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Update #19: Speaking on NTV AMERICA (Russian-American TV)
It's in Russian, and the editing is traditionally clueless... BUT THIS MAN IS ONTO SOMETHING, I tell ya...
/Here's what I wrote last night (it's a draft, but anywho...):
These days, if one can put it on "film", there's money to be made in antisemitism, in America-bashing, in simulated muckracking (which wasn't a good business when it came to be - it used to be dangerous). There's also enough honest and talented people today, with opinions and resources to take sides and make their case on film as of this moment.
I despise the former, and see no reason for me to be yet another one of the latter.
My film is an attempt to see what's after that, what's around the bend. Desperate to repair the fabric of society, I take an example of that 120 years strong peaceable assembly over delicious meals to show that however fragile it may be, this is what prevails and stays, and this is how it works in this world: we all just have to do our small part.
As a result of all this thinking, the film I'm working on is a comedy (I called it a "food vaudeville"). USING (as the history designated Katz's itself to do) the vehicle of this tiny spot, much loved worldwide, I weave together food-on-tv, history, philosophy, celebrity, family, culinary, war, art (more here)
We learn to live together anew each and every day, and this is how it happens in real life.
Update #18: "Film and ye shall be filmed!"... we're being filmed!
By Buck Henry!
Update #17: If you're an aspiring film mogul...
...do the following: tell me three names of your favorite stars, and I bet you one of them would BE HONORED to be in "Katz's: That's All!" Then call who you think is a worthy distributor/exhibitor, and ask them, if they'd consider a feature doc about Katz's. Listen to what they say, and then call me - we'll make it happen!
Update #16: My famous interviewees so far: People who excel at what they do, and love Katz's Deli
Diane von Furstenberg, fashion designer
Anthony Bourdain, chef, TV personality
Buck Henry, writer, actor
Cousin Brucie, a legendary radio host
Ed Koch, a former NYC mayor
Raoul Felder, a celebrity lawyer
Gary Shteyngart, a bestselling author, "Absurdistan"
Rabbi Aaron Landes, Rear-Admiral (Ret.)
Sion Misrahi (realtor, Lower East Side)
Stephen Kaufman ("Hanshi"), a karate expert
Eve Jochnowitz, food historian
Mark Katz, President Clinton's jokes writer
Steve Long, Tenement Museum
Jay Maisel, photographer
Joe Franklin, a legendary TV host
Freddie Roman, comedian
Henry Stern, former Parks Commissioner
Hasia Diner, Professor, NYU
Matthew Goodman, writer
Arnold Baskin, Professor/ Film, NYU
Theodore Bikel, singer, actor
Adam Shaffer, director, Cheim Read Art Gallery (Chelsea)
Phil Lampert, NBC food commentator
David Schechter, screenwriter ("Interview", co-wrote with Steve Buscemi who directed)
Steve Zeitlin, CityLore
Josh Ozersky, food writer, New York magazine
Albert Madansky, Professor Emeritus, Chicago School of Business, RAND Corporation
Victor Niederhoffer, a renowned hedge fund manager, author
Frederick Kaufman, author, "A Short History of American Stomach"
Patricia Volk, author, "Stuffed", Oprah Magazine
Spencer Baim, founder, vles.com (Virtual LES, released by MTV)
Asher Bernstein, realtor, NYC
James Oseland, Editor-in-Chief, “Saveur” magazine
Ken Friedman, restauranteur, “The Spotted Pig”
Israel Horovitz, playwright
Jeffrey Steingarten, Vogue magazine
Arthur Schwartz, food writer
Update #15: A short animated film I wrote
some time ago. Almost no dialogue, so don't be scared by handmade titles.
Hope it shows my vast expertise with our memory's sensual aspects, and visualization thereof.
Enjoy!
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Funding Unsuccessful
This project reached the deadline without achieving its funding goal on October 11, 2009.
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Katz's Delicatessen poster and "Special Thanks" credit
Project By
Connected as Yura Dashevsky (508 friends)
Born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Yura Dashevsky lives in Brooklyn, NY. At various times he worked as a scriptwriter with presently notable Russian film directors Timur Bekmambetov (“Night Watch”, "Wanted"), Bakhtiyar Khudojnazarov, and Djanik Faiziev (“Turkish Gambit”). Member of the Union of the Filmmakers of the Commonwealth of the Independent States. Current project - a feature documentary dedicated to one most remarkable American eatery (post-production).


