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2023 was a miraculous year for German actress Sandra Huller. Not only did she receive critical acclaim for her riveting portrayal of a woman on trial for murdering her husband in France’s “Anatomy of a Fall,” she was also praised for her role as the wife of a Nazi commander in the United Kingdom’s German-language “The Zone of Interest.” Indeed, there was much interest in Huller and her two films. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for “Anatomy.” And both “Anatomy” and “Zone” landed slots for Best Picture, as well as Best Director bids for Justine Triet and Jonathan Glazer, respectively.

As I was speaking to academy members ahead of last Sunday’s ceremony, I detected a surprisingly robust amount of support for Huller. And many of those who had voted for her mentioned her work in “The Zone of Interest.” It really did seem...

It might feel like a lot of celebs are off vacationing right now in their unbelievably cute bikinis, but before they hit the beach, a lot were busy lending their famous faces and talents to big-name fashion brands. Today Tiffany & Co. unveiled six new fall ads modeled by big-name stars, plus Jessica Chastain is coming off of her honeymoon high with a very impressive new gig and more designer collaborations that you need to know about. Read below to get up-to-date on all the latest news.

Tiffany & Co.

Tiffany & Co. debuted its new fall 2017 advertising campaign called, “There’s Only One,...

Albert Maysles never got to watch his last film with an audience, passing away just a month before “In Transit” premiered at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival, but simply completing the documentary marked the realization of a long-held dream. Maysles had wanted to shoot a film about passengers on a train for decades, but had trouble finding funding for a documentary whose subjects could only be discovered after shooting began.

Now, the film is finally released — but its future remains uncertain.

“In Transit” played at roughly a dozen film festivals and was being prepped by Al Jazeera America for a theatrical run with the help of sales agent Submarine Deluxe when Al Jazeera’s U.S. arm was abruptly shuttered in 2016, leaving the rights to the film in legal limbo. Part of the problem was that Al Jazeera had agreed to finance a 50-minute documentary for TV, not a feature film, so determining who had the rights to the feature-length version was a legal quandary.

The Maysles Documentary Center has been trying to purchase the rights to the documentary themselves, a more than two-year process that remains unresolved; in the meantime, they’ve been able to arrange for one-week runs at the organization’s own cinema and at New York’s Metrograph, starting on Friday. The team behind the film hopes to introduce the documentary to more audiences in the future, whether through traditional distribution or self-distribution.

Read More: Review: Albert Maysles’ Intimate Iris Apfel Documentary ‘Iris’

These prolonged efforts are only the latest chapter in a project that, decades before its completion, had taken on a mythological quality. “People refer to it as his white whale,” said co-director Lynn True. “It just never came together for a lot of reasons, one being that it’s rather unwieldy just boarding a train and spontaneously meeting people and capturing their stories.”

In 2013, Maysles finally attracted the financial backing of Al Jazeera America, and with the help of co-directors True, David Usui, Nelson Walker and Ben Wu, began interviewing passengers on on Amtrak’s Empire Builder, the busiest long-distance train route in America, which makes the three-day trip between Seattle and Chicago.

The movie marked the first original production of the Harlem-based Maysles Documentary Center, which has its own 55-seat cinema. That wound up working in its favor — the original contract with Al Jazeera included the right to screen the film at the theater that carried the director’s name, so “In Transit” was always destined to show in at least one theater. (The Metrograph screenings were set up in negotiation between the theater and the film’s producers, not Al Jazeera, which is unaffiliated with the release; the producers declined to comment on the arrangement with the broadcaster, and Al Jazeera did not return requests for comment.)

Shot in the tradition of Direct Cinema, the documentary is made up of a series of interconnected vignettes, where passengers share their fears, hopes and dreams, or simply let the filmmakers capture conversations with friends, family and new acquaintances on the train.

“We just had to board the train cross our fingers that we would find interesting people who would let us film them,” said True. As she and the other filmmakers soon discovered, the simple act of asking where someone is going could be all it took to stumble upon fascinating documentary subjects. The “characters” in the film range from a young woman who opened up about being raised by crackheads to an elderly woman who had just visited a daughter she gave up for adoption 47 years earlier.

Shot during the height of the U.S. oil boom, the filmmakers frequently found workers traveling to and from the oil fields in North Dakota, or wives and partners of these workers, most of whom talked about the challenges of being away from loved ones for extended periods of time.

One of the central figures of the documentary is a pregnant passenger who was already passed her due date upon boarding the train, creating a uniquely stressful situation for the Amtrak crew, which had to monitor her on a daily basis and became something like an extended family. “That was just documentary magic,” said True.

Though Maysles had no way of knowing whether his decades-long ambition of shooting passengers on a train would lead to footage that could be edited into a compelling narrative, he was always drawn to how trains could bring strangers together, according to True. “He loved trains because of this unique ability they had to kind of support these unlikely friendships and interactions,” she said. “It was pretty interesting to me how many of the stories played into Albert’s vision so precisely — this idea that trains afford strangers the opportunity to connect in a way that they wouldn’t necessarily if they were just passing on the street.”

During segments in which single individuals speak directly to the camera, “In Transit” reveals that, regardless of age, gender or background, most people have a natural inclination to show their own vulnerability. “If you give people the chance to really be honest, people are so much more similar than we all give them credit for,” True said.

One of the key components to Maysles approach to documentary filmmaking was to avoid entering any situation with preconceived ideas or any sort of end goal. “He was such a proponent of observing quietly and listening and allowing stories to unfold on their own terms and follow things wherever they led,” True said.

According to Maysles’ daughter Rebekah Maysles, who served as a producer on his 2014 documentary “Iris,” about fashion icon Iris Apfel, one of her father’s original ideas for the film was to follow passengers off the train and continue shooting footage in their homes. As with most of his documentaries, however, formulating a strict plan was not part of the equation. “He didn’t really prepare himself at all,” she said. “I think it worked.”

Read More: Film Community Pays Tribute to Albert Maysles

Maysles wasn’t around to celebrate when “In Transit” won a special mention in the documentary feature category at Tribeca, but more important to Rebekah Maysles was her father’s reaction to seeing the finished film. “He loved it,” she said.

“In Transit” opens Friday, June 23 at the Metrograph and Maysles Documentary Center.

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Sean Price Williams has become an indomitable force in American independent cinema. Filming regularly on Super 16mm, Williams has served as Dp on the films of Alex Ross Perry (Queen of Earth, Listen Up Philip), Robert Greene (Kate Plays Christine, Actress), Albert Maysles (Iris) and the Safdie brothers (Heaven Knows What). Williams sought to shoot something unlike any of his previous work for his latest feature, Marjorie Prime. With a cast that includes John Hamm, Geena Davis and Tim Robbins, Marjorie Prime is the latest film from writer/director Michael Almereyda. The film will have its world premiere at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. Filmmaker: How and […]...

The 2017 Golden Globes was a night full of fashion surprises.

Young Hollywood dominated the best dressed list of the night, with golden girl Emma Stone definitely not disappointing in a dazzling star-print Valentino gown. The 28-year-old actress picked up the Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy win for her performance in La La Land, and looked amazing in the process.

Getty Images

Pics: 2017 Golden Globes Best Dressed

Lily Collins also hit it out of the park in a super romantic pink Zuhair Murad gown, which she perfectly paired with bold red lipstick and a classic updo.

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

"It's very heavy and everything is very strategically placed -- there's not much moving around," Collins told Et's Kevin Frazier about her show-stopping gown. "You have 10 people helping you!"

As for the stars who missed the mark this year, 33-year-old Carrie Underwood had a surprise miss in a pink ruffled Iris Serban gown. The "Dirty...

When was the last time Hunter Parrish laughed so hard that he cried?

The Good Girls Revolt star reveals during a round of People’s “One Last Thing” that tear-inducing laughs usually come from his wife Kathryn Wahl.

“I don’t have one time, I feel like I try to laugh as much as possible and any time I’m around my amazingly captivating and adorable wife I am constantly in tears with laughter,” he says.

Parrish, 29, plays hunky, progressive reporter Douglas Rhodes in the Amazon series about a group of women at Newsweek in the late ’60s who fought...

Here’s your daily dose of an indie film, web series, TV pilot, what-have-you in progress — at the end of the week, you’ll have the chance to vote for your favorite.

In the meantime: Is this a project you’d want to see? Tell us in the comments.

Mr. Chibbs

Logline: NBA All-Star Kenny Anderson is in a mid-life crisis, grappling with his identity and coming to terms with his past and he searches for relevancy in his future.

Elevator Pitch:

This is not your typical basketball documentary. Like Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” we follow Kenny as he travels back to people and places of his past witnessing him reconciling the good with the evil. What happens to a sports superstar once their talent has left them, and they are forced to confront who they will be for the rest of their lives. “Men’s courses will foreshadow certain ends,...

Title: Iris Director: Albert Maysles Genre: Documentary “I like to improvise. I like to do things as if I were playing jazz, try this, try, that.” These are the first words spoken on camera by Iris Apfel in the documentary by the late octogenarian Albert Maysles, who tributes her life. ‘Iris’ is more than a mere fashion film. The quick-witted, flamboyantly dressed 93-year-old style maven has had an outsized presence on the New York fashion scene for decades. Maysles follows her around, with his masterful photography, that is the trademark of his storytelling. He’s a part of the film too: Apfel introduces him to friends and acquaintances and chats with [ Read More ]

The post Iris Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

Glenn here. Each Tuesday we bring you reviews and features on documentaries from theatres, festivals, and on demand. This week we look at the final work of Albert Maysles, In Transit.

Last week we looked at Chantal Akerman's final film, and this week completely by accident I am reviewing another final film by another towering name in documentary filmmaking. In a career that includes Grey Gardens, Salesman, Gimme Shelter, and Monterey Pop, Albert Maysles has made many films that are considered among the greatest non-fiction titles ever made. And while last year’s glimpse into the life of aging fashion icon Iris Apfel, Iris, was billed as his last work, it is in fact this deeply searching piece of cinema verite made in collaboration with Lynn True, David Usui, Nelson Walker III, and Benjamin Wu that is his last work and an incredibly fitting one, too. It’s the...

Exclusive: Veltri replaces Christina Rogers at the Us sales company.

Scott Veltri has been promoted to head of worldwide sales forcand replaces Christina Rogers, who is departing to pursue other opportunities.

Veltri previously served as vice-president of international sales and worked closely with Rogers over the last three years to increase the profile of the division.

He sold titles such as Sean Baker’s Tangerine, Steve James’ documentary Life Itself, Crystal Moselle’s The Wolfpack, Albert Maysles’ Iris, and Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon’s Best Of Enemies.

“Scott has proven himself to be an invaluable asset to the international sales team, and we’re very pleased for him to take on this new responsibility,” said Magnolia president Eamonn Bowles.

The Magnolia sales slate features Sundance horror The Eyes Of My Mother, and a slew of Park City documentaries that includes Werner Herzog’s Lo And Behold: Reveries Of The Connected World, Tickled and [link...

Above: Us poster for Salesman (Maysles Brothers & Charlotte Zwerin, USA, 1968). Designer: Henry Wolf. Courtesy of Film/Art Gallery.Starting today, Film Forum in New York is hosting The Maysles & Co., a comprehensive two-week long retrospective of the work of the legendary “Direct Cinema” documentarians Albert and David Maysles—best known for Gimme Shelter (1970) and Grey Gardens (1976)—and their various collaborators, most especially Charlotte Zwerin. Grey Gardens, a film whose title has entered the lingua franca, is the only documentary ever to be turned into a Tony-winning Broadway musical, an Emmy-winning TV dramatization, and an SNL-alumni parody, but its poster, a simple framing of a photograph by Herb Goro, doesn’t really do the film justice. Gimme Shelter, on the other hand—the Maysles’ biggest international success—has inspired a wide variety of designs. For me, the stand-out is the stark black and white one sheet with all-Helvetica type, the first one featured below.

To celebrate the Australian release of Iris on home video, Madman is giving you the chance to win one of Five copies of the film on DVD! Iris is the story of Iris Apfel, the quick-witted, flamboyantly dressed 93-year-old New York style icon and muse. More than just a fashion film, it is a story about creativity, design and how her soaring free spirit continues to inspire. Iris portrays a woman whose enthusiasm for fashion, art and people are life's sustenance and reminds us that dressing, and indeed life, is nothing but an experiment.As a bonus, each prize will also come with a copy of the book Women In This Town by photographer, art director and fashion enthusiast Giuseppe Santamaria who traveled to the streets of...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Read More: Watch: 'Iris' Gets Honest About the Creative Process in Bonus Interviews From Albert Maysles' Acclaimed Doc Prolific documentarian Albert Maysles passed away earlier this year, months before the release of "Iris," his documentary about fashion icon Iris Apfel.  As part of the International Documentary Association's (Ida) screening series, Rebekah Maysles, Albert's daughter and a producer on "Iris," and fellow producer Laura Coxson discussed the film and how Maysles approached documentary filmmaking in the face of shrinking funds. Speaking with Indiewire Editor-in-Chief Dana Harris, Maysles talked lovingly of her father, his love of film and his "insane" work ethic, while Coxson spoke of the connection forged between Albert and his documentary subject, Apfel. The two also discussed the difficult economic realities of documentary filmmaking in frank terms, revealing it as something with which the late Maysles...

As 2015 winds down, like most cinephiles, we’re looking to get our hands on the titles that may have slipped under the radar or simply gone unseen. With the proliferation of streaming options, it’s thankfully easier than ever to play catch-up, and to assist with the process, we’re bringing you a rundown of the best titles of the year available to watch.

Curated from the Best Films of 2015 So Far list we published for the first half of the year, it also includes films we’ve enjoyed the past few months and some we’ve recently caught up on. This is far from a be-all, end-all year-end feature (that will come at the end of the year), but rather something that will hopefully be a helpful tool for readers to have a chance to seek out notable, perhaps underseen, titles from the year.

Note that we’re going by U.

When documentary legend Albert Maysles passed away in March of 2015, the world of cinema lost a giant. Working as a team with his brother David, The Maysles Brothers made some of the finest documentary features ever seen. Films like Salesman, Gimme Shelter, and Grey Gardens gave new life to the documentary format.Thankfully, before he left us, Maysles completed work on Iris, a documentary about fashion icon Iris Apfel. Our own, Chase Whale reviewed the film in advance of its North American theatrical release shortly after Maysles death in April:Iris continues the tradition of Maysles' style of fly-on-the-wall filmmaking. You forget he's there until someone, and in this case, Iris, addresses him -- which she does quite often and in the most endearing ways. We...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Every day, more and more films are added to the various streaming services out there, ranging from Netflix to YouTube, and are hitting the airwaves via movie-centric networks like TCM. Therefore, sifting through all of these pictures can be a tedious and often times confounding or difficult ordeal. But, that’s why we’re here. Every week, Joshua brings you five films to put at the top of your queue, add to your playlist, or grab off of VOD to make your weekend a little more eventful. Here is this week’s top five, in this week’s Armchair Vacation.

5. The Overnight (VOD)

I’m just going to come out and say, modern comedy more often than not does not do it for me. With most modern comedy pictures taking the route of least resistance, offering up exponentially more cheap, dim witted gags than anything resembling an actual joke or rewarding sketch bit,...

A look at the list of my favorite movies from 2014 reveals the presence of six extraordinary nonfiction films, and that’s just a taste of the seeming hundreds of docs released last year-- not all of them extraordinary, of course, but all of them indicative of a trend toward the making of the availability of more nonfiction filmmaking than it seems we’ve likely ever seen in this country. And speaking of availability, the six I listed—Ron Mann’s Altman, Joey Figueroa and Zak Knutson’s Milius, Orlando von Einsidel’s Virunga, Chaplain and Maclain Way’s The Battered Bastards of Baseball, Stephanie Spray and Pancho Velez’s Manakamana and Errol Morris’s The Unknown Known— were all pictures I caught courtesy of Netflix Streaming. (Virunga was actually produced under the company’s auspices.)

I have a special place in my cinematic heart for nonfiction, both bound between covers and on the screen,...

With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit the interwebs. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.

Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead (Douglas Tirola)

While the last few decades or so of National Lampoon’s output has been less than stellar, their influence through their humor magazine and films such as the original Vacation and Animal House can still be felt today. For those curious about the formation of the group and their rise to ubiquitous status, a new documentary looks to provide the behind-the-scenes story.

The Tasmanian Breath of Fresh Air (Bofa) Film Festival will feature 15 feature films including two drive-in screenings, 20 documentaries and 35 shorts as well as four one-day action master classes and two half-day actions sessions.

Held. in Launceston, the sixth annual festival will run from Wednesday November 4 to Sunday November 8.

.Part of what makes Bofa so special is that we always try to make it more than just a chance to see compelling cinema,. says festival director Owen Tilbury. .Bofa is about getting inspired and seeing the world differently. So whatever your Bofa is . whether it.s features, docos, food-films, family films, offbeat films, eco films or movies that convey profound ideas. there is a chance to engage and discover this year.. Before the official opening night. will be a .Creating Community Change. action session on November 4, which will showcase the best practice in community change processes. There will also be a screening of Frackman,...

Read More: 23rd Hamptons International Film Festival Picks 'Truth' for Opening Night and Reveals Competition Program As the Hamptons International Film Festival gears up for its 23rd year, an inaugural Awards Dinner has been announced to honor acclaimed actress Emily Blunt, legendary documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles (who will be awarded posthumously), the independent production company Killer Films and the outgoing chairman of Hiff, Stuart Match Suna.  Blunt, who was previously recognized as one of Hiff's Rising Stars in 2005, will be presented with the Variety Creative Impact in Acting Award. Blunt has starred in films such as "Edge of Tomorrow," "The Young Victoria" and the upcoming "Sicario."  Maysles, whose film "Iris" won the Audience Award at Hiff last year, will be presented with a posthumous tribute for his work on films like "Grey Gardens" and "Gimme Shelter." Christine Vachon and Pamela...

★★★★☆ Having featured in a variety of documentaries that explore the fashion scene in and around New York City, the unique and irrepressible fashionista Iris Apfel now takes centre stage in one of her very own. The final feature from the dearly departed Albert Maysles, who alongside his brother made some of the best exemplars of the genre (Gimme Shelter and Salesman are but a mere tip of the iceberg), Iris (2014) is a heartfelt and enlightening swansong that focuses on one the fashion industry's, nay the world's, most distinctive - and distinctively dressed - icons. A beacon of individuality, Apfel wasn't publicly recognised for her vivacious wardrobe until she was well in her eighties.

Read More: Review: Albert Maysles' Intimate Iris Apfel Documentary 'Iris' When the iconic documentarian Albert Maysles passed away earlier this year, he left behind a handful of landmark non-fiction features, including one of his final movies, "Iris." One of the biggest hits on last year's festival circuit, the documentary about fashion icon Iris Apfel hit theaters earlier this year to vast critical acclaim. As the film arrives on iTunes, extra bonus features will be available, including two never-before-seen interviews in which Iris gets honest about her personal connection and creative process. Watch the deleted scenes below. Read More: Trailer For Albert Maysles' Documentary 'Iris' Has Lots Of Style...

Warner Bros. hopes of building a franchise based on a once-popular 1960s TV series now seem mission: impossible.

Director Guy Ritchie.s The Man From U.N.C.L.E is an instant flop, opening with just $1.6 million in Australia and $US13.4 million in the Us last weekend.

Against the trend of a soft weekend at Oz cinemas, Icon.s Last Cable to Darwin showed great resilience, dipping by just 11 per cent and taking $1 million in its second weekend.

Jeremy Sims. road movie starring Michael Caton, Mark Coles Smith and Jacki Weaver has pocketed $3 million and, driven by word of mouth, could finish with $5 million- $6 million.

Among other local titles still in release, Mad Max: Fury Road has raked in $21.5 million, Ruben Guthrie has collected $402,000, Women He.s Undressed has $280,000 and Partisan $117,000.

The weekend B.O. fell by 26 per cent to $10.1 million, according to Rentrak.s estimate. In the Us The Man from U.

Iris is one of the last completed films from the great American documentary-maker Albert Maysles, who died earlier this year. It shares some of the hallmarks of his most celebrated works like Salesman and Grey Gardens (which he co-directed with his brother, David.) It is an intimate portrait of a very eccentric subject. Iris Apfel is a venerable New York fashion guru in her early nineties. She wears huge spectacles that make her look like a character in a Pixar cartoon, and dresses in very flamboyant fashion, in bangles, necklace, scarves and multi-coloured dresses. "There is so much same-ness. Everything is homogenised. I hate it," we hear her protesting early on.

The penultimate entry into a canon of work that can now safely be deemed monolithic, Iris is a delightful swan song for documentarian Albert Maysles. Maysles subject this time around is Iris Apfel, the glamorously aged definition of a “late bloomer” who now moves among the fashionable circles of New York City’s elite. She is irreverent, bursting

The post Iris Review appeared first on HeyUGuys.

DokuFest has announced its full slate of films for the 2015 festival, which runs from August 8 – 16 in the city of Prizren, Kosovo. Selected from a record number of over 3.000 submissions, DokuFest will showcase 228 films from 43 countries across 6 competitive sections and more than a dozen specially curated programs.

Migration is central theme of the festival this year and its global, as well as local social context and consequences, will be highlighted and explored through a number of events, including panels and discussions with filmmakers and invited international and local experts. A hand picked film program focusing on the issue of migration has been created. Bafta winning filmmaker Daniel Mulloy created a striking visual campaign to match with this year’s theme.

This year’s selection brings some of the finest work of non-fiction cinema, as well as a great array of short fictions and experimental cinema to the charming city of Prizren and its celebrated outdoor cinemas. The festival is also adding the 5th installment of this outdoor screenings known as the Dream Cinema.

DokuFest will also present a record number of films made in Albanian, both by filmmakers living and working in Kosovo and Albania, but also abroad. Nearly a dozen short documentaries under the banner of DokuFest have also been produced and will be shown at the festival.

Added to this, the festival will pay tribute to one the world’s greatest filmmakers, Albert Maysles. DokuFest will screen six of his films including landmark works such as " Gimme Shelter' and "Grey Gardens" as well as his last two films, "Iris" and "In Transit." Albert Maysles, who died earlier this year, together with his brother David, redefined documentary filmmaking, and influenced a generation of filmmakers with their ability to capture reality as it was unfolding.

The View From The World, non-competitive section of the festival will once again bring some of the biggest films of the year, including, among others,"Citizenfour," winner of the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature,"The Wolfpack," Sundance sensation and winner of the U.S Grand Jury Prize and "The Pearl Button," Best Screenplay winner at this year’s Berlinale.

This year’s rich and varied program also includes film critic’s Neil Young survey of American independent scene in "Uncharted States of America" program and Pamela Cohn’s now continuous exploration of music documentary landscape, albeit in very different form this year, in the "Sound of my Soul" selection.

“DokuFest is returning with yet another eclectic program of films that is sure to amaze, move, question and surprise,” says Veton Nurkollari, Artistic Director of DokuFest. “ We are delighted to be able to present works of the highest quality, both from emerging filmmakers and masters of the craft, to our growing audience”.

You can take a closer look at the diverse sections below:

Competition Programs:

Balkan Dox Competition

International Dox Competition/Feature & Short

Green Dox Competition

Human Rights Dox Competition

International Shorts Competition

National Competition

Special Programs:

View from the World

Should I Stay or Should I go: Films on Migration

Uncharted States of America

Sound of My Soul

Golden Ages of Croatian Experiment

Efa Short

Amdocs@Dokufest

Tribute: Albert Maysles

Films on Film

Food on Film

Life is Elsewhere

Stories We Tell

Future is Here

Special Presentations

Flashes...

Read More: Winner At Newport International Film Festival Premieres on iTunes & Everywhere On May 8th Celebrating its fifth year anniversary this year, the newportFILM Outdoors series will host documentary screenings on Thursday evenings between July 2-September 10. These 11 films will be enjoyed in different outdoor locations. The series will launch with a special showing of "Sunshine Superman," and wlil feature a tribute to the late documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles, whose last film "Iris" will screen. newportFILM’s Artistic Director, Andrea van Beuren said in a statement, "We bring the newest and best documentary films to Newport with the goal of engaging and inspiring our extremely diverse and discerning audiences. As home to a large global sailing community, many exceptional universities (including Risd and Brown) and the Naval War College, Newport has an incredibly dynamic, ever-changing portion of residents. We also have a huge international...

It is not surprising that documentarian Albert Maysles thought that fashion icon Iris Apfel would make a compelling subject for a film. Both artists kept on working late into the twilight of their careers, confounding expectations. Maysles, who died in March at the age of 88, will forever be one of the non-fiction film’s greatest forerunners, responsible for such indelible works as Gimme Shelter and Grey Gardens. Apfel, now 93, still works tirelessly and continues to be a no-holds-barred trendsetter of the New York fashion scene. Long beyond their time, both Maysles and Apfel will be immortalized by aspirants of the art form they championed.

With the exception of In Transit, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April, Iris marks Maysles’ last film. And while it may have a master both in front of and behind the camera, despite its often-effortless entertainment, this is a minor work. Nevertheless, Apfel is a terrific subject,...

This story first appeared in the May 15 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe. On the heels of campaigns from Joni Mitchell, 71, for Saint Laurent and Joan Didion, 80, for Celine, New York fashion icon Iris Apfel, 93, stars in her own just-released documentary, Iris, from the late Albert Maysles. She tells THR that the old-is-hot trend makes sense: "The fashion industry glorifies youth, which is wonderful, but 18-year-old kids can't buy $15,000 dresses. Women in their 60s to 80s have expendable funds and time

read more...

As the UK's largest documentary film festival, Sheffield Doc/Fest has been a the prime platform for experienced as well as new filmmakers to develop and showcase their work; this year is no exception. This year's festival will run from June 5-10, 2015 and will feature 150 films from 35 countries. Read More: Attention Documentary Filmmakers: Here's The Best Advice from Sheffield Doc/Fest Oscar-nominated director Joshua Oppenheimer's "The Look of Silence" will have its UK premiere opening night at the Sheffield Doc/Fest. The five days that follow will be jam-packed with screenings and Masterclasses with filmmakers including Oppenheimer, Brett Morgen ("Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck") and Jeanie Finlay ("Orion: The Man Who Would Be King").  Doc/Fest will pay tribute to the legendary Albert Maysles who passed away earlier this year. The UK premiere for "Iris," a vibrant portrait of fashion icon Iris Apfel and Maysles' final work,...

Furious 7‘s month-long reign at the box office came to an end this weekend at the hands of another franchise entry, as Joss Whedon’s Avengers: Age of Ultron entered the Us release market with a vengeance, earning $187.6 million to rise to the top of the box office. The total, in addition to displacing the aforementioned James Wan film as the biggest opening weekend gross of 2015, already puts the newest entry in the McU in the top three highest grossing films of the year, ahead of the total gross of Fifty Shades of Grey, and just $6 million behind that of Cinderella.

The box office total of the first place winner caused a noticeable drop in the rest of the charts, as Age of Adaline finished in a distant second with $6.3 million. Furious 7 rounded out the top three with a $6.1 million gross, while Dreamworks’ Home completed its sixth straight...

Chicago – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 50 pairs of advance-screening movie passes up for grabs to the new documentary “Iris” on fashion icon Iris Apfel from legendary documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles (“Gimme Shelter,” “Grey Gardens”)!

“Iris,” which opens in Chicago on May 15, 2015 and is rated “PG-13,” also stars Carl Apfel, Billy Apfel, Alexis Bittar, Mickey Boardman, Linda Fargo, Tavi Gevinson, David Hoey, Naeem Khan, Harold Koda, Jenna Lyons, Duro Olowu and Margaret Russell from director Albert Maysles.

To win your free “Iris” passes courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, just get interactive with our social media widget below. That’s it! This screening is on Monday, May 4, 2015 at 7 p.m. in Chicago. The more social actions you complete, the more points you score and the higher yours odds of winning! Completing these social actions only increases your odds of winning; this doesn’t intensify your competition!

Preferably, use your...

Helen Hunt returns as both filmmaker and star in her latest project, Ride, co-starring Brenton Thwaites and Luke Wilson. The Screen Media Films surf comedy will open in L.A. and New York, both locales where the film shot, before going to well over a dozen theaters. The late Albert Maysles’ second-to-last film, Iris, begins its theatrical run via Magnolia Pictures. It follows flamboyant fashion guru Iris Apfel. Sean Bean, Kate Walsh, Eva Longoria, Shane Black and Tom…...

The recent death of American documentarian Albert Maysles places something of an unfair burden on “Iris,” his penultimate production. (“In Transit” was completed but has yet to be released.) This lightweight portrait of a style icon is best enjoyed without being seen as the one of the final films in a distinguished career that included such classic films as “Grey Gardens” and “Gimme Shelter.” In terms of personal style, Iris Apfel might be seen as a distant cousin to “Gardens” protagonist Little Edie Beale — both women have a taste level and a gift for fashionable improvisation that all the...

“I like individuality. It’s so lost these days. So much sameness. Everything is homogenized. I hate it. Whatever.” From that quote in the film’s opening moments, it’s evident that 93-year-old Iris Apfel has lost none of her spirit or style. She shines through in every frame of Albert Maysles’s intimate documentary, “Iris.” It’s so familiar a look at the nonagenarian’s life that – editorial rules or not – we’re tempted to call her by her first name throughout our review. She’s friendly with the camera and the man behind it, showing none of the distance one might expect from an icon with multiple rooms of her Park Avenue apartment devoted to her clothes and accessories collection that was large and distinct enough to merit its own exhibit at the Met. It’s easy to take a look at the quirky subject of Maysles’s...

This weekend, things go awry after Tony Stark jumpstarts a dormant peacekeeping program, and the Avengers have to take down the villainous Ultron in "Avengers: Age of Ultron." Plus, Carey Mulligan is overwhelmed with suitors in Victorian England in "Far From the Madding Crowd."

Also in theaters this weekend: "Welcome to Me" stars Kristen Wiig as a lottery winner who immediately quits her psychiatric meds and buys her own talk show. "Tangerines" follows an Estonian man who takes in a wounded man after war shows up at his front door. The film was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2015 Oscars. "Iris" is a documentary about fashion icon Iris Apfel, from late legendary documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles. "Far From Men" stars Viggo Mortensen as a French teacher in a small Algerian village who forms an unexpected bond with a dissident during the Algerian War, and is then ordered to...

This weekend, things go awry after Tony Stark jumpstarts a dormant peacekeeping program, and the Avengers have to take down the villainous Ultron in "Avengers: Age of Ultron." Plus, Carey Mulligan is overwhelmed with suitors in Victorian England in "Far From the Madding Crowd."

Also in theaters this weekend: "Welcome to Me" stars Kristen Wiig as a lottery winner who immediately quits her psychiatric meds and buys her own talk show. "Tangerines" follows an Estonian man who takes in a wounded man after war shows up at his front door. The film was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2015 Oscars. "Iris" is a documentary about fashion icon Iris Apfel, from late legendary documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles. "Far From Men" stars Viggo Mortensen as a French teacher in a small Algerian village who forms an unexpected bond with a dissident during the Algerian War, and is then ordered to...

Meet Iris. The most precious 91-year-old on Earth. Now meet Iris, the most charming documentary about the most darling 91-year-old on Earth. (Note: Iris is now 93, which means this cover girl is still en vogue.)  Iris is directed by the late, legendary pioneer Albert Maysles (Grey Gardens, Gimme Shelter) and documents the life of the jazzy, posh Iris Apbel, who made fashion her bitch. "If you hang around long enough, everything comes back," she says with a zippy, wide smile. (This means you can breathe easy, parachute pants will be cool again, someday.)Her wardrobe is based on what she finds while thrifting and window shopping, and now, whatever fashion designers send her. Just like the film, Iris' pizazz is untouchable. She's now 93, a...

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Summer Hours: In Life’s Twilight, Maysles Looks at a Late Life Fashion Icon and Finds Love in Work, Marriage & Stuff

Watching Iris, a light-hearted profile of the self professed ‘geriatric starlet’ of New York City costume couture, Iris Apfel, one could not help but think of two things – the singular oddness of the Beales of Grey Gardens bleeding through a port hole of performative cinema history into the life an oddball worthy of comparison, and the massive gaping hole left by the loss of the man who managed to immortalize them all as silver screen legends – the incomparable Albert Maysles who tragically died just last month at age 88.

It’s impossible not to concentrate on the many moments in acknowledgement of his presence behind the camera – the casually tender moments when Iris, then 92, introduces Albert to her friends and colleagues, lovingly acknowledging his own legacy and public persona,...

Summer blockbuster season is just around the corner, but there's no need to wait until then to see a great movie. April brings us a wide variety of women-centric projects, as well as quite a few films helmed and/or written by women.

The month starts off with "Woman in Gold," starring Helen Mirren as a Jewish woman on a journey to recover her family's heirlooms, which was stolen by the Nazis. It's based on a true story, and Mirren roots the film with her powerful presence. "Closer to the Moon" is another WWII-era drama set for an April release, this one based on the crime capers of a group of Jewish resistance fighters a few years after the end of the war. "Marie's Story" is another period piece, centering around the efforts of a 19th-century nun to help a girl born blind and deaf.

There are a few more women-focused dramas being released in April, including the much-buzzed "Clouds of Sils Maria," which garnered Kristen Stewart the prestigious Cesar Award for supporting actress. Stewart has made waves for being the first American actress to win the French award, and the film looks to capitalize on that with its American release. “Félix & Meira" is another award-winner coming out this month. The Best Canadian Feature from the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival aims to make its mark with the story of an unconventional and radical love affair, one that reaches across racial and religious lines. "About Elly" also confronts cultural biases with its depiction of Iran's upper middle class.

"Effie Gray" tackles the sexual politics of the Victorian era, and with a screenplay from Emma Thompson, it's sure to be intriguing as well as quick-witted. Speaking of intriguing, "The Age of Adaline" follows a woman who mysteriously stopped aging eight decades ago. Blake Lively centers the film as Adaline, struggling with love and trust and all the other things that might follow when one lives seemingly forever.

Courteney Cox makes her big-screen directorial debut (the actress has previously directed episodes of "Cougar Town," which she stars in) with "Just Before I Go," and screenwiter Gren Wells makes hers as well with "The Road Within." Director Mia Hansen-løve ("Goodbye First Love") directs Greta Gerwig in "Eden," a look at the rise of French electronic music in the 90s.

The month will also see the release of a few very different documentaries. "The Hand That Feeds" focuses on undocumented immigrants struggling to form an independent union, while "Iris" follows 93-year-old Iris Apfel, a flamboyant New York City fashion icon. "Antarctic Edge: 70° South" is focused on the changing climate of the Antarctic's Peninsula and was made with the collaboration of Rutgers University students and scientists.

We'll also see comedic projects featuring Mary Elizabeth Winstead ("Alex of Venice") and Rose Byrne ("Adult Beginners"). Nia Vardalos returns to the screen with a role in "Helicopter Mom," which promises an outrageous performance from the "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" star. "Sweet Lorraine" and "Farah Goes Bang" round out the women-centric comedy offerings of the month.

Here are all the women-centric films opening in the month of April. All descriptions are from press materials unless otherwise noted.

April 1

Woman in Gold

"Woman in Gold" is the remarkable true story of one woman’s journey to reclaim her heritage and seek justice for what happened to her family. Sixty years after she fled Vienna during World War II, an elderly Jewish woman, Maria Altmann (Helen Mirren), starts her journey to retrieve family possessions seized by the Nazis, among them Klimt’s famous painting "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I." Together with her inexperienced but plucky young lawyer Randy Schoenberg (Ryan Reynolds), she embarks upon a major battle, which takes them all the way to the heart of the Austrian establishment and the U.S. Supreme Court, and forces her to confront difficult truths about the past along the way.

April 3

The Hand That Feeds (doc) - Co-Written and Co-Directed by Rachel Lears

At a popular bakery café, residents of New York’s Upper East Side get bagels and coffee served with a smile 24 hours a day. But behind the scenes, undocumented immigrant workers face sub-legal wages, dangerous machinery, and abusive managers who will fire them for calling in sick. Mild-mannered sandwich maker Mahoma López has never been interested in politics, but in January 2012 he convinces a small group of his co-workers to fight back.

Risking deportation and the loss of their livelihood, the workers team up with a diverse crew of innovative young organizers and take the unusual step of forming their own independent union, launching themselves on a journey that will test the limits of their resolve. In one roller-coaster year, they must overcome a shocking betrayal and a two-month lockout. Lawyers will battle in back rooms, Occupy Wall Street protesters will take over the restaurant, and a picket line will divide the neighborhood. If they can win a contract, it will set a historic precedent for low-wage workers across the country. But whatever happens, Mahoma and his coworkers will never be exploited again.

Effie Gray - Written by Emma Thompson

In her original screenplay “Effie Gray,” Emma Thompson takes a bold look at the real-life story of the Effie Gray-John Ruskin marriage, while courageously exposing what was truly hiding behind the veil of their public life. Set in a time when neither divorce nor gay marriage were an option, “Effie Gray” is the story of a young woman (Dakota Fanning) coming of age and finding her own voice in a world where women were expected to be seen but not heard. “Effie Gray” explores the roots of sexual intolerance, which continue to have a stronghold today, while shedding light on the marital politics of the Victorian era.

April 8

About Elly

As with director Asghar Farhadi's better-known films, “About Elly” concerns the affluent, well-educated, cultured, and only marginally religious members of Iran's upper-middle class. Elly (Taraneh Alidoosti), a pretty young woman invited as a possible romantic interest for one of the newly single men among this group, disappears suddenly without a trace. The festive atmosphere quickly turns frantic as friends accuse one another of responsibility. Plot-wise, Farhadi's drama has been compared to “L’Avventura”; but the film is less concerned with Elly's disappearance per se than with exploring the intricate mechanisms of deceit, brutality, and betrayal which come into play when ordinary circumstances take a tragic turn.

April 10

Clouds of Sils Maria

At the peak of her international career, Maria Enders (Juliette Binoche) is asked to perform in a revival of the play that made her famous twenty years ago. But back then, she played the role of Sigrid, an alluring young girl who disarms and eventually drives her boss Helena to suicide. Now she is being asked to step into the other role, that of the older Helena. She departs with her assistant (Kristen Stewart) to rehearse in Sils Maria; a remote region of the Alps. A young Hollywood starlet with a penchant for scandal (Chloë Grace Moretz) is to take on the role of Sigrid, and Maria finds herself on the other side of the mirror, face to face with an ambiguously charming woman who is, in essence, an unsettling reflection of herself.

The Sisterhood of Night - Directed by Caryn Waechter and Written by Marilyn Fu

Based on the short story by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Steven Millhauser, "The Sisterhood of Night" is a story of friendship and loyalty set against the backdrop of a modern-day Salem witch trial. Shot on location in Kingston, NY, the film chronicles a group of girls who have slipped out of the world of social media into a mysterious world deep in the woods. The tale begins when Emily Parris (Kara Hayward) exposes a secret society of teenage girls. Accusing them of committing sexually deviant acts, Emily’s allegations throw their small American town into the national media spotlight. The mystery deepens when each of the accused takes a vow of silence. What follows is a chronicle of three girls’ unique and provocative alternative to the loneliness of adolescence, revealing the tragedy and humor of teenage years changed forever by the Internet age.

Farah Goes Bang - Directed by Meera Menon, Written by Laura Goode and Meera Menon

A road-trip comedy that centers on Farah (Nikohl Boosheri), a twenty-something woman who tries to lose her virginity while campaigning for John Kerry in 2004. Farah and her friends K.J. and Roopa follow the campaign trail to Ohio, seizing this charged moment in their lives and the life of their country.

April 17

Closer to the Moon

Set in 1959 Bucharest, “Closer to the Moon” opens as the crime is hatched and executed by old friends from the WWII Jewish Resistance, who seek to recapture the excitement of their glory days. Led by a chief police inspector (Mark Strong) and a political academic (Vera Farmiga), the quintet also includes a respected history professor (Christian McKay), a hotshot reporter (Joe Armstrong), and a space scientist (Tim Plester). Their postwar influence fading amid an ongoing Stalinist purge of Jews and intellectuals, the disillusioned gang retaliates by hijacking a van delivering cash to the Romanian National Bank, staging the robbery to make it look like a movie shoot. Caught and convicted in a kangaroo court, the culprits, with help from an eyewitness (Harry Lloyd) to the robbery, are forced to reenact their crime in a devious anti-Semitic propaganda film.

Felix & Meira

Winner of Best Canadian Feature at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, “Félix & Meira” is the story of an unconventional romance between two people living vastly different realities mere blocks away from one another. Each lost in their everyday lives, Meira (Hadas Yaron), a Hasidic Jewish wife and mother, and Félix (Martin Dubreuil), a Secular loner mourning the recent death of his estranged father, unexpectedly meet in a local bakery in Montreal's Mile End district. What starts as an innocent friendship becomes more serious as the two wayward strangers find comfort in one another. As Felix opens Meira's eyes to the world outside of her tight-knit Orthodox community, her desire for change becomes harder for her to ignore, ultimately forcing her to choose: remain in the life that she knows or give it all up to be with Félix.

Alex of Venice - Co-Written by Jessica Goldberg and Katie Nehra

In “Alex of Venice,” workaholic environmental attorney Alex Vedder (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is forced to reinvent herself after her husband (Chris Messina) suddenly leaves the family. Dealing with an aging father (Don Johnson) who still aspires to succeed as an actor, an eccentric sister (Katie Nehra), and an extremely shy son (Skylar Gaertner), Alex is bombarded with everything from the mundane to hilariously catastrophic events without a shoulder to lean on. Realizing she will thrive with or without her husband, Alex discovers her hidden vulnerability as well as her inner strength as she fights to keep her family intact in the midst of the most demanding and important case of her career.

Cas & Dylan - Written by Jessie Gabe

When 61-year-old self-proclaimed loner and terminally ill Dr. Cas Pepper (Richard Dreyfuss) reluctantly agrees to give 22-year-old social misfit Dyland Morgan (Tatiana Maslany) a very short lift home, the last thing he anticipates is that he will strike her angry boyfriend with his car, find himself on the lam, and ultimately drive across the country with an aspiring young writer determined to help him overcome his own bizarre case of suicide-note writer's block. But as fate would have it, that is exactly what happens. Suddenly Cas's solo one-way trip out West isn't so solo. With Dylan at his side, the two take off on an adventure that will open their eyes to some of life's lessons -- both big and small.

Antarctic Edge: 70° South (doc) - Directed by Dena Seidel

Dena Seidel’s documentary not only offers rare, beautifully shot footage of West Antarctic Pennisula's rapidly changing environment, studying the connections that reveal the concrete impact of climate change; it is also a one-of-a-kind collaboration between the Rutgers University Film Bureau and the Rutgers Institute for Marine and Coastal Sciences and contains interviews and insights from some of the world’s leading ocean researchers. It is a fascinating look at their life’s work trying to understand how to maintain our planet.

The Road Within - Written and Directed by Gren Wells

Vincent (Robert Sheehan), a young man with Tourette's syndrome, faces drastic changes after his mother dies. Because his politician father is too ashamed of the disorder to have Vincent accompany him on the campaign, Vincent is shuttled off to an unconventional clinic. There he finds unexpected community with an obsessive-compulsive roommate and an anorexic young woman, and romance eventually -- and uneasily -- follows.

One of Variety's "10 Directors to Watch," screenwriter Gren Wells makes her directorial debut with this ambitious yet light-hearted coming-of-age tale about the potent medicine we all carry within ourselves. The film is packed with a talented ensemble, from emerging talents Zoë Kravitz, Dev Patel, and Sheehan to beloved veterans Kyra Sedgwick and Robert Patrick.

April 23

Sweet Lorraine

The double life of a Methodist minister's wife (played by Tatum O'Neal) catches up to her, as her husband campaigns for mayor in a small New Jersey town.

April 24

Just Before I Go - Directed by Courtney Cox

Ted Morgan (Seann William Scott) has been treading water for most of his life. After his wife leaves him, Ted realizes he has nothing left to live for. Summoning the courage for one last act, Ted decides to go home and face the people he feels are responsible for creating the shell of a person he has become. But life is tricky. The more determined Ted is to confront his demons, to get closure, and to withdraw from his family, the more Ted is yanked into the chaos of their lives. So, when Ted Morgan decides to kill himself, he finds a reason to live.

The Age of Adaline

After miraculously remaining 29-years-old for almost eight decades, Adaline Bowman (Blake Lively) has lived a solitary existence, never allowing herself to get close to anyone who might reveal her secret. But a chance encounter with charismatic philanthropist Ellis Jones (Michiel Huisman) reignites her passion for life and romance. When a weekend with his parents (Harrison Ford and Kathy Baker) threatens to uncover the truth, Adaline makes a decision that will change her life forever.

Adult Beginners - Co-Written by Liz Flahive (Simultaneously releasing to VOD)

A young, hipster entrepreneur (Nick Kroll) crashes and burns on the eve of his company’s big launch. With his entire life in disarray, he leaves Manhattan to move in with his estranged pregnant sister (Rose Byrne), brother-in-law (Bobby Cannavale), and three-year-old nephew in the suburbs – only to become their manny. Faced with real responsibility, he may finally have to grow up – but not without some bad behavior first.

Eden - Directed and Co-Written by Mia Hansen-løve

The film follows the life of a French DJ who's credited with inventing "French house" or the "French touch," a type of French electronic music that became popular in the 1990s. Greta Gerwig costars. (IMDb)

24 Days - Co-Written by Emilie Frèche

January 20, 2006: After dinner with his family, Ilan Halimi (Syrus Shahidi) gets a call from a beautiful girl who had approached him at work and makes plans to meet her for coffee. Ilan didn't suspect a thing. He was 23 and had his whole life ahead of him. The next time Ilan's family heard from him was through a cryptic online message from kidnappers demanding a ransom in exchange for their son's life. (IMDb)

Helicopter Mom - Directed by Salomé Breziner

An overbearing mom (Nia Vardalos) decides that college would be more affordable if her son were to win an Lgbt scholarship, so she outs him to his entire high school. However, he might not be gay. (Rotten Tomatoes)

April 29

Iris (doc) (Opening in New York City)

"Iris" pairs legendary 87-year-old documentarian Albert Maysles with Iris Apfel, the quick-witted, flamboyantly dressed 93-year-old style maven who has had an outsized presence on the New York fashion scene for decades. More than a fashion film, the documentary is a story about creativity and how, even in Iris' dotage, a soaring free spirit continues to inspire. "Iris" portrays a singular woman whose enthusiasm for fashion, art, and people are life's sustenance and reminds us that dressing, and indeed life, is nothing but an experiment. Despite the abundance of glamour in her current life, she continues to embrace the values and work ethic established during a middle-class Queens upbringing during the Great Depression.

April 30

Marie’s Story

At the turn of the 19th century, a humble artisan and his wife have a daughter, Marie (Ariana Rivoire), who is born deaf and blind and unable to communicate with the world around her. Desperate to find a connection to their daughter and avoid sending her to an asylum, the Heurtins send fourteen-year-old Marie to the Larnay Institute in central France, where an order of Catholic nuns manage a school for deaf girls. There, the idealistic Sister Marguerite (Isabelle Carré) sees in Marie a unique potential, and despite her Mother Superior's (Brigitte Catillon) skepticism, vows to bring the wild young thing out of the darkness into which she was born. Based on true events, “Marie's Story” recounts the courageous journey of a young nun and the lives she would change forever, confronting failures and discouragement with joyous faith and love. (Film Movement)...

“That’s cool.” Kanye West completely geeked out when he met 93-year-old fashion icon Iris Apfel at the 2011 Cfda Awards. In a clip from Apfel’s new documentary, Iris, that’s made its way onto Vine, the rapper crushes on a seriously cool, yet slightly — and amazingly — flirtatious, Apfel. “You’re killing it. You look so good tonight,” a smiling West tells Apfel, who is clad in a lime-green top and her signature jewelry and oversized black glasses. “Oh, thank you. My goodness. Coming from a handsome young [...]...

Well, we never thought we'd see the day! Kanye West is crushing on someone besides himself!  And, no, it's not his wife or daughter. It's 93-year-old fashion icon Iris Apfel. And, the legendary Apfel seems to geek out right back at him. This clip comes courtesy of Apfel's new documentary, Iris (out April 29), which was shared by Paper Mag.  The scene is the 2011 Cfda Awards, and Iris, clad in her signature baubles and oversized glasses and draped in what we can only assume is insanely expensive silk, has been making the rounds with all of fashion's biggest names. She's just met Jenna Lyons and Alexander Wang, and next a rapper-slash-aspiring-designer (this is 2011,...

The late Albert Maysles, who died March 6 at the age of 88, debuted his second-to-last feature doc "Iris" at the New York Film Festival last Fall. The film profiles iconic fashion designer Iris Apfel, who is 94. This flamboyant, colorful documentary follows the wit-spouting Apfel around New York, where a Met exhibit chronicled her history as a style maven. It just played the Miami International Film Festival where Apfel was in attendance. Maysles' final film, "In Transit," which he co-directed with other filmmakers, world-premieres at Tribeca this year. Magnolia Pictures will release "Iris" in New York on April 29, 2015, Los Angeles May 1, 2015 and additional cities throughout May. Read More: TCM to Host Albert Maysles Retrospective Listen: Screen Talk: From Albert Maysles and Lena Dunham to the Rise and Fall of Abel Ferrara and Neill Blomkamp...

The passing of pioneering documentary Albert Maysles isn’t a good way to bring attention to his final film, but we’re happy knowing that we get to see one last effort from he master filmmaker. Iris is a doc nominally about Iris Apfel, the 94-year old designer and fashion icon, with the film primarily focused on the […]

The post ‘Iris’ Trailer: Albert Maysles’ Final Documentary appeared first on /Film.

Last week the legendary documentarian Albert Maysles passed away at the age of 88, just days after one of his pinnacle films, Grey Gardens, received a Criterion Collection re-release and remastering.

But one of the films he left behind him was Iris, about the life of fashion icon Iris Apfel. Herself 93-years-old, Apfel is an interior designer, fashion mogul and businesswoman living in New York. Maysles film profiles Apfel’s creativity and her struggles up through the Great Depression and more. Here’s the full synopsis:

Iris pairs the 87-year-old Maysles with Iris Apfel, the quick-witted, flamboyantly dressed 93-year-old style maven who has had an outsized presence on the New York fashion scene for decades. More than a fashion film, the documentary is a story about creativity and how, even at Iris’ advanced age, a soaring free spirit continues to inspire. Iris portrays a singular woman whose enthusiasm for fashion, art...

Filmmaker Albert Maysles, director of iconic documentaries Gimme Shelter and Grey Gardens, died Thursday, March 5, 2015 in New York at age 88.

Here’s a first look at the trailer for his film Iris, which had its world premiere at the 2014 New York Film Festival. Iris pairs Maysles with Iris Apfel, the quick-witted, flamboyantly dressed 93-year-old style maven who has had an outsized presence on the New York fashion scene for decades.

More than a fashion film, the documentary is a story about creativity and how, even at Iris’ advanced age, a soaring free spirit continues to inspire. Iris portrays a singular woman whose enthusiasm for fashion, art and people are life’s sustenance and reminds us that dressing, and indeed life, is nothing but an experiment.

Despite the abundance of glamour in her current life, she continues to embrace the values and work ethic established during a middle-class Queens upbringing during the Great Depression.

Late last week we lost the great documentarian Albert Maysles, but the ever prolific filmmaker left us with a couple movies to treasure, and first up is "Iris." A new trailer landed today highlighting the filmmaker's distinct talent at capturing unique personalities at their best. In this case, it's New York City fashion scene staple, Iris Apfel. "My father was always interested in making portraits of people, of them just being who they were. He really loved working with Iris. I would often stand aside and see him nudge her and say something sweet about how he really liked shooting her," Rebekah Maysles, daughter of Albert Maysles, and producer on the film, said in a statement. "I would catch him saying things to her like 'we're getting good stuff' — or as she was walking back to her bedroom he'd give her the thumbs up. We were a small team and...

With his recent passing, documentary master Albert Maysles not only left behind a legendary career, but there’s still films of his audiences have yet to see. As his iconic Grey Gardens currently enjoys a restored re-release, the last film he worked on, In Transit, will premiere at Tribeca Film Festival. However, his last true solo effort is Iris, premiered […]...

With the passing of seminal documentarian Albert Maysles on March 5, it would only be appropriate to speak to Susan Froemke, his long time friend and frequent co-director. Albert Maysles –along with his brother David - made some of the most iconic American documentaries of all time, all the while revolutionizing the art form, largely through the utilization of cinema verite or direct cinema. This documentary motif, which grew popular by the Maysles and their contemporaries like D.A. Pennebaker and Richard Leacock, actually had been invented by Jean Rouch and originally inspired by Dziga Vertov’s theory about Kino Pravda nearly a century ago.

Cinema verite is sometimes called observational cinema, but that does not entirely explain its phenomenon; the style is largely concerned with the recording of events in which the subject and audience become unaware of the camera’s presence. One can feel the visceral and –at times- spontaneous reactions by its performers. (Take for instance Mick Jagger’s despair upon seeing footage of one of his fans killed at the Altamont Free Concert by a member of the Hells Angels in "Gimme Shelter").

The Maysles’ brothers were co-directors of acclaimed films such as the aforementioned "Gimme Shelter," "Grey Gardens" and "Salesman." They continued to make cinema verite documentaries together for thirty years until David’s death in 1987. They chronicled Hollywood luminaries like Orson Welles and Marlon Brando, and also chronicled the Beatles’ first visit to the U.S. Their range was vast and eclectic. They were nominated for a Best Documentary, Short Subjects Academy Award in 1974 for "Christo’s Valley Curtain." Afterward, Albert Maysles would co-direct with Deborah Dickson and Susan Froemke, and would go on to win an Emmy in 1992 for "Abortion: Desperate Choices." Up until his death, Albert continued making films on his own and in collaboration with other filmmakers for HBO and others. The collaboration between Albert Maysles and Susan Froemke had been just as impressive. Such films as "Vladimir Horowitz: The Last Romantic" and "Ozawa" are part of their canon. Perhaps their most prominent collaboration (along with Deborah Dickson) was the 2001 Oscar nominated "Lalee’s Kin: The Legacy of Cotton," which followed a Mississippi Delta school district and a struggling Delta family. The film reflected the damaging effects of poverty in the Deep South.

In this Exclusive interview, Susan Froemke discusses Albert Maysles’ brilliance as co-director, collaborator, his integral place within cinematic history as well as generous artistic spirit.

Jared Feldschreiber: What were the circumstances in which you met Albert Maysles as film artists? Since you both collaborated on close to twenty films, how would you characterize your relationship both artistically and on a personal basis?

Susan Froemke: I arrived at Maysles Films in the early 70’s, 21 years old, and worked with Al and David until 2003. The Maysles shied away from hiring people right out of film schools because they wanted you to be open to their approach. They didn’t want to “un-teach you”—their word. I was an English Lit major which pleased them. I was privileged to be one of the few allowed to be on shoots with them (Bob Richman was too) so I saw their filming approach first hand. I worked very closely with David, Charlotte Zwerin and Ellen Hovde in the edit room. I eventually produced for them.

Jf: How would you describe your collaborative process?

Sf: When David died in 1987, Al and I partnered as a filming team--Al on camera while I took sound. A two person filming crew—no larger-- was essential to capturing the intimate footage we loved. Maysles Films was very much a family and it lasted for over 40 years. Everyone who worked there, and many talented filmmakers came through the company, felt the spirit of the place and we were all committed to the Maysles’ approach and very close personally.

We’d find a subject we thought was worthy of filming, follow the direction that subject took us on and then edit the footage all as a team. Our end credits were “a film by” and that was the true working relationship. Everyone had an equal voice. We are all so sad today.

Jf: In a TV interview, Albert disclosed a telling adage by Orson Welles, which seemed to fit his approach to documentaries: ‘In a fiction film, the director is God, in a non-fiction film, God is the director,' Albert cited Welles. Would you say that this was Albert’s modus operandi, and if so, would you say as a documentarian he remained resolute to never ‘prejudge’ his subjects and let the events on camera determine the film’s focus?

Sf: Oh yes, I heard that quote often from Al. Al and David (and I have to always include David as well because they developed their approach—their philosophy—together) took their direction from their subject. The only thing we asked from a subject was access. Al and David never told a subject what to do, never asked them to repeat an action or sentence. They never talked to the subject while filming. Never. They wanted to minimize the fact that filming was going on. They wanted to keep the true-life situation as real as possible. But this was Not fly on the wall filming. They hated being called that because there was always a deep bond between filmmaker and subject. A deep trust. Wherever the subject took us always produced the strongest footage. And reality never disappointed us.

Jf: Do you know who were Albert’s main film inspirations?

Sf: I don’t think Al ever saw any films except his own. He didn’t really go to the movies. Certainly not fiction films! He was inspired by the people he met on a train; or walking down the street, if he saw someone sad, he’d ask them why; faces in the crowd, this is what interested him. I do know that he did admire Henri Cartier–Bresson’s photographs.

Jf: In layman’s terms, what’s the value of cinema verite? How can one define it? Do you feel as though the modern sensibility is patient enough to deal with its approach? Was this ever a concern for you and Albert over time that you may lose your audience?

Sf: Al was never interested in any approach to filmmaking but “direct cinema” which we defined as the truth that unfolded before our camera. This is a timeless approach, one that allowed us to examine the human spirit. I think it will last through the ages, like great literature. It never occurred to us to worry about losing an audience. If you have a complex narrative with charismatic characters, your film will always find viewership.

Jf: How many films did you work on with Albert, and which ones were your favorites in terms of content, their form and other personal collaborative memories?

Sf: I made over 20 films with Al. Favorites include "Grey Gardens", "Vladimir Horowitz: The Last Romantic," "Lalee’s Kin: The Legacy of Cotton," "Soldiers Of Music: Rostropovich Returns to Russia." There are so many. The trip to Russia in the early 90’s with Al to film Rostropovich’s return to Russia after 16 years of exile was a magnificent trip. Al had a tremendously nostalgic feeling towards Russia because he and David had taken a motorcycle trip there in the 50’s and began filming then. We traveled with Rostropovich and his family for a week and each encounter they had—whether musical or political-- was profound so we came back with rich, beautiful footage that told a story of courage and bravery. Al’s intuitive, lyrical camera was stunning whether filming Rostropovich playing the cello or just faces of strangers in a crowd.

Jf: In which scenes in the films you worked on together would you say you achieved a kind of ‘cinema truth?’

Sf: There is a scene in "Lalee’s Kin" which was filmed in the Mississippi Delta’s poorest county where Lalee, a 60 year old Great Grandmother, realizes her 12 year old granddaughter hasn’t made it to school on the first day of classes because she didn’t have any pencils or paper to take with her. The granddaughter is softly crying as Lalee searches through her house trying to find some pencils. This is a child who wants to be educated but painfully knows the odds aren’t in her favor. It’s a heartbreaking scene that illuminates the scale of the problems of poverty—how difficult it is to educate the child from an illiterate family. It is ‘cinema truth’ at it’s best.

Albert Maysles’ documentary film career began in 1955 when he traveled abroad to shoot "Psychiatry in Russia." He made films until his death, as exemplified by his latest “In Transit," which is due to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in April. The film centers on the Empire Builder - America’s busiest long-distance train route that runs from Chicago to Seattle. "Iris," another documentary of the fashion icon Iris Apfel, will also be released next month.

Albert Maysles at Simon Trevor's White Gold premiere at MoMA Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

Documentary filmmakers Morgan Neville (2014 Oscar winner for 20 Feet From Stardom), Fabien Constant (Mademoiselle C), Varon Bonicos (A Man's Story) and Keyhole director Guy Maddin share their thoughts on the passing of the great documentarian Albert Maysles at the age of 88, Thursday, March 5, in New York City.

Author and journalist Gay Talese on an American Assignment for the New York Times in Selma, Alabama, sent a note, upon hearing the news, from the place where Gay had covered the civil rights march and "Bloody Sunday" 50 years ago.

Albert Maysles with Iris Apfel, the subject of his film Iris

Tribeca Film Festival Artistic Director Frédéric Boyer wrote "…this is very sad to lose a master of Cinema. We are playing his last film in the Tribeca [World Documentary] Competition,..." In Transit, co-directed by Maysles with Nelson Walker, Lynn True, David Usui,...