Interview By Hannah Eaves

After finding success in the UK by documenting the lives and work of eccentric artists like Gilbert & George and currency vandal J.S.G. Boggs, director Philip Haas jumped the narrative fence with an adaptation of Paul Auster's Music of Chance, the first in what would become a long line of literary adaptations for the screen. With his next film, Angels and Insects, Haas broke through the arthouse market and received Cannes and Academy Award nominations. His latest film, The Situation, starring Connie Nielsen (Gladiator) as an American journalist caught in a Graham Greene-like situation, takes place in Iraq and marks his first collaboration with noted journalist Wendell Stevenson.

Hannah Eaves talks with Haas about working with artists vs. actors, directing scenes in Arabic and about how journalists and soldiers have reacted to The Situation - which is now out on DVD.

interviewed By Heather Johnson

Twentysomething director Cam Archer doesn.t have much interest in conveying the often self-involved dramas of his own generation. The inner lives of teenagers provides much more interesting filmmaking fodder. In our 20s, we discover more fully who we are; in our teens, we struggle to be like everyone else and for everyone to like us. If that doesn.t happen, the results can be brutal, and lead to years of therapy in our 30s.

His new film, Wild Tigers I Have Known, is now out on DVD.

By Jonathan Marlow

On the occasion of the U.S. Premiere of Les Blank.s latest documentary, All in This Tea, at the San Francisco International Film Festival, Jonathan Marlow spoke with the remarkably accomplished filmmaker about his legendary career. What follows is the second of two parts, the first part can be found here.

By Cathleen Rountree

The Pervert's Guide to Cinema, directed by Sophie Fiennes (sister to Ralph and Joseph), was a popular draw at the Toronto International Film Festival last fall. A blueprint for approaching cinema through a psychoanalytic lens, the three-part series consists of substantial film clips and tongue-in-cheek, meticulously recreated settings of famous films (Melanie under siege on Bodega Bay in The Birds; a cadaverous Mrs. Bates in the basement of Psycho; a lunatic Frank on the couch in the unquestionably "perverted" Blue Velvet).

The Pervert's Guide to Cinema is currently working the festival circuit -- You can search dates and locations here.

For those of you in the San Francisco Bay area, the film will be screening at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts May 3rd - May 6th. For times and ticket info click here.