The Ballad of Friday and June
The Ballad of Friday and June (2009) from Jollyville Pictures on Vimeo.
This was a big favorite of mine on the festival circuit last year. It’s short, funny, poignant, heartfelt, and other adjectives that mean “wonderful.”
Now you can watch it in its entirety online and see what I mean.
Vote for these awesome panels at SXSW 2011
It’s that time again: South By SouthWest PanelPicker voting is open, which means you get a say in the panels that appear at the Film, Music, and Interactive Conferences. Voting closes on Friday so get yourself over to the site and vote.
For your approval I humbly submit the following:
Both Sides of the Fence – Festival Programmers Who are Also Filmmakers: When you watch hundreds of films a year it makes you want to grab a camera and make one of your own. Programmer/filmmakers discuss the how working in the festival world affects their filmmaking and vice-versa. Proposed by Jesse Trussell and me. Vote for it.
Regional Filmmaking: Revenge of the Flyover States – The best film festival in the U.S. is in Texas, so why should the best filmmakers in the country have to live in New York or Los Angeles? Working filmmakers from the so-called “flyover states” talk about the challenges and advantages of making movies outside of the cities traditionally associated with filmmaking. Also proposed by me and Jesse. Vote for it.
Sex it Up! – What’s the difference between art and porn? The old joke is that “one is in focus,” but it’s also an aesthetic distinction that is increasingly irrelevant. Just as more “mainstream” indie filmmakers are utilizing explicit themes and imagery in their works, a new school of directors working on the adult side of the industry are creating works that defy the porn clichés. Even if you’re not looking to bare all, here’s your chance to learn from each and tell stories that move past the bedroom door to embrace the full range of our experiences. Proposed by Lisa Vandever of Cinekink. Vote for it!
Adios, Telluride Film Festival
Jennifer Amman, Festival Production Manager for the Telluride Film Festival, leaves her position with this rather public message. I’ve never met Jennifer or been to Telluride, but the video provides a glimpse into the problems (and backstage tensions) that exist at many film festivals these days. Sponsors are harder to come by these days and money is tight all over. It’s tempting to side automatically with Jennifer, but as Sarasota Film Festival programming director Tom Hall rightfully points out:
. . . cutbacks to festival budgets are an absolute reality right now, and that one of the main issues facing any non-profit at this time is setting new, adjusted priorities and getting organizational buy-in for those changes. I don’t think there is anyone working at festival today, from a Board President to a volunteer, who has faced down a change to the landscape and hasn’t thought to themselves “This is the last straw.” I know I have, I know everyone has; it’s all part of being under-paid, over-worked and deeply passionate about the integrity of the event you’re putting on.
That said, finding savings in the morning meals of your volunteers (if true) makes you an easy target for ridicule.
Queens Film Festival founder arraigned for stealing $14,000 in goods and services
Marie Castaldo, 52, of Queens, New York, was arraigned on Tuesday night on charges of first-degree scheme to defraud, third- and fourth-degree grand larceny, petit larceny, third- and fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property and second-degree harassment. “The defendant is accused of duping advertising and film industry vendors into providing their services for free to her film festival by – in most cases – making a small up-front payment and then refusing to make any further payments,” Brown said.
Back in January I posted a link to an article in which the charges were first leveled at Castaldo – it seems the wheels of justice have finally rolled around to address the complaints.
It’s always a good idea when submitting to any festival to do some research on the festival in question – using Google’s blog search tool and looking for the name of the festival with the words “scam” or “rip-off” is a quick way to find out if there have been complaints in the past.
Film Festival instructional video now on sale
HOW TO GET YOUR FILM INTO FILM FESTIVALS! & What to do When You get There! from Sylvia Binsfeld on Vimeo.
Check out this new instructional video on preparing your film and submitting it to film fests. Some good interviews with filmmakers and festival staffers about how to get ready. It’s a fine companion to Film Festival Secrets.
How to get Your Film Into Film Festivals! Insider Video–Trailer from Sylvia Binsfeld on Vimeo.
Speaking at SWAMP Salon tomorrow night in Houston
If you’re in the Houston area, come see me give a talk about the festival circuit tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. The event is hosted by the Southwest Alternate Media Project (SWAMP), and it’s free and open to the public.
Here’s the event info on Facebook if you want to RSVP, but if you prefer you can just show up at Deans Montrose, 315 Fairview Street, Houston.
YouTube’s “Life in a Day” project
Life In A Day is a historic global experiment to create the world’s largest user-generated feature film: a documentary, shot in a single day, by you. On July 24, you have 24 hours to capture a glimpse of your life on camera. The most compelling and distinctive footage will be edited into an experimental documentary film, executive produced by Ridley Scott and directed by Kevin Macdonald.
For more information, visit youtube.com/lifeinaday.
Black Rock City Film Fest comes to Burning Man
I suppose it was only a matter of time before someone struck on the idea of a film fest at Burning Man. Luckily for potential attendees, the folks who organized this one have a ton of experience. They’re going to need it – the conditions they’ll face are unlike those at any other film festival.
I have a ton of notes on this and I’ll be writing a longer entry soon, but the festival’s call for entries ends tomorrow (Thursday, July 15th) so I wanted to get the word out today. If you have a short film that would be cool to show at Burning Man, now’s your chance. Here’s the link to submit. There’s also an official Facebook page for the festival.
I just got word that the festival will be screening their films on “The Engine,” a 1000-pound “light and steel sculpture” that is essentially a portable projection system. Sounds cool.
