CUBBY: Screening and Talkback with the Filmmakers

135 College Avenue,Blacksburg VA 24060

11 October, 2022

Description

Tuesday, October 11 from 7-9pm Screening from 7-8:30pm, Talkback with Mark and Ben from 8:30-9pm Presented by the Graduate Arts Council and The Lyric Theatre Admission: FREE; please register Rating & content notes: Unrated. Contains strong language, themes of drug use, and sexual themes & images. Recommended for ages 18+. Contact: Rachel Nunn, Graduate Arts Council: [email protected] -- "With a bold voice reminiscent of heyday 90s independent cinema, CUBBY gives a whole new meaning to 'adventures in babysitting.' Written and co-directed by breakout star Mark Blane, this quirky dark comedy tells the semi-autobiographical story of an anxious midwestern twenty-something who moves to New York City in hopes of becoming an artist. We follow Mark as he navigates his new life in this overwhelming city and chemically imbalanced flights of fancy, all while fostering a friendship with Milo, a precocious 6-year-old he begins to babysit in brownstone-filled Brooklyn. This simultaneously off-the-wall and oddly charming debut features a superhero named Leather-Man, a bizarre closet-dwelling roommate, psychedelics, and a heartwarming performance by Emmy Award-nominee Patricia Richardson (HOME IMPROVEMENT). CUBBY is sure to make you reconnect with your inner child." - NEWFEST FILM FESTIVAL, New York City Join Mark and Ben immediately after the screening for a discussion and Q&A about the making of the film (shot on 16mm) on location in New York City, with a gem-filled cast assembled by Henry Russell Bergstein (Black Mirror, Moonrise Kingdom). Animation in the film is by French artist, Antoine Presles, and the Original Score composed by Jon Natchez (Grammy-winning musician of the band, The War on Drugs). Cinema/drama/writing students, coming-of-age enthusiasts, cinephiles, actors, writers, VT faculty/staff and community members are all welcome to this free screening and talkback. Cubby had its world premiere in International Feature Film Competition at the Torino LGBTQ International Film Festival in April 2019. The movie played across the globe before it was acquired by Breaking Glass Pictures and played a limited theatrical run in North America. Mark Blane was nominated for Best Actor in Cardiff, Wales. The film won the 2020 Buried Treasure Award at the Chlotrudis Independent Film Awards amongst other top winners that year including Parasite and Honeyland. Cubby was a 2017 Selection for the Gotham Narrative Film Lab. "Think Zach Galifianakis meets James Bidgood, with a dash of 1990s Gus Van Sant." - LOGO's New Now Next "Cubby feels like the lovechild of Napoleon Dynamite and Lady Bird". - Terry Mesnard, Fresh Tomato Review "You keep rooting for writer-director-star Mark Blane to sustain this bracing tonal high-wire act. He does, with an infinite wellspring of creativity and tenderness.” - Ruben Rosario, Fresh Tomato Review Director/Screenwriter: MARK BLANE Co-Director: BEN MANKOFF Producers: MARK BLANE, CAROLINA GIMENEZ Cast: PATRICIA RICHARDSON, PETER Y. KIM, JEANINE SERRALLES, MARK BLANE, NAIAN GONZALEZ NORVIND, and RODNEY RICHARDSON Editor: MAX ETHAN MILLER Original Score: JON NATCHEZ Runtime: 85 minutes About Mark Blane: Mark Blane is a New York/Los Angeles based actor, writer and filmmaker originally from Indiana. They are known for writing, directing, and starring in the breakout indie dark comedy, 'Cubby' which toured globally in 2019 at festivals along with a North American theatrical release. He plays "Zack" in the J.J. Abrams/Bad Robot Apple TV+ series 'Little Voice' which was released in 2020. Mark's newest short film he directed/wrote, 'Ghost Bike' stars Blane and celebrated TV/film/theater actress Tamara Tunie. It premiered in the American Shorts section at the 2021 Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles. About Ben Mankoff: Ben Mankoff is an American film director, actor, screenwriter, and producer. He is the Co-Director and Co-Producer of the narrative feature film Cubby, which enjoyed a long festival run followed by a theatrical release in NYC and Los Angeles. It won the Buried Treasure prize at the prestigious Chlotrudis Awards and is currently streaming on Amazon Prime. Ben stars in and produced Christine Pfister’s upcoming feature film, Mamamoon; is the Co-Director and Co-Writer of the short films Like Fine Silk and Miracle Fruit, with Sandra Manzanares; and produced and shot projects for the non-profit Paso Pacifico, which does conservation work in Nicaragua. His next projects include Monarch, a historical television series set in San Francisco; and the feature films Little More Than Kin, a surrealist treasure hunt about familial betrayal and inheritance; Subject/Object, about a love quadrangle, poetry, and murder; and Malpensa, about smuggling in the fashion industry. https://benmankoff.com/ About the Lyric Theatre: https://www.thelyric.com/