Both Strange Powers: Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields and Cold Weather have been picked up for distribution. Variance films plans to release Strange Powers in theaters across the U.S. and Canada with the first theatrical screening to take place at NY's Film Forum in late October. Cold Weather was picked up by IFC Films for North America and multiple foreign rights. The film will premiere in IFC theaters and be available in homes on the same day through the "IFC in Theaters" platform.
The film, Inside Job, is headed to Cannes and its editors, Chad Beck & Adam Bolt and assistant editor Eugene Yi, all Edit Center alums, will be heading out along with it. The film is directed by Charles Ferguson (No End in Sight) and narrated by Matt Damon. From the official synopsis: Inside Job is the first film to provide a comprehensive analysis of the global financial crisis of 2008, which at a cost over $20 trillion, caused millions of people to lose their jobs and homes in the worst recession since the Great Depression, and nearly resulted in a global financial collapse. Through exhaustive research and extensive interviews with key financial insiders, politicians, journalists, and academics, the film traces the rise of a rogue industry which has corrupted politics, regulation, and academia. It was made on location in the United States, Iceland, England, France, Singapore, and China.
For Once in My Life, the class project of the July 2009 6-week class and edited by TEC alum, Amy Foote, continues to receive positive praise and win awards. After winning the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature at SXSW, the documentary has walked away with the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature at the Sarasota Film Festival, the Best Documentary Award at the Sonoma International Film Festival, and both the Audience Award and the Jury Prize for Music Impact Award at the Nashville Film Festival. The film follows the Spirit of Goodwill Band -- a band composed of 28-members, all of whom are either physically or mentally disabled, as they prepare themselves for a performance at the Miami Center for the Performing Arts.
Garbage Dreams, the project of the January 2008 six-week class, makes its television premiere on PBS' Independent Lens on April 27th. TEC Alums, Marichelle Tañag and Brian Richman were both assistant editors on the film. For more info, visit: Independent Lens.
Cold Weather, the class project of the July 2009 six-week class, has won the Independent Visions Special Jury Prize at the Sarasota Film Festival. It was also a featured Spotlight Premiere film at SXSW. After premiering at SXSW with sold-out screenings, the film topped the critics' poll at IndieWIRE, which pooled opinions from both critics and bloggers attending the festival. Read more about the survey here.
Budrus, the second directorial project of TEC alum Julia Bacha, screens at the Tribeca Film Festival on Sunday, April 25th. The film chronicles a village in Palestine, which has not only sparked a non-violent movement against the Israeli Occupation, but also potentially provides an answer to the Middle East's struggle for peace. David Kwok, a director of programming at Tribeca, writes that the film, "[allows] us a galvanizing glimpse into the power of ordinary people to peaceably fight for extraordinary changes in one of the most war-torn parts of the world."
The Missing Person, edited by TEC alum/instructor Mollie Goldstein and the class project of the November 2007 six-week class, was released on DVD on April 13th. The film is a modern interpretation of a classic film noir, set in a post-9/11 world. It was directed by Noah Buschel, and stars Michael Shannon and Amy Ryan. The Missing Person was called "irresistible" by the New York Times and was a critic's pick in New York Magazine. The film can be purchased on Amazon.
Monogamy, edited by TEC alum/instructor Mollie Goldstein, will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival April 24th. The narrative focuses on Theo (Chris Messina) a Brooklyn wedding photographer whose side business is shooting surveillance-style photos of clients on the sly. His side venture takes an unexpected turn—and creates a rift with his fiancée (Rashida Jones)—when he's hired by a provocative mystery woman (Meital Dohan).
Cold Weather, the narrative project of the July 2009 6-week class, has been receiving rave reviews from IFC, Variety, and LA Times as well as from indieWIRE in which Eric Kohn called the film, “the kind of moving image experience informed by expressive audiovisual maneuvers rather than melodramatic overstatements.” It also averaged an "A-" grade from six critics at indieWIRE. Cold Weather is currently seeking U.S. distribution.
Strange Powers: Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields, the documentary project of the May 2008 6-week class, premiered at SXSW in the 24 Beats Per Minute category and is now continuing on its festival tour. Next up, the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in North Carolina, followed by the Florida International Film Festival and then the film is off to Buenos Aires for the International Independent Cinema Festival. To see a trailer of the film and a list of screenings, visit: http://strangepowersfilm.com/