Bill Cunningham: An Inside Look

Bicycle-riding, octogenarian New York Times Styles section photog Bill Cunningham has made a career of trend-spotting through the lens of his camera. 


This month, a new documentary about the elusive mystery man who is ever present at New York's swankiest affairs, is debuting at New York's Film Forum. Bill Cunningham New York, a film by Richard Press, puts Cunningham on the other side of the camera, capturing a behind-the-scenes look at the culture and fashion photographer.


Tickets are $15 and the film runs through Tuesday, March 29.

Film Date

Looking for a non-cheesy way to spend Valentine's Day? 

Whether you're spending time with your significant other or shunning sappy couple activities to hang with friends, Valentine's Day presents a perennial predicament: what can you do without spending a fortune on a prix fixe dinner at a crowded restaurant?

The Brooklyn Academy of Music may just have the creative solution. 

On Feb. 14, BAM will screen the 1930s romantic comedy Holiday, starring movie legends Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant, at 6pm and 8:15pm. Tickets are $7-$12. Advance reservations are recommended as the V-day dinner/movie package for $64 has already sold out.

Cool Movies... Literally

Just because it's 30 degrees outside doesn't mean you can't enjoy a warm hot chocolate and an outdoor movie. 

Bryant Park continues to host free outdoor movies as part of the Citi Pond Winter Film Festival, now through Feb. 14. 

Sit rink-side or skate while enjoying winter favorites like Blades of Glory, which will show Monday, Feb. 7 at 6:30pm. Viewers can pack a picnic, purchase snacks and hot drinks at the park or grab a drink at indoor/outdoor bar Celsius.

Documenting Israel

Israel is a country of many complexities and cultures. In an effort to promote Israel's ethnic diversity and bring a little bit of its rich history and culture to New York City, The Other Israel Film Festival (Nov. 11-21) -- in partnership with the Israel Film Center and the JCC of Manhattan -- will screen a series of Israeli documentary films accompanied by panel discussions starting tomorrow.

The films spotlight minority populations in Israel with a particular focus on Arab citizens, and delve into issues of identity, family relations, nomadic living, and refugee status.

Tickets are $11. Festival pass which admit guests to five screenings are $36.

Celebrating John

Fall is officially here. Gray skies have heralded in chilly temperatures and short, gloomy days. With a forecast heavy on precipitation all week, FF predicts that indoor activities will be all the rage. 

Luckily, it's NYC so there's no shortage of things to do.

In honor of John Lennon's 70th birthday, The Paley Center for Media in midtown Manhattan is hosting a celebration featuring screenings and a photo exhibit dedicated to the most famous Beatle.  The celebration kicks off tonight at 7:00pm with a screening of Nowhere Boy, which documents young Lennon and the relationship with his estranged mother. The screening is $20 for members, $15 for everyone else. 

On Thursday, October 7, at 7:00pm, fans can come back to catch a film about the final years of Lennon's life in New York City: LENNONYC. $15 for members, $10 for everyone else. 

For those who still need more, The Paley Center will host a "This Boy... John Lennon in Liverpool", a photography exhibit with images of Lennon's youth and his town his band made famous. The exhibit opens on Wednesday and runs through December 31. Free with museum admission. 

Documentary Love

New York’s IFC Center has given voice to some of the world’s most critically acclaimed independent films, shone the spotlight on up-and-coming talent and introduced topics often ignored in mainstream cinema.

This week IFC Center’s documentary film series, Stranger Than Fiction, celebrates its 14th season, showcasing sneak previews of new films and bringing back lost classics. 

This season’s lineup features films that run the gamut of emotions, from Surviving Hitler: A Love Story (2010), which follows a Jewish woman and German soldier’s unsuccessful plot to kill Hitler, to Marlene (1984), a documentary about the glamorous and influential show woman Marlene Dietrich. 

Stranger Than Fiction documentaries are screened every Tuesday for ten weeks. Films begin at 8:00 p.m. and are followed by director Q&As and gatherings at nearby bars. Tickets range from $8-13 and can be purchased online or at the IFC box office.

Check out the full story on Examiner.com.

Films for Fall

Labor Day Weekend marks the end of many things -- wearing white pants, daylight savings time and excuses to cut out  of work early on Friday afternoons. 

But let's not mourn what we can't control. Besides, there are things to look forward to like colorful fall foliage, lower electric bills as cooler weather rolls in and Halloween! 

One more thing to look forward to this fall is The 48th New York Film Festival hosted by the Film Society of Lincoln Center. 


The 17-day festival showcases films from around the world, special events and dialogues with directors. Opening night will feature the much-anticipated Facebook flick The Social Network. Other films debuting include The Tempest, starring the amazing Helen Mirren (see photo), and LENNONYC, which offers a glimpse at rare footage from John Lennon's life. 

Tickets go on sale online on September 12. NYFF takes place Sept. 24-Oct. 10 at assorted Lincoln Center venues.

In Honor of John Cusack

Remember when September seemed so far away? With it creeping in mid-week, FF is already feeling some early winter blues.

The good thing about New York is that there are amazing things going on around the city all year round, even if just stepping outside gives you frostbite. We're being a bit dramatic, we know.

Tonight, Huckleberry Bar in Williamsburg is celebrating John Cusack Month (yes, they've dedicated a whole 31 days to the man who won your heart in favorites like Stand By Me and Serendipity) with a free screening of one of Cusack's famed films Being John Malkovich.

Grab a drink and get a seat early for the 9:00 PM screening.

Films Under the Stars

This week marked the first week of HBO Bryant Park's Summer Film Festival. This summer's line-up offers some classic flicks, including Bonnie and Clyde, Rosemary's Baby, and for my fellow musical theatre dorks, Carousel.

The films are played on the lawn of Bryant Park every Monday at sunset (between 8:00 and 9:00 PM). Entrance to the lawn opens at 5:00 PM.

Raise the Roof

Rooftop Films kicks off its 14th Annual Summer Series this weekend with two $10 screenings atop the New Design High School on the Lower East Side. 

The Rooftop Films 2010 Summer Series will run every weekend from May 14-August 15, and will include feature-length films and programs of shorts, all new, all independent. Most of the feature films are either New York, US or World Premieres. Most screenings will include a filmmaker Q&A. Films represent a diverse range of documentaries, fiction, drama, comedy animation and more. 

This weekend opens with some new shorts and sneak peek at Holy Rollers, which looks intense but amazing.

Friday, May 14
THIS IS WHAT WE MEAN BY SHORT FILMS

These shorts are filled with ideas that are as sharp as anything you'll see in a feature film, but get their message across in a hurry using innovation, originality and outlandish creativity.

Venue: Open Road Rooftop above New Design High School (350 Grand Street @ Essex - Lower East Side)
8:00pm: Doors Open
8:30pm: Live music by Twin Sister
9:00pm: Films
11:30pm: After party with free drinks

Tickets: $10 online or at the door

Saturday, May 15
HOLY ROLLERS

Special Sneak Preview -- Holy Rollers is an intense drama set in late-90s NYC about Hasidic Jews who get caught up in a drug smuggling ring. The feature debut from director Kevin Asch is based on a true story and stars Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Bartha and Q-Tip.

Venue: Open Road Rooftop above New Design High School (350 Grand Street @ Essex - Lower East Side)
8:00pm: Doors Open
8:30pm: Live music

9:00pm: Films
11:30pm: After party with free drinks

De Niro's Brainchild Takes Over Downtown

Tribeca Film Festival, New York's darling event, is in full swing.  From film talks to some of the most buzzed about documentaries and narrative features, Tribeca has something for everyone.

Tickets start at $8 (students, be sure to use your ID when purchasing tickets) and the festival runs through May 2.

Chelsea Recreation Center Goes Indie

New Yorkers love their indie films, especially when they come for free. 

The Arts, Culture and Fun Series at Manhattan Recreation has partnered with ITVS Community Cinema from San Francisco and the Independent Lens series of PBS to bring poignant documentaries to Manhattan's recreation centers. 

New Yorkers can catch free screenings of the films at Chelsea Recreation Center (West 25th Street) over the next few months before their national debut on PBS.

Audience members will have the opportunity to participate in discussions about each film with a special guest speaker after the screenings.

Tonight's featured film is Garbage Dreams, which FF featured a few months back. It's definitely worth catching if you're schedule is clear.

For a list of upcoming screenings, click here. 

Garbage Dreams

In college, I did some volunteer work in Tijuana, Mexico and visited a trash dump, which was home to an entire community that made their living off of recycling waste from the landfill on which they lived.

When I got the email about a new documentary about three teenage boys growing up in the world's largest garbage village located on the outskirts of Cairo, I was intrigued. 

A hit at last year's SXSW Film Festival, "Garbage Dreams" highlights the 60,000 Zaballeen -- Arabic for "garbage people" -- who survive by recycling 80% of the garbage they collect. Potentially some of the "greenest" people in the world, the Zaballeen face the globalization of their trade. As a result, the young boys featured in the film are forced to make a decision about their own paths in life and the survival of their community.

"Garbage Dreams" is playing from now through January 12 at the IFC Center.  Director Mai Iskander will attend the 6:30 PM screenings tonight through January 10. 

To watch the trailer, visit www.garbagedreams.com. To purchase tickets to an upcoming screening, click here.

Long live the King

FF can't help but get in on the MJ hype. It's over-the-top, I know, and we should probably all just let him rest in peace...

I'll make this brief. The Michael Jackson "This Is It" documentary featuring behind-the-scenes footage from what would have been his comeback world tour, hits theatres for two weeks only starting October 28. 

To buy tickets in advance -- which is strongly recommended as some theatres are already sold out -- click here. 

Okay. Over. Done. RIP MJ.

We're Off to See the Wizard!

Most American children grew up at least knowing the classic songs from “The Wizard of Oz”, if not actually seeing the film a dozen times or dressing up as one of its characters for Halloween.

This week, “The Wizard of Oz” celebrates its 70^th anniversary with a very special free concert and screening tomorrow night in Central Park.

The festivities kick off with a free concert featuring the contemporary interpretations of classic songs from the "The Wizard of Oz" by Academy Award-winning actress and Grammy Award-winning singer Jennifer Hudson and two-time American Country Music winner and two-time "Dancing with the Stars" winner Julianne Hough. The show is produced by and will also feature The Roots' Grammy Award™-winning drummer and record producer Ahmir ?uestlove Thompson and a band assembled especially for the show.

Following the concert is an outdoor screening of the film. Bring blankets, snacks and friends!

The concert performance and movie screening are free, but seating is first come, first served, so be sure to arrive early for the event.

When: Tuesday, Sept. 29, concert begins at 7:30 PM; screening starts at 8:30 PM

Where: Rumsey Playfield, Central Park

Read more about the event in today;s Examiner.com column.