Director Spike Lee returns to New Orleans 5 years after the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina.
Spike Lee Interview for ‘If God is Willing and Da Creek Don’t Rise’
Five years after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans remains one of the most troubled places in the United States. Its woes are a consequence of the civic collapse that preceded Katrina, the devastating levee failures following the storm, and most recently, the unrivaled environmental devastation from the BP oil disaster. But New Orleans also remains the heart of American culture. It’s a place unrivaled in vernacular richness where people come from world around to eat, drink, listen and see — to live for a few days like many of us here live every day. Is it possible that the national seat of American tragedy can also redeem this country by refusing to give up its bon temps while fighting for its survival?
Spike Lee gives his answer in a new documentary, “If God Is Willing and da Creek Don’t Rise,” a loosely structured, four-hour meditation on everything right and wrong with New Orleans five years after Katrina. It premieres Aug. 23 and 24 on HBO.
The tensions are on display from the film’s opening. Its first scenes include, in sequence, an angry and defiant poem (”No more use of our Gulf Coast waters, wetlands, heritage and soil/ No more ‘Up yours Louisiana,’ because we all know there’s blood in that BP oil/ If God is willing and the creek don’t rise”) read by the star of Lee’s earlier New Orleans documentary, Phyllis Montana-LeBlanc (now a star of David Simon’s “Treme”); images memorializing Katrina’s devastation; and the joyous celebrations of the Saints’ improbable 2009 Super Bowl victory. Interviewed in a throng of people following the Saints win, an unnamed woman sums it up, “Four and a half years ago we lost our home during the flood, and we are so privileged and honored to be here. Living in New Orleans is a privilege. It’s not easy, but it’s a privilege and a blessing.”
Natalie Portman stars in Darren Aronofsky’s upcoming film “Black Swan“. The film about an aging ballerina is set to debut opening night at the Venice Film festival in September. Check out the trailer which features a split second smooch between Portman and her co-star Mila Kunis.
The new trailer has just leaked for Joaquin Phoenix’s “I’m Still Here” rap documentary. We couldn’t tell if this provided any further insight into the Oscar nominated actor’s recent bizarre behavior. Joaquin got everyone talking after his Letterman appearance and public announcement that he was quitting acting to pursue his dreams as a rap star. Check out a cameo from rap royalty Diddy. The movie directed by Phoequin’s brother in law Casey Affleck hits theaters in September.
We could see that poor Joaquin Phoenix needs a bath, a shave, a haircut, rehab and a serious intervention if this doc is really based on his life. We hope this is not foreshadowing River Phoenix’s tragic downfall. Joaquin is talented. Hopefully he will be able to get his life back on track.
Creative Producing Labs Held for Feature Film and Documentary Fellows Prior to the Summit
Sundance Institute announced a series of initiatives designed to support independent producers in feature film and documentary. Activities include the Creative Producing Labs, Fellowships and the annual Creative Producing Summit all combining to help emerging independent filmmakers navigate the newest trends in the business of creating and distributing independent film.
50 Cent stopped by the View on Wednesday to discuss his dramatic weight loss for the movie Things Fall Apart. The rapper claims he found inspiration studied Robert DeNiro to prepare for his acting role.
Isn’t it a shame that Fiddy lost the weight but he still doesn’t have the acting chops? His latest film, Twelve, received mixed reviews after it debuted at Sundance earlier this year. Can you believe he stopped by the View a day before Barack Obama’s historic visit?
This reminds us of some interesting points that were raised in the short documentary film Barack & Curtis Manhood, Power and Respect directed by Byron Hurt.
Eleven Documentary and Narrative Feature Film Projects Selected for Development, Production
and Post-Production Support
LOS ANGELES, CA – Sundance Institute and Cinereach announced today the 2010 projects awarded grants for development, production, or post-production as part of a $1.5 million, three-year initiative, The Cinereach Project at Sundance Institute. The initiative is designed to support documentary and narrative feature film projects with themes that evoke global cultural exchange and social impact, and projects representing emerging and innovative voices selected for their distinctive and personal storytelling. The Cinereach Project at Sundance Institute is directly supporting eleven projects, each at a critical moment in their development.
In addition to grant awards, The Cinereach Project at Sundance Institute includes core artist support activity at the Sundance Screenwriters Lab, Directors Lab, Documentary Edit & Story Lab, Composers & Documentary Lab, the Creative Producing Feature and Documentary Labs, and the Sundance Film Festival.
“The unique partnership between Sundance Institute and Cinereach enables a deeper support of innovative independent film,” said Keri Putnam, Executive Director, Sundance Institute. “The initiative is an extension of the ongoing support provided by the Sundance Institute through our Labs and funding opportunities, dedicated to nurturing artists’ individual voices. We’re thrilled to be working with Cinereach to support these eleven documentary and narrative feature film projects at critical stages in their development.”
“I’m heartened by the breadth of support that has touched a dynamic group of projects in such a short time. Today’s filmmakers are charting their own destinies and it’s critical their custodians adapt alongside them,” said Philipp Engelhorn, Cinereach Founder and Executive Director. “We’re thrilled with our partnership with the Sundance Institute, and I believe the results are indicative of the power of collaboration in uncharted times.”
Projects recently selected as Sundance Institute Cinereach Grantees through the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program include:
POST PRODUCTION GRANTING
Yelling to the Sky
Writer-director: Victoria Mahoney (Sundance Institute Directors and Screenwriters Lab Fellow)
Producer: Diane Houslin (Sundance Institute Creative Producing Fellow)
In a distressed New York neighborhood, the younger of two mixed-race sisters navigates an identity between the known: a violent life of crime, and the unknown: a life of purpose and meaning.
Here
Director: Braden King (Sundance Institute Directors and Screenwriters Lab Fellow)
Writers: Braden King and Dani Valent
Producers: Jay Van Hoy and Lars Knudsen
Cartographer Will Shepard hits the road for his latest job: to create a new, more accurate satellite survey of Armenia. During his assignment, he forms a bond with an Armenian expatriate and art photographer.
PRODUCTION GRANTING
On the Ice
Writer-director: Andrew Okpeaha MacLean (Sundance Institute Directors and
Screenwriters Lab Fellow)
Producers: Cara Marcous (Sundance Institute Creative Producing Fellow) and Lynette Howell
On the snow-covered arctic tundra, at the top of the world in Barrow, Alaska, two Iñuit teenagers try to get away with murder.
DEVELOPMENT GRANTING
Postcards from the Zoo
Co-writer-director: Edwin (Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab Fellow)
Co-writer: Daud Sumolang (Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab Fellow)
Producers: Meiske Taurisia, Lorna Tee
After being abandoned at a young age at the zoo, a young woman leaves her magical childhood behind to discover the world outside.
The Ruined Cast
Writer-director: Dash Shaw (Sundance Institute Directors and Screenwriters Fellow)
Producers: Howard Gertler, John Cameron Mitchell
Told with hand-drawn animation, a disconnected family is thrown into chaos when the scientist father loses the test subject of his experiment with appearance-altering technology.
Projects recently selected as Sundance Institute Cinereach Grantees through the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program include:
DEVELOPMENT GRANTING
The Arizona Project (Working Title)
Directors: Carlos Sandoval and Catherine Tambini
Reporting from the frontlines of the new battle for America’s soul, filmmakers Carlos Sandoval and Catherine Tambini follow the volatile, unfolding story of Arizona’s racially charged immigration law, Senate Bill 1070.
Untitled Margaret Brown Oil Spill Documentary
Director: Margaret Brown
Margaret Brown’s new documentary is an investigation into the personal stories behind the tragic 2010 BP Oil Spill. The film uncovers how government and corporate interests respond in the wake of an environmental crisis, and the way this affects a region and culture so rooted in nature.
Untitled Documentary by Lauren Greenfield
Director: Lauren Greenfield
This untitled cinema verite film by Lauren Greenfield is a portrait of an American family against the backdrop of the financial crisis.
Projects previously selected and announced as Sundance Institute Cinereach Grantees through the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program in December 2009 included 25 to Life (Director: Mike Brown); The Fire This Time (Director: Blair Doroshwalther); and Gasland (Director: Josh Fox).
The Cinereach Project at Sundance Institute supports a unique and flexible resource pool for documentary and feature filmmakers and their projects. The Project consists of a discretionary fund that can be used towards projects by filmmakers that are participating in Sundance Institute’s existing Feature Film Program and Documentary Film Program, and are in need of urgent support. As a result of this unique partnership, Sundance Institute is more equipped to bridge funding and creative support gaps at critical stages of its Fellows’ projects.
About Sundance Institute
Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is a not-for-profit organization that fosters the
development of original storytelling in film and theatre, and presents the annual Sundance Film Festival.
Internationally recognized for its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers,
film composers, playwrights and theatre artists, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Angels in America, Spring Awakening, Boys Don’t Cry and Trouble the Water. www.sundance.org.
Lindsay Lohan is now serving her 90 day jail term in a California prison. According to inmates Lilo is affectionately referred to as a ‘fish”. The Mean Girls actress was sentenced to enter a 90 day stint in rehab after she finishes her Twitterless prison time. Lindsay is not allowed to use Twitter, smoke or wear hair extensions during her prison stay.
Lindsay Lohan is now a “fish.”
That’s what new inmates at the women’s jail are called, and to underscore their lowly status, each is given what’s called a “fish kit,” which is a sandwich bag containing a small tube of toothpaste, a white toothbrush, three packets of cream deodorant, three packets of shampoo and a small bar of soap.“Nothing is name brand. They’re all generic and cheap quality,” says Michelle, a former inmate who declined to give her last name, about the intake process at the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood, Calif.
As Lohan, 24, begins her 90-day sentence for violating probation in a DUI case, a strange and surreal world awaits, far from the perks and freedoms she enjoys during her jet-setting lifestyle – save one. She’ll have a show-business neighbor.
According to a jail insider, Lohan will be housed in a 12-by-8 cell next to E! reality TV star Alexis Neiers, 19, who’s currently at Lynwood on a six-month sentence for her part in burglarizing Orlando Bloom’s house.But Neiers got the more famous digs: She’s in the cell once occupied by Paris Hilton.
Pit No. 8
Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program is made possible by generous support from The Ford Foundation, Open Society Institute, the Skoll Foundation, The Charles Engelhard Foundation, Cinereach, the MacArthur Foundation, the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney Foundation, the Woodruff Charitable Memorial Trust and the Bastian Foundation. Sundance Institute also gratefully acknowledges the generous assistance provided by the following organizations: Alesis Corporation, Apple Computer, Avid Technology, Inc., Hewlett-Packard Company, HP Marketing, JBL Professional, LaCie Limited, Mackie, Mark of the Unicorn, Sony Business and Professional Products, Sony Media, Sony SXRD and Soundcraft.
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