We had a lot of awesome submissions for our Easter Egg Poster Contest. We tallied up the results and our big winner is Hayley Dexter, receiving two tickets to the Opening Night party on July 28th! Thank you to everyone who participated, if you are curious what the correct answers are, we have added a circled poster to this post and a key below. Hope to see everyone at the festival!
KEY:
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Matthew Modine (TCFF 2006, 2011) is a Golden Globe Award-winning actor, as well as a writer, producer, and director, who over the course of decades, has with some of cinema’s biggest talent.
Having films in the Traverse City Film Festival for the third time, Matthew is an actor and producer on the film “The Brainwashing of My Dad,” as well as “Merry Xmas,” directed by his son, Boman Modine. Look out for Boman’s interview to be posted on our blog tomorrow!
And after immediately selling out during Friends ticketing, we’ve added another screening of “The Brainwashing of My Dad” by popular demand on Saturday, August 1 at 12 noon.
You’ve worked on movies as grand a scale as “The Dark Night Rises” and “Full Metal Jacket”, but also on television, in theater, independent, and short films – what is your method for determining which projects you choose to become involved with?
I try to find interesting projects, things that give you opportunities to learn about things you’re curious about. Generally those types of subjects that you’re curious about will be in the hands of interesting filmmakers, directors, because they’re also using the medium to investigate and tell stories about things that we don’t know about or things that we’re trying to understand.
You’re notable as a director, writer, producer, but you’re best recognized as an actor. How do you compare working in film in front of the camera, compared to behind the scenes?
You know, there’s a long history of directors who are also actors, whether we go back to Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton, or to today with Clint Eastwood and Woody Allen. You learn that you’re coming up whatever your curiosity is – like with Woody Allen it was comedy and acting, there’s a certain kind of thing you want to accomplish, a vision that you have as an artist – that maybe somebody else doesn’t see things the way that you do. And so the only way to fulfill that goal is to be the person who places the camera.
If we think of the camera as your eye, your lens, and your brain is the celluloid, or today the chip, the way that you see things, the way that you imagine a scene to take place is where your lens is – so you see things differently based on the experiences you’ve had in your life. If ten directors were given a screenplay, they’d have ten different points of view. They would place the camera in different places, they would move the camera in different times, and they would edit the film in different ways. That’s the art of filmmaking and directing. What’s interesting is when somebody has a different ways of the seeing things based on the experiences they’ve had in their lives. I think it’s why it’s very interesting the filmmakers we’re being exposed to in America now – from South America, from Scandinavia, from Eastern Europe – their films are compelling because they’re different points of view that we’re not accustomed to, so it makes their films very interesting. Probably what’s happened in America is that we have a lot of people basing their view of the world on experiences that they’ve had not from living life but from watching film or television. What happens when you get a mirror and face it to a mirror is that you get a reflection of a reflection of a reflection. We shouldn’t base our point of view on watching television shows or other people’s films, but we should tell stories that come from experiences that we’ve had in our own personal lives so that we can tell an audience what it feels like to be slapped across the face, to be insulted, to have your heart broken – that you’re telling it from an organic experience rather than a regurgitation of other films. And I think that you can find that in a lot of American cinema.
You’ve worked with so many directors with such distinct methods and styles – Robert Altman, Kubrick, Oliver Stone, Spike Lee, Christopher Nolan – the list goes on. How has this impacted you as an actor and a filmmaker?
Well, the one thing they share and have in common as filmmakers is the unique point of view, a perspective, a need to tell a story, not just a desire to be a filmmaker. The stories that they tell, it’s very important just for an actor but for a director to have the need to tell the story – whether or not there’s an audience for that story, you of course hope that there’s a shared interest in the things that you’re interested in. Sometimes there is, sometimes there isn’t. But there has to be that need, that drive to tell the story. I feel that very strongly from someone like Oliver Stone that the stories that he wants to tell are really burning inside of belly, that he wants to expose something and investigate something and share that with an audience and I find that very attractive. Read more
Friends,
I’ll make it brief.
30% of screenings at this year’s festival are sold out! Woo hoo!
That means 70% of all screenings still have tickets available. Lots of ’em. Right now!
My personal event, “Mike’s Surprise,” is pretty much sold out for its Sunday show at Lars, so I’m adding a SECOND “Mike’s Surprise” on Saturday at noon at the State Theatre. You won’t regret it if you attend either show. How do I know this? I control the surprise! Bwahahahahaa!
We’ve also added new screenings to some of our most popular shows — and tickets for all of the new screenings are on sale right now for Friends! They are:
Beginning tomorrow, Saturday, July 18, all tickets go on sale to the public beginning at 11 am in person at the box office, and then at 6 pm online at tcff.org.
I’m also honored to announce some of the exciting guests who will be with us live in Traverse City during the festival!
We’ve got the tween metal band sensations (seriously, check them out), Unlocking the Truth, appearing in person with their film “Breaking a Monster;” the director and stars of the show behind the Michigan-made “20 Years of Madness;” the cartoon editor of The New Yorker, Bob Mankoff, coming to present “Very Semi-Serious;” Petoskey-native Sharon Shattuck and her parents from the timely film “From This Day Forward;” Marlon Brando’s son Miko with “Listen to Marlon;” Flint-native Olympic gold medalist boxer Claressa Shields and “T-Rex;” and anti-bullying activist and all around inspiration Lizzie Velasquez in “A Brave Heart” (check out her powerful TED talk here and you’ll know immediately why you need to bring everyone you know to this screening!).
This is all on top of Hollywood Royalty like Roger Corman, Geraldine Chaplin, Robert Altman‘s wife Kathryn Altman, and his collaborator Michael Murphy, that we have already announced. Seeing these great works with these people in attendance is an experience no film lover should miss!
And this is just an abbreviated list. Most of this year’s screenings will have filmmakers in attendance, and I can’t wait for the filmmakers to see your reaction to their work. Check out the trailers for the films online and our helpful hints at finding the best movies for you. Fill your movie card, and I’ll see you downtown in 11 days!
Yours,
Michael Moore
A few of our movies sold out quickly this past weekend. But fear not! Most of those movies have a second screening with tickets still available. Plus, please stay tuned for our upcoming announcement of encore screenings to some our most in demand films. Check the list out below!
HockstadWith public ticketing around the corner this Saturday, July 18, if you’re still looking over our schedule and getting overwhelmed by all the choices, we’ve got you covered. We’ve expanded on our Perfect Schedule blog post and created some more movie groupings for different interests. Plus! Plenty of tickets remain for all of these great films.
Action/Adventure
Are you the friend everyone turns to during election season for information? Are you involved with different groups that are active in changing and bettering the community? This category is perfect for people who are committed to making a difference and raising awareness.
ComedyThey say laughter is the best medicine, and the films below would completely agree with that statement. This collection of movies will have you rolling in the aisles and will test the strength your stomach muscles.
Need to swap a ticket? No worries! Use the comments section at the bottom of this blog post as a forum to talk with other moviegoers about swapping tickets. This forum is meant for communication between individuals only and has no association with the official TCFF box office.
Please do not call the box office or the TCFF office regarding ticket swapping.
All you need to do is post tickets that you want/have and a telephone number or email where you can be reached.
See you at the movies!
If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you. If you seek a state in the union with a special spot in the world of cinema (from “Anatomy of a Murder” in Marquette to the gritty “8 Mile” in Detroit,) you need look no further. Michigan is home to great stories and great artists and the selection of Michigan-made films at this year’s festival are no exception. We have a wonderful curation of films made in, set in, and about Michigan that will feature some very special guests. And we will also be featuring some selections from our State’s next generation of great filmmakers. Check out the Michigan-based films at this year’s festival.
2015 | USA | NR | 90 min.
In mid-90s Detroit, a motley crew of young skaters, goths, punks, and other self-described “weirdos” created an anarchic sketch show that aired on public access television called “30 Minutes of Madness.” A local cult hit, everyone involved was sure this real life “Wayne’s World” was their entree to a big time career on MTV or Comedy Central—but then, reality got in the way. Now, on the occasion of its 20th anniversary, the gang returns to their Michigan hometown in an attempt to rediscover the creative mojo that once provided such an exhilarating outlet. In Person: Director Jeremy Royce, producer and subject Jerry White Jr., and “30 Minutes of Madness” cast members.
2015 | USA | NR | 71 min.
Today’s singles are inundated with all the newfangled ways to meet mates: online sites; speed dating; panels of experts on reality TV. But 33-year-old Kelly has chosen to put her faith in God and Christian Courtship, a practice where couples give over control of their dating lives to their family, and save even their first kiss for marriage. It’s a challenge for devout Kelly, since her own parents don’t agree with the plan, and she has already pursued conventional dating. Undeterred, she finds spiritual parents in Grand Rapids who agree to take her in and keep her as long as they need to, until they find her the right match. In her first feature, Amy Kohn tackles a sensitive subject and a deeply interesting personal story with openness and tact, creating a poignant portrait of a woman who, like everyone else, just wants to be loved. In Person: Director Amy Kohn.
2015 | USA | NR | 74 min.
When she was a little girl, Petoskey native Sharon Shattuck’s dad told her that when she got married, he hoped he could wear a dress to walk her down the aisle. Not long after that, while his children were in middle school, Sharon’s father came out as transgender and changed his name to Trisha. His transition was difficult for Sharon’s straight-identified mother to accept, but Sharon’s parents stayed together. When Sharon’s family reunites years later to plan her wedding, she takes up her camera to explore the unorthodox relationships of her family and flesh out the conversations she spent so many years avoiding. Juxtaposing candid home videos from her father’s pre-transition years with present day footage, Shattuck has created an intimate and touching portrait of a modern American family. In Person: Director Sharron Shattuck, Marcia and Trisha Shattuck.
2015 | Canada | NR | 87 min.
Hailing from our very own Flint, MI, scrappy 17-year-old boxing phenom Claressa “T-Rex” Shields has her sights set on earning gold at the 2012 Beijing Olympics—the first time the games have featured women’s boxing. Tough as nails from life on the mean streets of Flint, she’s got the grit, determination, and ferocity to train and compete at the highest levels. Not even her family’s crazy daily drama can derail her from pursuit of Olympic glory—for boxing may well be her only shot at lifting her family out of poverty. Don’t miss one of our favorite films of the festival, an inspiring, feel-good documentary from first-time filmmakers Drea Cooper and Zackary Canepari about triumphing over adversity and fighting for your dream. In Person: Director Zackary Canepari and subject Claressa Shields. Read more
The 2015 Traverse City Film Festival is almost here! We have movies that will make you laugh, cry, and feel just about every other emotion out there. With such a large selection of movies, some people don’t know where to start planning their schedule. This year we have taken the liberty to create planned sample schedules for different types of people attending the festival that not only take in to account all the great movies you can see, but all the great restaurants and activities that make Traverse City such a spectacular place. Check them out!
Are you an art museum fanatic? Does a new exhibit give you butterflies in your stomach? Are your nights out at the bar more about listening to music than drinking? If any of these apply to you this TCFF 11 schedule would be a perfect fit for you!
Wednesday July 29
9 am: Clouds of Sils Maria at the State TheatreThursday July 30
Friday July 31
Saturday August 1
Sunday August 2
Are you analytical? Do you like a movie that will make you think deeper about the world and/or yourself? If puzzles and reading appeal to you then this TCFF 11 schedule is for you! Read more
We’re pleased to announce Roger Corman as the recipient of the TCFF Michigan Filmmaker Award.
A Detroit native, B-movie legend Roger Corman is one of Hollywood’s most prolific talents, with well over 400 credits to his name as a writer, actor, producer, and director. He is the winner of the Honorary Academy Award for his rich engendering of films and filmmakers.
You can check out all the films in our Roger Corman section here, and he’ll sit down with another Hollywood rebel, Michael Moore, on Sunday, August 2.
Our own Katy Gwizdala was able to speak with Mr. Corman about how he got his start, growing up in Michigan, and mentoring today’s film industry giants.
First of all, congratulations on adding the Michigan Filmmaker Award to your long list of accolades.
Thank you!
Why choose cult classics and B-movies as the genre you’ve worked the most with? Is it your passion, or did you find out you’re very, very good at it and stick with it?
I started making low-budget films simply because that’s all the money I had. I had written a screenplay and sold it, and I took that money and made a very low-budget picture “Monster from the Ocean Floor” for $12,000. I primarily finance my pictures myself and since I don’t have that much money, I’m not about to make “Jurassic World” or anything like that. So I stay in the area in which I’m comfortable financing my own films.
When you think about all of the incredible talent you’ve worked with, like Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, and Robert DeNiro – what’s your secret for discovering them? How do you look at Jack Nicholson and see that eventually, he’s going to become the Jack Nicholson we know today?
…There are three things I look for. One is intelligence. I’ve never met anybody, and I’m thinking more as writer, producer, director, who’s had a long successful career that hasn’t had intelligence. There have been a few who’ve had one or two winners but haven’t maintained it that haven’t been so intelligent. But I look for that particularly.
The second is the ability to work long, hard hours. Making films is to a certain extent glamorous, but it’s also a very hard job.
And the third is the intangible, and that’s creativity. One of the ways that you can judge it a little bit is just by talking to a person, and how their mind works — what they say and how they analyze certain things. And to a large extent, I try to work with people who start – such as Francis Coppola, started as my assistant and did second unit directing, editing, one thing or another. He even did carpentry on building some racks for storage equipment on a Volkswagen MiniBus we used for locations shooting. So I’m able to judge the creativity that way, with Francis or with other people like Jim Cameron or Jonathan Demme, or whoever who started with us that way. Other times, somebody like Marty Scorsese, I resisted talking to him and saw an underground black & white film he did in New York. Just judging from that, I thought Marty had the required creativity.
Another widely known fact about you is your cameo career – do you have a favorite story from a film you’ve acted in?
Yes, as a matter of fact. One of the first times I did, in “Godfather Part II,” Francis Coppola had me play one of the Senators on the Senate Crime Investigating Committee and I remember there were so many lights — I’d always been behind the camera, and of course this is a big-budget film, and… I couldn’t see anything at all out there. And when the assistant director said “roll ‘em” and the camera was running, but before Francis could say “action,” somebody yelled out of the dark “don’t get nervous Rog, but your entire career in Hollywood depends on how you say these lines!” It was Jack Nicholson, who by prearrangement with Francis had come over from another sound stage where he was working to throw me off. And make me triple nervous on the first take. Read more
TCFF is proud to welcome its ninth full-time intern class! Each year, the festival gathers a group of excited and energetic young professionals to work in a collaborative environment as interns. They perform a variety of tasks critical to running the festival, gain valuable career experience, and spend their summer in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Seriously, we couldn’t do it without them! Here’s a look at this summer’s 17 full-time interns:
Department: Film Prep
College/Year: Michigan State University / Alumna
Favorite Movie/Director: Wizard of Oz / Quentin Tarantino
What would you sing at Karaoke night: Anything by Led Zeppelin
Who would star as you in a movie: Amanda Bynes
Department: Public Relations & Media
College/Year: Michigan State University / Senior
Favorite Movie/Director: The Prestige / Christopher Nolan
What would you sing at Karaoke night: Stacy’s Mom by Fountains of Wayne
Who would star as you in a movie: Blake Lively
Department: Event Planning
College/Year: Bowling Green State University / Senior
Favorite Movie/Director: The Princess Bride / The Coen Brothers
What would you sing at Karaoke night: Hold On by Wilson Phillips
Who would star as you in a movie: Kate Winslet
Department: Music
College/Year: Northeastern University / Junior
Favorite Movie/Director: Secondhand Lions / Christopher Nolan
What would you sing at Karaoke night: Anything 80s
Who would star as you in a movie: Dave Franco
Department: Post-Production
College/Year: University of Michigan / Junior
Favorite Movie/Director: When Harry Met Sally / Wes Anderson
What would you sing at Karaoke night: American Pie by Don McLean
Who would star as you in a movie: Emma Watson
Department: Video Post / Graphic Design
College/Year: University of Missouri / Alumnus
Favorite Movie/Director: The Departed / Martin Charles Scorsese
What would you sing at Karaoke night: In Too Deep by Sum 41
Who would star as you in a movie: A better looking Leonardo DiCaprio
Department: Music
College/Year: Concordia University (Canada) / Senior
Favorite Movie/Director: Interstellar / Quentin Tarantino
What would you sing at Karaoke night: Just a Friend
Who would star as you in a movie: Will Smith
Department: Box Office
College/Year: Carthage College / Senior
Favorite Movie/Director: Midnight in Paris / Woody Allen
What would you sing at Karaoke night: Anything by Taylor Swift
Who would star as you in a movie: Keira Knightley
Department: Film Prep
College/Year: Central Michigan University / Alumnus
Favorite Movie/Director: Lord of the Rings Trilogy / Christopher Nolan
What would you sing at Karaoke night: Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
Who would star as you in a movie: Michael Fassbender
Department: Office
College/Year: University of Michigan / Senior
Favorite Movie/Director: Pan’s Labyrinth / Lars von Trier
What would you sing at Karaoke night: Smells like Teen Spirit by Nirvana
Who would star as you in a movie: Emma Stone
Department: Office/Volunteer Management
College/Year: Bowling Green State University / Senior
Favorite Movie/Director: Slumdog Millionaire / Tim Burton
What would you sing at Karaoke night: Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars
Who would star as you in a movie: Zooey Deschanel
Department: Public Relations & Media
College/Year: Michigan State University / Sophomore
Favorite Movie/Director: Boyhood / Alfonso Cuaron
What would you sing at Karaoke night: Come On Eileen by Dexy’s Midnight Runners
Who would star as you in a movie: Betty White
Department: Office
College/Year: Kent State University / Alumna
Favorite Movie/Director: There Will Be Blood / Martin Scorsese
What would you sing at Karaoke night: Say My Name by Destiny’s Child
Who would star as you in a movie: Meryl Streep
Department: Video Post
College/Year: Michigan State University / Senior
Favorite Movie/Director: Beginners / Celine Sciamma
What would you sing at Karaoke night: Everytime by Britney Spears
Who would star as you in a movie: Quvenzhané Wallis
Department: Graphic Design
College/Year: Michigan State University / Alumna
Favorite Movie/Director: The Man in the Moon / Tim Burton
What would you sing at Karaoke night: BBHM by Rihanna
Who would star as you in a movie: Rihanna
Department: Music & Parties Liaison
College/Year: Oakland University / Senior
Favorite Movie/Director: Blue is the Warmest Color / Abdellatif Kechiche
What would you sing at Karaoke night: Grease Soundtrack
Who would star as you in a movie: Miley Cyrus
Department: Kids Fest
College/Year: Northern Michigan College / Sophomore
Favorite Movie/Director: The Graduate / John Hughes
What would you sing at Karaoke night: Anything by Aretha Franklin
Who would star as you in a movie: Emma Stone
