Austin City Council Proclaims “The Unforeseen” Day
Austin City Council PROCLAMATION:
Be it known that
Whereas,
“The Unforeseen” is a film which chronicles how development threatens the Edwards Aquifer, Barton Springs and the natural environment, presenting a microcosm of events across the country; and,
Whereas,
“The Unforeseen” is a film made in Austin by Austinites including: filmmaker Laura Dunn, producer Terrence Malick (along with Robert Redford who spent his childhood summers swimming in Barton Springs), cinematographer Lee Daniel and starring Texas notables Ann Richards and Willie Nelson; and,
Whereas,
“The Unforeseen” was an official selection at the Sundance, SXSW and San Francisco International Film Festivals and a winner of the prestigious 2008 Independent Spirit Award honoring indie films;
Now, Therefore,
I, Will Wynn, Mayor of the City of Austin, Texas,
do hereby proclaim APRIL 6, 2008 as “The Unforeseen” Day…….
Ok, so now the million dollar question is: Has Mayor Wynn seen the film? What about the other City Council members? Given their collective record of “upzoning” developments over the watershed and the cutting of city funds for pollution monitoring at both Barton Creek and Barton Springs, well, it all just makes me wonder….
Full Blog is Back
Yahoo completed the upgrade of Twobirdsfilm.com. Now we’re running “Merchant Solutions Standard” which means nothing to virtually everyone reading this. In short, a long overdue housekeeping matter has been resolved.
(Mad props to Yahoo’s Vince Dinh, a tireless firefighter.)
“The Unforeseen” In Austin News.
Robert Redford came to Austin to help promote the opening of The Unforeseen. (He flew in from Houston where he was promoting Mat Hames’ new documentary “Fighting Goliath.” Woot!)
Here are the recent Austin writeups:
- KVUE News
- Austin American-Statesman’s Michael Barnes (Strangely the film received no review)
- Austin Chronicle Review (pick of the week)
Many new screenings….
In addition to our upcoming theatrical openings, there are several new screenings just announced including film festival, art museum and environmental non-profit special events:
3/21/08 Washington, DC Environmental Film Festival
3/27/08 New York, NY Fordham University Urban Studies Dept
4/03/08 Madison, WI Wisconsin Film Festival
4/05/08 Worcester, MA Eco Film Festival/Massbay Film Project
4/07/08 Round Rock, TX Round Rock Public Library/TX State
4/09/08 San Antonio, TX AGUA/Trinity University
4/14/08 Riverdale, NY Sierra Club/Catskill Heritage Alliance
4/18/08 Oklahoma City, OK Oklahoma City Museum of Art
4/27/08 Nevada City, CA Nevada Cinemas
UPCOMING THEATRICAL OPENINGS:
Austin, TX Alamo South Lamar 3/28/08
Seattle, WA Varsity 4/04/08
Denver, CO Landmark 4/11/08
Philadelphia, PA Ritz Theater 4/18/08
San Diego, CA Ken Cinema 4/18/08
Portland, OR, Cinema 21 4/25/08
Chicago, IL Gene Siskel Film Center 5/02/08
Vancouver, BC Vancity Theater 5/02/08
Columbus, OH Wexner Center for the Arts 5/17/08
Madison, WI Sundance Cinemas 5/30/08
Edmonton, Alberta, CA Metro Cinema 5/30/08
Cleveland, OH Cleveland Cinematheque 6/12/08
LA Times also has a feature on Redford / The Unforeseen
In addition to the recent review, a separate feature highlights Redford’s pioneering environmental work.
BEFORE Hollywood went green, there was Robert Redford.
Before Arianna Huffington could have imagined a Prius, before Laurie David recycled, when the words “Al Gore“and “Oscar” in the same sentence would have seemed . . . well, outlandish, there was Redford, who made a cause of the natural world back when environmentalism was still called “ecology,” decades before “green” was anything but a color.
Now, as an executive producer of a new film, “The Unforeseen,” the leading man turned director turned Sundance Film Festival impresario has combined his longtime environmental advocacy with an ongoing passion: documentary cinema.
The full text is here.
The Plan
Originally I thought about writing a response to the recent NY Times ding. If you missed it, it’s here. In particular, the recurring idea that the film fails to provide “The Plan.” The Plan to save humanity from, among other things “the polar ice caps melting.” But in counterpointing I realized I’d already written a comment to the same effect about the negative reaction the film garnered from some San Francisco Film Festival attendees (this post.) This movie doesn’t provide the Plan. In fact, for those with eyes to see, it is a rolling critique of Plans. Everything from
- Wendell Berry’s poem which opens, threads and closes the film is an entire critique of “a world made entirely according to plan“
- Prologue’s opening title sequence of a blueprint expanding into a shattered stained-glass aerial which eventually seems to grow into a sickened, decaying organism
- To the closing sequences which return the viewers again to the ruins of a man’s ambitions which are shown in a montage of abandoned plans/development maps
It seems to me that there are more than enough environmental documentaries that proffer variations of a plan. In fact, this trailer seems to suggest You are in fact the hero who will save The Planet. But suppose humanity devices a Plan to save itself from any and all environmental threats. Who is going to save Humanity from Humanity? To bend Jacques Ellul, suicide is at the heart of the system. Like the grizzled old sickle-wielding blandishment says “There’s no way out of it…”
The film takes a leap of faithlessness in man and by extension, our plans. And in doing so, it aspires to do what the Boston Globe’s Ty Burr declares it cannot. Namely, play to the so-called “unconverted.” Those unconverted dispute most of the environmentalist movement’s premises and discard their data. The data can and will be debated until Kingdom come. In my opinion, those who like the film and those who don’t reveal very different views of man.
But hey, it’s cool. It’s a privilege to have a movie in theaters and to have done very well with most critics. But for these few negative reviews, we’d have no way to see things like reader reviews that disagree and make their own case for why they liked the movie. In the case of the NY Times, 4 of 5 reader reviews so far disputed the review and pointed out how flippant and beneath the paper the tone was. Though a small sample point, it seems like it’s hopeful for the film’s overall reception. More respond than don’t, more advocate than denigrate, etc.
Okay, I digress. We now return you to the failing financial system…
Sponsored by the American Dream and subsidized by a credit-fueled speculative bubble of building and buying.
Review of “The Unforeseen” by IndieWIRE’s Michael Tully
Michael’s really helped create awareness for the movie in prior posts to IndieWIRE’s Blogs. Now he’s written a formal writeup for Muze, Inc. which is very kind…
Must-See Cinema: THE UNFORESEENLaura Dunn’s The Unforeseen opens at Cinema Village tomorrow. I give it Boredom at its Boredest’s highest recommendation. I’ve spoken to people who find the film heavy-handed and flowery and whatever else, but for me, The Unforeseen is one of the most resonant films that I’ve ever seen. I watched the trailer the other day before The Counterfeiters (though well executed, it felt like much of that movie was taken from Holocaust Drama 101, making it a perfectly worthy Oscar winner), and even the trailer of Dunn’s majestic elegy to nature and hope had me on the verge of tears. Here’s the review I wrote for Muze, Inc.:
Laura Dunn’s feature-length directorial debut is a profoundly stirring, visually stunning, and emotionally overpowering work of epic beauty. Sharing a kinship with the film’s executive producer, Terrence Malick, Dunn’s lyrical non-fiction poem reaches levels of transcendence not often encountered in cinema. THE UNFORESEEN recounts the embittered battle that emerged in the latter half of the 20th Century between real estate developer Gary Bradley and the residents of Austin, Texas. Bradley’s plan to develop yet another subdivision that would disturb the beautiful natural swimming hole, Barton Springs, created a swell of communal emotion that challenged big business and development in a manner heretofore unseen. As Dunn tells her personal tale, using archival footage, gorgeous graphic effects, incredibly lush photography (courtesy of Lee Daniel), and present-day interviews with the formative players (Bradley, former governor Ann Richards, and many others), THE UNFORESEEN begins to speak on a much grander scale, challenging viewers to confront similar situations that continue to plague their own cities and neighborhoods. But where Dunn succeeds and exposes her true humanity is in her portrait of Bradley, a reviled figure whom most opponents wouldn’t take the time to try to understand. It is this dismissal of anger and bitterness in favor of understanding and hope that makes THE UNFORESEEN such a transformative viewing experience and elevates it to greatness.
Click here to see his blog and, if the spirit moves you, send him money.
Who says there aren’t New Jobs Being Created?
From today’s Wall Street Journal…
FDIC to Add Staff as Bank Failures Loom
By Damian Paletta
WASHINGTON — The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is taking steps to brace for an increase in failed financial institutions as the nation’s housing and credit markets continue to worsen.The FDIC is looking to bring back 25 retirees from its division of resolutions and receiverships. Many of these agency veterans likely worked for the FDIC during the late 1980s and early 1990s, when more than 1,000 financial institutions failed amid the savings-and-loan crisis.
FDIC spokesman Andrew Gray said the agency was looking to bulk up “for preparedness purposes.” The division now has 223 employees, mostly based in Dallas.
Read On (requires Subscription)
Laura wins the Independent Spirit Award “Truer than Fiction”
Laura received the Independent Spirit ‘Truer than Fiction‘ award. This was beyond a shock to both of us. From advanced word we were under the impression that she didn’t win so Laura was completely surprised by this. It will hopefully help create more awareness for the forthcoming theatrical release…
And in the spirit of “Independent Film…”
(Image by Grant Hutchinson)
We recently learned that NY’s Angelika Theater bumped our NY open with less than 2 weeks to go. They told our distributor “maybe May.” If you’re wondering why, it’s to accommodate the studios whose films are still selling strong. So okay… Such is the world of Independent film. Fortunately for us, the Cinema Village accommodated the last minute change and will run the film on our original opening date of February 29th (This friday!) And, though we’re not there to verify, the Angelika said they’re still playing the trailer. They’ve also promised to update their messaging to redirect folks to Cinema Village. So that’s better than nothing. So, New Yorkers, get your tickets here.
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About The Unforeseen
The Unforeseen, executive produced by Terrence Malick and Robert Redford, premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. Called "the best film at the festival, hands down" by Film Comment's Gavin Smith, the film documents the struggles between development and preservation of Austin Texas.