RICHARD PENA ON HIS WORK III Do you think that the continued expansion of film festivals is indication of the growing cinematic interest by the audience?I wish it were that. I don’t know. It is probably an indication of more people looking for ways of having jobs that are more glamorous. I am not sure how much it helps films. The vast majority of the festivals have no impact on the films at all. In the best possible of all worlds it is a nice cultural activity, but they do not really affec...
Richard Peña, Program Director of the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Chairman of the Selection Committee of the New York Film Festival, is a film curator and scholar whose wide-ranging knowledge of the medium includes a special expertise and interest in Latin American, Asian, and Arab cinemas.Program Director of the Film Society and Festival Selection Committee Chair since 1988, Mr. Peña has brought a visionary zeal and enthusiasm and a remarkable variety of programs both to the Festival a...
This is the first of a three part interview for filmfestivals.com by Claus MuellerRichard Peña on his WorkRichard Peña, noted film curator and scholar, is in charge of the New York Film Festival and the programs of the Film Society of Lincoln Center. Since his appointment in 1988, Mr. Peña has enhanced festival standing as the most selective and influential cinema event in North America, and extended the Film Society’s programs to cover in depth year-round retrospectives of influential film...
SAN FRANCISCO FILM SOCIETY NAMES GRAHAM LEGGAT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR San Francisco, CA The San Francisco Film Society announces the appointment of Graham Leggat as Executive Director, effective October 17, 2005.³We¹re delighted that Graham is taking the helm at the Film Society,² said George Gund III, chairman of the Film Society¹s board of directors. ³His admirable breadth and depth of experience at major New York film organizations that have many elements and goals in common with the Film...
The New York Film Festival, the Big Apple’s oldest and most prestigious film event, announced the 24 features for its 43rd edition, which will run from September 24 to October 9 at its home base of Lincoln Center.The Festival will open with GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK, the directorial debut of actor-turned-director George Clooney, following its debut screenings at the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals. The film chronicles the story of legendary American broadcaster Edward R. Murrow, whose groundb...
Two masters of the art of the cinema are being honored in New York at career retrospectives at two of New York’s most venerable film institutions, starting this past weekend. The Museum of Modern Art, which has one of the world’s most celebrated film archives, will present three defining films from the career of Taiwanese director Edward Yang, to mark the publication of a new monograph on the filmmaker by celebrated film critic and historian John Anderson. The filmmaker is revered as a moder...
NEW DIRECTORS, NEW FILMS: A GLOBAL VIEWThe 34th edition of New Directors/New Films, one of New York’s film highlights, opened this past weekend, another sign of a long delayed Spring for a city that has suffered through one of its coldest winters in fifty years. Anticipation is high among the city’s intrepid film adventurers, not only for the films themselves, but for their (partial) presentation at the expensively refurbished Museum of Modern Art (which just opened in November after a sixty...
FRENCH CINEMA HEATS UP SNOWY NEW YORKWhile winter continues to hold a grip on New York City just days away from the official start of Spring, the scent of optimism, passion and love is palpable, as the annual Rendez-Vous With French Cinema, an exquisite showcase of the finest films from la Belle France, begins this weekend at New York’s Lincoln Center.New York has had a long love affair with French cinema. From the pre-war classics of Jean Renoir, Jean Vigo and Marcel Carne, the film noir oeuv...
New York Jewish Film Festival January 12 – 27, 2005In cooperation with the Film Society of Lincoln Center, the New York Jewish Film Festival presented its 14th annual edition at the Read Theatre, screening also at the Jewish Museum and a local venue. The fest was organized by the Jewish Museum with support from several foundations, New York City’s Department of Cultural Affaires, the Israeli Office of Cultural Affairs in the US and other sources. The festival is part of the thriving ethnic f...
In a remarkably crowded end-of-year film season, New York film audiences are buzzing about the excitement being created by European films, which have been on abundant display in theaters across town. In short, New York loves European cinema.Of course, this is no new story. The films of pioneers Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini, Francois Truffaut and Luis Bunuel first took root with New York film critics and film buffs. The Festival’s major film festivals always feature a strong contingent of f...
JAOUI OPENS NEW YORK FILM FESTIVALThe 42nd edition of the New York Film Festival opened this past weekend, with one of its most diverse and anticipated slates in recent years. Featuring an exciting mix of the new works of acknowledged film masters and fresh discoveries, the Festival, presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, is generally acknowledged as the crown jewel of film events in a city that boasts more than 25 film festivals during the year. “It is the gold standard as far as Ne...
The 42nd edition of the New York Film Festival helmed by Richard Pena opened to raving reviews affirming its unique position as an upscale intellectually oriented festnot compromising its criteria to compete with the new Tribeca film festival. Out of 25 features from 21 countries produced this year and not shown before in the United States eight were made in the U.S. but none of these films corresponded to “Hollywood fare”. Even Sam Fuller’s reconstructed 1980 studio production THE BIG RED...
THE HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL AND indieWIRE SET TO TOAST MARCIE BLOOMThe Hamptons International Film Festival is presenting its 12th anniversary season this October 20th – 24th, 2004. The Hamptons Festival is a celebration of film – its art, its excitement, its people. This year, the Festival partners with indieWIRE to inaugurate a new event where we celebrate a person or persons who best exemplifies the spirit of the independent film world and whose energy, vision, and acumen ...
SIR MICHAEL CAINE TO BE HONORED AT THE ANNUAL GALA TRIBUTE AT THE FILM SOCIETY OF THE LINCOLN CENTER7 pm, APRIL 26, 2004 at AVERY FISHER HALLThe event, which annually honors major figures in the film world, will take place Monday, April 26, 2004 at 7pm at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall. The evening will consist of highlights from Caine’s impressive film career and on-stage appearances by actors and directors with whom he has worked. Confirmed participants (as of March 29) are Sean Conner...
Rendez-Vous with French CinemaMarch 12 -21Rendez-Vous 2004 is presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, Unifrance and The French Film Office / Unifrance USA, together with The French Cultural Services. Sponsored by Air France and TV5. Directors and Actors Attending Rendez-Vous 2004 (Check website for specific showtimes): • Nathalie Baye, actress, Feelings• Siegrid Alnoy, director, She’s One of Us• Grégory Baquet, actor, Grande Ecole• Gilles Bourdos, director, A Sight for Sore E...
PETER JACKSON AND CAST MEMBERS INTRODUCING SPECIAL SCREENING OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY Unique Special Extended Editions To Be Screened Together As One EventOn January 10-11, The Film Society of Lincoln Center and New Line Cinema will present a weekend-long screening series of the Special Extended Editions of the first two films in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, followed by the third and final film, The Return of the King, at Lincoln Center. This will be the first time th...
AN EVENING WITH SIR BEN KINGSLEY
with a screening of HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG on Thursday, December 18 at 6:30pm
Walter Reade Theater, Lincoln Center
The Film Society of Lincoln Center presents AN EVENING WITH SIR BEN KINGSLEY on Thursday, December 18, 2003 at 6:30 pm at the Walter Reade Theater. This special event will include a preview screening of House of Sand and Fog (Dreamworks) followed by a conversation with Sir Ben Kingsley and the Film Society’s Kent Jones.
Academy Award®...
