Szabo, who started taking portraits of his students at Malverne High School on Long Island when he noticed their lack of motivation in learning, is most known for his work published in the books Almost Grown and Teenage.

The documentary is a collection of Szabo’s printed work as well as never before published work. Trawling through an archive spanning over five decades containing over 10,000 images and audio interviews with Szabo, Khachatorian and Pozderec described the production of the film “like assembling a jigsaw puzzle”.

On a retrospective note, the directing duo adds that the process “lead us down a path of memory into a world we had long forgotten, connecting us to the ghosts of our own high school past. That is the gift of Joe’s photographs which transcend simple nostalgia, which connect you immediately to a part of yourself that lasts forever inside.”

The Joseph Szabo Project is an attestation to the fact that while life sometimes flies by us in what feels like mere minutes, a photograph lasts forever.

See a preview of the documentary here.

thejosephszaboproject.com

Words by Carla Seipp

On screen, clothing embodies the unscripted role of sculpting characters – would Cruella De Vil be as villainous without her floor-length fur coats? Clothes create unforgettable moments such as Audrey Hepburn in a Givenchy little black dress outside Tiffany’s, adding to the aesthetic vision of a director – could one imagine Margot Tenenbaum in anything but her heavy eyeliner and preppy polo dresses?

Creative arts platform Test’s series of monthly film screenings and talks mark an intriguing new chapter in the genre. Accompanied by an introduction and Q&A with designer Roksanda Ilincic, the latest motion picture up for discussion will be Liliana Cavani’s The Night Porter starring Charlotte Rampling and Dirk Bogarde.

More than simply a night of stylish cinema, the event is a testament to the lasting power and iconicity of fashion in film.

Test Presents…The Night Porter Introduced By Roksanda Ilincic takes place at Town Hall Hotel & Apartments, Patriot Square, London E2 9NF on December 13 at 7:00 pm.

testmag.co.uk

townhallhotel.com

Words by Carla Seipp

UnderWire plans to change that. As the UK’s only short film festival dedicated to showcasing women’s work it already has the support of such seminal female creatives as Laura Mulvey, author of Visual and Other Pleasures, Fetishism and Curioisity, journalist Samira Ahmed and Nira Park, producer of Scott Pilgrim v the World and Attack the Block. Established by Gabriella Apicella and Gemma Mitchell in 2010, co-directors of UnderWire 2011 Mitchell and Helen Jack hope to recognise women’s talents through awards, open up the dialogue about women in film and, ultimately, readdress the gender balance within the UK industry.

Comes But Once a Year, dir Justine Barker

UnderWire 2011 is at Shortwave cinema and Bermondsey Square Hotel from 23rd – 26th November 2011. See the full programme here

Words by Katie Rose

(Top) Prohyb, dir Katarina Complova

Known for his guerilla style, public photo exhibitions such as Portrait Of A Generation and Face 2 Face, the 2011 TED Prize winner spent three years crafting the documentary, the third part in his 28 Millimètres series.

The result is a film which is an emotional tour de force, confronting its viewer with the hard-hitting reality of violence, war, poverty and oppression women around the world face every day.

But far from viewing his subjects as victims of their environment, JR portrays a group of individuals who are not only fearless, but also optimists of change.

By mounting large-scale portraits of them on public buildings in France, Brazil, Cambodia, India, and Kenya, he proves that the women living their life in the danger zone are not just heroes. They are a poignant reminder that strength, and happiness, can be found in even the darkest of places.

http://jr-art.net/
http://www.womenareheroes.be/

Words by Carla Seipp

But if anything, it’s a time to reflect on who Norma Jeane Mortenson really was.  Her predominant public image was that of the good-time girl with the come-hither voice. But in reality, behind the red lips, hot-rolled curls and Hollywood glamour story, there was a sensitive and often at times conflicted soul; one plagued by debilitating stage fright, depression and substance abuse issues.

Born June 1, 1926 in Los Angeles, she was raised in foster homes for a large part of her childhood. Monroe landed her first, although uncredited, movie role in 1947‘s The Shocking Miss Pilgrim. Far from a ‘dumb blonde’, she studied literature and art appreciation at the University of California alongside the production of her early films, until managing her big breakthrough in the drama The Asphalt Jungle three years later.

Making the leap from an airplane factory worker to the icon of a generation, the star later revealed that she didn’t identify herself with the star/ sex symbol label she was given. “I believe you’re always as good as your potential. Fame will go by, and, so long, I’ve had you fame. So at least it’s something I experienced, but that’s not where I live,” Monroe said in her last ever interview with LIFE magazine in 1962.

What Marilyn Monroe gave the world wasn’t a sex symbol that sang ‘Happy Birthday Mr. President…’ in a whispery voice. She was the woman that came from nothing, saw and conquered. Love for a legend like that never dies.

My Week With Marilyn opens November 23. Marilyn Monroe: Metamorphosis by David Wills, published by HarperCollins, is out December 5.

Words by Carla Seipp

NICOLAS PROVOST: ‘Stardust’ is at the Haunch of Venison, London from the 30th November 2010 – 29th January 2011.

www.haunchofvenison.com

All image stills from ‘Stardust’ (2010) by Nicolas Provost. Courtesy of Haunch of Venison.

http://www.nowness.com/

Words by Katie Rose

Morton’s ability to mesmerise and disconcert is no less powerful in her 1997 debut ‘Under the Skin’. Here she plumbs promiscuity, masochism and rage as Iris – a young woman who tries to overcome her grief at the sudden loss of her mother through casual sex – pushing her relationship with her sister to the limits. The ICA are screening ‘Under the Skin’ this weekend. It’s well worth a revisit.

www.ica.org.uk

The magic of Sasha Grey is that she embodies everything a man/woman desires – and has tenacity – sexual and otherwise – beyond her years. At 21 she already has a number of AVN awards (the Oscars for the adult movie industry) including ‘best three way sex scene’ and ‘best group sex scene’ – amongst her alternative accolades. She’s in a band called Altacine that makes experimental death dub noise, and has her own production company, LA Factory Girls.

Now, director Steven Soderbergh has cast Miss Grey in his latest film ‘The Girlfriend Experience’ out on Friday. Ok, so we know that her transition from adult to mainstream film has been greeted with mixed reactions by critics – but we can’t help but look on with fascination. She’s hot enough to sway anyone’s Kinsey rating, and somehow we can’t help but love her.

The film, called “Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Inferno” tells the story of how the then hotly-tipped French director Henri-Georges Clouzot (‘The Wages of Fear’ and ‘Les Diaboliques’) experimented and failed in putting together his 1964 effort ‘L’Enfer’. Famously given an unlimited budget for the project – Clouzot blew extortionate amounts of cash experimenting on camera tests; and quickly alienated his cast and crew. Filming stopped after just 10 days – so the public never saw the film that was tipped to revolutionise the industry.

The documentary came about when thirty years after Clouzot’s death his widow, Inès de Gonzalez, found herself trapped in an elevator with Serge Bromberg, young film-maker and restoration prodigy. He persuaded her to allow him to access the hours of footage she’s kept hidden away since the disastrous shoot.

‘L’Enfer’ was originally meant to tell the story of a husband, played by a 42 year-old Serge Reggiani, who suffers from bouts of paranoid jealousy over his new bride, 26 year-old Romy Schneider who was then at the height of her stardom. Inspired by kinetics and kaleidoscopic techniques, ‘L’Enfer’, would have been an incredible step forward for the Sixties Nouvelle Vague scene.

Watch these mesmerizing takes of Romy and see the full cinema trailer for ‘Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Inferno’ here.