QUALITY PROBLEMS

FILM FESTIVAL NEWS: Angela Robinson Witherspoon ‘s CURTSY MISTER showcased at 12th Harlem International Film Festival celebrates independent filmmaking on the weekend of May 6th and 7th

The 12th Harlem International Film Festival’s red carpet on Saturday, May 6th, again gave a diverse group of filmmakers their due in front of the cameras. Sunday’s closing night presentation of Angela Robinson Witherspoon’s CURTSY, MISTER included a very special guest to see Witherspoon’s feature film directorial debut.

TEN MOST RECENT FILMS WATCHED: Nicholas Ray ‘s JOHNNY GUITAR among unheralded cool films at The Harlem International Film Festival from Films Gone Wild

This list is dominated by the films I saw at the Harlem International Film Festival. Since my duties at this fest included doing A LOT of film introductions and Q&As, I saw more films than usual at a fest I am doing the press & PR thing at. But that was a big win for me, as I saw films not necessarily in my wheelhouse that I really enjoyed, appreciated, and affected me quite a bit. Making discoveries at film festivals is what it is all about – and that is exactly what happened here.

FILM FESTIVAL NEWS: Daniel Peddle ’s GARDEN OF THE PEACEFUL DRAGON opens the 12th Annual Harlem International Film Festival (May 4-7) unveils its schedule

“This year’s lineup is typically diverse, both in content and the filmmakers responsible for the films, bookended by personal profiles that hit close to home both because of their redemptive themes and because they get to the heart of what is the best in humanity,” said Harlem International Film Festival Program Director Nasri Zacharia, “In our 12th year, the festival will once again provide a forum for wonderful storytelling and exciting moments on the big screen created by talent all around the world.”

Ten Most Recent Films Watched: A Violent Reaction to the Sundance Movies Overload — from Films Gone Wild

the fact of the matter is that as much as I love independent film and celebrate it and would almost always choose it over studio fare, I still have a routine “violent reaction” to having overloaded on the Sundance/Slamdance stuff by going directly to movie comfort food. That means a by the numbers zombie movie, a doc of the National Lampoon, Tom Cruise and Matt Damon action fare