April 27th, and 28th
Heaven Stood Still: The Incarnations of Willy DeVille
1h 27min | NR
There was no one like the American singer Willy DeVille
Leaping out of the 1970s CBGB punk scene in New York City with his band Mink DeVille, Willy DeVille was always coming and going, moving backward and forward through both time and musical genres.
Changing his persona to match his adventurous musical forays, he was a Latin Street Crooner, a Fairytale Prince, a New Orleans Riverboat Gambler, a Southwest Border Jumper and finally a man who must come face to face with his true self.
His musical odyssey lasted 35 years across two continents and a million records sold. Yet in the US, his home he is almost completely unknown.
He wielded a big voice, an obsessive dedication to his own muse and a serious drug problem across two continents for 35 years. He sold over a million records. Yet, in his home country he is almost completely unknown.
Longtime J Geils Band front man Peter Wolf said, “There is a mystery about Willy DeVille. When you get it, it’s atomic, it’s huge.”
“He was an old soul and didn’t know it.” The Legendary Ben E King
“He was in a bubble of his own creation.” Chris Frantz, drummer Talking Heads
“A deep, hurtful feeling that had a real effect on you.” Freddy Koella, guitarist Mink DeVille Band, Bob Dylan Band
“He stood out, his voice and presentation ought to have gotten him in (Rock N Roll Hall of Fame) by now.” Bob Dylan
“You are going to the leave the theater with some new favorite songs” Upstate Films
Coming April 28th
A Life’s Work
1h 30min | NR
What’s it like to dedicate your life to work that won’t be completed in your lifetime? 15 years ago, filmmaker David Licata focused on four projects and the people behind them in an effort to answer this universal question.
The subjects include Jill Tarter, Director of the SETI Institute, who has been involved in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence since the 1970s; David and Jared Milarch, father and son tree farmers and co-founders of the Champion Tree Project, who clone old-growth trees to combat climate change; gospel music archivist Robert Darden, who founded the Black Gospel Music Restoration Project, an organization that is trying preserve at-risk recordings from the black gospel music tradition; and Paolo Soleri, controversial architect behind Arcosanti, a town designed to test his theories about housing an overpopulated planet.
We discover what inspired them to begin, what obstacles they face, what drives and sustains them, and how they measure success of an endeavor they will not live to see completed.
Coming April 28th
Badlands (1973)
1h 34m | PG
Director Terrence Malick’s directorial debut, Badlands, has cemented its status as an American neo-noir crime drama classic. Starring Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek, the film delves into the story of Holly Sargis, a 15-year-old girl who joins forces with her partner, Kit Carruthers, in a chilling killing spree. With Malick’s artistic vision, Badlands captivates audiences with its exploration of love, violence, and the complexities of the human psyche.
May 24th 7pm
NYC Short Film Showcase
1h 46m | NR
The Monolith by Angelo J. Guglielmo Jr.: Pioneering NYC artist, Gwyneth Leech, enters a midtown art studio only to find that her skyline view will soon be blocked by the construction of a high-rise hotel. As the perspective out her window permanently shifts, so does the artist’s point of view.
The Gallerist by Adam H. Holoubek: A film-noir short film about a painter who is visited by her former lover. What ensues during the visit is a fragmentary daydream filled with a yearning to hold onto what is left.
Perros Sin Amor/Loveless Dogs by Christina Sots: An artist’s search for love of her painting.
Nothing Will Ever Be the Same by Matthew Handal: An urban “Stand by Me” crossed with the Little Rascals. Eleven-year-old Marty and Miguel are best friends learning to navigate the adult world at the end of the school year and beginning of summer in 1964 Brooklyn. It’s all fun and games with a hint of the problems to come.
Lunch Date by Donnie Banks: When a dating site employee becomes smitten by the developer, his coworker tries to help him overcome his insecurities, and the douchey HR guy, to ask her out.
IMPLOSIONS by Lisa Sherman: In her attempts to do her homework, a bright yet struggling teen finds herself in a battle for her life.
We Just Clicked by Mary Wojcik: Fi and Jan are waitresses at a small family restaurant who have known each other for over a decade. Through the good times and bad, they prove that anyone – no matter the age difference – can become true friends.
The Boys Of Late Summer by Roger Hendricks Simon and Pedro Padilla: A documentary that celebrates the vibrant community of senior softball players who continue to passionately play the sport they love, defying expectations and finding joy in the game.
Q&A w/ FIlmmakers
Coming May 27th 12:15pm
Make Me Famous
1h 33min | NR
Make Me Famous offers a unique lens into the rise and fall of the East Village art scene in 1980s New York City, centering on the little-known neo-expressionist painter Edward Brezinski. Premiering at the New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Film Festival, this evocative documentary received acclaim from critics and provides a compelling exploration of art, fame, and the cultural landscape of its era.
Q&A with Filmmakers will follow the screening.
Coming June 9th 3:15PM
Julia Scotti: Funny That Way
1h 14m | NR
With breathtaking emotional honesty, this tender, funny, and powerful portrait of transgender comedian Julia Scotti explores the unrelenting courage and humor it takes to be Julia. In the comedy boom of the 1980’s Rick Scotti was a busy guy–appearing in clubs across the country, on bills with Chris Rock and Jerry Seinfeld, when he came to the dawning realization that nothing felt right. At a time when the words gender dysphoria and gender reassignment surgery were rarely heard, Rick’s true awakening at age forty-seven led to a new identity as Julia Scotti. And then everyone turned away–former wives, friends, family, comedy world buddies, and most painfully Julia was shut out from any contact with her children. Julia reinvented herself, spent a decade teaching, and then several years ago, stepped back on stage and began her journey back to the world she loves, and her children reached out to her after 15 years of silence. Shot over a period of five years, the film tracks Julia’s triumphant comeback and the complex process of reuniting with her children, as comedy becomes the shared language of identity, healing, and joy.
Post film discussion with the writer and director Susan Sandler and special guests, Julie Klausner and Julia Scotti.
Susan Sandler is an American writer and currently a professor at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She has numerous writing credits but is probably best known for her play Crossing Delancey, which she also adapted into a film with the same name starring Amy Irving and directed by Joan Micklin Silver.
Julie Klausner created the Hulu series “Difficult People.” She wrote two books, hosted the How Was Your Week podcast and currently co-hosts the Double Threat podcast with Tom Scharpling. She writes for television, film and theater and frequently performs live solo shows in New York City, where she lives.
Julia Scotti is a remarkably busy lady. In addition to being the central character in this acclaimed documentary and performing standup coast to coast, you have seen her on AGT, the “Today Show with Hoda and Jenna” and on Showtime where she was featured on the “More Funny Women of a Certain Age” special. You can see Julia starring as Joy in the short film drama “Relatable Joy,” in the Judd Apatow/Universal Pictures film “Bros,” starring Billy Eichner and in the upcoming film “Babes” with Ilana Glazer and Michelle Buteau.
