Cinereach Grantee:

Call Me Kuchu nonfiction Directors: Malika Zouhali-Worrall, Katherine Fairfax Wright As state-sanctioned homophobia reaches new heights in Uganda, David Kato, the country’s first openly gay man, will stop at nothing to liberate the LGBT community. Berlin Screening Times

Films Supported by the Cinereach Project at Sundance Institute:

Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry nonfiction Director: Alison Klayman The inside story of a dissident for the digital age who inspires global audiences and blurs the boundaries of art and politics. Berlin Screening Times

Keep the Lights On fiction Director: Ira Sachs The story of a tumultuous, decade-long relationship between two men in New York City, chronicling the bonds that keep them together and the addictions that tear them apart. Berlin Screening Times Postcards from the Zoo fiction Director: Edwin The zoo – a place of yearning. The zoo animals are yearning for freedom and many of the visitors long for adventure and the call of the wild. It is in these surroundings, where imagining yourself into other world is easy, that Lana grows up. Berlin Screening Times

Words of Witness nonfiction Director: Mai Iskandar A few months before Mubarak’s resignation, a young journalist named Heba Afify began working for the English-language edition of an independent Egyptian daily newspaper called Al-Masry Al-Youm. Words of Witness follows the protests on Tahrir Square and Heba’s impassioned efforts to reflect the diversity of people’s opinions and their new-found voice. Berlin Screening Times

Taking place January 19th-29th, the fest marks some key milestones for us. We’re thrilled that Beasts of the Southern Wild, the first Cinereach Production to hit Park City, will premiere in competition. We’ll also be celebrating the achievements of the Cinereach Project at Sundance Institute, a fruitful three-year partnership that has provided $1.5 million to complement Sundance Institutes’ invaluable support of fiction and nonfiction works-in-progress.

We look forward to watching these films on the big screen with you, at Sundance and beyond!

From Cinereach Productions:

Beasts of the Southern Wild U.S. Dramatic Director: Benh Zeitlin Written by: Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin Producers: Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey, Josh Penn EP: Philipp Engelhorn, Paul Mezey, Michael Raisler Cast: Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry Waters gonna rise up, wild animals gonna rerun from the grave, and everything south of the levee is goin’ under, in this tale of a six year old named Hushpuppy, who lives with her daddy at the edge of the world. Sundance Screening Times

Films Supported by the Cinereach Project at Sundance Institute:

Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry U.S. Documentary Director: Alison Klayman Producers: Alison Klayman, Adam Schlesinger The inside story of a dissident for the digital age who inspires global audiences and blurs the boundaries of art and politics. Sundance Screening Times

An Oversimplification of Her Beauty New Frontier Director: Terence Nance Producers: Andrew Corkin, James Bartlett, Terence Nance A quixotic young man humorously courses live action and various animated landscapes as he reaches for self-awareness after a mystery girl stands him up. Sundance Screening Times Compliance NEXT<=> Director: Craig Zobel Producers: Sophia Lin, Lisa Muskat, Tyler Davidson, Theo Sena, Craig Zobel When a caller posing as a police officer convinces a fast food restaurant manager to interrogate an innocent young employee, no one is left unscathed. Based on true events. Sundance Screening Times

I Am Not A Hipster NEXT<=> Director: Destin Daniel Cretton Producers: Ron Najor, Destin Daniel Cretton, Trevor Fernando A young singer-songwriter with a growing local following wanders through his apathetic life in San Diego. When his dad and three sisters show up to spread his mother’s ashes, he’s reminded of the part of himself he left back in Ohio and is forced to deal with the person he’s become. Sundance Screening Times

Keep the Lights On U.S. Dramatic Director: Ira Sachs Producers: Marie Therese Guirgis, Lucas Joaquin, Ira Sachs The story of a tumultuous, decade-long relationship between two men in New York City, chronicling the bonds that keep them together and the addictions that tear them apart. Sundance Screening Times

The Queen of Versailles U.S. Documentary Director: Lauren Greenfield Producers: Lauren Greenfield, Danielle Renfrew Behrens A character-driven documentary about a billionaire family and their financial challenges in the wake of the economic crisis. Sundance Screening Times

Written and directed by Dee Rees and produced by Nekisa Cooper, Cinereach grantee Pariah opens in theaters on December 28th.

Pariah draws you into the life of a Brooklyn teen who juggles conflicting identities while searching for an authentic expression of self and sexuality that doesn’t place her at odds with family, friends or lovers. Its story is painted through the acclaimed cinematography of Bradford Young, and embodied by a stellar ensemble that includes Adepero Oduye, Kim Wayans, Charles Parnell and Pernell Walker.  A dynamic soundtrack featuring Brooklyn musician Tamar-kali intensifies the film’s pulse.  Dee Rees’ ability to helm all of these talents landed her  Breakthrough Director at this year’s Gotham Awards, and the film has been recognized with two nominations for the Independent Spirit Awards.

Pariah arrives in theaters almost a year after its premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, but its story truly began several years ago when Rees set out to make a short that could be expanded into a feature version.  The challenges and triumphs of the film’s journey are well described in Film Independent’s interview with Rees and producer Nekisa Cooper.  Cinereach is proud to have been one of many organizations along the way to have supported the film.

VIBE’s interviews with Rees and star Adepero Oduye offer you a chance to spend more time with these breakthrough talents, before seeing their outstanding work.  And Nelson George’s recent New York Times article contextualizes Pariah in a range of independent film made by African-Americans from the late 70s to now (including fellow Cinereach grantee Kinyarwanda).  Even better than reading about the film is watching it.

Pariah opens on Wednesday, December 28th in select theaters in NYC and California, and expands further nationwide on January 6th. Visit the Focus Features website for information on where to see Pariah.

Kinyarwanda dramatizes the 1994 genocide in Rwanda that saw one million lives lost in one hundred days. As it interweaves six tales into one narrative, its characters confront the realities of forgiveness in the face of vengeance. Kinyarwanda is the feature-length debut of writer/director Alrick Brown; produced by Darren Dean, Tommy Oliver and Executive Producer Ishmael Ntihabose. The film was supported by a Cinereach grant in summer 2010 (towards post-production), and premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, where it received the World Dramatic Competition Audience Award. Kinyarwanda begins its theatrical run December 2nd in multiple cities across the US, being distributed by the African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement (AFFRM).

Kinyarwanda’s theatrical release happens to coincide with the announcement of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival lineup. This exciting time finds producer Tommy Oliver reminiscing about an unexpectedly rewarding bond forged at Sundance, that is even stronger one year later. Infused with admirable generosity, his post offers an uplifting example of the social capital that can sustain films through their festival and distribution journeys.

A Rising Tide Raises All Ships
a guest post by Producer Tommy Oliver

On a freezing cold day last January in Salt Lake City, something special happened.

Before I tell you what that special something was, let me offer a bit of context:

1) Salt Lake City is 45-60 min drive from the main Sundance hub of Park City.

2) By cold, I mean less than 20 degrees.

3) When you have a film (especially your first film) at Sundance, you barely have time to breathe between multiple screenings, events, press junkets and so forth.

4) Before every screening we had, I made a point to engage with each and every waitlist line (if they were willing to wait in line for the chance to get tickets, they absolutely deserved attention and gratitude).

While engagingd with the waitlist line for our Salt Lake City screening, I happened upon three faces I knew.  They were those of Dee Rees, Nekisa Cooper and Adepero Oduye, the writer/director, producer and star, respectively, of the phenomenal film Pariah, which was also playing at the festival.

The fact that they would attend our screening isn’t a particularly big deal – Alrick and Dee were contemporaries at NYU and we all went through the IFP labs together. But when you take into account that they had their own screening that day, drove 45 minutes in the snow, waited outside in the cold with little chance of securing tickets and not once picked up the phone to call Alrick, Darren or myself for tickets before heading down, it paints a very different picture. They wanted to support us and not in a fleeting or ephemeral manner, and I loved them for that. It was so gracious, humble and incredibly beautiful.

It was the sort of thing that affirms your faith in people and collaboration in an industry typically known for its narcissism.

Fast-forward eleven months as both films are set to open theatrically (Kinyarwanda on December 2nd and Pariah on December 28th), and our bond is even tighter. We’ve supported and cross-promoted them at every turn and they’ve done the same for us. If you go to Nekisa’s Facebook page, you’d see that her profile picture is the Kinyarwanda poster. If you check my twitter feed, you’d see that I’ve mentioned Pariah almost as much as I’ve mentioned Kinyarwanda.

We’ve fallen into a sort of symbiosis (ironic for a film named Pariah) that illustrates how working together can result in something greater than the sum of the parts. It also shows that treating collaboration and not competition as the default, is a healthy and viable option. The best part of all of this is that it was completely organic. We’ve never once had a conversation about how we’d cross promote, what the parameters were or who was doing what. Ever.

In the end, Pariah is a good film done by good folks and spreading the word about it is something we did happily and will continue to do.

A rising tide raises all ships.

Follow @KinyarwandaMov @ProducerTommy and @NorthstarPics on Twitter for more good vibes related to Kinyarwanda and Pariah.

Kinyarawanda theater and ticket information can be found at affrm.com.

Tommy Oliver, a strong believer in the transformative power of film, is trying to make the world a better place, one film at a time.  Growing up in inner city Philadelphia, he quickly learned that “preaching at” his peers was not the way to go and film was a much better medium to reach them.  Over the next fifteen years, he has honed his craft through practice, training, education and experimentation. As a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, where he double majored in Economics and Digital Media, and as a Microsoft alum, he developed a keen understanding for business as a whole. As a cinematographer and certified techie, he developed the technical skills to fill in any crew position and to be able to better communicate with team leaders and vendors. As a producer and writer, he’s faced innumerable challenges from crafting a coherent and marketable story to tackling the logistics of shooting in a foreign country and beyond. This combination of skills allows for outside the box thinking, creative problem solving and better communication.  In addition to dozens of short films and commercials, Tommy has produced three feature films including Kinyarwanda and Plastic Jesus starring Mackenzie Foy and Hilarie Burton.

IDFA SCREENINGS

The Bully Project (Nonfiction) Dir. Lee Hirsch | Winter 2009 Grantee Festival Information | Reflecting Images: Panorama A year in the life of America’s bullying crisis that offers an intimate look at how bullying has touched the lives of five kids and their families.

Dragonslayer (Nonfiction) Dir. Tristan Patterson | Winter 2010 & Summer 2010 Grantee Festival Information | Reflecting Images: Best of Fests Drag City in association with Killer Films presents the transmissions of a lost kid, falling in love, in the suburbs of Fullerton, California. Featuring skateboarding, the usual drugs, and stray glimpses of unusual beauty.

Girl Model (Nonfiction) Dir. David Redmon & Ashley Sabin | Summer 2009 & Summer 2010 Grantee Festival Information | Reflecting Images: Best of Fests Follows a complex supply chain between Siberia, Japan, and the U.S. within the modeling industry.

Planet of Snail (Nonfiction) Dir. Seung-Jun Yi | Summer 2010 Grantee Festival Information | IDFA Competition for Feature-Length Documentary Young-Chan comes from the Planet of Snail. Dwellers of this tiny planet are deaf and blind, and call themselves ’snails’ because they rely only on their tactile senses, and communicating by touch.

IDFA FORUM

Cutie and the Boxer (Nonfiction) Dir. Zachary Heinzerling | Winter 2011 & Summer 2011 Grantee Forum Information A meditation on companionship, sacrifice, and the creative spirit, this love story explores the chaotic forty-year marriage of two New York-based, Japanese artists.

Teenage (Nonfiction) Dir. Matt Wolf | Summer 2010 Grantee Forum Information An unconventional historical film about youth culture, this  film brings to life fascinating youth from the early 20th century, and reveals the pre-history of modern teenagers. Also playing at the festival is White Elephant, a short documentary directed by Kristof Bilsen. Kristof was also awarded a grant during our Summer 2011 Cycle for his feature-length film White Elephants, A Congo Trilogy.

Dragonslayer

Executive Produced by Christine Vachon, Tristan Patterson’s directorial debut draws a vivid portrait of a new generation of kids growing up in the rotting suburbs of inland California by following one of them, a skater named Skreech, over the course of a typically turbulent year.

Skreech’s skating may be framed by the sloped walls of an empty swimming pool, but his story fits into a larger scope of dimished dreams. As described in a New York Times profile of the film, “Existing on the fringes, pool skating has always thrived during times of crisis.”

With acclaimed cinematography by Eric Koretz, textured score by T. Griffin, and a galloping soundtrack populated by musicians from rock labels Mexican Summer and Kemado Records, Dragonslayer’s energy is best experienced big and loud in a theater.

The film opens in New York at the Cinema Village and travels around the country in the weeks that follow. This is the second feature film to be released theatrically by Drag City Records. Check out their website for more information about where Dragonslayer will play next.

In advance of its opening weekend, New Yorkers can get into the Dragonslayer mood at a free concert on Tuesday, November 1st. The bands Psychic Ills and Endless Boogie, and DJ Steve Lowenthal, will provide the night’s soundtrack at Public Assembly in Brooklyn. See details in the flyer below.

Dear Friends of Cinereach,

We’re excited to announce $350,000 in grants to 17 feature-length film projects, completing our second grant cycle of 2011. Over 1000 applications were submitted this cycle, from filmmakers based in more than 70 countries. 10 of the selected films will receive Cinereach support for the first time, while 7 are past grantees being awarded additional support.

This grant cycle includes our 100th supported film and continues our five-year tradition of funding films that confound expectations and resonate with audiences around the world. We remain committed to our belief in film as a significant force in shaping global culture, and to creating space for manifold aesthetics, stories and voices.

For the latest information on upcoming Cinereach program deadlines, visit Cinereach.org, and keep an eye out via this email list. We also invite you to explore our revamped Grant Recipients page, where you can navigate through Cinereach films by type, phase of production, or theme. You can also read our blog to keep track of what’s happening throughout the Cinereach community.

Our Summer 2011 Grantees are:

Call Me Kuchu (Nonfiction) Dir. Katherine Fairfax Wright & Malika Zouhali-Worrall | Uganda | In Post-Production As state-sanctioned homophobia reaches new heights in Uganda, David Kato, the country’s first openly gay man, will stop at nothing to liberate the LGBT community. » More

= Citizen Corp (Nonfiction) Dir. Tia Lessin & Carl Deal | USA | In ProductionA story about money, power and democracy in the aftermath of the US Supreme Court’s recent decision to treat corporations as citizens. » More

City of the Caesars (Nonfiction) Dir. Francisco Hervé | Chile | In DevelopmentWith Patagonia under grave threat from the forces of a new global colonialism, two men from radically different backgrounds and driven by radically different motivations mount separate offensives to preserve their treasured way of life. » More

Cutie and the Boxer (Nonfiction) Dir. Zachary Heinzerling | USA | In Post-Production A meditation on companionship, sacrifice, and the creative spirit, this love story explores the chaotic forty-year marriage of two New York-based, Japanese artists. » More

Gabriel (Fiction) Dir. Lou Howe | USA | In DevelopmentAs a teenager’s obsessive quest to find the first girl he ever kissed becomes increasingly frantic, his grip on reality starts to slip, putting himself and everyone around him in danger. » More

God Loves Uganda (Nonfiction) Dir. Roger Ross Williams | Uganda/USA | In ProductionA journey into the heart of East Africa, where Ugandan pastors and their American counterparts spread God’s word and evangelical values to millions desperate for a better life. » More

Informant (Nonfiction) Dir. Jamie Meltzer | USA | In Post-ProductionAn investigation into the turbulent life and journey of a prominent radical activist turned FBI informant. » More

Inside Out (Nonfiction) Dir. Alastair Siddons | USA, France, Tunisia, Japan, Portugal | In ProductionA look at the journey charted by the artist JR as he leads a global participatory art project that empowers people to not just see art but to make it. » More

Kuichisan (Hybrid) Dir. Maiko Endo | Japan | In Post-ProductionIn a forgotten, cross-cultured town in Okinawa, a 10 year-old boy drifts amidst his own beliefs. » More

Leviathan (Hybrid) Dir. Lucien Castaing-Taylor & Verena Paravel | USA | In ProductionA portrait of contemporary New England fishing. » More

Marmato (Nonfiction) Dir. Mark Grieco | Colombia | In Post-ProductionIn a historic Colombian gold-mining town, the miners’ way of life is threatened as a multinational mining company plans a total takeover. » More

Montana Medical Marijuana Film (Nonfiction) Dir. Rebecca Richman Cohen | USA | In Post-ProductionReflecting the controversies enveloping the marijuana industry throughout the United States, Montana braces itself to become the first state to repeal a medical marijuana law. » More

Our Nixon (Nonfiction) Dir. Penny Lane & Brian L. Frye | USA | In Post-ProductionThe forgotten Super 8 home movies of Nixon’s White House aides – and convicted Watergate conspirators – offer an intimate and surprising new glimpse into his presidency. » More

Powerless (Nonfiction) Dir. Fahad Mustafa & Deepti Kakkar | India | In ProductionIn Kanpur, India, hundreds of people risk their lives to climb up electricity poles to steal electricity. As police vehicles roll in to stop the theft, the lines are drawn for a battle over electricity. » More

Tchoupitoulas (Nonfiction) Dir. Bill Ross & Turner Ross | USA | In Post-ProductionThree young brothers explore the New Orleans night. » More

The Mosuo Sisters (Nonfiction) Dir. Marlo Poras | China | In Post-ProductionTwo spirited daughters from China’s last remaining matriarchal society are thrust into the worldwide economic downturn when they lose the only jobs they’ve ever known. » More

White Elephants, a Congo Trilogy (Nonfiction) Dir. Kristof Bilsen | Democratic Republic of the Congo | In ProductionA poetic look into a former colony in decay, as seen through the microcosm of three state-owned institutions. » More

Thanks for keeping in touch. More soon! Best regards, Adella Ladjevardi Grants Manager

Dragonslayer
Director: Tristan Patterson
Nonfiction | Winter 2010 & Summer 2010 Grantee
Festival Screening Information

Drag City in association with Killer Films presents the transmissions of a lost kid, falling in love, in the suburbs of Fullerton, California. Featuring skateboarding, the usual drugs, and stray glimpses of unusual beauty.

Here
Director: Braden King
Fiction | Supported through The Cinereach Project at Sundance Institute
Festival Screening Information

Measurement and orientation break down in an intensely visual, landscape-obsessed road movie that chronicles the relationship between an American mapmaker and a foreign art photographer who impulsively decide to travel together into deeply uncharted territory.

On the Ice
Director: Andrew Okpeaha MacLean
Fiction | Winter 2010 Grantee & Supported through The Cinereach Project at Sundance Institute
Festival Screening Information

On the snow-covered Arctic tundra, at the top of the world in Barrow, Alaska, two Inuit teenagers try to get away with murder.

Pariah
Director:Dee Rees
Fiction | Winter 2009 & Winter 2010 Grantee
Festival Screening Information

When forced to choose between the fragile cohesion of her middle-class family and loyalty to her best friend, a Brooklyn teenager juggles conflicting identities and risks friendship, heartbreak, and family in a desperate search for sexual expression.

Return
Director: Liza Johnson
Fiction | Winter 2010 Grantee & Supported through The Cinereach Project at Sundance Institute
Festival Screening Information

Back from a tour of duty, Kelli slowly realizes that her everyday life doesn’t resemble the one she left. Can she regain her place in the kind of life she’s been fighting to protect?

The Forgiveness of Blood
Director: Joshua Marston
Fiction | Supported through Cinereach Productions & Winter 2009 Grantee
Festival Screening Information

In The Forgiveness of Blood, the lives of a teenage boy and his younger sister are thrown into turmoil after a killing in a dispute over land draws their northern Albanian family into a blood feud.

Laura
Director: Fellipe Barbosa
Nonfiction | Winter 2010 Grantee
Festival Screening Information | World Premiere – Golden Starfish Award Documentary Competition

Imagine if Grey Gardens’ Little Edie had actually realized her dream of moving into a studio apartment on 10th Avenue: her life might have resembled that of Laura’s, a Brazilian expat in New York City who lives two contradictory lives. (synopsis by the Hamptons Intl. Film Festival)

Ok, Enough, Goodbye
Director: Rania Attieh & Daniel Garcia
Nonfiction | Summer 2010 Grantee
Festival Screening Information | US Premiere – World Cinema: Narrative

A 40-year-old man still living with his elderly mother has given up on the idea of becoming independent – until she suddenly leaves him.

The Bully Project
Director: Lee Hirsch
Nonfiction | Winter 2009 Grantee
Festival Screening Information | Films of Conflict & Resolution

A year in the life of America’s bullying crisis that offers an intimate look at how bullying has touched the lives of five kids and their families.

The Forgiveness of Blood
Director: Joshua Marston
Fiction | Supported through Cinereach Productions & Winter 2009 Grantee
Festival Screening Information | Films of Conflict & Resolution

In The Forgiveness of Blood, the lives of a teenage boy and his younger sister are thrown into turmoil after a killing in a dispute over land draws their northern Albanian family into a blood feud.

You Have the Right to an Attorney
Director: Matt Bockelman
Nonfiction | Supported through the Reach Film Fellowship 2011
Festival Screening Information | Short Films

You Have the Right to an Attorney enters the daily grind of two young public defenders in the South Bronx.

The Forgiveness of Blood
Director: Joshua Marston
Fiction | Supported through Cinereach Productions & Winter 2009 Grantee
Festival Screening Information – Contemporary World Cinema

In The Forgiveness of Blood, the lives of a teenage boy and his younger sister are thrown into turmoil after a killing in a dispute over land draws their northern Albanian family into a blood feud.

Girl Model
Directors: David Redmon & Ashley Sabin
Nonfiction | Summer 2009 & Summer 2010 Grantee
Festival Screening Information – Real to Reel – World Premiere

Girl Model follows U.S. and Russian model scouts who travel through remote Siberian villages looking for thirteen to fifteen year old girls suitable for modeling jobs in Japan. This poetic film brings viewers into a modeling industry rife with mirrors, images, facades, and uncertainty. It is difficult to know who these young girls can trust and where the industry takes them when their eyes are covered.

Habibi
Director: Susan Youssef
Fiction |Winter 2009 Grantee
Festival Screening Information – Discovery – International & North American Premiere

Habibi, a story of forbidden love, is the first fiction feature set in Gaza in over 15 years. Two students in the West Bank are forced to return home to Gaza, where their love defies tradition. To reach his lover, Qays grafittis poetry across town.

The Patron Saints
Directors: Brian M. Cassidy & Melanie Shatzky
Nonfiction | Winter 2009 & Winter 2011 Grantee
Festival Screening Information – Canada First – World Premiere

The Patron Saints is a disquieting and hyperrealistic glimpse into life at a nursing home. Bound by the candid confessions of a recently disabled resident, the film weaves haunting images, scenes and stories from within the institution walls. Sidestepping conventional documentary methods for a heightened cinematic approach to storytelling, the film employs lyrical realism and black humor in its charged portrait of fading bodies and minds.

Pariah
Director: Dee Rees
Fiction | Winter 2009 & Winter 2010 Grantee
Festival Screening Information – Discovery

When forced to choose between losing her best friend or destroying her family, a Brooklyn teenager juggles conflicting identities and endures heartbreak in a desperate search for sexual expression.

Porfirio
Director: Alejandro Landes
Fiction | Supported through The Cinereach Project at Sundance Institute 2011
Festival Screening Information – Visions – International & North American Premiere

Confined to a universe that stretches only from bed to wheelchair, Porfirio – a man in diapers who sells call time on his cell phone in a faraway city on the outskirts of the Colombian Amazon – dreams that he can fly.