The 54th New York Film Festival will be chock full of free events, including HBO Directors Dialogues, NYFF Live talks, Convergence experiences and installations, and more.
Tickets to following free events will be distributed at the corresponding box office on a first-come, first-served basis starting one hour prior to the event. Please note that the line may form in advance of this time. Limit one ticket per person, subject to availability.
DESCRIPTIONS & SCHEDULE
All talks will take place in the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center’s Amphitheater,144 West 65th Street
13TH Panel
The day after Ava DuVernay’s new film, 13TH, opens the 54th New York Film Festival, subjects interviewed in the film come together for an extended conversation exploring the many issues highlighted in this powerful documentary about race and criminal justice. From the portrayal of black men in popular culture, dating back to D. W. Griffith’s 1915 Birth of a Nation, to the progression from slavery to mass incarceration and the persistent demonization and killing of black men by police in our cities today, the discussion will consider how the past connects with our present reality. Participants will include Ashley Clark (BFI), Jelani Cobb (The New Yorker, The Substance of Hope: Barack Obama and the Paradox of Progress), Malkia Cyril (Center for Media Justice), Kevin Gannon (Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning), and Khalil Gibran Muhammad (Harvard Kennedy School; former Director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture). 13TH is a Netflix original documentary.
Saturday, October 1, 7:00pm
Film Comment Live: Living Cinema
For its September-October 2016 edition, Film Comment, the most important and renowned critical film magazine in the U.S. for more than 50 years, has come out of the gate with an issue devoted to the vitality of movies today, as well as an elaborate special section on films featured in the 54th New York Film Festival. For this panel a selection of the magazine’s editors, new contributors, and longtime writers will join to discuss issues raised and questions asked in its pages. Scheduled guests include critics Shonni Enelow, Michael Koresky, Nick Pinkerton, Imogen Sara Smith, and Farihah Zaman. Moderated by Film Comment Editor Nicolas Rapold.
Sunday, October 2, 8:00pm
Making Moonlight
The second feature by American filmmaker Barry Jenkins is already one of the most talked-about independent films of the year. Set and shot in South Florida, Moonlight is inspired by Tarell Alvin McCraney’s In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue. The three-part narrative portrays a gay African-American man at three distinct stages of his life, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. This discussion will take an in-depth look at the making of the film, from Jenkins’s adaptation of the story to his collaborations with indie producer Adele Romanski, and Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner from Plan B, Brad Pitt’s production company. Moderated by Film Society of Lincoln Center Deputy Director Eugene Hernandez.
Monday, October 3, 7:00pm
Shorts Panel
This year’s Main Slate shorts programs include over two-dozen films divided into five programs: Narrative, International Auteurs, Genre Stories, New York Stories, and Documentary. Join a group of this year’s attending filmmakers as they give insight into their latest work. Panelists include Francisca Alegria (And the Whole Sky Fit in a Dead Cow’s Eye), Lewie Kloster (Legal Smuggling with Christine Choy), Nadav Lapid (From the Diary of a Wedding Photographer), Lisanne Skyler (Brillo Box [3¢ off]), and Matt Tyrnauer (Jean Nouvel: Reflections). Moderated by IndieWire’s Jude Dry.
Tuesday, October 4, 7:00pm
NYFF54 Filmmaker in Residence Conversation: Alice Rohrwacher
The first two films by Italian director Alice Rohrwacher (Corpo Celeste, The Wonders) screened at the New York Film Festival, and this year she is back as the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s fourth Filmmaker in Residence, a collaboration with Jaeger-LeCoultre. During her residency in New York, Rohrwacher is writing her third feature, Lazzaro Felice, about the adventures of a man, almost a saint, who lives on the margins of his society and can seemingly travel through time. At this special conversation, Rohrwacher will talk about her work and career with Film Society of Lincoln Center Director of Programming Dennis Lim.
Rohrwacher was born in Florence, Italy, in 1981. She graduated with a degree in Classic Literature from Torino University, and wrote for theater and worked as a musician before approaching filmmaking, initially as a documentary editor. Her first feature, Corpo Celeste, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival’s Directors’ Fortnight in 2011, and was then selected for Sundance, New York, London, Rio, and Tokyo film festivals before being released in the U.S., UK, and France. Rohrwacher’s second feature, The Wonders, won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival along with the Best Film Prize at Filmfest München, and the Black Pearl Award at the 2014 Abu Dhabi Film Festival. In 2015 she directed The Djess, a short film commissioned by Prada as part of Miu Miu’s Women’s Tales film series that premiered during New York Fashion Week, and was also presented at the Venice Film Festival. She is currently working on directing her first opera, a new version of La Traviata for Teatri di Reggio Emilia that will open in Fall 2016. Past Filmmakers in Residence include Athina Rachel Tsangari (Chevalier), Lisandro Alonso (Jauja), and Andrea Arnold (American Honey).
Tuesday, October 4, 8:00pm
Screenwriters Panel
Fully conceptualized, credible characters bring viewers into a film. Without them, even the most engrossing plot may not resonate. The Writers Guild of America, East brings together the creators behind some unforgettable recent movie characters to tell us how they made them intriguing and believable. Panelists include Jean-Christophe Castelli (Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk), Rebecca Miller (Maggie’s Plan), and Mike Mills (20th Century Women). Moderated by WGAE President Michael Winship.
Wednesday, October 5, 7:00pm
Casting Panel
Join three of New York’s foremost casting directors, Gayle Keller (Certain Women, Louie), Henry Russell Bergstein (Manchester by the Sea, Mozart in the Jungle) and moderator Richard Hicks (Zero Dark Thirty, Hell or High Water, President of the Casting Society of America), as they shine a light on the intensely creative and collaborative art of casting. Topics will include the casting process for the festival films listed above, finding and advocating for that perfect match of actor to role, and opportunities and pitfalls surrounding casting in the digital age.
Wednesday, October 5, 8:00pm
Gael García Bernal and Pablo Larraín (Neruda)
After collaborating on the 2012 feature No, Chilean director Pablo Larraín and Mexican actor Gael García Bernal joined forces again forNeruda, screening in this year’s Main Slate. Join the duo as they talk about this latest project, a drama that blends fact and fiction in telling the story of the great Chilean poet Pablo Neruda’s years of flight and exile after his 1948 denunciation of his government. A cat-and-mouse game ensues with a detective, played by Bernal.
Thursday, October 6, 7:00pm
New Challenges in Film Preservation, presented with New York Women in Film & Television
The Women’s Film Preservation Fund of New York Women in Film & Television has helped to restore and preserve over 100 films in which women had a key creative role. Among these is Barbara Kopple’s Oscar-winning Harlan County USA, showing in the Revivals section at this year’s NYFF. The result of this preservation project was a new 16mm print, which was used for exhibition. But what’s next? There are few 16mm exhibition venues available today. However, we know that film is the most stable of all available moving image media. How does this affect the work of the preservationist? Should 16mm prints continue to be made? The conversation will also address the larger issue of the need for film preservation and the work of the WFPF. Panelists include NYWIFT Women’s Film Preservation Fund Committee Co-chair Ann Deborah Levy, previous WFPF Chair and Producer/Post-Production Supervisor Susan Lazarus, and other experts in the preservation field.
Thursday, October 6, 8:00pm
I Am Indie: 20 Years of Independent Film, presented with IndieWire
Independent filmmakers are working harder than ever to sustain their work. For 20 years, IndieWire has tracked the efforts of artists in the film community as they have evolved their careers on their own terms. To mark this anniversary, IndieWire has assembled a panel of several influential filmmakers whose work has made an impact. We’ll hear from them about the biggest challenges they face as they continue to pursue the stories they want to tell—and what gives them hope for the future. Confirmed panelists include cinematographer Steve James (Hoop Dreams, Abacus: Too Small to Jail), Ellen Kuras (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), Ira Sachs (Little Men), and Roger Ross Williams (Life Animated). Moderated by Eric Kohn, Deputy Editor & Chief Film Critic of IndieWire.
Friday, October 7, 7:00pm
Film Comment Live: Filmmakers Chat
In this special roundtable discussion, a selection of different directors from around the world whose films are screening in this year’s New York Film Festival talk together in a discussion moderated by Film Comment editor Nicolas Rapold. It’s the rare chance to see some of today’s most important filmmakers in dialogue with each other, talking about their experiences watching and creating movies. Scheduled guests are Olivier Assayas (Personal Shopper), Kleber Mendonça Filho (Aquarius), and Alison Maclean (The Rehearsal).
Saturday, October 8, 7:00pm
David Godlis, History Is Made at Night
A frequenter of the Film Society of Lincoln Center will likely have noticed the ubiquitous David Godlis, a longtime presence here who has documented on his camera our year-round events. What some may not know is that Godlis was also front and center during the heyday of the New York Punk scene, capturing the likes of the Ramones, Blondie, Richard Hell, Patti Smith, Television, Talking Heads, and Suicide. His new book, History Is Made At Night, includes 119 of his iconic black-and-white images from nights on the Bowery at CBGB between 1974 and 1979, shot with his handheld Leica and TRI-X film. Salon noted, “These pictures are so intimate you can practically smell the sweat.” The event is moderated by FSLC Academy Organizer Brian Brooks and features a book-signing.
Sunday, October 9, 7:00pm
Sônia Braga and Kleber Mendonça Filho (Aquarius)
Brazilian filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho’s Aquarius centers on Clara, a 65-year-old widow and retired music critic living in Recife. She is the last resident of the Aquarius, an original two-story building built in the 1940s on Boa Viagem Beach. All the neighboring apartments have already been acquired by a company that has other plans for the building; Clara, unwilling to leave, engages in a cold war with the company. Join Kleber Mendonça Filho and actress Sônia Braga as they talk about Aquarius, screening in NYFF’s Main Slate. Moderated by FSLC Director of Digital Platforms Michael Gibbons.
Monday, October 10, 7:00pm
Documentary Panel
Compressed and expansive, eclectic and vérité, objective examinations and works of passionate advocacy: this year’s Spotlight on Documentary selections represent a wide spectrum of today’s nonfiction cinema. A cross-section of this year’s directors will be present to discuss their films in this panel. Guests include Kasper Collin (I Called Him Morgan), Simon Dotan (The Settlers), Alexis Bloom and Fisher Stevens (Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds), and Linda Saffire and Adam Schlesinger (Restless Creature: Wendy Whelan). Moderated by FSLC Executive Director Lesli Klainberg.
Tuesday, October 11, 7:00pm
Making My Entire High School Sinking into the Sea
With My Entire High School Sinking into the Sea playing in this year’s Main Slate, celebrated graphic novelist Dash Shaw and his team have created a beautifully layered, colorful, and entertaining new animated film. Shaw’s first feature is a comic adventure about friends overcoming their differences and having each other’s backs in times of crisis, and its marvelously complex characters are voiced by Jason Schwartzman, Lena Dunham, Reggie Watts, Maya Rudolph, and Susan Sarandon. This discussion—featuring writer-director Dash Shaw, lead animator Jane Samborski, and producer Kyle Martin—will go behind the scenes to explore the making of this distinctive new movie.
Wednesday, October 12, 7:00pm
Film Comment Live: Festival Wrap
For the second year in a row, Film Comment contributing critics and editors gather for the festival’s last weekend and talk about the films they’ve seen, discussing—and arguing about—their favorites in the lineup, from Main Slate to beyond. Scheduled guests include critics K. Austin Collins, Eric Hynes, Violet Lucca, Aliza Ma, and Nick Pinkerton. Moderated by Film Comment Editor Nicolas Rapold.
Friday, October 14, 7:00pm
Directors Dialogues: Ang Lee (Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk)
One of the most versatile artists at work in cinema today, Ang Lee has brought his extraordinary skills to a wide array of projects since he started making films in the early 90s. His work is as emotionally complex and delicate as it is challenging and technically adventurous. WithBilly Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, screening as a special world premiere presentation in this year’s festival, Lee reaches a new peak in his career and takes the art of cinema one step further. Lee will join Kent Jones, Director of the New York Film Festival, for a wide-ranging discussion of his remarkable career.
Saturday, October 15, 3:30pm
SCHEDULE
Saturday, October 1
7:00PM 13TH Panel
Sunday, October 2
7:00PM HBO Directors Dialogues: Maren Ade (Toni Erdmann)
8:00PM Film Comment Live: Living Cinema
Monday, October 3
7:00PM Making Moonlight
Tuesday, October 4
7:00PM Shorts Panel
8:00PM NYFF54 Filmmaker in Residence Conversation: Alice Rohrwacher
Wednesday, October 5
7:00PM Screenwriters Panel
8:00PM Casting Panel
Thursday, October 6
7:00PM Gael García Bernal and Pablo Larraín (Neruda)
8:00PM New Challenges in Film Preservation, presented with New York Women in Film & Television
Friday, October 7
7:00PM I Am Indie: 20 Years of Independent Film, presented with IndieWire
Saturday, October 8
7:00PM Film Comment Live: Filmmakers Chat
Sunday, October 9
7:00PM David Godlis, History Is Made at Night
Monday, October 10
7:00PM Sônia Braga and Kleber Mendonça Filho (Aquarius)
Tuesday, October 11
7:00PM Documentary Panel
Wednesday, October 12
7:00PM Making My Entire High School Sinking into the Sea
Thursday, October 13
7:00PM HBO Directors Dialogues: Paul Verhoeven (Elle)
Friday, October 14
7:00PM Film Comment Live: Festival Wrap
Saturday, October 15
3:30PM Directors Dialogues: Ang Lee (Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk)
Thanks to the likes of Stephen King, Poltergeist, and American Horror Story clowns are not cool. Lately, in fact, people dressed as clowns are attempting to lure small children into wooded areas in middle America. Why? That’s just sick! In Tom Nagel‘s new film CLOWNTOWN, a group of friends is stranded in what appears to be an abandoned town, until crazies dressed as clowns try to kill them. 
There is good, bad, and ugly about this film. We’ll start with the bad. The story is missing just enough explanation to bother me. The back story does not go far enough into the connection of why. That’s all I’ll say for now, because I do think the film deserves an audience. The ugly, while I’m being relatively nit-picky at this point, is as follows. The film runs long. It could have been much tighter getting to the “good stuff”. That’s basically all in that category. And now, for the good or I should actually say, the great: the acting. I have to say, with the exception of one character, this film has exceptional performances. I have to give our leading ladies a shout out for the level of terror portrayed on their faces. It reads completely genuine to me. Our clown friends are beyond unsettling. On the whole, I was impressed on this front. My favorite part of the entire film has got to be the opening scene. It harkens back to classic horror tropes featuring a babysitter and the creepy kids, brief gratuitous nudity included. It was a fantastic intro to a story that had all the potential in the world. Also, high five for the homage final shout. I’ll let you discover that fun gem on your own.
![FEN-01977R[4]](https://i0.wp.com/reelnewsdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/FEN-01977R4.png?resize=600%2C401)
In a world where our entire life exists online, we are constantly in danger of being hacked. Using tools like an 
Mike Regan is about to launch “the Uber for private jets” in a new app roll out. When his company hires new tech Ed, who seems to have all the quick fixes, Mike invites him inside his home to tweak the glitches in his smart home. Unable to understand social cues after a short period of time, Ed becomes obsessed with taking Mike down notch by notch. Nothing is off-limits. Ed put Mike’s business, reputation, and family in harm’s way. His actions prove detrimental, but Mike will not allow his entire life to be destroyed. He has to fight firewall with firewall.
I.T. will do nothing less than make you rethink the devices in your hand and how you use them. In a present day where a foreign country is hacking a major political party in real life, that’s awful enough. Perhaps, though, we should be more afraid of the troll in a basement with nothing better to do than destroy others.
More often than not, when we think about our legal system today, perhaps the word that comes to the mind of many is “Injustice” How much does personal belief, whether religious or political, sway the decision of a DA’s office or a jury. My husband recently served on a jury here in Manhattan, on a relatively well known case. After his month long ordeal, he stated, “In some alternate universe, if I was ever thinking about breaking the law, well, God help me. A jury of my peers is anything but.” He explained that the particular jury he served on contained individuals who slept during proceedings, doodled in their notebooks, sighed audibly in court, and verbally fought to be excused on a daily basis. He cannot imagine what it would have been like had he been the defendant. In a very important documentary, SOUTHWEST OF SALEM, four women, who happen to be lesbians, were convicted of a heinous crime based upon a modern day witch hunt. In Texas, their jury was most certainly not comprised of their peers. 
Directed by filmmaker journalist Deborah Esquenazi, this emotional documentary first made its big splash earlier this year at the Tribeca Film Festival and received audience accolades. It recently garnered Grand Jury Award at 2016 Outfest and Outstanding Documentary Jury Award at the 2016 Frameline Film Festival.
The score is stunning, the cinematography might as well be an add for the landscape and the local sites. Susan Traylor, as Lizzy, is haunted and ethereal. Anslem Richardson, as Guy, is soft and magnetic. Someone, two people who should have nothing in common create a world of self discovery and forgiveness. Written in collaboration with Traylor, Richardson, and Balderson, the dialogue runs in circles at moments, keeping you on your toes constantly. El Ganzo has a quiet elegance that will capture your heart.
This is one of those films where seeing is believing. The striking visual scope of Firecracker is just one of the things that makes it so unreal. Half in black & white and the other half in overly saturated color, the emotional story lines are hard drawn. Paying almost direct homage to FREAKS, (and far before it’s time, Jessica Lange’s leading lady in Season 4 of American Horror Story) FIRECRACKER is disturbing in so many ways. 
Black plays duels roles, as both the carnival chanteuse and mother with a severe case a PTSD. Son Jimmy is caught between both worlds. The emotional grip this strange tale holds upon the audience is something to experience in the theater, in the dark, on a big screen, surrounded by others experiencing it for the first time. 
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