ONE - ARTHOUSE FILM NEWS - Cosmic Disco Detective Rene at Film Noir Cinema, NYC starting 7/12/24

check it out here. comes with a neat/kinda hot still of Parker Posey. - sujewa

In NYC this weekend (11/3 & 4). Read all about it at Indie Features 06 . - Sujewa

That's right, not one but TWO films, telling the story of two episodes of the rebel leader's life. Read all about it at Variety. - Sujewa

ninja at bookstore "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 rupa from "a romantic dinner for 3" "I found the characters and the premise sexy, sexy, sexy." - Jerry Brewington, Hollywood Is Talking blog, on Story 2 of Date Number One http://hollywoodistalking.com/Blog/508/ ninja & missy on their blind date "...witty...often inventive...and, even better, airy: characters are given time and space to spell out ...

Inland Empire at Laemmle Theaters http://www.laemmle.com/viewmovie.php?mid=2648 IFC Center, NYC, 12/6/06, from indieWIRE: http://www.indiewire.com/buzz/061029.html#005695 - Sujewa

$1000 Spielberg blog mentioned this blog recently, check it out here . $1000 Spielberg's got tips on ultra low budget DV film production. Thanks a lot for the mention $1000 Spielberg blog!

Here is the essential info. re: the next Date Number One screening: screening # 12 !The Final Screening of 2006! SAT NOVEMBER 4 :: 8 PM :: $6 a benefit screening for We Are Family, a DC non-profit that assists the elderly WAREHOUSE Screening Room 1017-21 7th St., NW Washington, DC 20001 202-783-3933 directions Will post the longer version of the announcement later today. Thanks! see ya there dc ppl - Sujewa

My South Asian War Movie/Ghost Story Script: Just finished writing a set of detailed notes re: plot & characters for a war movie that takes place in South Asia. Of course I am thinking about shooting the film in Sri Lanka (see below for some good financial reasons) specially since I've got tons of notes about the wars down there - more my reactions & thoughts & speculations than direct news report like notes - & since I've got many possibly useful connects there (at least a bunch of family to crash with:). A war is - for a story teller - an interesting situation - though it is horrible in real life - but a war is a very interesting device for telling a story - there is immediate drama & intensity, hard to look away for those people who are into those kinds of things. My South Asian war movie is also kind of a ghost story - perhaps Holloween is having an effect on me. I expect to finish the script before 1/1/07. From a talky DIY comedy/romantic comedy to a wa...

- conceived of an epic directing project for '07 - saw Catch A Fire, good movie, liked it, enraging at times, mostly a positive thing, sad too. definitely worth watching. here's GreenCine Daily's post , w/ a lot of links, re: the movie. Here is a good quote from the director of Catch A Fire, Phillip Noyce, from an excellent GreenCine interview : " PN: There are a lot of issues that a film like this inevitably brings up, but only inasmuch as any examination history is illuminating - because the mistakes of the past are repeated in the present and the future. We know that. If you're asking if there are any parallels to be drawn between wars that are fought today and the events of yesterday, the answer is absolutely not, because if anyone tries to compare the struggle for emancipation in South Africa with some of the acts of terror that are being committed today, they're crazy. There's no comparison whatsoever. On the other hand, there are some cautionary tale...

Saw American Hardcore earlier today. Good doc, but it felt like Act I of a bigger movie. Like they could have talked about the many social service and activist projects that grew out of the hardcore scene, like in DC over $200,000 has been raised & given away to various social service & humanitarian activist projects by Positive Force , with the help of punk/post-punk/indie musicians. Positive Force is an organization that grew out of the hardcore scene. The hardcore punks didn't just play music, they worked against what they did not like through other means also. I am sure hundreds of people around the country were introduced to social injustice/thinking about working against such through the hardcore punk scene & then they went on to do work that tried to make messed up situations better. In the Mark Andersen co-authored book Dance of Days , we get to see what happened to the hardcore kids (at least the DC hardcore kids) as they grew up: some went on to form awesome b...

From the introduction to the interview with film critic, book author, and ex-film publicist Phil Hall at The House Next Door blog: "...having experienced both sides of the spectrum (and hanging up his publicist’s hat in 2004 to focus on criticism full-time) Hall has had the opportunity to see the strange balance of art and commerce that comprises the motion picture business. His previous book, The Encyclopedia of Underground Movies: Films From the Fringes of Cinema was a way of categorizing the films Hall felt needed a little more exposure, as well as a celebration of the art form. His latest, Independent Film Distribution: How to Make a Successful End Run Around the Big Guys , is all about the business--its rare success stories and its many pitfalls." Check out the interview here . - Sujewa

Pretty much everyone is blogging today about the indie film non-profit IFP/The Independent Feature Project ignoring their pro-indie mission & nominating 3 big budget Hollywood films for their Gotham Awards program, so I will begin by pointing to The Reeler's excellent entry re: the subject. So, why bother with the pretense of independence IFP? Just change your name to the Feature Project, drop the Independent from the title (which will only be a symbolic gesture now since you've already shown your preference for Hollywood/the-budget-&-stars-makes-it-impossible-to-ever-call-it-indie films with this year's Gotham Awards nominations), & have yourself fully funded by the big studios in exchange for getting them some press & publicity for their movies. Looks like the era of big indie film non-profits is coming to an end, with 2006 being a significant year for that slow death. Some organizations die due to lack of member interest (AIVF), while others sell their a...

Photo Copyright 2004 Sujewa Ekanayake/Wild Diner Films And that is Dele Williams, who plays the character Rupa in Date Number One 's Story #2. A favorite DNO story of many, including Amir "Whale" Motlagh & Jerry "Hollywood Is Talking" Brewington . - Sujewa

What is the biggest link between Tadpole, Personal Velocity & Pieces of April? They are all good movies, true, and they are all movies shot on digital video, true again, but the biggest link is that they are InDigEnt movies. InDigEnt is America's answer to Dogme 95. Find out all about them here . I need to go see Wim Wender's Land of Plenty, another InDigEnt movie. I saw Lonesome Jim recently, yet another InDigEnt movie, pretty good. Been seeing Sorry, Haters DVD box checking me out at the video store, may have to rent it, another InDigEnt movie. - Sujewa

Scott Kirsner of the CinemaTech blog has compiled a list of sites that allow filmmakers to sell their work on-line, mostly through streaming & downloads, & a few cases of DVD "on demand" burning services, plus links & descriptions of several relevant up & coming services. Here is the introduction to the document : " New revenue opportunities are emerging with the recent boom in video viewing on the Web. On this chart, I've tried to list all of the Web sites that enable video producers to make money from their work. I've ranked the sites subjectively, based on how much traffic and buzz they've been attracting, and also how likely it seems that a video producer would actually manage to earn a significant return by posting a video to them. The majority of these sites are geared shorter-form content, but a few, like Brightcove, EZTakes, and GreenCine, make it possible for producers of hour-long or feature-length projects to generate revenue....

I remember reading something about this film a long, long time ago, and I just ran into a write up on it, check out this page on the 1991 British film Young Soul Rebels , sounds interesting: the film is apparently about 2 DJs in 1977 UK. It's going on my WATCH list. Has anyone seen it? What did you think? - Sujewa

Hey DC Area Indie Film Fans, There is a very interesting & funny movie called Mutual Appreciation playing in Dupont Circle this weekend http://www.fandango.com/TheaterPage.aspx?wssac=58&tid=AABXW&wssaffid=11480 and the film's director & distributor, Andrew Bujalski, will be there for tonight's (Fri), & Sat night's & Sun night's shows. Here is the movie's website for more info (the film is about a young musician who moves from Boston to NYC): http://www.mutualappreciation.com/funfacts.html The movie has won all kinds of awards, and it is entertaining & is a good example of low-budget filmmaking excellence. Unlike many of us contemporary DV lovin' indie filmmakers, Andrew uses motion picture film for his movies, and Mutual was shot on 35 MM B&W. Very interesting. Check it out & chat w/ Andrew if you feel like it. I am sure the event will be entertaining & educational & inspiring to many DC indie filmmakers. Thanks! ...

Andrew Bujalski's charming '05 film Mutual Appreciation f-i-n-a-l-l-y gets a more than 1 day run in DC, starting tomorrow, Fri 10/20 @ Dupont Circle. Mutual was one of my favorite films of '05 (i saw it on DVD), & I am looking forward to seeing it on the big screen, the way it should be seen, in a couple of days. It tells the story of a young musician who moves to NYC from Boston. Mutual is far, far better than Funny Ha Ha (Mutual is the Stranger Than Paradise to Funny Ha Ha's Permanent Vacation). For more appreciation of Mutual, go here . And then go check Mutual out at the theater this weekend with some friends. - Sujewa

In this week's Washington City Paper the punk authors Mark Andersen & Mark Jenkins (who is also a CP film critic) have a conversation with Paul Rachman & Steven Blush, the makers of the doc American Hardcore, which opens in DC tomorrow (Fri 10/20). Hardcore's got a lot of DC in it, thanks to Bad Brains, Dischord Records, Minor Threat & no doubt countless others who made the early 80's scene happen. Looking forward to the history lesson this weekend. Here is the link to the interview. Here is a bit of the interview: " Andersen: In the film, Ian MacKaye says something to the effect of, “I didn’t leave hardcore. Hardcore left me.” And of course Ian is part of something that happened in D.C. in 1985 called Revolution Summer, which in many ways is a reaction against the limitations and the contradictions of hardcore. What do you think Ian was trying to say? Rachman: There are two quotes in the film that are really important. There’s that quote, and there’s G...

There is one up-and-coming field of indie film/film distribution where the no/low-budget filmmaker/distributor may be able to rule (or at least have a fair chance of competing well in), and that is internet VOD (video on demand). Doing D.I.Y. theatrical screenings & tours is a lot of work, & can get expensive, and the range/how many places the film can be delivered to in a short period of time - can be very limited. Same for playing the festival circuit. Even hawking the DVD can get expensive, 'cause you may have to buy a lot of ads in the non-web world to let a lot of people know about the existence of the DVD. Internet VOD should be far less work & far less expensive to use as a distribution method - customers can pay $s through the web & the film can be delivered to them through the web, and blogging & reviews can create free publicity for movies that are available through internet VOD. But what is the current state of internet VOD? Are filmmakers making a si...

Here's where I heard about it: http://www.villagevoice.com/bestof/2006/category/arts/278 Here's the MySpace page for the band O'Death: http://myspace.com/odeath From an article about the band ( http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/Content?oid=48714&category=22153 ): "An ensemble of guitar, banjo, electric fiddle, ukulele, and junk percussion, their ingredients—like some crazy backwoods whiskey mash—are varied. Old-timey ghost songs and gospel call-and-response rave-ups meet punk sensibilities. Guttural howling over twangy instrumentation, stomps and shouts, and the sinner's simultaneous pleading/don't-give-a-shit evocation of greater power surge through each raucous number. At other moments, the songs are more deliberate, measured, pensive—the day after a drinking binge during which you punched your best friend in the face and then went home alone to savor the memory of someone lost and gone. But even this, to a certain degree, is celebratory—every party...

Shooting People picked this blog as a Pick of the Day today. Check it out here: http://shootingpeople.org/cards/viewcard.php?act=act&card=45560&message=256976 Thanks Ingrid from SP for checking out the blog. & thanks Brian, The Film Panel Notetaker for letting me know about the SP pick this morning. - Sujewa

:) :) :) Gee, thanks Kim Voynar! She opens her Cinematical article on the DV Guru interview with me with the following sentence: " Our sister site DV Guru has an excellent interview up with one of the hottest up-and-coming DIY filmmakers out there, Sujewa Ekanayake, whose latest film, Date Number One, has been doing quite well." Regardless of the relative truthiness of the hot factor statement (isn't there only like 8 DIY filmmakers self-distributing features right now in the US? :), it is always nice to have some positive press coverage from Cinematical. Here is the rest of the opening paragraph: " Ekanayake shot the film entirely on digital video using an XL1S camera and also a VX2000. The entire project cost him about $10K and took about 2.5 years from start-to-finish; Ekanayake financed the film himself from his paychecks and investments from a few friends and family. He's also distributing the film himself -- the film has so far shown in Seattle, NYC and Was...

51 Birch Street , a documentary about filmmaker Doug Block's parents/aspects of their marriage that Block did not know about until his mother died, opens in NYC tomorrow: " Oct 18 - New York City ( Cinema Village ) Show times: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9:10pm (daily). Purchase tickets online here . (Doug, Mike and Kitty Block will appear at the 7pm screenings Oct 18-20. Doug Block will appear at 7 and 9:10pm on Oct 21, and 3pm on Oct 22) " Go here to read quotes from reviews of the film. - Sujewa

I visited the YouAreTV website yesterday. YouAreTV looks like a more indie film focused version of YouTube. While exploring the site I found a possibly very useful item on their FAQ page: info. on converting footage on a DVD to a format that can be uploaded to the web, to YouAreTV or the several other places that carry video clips. Go here & scroll down to "How do I get footage from a DVD, and convert it?". They recommend using a program called AutoGK, their link did not work for me, so here's the AutoGK link if anyone needs it. I have not tried it yet, but I have been on the lookout for this type of info. for a while. Thanks YouAreTV. If anyone else has info on converting DVD footage for web upload, let us know, use the comments field below. Of course it goes without saying: don't use the tools to violate copyright, just to upload your own stuff/stuff you created or stuff you own the distribution rights to. Thanks! - Sujewa

I'll write more about this later today, but for now, check out this very long interview I did with DV Guru.com re: Date Number One & self-distribution. Lots to read, thanks Brian! - Sujewa

It's always fun to read about my film Date Number One in my favorite film blog GreenCine Daily . Here's what GCD said on Sun 10/15 about filmmaker Amir Motlagh's review of DNO: " Amir Motlagh on Date Number One : "The film is very specific to its location, and its quirks and ticks represent the feelings and moods of the particular area, which I find almost exclusively missing from Hollywood films... 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." " Read Amir's entire review of DNO here. To see the GreenCine Daily mention of Amir's review, go here & scroll down 'till you see a pic from The Wind That Shakes The Barley. Thanks GreenCine Daily. Thanks Amir. - Sujewa

DATE NUMBER ONE http://www.wilddiner.com/ a comedy about several first dates a movie by sujewa ekanayake Saturday November 4, 8 PM WAREHOUSE Screening Room 1017-21 7th St., NW Washington, DC 20001 202-783-3933 directions $6 :: :: a benefit event for We Are Family, a DC non-profit that assists the elderly : " Small interfaith nonprofit We Are Family reaches out to the seniors of the North Capitol Street and Shaw neighborhoods. We bring advocacy, services, and companionship into the homes of the elderly, while helping to build friendships across boundaries like race, class, religion, age, culture, and sexual orientation. Most of our work is done by volunteers, coordinated by staffperson Mark Andersen who has nearly two decades of serving seniors in the North Capitol and Shaw neighborhoods." For WAF info, contact Mark Andersen: wearefamilydc@aol.com Film's Description: "Date Number One" is a comedy about several first dates. This 115 minute movie is made up o...

Ultra indie filmmaker & self distributor Kelley Baker , who completed several US tours with his movies over the last few years, is on MySpace. Here is the introduction from his page : " About me: I am probably best known for working with other people. I was the sound designer on six of Gus Van Sant's feature films including, MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO, GOOD WILL HUNTING, and FINDING FORRESTER. I designed the sound on Todd Haynes feature film, FAR FROM HEAVEN, with Dennis Quaid and Julianne Moore. I was the picture editor/sound designer on Will Vintons The Adventures of Mark Twain, and Meet The Raisins for CBS. I have also Written and Directed 3 features, (Birddog, The Gas Cafe, and Kicking Bird), 8 short films and a few documentaries. My films have been shown all over the world in film festivals and have aired on PBS, The Learning Channel, Canadian and Austrailian Television. I tour the US twice a year showing my movies and teaching filmmaking workshops. check out www.angryfilmm...

the amount of the check is not the important thing - although, for a low/no budget DIY filmmaker & distributor w/ a day job like myself it is a pleasant amount, no, the important thing at this point is that the item exists - as an indicator of the possible potential of success in a very risky, foolishly risky even, business (indie film) - one which i am approaching through a still relatively unusual method (low/no-budget d.i.y. production & distribution). so what's all this about? i received a check from the pioneer theater in nyc today, for my share of ticket sales from the 8/31 screening of date number one. this of course is not the first time i made some money (cash coming my way, not necessarily a profit) through showing a film, and this is not even the first time i made some money from showing date number one, but the pioneer booking was specially important because: 1) it was the pioneer theater - one of the best venues for real indie films in the US, & it's i...

51 Birch Street Filmmaker Doug Block is a brave man. He has chosen to take a close look at an area of life that most of us would rather not know too much about: the parent's troubled marriage and related details. His doc 51 Birch Street sounds very interesting, has gotten excellent reviews, lots of festival play and apparently both Al Jazeera & Israeli TV are big fans. The film opens in New York on this coming Wednesday - October 18, I expect to have a review here before then. Check out the film's site for more information on screening dates & reviewer reactions. * My Interview with DVGuru.com Just did a lengthy interview for DVGuru.com re: Date Number One & self-distribution. It should be up next week, will post the link here. Kind of related: still no definite word on when the Variety article that may feature Date Number One will run. Will let ya know when I know something firm. Have an excellent weekend. - Sujewa

Film Movement 's got good graphic design sense, I like how they package their DVDs (in a clear case, two sided insert, a good amount of white space on the cover/front of the insert, and the actual DVD itself looks very respectable - just the series & flick title & web site URL on one color background - overall simple, elegant & colorful). Plus they have good taste in movies, I liked the last Film Movement flick I saw. So it is always exciting to find a Film Movement DVD in my mail for review. I received the documentary Anytown, USA yesterday. Looking forward to checking it out this month. In the meantime, here is Anytown, USA 's description, at least some of it from the back of the DVD case: "A funny and eye-opening look into a hard-fought mayoral race between a legally blind, blunt-speaking, conservative Republican incumbent, a retired Democrat brought back into the fray and a legally blind write-in candidate, in the small town of Bogota, New Jersey." Sou...

Do you absolutely love Kevin Smith's Clerks & also ultra low budget filmmaking & also perhaps you are from Canada or have some roots/friends there? Then BUMS by the Butler brothers might be the low budget indie film for you. It is a comedy about a few slacker friends in Toronto and their attempts to find sex and or romance. There isn't much of a plot, but there is some very well written dialogue in the film. On the downside, the well crafted dialogue is often not delivered in a naturalistic manner - specially in the first half of the film, but perhaps that was intentional. The film did not become very interesting for me until the last 15 minutes or so, when two of the characters discover if they are going to be getting together or not. I did a quick search on the web and found a few reviews by people who enjoyed the movie a lot more than I did. So, in the spirit of low budget indie filmmaker solidarity, I will point you in the direction of those reviews & will poin...

Wild. Read all about it here . Thanks indieWIRE for the link. Go Mr. Lynch, smart move. Looking forward to checking out this apparently very experimental DV epic. - Sujewa

All Our Power was a punk activist conference that happened this past weekend in DC. I knew it was coming, lost track of the exact dates, caught up with it at their website just now. The name of the conference (in my opinion) may refer to ideas expressed in local punk, activist & author Mark Andersen's book All the Power: Revolution Without Illusion , which advocates opening up to/interacting with & including mainstream America in punk's (& also The Left's in general) attempt to build a better America & world. Here is All Our Power's definition of punk: " PUNK: just a label, one among many for a creative, compassionate, questioning lifestyle; a spirit or attitude of truth-telling and do-it-yourself-ism, applicable for all times and places, and any stage of life. PUNK is NOT necessarily a form of adolescent rebellion, a fashion, a certain type of music, or hairstyle or personal adornment, it is about the inside, the deep reality, not superficialities...

After playing Seattle & NYC (& not to mention Kensington, MD & Takoma Park, MD of course :), Date Number One returns to Washington, DC on Saturday Nov. 4, 8 PM, at the Warehouse Screening Room. DNO had its world premiere in DC back in May (Chuck Tryon's review after seeing the flick at the premiere). Here's the short version of the essential info: DATE NUMBER ONE Screening Saturday November 4, 8 PM $6 WAREHOUSE Screening Room 1017-21 7th St., NW Washington, DC 20001 202-783-3933 directions :: :: a benefit event for We Are Family, a DC non-profit that assits the elderly * Will have lots more info. closer to the date, as usual :) Make plans to be there interested DC people, make those plans. It is quite possible that this will be the last screening of the flick in '06 - I usually start hibernating after November 15 or so every year, to re-surface in Spring/March or so of the following year with a new coat of fur and a fresh pair of horns. - Sujewa

Looks like the makers of the doc American Hardcore engaged in a discussion with a few interested Post readers recently. Here is a slice from the on-line discussion/ interview : " Steven Blush : "American Hardcore" is not just a rock documentary. It is a testament to the power of youth. These bands didn't change the world, but they changed the music scene forever. When you look at bands today, there's stage diving and slam-dancing and ferocious lead singers, and DIY records and DIY tours. And that is the legacy of hardcore, or formative bands like Black Flag, Minor Threat and the Bad Brains. Paul Rachman : What all these bands had when they were kids, when these guys started, these guys were strong. They didn't fear failure, they trusted and acted upon their gut instincts, and they didn't care what anyone thought of them. Those are important things for youth today to have in anything they do. That foundation is always solid. " Looking forward to check...

Just saw the new Scorsese flick The Departed - excellent, although there are a few loose ends in it & a few things that are mysterious - but I guess the credit should also go to the original, the Hong Kong flick that Departed is based on. Maybe I'll check it out - Infernal Affairs /Mou gaan dou is the title. Departed is definitely a good thriller. Also reminds me of the samsara is nirvana, nirvana is samsara idea found in some Buddhist writing. Without giving much away hopefully re: Departed, I think the central female character's relationship with the male characters could have used more work. That's all I'll say for now, will do a lengthier post re: the flick when the DVD comes out. Received 51 Birch Street - a documentary about a father, & Manhattan, Kansas - a documentary about a mother, in the mail a couple of days ago. Reviews coming this week. Also a review of the Canadian indie flick Bums is on the way. - Sujewa

I was verrry lazy about promoting the Thu 10/5 screening - just did a few blog posts & sent out a couple of group e-mails, that's it, no fliers, no notices to local media, no press releases, nothing. I was kind of taking a break before starting up a new wave of more publicized screenings that will commence with the 11/4/06 DC screening at the Warehouse theater & will continue into middle of '07 at various US cities - details soon. But, once the showtime rolled around today I was happy. A handful of locals showed up, including several family members of Jen Blakemore, the hot star of Story #2. Movies should always be watched on as big a screen as possible. I need to hook up a 5 foot screen & a projector in my room, for editing & movie watching purposes. It was very exciting to see my movie again on a large screen today. Got me energized about pushing the upcoming screenings & the DVD. The audience dug the show. Got some positive feedback & DVD orders. All ...

Can't say much about it at this point as it may turn out to be nothing or something that takes a loong time to happen, but there is some interest in Date Number One from a very well known global company re: possibly showing the flick in Central Europe (Poland, Hungary, etc.), of all places - quite far from DC :) Working on figuring out what's what, should have more info. on this new distribution possibility in a few weeks - it's something that just came my way a couple of days ago w/ no effort in my part in that direction (showing the flick in central europe that is). the film may be entering a weird & interesting zone of low key fame & exposure, something that i find to be utterly hilarious & wonderful...let's see what happens, the life of a DIY no-budget filmmaker/project is very entertaining if nothing else, more on all this soon hopefully. In the meantime, the flick screens tomorrow, Thu 10/5, @ 7:30 PM in Kensington, MD. Here is the essential info: DATE...

so you have a good movie, but do not have the $750/$1000 - $1250/$1500 (prices based on quotes from replicator/duplicator Nationwide 's website, + shipping cost estimates + misc. expense $s) that it would take to create 1000 retail ready replicated DVDs? but you still want to sell your movie on DVD to interested customers at screenings & through the web? here is the least expensive way i can think of to create oh let's say 100 DVDs for sale: (& before we get to that, let's address the whole replicated vs. duplicated issue: most pros recommend replicated, which is guaranteed to play in most players most of the time - w/ like only 1%* failure rate quoted by some pros. as opposed to a 5%* failure rate assigned to duplicated DVDs. however, i know 3 filmmakers who have sold 100s of duplicated DVDs, made at home, w/ very little to no playback failures reported by their customers. so i guess replicated is the way to go when you have the cash & for the long term, but in...

The ever productive West Coast based indie/D.I.Y. filmmaking champ Amir Motlagh recently took a break from his work (he is currently at work on a feature called Whale, also creating & putting out music & other art work) & checked out my new flick Date Number One. Here is a little bit of the goodies from his review of Date Number One , which was posted today at his blog Still Lover : "The film is very specific to its location, and its quirks and ticks represent the feelings and moods of the particular area [DC], which I find almost exclusively missing from Hollywood films. The films first scenario is about a Ninja looking for Love. As tough as that is to swallow, and believe me, I had a hard time at first, but somehow, someway, in the end, the love of the characters, the postiveness 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, esp...

I tested out posting video to YouTube today. Works pretty well, although, having a faster connection may help me get more video up sooner. Here's a quick overview of the process, for any interested souls: 1) create a video file on your computer, know where it is (most recent computers - PCs - should come with some sort of a video editing program, such as Windows Movie Maker or something - use that along with a Firewire cable to bring video in from your camera (not sure yet how to do this directly off of a DVD), then convert the footage to a video file using Real Player or another program - the video editing software in your computer should be able to do this for you, look at the video editing program's File menu, Export options), 2) set up a YouTube account, 3) follow Upload Video instructions at your YouTube account - you'll have to locate the video file on your computer & hit upload, pretty easy. I am working on setting up two YouTube pages: 1 for my own stuff, and a...