Resources for November 2, 2016

Assayas, Olivier, Alison Maclean and Kleber Medoncha Filho. "NYFF Live Filmmaker Chat." Film Comment (November 1, 2016) ["This Film Comment panel brought together three NYFF filmmakers—Olivier Assayas (Personal Shopper), Alison Maclean (The Rehearsal), and Kleber Mendonça Filho (Aquarius)—to discuss their practical approaches to the craft of filmmaking, as well as their grander philosophies about the art form. The conversation, moderated by Film Comment Editor Nicolas Rapold, covers a swath of topics, from on-set collaboration to transnational cinema."]

Canning, Charlotte, et al. "American Fascism: It Can't Happen Here?" Ideas (October 28, 2016)

Davis, Erik, et al. "H.P. Lovecraft." To The Best of Our Knowledge (October 27, 2016) ["H.P. Lovecraft's weird tales of cosmic horror loom large 125 years after his birth. His literary tentatcles have oozed their way into movies, books, games and graphic novels. We explore Lovecraft's life, work and legacy. Was he a literary master or a monster?"]

Ha, Anthony, et al. "Black Mirror’s Biggest Twist? An Actual Happy Ending." Geek's Guide to the Galaxy (October 29, 2016)

Jónsdóttir, Birgitta. "Meet Birgitta Jónsdóttir: The Ex-WikiLeaks Volunteer Who Has Helped the Pirate Party Reshape Iceland." Democracy Now (November 1, 2016) ["In Iceland, the anarchist Pirate Party made big gains in Sunday’s national elections, raising the prospect it will form a coalition government with other left-wing parties. The Pirates won 10 seats in Iceland’s 63-member Parliament, up from three in the last election. The Pirate Party hopes to pass the world’s first crowdsourced constitution. Its core platform calls for direct democracy, freedom of expression, civil rights, net neutrality and transparency. The Pirates saw their popularity surge in April, after Iceland’s prime minister resigned following revelations he and his wife used an offshore company to conceal millions of dollars’ worth of investments. Women also won big in this weekend’s elections, taking 30 seats in Iceland’s Parliament—more than any single party. With female candidates winning nearly half of the seats, Iceland now reportedly has the "most equal Parliament in the world." For more, we speak with Birgitta Jónsdóttir, member of the Icelandic Parliament and co-founder of the country’s Pirate Party. She is also a poet, activist, web developer and a former WikiLeaks activist. And she is the chairperson of the International Modern Media Institution."]

Kempenaar, Adam and Josh Larsen. "Top 5 Childhood Movie Scares with Ti West / A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)." Filmspotting #609 (October 27, 2016)

Levin, Marc. "Voices from NYC's Most Notorious Jail: Former Prisoners Speak Out About Abuse at Rikers Island." Democracy Now (November 2, 2016) ["A new PBS documentary, "Rikers," brings you face to face with men and women who have survived incarceration at New York City’s largest and most notorious jail. Their stories are told directly to the camera without any additional narration. A dozen former inmates vividly describe the cruel arc of the Rikers experience—from the trauma of entering the island to the extortion and control exercised by other inmates, to the harrowing interactions with corrections officers. They also detail the beatings and stabbings, the torture of solitary confinement and the psychological difficulties of re-entering the outside world. For more, we’re joined by award-winning independent filmmaker Marc Levin, director of the new documentary, "Rikers."]

Prose, Francine. "When Librarians are Silenced." The New York Review of Books (October 14, 2016)

Reilly, Phoebe. "From Babadook to Raw: The Rise of the Modern Female Horror Filmmaker." Rolling Stone (October 27, 2016)

Small, Deborah. "9 States to Vote on Marijuana Initiatives: Will They Stop Jailing Young People of Color over Weed?" Democracy Now (November 2, 2016) ["On November 8, 35 states and the District of Columbia will confront 156 ballot initiatives on issues ranging from universal healthcare to gun sale restrictions and death penalty reforms. One of the most contentious ballot initiatives concerns marijuana legalization. After next week’s election, marijuana could be legal for medical or recreational use in 29 states. Currently about 5 percent of Americans live in states where they can legally smoke cannabis, but after November that figure could rise to 25 percent. California is the biggest of the nine states casting a ballot on the measure. While other states are voting on medicinal use, Arizona, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada are with California in voting on legalizing the recreational use of marijuana. The "yes" vote is currently leading in all five states and is widely supported by young voters from both major parties. California legalized the medical use of marijuana 20 years ago. Polls in California show strong support for Proposition 64, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act. We speak with Deborah Small, founder of Break the Chains: Communities of Color and the War on Drugs. Her recent piece for The Root is headlined "How We Can Reap Reparations from Marijuana Reform." She’s a longtime advocate for drug decriminalization."]