The American Library will host an informal discussion on the careers of young American independent filmmakers, their inspirations and specific features of the American film industry. Karolina Pasternak will moderate the event.
The program includes:
October 24 (Thursday), 5 pm
Guns and Upbringing
A devastating picture of contemporary America within the cinema of the young and independent. Capitulation or intervention?
Guests: Vince Grashaw (Coldwater) and Alexandre Moors (Blue Caprice)
Vince Grashaw was born in the San Fernando Valley in 1981. He produced and edited the critically acclaimed film Bellflower presented at the Sundance Film Festival in 2011. Grashaw is a jack of all trades, much like other members of the Coatwolf collective: a camera operator, actor, producer and director. Coldwater is his feature film directorial debut.
Alexandre Moors grew up in the suburbs of Paris and was a member of a group of graffiti artists. He studied at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (ENSAD). After moving to New York, Moors directed many short films and music videos. Together with Kanye West, he directed the experimental film Cruel Summer, which premiered at the Cannes IFF in 2012. Blue Caprice is his feature debut.
October 24 (Thursday), 6 pm
Debuting in the Shadow of Hollywood
Established and budding artists. "Outsider" or teamwork? Los Angeles or New York? Various career models in the American film industry.
Guests: Lance Edmands (Bluebird), Jill Soloway (Afternoon Delight)
Jill Soloway is a Chicago-born screenwriter, director and producer as well as an Emmy-nominated writer. Soloway co-created some of the most well-known American television series: Six Feet Under, Grey’s Anatomy, The United States of Tara. She is also a strong supporter of feminism and the co-founder of the East Side Jews collective – an organization dedicated to attracting younger generations to Judaism.
Lance Edmands is a director, screenwriter and editor. He was born in 1981 in Maine. Edmands studied at the Tisch School of Arts at NYU, taking part in workshops at the Sundance Screenwriters Lab in 2010, where he worked on the screenplay for Bluebird. He has also worked as an editor for productions such as Lena Dunham’s film debut Tiny Furniture.
October 25 (Friday), 5 pm
Highway to Heaven?
A journey "to" or an escape "from" – where is American cinema headed and how does that road manifest in American films?
Guests: Mike Ott (Pearblossom Hwy) and Kyle Smith (Blue Highway)
Mike Ott studied art history at the California Institute of the Arts. His career began with creating music videos for bands well-known on MTV and MTV 2 (Pretty Girls Make Graves, The Blood Brothers). Ott’s inspiration is French New Wave cinema. Pearblossom Hwy is the second part of his desert trilogy. He is a lecturer at the University of Southern California.
Kyle Smith grew up in Columbia, Missouri and studied at a film school where he focused not only on film production, but also film criticism. His debut, the hour-long football comedy Turkey Bowl, was well-received at the SXSW festival in 2011, inspiring the website indiewire.com to consider whether this director could be the “next Robert Altman.”
October 25 (Friday), 6 pm
What to kill, what to save
Independent cinema at odds with taboo and discrimination. How was it before? How is it today?
producer Christine Vachon (Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Velvet Goldmine, At Any Price) and Darrien Michele Gipson (SAGIndie)
The final meeting will be devoted to Christine Vachon, an acclaimed producer who has worked with directors such as Todd Solondz, John Cameron Mitchell and Todd Haynes. Since her career began, she has addressed the issues of social exclusion and rejection resulting from various kinds of differences. Vachon received an Award for Outstanding Achievement in Lesbian and Gay Media and was also honored by New York Women in Film and Television with the Muse Award for Outstanding Vision and Achievement. In Wrocław Vachon will receive the Indie Star Award for her achievements in independent American cinema.
