First Run Features Newsletter

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kelly Hargraves
(323) 662-1930
kelly.hargraves@firstrunfeatures.com

Press Releases below: Never Stand Still: Dancing at Jacob's Pillow | The Beat Hotel | Patagonia Rising | Fixation


	NEVER STAND STILL: DANCING AT JACOB'S PILLOW 74 minutes, documentary, color, 2012 A film by Ron Honsa Narrated by Bill T. Jones • Featuring Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Merce Cunningham, Suzanne Farrell, Mimulus, Bill Irwin, Judith Jamison, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Royal Danish Ballet, Mark Morris, Shantala Shivalingappa, Chunky Move & more UPC: 7-20229-91517-5 \| Catalog #: FRF 915175D \| SRP: $27.95 Special Features • Merce Cunningham: Nocturnes • Bad Boys of Dance: Lombard Twins • Chunky Move: Why I want to Dance Better at Parties • Mimulus: Performance • Invisible Wings: The Father of Tap Street Date: July 17 Legendary dancers and choreographers Merce Cunningham, Paul Taylor, Suzanne Farrell, Mark Morris, Judith Jamison and Bill Irwin appear alongside new innovators to reveal the passion, discipline, and daring of the world of dance in Never Stand Still. Filmed at the iconic Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, this thrilling documentary features amazing performances by world-renowned dancers interwoven with intimate interviews, behind-the-scenes insights, and rare archival footage. Founded in the 1930s by visionary dance pioneer Ted Shawn on a farm in the Berkshires, today the Pillow is an idyllic mecca for artists and audiences from around the world, a place where dance in all its forms - from ballet to jazz to contemporary - is studied, created, performed and celebrated. Never Stand Still immerses us in the lives of extraordinary artists and the power of dance. WINNER! Best Documentary, San Francisco Dance Film Festival WINNER! Best Documentary, Dance Camera West Festival “An exhilarating documentary featuring every kind of dance form imaginable in rapid, kinesthetically gripping visuals.” - San Francisco Examiner “Brilliant...74 minutes of pure joy.” - Berkshire Onstage

	THE BEAT HOTEL 82 minutes, documentary, color, 2011 A film by Alan Govenar UPC: 7-20229-91518-2 \| Catalog #: FRF 915182D \| SRP: $27.95 Special Features • Photo Gallery • Art Gallery • Harold Chapman Talks About William S. Burroughs and Ian Sommerville • Short Film: The Dream Machine • Short Film: Elliot Rudie Drawings Street Date: July 17 1957, Paris. The Latin Quarter. A cheap no-name hotel becomes a haven for a new breed of artists struggling to free themselves from the conformity and censorship of America. Called the Beat Hotel, it soon became an epicenter of the Beat generation. Alan Govenar's new documentary delves deep into this amazing place and time. Fleeing the obscenity trials surrounding the publication of Howl, Allen Ginsberg, along with Peter Orlovsky and Gregory Corso, happened upon the hotel in Paris's Latin Quarter and were soon joined by William Burroughs, Ian Somerville and Brion Gysin. Run by Madame Rachou, the Beat Hotel was a hotbed of creativity and permissiveness, where Burroughs finished Naked Lunch; Ginsberg began his poem Kaddish; Somerville and Gysin invented the Dream Machine; Corso wrote some of his greatest poems; and Harold Norse wrote a novella, aptly called The Beat Hotel. British photographer Harold Chapman's iconic photos and Scottish artist Elliot Rudie's drawings, interwoven with firsthand accounts, capture the Beats just as they were beginning to establish themselves, and bring The Beat Hotel to life. “Allen Ginsberg, Peter Orlovsky, Gregory Corso and William Burroughs' extreme lifestyles and creativity are brilliantly chronicled... This wonderful documentary allows us to dwell within the Beat Hotel for just a little while. The visit is a real treat.” - About.com “A key part of Beat history...twinklingly delivered.” - The New York Times “Makes you want to pack up your laptop and write away in some cheap garret. Vivid...a real sense of the joyous energy of the time emerges, bristling with creativity.” - Film Journal “The hotel's fading legacy is what makes this documentary so worthwhile. Anyone with an interest in the Beats will enjoy hearing the stories and seeing the hotel as it once was. Chapman's photographs, Rudie's anecdotes, and Govenar's film really are the next best thing to being there.” - Gay City News “Insightful, colorful. An inspired musing of audacious ideas expressed by charmed personalities.” - ColeSmithey.com “Vividly portrays these freewheeling years of sex, drugs, and poetry and restores to cultural history this neglected yet highly original phase in Beat Generation art.” - Reality Sandwich “Exquisite...might just be the best documentary on the beat generation.” - The Unrepentant Marxist

	PATAGONIA RISING 88 minutes, documentary, color, English & Spanish w/English subtitles, 2011 A film by Brian Lilla UPC: 7-20229-91514-4 \| Catalog #: FRF 915144D \| SRP: $27.95 Special Features • Photo Gallery • Director Bio • Resource Guide Street Date: July 17 Deep in the heart of Chile's Patagonia region flow two of the world's purest rivers, the Baker and Pascua. Fed by vast glacial systems, these untouched rivers drive biodiversity in rainforests, estuaries and marine ecosystems. They are also the life source for Patagonia's most tenacious residents: the Gauchos, the iconic South American cowboys who endure relentless winds and long winters on remote ranches in these river valleys. Now, five huge hydroelectric dams are planned for the two rivers. Promoted as "clean" energy, damming these major rivers would make floodplains out of river valleys, force ranchers off their land and wreak havoc on the massive ice fields and watersheds already under stress from global warming. Over the past century more than 45,000 large dams have altered the health of the planet's rivers with disastrous impacts that continue to unfold. This award-winning documentary captures the heated battle between those who wish to exploit the rivers, and those who wish to preserve the rivers and their surrounding lands, and as well the traditional lifestyle of its inhabitants. Juxtaposing the pro-dam business sector with renewable energy experts, Patagonia Rising brings awareness - and solutions - to this global conflict over water and power. “An intelligent and awe-inspiring film.” - Variety "Beautifully filmed and patiently explained...breathtaking landscape shots honor a way of life in imminent danger of being, quite literally, swept away.” - Jeannette Catsoulis, The New York Times "Offers stunning views and evocative glimpses of a near-vanished agrarian lifestyle.” - Mark Jenkins, National Public Radio "Admirable thoroughness and balance.” - Mark Holcomb, Village Voice "Excellent. An intelligent, passionate and cogent scientific argument against damming the rivers. 'Patagonia Rising' echoes the call of Occupy Wall Street...and leads us to one startling conclusion—that dams are nothing more than international investment opportunities for the rich.” - Marcia Garcia, Film Journal

	FIXATION 40 minutes, documentary, color, 2011 A film by Trudeau Viriato UPC: 7-20229-91519-9 \| Catalog #: FRF 915199D \| SRP: $19.95 Special Features • City Grounds Long Beach Bicycle Shop • Jances and Jon: Cycling Los Angeles Day and Night • Fixed Gear Bike Build • Interview with Director Street Date: July 17 Fixed gear cycling has become hugely popular in recent years. In cities and towns across the nation, young and old are riding "fixies" for transportation, work, sport, and just pure enjoyment. Fixation captures the excitement and popularity of this growing sport from all perspectives. While multiple speed bicycles are commonplace, the freedom and simplicity of a single speed bike brings the rider back to the basics - though riding a fixie is not without its challenges. The best riders don't use brakes and can do unimaginable moves and tricks. With the resurgence of this original form of cycling, a vast range of riders - from professionals to casual commuters - have embraced this simple, efficient machine, and the lifestyle behind it. This award winning documentary explores the full spectrum of the fixed gear community: Messengers, Olympic Racing, City Riders, Bike Polo, Brakeless, Freestyle and more. “Fixation renewed my adoration for the bicycle. I am convinced it will ignite the same passion or renew the love of cycling of all viewers. It leaves the viewer longing for a joy ride on two wheels.” - Kaleidospoke “Artfully filmed...unlike many cycling films, it's less about the bicycles, races and tricks and more about the culture.” - Diablo Magazine

	Please visit our website for trailers, reviews, and box art, photos and press materials

	Please send review links to kelly.hargraves@firstrunfeatures.com or mail tear sheets to: First Run Features The Film Center Building 630 Ninth Avenue, Suite 1213 New York NY 10036 Make it easy for your readers to find First Run Features: www.firstrunfeatures.com / 1-800-229-8575