On the Menu at Tribeca Film Fest 2010: Franco, Gainsbourg, and Spitzer
As if the April 21, opening-night premiere of Shrek Forever After weren't enticing enough, the Tribeca Film Festival today announced its full lineup. Among the notable highlights: James Franco's William Vincent, in which the General Hospital star plays a hapless criminal who falls for the favorite prostitute of a gangster (Josh Lucas); and a work-in-progress screening of Alex Gibney's documentary Untitled Eliot Spitzer Film. Not all the movies are hooker-themed, though.
Here's the feature lineup:
Buried Land, directed by Geoffrey Alan Rhodes and Steven Eastwood, written by Geoffrey Alan Rhodes, Steven Eastwood, and Dzenan Medanovic. (USA, UK, Bosnia and Herzegovina) - World and TFF Virtual Premiere. The small town of Visoko heralds to the world a remarkable discovery: A valley of ancient pyramids predating Egypt exists under the hills of central Bosnia. Tourists flood the war-scarred region, and locals are caught between the real and the imagined (mirroring the film’s vacillation between documentary and fiction). With the help of a young man returning to his homeland, an American film crew determines the role of faith in capturing what cannot yet be proven. In English, Bosnian with English subtitles.
Dog Pound, directed by Kim Chapiron, written by Kim Chapiron and Jeremie Delon. (France) - World Premiere. In North America more than 100,000 children are held in detention centers. Sixty percent are destined to become repeat offenders. Director Kim Chapiron (Sheitan, TFF ’06) takes a searing look at three incarcerated teenagers fighting for their lives and for hope. An electrifying cast delivers blistering performances packed with intensity and emotional power in this story of unlikely friendships in the midst of a brutal and deficient correctional system.
Loose Cannons (Mine Vaganti), directed by Ferzan Ozpetek, written by Ivan Cotroneo and Ferzan Ozpetek. (Italy) - North American Premiere. Ferzan Ozpetek (Facing Windows, A Perfect Day) sets this playful family comedy in the picturesque city of Lecce in the deep south of Italy. Tomasso, a reluctant soon-to-be-partner in his wealthy family’s pasta business, has plans to come out—and hopefully get out of his familial obligation. But when his plans are thwarted by his brother, Tomasso gets stuck on the path that he was desperately trying to avoid. In Italian with English subtitles.
Lucky Life, directed by Lee Isaac Chung, written by Lee Isaac Chung and Samuel Gray Anderson. (USA) - World Premiere. When one of them falls ill, a group of friends takes one last trip to the beach, desiring a meaningful farewell. Years later, as one of the couples plans to have a child, the trip lingers as a haunting memory. Lee Isaac Chung’s follow-up to his award-winning Munyurangabo is equal parts graceful, warmly acted relationship drama and beautifully shot visual poem.
My Brothers, directed by Paul Fraser, written by William Collins. (Ireland) - World Premiere. When 17-year-old Noel accidentally breaks his dying father’s most prized possession—a cheap wristwatch—he and his two cheeky younger brothers “borrow” the boss’ bread van for a clandestine quest to replace it. But what begins as a quick road trip soon turns into an emotional odyssey for the boys. A longtime writing collaborator of Shane Meadows (Somers Town, TFF ’08 award winner), Paul Fraser makes a stellar feature directing debut with this poignant and bitingly funny family journey.
Open House, directed and written by Andrew Paquin. (USA) - World Premiere. Brian Geraghty gives a haunting performance as prim and taciturn David, forced for years to watch over his sexually predatory partner Lila and her violent urges. David longs for human connection and a less violent existence, and when a would-be victim becomes a chance at redemption, he is torn between his humanity and the only life he’s ever known.
Paju, directed and written by Chan-ok Park. (South Korea) - North American Premiere. Joongshik and Eunmo live in Paju: a gray town where the urban landscape is as bleak as the fate of its residents. In writer/director Chan-ok Park's emotionally intense follow-up to award-winning Jealousy Is My Middle Name (TFF ’03), the personal travails of two antiheros are delicately unveiled through an anachronistic period of eight years, demonstrating how easily the lines of development and destruction are sometimes blurred. In Korean with English subtitles.
Gainsbourg, Je t'Aime... Moi Non Plus, directed and written by Joann Sfar. (France) - International Premiere. From a young man in Nazi-occupied Paris to the sultry crooner who bedded Brigitte Bardot and married Jane Birkin to the vulnerable poet hidden behind a shroud of provocation—Serge Gainsbourg’s is a life large enough for grand treatment on film. One of France’s greatest mavericks is brought back to life (uncannily, by Eric Elmosnino) in this imaginative and visually flamboyant film debut from one of France’s greatest cartoonists. In French with English subtitles.
Snap, directed and written by Carmel Winters. (Ireland) - World Premiere. With a fresh and intense style, playwright-turned-director Carmel Winters composes a gripping psychological drama about three generations of a family poised to repeat the mistakes of the past. Aisling O’Sullivan (The War Zone) commands the screen as a calloused mother who will do anything to protect her son—even deny her own past. From the producers of TFF award winner Eden and the Academy Award® winner Once.
When We Leave (Die Fremde), directed and written by Feo Aladag. (Germany) - North American Premiere. When young Turkish-German woman Umay can no longer stand her husband’s ill-treatment, she flees from Istanbul with her five-year-old son into the arms of her family in Berlin. But love, affection, and loyalty soon become irrelevant as they struggle to reconcile Umay’s willful self-determination with the social system that governs their lives. This passion piece on female flight from oppression builds its considerable dramatic intensity to a glowing payoff. In German, Turkish with English subtitles.
The White Meadows (Keshtzar haye sepid), directed and written by Mohammad Rasoulof. (Iran) - North American Premiere. Poetry, mythology, metaphor, and the absurd are expertly woven to tell the fable-like story of Rahmat, who sails from island to island off the coast of Iran to collect tears. Moody and elegant, The White Meadows is acclaimed writer/director Mohammad Rasoulof’s (Head Wind, TFF ’08) mesmerizing cinematic statement on conformity, social norms, and the collective condition of Iran. In Persian with English subtitles.
William Vincent, directed and written by Jay Anania. (USA) - World Premiere. The versatile James Franco (Milk, Spider-Man) stars in the story of William Vincent, a quiet and peculiar criminal uninterested in the fruits of crime. When he falls for a gangster’s (Josh Lucas) favorite call girl (Julianne Nicholson), William is forced to flee New York. But after four years in exile, William secretly returns, intent on rescuing the woman he loves from her dangerous fate.
Here are the docs:
American Mystic, directed by Alex Mar. (USA) - World Premiere. Set against a vivid backdrop of American rural landscapes, Alex Mar’s meditative documentary artfully weaves together the stories of three young Americans exploring alternative religion: a Wiccan in California mining country, a New Ager in upstate New York, and a Native American father and sundancer in South Dakota, all yearning for fulfilling spirituality in disparate but often strikingly similar ways.
The Arbor, directed by Clio Barnard. (UK) - World Premiere. Brilliantly blending the borders of narrative and documentary filmmaking, artist-cum-director Clio Barnard beautifully reconstructs the fascinating true story of troubled British playwright Andrea Dunbar and her tumultuous relationship with her daughter. Working from two years of audio interviews, Bernard uses classic documentary techniques, actors, theatrical performance, and Dunbar’s own neighborhood to generate a unique cinematic feast while unraveling the truths of a dark family past.
Budrus, directed by Julia Bacha. (USA, Palestine, Israel) - North American Premiere. In one of the most conflicted parts of the world, a Palestinian family man unites rival parties Fatah and Hamas, Western activists, and even groups of progressive Israelis in a nonviolent crusade to save his village from being destroyed. Award-winning documentarian Julia Bacha (Encounter Point, TFF ’06) captures with rawness and galvanizing intensity the power of ordinary people to peaceably fight for extraordinary changes. In Arabic, English, Hebrew with English subtitles.
Earth Made of Glass, directed by Deborah Scranton. (USA) - World Premiere. This powerful investigative documentary by the Oscar®-nominated director of The War Tapes (best doc, TFF ’06) skillfully weaves interviews with President Kagame of Rwanda and Jean-Pierre Sagahutu, a survivor of the horrific 1994 genocide. When a president and a citizen—bound together by a profound love of country and an unquenchable desire to see the truth revealed—fight to expose the truth behind a murder and France's hidden role in the Rwandan genocide, their stories will inspire and uplift. In English, French, Kinyarwandan with English subtitles.
Feathered Cocaine, directed by Thorkell Hardarsson and Örn Marino Arnarson. (Iceland) - World Premiere. Behind drugs, people, and weapons, falcon smuggling has become the world’s most mysterious and profitable illegal trade. Held in highest esteem by the wealthy elite throughout the Persian Gulf, the sporting birds have earned the label “feathered cocaine” as thieves race to ransack them from all parts of the world. This bold investigative documentary unspools the surprising links between the falcon trade and royal dynasties, the CIA and KGB, the oil industry, and Al Qaeda
.
Freetime Machos, directed by Mika Ronkainen. (Finland, Germany) - North American and TFF Virtual Premiere. Matti and Mikko play for Finland’s worst amateur rugby team. Overworked and domesticated, the two men long for a space to revel in their masculinity and bond with other men. Following the two friends and their teammates on a quest to end the season with just a single win, award-winning writer/director Mika Ronkainen (Screaming Men) crafts a genuine and disarmingly funny love story of modern male friendship. In Finnish with English subtitles. Part of the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival.
Into Eternity, directed by Michael Madsen. (Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Italy) - International Premiere. Three miles below the earth, the people of Finland are constructing an enormous tomb to lay to rest their share of humans’ 300,000 tons of nuclear waste. To avoid disaster, it must remain untouched for at least 100,000 years. In this poetic, hauntingly beautiful, and thought-provoking doc, Danish filmmaker Michael Madsen ponders how to warn future civilizations that the buried treasure of our nuclear era—unlike the pyramids and great tombs of pharaohs—must never, ever be discovered.
Monica & David, directed by Alexandra Codina. (USA) - North American Premiere. Monica and David are in love. Truly, blissfully in love. They also happen to have Down syndrome. Alexandra Codina’s affectionate and heartwarming documentary is an intimate, year-in-the-life portrait of two child-like spirits with adult desires. Supported (and, for more than 30 years, sheltered) by endlessly devoted mothers, Monica and David prepare for their fairy tale wedding and face the realities of married life afterward.
Sons of Perdition, directed by Jennilyn Merten, Tyler Measom. (USA) - World Premiere. In the polygamist community cultivated by the notorious (and now incarcerated) “prophet” Warren Jeffs, women are a commodity, children are reared to be ignorant, and free thought is surrendered. For a group of teenage boys, the desire for autonomy means banishment from their homes and families. This fascinating documentary explores the heartbreaking losses and hopeful determination of these exiles as they struggle to make new lives in mainstream America.
Thieves By Law (Ganavim ba Hok), directed by Alexander Gentelev. (Israel, Germany, Spain) - World Premiere. In an unprecedented insider first look, Thieves by Law is a front-row invitation into the living rooms and offices of some of the most controversial and elite head honchos in the Russian mafia. Rising through the criminal ranks, the balance of what’s legitimate versus what’s illegal, and the meaning behind those tattoos made so famous by Viggo Mortensen in Eastern Promises
it’s all out on the table. In Russian, Hebrew with English subtitles.
The Two Escobars, directed by Jeff Zimbalist, Michael Zimbalist. (USA, Colombia) - World Premiere. Born in the same city in Colombia but not related, Andrés Escobar and Pablo Escobar shared a fanatical love of soccer. Andrés grew up to become one of Colombia's most beloved players, while Pablo became the most notorious drug baron of all time. While adeptly investigating the secret marriage of crime and sports, Michael Zimbalist and Jeff Zimbalist (Favela Rising, TFF ’05) reveal the surprising connections between the murders of Andrés and Pablo. An ESPN Films release. Part of the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival.
The Woodmans, directed by C. Scott Willis. (USA, Italy, China) - World Premiere. The Woodmans are a family united in their belief that art-making is the highest form of expression and an essential way of life, but it’s only photographer daughter Francesca who achieves worldwide acclaim—after a tragedy that would forever scar the family. With unrestricted access to all of Francesca's works and diaries, The Woodmans paints an incisive portrait of a family broken and then healed by its art. In English, Italian with English subtitles.
Here are the films in the international showcase:
Blood and Rain (La sangre y la lluvia), directed by Jorge Navas, written by Carlos Henao, Alizé Le Maoult, and Jorge Navas. (Colombia, Argentina) - New York Premiere. In Jorge Navas’ beautifully composed neo-noir, taxi driver Jorge begins his night shift bent on revenge after his brother’s murder at the hands of a violent gang. But when an accident brings him unexpectedly closer to his party-girl fare Angela, the damaged pair must struggle against forces already set in motion, drawing them inexorably into the rain-soaked underworld of Bogotá. In Spanish with English subtitles.
A Brand New Life (Yeo-haeng-ja), directed and written by Ounie Lecomte. (South Korea, France) - New York Premiere. When her father offers to take her on a trip, nine-year-old Jin-hee happily sings him a love song, the bittersweet notes inaudible to her own ear, until she realizes he has abandoned her at a Catholic orphanage. Celebrated from the Cannes to Berlin film festivals, Ounie Lecomte’s directorial debut, a semi-autobiographical portrait of 1970s South Korea, masterfully captures the emotional journey of loss, friendship, and starting anew. In Korean with English subtitles.
Heartbreaker (L'arnacoeur), directed by Pascal Chaumeil, written by Laurent Zeitoun, Jeremy Doner, and Yoann Gromb. (France) - New York Premiere. Alex (Romain Duris) and his sister (Julie Ferrier) break up couples for a living. They have a 100 percent success rate and only two rules: Never split a healthy couple, and never fall in love. But with a week to break up beautiful Juliette (Vanessa Paradis) and her seemingly perfect boyfriend, the rules start to bend, and soon the heartbreakers risk having their own hearts broken. This charming and glamorous romantic comedy veers from laughs to tears to tears of laughter. In French with English subtitles.
Lola, directed by Brillante Mendoza, written by Linda Casimiro. (Philippines, France) - New York Premiere. Two elderly matriarchs bear the consequences of a crime involving their grandsons: one is murdered, the other is the suspect. Frail, poor, but resolute, they individually traipse around to the prisons, funeral homes, and courtrooms of a stormy Manila in hopes of raising the funds necessary for the victim's burial, and the suspect's bail bond. Brillante Mendoza, named best director at Cannes for Kinatay (2009), is one of the strongest cinematic voices from the Philippines. In Filipino, Tagalog with English subtitles.
Metropia, directed by Tarik Saleh, written by Fredrik Edin, Stig Larsson, and Tarik Saleh. (Sweden, Denmark, Norway) - New York Premiere. In the year 2024, all of Europe is united by a vast web of underground railways, populated by an army of downtrodden worker bees. When one such cog starts hearing voices and encounters a femme fatale shampoo model who seems to hold some answers, he finds himself unearthing a vast Orwellian conspiracy in this visually arresting animated noir. With the voices of Vincent Gallo, Juliette Lewis, Udo Kier, Stellan Skarsgård, and Alexander Skarsgård. A Tribeca Film release.
Moloch Tropical, directed by Raoul Peck, written by Jean-René Lemoine, Raoul Peck. (Haiti, France) - New York Premiere. Haitian auteur Raoul Peck meticulously drapes the poetic across the political in his reflection on the universal malady of absolute power corrupting absolutely. Inspired by the last days of 19th-century Haitian king Henri Christophe, but set in the 21st century in the palace of Port-au-Prince, Moloch Tropical unnervingly resonates in the contemporary moment across different leaders and nations—from Saddam Hussein to Bill Clinton. In English, French, Creole with English subtitles.
Road, Movie, directed and written by Dev Benegal. (USA, India) - US Premiere. Loath to take over the family hair-oil business, young Vishnu jumps at the chance to drive his uncle’s beat-up Chevy truck across India to its new owner. The young runaway, wandering old entertainer, and beautiful woman he picks up along the way make for a magical journey that will change Vishnu’s life. With the sumptuous landscape of India as his canvas, director Dev Benegal paints a delightfully original road movie. In English, Hindi with English subtitles. A Tribeca Film release.
Here are this year's special events:
Doctor Zhivago, directed by David Lean, written by Robert Bolt. (USA, UK, 1965)
David Lean’s romantic Russian Revolution epic, adapted from Boris Pasternak’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, captured five Academy Awards® (including Best Adapted Screenplay) and five additional nominations after its 1965 release. In honor of its 45th anniversary, we welcome a magnificent state-of-the-art restoration of Doctor Zhivago, shown theatrically for the first time at Tribeca and available from Warner Home Video on Blu-ray disc May 4. Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Geraldine Chaplin, Rod Steiger, Alec Guinness and Tom Courtenay star. In English, Russian with English subtitles.
Untitled Eliot Spitzer Film, directed by Alex Gibney - Work in Progress screening. Academy Award® winner Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side, TFF ’07) takes an in-depth look at New York governor and ‘Sheriff of Wall Street’ Eliot Spitzer, who many believed was on his way to becoming president. Then, shockingly, Spitzer's meteoric rise turned into a precipitous fall when he was caught seeing prostitutes. And as the Sheriff fell, so did the financial markets. With unique access to friends and enemies of the ex-governor, this documentary explores the hidden contours of this tale of hubris, sex, and power.
The Western Front, directed and written by Zachary Iscol. (USA) - Work in Progress screening. In 2004, writer/director Zachary Iscol fought as a US Marine in Al Anbar, Iraq’s most violent province. Five years later, Anbar has been transformed into one of the safest, but not because the insurgency was defeated. When Zach returns, he begins to confront the awful dilemmas he faced fighting an enemy that hid among civilians. Profoundly honest, this documentary explores these dilemmas from all sides to reveal a simple but surprising truth about the nature of war and peace.
Read more posts by Lane Brown
Filed Under: eliot spitzer, james franco, movies, tribeca film festival
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Foursquare vs. Gowalla: Inside the Check-In Wars
If you ever visit the downtown Manhattan offices of Foursquare, the popular location-based social game for smartphones, don't say the word Gowalla. When I made that mistake during a visit there last November, 27-year-old cofounder Naveen Selvadurai sent me to the Foursquare time out chair. It was a joke. I think.
Gowalla is Foursquare's arch-rival. The companies both launched eight months earlier at the South by South West interactive festival. Their products pioneered the then-uncharted territory of location-based social networking. On Foursquare, a user "checks in" to locations (as pinpointed via satellite) to invite along friends, leave tips glued to GPS coordinates (like ordering advice at restaurants), and compete for digital rewards in the form of badges, or titles like "mayor" (for the user who checks in the most at a venue). Similarly, Gowalla asked users to check in places in order to collect digital goodies, akin to virtual geocaching. Gowalla's app was initially buggy, and Foursquare, with an appealing social element, stole the show. Social media blogs like Mashable named Foursquare the "breakout app" of SXSW, and a few months later Crowley and Selvadurai raised $1.35 million from investors including Fred Wilson (Twitter, Boxee, Tumblr) who bet that Foursquare was the next big thing. CNN called it "next year's Twitter."
Back at Foursquares offices, cofounder Dennis Crowley, 33, proceeds to show me screenshots of Gowalla, explaining how they blatantly ripped off features. "I'm waiting for the first original thing they come out with," Crowley said. "Everything they've come out with so far is a derivative of ours."
Gowalla's CEO, Josh Williams, says he didn't know about Foursquare until after version 1.0 of his app was released. "When we set out to build Gowalla, we simply wanted to use collectibles and a lightweight game to reward users for exploring the world around them," Williams says. "Honestly I had know idea we were stepping into what would become a very hot space." Left in the wake of Foursquare's popularity and superior functionality, Gowalla lurked in the shadows until this Fall. Shortly after Foursquare attracted its first investment, Gowalla raised about $8.4 million from several investors, including a few angels who kicked themselves for not sealing a deal with Foursquare.
Then Williams released Gowalla 1.2 in September. And Selvadurai debuted the time-out chair.
The new and improved Gowalla included features that mimicked many Foursquare's existing ones: a top 10 user list at venues patterned after Foursquare's mayor award; unlockable badges for venturing to new places, some with identical names as Foursquare's (such as the "explorer" and "discoverer" badges); and a focus on sharing your location with friends, a social element largely absent in Gowalla 1.0 that spurred a network effect in Foursquare adoption.
Imitation may be flattery, but the cash-disadvantaged Foursquare team was not flattered. And the competitors coded furiously through the winter. Foursquare attracted mainstream partnerships with Bravo TV, Zagat, Harvard University, and a host of national retailers. Gowalla struck advertising deals with media companies such as Travel Channel and retailers like Incase.
Four months later, as both companies prepare for their sophomore year at the SXSW conference, the drama has mellowed for the founders, but not the users. Foursquare is positioning itself primarily as a social utility and city guide, while Gowalla is leaning toward its gaming roots and attempting to bridge the gap between virtual and tangible goods. But it's clear that an "unofficial" competition will ensue at the festival which begins on Friday. Gowalla, on its home turf in Austin, is buddying up with Chevrolet for some slick games and promotions during the festival. Foursquare will vie for user checkins through an array of partnership promos, including SPIN, Pepsi, Good, Adobe, and Paypal. So who's going to win?
Foursquare broke the 500,000 member mark a week ago, while Gowalla has a loyal following, numbered in the mid 100,000s. Each is dominant in its home city (Foursquare in New York, Gowalla in Austin), and until Foursquare's January update allowing check ins in any city, Gowalla ruled small to medium sized cities like Topeka, Kansas, with Foursquare generally dominating larger metro areas.
When asked about Gowalla earlier this week, Crowley doesn't spit. He acknowledges it as a great company, even playing them off as hardly a competitor. "I think we're both doing interesting things in the location space, but working at it from two different perspectives," he says. "We've always been about 'friends going places' . . . The big difference is our focus on social utility and badges for real life achievements, and it seems their focus is on collecting digital goods."
While the future of these companies may not be at stake at SXSW this year, the winner will matter to the many voracious users of each platform. But the race is no longer about which app works better; it's about whether you like a sort of real-life Pokemon (Gowalla), or to socialize and compete with friends (Foursquare). And there's no reason you can't do both (if you're an obsessive type with lots of battery life).
But the sad truth is that both companies could lapse into obscurity now that behemoths like Twitter and Facebook are bringing their big guns to the geo-social networking space. In fact, this week it was revealed that Facebook, which has 800 times the users as Foursquare, will be adding location check ins as early as next month.
Maybe by summer Foursquare will be giving me a "time out" for saying the word Facebook.
Read more: Facebook to Add Location Data, Encourage Epic Levels of Oversharing
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