Festival of the Week

The East Lansing Children’s Film Festival

Location: East Lansing, MI
Dates: February 23 - March 1, 2007

It’s common knowledge that the younger you are when you start learning a language, the easier it is to gain fluency. This same principle should be applied to the language of film, something which the East Lansing Children’s Film Festival (ELCFF) understands better than most. For the past 10 years, the festival has brought the young people of East Lansing, Michigan together to appreciate the world of film, exposing them to international cinema and shining a spotlight on the young moviemakers in their midst. “I believe it is important to expose kids to independent film because it allows them to view into worlds and experiences that they normally do not have a chance to experience,” says festival director Michelle Carlson. “It is equally important to expose them to filmmaking, [which] allows kids to express themselves and have a voice in other ways than they normally do.”

The 2007 festival, which marks the ELCFF’s tenth, will include more than 100 feature and short films from around the world. Additionally, the festival will feature acting, animation and moviemaking workshops, a special slate of films geared toward the teenaged members of the audience and a presentation of the winning films from the previous year’s Youth Film Competition. In addition to the yearly festival, the ELCFF also offers a Junior Film Critics Club and a Young Directors Workshop, geared toward burgeoning moviemakers in fourth through sixth grades. Over the past decade the ELCFF has proved, with its diverse and continually expanding programs, that it is never too early to start learning the language of film.

For more information on the 2007 festival, visit www.elcff.com.

Sound Off: For many film buffs, love of the medium began in childhood. What is the first film you remember seeing? What is the first film that made you want to become a moviemaker? Reminisce in the comments section!

February 5th, 2007 | Category: Festival of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

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Pan African Film & Arts Festival

Location: Los Angeles, CA
Dates: February 8 – 19, 2007

Way back in preschool we were taught that February is known for three things: Valentine’s Day, Leap Year and Black History Month. You most likely heard stories of great figures in African American history such as Rosa Parks, Frederick Douglass or Jackie Robinson. But February also means its time for Los Angeles’ Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF), now in its fifteenth year.

A lot has happened since that first festival—most notably the Rwandan genocide of just 12 years ago. “To see the progress that has been made in such a short period of time is an uplifting testament to the human spirit and its ability to heal,” says PAFF director of programming, Asantewa Olatunji. Which is why the festival has chosen the documentary Rwanda Rising as its opening feature. “We feel that the reality of Rwanda is in keeping with our mission here at PAFF, which is to present positive and realistic images of people of African descent.” Golden Globe winner (and odds-on Oscar favorite) Forest Whitaker will be this year’s celebrity host.

So this February, for the price of seeing one generic blockbuster, you can instead check out some of this year’s most-thought provoking works, courtesy of the Pan African Film and Arts Festival. “Like every other group of people, black people come in all varieties,” explains Olatunji, “We just want to expand on the varieties depicted.”

If you’ll be around Los Angeles’ Magic Johnson Theatres from February 8 - 19, check out www.paff.org for a full list of events.

Sound Off: Wildly popular and successful black actors and moviemakers are only now becoming a more common occurrence in Hollywood. Who of this group would you say is the most underappreciated? Let us know in the comments section!

Photo: PAFF founder Ayuko Babu poses with Forest Whitaker at last year’s event.

January 29th, 2007 | Category: Festival of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

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SILVERDOCS

In June of this year, Silver Spring, MD will celebrate the fifth anniversary of the SILVERDOCS Film Festival.  A joint effort between the American Film Institute and the Discovery Channel, SILVERDOCS is held each year to further the impact of documentary film. But just when you think you’ve heard this story before, “Surprise!” says festival director Patricia Finneran. “Last year, SILVERDOCS audiences took part in the production of a community video diary inspired by Linda Pattillo’s The Breast Cancer Diaries, saw Jim Jarmusch interview the legendary Martin Scorsese [and] heard Al Gore discuss the future of public media.”

Included in the fest’s innovative programming is the SILVERDOCS International Documentary Conference—a networking event with valuable workshops and seminars. The festival’s socially-conscious atmosphere is exemplified by prizes like the Sterling Award in the Feature Film Competition, which singles out moviemakers who have shown their dedication not only to the craft of documentary film, but to the subject matter as well (the 2006 award went to Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady’s Jesus Camp). This year, Finneran says, audiences should look out for a new featured program, “Beyond Belief: Religion, Politics and Film,” more offerings for the future documentarians (read: students) and further exploration of “how mobile media affects real-life storytelling.”

For more information, visit www.silverdocs.com.

Sound Off: Substantive documentary films are becoming more mainstream of late, with An Inconvenient Truth making headlines this past summer and March of the Penguins breaking box office records at the time of its release. What do you think is the most compelling documentary of all time? Talk back in the comments section!

January 22nd, 2007 | Category: Festival of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

Comments: 2

Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival

Where: Nevada City, CA
Festival Dates: January 12th-14th, 2007

Last summer the United States found itself wrapped up in debate, but not about the typical topics of the Iraq War or stem cell research. Instead, the debate turned to environmental issues when docs Who Killed the Electric Car? and An Inconvenient Truth highlighted the disturbing consequences that modern living has had on the environment. It seems likely, then, that the popularity of those films is what led to the sheer volume of films submitted to this year’s Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival (WSEFF) in Nevada City, California. Organized by the South Yuba River Citizens Leagues, the festival screened an impressive 100 films in its three-day run, which took place this past weekend.

This year’s theme for the largest West Coast environmental film fest—Truth, Hope, Action—"sets the tone for the festival,” says director Kathy Dotson. “We selected films that not only expose environmental problems and issues, but also offer inspiration and hope for the audience.”

The South Yuba River Citizens League formed in 1983 to protect the California watershed. Five years ago it began hosting the WSEFF. When discussing the League’s motivation for founding the festival, Dodson offers the following explanation: “Film viewing—particularly when framed within a context of civic engagement and with subject matter that links the human to the natural world, and links local and planetary issues—can be a transformative community experience for participants.” For more information, visit www.wildandscenicfilmfestival.com.

Sound Off: Do you believe, as Dodson suggests, that film has the ability to transform society? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments section!

January 16th, 2007 | Category: Festival of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

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Cine Las Americas International Film Festival

Location: Austin, Texas
Festival Dates: April 19 - 26, 2007
Deadline: January 15, 2007
Late Deadline: January 31, 2007

Like our Association of the Week, the National Association of Independent Latino Producers, the Cine Las Americas International Film Festival (CLAIFF) is dedicated to promoting the voice of the Latino film community. What began as a Cuban film retrospective in 1997 has blossomed into an eight-day multicultural event that will celebrate the festival’s tenth anniversary in style. “Emerging Latino filmmakers and masters alike were largely invisible in the context of cinema in the U.S.,” says Jacqueline C. Rush Rivera, director of programming at CLAIFF. “Our objective has been to break down these cultural and institutional barriers and I think we are succeeding.”

Over the years, CLAIFF has established itself as an essential part of the Austin film scene, founding several after-school workshops for local high school students and using the festival to showcase the best of Latino and indigenous moviemaking that was often overlooked by more mainstream fests. At this year’s festival, in addition to adding three days to the calendar, CLAIFF plans to introduce a video art program featuring experimental works and more than 100 films made by or about Latinos and indigenous groups of the Americas. Says Rivera of the festival’s impact on its attendees: “Our audience has an opportunity to realize a deeper understanding of various cultures as well as a deeper appreciation of the art form.” For more information on the festival and submitting your film, visit http://www.cinelasamericas.org.

Sound Off: What are some of the best underground Latino or indigenous films you’ve seen in recent years? Are film festivals the best way to get films like these into the mainstream consciousness? Let us know in the comments section!

January 7th, 2007 | Category: Festival of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

Comments: 7

Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles

Location: Los Angeles, CA
Dates: April 17 - 22, 2007
Call For Entries Deadline: January 9, 2007

Creating a niche film festival is a fine art. First, you have to make sure you have both a pool of participants to choose from, as well as an audience interested in watching what they have to offer. It’s hard to get more specific than the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, a festival that exemplifies the success you can find when catering to a hyper-specific audience. The IFFLA was founded as a nonprofit organization in 2002 in order to showcase the work of the Indian film community in a city that is considered the heart of American moviemaking.

“Festival director Christina Marouda felt there was a need for such a festival given the size of the Indian film industry, the lack of Indian films in international film festivals in the United States, the size of the South Asian community in Los Angeles and a personal interest in India,” explains Felicia Dickerson, director of programming. Over the past five years, the festival has grown to a six-day event and also hosts an additional side festival, the IFFLA KidsFest, which showcases the work of young Indian-American moviemakers from the LA area. To celebrate the festival’s fifth anniversary, the 2007 program will include live music and dance performances as well as “a few extra surprises” (in Dickerson’s words) that will be revealed at a later date. As a celebration of both the Indian moviemaking community and the cinematic hub that is Los Angeles, the IFFLA has truly perfected the art of the niche festival. For more information or to submit your film, visit www.indianfilmfestival.org.

Sound Off: The 2006 IFFLA featured films by top Indian moviemakers, such as Deepa Mehta’s Water and Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding. Who are some of the lesser-known Indian moviemakers’ you’d like to see gain recognition in the U.S. film world? Talk back in the comments section!

December 18th, 2006 | Category: Festival of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

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Festival Dispatch: Second Annual Dominican International Film Festival

Spa Patio Party

When you’re from the Northeast, there may not be a better way to spend four November days than to attend a film festival in the Caribbean. Last month I was fortunate enough to do just that when my fiancee and I flew the Sun Village Resort in Cofresi, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic for the Second Annual Dominican International Film Festival.

The Second Annual DIFF did not disappoint. Warm beaches, an all-inclusive resort (with seven pools, five restaurants and a spa) and festival organizers who pay attention to the needs of independent moviemakers make for one can’t-miss events. A few of the cinematic highlights included L’Audition, written and directed by Canada’s Luc Picard, who was in town for the screening, as well as A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, from Dito Montiel, who was also on hand. I also enjoyed Mora Stephens’ Conventioneers, and the programmers added a touch of class with Damian Pettigrew’s wonderful doc, Fellini: I’m a Born Liar. I could’ve done without tributes to the likes of Judge Rinehold and Anthony Anderson, but that’s getting picky… (Hope these pics let you enjoy a little vicarious warmth—watch for my full festival review in MM #68)

-Timothy E. Rhys
Editor in Chief, MovieMaker Magazine

All photos courtesy of the Dominican International Film Festival.

Opening Night Ceremony Crowd

Filmmaking in the Dominican Republic Panelists-Cesar Rodriguez, Arturo Rodriguez, Felix Manuel Lora, Ramses Cairo

Festival Director Ed Vincent

Festival Closing Night Party

Ed Vincent, Contribution to DR Filmmaking Award Winner Cesar Rodriguez, Derek Elliott

Dito Montiel Director of A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints

Anthony Anderson Winner of Dominican International Film Festival Rising Star Award

December 6th, 2006 | Category: Festival of the Week | By Tim Rhys

Comments: 3

Peripheral Produce PDX

Location: Portland, Oregon
Festival Dates: April 25 - 29, 2007
Early Deadline: December 15, 2006
Late Deadline: January 19, 2007 (late fee applies)

Peripheral Produce: It’s the kind of phrase that makes you think twice. The alliteration allows it to flow easily enough the first time around, but leads to a careful re-reading of each letter in each word. Now it’s time to figure out what this idiosyncratic phrase has to do with movies. Matt McCormick, the company’s founder and a moviemaker in his own right, likens his experimental distribution label to a farmers’ market, “except our produce is experimental cinema.” Take from that what you will, because individual interpretation is the engine that makes most experimental cinema run in the first place.

In 2001, the company began the first Portland Documentary and eXperimental Film Festival (PDX). What began as a type of guerilla showcase for local video artists (such as Naomi Uman and Miranda July)—where movies were screened in art galleries instead of theaters—is now including international moviemakers and looking to continue its unconventional venue choices. Bringing the movies out of the traditional setting “redefines the ideas of space and how cinema is to be experienced, and helps to discourage preconceptions,” McCormick explains. It also supplies a lot of fun.

This year screenings and workshops are only part of what festival-goers have to look forward to: As in previous years, PDX will embrace the intermarriage of film with other visual arts through an elaborate installation. Spectators will be able to move through an exhibit showcasing “loop-based film and video works that have a sculptural element to them,” taking festival attendees away from the traditional formula of screenings and discussion panels. With so many festivals relying on the standard structure and fare, look to Peripheral Produce for a fresh perspective on what a fest can be.

Visit www.peripheralproduce.com for more information.

Sound Off: What makes a festival truly experimental? Is it programming? Is it the venue?  Or is it simply an attitude? Weigh in in the comments section!

December 3rd, 2006 | Category: Festival of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

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The Phoenix Fear Film Festival

Location: Phoenix, AZ
Festival Date: December 29th, 2006

In a show of support for all the Scrooges out there who detest the enforced merriment of the holiday season, Brain Damage Films and Trash City Entertainment have teamed up to bring you the first annual Phoenix Fear Film Festival, a one-day event designed to celebrate all things gory and Grinchy. “It’s good counter-programming for all that cheer and good will toward men during the holidays—something different to do,” says festival director Chris McLennan. “What we hope to accomplish at this inaugural event is to make our presence known. To let all the ‘Gore Hounds’ in the world know that we are interested in helping to expose the art of horror in many forms, not just the conventional, marketable, commercial one,” he continues.

Gearing their fest toward low-budget and cult films, The Fear Fest dealt with several formidable obstacles in putting its first-time event together: “The most difficult part of organizing this Fear Festival was getting the word out to filmmakers that we actually had an event they could submit their films to,” recalls McLennan. “Budget constraints made it nearly impossible to advertise in big publications, but we took full advantage of many of our sponsors, who helped us by handing out flyers, doing PSAs on broadcast radio and, of course, e-mail blasts to everyone in our combined databases and MySpace to get the word out.” Luckily, the fest received more than its fair share of submissions, and is looking forward to continuing a tradition of gruesome anti-holiday fun for years to come.

Moviemakers interested in screening their flicks can still submit up to the late deadline of December 15. Visit www.phxfearfilmfestival.com for more information.

November 26th, 2006 | Category: Festival of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

Comments: 2

Native American Film & Video Festival

Location: New York, New York
Festival Dates: November 30 - December 3, 2006

It’s that time of year again: The time when Americans give thanks—for the lives we lead, the health we have and to the Native Americans who helped the Pilgrims survive that very first winter in the New World. Well, that last part of the tradition is always a bit fuzzy. However, this year we should be looking to give thanks to the people who have given us an abundance of independent films that vibrantly depict their contemporary national identity.

The Native American Film & Video Festival, organized by the National Museum of the American Indian, is celebrating its thirteenth year by showcasing more than 125 films from Native American moviemakers, including The Journals of Knud Rasmussen, the newest outing from The Fast Runner directors Norman Cohn and Zacharias Kunuk. Elizabeth Weatherford, head of the Film and Video Center at the New York-based museum, praises this year’s roster of moviemakers, saying that their “liveliness and numbers have created a whole new vision of the future of Native film.”

When the festival first began there were only two major festivals celebrating Native American moviemaking; there are now more than 40. Yet, outside of urban areas such as New York and San Francisco, there is little exhibition for such productions. In the years to come Weatherford looks to tour with the festival “bringing Native works to audiences everywhere.” Let’s hope the festival will be able to share its cinematic wealth sooner rather than later.

For more information visit http://www.nativenetworks.si.edu.

November 20th, 2006 | Category: Festival of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

Comments: 1

The Heartland Film Festival

It’s tough to argue with quality movies, a dedicated group of film lovers who moonlight as festival staffers and $200,000 in cash prizes. Which probably explains why Indianapolis’ Heartland Film Festival just keeps getting bigger.

Though Heartland just celebrated its fifteenth year in October, the festival is hardly old news. Attendance was up almost 18 percent this year, with a total of more than 21,000 visitors. “I think the heart of the growth comes from consistently having a strong selection of films for a very diverse [audience], which builds strong word of mouth,” says festival president Jeffrey Sparks. “Folks who see one or two films in their first year often plan to see more the next year and bring friends.”

This year, writer David Wolstencroft was on hand to accept the festival’s coveted $100,000 grand prize on behalf of Michael Caton-Jones’ Shooting Dogs, which stars John Hurt as a Catholic priest caught in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Made in 2005 and screened at some of the world’s top festivals—including Cannes, Toronto and Karlovy Vary—Shooting Dogs has yet to find a partner for a larger theatrical release. Sparks hopes Heartland can help. “Our hope is that the winning filmmakers would use the monies to help launch the film, which is the plan of the folks behind Shooting Dogs.”

The festival will begin accepting entries for its 2007 events in mid-March; log onto www.heartlandfilmfestival.org for more information.

November 6th, 2006 | Category: Festival of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

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The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival

It was almost as if a voice whispered, “If you build it, they will come,” into the ear of Doug Hawes-Davis. Frustrated with the lack of venues for independently-made documentary films, Hawes-Davis sought to fill the void by collaborating with several friends to create the week-long Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in 2004. Luckily for them, the people came. With lines outside the Wilma Theater in the cold Montana winter and 75 sold-out screenings of both new and classic docs, Big Sky became a yearly tradition for members of Missoula’s large arts community.Big Sky continues to grow, as evidenced in the fest’s third outing this past February. The combination of panel discussions, an awards show and, of course, an impressive lineup resulted in a 50 percent increase in attendance and moviemakers traveling from around the world for the weeklong celebration of nonfiction films. But perhaps most impressive is the fest’s mission, in the form of an open letter on Big Sky’s Website: “We are thrilled to bring the theatrical experience of artistic, entertaining and compelling nonfiction film to Missoula,” the fest writes. “Viewers have the opportunity to experience human stories that otherwise would never be shown in this area. These films allow us to connect with and better understand one another, the world and ultimately ourselves.” Big Sky Documentary Film Festival: Changing lives one movie at a time. For more information visit www.bigskyfilmfest.org.

October 10th, 2006 | Category: Festival of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

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AFI Fest

Location: Los Angeles, CA
Dates: November 1-12, 2006As the longest running film festival in L.A., the AFI Fest set the standard for all others that followed. American Film Institute partnered with FILMEX: Los Angeles Film Exposition in 1987 to create the yearly AFI Fest. At its peak, the festival was just one of several in the United States, but had the highest attendance of any similar event in the world. Twenty years later, it’s still influential and full of glitz and glamour, showcasing many of the year’s top films (like last year’s Oscar Winners Walk the Line and Tsotsi).

Thousands of movie lovers and Hollywood’s major players flock to the sleek ArcLight Cinema on Sunset Boulevard for the red-carpet galas, but, most importantly, to see the newest offerings from both the world’s biggest moviemakers and emerging artists. Opening night this year brings the world-premiere of Emilio Estevez’s Bobby, lead by the biggest all-star cast since, well, JFK. This year also marks the AFI Fest’s “China” anniversary, and the program promises to extend beyond film screenings to an exciting celebration of the fest’s finest moments and most priceless memories.

For more information on the AAFF, visit www.aafilmfest.org.

September 25th, 2006 | Category: Festival of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

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Victoria Independent Film and Video Festival

Location: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Festival Dates: February 2-11, 2007
Deadline: September 1, 2006 (Early), October 1, 2006 (Regular)

You might expect most movie enthusiasts to head west in the winter months—toward the festival Mecca of Park City, Utah. But more and more movie lovers are venturing to British Columbia instead, for the Victoria Independent Film and Video Festival. “We like to keep it fresh every year with new events and places to see and be seen,” says Kathy Kay, director of VIFVF. “This year, guests and VIPs will have exclusive access to our new music lounge, which will feature international up-and-coming musicians.

While the festival has grown in the last 13 years, VIFVF has never lost that personal touch (dinner at Kay’s home for all the visiting moviemakers is one of the highlights of the event). The festival is also doing its part to help participating moviemakers on the distribution end: “On the industry level we’re expanding our pitch conference by bringing in more international buyers, so that one-on-one face time will double for attendees,” says Kay. “They don’t call us ‘the home of the boutique schmooze’ for nothing!”

For more information, visit: www.vifvf.com.

September 8th, 2006 | Category: Festival of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

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