RJD Productions Entertainment Blog

The preservation and the celebration of old works of film is an infrequent occurrence unless one lives in New York City, where its commonplace. For example, The Film Forum is well-known for screening movies such as “Paris is Burning” and “Annie Hall” regardless of their age and availability on DVD. Ditto the MOMA and Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center as both curate retrospectives on a regular basis.

The Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center can now boast they have screened the cult classic “Over the Edge” – selected for the opening night film for Film Comment’s Select series (in conjunction with VICE Magazine) on February 19, 2010.

Released in theaters in 1979 by the now defunct Orion Pictures, the film was quickly removed (despite its PG rating). The reason – concerns that audiences would riot. Indeed, “Over the Edge” was deemed controversial due to its “authentic” portrayal of disenfranchised youth in “Anywhere” America (many scenes in the film were actually shot throughout Colorado and cities like Denver and Aurora).

Thirty-one years after its initial release, “Over the Edge” still resonates due to its timely subject matter – youth engaging in vandalism, violence and drugs in the context of neglectful parents who are more concerned about the value of their real estate. As such, elements of the film can be seen in the works of artists that have come of age in the 1990s, namely filmmaker Richard Linklater (“Dazed and Confused”) and Kurt Cobain (“Smells Like Teen Spirit” the music video).

There is no doubt the film will continue to influence up and coming artists. Now if only HBO would program multiple airings of the film as it did in the 1980s so the newer generations can discover this “gem.”

Click on below to watch the post screening panel discussion with the cast and crew.

This article was written by RJD Productions’ Joanna Rudolph and was originally posted on Artquarterly.com

It has been reported on indiewire.com (http://www.indiewire.com/article/eugene_hernandez_the_doctor_is_in/) among other similar publications that four feature films screening at Sundance 2010 are being distributed concurrently with its festival premiere via cable VOD and/or Download to Own platforms.   The brouhaha is over the creation of Sundance Selects, a new distribution initiative run by IFC Films, the same company that explored the very same ground via IFC Film Festival Direct at SXSW in 2009.   To that end, the Sundance Selects initiative is not unprecedented.   And yet these four feature films have already begun to reap the benefits (re: exposure) of being newbies to come out of Sundance capitalizing on this “innovative” distribution model.  If you recall, the last time short films got this kind of attention was when Sundance announced a partnership with iTunes, making them available for free and then subsequently available for download at a fee of $1.99 per short.    While the deal between Sundance and iTunes continues to exist, the shorts (only 10 selected in 2009) are now only available for free, thanks to the shady accounting (an unfortunate common occurrence) of a vendor Sundance outsourced.   That’s not to say that other festivals are looking to resuscitate the Sundance / iTunes deal, monetization intact.   Rumor has it that Tribeca Film Festival will be announcing a similar deal with iTunes in the not too distant future, thereby giving a select few short filmmakers another opportunity to make some money from their work.    The guinea pig filmmakers have yet to be announced but be sure that they will get exposure for their “risk-taking.”   But the real winner here will be Tribeca Film Festival, provided the deal goes through. The media loves a comeback story and with Geoff Gilmore at the helm, no doubt Tribeca will go down as history as the festival that set a “precedent” for short filmmakers.

And what about those filmmakers who are unable to get their shorts on iTunes (due to the need of a middleman – e.g. Sundance, Shorts International)?   They can set a precedent of their own by making their shorts available on a DVD compilation and/or Direct-to-Download concurrently with their film festival premiere (a la Sundance Selects/IFC Film Festival Direct).  And they don’t have to wait to get into Tribeca much less get asked to be a part of their “new” initiative.   Be a leader, not a follower.   Check out what we are doing at RJD Productions Entertainment to help short filmmakers at http://www.rjdproentertainment.com.