The Film Society of Lincoln Center and The Museum of Modern Art today announced seven official selections for the 2012 New Directors/New Films Festival (March 21–April 1). Dedicated to the discovery of new works by emerging and dynamic filmmaking talent, the 2012 edition marks the film festival’s 41st year.n nRepresenting seven countries from around the world, the initial seven selections are Karl Markovics’ BREATHING (Austria), Anca Damian’s CRULIC: THE PATH TO BEYOND (Romania), Julia Murat’s FOUND MEMORIES (Brazil), Pablo Giorgelli’s LAS ACACIAS (Argentina), Joachim Trier’s OSLO 31, AUGUST 31ST (Norway), Alejandro Landes’s PORFIRIO (Colombia) and Angelina Nikonova’s TWILIGHT PORTRAIT (Russia).n n”A testament to the vitality of international auteurist cinema, our initial titles set a high bar for emerging directors this year. As in past years, the New Directors class of 2012 promises to generate talent that will rank notably amongst the most innovative and influential in the field,” said Rajendra Roy, The Celeste Bartos Chief Curator, Department of Film, The Museum of Modern Art.n nMurat’s FOUND MEMORIES was named Best Film in the New Horizons category at the Abu Dhabi International Film Festival and received a Special Mention at the San Sebastian International Film Festival, while Giorgelli’s LAS ACACIAS was the winner of the Camera d’Or and a favorite of the 2011 Cannes Critics Week. The film has been described as a genre-straddling gem by The Guardian.n nFilm Society of Lincoln Center Program Director Richard Pena added, “Even with the lion’s share of films still to be selected, the year’s first crop for ND/NF introduces a group of filmmakers both exceptionally accomplished in their storytelling as well as adventurous in their approach to filmmaking.”n nDirecting debuts include veteran Austrian actor Markovics’s BREATHING and Nikonova’s TWILIGHT PORTRAIT, winner of the Golden Alexander Best Film Award at the Thessaloniki Film Festival, which she co-produced and co-wrote with the film’s lead actress Olga Dihovichnaya.n nJoachim Trier’s OSLO, AUGUST 31ST, which premieres at the Sundance Film Festival this week, marks the filmmaker’s return to New Directors/New Films, where he premiered his debut feature REPRISE in 2007. Additional sophomore efforts are Damian’s animated documentary CRULIC: THE PATH TO BEYOND – her second film following festival favorite CROSSING DATES (2008), and Landes’s PORFIRIO, another film that wildly expands the documentary form. The film won the Golden Peacock Best Film Award at the International Film Festival of India. Landes’s first feature, COCALERO (2007) enjoyed a successful debut at Sundance.n nFor more than four decades, New Directors/New Films has been a beacon for emerging directors eager to make their mark on the film scene, and the festival has introduced or cemented the status of some of the most familiar and critically acclaimed directors (Chantal Akerman, Pedro Almodóvar, Darren Aronofsky, Ken Burns, Agnieszka Holland, Wong Kar Wai, Spike Lee, Christopher Nolan and Steven Spielberg, among them).n nThe seven official selections include:n nBREATHING (Atmen) (2011) 90minnDirector: Karl MarkovicsnCountry: AustrianThe remarkably assured directorial debut from veteran Austrian actor Karl Markovics (THE COUNTERFEITERS) creates a slipstream between the perilousness of youth and the inevitability of death. Roman (Thomas Schubert) is an inmate at a juvenile detention center whose last hope of parole rests on his ability to hold down a job as a morgue assistant. Remorse, horror and ultimately a glimmer of illumination are cultivated through his work and his attempts to connect with a life hanging in the balance. BREATHING is a Kino Lorber release.n nCRULIC: THE PATH TO BEYOND (2011) 73minnDirector: Anca DamiannCountry: RomanianWhen Claudiu Crulic, a young Romanian in Poland, is arrested for a crime he didn’t commit, he becomes a pawn in a Kafkaesque miscarriage of justice and goes on a hunger strike to protest his treatment in jail. Filmmaker Anca Damian’s documentary is by turns chilling and heartbreaking, but also ironic, with a bit of black humor thrown in for good measure. What makes her extraordinary documentary even more compelling is its strong visual style: Damian uses hand drawn, cutout and collage animation techniques to create a strikingly memorable film.n nFOUND MEMORIES (Historias Que So Existem Quando Lembradas) (2011) 98minnDirector: Julia MuratnCountry: BrazilnThe original title, which translates as “stories that only exist when remembered,” beautifully expresses the theme and core sentiment of Julia Murat’s film. FOUND MEMORIES is a poetic rendering of the fictive town of Jotuomba. A magical confluence of generations and cultures is occasioned by the visit of Julia, a young photographer, to this place where time has seemingly stood still and life is rooted in the fixed roles of tradition soon to be rendered obsolete. FOUND MEMORIES is a Film Movement release.n nLAS ACACIAS (2011) 85minnDirector: Pablo GiorgellinCountry: ArgentinanA road movie with a difference, LAS ACACIAS takes a 900-mile trip from Asunción, Paraguay to Buenos Aires, with a gruff, taciturn truck driver and the two illegal immigrants—a young woman, and her newborn daughter—he is reluctantly transporting. Largely confined to the cramped confines of the truck’s cab, Giorgelli’s camera observes the miles passing, and the quiet, subtly evolving interaction of the trio, while borders are crossed (in more than one sense) and the driver gradually lowers his defenses and finds himself becoming unexpectedly attached to his passengers.n nOSLO, AUGUST 31ST (2011) 96minnDirector: Joachim TriernCountry: NorwaynDaylight lingers at the end of August in Oslo, but sunlight is not a friend to Anders, a semi-recovered addict, facing a new life which may not be appealing without former habits. Joachim Trier’s first feature, REPRISE, was a critical highlight of New Directors/New Films 2007, and while that antic fiction was about friendship and hope, his second is quite different, bearing traces of Robert Bresson. Adapted from the same novel as Louis Malle’s THE FIRE WITHIN (1963), this subtle and haunting film follows Anders, as he tries to adjust – making love, wandering through Oslo, having a job interview, seeing old friends, and trying to get comfortable with his situation.n nPORFIRIO (2011) 101minnDirector: Alejandro LandesnCountry: ColombianParalyzed from the waist down by a stray police bullet, the title character in Alejandro Landes’ remarkable film spends his days selling minutes on his cell phone when not flirting with his comely neighbor, and secretly plotting his revenge. Landes worked on the film for five years, creating a tale that joined the most intimate details of Porfirio’s day-to-day life with an astonishing re-creation of his attempt to hijack an airplane.n nTWILIGHT PORTRAIT (2011) 105minnDirector: Angelina NikonovanCountry: RussianTWILIGHT PORTRAIT is a powerhouse collaboration co-written and co-produced by Angelina Nikonova, who directed, and Olga Dihovichnaya, who stars in this very dark, provocative and constantly surprising debut feature film. In a modern Russian city where corruption, apathy and class warfare are the norm, a woman is raped, rather casually by the police. What follows explodes the conventions of sexual politics—and will certainly have film-goers talking. This staggering film features great performances and an unvarnished view of life in the age of Putin. n nTickets go on sale to the general public on Sunday, March 11, 2012.nNew Directors/New Filmstickets can be purchased online at newdirectors.org, or in person at the box offices of The Film Society of Lincoln Center (Walter Reade Theater, 165 W. 65th Street, near Amsterdam Avenue) and The Museum of Modern Art (11 W. 53rd Street).n nThere are two advance ticketing opportunities:nFilm Society and MoMA Members may purchase tickets starting Sunday, March 4. To become a Member of the Film Society or MoMA please visit: filmlinc.com and MoMA.org, respectively.nnKen Burns on New Directors/New Filmsn
n nAbout New Directors/New FilmsnDedicated to the discovery and support of emerging artists, New Directors/New Films has earned an international reputation as the premier festival for works that break or re-cast the cinematic mold. The New Directors/New Films selection committee is made up of members from both presenting organizations: from The Film Society of Lincoln Center, Marian Masone, Richard Peña, and Gavin Smith; and from The Museum of Modern Art, Jytte Jensen, Laurence Kardish, and Rajendra Roy.nnAbout The Film Society of Lincoln Center and The Museum of Modern ArtnUnder the leadership of Rose Kuo, Executive Director, and Richard Peña, Program Director, The Film Society of Lincoln Center offers the best in international, classic, and cutting-edge independent cinema. The Film Society presents two film festivals that attract global attention: the New York Film Festival, now in its 50thyear, and New Directors/New Films, which, since its founding in 1972, has been produced in collaboration with MoMA. The Film Society also publishes the award-winning Film Comment Magazine, and for over three decades has given an annual award—now named “The Chaplin Award”—to a major figure in world cinema. Past recipients of this award include Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Scorsese, Meryl Streep, and Tom Hanks. For more information, visit www.filmlinc.com.n nThe Museum of Modern Art’s Department of Film was established as the Film Library in 1935, and presented its first series as circulating exhibitions in 1936. The Film Department organizes over 50 film exhibitions every year, including annual programs such asPremiere Brazil,To Save and ProjectandThe Contenders. The Department also organizes exhibitions in MoMA’s galleries, includingTim Burton (2009-10) andPixar: 20 Years of Animation(2005–06). The department also has an extensive archive of over 27,000 film and video works, including the world’s largest institutional collections of the works of D. W. Griffith, Andy Warhol, and Stan Brakhage. Rajendra Roy is the current Celeste Bartos Chief Curator of Film, appointed in May 2007.n nSponsorshipnNew Directors/New Filmsis presented by The Museum of Modern Art and The Film Society of Lincoln Center and is supported by Kenneth Kuchin, The Junior Associates of The Museum of Modern Art, the New Wave Young Patrons of the Film Society of Lincoln Center, The New York Times and American Airlines.Film Society of Lincoln Center John Wildman Contact John via email 212/875-5419 David Ninh Contact David via email 212/875-5423
Contact:The Museum of Modern Art Sarah Jarvis Contact Sarah via email 212/708-9757
ABC Fine Wine and Spirits Embraces Dry January With Cheeky New Ad Campaign
Bacon & Eggs, the creative shop known for its witty, imaginative and disruptive advertising, has created an innovative campaign for ABC Fine Wine and Spirits that playfully tackles the Dry January's impact on its business head-on. Through the campaign, Florida's largest family-owned wine and spirits retailer proudly proclaims its support for Dry January even as it shares its extensive selection of wines, spirits, premixed cocktails and beers found within 127 stores across the state. In the campaign's signature spot, ABC Fine Wine and Spirits cheekily announces its enthusiastic support for Dry January, then proceeds to describe its tantalizing array of velvety cabernets, perfectly frosted IPAs, and smooth whiskeys — all while insisting, of course, that viewers "definitely shouldn't" indulge in these libations during the month. "Most alcohol retailers either push non-alcoholic alternatives or go quiet during Dry January," explains Kia Zomorrodi, founder and chief creative officer of Bacon & Eggs. "We wanted to flip the script and create something that would resonate with both those participating in Dry January and those who aren't. The campaign's reverse psychology approach lets ABC own the conversation while showcasing its impressive selection in an entertaining way." The campaign arrives as ABC Fine Wine and Spirits aims to maintain brand engagement during a traditionally quiet period for alcohol sales. "This campaign perfectly captures our brand personality while acknowledging the reality of Dry... Read More