Unspool Hollywood

IMAGES OF A NORDIC DRAMA INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE at HOT DOCS 2022

Director: Nils Gaup
Producer: Linn Henriksen
Running Time: 1 hour 11 minutes
Language: English, German, Norwegian
Country: Norway, Germany
Feature Documentary

The leading character Haakon Mehren in his tiny art-crowded apartment in Oslo. The leading character Haakon Mehren in his tiny art-crowded apartment in Oslo. The leading character Haakon Mehren in his tiny art-crowded apartment in Oslo. Photo: Paranord Film

HOT DOCS 2022 FESTIVAL SCREENINGS:
PUBLIC SCREENINGS
Saturday, April 30 at 11:30am
Location: Varsity 8 (55 Bloor Street West)
Thursday, May 5 at 8:45pm
Location: Varsity 8 (55 Bloor Street West)
*Also available for online festival access.

A persistent art collector (Haakon Mehren) faces unexpected resistance while championing the work of an unknown Norwegian artist after finding a cache of paintings in a barn. Despite success abroad, the undiscovered work of Aksel Waldemar Johannessen, an admired contemporary of Edvard Munch, takes nearly three decades to launch. The painter's oil depictions of prostitutes and drunks living in miserable poverty offend the bourgeois aesthetics of Norway's art establishment and challenge the canon to the point of sabotaging his rediscovery. Will rejection by the curatorial staff at the National Museum and gatekeepers of the Munch Museum diminish Johannessen's work? An invaluable insight into art world politics, cultural institutions' ties to big business and the power of exposure, IMAGES OF A NORDIC DRAMA shows Johannessen's pieces repetitively throughout the film, to the point of familiarity, to demonstrate how contact with works of art cultivate appreciation and memorability, and how essential access is to making or breaking an audience for an artist's oeuvre.

NILS GAUP was born in Kautokeino, Northern-Norway in 1955. Gaup is an award-winning screenwriter and director with over 30 years of experience from filmmaking. His first feature film PATHFINDER (1987) was nominated for an Academy Award.
Since then, he has made numerous feature films, with IMAGES OF A NORDIC DRAMA, being his first documentary.
HAOT DOCS 2022 Link to buy tickets:
https://hotdocs.ca/whats-on/hot-docs-festival/films/2022/images-of-a-nordic-drama

@hotdocs #HotDocs22

KIMSTIM PRESENTS A TRANCE FILMS PRODUCTION

WOOD AND WATER
A FILM BY: JONAS BAK

(c) KimStim, Trance Films - Wood and Water - Anke Bak

Director, Writer and Editor: Jonas Bak
Starring: Anke Bak, Ricky Yeung, Alexandra Batten, Patrick Lo, Theresa Bak, Patrick Shum, Edward Chan, Susanne Johnssen, Lena Ackermann, Amy Aceituna and Christel Johnssen.
Music: Brian Eno
Feature Film)
Run time: 1hour 19 minutes
Country: Germany, and Hong Kong
Language: German, English and Cantonese

(c) KimStim, Trance Films - Wood and Water -

(c) KimStim, Trance Films - Wood and Water - Alexandra Batten_Anke Bak

WOOD AND WATER will be released theatrically in New York (MOMA) on March 24 with a Los Angeles and national release to follow.

WINNER! BERLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL- SPECIAL MENTION: COMPASS-PERSPEKTIVE-AWARD

OFFICIAL SELECTION: NEW DIRECTORS/ NEW FILMS FESTIVAL

With seamless grace, German director Jonas Bak moves from the tall spires of the Black Forest to the teeming skyscrapers of Hong Kong in his tranquil, deeply moving feature debut. Newly retired from her church job, Anke dreams of spending time with her grown children—including her uncommunicative and elusive son, Max, who has been living for years in Hong Kong, and who is unable to join his mother and sister back in Germany due to the ongoing pro-democracy protests.

(c) KimStim, Trance Films - Wood and Water - Anke Bak Patrick Lo

In a daring decision, Anke, though suffering from loneliness and loss, travels to Hong Kong to find Max and perhaps also herself. The people she encounters, and her experience of the city help her to break down the inner walls she constructed years ago, and make way for a new chapter in her life.

In his hushed, wholly original approach to this fish-out-of-water set-up, Bak constructs a gentle, ambiguous fable of becoming, shot on 16mm and featuring a wondrous, naturalistic performance by his own mother, Anke Bak.

Filmmaker Jonas Bak

JONAS BAK - (Writer/ Director/ Editor)

Born in Konstanz in 1985, and now based in Freiburg, Jonas Bak studied film directing at Edinburgh College of Art before moving to London in 2015, and then Hong Kong in 2018 to work as a freelance film director and director of photography.

He wrote and directed two short films, WANDERDRACHEN (2016) and ONE AND MANY (2017), both of which were screened at international film festivals including Molodist, Curtacinema Rio de Janeiro and Pacific Meridian. WOOD AND WATER (2021) is his first feature film.

ABOUT KIMSTIM

KimStim is a Brooklyn-based, full-service distribution company dedicated to releasing exceptional independent, foreign, and documentary films. KimStim brings to the US, and North American audiences selected films from around the world gleaned from the most prestigious film festivals and includes top prize winners from Sundance, Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Berlin, and Tribeca. Signature releases include Hu Bo’s epic masterpiece, AN ELEPHANT SITTING STILL, the 2020 Oscar Shortlisted Best International Feature HOPE, and HAPPY HOUR by the Oscar-Nominated Director of DRIVE MY CAR, Ryusuke Hamaguchi.

WEBSITE: www.kimstim.com

SOCIAL MEDIA:
IG: kimstim_films
TW: @KimStimFilms
FB: @kimstim

WORST TO FIRST: THE TRUE STORY OF Z100 NEW YORK Review

WORST TO FIRST THE TRUE STORY OF Z100 NEW YORK New Key Art

Director, Writer, and Producer: Mitchell Stuart
Producers: Trish Hunter Shannon, Elvis Duran, David Katz and John McConnell
Cast: Scott Shannon, Elvis Duran, Jon Bon Jovi, Nile Rodgers, Clive Davis, Debbie Gibson, Joan Jett, Taylor Dayne, Tony Orlando, Joe Piscopo, “Magic” Matthew Alan, “Professor” Jonathan B. Bell, Anita Bonita, Ross Brittain, Pete Cosenza, Michael Ellis, Gavin DeGraw, Cathy Donovan, Gary Fisher, Frank Foti, Sean “Hollywood” Hamilton, David Hinckley, Donnie Lenner, Jim Kerr, Steve Kingston, Ken Lane, Kenny Laguna, Jimi Lumia, Tom Poleman, Geraldo Rivera, Trish Hunter Shannon, Patty Steele, Claire Stevens, Mitchell Stuart, John Sykes and Jim Wood
Genre: Feature Documentary
Rating: G
Runtime: 1 hour 4 minutes

Jon Bon Jovi from Mitchell Stuart's WORST TO FIRST (Photo Credit Gunpowder & Sky)

Joan Jett from Mitchell Stuart's WORST TO FIRST (Photo Credit Gunpowder & Sky)

Taylor Dayne from Mitchell Stuart's WORST TO FIRST (Photo Credit Gunpowder and Sky)

Dare to be Different

From Secaucus, New Jersey in 1983 to taking over the media market in the Big Apple, New York, New York and becoming the 1# radio station, director, writer and a producer Mitchell Stuart's WORST TO FIRST: THE TRUE STORY OF Z100 NEW YORK tells the amazing history of Z100's rise to dominate the biggest and toughest media market in the United States.

Z100 begins its journey with DJ Scott Shannon and his out of the box and crazy format and great music of up-and-coming musical artist to legendary Elvis Duran and other Hall of Fame DJs in between. Z100 would play the music of young artist like Madonna, Jon Bon Jovi, Debbie Gibson, Joan Jett, Niles Rogers and more.

WORST TO FIRST: THE TRUE STORY OF Z100 NEW YORK features conversations with music industry legend Clive Davis, as well as Jon Bon Jovi, Debbi Gibson, Tayler Dane and others.

It is hard to imagine that the DJS at Z100There are a couple of things that stand out. The first being the realization of where Howard Stern got his radio formation. As well as the impact Z100 had on so many musical artists' early in their career.

Daring to be different with their Zoo morning show and Shock Jock format enabled Z100 to not only make a space for themselves but also to dominate the New York media market. A huge and unimaginable accomplishment at the time that is story worthy of being told.

WORST TO FIRST: THE TRUE STORY OF Z100 NEW YORK is an inspirational story of dedication and hard work against all odds that truly paid off big-time.

Release Date: Streaming February 11, 2022
Production Co: A Penguardia Productions, Elvis Duran Group, Workhouse Media and HQ Creative Production
Run time: 1 hour 4 minutes
Cast: Scott Shannon, Elvis Duran, Jon Bon Jovi, Nile Rodgers, Clive Davis, Debbie Gibson, Joan Jett, Taylor Dayne, Tony Orlando, Joe Piscopo, “Magic” Matthew Alan, “Professor” Jonathan B. Bell, Anita Bonita, Ross Brittain, Pete Cosenza, Michael Ellis, Gavin DeGraw, Cathy Donovan, Gary Fisher, Frank Foti, Sean “Hollywood” Hamilton, David Hinckley, Donnie Lenner, Jim Kerr, Steve Kingston, Ken Lane,
Kenny Laguna, Jimi Lumia, Tom Poleman, Geraldo Rivera, Trish Hunter Shannon, Patty Steele, Claire Stevens, Mitchell Stuart, John Sykes and Jim Wood
Director, Writer and Producer: Mitchell Stuart
Cinematography: John Carlo Serrano
Editors: Alex Dolginko, Corey Williams
Music: Martin John Butler, Alex Dolginko, Mitchell Stuart

MITCHELL STUART is a multiple film festival and Emmy-Award winning filmmaker and storyteller of compelling documentaries, groundbreaking digital series and industry-disrupting brand campaigns. Whether following his heart to tell an inspirational, against all odds story about female freedom fighters in Africa, or honoring his lifelong passion for music and filmmaking, Mitchell tells authentic stories that move and engage an audience.

Known for riveting, thought-provoking visuals and for often composing original music for the soundtracks of his films, he has been honored with 15 NY Emmy-Award Nominations for his music and entertainment documentary series, the Emmy-Award Winning Road to MSG, featuring Jay Z, Earth Wind & Fire, Chicago, Z100’s Jingle Ball concerts with Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, John Mayer, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and more. Dozens of film festivals throughout the world have honored him and his partner, Cheryl Halpern, winning awards for directing, best film, social justice, world peace and humanitarian efforts with their documentaries, Natsanat (Ethiopian for freedom), Fighting to be Free and Remembering Maurits Kiek.

Working closely with the Broadway community, Mitchell spearheaded the documentary-style Tony Award Campaign for Moulin Rouge the Musical resulting in 14 Tony Award nominations. He was also directed a uniquely cinematic short film on the return to Broadway of Phantom of the Opera, and Broadway’s partnership with the MTA, The Only Sure Way to Broadway.

A proud born and bred New Yorker, his natural drive for diving deeper into his research preparation has led to stellar work with a diverse and brilliant who’s who list of musicians and newsmakers including The Who, Rod Stewart, Trevor Noah, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Jon Bon Jovi, Sting and The Foo Fighters in first concert celebrating the return of live music to Madison Square Garden post COVID-19.

THERAPY DOGS: New Trailer World Premiere at the 2022 Slamdance Film Festival January 27, 2022 – February 6, 2022

A Film by: Ethan Eng

Two best friends set out to create the ultimate senior video for their graduating class of 2019.

Ethan and his best friend Justin are students trying to make sense of their high school existence. In what will be the last chapter of their teenage lives and the beginning of adulthood beyond, they decide to make the ultimate senior video in their search for answers. Exploring teenage suburbia in a no-brakes adventure, questions arise whether there’s more to their lives than simply growing up.

A headstrong and experimental feature, THERAPY DOGS is more than a coming-of-age film, it’s a time capsule for the rebellious. For the ones that pushed the boundaries when deciding to leave their childhood behind.

THERAPY DOGS is executive produced by Matthew Miller and Matt Johnson, who took Slamdance by storm in 2013 with their debut feature “The Dirties”, and Sundance in 2016 with “Operation Avalanche”.

THERAPY DOGS will be having its World Premiere in competition, in the Narrative Features section at the 2022 Slamdance Film Festival.

To purchase a festival pass, please visit https://slamdance.com/2022- passes/

VIEW TRAILER BELOW!

‘CIVIL WAR, An Urgent Reflection on America’s Collective Memory’ Premieres on MSNBC on Sunday, October 24 at 10:00pm ET

Directer: Rachel Boynton
Executive Producers by Henry Louis Gates Jr. & Sam Pollard
Genre: Documentary
Runtime: 1 hour 40 minutes
Country: USA:

“In this time of reckoning in the country, Rachel Boynton’s journey into the heart of Civil War memory reveals just how contested, and personal, the meaning of this defining event in our history remains.” – Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

“[A] remarkable documentary… Delicately artful… There is
no shortage of provocative inquiry, or empathy, or understanding.”
– John Anderson, The Wall Street Journal

Union and Confederate veterans shaking hands at reunion to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg as seen in Civil War (or, Who Do We Think We Are) , directed by Rachel Boyton. Image courtesy of the U.S. Library of Congress.

CIVIL WAR (OR, WHO DO WE THINK WE ARE), a timely and probing look at how Americans tell the story of their Civil War and its legacy of slavery and racism, will premiere on MSNBC on Sunday, October 24 at 10:00pm ET. Directed by three-time Emmy nominee Rachel Boynton (Big Men, Our Brand is Crisis), the film includes Henry Louis Gates Jr., Sam Pollard and Brad Pitt among its executive producers.

CIVIL WAR (OR, WHO DO WE THINK WE ARE) travels across the United States—particularly to its classrooms—to explore the different ways the Civil War has been taught and interpreted, commemorated and celebrated. Filmed from the last year of Obama’s presidency through the present, it interweaves insightful scenes and candid interviews filmed North and South, painting a uniquely crafted, multi-faceted portrait of our national narrative. With subtlety and determination, CIVIL WAR portrays a nation in denial, haunted by an embittered past and the stories it refuses to tell.

CIVIL WAR (OR, WHO DO WE THINK WE ARE) was written and directed by Rachel Boynton and produced by Rachel Boynton and Erika Dilday. It was shot by Nelson Walker and edited by Steven Golliday, Mark Juergens and Rachel Boynton. Executive producers are Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremey Kleiner, Steven Shainberg, Sam Pollard, Robert S. Kravis, and Rick Rosenthall. Music is by Nathan Larson.

An unidentified African American soldier in a Union uniform with wife and two daughters as seen in Civil War (or, Who Do We Think We Are) , directed by Rachel Boyton. Image courtesy of the U.S. Library of Cong

A confederate statue in front of the old courthouse building in Lexington, MS as seen in Civil War (or, Who Do We Think We Are) , directed by Rachel Boyton. Photo credit: Nelson Walker III

Rachel Boyton, director of Civil War (or, Who Do We Think We Are). Photo credit: Justine Cooper

About the Director Rachel Boynton

This is Rachel Boynton’s third film in a series examining the systems that control how Americans live and relate to the rest of the world. She consistently probes and questions the beliefs and stories that bind America as a nation. Her first feature documentary, Our Brand is Crisis, explored democracy and democratic ideals: it followed a group of American political consultants as they traveled to South America to help Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada become President of Bolivia. It was the winner of the International Documentary Association's Best Feature Documentary Award and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. Rachel’s second film, Big Men, explored international capitalism and its principles: it focused on Americans operating in the oil industry in West Africa. Big Men was released theatrically in the US in 2014 and aired on the PBS series POV. The film was nominated for three News and Documentary Emmy Awards including Best Documentary. Civil War is Rachel's first film to be shot exclusively in the United States.

‘MY DEAD DAD’ World Premiere at 2021 Woodstock Film Festival

Directed by: Fabio Frey
Written by: Pedro Correa and Fabio Frey
Starring: Pedro Correa, Raymond Cruz, Courtney Dietz, Simon Rex, Booboo Stewart, Chris Pontius, and Steven Bauer
Runtime: 1 hour 33 minutes
Rating: Note yet rated
Genre: Drama

"A breath of fresh air."
- Nathan Nugent, ROOM

"Both explosive, yet grounded."
- Rick Montgomery, GREEN BOOK

"Pedro Correa in a standout performance."
- Randy Myers, BAY CITY NEWS

World Premiere

2021 Woodstock Film Festival
MY DEAD DAD |
Friday, October 1st @ 4pm - Tinker Street Cinema - World Premiere
Sunday, October 3rd @ 11am - Orpheum Theater - second screening

California Premiere
2021 Mill Valley Film Festival
MY DEAD DAD
Saturday, October 9th @ 6pm - Smith Rafael Film Center
Monday, October 11th @ 3pm - Smith Rafael Film Center - second screening

Texas Premiere
2021 Austin Film Festival
MY DEAD DAD
Friday, October 22nd @ 7:15pm - Galaxy Highland 6 - Texas Premiere
Wednesday, October 26th @ 4pm - Galaxy Highland 5 - second screening

Raymond Cruz

In this charming coming-of-age drama, young burnout Lucas (Pedro Correa) is notified that his estranged father has passed away. Relieved to never have to hear about him again, Lucas learns that his father left him the responsibility of managing an apartment complex in Los Angeles. Determined to sell off the complex without a second thought, Lucas meets the eclectic tenants, and soon discovers his father was a different man than the one he knew.

"Every step of the way, from pre-production to post, we were faced with logistical and financial roadblocks, yet I can say that the many big things that could have easily shut production down somehow always missed us, lucky break after lucky break." says writer/director Fabio Frey. "At the end of the day, I'm proud of what we made with the amazing supporters who believed in us. I hope it gives our audience a sense of catharsis, the way it did for us, and the courage to revisit memories they have buried away."

Website: www.mydeaddadmovie.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/mydeaddadmovie
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mydeaddadmovie
Twitter: www.twitter.com/mydeaddadmovie

Director: Fabio Frey
Writers: Fabio Frey, Pedro Correa
Producers: Pedro Correa and Tara Ansley
Executive Producers: Declan Baldwin and Karl Hartman
Editor: Theo Cowen
Cinematographer: Alejandro Ramos
Composer: David M. Saunders
A film by Never Norm Films, Wanderwell Entertainment, and Big Indie Pictures

VIEW TRAILER BELOW!

LABYRINTH OF CINEMA New York Theatrical Release October 20th

Director: Nobuhiko Obayashi (House)
Cast: Takuro Atsuki, Takahito Hosoyamada, Yoshihiko Hosoda, Rei Yoshida, Riko Narumi, Hirona Yamazaki, Takako Tokiwa
Genre: Feature
Language: Japanese with English subtitles
Country: Japanese
Runtime: 2 hours 59 minutes

Labyrinth Of Cinema Photo Credit:: Crescendo House

LABYRINTH OF CINEMA will be released at The Metrograph in New York on October 20 with a Los Angeles and nationwide theatrical release to follow.

The final film by Nobuhiko Obayashi finds the late director returning to the subject of Japan’s history of warfare following the completion of his “War Trilogy,” which ended with Hanagatami. On the last night of its existence, a small movie theater in Onomichi—the seaside town of Obayashi’s youth where he shot nearly a dozen films—screens an all-night marathon of Japanese war films. When lightning strikes the theater, three young men are transported into the world onscreen where they experience the violent battles of several wars leading up to the bombing of Hiroshima. A breathless cinematic journey through Japan’s past, Labyrinth of Cinema finds Obayashi using every trick in his book to create an awe-inspiring, visually resplendent anti-war epic that urges us to consider cinema as a means to change history. The culmination of an exceptional 60-year career worth celebrating.

Born in Hiroshima in 1938, Nobuhiko Obayashi was a director, screenwriter and editor of films and television advertisements. He began his filmmaking career as a pioneer of Japanese experimental films before transitioning to directing more mainstream media, and his resulting filmography as a director spanned almost 60 years.

He was notable for his distinct surreal filmmaking style, as well as the anti-war themes commonly embedded in his films. He died on 10 April 2020 at the age of 82, from lung cancer in Tokyo.

“Forget a swan song: Nobuhiko Obayashi’s final film is a shriek, a tirade, a lecture and a rollicking action-adventure stuffed into a three-hour pop-art package.”

—The New York Times

ABOUT CRESCENDO HOUSE

Crescendo House is a new boutique distribution company that aims to reinvigorate the American film landscape with a new model for distribution. Our goal is to expand the mainstream visibility of international or otherwise underrepresented films in order to provide viewers with an array of choices that more accurately reflects the diverse world we inhabit.

For more information: https://crescendo.house/

View Trailer Below!

BAD ATTITUDE: The Art of Spain Rodriguez California Premiere at the 2021 Mill Valley Film Festival

Directed by: Susan Stern
Featuring: Spain Rodriguez, R. Crumb, Art Spiegelman, Trina Robbins, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, Ed Piskor, Nora Rodriguez, and Susan Stern Runtime: 1 hour 11 Minutes
Rating: | Not Yet Rated
Genre: Documentary

Moving, thought-provoking, both personal and political, Bad Attitude: The Art of Spain Rodriguez explores the controversial art and life of the legendary underground cartoonist through the lens of his wife, Emmy-nominated filmmaker Susan Stern.

From the propaganda comics of WWII, to the underground comics breakthrough in 1960s New York and San Francisco, to the graphic novels of today, Bad Attitude is an enthralling history of comics and a rousing call to art and activism. Featuring a roster of friends and family, Bad Attitude dives deep into Spain’s life with insight from comics luminaries R. Crumb, Art Spiegelman, Trina Robbins, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, and Ed Piskor, and features animation by Spain’s daughter, the New York-based artist, Nora Rodriguez.

“Bad Attitude is a love letter to my partner in art and life, Spain Rodriguez, but it is also a love letter to all activists, especially artist-activists,” says director Susan Stern. “I hope Bad Attitude creates a space for conversation about the art and social justice we are trying to make, the ways we fail, and how we can be forgiven.”

BAD ATTITUDE: The Art of Spain Rodriguez | 2021 Mill Valley Film Festival

Premiere Screening - Thursday, October 14th @ 7:30pm - Sequoia 2, Mill Valley.

2nd Screening - Saturday, October 16th -@ 7:00pm - Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley.

Bay Area Films at the 44th Annual Mill Valley Film Festival https://www.mvff.com/mvff44-bay-area-films/

Website: www.badattitudedoc.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/badattitudedoc
Twitter: www.twitter.com/badattitudedoc
Instagram: www.instagram.com/badattitudedoc

Director and Producer: Susan Stern
Associate Producer by Victoria B. Fender
Edit0r: Elizabeth Finlayson, Jim Klein, Bill Weber, and Fender
Cinematographer: Naiti Gámez and Vicente Franco
Original Score: B. Quincy Griffin
Music: Santana, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jesse Hill, Ben King, The Fugs, and Charles Mingus
Featuring: Spain Rodriguez, comics luminaries R. Crumb, Art Spiegelman, Trina Robbins, Aline Kominsky-Crumb and Ed Piskor
Writers: Ishmael Reed, feminist critics Susie Bright and Andi Zeisler, and Mission District artists René Yañez, Rio Yañez and Yolanda López
A Bernal Beach Films production

View Trailer Below!

OUR AMERICAN FAMILY World Premiere at Woodstock Film Festival 2021

A World of HA Productions Film in association with Atlas Industries and The Intellectual Property Corporation Presents OUR AMERICAN FAMILY

Directors & Producers: Hallee Adelman, Sean King O’Grady
Genre: Documentary
Country: USA
Runtime: 1 hour 27 minutes

WOODSTOCK FILM FESTIVAL 2021 Screenings:

WORLD PREMIERE--Saturday October 2 @ 3:45pm at the Bearsville Theater (291 Tinker St. Woodstock NY, 12498)

Sunday October 3 @ 2:00pm at Orpheum Saugerties Theater
(156 Main St. Saugerties NY, 12477).

OUR AMERICAN FAMILY is a radically honest, unfiltered portrait of a close-knit Philadelphia family fighting its greatest nemesis: generational addiction. Beginning with a pivotal, “nothing to lose” moment, then captured over the course of the following year, five family members tired of life plagued by addiction on center stage, each struggle to transcend their crippling histories: a mother who learned from childhood to enable her own mother’s addiction, a daughter who doesn’t know who she is without a substance, a son who learned everything about “Heroin 101” from his sister, a younger son who feels alone but acts content to ease the family’s burden, and a stepfather who wonders if addiction is really a disease or simply a by-product of laziness. What will it take to shift this entrenched, wrenching pattern in their lives? How will they each free themselves from their interlocking fates? Will they be able to make significant changes to help their next generation? The members of OUR AMERICAN FAMILY invite us into their lives to find hope and to explore what is possible. No experts. No drug use. No melodrama.

WFF 2021 WEBSITE FOR TICKETS:
https://woodstockfilmfestival.eventive.org/films/our-american-family-60e5d6fb66fa930069afa5bd

FILM WEBSITE:
https://ouramericanfamilyfilm.com

Instagram: @ OurAmericanFamilyFilm
Facebook: @ OurAmericanFamilyFilm
Twitter: @OurAmerFamFilm

PR CONTACT:
EMMA GRIFFITHS, EG PR
E: EMMA@EG-PR.COM

SALES CONTACT:
SUBMARINE/ BEN SCHWARTZ
SCHWARTZ@SUBMARINE.COM

FIRE MUSIC: Movie Review

Submarine DELUXE Presents In Association with Joseph Wemple, Films We Like, Mexican Summer and Nothing Is...

FIRE MUSIC

John Coltrane
©Lee Tanner - The Jazz Image

Director and Writer: Tom Surgal
Featuring: Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, John Coltrane, Alber Ayler, Sun Ra, Eric Dolphy, and many more
Genre: Documentary
Language: English
Country: U.S.A.
Runtime: 1 hour 26 minutes

A Crash Course in Free Jazz 101

The Angry form of improvisational jazz comes to life in Tom Surgal's documentary 'FIRE MUSIC'.

The history of this under appreciated form of of Jazz begins with the 1956 release of Cecil Taylor's first album Jazz Advance. It was Ornette Coleman's first album Something Else!!!! and his later release
Free Jazz: A Collective that gave us the first of freely improvised music., Sun Ra's Jazz in Sihoutte, Archie Shepp's, Albert Aylar's, Bill Dison's contributions are highlighted in Surgal's musical documentary.

Sun Ra December 1968 Photo @Baron Wolman

The sounds of John Coltran's Ascension, his take on the style of free improvisation. There is Don Cherry,
who moved the needle of Free Jazz to the inclusion of international musicians that lead to Alex von Schlippenbach's
release of the first Globe Unity Album.

You hear the sounds of the Art Ensemble of Chicago with Wadada Leo Smith and Anthony Braxton. Peter Brotzmann and his
groundbreaking recording Machine Gun that showcases Evan Parker and Han Bennink.

Tom Surga. Photo: Lin Culbertson

Understanding is an important quality to have and Surgal's documentary gives you just that, an understanding of Free Jazz
that assist in the appreciation of this radical form of music known as Free Jazz.

Run time: 1 hour 26 minutes
Featuring: Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, John Coltrane, Alber Ayler, Sun Ra, Eric Dolphy, and many more
Director and Writer: Tom Surgal
Producers: Dan Braun, Joseph Wemple
Executive Producer: Ron Mann
Cinematography: Dan Ehrenbard
Editor and Co-Writer: John Northrup
Composer: Lin Culbertson