One night only! Followed by a live iQ&A with director Kevin Smith!

RED STATE tells the story of a group of teens in Middle America who receive an online invitation for sex, but soon encounter fundamentalists with a much more sinister agenda.

Written and directed by Kevin Smith and produced by Jonathan Gordon, RED STATE stars 2011 Academy Award® winner for Best Actress Melissa Leo, John Goodman, Kyle Gallner and Michael Parks.  The film debuted at this year’s Sundance Film Festival to much notoriety when Smith ended studio bidding by buying his own film for $20 and declaring he would be self-distributing the film theatrically. Smith has since toured the film around the country to enthusiastic audiences, grossing close to $1 million to date at the US box office from only 15 single show engagements. SModcast spent less than $500 in paid advertising to support the tour, which kicked off at Radio City Music Hall on March 5th and grossed $162,000 during one show. It quietly topped the per screen average charts for three weekends, becoming the 9th best per screen average film of all time.

Co-sponsored by NYU and the City of New York Department of Parks and Recreation, our “Movies on the Square: All Singing! All Dancing! All New York!” program will bring three New York musicals to the newly renovated Washington Square Park on September 19, 25, and 26.  The series celebrates the reopening of the Park and the end of summer with three landmark films spotlighting NYC and its music in three different eras.

New date: Sunday, September 25
HAIR (1979, Directed by Milos Forman) – Forman’s film adaptation of the landmark counter-culture musical (currently in revival on Broadway) includes some of the greatest songs of the ’60s. Rooted in New York locales, the film even name-checks IFC Center’s precursor The Waverly in the lyrics of one ballad.

New date: Monday, September 26 — director Charlie Ahearn in person!
WILD STYLE (1983, Directed by Charlie Ahearn) – The tale of a graffiti artist about to break into the big time, WILD STYLE captures New York at the dawn of hip-hop, with breakdancing, freestyle MCing, legends like Fab 5 Freddy and Grandmaster Flash, and a once-in-a-lifetime old-school show in the East River Park.

Films in the series are free and open to the public. Screenings take place on the plaza under the arch and begin 30 minutes after sunset. In case of rain, the screenings will be rescheduled, dates to be announced.

Over a period of five years, Swiss filmmakers Norbert Wiedmer and Peter Guyer followed producer Manfred Eicher and the artists of ECM around the world. In footage from Estonia, Tunisia, Germany, France, Denmark, Greece, Argentina and elsewhere, their documentary movie SOUNDS AND SILENCE, has captured aspects of the music-making process at ECM, and provided glimpses of unique players and composers at work. Amongst the artists included: Arvo Pärt, Eleni Karaindrou, Dino Saluzzi and Anja Lechner, Anouar Brahem, Gianluigi Trovesi and Gianni Coscia, Marilyn Mazur, Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin, Kim Kashkashian, Jan Garbarek and others.

We’re proud to welcome back Miranda July, the noted writer-director and star of Me and You and Everyone We Know, to the IFC Center. She’ll appear in person Thursday, July 14 at 8:00pm to present a special screening of some personal favorites: Jane Campion’s (The Piano, Bright Star) rarely screened early short films. July will then discuss the films and her own work in an extended conversation with Filmmaker magazine editor Scott Macaulay.

The program’s shorts offer early examples of Campion’s visual flair and dark humor. A GIRL’S OWN STORY is about Beatlemania, the sixties and growing up. PASSIONLESS MOMENTS is comprised of a series of wry vignettes: “Sean and Arnold Not Speaking,” “Angela Eats Meats,” “Ironing on Sunday” and others. Finally PEEL, winner of the Palme d’Or for Best Short Film at Cannes, takes place on a hot Australian summer’s day when a recalcitrant, freckled, red-headed family of three go on a Sunday drive in the country that results in an intrigue of awesome belligerence.

Miranda July is a filmmaker, artist and writer. Her videos, performances, and web-based projects have been presented at the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim Museum and in two Whitney biennials. July’s debut feature, Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005), won a special jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival and four prizes at Cannes, including the Camera d’Or; it inaugurated the IFC Center in June 2005, where, after a five-month run, it remains one of our top-performing films ever. July’s fiction has appeared in The Paris Review, Harper’s, and The New Yorker; her award-winning collection of stories, No One Belongs Here More Than You (Scribner, 2007), has been published in twenty countries. Raised in Berkeley, California, she currently lives in Los Angeles.

We’re opening July’s latest film, the Sundance and Berlin hit THE FUTURE, for an exclusive engagement in its US theatrical premiere July 29.

Singular storytelling. Emerging talent. Unique voices. Join us for the 24th Annual Columbia University Film Festival, and experience some of today’s most important new filmmaking. Don’t miss this annual showcase of thesis work from the school’s advanced MFA students. To read more about the individual films, go to cufilmfest.com. To purchase tickets to a show, simply click on the program name.

Click on a program name to purchase tickets.

Monday, April 25 at 5:30pm

Film Program A

Rolling on the Floor Laughing, 20 min

Written and Directed by Russell Harbaugh

Produced by Michael Prall

The Strange Ones, 15 min

Written and Directed by Christopher Radcliff and Lauren Wolkstein

Produced by Joonhan Lee

Try A Little Harder, 14 min

Written and Directed by Antonia Grilikhes-Lasky

Produced by Rammy Lee Park

Tymbals, 8 min

Directed by Filippo Conz

Written by Jon Haller

Produced by Geoff Quan

Jumping Jack, 10 min

Written and Directed by Baldvin Kári

Produced by Mira El Koussa

A Viagem (The Trip), 18 min

Written and Directed by Simão Cayatte

Produced by Elisa Lleras

Monday, April 25 at 8:00pm

Film Program B

Off-Ramp, 14 min

Written and Directed by Natasha Johns-Messenger

Produced by Chanelle Elaine

I Am John Wayne, 17 min

Written and Directed by Christina Choe

Produced by Esra Saydam

Green Plastic Sandals, 11 min

Written and Directed by Stephanie Wu

Produced by Gerry Kim

Counterfeit, 17 min

Written and Directed by Geoff Bailey

Produced by Jason Wood

Nain Rouge, 22 min

Written and Directed by Jasmine Rivera

Produced by James J. Yi

Motherland, 15 min

Directed by Shariq Siddiqui

Written by Shariq Siddiqui and Graham Mason

Produced by Sarita Khurana

Tuesday, April 26 at 5:30pm

Film Program C

Be Still, 18 min

Written and Directed by Karrie Crouse

Produced by Gilana Lobel

Youkali, 14 min

Directed by Sandra Beltrao

Written by Sandra Beltrao, Rhiannon Haseltine

Produced by Sandra Beltrao and Esha Gupta

Exposure, 14 min

Written and Directed by Larin Sullivan

Produced by Nicole Havre

Tidy Up, 15 min

Written and Directed by Satsuki Okawa

Produced by Young Chun

Snowball, 13 min

Written and Directed by Mary Gillen

Produced by Ed Blythe and Kristie Lutz

Crossing, 18 min

Written and Directed by Gina Atwater

Produced by Veronica Nickel

Tuesday, April 26 at 8:00pm

Film Program D

Lucky Duck, 16 min

Written and Directed by Colin Elliott

Produced by Andrew J.D. Hauser

Spooky Warms the Heart, 26 min

Directed by Jaime Iglehart

Written by Jaime Iglehart and William Gerard

Produced by Gregg Conde and Bryan Parker

Silent Night, 4 min

Directed by Bryan Parker

Written by Matthew Tyler

Produced by Julie Buck

Prima Donna, 12 min

Directed by Laurie Thomas

Written by Laurie Thomas and Levi Casey Schroen

Produced by Carmen Jimenez

This is Poetry, 14 min

Written and Directed by Brian Quist

Produced by Connor Kirsch

Revolution Reykjavik, 19 min

Written and Directed by Isold Uggadottir

Produced by Snorri Thórisson, Isold Uggadottir

Wednesday, April 27 at 5:30pm

Film Program E

First Match, 15 min

Written and Directed by Olivia Newman

Produced by Ken Murphy

Cabby, 19 min

Written and Directed by Xiaocao Liu

Produced by Yige Sun

Fat Girls Can’t Dance, 13 min

Written and Directed by Beth Cannon

Produced by Elisa Lleras and Maura Malloy

Alger, Alger, 17 min

Written and Directed by Aaron Walker

Produced by Julie Buck

Tick Tock Time Emporium, 17 min

Written and Directed by Morgan Faust

Produced by Kristie Lutz

The Runner, 15 min

Written and Directed by Ana Lazarevic

Produced by Luka Popadic

Wednesday, April 27 at 8:00pm

Film Program F

Under, 20 min

Directed by Mark Raso

Written by Jake Crane and Mark Raso

Produced by Jean-Marceau Secheret

In the Dark, 8 min

Written, Directed, and Produced by Biljana Ilic

Meet Lenny, Meet Caroline, 15 min

Written and Directed by Rammy Lee Park

Produced by Katie Brinn

Faith, 12 min

Written and Directed by Erik Pagan

Produced by Erik Pagan and Laura Scherling

Flappy Hands, 13 min

Written and Directed by Robert L. Poole

Produced by Christina Kim

Salar, 19 min

Written and Directed by Nicholas Greene

Produced by Julie Buck

Thursday, April 28 at 7:00pm

Film Program G

The Recorder Exam, 27 min

Written and Directed by Bora Kim

Produced by Zoe Sua Cho

High Maintenance, 17 min

Written and Directed by Shawn Wines

Produced by Brigitte Liebowitz

Mum’s Not In, 6 min

Written and Directed by Claire Fowler

Produced by Andrew J.D. Hauser

Hatch, 19 min

Directed by Christoph Kuschnig

Written by Christoph Kuschnig and Karl Goldblat

Produced by Martin Maier

The Basement, 11 min

Written and Directed by Eric Scherbarth

Produced by Vadin Lum You

Jiboia (Boa), 18 min

Written and Directed by Rafael Lessa

Produced by Colin Elliott

Thu at 8:00 — dir in person! Slamdance 2011 Grand Jury Prize Winner and Audience Award Winner

BHOPALI documents the experience of second generation children affected by the Union Carbide gas disaster of 1984, the worst industrial disaster in history, and subsequent contamination of groundwater by Union Carbide Corporation (an American company now owned by Dow Chemical, the second largest chemical company in the world). It follows several children as they and their families cope with the ongoing medical and social disaster, as well as their memories of that traumatizing night that shocked the world and changed Bhopal forever. Set against the backdrop of vehement protests for the 25th anniversary of the disaster, the Bhopalis continue to fight for justice, proving to be anything but victims.

Tonight at 7:00pm! Provocative French auteur Catherine Breillat (Fat Girl, Romance, The Last Mistress) in person to present and discuss a personal favorite, Elia Kazan’s steamy 1956 drama BABY DOLL.

“Elia Kazan was not known for his drolleries, although his sometime collaborator Tennessee Williams had a taste for the absurd. Together, these two giants of the post–World War II stage (and screen) concocted an outrageous comedy about a Mississippi Delta child bride (Carroll Baker) who refuses to allow her glad-hander, cotton-gin proprietor husband (Karl Malden) to touch her, and then gets herself seduced (maybe) by his hated, ultra-ethnic rival (Eli Wallach).

“Released in the Year of Our Elvis 1956, this mad Actors Studio farce—complete with one of Hollywood’s first rock-and-roll scores (mainly Smiley Lewis chanting ‘Shame, Shame, Shame’)—was publicized with one of the largest posters in the history of Times Square: the unforgettable icon of a nightie-clad Baker curled up in a rumpled crib, sucking… her thumb. BABY DOLL was instantly condemned by the Legion of Decency. Two days before it opened, New York’s Catholic Archbishop, Francis Cardinal Spellman, made his first pulpit appearance in the seven years since excoriating the Hungarian Communists who jailed Cardinal Mindszenty, informing his flock that seeing BABY DOLL was in itself a sin: The movie was ‘evil in concept . . . certain to exert an immoral and corrupting influence on those who see it’—not to mention the entire nation. (Joseph Kennedy refused to have it shown in his theater chain.)” – J. Hoberman, Village Voice

INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING: The Atelier Ludwigsburg – Paris

Thursday, December 16 at 8 pm

How to produce/coproduce independent films with small budgets?

How do graduates of the Masterclass Paris-Ludwigsburg succeed in Venice, Berlin and other film festivals?

How do young European producers build up their professional networks?

The Masterclass Paris-Ludwigsburg brings together young producers AND young directors at an early stage of their professional development. Students are working in France (Paris), Germany (Ludwigsburg) and England (London). Their final project, a short film, 8:30 min long, reflects the 3-country production process. For example and part of the program: a young Spanish producer makes a film about Germany shooting in France!

Participants:

Jan Schütte (DFFB, Berlin), Falk Nagel (executive producer: Takva), Christophe Bruncher (producer: L’Intouchable), Kamal Aljafari (Filmmaker Port of Memory), Anthony Bregman (producer and professor film production, Columbia University), Ira Deutchman (producer and professor film studies Columbia University)

Moderator: Anthony Kaufman, Film Journalist

Tonight at 7:00pm! We’re proud to welcome critically acclaimed director Peter Sillen Tuesday December 14 discussing his works with Filmmaker Magazine Editor-In-Chief Scott Macaulay. Sillen will present screenings of a number of his short films, including Speed Racer: Welcome to the World of Vic Chesnutt, Grand Luncheonette, Branson: Musicland U.S.A., and a short working cut of his upcoming feature length documentary on the Masonic Order in America, Free and Accepted. Sillen’s new feature-lenth documentary I AM SECRETLY AN IMPORTANT MAN opens on Wednesday, December 15.

Peter Sillen is a New York based documentary filmmaker. Best known for his low-tech approach and sensitivity to his subjects and their environment, Sillen’s previous works include Benjamin Smoke (2000). Sillen received grants from the Jerome Foundation and Creative Capital for his work on I AM SECRETLY AN IMPORTANT MAN and has screened his films at a wide array of festivals and venues including the Sundance Film Festival, Berlin Film Festival, South By Southwest, Slamdance, the Museum of Modern Art, Brooklyn Academy of Music and San Francisco’s Castro Theater.

WHERE IS THE BLACK BEAST? is Simon Lee and Algis Kizys’s film interpretation of Crow: From the Life and Songs of the Crow by Ted Hughes. The film opens with a reading of Lineage, when Crow is born, a memorable mythic entrance.

Screaming for Blood

Grubs, crusts

Anything

Trembling featherless elbows in the nest’s filth

Lee pieces together hundreds of abandoned photographs into a film driven by Hughes’ epic cycle of poems. Kizys’compositions guide the piece, with original scores written for each reader: Nesbitt Blaisdell, Carla Bozulich, Julie Spodeck, Flaminia Genari, Eve Sussman, Simon Lee and Algis Kizys. There will be a brief Q&A with the filmmakers following the screening.