Garbage Dreams, the project of the January 2008 6-week class, won the coveted James Lyons editing award for documentary feature at the 2009 Woodstock Film Festival this past weekend. Earlier this year, the film received the REEL Current Award from Al Gore who said of the film, "Garbage Dreams makes a compelling case that modernization does not always equal progress."
Finishing Heaven, the project of the September 2007 6-week class, appeared this week in the "highbrow/brilliant" quadrant of NY Magazine's Approval Matrix. The film was edited by TEC alum Amy Foote and premiered on HBO last week.
Peter and Vandy, the project of the March 2008 6-week class, opens October 9 in NY and LA. Stephen Farber at The Hollywood Reporter writes that Peter and Vandy has "sharp writing and strong chemistry between the stars" and that Jess Weixler "is utterly radiant throughout the picture." The film was edited by TEC instructor Geoffrey Richman and stars Jess Weixler (Teeth, Alexander the Last) and Jason Ritter (Happy Endings, The Wicker Man).
Great Directors, a documentary directed by Angela Ismailos and edited by TEC alum Christina Buchard and TEC instructor Sabine Hoffman, premiered at the 2009 Venice Film Festival this summer to positive reviews. The film captures the essence and independent spirit of living auteurs such as: Bertolucci, Lynch, Haynes, Linklater, and Varda to name a few. Natasha Senjanovic of The Hollywood Reporter remarks that "... the editing smoothly ties the various stories together." The film was also assisted by alums Peter Schuette, Susan Cox, Connor Kalista, and Nick Bussey.
Trucker, the project of the September 2007 6-week class, has just been picked up by Monterey Media. The film stars Michelle Monaghan (Gone Baby Gone, North Country), Nathan Fillion (The Waitress, "Castle"), and Benjamin Bratt (Love in the Time of Cholera, Traffic) and premiered at Tribeca in 2008. The film will hit NYC theaters In October and then roll out nationally. Trucker was co-produced by TEC alum Riva Marker.
Finishing Heaven, the documentary project of the September 2007 6-week class, was cut by alum Amy Foote and will premiere on HBO2 September 30th at 8pm. Alum Michael Taylor edited two films that will premiere on HBO within the month. The first is a documentary titled, Youth Knows No Pain, which premieres on August 31st. Heather Smith, Jeff Mehiel and Dave Miller, all alums, were assistant editors on the film. Michael's other HBO premiere, September 3rd, is titled A Dog Year and stars Jeff Bridges. Louise Ford and Alec Styborski, TEC alums, were both assistants on the film.
A film that was post supervised by TEC alum Riva Marker just aired on PBS's POV this week. The Betrayal, a documentary from renowned cinematography Ellen Kuras, tells the story of a family
(actually the co-director of the film's family, Thavisouk Phrasavat) forced to emigrate from Laos after the U.S. waged a secret war during the Vietnam war. New York Times critic A.O. Scott has called the film "Haunting. . . . a work of visual art." And Scott Foundas of Variety writes: "More than two decades in the making, this heartfelt debut documentary feature by veteran cinematographer Ellen Kuras brings an affecting personal dimension to a sprawling sociopolitical narrative..." The film received an Academy Award nomination for best documentary in 2009.
Michael and Michael Have Issues, a sketch comedy show starring Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter, premieres tonight on Comedy Central. TEC Alum and former instructor, Paul Frank edited the show along with TEC instructor Kate Sanford. Alum Eugene Yi was an assistant editor.
Garbage Dreams, the project of the January 2008 6-week class, will be featured in the 2009 DocuWeeks Showcase. DocuWeeks is an event sponsored by the International Documentary Association to help independent documentaries be seen in theaters in both NYC and LA, the two cities a documentary must screen in to be considered for an Oscar nomination. Garbage Dreams is one of 18 features scheduled to play at L.A.'s ArcLight Hollywood and NYC IFC Center. TEC Alums, Marichelle Tañag and Brian Richman were both assistant editors on the film.
Manhattan, Kansas, the project of the May 2005 6-week class, will be making its television debut on the Documentary Channel this month as part of their "American Dreamers" series. Many TEC alums were involved in the film's post process: editor, Cindy Lee; supervising editor, Liliah Bankier; associate editor, J.J. Evans; assistant editor, Andrew Pang. The film was also directed by TEC alum Tara Wray.