http://www.zoom-in.com/rss/on+the+circuit rss news en http://www.zoom-in.com/film-tv/on-the-circuit/on-the-circuit-michael-haneke-the-white-ribbon Michael Haneke is anything but a novice when it comes to dealing with violence and oppression. However, in his opinion, the most effective way to execute these ideas onscreen is to allude instead of show. And in his most recent film The White Ribbon, which won The Golden Palm Award at Cannes in May, that is exactly what he did. In Haneke's words, the film is about "the origin of every type of terrorism," highlighted by the actions of German Protestants living in a small, pre-World War I. In this exclusive Zoom In Online interview, Haneke discusses, with the aide of a translator, his choice to leave many answers open-ended, first creating distrust for the characters and ultimately allowing the audience to come to their own conclusions. This way, the audience is forced to imagine the violence on their own which, according to Haneke, creates a much more powerful result in the end. Haneke also admits that although a significant amount of effort was put into creating an accurate look and feel for the time period, he hopes the film gains resonance with contemporary audiences for its pertinent references to ideology and religion. Regardless of how you interpret the less-than-sound characters in White Ribbon, one thing is for certain: the film certainly does not pander to its audience, instead giving viewers the rare and somewhat daunting task of filling in the black and white blanks for themselves. On the Circuit Commentary Community Film Review FilmTVChannel interview Interviews Michael Haneke Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:22:08 -0500 Mike Raffensperger 16450 at http://www.zoom-in.com http://www.zoom-in.com/film-tv/on-the-circuit/on-the-circuit-james-marshjulian-jarrold-red-riding-trilogy When Britain’s Channel Four Film set about adapting Davind Peace’s “Red Riding” books, they could’ve brought in one high profile director to guide the project from beginning to end. With quite a significant chunk of their production budget sunk into the films, it probably would’ve been a safe bet to have only one director to hold accountable for the massive creative undertaking. Instead, Channel Four Film hired three separate yet prestigious directors to helm a different, chaotic year of the neo-noir “Red Riding” saga: Julian Jarrold (Brideshead Revisited), Academy Award winner James Marsh (Man On Wire) and Anand Tucker (And When Did You Last See Your Father?). Marsh and Jarrold were in town during this year’s New York Film Festival where they took the time to talk about the experience of shooting a simultaneous production, the social significance of both the films’ time periods and contemporary time, as well as the predicted future of television as a storytelling medium and more. On the Circuit Commentary Community Film Review FilmTVChannel interview Interviews James Marsh Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:25:15 -0400 Mike Raffensperger 16388 at http://www.zoom-in.com http://www.zoom-in.com/film-tv/on-the-circuit/on-the-circuit-harmony-korine-trash-humpers When 19-year-old Harmony Korine first "bumped into" the already established Larry Clark at an ice skating rink many years ago, it spawned the cult classic Kids, which would signal the beginning of a highly successful career in provocative filmmaking that continues to both shock and disturb moviegoers today. Korine will be the first to tell you that his movies aren't necessarily "movies" at all, merely representations of the aspects of life he finds most intriguing: subcultures, the American fringe landscape and, in the case of his latest film, Trash Humpers, the grotesque daily activities of some homeless, elderly perverts who, as the title suggests, enjoy dry humping garbage cans. The film's unforgiving nature is, according to Korine, "a new type of horror, palpable and raw." In this interview with Zoom In Online, Korine addresses his inspirations and intentions for his most polarizing film to date, further explaining what he means when he says he wants Trash Humpers to be considered an "artifact" and how, like idols Lars von Trier and Werner Herzog, he considers himself a provocateur. You may walk out of his films or you may consider them brilliant, but one thing is for sure: don't expect a harmonious script anytime soon from the man who once burned off his own fingerprints, picked fights with total strangers for an incomplete film project, and wore a shower cap to stop thoughts from escaping his head. On the Circuit Commentary Film Review FilmTVChannel Harmony Korine Trash Humpers Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:23:58 -0400 Mike Raffensperger 16317 at http://www.zoom-in.com http://www.zoom-in.com/film-tv/on-the-circuit/on-the-circuit-aron-gaudet-and-gita-pullapilly-the-way-we-get-by Editor's Note: The following is a special off-season publication of On The Circuit.  We here at Zoom In Online were deeply moved by Aron and Gita's film and wish to support their touching story and ongoing effort to provide meaningful support to our troops serving overseas. Prior to Operation Iraqi Freedom, Bangor International Airport in Bangor, Maine may not have been significant to anyone outside of the quiet city’s residents. However, now, nearly 6 six years after the advent of the war, the tiny airport has been the primary arrival and departure spot for troops returning from and leaving for the conflict in the Middle East, having seen nearly 1,000,000 troops pass through its corridors. Often times, these troops expect to arrive and depart with little fanfare and with no one to greet them but their families. Since 2003, there’s been a small contingent of people waiting at the airport during every flight to shatter these expectations. The Way We Get By, the SXSW Special Jury Prize winner, follows the daily activities of three elderly citizens who have made it their business to meet and show their appreciation to every single troop passing through Bangor International despite their own physical and emotional deficiencies. In this On the Circuit interview, director Aron Gaudet and producer Gita Pullapilly talk about crafting a patriotic film devoid of politics, the unfortunate tendency for us to neglect both our elders and our soliders and what factors exist to enable these two contrasting groups to develop such a rapport and connection. For more information, visit the film’s website at www.thewaywegetbymovie.com and www.themainetroopgreeters.com On the Circuit bavc Commentary Film Review FilmTVChannel Interviews Screenwriting The Business troops Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:23:18 -0400 Mike Raffensperger 15512 at http://www.zoom-in.com http://www.zoom-in.com/film-tv/on-the-circuit/on-the-circuit-ondi-timoner-we-live-in-public Ten years ago, who could’ve predicted what the Internet would become today? Avatar-based chat rooms, streaming audio and video channels, detachment from reality, webcam-based celebrity culture are all par for the worldwide web course these days with social networking tools like Twitter and Facebook quickly filling in for and replacing face-to-face human interaction. And it’s only getting worse. Josh Harris, founder of Pseudo.com, heralded the current state of Internet proliferation a decade before broadband connections even existed and embodied his theory in his social experiment dubbed “Quiet: We Live in Public.” Ondi Timoner’s Grand Jury Prize-winning We Live in Public documents Josh’s experiments and holds a mirror up to us an Internet addicted society. In this On the Circuit interview, Ondi talks about the creation of the revealing documentary, how the Internet age is changing our lives for good and for ill, and how she tried to remove judgment and subjectivity from the story. http://www.zoom-in.com/film-tv/on-the-circuit/on-the-circuit-ondi-timoner-we-live-in-public#comments On the Circuit Commentary Community Film Review FilmTVChannel Interviews Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:07:06 -0400 Mike Raffensperger 14064 at http://www.zoom-in.com http://www.zoom-in.com/film-tv/on-the-circuit/on-the-circuit-greg-barker-sergio On August 19, 2003, Sergio Vieira de Mello died along with 21 other UN staff members when the UN headquarters at the Canal Hotel in Iraq was bombed. It was the first attack on a UN establishment since the beginning of the Iraq War. It’s debatable that when Sergio died, so did the UN’s and USA’s best hope for a quicker, smoother transition of power. Greg Barker’s Sergio debuted at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival in an attempt to show the world just how important of a man Sergio was to human rights, but also to show that he was wholly and simply just a man with hopes, fears, flaws and strengths like the rest of us. Jim Rohner talked to Barker at Sundance where the documentarian shared his thoughts on effectively telling Sergio’s story, the implications and consequences of his death and more. http://www.zoom-in.com/film-tv/on-the-circuit/on-the-circuit-greg-barker-sergio#comments On the Circuit Commentary Community Film Review FilmTVChannel Greg Barker Interviews Sergio The Business Tue, 31 Mar 2009 18:01:21 -0400 Mike Raffensperger 13943 at http://www.zoom-in.com http://www.zoom-in.com/hunger/on-the-circuit-steve-mcqueen-hunger When Hunger debuted at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival on May 15, people knew it was something special. After winning the Camera d’Or, the film went on to win prizes at the BAFTAS, British Independent Film Awards, Toronto International Film Festival and Venice Film Festival just to name a few. Praised was not only heaped upon first-time director Steve McQueen, but also lead Michael Fassbender for his role as Bobby Sands, the IRA prisoner who staged a 66-day hunger strike while locked away in Ireland’s H-Blocks. His death saw repercussions the world over. Zoom In’s Jim Rohner spoke to Steve McQueen when the film played at the 2008 New York Film Festival. McQueen, a visual artist, talks about how it was a natural positions and how the camera is a tool same as a paintbrush. He also talks about the importance of keeping the film objective in who it follows and understanding the difference between justifying life and justifying death. http://www.zoom-in.com/hunger/on-the-circuit-steve-mcqueen-hunger#comments On the Circuit FilmTVChannel Hunger Steve McQueen Wed, 25 Mar 2009 16:31:33 -0400 Mike Raffensperger 13679 at http://www.zoom-in.com http://www.zoom-in.com/film-tv/on-the-circuit/on-the-circuit-beth-toni-kruvant-heart-of-stone Before 1960, Weequahic High School in Newark, New Jersey graduated more eventual PhD students than any other school in the entire country. By 2000, it was one of the most violent schools in the 12th most dangerous city in the country. When Ron Stone took over as principal in 2001, he vowed to bring the school’s prestige back. Beth Toni Kruvant’s Heart of Stone, which won the Audience Award at the 2009 Slamdance Film Festival, documents the lives of some of the students at Weequahic. Though many grow up fatherless and swear allegiances to rival gangs, they’re able to peacefully co-exist and resolve conflicts thanks to the efforts of Stone and a dedicated, unified alumni association who stress education and non-violence as opposed to the law’s “zero tolerance.” Zoom In Online's Jim Rohner spoke to Beth about Heart of Stone to discuss the environment which perpetuated Weequahic’s degradation, advice to those who want to follow Stone’s example and the excitement over the potential the film has for viewers. http://www.zoom-in.com/film-tv/on-the-circuit/on-the-circuit-beth-toni-kruvant-heart-of-stone#comments On the Circuit beth toni kruvant Commentary Community Film Film Review heart of stone interview Interviews Slamdance Wed, 18 Mar 2009 14:29:32 -0400 Mike Raffensperger 13135 at http://www.zoom-in.com http://www.zoom-in.com/film-tv/on-the-circuit/on-the-circuit-eric-daniel-metzgar-reporter Journalism, as we know it, is changing. With an influx of opinionated blogging and mindless infotainment, there is little room and little money for authentic journalism. New York Times reporter Nicholas Kristof is making a case for the way things used to be. The Pulitzer Prize winner brought the conflict in Darfur into the public consciousness and in 2007, trekked down to Congo to try and find a story that would do the same once again. Following him was documentarian Eric Daniel Metzgar who was initially skeptical of the reporter’s desire to find the most desperate story around, but soon came around when he realized the purpose was to avoid the psychic numbing that results from overwhelming facts and figures about tragedy. Reporter, which debuted at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, is simultaneously a meditation on the changing journalism atmosphere and the attempts to make international conflict relevant here in America. Zoom In Online's Jim Rohner spoke to Metzgar about these and other issues, including his experiences in the field and why the film almost never came to be. http://www.zoom-in.com/film-tv/on-the-circuit/on-the-circuit-eric-daniel-metzgar-reporter#comments On the Circuit Commentary Community Congo Eric Daniel Metzgar Film Review FilmTVChannel Interviews journalism Media Distribution New York Times Reporter The Business Wed, 11 Mar 2009 14:59:12 -0400 Mike Raffensperger 12920 at http://www.zoom-in.com http://www.zoom-in.com/film-tv/on-the-circuit/on-the-circuit-michel-gondry-and-leos-carax-tokyo New York Stories, Paris je t’aime and now Tokyo! All these films bring together talented directors to work on short segments revolving around a specific topic to contribute to a larger whole. However, what allows Tokyo! to distinguish itself from these other titles is the imaginations and inventiveness of the directors involved. Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), Leos Carax (The Lovers on the Bridge) and Joon-ho Bong (The Host) lend their talents to this film for a truly unique triptych. Zoom In Online’s Jim Rohner was recently able to speak to Gondry and Carax about the film and the two French-born filmmakers talked about the advent of the film in Tokyo, the inspirations behind their segments, the importance of childlike imagination and much more. http://www.zoom-in.com/film-tv/on-the-circuit/on-the-circuit-michel-gondry-and-leos-carax-tokyo#comments On the Circuit Commentary Community Film Review FilmTVChannel interview Interviews leos carax michel gondry The Business Tokyo Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:49:59 -0500 Mike Raffensperger 12594 at http://www.zoom-in.com