The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Saturday night honored fifteen student winners from colleges and universities around the world at the 41st Student Academy Awards ceremony, held at the Directors Guild of America Theater in Hollywood. The gold, silver and bronze medals were announced and presented by actors Adrian Grenier, Nate Parker and Oscar® nominee Demian Bichir, and the Oscar-winning directing/producing team from the animated feature “Frozen,” Jennifer Lee, Chris Buck and Peter Del Vecho.
The 2014 Student Academy Award® winners are:
Alternative Gold Medal: “Person,” Drew Brown, The Art Institute of Jacksonville, Florida Silver Medal: “Oscillate,” Daniel Sierra, School of Visual Arts, New York
Animation Gold Medal: “Owned,” Daniel Clark and Wesley Tippetts, Brigham Young University, Utah Silver Medal: “Higher Sky,” Teng Cheng, University of Southern California Bronze Medal: “Yamashita,” Hayley Foster, Loyola Marymount University, California
Documentary Gold Medal: “The Apothecary,” Helen Hood Scheer, Stanford University Silver Medal: “White Earth,” J. Christian Jensen, Stanford University Bronze Medal: “One Child,” Zijian Mu, New York University
Narrative Gold Medal: “Above the Sea,” Keola Racela, Columbia University, New York Silver Medal: “Door God,” Yulin Liu, New York University Bronze Medal: “Interstate,” Camille Stochitch, American Film Institute, California
Foreign Film Gold Medal: “Nocebo,” Lennart Ruff, University of Television and Film Munich, Germany Silver Medal: “Paris on the Water,” Hadas Ayalon, Tel Aviv University, Israel Bronze Medal: “Border Patrol,” Peter Baumann, The Northern Film School, United Kingdom
This year saw first-time honors go to Tel Aviv University, Israel, and The Northern Film School, United Kingdom, in the foreign competition.
The Academy established the Student Academy Awards in 1972 to support and encourage excellence in filmmaking at the collegiate level. Past Student Academy Award winners have gone on to receive 46 Oscar nominations and have won or shared eight awards. They include John Lasseter, Pete Docter, Robert Zemeckis, Trey Parker and Spike Lee.
image: via The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented its 41st Annual Student Academy Awards® on Saturday, June 7, in Hollywood.
Front row (left to right): Teng Cheng, Zijan Mu, J. Christian Jensen, Wesley Tippetts, Lennart Ruff, Daniel Sierra, Peter Baumann and Drew Brown.
Back row (left to right): Helen Hood Scheer, Hayley Foster, Camille Stochitch, Daniel Clark, Keola Racela, Yulin Liu and Hadas Ayalon.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the indie comedy hit “Napoleon Dynamite” with writer-director Jared Hess and star Jon Heder participating in a live commentary screening and conversation on Monday, June 9, at 7:30 p.m. at the Bing Theatre on the LACMA campus.
In 2004, audiences all over the world were introduced to Preston, Idaho’s very own Napoleon Dynamite. With his flaming red curls, moon boots, illegal government ninja moves and irascible quips, he became an icon. The Academy is honored to welcome Napoleon Dynamiteco-writer-director Jared Hess and Jon Heder, the actor who portrayed the film’s Tater Tot-obsessed protagonist. Together, Hess and Heder will offer a live commentary on their cult comedy classic as it screens, in honor of its tenth anniversary.
Tribeca Film is acquiring North American rights to Time Is Illmatic, which had its world premiere as the opening night of the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival. The documentary is directed by multimedia artist, One9, written by Erik Parker, and produced by One9, Parker, and Anthony Saleh. It follows the trajectory of Nas’ 1994 landmark debut album, Illmatic — widely considered one of the most important and revolutionary albums in hip-hop. Tribeca Film is planning a simultaneous theatrical and VOD release in October along with performances by Nas in select cities. Additionally, educational youth screening series will complement the release.
Time Is Illmatic traces Nas’ influences and the insurmountable odds he faced in creating the greatest work of music from hip-hop’s second golden era. The film tracks the musical legacy of the Jones family — handed down to Nas from his jazz musician father, Olu Dara, the support of his Queensbridge neighborhood crew, and the loyalty of his younger brother Jabari “Jungle” Jones. Twenty years after its release, Illmatic is widely recognized as a hip-hop benchmark that encapsulates the sociopolitical outlook, enduring spirit, and collective angst of a generation of young men searching for their voice in America. Time Is Illmatic was supported by The Ford Foundation’s Just Films and Tribeca Film Institute’s Tribeca All Access program.
Hip-hop luminary and multi-platinum artist, Nas, released his debut album Illmatic in 1994, and he has gone on to sell over 20 million albums worldwide. The legendary Queens rapper is widely recognized as a visionary and lauded for a seminal body of work that spans a two-decade career.
“I want to thank Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal & the Tribeca Film family for all of the love & support they’ve given Time Is Illmatic,” said Nas . “It is an honor to be in partnership with them. I feel there is a cultural kinship bonded by the city of New York.”
“We began this journey with filmmakers One9 and Erik Parker when they conceived of the idea for the film in 2010 and supported them with funding through the Tribeca Film Institute to complete their vision,” said Jane Rosenthal, Co-founder and CEO of Tribeca Enterprises. “We were privileged to open the 2014 Festival with the world premiere of this powerful story of an artist’s journey through the toughest of conditions and times. The film is unique. Nas is the truest of artists, reflecting his community. Tribeca was founded on community and filmmaking and we could not be more proud of our continuing association with a work as honest and inspirational as Time is Illmatic.”
“With Time is Illmatic, Erik and I wanted to celebrate Nas’ groundbreaking album, Illmatic, and shed light on the socio-economic conditions that created it. Most importantly, we wanted to show how one piece of art gave hope to those searching for their voice in America,” said One9. “We are confident that our partnership with Tribeca will give the proper platform for this important American experience.”
The deal for the film was negotiated by Nick Savva, Vice President of Acquisitions for Tribeca Film and David Koh, Dan Braun, Josh Braun for Submarine Entertainment with Liesl Copland for WME on behalf of the filmmakers.
Fifteen students have been selected as winners in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 41st Student Academy Awards® competition. They will arrive in Los Angeles for a week of industry activities that will culminate in the awards ceremony on Saturday, June 7, at 6 p.m., at the DGA Theater in Hollywood. The medal placements – gold, silver and bronze – in the five award categories will be announced at the ceremony.
The winners are (listed alphabetically by film title):
Alternative “Oscillate,” Daniel Sierra, School of Visual Arts, New York “Person,” Drew Brown, The Art Institute of Jacksonville, Florida
Animation “Higher Sky,” Teng Cheng, University of Southern California “Owned,” Daniel Clark and Wesley Tippetts, Brigham Young University, Utah “Yamashita,” Hayley Foster, Loyola Marymount University, California
Documentary “The Apothecary,” Helen Hood Scheer, Stanford University “One Child,” Zijian Mu, New York University “White Earth,” J. Christian Jensen, Stanford University
Narrative “Above the Sea,” Keola Racela, Columbia University, New York “Door God,” Yulin Liu, New York University “Interstate,” Camille Stochitch, American Film Institute, California
Foreign Film “Border Patrol,” Peter Baumann, The Northern Film School, United Kingdom “Nocebo,” Lennart Ruff, University of Television and Film Munich, Germany “Paris on the Water,” Hadas Ayalon, Tel Aviv University, Israel
This year saw first-time honors go to Tel Aviv University, Israel, and The Northern Film School, United Kingdom, in the foreign competition. Academy members voted the winners from a field of 49 finalists, announced earlier this month.
The Academy established the Student Academy Awards in 1972 to support and encourage excellence in filmmaking at the collegiate level. Past Student Academy Award winners have gone on to receive 46 Oscar® nominations and have won or shared eight awards. They include John Lasseter, Pete Docter, Robert Zemeckis, Trey Parker and Spike Lee.
OBVIOUS CHILD, the comedic gem of a discovery of the Sundance Film Festival has an Official Poster. The highly anticipated comedy, featuring a breakout performance by Jenny Slate will open in select theaters June 6 and expands across the country throughout June.
For aspiring comedian Donna Stern, everyday life as a female twenty-something provides ample material for her incredibly relatable brand of humor. On stage, Donna is unapologetically herself, joking about topics as intimate as her sex life and as crude as her day-old underwear. But when Donna gets dumped, loses her job, and finds herself pregnant just in time for Valentine’s Day, she has to navigate the murky waters of independent adulthood for the first time. As she grapples with an uncertain financial future, an unwanted pregnancy, and a surprising new suitor, Donna begins to discover that the most terrifying thing about adulthood isn’t facing it all on her own. It’s allowing herself to accept the support and love of others. And be truly vulnerable. Never failing to find the comedy and humanity in each awkward situation she encounters, Donna finds out along the way what it means to be as brave in life as she is on stage. Anchored by a breakout performance from Jenny Slate, OBVIOUS CHILD is a winning discovery, packed tight with raw, energetic comedy and moments of poignant human honesty. Writer/Director Gillian Robespierre handles the topic of Donna’s unwanted pregnancy with a refreshing matter-of-factness rarely seen onscreen. And with Donna, Slate and Robespierre have crafted a character for the ages – a female audiences will recognize, cheer for, and love.
http://youtu.be/r2GN3wdfqbA
CAST: Jenny Slate, Jake Lacy, Gaby Hoffmann, David Cross, Gabe Liedman & Richard Kind
For indie filmmakers, getting your first feature film made is already a hurdle that oftentimes can seem insurmountable. But if you manage to run the gauntlet that is raising funds, finding the right cast, and shooting and editing the whole thing, how do you get people to actually see your pride and joy? Asking someone to click on a short YouTube video is easy, but convincing people to watch a much longer film – especially if they have to go to a theater – is tougher.
The filmmakers behind the indie comedy Wander My Friends are well on their way to overcoming that hurdle too. The movie recently had its first screening at the SENE Festival in Providence, Rhode Island to an overwhelming positive response. Written and directed by Raz Cunningham and produced by Mel Hardy (who also co-developed the story with Cunningham and star Josh Krebs), Wander My Friends is about three creators of a successful indie comic book who find themselves concerned that they will have to choose between making money from their creation and maintaining their artistic vision. In a lot of ways, it speaks to all creative types who have dreams of success but at the same time fear about losing control of their work.
After hearing that the film had been successfully funded on Kickstarter in 2012 and raised additional money on Slated (a film financing community), I spoke to Raz Cunningham and Mel Hardy about Wander My Friends about how they went about turning their dreams into their first full-length film as writer/director and producer.
Can you tell me about your previous work experience in film?
RAZ: I started working in film and TV right out of high school. I grew up in Rhode Island and at the time I knew I had to live in an area where I could not just get my feet wet but jump right into the pool. I applied to colleges in New York and eventually attended Marymount Manhattan College. Freshmen weren’t supposed to have internships, but through a very happy accident involving me working in a candle store in 30 Rock, I ended up meeting a Saturday Night Live cast member who recommended me to the internship program at NBC. I reached a deal with my college allowing me to start my time with NBC. I was there for several years and eventually just moved from Television to Film. I started as an assistant to a few great producers, including Scott Macaulay and Robin O’Hara, and eventually started getting work on other films as a Production Manager and Line Producer.
Although I wanted to write and direct films, I continually got steady work Line Producing and Production Managing and my bills needed to be paid so I just kept right on doing it. While I was still working within the field I wanted to be in, it just wasn’t as truly fulfilling as I had hoped. Eventually I started making my own shorts and just kept continually writing in my free time. After meeting and working regularly with Mel, we both decided enough is enough when it came to our time being slaves to the logistical side of film just went to work making Wander My Friends.
MEL: I was always interested in film. My dad took care of me when I was little and we used to watch movies all the time; not just stuff meant for kids, but movies aimed at adults too. A lot of classics, or just movies he liked and thought I would appreciate. When I was in 6th grade I had a teacher who let me make video book reports (this was unusual at the time) and I was completely thrilled. I even made up my own production company for them, which has since become my official company and still uses the logo I made when I was 12. I started studying film first at Ithaca College while I was still in high school, and then as an undergrad at Clark University. I went straight from graduating to my first film job, and never stopped since. Most of my work has been in the art or wardrobe departments, and now I do a lot of work professionally as a Production Designer. But I love producing, and that’s the ultimate goal for me.
Can you give me a brief description of the film?
RAZ:Wander My Friends tells the story of how creative people can struggle to maintain their integrity while still making a living. Roland Vanver, Nate Park and Asher Ackerman are Editor, Artist and Writer of a popular indie comic “Wanderers”. Eventually a bigger company offers a buyout of their smaller company.
MEL: Hilarity ensues when the three can barely handle each other, let alone pitch meetings with straight-laced businessmen.
Where did the concept of the movie come from?
RAZ: Actor Josh Krebs and I had come up with these three characters almost 5 years ago. Over each draft their careers changes because we just couldn’t find anything that worked with their personalities. It was only when we partnered up with Mel that we came to the realization that each of their personalities was strongly suited to the functioning members of a creative team, and due to my own personal frustrations with the storytelling of the comic (and indie film) industry, we just settled on them being comic book creators.
MEL: A lot of my background is in improv comedy, which is something Josh Krebs also shares. Once I got involved, the three of us threw around a lot of jokes and started shaping what was originally a (somewhat) more serious script into a comedy. But the core themes and the core characters have remained mostly the same from the version that Raz and Josh brought to me.
You were successful in funding the movie in two ways: first on Kickstarter in 2012 and more recently on Slated. What were some of the challenges of fundraising, and do you have any advice for other filmmakers who are hoping to raise money for their projects?
RAZ: The best advice I can give to anyone raising money for a film is to know exactly what kind of project you have, know how to tell the story well, and always, ALWAYS know your audience. When you know your audience you can communicate directly with them. If possible, talk to another filmmaker, whether successful or not, just someone who has experience that can share their budgetary successes and failures with you. This will help you identify your own weaknesses and only make your pitch that much stronger.
MEL: My advice would have to be transparency, definitely. One of the blessings of being able to crowdfund a feature film is to be able to offer your audience a window into the process of making a movie – and one that they’ve chosen to be a part of by offering their own hard-earned money. Any time I had the ability to share footage or stills with donors, I did. It was not only a nice way of getting additional investors interested and involved, but it’s also great to be able to show people “See what we were able to do thanks to you? I hope you’re as proud as we are.”
Aside from acquiring the funding, what has been the most challenging part of the production process?
RAZ: Post-production has been particularly challenging. We had some issues with music, scheduling conflicts with composers, and also some minor editing challenges from the technical side of things, but eventually we overcame them. It really helps if you have a clear plan for post-production during pre-production, and while we did, sometimes unforeseen events happen and schedules change. You have to make sure you account for that. Always have a backup. A “Plan B.” Always.
MEL: As this production’s Plan B, I’m going to have to agree with post-production challenges. It’s hard to anticipate personnel turnover, and we had a solid plan during pre-production that just fell through. I’m lucky that I’m not only an experienced editor, but also probably insane and was more than willing to do whatever it took to see this project to completion. But not every film will have somebody like me working on it, and knowing what to do if anyone or anything falls through is crucial, especially on indies.
How did you assemble the cast for the film?
RAZ: The casting process for Wander My Friends was really intense. Auditioning can sometimes be the worst way to cast a film, but it’s the best process we have so we all still do it. Fortunately one of the leads had helped contribute to the script, so that was locked up, but when it came to casting the role of Nate Park, Mel and I wanted someone who wasn’t just a great actor, but someone who was unique. Someone who could portray modesty alongside a sense of confidence. Nate Park has a lot of confidence, the only problem with that is he doesn’t know it. He has almost no concept of it. He likes what he likes, he does what he does. Mel had worked with actor Milo MacPhail on an improv team and once I met him, he immediately blew me away with just his physicality. Once I saw he could truly act, I was even more impressed, but after watching him play a scene or two opposite Josh Krebs, I knew he was exactly right. Josh is an amazing actor and sometimes it can be difficult for other young actors to keep up, but Milo kept pace.
We put the rest of the cast through a number of rigorous, sometimes rather unorthodox auditions, because I believe that no matter how good an actor is, they have to be able to remain in character no matter their environment, physical or emotional. We auditioned actress Laura Menzie in a car while driving with actor Josh Krebs. I wasn’t actually able to see their audition as I was driving, but I didn’t want to see it. I wanted to listen and see if they could keep my attention while driving. Sure it was a safety risk but it was worth it. Laura and Josh have a great chemistry in their scenes. I have no regrets.
MEL: When I read the finished script, I immediately told Raz that I knew the perfect Nate, and I’m glad that when he met Milo he agreed. I also had a lot of actor friends in the Boston area who I recommended for supporting roles, but everyone had to audition. It was a long process to knit the whole cast together, but the cast we got was amazing so I’m glad.
You recently had the premiere screening of Wander My Friends at the SENE Festival in Providence. What was the response like?
RAZ: The response to the film was beyond anything I could have honestly imagined. I expected only family and friends to show up and give us the obligatory “good job” and “I’m so happy for you” compliments. We had well over 100 people for the screening, most of whom we didn’t know. They were not friends or family of cast and crew. They had seen the trailer and a clip of it on the news and were curious so they came to check it out. Those of us who worked on the project that were able to attend the screening of the film had a lot of these strangers come up to us and introduce themselves after. It’s important to me that comedies have fun with themselves but also have an equal amount of heart, and after the screening I knew we hit the mark.
During the screening I sat in the very back of the theater and watched the audience while the audience watched the film. Every single one of our intended jokes, and some unintended, landed. The laughs I heard that night reaffirmed everything we had hoped and planned. Mel and I knew we were doing something right.
MEL: The response was overwhelmingly positive. I’m still getting calls and emails from people who just want to tell me how much they enjoyed it.
When I was finishing up post-production on the film, there was a period of time when I became frustrated and a little jaded. Things weren’t coming together the way I wanted them too. But once I had the finished cut and I watched it alone in my apartment, I found myself laughing again at scenes I had laughed at when we filmed them. And at the screening, the audience was basically laughing non-stop. They even missed some jokes because they were laughing so hard at others. That’s an incredibly rewarding feeling.
What’s next for Wander My Friends and both of you as filmmakers?
RAZ: We’re hoping to get Wander My Friends into a few more film festivals and attain the right distribution path for the project. I’d like to see it at least end up on Netflix. I’m producing and co-writing a project based on the true story of a grandfather seeking the right to be a part of his young grandson’s life. Additionally, Mel and I have already started development on our next project together with L.A.-based producer Mike Santoro. It’s an improvised mockumentary that follows the making of a doomed feature film. We’re hoping that not only is it successful, but that it also functions as a launch for a series based on the same characters. We’re really looking forward to 2014.
MEL: Ultimately we want Wander My Friends to be seen, and we’ll do whatever we can to that end. All I’ve ever wanted to do is keep making movies, and that’s what the future holds. We’ve proven that we can make a feature with almost nothing, and we’re looking forward to using that to show people what we’re capable of.
Check out the trailer for Wander My Friends on Vimeo:
For more information on Wander My Friends, see the links below:
Forty-one students from 23 U.S. colleges and universities as well as 10 students from foreign universities have been selected as finalists in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 41st Student Academy Awards competition.
The Academy established the Student Academy Awards in 1972 to support and encourage excellence in filmmaking at the collegiate level. Past Student Academy Award® winners have gone on to receive 46 Oscar® nominations and have won or shared eight awards. They include John Lasseter, Pete Docter, Robert Zemeckis, Trey Parker and Spike Lee.
Academy members will now vote to determine up to three winning films in each category. The winners, but not their medal placements, will be announced later this month. The winning students will be brought to Los Angeles for a week of industry activities and social events that will culminate in the awards ceremony on Saturday, June 7, at 6 p.m., at the DGA Theater in Hollywood, at which time the gold, silver and bronze medalists will be revealed.
The finalists are (listed alphabetically by film title):
Alternative “Dreamers,” Joseph Dwyer, Boston University “Entropic Apogee,” Bill Manolios, Art Institute of California – San Francisco “Jaspa’ Jenkins,” Robert Carnilius, Columbia College Chicago “Oscillate,” Daniel Sierra, School of Visual Arts, New York “Passer Passer,” Louis Morton, University of Southern California “Person,” Drew Brown and Ramona Ramdeen, The Art Institute of Jacksonville, Florida “The Private Life of Fenfen,” Leslie Tai, Stanford University “Staircases,” Steinar Bergoy Nedrebo, School of Visual Arts, New York
Animation “Baxter,” Ty Coyle, Savannah College of Art and Design, Georgia “Goodnight Boon,” Jeremy Jensen, New York University “Higher Sky,” Teng Cheng, University of Southern California “Marcel,” Eric Cunha and Seung Sung, School of Visual Arts, New York “Owned,” Daniel Clark and Wesley Tippetts, Brigham Young University, Utah “Roadkill Redemption,” Karl Hadrika, Ringling College of Art and Design, Florida “Two Ghosts,” Amy Lee Ketchum, University of Southern California “Umbra,” Pedro Jesus Atienzar Godoy, Pratt Institute, New York “Yamashita,” Hayley Foster, Loyola Marymount University, California
Documentary “The Apothecary,” Helen Hood Scheer, Stanford University “Eth“no”representation,” Ryan Metzler and Scott Kulicke, Occidental College, California “Heel’d,” Thomas Smith and McKenna Hinkle, Villanova University, Pennsylvania “Light Mind,” Jie Yi, School of Visual Arts, New York “My Sister Sarah,” Elizabeth Chatelain, University of Texas at Austin “One Child,” Zijian Mu, New York University “Punches & Pedicures,” Ashley Brandon and Dennis Höhne, Wright State University, Ohio “Scattered,” Lindsay Lindenbaum, School of Visual Arts, New York “White Earth,” J. Christian Jensen, Stanford University
Narrative “AM800,” James Roe, University of New Orleans “Above the Sea,” Keola Racela, Columbia University, New York “Door God,” Yulin Liu, New York University “Interstate,” Camille Stochitch, American Film Institute, California “Istifa (Resignation),” Rahat Mahajan, Art Center College of Design, California “So You’ve Grown Attached,” Kate Tsang, New York University “Sweepstakes,” Mark Tumas, Temple University, Pennsylvania “Way in Rye,” Goran Stankovic, American Film Institute, California “What Remains,” Julie Koegl, University of North Carolina School of the Arts
Foreign Film “Border Patrol,” Peter Baumann, The Northern Film School, United Kingdom “Intruder,” Geun Buem Park, Korean Academy of Film Arts, South Korea “Kam,” Katarina Morano, University of Ljubljana – Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television, Slovenia “Nocebo,” Lennart Ruff, University of Television and Film Munich, Germany “North,” Philip Sheerin, National Film and Television School, United Kingdom “Paris on the Water,” Hadas Ayalon, Tel Aviv University, Israel “Sacred Defense,” Nima Mohaghegh, Netherlands Film Academy “Souffle Court,” Johann Dulat, ENS Louis-Lumière – The National Film, Photography & Sound Engineering School, France “The Oasis,” Carl Marott, The National Film School of Denmark “Wo Wir Sind,” Ilker Çatak, Hamburg Media School, Germany
To reach this stage, U.S. students competed in one of three regional competitions. Each region is permitted to send to the Academy up to three finalists in each of the four categories. The Student Academy Awards Nominating Committee screened and voted on the finalists in the Foreign Film category.
Eric Rohmer’s A SUMMER’S TALE (Conte d’été), the third entry in the TALES OF THE FOUR SEASONS cycle—and the only one never previously released theatrically in the US will finally get a release date. A SUMMER’S TALE will open at Lincoln Plaza Cinemas in New York on June 20, and in Los Angeles at the Laemmle Royal, Playhouse 7 in Pasadena and Town Center in Encino on July 18. A national release will follow.
A SUMMER’S TALE originally premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes in 1996. Following A TALE OF SPRINGTIME (1990) and A TALE OF WINTER (1992), A SUMMER’S TALE resumed the cycle after THE TREE, THE MAYOR AND THE MEDIATHEQUE (1993) and RENDEZVOUS IN PARIS (1995). AUTUMN TALE (1998) rounded out the series.
Gaspard (Melvil Poupaud), a recent university graduate, arrives at the seaside in Bretagne for three weeks’ vacation before starting a new job. He’s hoping his sort-of girlfriend, the fickle Léna (Aurélia Nolin), will join him there; but as the days pass, he welcomes the interest of Margot (Amanda Langlet, the titular character from Rohmer’s PAULINE AT THE BEACH), a student of ethnology working as a waitress for the summer. Things start to get complicated when the spoken-for Margot encourages Gaspard to have a summer romance with her friend, Solène (Gwenaëlle Simon), and he complies. When Léna turns up, and scheduling complications abound, Gaspard will have to make a choice…
Rohmer’s characteristically light touch allows his characters to discourse on love and friendship, even as their body language complicates and even contradicts their words. Diane Baratier’s cinematography perfectly captures the languor of youth and the feeling of a French beach vacation–the sea, the sunlight and the picturesque surroundings convey the openness of a world of possibilities faced by these young people.
1996; restored 2013 109 min In French with English subtitles
Nine filmmaking teams will receive a total of $300,000 in funding in the latest round of San Francisco Film Society (SFFS) / Kenneth Rainin Foundation (KRF) Filmmaking Grants, to help with their next stage of production, from screenwriting to postproduction. The Film Society’s flagship SFFS / KRF Filmmaking Grants are awarded twice annually to filmmakers for narrative feature films that will have significant economic or professional impact on the Bay Area filmmaking community.
The SFFS / KRF Filmmaking Grant program has funded a total of 46 projects since its inception, including such success stories as Kat Candler’s Hellion and Ira Sachs’ Love is Strange, both of which premiered to strong reviews at Sundance 2014; Short Term 12, Destin Cretton’s sophomore feature which won both the Narrative Grand Jury Award and Audience Award at South by Southwest 2013; Ryan Coogler’s debut feature Fruitvale Station, which won the 2014 Film Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature, the Un Certain Regard Avenir Prize at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, and both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award in the narrative category at Sundance 2013; andBeasts of the Southern Wild, Benh Zeitlin’s debut phenomenon which won Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize and Cannes’ Camera d’Or in 2012 and earned four Academy Award nominations (including Best Picture).
SPRING 2014 SFFS / KRF FILMMAKING GRANT WINNERS
Ad Inexplorata Mark Elijah Rosenberg, writer/director; Jason Berman, P. Jennifer Dana, Thomas B. Fore, Matt Parker, Josh Penn and Mark Roberts, producers — $50,000 for postproduction Captain Stanaforth is a NASA pilot alone on a one-way mission toward the unknown.
Black Metal Kat Candler, writer/director — $17,000 for screenwriting After a career spent mining his music from the shadows, the lead singer of a metal band and his family experience a chain reaction of turmoil following the murderous actions of a teenage fan. For more information visit candlerproductions.com.
Clash Mohamed Diab, writer/director — $35,000 for screenwriting In the wake of the recent removal of the former Egyptian president from office, Hayman-a jaded, claustrophobic revolutionary-is stuck in an overcrowded truck with clashing brotherhood and military supporters. Engulfed in hatred and violence, he must learn to connect with his love for Egypt in order to survive.
Five Nights in Maine Maris Curran, writer/director/producer; Carly Hugo and Matt Parker, producers — $60,000 for production A young African American man, reeling from the tragic loss of his wife, travels to rural Maine to seek answers from his estranged mother-in-law, who is herself confronting guilt and grief over her daughter’s death.
The Fixer Ian Olds, cowriter/director; Paul Felten, cowriter; Caroline von Kuhn and Lily Whitsitt, producers – $18,000 for preproduction An Afghan journalist is exiled from his war-torn country to a small bohemian community in Northern California. When he attempts to turn his menial job on the local police blotter into “Afghan-style” coverage of local crime, he gets drawn into the underworld of this small town-a shadow Northern California where sex is casual, true friendship is hard to come by, and an unfamiliar form of violence bubbles up all around him. For more information visit fixerthefilm.com.
Oscillate Wildly Travis Matthews, cowriter/director; Keith Wilson, cowriter/producer — $25,000 for packaging When his disability check arrives much reduced, a hot-headed young gay man with cerebral palsy is forced to confront the disability he has let define his whole being. For more information visit travisdmathews.com.
Our Lady of the Snow Tom Gilroy, writer/director — $35,000 for screenwriting When the Bishop decides to sell a gothic convent isolated in the snowy woods, the elderly nuns living there begin to have ecstatic visions, which he dismisses as faked. But as the visions spread to the convent’s teenaged atheist cook, inexplicable supernatural events follow, with no one sure of their cause.
Patti Cake$ Geremy Jasper, writer/director/composer; Dan Janvey, producer — $25,000 for packaging Patricia Baccio, aka Patti Cake$, is a big girl with a big mouth and big dreams of rap superstardom. Stuck in Lodi, New Jersey, Patti battles an army of haters as she strives to break the mold and take over the rap game. For more information visit welcometolegs.com.
Snow the Jones Alistair Banks Griffin, writer/director/producer; Jeremy Kipp Walker and Kevin Turen, producers — $35,000 for production When teenage vagabond Lexi joins a traveling door-to-door sales crew, she discovers a world much darker than the one from which she was trying to escape. For more information visit twogatesofsleep.com.
While crowdfunding sites like Indiegogo and Kickstarter have proved to be a boon to many indie filmmakers trying to raise money for their next projects, most filmmakers trying to raise money this way don’t have anywhere near the name recognition of recent successful crowdfunders like Zach Braff, Spike Lee, or Kristen Bell. As many indie filmmakers have learned in the wake of such big-name successes, simply posting the project on a crowdfunding site and talking about it on Facebook or Twitter isn’t always enough to convince dozens of donors open their wallets (even 1990s “It” girl Melissa Joan Hart only raised a fraction of her $2 million goal when she turned to Kickstarter to raise money for a comeback movie). With a glut of indie movies trying to raise money via crowdfunding websites, how can passionate filmmakers get their campaigns noticed?
As for the cast and crew behind indie comedy Tribute to Fluffy, they figured they’d stay ahead of the curve by crowdfunding the old fashioned way.
Tribute to Fluffy follows a young struggling stand-up comedian, Jackson Gilbert, at his lowest point after being dumped by his girlfriend (Natalia) of six years. She’s been so fed up with his lack of ambition coupled by his irresponsible misplacing Fluffy, a gift he gave Natalia on their one year anniversary, that she decides to call it quits on their relationship and pursue an interest she’s had to teach English abroad. Jackson decides with the help of his best friends in the comedy world that the best way to win her back is by throwing her a huge comedy show paying homage to the lost rabbit to prove to Natalia that he’s capable of changing.
The Tribute to Fluffy team has taken the novel approach of combining the fundraising opportunities of the crowdfunding website Indiegogo and its far digital reach with old-fashioned grassroots street marketing in the Greater Los Angeles area. Since early April the team has manned a “Fluffy booth” in various locations including the Santa Monica Promenade, the USC Festival of Books, Hollywood Boulevard, and Venice Beach. The idea behind the booth is to not just raise money by soliciting donations, but to also increase the profile of the film beyond social media.
Director Micah Cyrus admits that their new approach to fundraising came about because using crowdfunding websites the normal way wasn’t successful. He explains, “We put together a Kickstarter campaign last fall and it failed. As you know with Kickstarter, it’s all or nothing so we didn’t see anything. We realized that the campaign was a premature launch and I ultimately learned so much through that experience that helped shape us for what’s become the best version of our story, some killer marketing adjustments, and even new key cast members that wouldn’t have been replaced had we been in the position to shoot at our intended November 2013 goal.”
Cyrus took that failure as an opportunity to try fundraising again, but this time combining crowdfunding with traditional street marketing techniques. He continues, “After seeing the Kickstarter campaign fail, I told myself that I wouldn’t take the same approach of sitting in front of the computer over the 30 days. Unless we have a star talent or someone with a social media presence attached to the film, it can’t sit alone and gain traction. I decided we need to take our campaign to the streets and go where we can interact with people. That instantly birthed the idea for the Fluffy booth. We did some serious brainstorming sessions to figure out what materials to have available, how we’d approach people, and so on.”
However, it isn’t like the street campaign isn’t without its own hurdles. Cyrus admits, “It’s absolutely tough, but I’m having a blast while learning. I’ve noticed that the majority of tourists, in particular international tourists from the Venice Boardwalk, to the Santa Monica Promenade or Hollywood Boulevard, don’t seem to care that much. The response from people tied into the film industry or even people who know someone who has done a crowdfunding campaign or attempted to piece together a project on their own do understand and are super responsive and kind. I’ve received comments from those people such as ‘Wow, I wish I thought of this idea’ or ‘My sister is trying to make a movie too and I understand. Here’s $5 and good luck.”
Another part of the street campaign strategy included reaching out to sponsors who could offer them something other than money to support Tribute to Fluffy. Cyrus explains, “I put together a Corporate Sponsorship packet about a month before launching our campaign and reached out to about 70 different companies. We were very fortunate enough to get a few companies on board to aid us in our campaign and those are: Lyft, Bai (natural juice company), King Bond Bail Agency, and Flappers Comedy Club. They didn’t give us money toward our product, but rather gave us product or service that we have used in our campaign as swag/incentives. For example, Bai gave us hundreds of bottles of their favored product Bai5 that we’ve been handing out to people on the street. This has literally saved us as people may not respond to ‘Would you like to help my film campaign?’, however they definitely do respond to ‘Would you like to help support my film campaign? You get a free cold refreshing bottle of juice for doing so.’ That’s definitely worked seven out of ten times.”
Of course, this being Southern California, Cyrus and his team have experienced some truly out-there responses while out on the campaign trail. “When we were at the Venice Boardwalk, a man approached myself and one of my actresses, Kristen, asking if we were a couple. We replied ‘no’ and told him about the project and our relationship as director/actor. He insisted that we would make a great couple and asked if we would kiss each other and he would donate if so. My actress has a boyfriend and I wouldn’t compromise our friendship for $1. The request was a bit strange but then I remembered that we were in Venice (land of the strange).”
Hollywood Boulevard also provided plenty of ridiculous moments. Cyrus recalls, “We started out having to fight for a spot between an older guy who was selling ice cold waters and Gatorade from his cooler and another guy who was selling his self-produced rap CDs. My producer Ana De Diego and I naively asked the beverage guy if our spot was okay and about 5 minutes later we were escorted away as there’s an invisible line on Hollywood Boulevard that you can’t cross as that becomes private property. Of course, the guy selling drinks tricked us because we were messing up his sales by offering our free bottles of Bai drinks to people. We then moved over and had to compete with Korean radical Christians who were loudly screaming in unbearable tones ‘Kumbaya’ and a Mickey Mouse who kept creepily checking out Ana.”
But it got even weirder. “About an hour later, we decided to go across the street to the side of Hollywood Boulevard by the El Capitan Theater and we were approached by a ‘Producer’ from ABC who asked if we would answer a few questions in front of camera about pop culture for a news segment. I acquiesced this request since I was wearing my Fluffy t-shirt and if it aired then that would make good publicity. I got in front of camera and started answering questions from a strange looking man whose beard was cheaply glued to his face. He kept asking questions about the rapper Drake and I figured out after the second or third question that it was in fact Drake disguised as a reporter and I yelled out that I knew this was a prank. The real producers turned bright red and shut me up as Drake took off running around the corner. I should’ve played stupid because it ended up airing that night on Jimmy Kimmel and I didn’t make the cut!”
As with most indie filmmaker making their first films, getting funding is only one of the many hurdles. Cyrus also pointed to other challenges with getting Tribute to Fluffy off the ground. He says, “I’ve spoken to so many filmmakers over this journey from a few I met directly at the Sundance Film Festival this past January to directors that I boldly approached for a coffee to pick their brains. Everyone agreed that the timing and patience are a definite link you just have to overcome. When I say timing, I mean the prolonged process of being able to start and keeping the endurance to wake up the next day ready to go harder. Something my old boss told me after giving my two weeks’ notice last July after asking him how we knew it was the right trajectory being an entrepreneur was that it felt right even through the trials and tribulations. He said, ‘Micah, you’ll know win or fail whether or not this is what you’re meant to do and you won’t find out unless you try to fly.’ He was right because I could blab about some of the stuff that’s happened to us from investor scams to actors dropping out.”
Nonetheless, he remains positive about the final results, adding, “Despite the challenges, I go through every motion without it feeling like work. I’ve found joy in putting this project together and I can’t wait to see it through on the big screen.” In addition, it seems like the street marketing experience has generated plenty of ideas for Cyrus’ next project!
Upon the completion of the Indiegogo campaign on May 1, Tribute to Fluffy will continue pre-production and then launch into filming. For more information or to contribute to the project, see the links below:
Five-time Emmy winner and Independent Spirit Award nominee Paul Devlin’s new film, THE FRONT MAN, premieres in Los Angeles and then in Orange County at the LA Comedy Festival, followed by screenings at the Newport Beach Film Festival. Director Paul Devlin and star Jim Wood will attend both screenings.
THE FRONT MAN is a departure for filmmaker Paul Devlin, whose documentaries (Power Trip, BLAST!) have won him over a dozen film festival awards, an Independent Spirit Award nomination and a global audience. Thirteen years in the making, THE FRONT MAN is a rare nonfiction rock ‘n roll comedy love story.
THE FRONT MAN is about a man so busy chasing his dreams that he risks missing what success really means. Jim Wood is bursting with personality, always ready to take center stage with his clever bawdy humor. A talented musician, Jim is still dedicated to his New Jersey band Loaded Poets, together 20 years since high school. But as Jim grapples with the broken promise of rock ‘n roll stardom, he must reconcile his joy of creating music and his wife Christie’s desire for a child with a culture in which anything short of celebrity is failure. Is growing up the same as giving up?
Director Paul Devlin describes the early process of making THE FRONT MAN as very loose and improvisational. “It started out just as a series of gags, because Jim and Christie are so funny. But then we began focusing in on interesting story threads that began to emerge in their lives, and themes developed that were unexpectedly poignant.” As the project was postponed and then re-visited, its slow progress became an asset. An intimate portrait gradually takes on epic proportions as Devlin essentially captures Wood’s entire adulthood over a 27-year period. THE FRONT MAN has evolved into a serious, if satirical, commentary on middle class America and its obsession with celebrity.
“It’s an honor to screen at a prestigious event like Newport Beach Film Festival,” says Devlin, “but adding the LA Comedy Festival to that feels like a breakthrough. So many people resist the idea that a documentary can be a comedy. Documentaries are supposed to save the world, not make people laugh. It was a real challenge getting my colleagues and the industry to accept this movie, but now we’re gaining momentum because it’s such a crowd-pleaser. Maybe I’ll just start calling it a comedy and drop the word ‘documentary.’”
TEST written and directed by Chris Mason Johnson will open in Los Angeles, and on VOD platforms, on June 6th and New York on June 13th via Variance Films. TEST which won the award for Outstanding U.S. Dramatic Feature at OUTFEST 2013 stars Scott Marlowe, Matthew Risch, Kristoffer Cusick, Rory Hohenstein, Damon Sperber, and James Sofranko.
Set in the free-spirited San Francisco of 1985, Test lovingly portrays this exciting and harrowing era as young Frankie (Scott Marlowe) confronts the challenges of being an understudy in a modern dance company where he’s taunted to “dance like a man.” Frankie embarks on a budding relationship with Tom (Matthew Risch), a veteran dancer in the same company and the bad boy to Frankie’s young innocent.
The captivating dance sequences were especially choreographed for the film by acclaimed U.S. choreographer Sidra Bell, and the film’s vibrant soundtrack includes work by ’80s icons Jimmy Somerville (Bronski Beat), Klaus Nomi, Romeo Void, Laurie Anderson, Martha and the Muffins, Cocteau Twins and Sylvester.
Frankie is the newest, skinniest and most mocked member of an up-and-coming modern dance company in San Francisco. The year is 1985. As six muscular male dancers tumble their way through athletic choreography, Frankie stands on the sidelines, mirroring the movement and looking a little weak. The choreographer stops the music and yells at Frankie to “dance like a man!” On the sidelines, Todd watches. Todd is an established dancer in the same company and the bad boy to Frankie’s innocent. They’re friends – opposites attract.
For Frankie, the city offers no relief from the bullying at work: a newspaper headline asks “Should Gays Be Quarantined?” while fresh graffiti screams “AIDS Faggot Die!” Frankie turns away and, with his bright yellow Walkman clipped to his belt, retreats into a music-filled trance.
When one of the male dancers is injured Frankie must perform in his place. It’s the classic test of skill and character, and Todd helps Frankie prepare. Outside of work, as Frankie and Todd’s friendship deepens, they each face a different kind of test: the newly-named disease is spreading fast and no one seems to know anything about it, except who it targets. Together the friends navigate a world full of risk that is also, now and then, full of hope.
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