I want to bang the drum a bit for Far From Afghanistan, a project inspired by the 1967 omnibus film, Far From Vietnam. The roster of contributing filmmakers is impressive to say the least: John Gianvito (Profit motive and the whispering wind), Jon Jost (All The Vermeers in New York), Minda Martin (Free Land), Travis Wilkerson (Distinguished Flying Cross) and Soon-Mi Yoo (Dangerous Supplement). You can read about each of their new films here, but overall, the goal is "to contribute to the international effort to redirect US policy away from military and political intervention toward true humanitarian and developmental care-giving." If that strikes a chord, you might consider chipping in to the Kickstarter campaign. For one week, starting on October 6, you can watch the works-in-progress.
Isabelle Marinoni's essay "Surrealism in the Service of the Fantastic: Jean Rollin, a 'Parallel' Director in Libertarian French Cinema" makes for a nifty supplement to Arena, a publication from Christie Books.
Christopher Glazek on Ryan Trecartin for n+1.
Sam Smith's created a 18" x 24" screen print ahead of tomorrow's screening of Tarkovsky's Stalker at the Belcourt Theatre. Jordan Cronk and Calum Marsh discuss the film at PopMatters.
Four screenwriters, among them, Lawrence Kasdan, have adapted Milton's Paradise Lost for Alex Proyas. Cast so far are Bradley Cooper (as Lucifer), Casey Affleck (Gabriel), Benjamin Walker (Michael) and Djimon Hounsou (Abdiel). The Playlist's Kevin Jagernauth: "The massive production will take place in Australia and the extensive digital effects will mean the film will spend twenty weeks in pre-production, eight weeks in principal photography and will have 72 weeks of post-production. So yeah, you won't be seeing this one in your local multiplex until the tail end of 2013."
Weekend browsing tip. The Media History Digital Library: Online Access to the Histories of Cinema, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound.
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