The "death house" in Huntsville, Texas has had its share of highly publicized executions. In one case, it was the location of what was almost certainly the wrongful execution of Carlos DeLuna. On May 29th, IFC premieres an original doc, "At the Death House Door," which provides an inside look through the eyes of a former death house chaplain — Pastor Carroll Pickett. Directed by Steve James and Peter Gilbert, the filmmakers behind "Hoop Dreams," the documentary follows Pickett's difficult path in preparing an inmate for execution. Believing some, like DeLuna, were innocent, Pickett recalls his most intimate memories while serving as chaplain. "At the Death House Door" premiered at the 2008 SXSW Film Festival, and won the Inspiration Award at this year's Full Frame Documentary Film Festival.

Also in May, don't miss your ticket to eight days of movies that made their mark on one of the biggest film events in the world — Cannes. Nominees, winners and other films that screened at the French soirée will air on IFC all week long beginning May 17th, during this year's festival. Here's a sampling of what's on the bill: "Bowling for Columbine," the Michael Moore documentary that stirred controversy with its look at the US gun system, and David Cronenberg's "Crash," which delves into a sexually twisted underground world of car crash victims. The ticket line forms here. (And online, don't miss the exclusive IFC.com "Cannes Cam," which will provide 24-hour live webcam coverage of the Cannes red carpet, along with other special video reports from the festival.)

Memorial Day Weekend, IFC presents a series of films to honor those who bravely lived through times of war. Beginning at 1:30pm ET/4:30pm PT on Sunday, May 25th, check out movies that span hundreds of years in battle, from the Civil War to the Bosnian War.

PREMIERING ON THE NETWORK THIS MONTH:

• "Maria Full of Grace" A Spirit Award winner that takes a brutally honest look at Colombian drug trafficking.


• "Last Days" Directed by Gus Van Zant, this film is loosely based on the final hours in the life of Kurt Cobain.


• "24 Hour Party People" Revolving around the guys who created Factory Records in Manchester during the 1970s, this film not only has a kick-ass soundtrack but also serves as a history lesson in how the British town became a mecca for music.


• "Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story" How do you make a movie out of an impossible book? You make the movie about how hard it is to make the movie, in this delightful flick starring Steve Coogan as himself, sort of.


• "SubUrbia" Slacker auteur Richard Linklater directs this look at a night in the lives of five 20-somethings trapped in dead-end jobs, dreaming of escape. Sonic Youth composed the soundtrack.

By Joanna Varikos in What to Watch on IFC | Link | 0 Comments | Recommended (16)

Tags: At the Death House Door, Cannes, Cannes Cam, films, May, schedule

Starting in May, IFC presents at least one great new web series per month made by a wide range of up and coming and established creative talent. Here is what we have in store for May.

WILFRED - If modern life has taught us anything, it's that the domestic pet can have as many psychological hang-ups as its contemporary owner. Depression, anxiety, loneliness and fear of abandonment all lead to behavioral problems and an unstable home environment. WILFRED, the series, an in-depth portrait of such a pet 'behaving badly', features an owner, her new suitor and one not-so happy talking dog.

Wilfred the dog is the ultimate flawed character. Like David Brent in The Office, we are charmed by his arrogance and self-righteousness, his falsehoods and misguided passions. Insecure and manipulative, he will stop at nothing to win the love and affection he desires. Although his methods may sometimes be underhand, his innocence and purity of heart can never be questioned. Or can it?

Adam is your boy next door. He causes no trouble and trouble rarely comes his way. When Adam hooks-up with Sarah, he thinks all his Christmases have come at once.

Sarah is the ultimate package: attractive, intelligent, and with her own place. It all seems too good to be true... it is.

Sarah, like any modern single parent, is trying to create a stable life for herself and her "special little man". Sarah has a long list of failed relationships, which have left her and Wilfred jaded. Neither want to see the other hurt again and Adam has walked into an emotional mine field. So how hard can it be to make friends with a dog? That depends on the situation... and the dog.

Wilfred is a hit cult series from Australia. IFC is the first to air this demented little gem in North America. Watch for the premiere on IFC.com in early May, with new episodes every weekday.

YOUNG AMERICAN BODIES - From filmmaker Joe Swanberg (Hannah Takes The Stairs and the upcoming feature Nights and Weekends) comes a brand new season of his long-standing hit, the scripted web series Young American Bodies.

Young American Bodies is an candid, no holds barred look into the intersecting loves lives of six twenty-somethings in Chicago. It's intimate and fearless in its scope, and not surprisingly, timely is relevance and importance.

Young American Bodies premiered with a bang on Nerve.com and now, in partnership with Nerve, IFC.com brings the world premiere of season three of this powerful narrative. Seasons one and two - 20 episodes in total - begin airing on IFC.com in mid-May, rolling out over the course of the month. In late May, IFC.com premiere's season three, in twelve brand new episodes.

Watch for more news soon about more ingenious internet video content from IFC.com. We will be premiering a new web series every month all summer long (and beyond!)

By Melianthe Kines | Link | 0 Comments | Recommended (19)

The 2008 Tribeca Film Festival starts in just 23 days, and IFC is gearing up to cover every moment. Right here on IFC.com, we'll be bringing you in-depth coverage of the festival: interviews, reviews and news about this year's films and participants. We'll have online video updates from IFC News several times a day throughout the festival, too.

On the network, you can also catch daily IFC News coverage every day on the network for the duration. The festival this year runs from April 23rd to May 4th.

Right now, you can check out some of the trailers for this year's films and a look back at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. And don't miss Alison Willmore's posts on the Indie Eye blog, starting with a list of unexpected directors with films at Tribeca this year.

By Melianthe Kines | Link | 0 Comments | Recommended (6)

Tags: tribeca 2008