For the first time in memory (if my faulting memory serves me well and it increasingly does NOT), the New Directors New Films showcase opened last evening with a documenary feature. This annual rite of the Spring film season, co-presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Film Department of the Museum of Modern Art, was ushered in by BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK, a fascinating look at the New York Times photographer and his love/hate obsession with the city he calls both his mu...

CineVegas has announced the complete lineup for its 11th Annual Festival, including Bobcat Goldthwait’s World’s Greatest Dad as the closing night film, it was announced today by Trevor Groth, Artistic Director. In addition to the opening night film, Saint John of Las Vegas, and eight “Jackpot Premieres” which were earlier announced, the 2009 Festival will offer a selection of documentaries in the “Pioneer Documentaries” section; “Diamond Discoveries” the best new independent fil...

Catherine Breillat, Michael Winterbottom, Michael Glawogger, Lucía Puenzo, and Philippe LioretShortly before completing our selection for this year’s programme, it has become evident that genuinely independent cinema – in contrast to the independents of the major studios in the early 2000s – is at an advantage due to the economic crisis. In other words: cinema now promises to become more radical and audacious again, and hence more inspiring. This development can be seen not only in a new ...

Friday, February 16----Much has been written about the "golden age of documentaries" that we suddenly and fortunately are currently immersed in. Perhaps it is a response to a violent and confusing world to which we are looking to bring knowledge, healing and understanding. Aside from aesthetic considerations, the documentary has also proven to be a highly profitable item for distributors, with such films as FAHRENHEIT 911, MARCH OF THE PENGUINS and this year's AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH...

Across three continents, "MONDOVINO" weaves together the family succession sagas of billionaire Napa Valley power brokers, the rivalry of two aristocratic Florentine dynasties and the efforts of three generations of a Burgundian family fighting to preserve their few acres of land. But are all these struggles secondary to the exploits of a gleefully mischievious pirate from Bordeaux who spreads the gospel of modernity from Italy to New York to Argentina?Wine has been a symbol of Western civiliza...