myfilmblog

Interviews
UserpicNeal Shapiro (INTERVIEW)
Posted by Kam Williams
20.10.2012

Neal Shapiro

The "WNET/THIRTEEN 50th Anniversary" Interview
with Kam Williams

Big Bird's Boss Shares His Vision for PBS

Neal Shapiro is President and CEO of New York City's WNET, America's flagship public media outlet, bringing quality arts, education and public affairs programming to over 5 million viewers each week. The parent company of public television stations THIRTEEN and WLIW21 and operator of NJTV, WNET produces such acclaimed PBS series as Great Performances, American Masters, Nature, Need to Know, Charlie Rose, and a range of documentaries, children's programs, and local news and cultural offerings available on air and online.

Shapiro is an award-winning producer and media executive with a 25-year career spanning print, broadcast, cable and online. At the helm of WNET, Shapiro has revitalized programming, nearly doubled arts and culture programming, placed a new emphasis on local programming and community engagement, set new fundraising records and inaugurated a new, state-of-the-art studio at Lincoln Center.

In addition to WNET's signature national series, Shapiro has overseen the launch of a number of innovative local programs (including American Graduate, MetroFocus, NYC-Arts, Need To Know and Women, War & Peace) which make the most of New York City's rich resources and vibrant community.

Before joining WNET in 2007, Shapiro was President of NBC News, leading its top-rated news programs, including Today, NBC Nightly News and Meet the Press, as well as Dateline NBC. Shapiro was executive producer of Dateline NBC when it was a mainstay of NBC's schedule. And in his 13 years at ABC News, he was a writer and producer for PrimeTime Live and World News Tonight.

Mr. Shapiro has won numerous awards, including 32 Emmys, 31 Edward R. Murrow Awards and 3 Columbia DuPont awards. He serves on the Boards of Tufts University, Gannett Company, the Investigative News Network and the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Neal lives in New York City with his wife, ABC News Correspondent Juju Chang, and their three sons.

 

Kam Williams: Hi Neal, thanks for the interview.

Neal Shapiro: My pleasure, Kam.

 

KW: I feel like I already know you from watching you introduce movies every Saturday night.

NS: [Chuckles] I have to admit that of all the things I do that's actually the most fun.

 

KW: What is your favorite genre of film?

NS: Film noir. I'm especially a big fan of Humphrey Bogart.

KW: Congratulations on PBS' 50th anniversary! What special programming do you have planned?

NS: This is not only a great way to look back and celebrate what we've accomplished, but also a great way to think about the challenges for the next 50 years. Digging through our archives, we found some amazing, early footage we didn't know we had of icons like Dr. Martin Luther King, Andy Warhol and Muhammad Ali. So, we're going to do a whole series of specials on news, art and culture. Last month, we led a 7-hour national telethon about the dropout crisis, not to raise money, but to raise awareness and tell people how they can get involved through The United Way, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, The Boys and Girls Clubs, and other organizations. I see part of our role for the next 50 years is to become even more engaged with our community through programs that enable good things to happen.

 

KW: Fixing the educational system is a really urgent priority, because we'll lose another generation if nothing is done.

NS: You're exactly right! In New York, we have the biggest school system in the country and therefore we have some of the biggest problem schools in the country. We want to do everything we can to let people know how critical an issue this is. If we don't get this right, we'll lose an entire generation. Nobody wins when a generation can't contribute to society.

 

KW: When I attended the Wharton Business School, one of your predecessors, John Jay Iselin, was a guest lecturer in Arts Management. One thing he emphasized stuck with me, namely, that the bottom line was not profit at PBS, but the quality of the art. Was that a hard thing for you to adjust to in coming over from a commercial television network?

NS: He's absolutely right. What's hard to adjust to is being unable to measure your bottom line like you can in the commercial world. How do you measure the ability to touch someone's heart, to give someone comfort or a meaningful experience they might cherish for the rest of their lives? Those are hard to quantify. So, public television doesn't have the same sort of metrics, which is why, as part of the 50th anniversary, we've been reaching out and asking people, "What has been the importance of the programs we've brought you over the years?" And we've received some inspiring responses, like the one from a woman who grew up in very humble circumstances in the Bronx. Her parents didn't have the means to take her to see live performances in the theater. But thanks to PBS, she still had a front row seat, and today she's a professional dancer. Another person credits the show Nature for the inspiration to become a marine biologist. It's hard to put a price tag on stories like that, but they have real meaning.

 

KW: Earlier this year, you ran a fascinating documentary about the late Daisy Bates, the only female to speak at the March on Washington. It was hard for me, as a Black Studies major, to believe that I had never even heard of such an important civil rights figure before.

NS: We have plenty of examples like that which we chronicle in such a way that they can also exist forever in classrooms. Most people don't know that we have an education department and what a huge impact it makes because we offer the content for free to teachers and students all over the country. Nowadays, kids are quite comfortable learning from video in a way that you and I weren't, since we didn't have much of an opportunity to watch them in school.

 

KW: Harriet Pakula Teweles says: I never thought WQXR--The Radio Station of the NYTIMES-- would sell its frequency to a pop music station and move classical music to a less strong frequency with classical music reaching far fewer people. Is bringing The Arts to public media always going to be about raising enough money? How can we best protect public access to the arts from the whim of the financial marketplace and from political encroachment because of censorship issues?
NS: That's a very good question. When you look at The Arts, there is not a great commercial model for it. And there never has been one. The Fine Arts have always been supported by philanthropy and thereby made available to everyone. I don't think that model's about to change. In fact, there are likely to be even more stresses on it, because there are more demands for the very valuable radio and TV frequencies. So, I think we'll always be reliant upon the kindness of strangers to keep The Arts alive.

 

KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?

NS: That's another very good question. I'll have to think about that. I don't just want to come up with a self-serving question.

 

KW: The Columbus Short question: Are you happy?

NS: I'm delighted. I love doing the work of the angels. I get to do programs of lasting import, even if they might not reach a lot of people sort term.

 

KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?

NS: "The Passage of Power," Robert Caro's latest book about LBJ. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0679405070/ref=nosim/thslfofire-20

 

KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?

NS: Anything that I can barbecue. I love barbecuing. It must be that primal thing about being around a fire. I also enjoy the math involved in cooking on the grill, figuring out the space and what will need more time.

 

KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?

NS: I see a happy guy who's been incredibly lucky. So much has gone right for me. And given how hard I work, I figure I'm aging alright.

 

KW: If you could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for?

NS: Two-part answer. On the grand scale, I would like to find a way for our representatives to have reasonable political dialogue, so we could actually find some solutions for all our problems. I think the country is paralyzed. Second, my wish for me, personally, is I'd like to be manager of the Yankees. That's no reflection on Joe Girardi, who's doing a fine job.

 

KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?

NS: Being pushed into the deep end of a swimming pool before I learned how to swim, and sinking deeper and deeper in until my father's big giant hand reached down and pulled me out.

 

KW: Dante Lee, author of "Black Business Secrets," asks: What was the best business decision you ever made, and what was the worst?

NS: Good question. I would say my best was launching the local programming we're doing here at Channel 13. My worst decision was doing a show called World Focus which didn't work out because of unfortunate timing.

 

KW: The Judyth Piazza question: What key quality do you believe all successful people share?

NS: Curiosity.

 

KW: The Tavis Smiley question: How do you want to be remembered?

NS: As someone who treated people fairly, and who brought out the best in them.

 

KW: Last chance, can you think of a question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?

NS: Yeah, if you could live at another time, what period would you pick?

 

KW: That'll be the Neal Shapiro question. Which era would you pick?

NS: I think I'd like to live in New York in the Twenties. It was a period of great literature and great art. My favorite author is F. Scott Fitzgerald.

 

KW: Thanks again for the time, Neal, and best of luck with PBS.

NS: Thank you, Kam. And don't hesitate to call, if you need anything.

 

 


Press Release
UserpicKoji Wakamatsu (1936-2012)
Posted by Elizabeth
18.10.2012

Sadly, director Koji Wakamatsu has died at the age of 76.

This was a year which had been particularly consecrated to him: "11/25: The Day He Chose His Own Fate", his film on the last days of Mishima, which was presented at the Festival of Cannes in the Un Certain Regard section, "The Millennial Rapture" at the Venice Film Festival, and along with the two premiers, "Petrel Hotel Blue" at the Pusan Festival, where, less than two weeks ago, he received the prize for Best Asian Filmmaker of the Year. In Miyagi, his hometown, this autumn he also received a prestigious award honoring this Japanese artist, above and beyond the world of film.

And yet, until 2007, only a handful of particularly avid critics and cinephiles knew the films of Koji Wakamatsu, this prolific Japanese filmmaker, with his oeuvre of more than 130 films spanning 50 years since the 1960's.

So what explains this "oversight"?

It might be because Koji Wakamatsu, a self taught director, started his career in Tokyo on film sets as... a yakuza, overseeing the smooth running of shootings in the underworld neighborhood of Shinjuku! Young, feisty and (already) rebellious, he would soon be sent to jail after a brawl. From his time in jail, he would retain a taste for revolt against authority but also a desire to express himself by other means than through actual violence. Once released, he renewed his acquaintance with the producers who he had protected during filming and was able to work as an assistant on the sets of TV productions. Thus he learned the craft, by observing its environment and through doing odd jobs. One day, a TV producer gives him his big chance: he grabbed it and showed himself to be an excellent director. But from the 1960's, Wakamatsu, who had not lost anything of his thirst for rebellion, decided to create his own production company, Wakamatsu Production, in order to make movies like he wanted to: using the camera as a weapon and cinema as a means of touching the public. Thus was born the most rebellious of Japanese filmmakers.

Thanks to cinema, Wakamatsu could finally "kill" authority on the screen, making films which were ever more subversive than the last; where policemen, politicians and bosses were mere exploiters to be eliminated by any means necessary! Obviously, such a creative rage could only count on itself from many points of view: Wakamatsu never received public funding and therefore naturally he himself fulfilled all sorts of roles (artistic as well as technical) and began to involve his friends and collaborators in a guerrilla economy which would be the hallmark of the "Wakamatsu method": filming in 3 days, at night, with commissioned films he directed in parallel during the day, paying his actors in kind (meals, wine, alcohol...), the use or even destruction of his own personal property for the purposes of filming, editing in just a few hours (because each scene was shot in a single take), there are a great many examples. This makes it a little easier to understand why Wakamatsu was sometimes able to produce up to ten movies in a single year! Actually, thanks to his multiple skills, Wakamatsu will even later produce his friend Nagisa Oshima's "Realm of the Senses".

Eventually, always concerned that his political messages would reach the largest number of people (that was the whole point of cinema for him: not as an end in itself, but rather as a tool, a weapon), Wakamatsu appropriated the pink genre, a mixture of sex and violence, born in the mid-1960's at the initiative of Japanese studios in order to stem viewers' disaffection for cinema in the face of the advent of television. It was this type of cinema which then became known among the most cutting edge critics and cinephiles early on: political and subversive films, but which were also experimental (Wakamatsu had discovered "Breathless", by Godard, and learnt a great lesson in liberty and freedom from conventional cinematic vocabulary), which few would qualify as avant-garde. It started in 1965 at the Berlin Film Festival when the "Secrets Behind The Walls" provoked a diplomatic incident with Japan which considered Wakamatsu's film as a national disgrace. Then in 1971 "Violated Angels" and "Sex Jack" were shown at the Directors' Fortnight at Cannes, a pretext for Koji Wakamatsu and his faithful writer, Masao Adachi - both monitored by the Japanese authorities because of their alleged links to the Japanese Red Army - to come to France ... before going on to Lebanon to film George Habash's PFLP camps.

His militant film activities led Wakamatsu to be banned from entering the United States, Russia, and, until recently, China. And yet Wakamatsu never belonged to the Japanese Red Army or to any other group. Therein lies the mystery and misunderstanding about his character: considered a left-wing activist, Wakamatsu disconcerted some, when he criticized the fanaticism of the United Red Army, or when he made a movie about the nationalist Mishima ("11/25: The Day He Chose His Own Fate"). And yet, by carefully examining his filmography, there are indications of revolt, obviously against authority, but also against collective action, often corrupted by the reproduction of power and authority within itself. Just like his films in which there is often a lone hero who eventually takes individual action, Wakamatsu essentially believed in the commitment of the individual man. But the premise of solitary commitment also runs the risk of isolation and misunderstanding: fiercely anti-system, the "Wakamatsu system" relies only on itself, as has already been said. That is why only a handful of critics and diehard cinephiles knew of (or disregarded) Wakamatsu's films.

And so in France it took until 2007 for the name of Wakamatsu to return to centre stage, with the release of "The Embryo Hunts in Secret" (1966), awarded an 18 certificate! A subversive and feminist film, this Wakamatsu work was said to be "degrading for the image of women"! Q.E.D.
Subsequently, "United Red Army" (2008) caused trouble among the politicized admirers of Wakamatsu who did not understand why the filmmaker dwelled on the darkest hours of the United Red Army, the ill-fated branch of the Japanese Red Army. An uncompromising 190-minute film, "United Red Army" was nevertheless the film which would reconcile Wakamatsu with the "general public" (in the sense of a wider audience of cinephiles) because it was the most worked film from the director: a thundering mixture of documentary archives, fiction, genre film and political film, set to the hypnotic music of Jim O'Rourke, "United Red Army" is a movie which will go down in cinematic history, the fruit of the wrath of a rebel, and not the propaganda film which everyone expected. Wakamatsu did not make movies to please the public, but rather because they were necessary, and only following instructions from his heart, as he said recently in Busan.

Other major events will follow: in 2010, "Caterpillar" earned Shinobu Terajima the Silver Bear for Best Actress, which Wakamatsu wanted for her, then a tribute to him by the Paris Cinema Festival in the same year, and finally an impressive retrospective of 40 films devoted to Wakamatsu's work by the Cinémathèque Française.

Nevertheless, nothing changed in the Wakamatsu method: he wrote, filmed, self-financed and distributed his films with the same frenzy, the same instinct for revolt, and the same generosity, without ever worrying about the rest. Upcoming projects included a film about Korean comfort women and a film about Japan's nuclear experiments-two hot topics, which were not so surprising, coming as they did from Wakamatsu. Indefatigable, indestructible, when it came to filming, we must trust he died without regrets, because the worst possible idea for him would have been to have gone out in the middle of filming. He has left us a precious legacy to discover and rediscover, through his impressive filmography of course, but also through the story of a man who forged his own life alone, and for whom cinema has never been anything other than a means and never an end in itself; to that effect, Koji Wakamatsu is definitely an extraordinary lesson both in life and in cinema.

Bich-Quân Tran
Dissidenz Distribution
127 rue Amelot
75011 Paris


Reviews
UserpicMiddle of Nowhere (FILM REVIEW)
Posted by Kam Williams
18.10.2012

Middle of Nowhere
Film Review by Kam Williams

Wife Weighs Absentee Hubby's Worth in Introspective Tale of Female Empowerment

Middle of Nowhere is a cinematic masterpiece reminiscent of those rare treasures that have managed to capture an authentic slice of African-American life, ala such black classics as Love Jones (1997), The Best Man (1999), The Visit (2000) and Brown Sugar (2002). However, this introspective tale of female empowerment simultaneously touches on a number of universal themes apt to resonate with an audience of any demographic.

The picture was written and directed by rising star Ava DuVernay, this year's winner at the Sundance Film Festival in the Best Director category. The story revolves around Roberta "Ruby" Murray (Emayatzy Corinealdi), a med student who's on the brink of becoming a doctor when her husband, Derek (Omari Hardwick), is sentenced to 8 years behind bars for a drug conviction.

Rather than abandon the love of her life, the loyal wife decides to drop out of med school to give her man the emotional and financial support he'll need while in prison. This means she'll have to endure long bus rides just to see him, and also have to pay his legal bills on a nurse's salary.

However, the shame and separation eventually take a toll on the relationship, especially when Derek has a jailhouse romance and sabotages his chances for an early parole with fresh criminal charges for fighting. Suddenly Ruby finds herself questioning the wisdom of her slavish devotion, and she begins entertaining the advances of a bus driver (David Oyewolo) she'd befriended.

To date or to wait, that is the question? Ruby has a couple of confidants to turn to for advice, but neither proves to be of much help. One is her sister, Ruth (Lorraine Toussaint), a single-mom with a bad track record of her own with men. The other is their embittered mother (Edwina Findley) who can only muster up ineffective, if well-meaning, suggestions like "Hold your head up, please."

So, in the end, it's up to Ruby to decide for herself, but only after lingering interludes of reflection and contemplation. A refreshing alternative to the superficial mainstream fare that tends to stereotype sisters as either sassy mammies or compliant sex objects.

StarStarStarStar

Excellent (4 stars)

Rated R for profanity.

Running time: 101 minutes

Distributor: AFFRM

 

To see a trailer for Middle of Nowhere, visit


Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel
Film Review by Kam Williams

Diana Vreeland (1903-1989) was lucky enough to enjoy not just a second, but a third act in the public eye. First, the legendary fashion icon had a profound impact on American culture as the fashion editor at Harper's Bazaar.

Then, when she was passed over for a promotion after a quarter-century with the magazine, Vreeland resigned in 1962 to become editor-in-chief of Vogue, a position she held for close to a decade. And finally, in 1971, she began serving as costume consultant to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan.

Co-directed by granddaughter-in-law Lisa Immordino Vreeland with Bent-Jorgen Perlmutt and Frederic Tcheng, Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel is a reverential retrospective which takes an intimate, intriguing and revealing look at a most-fascinating life. For, over the course of her career, the influential Empress of Fashion undeniably ignited innumerable popular trends while simultaneously celebrating the unconventional features of celebrities like Twiggy, Cher and Barbra Streisand.

Vreeland's unorthodox approach was to magnify, rather than hide a subject's supposed flaws, such as when she had photographer Richard Avedon shoot Streisand's proud nose in profile. This appreciation ostensibly emanated from her having been treated as the ugly duckling by a mother who was not above flirting with her boyfriends.

A socialite who hung out in Harlem, Diana did eventually land a loyal life mate in Thomas Vreeland, and the two went on to wed and enjoy an enduring union blessed by the births of two sons. Despite being an intimidating taskmaster at the office, Vreeland is nonetheless remembered just as much for her creativity by former employees like the aforementioned Avedon as well as actress Ali McGraw who landed her first job out of college with the demanding doyenne.

This enlightening documentary paints an indelible picture of a daring visionary who fervently felt that, "You're not supposed to give people what they want, but what they don't yet know they want." That helps explain how towards the end of her life Diana announced, "I shall die young, even at 90."

A poignant portrait of an inveterate iconoclast who couldn't help but push the envelope.

StarStarStarStar

Excellent (4 stars)

Rated PG-13 for nude images.

In English, French and Italian with subtitles

Running time: 86 minutes

Distributor: Samuel Goldwyn Films

To see a trailer for Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel, visit


Reviews
UserpicJaneane from Des Moines (FILM REVIEW)
Posted by Kam Williams
18.10.2012

Janeane from Des Moines
Film Review by Kam Williams

Iowa Housewife Weighs Options in Presidential Race Docudrama

How do you get the Republicans vying for the presidential nomination to appear in a movie which might not show them in the most flattering light? You might have a nondescript, middle-aged actress pose as a Tea Party conservative during the lead up to the Iowa caucus, a time when the candidates generally make themselves available to valuable voters.

That was the inspired idea of filmmaker Grace Lee, who followed around Janeane Wilson (Jane Edith Wilson) with a camera at the State Fair where it was relatively easy to approach the likes of Michelle Bachmann, Mitt Romney, Herman Cain, New Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul. Pretending to be unemployed, uninsured, suffering from breast cancer and in danger of losing her home, the desperate protagonist sobbed while asking each of the Republican hopefuls how they planned to help someone like her.

The upshot is a gotcha docudrama that's a cross of Borat and Michael Moore which captures some of the candidates as plastic, some as somewhat sympathetic. The only problem with Janeane from Des Moines is that it feels a bit dated, as it is arriving in theaters a little late since, at this point, we really care more about Romney's responses than any of the also-rans.

Although his callous "Corporations are people" comment is included here, he proves to be about as patient as one might expect of a polished politician with bigger fish to catch. And even though he knows how to escape the clutches of a very clingy constituent, you come away feeling he's actually acting just as much as Janeane, who becomes disenchanted with the whole lot by film's end.

The futile search for a presidential candidate who cares about the average person's everyday concerns, a quest leading frustrated Janeane to conclude that her only option is to pull the lever for Obama in November.

StarStarStar

Very Good (3 stars)

Unrated

Running time: 78 minutes

Distributor: Wilsilu Pictures

To see a trailer for Janeane from Des Moines, visit