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,
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
The 13th annual Northampton Independent Film Festival (NIFF) is pleased to announce its new Festival dates for 2007.
NOVEMBER 2,3,4and 9,10 are on the schedule for this nationally recognized event.
The event is held in the heart of ecclectic downtown Northampton. At night, the streets are alive with restaurant-goers, music lovers, late shoppers and people with their dancing shoes on. Concert buses can be seen along side streets with fans and curious passers by on tiptoes trying to peek in. And there is live entertainment every night in dozens of restaurants, bars and clubs. Some come for the films and stay a weekend for the experience.
November is the perfect time for us.” comments Festival Director Jeffrey Dreisbach. Especially with the cozy passholder, filmmaker and ClubNIFF member accomodation complete with food drinks and wifi.
"Our theme this year is, The Future We Will Create” As we look ahead to the future, it is clear that we have amazing opportunities for showing our community just how film can affect our lives.
The theme is taken from the featured film of the same name "The Future That We Will Create" This film documents the progressive TED conference. Hailed "the hottest gathering in the world" by Wired magazine, TED (Technology Entertainment Design) is an annual event where an eclectic group of brilliant minds exchange bold ideas for the future. Actress Daphne Zuniga is your host on this all-access tour of the conference. Guests include former Vice President Al Gore musicianPeter Gabriel, environmentalist Marjora Carter, as well as comedians, authors and innovators from around the world, all discussing the future of the world.
About the Northampton Independent Film Festival
The Northampton Independent Film Festival (NIFF) is committed to establishing a northeast center for the exploration, examination, and celebration of independent filmmaking. NIFF showcases the works of filmmakers whose films demonstrate quality, innovation, and independence in both form and content.
Check out their site for pass and schedule info at www.niff.org
Come be a part of the celebration of the New England Film and Video Festival. Filmmakers who will be screening at the festival will be present as well as local filmmakers.
It will be a blast!!!
Sunday, October 7th
6pm Filmmaker Reception Sponsored by Beanywood
7pm Filmmaker Reception Sponsored by Beanywood
at the Marriott Courtyard 40 Webster St Brookline , MA -Coolidge Corner
Read the next blog posted for details about what the NEFVF has to offer this year.
I just thought I would give you a heads up about our 16th annual Woods Hole Film Festival which is shaping up to be a very exciting program of screenings, panels, master classes, exhibitions, parties, even our GREEN SCREEN and first annual GREEN EXPO. We have Les Blank coming from Berkeley, California bringing his new film ALL IN THIS TEA, about David Lee Hoffmann, a tea importer who in his obsessive attempts to acquire some of the rarest teas in the world re-introduces China to it's own ancient tea culture. As our FILMMAKER-IN-RESIDENCE, Les will bring a great spirit of true independence and will offer a very dynamic Master Class and showing films like GARLIC IS AS GOOD AS TEN MOTHERS, a profile of Alice Waters of Chez Pannise fame, BURDEN OF DREAMS, a film chronicling Werner Herzog's making of FITZCARRALDO and possibly other films. Les's appearance continues our mission to honor great independent filmmakers. In the past few years we have hosted RICKY LEACOCK ( Paris) , KIDLAT TAHIMIK,( The Philippines), ART C. SMITH ( ANWR, Alaska).
It is a wonderful place to be immersed in the craft of filmmaking both its past and its very vital future. With the help of people like David Tames, we are putting together a series of panel discussions which will concentrate on the future of long form Documentary in the Age of Internet Video, a producer's roundtable-llike panel featuring hollywood director Sam Weisman and documentary filmmakers from WGBH as well as others. We are building on what we started several years ago with a new program that looks at the role that new technologies and the convergence of media have had on the distribution and making of films. In the last six months alone, the blossoming of internet video has so intensified, that it mandates a continuing of this fascinating discussion by practioners in the field.
Of course we have films, animations, features, documentaries,even experimental video art. We will be bringing New Jersey's largest and oldest alternative gallery's (CITY WITHOUT WALLS cwow.org) 1800 Frames exhibit which explores the work of about thirty artists working in a 60 second format ( Hence the "1800 frames"). A reception for the artists and a viewing of some of these powerful and humorous videos will be screened at my new studio, THOUGHT BALLOON STUDIO ( 12 sidney street, Woods Hole).
There will be parties as well, and in a setting of our little historic village known for its powerhouse of science, oceanography, marine biology and abundant arts. It is ONE WEEK ( July 28-August 4th--satuday to saturday); ONE VILLAGE; and ONE BOATLOAD OF FILMS!
You can also go to itunes and hear the podcast interview I did with Les, discussing his new work... Look up Woods Hole Film Festival on itunes TODAY!
