SXSW: Fighting for ALS Care in "No Ordinary Campaign"

by Abe Friedtanzer

There are many diseases and medical conditions that may be known by name to a large percentage of the public without there being any true understanding of what they are. One of the most prominent is ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a neurodegenerative disease with an unpromising life expectancy for those diagnosed. As the stirring new documentary No Ordinary Campaign explores, there is much that can be done to combat ALS, but there are important changes required within the system to help offer hope to those who are currently facing a death sentence.

At the center of No Ordinary Campaign is Brian Wallach, who met his wife Sandra while working on President Barack Obama’s campaign and was diagnosed with ALS at age thirty-seven...

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Interview: 'Mars One' director on Brazilian politics, representation, and hope

by Juan Carlos Ojano

Gabriel Martins' Oscar submission Mars One tells the story of a working class Brazilian family on the brink of the election of far-right president Jair Bolsonaro. The family is composed of a father working at a high-rise, a mother dealing with trauma, a daughter on the verge of coming out to her family, and a young boy who dreams of going to Mars. The film is a beautifully restrained examination of contemporary Brazil through the lens of class, race, and gender.

Mars One is Brazil's contender for Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards. In our interview, writer/director Gabriel Martins discusses the development of his film coinciding with the rise of Bolsonaro's divisive politics, how the long-gestating journey of the film helped him shape the final output, and how recent developments in Brazilian cinema have given him hope...

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Doc Corner: 'Gabby Giffords Won't Back Down'

By Glenn Dunks

We’ve been here before with the filmmakers Betsy West and Julie Cohen. The prolific documenters (four film in five years) have carved a niche as directors of biographical explorations of people who staked a claim for themselves in annals of history through sheer dogged determination: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Oscar-nominated RBG), activist and non-binary pioneer Pauli Murray (I Am Pauli Murray), and celebrity chef Julia Child (Julia).

Their latest is a much more contemporary figure, yet one who represents the directing pair’s most cherished traits. Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down isn’t the most exciting film, but it is an emotionally affecting one...

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Stage Door: "The Minutes" by Tracy Letts

'Stage Door' is our new theater column. Because this is a film site, each column ends with related movie suggestions for those who don't have access to live theater. - Editor 

Mayor (Tracy Letts) and a new city councilman (Noah Reid) make small talk early in "The Minutes"

Even if you don't attend live-theater, you're probably fond of Tracy Letts. He pops up as recurring characters on acclaimed TV shows (Homeland, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty) and is one of Hollywood's most reliable character actors in prestige flicks like Ford Vs Ferrari, The Big Short, Little Women, and Lady Bird  (for which he should have been Oscar-nominated). His talents don't end there. Unfair as it may be, some people are great at everything. In addition to being a terrific actor, theatergoers know him as a prolific Tony and Pulitzer-winning playwright. His ninth original play, The Minutes, concludes its Broadway run this coming Sunday so you have one week left to see it...

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Interview: Director and star of the essential new film 'Happening'

by Nathaniel R

HAPPENING French poster (left), Actress Anamaria Vartolomei and Director Audrey Diwan in Venice (right)

Last year The Film Experience had two teammates in Venice for the first time. The Power of the Dog emerged as the buzziest title given its legendary director and a never better star. Another legendary director guided his celebrated muse to a Best Actress win with Parallel Mothers. But the revelation of the festival, since no one saw it coming, proved to be the intimate drama Happening from French writer/director Audrey Diwan. Elisa and I both raved about it in our festival coverage. When the festival came to a close Happening triumphed taking home the top prize, the Golden Lion. It's finally in US movie theaters courtesy of IFC Films. You shouldn't miss it.

The film, based on Annie Ernaux's memoir, is about a young gifted student who experiences an unwanted pregnancy in the 1960s. She doesn't know who to turn to for help or what can be done (abortion was then  illegal in France). The filmmaker Audrey Diwan also came, initially, from the world of literature "I know this character. I've been reading about her forever since Annie Ernaux's work is always autobiographical." Diwan's own journey as an artist wasn't as clear to her at first. "I told myself I had to take my time in order to figure out exactly what matters to me and what I have to say." That patience and her clarity of vision has served her well in her breakthrough feature. I recently sat down with her and Happening's 23 year old tremendous leading lady Anamaria Vartolomei for a chat about their movie...

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