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helloworlddemo1122-yahoopar-blog · 6 years

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2018 Tribeca Film Festival Puts Focus on Women in Time’s Up Era

In the wake of the Time’s Up movement, which aims to eliminate the imbalance of power in the workforce and bring gender parity behind the camera, the Tribeca Film Festival becomes the first major film festival to pro-actively attempt to balance its representation; an effort championed by festival co-founder and CEO Jane Rosenthal and EVP of Tribeca Enterprises Paula Weinstein. Of the feature films presented this year, nearly half are directed by women -- 46 percent of the 96 titles -- the highest percentage in the festival’s history. Among them are Oscar-nominated Amy Ziering (The Bleeding Edge), Guardians of the Galaxy star Karen Gillan making her directorial debut (The Party's Just Beginning), festival opener Lisa D’Apolito (Love, Gilda), documentarian Madeleine Sackler with her first scripted feature (O.G.) and Susanna White (Woman Walks Ahead starring Jessica Chastain).

Of the filmmakers participating in the Tribeca Talks: Directors Series, three of the five slots belong to Lesli Linka Glatter, Laura Poitras and Nancy Meyers, with the Tribeca Talks: The Journey making its debut with a conversation with Sarah Jessica Parker, who stars in the Tribeca world premiere of Blue Night, about her career both on and off-screen.

Perhaps the most direct connection to the Time’s Up movement is the legal defense fund and the festival’s inaugural New York event: a day of conversations with women raising awareness about inequality in the workplace. “While you will see some of the leaders of the movement -- Ashley Judd and Julianne Moore -- you’re also going to have conversations about the farm workers, what's going on in legal aid, what goes on with human resources,” Rosenthal tells ET. “So, it's really a day that will hit more than just the entertainment business.”

Of course, the draw is the films and TV shows being presented -- and female-centric narratives are among the highlights ET previewed ahead of the festival, including a documentary that examines Barbie’s place in a modern era (Tiny Shoulders: Rethinking Barbie); scripted stories about a woman reigniting long-dormant passions after returning to the Orthodox Jewish community where she grew up (Disobedience with Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams), estranged sisters driven to extremes when their mother dies (Little Woods starring Tessa Thompson and Lily James) and a girl forced to attend gay conversion therapy (The Miseducation of Cameron Post starring Chloe Grace Moretz).

Here is ET’s selection of the must-see films and TV pilots at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival, which runs April 18 to April 29 in New York City:

The American Meme

This intriguing new documentary takes a deeper look at what it’s like to be a viral sensation -- and the darker side to internet fame. Paris Hilton, Brittany Furlan, DJ Khaled and more are featured in the film, offering unique perspectives on their relationship with social media, fandom and the many ups and downs of celebrity. (Directed by Bert Marcus; April 27)

All About Nina

Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays an aspiring standup comedian, who ditches her abusive boyfriend (Chace Crawford) for Los Angeles. Winstead’s performance recalls her work in Smashed as her hard-drinking character navigates the pitfalls of making it big and the notion of love, thanks to an all-too-patient suitor played by Common. (Written and directed by Eva Vives; April 22)

All These Small Moments

In this heartwarming coming-of-age tale, Howie (Brendan Meyer) navigates the pangs of adolescence and his parents’ (Molly Ringwald and Brian d’Arcy James) crumbling marriage. The only thing keeping him going is the mysterious presence of Odessa (a radiant Jemima Kirke, also in Untogether with Jamie Dornan). (Written and directed by Melissa Miller Costanzo; April 24)

Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable

After losing her left arm in a shark attack, Bethany Hamilton got back on the board and took the surfing world by storm. Soon, she was winning ESPYs and Teen Choice Awards and sharing the screen with Carrie Underwood in Soul Surfer and competing on The Amazing Race. Now, she’s tackling motherhood as she looks at what’s next in her career. (Directed by Aaron Lieber; April 20)

Disobedience

Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams and Alessandro Nivola star in a story about a woman (Weisz) forced to face long-dormant emotions and feelings after reuniting with childhood friends (McAdams and Nivola) from her Orthodox Jewish community from director Sebastián Lelio, who won an Oscar for A Fantastic Woman. (Co-written and directed by Sebastián Lelio; April 24)

Duck Butter

Alia Shawkat co-wrote and stars in this film about two woman who engaged in a romantic and sexual experiment: to spend the next 24 hours together, having sex every hour. But putting their relationship in a vacuum has some unexpected results. (Co-written and directed by Miguel Arteta; April 20)

Every Act of Life

Audiences get a closer look at the life and work of playwright Terrence McNally through interviews with Angela Lansbury, Audra McDonald, Chita Rivera, Edie Falco, Larry Kramer and more. McNally also opens up his early life -- particularly relationships -- and how they shaped his journey. (Directed by Jeff Kaufman; April 23)

Fabled

Part of Tribeca’s Pilot Season, which premieres independently produced TV pilots, Fabled reimagines classic fairy tales in real-life situations, telling them through the perspective of its female characters. The premiere episode, "Anodyne,” brings together Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz and Alice from Alice in Wonderland after the two are committed to a mental institution. (Directed by Jennifer Morrison; April 23)

The Gospel According to André

“The André Leon Talley,” as he was referred to by Tyra Banks on America’s Next Top Model, invites audiences into his world, offering a deeper look at his humble beginnings in the South to his rise in fashion media and his legacy as a longtime fashion journalist, breaking ground as a black man in white-dominant world. (Directed by Kate Novak; April 25)

Howard

The life and career of playwright and lyricist Howard Ashman is revisited in this intimate documentary that tells the full story of the man who “gave a mermaid her voice and a beast his soul.” Known for the hit songs he co-wrote with Alan Menken for Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid, the film provides the full context behind those classics and his journey from childhood to his death from complications with AIDS. (Directed by Don Hahn; April 22)

Jonathan

Building off the breakout success of Baby Driver, Ansel Elgort stars in an unexpected film the mundane life of Johnathan (Elgort), who shares an apartment with John (Elgort). The sci-fi drama plays out like an extended episode of Black Mirror, but is grounded by the actor’s performance. (Co-written and directed by Bill Oliver; April 21)

Little Woods

Tessa Thompson and Lily James played estranged sisters struggling to survive in an economically-depressed North Dakota fracking boomtown forced back into each other’s lives after their mother dies. The film is another showcase for Thompson, who has a jam-packed 2018 with Annihilation, Avengers: Infinity, the return of Westworld and Creed II. (Written and directed by Nia DaCosta; April 21)

The Miseducation of Cameron Post

Following her breakout success with Appropriate Behavior, Desiree Akhavan is back with a new tale about a woman dealing with her sexuality -- this time about Cameron (Chloe Grace Moretz) who is sent to gay conversion therapy after getting caught having sex with another girl on prom night. (Co-written and directed by Desiree Akhavan; April 22)

Momentum Generation

Before the likes of Bethany Hamilton and the current generation of surfers, there was the Momentum Generation, including Kelly Slater, Rob Machado, Shane Dorian, Kalani Robb and Taylor Steele. The new documentary looks back on their rise in the ‘80s and how they made Americans legitimate stars of the surf -- and pop culture -- world. (Directed by Jeff and Michael Zimbalist; April 21)

Nice

Part of Tribeca’s Pilot Season, Nice is a new potential series about Teddy, a black sheep of her conservative Korean-American family dealing with the unexpected return of cancer. It’s created by and stars Naomi Ko, who made a brief but memorable appearance in 2014’s Dear White People. (Directed by Andrew Ahn; April 23)

Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story

From executive producer Jay-Z comes a new docu-series based about the life of Trayvon Martin. Based on the book of the same name by Martin’s parents, the film examines not only Martin’s life, which was cut short at 17 when he was shot and killed in Florida, but also the rise of the #BlackLivesMatter movement that followed. The first episode premieres at Tribeca before debuting on Paramount Network. (Directed by Jenner Furst and Julia Willoughby Nason; April 20)

RX: Early Detection a Cancer Journey With Sandra Lee

The 2015 breast cancer diagnosis of Semi-Homemade Cooking host and chef Sandra Lee and her subsequent battle to survive is the subject of this harrowing documentary short from Emmy-winning producer and former Good Morning America producer Cathy Chermol Schrijver. The film premieres at Tribeca before debuting later on HBO. (Directed by Cathy Chermol Schrijver; April 26)

Songwriter

What does it take to write an Ed Sheeran chart-topper? Songwriter provides an intimate inside look into the creation of the hit album, Divide, while giving fans a rare look at archival footage of Sheeran’s childhood and glimpses of Sheeran’s romance with Cherry Seaborn. (Directed by Murray Cummings; April 23)

Stockholm

The absurd true story of a bank robbery not going quite as planned when a group of bank clerks insisted on defending the thief who had taken them hostage is the subject of Stockholm starring an eccentric Ethan Hawke and Noomi Rapace, who shines in a rare non-sci-fi role. (Written and directed by Robert Budreau; April 19)

This Is Climate Change

The four-part virtual reality series will take audiences inside impacted parts of the world through an immersive, 360-degree view. Following the Sundance Film Festival premiere of “Melting Ice,” an episode featuring Al Gore, the remaining three parts -- “Famine,” “Feast” and “Fire” -- will make their debut here. (Directed by Danfung Dennis; April 21)

Tiny Shoulders: Rethinking Barbie

Barbie has an image problem and it’s up to the makers behind the hit Mattel doll to update her place and presence in a modern era that reflects women’s progress and more diverse perspectives on body image and beauty. The film, featuring interviews with Gloria Steinem, Roxane Gay and more, premieres at Tribeca before streaming on Hulu. (Directed by Andrea Nevins; April 25)

We the Animals

Based on the lyrical, coming-of-age novel of the same name by Justin Torres, We the Animals tells the story of three brothers living with their troubled parents in an economically-depressed part of upstate New York. The magical realism blends together elements of Beasts of a Southern Wild with the same kind of grounded reality of Moonlight. (Directed by Jeremiah Zagar; April 22)

Woman Walks Ahead

Jessica Chastain portrays activist and artist Catherine Weldon, who retreats to North Dakota after the death of her mother to paint a portrait of Sioux chief Sitting Bull, in this cinematic real-life tale about a woman defying the odds in the Old West. The film screens at Tribeca before premiering on DirecTV Cinema May 31 and debuting in theaters June 29.(Directed by Susanna White; April 25)

Zoe

Filmmaker Drake Doremus offers up another romantic tale in a sci-fi world, following Equals with Kristen Stewart and Nicholas Hoult. This time, Zoe explores the notions of love between humans and androids -- known her as “synthetics” -- and what it means to be “real.” Ewan McGregor and Lea Seydoux lead an ensemble cast of outstanding performances, which also includes Theo James and Christina Aguilera. (Directed by Drake Doremus; April 21)

-- Additional reporting by Rande Iaboni

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Tribeca Film Festival: How James Franco Uses His Famous Friends to Make Hollywood Movies His Way

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camploah · 7 years

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Britain has an emigration problem. While we are obsessed with discussing the number of people coming into the country, we seem less bothered about the talent heading out of it. Meanwhile, the UK is losing some of its finest and funniest to America. And this isn’t just because the US is a bigger market to crack, but because there’s more opportunity – particularly if you’re a minority. Indeed, there’s a longstanding joke among black British entertainers that they’re all waiting for Lenny Henry to die to free up space for another dark face on TV. Perhaps a little perturbed by this, Henry has been critical of the lack of diversity at the BBC and warned that Britain is “haemorrhaging” black talent to the US.

Gina Yashere is a case in point. Born in east London to Nigerian parents, the 43-year-old comedian is now firmly ensconced Stateside. She has got an American girlfriend, a green card and a lovely house in Brooklyn where we’re chatting; a quintessentially New York brownstone with a front stoop and a bicycle chained outside. She also has a lot more primetime TV than she had back home.

Yashere began and built a successful comedy career in the UK, going from winning prestigious comedy contests to occasional appearances on The Lenny Henry Show and celebrity panel shows to headlining sold out gigs at the Brixton Academy and Hammersmith Apollo. The next step would have been getting her own TV show, which only a handful of black British comedians have been able to do. Besides Henry, Richard Blackwood had a show from 1999-2001 and Stephen K Amos had a brief run in 2010. And now there’s 29-year-old Michaela Coel, the creator and star of the hilarious E4 series Chewing Gum. However, 10 years ago, Yashere found herself stuck, unable to take her career any further if she stayed in Britain.

“I’ve definitely had a lot more opportunities given to me in America,” Yashere says. “I’ve sold three comedy specials in America.” These were to heavy-hitting channels: her special Skinny B*tch aired on Showtime, for example, and she sold Ticking Boxes, an hour-long performance filmed at Brixton Academy, to NBC-owned Seeso. Meanwhile, says Yashere: “I’ve never had any of my specials aired anywhere on British TV. If I’d sat in England waiting for someone to give me a TV show, I’d still be there, being the token black face on Mock the Week. That, to me, is a slap in the face.”

Comedian Gina Yashere speaks to Hannah Pool about her career in the UK and the US, and how attitudes to black Africans have changed in Britain since the 1970s Listen

There’s still a glass ceiling for black comics in America, Yashere says, but “at least when you hit [it] in America, you’re a multimillionaire so it’s not so painful”. Yashere says she isn’t at multimillionaire status yet, but she’s getting there. She’s been working in the US for a decade now and is on the verge of becoming a household name, recently landing a correspondent gig on The Daily Show, Trevor Noah’s late-night news satire programme on Comedy Central. She made her inaugural appearance on the show in March with a segment called Ask the Brexpert.

Brexperting on The Daily Show is a long way away from Yashere’s first job out of school as a lift engineer. Her mum wanted her to have a “proper job”, Yashere says, rather than be a “clown”. It certainly doesn’t sound as if lift-engineering was much of a laugh. As a lone black woman on a building site of more than 2,000 white men, Yashere stuck out, and not in a good way. “I was more qualified than most of the guys I was working with, which they hated. I’d come into work and there’d be a banana skin stuck to my overalls or a picture of a monkey on my coat.”

Eventually, Yashere took voluntary redundancy and decided to spend a summer trying out standup before looking for another engineering job. That other job never happened because it turned out that she was pretty good at the whole comedy thing. Within six months of doing standup, she came second in the 1996 Hackney Empire New Act of the Year, one of the most important comedy contests in the UK. That got her an appearance on Jonathan Ross’s The Big Big Talent show, and things built from there.

Some of her early success, Yashere believes, was a result of her being different. “I wasn’t like every other comedian at the time because I was coming from a different perspective. I was an outsider looking in. And I was even different from all the other black comics on the scene because a lot of them were of Caribbean origin and a lot of their jokes were poking fun at Africans. So I got my first taste of success quite quickly just from being different. It was taking it to the next level that was difficult.”

Yashere’s comedy tends to revolve around being a fish out of water, the tensions inherent in being born in London but having Nigerian roots, or a black Brit in America. “I used to get criticisms like: ‘All she talks about is being black,’” Yashere says. “No, I don’t. I talk about me. The fact that I’m a black woman is what you’re seeing. When Peter Kay talks about his northern roots and his family, nobody goes: ‘Peter Kay, all he talks about is being northern.’ As far as they’re concerned, it’s just another aspect of white culture. But when black comics talk about our culture, then it’s like: ‘Ugh, her being black again.’”

Worse, Yashere is sometimes not black enough for her critics. “There was one Guardian reviewer [she pauses to give me an accusatory look] who said: ‘She doesn’t delve deep enough in to the African experience.’ I was like: ‘What the fuck are you talking about? I’m from London. I’m talking about my experiences of being London-born, but of Nigerian heritage. How deep do I need to delve?’”

In the US, Yashere came up against a different set of stereotypes: America’s view of Brits is definitely more John Oliver than Gina Yashere. “I’d come on stage and open my mouth and people would be like, ‘What the fuck is this?…w Who is this?’” Yashere says. “Most Americans don’t know there’s black people in England. They’re starting to know now with people like Idris [Elba] and [the singer] Estelle, and all the actors doing really well and the musicians, but when I came out here in 2007 they had no idea.”

Yashere first moved to the US to appear on a TV show called Last Comic Standing. She was given a two-year work visa, but she knew she was there for the long run. She put her house on the market, sold or gave away everything she owned, and moved to Los Angeles with just two suitcases to her name. Within a couple of months she became the first British comedian to appear on Def Comedy Jam, the enormously successful HBO series that launched the careers of Chris Tucker and Dave Chappelle. She also made regular appearances on The Tonight Show.

Despite these successes, it took a while to build up a reputation and to adjust to life in the US. There’s the chocolate for one thing. As Yashere says: “American chocolate is fucking disgusting.” As is the US healthcare system. Shortly after Yashere moved to LA, she ended up in hospital for a night because of a Lupus flare-up. “They tried to charge me $15,000 [£11,500],” she says. “I was like: ‘I didn’t have an operation. How can you justify this? $15,000!’ So, I called them up and said: ‘I’m not paying this. I’m not from here and I will get on a plane and disappear. Then I heard the woman typing away on her computer and she said: ‘OK, if you pay $4,000 today, that’s the end of it. I’m like: ‘Are you fucking serious? This whole thing’s a scam.’ So that was my first major wake-up call to life in America.”

Americans don’t just have different healthcare to Britain, they have different notions of what’s funny. However, Yashere says she hasn’t really had to adjust her material. “My sense of humour has always been quite in-your-face. I haven’t got that quintessential dry British humour, so my style fits in quite well.” However, she does find she has to explain things. “A lot of Americans have never been outside America. So if I’m doing something about Malaysia, say, I have to explain where Malaysia is and what the culture is before I go into the joke.”

What are her current jokes about? Do they focus on recent political events? She shrugs. “I talk about a myriad of things. I talk about Trump a bit, I talk about the travel ban, I talk about pissing myself at McDonald’s seven feet from the toilet. Yeah, I had an accident a few weeks ago. Basically anything that happens to me is new material. I went to a restaurant, drank half a litre of water, then tried to get home on the subway and wanted to get to the bathroom. Get to McDonald’s where you can’t go to the bathroom unless you buy a burger. So I pissed myself in the middle of McDonald’s. It’s the most embarrassing thing, but yet ...” But yet, whether it’s racism or restroom mishaps, everything is material. And if Yashere has anything to do with it then it’s material that will likely have you wetting yourself with laughter. Just, hopefully, not in a McDonald’s.

Gina Yashere: Laugh Riot 2.0 (Send in the Clown) is at the Underbelly festival, Southbank, London, 23-25 June

#Gina Yashere

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firstdraftpod · 5 years

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Preferred Ways of Failing with Josh Gondelman

First Draft Episode #210: Josh Gondelman

Josh Gondelman, comedian, TV writer for shows like Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and Desus and Mero, and debut author of memoir Nice Try: Stories of Best Intentions and Mixed Results, talks about coming up in comedy, fumbling his breakout moment with the viral Modern Seinfeld Twitter account, and learning that being a “nice” person isn’t the same as being a good person.

Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode

In addition to Nice Try, you should also check out Josh’s standup specials: Dancing on a Weeknight (2019); Physical Whisper (from 2016); and Everything’s the Best! (2011).

Nancy Kerrigan was the subject of one of the most bizarre crimes in all of sports (really worth watching The Price of Gold, an excellent 30 for 30 documentary about the Kerrigan-Harding incident), which was documented in the film I, Tonya, which Josh’s parents did not see out of loyalty to Kerrigan

Early on Josh performed in the chorus of The Music Man

We decide that literary humor is to comedy as Garrison Keillor is to Chris Rock

Josh wrote a spec script for It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Josh was contributing to places like McSweeny’s and New York magazine when he first moved to the city

Josh co-founded the @SeinfeldToday Twitter account with his friend Jack P. Moore (playwright and sitcom writer for shows like Dear White People), which went viral and got him lots of professional opportunities

Josh made an impression on Jim Gaffigan with a joke about the wisdom of the justice system in D2: The Mighty Ducks when he was getting his feet wet as a standup in New York City

Josh talks about establishing authority as a standup onstage, which reminded me of Pete Holmes addressing how he looks (more like a youth pastor than a comedian) on his 2013 special, Nice Try, The Devil. You can see a great example of Josh doing something similar in his 2019 sets on Late Night with Seth Meyers and The Late Late Show with James Cordon. Josh also got advice and encouragement about this from fellow comedian Pete Lee.

Josh got a big win when he was able to write for Billy on the Street, featuring Billy Eichner

One of the notable segments from Last Week Tonight with John Oliver was an early one about net neutrality, with a bit at the end (which Josh credits to Geoffrey Haggerty, a comedy writer for shows like The Daily Show and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver) calling for viewers to write in to the FCC. So many viewers wrote to the FCC that its system crashed, and the government investigated whether the onslaught of feedback was from actual citizens or a coordinated DDoS attack.

Tim Carvell, head writer for The Daily Show who left with John Oliver to create Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

Josh is now the producer and writer for Desus and Mero on Showtime. Before he wrote for them, he was a fan of Desus and Mero’s podcast, Boedga Boys, and their TV show, Desus & Mero, on VICELAND.

Josh does pep talks on Twitter from time to time, and initially was approached to write a book based on that premise. But he resisted that idea because internet darling Jonny Sun (playwright, academic, and author and illustrator of Everyone’s a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too -- listen to Jonny Sun’s episode of First Draft here) had already illustrated the famous Twitter pep talks written by Lin-Manuel Miranda (actor, composer, and playwright of Hamilton and In the Heights) for the book, G’Morning, G’night!: Little Pep Talks For Me & You.

I was reading Brené Brown’s Daring Greatly: How the Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead, at the same time as Josh’s memoir, which actually was a beneficial co-reading experience (FTR I also recommend Brown’s The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are on audiobook! It’s read by Lauren Fortgang and she does a great job!)

Josh was on a panel with journalist and author Liz Plank--whose most recent book, “For the Love of Men: A New Vision for Mindful Masculinity”, is on sale now!--about shifting concepts of masculinity

Nikki Glaser, a comedian and radio host who Josh admires, gave him pivotal advice early in his career

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