NYFF 08, 10/11.

The Nation's letting non-subscribers see only a bit of Stuart Klawans's NYFF dispatch, but even just that bit's very much worth noting:

Updated through 10/17.

When the full effect hit, about twelve hours after I had seen his 24 City at the New York Film Festival, it occurred to me that Jia Zhangke must now be the most important filmmaker in the world. Whether he's the most inventive, entertaining, moving, thoughtful or visually enthralling is another question. I think he might well be in the running in all those categories; but among other first-rate filmmakers, he clearly surpasses everyone in the scale of his subject matter, which is nothing less than the biggest economic, social and physical transformation taking place in the world today, in the most populous of all countries. When you see the earth from outer space, it's said, the only visible human artifact is the Great Wall of China. When the early twenty-first century is someday viewed from a comparable distance, the main artifacts to be seen may be the films of Jia Zhangke.

More from Michael Joshua Rowin for Stop Smiling: "Jia Zhangke seems to be entering a new phase of his fascinating career with 24 City, a documentary/fiction hybrid that reworks the director's signature techniques and strategies to stunning and self-critical effect."

And more entries on individual films are on the way.

Earlier NYFF-in-general entries: 9/16 and 9/23 and 10/3.

Update, 10/12: "Commissioned by Filmmaker magazine, and with a love for the quirky detail, [Jamie Stuart] has brought a poet's eye to festival junkets, news conferences and sundry rituals of ballyhoo, creating off-the-cuff observational essays that vividly capture the nexus between art, absurdity and celebrity." Ann Hornaday talks with Jamie about a shot in the third episode of NYFF46.

Update, 10/13: The Playlist indexes its coverage.

Updates, 10/14: Ben Walters looks back on the highlights for the Guardian.

"In what's become an annual tradition, the Film Society's own Ron Savin pens a tribute to the many films that appeared on the festival roster. While there are about twenty years worth of 'Tales,' Ron reports, this is the first edition to appear on a blog."

Updates, 10/15: "FilmCatcher's Damon Smith looks back at interviewing the directors of the NYFF."

Nathaniel R posts his big wrap-up.

Update, 10/17: FilmCatcher wraps its coverage.

Posted by dwhudson at October 11, 2008 1:35 PM