Film: P.S. Jerusalem, Human Rights Watch Film Festival 2016

http://www.filmlinc.org/films/ps-jerusalem/

Directed By Danae Elon

Danae Elon began filming her three young sons the moment she and her partner Philip chose to leave New York City and return to Jerusalem. The decision was prompted by the death of her father, leading Israeli intellectual and writer Amos Elon, whose dying wish was that Danae never go back. But her attachment to the place proves stronger, and on the journey there, Danae’s camera captures her boys growing up, asking endless questions and confronting the reality around them, while the place she once called “home” challenges her relationship with Philip and the future of her children. Through the prism of parenthood, P.S. Jerusalem exposes a complex and painful portrait of Jerusalem today.

“It’s a great film. It makes a compelling point about the difficulties of finding one’s place, identity, co-existence, and how fractured Jerusalem is. The coverage of settlements, home demolitions and confiscations, and ethnic displacement sends a strong message and highlights human-rights violations.” – Sari Bashi, Israel/Palestine director, Middle East and North Africa Division

Film: When Two Worlds Collide, Human Rights Watch Film Festival 2016

http://www.filmlinc.org/films/when-two-worlds-collide/

What happens when the thirst for power and riches takes priority over human life? The Amazon Rainforest, one of the planet’s most valuable natural resources, is being auctioned off, and its people condemned. Alberto Pizango, a young indigenous leader fighting to make the voices of indigenous Peruvians heard, stands up to politicians and is accused of conspiracy and inciting violence. Set against the backdrop of a global recession and climate crisis, When Two Worlds Collide, winner of a World Cinema Documentary special jury prize for Best Debut Feature at Sundance, reveals the human side to the battle of conflicting visions and political wills working to shape the future of the Amazon, and of an already debilitated global ecosystem.

Directed By Heidi Brandenburg, Matthew Orzel  2016 Peru Spanish with English subtitles 103 minutes

Film: The Crossing, Human Rights Watch Film Festival 2016

http://www.filmlinc.org/films/the-crossing/

A first-hand account of the perilous journey made by a group of Syrian refugees. Fleeing war and persecution; traversing land and sea on an old fishing boat manned by smugglers, the nail-biting trek leads to Europe, where the refugees learn that the hardest part still lies ahead. Each must battle to stay sane and create an identity among the maze of regulations and refugee hostels. Months of uncertainty and waiting and living in one center after another takes a toll on their spirits, as they confront what being a “refugee” means and try to rekindle the greatest thing they have lost—hope. The Crossing takes us along on one of the most dangerous journeys of our time, and shows the lengths to which people go to find safety and forge their own destiny.

Directed By George Kurian

Film: Almost Sunrise, Human Rights Watch Film Festival 2016

http://www.filmlinc.org/films/almost-sunrise/

Suicide among military veterans has reached epidemic proportions and is often the result of what mental-health professionals call “moral injury”—lasting wounds to the soul caused by participation in events that go against one’s deeply held sense of right and wrong. Two young veterans, haunted by their own combat experiences, take a 2,700-mile trek on foot across America seeking redemption, acceptance, and a way to close the moral chasm opened by war. This intimate, vérité film documents their journey and the healing lessons they learn along the way.

Directed By Michael Collins  2016 USA

Film: Sonita, Human Rights Watch Film Festival 2016

Winner of the 2016 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary, Sonita is about a determined and animated Afghan teen living in Tehran, who dreams of being a famous rapper. But in Iran, the government doesn’t let girls sing solo. And in her Afghan home she is expected to become a teenage bride. With her family keen to marry her off to receive her dowry, tradition bears down on Sonita. Armed with nothing but passion and persistence, she must turn obstacle into opportunity.
Courtesy of Women Make Movies - Closing Night in New York

Film: Starless Dreams, Human Rights Watch Film Festival 2016

From the web site: http://www.filmlinc.org/films/starless-dreams/

Starless Dreams Trailer final from Siavash Jamali on Vimeo.

Murder, drug addiction, hijacking cars, running away from home: these are just a few of the crimes that the girls from the rehabilitation center for juvenile delinquents in Tehran have committed. After fighting the Iranian authorities for seven years, director Mehrdad Oskouei was finally granted permission to film an imprisoned population, otherwise hidden from the public eye. The result is an incredibly personal documentary about the dreams, nightmares, and hopes of the 18-year-olds in this all-female facility. Their individual stories show their desire to return to freedom and live normal lives, but also the fear of what is waiting for them on the outside. Starless Dreams won prizes at the Berlinale, Full Frame, and the True/False Film Fest.

• Directed By Mehrdad Oskouei 
 
• 2016
 
• Iran
 
• Farsi with English subtitles
 
• 76 minutes

Film: The Uncondemned, Human Rights Watch Film Festival 2016

From the web site: http://www.filmlinc.org/films/the-uncondemned/

Both a real-life courtroom thriller and a moving human drama, The Uncondemned tells the gripping story of a group of young lawyers and activists who fought In Rwanda to have rape recognized as a war crime. Between the ages of 27 and 34, making up international criminal law as they went along, they probably had no business leading the first genocide trial in history, but there was no one else to do it. Even their decision to tie sexual violence into the charges—the case at hand involved a small-potatoes mayor who hadn’t raped anyone himself—was something no one was sure would stick. But when three women came forward to testify in the hopes of winning justice for the crimes committed against them, the result was a crucial trial that changed the world of criminal justice forever.

• Directed By Michele Mitchell, Nick Louvel 
 
• 2015
• USA/Congo/Netherlands/Rwanda
 
• English, French, and Kinyarwanda with English subtitles
 
• 82 minutes

https://youtu.be/TKGFWAT2WME

Radiant Vermin at 59E59 Theaters

RADIANT VERMIN

By Philip Ridley

Directed by David Mercatali

With Debra Baker, Scarlett Alice Johnson, and Sean Michael Verey

Ollie and Jill want to tell you about their dream home. Some of the things they did to get it, you might find... shocking. But they want you to know they did it all for their baby.

http://www.59e59.org/moreinfo.php?showid=245

Theater: Ross & Rachel, 59E59

http://www.59e59.org/moreinfo.php?showid=242
ROSS & RACHEL

By James Fritz
Directed by Thomas Martin
Design by Alison Neighbour
Sound Design by John McLeod
Lighting Design by Douglas Green
With Molly Vevers

Look at all those couples out there. Which one will leave. Which one will run. Which one is cheating on the other. Which one will die first. Him. Him. Her. Him.
Ross & Rachel tells the mind-bending, heartbreaking story of what happens when a couple that was always meant to be together, gets together. And stays together.
In this disquieting duologue for one performer, Olivier-nominated playwright James Fritz takes an unflinching look at the myths of modern love. Vevers reprises her heartbreaking, award-winning performance from the show's critically-acclaimed, sold-out world premiere at the Edinburgh Fringe 2015.
★★★★
"FRITZ'S SCRIPT HAS A STREAK OF MISCHIEF A MILE WIDE... A VIRTUOSIC PIECE OF WRITING, PLAYFUL, POST-MODERN AND DEVASTATINGLY SERIOUS, ALL AT ONCE."
-TimeOut London

Film: The Art of Not Appearing

The Art of Not Appearing
After years of solitude and obsession, two ghosts cross paths and are forced to question their reasons for haunting.
Director : Pernille Rivedal Hellevik

Writer(s) : Pernille Rivedal Hellevik

Producer(s) : Inger Sveberg Dietrichs

Associate Producer(s) : Kai Gero Lenke
Director of Photography : Markus Englmair
Editor(s) : Kai Gero Lenke
Production Design : Tuva Rivedal Tjugen

Composer(s) : Paul Tyan

Sound Design : Simen Normann

Cast : Magne Haavard Brekke, Julia Bache-Wiig, Erik Aleksander Schjerven, Malin Aakre, Henning Rivedal, Sonja Rivedal, Asbjorn Tjugen, Tuva Rivedal Tjugen


We look forward to following this amazing young film director: http://www.pernillerivedalhellevik.com/

Pernille Rivedal Hellevik was born in Oslo and grew up on the rural West Coast of Norway. She studied Film and TV Production at the University of Bergen and at the University of Waikato in New Zealand. In 2012 she enrolled in the Film MFA Directing/Screenwriting program at Columbia University School of the Arts from where she will graduate in May 2016. Website: www.pernillerivedalhellevik.com

Music/Theater: The Rap Guide to Climate Chaos, Baba Brinkman

Praise for Baba Brinkman! With his encyclopedic knowledge of the subjects involved and his masterful, articulate rapping, this rapid-fire performance tossed us onto the rocky shores of science, politics and personal involvement. After the performance, we bought the complete CD set of Baba's rap programs. We're now huge fans.

http://www.bababrinkman.com/climate/

Theater: Toast at 59E59, May 2016

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/05/03/theater/review-toast-blends-farce-with-kitchen-sink-realism.html

Theater: The Idiot at HERE Theater, NYC

From the web site: http://here.org/shows/detail/1736/  Photo credit Carl Skutsch

A charismatic prince, a notorious woman, a spoiled socialite and a jealous rival square off in an electric quartet—and you’re invited to the party. In this hybrid response to Dostoevsky’s The Idiot, immersive staging and live cinematography launch you into the mind of a conflicted man in a tug-of-war between desire and compassion. In the face of a corrupt society, be there as he battles the depths and heights of human experience.   

Conceived and adapted from the Dostoevsky novel by Robert Lyons and Kristin Marting
Text by Robert Lyons
Directed and Choreographed by Kristin Marting
Environment by Nick Benacerraf
Video by Ray Sun
Composed By Larry Heinemann
Lighting by Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew
Costumes by Kate Fry
Stage Managed by William V. Carlton*
Assistant Directed by Drew Weinstein
Performed by Lauren Cipoletti*, Purva Bedi*,
Daniel Kublick*, and Merlin Whitehawk 

Theater: Hungry at the Public Theater, 3/2016

From the web site: http://www.publictheater.org/Tickets/Calendar/PlayDetailsCollection/1516/HUNGRY-Election-Year-in-the-Life-of-One-Family/

This season, Tony Award-winning playwright and director Richard Nelson returns to The Public with HUNGRY, the first in a new three-play cycle introducing us to the Gabriels of Rhinebeck, New York. These three plays unfold in real time and track the lives of the Gabriels throughout the coming presidential election year. 

To the rhythm of peeling, chopping and mixing, HUNGRY places us in the center of the Gabriel’s kitchen. The family discusses their lives and disappointments, and the world at large and nearby. As they struggle against the fear of being left behind, the family attempts to find resilience in the face of loss. 

Reviewed in the NYT's: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/07/theater/review-hungry-portrays-a-mourning-clan-in-election-year-2016.html?_r=0

Theater: Pearl Theater Company performs Stupid Fu**ing Bird

Review:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/29/theater/review-stupid-bird-is-chekhov-for-the-21st-century.html?_r=1

The Company:

http://www.pearltheatre.org

Musical Theater: Bone Hill at Atrium Lincoln Center

Music and Lyrics: Martha Redbone and Aaron Whitby

On 4/28/16: A concert-style performance of a work-in-progress.

HD Live Theater Broadcast: As You Like It, The Royal National Theater

(PERSSON PHOTOGRAPHY)

From the NTLIVE.com web site: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/as-you-like-it

As You Like It
With her father the Duke banished and in exile, Rosalind and her cousin Celia leave their lives in the court behind them and journey into the Forest of Arden.
There, released from convention, Rosalind experiences the liberating rush of transformation. Disguising herself as a boy, she embraces a different way of living and falls spectacularly in love.
Shakespeare’s glorious comedy of love and change comes to the National Theatre for the first time in over 30 years.
Evening Standard Award-winner Rosalie Craig plays Rosalind.
National Theatre Live
As You Like It was broadcast live to cinemas on Thu 25 February, 7pm

The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House.

Theater: The Place We Built by Sarah Gancher

From the Flea Theater web site: http://www.theflea.org/show_detail.php?page_type=0&show_id=172

In a deserted neighborhood in post-communist Budapest, a group of young bohemians build a bar. Reclaiming a Jewish identity their parents’ generation abandoned after the Holocaust, they create a vibrant new subculture combining big ideas, intense debates and outrageous parties. But as authoritarianism and anti-Semitism make a surprise comeback in Hungary, they must fight to save the place they built.

This world premiere production will be directed by Danya Taymor and will feature The Bats, the resident acting company at The Flea: Brittany K. Allen, Lydian Blossom, Tom Costello, Brendan Dalton, Tamara Del Rosso, Philip Feldman, Kristin Friedlander, Cleo Gray, Rachel Ingram, Ben Lorenz, Ash McNair, Sonia Mena, Isabelle Pierre, Xavier Reminick, Leta Renée-Alan, and Tessa Hope Slovis. The creative team includes Arnulfo Maldonado & Feli Lamenca (scenic design), Masha Tsimring (lighting design), Claudia Brown (costume design), Ben Truppin-Brown (sound design), Alex J. Gould (fight choreography),Marte Johanne Ekhougen (puppet design), Zach Serafin (props master), Jocelyn Clarke (dramaturg), Charise Greene (dialect coach), Jake Beckhard (assistant director), and Tzipora Reman (stage management). Playwright: Sarah Gancher.

Theater + Opera: Science Fair at the Here Theater, starring Hai-Ting Chinn

Photos © Kate Milford

From the HERE Theater web site: http://here.org/shows/detail/1734/About the show

A live science show with lessons & lectures in song 

Science Fair is an opera singer’s love-song to science. Conceived and performed by mezzo-soprano Hai-Ting Chinn, Science Fair uses physical demonstrations and experiments, a libretto created from the words of scientists, and original music to illuminate our current understanding of the natural world. Celebrating curiosities like the formation of our solar system, the structure of the atom, and the ancient legacy of DNA, Science Fair pairs light-hearted humor with luscious operatic vocals to uplift the ordinary into the realm of wonder. 

Credits:
Conceived and Performed by Hai-Ting Chinn

With Erika Switzer, Piano and Music Direction

Music by Matthew Schickele, Renée Favand-See, Stefan Weisman, and Conrad Cummings

Directed by Lisa Rothe


Lighting Design by Lucrecia Briceno

Scenic and Projection Design by Caite Hevner Kemp

Costume Design by Hai-Ting Chinn

Slideshow Art by Maki Naro


Technical Director: Zac Blitz
Master
Electrician: Betsy Chester

Music: Room Full of Teeth and Elliot Cole perform "Hanuman's Leap" at the Park Avenue Armory

Elliot Cole, center, performing with Roomful of Teeth at the Park Avenue Armory.

Photo Credit: Hiroyuki Ito for The New York Times

My own review of the show:

I saw "Hanuman's Leap" two nights in a row at the Park Avenue Armory. On the first evening when I sat front-row center, the on-stage speakers (used as monitors for the performers) had a tendency to spill sound into the audience space, muddying the clarity of some of the text. I had sat too close to the stage. On the second night I sat further from the stage and Elliot performed from a stance closer to the audience; the acoustics were balanced and clear. Poetic, fresh and fun, it was a performance of heart-pumping exuberance and optimism. Elliot has a keen sense of drama and dynamics, easily soaring through colorful complex passages performed ensemble with pounding volume, and suddenly dropping into delicate solo passages framed in silence. Roomful of Teeth are always an exhilarating and uniquely inspired group of performers, and Elliot proved himself a talented composer, vocalist and stage presence. Congratulations to the ensemble! - dp