YOYOI KUSAMA: THE POLKA DOT PRINCESS

Kusama: Princess of Polka Dots is a feature documentary work-in-progress about avant-garde artist Yoyoi Kusama. The paparazzi nicknamed her the Polka Dot Princess in the 60's when she lived in NYC. At that time, she rivaled Andy Warhol for press attention. Now in her late 70's, Kusama is considered Japan's greatest living artist.



A peek into Yayoi's Show at Gagosian Gallery, W. 24th St., NYC, Mar-Apr 2008

UNTIL THE LIGHT TAKES US: A NORWEGIAN BLACK METAL DOCUMENTARY

2008, Aaron Aites and Audrey Ewell, USA, 93 min.
http://www.blackmetalmovie.com

“As richly compelling and artfully shot as rock docs get.”--Aaron Hillis, LA Weekly

This riveting documentary is not a music movie but a clear-sighted investigation into the murky subculture of Norwegian black metal music, whose history, though distorted and sensationalized by the press, is still pretty sensational even in the undistorted version, strewn with the ashes of torched churches and the blood of murder and suicide victims. As the filmmakers note, black metal “blurs the line between music, art, activism and terror...there’s really no other art or music or ideological movement like it.” Focusing on three figures--self-destructive pioneer Dead (of the group Mayhem), convicted murderer Varg Vikernes (of Burzum), and the relatively moderate Gylve Nagell (of Darkthrone)--UNTIL THE LIGHT draws a deeply, disturbingly ambivalent portrait of a contradictory movement that is too complex either to endorse or to dismiss. In English and Norwegian with English subtitles. DigiBeta video. (MR)

Additional info can be found at:
http://www.myspace.com/blackmetalmovie and http://www.blackmetalmovie.com

JIM JARMUSCH: THE LIMITS OF CONTROL

The Limits of Control is the new movie from filmmaker Jim Jarmusch (Broken Flowers, Down by Law). The film is set in the striking and varied landscapes of contemporary Spain (both urban and otherwise). The location shoot there united the writer/director with acclaimed cinematographer Christopher Doyle (In the Mood for Love, Paranoid Park).

Isaach De Bankolé stars in the lead role for Mr. Jarmusch; this marks the duo’s fourth collaboration over nearly two decades, following Night on Earth, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, and Coffee and Cigarettes. The Limits of Control also features several other actors with whom Mr. Jarmusch has previously worked, including Alex Descas, John Hurt, Youki Kudoh, Bill Murray, and Tilda Swinton; and actors new to his films, including Hiam Abbass, Gael García Bernal, Paz De La Huerta, Jean-François Stévenin, and Luis Tosar.

The Limits of Control is the story of a mysterious loner (played by Mr. De Bankolé), a stranger, whose activities remain meticulously outside the law. He is in the process of completing a job, yet he trusts no one, and his objectives are not initially divulged.

His journey, paradoxically both intently focused and dreamlike, takes him not only across Spain but also through his own consciousness.

A Focus Features presentation in association with Entertainment Farm of a PointBlank production of a Film by Jim Jarmusch. The Limits of Control. Isaach De Bankolé, Alex Descas, Jean-François Stévenin, Luis Tosar, Paz De La Huerta, Tilda Swinton, Youki Kudoh, John Hurt, Gael García Bernal, Hiam Abbass, Bill Murray. Casting, Ellen Lewis. Costume Designer, Bina Daigeler. Sound Designer, Robert Hein. With Music by Boris. Production Designer, Eugenio Caballero. Editor, Jay Rabinowitz, A.C.E. Director of Photography, Christopher Doyle, H.K.S.C. Executive Producer, Jon Kilik. Produced by Stacey Smith, Gretchen McGowan. Written and Directed by Jim Jarmusch. A Focus Features Release.