Contact: Kelly Hargraves
(323) 662-1930
kelly.hargraves@firstrunfeatures.com
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 THE PRUITT-IGOE MYTH83 minutes, documentary, color, 2011 A film by Chad Freidrichs DVD: UPC: 7-20229-91509-0 | Catalog #: FRF 915090D | SRP: $27.95 Special Features • Bonus Film: More Than One Thing (Dir. Steve Carver; 30 min; 1969) • Director's Commentary by Chad Freidrichs • Additional Interviews • Pruitt-Igoe Site Tour Street Date: May 15 It began as a housing marvel. Built in 1956, Pruitt-Igoe was heralded as the model public housing project of the future, "the poor man's penthouse." Two decades later, it ended in rubble - its razing an iconic event that the architectural theorist Charles Jencks famously called "the death of modernism." The footage and images of its implosion have helped to perpetuate a myth of failure, a failure that has been used to critique Modernist architecture, attack public assistance programs, and stigmatize public housing residents. The Pruitt-Igoe Myth seeks to set the historical record straight. To examine the interests involved in Pruitt-Igoe's creation. To re-evaluate the rumors and the stigma. To implode the myth. “Shattering.” - The New York Times “Devastating...an engulfing real-life horror story. Stings with an electric poignancy.” - The New Yorker “Superb! An uncommonly artful example of cinematic journalism.” - Variety “  Revisits one of our nation's darkest hours and emerges with a scrupulous, revelatory consideration...a heartbreaking alarm call for a society that desperatel needs to learn from its worst mistakes.” - Time Out New York“An intelligent meditation on the decline of American cities.” - Art Forum “Captivating and visually compelling.” - St. Louis Post-Dispatch “Powerful...carries a visceral punch!” - The Economist “Riveting!” - Village Voice “A deeply impressive and disturbing exposé.” - Film Journal |
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 WINDFALL83 minutes, documentary, color, 2010 A film by Laura Israel UPC: 7-20229-91508-3 | Catalog #: FRF 915083D | SRP: $27.95 Special Features • Bonus Interviews & Footage • Resource Guide • Filmmaker Biography Street Date: May 15 Wind power: it's sustainable...it burns no fossil fuels...it produces no air pollution. What's more, it cuts down dependency on foreign oil. That's what the people of Meredith, NY first thought when a wind developer looked to supplement the rural farm town's failing economy with a farm of their own - that of 40 industrial wind turbines. But when a group of townspeople discover the impacts that a 400-foot high windmill could bring to their community, Meredith's residents become deeply divided as they fight over the future of their community. With wind development in the United States growing annually at 39 percent, Windfall is an eye-opener for anyone concerned about the environment and the future of renewable energy.  “Urgent, informative and artfully assembled. Its implications are clear: the quest for energy independence comes with caveats. Energy companies remain eager to plunder nature's bounty in pursuit of profit.” - The New York Times “Daring...intriguing...insightful. Attuned to the folly of human ingenuity.” - Village Voice “Sublimely cinematic! Windfall is thoroughly engaging, educational and entertaining.” - The Wall Street Journal “Emotionally charged! A genuine cliffhanger.” - Washington Post “Fascinating, insightful, and fair.” - Huffington Post “Gripping! A microcosmic version of the political divisions - between left and right, environmentalists and free-marketers, corporations and citizens - that have virtually paralyzed our republic.” - Salon.com |
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 MAN ON A MISSION: RICHARD GARRIOTT'S ROAD TO THE STARS83 minutes, documentary, color, 2010 A film by Mike Woolf UPC: 7-20229-91507-6 | Catalog #: FRF 915076D | SRP: $27.95 Special Features • Apogee of Fear (The first sci-fi movie filmed in space!) • Post-Flight Wrap Up (See what happened with the exploding bolt, protein crystal growth, art auction and experiments.) • After Touchdown (Now with two years of post-flight perspective, Garriott talks about how his life and view of the world has changed.) • Richard's 30 Year Exploration Plan (How do we explore space now that the Shuttle era is over? Richard knows...NASA take note!) • Magic Time (Richard performs some sleight of hand.) Street Date: May 15 Firmly ensconced in the geeky pantheon of computer legends since high school for his pioneering MMORGs (Massive Multiplayer Online Role-playing Games), Richard Garriott can afford to pursue his dreams - even the wildly improbable ones. For instance, following in his astronaut father's footsteps. NASA won't take you because of bad eyes? No problem! Pioneer your own private space industry and buy a $30 million seat on a Russian Soyuz rocket. Richly funny and invigorating, Man on a Mission tags along with Richard on his quest to be the second Garriott into space. And maybe come back. “Genuinely awe-inspiring! A vicarious thrill for anyone who ever fantasized about becoming an astronaut.” - Austin Chronicle “Exhilarating!” - Los Angeles Times “Inspirational!” - Chicago Sun-Times “A must-see for stargazers of all ages!” - Variety “Stunning shots of space! For the first time ever, a camera is rolling in the capsule during the return to Earth!” - Firedoglake “I can't recall seeing another documentary that so effectively captures the thrill of space travel. Take your children to see this little beauty.” - Smells Like Screen Spirit “A film that every geek on this planet should see and share with their family!” - Ain't It Cool News |
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 DRAGONSLAYER73 minutes, documentary, color, 2011 A film by Tristan Patterson UPC: 7-20229-91506-9 | Catalog #: FRF 915069D | SRP: $24.95 Street Date: May 15 Winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at SXSW 2011 and hailed by The New York Times as "the best movie about the life and world of skateboarders since Dogtown," Dragonslayer documents the transgressions of Josh "Skreech" Sandoval, a local skate legend from the stagnant suburbs of Fullerton, California, in the aftermath of America's economic collapse. Executive produced by Christine Vachon (Kids, Boys Don't Cry), the film takes the viewer through a golden SoCal haze of lost youth, broken homes and abandoned swimming pools, set to a soundtrack of bands from Mexican Summer and Kemado Records - including Best Coast, Bipolar Bear, Children, Dungen, Jacuzzi Boys, Little Girls and The Soft Pack - as well as Death and Thee Oh Sees. “The most riveting movie about the life and world of skateboarders since Dogtown.” - The New York Times “The measured vérité style of Frederick Wiseman meets the visual polish of Terrence Malick.” - Indiewire “The Donnie Darko of documentaries: cogent and atmospheric, charismatic and elliptical, shot with a beery, stale amber warmth.” - Paper Magazine “Outstanding. A-!” - Entertainment Weekly “A youth culture backdropped by the crumbling edge of California is rendered with punk rock energy and grace...carries the imprint of experimental narrative filmmaking à la Gus Van Sant.” - Los Angeles Times “CRITIC'S PICK! Dragonslayer is a submersion in an endless summer subculture. Patterson's one-of-a-kind hybrid captures a socio-historical moment with the kind of charged authenticity that only comes from a willingness to embrace contradictions: It's discursive and hypnotic, laconic and urgent.” - Village Voice “Dragonslayer is more than a slice of life - it's a chunk of skin.” - Interview Magazine |
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