Dedicated to the discovery and support of emerging artists, New Directors/New Films has earned an international reputation as the premiere festival for works that break or re-cast the cinematic mold. Twenty-six features and six shorts, handpicked by curators of the Film Society of Lincoln Center and The Museum of Modern Art, made the cut this year, as the 37th edition of this non-competitive program spotlights the very best in the current class of new directors, actors, producers, writers, cinematographers, editors, and more.
Curated by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and MoMA team, the films in the 2008 festival represent 17 countries: Argentina, China, France, Greece, Haiti, Israel, Japan, Lebanon, Mexico, the Philippines, Rwanda, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Venezuela, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
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Lucia Puenzo-XXY
Highlights:
For just about everybody, slipping past adolescence means having to confront a number of choices and life decisions, but rarely any as monumental as the one facing Alex (Ines Efron). Born a hermaphrodite, Alex has been raised as a girl, but the moment has come when a decision must be on the surgery that will define her future. Some family friends come to visit Alex’s family, bringing along their teenage son, Alvaro (Martin Piroyanski). Alex immediately feels some kind of attraction to the young man—adding yet another level of complexity to Alex’s personal search for identity. In XXY, debut director Lucía Puenzo handles such potentially explosive material with extraordinary grace and tact, probing past the sensational outward appearances to uncover the rich, emotional core of this story.
Happenings:
Lucía Puenzo studied literature and screenwriting in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and has written three novels and numerous screenplays, and directed several short films. XXY is her feature-length debut.
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Make sure to stay tuned for our exclusive interviews with CÉLINE SCIAMMA (Water Lilies), MICHELANGE QUAY (Eat, for This Is My Body), LEE ISAAC CHUNG (Munyurangabo), NAOKO OGIGAMI (Megane), DANIELLE ARBID (A Lost Man), SERGE BOZON (La France), CONRAD CLARK (Soul Carriage), CHADI ZENEDDINE (Falling from Earth), and THANOS ANASTOPOULOS (Correction).
LANCE HAMMER (Ballast), AZAZEL JACOBS (Momma's Man), ALEX RIVERA (Sleep Dealer), JACKIE REEM SALLOUM (Slingshot Hip Hop), EMILY HUBLEY (The Toe Tactic), and CARL DEAL and TIA LESSIN (Trouble the Water) were also highlighted at New Directors/New Films. We caught up with them at the Sundance and South by Southwest Film Festivals but their interviews are not to be missed.
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