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The week-long stretch of premieres and festivities came to a head with the final after-party at the Maritime Hotel’s Hiro lounge, which was a truly star-studded event. The final film of the
night, Salvation Boulevard boasted an A-list cast that includes Pierce Brosnan, Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris and Marisa Tomei – all of whom arrived to the party where Gen
Art announced the winners of the fest. The Grand Jury Award for Best Short went to Craig MacNeill for 'Henley', while the Audience Award (the filmgoers were asked to rate each film
following each screening on a 1-5 scale of approval) went to Jennifer Suhr’s 'Saeng-il' (Birthday) and J.C. Khoury’s 'The Pill'. The latter took home another award as well, the coveted
‘Stargazer Jury’ Award for Most Talented Emerging Actor, which went to the luminous Rachel Boston. Best Feature went to our personal favorite, Tucker Capps and Ryan Sevy’s
documentary 'Goold’s Gold', which was a perfect cinematic articulation of Gen Art CO President Jeffery Abramson’s views on what was special about this year’s line-up: “With seven
features and seven short films, we get to satisfy the cinematic hunger of our audience in different ways. Every year is really unique and different and somehow reflects what people are
thinking and feeling, or whatever is in the national ether – and right now people are really looking to overcome adversity, looking for that light at the end of the tunnel and coming across
conclusions that they weren’t ever really expecting. That’s the case for both many of the characters in these films and for many of the members of the audience.”
And that’s just the case with this ‘offbeat global warming adventure’, which documents four years in the life of eccentric geophysicist Jonathan Goold as he sets off to find gold on the newly
exposed bedrock of Alaska’s melting glaciers. The film was engaging, often hysterical and for the environmental wake-up call it provides – equally troubling. As a film, it surely deserved its
Best Feature Award (and the sleek Hamilton watch given to all the winners), but for the sheer hard work that obviously went into making it (you try schlepping camping and camera
equipment up a glacier for four years) – it was definitely a hard won affirmation.
This year’s chapter on the Gen Art Film Festival has come to a close, but that’s not to say that the Gen Art team is ready to lay back and relax. It’s time to begin a whole new procession of
curating. Gen Art just finished announcing that it’s spirited Fresh Faces in Fashion is back - and with that, the hunt for the next great womenswear, menswear, swimwear and accessories
designer - is on.
night, Salvation Boulevard boasted an A-list cast that includes Pierce Brosnan, Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris and Marisa Tomei – all of whom arrived to the party where Gen
Art announced the winners of the fest. The Grand Jury Award for Best Short went to Craig MacNeill for 'Henley', while the Audience Award (the filmgoers were asked to rate each film
following each screening on a 1-5 scale of approval) went to Jennifer Suhr’s 'Saeng-il' (Birthday) and J.C. Khoury’s 'The Pill'. The latter took home another award as well, the coveted
‘Stargazer Jury’ Award for Most Talented Emerging Actor, which went to the luminous Rachel Boston. Best Feature went to our personal favorite, Tucker Capps and Ryan Sevy’s
documentary 'Goold’s Gold', which was a perfect cinematic articulation of Gen Art CO President Jeffery Abramson’s views on what was special about this year’s line-up: “With seven
features and seven short films, we get to satisfy the cinematic hunger of our audience in different ways. Every year is really unique and different and somehow reflects what people are
thinking and feeling, or whatever is in the national ether – and right now people are really looking to overcome adversity, looking for that light at the end of the tunnel and coming across
conclusions that they weren’t ever really expecting. That’s the case for both many of the characters in these films and for many of the members of the audience.”
And that’s just the case with this ‘offbeat global warming adventure’, which documents four years in the life of eccentric geophysicist Jonathan Goold as he sets off to find gold on the newly
exposed bedrock of Alaska’s melting glaciers. The film was engaging, often hysterical and for the environmental wake-up call it provides – equally troubling. As a film, it surely deserved its
Best Feature Award (and the sleek Hamilton watch given to all the winners), but for the sheer hard work that obviously went into making it (you try schlepping camping and camera
equipment up a glacier for four years) – it was definitely a hard won affirmation.
This year’s chapter on the Gen Art Film Festival has come to a close, but that’s not to say that the Gen Art team is ready to lay back and relax. It’s time to begin a whole new procession of
curating. Gen Art just finished announcing that it’s spirited Fresh Faces in Fashion is back - and with that, the hunt for the next great womenswear, menswear, swimwear and accessories
designer - is on.
By Alexander Patino
POSTED June 16, 2011
FILM & FASHION
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Gen Art Is Back & Better Than Ever With the 16th Annual Film Festival
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Gen Art – one of the great procurers of fresh, raw
talent in film, fashion, art and music is back after a
scary bankruptcy lapse last year with the 16 Annual
Gen Art Film Festival. This past week Gen Art held a
premiere each night, showcasing one short-film and
one full length feature back to back, followed by an
exclusive after party at a different NYC hot spot each
night, where artists and guests could comingle
amidst complimentary Disaronno and Absolut Vodka
cocktails and glasses of Brancott Estate wine.
It was a triumphant return for the cross-industry
darling whose aim is to serve as a platform for
emerging artists – in the case of the Gen Art Film Fest
– for emerging filmmakers and rising stars of the
silver screen. But pinning down just what specific
talent Gen Art plans to propone is a lot harder than it
looks, considering that other festivals like Telluride
and Tribeca have a roster of more than a dozen films,
compared to that of Gen Art’s seven. “When you’re
curating a festival with seven features and seven
shorts the process is very rigorous,” says CO
President of Gen Art Elizabeth Shaffer, who arrived to
the screening of Norman wearing Rebecca Taylor –
one of Gen Art’s most treasured fashion finds. “What
we try to do is pack in a lot of diversity and…keep a
keen eye for emerging talent. It’s about seeing what
artists can do with smaller budgets and not as much
classic PR support. We’re able to give that to them.
But it’s incredibly exciting and we were very strategic
about how we paired features with shorts, which is
kind of our secret sauce. We like to ask the audience
at the after parties what that parallel is.”
talent in film, fashion, art and music is back after a
scary bankruptcy lapse last year with the 16 Annual
Gen Art Film Festival. This past week Gen Art held a
premiere each night, showcasing one short-film and
one full length feature back to back, followed by an
exclusive after party at a different NYC hot spot each
night, where artists and guests could comingle
amidst complimentary Disaronno and Absolut Vodka
cocktails and glasses of Brancott Estate wine.
It was a triumphant return for the cross-industry
darling whose aim is to serve as a platform for
emerging artists – in the case of the Gen Art Film Fest
– for emerging filmmakers and rising stars of the
silver screen. But pinning down just what specific
talent Gen Art plans to propone is a lot harder than it
looks, considering that other festivals like Telluride
and Tribeca have a roster of more than a dozen films,
compared to that of Gen Art’s seven. “When you’re
curating a festival with seven features and seven
shorts the process is very rigorous,” says CO
President of Gen Art Elizabeth Shaffer, who arrived to
the screening of Norman wearing Rebecca Taylor –
one of Gen Art’s most treasured fashion finds. “What
we try to do is pack in a lot of diversity and…keep a
keen eye for emerging talent. It’s about seeing what
artists can do with smaller budgets and not as much
classic PR support. We’re able to give that to them.
But it’s incredibly exciting and we were very strategic
about how we paired features with shorts, which is
kind of our secret sauce. We like to ask the audience
at the after parties what that parallel is.”
Photo Credit: Emil Cohen