The News: NYUFF, RIP

(Photo: NYUFF, via Ray Pride/Movie City Indie)

By S.T. VanAirsdale

Some of today's movie news of note from around New York:

--Almost two years after the demise of the Brooklyn Underground Film Festival, we learn (via Movie City Indie) that the New York Underground Film Festival will call it quits this spring after 15 years. "We've been going through a lot of changes in the last few years and have decided to make a fresh start," wrote fest programmer Nellie Killian in a message posted to Frameworks. We hate seeing that lots of cool festivals are dying off too, that's a big reason why we're going to be working on developing year round programming and building our organization into something that will be able to sustain itself in the long run." Alas, for now, all area film festivals will be held above ground.

--As if on cue, filmmakers Arin Crumley, Susan Buice, M dot Strange and Lance Weiler's From Here to Awesome distribution initiative offers a video underscoring the message of their campaign: "Festivals don't work." Not if they close, they don't.

--Party hoppers at Variety and Vanity Fair toured the New York Oscar circuit on Sunday night, with only the latter duo deigning to visit The Reeler/Spout fete at DIP. But with Jerry Stiller and Chevy Chase at the Academy's bash uptown, how could Best Picture cookies ever compete?

--In keeping with my close eye on all horrible news coming out of Pakistan, look no further for the source of the YouTube outage that forced you to do actual work for a few hours on Monday. And they have the bomb! Yikes! Maybe we do need an underground film festival after all, if only to hide.

Posted at February 26, 2008 10:43 AM