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Aaron Kovalchik

Cinematographer

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Photographs

Filmmaker Kitao Sakurai’s first feature, AARDVARK, follows the daily routines of a blind man who takes up Jiu-Jitsu to rid himself of his dirty drinking habits. What piques our interest about this film is that the actor playing the central character, Larry Lewis Jr., has been blind since birth and practices Jiu-Jitsu in real life. This film is the love child of narrative and documentary; it’s often difficult to tell what’s fact or fiction. I liked AARDVARK so much that I wanted to get some more insight on the film for myself and our guests prior to the festival. Enjoy!

Fantastic Fest Interview: AARDVARK Writer/Director Kitao Sakurai : Fantastic Fest

Aardvark - Trailer

Lawrence Michael Levine’s “Gabi on the Roof in July,” with a title that evokes Eric Rohmer and a creative process that resembles Mike Leigh’s long-term structured improvisations, is a kind of negative argument in favor of the auteur theory.

This weekend at AFI FEST in Los Angeles, American audiences will get their first opportunity to take in Kitao Sakurai’s “Aardvark.” Already a staple of the European festival circuit after premiering in Locarno this summer, the film uniquely portrays the real-life relationship between a blind man recovering from alcoholism (Larry Lewis Jr) and his hard-partying Jiu Jitsu instructor (Darren Branch).

Gabi on the Roof in July - Trailer

Monkeywrench - Full Short (email me for the password)

Monkeywrench - Excerpt

Our Time - Trailer

Rich Boy - Let’s Get This Paper

HUG - Trailer

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