** The Russian Woodpecker – Director Chad Gracia

The Russian Woodpecker film poster 

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One of the most buzzed about documentaries of the year, Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner, THE RUSSIAN WOODPECKER is told through the perspective of Fedor Alexandrovich, who was four years old in 1986, when he was exposed to the toxic effects of the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown and forced to leave his home. Now 33, he is an artist in Ukraine, with radioactive strontium in his bones and a singular obsession with this earth-changing catastrophe. His investigation begins with a question: What really happened?  Was there more to the story than the Soviet government let on? And, most importantly, what is the enormous steel structure now rotting away a few miles from the disaster site: a towering Cold War weapon nicknamed “the Russian Woodpecker” for the clicking sound it emitted, interrupting radio frequencies around the world? Director Chad Gracia stops by to talk about Fedor, conspiracy, consequences as told through his inventive and intriguing documentary.

For news and updates go to: russianwoodpecker.com

** 2016 Spirit Award nomination for Best Documentary 

Russian Woodpecker Awards:

SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2015 – WINNER- GRAND JURY PRIZE- World Cinema- Documentary

BIOGRAFILM FESTIVAL 2015 – WINNER- HERA AWARD- Best Debut Film – WINNER- LIFE TALES AWARD- International Competition

DOCAVIV FILM FESTIVAL 2015 – NOMINEE- Best International Film

MINNEAPOLIS ST. PAUL INT’L FILM FESTIVAL 2015 – WINNER-Special Jury Prize- Documentary Competition

MONTCLAIR FILM FESTIVAL 2015 – WINNER- Bruce Sinofsky Prize for Documentary Feature

The Russian Woodpecker is very much like Fedor himself — eccentric as hell, smart as a whip, and, at the end of the day, a heartbreaker.
— THE VILLAGE VOICE

An endlessly fascinating and sharply bizarre documentary … mysterious, intense and altogether prophetic…
– INDIEWIRE

The Russian Woodpecker often plays like a Kubrick take on some awful situation — like Clockwork Orange or Dr. Strangelove. The assemblage of real time search and archival footage is a wonder to behold.
– RED CARPET CRASH

 Vibrating with a reckless creative urgency, The Russian Woodpecker is a call for political integrity lost long ago.
– IONCINEMA.COM

Frame by Frame, Co-Director Alexandria Bombach and Mo Scarpelli

Frame by Frame film poster I FRAME BY FRAME, daring and tenacious film shot entirely in Afghanistan, gives the audiences a glimpse of life in Afghanistan through an intimate lens.  When the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, taking a photo was a crime. After the regime fell from power in 2001, a fledgling free press emerged and a photography revolution was born. Now, as foreign troops and media withdraw, Afghanistan is left to stand on its own, and so are its journalists. Set in a modern Afghanistan bursting with color and character, FRAME BY FRAME follows four Afghan photojournalists as they navigate an emerging and dangerous media landscape – reframing Afghanistan for the world, and for themselves. Through cinema vérité, intimate interviews, powerful photojournalism, and never-before-seen archival footage shot in secret during the Taliban regime, the film connects audiences with four humans in the pursuit of the truth.  FRAME BY FRAME, a film by Alexandria Bombach and Mo Scarpelli is one of the must-see documentaries of the year. Both directors, Bombach and Scarpelli joins us for a conversation on the challenges and rewards of being on the frontlines of the battle for Afghanistan’s future.

For news and updates go to: framebyframethefilm.com

Frame by Frame will be screening in Los Angeles on Wednesday, October 28 at 7:00 PM, 3470 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 980
Los Angeles | 213-232-1660

 and Thursday, October 29 at 7:00 PM, The Museum of Tolerance, Simon Wiesenthal Plaza, 9786 West Pico Blvd (southeast corner of Pico Boulevard and Roxbury Drive), Los Angeles | 310-553-8403

and Friday, November 6 – 13 at the Laemmle Music Hall – 9036 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills

“Astonishing” — Slant

“Sensitive” — Filmmaker Magazine

“FRAME BY FRAME is a bracing tribute to the power of photojournalism…  And like the four photojournalists, they have an eye for beauty as well as a nose for news, capturing scenes of unexpected lightness: an open-air pop concert, a paddle boat ride on a glass-smooth lake. FRAME BY FRAME is a work of profound immediacy, in sync with the photographers’ commitment and hope.” — The Hollywood Reporter

“An indispensable visual history… As the camera follows the quartet in their daily lives, and as they share stories from their past — the very stories that inform their gaze and shape their voice — a larger layered narrative emerges; that of a disrupted nation.” — TIME Lightbox

“Tenacious and brave… FRAME BY FRAME delicately interweaves the lives of four photojournalists, brazenly dedicated to exposing realities – however unsavory or taboo – while navigating the residual chilling effect of government suppression. — The Austin Chronicle

“[The film] pays tribute to the power of the still photographic image and its ability to change perceptions.” — BBC Culture 

The Armor of Light, Director Abigail Disney

The Armor of Light film poster http://www.kuci.org/podcastfiles/683/FS-10-30-15-Disney-Armor%20of%20Light.mp3

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THE ARMOR OF LIGHT tracks Reverend Rob Schenck, an anti-abortion activist and fixture on the political far right, who breaks orthodoxy by taking on his political allies and the NRA when questioning whether being pro-gun is consistent with being pro-life. Rev. Schenck is shocked by the reactions of his long-time friends who warn him away from this complex, politically explosive issue. Along the way, Rev. Schenck meets Lucy McBath, the mother of Jordan Davis – an unarmed teenager who was murdered in Florida whose story cast a nationwide spotlight on the “Stand Your Ground” laws. Lucy is on a difficult journey of her own, trying to make sense of her devastating loss while using her grief to effect some kind of viable and effective political action, and she decides to work with Schenck even though she is pro-choice. THE ARMOR OF LIGHT follows these unlikely allies through their trials of conscience, heartbreak and rejection as they bravely attempt to make others consider America’s gun culture through a moral lens. Director and Executive Producer Abigail Disney joins us for a conversation about courage, a fractured political culture and whether it is possible for people to find common ground.

For news and updates go to: armoroflightfilm.com

Opens in Southern California on October 30 at the Arclight Theatre, 6360 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles – Laemmle Monica, and the AMC Ontario Mills 30 – 4549 Mills Circle, Ontario, CA

“Emerges as a thoughtful and moving portrait of a man who has risked his status and career to publicly fight for his convictions. Watching him agonize over his decision—at one point he admits to fearing for his life—makes for compelling real-life drama.” – Hollywood Reporter

“Impressive work, especially considering this is her first project.” – Indiewire

“Gandhi said, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” If you are not yet blind, you might want to holster your weapon and see this movie.” – Bashmovies

“ ‘So we need Jesus, the gospel, and a sidearm, right?” (…) That question is raised in a very calm manner, which doesn’t make it any less unsettling.” – Twitch

** (T)error, Co-director David Felix Sutcliffe (Lyric R. Cabral)

(T)error Film Poster 4 

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(T)ERROR, the groundbreaking new documentary directed by Lyric R. Cabral and David Felix Sutcliffe, is the winner of the 2015 Sundance Special Jury Prize for Break Out First Feature, (T)ERROR is the first documentary to place filmmakers on the ground during an active FBI counterterrorism sting operation. The film is executive produced by Eugene Jarecki (The House I Live In, Why We Fight) and Nick Fraser (Man on Wire, Pussy Riot). In an effort to prevent domestic attacks, undercover FBI informants are nurturing relationships with suspected terrorists around the country. Saeed “Shariff” Torres, a Harlem-raised, 63-year-old former black revolutionary, has worked as an FBI counterterrorism informant for more than 20 years. Shot over two years and with astonishing access, (T)ERROR follows Shariff in his attempt to befriend a suspected Taliban sympathizer and build a fraudulent case against him. Through his perspective, viewers get an unfettered glimpse of the government’s counterterrorism tactics and the murky justifications behind them. Taut, stark and controversial, (T)ERROR illuminates the fragile relationships between individual and surveillance state in modern America, and asks who is watching the watchers? Co-director Sutcliffe talks about the multi-faceted dimensions of their illuminating film.

For news and updates go to:terrordocumentary.org

** 2016 Spirit Award nomination, Best Documentary

“One of the best documentaries of 2015.”- Aleksandr Gorbachev, NEWSWEEK

“(T)ERROR is one of the most riveting documentaries of the year.” – Rodrigo Perez, THE PLAYLIST

“A farce and a political drama rolled into one…GRIPPING…goes from being a tense procedural and absorbing character study to an astonishing, real-life satire about the surveillance state. You won’t know whether to laugh or cry.” – Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine’s VULTURE.com

“A stunning, infuriating indictment of the…war on terror.” – Robert Greene, SIGHT & SOUND MAGAZINE

A Wonderful Cloud, Director Eugene Kotlyarenko

Wonderful Cloud poster 

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When Katelyn (Kate Lyn Sheil, “House of Cards”) travels to Los Angeles in hopes of wresting control of a clothing company from her ex, Eugene (Eugene Kotlyarenko), she quickly realizes he has more than just business in mind. Unable to deny their emotional past, the pair spend the weekend trying to determine once and for all whether they have a future in store. Set in an LA full of eccentrics, this raw romantic comedy finds a former off-screen couple energetically playing out their real-world baggage in front of the camera, for laughs and tears. Director / writer Eugene Kotlyarenko joins us to talk about his subversively entertaining film.

For news and updates go to: facebook.com/awonderfulcloud

“Those seeking a raucous, wholly improvised 21st-century ‘Annie Hall’ need look no further.”

“Those seeking a 21st-century ‘Annie Hall’ need look no farther” – Variety

“Hilarious” – Indiewire

“Devastatingly relatable” – Filmmaker

Off the Menu, Asian America, Director Grace Lee

Off the Menu v1 

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What exactly does food reflect about Asian Pacific Americans? Off the Menu: Asian America grapples with how family, tradition, faith, and geography shape our relationship to food. The program takes audiences on a journey from Texas to New York and from Wisconsin to Hawaii using our obsession with food as a launching point to delve into a wealth of stories, traditions, and unexpected characters that help nourish this nation of immigrants. Off the Menu is a road trip into the kitchens, factories, temples and farms of Asian Pacific America that explores how our relationship to food reflects Asian American’s evolving community. The feature documentary is a one-hour PBS primetime special by award-winning filmmaker Grace Lee (American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs) co-produced by the Center for Asian American Media and KQED, with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Director and writer Grace Lee joins us for a conversation on food, cultural perceptions and the growing recognition of what it means to be an Asian-American.

For news and updates on the work of Grace Lee Off the Menu go to: CAAMedia and Gracelee.net

Off the Menu: Asian America premieres nationally on PBS December 8, 2015. (Check local listings).

Meadowland, Director Reed Morano

Meadowland film poster II 

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In the hazy aftermath of an unimaginable loss, Sarah and David deal with the unthinkable in the wake of their son’s disappearance. David, a New York City policeman, attempts a more traditional form of healing, only to lose his moral compass. Sarah goes down an unexpected path towards acceptance as she places herself in increasingly dangerous situations. From cinematographer Reed Morano in her directorial debut, Meadowland presents powerful performances by Olivia Wilde and Luke Wilson alongside Giovanni Ribisi, Elisabeth Moss, John Leguizamo, Kevin Corrigan, Merritt Wever and Juno Temple. Director Reed Morano joins us to talk about this wrenching story, grief, relationships under stress and her work with an outstanding ensemble of actors.

For news and updates go to: meadowland

“The leads make unbearable pain bearable to watch – Wilson is the sympathetic everyman once again, while Wilde displays depths of feeling she’s rarely gotten the chance to exhibit before.” – Michael Nordine, Village Voice

“Meadowland’s visual style is all about the faces: deep close-ups predominate, eyes, mouths, eyebrows, suggesting that the larger world, with its distractions and crowds and lights, has vanished for this couple.” – Sheila O’Malley, RogerEbert.com

“The film is a credible and sensitive portrayal of crippling grief.” – Elise Nakhnikian, Slant Magazine

“”Meadowland” is a methodical and at times very compelling film that presents an intimate portrait of grief and hopelessness. Wilde delivers her finest acting performance of her career yet and is simply astonishing.” – Clayton Davis, AwardsCircuit.com

This Changes Everything, Director Avi Lewis

This Changes Everything film poster I 

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Filmed over 211 shoot days in nine countries and five continents over four years, This Changes Everything is an epic attempt to re-imagine the vast challenge of climate change. Directed by Avi Lewis, and inspired by Naomi Klein’s international non-fiction bestseller This Changes Everything, the film presents seven powerful portraits of communities on the front lines, from Montana’s Powder River Basin to the Alberta Tar Sands, from the coast of South India to Beijing and beyond. Interwoven with these stories of struggle is Klein’s narration, connecting the carbon in the air with the economic system that put it there. Throughout the film, Klein builds to her most controversial and exciting idea: that we can seize the existential crisis of climate change to transform our failed economic system into something radically better. The extraordinary detail and richness of the cinematography in This Changes Everything provides an epic canvas for this exploration of the greatest challenge of our time. Unlike many works about the climate crisis, this is not a film that tries to scare the audience into action: it aims to empower. Provocative, compelling, and accessible to even the most climate-fatigued viewers, This Changes Everything will leave you refreshed and inspired, reflecting on the ties between us, the kind of lives we really want, and why the climate crisis is at the centre of it all. Director Avi Lewis joins us to talk about the economic, social and political challenges and the opportunities that will determine the fate of our shared planet.

For news and updates go to: thischangeseverything.org

Author Naomi Klein, Director Avi Lewis, and Executive Producer Danny Glover will be hosting at 730 PM. Director Avi Lewis and Author Naomi Klein will doing a Q & A at 5:00 PM screening – Sundance Sunset Cinema – 8000 W Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA

“The evenly wrought film accessibly argues that runaway capitalism and short-term economic growth at all costs has caused an imminent catastrophe, and that global warming is the hot-foot instigator for a radical change in economic thinking.” Brad Wheeler, Globe and Mail

“It distinguishes itself among similar planet-loving docs by showing evidence there is hope in what can often seem an overwhelming bleak task to begin repairs to an industrial-damaged world.” – Linda Barnard, Toronto Star

“An unsettling but ultimately encouraging documentary about global warming and grassroots activism.” Joe Leydon, Variety

“Klein is an excellent synthesizer of difficult ideas and knows how to make them accessible.” Susan Cole, NOW Toronto

Tower to the People, Joseph Sikorski

Tower to the People film Poster II 

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“TOWER TO THE PEOPLE” is the culmination of over 14 years of research into Nikola Tesla’s work conducted by filmmaker/co-author Joseph Sikorski and co-author Michael Calomino. The documentary details the struggle of the visionary scientist who dreamed of connecting the world while providing wireless energy to even the most remote places on the globe from his Wardenclyffe lab. Though Tesla was forced to abandon his dream there, almost a century later a new generation picked up the torch, hoping to rescue the historic property from decay, and preserve it forever. The tragic narrative of Tesla’ s humanitarian endeavor becomes inspirational through the stories of various groups of dedicated people, who by using technology Tesla himself helped develop, ultimately saved this historic symbol from extinction. From a local non-profit organization, to a popular web-comic known as ‘the Oatmeal’, to the generosity of people throughout the world, “TOWER TO THE PEOPLE-Tesla’s Dream at Wardenclyffe Continues” documents how the world united to correct a great historical injustice, and help vindicate a nearly forgotten inventor’s long, hard struggle. Director Joseph Sikorski’s joins us to talk about one of the most important and most underappreciated scientist since Galileo.

For news and updates go to: teslasdream.com/

On September 27th, 2015 Sikorski, who previously won the 2014 Tesla Spirit Award from the Tesla Science Foundation, was one of four recipients of the “2015 Tesla Innovation Award,” presented by European Angel Investor of the Year Dusan Stojanovic in San Francisco. 

Testimony, Director Vanessa Block

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THE TESTIMONY chronicles the largest rape trial in the history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, offering a glimpse into the lives of its women and the unshakable strength of the human spirit. First time filmmaker Director Vanessa Block decided to travel to one of the most dangerous places on earth to tell the story of young women who fight back against their brutalization by largely unaccountable social and political institutions. Block’s determination to tell their story results in an illuminating and hopeful documentary.

Check out the Opening Night screening of Testimony at the lagunafilmfestival.com

Laguna Film Festival was founded with the purpose of showcasing the work of emerging filmmakers. We are fortunate to be sponsored by Oops Doughnuts Productions (Reefer Madness, She’s the Man, The Game Plan, Race to Witch Mountain, You Again, Parental Guidance, Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2, Liv and Maddie, Internet Icon, Heathers the Musical, and the upcoming horror-comedy Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse) to help put together an amazing weekend filled with short film screenings, as well as panels comprised of professionals who have truly made their mark in the entertainment industry. All screenings will be held at the state-of-the-art Regency Directors Cut Cinema in Laguna Niguel.

Come see THE TESTIMONY at the Laguna Film Festival. This Friday 7-9PM. Q&A to follow with the filmmaker, Vanessa Block.

For news and updates go to: facebook.com/TheTestimonyfilm

Manson Family Vacation, Director J. Davis

manson family vacation poster 

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A man’s comfortable life in Los Angeles is disrupted when his estranged brother comes to town to visit the infamous Manson Family murder sites. Together, the brothers journey from the Hollywood Hills to the Mojave Desert, and into the modern-day world of Charles Manson.Written and directed by newcomer J. Davis, MANSON FAMILY VACATION takes two very different siblings on a road trip that tests the limits of brotherly love. From The Duplass Brothers, the film features Jay Duplass, Linas Phillips, Tobin Bell (Jigsaw from the “Saw” movies), Leonora Pitts and Davie-Blue.

Director J Davis joins us for a conversation on his charming, quirky and dramatically engaging film about trust, acceptance and family.

For news and updates on Manson Family Vacation go to: theorchard.com

On iTunes & Digital VOD  starting October 6th 

Coming to Netflix October 27th

“It’s a measure of the film’s dramatic balance as well as its emotional integrity that both of these men will wind up eliciting the viewer’s sympathy and scorn at different points.” – Justin Chang, Variety

“Manson Family Vacation proves Nick and Conrad are better when they are together and Davis wisely keeps their relationship at the center of the film, no matter what the two brothers encounter on their journey together” – Allison Loring, Film School Rejects

“Unexpected and charming, Manson Family Vacation is one ride you’ll want to catch.” – Katie Walsh, The Playlist

In My Father’s House, co-directors Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern

In My Fathers House poster 

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IN MY FATHER’S HOUSE tells the story of the career rise, fall and potential artistic return of Che “Rhymefest” Smith as it chronicles his sincere but often-fraught journey to build a future for his own family by reconnecting with his traumatic past. In My Father’s House goes well beyond exploring the journey of reconnecting with absentee father, Brian Tillman. Rhymefest and the entire Smith family virtually invite you into their home as they share about his journey in the music industry, navigating his own struggles with fatherhood and more. The film provides intimate access to this complex hip-hop artist at a time of both personal and professional redemption. Award winning hip-hop artist and writer – co-writer of the 2015 Oscar winning song “Glory” and 2005 Grammy winner “Jesus Walks” with Kanye West – Che “Rhymefest” Smith, is the subject of the critically acclaimed documentary film about fatherhood and personal redemption. The film debuted in April at the Tribeca Film Festival in the World Documentary Feature Competition. IN MY FATHER’S HOUSE is directed by Emmy, Gotham and Independent Spirit Awards nominated filmmakers Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg (THE DEVIL CAME ON HORSEBACK, THE TRIALS OF DARRYL HUNT, JOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK, KNUCKLEBALL!!). Sundberg and Stern join us for a conversation on the redemptive power of family, seeing our parents through the lens parenthood and unconditional love.

For news and updates go to: inmyfathershousefilm.com

WINNER – Best Documentary at Bentonville Film Festival 2015

WINNER – Southwest Airlines Audience Award Overall Winner at Nashville Film Festival 2015

WINNER – Southwest Airlines Audience Award Documentary Competition at Nashville Film Festival 2015

WINNER – Honorable Mention in Best Original Song Competition at Nashville Film Festival 2015, for “Found You,” written and performed by Rhymefest

“Watching Mr. Tillman as he cheerfully embraces sobriety to please his son, and is rebuffed by his former street pals for doing so, we see a poignant meditation on how our expectations of loved ones can become a burden that not everyone can carry.” – Jeanette Catsoulis, New York Times

“Che’s mission to lift his father up. . .intimately demonstrates [how] health care, education and supportive housing. . .help a motivated man gain confidence and his life.” – Mora Lee Mandel, Film Foward

“[In My Father’s House] could not have come at a better time.” – Miriam Di Nunzio
Chicago Sun-Times

“In My Father’s House” tells a story of loneliness, abandonment, anger, and joy that all can relate to.” – Peter Keough, Boston Globe

We Weren’t Just Bicycle Thieves, Neorealism – Director Gianni Bozzacchi

Bicycle Thieves poster 

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WE WEREN’T JUST BICYCLE THIEVES. NEOREALISM tells the story of the most important cinema trend that Italy has ever produced – Neo Realism. Born after the Second World War, this veritable cultural revolution rapidly became a boundless source of inspiration for movie-makers throughout the entire world. Even today it influences those wanting to produce quality movies characterized and identified as Italian products able to be exported as well. Director/producer Gianni Bozzacchi chronicles this amazing time in film through this new documentary featuring clips from the classic neorealisim films and interviews with the era’s great directors including De Santis, Rossellini, Visconti, De Sica, Fellini, Germi and many more.  Even today, the style and creativity associated with this period can be seen in the likes of American filmmakers such as Bertolucci, Scorcese, Coppola, Spielberg, Tarantino and others. It is precisely one of the masters of this unique current rich in different personalities who introduces the story – Carlo Lizzani – whose ‘lesson’ reconstructs the birth and development of Neorealism in Italy. It combined innovative movie techniques with a new view based on a ‘true’ interpretation of reality. Director Bozzacchi joins us to talk about the seismic shift the neorealist caused in world cinema and the impact their work continues to have filmmakers.

WE WEREN’T JUST BICYCLE THIEVES. NEOREALISM director Gianni Bozzacchi will participate in a Q&A after the 7:20 screening at the Music Hall on Friday, October 9th.

“[A] short charmer of a doc…all [the] history and critical appreciation is lightened by Lizzani’s genial goofiness.” – Village Voice

“We Weren’t Just Bicycle Thieves. Neorealism” is as breezy and affable as film histories get.” – Robert Abele, LA Times

Drunk Stone Brilliant Dead, Director Douglas Tirola

Lampoon DSBD film poster I 

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Douglas Tirola‘s outrageous documentary DRUNK STONED BRILLIANT DEAD: THE STORY OF THE NATIONAL LAMPOON, is an inside look at the rise and fall of the legendary humor magazine that launched dozens of careers and broke thousands of taboos. From the 1970s thru the 1990s, there was no hipper, no more outrageous comedy in print than The National Lampoon, the groundbreaking humor magazine that pushed the limits of taste and acceptability – and then pushed them even harder. Parodying everything from politics, religion, entertainment and the whole of American lifestyle, the Lampoon eventually went on to branch into successful radio shows, record albums, live stage revues and movies, including ANIMAL HOUSE and NATIONAL LAMPOON’S VACATION, launching dozens of huge careers on the way, including John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Christopher Guest, Richard Belzer, Gilda Radner, Brian Doyle-Murray, Bill Murray, Joe Flaherty, Harold Ramis, Michael O’Donoghue, Doug Kenney, Henry Beard, George W. S. Trow, Chris Miller, P. J. O’Rourke, Michael O’Donoghue, Chris Rush, Sean Kelly, Tony Hendra, Brian McConnachie, Gerald Sussman, Ellis Weiner, Danny Abelson, Ted Mann, Chris Cluess, Al Jean, Mike Reiss, Jeff Greenfield, and John Hughes. As well as cartoonists, photographers and illustrators appeared in the magazine’s pages, including Neal Adams, Gahan Wilson, Michael Sullivan, Ron Barrett, Peter Bramley, Vaughn Bode, Bruce McCall, Rick Meyerowitz, M. K. Brown, Shary Flenniken, Bobby London, Edward Gorey, Jeff Jones, Joe Orlando, Arnold Roth, Rich Grote, Ed Subitzky, Mara McAfee, Sam Gross, Charles Rodrigues, Buddy Hickerson, B. K. Taylor, Birney Lettick, Frank Frazetta, Boris Vallejo, Marvin Mattelson, Stan Mack, Chris Callis, John E. Barrett, Raymond Kursar and Andy Lackow. Director Tirola tells the story of its rise and fall through fresh, candid interviews with its key staff, and illustrated with hundreds of outrageous images from the magazine itself (along with never-seen interview footage from the magazine’s prime). Director Tirola stops by to talk about the supernova of comedic satire that was The Lampoon and its influential legacy.

For news and updates go to: magpictures.com/nationallampoon

DRUNK STONED BRILLIANT DEAD: THE STORY OF THE NATIONAL LAMPOON opening in Los Angeles at the Nuart Theatre on October 2, and at Laemmle’s Playhouse 7 in Pasadena and Laemmle’s NoHo 7 in North Hollywood on October 9 (opens in NY and on VOD/iTunes September 25). 

Director Douglas Tirola will be doing a Q & A Friday, October 2nd and Saturday, October 3rd after the 7:30PM screenings.

“Punch-drunk and very much alive. A generous and briskly entertaining doc that traces the titular humor magazine’s lasting influence on American comedy  – a real nonfiction crowdpleaser. ” – Ben Kenigsberg, Variety

“Energetic, laugh-stuffed and very colorful – A lively, very entertaining look at the Lampoon’s unlikely empire.” – John DeFore, The Hollywood Reporter

Becoming Bulletproof, Director Michael Barnett and Zeno Mountain Farm founder, Will Halby

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BECOMING BULLETPROOF is the award winning inspiring story of a group of talented people with disabilities from across America who come together at Zeno Mountain Farm to take part in the making of a ambitious indie film production entitled BulletproofBulletproof is a Western, complete with authentic wardrobe, saloon brawls, showdowns at the poker table, and evil villains. It’s the fruit of ideals that two brothers and their wives put into action through an inclusive film project they run in Hollywood every year at Zeno Mountain. For them, Bulletproof isn’t about actors’ limitations, “It’s all about making an awesome movie, not a statement.” A.J. Murray, 32, from Atlanta, has cerebral palsy and plays the town’s mayor. Jeremy Vest, 28, born with Williams Syndrome, plays the film’s hero, Bulletproof Jackson. Zach Gottsagen, 29, who has Down syndrome, plays the evil Grim. Judy Moscariello, 53, who also has cerebral palsy, plays a woman shattered by her lover’s murder. Weaving between 1890s period drama and present-day action, Bulletproof’s snaking plot requires mastering lines, pushing through take after take, and showing up on time in costume. As the actors grapple with these high expectations, we see the pay off: a can-do community spirit, the genesis of a riveting film, and a personally and socially transformative experience. We learn lessons about reaching our fullest potential through artistic endeavor and hear direct from actors about overcoming their exclusion and marginalization. In this way disability becomes “our” story, of who we are or may become, rather than the story of someone else.. Founder of Zeno Mountain Farm, Will Halby and Director Michael Barnett join us for a conversation on the collective bonds between cast and crew and joy that came from their collaborative effort.

For news and updates go to: becomingbulletproofmovie.com

LAEMMLE’S MUSIC HALL 3  http://www.laemmle.com/films/39730

10/2 Q&A with Director Michael Barnett, Producer Theodore James, Will Halby and cast after 7:20 PM show

10/3 Q&A with Director Michael Barnett, Will Halby and cast after 2:40PM & 7:20 PM show

10/4 Q&A with Director Michael Barnett, Will Halby and cast after 2:40 PM show

“The term “inspirational” gets bandied about a lot, but “Becoming Bulletproof” is thoroughly deserving of that tag.” – Michael Rechtshaffen, LA Times

“Barnett portrays his subjects with a sensitivity that never feels exploitative or sentimentalized, giving many of the featured players screentime to discuss their day-to-day lives or why they return year after year to Zeno.” – Monica Castillo, Village Voice

“A rare film about the disabled that shows them as the regular folks they are, and the disciplined creativity of which they’re capable.” Frank Lovece, Film International Journal

Shout Gladi Gladi, Director Adam Friedman

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Narrated by Academy Award® winning actress Meryl Streep, SHOUT GLADI GLADI celebrates the extraordinary people who rescue African women and girls from obstetric fistula, a medical condition that can turn them into reviled outcasts. Co-directed by Adam Friedman and Iain Kennedy, and filmed in Malawi and Sierra Leone, the film spotlights the quest of Ann Gloag, the indefatigable philanthropist and former nurse who drives the movement to save these vulnerable women, and presents the patients as they tell stirring tales of their struggles and triumphs. Everything culminates with the exuberant Gladi Gladi ceremony, a singing and dancing blowout that marks the day the women return home cured. Obstetric fistula is not a disease—it is a condition caused by prolonged, obstructed childbirth. It is most prevalent in young girls like Carolynne Nikomo, who was afflicted at 12, but it has been pandemic for so long that Vanesia Laiti, a woman in her 70s, lived with it for 40 years before she recently received treatment. Some of these women’s stories have happy endings, like Carolynne, who is able to have another child, but many are not able to be fully cured, or at least not immediately. Still, all the patients encounter doctors, nurses and midwives who work around the clock to help them. For women who have been shunned by their husbands and families, this is truly life-changing. Co-director Friedman joins us for a conversation on the challenges and rewards of taking on a project where women are often threatened and reviled for a medical condition that occurs during childbirth.

For news and updates go to: shoutgladigladi.com

10/2 – 10/8 – one week only at Laemmle Music Hall –  Beverly Hills

Q&A at selected shows: Dr. Jeff Wilkinson & Co-Director Iain Kennedy

10/2 – 10/8 – one week only at Village East – NYC

Q&A at selected shows: co-Director Adam Friedman and special guests 

“[A] thorough, powerfully straightforward documentary …” – Anita Gates, New York Times

“[A] not-easy-to-stomach but important and eminently worthy film.” – David Noh, Film Journal International