First off, the festival catalog is now available online to peruse. Go to the front page and click on catalog the link in the left-hand column

Next, a quick round-up of links to film fest coverage. For indie film nerds, this is kinda like the Twins home opener.

City Pages: Your Passport to 58 Countries Via 145 Films
Star Tribune: Building The Best Film Fest (a round-up of local experts talk about how to plan and execute a great fest)
Vita.mn: Rob Nelson reviews opening night film Max Manus. Note: Max Manus, it’s not just for Norwegians!!
TC Daily Planet: A series of interviews with the people behind MSPIFF, including an interview with Al Milgrom, festival Artistic Director, conducted by Pam Colby, Executive Director for Minneapolis Television Network, Linda Blackaby, Chief Programmer of the fest this year, and Ryan Oestrich, festival coordinator.
Kathie Smith: Local blogger extraordinaire Kathie Smith recounts her contributions to the Star Tribune article. It’s worth checking back on this blog throughout the festival, as Kathie is dedicated to seeing as many films as possible each year during festival time. Last year she saw an incredible 35 films over the course of the two-week event.

Guest blog by Ryan Strandjord, Executive Director, Minnewood.com

The Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival runs from April 15 through the 30th. The Revenant, a zombie buddy comedy, screens at the festival on Saturday April 24th at 11:15pm and Monday, April 26th at 9:45pm.

Being that this title is included in the late-night film series of the upcoming Minneapolis/Saint Paul International Film Festival, I figured I was in for something different. This movie has been billed as a “zombie buddy comedy with political overtones,” and it certainly doesn’t disappoint.

The first ten minutes are quite bland. Most of it takes place during and after the funeral of a soldier killed in Iraq. But after you get through all the sobbing, the movie takes off. The deceased, Bart (David Anders), rises from his grave and goes to the apartment of his obnoxious best-friend Joey (Chris Wylde). Naturally Joey is freaked out about seeing his friend in his living room smelling like death and rotting like roadkill. But after a tense moment, and few smashes on the head with a baseball bat, Bart is accepted as back from the dead. It’s during this interaction where the movie finally finds its feet and the laughs begin to roll.

Joey promises to keep Bart’s reemergence a secret from everyone, especially Bart’s grief stricken girlfriend Janet (Louise Griffiths). Bart is nearly the same person he was before he died, except he smells terrible, his eyes are hideous, and he rapidly decomposes unless he has a steady intake of blood and/or flesh. The buddies take to Joey’s 1979 Camaro (complete with surf board on the roof) and search the town for an answer to his hunger. They try a few different sources (with hilarious results), and without giving too much away they eventually become known as the “vigilante gun slingers.”

Technically this movie is quite sound. It was shot on 35mm and each and every scene is lit to maintain the other worldliness of the film’s story. If I had one gripe to make about the film, it’s the de-emphasis on the love plot. Janet disappears for long portions of the film, but is referred to as an important character in several scenes, and really should spend more time on screen. The ending is a bit absurd, but neither of these strikes against make this film anything but a joy to watch. It’s a fresh take on the zombie genre where the hero himself is the zombie, and he and his best pal have to do what they can to ensure he survives, so their party together can live on.

The film is playing Saturday April 24th at 11:15pm, and again on Monday April 26th at 9:45pm. If you’re into zombies, buddy films, or vigilante justice, this movie is for you. Bring your friends too. It’s a great movie to relive over a drink after viewing.

Advance tickets available on MSPIFF’s website.

The 28th Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival (MSPIFF) begins Thursday, April 15th, with two screenings (7:00 and 7:15 p.m.) at St. Anthony Main Theatre of Max Manus, directed by Joachim Rønning. Resistance hero Gunnar Sonsteby (now 91) is flying in from Norway to introduce this WWII thriller based on real events and participate in a Q & A after the film.

Sonsteby was part of the Norwegian resistance movement during the German occupation of Norway in WWII and is the most highly decorated military  hero in Norway. And, even better, he had two cool nicknames during the war – The Chin and the more mysterious No. 24.

Synopsis from imdb.com: The true story about one of the most brilliant saboteurs during World War II and his battle to overcome his inner demons.

Film info from the MSPIFF website: “The film introduces Max Manus as he volunteers to fight alongside Finnish forces in the 1940 ‘Winter War’ against Russia, attempting to turn Finland into a protectorate. Shortly afterward, his beloved Norway is invaded by Nazi Germany and occupied.

Max Manus and a few friends known as “The Oslo Gang” start a small rebel cell, including Sonsteby as one of its main organizers. In committing sabotage and distributing leaflets denouncing the Nazi presence some of their group are swiftly apprehended and Manus is captured but eventually escapes by jumping from a second-story window.  Made an instant legend for this feat, he’s recruited by a larger pan-national resistance movement run out of London…

As a thriller, the film’s detailed account of sabotage techniques is relayed with skill and relish… The strength of its passion and storytelling has helped make Max Manus the biggest success in Norwegian history with more than 1.2 million tickets, in a country of 4.5 million.“

After the screenings, join Sonsteby and the rest of the gang at Nye’s Polonaise for the Opening Night Gala from 9 p.m. to midnight.

Tickets: $30 Film and Gala, $20 Gala Only, $15 Film Only

Purchase tickets online (advance tickets for this event are strongly encouraged by MSPIFF).

The Twin Cities certainly has its share of film festivals. In addition to the Mpls St. Paul International Film Festival (the granddaddy of the bunch) we have the Jewish Film Festival, Arab Film Festival, Sound Unseen, the .EDU Film Fest, the Square Lake Film & Music Festival, Solstice Film Festival, Women With Vision at the Walker… and I’m sure I’m missing plenty.

But there’s a new festival on the way that is making big promises and is actually poised to deliver – the Twin Cities Film Festival.

Last night TCFF held a Kickoff Gala at Cosmos Lounge at Graves 601 Hotel in Minneapolis. Hosted by the team who developed the festival’s concept and pushed its planning forward for the past three years -  Jatin Setia (Executive Director),  board member Bill Cooper and Robyn Johnson (Hospitality/Volunteers Director) – the party served as an unveiling of the festival’s logo/branding, new website and festival trailer, all produced by the creative minds at  Mojo Solo.

In his remarks, Setia explained his vision for the festival, which will take place for five days in September 2010. Not only will the fest give audiences an opportunity to see some of the best new films from around the world, it will also serve as a boost to the economy of the Twin Cities. There are plans to incorporate not only Kerasotes Theater (located in Block E in downtown Minneapolis) but also the State Theatre on Hennepin Avenue and the Mall of America. There are plans for events at many downtown locations, including more at Graves 601, which has signed on as an event sponsor. Festival organizers also announced there will be an event at Target Field as well.

Setia said he envisions a festival that shows a wide range of work but also devotes itself to a specific country each year. This year that international focus will be the work of Mexican filmmakers, a goal that is made possible in large part due to the involvement of Robert Roessel, who serves as artistic director for TCFF and is also film commissioner for Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Although much about the festival and its details have yet to unfold, the organizers are definitely taking a thoughtful approach in creating communication tools and reaching out to local organizations and businesses. Although the Mpls St. Paul International Film Festival (MSPIFF) has been around for nearly 30 years, and definitely has its fan base, organization has never been its strength. Case in point – only three weeks out from this year’s festival (April 15-30) there has yet to be a single film publicized or put up on the MSPIFF website. To have a truly world-class fest, it would seem that taking advantage of time to create buzz would be a necessary step, particularly as the field gets ever-more crowded with competing events. And although the graciousness of TCFF in hosting an open bar and providing plenty of yummy treats may have served as a lure for some guests, the bar was definitely buzzing with excitement from supporters last night.

TCFF recently settled into offices in the Ford Center in the warehouse district, giving them a place to call home as they head into the home stretch of putting on what one hopes will be one fantastic show this fall.

And, as if all this isn’t quite enough excitement for you, TCFF executive director Jatin Setia is a semi-finalist in the One Man Minneapolis competition. One Man is a professional event that selects… well… one man from Minneapolis/St. Paul who “represents the best of the Twin Cities from the perspectives of community involvement, personality, intelligence and fitness.” Or maybe the order is fitness, personality, intelligence, community involvement? What, no talent competition?

If you’d like to vote for Setia and check out the other competitors (and the pool of contenders is more crowded than I would have thought!), visit One Man Minneapolis. Or plan to attend one of several “Meet The Men” happy hours throughout April and May. The final showdown (crowning?) takes place on May 22 at the Pantages Theatre in Minneapolis. The winner receives $2,500 plus another $2,500 for a nonprofit of his choice. Setia’s nonprofit? TCFF, of course!

While all the cool kids are down in Austin enjoying SXSW those of us left behind can plan to attend some of the many fests happening right here in Minnesota that offer up a vast array of both U.S and international films.

Women With Vision continues at the Walker Art Center. This weekend the film Lourdes, directed by Jessica Hausner, screens on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. The film tells the story of a wheelchair-bound woman with multiple sclerosis who uses a pilgrimage to the healing waters of Lourdes in France to create a social life. On Saturday, March 20th at 1:30 p.m.,  two short-form documentaries by Minnesota filmmakers will screen: Ida’s Story by director Barbara Wiener and Lion’s Pride by Louise Woehrle and John Woehrle. And on Sunday, March 21, the feature Vision, directed by German filmmaker Margarethe von Trotta, screens at 3 p.m. Vision is a portrait of Hildegard of Bingen, a central figure of the medieval Catholic Church who was also a mystic, author, linguist, scientist, philosopher, herbalist, healer, poet, and composer (all of which got her into a bit of trouble).

The 2010 Minneapolis Jewish Film Festival will run from April 8th through the 18th at Sabes JCC (4330 S. Cedar Lake Road in Minneapolis). The festival’s website says its mission is, “to present the best feature films, documentaries and shorts from around the world on themes of Jewish culture and identity. It is through contemporary film that we move beyond our usual boundaries to experience different ideas, cultures and lifestyles.” That’s a statement that’s easy to get behind, especially when you see a small festival that’s as well-curated as this one.

Highlights from this year’s festival include:

The opening night film A Matter of Size on (April 8 at 7:15 p.m.) at the Hopkins Center For the Arts (with an after party that promises sushi, sweets and sumo), which tells the story of an overweight dishwasher who gets into sumo wrestling.

The Debt (April 9 at 9 p.m.) about agents whose mission it is to capture the ‘Surgeon of Birkenau’, a monstrous Nazi war criminal who is working under a false identity as a gynecologist in Berlin.

Mary & Max (April 12 at 8 p.m.), a stop-motion claymation feature portraying the 20-year pen pal friendship of Mary Dinkle (voiced by Toni Collette), a chubby lonely 8-year old from Melbourne, and Max Horowitz (voiced by Philip Seymour Hoffman), an obese isolated 44-year old New Yorker with Asperger’s Syndrome.

Breaking Upwards (April 15 at 10 p.m.), a feature about a young, real-life New York couple who decide to strategize their own break up. Based on an actual experiment devised by director/actor Daryl Wein and actress Zoe Lister-Jones (Arranged), the film follows a year in their lives exploring alternatives to monogamy and asks the question: is it ever possible to grow apart together?

Who Do You Love (April 18 at 3 p.m.) A biopic about music industry pioneer Leonard Chess, who started out that’s as a nightclub owner from Poland and went on to found the Chicago-based label Chess Records with his brother Phil. The pair changed the face of modern music by popularizing Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley. Who Do You Love explores the success and sacrifices of the Jewish entrepreneurs and black artists who reinvented the music industry. Directed by Jerry Zaks (Six Degrees of Separation).

These represent just a handful of the films that will screen as part of the festival. Check out the excellent schedule on the festival’s well put-together website, where you can also purchase tickets in advance.

A little known film festival, now in its second year, the Italian Film Festival of Minneapolis/St. Paul takes place from March 26 through the 28th. It is presented by the Italian Culture Center and all of its screenings are free. Two stand-out films will be Pranzo di Ferragosto (Mid-August Luncheon), which was awarded the Nastro d’Argento (Silver Ribbon), the Davide di Donatello and Best Emerging Director at the Venice Film Festival in September and La ragazza del lago (The Girl by the Lake). This film, which also won honors at the Venice Film Festival, tells the story of a detective sent to a small town to investigate the disappearance of a 6-year-old girl who finds instead a dead body on the shores of a nearby lake. All screenings take place at the Minneapolis College of Art & Design. The full schedule is available online.

The Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival returns for its 28th year on April 15th. The festival will run through April 30th. Although the line-up is promised to include over 100 films, the fest’s website has yet to be updated with any of the titles, although it does offer this teaser: “The festival expects to screen over 100 films culled by fest director Al Milgrom from visits to major film festivals this year (Toronto, Berlin, Karlovy Vary, Montreal, and others.) With the help of Linda Blackaby, Founder of the Philadelphia International Film Festival and programmer for the San Francisco International Film Festival, and from field assistants in more than a dozen countries, the 28th Annual MSPIFF program will attract a wide variety of film lovers.”

If you’re a regular at MSPIFF, you know this lack of an early schedule is far from unusual, so sit tight and check back on the festival’s site often.

So I’ve got about 10 minutes here before I have to catch the bus for a screening of the new Bill Murray & Robert Duvall film, “Get Low” and later tonight, I will be going to the World Premiere of the new Duplass Brothers film, “Cyrus” (pictured below) with John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei, and Jonah Hill. I’ve been here since Thursday afternoon and I’ve seen six films so far.  I’m on about 8 hours of sleep (Combined the past two nights), I was able to get into the opening night party, which was fine, but there was a huge lack of bartender help at the event, but I did get free Stella’s so that was made it decent.  I sat next to film/video curator from the Walker Art Center, Sheryl Mousley and I”ve seen a few films with Star Tribune film critic, Colin Covert, we caught, “The Company Men” this morning at the largest theater in Park City, the Eccles.  ”The Company Men” stars, Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, Kevin Costner, Maria Bello, Rosemary DeWitt and was written/directed by John Wells, who is an established TV writer, (ER & The West Wing).  The film examines corporate downsizing and how it effects the lives of three different families.  It proved to be better than I thought, and really touched on American 2010 today.  The film will get picked up, by a big studio, I imagine and will do decent business at the box office.  Not really a film that should be at Sundance, but nonetheless, one of the hotter tickets to get.  I did manage to get tickets to the World Premiere of the Joan Jett bio-pic, “The Runaways” for tomorrow night.  I’m also trying to set-up an interview with Michael Winterbottom who has two films out here that are strikingly different, the doc, “The Shock Doctrine” and the narrative, “The Killer Inside Me“.  You can read more of my experience at Sundance at Twin Cities Daily Planet where I will be going more in-depth to the films and the scene.

Ladies, the deadline draws near on an opportunity to represent Minnesota in a global festival that showcases women’s perspectives in the art of filmmaking.  Minnesota’s chapter of Women In Film and Television (MN WIFT) is getting geared up for another WIFTI Short Film Showcase as part of the Walker Art Center’s 17th Annual Women with Vision Film Festival, and they’re looking for your short film submissions.  Send in your short under twenty minutes by January 15th and share your vision.  From the MN WIFT website:

“The 2010 WIFTI Short Film Showcase celebrates the creative strength of female filmmakers from across the globe and right in our own backyard. The accomplished selection of international short films, by and about women are from juried festivals around the world. From Sydney and Sweden to the Twin Cities, screenings will be held in honor of International Women’s Day.

When: The Showcase will be held at the Walker Art Center during the Women With Vision Film Festival in Minneapolis on Sunday, March 14, 2010.
Submission Deadline: January 15, 2010 (postmarked)
Submission Fee: None
Program: Short Films only of 20 minutes max in length
Completion Date: Films must have been completed no earlier than January, 2006

This year we will be accepting open submissions from all women filmmakers from all parts of the world, our sister chapters under WIFTI alliance and our own local MN WIFT chapter. One MN WIFT member will be presented the “Outstanding Achievement” award. In addition the honored filmmaker of the night will be given a cash prize.”

Head over to the website for complete submission details, and to learn more about becoming a member email membership@mnwift.org.  Whether you’re already in the industry or looking to get involved, WIFT is a fantastic opportunity for women of all walks to find inspiration, encouragement, and support from fellow female mediamakers.

Well, its the most wonderful time of year again (Christmas? Johnny Mathis is a LIAR!) ! It’s fall, the leaves change, I set up the ol’ graveyard Halloween display, oil up the chainsaw for some Trick or Treat-er scaring on the night of Halloween. And its also time for Crypticon.

Used to be I’d get post Halloween depression. All my evil fun was over, and now comes the *uhg* “cheer” of Christmas. But then came Crypticon! Now in its 4th year Crypticon is like heaven on earth to a horror obsessed geek like me. Where else canI be in 1 building surrounded by fellow horror fans, a large dealer room with horror collectibles, film screenings, and celebrities from my favorite horror movies. I started off as a fan, and due to hard work and dedication to make sure every horror fan knew about it, I was officially hired on as their “Promotional Zombie”.

Well this year promises to be the biggest yet. A celebrity guest list sure to appease any Horror fan from classic to modern to family friendly frights we have it all:

Steve Dash! Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th part 2
Tony Moran! “Unmasked Michael Myers” in Halloween
Margot Kidder! Star of the classic films Amityville Horror, Black Christmas and Lois Lane in the classic Superman films!
Bill Moseley! Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, House of 1000 Corpses, The Devils Rejects and Repo! The Genetic Opera!
Charles Band! And his Full Moon Road show!
Ricou Browning! The Creature from the Black Lagoon himself!
Linnea Quigley! Return of the Living Dead, Night of the Demons.
Don Calfa! Return of the Living Dead
Miguel Nunez Jr! Return of the Living Dead, Friday the 13th part 5
Joe Knetter! Actor, Author, Stunt Ass!
Troy Holbrook! FX Artist and Horror photographer!
Ernie Hudson! Ghostbusters 1 and 2 and The Crow!
ODB! TNA Wrestlings Women’s Champion!

And the fun doesn’t stop with celebrities! Movie screenings of classic and indie horror films! Tattoos! A huge vendor room! Live Bands! Costume and FX contests! And new this year, party rooms! The fans can rent a room and throw a themed horror party! Texas Chainsaw Chili Room anyone?

So join us for a real November to Dismember, and party all NIGHTMARE long!

Crypticon Horror Con November 6-7-8 Sheraton Hotel Bloomington MN

www.CrypticonMinneapolis.com

The 10th Annual Sound Unseen Film Festival is in full swing, with a plethora of options for film and music fans tonight, Friday, and into the weekend.  It’s a fantastic line-up of feature-length music docs and narratives that provides something for everyone (kudos Programming Director Jim Brunzell!).

What’s that?  You’re far too ADD to sit through 90 minutes of film, no matter how rock-tastic it may be?  This post-MTV world of iTubes and MyBooks has you trained to hit refresh every few minutes?  Well then, this Saturday October 3rd the Oak Street has the perfect bite-size portion of rawk for those peepers: The Local Shorts Program.

This line-up is an all-MN cornucopia of music videos, band interviews, music-based docs and more.  And just when you’re craving something new, BAM!… on to the next tasty morsel of audio-visual magicalness (spell-check just told me that “magicalness” is not a word.  I’m pretty sure it’s wrong.)

Come out this Saturday and support the local artists that keep cranking out unbelievable work in our fair state.  From hip-hop fairy tales and live concert docs, to interstellar rock battles and beyond, the Local Shorts Program is a superb homegrown mix of what really makes Minnesota so “nice”: an arts culture that can support and serve the sonically AND cinematically inclined, as well as a festival that speaks to both.

Sound Unseen Local Shorts Program
Saturday, October 3rd – 7pm
Oak Street Cinema
309 Oak St SE, Mpls

The line-up includes:

Todd Cobery and Scott Wenner – P.O.S. “Drum Roll” (music video)
Doomtree’s P.O.S. running from bombs.  Lots of bombs.

Chuck Statler – Suicide Commandos “Burn It Down” (music video), Fog Ditherer (press kit), City Boy “The Day the Earth Caught Fire” (music video)
A MN punk staple goes “en fuego”, an avant-garde promo for an avant-garde trio, and the greatest video ever, respectively.

Maria Juranic – “King Tales” (narrative short)
West Side Story meets Boyz in the Hood.

Sam Thompson – Mark Mallman “Invincible Criminal” (music video) and Robust “El Foto Grande” (music video)
Piano-rocker Mallman does intergalactic battle and a local indie rapper looks at the big picture.

Katie Maren – John Zambricki “Airport Goodbye” (music video)
This sweet animation set to a song from the Paper Heart soundtrack takes a nostalgic look at young love.

Vaughn Juares and Bridget McGrath – “LIE” (narrative)
This story of Dennis Wilson and Charles Manson making music together won the “Revelation Award” at this year’s 1968 Project Competition.

Coleman Miller – “Take the L” (experimental) and “Heaven” (experimental)
A Minnesota filmmaker happens to have his camera with him on Chicago’s elevated train, and ponders Heaven (and Hell).

Brian Barber – Black Eyed Snakes “Rise Up” (music video)
A mob of mutant pigeons overtake downtown Duluth.  The Mayor hits big red panic button.

Mark Har – “Gee As In Jesus” (documentary) and Chooglin “Father Time” (music video)
A punk-gospel-polka band spread their version of whiskey drenched gospel, and a Minneapolis rock band throw down at 7th St. Entry.

IFP Minnesota Music Video Bootcamp Class – Burning City Skyline “Saint Paul Sunday” (music video)
An impressive debut effort from a local media arts class – written, shot, edited, and produced in just three class periods.

Amy Buchanan and Paul Moehring – “Curtiss A: A Work In Progress” (documentary)
Excerpt of larger doc on godfather to the Minneapolis rock scene, and his annual John Lennon Tribute show at First Avenue.

Justin Staggs – The Reckless Ones “Dead & Gone” (music video) and Ernest Rhodes “Transistor” (music video)
Your average post-apocalyptic, rockabilly, biker love story.  And indie rapper Rhodes rocks the microphone.

Max Becker – Northern Outpost (documentary)
Webisodic series documents local music scene, proving the Twin Cities rock pretty damn hard.

The 10th annual Sound Unseen Music Film Festival starts Tuesday, Sept. 29 at the Cedar Cultural Center with the World Premiere screening of a new REM documentary, “REM: This is Not a Show“.  Director Vincent Moon, will be on hand for the screening along with REM manager’s for a special Q & A following the screening. (Members of the band have been invited!)  Moon is flying in direct from France and will also be screening a few of his short films/videos before the REM doc.  Fellow MN Dialoger, Erik McClanahan just gave the film 2 1/2 stars in today’s Star Tribune.

Photo from “REM: This is Not a Show”

This year’s Sound Unseen festival has been the most fun I’ve had working on a festival, maybe EVER!, considering our dedicated staff has been working night and day on the festival since mid-August and we’ve had some lengthy discussions on numerous topics that have brought us closer to making this the best damn music film festival in the country!  We started working on it in early May and went through many submissions and inquired close to 70 titles and we are please with our selection and think this is the strongest slate of films in Sound Unseen’s history.  Not only are we thrilled to open Sound Unseen (and World Premiere) with the REM documentary, but we’re pleased to bring you 15 MN premieres, along with classic screenings of Hal Ashby’s beautifully shot (and on 35mm) Woody Guthrie bio-pic, “Bound For Glory” starring the late David Carradine, but also screening a new 35mm print of director, Cory McAbee’s cult classic, “The American Astronaut“, which is not available on DVD.  McAbbe, coming straight from Fantastic Fest in Texas, will be presented with a special Sound Unseen Award Fri. Oct 2, at Oak St. Cinema and will be doing Q & A’s after his latest work, “Stingray Sam” and will do a Q & A for ”TAA” too.

Photo from “Stingray Sam”

Speaking of Q  & A’s, we have 8 visiting directors and producers coming to Minneapolis in support of their work and we’ll even be holding a special panel discussion, with 4 of them, which IFP is sponsoring, Sunday afternoon at the Minneapolis Radisson.  The panel will include: producer John Comerford from, “Icons Among Us” a documentary on the many jazz and jazz subgenres out there; Jim Granato, producer & director of ”D-Tour“, which follows the incredible story of Pat Spurgeon (drummer of indie-rock band, Rogue Wave) and his struggles and triumphs of finding a new kidney, while out on the road touring; MN Native, Don McGlynn who now lives in Denmark, whose latest music doc, “Ed Thigpen: Master of Time, Rhythm and Space“ tells a great story about the legendary jazz drummer Thigpen, who is strangely enough, a neighbor of McGlynn’s in Denmark.  And finally, two-time Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner, Ondi Timoner, will be on hand to discuss both of her films that will be screening at Sound Unseen, her brilliant doc from 2004, “Dig!” featuring the bitter rivarly between indie rock groups, The Dandy Warhols & Brian Jonestown Massacre, is a must see for any rock fan but might be considered as one of the best rock documentaries of all-time and her newest prize winning documentary from the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, “We Live in Public” will be closing Sound Unseen, Sunday Oct. 4 at 7:30 p.m. at the CCC, where she’ll receive a Sound Unseen award too.   

Photo from “We Live in Public” 

Photo from “D-Tour”

There are also some great new films including director Phil Grabsky’s follow-up to “In Search of Mozart” now comes, “In Search of Beethoven“, rock photographer Robert Knight sees rock history through his lens in “Rock Prophecies“ , comedian Henry Phillips, will be present for a film he starred, co-wrote and produced in, “Punching the Clown” which won the Slamdance Audience Award this year (buy your tickets for this now, it will sell-out at the 50 seat Trylon Microcinema).  Do you know what Black Metal is? ”Until the Light Takes Us” has been selling out shows across the globe and makes its last festival stop in the U.S. when it invades Sat. Oct 3 at Midnight at Oak St. Cinema.  Eugene Hutz, the front man for the Gypsy rock/folk group, Gogol Bordello is extremely candid and colorful in a new documentary about his band, “Gogol Bordello: Non-Stop” and “Guy & Madeline on a Park Bench” was one of the highlights of this year’s Tribeca Film Festival and director Damien Chazelle, makes the most out of his debut film and has a promising future ahead.

Photo from “Gogol Bordello: Non Stop”

Lastly, don’t forget we have our first annual “Secret Screening” that won’t disappoint and Cinema Lounge host, Paul Clark, has put together a spectacular line-up of “Local Shorts“, featuring music videos from local musicians and bands with many of the directors and subjects on hand at the screening.