INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL OF BOSTON ANNOUNCES 2008 PROGRAM LINE-UP Festival meets demandsof growing audience and expands program to 96 films; “TRANSSIBERIAN” directed by Brad Anderson to open sixth annual festival; The Independent Film Festival of Boston (IFFBoston) today announced the films that will be featured at the sixth annual 2008 Independent Film Festival of Boston. The festival will be held April 23-April 29, 2008, complete with over 150 film screenings, filmmaker Q&A sessions, panel discussions, visiting filmmakers, parties and events will showcase the works of filmmakers who seek to create films that are life changing, thought provoking and expose aspects of life in new and revealing manners.
“TRANSSIBERIAN” directed by Brad Anderson, written by Brad Anderson and Will Conroy, and starring Woody Harrelson, Emily Mortimer, and Sir Ben Kingsley will open the festival on Wednesday, April 23rd at the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square. This marks a return to Boston for Brad Anderson, who previously shot his features NEXT STOP WONDERLAND and SESSION 9 in the city. Brad Anderson, Will Conroy, and Sir Ben Kingsley will be in attendance for the Opening Night screening. “ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD” directed by Werner Herzog, will close the Independent Film Festival of Boston on Tuesday April 29th at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline.
Two feature length films will be making their World Premiere at the Independent Film Festival of Boston this April. The first, “TWELVE”, brings twelve of Boston’s brightest young filmmakers together on a collaborative project wherein each of them directed a segment of the film, each in a different month of the year, with the other 11 directors always serving as their crew. The directors who make up the twelve are Scott Masterson, Seanbaker Carter, Andy McCarthy, Garth Donovan, Luke Poling, Noah Lydiard, Megan Summers, Brynmore Williams, Joan Meister, Marc Colucci, Jared Goodman, and Vladmir Minuty.
The second film having its World Premiere at the festival is “MEADOWLARK”, an autobiographical documentary by first-time filmmaker Taylor Greeson, which simultaneously explores issues of faith and sexuality while confronting the violent murder of the filmmaker’s brother.
Special guests attending the festival include Sir Ben Kingsley, Famke Janssen, Guy Maddin, Harmony Korine, Mary Stuart Masterson, Jay McCarroll, Aaron Stanford, Chris Eigeman, Brad Neely, Harry & The Potters, and many more to be announced in the coming weeks.
The new IFFBoston website was launched on March 25th at http://www.iffboston.org with trailers and the complete film lineup with brief descriptions, and much more.
INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL OF BOSTON 2008 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS:
Narrative Features AUGUST EVENING, directed by Chris Eska BALLAST, directed by Lance Hammer BEAVER TRILOGY, directed by Trent Harris (Buried Treasure screening) BIG MAN JAPAN, directed by Hitoshi Matsumoto BLOOD CAR, directed by Alex Orr THE CAKE EATERS, directed by Mary Stuart Masterson FLASH POINT, directed by Wilson Yip FROWNLAND, directed by Ronnie Bronstein GOLIATH, directed by David Zellner & Nathan Zellner JETSAM, directed by Simon Welsford MEDICINE FOR MELANCHOLY, directed by Barry Jenkins MISTER LONELY, directed by Harmony Korine MOMMA’S MAN, directed by Azazel Jacobs MONGOL, directed by Sergei Bodrov MY EFFORTLESS BRILLIANCE, directed by Lynn Shelton MY WINNIPEG, directed by Guy Maddin NATURAL CAUSES, directed by Alex Cannon, Paul Cannon, and Michael Lerman THE NEW YEAR PARADE, directed by Tom Quinn PHOEBE IN WONDERLAND, directed by Daniel Barnz PING PONG PLAYA, directed by Jessica Yu PINK, directed by Alexander Voulgaris SAVAGE GRACE, directed by Tom Kalin SEVERED WAYS: THE NORSE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA, directed by Tony Stone STUCK, directed by Stuart Gordon TIME CRIMES, directed by Nacho Vigalondo THE TRACEY FRAGMENTS, directed by Bruce McDonald TRANSSIBERIAN, directed by Brad Anderson (Opening Night Film) TRIANGLE, directed by Ringo Lam, Johnnie To, and Tsui Hark TURN THE RIVER, directed by Chris Eigeman TWELVE, directed by Scott Masterson, Seanbaker Carter, Andy McCarthy, Garth Donovan, Luke Poling, Noah Lydiard, Megan Summers, Brynmore Williams, Joan Meister, Marc Colucci, Jared Goodman, and Vladmir Minuty VEXILLE, directed by Fumihiko Sori WOODPECKER, directed by Alex Karpovsky
Documentary Features AMERICAN TEEN, directed by Nanette Burnstein AT THE DEATH HOUSE DOOR, directed by Steve James and Peter Gilbert CRAWFORD, directed by David Modigliani DREAMS WITH SHARP TEETH, directed by Erik Nelson ELEVEN MINUTES, directed by Michael Selditch ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD, directed by Werner Herzog (Closing Night Film) FRONTRUNNER, directed by Virginia Williams THE GREENING OF SOUTHIE, directed by Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis INTIMIDAD, directed by David Redmon and Ashley Sabin JOY DIVISION, directed by Grant Gee JUMP!, directed by Helen Hood Scheer LIFE. SUPPORT. MUSIC., directed by Eric Metzgar THE LINGUISTS, directed by Seth Kramer, Daniel A. Miller, and Jeremy Newberger LIONESS, directed Meg McLagan and Daria Sommers MEADOWLARK, directed by Taylor Greeson NERDCORE RISING, directed by Negin Farsad NOT YOUR TYPICAL BIGFOOT MOVIE, directed by Jay Delaney PUBLIC ENEMY: WELCOME TO THE TERRORDOME, directed by Robert Patton-Spruill SAVIOURS, directed by Ross Whitaker and Liam Nolan SECOND SKIN, directed by Juan Carlos Pineiro Escoriaza SECRECY, directed by Robb Moss and Peter Galison SEX POSITIVE, directed by Daryl Wein SONG SUNG BLUE, directed by Greg Kohs VERY YOUNG GIRLS, directed by David Schisgall WE ARE WIZARDS, directed by Josh Koury WILD BLUE YONDER, directed by Celia Maysles
Short Films APOCALYPSE OZ, directed by Ewan Telford AQUARIUM, directed by Rob Meyer A CATALOG OF ANTICIPATIONS, directed by David Lowery CHIEF, directed by Brett Wagner DOXOLOGY, directed by Michael Langan THE DRIFT, directed by Kelly Sears THE EUROPEAN KID, directed by Ian Martin THE EXECUTION OF SOLOMON HARRIS, directed by Wyatt Garfield and Ed Yonaitis FILM MAKES US HAPPY, directed by Bryan Wizemann GLORY AT SEA, directed by Ben Zeitlin HEARTBEATS, directed by Vincent Coen IF A BODY MEET A BODY, directed by Brian Davis I HAVE SEEN THE FUTURE, directed by Cam Christiansen I LOVE SARAH JANE, directed by Spencer Susser JACKSON WARD, directed by Matt Petock KIDS + MONEY, directed by Lauren Greenfield LA CORONA, directed by Amanda Micheli and Isabel Vega LARRY (THE ACTOR), directed by Brett Portanova and Eric Poydar THE LONELY BLISS OF CANNONBALL LUKE, directed by Levi Abrino MAN, directed by Myna Joseph MAYBE IN THE SPRINGTIME, directed by Mai Sato MR.P, directed by Jake Vaughan PEPPER, directed by Harry McCoy PRIMITIVE TECHNOLOGY, directed by Bo Price THE PULL, directed by Andy Blubaugh THE RAMBLER, directed by Calvin Reeder REORDER, directed by Sean Garrity SAFARI, directed by Catherine Chalmers SANGIT SENYOR, directed by Alan Lyddiard SAVE THE WORLD, directed by David Casals-Roma SIKUMI (ON THE ICE), directed by Andrew Okpeaha MacLean SPIDER, directed by Nash Edgerton 34x24x36, directed by Jesse Epstein TONY ZOREIL, directed by Valentin Potier WELL-FOUNDED CONCERNS, directed by Tim Cawley WOMAN IN BURKA, directed by Jonathan Lisecki
Music Performances
∑ Potter Rock! Harry and the Potters, Draco and the Malfoys, and the Hungarian Horntails will perform on Saturday April 26th after the second screening of WE ARE WIZARDS.
* Nerdcore hip-hop artist MC Frontalot and De La Soul superstar Prince Paul will perform at the IFFBoston Awards Party on Sunday April 27th
Panel Discussions
∑ Collaborative Screenwriting Presented by Zhura.com A discussion with screenwriters and other industry professionals on the benefits of collaboration featuring Amy Fox (Heights) and Will Conroy (Transsiberian)
∑ Distribution 2.0 A discussion with some of the companies on the cutting edge of film distribution featuring representatives of Spout.com, Current.com, Indiepix, and Ourstage. Moderated by Amy Dotson of the Independent Feature Project (IFP).
∑ Comics to Film/ Film to Comics A presentation by “Robot Stories” writer/director and writer of the hit comics The X-Men and World War Hulk, Greg Pak. ∑ Breaking Into The Boston Film Industry A panel discussion with prominent members of IATSE Local 481 including Business Manager Chris O’Donnell on the ins and outs of making a living working in the film industry in Boston.
The Independent Film Festival of Boston will reach a diverse audience by incorporating a number of venues in the greater Boston community including: ∑ Somerville Theatre in Davis Square ∑ Brattle Theatre in Harvard Square ∑ Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline
All festival venues are easily accessible by MBTA public transportation and are all located near area parking.
Film-only, Party-only, and all-access Chrome passes are now available at http://www.iffboston.org . Individual tickets will be available on the site on April 1, 2008.
I saw a final cut of THE GATEWAY MEAT, filmed in Massachusetts. I appear in the film, I get brutally murdered and got to write my own death scene. Unfortunately my face is bound up with duct tape and we shot for 8 or 10 hours and I couldn't see and was covered in cold fake blood all day. The DVD will be out soon. The film is AMAZING- oh my god- so gory! I was only in a small part and did not see the script so knew nothing about the plot of the film or anything about it except my scenes.
Also out soon on DVD:
Countess Bathoria's Graveyard Picture Show, which debuted at the Fantasia Film Fest, and which I co-wrote.
I am writing for The Independent Magazine website and will be interviewing Jeremy Kasten, director of the upcoming remake of The Wizard of Gore.
I have an interview in the next Girls and Corpses magazine with Erik Ruhling, author of Infernal Device, an illustrated book of torture devices.
Although I put it aside months and months ago it looks like my script A Fistful of Anger may be optioned.
After the incredible success of the celebration of the newly revitalized Massachusetts Film Office's first year at a party at the Castle on January 5th, in which over 650 of the most prominant film and media people attended, the MFO is sponsoring a lunch for the Massachusetts film community during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. For years, Massachusetts films were prominant at Sundance - l5 years for feature documentaries in competition - 8 years for narrative features. But with the closing of the MFO, and the dissolution of BFVF and the Mass Media Alliance, Massachusetts had not presence or leadership in the last 6 years. 2008 is different.
There are 8 Massachusetts films playing in Park City between the Sundance and Slamdance film festivals. And, the Massachusetts Film Office is sponsoring a celebratory lunch at Noon on Wednmesday, January 23 at Cafe Terrigo on Main Stret to honor the filmmmakers. It will be hosted by Judy Laster, founder and director of the Woods Hole Film Festival and David Kleiler, founder and director of Local Sightings.
Two films are showing in Documentary Competition in Sundance, SECRECY by Peter Galison and Harvard professor Robb Moss, and TRACES OF THE TRADE by Katrina Browne and Balagan film series co-founder Alla Kovgan. The music score is by Roger Miller of The Alloy Orchestra and Mission of Burma, The remaining films are short films to be shown at Slamdance: Chip Moore's animation SWING, BU's production professor Sam Kauffman's MASSACRE AT MAURAMBI, animator Andy Cahill's SPONTANEOUS GENERATION and EVERYTHING SAID, Benny Safdie's STORY OF CHARLES RIVERBANK, and Nathan Silver's ANECDOTE Also at Sundance will be the world premiere of NEXT STOP WONDERLAND'S director's TRANSIBERIAN with Woody Harrelson, Emily Mortimer and Ben Kingsley. Both in the past and now today, Massachusetts has a lot to be proud of. It has been a banner year for Massachusetts. Under the direction of MFO's Nick Paleologos, over 250 million dollars have been pumped into the economy. The Park City/Sundance/Slamdance lunch signifies the turnaround for filmmakers in Massachusetts. For information about the lunch,
Distributing Your Short Film: A Symposium for Filmmakers
Distributing Your Short Film in the Global Marketplace
2-5pm Friday, Nov. 9 | The Bordy Theatre | 216 Tremont Street, Emerson College
Free of Charge to Emerson Students & Members of the Public!
So you’ve made your short film. Now what? With the agonies of fund-raising, shooting and postproduction behind you, how do you best get your film out into the world? The good news is that more avenues for distribution and exhibition exist today than ever before. The bad news is that the bewildering number of options that face the short filmmaker can often be paralyzing.
“Distributing Your Short Film in the Global Marketplace” is a three-hour symposium designed to demystify the processes of short film distribution and prove that talented and motivated student filmmakers can take their work beyond the classroom and reach audiences around the globe through film festivals, television and the Internet.
Moderator Sue Biely is the Director of Business Development & Social Responsibility and Co-Founder of The Nimble Company, a multi-platform media company creating and managing media brands for the post-tv generation, including the beta interactive community hip hop site RapSpace.tv. Sue will be joined by an expert panel of industry professionals, including:
Derry O’Brien, founder and director of Network Ireland TV, an Irish-based TV program and DVD distributor which has specialized in short film distribution internationally for the past 12 years
Shane Smith, Director of Programming for Movieola The Short Film Channel, an online provider of cutting edge short films
Megan O’Neill, Vice President of Acquisitions and Production for AtomFilms, a leading entertainment provider of short content via internet, broadband services, and mobile devices
Cara Longo, Manager of Acquisitions & Programming for the Sundance Channel, formerly Director of Scheduling for the Independent Film Channel
Acknowledging that shorts constitute a unique genre with specific modes of distribution and exhibition, Sue and her panel will discuss what makes a good short film good and how making the right decisions can maximize your film’s exposure and get you established. Discussions will approach distribution from a global perspective, addressing festivals, television, and online video streaming.
Distributing Your Short Film in the Global Marketplace will take place at the Bordy Theatre, 216 Tremont Street in Boston's Theatre District.
Members of the public are advised to arrive there at least 20 minutes ahead of the scheduled start time to ensure a seat.
Supported in part by the Ireland Funds. The Ireland Funds is the largest worldwide network of people of Irish ancestry and friends of Ireland dedicated to raising funds to support programs of peace and reconciliation, arts and culture, education and community development throughout the island of Ireland.
Supported in part by Network Ireland Television an Irish-based TV program and DVD distributor which has specialized in short film distribution internationally for the past 12 years.
Actors, an Acting Teacher and a Casting Agent Share Their Experience at the acting panel on this past Saturday as part of the Northampton Independent Film Festival
Pat Mc Corkle: As one of New York's most respected casting directors, Pat McCorkle has amassed an impressive list of credits in all genres. Her expertise ranges from feature film to Primetime TV to Broadway Stage and Regional Theatre. Her numerous credits include: Broadway productions of "Thge Lieutenant of Inishmore,: "Cat on A Hot Tin Roof" with Ashley Judd; "Bobbi Boland;" and "Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All" with Ellen Burstyn; 3lbs. "Chapelle's Show;" the "Jamie Kennedy Experiment;" CBS-TV's "Hack" and "The Education of Max Bickford;" numerous feature films such as " "Rollerball;" Showtime's "Ruby's Bucket of Blood" with Angela Basset; TNT's "Monday Night Mayhem" starring John Turturro' MGM/USA's "The Thomas Crown Affair" and many more. She has also cast for The Arena Stage, The George Street Playhouse and The Guthrie Theatre.
Peter Berkrot: Peter has taught acting to adults and children, written for the stage, and has run acting workshops throughout New England. He wrote and directed several short films about teens and AIDS for New Hampshire public television. As a director he has staged SARAJEVO: VOICES OF THE SEIGE, ROMEO AND JULIET, WAITING FOR LEFTY, and THE BREAKFAST CLUB FOR NEW VOICES.
Leslie Kendall: Leslie was born in Los Angeles and began performing at the age of ten, creating the title role in L.A. Chamber Ballet's adaptation of the children's classic THE LITTLE PRINCE, Leslie co-starred in NBC's NUTCRACKER: MONEY, MADNESS AND MURDER, playing Lee Remick's daughter, and has guest starred on television series such as CLUELESS and STAR TREK DS9. She was also a regular on CHARLIE HOOVER.
Robert Gomes: Robert has had roles on SEX AND THE CITY, ED, LAW AND ORDER and ALL MY CHILDREN. His extensive theater background includes roles on Broadway (including the Lincoln Center Theater) off-Broadway, and major regional US theaters.
Independent vs Studio Productions
Leslie Kendall: As an actor in an independent production, you have more involvement. You see more, you learn more. When there is more of a bonding process and openness that comes with more involvement-The performance is better as a result. When you are a part of a studio production, you are waiting in your trailer to be escorted to the set. This leaves the performance colder from the get-go.
Getting to The Core of a Character
Peter Berkrot: The key to getting to a character's core is to examine what the character wants. What is the character's ultimate goal, and how does this affect the way they interact with people. How do they interact with people of different status? Children, their boss, their wife?
Peter recommends the books "Black and White" by David Mamet and "Acting For the Camera" by Tony Barr
Robert Gomes: On the short film BODY/ANTIBODY Robert came into the audition trying-out for one character and left the audition with the news that he would be trying-out for an entirely different character with much less preparation than the first. Robert read Michael Caine's book "Acting on Film" cover to cover. Since the new character was afflicted withobsessive compulsive disorder Robert watched as many documentaries as possible before the next audition. He found that these were not nearly as helpful as one film which documented a woman afflicted with the condition while she was put into an environment she had no control over. The difference was that he was studying the woman from a behavioral standpoint as opposed to a psychological standpoint. Looking to the reaction under stressful conditions such as the movement of the hands and the breathing were the key to playing a character with the condition than just understanding the reasons the person acts the way they did.
Make sure to catch the panels this coming weekend at the second installment of the Northampton Independent Film Festival
Saturday, November 10th 10:30 am-Women Filmmakers' Panel
Saturday, November 10th 1:00 pm-Florentine Films/Hott Productions Retrospective
