Posts Tagged 'Martha Shane'

MFF 2013’s AFTER TILLER to Broadcast on PBS this Monday 9/1!

Published August 29, 2014 Uncategorized Closed
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AFTER TILLER

AFTER TILLER

We are thrilled to announce that MFF 2013’s award-winning documentary AFTER TILLER will have its broadcast premiere on PBS’s acclaimed POV documentary series this Monday, September 1st!

Directed by Martha Shane and Lana Wilson, AFTER TILLER intimately explores the highly controversial subject of third-trimester abortions in the wake of the 2009 assassination of practitioner Dr. George Tiller. The procedure is now performed by only four doctors in the United States, all former colleagues of Dr. Tiller, who risk their lives every day in the name of their unwavering commitment toward their patients.
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Martha Shane

Martha Shane is a Baltimore County native and was co-host of this year’s Filmmakers Taking Charge conference at the 2014 Maryland Film Festival. Click here to listen to the MFF/WYPR Spotlight Seriespodcast of Martha Shane discussing AFTER TILLER with Sheilah Kast on WYPR’s Maryland Morning.

AFTER TILLER does viewers the great service of providing light where there’s usually only heat, giving a human face and heart to what previously might have been an abstract issue or quickly scanned news item.

– Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post

Click here to find your local broadcast times, learn how to host a special event screening, and download educational resources related to the film.  AFTER TILLER is also available for download on iTunes.
Click here to view the trailer for AFTER TILLER.

MFF Announces Filmmakers Martha Shane and Alex Ross Perry to Host Opening Night Shorts Program!

Published April 30, 2014 Uncategorized Closed
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Martha+Alex
Maryland Film Festival is extremely proud to announce that our Opening Night Shorts Program will be hosted by filmmakers Martha Shane and Alex Ross Perry!

Martha Shane is the co-director of the documentaries BI THE WAY (MFF 2008) and AFTER TILLER (MFF 2013). Alex Ross Perry is the director of the narrative features IMPOLEX (2009), THE COLOR WHEEL (MFF 2011), and the forthcoming LISTEN UP PHILIP, which premiered at Sundance 2014.

As in past years, our Opening Night Shorts Program will be followed by a Q&A with the directors of each of the Opening Night shorts. Our Opening Night Shorts Program will take place on Wednesday, May 7th at 8pm at the MICA Brown Center. Tickets for our Opening Night Shorts Program and Gala are on sale now, click here to purchase.

Maryland Film Festival’s 2014 Opening Nights shorts are:

THE BRAVEST, THE BOLDEST
Directed by Moon Molson
Two Army Casualty Notification Officers arrive at the Harlem projects to deliver Sayeeda Porter some news about her son serving in the war in the Middle East. But whatever it is they have to say, Sayeeda ain’t trying to hear it. Moon Molson is the director of previous MFF shorts POP FOUL and CRAZY BEATS STRONG EVERY TIME; THE BRAVEST, THE BOLDEST screened in the Shorts Competition at Sundance 2014.

EASY  
Directed by Daniel Laabs
A character study that follows the relationship between two brothers; one on the verge of becoming an adult, the other becoming a teenager. Daniel Laabs is the co-director of MFF 2011’s short film 8; EASY premiered within SXSW 2014.

I WAS A TEENAGE GIRL  
Director: Augustine Frizzell
Emma and Jesse are close friends. One night, after an intense breakup, they have a heartfelt conversation that challenges the boundaries of their friendship in an unexpected way. I WAS A TEENAGE GIRL premiered within SXSW 2014.

MORE THAN TWO HOURS (Iran)
Directed by Ali Asgari
It’s 3 a.m., and a boy and a girl are wandering the city. They are looking for a hospital to cure the girl, but it’s much harder than they thought. MORE THAN TWO HOURS was nominated for the Palme d’Or for best short film at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.

VERBATIM  
Directed by Brett Weiner
A jaded lawyer wastes an afternoon trying to determine if a government employee has ever used a photocopier. All the dialogue in this film comes from an actual deposition filed with the Supreme Court of Ohio. VERBATIM premiered within the Shorts Competition at Sundance 2014.

The Maryland Film Festival’s Opening Night Shorts Program is supported by a generous grant from the William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, Creator of the Baker Artist Awards.

For tickets and more information for this event and the entire MFF 2014 line-up, visit:http://mdfilmfest.com/festival/film-guide.

The MFF/WYPR Spotlight Series Returns with AFTER TILLER on Monday 2/10!

Published February 4, 2014 Uncategorized Closed
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AFTER TILLER

AFTER TILLER

We’re thrilled to announce the return of the MFF/WYPR Spotlight Series next Monday 2/10 with a screening of MFF 2013’s award-winning documentary, AFTER TILLER.  WYPR 88.1FM’s Sheilah Kast will interview the film’s co-director Martha Shane on stage after the screening, followed by a Q & A with the audience. For an archive of past MFF/WYPR Spotlight Series interviews, click here.

AFTER TILLER intimately explores the highly controversial subject of third-trimester abortions in the wake of the 2009 assassination of practitioner Dr. George Tiller. The procedure is now performed by only four doctors in the United States, all former colleagues of Dr. Tiller, who risk their lives every day in the name of their unwavering commitment toward their patients.

Spotlight-Bubble_v2_600pxSCREENING INFORMATION:
The MFF/WYPR Spotlight Series presents AFTER TILLER with co-director Martha Shane
Monday, February 10
7:30pm
MICA Brown Center’s Falvey Hall
1301 West Mt. Royal Street
Baltimore, MD
$10/FREE for FOFs and MICA Students      

Martha Shane (co-director/co-producer) is a Brooklyn-based filmmaker. From 2006 to 2008, she co-directed, produced and co-edited the feature documentary BI THE WAY (MFF 2008), which had its premiere at the SXSW film festival in 2008 and debuted on MTV’s LOGO channel in summer 2009. Subsequently, Shane worked as a freelance editor, producer, and cinematographer for projects ranging from a short documentary about a community health center in post-Katrina New Orleans to an experimental film about the Japanese writer Osamu Dazai. AFTER TILLER is her second feature documentary.

HOW TO GET 2 FREE TICKETS (must be a current Friend of the Festival to be eligible): Email tickets@mdfilmfest.com with your name and “AFTER TILLER” in the subject line to be added to the RSVP list for this screening.  On the night of the show, check in at the MFF table with your name to get your tickets.  To join or renew your Friends of the Festival membership, click here.

TWELVE MORE FEATURES ANNOUNCED FOR MARYLAND FILM FESTIVAL 2013!

Published April 16, 2013 Uncategorized 2 Comments
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Good Ol' Freda production still horizontal

GOOD OL’ FREDA

Maryland Film Festival is proud to announce a dozen more titles for our 2013 edition, bringing the total number of features revealed to 36 thus far.  Our fifteenth annual festival, which will take place May 8-12 in downtown Baltimore, has expanded to 5 days and will include approximately 50 features and 9 shorts programs.  We will also present a silent classic with an original score performed live by the Alloy Orchestra and a favorite film selected and hosted by legendary director John Waters!

The diverse round of titles announced today includes work from Finland, Mexico, Austria, and Israel, and such titles as Zach Clark’s holiday-themed, darkly comic White Reindeer; Alex Winter’s riveting look at the rise and fall of Napster, Downloaded; Jessica Oreck’s experiential documentary about a family of reindeer herders, Aatsinki; and Calvin Reeder’s surreal, horror-tinged mindbender about a mysterious loner, The Rambler.

More MFF 2013 lineup announcements are coming soon! If you haven’t seen them yet, make sure to check the 24 features we announced last week! For all the latest information, continue to visit this blog, and follow us at facebook.com/MarylandFilmFestival and on Twitter, @MdFilmFestival.

Today’s announced features for Maryland Film Festival 2013 are:

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16 ACRES

16 Acres (Richard Hankin) From the editor and co-producer of Capturing the Friedmans comes this riveting and nuanced documentary look at the rebuilding of Ground Zero—one of the most architecturally, politically, and emotionally complex urban renewal projects in history.

AATSINKI_[Jessica_Oreck]1

AATSINKI: THE STORY OF ARCTIC COWBOYS

Aatsinki: The Story of Arctic Cowboys (Jessica Oreck) One year in the life of a family of reindeer herders in Finnish Lapland yields an immersive study of hard work, hard earned leisure, and an intricate bond between man and nature. From the director of Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo.

Before You Know It (P J Raval) This observational documentary raises the curtain on a profoundly neglected segment of the LGBT community, its senior population, as three gay men residing in very different regions of the U.S. face new life challenges.

Bluebird_30

BLUEBIRD

Bluebird (Lance Edmands) In the frozen woods of an isolated Maine logging town, one woman’s tragic mistake shatters the balance of the community, resulting in profound and unexpected consequences.

Downloaded (Alex Winter) With remarkable insight and access, this documentary tells the story of the rise and fall of Napster, taking a close look at the internet mavericks and musicians involved and the lasting global impact of peer-to-peer file sharing.

Here_Comes_The_Devil

HERE COMES THE DEVIL

Here Comes the Devil  (Adrián García Bogliano) From Mexico comes this horror film concerning disappeared children and panicked parents, offering ever-escalating thrills as it heads to increasingly bloody, diabolical, and even psychedelic territory.

Fill the Void (Rama Burshtein) This drama set in Tel Aviv’s Orthodox community centers around 18-year-old Shira, who faces unexpected life challenges when her older sister dies.

Good Ol’ Freda (Ryan White) Freda Kelly was just a shy Liverpudlian teenager when she was asked to work for a local band hoping to make it big. That band was The Beatles, and Freda was their devoted secretary and friend for 11 years; this documentary tells her story—and the story of the world’s most famous band through her eyes.

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MUSEUM HOURS

Museum Hours (Jem Cohen) From the director of Benjamin Smoke and Instrument comes this gentle and expertly crafted drama about a Vienna museum guard and the friendship he forms with a woman visiting town to care for a sick friend.

THE RAMBLER_Lindsay Pulsipher and Dermot Mulroney shooting_photo by Juliana Halvorson

THE RAMBLER

The Rambler (Calvin Reeder) Dermot Mulroney, Lindsay Pulsipher, and Natasha Lyonne star in the latest psychotronic vision from the director of The Oregonian, in which a mysterious loner, newly released from prison, sets out on a journey filled with bizarre characters and warped experiences.

We Always Lie to Strangers (AJ Schnack and David Wilson) A documentary story of family, community, music and tradition, built over five years and set against the backdrop of Branson, Missouri, one of the biggest tourist destinations in America.

WHITE REINDEER STILL 1

WHITE REINDEER

White Reindeer (Zach Clark) After an unexpected tragedy, Suzanne searches for the true meaning of Christmas during one sad, strange December in suburban Virginia. From the director of Vacation! and Modern Love Is Automatic.

Previously Announced Titles for 2013:

12 O’CLOCK BOYS (Lotfy Nathan)

AFTER TILLER (Martha Shane and Lana Wilson)

AUGUSTINE (Alice Winocour)

BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO (Peter Strickland)

COMPUTER CHESS (Andrew Bujalski)

DRINKING BUDDIES (Joe Swanberg)

HIT & STAY (Joe Tropea and Skizz Cyzyk)

I AM DIVINE (Jeffrey Schwarz)

I USED TO BE DARKER (Matt Porterfield)

IF WE SHOUT LOUD ENOUGH (Gabriel DeLoach and Zach Keifer)

IT FELT LIKE LOVE (Eliza Hittman)

LEVIATHAN (Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Véréna Paravel)

THE PERVERT’S GUIDE TO IDEOLOGY (Sophie Fiennes)

PIT STOP (Yen Tan)

POST TENEBRAS LUX (Carlos Reygadas)

PRINCE AVALANCHE (David Gordon Green)

SWIM LITTLE FISH SWIM (Lola Bessis and Ruben Amar)

A TEACHER (Hannah Fidell)

THIS IS MARTIN BONNER (Chad Hartigan)

TOUCHY FEELY (Lynn Shelton)

V/H/S/2 (omnibus)

WATCHTOWER (Pelin Esmer)

WILLOW CREEK (Bobcat Goldthwait)

ZERO CHARISMA (Katie Graham and Andrew Matthews)

Jed’s Sundance Update #2: AFTER TILLER, ANITA

Published January 20, 2013 Uncategorized Closed
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AfterTiller

Photo still from AFTER TILLER. 2012, 88 minutes, color, U.S.A., Documentary.

 

At AFTER TILLER Q&A. The last 4 doctors in America who perform late term abortions appear with heavy security.

At AFTER TILLER Q&A. The last 4 doctors in America who perform late term abortions appear with heavy security.

I attended the 8:30AM screening of AFTER TILLER, a remarkable documentary about the last four doctors in America who perform late-term abortions since the assassination of Dr. George Tiller in May 2009. Security was tight; each audience member had to go through a metal detector before entering the theater. Filmmakers Martha Shane (an MFF alum for 2008’s BI THE WAY) and Lana Wilson screened their film to a sold-out house who gave their work a standing ovation.

Anita

Film still from ANITA.  2013, 85 minutes, color, U.S.A., Documentary.

Anita Hill greets an audience member before the screening of ANITA.

Anita Hill greets an audience member before the screening of ANITA.

Then I moved quickly to see Academy Award-winning director Freida Mock’s masterful documentary ANITA, about Anita Hill, the law professor who in 1991 became the centerpiece of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas‘ nomination fight when she testified that he had sexually harassed her before the Senate Judiciary Committee.  The film was screened  in a tennis-court-turned-movie-theater, one of the many unique venues created by Sundance to house the more than 100 feature films shown over the course of the 11-day festival.

-Jed Dietz, MFF Director

Matthew Porterfield, David Lowery, Amy Seimetz Among MFF Alum Featured in Sundance 2013

Published November 29, 2012 Uncategorized Closed
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The last few years have seen an explosion of Maryland Film Festival alumni landing new films in the annual Sundance Film Festival. That trend continued to rise yesterday as Sundance began unveiling the line-up for their 2013 festival (taking place January 17-27 in Park City, Utah).

Sundance has established itself as arguably the premiere festival for American independent film, as well as one of the world’s largest “market” festivals, where distributors acquire many a film for distribution–as was the case with this year’s art-house smash BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD by MFF alum Benh Zeitlin, which premiered at Sundance 2012.

The number of MFF connections in Sundance’s 2013 line-up thus far is so numerous we’re still tracking them, but the following are a dozen feature-film highlights. Needless to say, these are films we’ll be tracking at Sundance and throughout the year as we begin scouting films for Maryland Film Festival 2013:

—I USED TO BE DARKER, directed by Baltimore’s Matthew Porterfield (of MFF 2006’s HAMILTON and MFF 2010’s PUTTY HILL), shot in Baltimore, and co-written by Baltimore’s Amy Belk.

—AIN’T THEM BODIES SAINTS, directed by David Lowery (director of MFF 2009 feature ST. NICK and MFF 2011 Opening Night short PIONEER), featuring an all-star cast that includes Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Nate Parker, and Keith Carradine.

—PIT STOP, directed by Yen Tan, co-written by David Lowery, and featuring a cast that includes Amy Seimetz (co-star of MFF 2010’s TINY FURNITURE; director of MFF 2012’s SUN DON’T SHINE) and John Merriman (co-writer/co-director/co-star of MFF 2012’s Opening Night short MODERN MAN).

—MOTHER OF GEORGE, directed by Andrew Dosunmu of MFF 2011’s RESTLESS CITY.  Andrew won the Maryland Filmmakers Fellowship in 2005 for this script. The Fellowship is awarded annually by a group of independent readers,  picked from Friends of the Festival supporters, and given to a filmmaker who’s script has been through the Sundance Labs.

—TOUCHY FEELY, directed by Lynn Shelton, the writer/director of such titles as HUMPDAY, YOUR SISTER’S SISTER, and MFF 2008’s MY EFFORTLESS BRILLIANCE.

—COMPUTER CHESS, directed by Andrew Bujalski, director of MFF 2005’s MUTUAL APPRECIATION.

—99%: THE OCCUPY WALL STREET COLLABORATIVE FILM, a collaborative documentary whose filmmakers include Audrey Ewell and Aaron Aites of MFF 2010’s UNTIL THE LIGHT TAKES US.

—AFTER TILLER, co-directed by Martha Shane of MFF 2008’s BI THE WAY.

—THE GOOD LIFE, co-directed by Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine of MFF 2007’s WAR/DANCE.

—A TEACHER, directed by Hannah Fidell and featuring a cast that includes MFF alums Jennifer Prediger, Jonny Mars, and Chris Dubeck.

—UPSTREAM COLOR, directed by Shane Carruth and starring frequent MFF alum Amy Seimetz (TINY FURNITURE, SMALL POND).

—GOD LOVES UGANDA, directed by Roger Ross Williams of MFF 2010’s Oscar-winning MUSIC BY PRUDENCE.

A big congratulations to all the filmmakers included in this year’s Sundance line-up! You can also head to Thompson on Hollywood, the Indiewire blog of noted film critic (and MFF 2012 guest) Anne Thompson, for more information on these and other announced Sundance titles.

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