScreenDaily
Rushes collects news, articles, images, videos and more for a weekly roundup of essential items from the world of film.NEWSThe great avant-garde filmmaker and musician Tony Conrad has died at the age of 76.If you're sending mail in Austria, now you can creep your family and friends out with an image of austere art-house task-master Michael Haneke on your stamps.A terrific-looking new book "by" Jean-Luc Godard is out via Contra Mundum Press: Phrases features the texts contained within several of Godard's films, including Germany Year 90 Nine Zero, Forever Mozart and In Praise of Love. After his feature documentary Junun and music video for Joanna Newsom, Paul Thomas Anderson is returning to the music world, having reportedly shot a video for Radiohead.Recommended VIEWINGFilmmaker (Traveling Light, Here's to the Future!) and Notebook contributor Gina Telaroli has shared online an exquisite new video work, Starting Sketches: Theresa and Jeanne.
- 4/13/2016
- by Notebook
- MUBI
Read More: Watch: Epic 'Arabian Nights' Trailer Introduces This Year's Most Ambitious Film Premiere Mubi, the online curated platform for indie films, and London-based film distributor New Wave Films have announced that they will exclusively release Miguel Gomes' "Arabian Nights" in UK cinemas and online. When the film first premiered at last year's Cannes Film Festival, it captivated audiences with its surreal tone and eroticism. Mubi's new deal follows in the footsteps of their release strategy for Paul Thomas Anderson's "Junun" and the Dennis Hopper documentary "This American Dreamer." Both films had select theatrical runs while debuting on Mubi's streaming platform for a select screening window. The film will be released in UK theaters on April 22 before it hits Mubi in May. "Arabian Nights" will have a DVD and On Demand release beginning on July 11. Read More: Paul Thomas Anderon Music Doc 'Junun' to Stream Exclusively on.
- 1/28/2016
- by Elle Leonsis
- Indiewire
Read More: What the Heck is Mubi and Why is Paul Thomas Anderson's New Film Streaming There? Since its inception back in 2007, Mubi has carved out a niche for itself as a go-to indie streaming service and a steadily rising distributor and exhibitor of art house cinema. This was particularly the case when they obtained the exclusive rights to the recent Paul Thomas Anderson doc "Junun" last fall. The new year, however, will see the company expand in bold new ways by bringing its services to China in a new joint venture. Huanxi Media Group, owned by Asian film producer Dong Ping, is investing $40 million in Mubi China. In a release announcing the venture, Ping noted, "As China’s movie market grows rapidly, the online video and movie sector is also expanding quickly. As a result, there is a growing demand by Chinese audiences for quality content online. Our...
- 1/14/2016
- by Mike Lown
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Dong Ping’s Huanxi Media Group invests in subscription streaming service, which could beat Netflix to the punch in China.
Online subscription streaming service Mubi is set to launch in China later this year following a $50m investment from Huanxi Media Group, the media investment firm run by entrepreneur and former ChinaVision chairman Dong Ping.
In a game-changing investment for the curated film platform, Huanxi will invest $40 million in joint venture Mubi China for 70% of the local business. The remaining 30% will be owned by Mubi.
As part of the agreement, Huanxi will make an additional strategic investment in Mubi of $10 million for an 8% ownership of the growing global service, which could now beat out mega rivals such as Netflix to become the first known UK or Us film subscription platform to launch in China.
Executive Dong Ping, who launched Huanxi last year after selling a controlling stake in film and TV company ChinaVision to e-commerce giant Alibaba...
Online subscription streaming service Mubi is set to launch in China later this year following a $50m investment from Huanxi Media Group, the media investment firm run by entrepreneur and former ChinaVision chairman Dong Ping.
In a game-changing investment for the curated film platform, Huanxi will invest $40 million in joint venture Mubi China for 70% of the local business. The remaining 30% will be owned by Mubi.
As part of the agreement, Huanxi will make an additional strategic investment in Mubi of $10 million for an 8% ownership of the growing global service, which could now beat out mega rivals such as Netflix to become the first known UK or Us film subscription platform to launch in China.
Executive Dong Ping, who launched Huanxi last year after selling a controlling stake in film and TV company ChinaVision to e-commerce giant Alibaba...
- 1/13/2016
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Ever since Rolling Stone Brian Jones stumbled through Morocco in a hash haze, only to come upon the Master Musicians of Jajouka in a small village in 1968, there's been an interconnectedness between Western rock stars and Eastern mysticism. From the Beatles and the Beach Boys holed up in Rishikesh with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi to the Beastie Boys making a "Bodhisattva Vow" and raising consciousness about Tibet, there's been a quest for enlightenment amid the flash of rock stardom, a search for ancient roots deep inside of modern music.
But when...
But when...
- 12/1/2015
- Rollingstone.com
When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade, or in the case of Paul Thomas Anderson, you adapt and knock out one of the best documentaries of the year, "Junun." Unable to bring his usual tools into India, the director quickly embraced digital filmmaking, using drone cameras, GoPros and more to film the making of the titular album by Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood, and the Rajasthan Express. And while the finished movie runs less than an hour long, it seems there was plenty left on the cutting room floor. Nonesuch Records has dropped a seven-minute outtake - a performance of the album's, "Hu." And like the movie it was cut from, it's a terrific look at the pure musicianship of the players making Junun, with this excerpt really allowing the viewer to appreciate the give and take between percussionists, singers, and string players. It's solid stuff. "Junun," album and movie,...
- 11/24/2015
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood, Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur and filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson trekked to northwest India to record with the Rajasthan Express, a collaboration that was documented in the film Junun. Now, Nonesuch Records have unveiled an outtake from the documentary with the intimate, magical session that resulted in the track "Hu," which features on the Junun album (via Pitchfork).
Sitting in a large circle and illuminated only by desk lights, Anderson's camera swirls around freely to capture each musical component of the joyous "Hu," from an extensive...
Sitting in a large circle and illuminated only by desk lights, Anderson's camera swirls around freely to capture each musical component of the joyous "Hu," from an extensive...
- 11/23/2015
- Rollingstone.com
Although Paul Thomas Anderson‘s Junun has completed its premiere streaming run on Mubi, we imagine it’ll pop up soon enough on other platforms. In the meantime, we have the ability to experience the one thing every viewer wanted to do after watching: listen to the full album depicted in the documentary. Coming from Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood, and The Rajasthan Express, I’ve had the ability to listen to it for the past month or so and it’s easily one of the year’s best albums: a lively, beautiful collection of rhythms and vocals that resonate even greater after seeing how they were created.
We said in our review, “Above all else, Junun serves as a proper hangout movie where we, the outsider, have been invited to watch its talented players sit around as they strive to create compelling, satisfying art. Its calling card is the opening sequence,...
We said in our review, “Above all else, Junun serves as a proper hangout movie where we, the outsider, have been invited to watch its talented players sit around as they strive to create compelling, satisfying art. Its calling card is the opening sequence,...
- 11/12/2015
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Running less than an hour long, featuring no standard talking head interviews, and taking a largely observational approach, Paul Thomas Anderson created one of the most involving musical portraits of the year with his documentary, "Junun." A look at the making of the album of the same name by Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood, and The Rajasthan Express it allowed the music to speak for itself, and did it ever. And with the album on the way, NPR has the first listen to the whole thing, and it's terrific stuff. Read More: Review: Paul Thomas Anderson's 'Junun' Featuring Shye Ben Tzur and Jonny Greenwood Produced by Radiohead knob twiddler Nigel Godrich, recorded in a stunning 15th-century Rajput hill fort, and featuring soaring, rhythmic and hypnotic vocals, Junun is a unique and special experience. Bright brass punctuate the near mystical mood, while the intense percussion section holds everything in place,...
- 11/12/2015
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Rushes collects news, articles, images, videos and more for a weekly roundup of essential items from the world of film.Above: the trailer for Spike Lee's new joint, Chi-raq.We're hotly anticipating Dennis Lim's new book on David Lynch. The New Yorker is running an excerpt, quoted below, the Criterion Collection has posted a section about Mulholland Dr., and the Film Society of Lincoln Center, which Lim heads, has announced its suggestive series pairing films by Lynch with those by Jacques Rivette."In Lynch’s own speech and in the speech patterns of his films, the impression is of language used less for meaning than for sound. To savor the thingness of words is to move away from their imprisoning nature."Screening in the above series is Rivette's marvelous Don't Touch the Axe, to which Notebook contributor Ryland Walker Knight has penned a poem: "...The game that is...
- 11/4/2015
- by Notebook
- MUBI
As 2015 winds down, like most cinephiles, we’re looking to get our hands on the titles that may have slipped under the radar or simply gone unseen. With the proliferation of streaming options, it’s thankfully easier than ever to play catch-up, and to assist with the process, we’re bringing you a rundown of the best titles of the year available to watch.
Curated from the Best Films of 2015 So Far list we published for the first half of the year, it also includes films we’ve enjoyed the past few months and some we’ve recently caught up on. This is far from a be-all, end-all year-end feature (that will come at the end of the year), but rather something that will hopefully be a helpful tool for readers to have a chance to seek out notable, perhaps underseen, titles from the year.
Note that we’re going by U.
Curated from the Best Films of 2015 So Far list we published for the first half of the year, it also includes films we’ve enjoyed the past few months and some we’ve recently caught up on. This is far from a be-all, end-all year-end feature (that will come at the end of the year), but rather something that will hopefully be a helpful tool for readers to have a chance to seek out notable, perhaps underseen, titles from the year.
Note that we’re going by U.
- 10/28/2015
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Rushes collects news, articles, images, videos and more for a weekly roundup of essential items from the world of film."...you will be a queen wherevever you walk": an immortal description of Maureen O'Hara from John Ford's How Green Was My Valley. O'Hara passed away over the weekend and Keyframe has gathered tributes.Above: An alternative animated poster for Paul Thomas Anderson’s Junun from Fikr’et Calisiyor, Gökhan Yücel, and Ufuk Atan.Above: Review, a new short film by one of America's best up-and-coming independent directors, Dustin Guy Defa.According to The Onion, the MPAA has finally added a new rating to its troublesome and controversial system, this one perhaps the most usable of all: to warn audience of films not based on existing works."The word cinematic gets thrown around a lot in relation to ambitious TV. You hear that a particular show is very cinematic,...
- 10/28/2015
- by Notebook
- MUBI
Whether intentionally or not, Paul Thomas Anderson seems to have spent the last 15 or so years doing his darnedest to avoid being pigeonholed as “the next such-and-such,” to the point that the bulk of his career could probably be plotted out as a series of evasive and flanking maneuvers. What used to be most identifiable characteristics of his style—whip pans, Scorsese-isms, extended Steadicam and handheld shots—are now a thing of the past; the only things that have remained consistent are his superb direction of actors, attentiveness to the craft of making celluloid images, and tendency to tackle themes that are generally described as “big” and “American.” It makes sense, then, that Anderson’s latest should be a documentary, shot digitally in India on equipment small enough to fit in a carry-on bag, where five minutes will pass without as much as a spoken word. Running under an hour...
- 10/27/2015
- by Ignatiy Vishnevetsky
- MUBI
Following the success of his noir-laced Thomas Pynchon adaptation "Inherent Vice," filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson has been focused mostly on music projects.
Along with the upcoming documentary "Junun" about musician Jonny Greenwood's travels to Rajasthan to perform with a multitude of Indian musicians, Anderson has also directed two music videos with the second having just experienced a limited theatrical run.
The seven-minute video, for Joanna Newsom's "Divers" from her latest album, has now gone online in full and you can check it out below. It's the second music video that Anderson has done for the artist, the other being for "Sapokanikan" with that vid going online back in August.
Along with the upcoming documentary "Junun" about musician Jonny Greenwood's travels to Rajasthan to perform with a multitude of Indian musicians, Anderson has also directed two music videos with the second having just experienced a limited theatrical run.
The seven-minute video, for Joanna Newsom's "Divers" from her latest album, has now gone online in full and you can check it out below. It's the second music video that Anderson has done for the artist, the other being for "Sapokanikan" with that vid going online back in August.
- 10/27/2015
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Read More: Watch: Paul Thomas Anderson Reunites With Joanna Newsom for 'Sapokanikan' Music Video After playing in select theaters across the country last week, the Paul Thomas Anderson-directed music video for Joanna Newsom's single "Divers" is now available online. The two have become quite the artistic collaborators over the past two years. Newsom earned raves as the soulful narrator of Anderson's "Inherent Vice," and the filmmaker directed the music video for "Sapokanikan," the first single off Newsom's new album. The "Divers" music video was filmed in artist Kim Keever's studio, and it uses her striking landscape paintings as inspiration. Newsom's "Divers" album is available in stores now, while Anderson's music doc "Junun" can be streamed on Mubi. Read More: Watch: Xavier Dolan Directs Adele in IMAX-Sized 'Hello' Music Video...
- 10/27/2015
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
A great musical doodle from Paul Thomas Anderson, while dinosaurs are on the rampage in more ways than one
It makes for quite a striking headline upfront: “New Paul Thomas Anderson film released directly to streaming service.” Then, of course, come the qualifying factors. Junun, which is currently available to watch on the lovingly curated subscription site Mubi.com, is indeed directed by Anderson, but it’s a 54-minute music documentary – an earthier extension of the music-video dabbling he’s practised over the years for such artists as Fiona Apple and Joanna Newsom, albeit in a very different cultural register. Following Radiohead guitarist (and Anderson’s regular composer) Jonny Greenwood as he journeys to India to record in collaboration with Israeli muso Shye Ben Tzur and brassy qawwali troupe the Rajasthan Express, it’s a making-of project that pleasingly avoids any worthy statements of intent, focusing on the thrilling playing itself.
It makes for quite a striking headline upfront: “New Paul Thomas Anderson film released directly to streaming service.” Then, of course, come the qualifying factors. Junun, which is currently available to watch on the lovingly curated subscription site Mubi.com, is indeed directed by Anderson, but it’s a 54-minute music documentary – an earthier extension of the music-video dabbling he’s practised over the years for such artists as Fiona Apple and Joanna Newsom, albeit in a very different cultural register. Following Radiohead guitarist (and Anderson’s regular composer) Jonny Greenwood as he journeys to India to record in collaboration with Israeli muso Shye Ben Tzur and brassy qawwali troupe the Rajasthan Express, it’s a making-of project that pleasingly avoids any worthy statements of intent, focusing on the thrilling playing itself.
- 10/18/2015
- by Guy Lodge
- The Guardian - Film News
Exclusive: Gaumont deal covers UK, Germany, Australia; additional deals with Cinematheque Francaise, Bordeaux festival.
Subscription service Mubi has inked a multi-territory one-year deal with French mini-major Gaumont for selected library titles including La Chinoise, Loulou and Police.
The first deal between the duo, which will take effect from November, will cover the UK, Germany and Australia.
In separate deals for French titles, growing online service Mubi, which recently secured exclusive rights to Paul Thomas Anderson’s Junun, has picked up five Mathieu Amalric films in deals with the Cinematheque Française and the Bordeaux Film Festival.
Titles will include Histoire De Richard O, Actrices, Rois Et Reines and Sans Rire, a rare short film directed by the actor-director.
Earlier this year Mubi signed its first studio deals with Sony and Paramount and at Cannes picked up its first acquisition for all rights in a partnership deal with New Wave for Miguel Gomes’ Arabian Nights.
Subscription service Mubi has inked a multi-territory one-year deal with French mini-major Gaumont for selected library titles including La Chinoise, Loulou and Police.
The first deal between the duo, which will take effect from November, will cover the UK, Germany and Australia.
In separate deals for French titles, growing online service Mubi, which recently secured exclusive rights to Paul Thomas Anderson’s Junun, has picked up five Mathieu Amalric films in deals with the Cinematheque Française and the Bordeaux Film Festival.
Titles will include Histoire De Richard O, Actrices, Rois Et Reines and Sans Rire, a rare short film directed by the actor-director.
Earlier this year Mubi signed its first studio deals with Sony and Paramount and at Cannes picked up its first acquisition for all rights in a partnership deal with New Wave for Miguel Gomes’ Arabian Nights.
- 10/16/2015
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
The New York Film Festival finished its 53rd year this past weekend, bringing with it some big films that will undoubtedly be favored in the upcoming awards season. While I didn’t get to see everything on my list, I saw enough to pick out some gems along the way, which is why this list exists now. Sure, the huge films get center stage at Nyff, but the whole selection still offers some unexpected treats that certainly stay with you. So without further delay, here are my favorite films from Nyff.
5. Bridge of Spies
Despite my wanting something different from Spielberg, Bridge of Spies is still a mighty impressive film, sticking to a formula that is saved by its actors (most notably Mark Rylance) and its story. While it is another historical film from Spielberg, it sheds compelling light on a true story revolving around a war of intrigue instead of a war of violence.
5. Bridge of Spies
Despite my wanting something different from Spielberg, Bridge of Spies is still a mighty impressive film, sticking to a formula that is saved by its actors (most notably Mark Rylance) and its story. While it is another historical film from Spielberg, it sheds compelling light on a true story revolving around a war of intrigue instead of a war of violence.
- 10/15/2015
- by Sarah Pearce Lord
- SoundOnSight
As we've already noted, it's been a very good month for Paul Thomas Anderson fans. We recently reviewed his latest film at the New York Film Festival, the 55-minute documentary "Junun," now available to view on Mubi. And continuing in a musical vein, his second video collaboration with singer Joanna Newsom (after "Sapokanikan" dropped in August) is about to be unleashed, but you won't find it online. If you want to see his latest little side project, "Divers," you'll have to get out and head over to your local arthouse, if you're so lucky. It is admittedly a little strange reviewing a music video, but then again, PTA is one of the most gifted and hero-worshipped of modern auteurs, and there's also more to admire in this beyond just satisfying cinephile completist impulses. Running just over seven-and-a-half minutes long, "Divers" gazes rather adoringly at Newsom's face. Anderson's camera is fixed...
- 10/15/2015
- by Erik McClanahan
- The Playlist
Streaming service Mubi recently announced that "Junun," the latest film from Paul Thomas Anderson, would have its exclusive worldwide release via their subscription-based streaming platform. The film premiered at the New York Film Festival on October 8 before becoming available online on Mubi in more than 200 territories the following day. Read More: Paul Thomas Anderson Music Doc 'Junun' to Stream Exclusively on Mubi In a recent interview with Screen Daily, Mubi CEO Efe Cakarel emphasized the curation aspect of the service and said he would never allow a Michael Bay film on Mubi. "If Michael Bay had a film he wanted to show on Mubi? The answer is no. That's when you start losing the brand. That's when the Coen brothers and Paul Thomas Anderson leave Mubi," Cakarel said. "'Transformers 4' was a bad film. We say it loud and clear," he added. Cakarel's comments regarding Bay...
- 10/14/2015
- by Paula Bernstein
- Indiewire
Rushes collects news, articles, images, videos and more for a weekly roundup of essential items from the world of film.Chantal Akerman's Je tu il elle"She was a gay woman – proudly, unabashedly – who refused to be placed in either category, would not show her work in “gay” or “women’s” festivals, (“I won’t be ghettoized like that”) but never refused the ghetto of Judaism, and would always show in Jewish festivals. She was, it sometimes seemed, a Jew before she was anything, even before she was a person, and she was more of a person than anybody I’ve known."...from "Our Lives With (and Without) Chantal Akerman," by Henry Bean.Another Chantal Akerman tribute done proper: Janus Films is making its Akerman films—News from Home, La chambre, Je tu il elle, Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai Du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, Hotel Monterey, and Les rendez-vous d'Anna—available to stream for U.
- 10/14/2015
- by Notebook
- MUBI
With Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and more all competing to carry the most content possible, mixing old favorites and original programming, Mubi has carved out a distinct corner for itself. The streaming service, which leans more independent, foreign, and classic than their competitors, curates a carefully selected batch of thirty titles for their seven million users each month. This approach has earned them fans among cinephiles, one of them being Paul Thomas Anderson, who decided to debut his new and fantastic documentary, "Junun," on the service. "PTA was one of those 7 million people on the platform watching movies and really liking the experience. One day I got an email from him and we began a wonderful conversation [about 'Junun']. This was a very personal project for him and he wanted to show it to a discerning audience," Mubi CEO Efe Cakarel told Fast Company. In fact, the Mubi crowd is so discerning, Cakarel...
- 10/13/2015
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Subscriber Content: Securing global online rights to Paul Thomas Anderson’s new film is a sign of things to come, Mubi CEO Efe Cakarel tells Screen.
Mubi CEO Efe Cakarel couldn’t believe his eyes when an email dropped into his inbox early this year with the subject line: ‘from Paul Thomas Anderson’.
Six-time Oscar nominee Anderson, one of Cakarel’s favourite directors, had got in touch to compliment the London-based executive on his curated subscription service and to ask if he was free to meet for a chat.
“I literally fell off my chair,” beams an excitable and still incredulous Cakarel. “We had no idea he was a subscriber.”
While the Turkish cinephile and entrepreneur knew the service had some big-name subscribers – the Coen brothers, among them - getting Anderson’s email was a watershed moment.
“It was an incredible moment because Paul Thomas Anderson and the films he makes is the reason Mubi exists. We have...
Mubi CEO Efe Cakarel couldn’t believe his eyes when an email dropped into his inbox early this year with the subject line: ‘from Paul Thomas Anderson’.
Six-time Oscar nominee Anderson, one of Cakarel’s favourite directors, had got in touch to compliment the London-based executive on his curated subscription service and to ask if he was free to meet for a chat.
“I literally fell off my chair,” beams an excitable and still incredulous Cakarel. “We had no idea he was a subscriber.”
While the Turkish cinephile and entrepreneur knew the service had some big-name subscribers – the Coen brothers, among them - getting Anderson’s email was a watershed moment.
“It was an incredible moment because Paul Thomas Anderson and the films he makes is the reason Mubi exists. We have...
- 10/13/2015
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Subscriber Content: Securing global online rights to Paul Thomas Anderson’s new film is a sign of things to come, Mubi CEO Efe Cakarel tells Screen.
Mubi CEO Efe Cakarel couldn’t believe his eyes when an email dropped into his inbox early this year with the subject line: ‘from Paul Thomas Anderson’.
Six-time Oscar nominee Anderson, one of Cakarel’s favourite directors, had got in touch to compliment the London-based executive on his curated subscription service and to ask if he was free to meet for a chat.
“I literally fell off my chair,” beams an excitable and still incredulous Cakarel. “We had no idea he was a subscriber.”
While the Turkish cinephile and entrepreneur knew the service had some big-name subscribers – the Coen brothers, among them - getting Anderson’s email was a watershed moment.
“It was an incredible moment because Paul Thomas Anderson and the films he makes is the reason Mubi exists. We have...
Mubi CEO Efe Cakarel couldn’t believe his eyes when an email dropped into his inbox early this year with the subject line: ‘from Paul Thomas Anderson’.
Six-time Oscar nominee Anderson, one of Cakarel’s favourite directors, had got in touch to compliment the London-based executive on his curated subscription service and to ask if he was free to meet for a chat.
“I literally fell off my chair,” beams an excitable and still incredulous Cakarel. “We had no idea he was a subscriber.”
While the Turkish cinephile and entrepreneur knew the service had some big-name subscribers – the Coen brothers, among them - getting Anderson’s email was a watershed moment.
“It was an incredible moment because Paul Thomas Anderson and the films he makes is the reason Mubi exists. We have...
- 10/13/2015
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
If you’ve pored over Paul Thomas Anderson‘s filmography countless times and are looking for a new way to experience some of his best scenes, an unexpected avenue has now arrived. The Brooklyn-based band Colburn Sound Express have taken eight of his most memorable monologues, all the way up to Inherent Vice, and turned them into songs.
The band, made up of Matt Ward, Byron Gray, Ross Brunetti, and Andrew Brinkman, take on quite a range of styles in the songs, from the electronic-infused “I Drink Your Milkshake” to the 90’s rock-esque “Big Bright Shining Star” from Boogie Nights to the playful closer “I Am Many Things” from The Master. For what could’ve been a throwaway side project, it’s enjoyable enough to actually be worth a listen for any fan.
Check out the full album below (via Av Club) as PTA’s latest film, Junun, is now...
The band, made up of Matt Ward, Byron Gray, Ross Brunetti, and Andrew Brinkman, take on quite a range of styles in the songs, from the electronic-infused “I Drink Your Milkshake” to the 90’s rock-esque “Big Bright Shining Star” from Boogie Nights to the playful closer “I Am Many Things” from The Master. For what could’ve been a throwaway side project, it’s enjoyable enough to actually be worth a listen for any fan.
Check out the full album below (via Av Club) as PTA’s latest film, Junun, is now...
- 10/12/2015
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit the interwebs. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
A Pigeon Say On A Branch Reflecting on Existence (Roy Andersson)
The third installment in Roy Andersson’s trilogy looks and operates quite a bit like the two that precede it, thus making A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence an easy sell to the already-converted. But rather than preach to his choir, the Swedish helmer makes enough approaches to constitute an evolution, most notably in its remarkably grim,...
A Pigeon Say On A Branch Reflecting on Existence (Roy Andersson)
The third installment in Roy Andersson’s trilogy looks and operates quite a bit like the two that precede it, thus making A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence an easy sell to the already-converted. But rather than preach to his choir, the Swedish helmer makes enough approaches to constitute an evolution, most notably in its remarkably grim,...
- 10/9/2015
- by TFS Staff
- The Film Stage
Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood joins other westerners in a musical odyssey through the north Indian state for a documentary recalling Buena Vista Social Club
Prominently advertised on the London underground by online video subscription service Mubi, who have the exclusive rights to it in the UK, Junun is an hour-long documentary directed by Paul Thomas Anderson about an east-west meeting of musical minds that took place this year in Rajasthan.
Western tunesters Jonny Greenwood and Nigel Godrich (lead guitarist and producer of Radiohead, respectively) and Israeli composer-singer Shye Ben Tzur are shown sitting democratically on the floor of a splendidly appointed chamber at the 15th-century Mehrangarh fort as they jam with some of India’s finest artists, including trumpeter Aamir Bhiyani, nagara players Nathu and Narsi Lal Solanki, vocals and harmonium-playing duo Zaki and Zarkir Ali Qawwal, and a dozen or so other to produce some divine, swirling tunes.
Continue reading.
Prominently advertised on the London underground by online video subscription service Mubi, who have the exclusive rights to it in the UK, Junun is an hour-long documentary directed by Paul Thomas Anderson about an east-west meeting of musical minds that took place this year in Rajasthan.
Western tunesters Jonny Greenwood and Nigel Godrich (lead guitarist and producer of Radiohead, respectively) and Israeli composer-singer Shye Ben Tzur are shown sitting democratically on the floor of a splendidly appointed chamber at the 15th-century Mehrangarh fort as they jam with some of India’s finest artists, including trumpeter Aamir Bhiyani, nagara players Nathu and Narsi Lal Solanki, vocals and harmonium-playing duo Zaki and Zarkir Ali Qawwal, and a dozen or so other to produce some divine, swirling tunes.
Continue reading.
- 10/9/2015
- by Leslie Felperin
- The Guardian - Film News
Junun
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
USA, 2015
A long-awaited film for Paul Thomas Anderson fans, Junun doesn’t come as a huge surprise as a next project from a director whose last film took on the immense task of adapting a Thomas Pynchon novel. Instead of jumping right back into narrative filmmaking, Anderson traveled to India and decided to make a documentary. A pretty relaxed one, at that. The film follows British musician Jonny Greenwood (guitarist from Radiohead) on his own time in India performing with a slew of local musicians. It’s not so much a documentary about Jonny Greenwood, though, as an exploration of music created by talented artists.
Jonny Greenwood is a small piece of this mosaic, often in the background, focused on just every so often. The star of Junun is the music. The film opens with all of the musicians sitting on the floor in...
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
USA, 2015
A long-awaited film for Paul Thomas Anderson fans, Junun doesn’t come as a huge surprise as a next project from a director whose last film took on the immense task of adapting a Thomas Pynchon novel. Instead of jumping right back into narrative filmmaking, Anderson traveled to India and decided to make a documentary. A pretty relaxed one, at that. The film follows British musician Jonny Greenwood (guitarist from Radiohead) on his own time in India performing with a slew of local musicians. It’s not so much a documentary about Jonny Greenwood, though, as an exploration of music created by talented artists.
Jonny Greenwood is a small piece of this mosaic, often in the background, focused on just every so often. The star of Junun is the music. The film opens with all of the musicians sitting on the floor in...
- 10/9/2015
- by Sarah Pearce Lord
- SoundOnSight
For a director who tends to take years between films, Paul Thomas Anderson has been on a bit of tear. He's recently directed two videos for Joanna Newsom — "Sapokanikan" and "Divers," the latter of which is getting a theatrical release — and last night he unveiled "Junun," his new documentary, at the New York Film Festival (read our review). And while you're probably sitting at work today, waiting until you can get home to stream the film on Mubi, here's a little clip to give you a taste of Anderson's free-form approach. Read More: Retrospective: The Films of Paul Thomas Anderson To recap, the film runs just under an hour long and documents the recording session between Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur, Radiohead multi-instrumentalist Jonny Greenwood, and the 15-plus members of the The Rajasthan Express in Northern India. The scene from the movie below, soundtracked to one of their songs, "Roked,...
- 10/9/2015
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Paul Thomas Anderson has finally given the world a film that won't send its audiences into fits of over-thought analysis. By no means is this meant to imply that ruminating on PTA films isn't a source of great cinematic joy, as few things are more fascinating and inevitably rewarding than watching and rewatching the PTA narrative puzzle. Rather that in Anderson's first documentary, Junun, a light on its feet document of a recording session in Rajasthan, India, led by Israel's Shye Ben Tzur, featuring Jonny Greenwood and a 20-piece powerhouse Indian band called The Rajasthan Express, audiences are treated to another, more observant side of the PTA aesthetic.Although upwards of five cameras were utilized simultaneously during the Junun sessions, one can still feel the silent...
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- 10/9/2015
- Screen Anarchy
Earlier this year, when the Maharaja of Jodhpur hosted Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur, Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, and The Rajasthan Express for a three-week recording session at the 15th-century Mehrangarh Fort, in Rajasthan, India, filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson tagged along with his camera in tow. The result is "Junun," a two-disc album of ecstatic, trance-like tunes—out Nov. 13 from Nonesuch Records—and Anderson's slim, impressionistic documentary of the same name, available today from digital streaming platform Mubi. Translated as "madness of love," "Junun" finds Anderson further developing the psychedelic, low-key vibe of "Inherent Vice," here in an intimate portrait of cross-cultural collaboration. At a mere 54 minutes, with minimal explanation or dialogue, the film resists the urge to narrate the proceedings, transforming the musicians' ongoing creative act into "an assemblage of moments," as Indiewire's Eric Kohn writes,...
- 10/9/2015
- by Matt Brennan
- Thompson on Hollywood
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