BAMcinématek and the Jim Henson Foundation present the fourth annual Puppets on Film festival, a celebration of live puppetry in cinema, Oct 24— 26
Featuring workshops and classes for the whole family, a photography exhibit, and special guests at nearly every screening
The Wall Street Journal is the title sponsor for BAMcinématek and BAM Rose Cinemas.
Target is the presenting sponsor of BAMkids.
Brooklyn, NY/Sep 18, 2014—From Friday, October 24 through Sunday, October 26, BAMcinématek and the Jim Henson Foundation present the fourth annual Puppets on Film festival, following the highly successful third edition last fall. The three-day festival celebrates the universal, magical art of puppetry and the myriad ways in which the art form has been incorporated into live-action filmmaking. The lineup includes nine features, more than 20 shorts, special guests at most screenings, workshops for all ages, and a Dark Crystal extravaganza.
Opening the festival on Friday, October 24 is The Dark Crystal Fan Fest, hosted by DarkCrystal.com. This special celebration of the sweeping, Tolkienesque fantasy classic will include a screening of the film, appearances by conceptual designers Brian and Wendy Froud, the New York premiere of Toby Froud’s award-winning short Lessons Learned, and more.
Hailed as “one of this country’s premier puppeteers” (Joan Acocella, The New Yorker), Puppets on Film alum Basil Twist (Arias with a Twist, 2011) returns to BAM for the festival’s closing night and the world premiere of Steve Lippman’s Behind the Lid (2014—Oct 26). This moving documentary looks back on Twist’s dreamscape theatrical production with renowned downtown performance artist Lee Nagrin, who died shortly after it opened. Behind the Lid screens with the world premiere of Emily Lobsenz’s eerie short The Never Bell (2014), about two sisters and the bell that lies just out of reach.
Puppets on Film features a variety of programs for children, including an all new Shortstack! Kids Shorts Program (Oct 25); Joseph Jacoby’s Davy Jones’ Locker (1995—Oct 26), a musical pirate adventure with marionettes by legendary puppeteer Bil Baird (featured in “The Lonely Goatherd” sequence in The Sound of Music); and the latest Muppet caper, Muppets Most Wanted (2014— Oct 25) with Muppet performer Matt Vogel in person. Coinciding with these screenings are two kids’ workshops: How to Be a Puppeteer (Oct 25), in which children make their own creations and learn the basics of puppeteering; and Animal Marionettes (Oct 26), which teaches the fundamentals of performing with a string puppet.
This year, Puppets on Film also offers workshops for teens and adults, including the Handmade Puppets Dreams Filmmaking Symposium (Oct 25), an in-depth panel exploring all aspects of the puppet filmmaking process hosted by Heather Henson, and a PuppetCinema class (Oct 26) in conjunction with the Next Wave Festival’s Salt of the Earth (Oct 28—Nov 1), which will give participants a chance to learn the mechanics of live-action puppet cinema. It follows Live Action Puppet Shorts (Oct 26), which features three US premieres; two New York premieres; puppets made of paper, cardboard, and shadows; and a short starring Neil Patrick Harris.
Other highlights include a sneak preview of Dave LaMattina and Chad N. Walker’s I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story, co-presented with DOC NYC and followed by a Q&A with the directors and the man behind the bird, Caroll Spinney; a rare theatrical screening of Return of the Jedi (1983—Oct 25), featuring in person appearances by creature designers Kirk Thatcher and Wendy Froud, who created the puppets for beloved characters Yoda and Jabba the Hut; Tomorrow We Disappear (2014—Oct 26); Jim Goldblum and Adam M. Weber’s acclaimed documentary exploring an endangered Indian artists’ community; John Carpenter’s sci-fi thriller The Thing (1983—Oct 24); and Joe Cornish’s B-movie inspired Attack the Block (2011—Oct 25) with a special appearance by creature movement coach Terry Notary (Avatar, The Hobbit trilogy).
This year Puppets on Film adds a visual art component, Puppets Through the Lens: The Photography of Richard Termine, which will be on display in the BAM Rose Cinemas lobby starting October 24. The exhibition showcases Termine’s award-winning photography capturing the world of puppetry, including photos from the set of Sesame Street and performances around the globe.
Puppets on Film is curated by BAMcinématek, Cheryl Henson, and Lindsey “Z.” Briggs.
For press information, please contact: Lisa Thomas at 718.724.8023 / [email protected] Hannah Thomas at 718.724.8002 / [email protected]
Puppets on Film Schedule
Fri, Oct 24 7pm: The Dark Crystal Fan Fest 10:30pm: The Thing
Sat, Oct 25 10am & 12:30pm: Family Puppet Workshop: How to Be a Puppeteer 11am: Shortstack! Kids Shorts Program 1:30pm: Muppets Most Wanted 1pm: Handmade Puppet Dreams Filmmaking Symposium 4:30pm: I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story 7pm: Return of the Jedi 10:30pm: Attack the Block
Sun, Oct 26 10am & 12:15pm: Family Puppet Workshop: Animal Marionettes 11am: Davy Jones’ Locker 1pm: Live Action Puppet Shorts 3pm: Class: PuppetCinema 3:30pm: Tomorrow We Disappear 6pm: Behind the Lid + The Never Bell
Film, Workshop, and Exhibit Descriptions
Attack the Block (2011) 88min Directed by Joe Cornish. With John Boyega, Alex Esmail, Nick Frost. It’s inner city versus outer space when a teen gang is pitted against an invasion of savage alien monsters, turning their south London housing project into a sci-fi playground. “An entertaining thriller in the tradition of 1970s B-action films, with an unknown cast, energetic special effects, and great energy” (Roger Ebert). DCP. Ages 15+ Sat, Oct 25 at 10:30pm Special guest: creature movement coach Terry Notary
Behind the Lid (2014) 81min World premiere! Dir. Steve Lippman. This new film captures an extraordinary performance, a deeply personal elegy to the downtown artist Lee Nagrin by puppeteer Basil Twist. DCP. Screens with The Never Bell. Recommended for adults. Sun, Oct 26 at 6pm Special guests: Basil Twist and Steve Lippman
Class: PuppetCinema 90min BAM Fisher (Hillman Studio) 321 Ashland Place Tickets: $25; available for purchase at the BAM Box Office In conjunction with the Next Wave Festival’s Salt of the Earth, this workshop gives participants a chance to discover the aesthetics of innovative company PuppetCinema and learn the basic mechanics of film, puppetry, and object theater. Ages 15+ Sun, Oct 26 at 3pm Led by Zvi Sahar and Leslie Strongwater
The Dark Crystal Fan Fest 130min Jim Henson, Frank Oz, illustrator Brian Froud, and an extraordinary team of collaborators created a richly realized fantasy world unlike any other in the cult classic The Dark Crystal (1982). Given the chance to work with more complex material, Henson let his imagination run wild, wondrously aided by then state-of- the-art animatronics. Hosted by DarkCrystal.com, this one-night-only celebration features a screening of the film, appearances by Brian and Wendy Froud, the New York premiere of Toby Froud’s acclaimed new short film Lessons Learned, and much more. Fans are welcome to come in costume! Ages 7+ Fri, Oct 24 at 7:30pm Special guests: Brian, Wendy, and Toby Froud
Davy Jones’ Locker (1995) 52min Dir. Joseph Jacoby. The exquisitely crafted marionettes of legendary puppeteer Bil Baird (famously featured in “The Lonely Goatherd” sequence in The Sound of Music) are the stars of this rollicking musical adventure about a young boy who falls in with a band of pirates. A charmingly lo-fi blend of tuneful songs, beautiful puppetry, whimsical visuals, and gentle comedy, Davy Jones’ Locker is an analog delight for all ages. Digital. Ages 5+ Sun, Oct 26 at 11am Special guests: Joseph Jacoby and performer William Tost
Family Puppet Workshop: Animal Marionettes 45min BAMcafé 30 Lafayette Ave Tickets: $7 (workshops have limited capacity; children 10 and under must be accompanied by an adult and each ticket admits one person); available for purchase at the BAM Rose Cinemas box office Kids unlock the secrets of marionette performance by building their own animal marionettes, then learn how to use weight, balance, and gravity to perform with a string puppet. Ages 6—9. Sun, Oct 26 at 10am & 12:15pm Led by Honey Goodenough
Family Puppet Workshop: How to Be a Puppeteer 45min BAMcafé 30 Lafayette Ave Tickets: $7 (workshops have limited capacity; children 10 and under must be accompanied by an adult and each ticket admits one person); available for purchase at the BAM Rose Cinemas box office Kids learn a variety of puppetry techniques, make their own creations, and meet Lionel from the Emmy- winning PBS series Between the Lions during this interactive workshop by master puppeteer Noel MacNeal. Ages 4—8. Sat, Oct 25 at 10am & 12:30pm Led by Noel MacNeal
Handmade Puppets Dreams Filmmaking Symposium 180min BAM Fisher (Hillman Studio) 321 Ashland Place Tickets: $10; available for purchase at the BAM Box Office
Join Heather Henson and IBEX Puppetry in this unique gathering of Handmade Puppet Dreams (HMPD) film directors to discuss puppets on film. Panelists will examine their personal experiences with filmmaking, each looking at different aspects of the process: conceptualizing the story, designing and fabricating puppet characters, shooting live-action footage, assembling shots and post-production to finish the films. Panelists include Heather Henson (IBEX’s creative director/HMPD executive producer), Toby Froud (Lessons Learned), Sam Koji Hale (Yamasong), Spencer Lott (Melvin the Birder), Kevin McTurk (Narrative of Victor Karloch), and Genevieve Anderson (Too Loud a Solitude). Afterward, join the artists for light refreshments in an open discussion and networking opportunity created specifically for the puppet film community. Recommended for adults. Sat, Oct 25 at 1pm Led by Heather Henson
I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story (2014) 90min Directed by Dave LaMattina & Chad N. Walker. For over 40 years, Caroll Spinney has been beloved by television audiences as the human voice behind Sesame Street’s Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch. This soul-stirring documentary—featuring a wealth of behind-the-scenes archival material—delves into the life and art of the man behind the yellow suit: an endearing figure who, through a lifetime of ups and downs, has never let go of the childlike sense of wonder that made his characters so indelible. Sneak preview co-presented by DOC NYC. DCP. Ages 10+ Sat, Oct 25 at 4:30pm Special guests: Caroll Spinney, Dave LaMattina, and Chad N. Walker
Live Action Puppet Shorts 70min Witness the highest standards of craft and performance reflected in many different styles of puppetry in this selection of shorts. Highlights include Toby Froud’s Lessons Learned and Joseph Oxford’s Me + Her. DCP. Ages 11+ Sun, Oct 26 at 1pm
Muppets Most Wanted (2014) 107min Directed by James Bobin. With Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell, Tina Fey. A case of mistaken identity leads Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, and the rest of the gang to get mixed up in some international intrigue in the latest, marvelously madcap Muppet adventure. Though it’s studded with human stars—Gervais as a criminal mastermind, Fey as a Russian prison guard, and cameos by everyone from Lady Gaga to Frank Langella—Henson’s beloved creations steal the show. DCP. Ages 5+ Sat, Oct 25 at 1:30pm Special guest: performer Matt Vogel
The Never Bell (2014) 12min World premiere! Dir. Emily Lobsenz. Mischievous Nell and her sister Kalliope sit in their eerily silent house, which was once filled with laughter. Dreaming of the world beyond, Nell’s unruly imagination suddenly bubbles over into disaster. Digital. Screens with Behind the Lid. DCP. Sun, Oct 26 at 6pm Special guest: Emily Lobsenz
Puppets Through the Lens: The Photography of Richard Termine In conjunction with Puppets on Film, BAM presents an exhibition of Richard Termine’s photography, which will be on display in the lobby of the BAM Rose Cinemas from the opening night of the festival through the end of 2014. Brooklyn-based photographer and puppeteer Richard Termine is renowned for his performing arts photography of Sesame Street, The New York Times, Cirque du Soleil, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the Jim Henson Foundation. His Emmy Award-winning photography captures the unique ways that performers and objects combine in choreographies, creating images that manage to convey the spectrum of emotion. Termine’s remarkable photographs suggest sequences of movement in a still image, revealing the amazing breadth and depth of contemporary puppetry in the US and around the world. Opens Fri, Oct 24
Return of the Jedi (1983) 134min Directed by Richard Marquand. With Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher.
The third film in George Lucas’ Star Wars saga finds Luke Skywalker (Hamill) reckoning once and for all with the nefarious Darth Vader. While certainly a showcase for flashy state-of-the-art special effects, Return of the Jedi also boasts good old-fashioned puppetry that brings to life two of its most iconic characters: the sagacious Yoda (portrayed by Henson alum Frank Oz) and, making his screen debut, the voluminous villain Jabba the Hutt. Digital—the 2011 Star Wars: The Complete Saga edition will be screened. Ages 8+ Sat, Oct 25 at 7pm Special guests: creature designers Kirk Thatcher and Wendy Froud
Shortstack! Kids Shorts Program 70min This year’s lineup features a bevy of ingenious shorts for kids young and old. Characters of all shapes and sizes will bring families on journeys possible only through the magic of puppetry. Whimsical, unique, and beautiful, this collection of shorts is for audiences of all ages. Digital. Ages 3+ Sat, Oct 25 at 11am
The Thing (1983) 109min Directed by John Carpenter. With Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley. When a team of scientists stationed in Antarctica takes in a stray husky, man’s best friend turns out to be an alien capable of inhabiting the bodies of animals… or humans. This spine-tingling, nightmarish revision of Howard Hawks’ sci-fi thriller features explosive FX, loads of gore, claustrophobic interiors, and unforgettable creature effects by Rob Bottin. 35mm. Recommended for adults. Fri, Oct 24 at 10:30pm
Tomorrow We Disappear (2014) 84min Directed by Jim Goldblum & Adam M. Weber. This stirring documentary offers a rare glimpse into the vanishing culture of New Delhi’s artists, magicians, puppeteers, and street performers, whose slum district is slated for redevelopment by the Indian government. With a heartrending sense of urgency, directors Jim Goldblum and Adam Weber capture the personalities and vibrant folk traditions of this extraordinary community before it is gone. HDCAM. Ages 15+ Sun, Oct 26 at 3:30pm Special guests: Jim Goldblum and Adam M. Weber
About BAMcinématek The four-screen BAM Rose Cinemas (BRC) opened in 1998 to offer Brooklyn audiences alternative and independent films that might not play in the borough otherwise, making BAM the only performing arts center in the country with two mainstage theaters and a multiplex cinema. In July 1999, beginning with a series celebrating the work of Spike Lee, BAMcinématek was born as Brooklyn’s only daily, year-round repertory film program. BAMcinématek presents new and rarely seen contemporary films, classics, work by local artists, and festivals of films from around the world, often with special appearances by directors, actors, and other guests. BAMcinématek has not only presented major retrospectives by major filmmakers such as Michelangelo Antonioni, Manoel de Oliveira, Shohei Imamura, Vincente Minnelli (winning a National Film Critics’ Circle Award prize for the retrospective), Kaneto Shindo, Luchino Visconti, and William Friedkin, but it has also introduced New York audiences to contemporary artists such as Pedro Costa and Apichatpong Weerasethakul. In addition, BAMcinématek programmed the first US retrospectives of directors Arnaud Desplechin, Nicolas Winding Refn, Hong Sang-soo, and, most recently, Andrzej Zulawski. From 2006 to 2008, BAMcinématek partnered with the Sundance Institute and in June 2009 launched BAMcinemaFest, a 16-day festival of new independent films and repertory favorites with 15 NY feature film premieres; the sixth annual BAMcinemaFest ran from June 18—29, 2014.
About The Jim Henson Foundation The Jim Henson Foundation is the only grant making organization in the United States devoted solely to the art of puppetry. Since 1982, it has awarded over 750 grants to more than 300 American puppet artists for the creation and development of innovative new works of contemporary puppet theater. Throughout the 1990s, The Foundation produced the award-winning biennial Henson International Festival of Puppet Theater; widely acknowledged as having changed the perception of puppet theater today.
Credits
The Wall Street Journal is the title sponsor of BAM Rose Cinemas and BAMcinématek.
Steinberg Screen at the BAM Harvey Theater is made possible by The Joseph S. and Diane H. Steinberg Charitable Trust.
Pepsi is the official beverage of BAM.
Brooklyn Brewery is the preferred beer of BAMcinématek.
BAM Rose Cinemas are named in recognition of a major gift in honor of Jonathan F.P. and Diana Calthorpe Rose. BAM Rose Cinemas would also like to acknowledge the generous support of The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation, The Estate of Richard B. Fisher, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Brooklyn Delegation of the New York City Council, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts, Bloomberg, and Time Warner Inc. Additional support for BAMcinématek is provided by The Grodzins Fund, The Liman Foundation, the Frederick Loewe Foundation, and Summit Rock Advisors.
Special thanks to Cheryl Henson & Lindsey “Z.” Briggs/Jim Henson Foundation Additional thanks to: Paul Ginsburg/Universal; Debbie McLellan & Mary Tallungan/Disney; Christopher Lane & Michael Horne/Sony Pictures Repertory; Thom Powers/DOC NYC; and all participating filmmakers
General Information
BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, BAM Rose Cinemas, and BAMcafé are located in the Peter Jay Sharp building at 30 Lafayette Avenue (between St Felix Street and Ashland Place) in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn. BAM Harvey Theater is located two blocks from the main building at 651 Fulton Street (between Ashland and Rockwell Places). Both locations house Greenlight Bookstore at BAM kiosks. BAM Fisher, located at 321 Ashland Place, is the newest addition to the BAM campus and houses the Judith and Alan Fishman Space and Rita K. Hillman Studio. BAM Rose Cinemas is Brooklyn’s only movie house dedicated to first-run independent and foreign film and repertory programming. BAMcafé, operated by Great Performances, offers a bar menu and dinner entrées prior to BAM Howard Gilman Opera House evening performances. BAMcafé also features an eclectic mix of spoken word and live music for BAMcafé Live on Friday and Saturday nights with a bar menu available starting at 6pm.
Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5, Q, B to Atlantic Avenue – Barclays Center (2, 3, 4, 5 to Nevins St for Harvey Theater) D, N, R to Pacific Street; G to Fulton Street; C to Lafayette Avenue Train: Long Island Railroad to Atlantic Terminal – Barclays Center Bus: B25, B26, B41, B45, B52, B63, B67 all stop within three blocks of BAM Car: Commercial parking lots are located adjacent to BAM
For ticket information, call BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100, or visit BAM.org.