I realize there are literally hundreds of film related Kickstarter Campaigns going right now — but I have to throw my arms — and support — around the campaign that Rooftop Films has launched. Mark Rosenberg and Dan Nuxoll run an amazing summer series program (that EXPECTING, LOVERS OF HATE and THE HAPPY POET all played in last 12 months) and above all, at the end of the day, they’re great guys.
If you can give anything, in these tricky economic times, this is an organization incredibly worthy of every dollar you can give. Follow the widget below (or this link) to help out Rooftop.
About Rooftop Films:
Rooftop Films is a New York based non-profit whose mission is to engage diverse communities by showing independent movies in outdoor locations, producing new films, coordinating youth media education, and renting equipment at low cost to artists.
LOVERS OF HATE keeps on tearing it up out there in the world… and now, the film’s got a busy July ahead. If you’re in 1 of these 4 cities, you owe it to yourself to get out and see the film that the New York Times calls, “Viciously Amusing.”
I am so very, very happy that the movie keeps finding its way to people/audiences — it’s been the ‘little movie that could’ from the get-go and I really think that that’s a testament to making a great film from what started as something great on the page. It was a very well-written script by Mr. Bryan Poyser — that morphed into a very, very well made film.
Check out these screenings dates/venues and see if you can’t find your way to one of them:
San Francisco, CA — June 28th thru July 1st @ 9:30PM Roxie Theater
tickets and more info HERE
By all accounts, the screening this past Friday Night of THE HAPPY POET at Rooftop Films in NYC was an outstanding success. (note – due to a very much last minute family emergency in Maine, where I am typing this entry from, I was not able to attend the screening at Rooftop, but was getting text updates throughout).
The total number in attendance for the screening of THE HAPPY POET was somewhere between 600 and 700 people. Many, many thanks go out to Mark Rosenberg, Dan Nuxoll, and the whole Rooftop Films Team — as they continually and consistently have packed-house event-style screenings. I give them a hell of a lot of credit, as it’s really difficult to get people to go out and see a small movie in a theatrical setting these days. So again, many thanks have to be given to both Mark and Dan for all that they do…
And I might add that LOVERS OF HATE also had an amazing screening last weekend as part of the Rooftop Films Summer Series, on June 19th.
Keeping up with writer/director Bryan Poyser’s blog for the most up to date sort of info on LOVERS OF HATE — is a really, really good idea… the film just keeps on truckin’ and he’s doing a much better job (than I am, for instance) of sharing upcoming screening and venue information. So get on over there and get your fill of LOH info!
LOVERS OF HATE has two upcoming screenings in New York City during the month of June. New Yorkers, here’s your chance to see the film if you haven’t already!
BAMcinemaFEST BAM – (Brooklyn Academy of Music)
30 Lafayette Avenue
Brooklyn, NY June 17th, 2010 @ 6:50PM
read the indieWIRE press release
Rooftop Films
Open Road Rooftop above New Design High School
Lower East Side
350 Grand Street, New York, NY June 19th, 2010 at 8:00PM
purchase tickets here
And of course, if you can’t make it to NYC… you can watch the film via IFC Films On Demand — and you may ask, how do I find IFC Films On Demand?
Enter your zip code and cable provider here — and they’ll do the rest.
(FYI – Time Warner and Cox cable customers – April 16th was the last day to order LOVERS OF HATE on On Demand. Comcast & Cablevision customers, you have until June 15th)
If you are in, or anywhere near, Rochester, New York on Friday, May 7th – you owe it to yourself to get over to the GEORGE EASTMAN HOUSE. There’s a triple feature playing that night, by 3 very different, very talented filmmakers (and yes, I consider them all friends – but can honestly say that they’ve all made quite good films).
ST NICK (directed by David Lowery)
Friday, May 7, 2010 5:15 PM
LOVERS OF HATE (directed by Bryan Poyser)
Friday, May 7, 2010 7:30 PM
LOVERS OF HATE will be a part of the 2010 Maryland Film Festival in Baltimore, Maryland (the festival runs from May 6th-9th). The film screens on May 8th at 10:00pm — and if you have a chance to see the film in any one place, make it the wonderful Maryland Film Festival.
I attended in 2009 with a bunch of the guys from our film, The Overbrook Brothers, and Maryland was one of the best stops on the festival circuit. The staff is wonderful, and the screenings are intimate and well-attended. I highly recommend seeing LOVERS OF HATE in Baltimore, if you’re in the area.
LOVERS OF HATE will be screening as part of the 8th Annual Independent Film Festival of Boston (April 21st thru the 28th) on Saturday, April 24th at 7PM. More info about the screening/venue can be found here.
Saturday, April 24th, 7:00 p.m. – Somerville Theatre Screen 5
And if you can’t get to Boston, you can always watch the film On-Demand via IFC Films!
From the LA WEEKLY, “…the most exciting American indie I’ve seen in a while.”
From MOVIE CITY NEWS, “…the kind of tiny brilliant gem that low-budget indie films ought to be and so seldom are.”
From GreenCine Daily, “…cleverly structured and cringe-inducingly honest.”
NPR – March 28, 2010:Movies, Film And Acting At South By Southwest
At the SXSW Film Festival, we profile the new film Lovers of Hate, hear how distribution will change in five years and attend Jeffrey Tambor’s acting seminar.
(I’ve been having trouble with their embeddable player, go directly to the NPR pagehere)
And if you can’t catch the film in either of these places… you can always watch it in the comfort of your own home via IFC Films On Demand programming.
I’m late to help get the word out on this (as SXSW has been all-encompassing) – but without further ado:
These are the 3 “teasers” for LOVERS OF HATE, the new film by Bryan Poyser, premiering on IFC On Demand on March 12, 2010. It premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival in the US Dramatic Competition and screened at the 2010 SXSW Film Festival.
“In this savage comedy about deceit and sibling rivalry, two estranged brothers, Rudy and Paul, have nothing in common but their love for the same woman. When Paul whisks her away to a romantic mountain retreat, the lovers have no idea that Rudy has made it there first. From the shadows of the posh chalet, Rudy tries desperately to sabotage the relationship in director Bryan Poyser’s brilliantly executed game of cat and mouse.”
Well, I posted our first round of reviews during our SXSW run of THE HAPPY POET. Here’s the second round of what folks had to say about the movie.
Hollywood Elsewhere “Writer/director/star Paul Gordon plays Bill, a man with uncommon intellect who can’t bring himself to submit to an “ordinary” life. He decides to open up an organic food cart called “The Happy Poet” to compete against the flood of indistinguishable hot dog stands littered across Austin. He picks up a following and a couple of assistants, and things hum along nicely. He meets an attractive young woman who digs poetry and what he’s trying to do with his food cart. Going further than that would spoil the movie. The thing I like most about Poet is that it’s about something. It puts forward a forceful argument about the power of an individual to affect change in the world. Few films try to do this anymore, and even fewer do so effectively. In a way, the various people and institutions that surround him with doubt and pessimism awaken a sleeping, mostly-vegetarian and organic giant.”
Smells Like Screen Spirit “I think The Happy Poet is currently enjoying its position as my favorite film of SXSW 2010 (though Cyrus, Putty Hill and Lovers of Hate are not far behind). I think part of the reason that I enjoyed The Happy Poet so much was because I actually related to the lead character, Bill (Paul Gordon), and that character was so perfectly written for Gordon by Gordon. The Happy Poet is a perfect example of a writer and director knowing their own strengths and range as an actor.”
indieWIRE “The Happy Poet,” a deadpan charmer directed by Austin filmmaker Paul Gordon, moves along at the brisk pace of a light romantic comedy. Gordon stars as a loner hoping to turn his organic food cart into a success, but the finances never come together. (There’s probably a helpful metaphor here for the state of independent film itself—trimmed down and in business against all odds—but that’s probably taking things too far.) Everything about “The Happy Poet” is cheerily conventional, save for Gordon’s hilariously monotonous delivery, an ironic performance that incessantly contradicts the movie’s title.”
Wonderful news for LOVERS OF HATE as it’s been picked up by IFC Films!
(and it also happens to be good news for a little movie called THE OVERBROOK BROTHERS).
from one of the press releases: New York, NY – March 4th, 2010 – IFC Films, the leading foreign and independent film distributor and an innovator in the movies-on-demand alternative film distribution movement, announced today its second annual partnership with Austin’s South By Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival, one of America’s most vibrant and exciting film festivals, in which three films screening at SXSW will simultaneously be available nationwide via the movies-on-demand platform of major national cable systems. Following last year’s partnership, which helped bring Joe Swanberg’s ALEXANDER THE LAST significant national attention, this year’s program offers simultaneous festival and on demand premieres of three new films: Bryan Poyser’s LOVERS OF HATE, Shane Meadows’ LE DONK & SCOR-ZAY-ZEE and Emmett Malloy’s THE WHITE STRIPES: UNDER GREAT WHITE NORTHERN LIGHTS. Also available exclusively on demand are two acclaimed films from SXSW 2009: Daryl Wein’s BREAKING UPWARDS and John Bryant’s THE OVERBROOK BROTHERS. Beginning March 12th, the films featured in the “Direct From SXSW” partnership will be available for 30 days in a special branded “SXSW” section on the movies-on-demand page the same day each premieres at SXSW, and will be available in approximately 40 million homes on most major cable systems, including Comcast, Cablevision, and Cox.
And to watch an interview (courtesy of Sundance) with Bryan Poyser:
Sundance was a great experience this year — great to see a lot of old friends and make a bunch of news ones as well. LOVERS OF HATE played well throughout the fest, and I was able to attend 3 of its screenings (at the Library, Eccles and Racquet Club). There have been many, many great things said about the film — here are a couple of them:
indieWIRE
1 of the 10 Best Films at Sundance — “An engaging, well-crafted film made on a minimal budget that is well-acted and cleverly written. Bryan Poyser’s latest showcases a bizarre love triangle with the elements of a stirring thriller.”
LAWEEKLY
“Lovers of Hate is a star-free, bare-bones comedy in which three actors talk and walk around a house for 90 minutes. It’s also the most exciting American indie I’ve seen in a while.”
Movie City News
“Bryan Poyser’s Lovers of Hate is the kind of tiny brilliant gem that low-budget indie films ought to be and so seldom are.”
FirstShowing.net
“It’s a charming film with real comedic teeth.”
The Wrap: Covering Hollywood
“Some movies build Sundance buzz; others deserve it. Bryan Poyser’s “Lovers of Hate” falls into the latter category.”
Film School Rejects
“Deeply felt, operatic emotions lie at the heart of Bryan Poyser’s Lovers of Hate. That they’re disguised beneath the exterior of a low-fi indie picture makes for an experience that’s strange, unsettling and wholly unpredictable. Few comparable dramas boast such an offbeat, creepy edge. While largely sticking with one location Poyser lends the central triangular relationship sinister, biblical overtones, producing a three character movie that inspires a mix of sympathy and revulsion for everyone involved.”
Voice Film
“Lovers of Hate puts the sparse means of production and naturalistic feel of mumblecore to the service of a genre film — physical comedy with a gilding of near-horror — fueled by the Swiss-watch comic timing of leads Chris Doubek (his nearly-wordless performance in the film’s second half is silent-horror perfection) and Alex Karpovsky and grounded by the bravery and emotional precision of actress Heather Kafka.”
I’m incredibly happy for the Lovers of Hate team — and couldn’t be happier for Writer/Director Bryan Poyser and Producer Megan Gilbride — both of whom willed this movie into existence and brought it full circle from shooting in Park City, Utah — to 1 year later World Premiering the film at the most prestigious film festival in the country — in Park City, Utah.
I’m very, very excited for the LOVERS OF HATE team and the Zellner Brothers’ FIDDLESTIXX screenings at Sundance. I’ll be at most of these, so please come out and support the films. Check out the festival schedule for more information. We hope to see you there.
LOVERS OF HATE
Sunday, January 24th, 5:15 p.m. – Racquet Club, Park City
Tuesday, January 26th, 2:30 p.m. – Library Center Theatre, Park City
Wednesday, January 27th, 10:30 p.m. – Broadway Centre Cinemas IV, Salt Lake City
Thursday, January 28th, 12:15 p.m. – Eccles Theatre, Park City
Saturday, January 30th, 8:30 a.m. – Library Center Theatre, Park City
FIDDLESTIXX
*screens with All My Friends Are Funeral Singers
Tuesday, January 26th, 9:00 p.m. – NEW FRONTIER on Main, Park City
Wednesday, January 27th, 9:00 p.m. – Egyptian Theatre, Park City
Thursday, January 28th, 2:00 p.m. – Holiday Village Cinema II, Park City
Friday, January 29th, 7:30 p.m. – Broadway Centre Cinemas IV, Salt Lake City
Saturday, January 30th, 3:00 p.m. – Yarrow Hotel Theatre, Park City
I’ll be updating, when I can, from the festival. So stay tuned here for more news. And just this week, the LOVERS OF HATE poster landed. Check it out! Another great design from the incredibly talented Yen Tan.
There are 5 chances to see LOVERS OF HATE at Sundance in January, with one of the screenings at the enormous (1000-plus capacity) Eccles Theater on January 28th.
Sunday, January 24th, 5:15 p.m. – Racquet Club, Park City
Tuesday, January 26th, 2:30 p.m. – Library Center Theatre, Park City
Wednesday, January 27th, 10:30 p.m. – Broadway Centre Cinemas IV, Salt Lake City
Thursday, January 28th, 12:15 p.m. – Eccles Theatre, Park City
Saturday, January 30th, 8:30 a.m. – Library Center Theatre, Park City
Very, very exciting news that we’ve had to sit on for a bit. But now that the cat is (officially) out of the bag, LOVERS OF HATE will be World Premiering at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival! The film will be playing in competition alongside a handful of other films in January. Check out the official press release over at indieWIRE. Lots more info to come, and please check back regularly for all sorts of news about screenings and the goings-on in Park City. Congrats to the whole LOVERS OF HATE team!!!
