The Tribeca Film Festival is taking over New York City like an amoeba, bursting out its downtown environs into multiplexes in Midtown. With sponsors galore, especially American Express, it seems to be everywhere. At the AMC (formerly Loew’s) picture palace on West 34th Street, the festival opened with confusion. People wandered around unsure of what theater was playing what. Some like Rory O’Connor waited nearly an hour and missed part of a movie because no one had cash box to sell tickets and so folks were let in for free. These might be minor complaints unless you experienced the chaos. With all the big bucks and press attention the Festival, now in its fifth year has received, you would think they would have their shit together.

That said, I saw two excellent films. The first, The Cats of Mirikatani was made by Linda Hattendorf who is editing my new doc In Debt We Trust. Just because we are colleagues I will spare you my enthusiasm and share this review from New York Magazine.

http://www.nymetro.com/movies/reviews/16813/index.html

SHOOT THE MESSENGER

The second film was a narrative feature called “Shoot The Messenger “ that started out life called “Fuck Black People.” The BBC insisted on another title but the movie remains a controversial well-acted drama based on debates within the black community. This is a politically incorrect challenge by a black British Director of African descent that boldly goes where most black films won’t go- parodying trite debates and asking brave questions about race and identity. See it if you can. The audience laughed along in self-recognition.

The NY Times reviewed a media critical drama called The TV Set which asks the question: “Where does bad television come from?” Sounds timely.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/27/movies/27tvset.html

Tonight I will be in Tribeca to see “The Journalist and the Jihadi,“ the story of the murder of journalist Daniel Pearl. I helped out on the film last summer in London.

LETTER: OIL IS THICKER THAN BLOOD

Eugene Duran has been persistent in covering the Peak Oil controversy He writes:

“Danny, Bush is sure cracking down. Investigating gouging (I’m sure indictments are forthcoming). Tapping the SPR (strategic petroleum reserve) but then he says experts say gas prices are going to remain high? Ask him which experts he is quoting. Why is Daniel Yergin the only biased view we get and one of the few experts who thinks Peak Oil is many years off. So if the experts say gas prices are going to remain high does this not imply that there is nothing Bush can do to lower prices and that the oil companies are doing nothing wrong? Any bets the tax breaks on Oil companies goes through? He must be seen as doing something they say. This is the best he’s got. The results will be just as impotent!

“Now that the Whitehouse and Fox news are out of the closet we know why Cheney insisted on having Fox news on 24 7 in his hotel rooms. This way he can monitor his leaks. Like the Osama releases and the Al-Zarqawi threats. Its getting tougher to keep us afraid if they have to bring them both out within a few days. Don’t ya think?”

Bill Coates writes about his Community Radio Blog:

”Just a bit of shameless self promotion here. :-) I recently started a blog relating to LPFM and community radio, specifically in Wisconsin, but there is also information there of a more general nature. I just started so it is not too deep yet, but as time goes on, it will get better and better.

http://commradjournal.wordpress.com/

Thanks! Keep up the great work!

MAD MAGAZINE TAKES ON DICK CHENEY

http://mpetrelis.blogspot.com/2006/04/mad-mag-satirizes-dick-cheneys-life.html

WMD SCREENINGS

Max Marx writes from South Africa:

“Hi Danny. Just saw your film WMD on SABC 1 in South Africa. thought it was excellent. Any chance of buying a copy of the film?”

Answer to question. Of Course:
Http://www.wmdthefilm.com

IN BOSTON FRIDAY—HERE ARE THE DETAILS

Bentley Banton writes:

”I am planning to come down to your lecture/WMD screening at Emerson College at 7 pm on Fri. 28th. I hope I get the opportunity to meet and greet during the event. If there is Q and A, I’ve got a good ine ?. Anyways I hope your could give more info on the details(when, what building, etc.) so we could know the logistics. This will undoubtably increase the numbers that find and attend the event…Continue the good work and spreading the word (I have a feeling I could get you some more overseas gigs!) Well, more clarifications of the Friday event would help…regardless of any organized konfusion, I will be there.”

Ok Bentley, here you go, the details.

There will be a special screening of the critically-acclaimed film on media, propaganda, war and their discontents, “Weapons of Mass Deception,” Friday, April 28th, at 7 p.m., at the Bill Bordy Theater at Emerson College (216 Tremont St., one block from the Boylston St. Green Line T stop) in Boston, MA.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Jane Jacobs the Great champion of livable cities died yesterday. The Progressive News carried this quote:

“A culture is unsalvageable if stabilizing forces themselves become ruined and irrelevant. . . The collapse of one sustaining cultural institution enfeebles others, makes it more likely that others will give way . . . until finally the whole enfeebled, intractable contraption collapses.

“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.

“Economic life develops by grace of innovating; it expands by grace of import-replacing.”

Keep Your Letters coming. Write Dissector@mediachannel.org