Plainfield filmmaker’s feature-length directorial debut tabbed for 2011 Sundance Film Festival
(Editor's Note: Was it foreshadowing? Click here to read the Oct. 31 Courier News feature article about Plainfield director Alrick Brown and "Kinyarwanda," in which I was pleased to learn this week that his film was not jinxed out of being awarded entry to the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. A warm and hearty congratulations to Brown and the crew for a landmark achievement.)
ON THE WEB: Follow upcoming festival screenings and the release of Alrick Brown's ""Kinyarwanda'' on Facebook, or go to the movie website itself.
Plainfield filmmaker Alrick Brown's feature-length directorial debut, "Kinyarwanda," is scheduled for a world premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.
By MARK SPIVEY
STAFF WRITER
PLAINFIELD - Local filmmaker Alrick Brown spent the last week and a half waiting to wake up from the best dream of his life, but now it's official: His feature-length directorial debut will make its world premiere at one of the world's most prestigious film festivals.
The 34-year-old city native celebrated with friends Wednesday as "Kinyarwanda'' was announced as one of 14 features - out of 1,073 submissions - selected for the 2011 Sundance Film Festival's World Cinema Dramatic competition. The festival, annually a breeding ground for Hollywood notoriety where eventual award-winning films often are seen for the first time, is scheduled for Jan. 20-30, 2011 in four locations in Utah.
"It was a blocked (phone number), and I kind of ignored it at first,'' Brown admitted this week regarding the Nov. 22 phone call that first informed him of the news ahead of this week's announcement. ""I listened to the message ... and since then, to be honest, I've been waiting for the phone call saying 'we made a mistake.'''
"It's still hitting me now; it still hasn't sunk in yet,'' Brown added. "When everyone and their grandmother starts calling me, then it might make some sense.''
That process started Wednesday. The Plainfield High School graduate's latest work, shot about a year ago on location in Africa, illustrates the true story of a priest and an imam working together to save lives during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, which resulted in the deaths of an estimated 800,000 people.
Other films selected for screening in Sundance's World Cinema category were shot in Colombia, Japan, Mexico, Algeria, Ireland, Norway, Italy, Australia, Israel, Canada, Cuba and the United Kingdom. A group of audience and jury honors are awarded annually in the category, plus general honors for cinematography, editing, directing and screenwriting.
A scene from filming.
More than 10,000 films in four competition categories and six out-of-competition categories were submitted for inclusion in the 2011 festival. Sundance was launched in 1978 as the brainchild of acting legend Robert Redford.
"The festival is a challenge to narrowly define. It is all at once exciting, fun, crazy, engaging, visceral, and sometimes even painful,'' John Cooper, director of the festival, said this week. "We can explain storylines, we can share what we know of each artist's unique journey, but ultimately what we will experience for 10 days in January is different for each of us. It's the spark from the filmmakers - their passion - that brings 200 unique worlds to life and, in turn, ignites the audience. The films, conversations, encounters are there to experience. And that's what makes Sundance so magical.''
Brown simply likened the selection to "getting out of high-school (football) and going right to the Super Bowl.'' A long list of films that have gone on to win Academy Awards have been screened at Sundance since 2000, a list that includes "Memento,'' "In the Bedroom,'' and "Precious.'' The World Cinema category featured eventual Oscar nominees or winners in both 2008 and 2009 in "Man on Wire'' and "An Education,'' respectively.
Brown, who was born in Jamaica before moving to Plainfield as a young boy, has written, directed and produced short narrative films and documentaries focusing on a variety of social issues, but Kinyarwanda marked the New York University film program graduate's first foray onto the big screen. Brown said he hopes to take about 20 people who worked on the film with him to Utah next month, adding that he and others are trying to arrange for Kinyarwanda's executive producer and at least one star to travel there from Rwanda.
"I'm also trying to think of ways to involve Plainfield in the journey; I'll be starting regular podcasts and videocasts on my Facebook page soon,'' Brown said.
Among the fans watching will be City Council President Annie McWilliams, who said the local governing body had been planning a resolution honoring Brown for inclusion in its December agenda before this week's news even broke.
"There's no doubt in my mind that this will put the city on the map in a positive way, but I'm more excited that with so many young people here involved in the wrong kinds of things these days ... he's a perfect example of what we want for all of them,'' McWilliams said, noting that Brown recently spoke to a group of students in the West End about his craft. "I'm so proud of him.''
Mark Spivey: 908-243-6607; mspivey@MyCentralJersey.com
The Official Site of Filmmaker Alrick Brown » Blog Archive » From “Plainfield to Sundance” KINYARWANDA will premiere at the 2011 SUNDANCE Film Festival 1:59 am on December 6, 2010 Permalink |
[...] Click here for the: Courier News Article [...]
Plainfield native’s film takes audience award at Sundance | Plainfield, NJ 12:26 pm on January 30, 2011 Permalink |
[...] and blog postings. Click here to read an October 2010 article about the making of the film, and click here to read a December 2010 article about Kinyarwanda's selection as a Sundance feature. Both links [...]