Slow but exciting move; will be in NYC on the weekends starting June 28

Since I now live only 4 hours or so, on the bus, from NYC, I don't really have to pack up everything & make a big move all at once to NYC; I can do it gradually, & hopefully less painfully. Step 1: weekends. Thanks to friends, things are now set for me to start living in NYC PT - mostly weekends, & maybe 3-4 days on some special weeks, starting around June 28. I hope to make living in NYC a full time thing by the end of the year, or earlier. And since MD/DC will be only 4 hours/$20 or so away when that happens, it shouldn't be too traumatic. Looking forward to exploring NYC, hanging out, meeting new people, and making movies in a new city, starting June 28.

- Sujewa

The Future of Indie Film & the Maryland Film Festival: A Conversation with Festival Director Jed Dietz

L-R; Barry Levinson, Maryland Film Festival Director Jed Dietz, MFF programmer Skizz Cyzyk, at the 2008 Maryland Film Festival (photo by Jason Putsche)

*

Sujewa: I guess, barring any obvious/unavoidable signs like total poverty/homelessness/being banished from the land or death, the judgment on the quality of the times we live in is based on how optimistic or pessimistic we are; and I think at the core people who are involved in film - perhaps specially indie film - have to be very optimistic people because there are so many challenges to overcome in getting movies made and shown, even in this digital enhanced age of filmmaking & distribution; so I naturally think we live in a great time period for indie film - real indie movies - like many of the ones that were screened at your festival this past weekend, are being taken seriously (more then they have been in the past, w/ out having a well known director name or a slumming Hollywood star or some kind of a news worthy/very high $ Sundance distribution deal), cost of production has gone down, there is more interest in indie film - if we are to go by the large number of indie film festivals now active in the country & also the high volume of indie film related activity on the web; so, how do you feel about the near future, with regards to your festival and the role it might play in both bringing interesting movies to people in Baltimore & nearby areas and in helping indie filmmakers develop their careers?

Jed: You're right: filmmaking has grown more accessible and democratic. But, the distribution channel is still pretty narrow and that's where we come in. While we're certainly not a market festival, a number of filmmakers have used us and other festivals as a way to help distributors actually see a regular audience react to a film the distributor thought might be difficult. We're very good at programming and marketing- it's not just getting movies into theaters, it's also crucial to help audiences find those movies- and that has helped films here get to broader audiences than the genetically nervous marketers thought possible. From a filmmakers' point of view, it's smarter to use the film festival world broadly than than it is to go to one major festival and hope for lightening to strike.

Sujewa: A few years ago, when I looked at the indie film festival scene (granted, I may not have seen all possible options, this was my general impression), and specially when I compared it to the indie rock scene, I was a little disappointed because I did not see film festivals championing young, ultra-low/no budget, real indie filmmakers (the way that SXSW has been doing for a couple of years/the "Dentler Era", & quite possibly into the future & the way that your festival did this past weekend), and it was weird to see most mainstream indie film festivals programming work mostly by "white" filmmakers, and minority filmmakers being perhaps forced to go to the only festivals that would have them - the smaller, ethnicity based film festivals (not that there is anything wrong with them, but I figured that in a post-segregation society, and in a very liberal & progressive area of art & culture in a multi-ethnic, post-segregation society, it would be natural & even expected for mainstream/bigger/widely publicized indie film festivals to be multi-ethnic in their programming). So, I was very impressed by the fact that your festival this past weekend showed movies by directors from, and featuring actors from, multiple ethnic backgrounds - & of course your closing night event featured Melvin Van Peebles - a legend in indie, & specially African-American indie film, worlds. Has the programming in MFF always been that diverse or was this a special year - perhaps the availability of good films (Medicine for Melancholy, and for the director gender diversity front - Yeast, etc.) was higher for this most recent festival?

Jed - We work hard to display the full diversity that is the movie art form, and we do everything we can- no categories, no competition- to encourage our audience to seek out all kinds of films. But, truthfully, some of it has come naturally: as filmmaking equipment gets better, cheaper and more accessible, you'd expect to see a broader range of people making films, and as you point out, that's happening. There's no way for us to know the exact background of our filmmakers when we're programming the films, or sometimes even when we meet, but they certainly produced a wildly diverse program this year, and in the past.

Sujewa - And now, for a shorter question :); how did the Maryland Film Festival get started 10 years ago, and how did you get involved with it? And what has kept you involved with the fest for 10 years?

Jed - The first impulse was to bring filmmakers to Baltimore so they'd want to come back and work here. Then it became clear what powerful economic and cultural events film festivals can be, assuming of course we could create something with its own identity.

Sujewa - How has Baltimore changed, in your experience, over the last 10 years? Is the city going through a renaissance/revival? I saw a lot of people at the festival this past weekend, obviously there is a lot of interest in film & art over there; which I think is a healthy sign for a city (with the first wave of gentrification being artists & perhaps even fans of art); maybe not so great for real estate affordability in 5 years :) - but maybe good overall for quality of life, economy & taxes wise for the city. So, is Baltimore getting better; is it happening fast enough, and what areas of the city (geographic & also services, business & social needs) need special attention at this point?

Jed - Baltimore has a long history of interest in and support for art- world class museums, theater, music- beyond our size and dating back to the mid-1880s. We've had good political and private sector leadership (Mayor O'Malley, now our Governor, personally took Jim Sheridan out for a night of bar crawling during our festival a few years ago). There are other cities with great art institutions, but Baltimore is an unusually relaxed and unpretentious place, which makes it a great place for filmmakers and other artists.

Baltimore is getting better by almost every measure, and, no, it's not happening fast enough. We need a faster growing economy. One key solution is to dramatically build up the film industry, but in the past few years our state government has shoved it away.

Sujewa - Let me just get this Wire question out of the way, for all the Wire heads out there :); as a resident of Baltimore or someone who goes there every day for work (I assume), how do you feel about The Wire's portrayal of Baltimore? Did you watch the show?

Jed - Everyone I know who really knows something about urban America thinks it's the single best portrait of American cities ever made. It could be set in any city, and it's certainly not the whole story of Baltimore, as you know from attending our film festival. From a pure filmmaking standpoint, it's universally admired, and is the best showcase we have for Baltimore's budding film community.

Sujewa - Some festival movies never become available on DVD, let alone theatrically; do you see festivals becoming more involved in distribution of movies - specially the real indie movies - that they program? Such as selling DVDs of the movies at the festival, during the festival or through the festivals' web site, etc. Or maybe even internet VOD (video on demand) when that technology becomes affordable for festivals (this might already be the case, or should soon be) or in partnership with a cable TV station?

Jed - Every film festival should be driven by one primary goal: to help filmmakers. There are lots of ways non market film festivals can help filmmakers, including those you mentioned. We've done a lot to push films and their filmmakers that have played here beyond the festival.

Sujewa - And, along the same lines as the previous question, here's an idea that I proposed in one of my blogs a year or so ago; one that got a lot of heated debate going; how about festivals sharing a part of their revenue from screenings of a given film with the director or the owner of that film? I know screening fees are paid for some films & also that festivals pay for travel, lodging, etc. in many cases for filmmakers. But it just feels like there is more opportunity to give more to filmmakers (many low budget/real indie directors will not see any money from their movies for a long time to come, if ever, I think) from a festival situation. I guess this is more along the line of making festivals more of a distribution alternative, one that yields money to filmmakers. What do you think? Is such a thing doable in the near future or is it just impossible given the financial picture of most film festivals in America?

Jed - Movie distribution is tricky (just ask the recently fired art house crowd at the various Warner companies), and a supporter of ours here who has had some involvement in art house distribution warned about getting mired in the traps of distribution: money collection, audits, etc. But, your point is a good one: every film festival ought to be thinking about helping their filmmakers. Every film is a unique marketing challenge, but if the filmmaker wants us to, we can help, in this market and beyond.

Sujewa: How important are submission fees to most festivals, and specifically to your festival? Do festivals raise a very useful/significant amount of $s from submission fees or do you think that if there were no submission fees more people would submit their films and the festival would have a lot more movies to choose from (resulting in a better/more attractive offering to the paying audience)?

Jed - It is not a significant revenue stream for us, but it does weed out really casual submission. Warning to filmmakers: if you find a festival that makes a lot of its operating expenses from submission and other filmmaker fees, run.

Sujewa - Can you think of a few best of and worst of situations from MFF from the last 10 years? What are some of the awesome things that have happened at past versions of the MFF? And some not so great things, if any.

Jed - There are too many "best ofs" to list and no "worst ofs."

Sujewa - The increase in filmmaking, indie filmmaking, due to low cost digital technology is very exciting and I think this is a good thing overall, specially in the long run, for cinema. Also, like I said a few questions ago, tons of people are writing about film, including a lot on indie film, on the web these days (the down side being print critics and reviewers losing their jobs, but the two events might not be very related, hopefully the web will provide new employment to those same writers who lose print jobs), and I think the theatrical experience is here to stay, no matter how popular Netflix, cable VOD, etc. gets. What are your thoughts on those 3 areas (& any other relevant ones of course); re: increase in production due to digital, explosion of web writing re: film, watching movies at theaters? Is the current shape of things the way for a while, or are we all going to be watching digitally shot movies on our HDTVs in 5 years after reading about them & seeing ads for them on the web, while all the movie theaters get converted to CVSs or Wal-Marts or whatever?

Jed - The demise of the movie going experience has been mistakenly predicted so many times, it's hard to believe it will happen now. More movie tickets were sold last year than for all major sports events COMBINED; people like being in a theater together and there is no technological replacement for that experience. In fact, much of the pending technology may make the theater going experience even better.

Sujewa - I talked a bit about this with Yeast director Mary Bronstein this past weekend (5/4) at your fest, and also New York Times's Manohla Dargis talked about this same topic in an article recently; why do you think there seem to be so few female directors working in fiction features? And does it look like this is going to change, at least in the indie/festival arena, in the near future?

Jed - Until now, at least, it's taken a monomaniacal drive to be a movie director; with even many of the people surrounding the director shredding their personal lives to make movies. That is changing- Mary, Greta Gerwig, Ellen Kuras, Emily Hubley, Liz Miller, Julie Checkoway, are just some of the women filmmakers at this year's MFF that are making movies on their terms. As we're seeing in other parts of our society, it is always better when women participate fully.

Sujewa - Any advice for filmmakers who maybe interested in submitting to MFF 11 next year? Also, while I was waiting in line for a screening on Sunday, a young Baltimore indie filmmaker who was new to the festival (attending for the first time, as an audience member) wondered how easy or difficult it is for Baltimore filmmakers to get their movies into the fest; let me know if you have any advice for that young man.

Jed - The way to get a film into MFF 2009 is to make a movie that grabs someone here by the throat and doesn't let go; whether or not you're from Baltimore is irrelevant.

Sujewa - I know Team MFF is probably still recovering from MFF 10, but I'm ready to check out MFF 11! But perhaps I should ask about some of the year around programming that MFF does. So, please tell us a bit about what's coming up from MFF, year around programming wise, and also about the Friends of the Festival type thing that I heard a bit about, a few times, this past weekend.

Jed - Between now and next years' MFF, we'll do scores of Friends of the Festival screenings and other events. The best way to hear about them is to sign up for regular emails (FREE!!) at our website: mdfilmfest.com

Thanks Jed!

- Sujewa

Talking About A Gloriously Uncomfortable Situation; Interview With YEAST Director Mary Bronstein

YEAST Q+A at MD Film Fest 08, left-to-right: Yeast producer Marc Raybin, co-star Benny Safdie, star Greta Gerwig, writer/director/star Mary Bronstein, host Matthew Porterfield (director of Hamilton)(photo by George Hagegeorge, courtesy of Maryland Film Festival)














::

Sujewa - Hi Mary. Even though the title of this interview refers to Yeast being a "gloriously uncomfortable situation", based on what a lot of reviewers have been saying about the movie thus far, I did not think the movie was very brutal - probably because, even though Yeast's main character Rachel is kinda difficult to like, I think she probably means well. Were you nervous about creating an unlikeable (to many) lead character to build your first feature around, or did you think that the character & her situation was a great thing to explore/show when you first came up with the idea?

Mary -I really didn't feel nervous about presenting this character or these ideas to the world. Perhaps this was naive, I'm not sure...From showing the film at different screenings, I've come to realize that people equate "liking," or being able to identify themselves with, a character in the film they are watching in order for them to "like" the film. This is so foreign to the way I watch movies. I do not equate disliking how a film makes me feel with disliking the film itself, to do so would be to miss the point of the film entirely. Film is entertainment, yes, but it is also art. My favorite type of art confronts what I think about myself and the world around me, reframing it into a context that might make me feel affronted, uncomfortable or uncertain. So, it was natural that I would explore these types of feelings through the medium of film. Audience identification is a dangerous, dangerous thing to play with. Luckily, I've had enough people be into what I am doing so that I feel like I am not the only one who has these views.

Sujewa - Even though comparing our productions to multi-million dollar (or even multi-hundred thousand dollar) filmmaking situations might be depressing at times, I think it is awesome that we are now able to make movies - features - for very little money. I read somewhere that the cost of making Yeast was $1500. What was good, and bad, about working with such a low/"no" budget? Do you think more people being able to afford feature film production now is a good thing or a bad thing? Will you be comfortable making another feature for such a low budget or are your future projects just not doable under a low/"no" budget situation?

Mary - I think it's great that more people are able to make films that otherwise wouldn't have been able to without the new technology. I wouldn't have been able to make my film otherwise. I wouldn't have had the confidence to even if I could have afforded it! Making the film for so little money didn't provide that many challenges because the film was conceived as a piece that could be made for next to nothing. We were lucky enough to have incredible locations to enhance the production value as well as a very talented cast and crew willing to work for free. I'd say the most challenging thing about it is the inability to pay anyone, the knowledge that everyone is working so hard for free. However, I was lucky enough to have a cast and crew that were amazingly dedicated, so it never seemed to be an issue. I plan to make my next feature, which I am shooting this summer, in the same exact way. Because...it is the only way right now.

Sujewa - Was it difficult to work with New Indie Film Superstar Greta Gerwig (who had a lead role in at least 4 movies - 3 features - at this year's Maryland Film Festival)? Did her contract include items such as "no green M & Ms" in her trailer?

Mary - Working with Greta was fabulous. She is always on point and ready to go. She was really involved in the project and invested in it's ideas from the start and her performance really shows it. I can't wait to work with her on more projects in the future. Working with Greta and Amy Judd was an amazing experience. The movie is only what it is because they are in it. If you put anyone else in those parts it would be a totally different film, and luckily they were both super easy to work with.

Sujewa - On Sun 5/4 at the Maryland Film Festival me & my girlfriend (or is it I & my girlfriend?) Amanda saw 4 movies, including yours, and I noticed that the only Q & A session Amanda participated in - asked questions at - was the one for your movie. How are female audience members responding to your movie? Is it far different than how male audience members respond to it? Do you think Yeast will encourage more women to make movies?

Mary - I have had very strong reactions from both men and women, and they really don't seem to conform to gender. I've had a lot of men love it and a lot of men hate it, and the same for women. I suppose I expected stronger reactions from women than men, but that hasn't turned out to be the case. Unless, of course maybe the men have simply been more vocal, which is a possibility. From both genders, the strong responses I've gotten usually center around the truth in the extreme emotions that are explored within the context of friendship. As well, people usually appreciate the humorous moments in the film and the way the physicality aids the telling of the story. It would make me feel wonderful if my film encouraged another woman to pick up a camera, but I would never assume that it would.

Sujewa - I often see the sentiment that "unless they are making movies as a full time paid occupation thing, it is not worth as much" being expressed by many people in the indie film world. However, in other art/entertainment fields - in indie rock, other music, painting, writing, etc., people are not too worried about having to do other work for money in between their creative projects or while those projects are going on - and this is not just novices, lots of well received authors teach or do other stuff/work other than always writing novels to pay their bills, for example. Do you think the big money and the discussion of big money attached to Hollywood leads to devaluing independent filmmaking as a worthwhile & rewarding activity? Also I am not crazy about the media's obsession with Hollywood box office figures as a regular news item - how do you feel about that topic?

Mary - I should start by saying that I don't know anyone who makes a full living off of their filmmaking pursuits...not yet anyway. I should also say that I've never heard of anyone who is passionate about filmmaking not want to do it unless they are getting paid a full time living. I have a full time job that is not related to the film industry and so does my husband. We don't really consider anything else an option right now and so, we do it. It certainly isn't ideal, but we do it. I suppose that for some people who are interested in comparing themselves to Hollywood filmmakers or that part of the industry, it must be maddening to read about multimillion dollar paychecks and budgets. For me and my husband Ronnie, however, it simply isn't relevant because that's not where our goals lie.

Sujewa - I saw that most of Yeast was shot in a medium-close up type framing, mostly focused on actor's heads, very few shots showing the full body. What was the motivation behind that decision?

Mary - There were a couple of factors behind that decision. I worked closely with my husband Ronnie and with Sean Williams, our cinematographer, on the look of the film. I knew I wanted close ups, because for me that is where all the best and most interesting acting is going to take place. As well, we wanted to create a claustrophobic feeling in the visual style to go along with the emotional claustrophobia depicted in the content of the film.

Sujewa - Everyone's got their own theories about why the situation is such, so, what is your opinion on why so few female and ethnic minority filmmakers have made fiction features, and received a similar amount of attention & support to establish careers as their "white" male counterparts, in the period between let's say the premiere of Cassavete's Shadows (early 1960's, selected by many observers as the starting point of what we call indie film in the US) until now (2008)? Even in the indie arena the female & minority fiction feature director numbers are very low. It was, however, very cool to see Yeast and 3 fiction features by African-American filmmakers playing at the Maryland Film Festival this weekend - so perhaps things in one small area of the indie film world are changing as far as including more gender & ethnic diversity. I figured that since indie film is the alternative to the mainstream Hollywood reality that there would be more female & minority directors in the indie film world, since Hollywood, for decades, have excluded female & minority directors from the directing chair. Anyway, the most important part of the question for you is; why so few female filmmakers directing fiction features?

Mary - I certainly cannot speak to the entire state of the female presence in the independent film world. What I can speak to is my own experience. I found that for me, I had a lot of stories to tell and the desire to express those stories through film, but did not have the confidence to do so until very recently. I wish I had started in my teens or early twenties. Being a filmmaker is a very powerful, dominating position. I can only assume that the filmmaking community is reflective of society at large, wherein women are slowly but surely taking on more and more traditionally male roles. It has to do with confidence, self-possession and not feeling like you have to wait for someone else's permission to create a project. That being said, I know several talented female directors who are making exciting work: Lynn Shelton (who also had a narrative feature at MFF this year), Ry Russo-Young and Tipper Newton to name a few. I hope there will be more.

Sujewa - What are your future distribution plans for Yeast?

Mary - I hope to find a home for Yeast on DVD after having a bit more of a festival run. Theatrical distribution would of course be wonderful, but I am not sure if there is a market for it right now.

Sujewa - I hope everyone who wants to see Yeast gets the chance, definitely one of the most interesting indie/real indie movies I've seen recently. Thanks a lot for taking the time out for this interview Mary. And now, the trailer for Yeast:

Yeast [trailer]

Be back (w/ non-DNO stuff) on 5/23

Until then I'll be busy with getting everything in shape for the most awesome of screenings - Lo-Def screening #1 - Date Number One the new version on 5/22.

When the DNO trailer is ready, it'll be here, plus any other DNO related stuff, between now and 5/23.

Several exciting non-DNO stuff coming to this blog after 5/23; a Mary Bronstein (Yeast director) interview, a Jed Dietz (Maryland Film Festival Director) interview, perhaps a James Spooner (White Lies, Black Sheep director) interview, plus reviews (or at least mini-reviews, or at worst link roundups to reviews) of several new real indie movies.

See ya then. & see ya on Thu 5/22 @ Back Room @ Jackie's @ 8 PM (doors @ 7 PM, FREE show, so get there early - small venue) if you live near Silver Spring, MD!

*

Go here for more info. on the screening.

- Sujewa

a photo of that Marilyn Monroe drawing by Billy Pappas (subject of doc Waiting for Hockney)

check it out here, along w/ links to several other photos from Maryland Film Festival

- sujewa

Amir Motlagh's short film knock.knock to be distributed by Ouat! Media

Read all about it here. Go here for Ouat! Media's website.

And here's the knock.knock trailer:




- Sujewa

Broken trailer

Even though I have not yet seen Jay Hollinsworth's feature Broken, I am somewhat impressed with the project already because of the packaging for the DVD; the DVD comes with a board game, in a board game looking box, and inside the box are the DVD (in its own box), an actual board game, a sharpie, cards, and little plastic pieces for the game. Hollinsworth & gang should get some kind of a prize for this "excellence in DIY film DVD packaging" achievement. Here is the trailer for Broken:



For more on Broken, go here.

Will post more about Broken later this month.

- Sujewa

Person watched the entire 50 Years of Janus Films box set, wrote about each movie

Check it out here.

- Sujewa

In Search of a Midnight Kiss trailer

Found this on the Cucalorus Film Festival's site:



Midnight Kiss's site.

- Sujewa

Maryland Film Festival's 10th Anniversary Draws Legendary Filmmakers, Record-Breaking Crowds

Barry Levinson at MD Film Fest Opening Night
(photo by Jason Putsche)















L-R; Barry Levinson, MFF director Jed Dietz, MFF programmer Skizz Cyzyk
(photo by Jason Putsche)




















Melvin Van Peebles, right, and assistant enter Charles Theatre for MFF 2008 Closing Night May 4, 2008
(photo by George Hagegeorge)

YEAST Q+A at MD Film Fest 08
left-to-right: Yeast producer Marc Raybin, co-star Benny Safdie, star Greta Gerwig, writer/director/star Mary Bronstein, host Matthew Porterfield (director of Hamilton)
(photo by George Hagegeorge)

::

Says the MFF in this press release:

"MARYLAND FILM FESTIVAL's 10th ANNIVERSARY DRAWS LEGENDARY FILMMAKERS, RECORD-BREAKING CROWDS

The 10th Annual Maryland Film Festival drew to a close Sunday, May 4, 2008, having shattered all previous attendance records and drawing over 100 filmmakers to beautiful downtown Baltimore.

The festival opened Thursday, May 1st with its Opening Night Shorts Program, hosted by Oscar-winning, Cannes-bound native son Barry Levinson, and closed Sunday, May 4th, with indie-film legend Melvin Van Peebles hosting his Tribeca-smash comeback feature, Confessionsofa Ex-Doofus-ItchyFooted Mutha.

Maryland Film Festival brought filmmakers to town for each of the 50 features it screened. These filmmakers included Oscar-winner Alex Gibney (hosting both his new Hunter S. Thompson documentary Gonzo and a favorite repertory film, Dusan Makavejev's WR: Mysteries of the Organism); John Waters (who presents a favorite film within each MD Film Fest, this year selecting Claude Chabrol's Story of Women); and, representing four MFF 2008 films, Greta Gerwig (star of Baghead, Quick Feet, Soft Hands, and Yeast; co-writer, co-director, and co-star with also-attending Joe Swanberg on Nights and Weekends).

Other filmmakers presenting their work included Steve James and Peter Gilbert (At the Death House Door) David Redmon and Ashley Sabin (Intimidad), Ellen Kuras (The Betrayal a.k.a. Nerakhoon), David and Nathan Zellner (Goliath), Patrick Creadon (I.O.U.S.A.), Barry Jenkins (Medicine for Melancholy), John Gianvito (Profit motive and the whispering wind), Emily Hubley (The Toe Tactic), Julie Checkoway (Waiting for Hockney), Josh Koury (We Are Wizards), James Spooner (White Lies, Black Sheep), and Mary Bronstein (Yeast).

The festival broke all of its attendance records, with advance sales breaking 2007's record by over 50%, more sold-out screenings than any prior year, and both box-office attendance and panel/workshop/demo attendance in the Maryland Film Festival Tent Village up significantly."

Go here for the MFF site.

- Sujewa

La Americana site

Click on the poster to go there:

Check out the post below for La Americana trailer.

- Sujewa

La Americana trailer

Saw this movie at MDFF last weekend, liked it a lot, sad story though - but very much worth checking out & thinking about & possibly doing something about.

Trailer:

Woodpecker review at Cinematical

Check it out here. Good movie.

- Sujewa

Yeast director Mary Bronstein interview at Linear Reflections

From Linear Reflections:

"LR: How did this project come to fruition? If you could, please provide me with a rundown, start to finish, from your involvement.

[Bronstein] I decided to make this film after I realized that I didn’t want to wait around for other people to make projects. I wanted to make a film about female friendships that dealt with the issues of resentment, hostility and emotional manipulation that often are present in too-close enmeshed friendships of either sex. I wanted to make a film about women that I’ve never seen before, about people who have no business being friends with each other but don’t know how to stop. And I wanted to see if I could pull it off. I wrote out an outline and tried to get my husband Ronnie to make it as his next project. When that didn't work, I decided that I liked the ideas too much to give up and tried to make it anyway."

Read the rest here.

Go here for more on Yeast.

- Sujewa

"Spooner will make you think..." - Cinematical; from their review of White Lies, Black Sheep

From the Cinematical review of James Spooner's new movie White Lies, Black Sheep:

"Director James Spooner, who was himself a black kid hanging in a white scene in his youth, brings his unique perspective to bear in telling this story of AJ's journey toward himself. Think that race doesn't matter to you, that you know all there is to know about white folks and black folks and the subtleties of racism in the undercurrent of society? Catch White Lies and Black Sheep, and supplement it with a viewing of Spooner's Afropunk for a well-rounded perspective on this director's unique and engaging viewpoint. Spooner will make you think,..."

Read the rest of the review here.

- Sujewa

Rouge Cinema reviews Texas Snow

Check out the review here.

- Sujewa

Why "Angry Filmmaker" Kelley Baker tours

From the Why I Tour post at Kelley's blog:

"I have been touring the US with my movies for 5 years. In the early years, I would fly in to a city, rent a car and do a giant loop around that state for 2 - 3 weeks, showing my films at media art centers, art house cinemas, and colleges and universities. I would end up back near the airport I had flown in to, return the car and fly home. On all of these trips I broke even. I wasn't making any money, but I wasn't losing any either. After doing this for 3 years, I realized that if I wanted to make money I was going to have to make some changes.

It’s a very strange time in our business. In my opinion there is no such thing as “Independent Film” anymore. It has all been co-opted and turned in to a marketing phrase. Hollywood stars working on $10 million dollar movies is not independent — I don't care what their ad campaigns say! The promise of the 80's and real independent filmmaking is over."

Read the rest of the entry here.

- Sujewa

Pretty much the final design for the 5/22 show flier & poster

*

*
Had some fun putting this together today. Some tweaking is gonna happen before it gets hung up all over Silver Spring (let's hope), but more or less this is it. The final, larger & higher resolution version, of this design (with more visible borders) will be up on the web in a couple of days.

- Sujewa

Saw White Lies, Black Sheep

Saw James Spooner's new movie White Lies, Black Sheep; good stuff, lots to talk about there. Perhaps this weekend I can type out at least a mini-review & also get an interview going with Mr. Spooner. In the meantime, go here for more info. on Black Sheep; and catch it at a festival if you can/if it sounds interesting to you (I think for some people the movie will be extremely interesting - like people who think about ethnic or "race" based identity and the intersection of such with sub/alternative/whatever cultures/scenes. And for others, it might be an interesting diversion. Regardless, the movie can provide an entry point for discussing several important issues such as assimilation, individual identity, choices in life, etc., more on that stuff later this week).

- Sujewa

Why I Blog

Since some indie film bloggers are stopping or thinking about stopping their web journal writing activity, I thought for a minute about why I blog; and here are 10 reasons:

1. Blogging is a way to promote my filmmaking work

2. Blogging is writing, and writing on a regular basis generates new ideas - ideas that are useful for my films

3. Blogs are an important part of the real indie filmmaking & distribution community, and I like participating in & being a part of that community through my blog & other means

4. I get free passes to screenings at film festivals because I blog

5. I get to meet; interview, etc., other filmmakers & others who are a part of the indie film world, thus increasing my list of contacts, making it easier for me to make & distribute movies

6. I can promote movies, people, causes, and things I like through my blog

7. I can speak against things I do not like through my blog

8. Once I received a $25 donation from a fan of this blog

9. I make new friends through blogging

10. Blogging is easy & fast, thus a convenient thing to do if I want to work in a tiny bit of creativity into an otherwise day job & life maintenance work filled day; blogging is a somewhat productive creative escapist activity, & also can be a reinvigorating activity.

That said, this week most of my blogging will have to happen during the weekend, 'cause I need to get a bunch of extra work done to be ready for the 5/22 screening of Date Number One. So, some new posts during the week, a lot this weekend. I think making blogging a complementary part of other real world work is the way to go, as far as making blogging a lasting activity/avoiding burnout.

- Sujewa

18 posts about Maryland Film Festival!

Looks like so far I posted 18 times about this past weekend's Maryland Film Festival, check 'em out through here.

- Sujewa

Links to Maryland Film Festival 2008 PHOTOS

If you've got some MFF '08 photos up on the web, post the link in comments please.

Here are some I found:

- At Kevin's album at Picasa

- Sujewa

DATE NUMBER ONE new version SCREENING Thu May 22 Silver Spring, MD

The LO-DEF Screening Event & Wild Diner Films presents:

A writer,

A ninja,

A woman who is working on saving the world,

and a guy who works at a bookstore

searching for love in

DATE NUMBER ONE

http://datenumberone08.blogspot.com/

A movie by new director Sujewa Ekanayake

Thu May 22

8 PM

FREE

The Back Room @ Jackie's

http://moviesatjackies.blogspot.com/

8081 Georgia Ave.

Silver Spring, MD 20910

Event contact: Sujewa Ekanayake, wilddiner@aol.com, 240-354-3394

Date Number One, a comedy about several first dates, is made up of 4 different stories: Story 1 - Start Over, about a writer who tries to get back together with his ex-girlfriend, Story 2 - Just Another Ninja Searching For Love, about a ninja who goes on a blind date (ninja is played by John Stabb Schroeder from the DC punk band G.I.), Story 3 - A Romantic Dinner For 3, about a woman attempting to add a third partner to a romantic relationship, and Story 4 - The Superdelicious French Lesson, about a first date where a character learns a little bit of French in an unusual way. The movie has been discovered to be: "Witty" (GreenCine Daily), "Funny" (The Chutry Experiment), and "Sexy, Sexy, Sexy" (Hollywood Is Talking).

*

Starring DC indie film stars John Stabb, Julia Stemper, Jennifer Blakemore, Shervin Boloorian, Dele Butler, Steve Lee, Kelly Ham, Subodh Samudre, Jewel Greenberg

*

Not Rated * 90 Minutes * yummy

*
SCREENED AT: Goethe-Institut - Washington, DC (World Premiere, May 2006), Northwest Film Forum - Seattle (May 2006), Capital City Microcinema - Kensington, MD (June, October 2006 & March 2007), Sangha - Takoma Park, MD (July 2006), Pioneer Theater, New York City (August 2006), Warehouse Screening Room - Washington, DC (November 2006).

*

Director will attend the screening. Brief discussion, Q & A period after the screening (w/ a lot of time to try delicious Jackie's food, drink & hang out afterwards)

*

"The film is about as charming as they come...presents a world in which cultures don't clash, they mesh. It's refreshing to see characters who all appear to have a natural optimism, as opposed to the typical indie-film predilection for bitterness and cruelty. "- Michael Tully, Rotterdam & SXSW film festivals selected filmmaker & indieWIRE blogger

http://blogs.indiewire.com/tully/archives/010529.html

"I found the characters and the premise sexy, sexy, sexy."

- Jerry Brewington, Hollywood Is Talking blog, on Story 3 of Date Number One

http://hollywoodistalking.com/Blog/508/

*

"...witty...often inventive...and, even better, airy: characters are given time and space to spell out their views...views that never bear the artificial markings of a Hollywood screenwriter's compulsion to reduce them to sound-bites."

- David Hudson, Editor, GreenCine Daily blog

http://daily.greencine.com/archives/002353.html

"FIVE really entertaining, fully realized romantic interludes...a shamefully rare achievement"

- Tom Kipp, Seattle audience member,

former film reviewer for Seattle alternative weekly The Stranger

http://diyfilmmaker.blogspot.com/2006/05/interview-with-seattle-audience-member.html

"Heartfelt...poignant...I loved it!"

- Jon Moritsugu, award winning filmmaker

*
"...somehow, someway, in the end, the love of the characters, the positiveness of the film, and Sujewa’s disregard for conventions wins you over. The act of making this film wins you over. There is only a positive through line in this film, and that is rare to see, especially when dealing with characters in their late to early thirties."
- Amir Motlagh, director of the popular '04 Atom Films' short Still Lover & upcoming feature Whale

http://stilllover.blogspot.com/2006/10/date-number-one-review.html

"Date Number One is quite funny...twentysomethings and occasional thirtysomethings looking for romance recall Richard Linklater's philosopher slackers and Jim Jarmusch's minimalist attention to conversation...also a subtle, thoughtful film...might be understood as the anti-Crash depiction of life in the city...depicts a comfortably multi-ethnic community...I'd happily recommend it."

- Chuck Tryon, media professor & blogger,

The Chutry Experiment blog

http://chutry.wordherders.net/archives/005873.html

*

Date Number One website & blog: http://datenumberone08.blogspot.com/

Wild Diner Films: http://www.wilddiner.com/

LO-DEF/The Back Room @ Jackie's

::

!Thanks!

[first posted 4/25/08]

That Mary Bronstein is gonna do great things (already has with Yeast) :: Day at Maryland Film Festival was excellent

Saw 4, count 'em, f-o-u-r, great features today at the Maryland Film Festival; Woodpecker, La Americana, Yeast, Confessionsofa Ex-Dufus-Itchyfooted Mutha. Enjoyed each of them for different reasons (will go into them in greater detail in the coming week, after I get some sleep). All four hopefully will be seen widely in the coming months.

In this brief post-MFF post, Mary Bronstein's debut feature Yeast has to be singled out as the most interesting and creatively invigorating real indie feature I've seen in a long time. First, mega diversity points - there aren't that many female real indie, indie (or H-wood for that matter) fiction feature directors around (even though women make up probably more than half of consumers - that's millions and millions of people and billions of dollars) - so Yeast has that going in. Next, the movie is not dull - you don't know what's going to happen and a lot of messy stuff could happen. And bold (some might say reckless) choices were made with the camera - the vast majority of the shots are medium shots of people's heads (or at least that's what it felt like) - gives the audience a narrow window into the character's world - difficult to see what's coming, thus difficult to relax - makes for an engaged ride. Anyway, there is more, I'll wait 'till I get some sleep to do a proper review. Also an interview with Bronstein is coming soon.

And no, this is not friends pushing friends work post; I did not know/have any sort of a significant conversation/contact with Bronstein before I saw the movie; and if I thought the movie was riding on a wave of empty hype generated by her & her husband's (Ronald "Frownland" Bronstein) filmmaker & blogger & festival programmer friends, I would have just played it low key & not gotten fully on board the Yeast train.

Anyway, check out Yeast if & when you get a chance. I think it could do well theatrically - just as Kids & Thirteen did well, as far as I recall (although Yeast is not very similar, only that Yeast could be put in the "edgy" camp along with Kids & Thirteen; there was also a little bit of a Training Day feel to Yeast - minus the cop stuff & gun play, etc. of course :).

There probably isn't a lot of other movies similar to Yeast; but in music terms maybe Yeast is like the work of a female fronted punk band, maybe some Bikini Kill type thing. Or Yeast might just be the first in a new indie genre.

If you are feeling low about the state of indie film in America, you should check out the stuff they played at this year's Maryland Film Festival - it'll make you a believer again; indie films tackling stuff Hollywood won't tackle, can't tackle, & doing it in hot ways.

And going in today, the fact that they played both Medicine for Melancholy and White Lies, Black Sheep, had me feeling very good about MFF. I've already written lots about Medicine, looking forward to checking out my White Lies screener this week (Thanks James Spooner!).

Seeing Melvin Van Peebles at the screening of his new film - the very funny & creatively just awesome - Confessionsofa Ex-Dufus-Itchyfooted Mutha was worth all the non-paid hours of blogging I've done since 2005 or so (which paved the way for the press access for MFF). Maybe I'll write more about it later, but will definitely write more about Confessionsofa later this week.

Woodpecker was the most "traditionally entertaining" movie I saw today. The crowd loved it; lots of laughter.

La Americana made people cry. I saw it with my own eyes.

And there were other MFF selections that I missed, really wanted to see (Baghead, Chop Shop, Not Your Typical Bigfoot Movie, Moma's Man, etc.), I plan on tracking those films down in the coming months, checking them out, & writing about them.

Thanks for an awesome day Maryland Film Festival! See ya next year.

More to come re: MFF stuff, re: all 4 movies mentioned above (+ White Lies), and some photos, this week.

- Sujewa

All the blogging about MZS quitting print

Maybe not all, but links to a half a dozen or so blog posts re: Matt Zoller Seitz quitting print review work to focus on filmmaking, at House Next Door.

- Sujewa

Intro to Filmaka

If "breaking into Hollywood" is your thing, check out all the competitions & awards & related stuff going on at Filmaka.

From the intro to the site:

"Filmaka pledges to reward your creativity. Our monthly competitions provide exciting challenges where you can win prizes, showcase your work, develop your skills and find an audience.

Filmaka encourages debate and feedback between all members, whether you’re a famous filmmaker or a first time novice.

Most of all, we give you the opportunity to express your unique take on life and the world around you.

We hope you’ll take part and share your creative vision with us and our community."

More here.

- Sujewa

Tribeca '08 winners

Of course just to get a movie made is victory itself - however, for those mortals interested in additional layers of victory or winners of the Tribeca Film Festival '08, go check out this post at Filmmaker Magazine blog.

- Sujewa

Live at the Maryland Film Festival w/ Anne Haddad :: videos from the fest!

While I've been stuck in the other side of Maryland w