Nate Hood's 400 words on Alaska Is A Drag (2019) Brooklyn Film Festival 2019

A certain level urbanity is assumed for stories about drag queens springing from an odd demographical Catch-22: how can there be drag queens without drag shows and how can there be drag shows without large groups of drag queens? So we expect stories about wannabe drag queens like Paddy Breathnach’s Viva (2015) and documentaries about the established subculture like Jennie Livingston’s Paris is Burning (1990) to take place in cities, not the wilderness.

Yet it’s in this very undeveloped country that Shaz Bennet sets her film Alaska is a Drag. The film follows a young black drag queen named Leo (Martin L. Washington Jr.) living in the aggressively white and aggressively heterosexual land of rural Alaska, gutting fish in a cannery at day and voguing at night in the small house he shares with his best friend and sister Tristen (Maya Washington) and their emotionally disturbed gambling addict father who preaches the Gospel on roadsides. He dreams of one day making it big on a drag reality TV show, striking it rich so he and Tristen can escape to sunny LA. We watch as he prepares for his first drag show at the “only gay bar in 100 miles,” a dive owned by a reticent grouch named Jan (Margaret Cho) who probably cares more for her clientele than she lets on. At the same time, Bennet matches this rising action with a budding romance between Leo and Declan (Matt Dallas), the former’s new sparring partner at the boxing ring he works out at. Oh, and another rising action where Leo trains for his first boxing match, a fight both scheduled on the same day as his drag performance and against his former best friend/lover Kyle (Christopher O’Shea), now a violent homophobe.

There’s a surprising amount of narrative to handle for only 83 minutes, but Bennet keeps it all flowing briskly and competently until after the day of the boxing match and drag show, devolving into soap opera hysterics. This character’s cancer has returned! A gang of bigots force Leo and Declan to fight each other! Wait, what?

It’s a shame, because Alaska is a Drag features some brilliant performances and some beautiful fantasy imagery, such as omnipresent Northern Lights shining even during daytime and trails of flower petals blossoming behind characters as they walk. But the implosion of the story incinerates too much goodwill for it to work.

Rating: 6/10

Sanctuary (2019) Brooklyn Film Festival 2019

After President Trump was sworn in Amanda Morales, a mother of three, who was in the US illegally found she had a choice to make. Despite having been in the country for years the Trump administration's fear of people who weren't white and rich  had them moving to remove anyone "not from here". Morales sensing that ICE was going to deport her at any moment left her home on Long Island and took refuge in a church in Manhattan and ask for sanctuary.

Vital, important and most of all moving portrait of one woman caught in between a rock and hard place. A "you are there" look at a one woman's fight to stay in the country she now calls home will give you a real look at what it is like for the thousands fighting not to be sent back to a place they no longer call home. This is not a five minute piece of highlights that you see on CNN. Instead this is what it's like for the long haul. We don't just see the bright shiny faces for the camera, but the moods at other times and we see the toll.

Director Andrea Cordoba has made a film you must see. Wonderfully not sensationalist or pushy she allows events to simply transpire before us allowing us to be sucked in at our own rate and slowly warm to everyone involved. We move through events at a natural pace and it gives us time to consider what we are seeing and reflect on events. The result is a film that gives us a great understanding of the larger picture, and in thoughts and emotions that linger long after the film is done.

A must see when the film plays this weekend at the Brooklyn Film Festival (Tickets here)

Luista Photo Studio (2018) Brooklyn Film Festival 2019

I don't have a great deal to say about LUISTA PHOTO STUDIO beyond just see it. I could add that it is one of my favorite films at the Brooklyn Film Festival

A portrait of the Escarria sisters, who for decades took pictures of all of Argentinian Show Business, the film is beautiful history of the  culture of a country, a stunning record of a body or artistic work and a loving and wonderful portrait at sisters who did it their own way.

For give me, I was pretty much charmed from the first frame to the last. To be certain I had no idea who all the celebrities were but I didn't need to since the real focus are on Luista and her sisters who are exactly the sort of people you'd want to hang out with. Nicely unassuming they grab your heart because they remind you of one of your favorite aunts, you know the really cool one.

This film is a charmer and a keeper. Why this film isn't on more people's radar vexes me because it is a lovely little film that deserves a wide audience.

Go see it. And don't worry about not having any idea who the celebrities are- its not about them- rather it is about the ladies who ran the studio.

For tickets and more information go here.

Silent Forests (2018) Brooklyn Film Festival 2019

It kills me that Mariah Wilson's SILENT FOREST  maybe destined to get lost in the shuffle. A portrait of the efforts to save the forest elephants in the Congo Basin, it is coming on the heals of at least five or six similar films in the last 18 months or so. I fear audiences and distributors may think they have seen it all, which is a shame because this film covers a great deal of territory that most people will not be aware of even if they see the other films.

Not focusing on one subject,person or topic relating to conservation but several, the film gives us a look at one of Cameroon’s first female eco-guards, a grassroots wildlife law enforcement group, a Congolese biologist studying elephant behavior, a reformed elephant poacher, and a team of anti-poaching sniffer dogs led by a Czech conservationist. Its a lot to chew on and it is the reason that the film runs almost to hours of screen time. While the coverage is not uniformly perfect, there is so much here it all can't be, and while you will no doubt prefer some threads to others, we are still given a great deal to chew on.

While many of the the other films are much flashier in their treatment of the subject, SILENT FOREST is much more low key and to the point, with the result we are filled to the brim with sense of why we need to protect the wildlife in the Basin.   I know the low key  style will make the film suffer in comparison for those people want constant beautiful vistas and cute animals filling there screens, and that is all well and good, but Mariah Wilson understands that this is a human story as much as it is one about the animals and her focus brings us closer to the efforts to save the animals. Because we really get to know the men and women at the center of the story we come to understand why they are doing what they are doing so we too are given a clue as to why we should be joining them in the fight. This is the film that is going to make you get off your ass and actually do something.

I really liked this film a great deal. As someone who has seen most, if not all of recent conservation films I know that this is one of the best of the bunch. Definitely and highly recommended.

For ticket and information go here.

Reggae Boyz (2019) Brooklyn Film Festival

Reggae Boyz is the story of Jamaican soccer team as they attempt to put a team together which will get them back to the World Cup – a place they haven’t been in over 20 years.

This is a solid sports documentary that finds its place in the pantheon of sports docs by not just being about the team and the coaches but about the society that cheers it on. If you truly want to understand the power of sport to bring a country together and to do good things then see this film. There is a comment in the opening minutes about how when the team was in the hunt for the World Cup crime essentially disappeared as the whole country came together to watch the games. Over the rest of the film we come to realize how true that was as we see how the fans carry the team on their backs and how they live and die with them. It’s a wonderful dimension that is missing from almost every other sports film which always focuses on the players.

This is a solid film and definitely worth your time.

Judas Collar (2019) Brooklyn Film Festival 2019

This stunning piece of filmmaking is rightly in the Oscar mix after a win in Austin. It is a haunting film that will truly knock your socks off.

The story comes out of the Australian government  using tracking collars (aka Judas Collar) to tag one camel in a herd in the outback. The animal then is left to wander with a herd, and at a later time men come in helicopters and cull the herd. The collared one is left to wander from herd to herd and over time the men can kill more and more animals. The weird thing is that some camels sort out that they are a "Judas and then go off to live their own life.

Brilliant, wordless film will amaze you with its craft (how exactly did they manage this?) and break your heart with its storytelling. This is as good a film as you will see all year. Trust me, the magic of film does not get much better than this. i didn't know whether to cry from heartbreak or amazement.

If this does not get an Oscar nomination this year I will be really upset because I doubt there will be five other films better than this.

You have to see this.

For tickets and more information go here

#Like (2019) Brooklyn Film Festival 2019

I need to see #LIKE again. That is not a bad thing but a good thing. It’s is a film that has haunted the edges of my mind since I saw it and grown in stature since I first saw it.

The film concerns Rosie who is still mourning the passing of her sister Amelia. A year earlier she took her own life- having been bullied to the point of death. Unfortunately Rosie discovers the evil person behind her sister’s death has resurfaced and she is not going to just let them do it to the next person.

What is nominally a thriller is in reality something more. A mediation on our on line lives, revenge, and a whole bunch of other things. It’s a film that you watch and enjoy- and then you can quite shake. I watched the film figuring it was going to take a certain path and it did for a bit until it didn’t (and no I am not going to tell you what happens, you’ll have to see it) and it was the little twists and turns that hung with me. Not because of what they did with the plot but because they raised all sorts of interesting threads such as how do we handle the results of our actions.

I really like the film, but at the same time I’m not certain what I fully think of the film. Please don’t take that to mean it’s a bad film. Take that to mean that this is one of those films where I am cursing having a short turnaround time. Ideally I would like to sit with the film for a week or two and then see the film a second time to see how I feel about it. Films like this, the one’s you can’t shake are the films that I search out since it means that it is more than the typical Hollywood fodder. You know the one’s that you watch, instantly forget and then want something else.

I suspect that I would have a better handle on the film if I would allow myself to really discuss the film, but I can’t do that. I don’t want to clue you into anything that happens, and most importantly I don’t want you to go in with any preconceived notions. I want you to go into the film and have it hit you in the face. I want you to go through the story unaware of what happens, and I want you to watch director Sarah Pirozek‘s artistry and see the work of someone to watch.

Go see #LIKE. It is playing this weekend at the Brooklyn Film Festival(tickets here) and then it will move out from there. I will not promise you that it is going to be the best film you see, hell I’m still working out my thoughts, but I will promise you that you will walk out feeling that you’ve seen something more than your run of the mill thriller.

For tickets and more information go here.

The contractually obligated Brooklyn Film Festival Curtain Raiser and recommended film list

Friday the latest edition of the Brooklyn Film Festival is slated to begin and Nate Hood and myself will be wading into its cinematic goodness. Its 10 days and 133 films playing in various venues across the borough.

Brooklyn is the little film festival that could, it's bounced all over its confines, always outlasting any trouble that has gone it's way, such as the closing of various venues that it once found a home in. Outside of the festivals that I had been going to prior to starting Unseen Films, Brooklyn is the festival I've covered the most. Every year since I discovered it Unseen has provided some form of coverage.

What keeps us coming back is the excellent selection of films. Brooklyn is a festival is beautifully programmed with some of the best films you'll see in any film year. Almost every year the festival throws up films that end up on our year end lists. In addition to everything else it has an animation track that is absolutely killer.

This year our coverage is going to be a little less comprehensive as we might have liked. Life is interfering and making it difficult to fully submerge ourselves in everything that we would like to. However both Nate and myself are going to do what we can and get you the low down on as amuch as possible.

Since there are a few days until the festival starts I know you are wondering what films do we recommend? Here is a quick list based on what we've seen so far:

JUDAS COLLAR- stunning wordless short film about camels in the Australian Outback.One of the coolest films you'll see all year. An amazing visual experience I would put money down on it being an Oscar finalist.

SANCTUARY- Hands down one of the most important films of 2019. It is the story of a mother who seeks sanctuary in a church in upper Manhattan in the hope that ICE and Trump don't deport her or her family. It makes a very real problem understandable to everyone.

SILENT FORESTS - a portrait of the efforts to save the elephants that live in the forests of the Congo Basin. While not wall to wall pretty pictures it is a great portrait of the people fighting to save a very endangered group of animals.

LUISTA PHOTO STUDIO - portrait of the sisters who ran a legendary Buenos Aires photo studio that took pictures of anyone who was anyone. It is my favorite films at the film festival.

DONS OF DISCO- excellent portrait of the voice behind a legendary singer (ala Milli Vanilli) who is trying to get his place in the sun.

I should note that while full reviews of every film I’ve seen are coming, I am not going to do a full review of THE LOST FOOTAGE OF LEAH SULLIVAN. The lack of a full review is not because I didn’t like the film, rather it is simply not my kind of a film. A good found footage thriller, it suffers because I am not a fan of genre. I find that unless I absolutely love the film I end up picking apart the internal logic of the film, with the result the film seems to be less than it is. With THE LOST FOOTAGE that’s really not fair since on its own terms it’s quite good. If you love found footage films, and would like to see one that isn’t a straight up horror film (as most seem to be) give this film a go.

And with that I'm going to sign off and go watch some movies. There is a ton of times to see and a short time to see them. If I were you I would go to the website and pick out some films and go. Having seen a number of the films I can honestly say they are all good.

For tickets and more information go here.

Brooklyn Film Festival announces 2019 edition: THE GATHERING, to feature the largest presence of female directors within a single festival edition to date

BROOKLYN FILM FESTIVAL

Announces 2019 Edition: THE GATHERING

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, April 10, 2019 - Brooklyn Film Festival (BFF), the first international competitive film festival in New York, has closed submissions for its 2019 edition: THE GATHERING. BFF received a record number of 2,659 films from 100 countries and will select 120 film premieres to be announced in May. The films are divided in six categories: Feature Narrative, Feature Doc, Short Narrative, Short Doc, Experimental and Animation.

BFF’s selection criteria, a 22-year-old set of rules, constitute the true festival’s trademark. Participating films cannot be older than two years. Films are selected from submissions only. All the selected films are shown twice. All the selected films participate in the competition. And the smallest film can win the top festival award: The Grand Chameleon.

The festival will run from May 31 through June 9 at two main venues: Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg and Windmill Studios in Greenpoint. Additional programming will be presented on June 4 at Syndicated in Bushwick and on June 7 at UnionDocs in Williamsburg. On June 5 and 8, BFF will present a total of five shows at Made in NY Media Center by IFP in Dumbo, where it will also present the 15th annual kidsfilmfest on June 1. On June 8, the 8th annual BFF Exchange program will be hosted by Kickstarter in Greenpoint and on June 3, BFF will be hosted by Alamo Drafthouse in Downtown Brooklyn. Additional programming and networking events will be announced at a later date.

In a successful effort to broaden the festival’s Latin American horizon in terms of film submissions, for its 22nd edition BFF has been collaborating with several South American film organizations: Proimagenes (Colombia), ChileDocs, IMCINE (Mexico), Universidad del Cine (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Festival Internacional del Cine Buenos Aires (FIDBA). Locally, BFF has been collaborating with Cinema Tropical and Proyector Film Series.

BFF Executive Director Marco Ursino said of the 2019 edition, “We are calling the upcoming festival: The Gathering. The theme-statement is essentially a call to all those people who are searching for clarity and intelligent exchanges. On the programming side this year, more than ever before, we wanted to empower all those filmmakers who are thinking and working in critical systems, outside of the box, and against all odds. Understanding that for women the “system” is always critical, and inspired by the acceleration of the women’s movements, in 2019 BFF will feature the largest presence of female directors within a single festival edition up to date. I’m also proud to say that four out of our six festival programmers are women and the actual festival is run mostly by women.”

BFF’s list of sponsors for 2019 includes WNET, G-Star Raw, VER, AbelCine, Heineken, Florida State University, Final Draft, Big Screen Plaza, and for the 7th consecutive year, the “disruption company” TBWA/CHIAT/DAY will create BFF’s promotional campaign. Several BFF networking events this year will be organized in collaboration with Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective, Brooklyn Documentary Club, Film Shop, Video Consortium and UnionDocs.

In each of the six film categories, BFF’s judges will select the Best Film while the festival will select the Spirit Award and the audience the Audience Award winners. Among all the six categories combined, BFF will award one of each of the following: Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Composer, Bet Style, Best Editor, Best Cinematographer, Best Screenplay Writer, Best Producer, Best New Director and Best Brooklyn Project. Through the resources of our sponsors, BFF will assign to the winning filmmakers over $50,000 in prizes (products, services and cash).

About the programmers
BFF’s Feature Narrative programmer is Jason Stefaniak. An Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, he received a Master of Fine Arts in Film and Television Production at NYU, where he was awarded an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Scholarship and a Graduate Craft Award for Producing. The Feature Documentary programmer is Brandon Harrison, a graduate of the UCLA School of Film and Television who programmed short docs for BFF for the past few years. Natalie Gee, a multiple short film producer, leads BFF’s Short Narrative category. Mara Bresnahan is the Short Documentary programmer, who currently serves as the festival director for the Boston ReelAbilities Film Festival and as a lead programmer for the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival. Melanie Abramov, a BFF Alumni and director from Brooklyn, is the Experimental category programmer. She received her BFA from Parsons School of Design and later founded her production company, Dame Productions, which lends a necessary and provocative voice to women in media. Julia Cowle, BFF’s Animation programmer, is an independent filmmaker, illustrator, animator and comedy writer.

About BFF Exchange (BFFX)
For the eighth consecutive year, on June 8 from noon-5pm at Kickstarter in Greenpoint, the festival will continue its BFF Exchange, aimed ultimately at connecting filmmakers with film distributors. BFF Exchange will feature a pitch session, panels and a Happy Hour.

About kidsfilmfest
On June 1 from 1pm-3pm at Made in NY Media Center by IFP, BFF will present the 15th annual kidsfilmfest, which aims to discover, expose and promote the youngest generation of filmmakers. The film program is tailored for children of all ages (films are rated "G"), and consists of numerous animated shorts, documentaries and live-action films. A Q&A with the filmmakers and a filmmaker's workshop will follow the program.

About BFF
The organizers of the Brooklyn Film Festival have been staging International, competitive film events since 1998. BFF's mission is to provide a public forum in Brooklyn in order to advance public interest in films and the independent production of films, to draw worldwide attention to Brooklyn as a center for cinema, to encourage the rights of all Brooklyn residents to access and experience the power of independent filmmaking, and to promote artistic excellence and the creative freedom of artists without censure. BFF, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.

For more info about the festival please visit www.brooklynfilmfestival.org.
For more info about kidsfilmfest, visit www.kidsfilmfest.org.