The
Buzz -
Media Bits and Pieces
Written by Wendy R. Williams
Opposite Photo Credit:
Jose Vibar |
|
Since we are New
York Cool, and well....cool, we receive loads of
tips from media mavens and have decided to pass
them on to you. So check back often, it's The
Buzz.
May 4, 2013
Opening Weekend of the 17th
Annual Rooftop Films 2013 Summer Series
Presented by AT&T
What:
The Opening Weekend of the Rooftop Films 17th Annual
Summer Series presented by AT&T kicks off Friday,
May 10 and Saturday, May 11 with some of the greatest
new short films from all around the world and a
special preview screening of Frances Ha, directed
by Noah Baumbach and starring Greta Gerwig-both
who will be in attendance.
When:
Friday, May 10th and Saturday, May 11th, 2013. Doors
at 8:00 p.m.
Where:
Open Road Rooftop above New Design High School,
350 Grand Street, Lower East Side, New York, NY
Opening Weekend Show
Details:
Friday, May 10, 2013
This is What We Mean by Short Films
Opening Night of Rooftop Films 17th Annual Summer
Series will feature grand stories in little packages,
with some of the greatest new short films from all
around the world.
Venue: Open Road Rooftop (350 Grand Street, LES)
Tickets & more info: http://rooftopfilms.com/2013/schedule/this-is-what-we-mean-by-short-films-4/
8:00pm: Doors Open
8:30pm: Live Music by Denitia and Sene
9:00pm: Short Films
11:30pm: After party sponsored by Red Stripe
The Films:
Azul (Remy Busson, Francis Canitrot, Aurelien Duhayon,
Sebastien Iglessias, Maxence Martin, and Paul Monge
| 9 min.)
A small group of cruise-ship revelers find themselves
alone on a tropic island. Forced inland, their exploration
reveals the mystery that lies at its heart...
The Captain (Nash Edgerton and Spencer Susser |
6 min.)
Nobody wakes up after a hard night and finds everything's
just worked out, do they?
The Event (Julia Pott | 3 min.)
Love and a severed foot at the end of the world.
Hand drawn pencil animation motion tracked to live
action footage shot in Montauk
Gold Party (Nellie Kluz | 17 min.)
Gold is a commodity that thrives in uncertain economic
climates, and rising gold prices have created a
boom industry around precious metal scrap. There's
a harvest every day as scrap dealers comb through
excess metal from flusher times, buying up discarded
gold to re-sell to refineries. Watching as these
dealers buy and process gold, this documentary is
a window into one small corner of a global economic
market.
Junkyard (Hisko Hulsing | 18 min.)
A man is being robbed and stabbed by a junkie and
in the last second before he dies, a youth friendship
flashes before his eyes
Professor Soap - Spirit, Quest, Journey (Ryan Mauskopf
| 5 min.)
You can call me Professor Soap. I have my doctorate
in cool and I run my own private practice.
Slomo (Josh Izenberg | 16 min.)
A documentary about life-shifting, philosophy, and
slow-motion rollerblading.
Until The Quiet Comes (Khalil Joseph | 4 min.)
A short film by Kahlil Joseph featuring music from
the Flying Lotus album.
Weighting (Dustin Bowser and Brie Larson | 4 min.)
She wants to go. He wants her to stay. Neither gets
exactly what they want.
***
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Frances Ha (Dir. Noah Baumbach)
Venue: Open Road Rooftop (350 Grand Street, LES)
Tickets & more info: http://rooftopfilms.com/2013/schedule/frances-ha/
8:00pm: Doors Open
8:30pm: Live Music
9:00pm: Film begins
10:45pm: Q&A with Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig.
11:30pm: After party sponsored by Red Stripe
The Film:
Frances Ha (Noah Baumbach | USA | 86min.)
Frances (Greta Gerwig) lives in New York, but she
doesn't really have an apartment. Frances is an
apprentice for a dance company, but she's not really
a dancer. Frances has a best friend named Sophie,
but they aren't really speaking anymore. Frances
throws herself headlong into her dreams, even as
their possible reality dwindles. Frances wants so
much more than she has but lives her life with unaccountable
joy and lightness. Frances Ha is a modern comic
fable that explores New York, friendship, class,
ambition, failure, and redemption.
***
Rooftop Films is
a non-profit organization whose mission is to engage
and inspire the diverse communities of New York
City by showcasing the work of emerging filmmakers
and musicians. In addition to our Summer Series
– which takes place in unique outdoor venues
every weekend throughout the summer – Rooftop
provides grants to filmmakers, teaches media literacy
and filmmaking to young people, rents equipment
at low-cost to artists and non-profits, and produces
new independent films. At Rooftop Films, we bring
the underground outdoors. For more information and
updates please visit our website at www.rooftopfilms.com.
AT&T is the proud
presenting sponsor of the Rooftop Films 2013 Summer
Series and the Rooftop Filmmakers' Fund AT&T
Feature Film Grant
May 1, 2013
***DCTV TO BREAK GROUND ON NEW STATE-OF-THE-ART
CINEMA IN LOWER MANHATTAN***
About the new cinema:
The new DCTV cinema
will be a state-of-the-art fully interactive digital
cinema, and the first “All documentary/All
the time” Academy Award eligible cinema in
New York City.
The cinema will be
built on the first floor of one of the most beautiful
buildings in New York City, the 1896 firehouse that
houses DCTV. The cinema will feature world-class
documentaries made by prestigious filmmakers from
around the globe. The cinema is expected to attract
20,000 attendees in its first year and millions
more online. It will be the premier presentation
venue for documentary filmmakers and an important
component of the New York City Arts community. This
documentary-focused Cinema will be unique with top-of-the
line digital 4K projection systems, and the capability
to both broadcast live events and, at the same time,
invite participants to the conversations via the
internet from anywhere in the world.
Yearly, DCTV serves
over 13,000 New York City media artists, disadvantaged
youth, and residents each year. Our documentaries
have earned two Academy Award nominations, 15 Emmy
Awards, and are viewed by millions around the world.
DCTV’s PRO-TV is the most honored youth media
arts program in the country.
The cinema, expected
to open in early 2015, will mean a significant expansion
of DCTV’s public services to include theatrical
distribution along with its already highly attended
workshops, screenings, master classes and access
to affordable equipment and studio rentals, making
DCTV a central hub for documentary filmmakers.
About DCTV:
Founded in 1972 by
husband and wife filmmakers Jon Alpert and Keiko
Tsuno, DCTV has grown into one of the leading documentary
film education and production centers in the country,
providing resources for thousands of filmmakers
and students, including equipment and facility rentals,
screenings, master classes, post-production services
and educational programs.
DCTV is a unique
space where community screenings, master classes,
youth programs and affordable production resources
all occur side by side in the firehouse with the
award-winning documentary work. DCTV’s film
and television work has been recognized with 15
National Emmy Awards, three duPont-Columbia Awards,
and two Academy Award Nominations, a Peabody Award,
6 New York Emmy Awards and many other accolades
at film festivals and competitions around the world.
April 16, 2013
2013 TRIBECA FILM
FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES THE NORA EPHRON PRIZE
Inaugural Annual Award Recognizing
a Woman Writer or Director to be Presented at Women’s
Filmmaker Brunch at the Tribeca Film Festival, April
25 by Jane Rosenthal and Sally Singer
The 12th annual Tribeca
Film Festival (TFF), presented by American Express,
today announced the creation of a new award, the
Nora Ephron Prize. The $25,000 award, supported
by Vogue.com, will recognize a woman writer or director
with a distinctive voice who embodies the spirit
and vision of the legendary filmmaker and writer.
The inaugural Prize will be presented at the annual
Women’s Filmmaker Brunch at TFF on April 25
by TFF co-founder Jane Rosenthal and Sally Singer,
creative digital director, Vogue. The Festival runs
from April 17-28.
The Nora will be
awarded annually to a woman filmmaker with a film
making its North American, International or World
Premiere at the Festival. This year, eight filmmakers
are eligible:
Ø Laurie Collyer,
Sunlight Jr.
Ø Steph Green,
Run and Jump
Ø Jenee LaMarque,
The Pretty One
Ø Meera Menon,
Farah Goes Bang
Ø Mo Ogrodnik,
Deep Powder
Ø Marina de
Van, Dark Touch
Ø Jane Weinstock,
The Moment
Ø Enid Zentelis,
Bottled Up
“Nora Ephron's
work influenced screenwriters, filmmakers and movie
goers,” said Jane Rosenthal, Co-Founder, Tribeca
Film Festival. “She was a great friend to
the Festival since its inception, and I had the
privilege to know her and be in absolute awe of
her. She did it all brilliantly, with wit and wisdom
that went straight to the heart, plus she cooked
too. I am proud to honor her memory and continue
her legacy with this award that I hope will inspire
a new generation of women filmmakers and writers.”
About the Tribeca
Film Festival:
The Tribeca Film
Festival helps filmmakers reach the broadest possible
audience, enabling the international film community
and general public to experience the power of cinema
and promote New York City as a major filmmaking
center. It is well known for being a diverse international
film festival that supports emerging and established
directors.
Founded by Robert
De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff in 2001
following the attacks on the World Trade Center,
to spur the economic and cultural revitalization
of the lower Manhattan district through an annual
celebration of film, music and culture, the Festival
brings the industry and community together around
storytelling.
The Tribeca Film
Festival has screened more than 1,400 films from
more than 80 countries since its first edition in
2002. Since inception, it has attracted an international
audience of more than 4 million attendees and has
generated an estimated $750 million in economic
activity for New York City.
Tickets for the 2013
Festival:
Tickets can be purchased
online at www.tribecafilm.com/festival, or by telephone
at (646) 502-5296 or toll free at (866) 941-FEST
(3378). Tickets for the Festival are $16.00 for
evening and weekend screenings, and $8.00 for all
late-night and weekday matinee screenings.
Single tickets are
now on sale and can be purchased online, by telephone,
or at one of the Ticket Outlets, with locations
at Tribeca Cinemas at 54 Varick Street, Clearview
Cinemas Chelsea at 260 W. 23rd Street, and AMC Loews
Village 7 at 66 3rd Avenue. The 2013 Festival will
continue offering ticket discounts for evening and
weekend screenings for students, seniors and select
downtown Manhattan residents. Discounted tickets
are available at Ticket Outlet locations only. Additional
information and further details on the Festival
can be found at www.tribecafilm.com.
About the 2013 Festival
Sponsors
As Founding Sponsor
of the Tribeca Film Festival, American Express is
committed to supporting the Festival and the art
of filmmaking, bringing business and energy to New
York City and offering Cardmembers and festivalgoers
the opportunity to enjoy the best of storytelling
through film.
The Tribeca Film
Festival is pleased to announce the return of its
Signature Sponsors: Accenture, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation,
Bloomberg, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® Gin, Borough of
Manhattan Community College (BMCC), Brookfield,
Cadillac, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, ESPN, GE
FOCUS FORWARD (in partnership with cinelan), Hilton
Hotels & Resorts, Heineken, JetBlue, Magnum®
Ice Cream, NBC 4 New York, NCM Media Networks, The
New York Times, and OppenheimerFunds. The Festival
is also honored to welcome the following new Signature
Sponsors: AT&T, IWC Schaffhausen, PepsiCo, and
Sony Electronics.
April 13, 2013
The True Legacy
of Lazaro Arbos
Jane Fraser,
president of the Stuttering Foundation, had the
following reaction to the departure of Lazaro Arbos
from American Idol Season 12:
“Bravo, Lazaro,
Bravo!!
“Since his
televised audition on American Idol, Lazaro Arbos
has captivated us with both his singing and his
stuttering. At first, many people, including the
American Idol judges, could not understand how such
a beautiful singer could struggle so mightily with
saying such simple things: his own name, where is
he is from, and what song he will sing, for example.
To those who stutter, however, it is a very familiar
experience.
“At the Stuttering
Foundation, Lazaro’s time on American Idol
gave us the daily opportunity to educate people
about singing and stuttering – for which we
are most grateful. We made the most of it.
“For us, on
January 17, 2013, a star was born. Lazaro spoke
to the entire stuttering community when interviewed
by the American Idol producers. We wanted to hear
him speak as much as we wanted to hear him sing.
We wanted him to get that golden ticket to Hollywood,
and we – the three million people in the U.S.
who stutter – collectively cheered when he
did.
“In Hollywood,
we watched Lazaro brave his turn at the microphone,
whether to sing or to speak. What courage; what
strength. American Idol, after all, is one of the
most-watched shows on American television –
and its hot lights, sometimes-snarky judges, packed
audience and zillions of viewers can easily intimidate
the most fluent speaker and the most talented singer.
Not Lazaro.
“To the stuttering
community, from day one, he was already a winner
and the outpouring we continue to receive via telephone,
text, email and Facebook is tremendous. We made
it a priority to cover his progress and to wish
him well on our Facebook page. Our friends became
Lazaro fans, and vice versa.
“Lazaro made
the prestigious and all-important American Idol
Top 10. He will tour with the other finalists after
the program crowns its champion, and experience
the daily joy of hearing the screams of his fans.
He will visit countless venues, sing lots of songs
and give an endless number of interviews about his
time on American Idol. He will have every opportunity
to pursue his dream of being a performer and a recording
artist.
“But more importantly,
Lazaro will have a wonderful opportunity to be an
ambassador for the stuttering community. Those who
stutter have the great fortune of seeing a strong
young man succeed. They have the opportunity to
watch him work on his fluency on national television,
on the news and in concert.
“It is important
to understand that Lazaro’s fluency is a work
in progress, and just like 68 million people worldwide,
Lazaro lives his life one syllable at a time.
“Because of
his time on American Idol, and his success as a
singer, we will all have the chance to root for
Lazaro, and to listen to him every time he steps
up to a microphone – whether to sing or to
talk. That is the true legacy of Lazaro Arbos.”
Foundation Spokesperson
Jane Fraser?
Jane Fraser is president of The Stuttering Foundation
and co-author of If Your Child Stutters: A Guide
for Parents, 8th edition. She is also vice president
of the Action for Stammering Children, Michael Palin
Centre, London.
About the Stuttering
Foundation?
Malcolm Fraser, a successful businessman and stutterer,
went on to establish and endow the nonprofit Stuttering
Foundation in 1947. The Stuttering Foundation provides
a toll-free helpline, 800-992-9392, and free online
resources on its Website, www.StutteringHelp.org,
including services, referrals and support to people
who stutter and their families, as well as support
for research into the causes of stuttering. Please
visit us at www.StutteringHelp.org.
March 29, 2013
The Flea Theater’s
THE VANDAL by Hamish Linklater
Comes to TV
Filming for Thirteen WNET on March 29
“Linklater
demonstrates a Conor McPherson–esque way with
spinning stories and a remarkable, all-too-rare
willingness to take risks.” -- Entertainment
Weekly
The Flea is proud
to announce that Thirteen WNET will be filming the
critically acclaimed production of THE VANDAL on
March 29. A broadcast date has not been slated.
Written by actor Hamish Linklater (School for Lies,
Twelfth Night, Recent Tragic Events & The Busy
World is Hushed, and TV’s The New Adventures
of Old Christine), The Vandal runs through March
31. It is directed by Flea Artistic Director Jim
Simpson starring Zach Grenier, Deidre O’Connell,
and Noah Robbins
THE VANDAL is set
on a freezing night in Kingston, New York. A woman
meets a boy at a bus stop. A play about how we live
and the stories we tell ourselves when we’re
haunted by the people we’ve loved and lost.
The design team features
David M. Barber (Set Designer), Brian Aldous (Lighting
Designer), Claudia Brown (Costume Designer), Brandon
Wolcott (Sound Designer) and James McSweeney (Props
Master).
Hamish Linklater
has worked as an actor in theater/TV/film. NY theater
credits include School for Lies at C.S.C. (Lortel,
OCC noms, Obie Award), Merchant of Venice, Winter's
Tale, Twelfth Night (Drama Desk nom) at the Delacorte,
Recent Tragic Events & The Busy World is Hushed
(Drama League nom) at Playwrights Horizons, Good
Thing at the New Group, and most recently, Seminar
at the Golden Theater. He co-wrote the TV pilot
The Prince of Motor City for ABC. Other plays include
The Portal and The United Kingdom which have been
read and workshopped at The Flea, New York Stage
& Film, Williamstown, MTC, and The Echo Theatre
in Los Angeles. He is perhaps best known for his
role opposite Julia Louis Dreyfus on The New Adventures
of Old Christine.
Deirdre O’Connell
is a 2010 Obie and Drama Desk-winner for Circle
Mirror Transformation. This distinguished New York
stage actress was seen recently in Magic/Bird on
Broadway. Her long list of theater credits also
include: In the Wake (Los Angeles Ovation Award,
The Richard Seff Actor's Equity Award, Lucille Lortell
Nomination, Public Theatre and Center Theater Group),
Thinner Than Water (Labyrinth), The Poor Itch (The
Public); Rag and Bone (Rattlestick Theatre); Jo
Pyretown (Keen Company); Manic Flight Reaction and
Spatter Patter (both at Playwrights Horizons); Cave
Dweller (NYTW); Big Dance Theater's Antigone; Two
Headed (Women’s Project); In The Blood (The
Public); Fugue (Cherry Lane); Mud (Signature Theatre);
‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore (The Public);
Love and Anger (Drama Desk nom., NYTW); The Geography
of Luck, Three Ways Home, Stars in the Morning (Dramalogue
Award, Los Angeles Critics Award), Etta Jenks (Dramalogue
Award, all at LA Theatre Center); The Front Page
(Lincoln Center); and A Lie of the Mind (Promenade
Theatre). Films include: Synecdoche, What Happens
in Vegas, Imaginary Heroes, Eternal Sunshine of
the Spotless Mind, Secondhand Lions, Fearless, The
Quitter (upcoming) and Pastime (Nominated for Independent
Spirit Award—Best Supporting Actress). TV
includes many guest stars and movies for TV as well
as series regular roles on L.A. Doctors and Second
Noah.
Zach Grenier can
currently be seen playing David Lee, head of Family
Law, on the hit CBS show The Good Wife. In recent
seasons in New York, he has appeared at the Atlantic
Theater Company in John Patrick Shanley's Storefront
Church and Moira Buffini's Gabriel; at the Roundabout
Theatre Company in Man and Boy and A Man for All
Seasons. He was nominated for a Tony Award®
for his portrayal of Beethoven in Moisés
Kaufman’s 33 Variations, starring Jane Fonda.
Earlier in his career in New York, he appeared in
the experimental plays of Richard Foreman, Jeffrey
M. Jones and Mac Wellman, performing in Wellman's
Sincerity Forever under the direction of Jim Simpson.
He also performed in more naturalistic fare at the
Circle Repertory Company, Manhattan Theatre Club,
and Ensemble Studio Theatre, of which he is a member.
His performance in David Rabe’s A Question
of Mercy at New York Theatre Workshop earned him
an Outstanding Artist honor from the Drama League.
His performance as Dick Cheney in David Hare’s
Stuff Happens was recognized with Ensemble Awards
by both the Drama League and the Drama Desk. His
work on television includes such critically acclaimed
series as 24 and David Milch’s Deadwood. His
film credits include independent releases such as
Liebestraum, A Shock to the System, Chasing Sleep
and Earthwork, as well as major motion pictures
like Tommy Boy, Twister, and Swordfish. Other notable
film credits include David Fincher’s Zodiac
and Fight Club; Ang Lee’s Ride with the Devil,
Werner Herzog’s Rescue Dawn, and Clint Eastwood's
J. Edgar. Look for him in the upcoming film Robocop.
Noah Robbins most
recently starred as the title character in Nathan
Englander’s The Twenty-Seventh Man at the
Public Theater. He performed in a Flea Theater benefit
reading of The Vandal alongside Sigourney Weaver
and Alan Rickman. Broadway: Arcadia, Brighton Beach
Memoirs (Outer Critics Circle nomination). Off-Broadway:
Secrets of the Trade (Clive Barnes Award nomination).
He won the Best Actor award at the L.A. Comedy Festival
for Newsworthy, a short film directed by his brother
Jeremy. He is currently majoring in Philosophy at
Columbia University.
The Flea Theater,
under Artistic Director Jim Simpson and Producing
Director Carol Ostrow, is one of New York's leading
off-off-Broadway companies. Winner of a Special
Drama Desk Award for outstanding achievement, Obie
Awards and an Otto for political theater, The Flea
has presented over 100 plays and numerous dance
and live music performances since its inception
in 1996. Past productions include the premieres
of Anne Nelson’s The Guys, seven plays by
A.R. Gurney (O Jerusalem, Screenplay, Mrs. Farnsworth,
Post Mortem, A Light Lunch, Office Hours and Heresy),
Cellophane and Two September by Mac Wellman, Ashley
Montana Goes Ashore... and The Oldsmobiles by Roger
Rosenblatt; JABU and Kaspar Hauser by Elizabeth
Swados; Return of the Chocolate Smeared Woman by
Karen Finley, Bingo with the Indians by Adam Rapp,
Oh, The Humanity and other exclamations by Will
Eno, Dawn and Job by Thomas Bradshaw, Love/Stories
(or But You Will Get Used to it) Itamar Moses, The
Great Recession, Girls in Trouble by Jonathan Reynolds,
Parents' Evening by Bathsheba Doran, Looking at
Christmas by Steven Banks, the Drama Desk nominated
She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen, the Drama Desk
nominated These Seven Sicknesses by Sean Graney,
I Hate Fucking Mexicans by Luis Enrique Gutiérrez
Ortiz Monasterio, and Amy Freed’s Restoration
Comedy.
March 22, 2013

Emma Watson, Israel Broussard,
Taissa Farmiga, Katie Chang and Claire Julien
in The Bling Ring
Ahead
of the anticipated release of Sofia Coppola’s
THE BLING RING from A24 on June 14th, the NEW TEASER
TRAILER has just landed. In the spirit of the film,
it looks like the teaser trailer was also “ripped-off!”
Hot from the black market, we have links to both
the official teaser trailer file and an embed code
for your convenience:
YouTube:
http://youtu.be/r9RRsUojeIE
Based on true events, THE BLING RING follows a group
of teenagers who take a thrilling and disturbing
crime-spree in the Hollywood hills. The film features
the ensemble cast starring Emma Watson, Leslie Mann,
Taissa Farmiga, Claire Julien, Israel Broussard,Katie
Chang, Georgia Rock, and Gavin Rossdale.
Youth America Grand
Prix Presents Ballet's Greatest Hits
Youth America
Grand Prix is proud to present its latest and its
most ambitious project to date. “Ballet’s
Greatest Hits” is a filmed Gala evening showcasing
six of the most beloved classical ballets: Don Quixote,
Flames of Paris, Giselle, La Bayadère, The
Nutcracker, and Swan Lake.
Hosted by “American
Idol” and “So You Think You Can Dance”
Executive Producer, Nigel Lythgoe, “Ballet’s
Greatest Hits” presents an all-star cast from
the world’s leading dance companies. For added
insight into the history and meaning of classical
ballet, the film offers exclusive behind-the-scenes
footage, rare archival materials, and exclusive
interviews with choreographers, film producers,
critics and luminaries of the dance world, such
as Alexei Ratmansky, Benjamin Millepied, Edward
Villella, and many others. The live performances
were filmed by five-time Emmy Award winner, Clemente
D’Alessio at the David A. Straz, Jr. Center
for the Performing Arts in Tampa, Florida.
“Ballet’s
Greatest Hits” will premiere in NY, March
31 at:
Clearview- Chelsea
Cinemas 9 (260 W 23rd Street) and
Big Cinemas Manhattan
(239 E 59th St)
CASTS INCLUDES
Stella Abrera (American
Ballet Theatre)
Ashley Bouder (New York City Ballet)
Isabella Boylston (American Ballet Theatre)
Skylar Brandt (American Ballet Theatre)
Taras Domitro (San Francisco Ballet)
Matthew Golding (Dutch National Ballet)
Marcelo Gomes (American Ballet Theatre)
Greta Hodgkinson (National Ballet of Canada)
Maria Kochetkova (San Francisco Ballet)
Veronika Part (American Ballet Theatre)
Joseph Phillips (American Ballet Theatre)
Hee Seo (American Ballet Theatre)
Daniel Ulbricht (New York City Ballet)
Alejandro Virelles (Boston Ballet)
INCLUDES INTERVIEWS
WITH:
Lawrence Bender Film
Producer
Matthew Bourne Artistic Director, New Adventures
Leslie Browne International Master Teacher and former
Oscar nominee
Jose Manuel Carreño Artistic Director, The
Carreño Dance Festival
Misty Copeland Soloist, American Ballet Theatre
Angel Corella Artistic Director, Barcelona Ballet
Alessandra Ferri Director of Dance, Spoleto Festival
(Italy)
Susan Jaffe Dean, School of Dance at North Carolina
School of the Arts
Denys Ganio Former Etoile, Paris Opera Ballet
Mathieu Ganio Etoile, Paris Opera Ballet
Benjamin Millepied Artistic Director, L.A. Dance
Project
Wendy Perron Editor-in-Chief, Dance Magazine
Alexei Ratmansky Artist-in-Residence, American Ballet
Theatre
Edward Villella Founder and former Artistic Director,
Miami City Ballet
The live performance
of “Ballet’s Greatest Hits” took
place at the David A. Straz Center for the Performing
Arts on January 5, 2013. The film is distributed
by Emerging Pictures – the company that has
brought The Royal Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet and Nederlands
Click
here for tickets.
March 8, 2013

Salma Hayek Pinault
Salma Hayek Pinault
and Avon CEO Sheri McCoy Announce Winners of 2nd
Avon Global Communications Awards for Speaking Out
About Violence Against Women in Recognition of International
Women’s Day
Organizations
from Pakistan, Tanzania, Nepal, Peru and the Ukraine
recognized for exemplary communications
In recognition
of International Women’s Day, Avon Foundation
for Women Ambassador Salma Hayek Pinault and Avon
Products, Inc. CEO Sheri McCoy announced that four
global organizations and one government campaign
have received 2nd Avon Communications Awards: Speaking
Out About Violence Against Women for their outstanding
work to bring attention to the need to end violence
against women. The awards, presented at the United
Nations Headquarters during the 57th session of
the Commission on the Status of Women, are part
of the Avon Speak Out Against Domestic Violence
program, which has donated nearly $50 million globally
to end violence against women since its launch in
2004.
At a special adjunct
event to the 57th session of the Commission on the
Status of Women (CSW) at the United Nations, Salma
Hayek Pinault; Sheri McCoy; Liberian Ambassador
Marjon V. Kamara; Ambassador Rosemary A. DiCarlo,
U.S. Deputy Permanent Representative, U.S. Mission
to the United Nations; and Futures Without Violence
President Esta Soler participated in the Avon Awards
ceremony. ABC News Anchor Bianna Golodryga moderated
the event. The CSW, which this year focuses on the
elimination and prevention of all forms of violence
against women and girls, drew nearly 6,000 representatives
from UN Member States, UN entities and NGOs from
around the world for a two-week session. Last year,
the Avon Foundation for Women presented its first
Avon Communications Awards at the 2nd World Conference
of Women’s Shelters in Washington, D.C.
Avon CEO Sheri McCoy
emphasized the critical importance of communications
in ending violence against women as she shared highlights
of an Avon Foundation-funded survey to be released
in June that analyzed bystander behavior in situations
relating to partner violence and dating and sexual
abuse. “People are willing to speak out, but
they don’t always know how to recognize the
signs of abuse or how best to intervene. Avon believes
communications and education will help bystanders
become interveners and help break the cycle of violence
against women,” said McCoy.
2nd Avon Communications
Awards Winners
The Avon Foundation
recognized non-governmental organizations from Pakistan,
Tanzania, Nepal, Peru, and a governmental organization
from the Ukraine, for their exemplary communications
campaigns that are helping change communities, policies,
institutions and behaviors to end violence against
women. An international panel of judges selected
the winning campaigns from more than 425 communications
submitted to the Communications X-Change by 119
organizations in 46 countries, ranging from Afghanistan
to Zimbabwe. The X-Change, a digital global communications
library funded by the Avon Foundation and managed
by Futures Without Violence, enables organizations
and advocates throughout the world to find, share,
and learn from the best communications material
focused on ending violence against women and children.
The winning organizations,
which will each receive an Avon Foundation grant
to fund the continuation of their work, are:
Innovative Campaign
Award:
Bytes for All (Pakistan)
– “Take back the Tech!”
This campaign seizes
upon the spread of technology in Pakistan to help
strengthen women’s use of technology to raise
awareness about Violence Against Women by using
online tools. The campaign also strategically involves
important public figures from judges to movie stars
using social media to spread the word to “take
back the tech.” The print and online communications
materials pave the way for young women to use these
online technology tools, often off-limits in Pakistan,
to make their voices heard.
Break the Silence
Award
Engender Health (Tanzania)
– “Champion Project”
The “Champion
Project” video is part of a five-year effort
to engage men in Tanzania by increasing their involvement
in addressing underlying gender issues and power
imbalances in relationships. The video aims to turn
men from bystanders to champions with its key message,
“Violence is everyone’s problem. Be
a role model. Earn respect by standing up to violence.”
Community Change
Award
Equal Access (Nepal)
- “Voices – Samajhdari”
Involving community
members as writers, reporters, radio technicians
and commentators, “Voices – Samajhdari”
by Equal Access enables women to be agents of their
own change – reshaping community attitudes
through their own messages that resonate with their
closest neighbors and throughout Nepal. This weekly
30-minute radio program directly integrates voices
from rural communities in audio collected by 12
female 'community reporters' who are themselves
survivors of violence, able to discuss topics and
issues that otherwise would be considered off-limits.
X-Change Award for
Outstanding Government Communication Award
State Service for
Youth and Sports & International Women’s
Rights Center ‘La Strada’ (Ukraine)
- “Stop Violence”
The Government of
Ukraine, working with UNICEF Ukraine and NGOs, leveraged
the 2012 Euro Football Cup to field a large campaign
aimed at men to use communications to raise social
awareness of the need to end violence against women.
In their “Red Card” poster, the Ukrainian
singer Ani Lorak speaks a soccer fan’s language
to advocate against sexual violence. Recognition
of this campaign highlights the important development
coalitions among government agencies, the UN and
NGOs working collaboratively for greater impact
across society.
Global Award for
Excellence in Communication
PCI Media Impact
(Peru) - “Strong Women, Strong Voices”
The “Strong
Women, Strong Voices” radio program—using
radio, a favored medium particularly in rural communities—skillfully
weaves together stories using language accessible
to both Spanish-speaking and indigenous women that
dramatizes the stories of women overcoming prejudice,
abuse and sexual violence. Radio and storytelling
is very adaptable, but real impact comes also from
an organization with both a strong infrastructure
and well-analyzed and realized strong theory of
change.
To view the award-winning
campaigns in each of the five categories, as well
as the 19 finalists’ campaigns, please visit:
http://www.avonfoundation.org/causes/domestic-violence/funding/avon-communication-awards/.
These materials and many others are available on
the Communications X-Change, which is open to new
submissions.
Other Avon Foundation
Speak Out Against Domestic Violence Initiatives
Avon Empowerment
Charm Necklace
At the 2nd Avon Communications
Awards: Speaking Out About Violence Against Women,
Salma Hayek Pinault launched the Avon Empowerment
Charm Necklace in recognition of International Women’s
Day on March 8th. One hundred percent of the net
profits from the necklace’s sale will benefit
the Avon Speak Out Against Domestic Violence program.
The silver tone necklace features the infinity symbol,
which in Avon’s Speak Out campaign represents
lives with unlimited potential when free from violence.
“I have been
a proud supporter of the Avon Speak Out Against
Domestic Violence program since it launched in 2004,”
said Salma Hayek Pinault, Avon Foundation for Women
Ambassador. “I encourage everyone to purchase,
wear or give the Avon Empowerment Charm Necklace
to help raise vital funds for domestic abuse support
services.”
For more information
about Avon’s efforts to end violence against
women around the world follow us on Twitter at @avonfoundation
#AvonSpeakout #IWD.
January 27, 2013
NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL FRINGE FESTIVAL
APPLICATIONS DUE FEBRUARY 14
17th Annual Festival Runs August 9-25, 2013
The New York International
Fringe Festival (FringeNYC), the largest multi-arts
festival in North America, will present the 17th
Annual Festival from August 9 - 25, 2013. Each year
the festival presents programming by nearly 200
of the world's best emerging theatre troupes and
dance companies. General FringeNYC applications
are being accepted for participants in all genres
(theatre, dance, puppetry, performance art, multi-media,
etc.), and separate FringeAL FRESCO (free outdoor
events) and FringeJR (children's programming) applications
are also available.
Applications are
now available online at www.fringenyc.org and completed
applications are due February 14, 2013. Applications
must be accompanied by a non-refundable $40 application
fee, in the form of a certified check, cashiers
check, or money order in US Dollars payable to The
Present Company.
FringeNYC is
a production of The Present Company, under the leadership
of Producing Artistic Director Elena K. Holy. In
1997, New York City became the seventh US city to
host a fringe festival, joining Seattle, Chicago,
Minneapolis/St. Paul, Houston, Orlando and San Francisco.
FringeNYC has presented over 3000 performing groups
representing every continent, prompting Switzerland's
national daily, The New Zurich Zeitung, to declare
FringeNYC as “the premiere meeting ground
for alternative artists.” In November 2007,
FringeNYC was honored by Mayor Michael Bloomberg
with the Mayor's Award for Arts & Culture for
"showcasing the best and boldest theater and
performance;” previous recipients include
Woody Allen, Stephen Sondheim, The Public Theater,
Chita Rivera and Edward Albee. The festival has
also been the launching pad for numerous Off-Broadway
and Broadway transfers, long-running downtown hits,
and regional theater productions including Urinetown,
Never Swim Alone, Debbie Does Dallas, Dog Sees God,
21 Dog Years, Brandon Teena, Dixie’s Tupperware
Party, Silence! The Musical, Matt & Ben, Bash'd,
The Irish Curse, Jurassic Parq and The Fartiste
and as well as movies (WTC View, Armless) and even
a TV show (‘da Kink in My Hair).
January 14, 2013
PBS Continues Commitment
to Independent Films in 2013
Short Film Festival and Independent Film Showcase
Announced
Today at the Television Critics Association meeting,PBS
reaffirmed its commitment to independent film by
announcing that itwill offer its second annual Online
Film Festival,featuring short form films beginning
Monday, March 4, and will offer a multi-platform
Independent Film Showcase this fall. Both will feature
films from POVand ITVS’s INDEPENDENT LENS,
as well as other public media partners.
“PBS is committed
to providing the public with year-round access to
the best in independent filmmaking, whether it’s
short form or long form—on-air and online,”
said PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger. “Working
with POV, ITVS and our public media partners, our
goal is to spotlight more independent films and
filmmakers and help bring new and larger audiences
to this important genre for PBS and our stations.”
PBS Online Film Festival
Returns for Second Year
PBS’ Online
Film Festival, accessible beginning March 4 via
all PBS digital platforms, YouTube and PBS social
media channels, will showcase 25 short films[1]that
feature a diversity of subjects, voices and viewpoints.
The featured films
were produced by a number public media partners,
including Independent Television Service (ITVS),
POV, Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), Latino
Public Broadcasting (LPB), Vision Maker Media,National
Black Programming Consortium (NPBC) and Pacific
Islanders in Communications (PIC). This year’s
festival also includes films from PBS stations KCTS
9 (Seattle), KLRU (Austin), PBS SoCaL (Los Angeles),
WGTE (Toledo) and WCVE (Richmond, Virginia).
Viewers will have
the opportunity to vote for their favorite short
film from March 4 throughMarch 22; the film with
the most votes will receive the People’s Choice
Award.The winning film will be announced in early
April.
“As we’ve
seen with PBS Digital Studios, the appetite for
well-produced video on the web is growing substantially.
Last year, Americans viewed more than 38 billion
videos online a month,”said Jason Seiken,
PBS General Manager, Digital. “The Online
Film Festival is a great example of how we can leverage
the web’s reach to showcase the terrific work
of our producing partners, including the work of
PBS member stations. We see the Online Film Festival
as another example of how PBS and our partners are
innovating and experimenting with different formats
and platforms.”
Independent Film
Showcase Kicks Off Fall 2013
This fall, PBS will
present a four-week multi-platform Independent Film
Showcasewith programs airing Monday nights at 10
p.m.(broadcast dates TBD). The Showcase will feature
films from the landmark series POV and INDEPENDENT
LENS, which together provide a year-round broadcast
footprint for independent filmmakers on public television
on Monday nights at 10 p.m. The Showcase is slated
to take place during the weeks between the seasons
of POVandINDEPENDENT LENS.
In addition to broadcast
content, the festival will connect audiences with
related online and mobile content, as well as opportunities
to participate locally with their public television
stations.
“While PBS
offers independent film programming year-round,
we devised this film showcaseto help shine a spotlight
on the exceptional programming coming from POV and
INDEPENDENT LENS,” said Donald Thoms, Vice
President of Programming, PBS. “With an impressive
line-up of films crossing different genres and themes,
we hope the Showcase will be a draw for existing
independent film fans as well as new viewers.”
The featured films
include the following (air dates are TBD):
“56 Up”–
POV
A film by Michael
Apted
“56 Up”
is the eighth film in a series of landmark documentaries
that began 49 years ago when UK-based Granada’s
World in Action team, inspired by the Jesuit maxim
“Give me the child until he is seven and I
will give you the man,” interviewed a diverse
group of seven-year-old children from all over England,
asking them about their lives and their dreams for
the future. Michael Apted, a researcher for the
original film, has returned to interview the “children”
every seven years since, at ages 14, 21, 28, 35,
42, 49, and now at age 56. In this latest chapter,
more life-changing decisions are revealed, more
shocking announcements are made and more of the
original group takes part than ever before, speaking
out on a variety of subjects including love, marriage,
career and class.
“Brooklyn Castle”–
POV
A film by Katie Dellamaggiore
Imagine a school
where the cool kids are the chess team. Welcome
to I.S. 318.“Brooklyn Castle”tells the
stories of five members of the chess team at a below-the-poverty-line
inner city junior high school that has won more
national championships than any other in the country.
The film follows the challenges these kids face
in their personal lives —and on the chessboard
— and is as much about the sting of their
losses as it is about anticipation of their victories.
“Don’t
Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey”
– INDEPENDENT LENS
A film by Ramona
Diaz
For Arnel Pineda,
the past five years have been the stuff that dreams
are made of. In 2007, hisfriend began uploading
videos of the aspiring Filipino singer covering
classic rock songs onto YouTube. One of the videoswas
seen by Neal Schon, guitarist for the iconic rock
band Journey. Blown away by Pineda’s talent
and uncanny vocal similarity to former Journey front
man Steve Perry, Schon flew Pineda from Manila to
San Francisco to audition for the band.The rest
is history. But Pineda’s personal journey
had just begun. His mother died when he was 12 and
he ended up on the streets. And with no classical
music training, he was anything but prepared for
the grueling physical and emotional strains that
come from fronting a rock band on a whirlwind world
tour. Can a man who has already overcome so many
obstacles deal with the demands of his newfound
fame?
“The Waiting
Room” – INDEPENDENT LENS
A film by Peter Nicks
“The Waiting
Room” is an immersive documentary film that
interweaves several stories that unfold in surprising
ways in the ER waiting room at Oakland, California’s
Highland Hospital—a facility stretched to
the breaking point. The film is an intimate rendering
of the story of our health care system at a moment
of great change, told through the eyes of people
stuck—sometimes for up to 14 hours—in
the waiting room. The program tells the story of
a remarkably diverse populationbattling their way
through seismic shifts in the nation’s health
care system while weathering the storm of a national
recession. It’s a film about one hospital,
its multifaceted community, and how our common vulnerability
to illness binds us together. “This is the
rare film that can change the way you think and
see the world,” says The San Francisco Chronicle.
About PBS
PBS, with its nearly
360 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity
to explore new ideas and new worlds through television
and online content. Each month, PBS reaches nearly
123 million people through television and more than
21 million people online, inviting them to experience
the worlds of science, history, nature and public
affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take
front row seats to world-class drama and performances.
PBS’ broad array of programs has been consistently
honored by the industry’s most coveted award
competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through
12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services
that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS’
premier children’s TV programming and its
website, pbskids.org, are parents’ and teachers’
most trusted partners in inspiring and nurturing
curiosity and love of learning in children. More
information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org,
one of the leading dot-org websites on the Internet,
or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through
our apps for mobile devices.
Short Films Featured
in the PBS Online Film Festival
Listed by Presenting
Partner – Titles Subject to Change
Festival Begins March
4, 2013
Independent Television
Service (ITVS)
· “Brionna
Williams”
Meet Brionna Williams:
At 14, she was suffering from health problems and
chronic asthma. Now a 17-year-old senior at Kansas
City’s Central High School, Brionna has become
healthier and has found focus as a highly recruited
student athlete.
· “Can’t
Hold Me Back”
The film follows
Fernando Parraz as he becomes the first in his family
to earn a high school diploma—his ticket out
of the struggles of inner-city poverty and violence.
With a mountain of roadblocks stacked against his
educational achievement, Fernando finds support
from an unlikely figure: his father—a former
gangster who has suffered the costs of his own mistakes.
· “Story
of an Egg”
Can learning the
meaning of a single term actually help change the
food system? David Evans and Alexis Koefoed think
so. These poultry farmers explain the real story
behind such terms as “cage free,” “free
range” and “pasture raised” so
that consumers can make informed decisions when
they go to their local supermarket.
POV
· “Ars
Magna”
Nominated for a News
and Documentary Emmy® Award, “Ars Magna”
enters into the obsessive and fascinating world
of anagrams with a man who took the first three
lines of Hamlet’s “To Be or Not to Be”
and created what has been called “the world’s
greatest anagram.”
· “Cat
Cam”
An engineer straps
a camera on a stray cat in North Carolina and inadvertently
creates a media sensation.
· “Sound
of Vision”
A blind musician
spends his waking hours confronting the hurdles
and embracing the cacophonyof “The City That
Never Sleeps”—New York—which he
will never see.
Center for Asian
American Media (CAAM)
· “Making
Noise in Silence”
A short, fascinating
look at two Korean American teens as they learn
what it means to be both deaf and Korean.
· “Why
I Write”
Vehement Khmer American
spoken word artist KosalKhiev delivers a passionate
personal narrative in this engaging, head-on collision
between the political and personal
· "Indian
Summer”
This short documentary
brings together first generation Indian American
youth with similar feelings of alienation to document
their religious and cultural point of view.
POV and Latino Public
Broadcasting (LPB)
· “Sin
País”(Without Country)
Winner of a 2012
Student Academy Award®, “Sin País”
explores one family’s experience as members
are separated by deportation.
Vision Maker Media
· “Hoverboard”
After watching Back
to the Future 2, an imaginative young girl and her
stuffed teddy bear try to invent a real working
hoverboard.
Vision Maker Media
and ITVS
· “Injunnuity
- Buried”
“Injunnuity”
is a unique mix of animation, music and real thoughts
from real people exploring our world from the Native
American perspective. “Buried” shares
Oblone activist and educator Corinna Gould’s
reflection on the destruction of sacred shell mounds
in the San Francisco Bay Area of California.
National Black Programming
Consortium (NBPC)
· “Asylum
– Bisi”
BisiAlimi describes
coming out as a gay man —on national television
— in Nigeria.
Pacific Islanders
in Communication (PIC)
· “Lina’la’Lusong”
Unshaken by centuries
of colonial conquest and the changing tides of occupation,
the lusong has endured to heal and feed the people
of the land, and to impart a sacred lesson of survival.
KCTS 9 (Seattle)
· “Capsule”
Two astronauts struggle
to stay alive as their crashed space capsule slowly
runs out of oxygen.
· “Honor
the Treaties”
A portrait of photographer
Aaron Huey’s work on the Pine Ridge Reservation.
Featuring Shepard Fairy.
· “The
House I Keep”
A short film about
a young woman’s emotional struggle to come
to terms with her miscarriage.
KLRU (Austin)
· “NocnaTanecku
(Night at the Dance)”
A profile of the
last days of a Czech dance hall in rural Texas—and
the old-timers who come there to polka.
· “Mijo”
An evocative portrayal
of a mother and child’s intimate relationship
in the midst of life-altering medical events.
· “The
Longest Sun”
A narrative short
film inspired by the mythology of the Tewa peoples
of northern New Mexico is told entirely in the endangered
language of Tewa (less than 500 native speakers
remain). The film follows a young Tewa boy who sets
out on a mythical journey to stop the sun from setting.
PBS SoCaL (Los Angeles)
· “Breathe
Life”
The Montelone family
must fight cystic fibrosis every day, but their
passion for love, life and surfing allows them to
get through the uncertainty.
· “Still”
Dive into the world
of Carlos Eyles, ocean photographer, to discover
the powerful connection between humankind and the
seas that surround us.
· “Worlds
Apart”
A young Native American
woman deals with the struggles of college away from
her reservation.
WCVE (Richmond, Virginia)
· “Live
Art”
A groundbreaking
educational program and concert event, created and
led by the School of the Performing Arts in Richmond,
Virginia.
WGTE (Toledo)
· “Heel”
From the theater
stage to the wrestling mat, the surprising story
of a young woman’s journey to be a wrestler.
(more)
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