NIFF 2008
NIFF Second Monday, July 14th
Note By Note: Screening Monday, July 14 at 4 pm & 7 pm at the Jane Pickens Theater, 49 Touro Street, Newport. Tickets: $10 or $8 for Film Newport/NIFF members. Tickets available at the door.
In our age of mass-production and consumption, what is the role of the musician — both an instrument’s craftsman and its player? Musically, what have we gained? More importantly, what are we losing?
The most thoroughly handcrafted instruments in the world, Steinway pianos are as unique and full of personality as the world-class musicians who play them. However, their makers are a dying breed: skilled cabinet-makers, gifted tuners, thorough hand-crafters.
Note By Note is a feature-length independent documentary that follows the creation of a Steinway concert grand — from forest floor to concert hall. It explores the relationship between musician and instrument, chronicles the manufacturing process, and illustrates what makes each Steinway unique in this age of mass production. From the factory floor in Queens to Steinway Hall in Manhattan, each piano’s journey is complex — spanning 12 months, 12,000 parts, 450 craftsmen, and countless hours of fine-tuned labor. Filmed in key Steinway locations —the factory, Steinway’s reserved “Bank,” and private auditions — Note By Note is a loving celebration of not just craftsmanship, but of a dying breed of person who is deeply connected to working by hand. In the end, this is an ode to the most unexpected, and perhaps ironic, of unsung heroes. It reminds us how extraordinary the dialogue can be between an artist and an instrument — crafted out of human hands but borne of the materials of nature.
Featuring interviews and performances with a number of world-class artists including Chinese phenom Lang Lang, Hélène Grimaud, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, contemporary singer Harry Connick, Jr. and jazz greats Hank Jones, Marcus Roberts, Kenny Barron and Bill Charlap.
Director Ben Niles will be in attendance for Q&A sessions following both screenings.
NEW NIFF DIRECTOR NAMED
By James J. Gillis
Daily News staff
Reprinted courtesy of The Newport Daily News (June 12, 2008)
NEWPORT, RI (June 12, 2008) — Jennifer Maizel, managing director of the Sarasota Film Festival, will become the executive director of the Newport International Film Festival on July 1.
Maizel will replace Louisa M. Percudani, who left after one year to become executive director of the Sonoma Valley Film Festival in California. Maizel, 35, has worked at the past three Sarasota festivals and served as director of guest services at the Newport festival in 2006.
“I’m very excited about Newport,” she said Tuesday. “I think my main goal is to continue the strong relationship between the festival and the community, not just the Newport community but the state and the region. And I want the festival to have a strong relationship with the film industry. That’s important.”
Maizel has Rhode Island roots, having gone to junior high school and high school in East Greenwich. She attended last week’s Newport festival after landing the executive director’s job in late April. She hopes to meet with the staff once she takes charge.
“I’m looking forward to sitting down and talking with everyone,” she said.
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July's Second Monday
Note By Note, a documentary about the creation of a Steinway grand piano, will screen Monday, July 14 at 4 pm & 7 pm at the Jane Pickens Theater, 49 Touro Street, Newport. Tickets: $10 or $8 for Film Newport/NIFF members. Tickets available at the door.
New NIFF Director
Jennifer Maizel, managing director of the Sarasota Film Festival, will become the executive director of the Newport International Film Festival on July 1.
Award Winners 2008
The Newport International Film Festival is pleased to announce the winners of its 2008 festival. Awards, which are voted on by the NIFF Jury, were presented for the Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary, and Best Short Film.