I know it seems like I am saying this every year but what a festival! This year was phenomenal. So many great films but I did have my favorites and favorite aspects, as I imagine you do if you got the pass and watched a few of these films, and I want to talk more about them here today.
I WANT TO START WITH 3 QUICK OBSERVATIONS:
1. THE NEW PROGRAM THAT HAS TO BE A FIXTURE!!!
You know when Slamdance introduced THE DEPARTMENT OF ANARCHY, a short film showcase of the weird, insane, and avant-garde that just didn't fit the mold of any category, they did something that set them apart. So now 27 years later the festival for filmmakers by filmmakers has set the bar even higher with their introduction of the UNSTOPPABLE PROGRAM. An #ownvoices program that highlighted disabled actors, stories, subject matter, and filmmakers. Again I said in a previous blog, these stories were not only educational and important, they were entertaining and amazingly done. Some of the best films in the entire festival and easily the best program of this year's fest. It has to be an every year thing, we need to encourage and promote these voices and what they have to say and what they have to show us.
2. I MISS IT, I REALLY DO
Okay maybe not that first day's climb to the top of that hill where sits the Treasure Mountain Inn, although I will for sure be in better shape next time, or paying $50 in parking (especially that first weekend) but (and I never thought I would say this) damn if I don't miss those narrow hallways, waiting in line and talking film and shop while standing there, playing Frogger to get into the bathroom, sitting in the corner under the stairs as my phone and camera batteries charge for my evening interviews and red carpets. In doing this festival, this is what I do for everything else I do on Go Indie Now, the screener or virtual pass to the film, the remote set ups, and while I appreciate being able to not drive anywhere or do interviews in pajamas. I miss the special thing that is Slamdance in person. There is just nothing like it.
3. NARRATIVE FEATURES NEED TO BE A THING AGAIN
Don't get me wrong I love binging a series as much as the next person, and I love short films and a good documentary and following a real person doing real things but the one thing about this year's crop of Narrative films featured, and the ones I have seen in this Pandemic era, that I have come to appreciate is they are doing their best to make make-believe again and prove it's not dead. In fact, it's more refined and better done than it has ever been and this time for the film is for all of us who have navigated and pushed through the incredibly overwrought, supersaturated, ridiculous cash-grabbing, sequel churning garbage piles to see a film like A Brixton Tale or Black Bear. THIS IS OUR TIME. The Cinephile! We need to be louder, prouder, and kick down the door of convention and create a time where the perception was this ERA changed the film industry forever. Sorry, Vin Diesel but hey you always really wanted to do Hamlet anyway right?
NOW LET ME TALK ABOUT SOME FILMS, PERFORMANCES, AND PRODUCTIONS AT SLAMDANCE THAT BLEW MY MIND!
MY FAVORITE WRITING: DEAD END
Written by Ofir Sasson & Nir Berger
I know I didn't laugh harder than I did for the 4 minutes plus of this episodic and you know the really awesome thing is that was through subtitles, as the show is in Hebrew. It's clever, each punchline moves everything into the next level of absurdity with the kind of reverence that is not offensive but just cheeky enough. Just when you think you got done laughing the hardest you can, nope these guys up the ante in every second. I just ate this show up after watching it at Slamdance, it is amazing. I can't wait to talk to Nir about this and his process which is coming soon everybody, we have already talked about doing it. So I excited about that. In the meantime, this series deserves as many eyeballs as it can on it.
MY FAVORITE CINEMATOGRAPHY: THE CO-OP
Written and Directed by Cameron S Mitchell
Another short film but man it is so well shot. The care that Cameron and his crew take in what we discussed when I interviewed him was not only a challenging space but one in which he didn't get a lot of time to pre-prepare for. So getting the shots they got, the color palette they created, absolutely perfect. I also think the choices of going wide, establishing shots, and then subsequent medium close-ups all sell the narrative in the manner in which it was intended and lead you to the conclusion you don't want to miss.
MY FAVORITE PERFORMANCE: TENDER HUANG, TAIPEI SUICIDE STORY
Written and Directed by KEFF
This is a film you haven't heard me talk about because I came to it later after I had just watched everything I needed to for the interviews I was doing. I am so glad I caught it because first before I gush about Tender I have to say this is a film that does more in 45 minutes than most do in 90 minutes. It is one that will stay with me for a long time. The color palette, the subtle way the camera moves or moves to stay still and capture so many incredible moments, is all done with the type of precision that gives you almost a stage play presence. A portion comes from the film's choices but the majority of it is because Tender Huang demands that of the film. He dares the film to get inside him because you get the impression nothing else can or will. I can't go any further on that.
This won the Grand Jury Prize at Slamdance and Tender won the actor award. I agree with the actor award. It was not my favorite narrative (we will get to that in a minute) but it may be the first 45-minute film to make my year-end Top 10 list. Just like Tender's performance I am daring all the more conventional 90-120 minutes films I see this year to prove my choice wrong.
Tender Huang could have easily given this performance without adding the small bits and gentle touches we get and that would have not diminished too much because that would play into a Receptionist's role in a space like this. The fact Huang takes it to the level and heights he does with those gentle touches, like the arrogance he begins with show command and discipline of the craft that few can weave around a filmmaker's vision. Yet this pairing of KEFF and Huang seems to dance in unison and synergy that leads us into what we are about to experience. It's hard to explain without giving up what I know :).
BEST EDITING: ANATOMY OF WINGS
Co-Directed by Kirsten D'Andrea Hollander & Nikiea Redmond
Senior Editor Trina Rodriguez
This film gets the perseverance award too, 10 years, really more 12+. I dread having to go through an hour and a half of footage, I can't imagine 12 years plus. This film's narration and the choice to do a narrating whether behind the camera or in front of it helped this film elevate into a complete and totally compelling narrative that celebrates life more than anything. Those are the kind of choices the editing, especially for a documentary, are paramount. Trina and the dynamic duo directing from Kirsten and Nikiea do more than admirable jobs here, they made something incredibly special. I am not sure in other hands that would have been the case. I am sure many, myself included, would have thought it was worth it. Well maybe we sadist-like filmmakers would but man the intricate work of blending footage from handheld cameras to pristine planned shots is again a skillset that is hard to obtain, let alone master. Trina did just that here. I can do nothing but applaud, acknowledge and admire that.
BIGGEST AND HAPPIEST SURPRISE: THE LITTLE BROOMSTICK RIDER
Written, Animated, and Directed by Matteo Bernardini
I have a confession to make I am not the biggest animation fan. Sometimes I just don't feel connected to it. That changed this year. I already talked about Dead End, this one The Little Broomstick Rider, and a few others in my previous blog. The Little Broomstick Rider was one of the first I was introduced to or given the opportunity to see and cover for this year's festival. I grabbed the chance to talk to Matteo because I love the opportunities I get to talk to anyone about Indie creating but I knew that meant at the very least, I would be watching 1 episode.
Then the day came, I had put it off enough. It was time to give at least the episode Slamdance was showing a chance. Then I watched it, then I watched the first one, then I finished the series right then and there. I was so impressed, I smiled and gasped. I laughed and shook my head. What this series had was a story so incredibly rich and a maestro storyteller telling it in Matteo Bernardini. He really showed skill and craft in not just the storytelling but the depth of a filmmaker who is showing off some skill.
After a couple minutes into the 4th episode (the one featured on Slamdance Episodes Program) I was even thinking how smart of a choice as to which episode to show was and how much this series needs to be seen. I will always champion Indies but I am just as guilty at making a judgment I had no merit in making other than to think this could never be my cup of tea. I was wrong, never been happier to be so, and I know it will probably happen again, I am human. However I will try and I always do try, but you know what, as the wisest creature in the galaxy once said, "there is no try, only do." So Matteo I apologize to you here and thank you for not only giving me one of my favorite conversations of the festival but one of the series I will not soon forget.
MY FAVORITE DOCUMENTARY AT SLAMDANCE 2021: 18TH AND GRAND: THE OLYMPIC AUDITORIUM STORY
Directed and Produced by Stephen DeBro
As with every year after Slamdance I have built a very strong start and foundation to m year-end Top 10 list. This year is no exception and I never say there will definitely be films that stay there at year's end but there always is and this year I could see a couple of them staying. One of those strong candidates is 18th & Grand. I talked about this documentary in my last blog.
However, I am going to say a little bit more here.
In thinking about it, after writing the blog and posting my interview with Stephen I went back and watched it again. It was like you were given a jigsaw puzzle of Los Angeles and you had to connect all these pieces together and you would end up with the Olympic Auditorium as your finished piece. The editing team and Stephen really ad an incredible vision and it's celebrated by a film that has so much relevance to things I love today. Maybe that's why it resonates so deeply with me.
Then I thought about it more. This is a film that brings you into a world and dares you not to become a fan of one of these highlighted ideas like Pro Wrestling or Roller Derby. How it does that is through your senses. It uses all of them, never staying with one or two too long, and does the swiping you would do on your phone to get to the next scene or video, for you. That's its genius. Make no mistake about it, this film is genius because it also doesn't talk down to you and it doesn't patronize those who are fans. It celebrates life. It also celebrates an important life in Aileen Eaton. The fact that it can punch you in the gut, throw powder in your face, and then give you a story of a woman who was a major pioneer in not only what she was doing but when she was doing it, was even more rare and important than the purpose she had. She was just running a business but we know thanks to Stephen's film can look to see that was just the surface of what that really meant.
I maintain that this is the best roller coaster ride in Los Angeles right now and it relentless in how it grabs a hold of you and doesn't let go. That is a great film and it why I love films, especially indie films so much. 18th and Grand told a story the way it needed to be told and Stephen DeBro made the best damn movie he could make. This makes me nothing but excited to see what he does in his next film.
Now it's time...
MY FAVORITE FILM & NARRATIVE LIVE ACTION OF THE SLAMDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2021: IN FRANCE MICHELLE IS A MAN'S NAME
Written and Directed by Em Weinstein
13 minutes of perfection. Absolutely this film is gorgeous, powerful, fun to figure out, and believe it or not in 13 minutes it will knock you for a loop and take you for a ride. I have always had the rule that to make my Top 10 films of the year, they have to be feature-length.
I am starting to think that is a stupid rule.
If I am being honest with myself I really thought that back in 2018 too, when my favorite film of that Slamdance was also a short film called The Troubled Troubadour.
Regardless In France is the best Indie film I saw this year so far.
Em is a great storyteller. The beats are spot on, even though in the beginning you might not get that right away. Then when you have experienced the movie in its totality, you almost have to go back and look at all you were given. That is Em's masterstroke. It's subtle, it's understated because thanks to the great acting and the incredible framing of shot after important shot, you are feeling something real, some tangible, something amazing and not realizing you walked into a Hitchcockian film.
The performances are spot on. Ari Damasco is a star. The subtle work here in his eyes and lip quivers, the moments of power, the moments of genuine fear and trepidation, all inside Ari and out onto the screen with ease.
Captured brilliantly by the DP Alexa Wolfe I might add. Alexa provided the best shot in any movie in this festival as the truck rolls down the road and a small beam runs up the screen. I was blown away by that moment.
Jerry Carlton, as Michelle/Michael's dad, is also masterful. He reminds me of a violin player. just tapping the strings gently as suddenly he is giving the perfect look, like a big grandiose moment in a song, that crescendos into the best moments and most surprising elements with the right clarity and genuineness that sells Em's vision.
Again Em's script is flawless but their chess moves within the framework of the gorgeous shots and feeding off the acting is also flawless technique and execution that needs to be mentioned too. They knew how to get what they wanted from this film, and it pays off for the audience in spades.
That's what is so amazing, you get it all with this film.
I didn't even mention yet that oh-so-important supporting roles are supplementing perfect moments with either tension, apprehension, disappointment, or sympathy. all working in unison, not against each other.
Again just really completing a symphony of brilliance. This film joins a very small contingency for me of films that are more than films, they are experiences.
This film is absolutely in my Top 5 short films EVER. No doubt about that but I keep thinking also will I see a better film this year, feature-length or not? I am not sure how I will.
Well that's it for Go Indie Now's coverage of the 2021 Slamdance Film Festival. I am going to go enjoy the best of, which if you got the $10 pass already you can too. If not you can still get a $10 pass and go treat yourself to some amazing art.
Get your pass here
WHAT ARE WAITING FOR? GO....
I WANT TO START WITH 3 QUICK OBSERVATIONS:
1. THE NEW PROGRAM THAT HAS TO BE A FIXTURE!!!
You know when Slamdance introduced THE DEPARTMENT OF ANARCHY, a short film showcase of the weird, insane, and avant-garde that just didn't fit the mold of any category, they did something that set them apart. So now 27 years later the festival for filmmakers by filmmakers has set the bar even higher with their introduction of the UNSTOPPABLE PROGRAM. An #ownvoices program that highlighted disabled actors, stories, subject matter, and filmmakers. Again I said in a previous blog, these stories were not only educational and important, they were entertaining and amazingly done. Some of the best films in the entire festival and easily the best program of this year's fest. It has to be an every year thing, we need to encourage and promote these voices and what they have to say and what they have to show us.
2. I MISS IT, I REALLY DO
Okay maybe not that first day's climb to the top of that hill where sits the Treasure Mountain Inn, although I will for sure be in better shape next time, or paying $50 in parking (especially that first weekend) but (and I never thought I would say this) damn if I don't miss those narrow hallways, waiting in line and talking film and shop while standing there, playing Frogger to get into the bathroom, sitting in the corner under the stairs as my phone and camera batteries charge for my evening interviews and red carpets. In doing this festival, this is what I do for everything else I do on Go Indie Now, the screener or virtual pass to the film, the remote set ups, and while I appreciate being able to not drive anywhere or do interviews in pajamas. I miss the special thing that is Slamdance in person. There is just nothing like it.
3. NARRATIVE FEATURES NEED TO BE A THING AGAIN
Don't get me wrong I love binging a series as much as the next person, and I love short films and a good documentary and following a real person doing real things but the one thing about this year's crop of Narrative films featured, and the ones I have seen in this Pandemic era, that I have come to appreciate is they are doing their best to make make-believe again and prove it's not dead. In fact, it's more refined and better done than it has ever been and this time for the film is for all of us who have navigated and pushed through the incredibly overwrought, supersaturated, ridiculous cash-grabbing, sequel churning garbage piles to see a film like A Brixton Tale or Black Bear. THIS IS OUR TIME. The Cinephile! We need to be louder, prouder, and kick down the door of convention and create a time where the perception was this ERA changed the film industry forever. Sorry, Vin Diesel but hey you always really wanted to do Hamlet anyway right?
NOW LET ME TALK ABOUT SOME FILMS, PERFORMANCES, AND PRODUCTIONS AT SLAMDANCE THAT BLEW MY MIND!
MY FAVORITE WRITING: DEAD END
Written by Ofir Sasson & Nir Berger
I know I didn't laugh harder than I did for the 4 minutes plus of this episodic and you know the really awesome thing is that was through subtitles, as the show is in Hebrew. It's clever, each punchline moves everything into the next level of absurdity with the kind of reverence that is not offensive but just cheeky enough. Just when you think you got done laughing the hardest you can, nope these guys up the ante in every second. I just ate this show up after watching it at Slamdance, it is amazing. I can't wait to talk to Nir about this and his process which is coming soon everybody, we have already talked about doing it. So I excited about that. In the meantime, this series deserves as many eyeballs as it can on it.
MY FAVORITE CINEMATOGRAPHY: THE CO-OP
Written and Directed by Cameron S Mitchell
Another short film but man it is so well shot. The care that Cameron and his crew take in what we discussed when I interviewed him was not only a challenging space but one in which he didn't get a lot of time to pre-prepare for. So getting the shots they got, the color palette they created, absolutely perfect. I also think the choices of going wide, establishing shots, and then subsequent medium close-ups all sell the narrative in the manner in which it was intended and lead you to the conclusion you don't want to miss.
MY FAVORITE PERFORMANCE: TENDER HUANG, TAIPEI SUICIDE STORY
Written and Directed by KEFF
This is a film you haven't heard me talk about because I came to it later after I had just watched everything I needed to for the interviews I was doing. I am so glad I caught it because first before I gush about Tender I have to say this is a film that does more in 45 minutes than most do in 90 minutes. It is one that will stay with me for a long time. The color palette, the subtle way the camera moves or moves to stay still and capture so many incredible moments, is all done with the type of precision that gives you almost a stage play presence. A portion comes from the film's choices but the majority of it is because Tender Huang demands that of the film. He dares the film to get inside him because you get the impression nothing else can or will. I can't go any further on that.
This won the Grand Jury Prize at Slamdance and Tender won the actor award. I agree with the actor award. It was not my favorite narrative (we will get to that in a minute) but it may be the first 45-minute film to make my year-end Top 10 list. Just like Tender's performance I am daring all the more conventional 90-120 minutes films I see this year to prove my choice wrong.
Tender Huang could have easily given this performance without adding the small bits and gentle touches we get and that would have not diminished too much because that would play into a Receptionist's role in a space like this. The fact Huang takes it to the level and heights he does with those gentle touches, like the arrogance he begins with show command and discipline of the craft that few can weave around a filmmaker's vision. Yet this pairing of KEFF and Huang seems to dance in unison and synergy that leads us into what we are about to experience. It's hard to explain without giving up what I know :).
BEST EDITING: ANATOMY OF WINGS
Co-Directed by Kirsten D'Andrea Hollander & Nikiea Redmond
Senior Editor Trina Rodriguez
This film gets the perseverance award too, 10 years, really more 12+. I dread having to go through an hour and a half of footage, I can't imagine 12 years plus. This film's narration and the choice to do a narrating whether behind the camera or in front of it helped this film elevate into a complete and totally compelling narrative that celebrates life more than anything. Those are the kind of choices the editing, especially for a documentary, are paramount. Trina and the dynamic duo directing from Kirsten and Nikiea do more than admirable jobs here, they made something incredibly special. I am not sure in other hands that would have been the case. I am sure many, myself included, would have thought it was worth it. Well maybe we sadist-like filmmakers would but man the intricate work of blending footage from handheld cameras to pristine planned shots is again a skillset that is hard to obtain, let alone master. Trina did just that here. I can do nothing but applaud, acknowledge and admire that.
BIGGEST AND HAPPIEST SURPRISE: THE LITTLE BROOMSTICK RIDER
Written, Animated, and Directed by Matteo Bernardini
I have a confession to make I am not the biggest animation fan. Sometimes I just don't feel connected to it. That changed this year. I already talked about Dead End, this one The Little Broomstick Rider, and a few others in my previous blog. The Little Broomstick Rider was one of the first I was introduced to or given the opportunity to see and cover for this year's festival. I grabbed the chance to talk to Matteo because I love the opportunities I get to talk to anyone about Indie creating but I knew that meant at the very least, I would be watching 1 episode.
Then the day came, I had put it off enough. It was time to give at least the episode Slamdance was showing a chance. Then I watched it, then I watched the first one, then I finished the series right then and there. I was so impressed, I smiled and gasped. I laughed and shook my head. What this series had was a story so incredibly rich and a maestro storyteller telling it in Matteo Bernardini. He really showed skill and craft in not just the storytelling but the depth of a filmmaker who is showing off some skill.
After a couple minutes into the 4th episode (the one featured on Slamdance Episodes Program) I was even thinking how smart of a choice as to which episode to show was and how much this series needs to be seen. I will always champion Indies but I am just as guilty at making a judgment I had no merit in making other than to think this could never be my cup of tea. I was wrong, never been happier to be so, and I know it will probably happen again, I am human. However I will try and I always do try, but you know what, as the wisest creature in the galaxy once said, "there is no try, only do." So Matteo I apologize to you here and thank you for not only giving me one of my favorite conversations of the festival but one of the series I will not soon forget.
MY FAVORITE DOCUMENTARY AT SLAMDANCE 2021: 18TH AND GRAND: THE OLYMPIC AUDITORIUM STORY
Directed and Produced by Stephen DeBro
As with every year after Slamdance I have built a very strong start and foundation to m year-end Top 10 list. This year is no exception and I never say there will definitely be films that stay there at year's end but there always is and this year I could see a couple of them staying. One of those strong candidates is 18th & Grand. I talked about this documentary in my last blog.
However, I am going to say a little bit more here.
In thinking about it, after writing the blog and posting my interview with Stephen I went back and watched it again. It was like you were given a jigsaw puzzle of Los Angeles and you had to connect all these pieces together and you would end up with the Olympic Auditorium as your finished piece. The editing team and Stephen really ad an incredible vision and it's celebrated by a film that has so much relevance to things I love today. Maybe that's why it resonates so deeply with me.
Then I thought about it more. This is a film that brings you into a world and dares you not to become a fan of one of these highlighted ideas like Pro Wrestling or Roller Derby. How it does that is through your senses. It uses all of them, never staying with one or two too long, and does the swiping you would do on your phone to get to the next scene or video, for you. That's its genius. Make no mistake about it, this film is genius because it also doesn't talk down to you and it doesn't patronize those who are fans. It celebrates life. It also celebrates an important life in Aileen Eaton. The fact that it can punch you in the gut, throw powder in your face, and then give you a story of a woman who was a major pioneer in not only what she was doing but when she was doing it, was even more rare and important than the purpose she had. She was just running a business but we know thanks to Stephen's film can look to see that was just the surface of what that really meant.
I maintain that this is the best roller coaster ride in Los Angeles right now and it relentless in how it grabs a hold of you and doesn't let go. That is a great film and it why I love films, especially indie films so much. 18th and Grand told a story the way it needed to be told and Stephen DeBro made the best damn movie he could make. This makes me nothing but excited to see what he does in his next film.
Now it's time...
MY FAVORITE FILM & NARRATIVE LIVE ACTION OF THE SLAMDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2021: IN FRANCE MICHELLE IS A MAN'S NAME
Written and Directed by Em Weinstein
13 minutes of perfection. Absolutely this film is gorgeous, powerful, fun to figure out, and believe it or not in 13 minutes it will knock you for a loop and take you for a ride. I have always had the rule that to make my Top 10 films of the year, they have to be feature-length.
I am starting to think that is a stupid rule.
If I am being honest with myself I really thought that back in 2018 too, when my favorite film of that Slamdance was also a short film called The Troubled Troubadour.
Regardless In France is the best Indie film I saw this year so far.
Em is a great storyteller. The beats are spot on, even though in the beginning you might not get that right away. Then when you have experienced the movie in its totality, you almost have to go back and look at all you were given. That is Em's masterstroke. It's subtle, it's understated because thanks to the great acting and the incredible framing of shot after important shot, you are feeling something real, some tangible, something amazing and not realizing you walked into a Hitchcockian film.
The performances are spot on. Ari Damasco is a star. The subtle work here in his eyes and lip quivers, the moments of power, the moments of genuine fear and trepidation, all inside Ari and out onto the screen with ease.
Captured brilliantly by the DP Alexa Wolfe I might add. Alexa provided the best shot in any movie in this festival as the truck rolls down the road and a small beam runs up the screen. I was blown away by that moment.
Jerry Carlton, as Michelle/Michael's dad, is also masterful. He reminds me of a violin player. just tapping the strings gently as suddenly he is giving the perfect look, like a big grandiose moment in a song, that crescendos into the best moments and most surprising elements with the right clarity and genuineness that sells Em's vision.
Again Em's script is flawless but their chess moves within the framework of the gorgeous shots and feeding off the acting is also flawless technique and execution that needs to be mentioned too. They knew how to get what they wanted from this film, and it pays off for the audience in spades.
That's what is so amazing, you get it all with this film.
I didn't even mention yet that oh-so-important supporting roles are supplementing perfect moments with either tension, apprehension, disappointment, or sympathy. all working in unison, not against each other.
Again just really completing a symphony of brilliance. This film joins a very small contingency for me of films that are more than films, they are experiences.
This film is absolutely in my Top 5 short films EVER. No doubt about that but I keep thinking also will I see a better film this year, feature-length or not? I am not sure how I will.
Well that's it for Go Indie Now's coverage of the 2021 Slamdance Film Festival. I am going to go enjoy the best of, which if you got the $10 pass already you can too. If not you can still get a $10 pass and go treat yourself to some amazing art.
Get your pass here
WHAT ARE WAITING FOR? GO....
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