Matt Lichtenberg had what he calls his “come to Jesus” moment during a bus ride through the Bronx in the late 1970s. At the time, he was drifting. He had left New Paltz College in upstate New York to study photography at the University of Buffalo, then, at the urging of his father, transferred to […]

For nearly two decades, being nominated for an Academy Award in the documentary feature category required not only a beautifully crafted film constructed by a talented director and crew, but also a high-six-figure or more awards season campaign budget. But if last year is any indication, scoring a slot on the Oscar shortlist and the […]

Life imitated art in the most beautiful of ways when, in 1970, the characters of Julie Olson and Doug Williams met on “Days of Our Lives,” and their real-life counterparts, Susan Seaforth and Bill Hayes fell in love and lived happily ever after, in a marriage that last 50 years, until his death earlier this […]

“Waterdrop”Director: Robert BudinCountry: AlbaniaBudina’s feature debut “Agon” was Albania’s 2013 submission. His fourth feature, “Waterdrop,” premiered internationally at Warsaw. It tells the story of a city hall manager, who faces inner turmoil when her teenage son is involved in a rape scandal. “Algiers”Director: Chakib Taleb-BendiabCountry: AlgeriaA thriller in which a psychiatrist and a police inspector […]

Entertainment production in Los Angeles has always been feast or famine. When times are good, they’re great. But when times are bad… To those running Hollywood production facilities these days, words like “dead,” “barren” and “apocalyptic” are being thrown around frequently. Things aren’t just bad, they’re industry-ending. The film and TV industry in Southern California […]

The 39th Fort Lauderdale Intl. Film Festival (Nov. 8-17) anchors South Florida’s cultural calendar. The non-profit FLIFF offers an eclectic lineup of independent features, international debuts and documentaries, with 100 films on the slate including eight world premieres and 17 U.S. premieres. FLIFF serves the region’s diverse and engaged audience, according to Steve Savor, president […]

In recent years, the film and TV business has been living under an ever-mutating version of the apocryphal Chinese curse “May you live in interesting times,” and the American Film Market — which runs from Nov. 5-10 at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas — has not been immune. But not all the effects […]

One of European cinema’s most distinctive, fearless and tireless narrative and documentary filmmakers, Eckhart Schmidt, died of natural causes at his home in Munich on Oct. 25, only a few days before his 86th birthday.  His best-known film, the psychological horror thriller, “The Fan,” was graphic and shocking when it premiered in 1982, and its stomach-churning […]