These Amazing Shadows Interview subject updates: Wayne Wang, Barry Jenkins, Christopher Nolan and Barbara Kopple.

Wayne Wang: His new movie, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, has just been picked up for domestic distribution by Fox Searchlight for probable fall release. We're so excited because it looks like a beautiful film. His Hollywood studio films like Maid in Manhattan and The Holiday are nice, but we really love his work when he tells stories that are close to his heart. Check out the trailer above. Our sources tell us that Wayne is prepping for his biopix on Albert Einstein.  Hummmm...who to cast as Einstein? Young Albert: Giovanni Ribisi. Old Albert: Richard Dreyfuss. Oh, don't like that...suggestions???

Tracey Heggins (Jo') and Wyatt Cenac (Micah) in Medicine for Melancholy.

Barry Jenkins: He joined us for a post screening Q&A at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas in San Francisco. He is one of those rare filmmakers that is as good at promoting a film as making one. His feature film directorial debut, Medicine for Melancholy, is now running on Showtime. I am watching it as I write this fascinating blog post - so enjoyable.
Showtime schedule for Medicine for Melancholy: http://www.sho.com/site/movies/movie.do?seriesid=0&seasonid=0&episodeid=136098

Christopher Nolan (center) shooting on the streets of Pittsburgh.

Christopher Nolan: Christopher is working on Dark Knight Rises, his last installment of the Batman franchise. We wish we had some inside info but........we don't. We do however offer a twitter pic (above) of Christopher (center) and crew shooting in Pittsburgh. Notice the snow blower in the lower right corner - it is reported that the photo depicts him reading the owners manual trying to figure out how to get the snow blower to work. We believe that story is true because it seems consistent with how he was during our interview. You see we were having problems with a coffee maker and...(just kidding).

Sheet of the new Gregory Peck US Postal Service first class stamp.

Remember the US Postal Service? Well, it still exists and sometimes can be pretty cool. On May 13th they issued a Gregory Peck stamp. One of the stamps release events (there were others including in LA at the Academy of Arts and Sciences) took place at the Historic Richmond Town on Staten Island. Peck's grandson, 19-year-old Zackary Peck, was on hand as well as family friend Barbara Kopple. Scenes from Kopple's Documentary A Conversation with Gregory Peck was shown while Peck's Oscar performance as Atticus Finch in "To Kill a Mockingbird" was re-enacted by S.I. Shakespearean Theatre Co. actor Joseph Daly. The stamp bears Peck's likeness from the movie because as Stephen Peck says in These Amazing Shadows - Atticus Finch "was closest to his true character, certainly the character he would want to be."

"I Heart New York "and Other Idiomatic Expressions

Thom Powers, Kurt Norton and Paul Mariano at the "These Amazing Shadows" post screening Q&A - IFC Center Theater, New York. (photo by Justin Paine)

Paul and I have spent a lot of time together over the past two years working on These Amazing Shadows. I mean a lot of time. It is to the point that when we go to a special event or important appointment we will often wear almost the same clothes. It's kinda freaky and disturbing. Paul has taken to wearing one of our popular "I Heart Movies" buttons (see below) in order to make sure people can tell us apart.

TAS is not on the marquee but shared the theater with all those great films at the IFC Center Theater, NY.

On April 21st we screened TAS at the IFC Center Theater in New York. Our appreciation goes out to Thom Powers, the director of the Stranger than Fiction documentary series that sponsored our screening. He was a great host and is so knowledgeable about documentaries. Thanks, Thom.

You can tell Paul and Kurt apart by the "I Heart Movies" button Paul wears daily.

The IFC Center Theater, New York screening of These Amazing Shadows was really fun. We expected the typical crowd and experience but got something much different. What we got was quality over quantity. Our audience was not as big as we would have liked but it was a very sophisticated NY industry crowd. Every audience is a bit different but we are used to getting the predictable laughs, oooos and ahhhhs at certain points in our show. This audience was not like any other. No big laughs. No real emotional ooooos and ahhhs. I was rather crushed. But, after the screening we found an audience full of life, opinions, intensity like no other. We simple Californians were not prepared for the full New York experience. Thanks so much to Barbara Kopple, Dan Strible, Bob Hawk, Nina Paley, John Magery, Myna Joseph, Jill Bauer, Peter Golub's mother, Brian and (the lovely) Hanna Oakes, and many others.

Paul mugs with Kurt's niece, Tessa Rexroat at the IFC Center Theater in New York. (photo by Justin Paine)

Kurt tries to convince his niece, Tessa, to take his place at the TAS post screening Q&A. (photo by Justin Paine)

Our "I Heart Movies" buttons are very popular. We thought about all kinds of giveaways, but due to our limited budget landed on buttons. Here are some of our buttons designed by our graphics guru Brian Oakes. Ignore the square...think round.

Stranger than Fiction documentary series facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6016344979

IFC Center Theater

Thom Powers