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  • Photo courtesy of Kino Lorber

    Olga, a timely film directed and co-written by Elie Grappe, uses the 2014 Euro-Maidan Revolution in Ukraine as the setting for a coming-of-age story about a teenage gymnast who is torn between countries and allegiances. Written in 2016 and completed in early 2021, the film predates the recent Russian invasion, effectively shedding light on events that led up to the current war. Mainly, though, it is a tension-filled portrait of the title gymnast (portrayed with sensitivity by Anastasia Budyashkina, former member of the Ukraine national reserve team), who at age 15 relocates from Kiiv to Switzerland to train for the European Championship with the Swiss national team.

    The move is is not easy for Olga, whose late father was Swiss, but it is for her own safety. In an early scene, she and her mother, Ilona (Tanya Mikhina)—a journalist who is investigating the corrupt administration of then President Viktor Yanukovych—are targets of pro-government violence. Despite concern for her mother and ambivalence about leaving home, Olga moves to the pristine alpine countryside to live with her grandfather and other paternal relatives.

    In order to compete with the Swiss team, Olga must become a citizen; since Ukraine doesn’t permit joint citizenship, she is forced to choose between the only home she’s known and the opportunity to pursue her Olympic dreams. This is another tough decision, complicated by the wide culture and language gap between Olga and her Swiss teammates, who cannot imagine what she is going through. Olga often connects via FaceTime with her best friend, Sasha (Sabrina Rubtsova, also from Ukraine’s reserve team), who enthuses about the escalating protests by Ukrainian citizens.

    Photo courtesy of Kino Lorber

    Meanwhile, there’s the actual training. Grappe shows many scenes of tough workouts in real gymnastic facilities. (The trainers and some of the athletes are members of the Swiss national team.) Determined to master one particular move on the uneven bars, Olga trains hard and repeatedly, despite warnings from her coach. Her introverted, steely-eyed determination is palpable, earning her the nickname “robot.” Olga is clearly experiencing tremendous emotional turmoil as the revolution escalates. On her phone, she watches alternately rousing and terrifying scenes of protestors in Kiiv raising their voices in song and getting beaten by police, her serenely beautiful Swiss surroundings shown in stark contrast with the chaos of Maidan (Independence Square).

    Though initially rebellious, getting into physical altercations with her Swiss teammates and disobeying her coach, Olga gradually becomes part of the team as her relentless training pays off. She finally befriends a teammate and they goof off like normal teens, a much-needed outlet for Olga’s emotions. Still, life is tough–in addition to everything else, she must defend her mother’s actions and the Ukrainian uprising in general to her Swiss relatives.

    Photo courtesy of Kino Lorber

    Things come to a head the night before the European Championship, as Olga receives some grim news. The film doesn’t flinch, nor does Olga in competition, but it’s clear she has to make a major decision about her future.

    Though sometimes a bit meandering, Grappe’s film is a sobering and powerful portrait of a life under unimaginable stress. It’s a reminder of the many dislocated Ukrainians (and other refugees of war) who grapple with guilt and worry for choosing survival over the dangers of home. We’ve seen similar stories about real-life dancers, athletes, and others who pay a steep price for the privilege of safely continuing their careers. Theirs is a terrible burden that no one should have to shoulder, let alone a very young person.

    Olga opens on Friday, June 24, at the Quad in New York City.

    Marina Zogbi

  • We are a little sad that next week will be our last week of the program and of course, summer is also winding down. We are fortunate and thankful that we can provide this program for NYC public school students. It was great getting to know many of our students. They were eager for the opportunity to learn from professional artists and find out more about careers in the arts.

    LOCATION: Bayard Rustin Education Complex, 351 West 18th Street, Room 341, New York, NY. CONTACT: Barry Komitor (347) 661- 2469

    The program will offer some workshops that will be ongoing while others will be one-offs. Each week we’ll post the schedule for the various workshops that will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Mondays will be open arts day where students can work on music, visual arts and fashion design in an open, fun learning environment. Collaborations are encouraged! Special guest artists and speakers will also join us on Mondays.

    Our main teaching artists for 2022 are Barry Komitor (music) and Beláxis Buil (visual art, fashion). We are planning to have many guest artist teachers and speakers this year as well.

    Week 6: August 8th – August 12th

    Monday, August 8th – 12:00PM – 3:30PM – Open Arts 

    Open Arts happens each week and gives students the opportunity to choose what they want to work on. Our teachers and special guest teachers will offer guidance and assistance.

    *This weeks special guest artist speaker is fashion designer Gabe Padilla! You don’t want to miss this!

    Tuesday,  August 9th –  12:30PM – 2:00PM

    MUSIC: Putting It All Together – The Whole Artist

    Embracing the life of an artist takes more than learning some skills and attitudes. Being an artist is about taking those skills and attitudes and manifesting them into something new in the world. There are many decisions to make about what you want to show people. What is the intention behind what you are doing? This will change and evolve as you grow, but this class will be about checking in with those intentions and aligning them with real world goals and actions.

    VISUAL ART: Critique

    For our last week in art the students take a deeper dive at critiquing one another works of art. After demonstrating how critiques work and what language is used to critique artworks in the professional art field the students will take turns evaluating their peers.

    Tuesday, August 9th – 2:00PM – 3:30PM

    MUSIC: Getting In the Mix – How to Become Part of the Music Community

    By enrolling in this program, you have taken an important step toward being a part of the music community in NYC. In this class we’ll talk about the many different opportunities for musicians. We’ll start with how to find and choose collaborators, then discuss how to get your group and your music out into the world. We’ll talk about how to get gigs, but also about joining jam sessions, performing at community events and parties, and busking in public. Music festivals are also a great place to interact with other players and producers. We’ll also go over a variety of ways to share and proliferate your music online and through a constantly changing landscape of apps and new technologies.

    VISUAL ART: Production

    During AFP’s last week at camp the focus turns towards finalizing projects and what steps must be taken to ensure production goes well. In the instance of art, this workshop aims to help students organize an exhibition as a team, understanding how each person has an important role to play and how each one must carry responsibilities that need to be met in order to facilitate a successful project.

    Thursday,  August 11th – 12:30PM – 2:00PM

    MUSIC: Basic Audio Mixing – How to Get Your Tracks to Sound Better

    It’s so easy to layer a bunch of sounds together, that getting them all to sit right and sound like one cohesive piece of music can quickly get out of hand. Bass frequencies start flubbing out, and the master level gets more and more distorted unless we apply a few basic concepts. We’ll look at leveling, equalization, compression and reverb as tools to open up space in a mix and to make sure your tracks come across with the energy.

    VISUAL ART: The Art of Assemblage (ongoing)

    For decades artists such as Man Ray, Sarah Lucas, Jannis Kounellis, Karla Kantorovich, Beláxis Buil have practiced the art of assembling disparate elements. In this course the students are asked to recycle found objects, trash, and everyday objects to create a sculptural, well-textured assembled art piece. A variety of practices will be explored: sewing, collaging, painting.

    Thursday,  August 11th – 2:00PM – 3:30PM

    MUSIC: The Dynamics of a Band (ongoing)

    In this class we’ll explore the roles of the different instruments and personalities in a musical group. We’ll explore both the sonic and interpersonal dynamics that go into preparing for and playing a live show including: active listening, rehearsal etiquette, personal attitudes, leadership and supporting roles, and achieving optimum sound in any situation.

    ART: Portfolio Review

    In this workshop the students will be extended an opportunity to gather their completed works of art which will then be submitted as their portfolio. Their workshop is designed to prepare those students who are interested in attending specialized art schools.

  • Art for Progress Summer Arts Program

    Thanks to a generous grant from the Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation, we are pleased to announce the summer arts program is funded for the next 3 years! We are looking forward to an exciting, enriching program for 2022.

    We are very pleased to announce, the program will be in person in 2022 (unless NYC changes the current pandemic protocol)! The location is yet to be determined, but it will be a location that is accessible from all 5 NYC boroughs.

    Also, the program will expand this year to offer workshops for younger students ages 10-13. Plus, the program which has been for a 4 week period in previous years, will now run 6 weeks. To coincide with NYC’s summer school program, the dates are July 5th – August 12th with afternoon sessions beginning at 1:00PM weekdays and some weekend dates as well.

    Workshops will be offered in visual arts, music and other art disciplines with special guest teaching artists and weekly speakers.

    You can sign up here: https://forms.gle/7cW1i8ak7dt7Qs8X8

    Any questions, please email admin@artforprogress.org.

    Stay tuned for many more details.

  • sunflower bean at webster hall

    It was a warm Spring evening in the East Village as we approached the legendary nightclub Webster Hall. It brought me back to 1996 when Webster Hall was the cool club (weekdays). After many years of transformations and re-openings, Webster Hall seems to have re-established itself as a live music institution. On this night, we’ve come to hear some local NYC talent, and we did not leave disappointed.

    Upon arriving, Mannequin Pussy was deep in their set of indie, psychedelia rock which caught our attention. They’ve recently become a three piece band, but you wouldn’t know it. Their sound was full and strong for the few songs we heard to close their set. Up next, the headline act and NYC based, Sunflower Bean.

    We were eager to hear Sunflower Bean and their quite diverse catalog of music including songs from their recently released album, “Headful of Sugar,” which has received high praise from critics. The band opened the show with the powerful title track from the album which gave the room a lift with its driving yet rhythmic pumping beat. It definitely set the tone for the show. The second song, “In Flight” was a bit more pop leaning with somewhat of a 90’s vibe. I heard some Sheryl Crow and Wallflowers similarities. The band was not afraid to show their diversity early in the set which I could appreciate. There’s nothing worse than a flat set of music that all sounds the same! The next song, “twentytwo,” which lead singer Julia Cumming explained is a very special song. It started out like a ballad with a deep focus on her vocal talents. She poured her energy into it and clearly “twentytwo” has a special personal meaning to Julia. She shared how growing up down the street from Webster Hall and headlining the show was a dream come true for her.

    At this point, the fans were fully engaged and responding to Julia’s high energy and encouragement. She had them right where she wanted them. Next up, was “Otherside,” with a lush sound and warm vocals it built up nicely with the drums and guitar kicking in to take it home. If you were unsure if the band was rock n’ roll or not, you found out when they played “Roll the Dice.” The track beckons back to 90’s rock with heavy bass and drums through the chest. With that said, they quickly pivoted with “Baby Don’t Cry,” a REAL crowd pleaser. You can’t help but think of No Doubt and Gwen Stefani, but make no mistake this song has serious popular potential.

    Some other highlights include “Who Put You Up To This” with its catchy lyrics and grooves and “Beat the Odds.” Overall, it was an enjoyable show, and it was impressive to see a band work their way through a diverse set of songs with such success. That’s not easy to do. If you have a chance to see the band live, make sure you check them out.


  • Courtesy of Kino Lorber

    Ahed’s Knee, the latest feature from Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid, is a visually inventive, emotionally engaging work about an artist’s rage against censorship and a citizen’s frustration over his country’s direction. Told over the course of one day, the film depicts Y (a moodily charismatic Avshalom Pollak), a filmmaker who travels to a remote desert village to promote one of his films. The title refers to Ahed Tamimi, a real-life Palestinian activist who was detained by Israeli authorities after slapping a soldier. The controversial Tamimi is the subject of a video project Y has begun casting; we see some audition clips, including one actor’s rendition of “Welcome to the Jungle.” (Music plays a huge part in Lapid’s film.) Throughout, the camera moves restlessly, swooping, circling and swinging side to side, sometimes mirroring a character’s point of view, sometimes just creating a state of frenetic energy.

    The host of the screening in the Arava is an employee from the Ministry of Culture (Nur Fibak), an attractive, flirtatious young woman who is a huge fan of Y’s work.  They become friendly and she casually mentions a form he must sign in order to get paid for the appearance. The form, which limits the topics he can discuss, becomes a symbol of everything Y detests about his country.

    Courtesy of Kino Lorber

    Though the story is about Y’s despair over what he believes is the crumbling state of Israel, Lapid’s film is a tour de force of visual and aural style, a series of road-trippy vignettes that are often beautiful and sometimes powerful. Especially striking are scenes set in the desert, its moonscape-like stillness a great backdrop for Y’s wanderings. He periodically sends video messages to his mother, with whom he collaborates on his films; her recent cancer diagnosis has compounded his emotional turmoil. In one scene, he walks and dances (as does the camera) through the desert, the bright soul-pop on his headphones creating an odd juxtaposition. At another point, he happens upon a rock duo performing in a shed-like building, and he’s clearly moved by the music. Throughout the film, music is used very effectively, as when a middle-age driver tells Y of his marriage to a young woman. A fantasy scene ensues, featuring the man dancing to Bill Withers’ “Lovely Day.” Often played almost in their entirety, songs are more than mere snippets, emphasizing their importance.

    Courtesy of Kino Lorber

    Toward the end of Ahed’s Knee, Y describes his military service to Yahalom, and we see him as a young soldier in several flashbacks, a couple of which are music video-like scenes of soldiers moshing to hardcore punk and female soldiers dancing with machine guns. Eventually, Y tells her of a traumatic incident that occurred during that time.

    As the film builds to Y’s incendiary appearance at the screening and its aftermath, Ahed’s Knee becomes tense and very dramatic as we wonder if Y has gone too far. Visually delightful and profound in parts, Ahed’s Knee is a wild trip that is worth taking.

    Ahed’s Knee is available on all major PVOD platforms.

    Marina Zogbi