sex & violence (miniDV, 2001)

‘Sex and Violence takes the sort of creative risks that should define the upcoming generation of digital filmmakers if they ever hope to establish themselves as serious artists.’ ‘

~Willamette Week

‘John Zibell’s gritty mini-dv, ‘run and gun’ black comedy is smart, funny and sometimes so alive it’s hard to watch.’

“Winner”
Audience Award
NY International Indie Film Fest

“Winner”
Best Directoral Debut
NY International Indie Film Fest

also screened at the portland, oregon’s first ever longbaugh Festival in 2003

‘The critically acclaimed Sex and Violence, from New York filmmaker John Zibell, will make its Portland debut at the Longbaugh Film Festival. The winner of the Audience Award and Best Directorial Debut at the New York International Film & Video Festival, Zibell’s shot-on-digital-video feature is a daring, stylish film that boldly defies the rules of conventional filmmaking. Oddly reminiscent of Woody Allen–only with a punk-rock sensibility–Sex and Violence takes the sort of creative risks that should define the upcoming generation of digital filmmakers if they ever hope to establish themselves as serious artists.’

~ Willamette Week

sex and violence at imdb.

laughing river (120 minutes, 1998)

john zibell’s debut film (writer, director, actor) shot on Super-16mm by director of photography, terry stacey. this ensemble drama used devising and improvisational practices to develop and explore the script. the story follows an italian-american family struggling to save their new england dairy farm from an eminent domain claim by a natural gas pipeline consortium and takes place over a single weekend as the adult children gather for the wake and burial of the patriarch.