25@25: Charlie Kaufman & Iain Reid

25@25: Charlie Kaufman & Iain Reid

We're thrilled to announce that Wordfest fave Iain Reid invited Charlie Kaufman to be his virtual stage mate for this exclusive 25@25 conversation on Sept. 15. (And yes, we know that while Charlie is one of the world's most celebrated filmmakers and the author of the newly released novel Antkind, he is neither a Wordfest alumnus nor a Canadian fiction writer. But he is the director of I'm Thinking of Ending Things, the movie adaptation of Iain's bestselling novel, which debuts on Netflix on Sept. 4. This pairing is such a gift that we had to make an exception.)

The 60-minute conversation, hosted by Shelley Youngblut, will start at 7:00 PM MT. (The pre-show will begin at 6:50 PM MT.) 

25@25 pass holders will be automatically registered for this event, with access to the live stream on Wordfest.com, as well as the option of watching it on demand whenever works for you.

Single tickets are now on sale for $15, and include on-demand viewing of this event only. (You can always upgrade to a full pass at any time for access to all 13 anniversary events. Just email boxoffice@wordfest.com.)

You'll also receive our unique Digital Doggie Bag sent to your email after the event, with all the links, goodies, and references from the conversation.

About Charlie Kaufman

Charlie Kaufman is the screenwriter of many films, such as Anomalisa; Synecdoche, New York; Adaptation; Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind; and Being John Malkovich. He won an Academy Award for his work on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and has been nominated three additional times. Kaufman is also a three-time BAFTA winner for screenwriting, and he has been nominated for three Golden Globe Awards, among many other film honors. Antkind is his first novel.

About Antkind

The bold and boundlessly original debut novel from the Oscar®-winning screenwriter of Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Synecdoche, New York.

LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE

“A dyspeptic satire that owes much to Kurt Vonnegut and Thomas Pynchon . . . propelled by Kaufman’s deep imagination, considerable writing ability and bull’s-eye wit." –The Washington Post

“An astonishing creation . . . riotously funny . . . an exceptionally good [book].” –The New York Times Book Review

B. Rosenberger Rosenberg, neurotic and underappreciated film critic (failed academic, filmmaker, paramour, shoe salesman who sleeps in a sock drawer), stumbles upon a hitherto unseen film made by an enigmatic outsider—a film he’s convinced will change his career trajectory and rock the world of cinema to its core. His hands on what is possibly the greatest movie ever made—a three-month-long stop-motion masterpiece that took its reclusive auteur ninety years to complete—B. knows that it is his mission to show it to the rest of humanity. The only problem: The film is destroyed, leaving him the sole witness to its inadvertently ephemeral genius.

All that’s left of this work of art is a single frame from which B. must somehow attempt to recall the film that just might be the last great hope of civilization. Thus begins a mind-boggling journey through the hilarious nightmare scape of a psyche as lushly Kafkaesque as it is atrophied by the relentless spew of Twitter. Desperate to impose order on an increasingly nonsensical existence, trapped in a self-imposed prison of aspirational victimhood and degeneratively inclusive language, B. scrambles to re-create the lost masterwork while attempting to keep pace with an ever-fracturing culture of “likes” and arbitrary denunciations that are simultaneously his bête noire and his raison d’être.

A searing indictment of the modern world, Antkind is a richly layered meditation on art, time, memory, identity, comedy, and the very nature of existence itself—the grain of truth at the heart of every joke.

About Iain Reid

Iain Reid is the author of two critically acclaimed, award-winning books of nonfiction. His internationally bestselling debut novel, I’m Thinking of Ending Things, has been published in more than twenty countries. Oscar-winner Charlie Kaufman wrote and directed the Netflix film based on the novel, which Reid co-produced. His second novel, Foe, was an instant bestseller and feature film rights have been acquired by Anonymous Content, with Reid set to executive produce. Follow him on Twitter @Reid_Iain.

About I’m Thinking of Ending Things

AN NPR BEST BOOK OF 2016

I’m thinking of ending things. Once this thought arrives, it stays. It sticks. It lingers. It’s always there. Always.

Jake once said, “Sometimes a thought is closer to truth, to reality, than an action. You can say anything, you can do anything, but you can’t fake a thought.”

And here’s what I’m thinking: I don’t want to be here.

In this “dark and compelling … unputdownable” (Booklist, starred review) literary thriller, debut novelist Iain Reid explores the depths of the human psyche, questioning consciousness, free will, the value of relationships, fear, and the limitations of solitude. Reminiscent of Jose Saramago’s early work, Michel Faber’s cult classic Under the Skin, and Lionel Shriver’s We Need to Talk about Kevin, I’m Thinking of Ending Things is an edgy, haunting debut. Tense, gripping, and atmospheric, this novel “packs a big psychological punch with a twisty story line and an ending that will leave readers breathless” (Library Journal, starred review).

Buy Their Books

Antkind

Owl's Nest Books | Shelf Life Books

I’m Thinking of Ending Things

Owl's Nest Books | Shelf Life Books

Recommended Books

o continue with the generosity that is at the heart of the Daisy Chain concept – and help promote the work of authors whose book events have been affected by COVID-19 – we asked the 25@25 authors to highlight a book published in 2020 that they would encourage you to read. These books will be available at Owl's Nest and Shelf Life in Calgary. If you buy five or more of the 25@25 authors’ featured books (either their current title or their backlist) or their recommended books, you will receive a 25% discount. Please contact the booksellers for more details about the discount.

 

Buy Iain Reid's Recommended Book: This is Not the End of Me by Dakshana Bascaramurty 

“This is a beautiful and moving book about family, fragility, and compassion."

Owl's Nest Books | Shelf Life Books

Curiouser?

Reviews:

• “I’m Thinking of Ending Things Review: Kaufman’s Brilliant Existential Netflix Drama Defies Every Convention”  – Indie Wire
• “I'm Thinking of Ending Things review – Another Superb Nightmare Courtesy of Charlie Kaufman” – The Guardian
• “I'm Thinking of Ending Things is one of the most ambitious, weird movies I have ever seen” – AZCentral
• Charlie Kaufman’s new Netflix film is brilliant. Here’s a guide to a truly innovative filmmaker. – Vox

Articles:

• Profile: Iain Reid – Quill & Quire
• “Charlie Kaufman By the Book” – The New York Times Book Review
• “It was Really Surreal” – CBC

Interview:

• “This Profile of Charlie Kaufman Has Changed” – The New York Time Magazine