“The Strait Guys” at IDFA
Rick will be traveling to Amsterdam from November 11-14 to present The Strait Guys at Docs for Sale at IDFA. Book a meeting with him via email at info@rickfilms.de or call or text him at +49-179-7911131.
My new YouTube series “Tales from the Cutting Room Floor”
I'm opening up my vast archives and am now publishing one new short video weekly from my thirty years of filmmaking. Hear my reflections on interviewing General Paul Tibbets, pilot of the Enola Gay, about bombing Hiroshima, my chance encounter filming Mikhail Gorbachev in Berlin, celebrating "Strait Guy" Scott's birthday on Little Diomede island in the middle of the Bering Strait, and much more. Watch my introduction to the series and subscribe to my channel. Thanks!
Rick talks about “The Strait Guys” to the Met Film Community
On the occasion of the theatrical release of his new feature documentary The Strait Guys, Rick sat down for an interview with Elise Czyzowska from Met Film School, where Rick has been teaching part-time for the past ten years.
European Premiere of “The Strait Guys” on June 2, 2022 @ Babylon Berlin
Rick's latest film The Strait Guys will celebrate its European Premiere at the fabulous Babylon Cinema in Berlin Mitte on June 2nd at 19:30. Tickets are available online or at the box office. Rick will be joined by his film team and special guests. After the film, Jeannette Eggert will moderate a discussion with Rick and Russian associate producer Vlad Ketkovich. This is the beginning of the theatrical release all across Germany. Rick and Vlad will also do a Q & A after the following screenings: June 3rd, Berlin: Moviemento,19:00 June 5th, Karlsruhe, Schauburg, 13:00 Tübingen, Arsenal, 19:00 Berlin, Krokodil, 20:30 (Rick only) Other cities here.
Rick as the mystery guest on “Spontaneous Moments of Conversation”
Rick was the mystery guest on Leon Logothetis' weekly podcast "Spontaneous Moments of Conversation". View the video or listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. In this unscripted conversation, the "Kindness Guy" Leon meets Rick for the first time, and asks him about his life as an American independent filmmaker living in Berlin. Much of the conversation focuses on Rick's most recent film The Strait Guys, which is being released theatrically throughout Germany on June 2nd.
Rick and Scott on Renegade, Inc.
Rick sat down for an interview with Ross Ashcroft from Renegade, Inc. in London to discuss his new film The Strait Guys and the InterContinental Railway. Scott Spencer, Chief Project Advisor of the ICR, joined them via Zoom from his home in West Virginia. View the entire thirty-minute discussion, download the transcription, and read the extensive commentary here.
“The Strait Guys” world premiere
After twelve years of production, The Strait Guys is finally being released. Tomorrow, April 2, 2022 is the world premiere at the It's All True (É Tudo Verdade) film festival in Brazil. The film will stream for one week in Brazil at this link. Please tell your friends in Brazil! Thanks! Yes, in light of the horrific Russian invasion of Ukraine, which I absolutely condemn, it's an odd time to release a film about peaceful US-Russian collaboration. But now, more than ever, it's important to focus on ways of overcoming the military-industrial complex trap with its perennial wars and senseless death and
“The Presidents’ Tailor” wins DOK Preview Germany award
Director Rick Minnich and producer Mike Brandin are the winners of the D-Facto Motion Works-in-Progress Prize presented during the DOK Preview Germany industry event at the International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film. Their film "The Presidents' Tailor" was one of eight German documentary productions or co-productions in post-production to be invited to pitch to an international audience of film industry professionals. The award is worth 10,000 Euros in post-production services sponsored by D-Facto Motion Digital Motion Factory in Leipzig. The photo shows Rick (left) and Mike (right) with Robert Wunsch, CEO of D-Facto Motion Leipzig. Here is the complete list of festival
Colin Powell and Martin Greenfield
Yesterday former US Secretary of State Colin Powell died of complications related to his COVID-19 infection. He was one of those rare cases of someone who was vaccinated coming down with the virus. I won't get into Powell's career merits and controversies. But I will share this little clip from my upcoming film "The Presidents' Tailor" in which Powell gives a beautiful speech in honor of his friend and tailor Martin Greenfield on the occasion of Martin's 90th birthday party in 2018. Enjoy!
The latest news from Alaska
Hot off the press: Rick's second newsletter from Alaska. Read all about his latest adventures with the #ARCSPIN expedition to the northernmost point of the United States. For the past month, Rick has been filming four atmospheric scientists from Colorado State University as they take water, air, and permafrost samples to test their hypothesis that microbes from thawing permafrost could be getting swept up into the air and be affecting cloud formation and weather patterns. It's a totally new dimension to understanding climate change, and may help improve climate modeling over the coming years and decades. On Sunday, September 19th at 10