6 posts and columns on screening

A Hollywood Ending? The Timing of Zuckerberg's $100 Million Donation to Newark Schools Debated at Facebook

in News on September 23, 2010 at 2:55 am PT

The question is: Which movie was Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg thinking about when he decided recently to fork over $100 million to public schools in Newark, New Jersey? Was it a bid to spiff up his image–with a splashy announcement on Oprah Winfrey’s popular television talk show tomorrow–on the very same day of the New York premiere of “The Social Network,” which casts Zuckerberg as the villain in his own creation myth? Or was it another film, “Waiting for Superman,” a just-released gripping documentary about the crisis in public education? Either way, Newark wins.

Microsoft of Arabia? If Windows Phone 7 Is as Freaky as This Ad, BoomTown Will Take One Now!

in News on September 7, 2010 at 5:15 am PT

Cue the desert music, mix in some swirling dust and a mirage, use a Middle Eastern font and a mysterioso tagline of “The Revolution Is Coming,” and show it at a movie screening of “Lawrence of Arabia.” At least Microsoft will not be spending its badillions of advertising dollars on the launch of its Windows Phone 7–playing catch-up in the smartphone race–without some style.

The "Catfish"–A.K.A. the Other Facebook Movie–Dudes Speak!

in News on September 3, 2010 at 10:37 am PT

Last night, BoomTown got to grill some “Catfish”–as in the three young hipsters responsible for the new documentary about a twisted online romance on Facebook. That was for a Q&A after a screening in San Francisco, where I got to talk to Ariel Schulman, Henry Joost and the film’s subject, Nev Schulman, about how they decided to make this rumination about identity in the digital age.

"Catfish": The Other Facebook Movie Speaks Real Truths About the Social Network (Plus Video!)

in News on August 17, 2010 at 8:15 am PT

Last night, BoomTown attended a press screening of a new film, due out this fall, in which Facebook plays a big role. No, not that movie. Instead of a semi-fictional film–that would be “The Social Network” from Sony–this one is a documentary, called “Catfish,” about a man who has a real-life encounter of the you-could-not-make-this-up kind on Facebook.

Education Documentary Featuring Bill Gates Gets First Distribution Deal at Sundance

in News on January 25, 2010 at 1:03 am PT

Bill Gates was at the Sundance Film Festival this weekend–not just to sample some of the fare at the well-known independent film festival, held annually in Park City, Utah, but also to appear at the screening of a documentary about the crisis in public education in which he appears and that scored the first distribution deal at the event. The worldwide rights for “Waiting for Superman,” directed by Davis Guggenheim and produced by Participant Media, were sold to Paramount Vantage, a unit of the Viacom movie studio.

Making Documentaries in the Digital Age: A Chat With "Autumn Gem" Co-Producers

in News on June 15, 2009 at 10:49 am PT

At the seventh D: All Things Digital conference, besides interviewing a lot of tech and media muckety-mucks, the All Things Digital staff and friends also got a terrific screening of a new documentary–“Autumn Gem”–by our Webmaster, Adam Tow, and his wife, Rae Chang. The pair co-produced the project, which explores the extraordinary life of the Chinese revolutionary heroine and women’s rights activist, Qiu Jin. Even more interesting is what it is like to get an indie film made and distributed in the digital age, which I talked about with Tow and Chang last week.
autumn-gem-jacket