Dr. Steeve Coupeau Goes One-on-One with Shraysi Tandon, Director of 'Invisible Hands' Featured at AAIFF, 8/3/18
Can you tell us about your journey to get your film to NYTVF?
The journey to AAIFF: We applied to the festival months ago since everyone on my team was aware of what a fantastic festival AAIFF is and we were lucky to be selected.
Did you decide to shoot in so many countries initially or the list of countries expanded with your list of contacts with fixers?
The issue of child labor and child trafficking is unfortunately so globally pervasive that it was important to me to show just how widespread it is. I wanted the audiences to see that this isn't just a 'Asia problem' or an 'Africa problem' but it is also happening right here in the United States. So we set out to show the global face of modern day slavery and hence decided to film in countries like India, China, Ghana, Indonesia and parts of the U.S.
Where can interested parties get tickets and information on upcoming screening?
We are currently doing the film festival circuit at the moment so if you follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram through our handle @InvisibleHandsMovie you can keep up to date with all our upcoming screenings dates and cities. We've also been picked up for distribution by First Run Features and will be having a select theatrical release before the end of the year.
Ahed Tamimi and her mother Nariman are released from Israeli prison By Oren Ziv, 7/31/18
Ahed, 17, was arrested in December 2017 after a video of her slapping an Israeli soldier during a protest in Nabi Saleh went viral. The incident took place a few hours after soldiers shot Ahed’s cousin, Muhammad Tamimi, in the head with a rubber bullet. Shortly thereafter, soldiers showed up in the Tamimi family’s home; Ahed and her cousin Nur confronted the armed soldiers, demanding they leave, after which Ahed slapped one of the soldiers, while her mother filmed the incident. The soldiers, who seemed unfazed, left the home without making any arrests. Only after footage of the confrontation went viral did IDF soldiers return to the Tamimi home in the early hours of the morning to arrest Ahed. Nariman and Nur were also arrested.
Ahed Tamimi, Bassem Tamimi, and Nariman Tamimi give a short statement to media outlets and supporters after the release of Ahed and Nariman from Israeli prison, Nabi Saleh, West Bank, July 29, 2018. Ahed and Nariman’s trial, which took place at Ofer Military Court near Ramallah, turned into a media sensation. After a number of hearings, the court decided to kick out journalists and diplomats, ostensibly to protect Ahed’s interests as a minor. In March, Ahed, Nariman, and Nur signed a plea bargain according to which she would serve eight months in prison, including three months’ time served.
Ahed and Nariman are expected to visit the Muqata’a, the Palestinian Authority headquarters, in Ramallah on Sunday, where they will stop by Yasser Arafat’s grave and meet top PA officials. From there they will celebrate privately with family members before returning to Nabi Saleh. In the days after her release, Ahed will give interviews every day for one hour to all media outlets. Nabi Saleh will hold a large ceremony to celebrate her release this coming weekend. In the coming week she is expected to visit the Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar, which is at risk of demolition by the Israeli authorities.
Dr. Steeve Coupeau Goes One-on-One with Ari Gold, Director of 'The Song of Sway Lake' Featured at Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema, 8/9/18
You had such wonderful music in your film notably from Issa El Saieh. Can you talk about how you can into contact with the musicians?
My brother Ethan Gold composed the original score as well as the Song of Sway Lake itself. Ethan's ability to create a believable hit from 1942 was essential to selling the idea of the movie. And to fill out the old-time vintage music cues, which are played throughout the film and form a kind of bed for the Song of Sway Lake itself, I was lucky to be able to call on the family of Issa El Saieh, a brilliant bandleader whose group interpreted traditional Haitian music in the 1940's and 1950's. I knew Issa, when he was alive, through my dad, meeting him on trips to Haiti and buying art from Issa. He was the great patron and collector of Haitian art, after being the premier bandleader there. I feel honored to present his music in the film.
Where can interested parties get tickets and information on upcoming screenings?
“The Song of Sway Lake” will be in theaters on September 21, and on-demand September 25. In New York we’ll be at the Cinema Village. I encourage people to join my mailing list at SwayLake.com, since you won’t be seeing ads, and we’d love to have a way to tell you about screenings and events - and answer any questions you have about movies and music!
Great Movies
A Film on the Revered Ganges River in India
NYIHA MEDIA is pleased to release the best in Indian cinema. In a beautifully shot non-fiction film, Director Vinit Parmar presents an up-close look at the pollution that has been an ecological scourge troubling the revered Ganges River in India.
The film delivers a rarely seen and authentic view of the life at the river's edge and the people struggling to compel change. With unprecedented access, the film brings to light an age-old industry of leather production in jeopardy, bringing in USD$4 Billion to the Indian economy at a cost of degradation of the environment and the health of the residents.
