Boschi Di Stefano House Museum: The Space of Dreams (2021) Chain Film Festival

Boschi Di Stefano House Museum: The Space of Dreams- is a neat little film. It’s a look at the titled museum which is in an apartment in Milan. Once the home to Antonio and Marieda Di Stefano, who were artists and art collectors who kept all 2000 works on display in every nook and cranny of their home, it is a museum dedicated to showing new works as well as old ones with newly commissioned works of art swapped in for older pieces.

I really liked this film a great deal. Running a brief  52 minutes the film shows us the behind scenes working of the museum as administrators decide on which paintings to swap out, how new works are created and the role of the museum in the city and the world is discussed. It’s a grand time looking at beautiful art.

If I were to quibble at all about the film it would be I wish we spent  bit more time really getting to know about the lives of the Di Stefanos. Yes we get a sense of them and their love of art, but I would have liked to know more.

However as I said, it’s a quibble since what is here is absolutely choice.

Recommended when the film plays at the Chain Film Festival, it can be seen now as part of their virtual fest or in person on Friday the 27th. For tickets and more information go here.

Whisper of the Marimba (2021) Chain Film Festival 2021

 

While you would think that WHISPER OF THE MARIMBA is going to be about the musical instrument the reality is that the film casts its net much wider.  While nominally the story of three generations of musicians trying to make their way in the world, the film is actually a look at how culture forms who we are and our place in the world. The film is specifically on Afro-Ecuadorians, but the film speaks to a larger audience, with the marimbas of the film’s title acting as a bridge between Africa and South America since the instrument spans continents.

I really liked this film a great deal. I liked it so much that I watched some sections more than once just because. I liked the film not just because of the music, but mostly because of the people. I fell in love with everyone in it. I just liked hanging out with them as they talked about life and made music.

I also loved that this is not a slick American film. WHISPER is a German produced documentary with the result that we see things with a slightly rough edged sensibility. The result is a sense of life beyond the frame that is frequently missing from many other documentaries.

The film is playing at the Chain Film Festival and  is recommended.

The film is streaming now  or it can be seen in person Monday the 23rd. For more information or tickets go here.

Catnip Nation (2021) Chain Film Festival 2021

 This is a film about advocates for feral cats in Augusta Kansas, Oceanside New York and Seaside Heights New Jersey who are having trouble with authorities. The local authorities do not want them to care for the animals and would prefer to then to go to shelters where almost certainly they will be killed.

This film clearly explains how the advocates are tying to manage the populations and how they aren't creating the colonies but managing them. The local authorities seem to think that the advocates are the ones creating the problem, but the reality is that most of the cats are the result of people dropping off their cats far from home when they tire of them. The advocates are getting the animals neutered so they won't reproduce.

If you love animals this film will piss you off. You won't believe how many people would rather kill the cats and punish the humans. 

If the film has any problem with the film its that some of the people profiled can be annoying. More than once I told them to shut up. At the same time the importance of this film makes it worth a look. 

CATNIP NATION is playing now virtually at the Chain Film Festival and in person Tue, Aug 24th, 7:00 PM @ Chain Studio Theatre. For tickets and more information go here.

Directed By (2021) Chain Film Festival 2021

 This is a behind the scenes look at  the 2000 Oscars. Its made up of fly on the wall footage of the rehearsals and backstage areas.

If you love the Oscars or Hollywood this film is a must see. Its a look at the famous broadcast revealing things that you never realized were going on. It also has hysterical moments when people go off script (paging Robin Williams). There is a lot of fun stuff here...

However there is a huge caveat to whether you this film or not and that is how the film as shot. This was not shot with the intention of being released. The sound is exactly what the camera picked up. Additionally a lot of the video was shot from the back wall of the control room so we are watching the rehearsals on a screen. While it allows us to see some amazing things we have to forgive a lot of technical issues. 

On the other hand if you want a one of a kind view of the Oscars this is a must

DIRECTED BY plays the Chain Film Festival Available August 20, 7:00 PM - August 29, 11:45 PM, 2021 virtually and Wed, Aug 25th, 7:00 PM at the Chain Studio Theatre. Go here for tickets

Fireboys (2021) Chain Film Festival 2021 and Dances With Films 2021

 Portrait of the confined youthful offenders who have volunteered t fight the wild fies in California. The idea is that the men will be able to wok toward early release and get back on the straight and narrow. The problem is that because of their criminal background they can't transition into being real fire fighters.

This is a great film. 

I love that this film shows what it takes to be a fire fighter. More to the point I love that the film shows the issues the men face after fighting fires. So often in a film like this we can miss the bigger issues, but this film doesn't do that. We see that there is an injustice occurring- one that is going to get worse if the fires keep happening and we keep losing men who could b helping fight the fires.

Highly recommended.

FIREBOYS plays Chain Film Festival virtually starting August 20. It plays in person August 21. For more information and tickets go here/

It plays Dances With Films September 11. Tickets and information here

Hamlet /Horatio(2020) Chain Film Festival 2021

The life and times of Hamlet are recreated by Horatio as a TV program in response to Hamlet telling him to tell his story.

Wildly uneven retelling of Shakespeare's Hamlet probably would have been better  on stage. This is the result of  the decision to film much of this is as if it was a stage performance. Why use a camera if you aren't going to do anything with it? Indeed if Horatio did have a camera wouldn't he have wanted  to do more than just do straight reporting?

I'm also mixed on the script which cuts the four hour plus play to an hour and a half. I understand this from Horatio POV but there still should be more here. And I won't go into the performances which ae all over the place.

Reservations aside the film does have moments. Some of the scenes play nicely and make this worth a look if you are a Shakespeare fan.

HAMLET/HORATIO  plays the Chain Film Festival vitually August 20, 7:00 PM - August 29, 11:45 PM, 2021 and in person Sat, Aug 21st, 8:30 PM @ Chain Studio Theatre For tickets and more information go here.

The Chain Film Festival starts Friday

 

Stating Friday and running until the 29th is the excellent Chain Film Festival. The Chain is a wonderful small scale festival centered in New York that manages to always find killer films that end up as being some of the best I see each year.

A bunch of years back I bumped into the festival and instantly fell in love. The people from the fest were wonderful to talk to and they were programming great films. The films were films they genuinely liked and cared about. More importantly they want the films to be seen and talked about. In talking to people connected to the festival I've gotten the feeling that while they would like the festival to grow they would rather have the films seen and talked about. This point hit home when I was asked if I could cover more films so word could get out about them.

Sadly this year my coverage is going to be small. The problem is that there have been five other fests stating or ending at the same time. Blame it on covid which shifted the normal starts four weeks later than in previous years. I've had to pick and choose for all of them.

You on the other hand don't have to pick and choose, you can see it all. This year the fest is a hybrid so if you are in NYC you can so see something in person. If you still want to social distance or are outside of New York you can get the virtual experience. For either experience go here for tickets

And now if you don't mind I need to see some films myself

9th Annual Chain NYC Film Festival August 20th – August 29th 2021

 

Chain NYC Film Festival events will be LIVE, IN-PERSON! Tickets are $12 and can be purchased online through www.chainfilmfestival.com. Streaming options are also available.  All attendees must show proof of vaccination upon arrival. 

Personal stories. Original ideas. New work. 

Over 160 selections of features, shorts and web series, both narrative and documentary, will screen in-person and virtually over the course of 10 days. The Chain NYC Film Festival makes a special effort to curate each block of films by theme or genre. From short film comedy blocks to foreign documentaries, the Chain is a festival for the true independent film enthusiast. 

Join us in one of our two screening rooms at 312 W. 36th Street, 4th Floor and stay for in-depth talkbacks following each screening with the artists and filmmakers in attendance. Talkbacks are sponsored by Blue Point Brewery.  

The Films

FULL FILM GUIDE: https://chainfilmfest2021.eventive.org/films

Some highlights that are screening at this year’s festival: 

DRUNK BUS starring Charlie Tahan (Ozark, I Am Legend), directed by John Carlucci and Brandon LaGanke. Drunk Bus premiered at SXSW earlier this year and the Chain is proud to present it to NYC. 

If harrowing documentaries are more your speed, check out FIREBOYS by award-winning filmmaker Jake Hochendoner. The untold story of young men incarcerated in California who are offered a way out: by fighting wildfires. 

Watch your favorite actors stretch their creative muscles in short films--notably, SKELETONS starring Robin Lord Taylor (Gotham, Accepted) or UNSPOKEN with an all-star cast of Michael Beach (Lean on Me), Jamie McShane (Sons of Anarchy, Bloodline) and Jeante Godlock (Simone Biles Story). David Krumholtz (The Deuce) plays a brilliant, but eccentric, acting teacher in CLASS . 

How To Fest

Tickets are $12 and will be available online in advance or at the door. All audience attending in-person must show proof of vaccination upon arrival. 

The 2021 Chain NYC Film Festival will also be available virtually via Eventive—the premier platform for online festivals viewable on any computer, laptop, mobile device or television with the use of Apple TV or a Roku. 

The Chain will continue their tradition of hosting talkbacks with the filmmakers. This highlight of the festival is a favorite for audiences and filmmakers alike. 

Awards will be given out in a number of categories including a NY Filmmaker Award, dedicated to filmmakers living in one of the five boroughs of NYC, the Audience Favorite Award, where viewers may vote for their favorite online, and the Filmmakers Choice, where filmmakers vote for each other in the festival.

About the Chain NYC Film Festival 

Chain NYC Film Festival has screened over 1000 films in the past eight years. Past festival participants such as Lady in Apartment No. 6 have gone on to win Academy Awards. “Personal stories. Original ideas. New work.” The Chain NYC Film Festival is a multi-disciplinary event that serves the NYC community by bringing quality independent film from around the world. Content accepted is work that comes from a personal experience, a new outlook or idea in the world of film, and has been produced within the past two years. Chain regularly invites an award-winning giant in the film industry to come and speak about their work. Past guests include Richard LaGravenese (The Fisher King, Behind the Candelabra) and Richard Price (The Color of Money, The Wire). This program was made possible by the New York Department of Cultural Affairs @chainfilmfest