Remembering the legacy of the late documentary filmmaker St. Clair Bourne who is the subject of an upcoming retrospective this weekend at the Metrograph Theater in NYC. Joining me in the first segment, two filmmakers whose lives & careers were impacted by Bourne: Carol Bash (who last appeared on Episode 287) and, making her first appearance on the podcast, Yoruba Richen. The retrospective, to take place this weekend —February 16 through the 19th— will include a number of documentaries directed by Bourne as well as a number of documentaries by filmmakers like Bash and Richen, most of whom will appear at their screenings. Carol’s film, Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Band will screen on Sunday, February 18th at 2:00PM while Yoruba’s film Promised Land will screen on Sunday at 12:00 PM. Visit the Metrograph website for full details on all the screenings.
Then I am joined by first time filmmaker Sophie Brooks whose new romantic comedy, “The Boy Downstairs” (FilmRise) opens theatrically this Friday, February 16th, at the Village East Cinema in New York City. The film, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival 2017, concerns Diana (Zosia Mamet, HBO’s “Girls”) who moves back to New York City after a few years abroad and finds the perfect Brooklyn apartment for a fresh start. Yet on the first night in her new home, she discovers that her ex-boyfriend Ben (Matthew Shear, Mistress America) lives in the apartment below hers.
This episode includes two songs recorded by musical artists Joe Purdy and Amber Rubarth who were just on Episode 457 with their film American Folk. These two tracks were recorded live from City Winery NYC exclusively for Filmwax Radio. The soundtrack for American Folk is available wherever music is sold.