OMAHA, NE––Alexander Payne expert Leo Adam Biga has released a new edition of his book “Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film.” Biga’s passion project and labor of love is a must-read for movie buffs and fans.
The book sells for $25.95, plus tax. Available via Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kindle and at select bookstores and gift shops. The book may also be ordered from Biga at leo32158@cox.net or 402-445-4666.
“Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film” is full of insights into the Oscar-winning writer-director’s creative process gleaned from the author’s 20 years of interviewing and covering the filmmaker. The book is a collection of Biga’s extensive journalism about Payne and his work.
Strong praise for “Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film”– “This is without question the single best study of Alexander Payne’s films, as well as the filmmaker himself and his filmmaking process. In charting the first two decades of Payne’s remarkable career, Leo Adam Biga pieces together an indelible portrait of an independent American artist, and one that’s conveyed largely in the filmmaker’s own words. This is an invaluable contribution to film history and criticism – and a sheer pleasure to read as well.” – Thomas Schatz, Film scholar and author (“The Genius of the System”).
Biga is an Omaha author-journalist-blogger who often writes about film. In 2012 he turned his in-depth reporting about the celebrated filmmaker from Omaha into “His Journey in Film.”It is the most comprehensive study of Payne’s cinema career and work anywhere. Its collection of articles and essays is based on interviews Biga conducted with Payne and with many of his key collaborators. The new edition is releasing this fall through River Junction Press in Omaha and is distribute by Independent Publishers Group out of Chicago. It features expanded and enhanced content, including a Discussion Guide with Index. It makes a great resource for film buffs, critics, filmmakers, educators and students as well as more casual film fans who want a handy Payne primer and trivia goldmine.
The book is updated and current through Payne’s “Nebraska” and “Downsizing” projects.
“Downsizing’s” (2017) epic, tragicomic tale tackles big ideas having to do with pressing world crises and universal human conflicts. The story’s imagined solution to ever depleted world resources is downsizing human beings to a fraction of normal size, thus decreasing mankind’s footprint on planet Earth. Only the reduction experience doesn’t quite go the way that Paul, the Everyman hero played by Matt Damon, envisioned. We go down the rabbit hole of this dark wonderland with Matt into a mind-blowing, soul-stirring, heart-breaking and ultimately inspiring odyssey that traverses everything from geo-political intrigue to classism and racism to human trafficking to love.
The adventure immerses us into new worlds that may represent the new dawn of man. Payne and his collaborators have traveled the globe to make an ambitious film shooting in multiple countries and starring an international cast. It promises to be a cinematic experience filled with spectacle, pathos and satire, yet never losing touch with human intimacy. Every Payne film is about a physical, emotional, intellectual journey. The stakes for the journey Paul takes in “Downsizing” are high because, unbeknownst to Paul, humanity’s future rests on his actions.
Payne and his film should get lots of attention when it releases next year.
“His Journey in Film” takes you deep inside the creative process of this world cinema artist and follows the arc of his filmmaking journey over a 20-year span, when he went from brash indie newcomer to mature, consummate veteran. Along the way, he’s made a handful of the best reviewed American films of the past two decades and his movies have garnered many top honors at festivals and at the Independent Spirit Awards, the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards.
This is a must-get book for Nebraskans who want to know how this native son has arrived at rarefied heights and in the company of legends. Nebraskans love the fact that through all of Payne’s remarkable success, he has remained rooted to this place. There is much more to come from him and much more to be said about his work. But for now “Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film” is the definitive word on his journey and output.
Look for announcements about Biga book talks and signings at:
https://leoadambiga.com/
https://www.facebook.com/LeoAdamBiga/
https://www.facebook.com/AlexanderPayneExpert/?fref=ts
Contact:
Leo Adam Biga
402-445-4666
leo32158@cox.net
Kira Gale
402-451-2878
kiragalerjp@aol.com