The Duplass brothers’ "Cyrus" will be the opening-night film of the second annual BAMcinemaFEST, running June 9-20 at BAMcinematek in Brooklyn.
The 12-day festival will offer 16 New York premieres and a U.S. premiere of emerging voices in American independent and international cinema.
Fox Searchlight’s Sundance hit "Cyrus" opens the festival. Written and directed by Jay and Mark Duplass (2005’s "The Puffy Chair"), it stars John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei and Jonah Hill.
Director Olivier Assayas will be present for a conversation with film critic Kent Jones about his influences, and will introduce screenings of two of his favorite films.
A screening of G.W. Pabst’s classic silent "Diary of a Lost Girl" (1929) starring Louise Brooks, with live musical accompaniment by Irish ambient rock group 3epkano, will close the festival.
BAMcinemaFEST launched in the summer of 2009 in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of BAMcinématek, BAM’s acclaimed repertory film program.
The BAMcinemaFEST main slate lineup includes:
■ 12th and Delaware (Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady, USA) This powerful documentary looks at an abortion clinic and a faith-based center that share an intersection.
■ Am I Black Enough For You (Göran Hugo Olsson, Sweden) The definitive profile of Philly soul legend Billy Paul. US Premiere
■ Canal Street Madam (Cameron Yates, USA) A vérité documentary on the family behind an infamous New Orleans brothel. NY Premiere
■ Cane Toads: The Conquest (Mark Lewis, USA/Australia) The sequel to the cult-doc classic… in 3D! NY Premiere
■ Cold Weather (Aaron Katz, USA) A moody character study cum mystery-thriller from the director of Quiet City and Dance Party USA. NY Premiere
■ Cyrus (Jay & Mark Duplass, USA) NY Premiere
■ Dirty Pictures (Étienne Sauret, USA) A portrait of Dr. Alexander Shulgin, the developer of MDMA (a.k.a. Ecstasy) NY Premiere
■ Freedom Riders (Stanley Nelson, USA) A part of PBS’ American Experience series, this documentary from the director of Jonestown looks at the civil rights activists who traveled together in the Deep South in ’61. NY Premiere
■ His & Hers (Ken Wardrop, Ireland) A cinematic mosaic of 70 Irish women, from infancy to nanogenarianism. NY Premiere
■ How to Fold a Flag (Petra Epperlein & Michael Tucker, USA) A raw documentary following four men readjusting to civilian life following tours in Iraq.
■ Lovers of Hate (Bryan Poyser, USA) A dark comedy about a down-and-out 30-something and his more successful brother, played by Beeswax star Alex Karpovsky. NY Premiere
■ Mars (Geoff Marslett, USA) An off-kilter animated sci-fi comedy about three astronauts, starring Mark Duplass, with music by Howe Gelb. NY Premiere
■ Passenger Pigeons (Martha Stephens, USA) A meditative debut feature interweaving four separate stories around the death of a miner. NY Premiere
■ Putty Hill (Matthew Porterfield, USA) A fractured family and their community cope with the untimely death of a young man in the sophomore effort from the director of Hamilton. NY Premiere
■ Rejoice and Shout (Don McGlynn, USA) A vivid history of Gospel music, featuring performances from acts such as Mahalia Jackson and the Blind Boys of Alabama. NY Premiere
■ Teenage Paparazzo (Adrian Grenier, USA) The Entourage star helms this exploration of America’s obsession with celebrity via the story of a 13-year-old photographer.
■ Tiny Furniture (Lena Dunham, USA) An almost-autobiographical examination of post-college self-actualization. SXSW 2010 Best Narrative Feature Jury Prize winner. NY Premiere
■ Valhalla Rising (Nicholas Winding Refn, Denmark) From the director of Bronson comes a stylized Viking epic set in 1000 AD starring Mads Mikkelsen. NY Premiere
■ Wah Do Dem (Ben Chace & Sam Fleischner, USA) A vibrant, reggae-inflected odyssey of a young Brooklynite in Jamaica. NY Premiere
The BAMcinemaFEST special event lineup includes:
■ Special Event—Olivier Assayas Selects. The director discusses his films and inspirations with film critic Kent Jones, with screenings of Maurice Pialat’s We Won’t Grow Old Together (France, 1972) and a high-definition presentation of the director’s cut of David Fincher’s Zodiac (USA, 2007).
■ Special Screening—Wake in Fright (Ted Kotcheff, Australia, 1971) The lost Ozploitation classic of a naïve young schoolteacher on a drunken, sordid walkabout in a brand new restoration, by the Canadian director/producer (Law & Order: SVU). NY Premiere
■ Midnight Screening—Maniac (William Lustig, USA, 1980) The notorious splatterfest about a serial killer in 1970’s New York, from the one-of-a-kind horror director Lustig, who is now CEO of rare and exploitation film distribution company, Blue Underground.
■ Outdoor Screening: Tiny Furniture (Lena Dunham, USA), co-presented by Rooftop Films.
■ Shorts Programs 1&2 New and acclaimed short-form works in their NY (and World) premieres with many culled from Sundance, Sarasota and other festivals (films TBA).
■ Closing Night: Diary of a Lost Girl (G.W. Pabst, Germany, 1929) The legendary Austrian director’s second collaboration with screen siren Louise Brooks, following 1928’s Pandora’s Box. Presented with live music by 3epkano.
