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New York’s Public Theater announced its upcoming season at their Astor Place home as well as Central Park’s to-be-reopened Delacorte Theater where the Public will stage Twelfth Night, directed by Saheem Ali, in summer 2025.

In its 2024-25 season, the Public will feature productions by playwrights Caryl Churchill, Lisa Sanaye Dring, David Finnigan, James Ijames, John Purugganan and S. Shakthidharan. The line-up will include partnerships with theater companies Belvoir St Theatre, Kurinji, and NYU Skirball; Elevator Repair Service; and Ma-Yi Theatre Company and La Jolla Playhouse.

See the entire line-up below.

“In my 20th season at The Public Theater, I’m overjoyed to share programming that is as bold and ambitious as The Public’s mission,” said Artistic Director Oskar Eustis, adding, “The season finishes with the reopening of The Delacorte Theater. We’re counting down the minutes until we can celebrate our revitalized home with a joyful production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.

NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.

Roxy Cinema

Three by Abel Ferrara—Mary, Go Go Tales, and The Funeral—are on 35mm while the director presents his cut of Welcome to New York; this Friday a 16mm print of Deep Throat and 35mm of The Warriors are both available.

Museum of Modern Art

One of the year’s great retrospectives looks at deep cuts of Shochiku Studios.

Japan Society

A print of Kurosawa’s Kagemusha shows Friday.

Film Forum

35mms print of Brooke Adams-starrer Vengeance Is Mine and Diva screen, while Montgomery Clift is given a retro featuring the greatest of Old Hollywood; Creature from the Black Lagoon plays in 3D this Sunday.

Museum of the Moving Image

Miami Vice and The Insider show on 35mm for “Mann to Mann: The Manly Melodramas of Michael Mann,” while the great Dp James Wong Howe is given his dues in a new retrospective.

Bass Ackwards has been, thus far, the unexpected gem of the 2010 Independent Film Festival Boston. Writer/director/star Linus Phillips' winsome road trip movie has all the earmarks of a Rowlesian work of whimsy, a genre that I find particularly grating. Yet it's done with such honest affection and bright-eyed optimism that instead, I found myself completely captivated by it.

In the film, Phillips plays a version of himself, named Linus. He's an affable loser, living on an air mattress in his friends' study, finding pick-up work as a wedding videographer, and having an affair with Georgia (Davie-Blue), a married woman who can't quite requite the emotion he's invested in her. Unsurprisingly, this unsteady existence eventually comes tumbling down around him -- his friends ask him to move out, Georgia passively ends their relationship, and Linus takes refuge working for a free room at a local llama farm. He idles...

Rating: 7.5/10

Writers: Linas Phillips, Davie-Blue, Jim Fletcher

Director: Linas Phillips

Cast: Linas Phillips, Alex Karpovsky, Davie-Blue, Jim Fletcher

Studio: Furnace Films

Linas (Phillips) is kind of an odd duck. Well, more like…he’s the type of guy everyone kind of hates, but you can’t really put your finger on just why the ill-feelings towards him are so across the board. I know people like that in real life and you probably do too. If you don’t, chances are you are that person…but I digress.

Read more on Sundance 2010 Review: Bass Ackwards…...

Continuing out 2010 Sundance Film Festival coverage, we are pleased to present you with the poster, images and trailer for "Bass Ackwards." The comedy will have a nationwide digital release on February 1st. Linas Phillips directs and stars alongside fellow writers David-Blue and Jim Fletcher. Also starring are Alex Karpovsky, Andrew Liam Pringle and Christian Palmer. Bass Ackwards is a captivating and consummately human film that reminds us that whatever we think the road is about; the trip is probably about something else. Alternating between scripted action, improvisation, and the unpredictable spontaneity of vérité encounters, the film is the semi-autobiographical story of Linas Phillips, who stars as well as directs. Born of the imagination of Linas and his easy collaboration with old friends, costars, and co-conspirators Davie-Blue, Jim Fletcher, Paul Lazar, and Sean Porter, the film effortlessly and organically crosses the line between reality and fiction, incorporating the people and characters...

What are film festivals doing in increase distribution possibilities for their filmmakers and how are they using digital technology to do this and enhance their own position at the same time?

1) Sundance Film Festival is debuting films through VOD under a label called "Sundance Selects". Three films that premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival will debut simultaneously into 40 million Us households, via cable systems and satellite TV. The films will then be available for viewing for 30 days. The films include Michael Winterbottom's and Mat Whitecross's sociopolitical documentary The Shock Doctrine, Benny and Josh Safdie's comedy Daddy Longlegs, and Daniel Grou's drama 7 Days (Les 7 Jours du Talion).

"Moving the storytelling of the Sundance Film Festival beyond 10 days in Utah remains a top priority for us," said actor Robert Redford, founder of the Sundance Institute, about bringing the event to a wider audience, including selected screenings of Sundance films in other Us cities.

Mark Duplass falls Bass Ackwards into Sundance Linas Phillips is taking an interesting approach to the release of his upcoming improvisational road trip comedy Bass Ackwards. For the first time in history, a film will bypass its theatrical window and become available nationwide the day after its World Premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. Keeping in step with its title, Bass Ackwards will be on the market for purchase and downloading on February 1st, with a more in-depth DVD release to follow in the spring. This is a groundbreaking release strategy, and it could measure how smaller, Independent films find their way into the marketplace in the very near future.Bass Ackwards is a captivating and consummately human tale. It reminds us that whatever we think the road is about; the trip is probably about something else. Alternating between scripted action, improvisation, and the unpredictable spontaneity of v&#233rit&#233 encounters,...

In an unprecedented distribution maneuver that will bypass theatrical and other traditional windows, the highly anticipated film, Bass Ackwards, which will have its World Premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, will be available nationwide one day after the festival closes. Through this unusual distribution deal with New York based New Video and Zipline Entertainment, Bass Ackwards will be available for purchase and download in tens of millions of homes via major digital retailers, cable VOD and DVD on demand beginning Monday, February 1, 2010. A full retail DVD release in the spring will include in-depth bonus material documenting the unique distribution strategy. This groundbreaking deal is a first of its kind for a feature-length film out of a premier festival like Sundance. The film, executive produced by Sundance veteran Mark Duplass and marketing executive Marian Koltai-Levine, produced by Thomas Woodrow and directed by actor Linas Phillips, also stars Phillips as a man who embarks on a lyrical,...

The lucky inaugural eight include: Habib Azar's Armless, Linas Philips's Bass Ackwards, Sultan Sharrief's Bilal’s Stand, Katie Aselton's The Freebie, Barnes Bros' Homewrecker, Adam Bowers's New Low, Michael Mohan's One Too Many Mornings and Eyad Zahra's The Taqwacores - which has nothing to do with the docu film Taqwacore: The Birth of Punk Islam: (same subject, different film). - If you see or hear me calling this the Miranda July's (you'll have to have seen Me and You and Everyone We Know) section it's because of its no greater or lesser than emblem ( < = > ). John Cooper officially had a stroke of genius with the announcement of the section earlier in the year, and the batch of eight shows the festival is certainly getting back into the "indie" spirit of things again or, it will be seen as Sundance stealing some of the...

On Wednesday the Sundance Film Festival unveiled the films competing in late January 2010. Yesterday they announced the rest of the line-up of independent films vying for attention for industry types and the curious public.

The entire list of 53 films is below, but here are a few that stood out to me from the premieres alone:

Mumblecore directors the Duplass Brothers, have a new, untitled movie starring an unusually high-profile cast compared to their usual improvisational crew. John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei, Jonah Hill, and Catherine Keener. Reilly and Keener are actually in two films at the 2010 festival.

The Company Men, starring Ben Affleck, Kevin Costner, Maria Bello, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, Rosemarie DeWitt about corporate downsizing.

Rodrigo Cortes’ Buried, starring Ryan Reynolds as a man buried alive in a coffin. I’ve read the script and its great. More on that as soon as I can.

The Runaways, the...

Sundance 2010: Next (<=>) One Too Many Mornings by Michael Mohan Film info from the Sundance press release. Armless (Director: Habib Azar; Screenwriter: Kyle Jarrow) — In this off-kilter comedy, a woman comes to terms with her husband’s strange secret. Cast: Daniel London, Janel Moloney, Matt Walton, Zoe Lister-Jones, Laurie Kennedy, Keith Powell. World Premiere Bass Ackwards (Director and screenwriter: Linas Phillips) — After ending a disastrous affair with a married woman, a man embarks on a lyrical, strange and comedic cross-country journey in a modified Vw bus. Cast: Linas Philips, Davie-Blue, Jim Fletcher, Paul Lazar. World Premiere Bilal’s Stand (Director and screenwriter: Sultan Sharrief) — Bilal, a Muslim high school senior in Detroit juggles his [...]...

We are 49 days out and counting down to Sundance 2010. Yesterday, we unveiled the list of competition films for the upcoming festival. Today, we have your list of out-of-competition films which include Premieres, Spotlight, New Frontier, and, my personal favorite, Park City at Midnight, which has featured past entries like Black Dynamite, The Descent, and Saw.

Check out next year’s lineup for the out-of-competition films:

Premieres

To showcase the diversity to contemporary independent cinema, the Sundance Film Festival Premieres section offers the latest work from American and international directors as well as world premieres of highly anticipated films. Presented by Entertainment Weekly.

Abel / Mexico, USA (Director: Diego Luna; Screenwriters: Diego Luna and Agusto Mendoza)–A peculiar young boy, blurring reality and fantasy, assumes the responsibilities of a family man in his father’s absence. Cast: Jose Maria Yazpik, Karina Gidi, Carlos Aragon, Christopher Ruiz-Esparza, Gerardo Ruiz-Esparza. World Premiere

Cane Toads:...

Yesterday we got the list for the films playing in competition at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and today we get the rest of the films that will be featured and there are quite a few that make 2010 look much stronger based on pedigree alone than I have seen in quite some time. Variety has a big write-up detailing the categories and more on the festival right here, but I am just going to offer up the titles and let you sort it all out.

The titles already in the RopeofSilicon database are linked.

Premieres

All films are from the United States unless otherwise noted Abel (Mexico-u.S.), the directorial debut of actor Diego Luna, written by Luna and Agusto Mendoza, about a peculiar young boy who, as he blurs reality and fantasy, takes over the responsibilities of a family man in his father's absence. With Jose Maria Yazpik, Karina Gidi,...

Yesterday we gave you a list of all the films playing in-competition at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. We now have the list of the films playing out-of-competition and they’re divided up into four categories: Premieres, Next, Spotlight, and Park City at Midnight. Since combining these lists would be a lot to read for just one article, we’ve broken it up to make it easier on your eyes. You’re welcome.

The “Next” category features filmmakers and actors you’ve probably never heard of before, but that doesn’t mean these films aren’t worth seeing. On the contrary, because there are only eight of them, folks attending the festival may want to find some time to try and check a couple out because part of what makes film festivals so great is you can discover a hidden game and bring it to the attention of others. Check out...

In addition to the competition titles which were announced yesterday, Sundance has announced the remainder of their line-up and it includes some titles we’re already familiar with along with a huge number of premieres.

Also on the docket are two new series: Next which showcases low/no budget films and Spotlight which highlights films which festival programmers deem worthy of extra love including Enter the Void (review) and Lourdes (the trailer for which I really liked).

I’m particularly excited to see some of the titles in the New Frontier program but overall, the line-up is an impressive one but the Kristen Stewart fan in me is excited to see her turn as Joan Jett in The Runaways and I think it’s fair to say we’re all dying to see Vincenzo Natali’s hotly anticipated Splice (trailer).

In the Midnight section, Adam Green's Frozen is sounding mighty find,...

Sundance released their slate for 2010. It includes:43 documentaries on the Middle East12 films about friends who 'discover' something33 movies about people you've never heard about1 comedyHopefully the lineup this year is strong but it doesn't look that way compared to last year. Last year we had Push (Precious), that Lil Wayne documentary that never went anywhere, Mystery Team which might make my top ten, Moon, Mike Tyson documentary, Cold Souls. Just so much last January that was excellent. I hope I don't go out therer and freeze my tail off just to see...I don't know, a documentary about a former Pakistani prime minister or something silly like that.Here's the lineup so far: Premieres To showcase the diversity to contemporary independent cinema, the Sundance Film Festival Premieres section offers the latest work from American and international directors as well as world premieres of highly anticipated films. Presented by Entertainment Weekly.

The Sundance Film Festival's competition lineup for 2010, announced Wednesday, might demand that audiences wear their serious caps. But the out-of-competition selections allow programmers and viewers to cut loose a little.

The 53 films that populate this year's Premieres, Next, Spotlight, Park City at Midnight and New Frontier sections run the gamut from the cosmically experimental to the star-studded and silly. There is indeed something for everyone at this year's event, which runs Jan. 21-31 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.

As usual, Premieres collects work involving the industry's higher-profile talent, none more so than John Wells' feature directorial debut, "The Company Men," which stars Ben Affleck, Kevin Costner, Maria Bello, Tommy Lee Jones and Chris Cooper. Mexican actor Diego Luna's directorial debut, "Abel," will screen, as will Philip Seymour Hoffman's "Jack Goes Boating."

Michael Winterbottom has the rare distinction of having two films in...