photo by Karina Longworth

At Monday afternoon’s press conference following the NYFF screening of Go Go Tales, the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Richard Pena introduced Abel Ferrara as “a dear old friend of the Festival,” but the maverick filmmaker went on to tell one or two stories that put that characterization into question. I had never seen Ferrara in person, but I thought I was prepared for his persona: something like the drunken, half-psychotic uncle that you can’t help but love. That perception didn’t turn out to be totally off, but I was surprised by Ferrara’s extremes: passive-aggressively needling Pena and the Festival one minute, lapsing into by all indications heartfelt tributes to his influences the next.

I’ll have more on Ferrara’s gaga Go Go Tales later today. For now, you’ll find transcribed highlights from the press conference after the jump, including Ferrara’s thoughts on Cassavetes, Leonardo DiCaprio, and how Harvey Keitel convinced him to start shooting digitally.

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