Fall Preview: Film
Latinbeat 2009
Celebrating its 12th year, this festival features 21 films from throughout Latin America, including several New York premieres. Special events include panel discussions with rising stars of the New York-based Latino and Latin American filmmaking scene and Latin American female filmmakers, and a tribute to renowned Latin American writer Julio Cortázar. Walter Reade Theater, through Sept. 24
ContemporAsian Series
Monthly screenings of new works from emerging Asian filmmakers. This year’s series begins with Blind Pig Who Want to Fly, which follows a series of disparate Chinese-Indonesians whose loosely-connected stories find an unlikely common link in Stevie Wonder’s “I Just Called To Say I Love You.” MoMA, continues on various dates throughout the fall
Russian Documentary Film Festival
Now in its second year, this festival of 16 films by Russian documentarians seeks to promote cross-cultural dialogue between Russia and the U.S. through film screenings and roundtable discussions. Notable works include a portrait of Michael Chekhov, the famed Russian actor/director whose acting techniques have been utilized by performers as disparate as Clint Eastwood and Marilyn Monroe. Tribeca Cinemas, Sept 18-20
Paradise
Michael Almereyda’s latest is a kaleidoscopic collection of fleeting images and off-hand moments recorded by the director while traveling through roughly two dozen cities in nine different countries. Almereyda, who made the film over the course of 10 years, will introduce the first screening. MoMA, Sept. 24-Sept. 30
Stranger than Fiction: Fall 2009
The 11th season of the documentary series, which screens a combination of newer works, classics, and little-known gems. The role and relevancy of the documented image will play a particularly central role on Nov. 17, when Iranian filmmaker Hamid Rahmanian and others will screen and discuss footage of Iran in light of the recent post-election turmoil. The IFC Center, Sept. 29-Dec. 1
Hungary
A look at the substantial contributions of Hungarian filmmakers, producers, writers, actors and others to the “Golden Age of Hollywood Filmmaking,” this festival will include films by Michael Curtiz and George Cukor and featuring such actors as Bela Lugosi and Johnny Weissmuller. Flashing-forward in history, the festival will also feature a 25th anniversary screening of Jim Jarmusch’s Stranger than Paradise, featuring Hungarian actress Eszter Balint. BAMcinématek, Oct. 7-15
Spike Jonze: The First 80 Years
Coinciding with his much buzzed-about adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are, this cheekily titled retrospective encompasses both Jonze’s head-spinning features (Being John Malkovich and Adaptation) and his wealth of innovative music videos and short films. Plus, Jonze will personally present (Oct. 
three short films about Wild Things author Maurice Sendak made during the film’s production, as well as clips from the movie itself. MoMA, Oct. 8-18
Elia Kazan Festival
As revered for his emotionally-intense, brilliantly-acted films as he was controversial for his decision to name names before Joe McCarthy’s House Un-American Activities Committee, Elia Kazan would have turned 100 this year. Film Forum, Oct. 9-22
To Save and Project: The Seventh MoMA International Festival of Film Preservation
The annual showcase of restored and rediscovered films will open with a week-long run of John Cassavetes’ A Woman Under the Influence, with star Gena Rowlands introducing the October 24 screening. Among the other restorations—many of them making their New York debuts—include two 1950s Italian melodramas from Luchino Visconti (Senso) and Michelangelo Antonioni (Le Amiche) and MoMA’s own restored print of Nanook of the North. MoMA, Oct. 24-Nov. 15
Roger Corman Retrospective
Known for his energetic style, super-slim budgets, and cheeky takes on B-level genre material, the prolific Roger Corman will receive the full retrospective treatment from Anthology. Week one will be devoted to his eerie Edgar Allan Poe adaptations, while the second week will focus on such little-screened works as The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre and The Wild Angels. Anthology Film Archives, October 28-Nov. 8
The Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival
Moviegoers and studio heads alike may watching this celebration of new works by Indo-American filmmakers a little closer this year: among the films making their New York premiere at last years MIAAC festival was a little movie called Slumdog Millionaire. Tribeca Cinemas, Nov. 11-15
African Diaspora Film Festival
This festival gathers and spotlights the work of black filmmakers from around the world. Highlights include Gospel Hill and the New York premiere of The Black List, a collection of filmed interviews with prominent black artists, politicians and others conducted by former New York Times film critic Elvis Mitchell. Anthology Film Archives, Nov. 27-Dec. 9
Romanian Film Festival in NYC
At a time when directors like Cristi Puiu and Corneliu Porumboui have inspired some critics to proclaim a “Romanian New Wave,” check out this festival to see what exciting voices will next emerge from this most-intriguing of burgeoning cinematic movements. Tribeca Cinemas, Dec. 4-6
