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Special thanks to Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. King & similarly motivated souls for bringing the world to the Obama moment

* From Wikipedia : "Inspired by Gandhi's success with non-violent activism, King visited the Gandhi family in India in 1959, with assistance from the Quaker group the American Friends Service Committee . [20] The trip to India affected King in a profound way, deepening his understanding of non-violent resistance and his commitment to America’s struggle for civil rights. In a radio address made during his final evening in India, King reflected, “Since being in India, I am more convinced than ever before that the method of nonviolent resistance is the most potent weapon available to oppressed people in their struggle for justice and human dignity. In a real sense, Mahatma Gandhi embodied in his life certain universal principles that are inherent in the moral structure of the universe, and these principles are as inescapable as the law of gravitation.”" * Even though the idea has been around for a couple of thousand years - embedded deep in Buddhism, Chr

Soderbergh & Jenkins hanging out

At the moment in time depicted in this iW photo , I am just one degree removed from Soderbergh 'cause me & Jenkins are Facebook friends :) :) :) In all seriousness, nice photo indieWIRE - check out the photo here - Che director Steven Soderbergh & Medicine for Melancholy director Barry Jenkins talking . - Sujewa :: ADVERTISEMENT Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco 2 blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco2.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco 3 blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco3.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco 4 blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco4.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco 5 blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco5.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami – Delaware Small Business Grants page http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco.blogspot.com/2013/02/delaware-small-busines

Thumbnails for IFBRT 9 min. clip, from Internet Archive

I uploaded the opening 9 mins. clip from Indie Film Blogger Road Trip to Internet Archive early this morning so that the clip can live on a non-commercial site on the web (a good habit to get into for filmmakers probably, in case the commercial sites such as YouTube become difficult to work with on certain projects & videos). IA created a thumbnails page from the clip, I dig it, check it out here . - Sujewa :: ADVERTISEMENT Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco 2 blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco2.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco 3 blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco3.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco 4 blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco4.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco 5 blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco5.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami – Delaware Small Business Grants pa

Film & MLK

Brandon Harris writes about not seeing great representations of Martin Luther King Jr. in the movies or television, in The Kino of Martin Luther King article at Moving Pictures Magazine . Also, Brandon wants us to know that he did not write the last line of the article . From the article: "Of course, it's not just King who seems to have this problem. Major American historical figures rarely get good biopics, while interlopers and lesser contemporaries steal the show." Read the rest of the article at Moving Pictures . - Sujewa

Where people who can write well about films are needed

Not a link to a help wanted page (sorry :), but, some thoughts & perhaps useful suggestions for film critics, film bloggers, or anyone who likes writing about film and are interested in doing more - both to further develop the independent film world & also to create possible new revenue streams for themselves: - Indiewood maybe dying, but the number of people making films, spending money on films, and watching films are expanding: I've spoken with - whether in person or through e-mail - perhaps over 50 indie filmmakers in the past year, and, despite challenges involved in making & marketing & making money from indie films, not one person is planning on getting out of indie filmmaking & most, if not all, are actually planning on expanding their filmmaking practices in the coming years - bigger budgets, new equipment, more titles, trying different genres, etc. So, indie film is not going to die anytime soon - but rather looks to expand in the coming years. I

A Very Simple Release Plan for DIY Filmmakers

You could do this as fast as you can make movies - plus a month to two months to properly publicize the premiere screening, & then you can repeat the process with each new movie you make. This approach cuts out all waiting-for-other-people-to-do-stuff-to-make-&-release-your-movie drama: 1. Come up with an idea for a movie 2. Keep your day job 3. Write the script, fund raise while writing the movie, also get gear together, see who you might want for cast & crew (from people you know or people a couple of degrees removed from your personal network) 4. Shoot the movie, while keeping your day job 5. Edit the movie, look for a venue to hold the premiere screening 6. Complete the movie, show it to some friends & fans, get feedback, make any final changes necessary 7. Blog & or start publicizing your project from the earliest point possible (script, shooting, or maybe after editing is completed), also network, keep in touch with interested people using the web & all ot

Wendell "Chameleon Street" B. Harris Jr. interview at LA Weekly

Check out the article here . Thanks goes out to The Obenson Report for the link. :: ADVERTISEMENT Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco 2 blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco2.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco 3 blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco3.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco 4 blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco4.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco 5 blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco5.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami – Delaware Small Business Grants page http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco.blogspot.com/2013/02/delaware-small-business-grants-page.html Farzad Rostami – Delaware Small Business Chamber http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco.blogspot.com/2013/02/delaware-small-business-chamber.html Farzad Rostami – Delaware History Trail http://farzadrostamidelawa

Links to 132 indie film blogs & sites

Here . :: ADVERTISEMENT Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco 2 blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco2.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco 3 blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco3.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco 4 blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco4.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco 5 blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco5.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami – Delaware Small Business Grants page http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco.blogspot.com/2013/02/delaware-small-business-grants-page.html Farzad Rostami – Delaware Small Business Chamber http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco.blogspot.com/2013/02/delaware-small-business-chamber.html Farzad Rostami – Delaware History Trail http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco.blogspot.com/2013/02/delaware-history-trail-historic-sites.html

Alternatives to SAG Indie?

One Way Community blog has a nice post about SAG Indie , check it out. But, filing paper work for ultra-indie projects 4-6 weeks before shooting sounds, well, like a little too much unnecessary work for ultra-low budget DIY projects, so, for many indie filmmakers - the casting process goes a little like this: 1 - ask your filmmaker friends for actor recommendations - try to find the actors needed, 2 - hold an audition or several for non-SAG actors - try to find the actors needed, 3 - use non-actor friends & acquaintances - try to find the actors needed. Those are fine ways to go, and I'll probably (actually already have a bit) use all 3 methods to find actors for my next fiction feature, BUT, for filmmakers & actors who are not "connected" to various small indie filmmaking networks or do not live in areas that have a lot of filmmakers & actors, I wonder if - A) there are other websites, etc. that connect indie filmmakers with reliable & skilled no

Nice new cover Filmmaker Magazine

Check out my review of Medicine for Melancholy here . Also my interview with director Barry Jenkins here . And post predicting that MfM could be "big" (in an indie/DIY film sense, which is not always an easy thing to visualize - specially since, back in early-mid '07, indie films by & featuring minority talent were not getting a lot of love from the mainstream/established indie scene or the combination of film festivals & press (including blogs) & distributor & art/indie house programmer interest), also post putting MfM in the same class as Stranger Than Paradise & Shadows . MfM opens in NYC in 2 weeks - on January 30 at the IFC Center . Go check it out, should be an entertaining & feel-good evening for people who are heavily into indie films. - Sujewa :: ADVERTISEMENT Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco 2 blog http://

In praise of first features - filmmakers discuss Free Country & Yorick

Novelist/Filmmaker Youngsoo Park & filmmaker Jonny Stranger discuss their first features (made in the mid-90's) in this '08 YouTube video: :: ADVERTISEMENT Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco 2 blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco2.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco 3 blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco3.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco 4 blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco4.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco 5 blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco5.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami – Delaware Small Business Grants page http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco.blogspot.com/2013/02/delaware-small-business-grants-page.html Farzad Rostami – Delaware Small Business Chamber http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco.blogspot.com/2013/02/delaware-small-business-chamber.html

What's 6.7 billion x $30 x 365?

Now that the DIY approach has been used successfully to solve the problem of producing & distributing movies, let's see if we can use the same kind of approach to end poverty & their closely related cousins - hunger, homelessness, lack of health care, & unemployment on Earth. So, if $s had to be spent to ensure that every person on Earth has food, health care, housing (we'll deal with the unemployment issue a little later), we could probably to do it for 30 US dollars a day per person (a dollar goes a long way in most places on the planet). Population estimates place 6.7 billion as the current world population, so, times that by $30, & times that by 365 (for one year) will give you the amount of money that may be necessary to ensure that each person on the planet has a place to live, has food everyday & has health care when needed for one year. Get out a big calculator, there's gonna be a lot of zeros on the resulting number. In DIY film a lot gets

That 70's/art/photography fan you know might dig this photo book

:: ADVERTISEMENT Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco 2 blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco2.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco 3 blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco3.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco 4 blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco4.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco 5 blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco5.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami – Delaware Small Business Grants page http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco.blogspot.com/2013/02/delaware-small-business-grants-page.html Farzad Rostami – Delaware Small Business Chamber http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco.blogspot.com/2013/02/delaware-small-business-chamber.html Farzad Rostami – Delaware History Trail http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco.blogspot.com/2013/02/delaware-history-trail-historic-sites.html F

Blogger doc premiere ads are up on Filming In Brooklyn & SUBWAYblogger

Go to Filming In Brooklyn & check on the right hand side column (you may have to scroll down a bit) to see the ad. Same thing at SUBWAYblogger . Putting out ads is a bit of work, nice to see them up & running finally. Working on lots more promotional stuff, to be rolled out in the coming days, but in the meantime, those two ads should help. All about Indie Film Blogger Road Trip premiere here . - Sujewa :: ADVERTISEMENT Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco 2 blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco2.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco 3 blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco3.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco 4 blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco4.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami Delaware Tobacco 5 blog http://farzadrostamidelawaretobacco5.blogspot.com Farzad Rostami – Delaware Small Busines

Couple of things: a Sullivan's Travels moment, Paula Martinez reviews Revolutionary Road

A couple of nights ago I was at Silver Spring, MD's Tastee Diner, and a server there told me that he loved both Slumdog Millionaire & Revolutionary Road. I can see a moment like that being a Sullivan's Travels moment for some indie filmmakers & bloggers I know (a lot of them are not crazy about either movie - wait, is that just me? could be, I haven't run out to see either flick & nor do I feel the need to do so anytime soon, or maybe not ever, but I am looking forward to finishing Silver Jew , also Carter ). Anyway, regardless, it's cool that people still get excited about Hollywood movies - "regular" people (not, you know, filmmaker-blogger-indie festival person type people :). It's kind of pleasantly amusing, charming even. Now let's move on to one indie festival person's review of Revolutionary Road . It comes with tips on making a marriage work. Check it out at Paula Martinez's ( Atlanta Film Festival ) blog (and if you becom

Full Movie - SNEAK PREVIEW - Cosmic Disco Detective Rene And The Mystery Of Immortal Time Travelers

NEW - COSMIC DISCO DETECTIVE RENE (2023) - TRAILER!

The Secret Society For Slow Romance (2022) - available to rent as a new release starting January 1

Werewolf Ninja Philosopher at Vimeo VOD

Reading Material

Indie Film Blogger Road Trip