NY Arab-American Comedy Festival & more

*Lisa's note: My friend Joanne Zuaiter gave me this information for the a comedy festival happening right now in the city at The Zipper Theatre. Her husband Waleed Zuaiter is one of the comdedians. Jan 20-21st is Sketch Night where he appears & tickets are still available. You can also call 866-811-4111.

Check it out!

Sketch Comedy Shows:
Sunday, January 20 at 6:00 and 8:00 p.m.
Monday, January 21 at 7:00 and 9:00 p.m.

-"New Faces" Stand-Up Comedy show
(featuring the best upcoming Arab-American comedians):
Tuesday, January 22 at 7:30 p.m.

-"Best of the Festival" and Closing Night Party:
Wednesday, January 23 at 7:30 p.m.
- The best acts from the festival and comedic short films,
followed by party at 9:00 p.m.

(Free admission to Party with purchase
of Film Night tickets.)

The Zipper Theater
336 W. 37th street
New York, NY 10018
Between 8th & 9th Avenues

Subway: A, C, E to 34th or 42nd Street stations
and 1, 2, 3, N, R, Q, W, S to 42nd Street.


* * *

MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE PRESENTS

‘A TRIBUTE TO ST. CLAIR BOURNE’ FEBRUARY 10, 2008 CRITICS GEORGE ALEXANDER, ESTHER IVEREM, CLYDE TAYLOR, AND ARMOND WHITE IN PERSON

On Sunday, February 10, 2008, at 2:00 p.m., the Museum of the Moving Image will present a tribute to St. Clair Bourne, the prominent African-American filmmaker and activist, who died in December. The program will include a selection of clips from his films and a panel discussion about his life and work featuring cultural critics and scholars George Alexander, Esther Iverem, Clyde Taylor, and Armond White. The panel will be moderated by Chief Curator David Schwartz and DV Republic founder and chief Warrington Hudlin, who organized the program and is a Museum Trustee.

A prolific filmmaker, St. Clair Bourne (1943-2007) made more than 40 films, mainly documentaries about African-American culture and politics. His subjects included Paul Robeson, John Henrik Clarke, Gordon Parks, Amiri Baraka, Langston Hughes, and the making of Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing. He began his filmmaking career at Black Journal, the first black public affairs show in the nation, in 1968. From there he formed the independent production company, Chamba Mediaworks, where he produced all his own projects as well as documentaries for HBO, PBS, NBC, BBC, and National Geographic.

"St. Clair Bourne played a pivotal role in the contemporary black independent film movement as both a filmmaker and organizer,” said Mr. Hudlin. “The Museum is pleased to host this review and tribute to his considerable body of work.”

About the panelists:
-George Alexander is a business entertainment columnist at Black Enterprise magazine and author of Why We Make Movies.
-Esther Iverem is a journalist, author, and poet. Her reviews regularly appear on SeeingBlack.com, a web site she founded in 2001 for the dissemination of reviews, news, and commentary from an African-American perspective. She is the author of The Time: Portrait of a Journey Home.
-Clyde Taylor is Professor at the Gallatin School and in Africana Studies at New York University. A leading scholar of African and African American literature and film, Taylor also wrote the script for the PBS documentary, Midnight Ramble: The Life and Legacy of Oscar Micheaux.
-Armond White is a film critic at New York Press. He is the author of two books about popular music: he Resistance: Ten Years of Pop Culture That Shook the World and Rebel for the Hell of It: The Art-Life of Tupac Shakur.

events: manhattan, brooklyn, queens

Please join us on January 16th at Symphony Space, as 826NYC and Penguin Books present a benefit reading to celebrate the release of The Book of Other People, a collection of brand new stories by contemporary authors edited by Zadie Smith. ZADIE SMITH will host this special event, which will feature readings by two of the book’s contributors, GEORGE SAUNDERS, and VENDELA VIDA, plus a rare reading by actress MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL. There will be a book signing and Q & A after the reading.

All proceeds from the book and reading will benefit 826NYC.

Tickets are available here.

More information is available here.

* * *
*Lisa's note: This next event was forwarded to me by
Louise G. Crawford, host of
onlytheblogknowsbrooklyn.com

Brooklyn Reading Works
presents SIDE STREET,
a staged reading of a new play
by Rosemary Moore
directed by Ian Morgan of The New Group.

A woman discovers that her dead mother has been living in a studio apartment on the Upper East Side for the last 30 years. And she's still the same age she was when she died. A mother/daughter reunion you won't forget.

Don't miss this terrific new play and free drinks with your $5
contribution. We'll be serving Side Cars.

January 17th at 8 p.m
The Old Stone House
Fifth Avenue and 3rd Street

* * *

MOVING IMAGE PRESENTS
‘JOHN FORD AT FOX’
FILM SERIES

January 12-February 24, 2008

John Ford on the set of HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY (1941). The Museum of the Moving Image will present the film series "Ford at Fox," featuring two dozen films made by the great American director at 20th Century Fox, January 12-February 24, 2008. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox/Museum of the Moving Image.


From January 12 through February 24, 2008, the Museum of the Moving Image will present John Ford at Fox, a retrospective of the great American director John Ford featuring films he made at 20th Century Fox. Throughout his prolific career, Fox was the Hollywood studio closest to being Ford’s base; he directed more than 50 movies there, made the transition from silents to talkies, and worked in a wide range of genres, creating some of his enduring masterpieces.



Jim Jessop in John Ford's PILGRIMAGE (1933), screening January 12 and 19 at Museum of the Moving Image as part of the film series "Ford at Fox," January 12 through February 24, 2008. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox/Museum of the Moving Image.

From left, James Hall and Francis X. Bushman, Jr. in John Ford's FOUR SONS (1928), screening January 13 at the Museum of the Moving Image as part of the film series "Ford at Fox,” January 12 through February 24, 2008. Photo courtesy 20th Century Fox/Museum of the Moving Image.

MADE-IN-QUEENS FEATURE FILM
‘CHOP SHOP’ TO HAVE PREVIEW SCREENING
AT MOVING IMAGE WITH
DIRECTOR RAMIN BAHRANI IN PERSON

On Saturday, January 26, 2008, at 5:00 p.m. the Museum of the Moving Image will present a special preview screening of Chop Shop, the new film by Ramin Bahrani who directed the acclaimed independent film Man Push Cart. A deeply affecting slice of urban neorealism, Chop Shop, set in the Iron Triangle near Shea Stadium, follows a 12-year-old orphan who ekes out an existence with his sister. Bahrani will participate in a discussion after the screening.

For more information and to view the SCHEDULE for ‘JOHN FORD AT FOX’ and ‘CHOP SHOP’ click here.

MUSEUM INFORMATION

Hours: Wednesdays & Thursdays, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Fridays, 12:00 to 8:00 p.m. Saturdays & Sundays, 11:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Tuesday, school groups only by appointment.)

Film Screenings: Saturday and Sunday afternoons, and additional as scheduled.
 Museum Admission: $10.00 for adults; $7.50 for persons over 65 and for students with ID; $5.00 for children ages 5-18. Children under 5 and Museum members are admitted free. Admission to the galleries is free on Fridays, 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. Paid admission includes film screenings (except for special ticketed events)

Location: 35 Avenue at 36 Street in Astoria.
Subway: R or V trains (R or G on weekends) to Steinway Street. N or W trains to 36 Avenue.
Program Information: Telephone: (718) 784-0077;
Website: www.movingimage.us