BAMcinemaFest Brooklyn Map

by Andrew Chan

We've finally arrived at the closing night of the fifth annual BAMcinemaFest, so it seems like a perfect time to express how proud we are to have showcased such a diverse array of Brooklyn talent and to have been hailed by The L Magazine as a "hometown festival." So many of the filmmakers who were a part of our line-up this year have called BAM their favorite local movie theater and have packed our festival screenings with family, friends, and collaborators. While a handful of films took place in various locations in Brooklyn (It Felt Like Love and Mother of George among them), we've mapped out where these local filmmakers call home to give you a visual representation of the exciting creative community residing in our borough.

Hover over the map below and click on the white dots for Q&As with the different Brooklyn filmmakers.

AFTER TILLER
Directors Lana Wilson & Martha Shane
Lana lives in Ditmas Park

AFTER TILLER
Directors Lana Wilson & Martha Shane
Martha lives in Prospect Heights

MOTHER OF GEORGE
Director Andrew Dosunmu
Lives in Downtown Brooklyn

CRYSTAL FAIRY
Director Sebastien Silva
Lives in Fort Greene

WHITE REINDEER
Director Zach Clark
Lives in Greenpoint

WILLIAM AND THE WINDMILL
Director Ben Nabors
Lives in Greenpoint

NEWLYWEEDS
Director Shaka King
Lives in Bed Stuy/Bushwick

NORTHERN LIGHT
Director Nick Bentgen
and Producer Lisa Kjerulff
Live in Crown Heights

THESE BIRDS WALK
Director Omar Mullick
Lives in Fort Greene
(co-director Bassam Tariq lives in Queens)

IT FELT LIKE LOVE
Director Eliza Hittman
Lives in Gravesend

REMOTE AREA MEDICAL
Directors Jeff Reichert & Farihah Zaman
Live in Park Slope

BAMcinemaFest 2013: Q&A with Destin Cretton

by Andrew Chan

This year we round out our BAMcinemaFest line-up with our Closing Night selection, Destin Cretton's Short Term 12, which won the Narrative Feature Grand Jury Award at SXSW and just racked up another prize at the Los Angeles Film Festival. Boasting acclaimed performances from United States of Tara's Brie Larson and The Newsroom's John Gallagher, this powerful drama captures life within a foster care facility, slowly uncovering the troubled past of a 20-something counselor who has a knack for connecting with her at-risk patients. Filmmaker Destin Cretton speaks with us about the filmmaking process, his upbringing in Maui, and what he's been watching recently.

Short Term 12 screens on BAMcinemaFest Closing Night on Friday, June 28.

1. When and how did you come to know you wanted to make movies?

I grew up in a small town on Maui called Haiku. Our TV could only catch three channels and my parents didn’t let us watch it much, so it forced my five siblings and me to be outside a lot, creating our own entertainment. We loved making plays and dance routines and choreographed ninja fights. Then my grandma let us borrow her VHS camcorder for a weekend, and we were hooked. I’m not sure if we ever gave it back.

In Context: Kate's Kids

Kate's Kids, Rufus and Martha Wainwright's musical tribute to their legendary mother, comes to the Howard Gilman Opera House on Wednesday, June 26. Context is everything, so get even closer to the production with this curated selection of articles, videos, and original blog pieces related to the show. Once you've seen it, help us keep the conversation going by telling us what you thought below.

BAM R&B Festival at MetroTech: Stooges Brass Band

By Robert Wood

The BAM R&B Festival at MetroTech—BAM's free summertime showcase of heavy hitters from R&B, reggae, funk, and other genres—runs this year through August 8, with concerts happening (almost) every Thursday at noon. That means lunchtime for most, so for the full MetroTech experience, we suggest bringing takeout from a nearby restaurant and making an afternoon (or a long lunch break) out of it. Check back every week for these previews, which will also suggest appropriate eats to enjoy along with the music, and pigeons, in Downtown Brooklyn.

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Stooges Brass Band
Thu, Jun 27 at 12pm

MetroTech Commons | map
Free

In a nutshell:
A tuba-driven brass outfit that nudges the exuberant New Orleans parade sound squarely into R&B and hip-hop territory.

Genres:
Straight-up Mardi Gras parade music, hip-hop over tuba bass, R&B

What to Know:
They recently won the Best Brass Band title at New Orleans’ Red Bull Street Kings Contest. But what’s really impressive about this group is how nimbly they go from more traditional second-line sounds (like this) to songs that could easily top the R&B and hip-hop charts (like this). Hardly a French Quarter tourist attraction, this band is a living, breathing embodiment of a new New Orleans.

9 Things You Didn’t Know About Alfred Hitchcock

by Cynthia Lugo

Always remember to signal: Hitch at Cannes.

From the cool blonde to the wrong man, Hitchcock's influence on culture is inescapable. With the recent biopic Hitchcock, the television series Bates Motel, and Vertigo overtaking Citizen Kane as the greatest film of all time, Hitchcock fever has reached an all-time high.  Yet much of the public is unaware of his prolific silent output, and these films have lapsed in relative obscurity compared to his later work.

With The Hitchcock 9, the British Film Institute gives these films their rightful due. The series boasts all nine of Hitchcock’s surviving silents, painstakingly restored with newly commissioned scores. For film lovers, this series offers the chance to analyze the artistic development of one of world's most important directors.

In honor of The Hitchcock 9, here are nine things you may not have known about the Master of Suspense.

1. He started working in the film industry as a title designer on silent films in 1919—ironically at an American film studio that would later become the London branch of Paramount pictures.

2. He made the first British talkie, Blackmail, in 1929. You can watch a hilarious sound test with Hitch and the leading lady here.

BAMcinemaFest 2013: Q&A with Shaka King

by Allison Kadin

Already named a “rising star of Sundance” (ScreenDaily), Shaka King just keeps getting higher. His debut feature, Newlyweeds, “a charming independent venture that takes chances,” (Indiewire) will be released by Phase 4 Films this September. Come take the first hit of this romantic comedy on June 28 for its New York premiere at BAMcinemaFest. 

Lyle and Nina are living the modern Brooklyn dream: drifting from mediocre day jobs into languid, plant-enhanced nights. While a tale centered on hazy, young Brooklynites may feel familiar to BAM locals, the film reveals the less than idyllic results of a relationship built on smoky foundations. In this  Q&A, find out why King shirked being an “underpaid, overworked, New York City educator” to direct stoner romcoms and develop a TV series about a teenage contract killer.

1. When and how did you come to know you wanted to make movies?

During my senior year of college I made a short documentary called Stolen Moments about rap, race, and capitalism. The film sampled clips from music videos and movies (Transformers, Bush Mama by Haile Gerima) juxtaposed with original interviews. I remember sitting with my then and present editor, Kristan Sprague, having such a blast as we manipulated what at the time was an imaginary audience. From that moment it was on.

BAMcinemaFest 2013: Q&A with Omar Mullick and Bassam Tariq

by Andrew Chan

Listed by Filmmaker magazine as two of "25 New Faces" on the cinema landscape in 2012, Omar Mullick and Bassam Tariq have crafted one of the most visually breathtaking films in this year's BAMcinemaFest line-up. Originally intended as a portrait of revered Pakistani humanitarian Abdul Sattar Edhi, These Birds Walk evolved during the filmmaking process into a heartbreaking but life-affirming chronicle of youth, poverty, and street life in Karachi. In the Q&A below, the directors talk about their influences, the difficulties of shooting in a foreign country, and their favorite recent films.

These Birds Walk screens in BAMcinemaFest on Wednesday, June 26.

1. When and how did you come to know you wanted to make movies?

Omar: I always loved movies and thought I knew what they were about, but a good friend in college showed me Husbands by John Cassavetes. Like many people seeing his films for the first time, I found it unwatchable; but I couldn't shake it off and the second time I tried, I thought it a miracle. I walked home knowing I wanted to go for that—whatever it was he was going for.

Bassam: I was a poor college student trying to find ways to make money. I picked up a friend’s camera and started doing small promotional videos. From those small non-profit videos, I learned how to edit and shoot video. I realized I was finding cool ways to tell these otherwise really boring stories. Around then, the idea of making films seemed a little more possible.

Q&A with Martha and Rufus Wainwright

Rufus & Martha Wainwright. Photo: Lian Lunson

The musical world of Kate McGarrigle will be celebrated in Kate’s Kids: An Evening of Music with Rufus and Martha Wainwright, a concert with special guests including Emmylou Harris and Norah Jones, on June 26 at the Howard Gilman Opera House. On June 25, Sing Me The Songs That Say I Love You, a film tribute to McGarrigle directed by Lian Lunson, will be screened at BAM Rose Cinemas. Proceeds benefit the Kate McGarrigle Foundation. BAMbill asked the siblings a few questions.

How did your mother influence the music you create?
Martha Wainwright: In every way, really, even if in a reactionary way... Kate and Anna’s [her sister] style of music—their taste, their influences, their voices, and the chords—were what music is and was. I sound like Kate sometimes, which always makes me happy. I was purposely different than them when I started writing music because I knew I had to be.

Rufus Wainwright: She noticed that Martha and I, both at an extremely young age, showed talent, and proceeded to nurture it. In her dreams I imagine she would have liked us to be doctors or mathematicians (she had a degree in science) but having heard the little voices, she knew!

How did you decide who you wanted to participate in Kate’s Kids?
Rufus: It’s a very interesting lineup; it really spans her whole career. Emmylou Harris she worked with in the beginning, Norah Jones in middle age, and Mark Ronson she only met once or twice. It shows the expanse of her musical life.

Martha: Emmylou is our soul mother and Norah a soul sister, perfect for the family vibe that we always want to achieve and that we can’t seem to shake. Of course these two ladies are also in the film so it’s a way to connect back to the film and gel these nights together completely.

How have musicians responded to participating in this production at BAM?
Rufus: Everyone really loved my mom; even if you didn’t know her that well she left an idelible impression. Her music has that same unique effect, the songs stay with you. I imagine the musicians are pretty thrilled with such fine material.

Martha: Everyone is excited to play BAM. The room is so beautiful and it’s a big honor for everyone involved. Of course Rufus has a history with BAM and I live just down the road!

BAMcinemaFest 2013: Q&A with Nick Bentgen & Lisa Kjerulff

by Allison Kadin

The crunch of snow, the fast-paced breathing of a runner on a winter’s night, the slow buzz of a snowmobile racing across the white expanse—these are the sounds and images that give Northern Light its impact. Without voiceovers or interviews, the film does all the talking. The annual snowmobile marathon in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula frames a moving portrait of middle-class America, where the quotidian is at once exciting and pointless. 

From the Sunshine State to the frigid landscape of a Midwest winter, producer Lisa Kjerulff had to make some big adjustments while making Northern Light, including purchasing her inaugural pair of snow pants. She and first-time director, Nick Bentgen, remained true to the vérité documentary style despite frozen temps and close to frozen bank accounts. With the help of a successful Kickstarter, the film came to fruition and recently received the Most Innovative Feature at Visions du Réel Festival. Check out their Q&A below where they expound on the process of making a documentary without an initially defined plotline.

1. When and how did you come to know you wanted to make movies?

Nick Bentgen: I saw T2 and became obsessed.

Lisa Kjerulff: When I was growing up, my dad was a steadicam operator before he started his own video production company and my mom was always behind the VHS camcorder directing my brother and sisters and me, narrating everything we did. So making movies has always been a part of my life, nothing else ever made as much sense.

BAMcinemaFest: Q&A with Zach Clark

by Susan Yung

How is it that around the holidays you can be surrounded by cheerful humanity and yet feel utterly alone? Zach Clark's White Reindeer (screening June 23 as part of BAMcinemaFest) stars Anna Margaret Hollyman (Gayby) as a Virginia real estate agent dealing with personal tragedy at the worst time of year. She strains to put on a good front in her encounters with swinging neighbors, strip joints, and garish department stores. It's a subversive look at this emotionally fraught season and the desperate measures people take in search of fulfillment. Drawing comparisons to the films of Douglas Sirk and John Waters, White Reindeer was an official selection at SXSW and winner of Best Feature at the Boston Underground Film Festival. Zach Clark reveals his cinematic inspirations and details about his newest project.

1. When and how did you come to know you wanted to make movies?
I saw Tim Burton's Ed Wood when I was 12 and started renting from an indie video store when I was about 14. I got into cult movies, Euro-art-house, and auteur Hollywood stuff and around that time inherited my grandfather's video camera. Haven't stopped since.