Rich Hoffman, (Fridays at the Farm) made a little film about his hometown Media, PA. Watch it and VOTE so Media wins a makeover from IKEA! I watched it and as usual…Rich made me cry (in a good way).
Oh…and if you haven’t seen Fridays at the Farm, you can buy it right from Rich at Coyopa. It’s got tons of extra features as is only $15.
Watch the Sundance Channel‘s GREEN programming this Tuesday to see At Risk Films’ Fridays at the Farm.
I took my first venture over to Westwood yesterday for the LA Film Festival. It seems….uh…festive. As with 2006 Film Independent has taken over many of the theatres in Westwood Village for their annual celebration of film. I would say “independent†film…but that’s not totally the case. There are however a lot of films and I think you can make a discovery if you dig through the catalog a little bit.
Yesterday I saw two films, Resolved and Join Us. It was a good combo as both films made me happy as to where I am in my life (not in high school or a cult! yay me!).
Today is the World Premiere of JUMP! I am super-excited to meet the jumpers I’ve been watching do tricks on screen. As a consultant, I was not on shoots or around when filmmaker Helen Hood Scheer was meeting these kids. So today is the day. Jumpers are coming out from all over the place to be at the festival. And if you come to the screening today at 4:30, come early! From 2:00 – 4:00 at the Festival Promenade (Westwood Blvd at Broxton Ave) the jumpers will be doing their thing. The outdoor event is free and gets you to the screening early so you have plenty of time to buy your ticket for JUMP! See you there!
From today’s LA Weekly – it’s a GO pick!:
Read about all the LA Weekly picks here.
Get yer tix here!
Is anyone reading all this Academy rule coverage? Docs are trying to qualify and the Academy wants what it wants. Doc Insider pal AJ Schnack was on a panel at Silverdocs . You can listen here.
I am teaching a class on documentary and indie film distribution in July at Stephen’s College. They are still accepting applications for enrollment. Join us in Columbia, MO and learn about filmstuff.
Silverdocs is happening and I’m not there. The past two years I made my way across the country for AFI/Discovery Channel’s celebration of documentary film – but this year I just couldn’t make it. They’ve got a terrific slate, program and conference including screenings of The Fighting Cholitas!
I’m in LA surviving the noise of helicopters hovering over Paris Hilton’s house (okay, that was last week, but I’m still complaining about it) and getting ready for the Los Angeles Film Festival. It looks like a goody. The programming is well-rounded with plenty of activities, guest artist and outdoor screenings. Plus their special Family Day programming. Two At Risk Films snuck their way into the fest, The Fighting Cholitas and JUMP!, the brand spanking new doc about competitive jumprope will have its World Premiere in competition at the fest. The filmmaker, Helen Hood Scheer is an LA native and a whole slew of the jumping kids are coming out. It’s sure to be a good time.
I’m going to build a schedule and I’m hoping I have time to see some stuff. How to Cook Your Life is a biodoc about Edward Espe Brown, a Zen master and best selling cookbook author. Julien Temple’s new music doc Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten is playing outdoors at the Ford Amphitheatre. Most of the competition docs are World Premieres, so there’s a lot to see and do.
Festival tickets went on sale last Friday. Get yours while they last. LA Film Festival runs Jule 21 – July 1.
I finally started a My Space. Wanna be my friend?
Yes, I went to SXSW, I saw a few movies, and naturally, ate TexMex and BBQ too. But I think I was having festival burnout. I didn’t try to see 3 movies a day. I didn’t try to get into tons of parties. I just plain, hung out. And, Austin is a good place to do that. I enjoyed Cat Dancers and it was fun to see What Would Jesus Buy with such a great crowd.
There’s a ton of doc stuff coming up, Full Frame starts next weekend and Tribeca and Hot Docs have announced their line ups as well. Lots of good looking stuff out there.
Air Guitar Nation opened in theatres March 22nd. Good times. Go see it in your town!
indieWIRE did a cool piece about doc bloggers and the online doc community. It’s here. Thanks Jonny!
If you’re in the LA area Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore? is finally going to air on the PBS affiliate KCET Saturday night at 9:00 pm on Independent Lens (check local listings).
Also, Mr. Smith picked up a couple of prizes at some fests in Europe.
The Fighting Cholitas is playing around festivals like mad right now. Check their myspace for updates.
Fridays at the Farm just played the Florida Film Festival and will be showing in Newport Beach coming soon.
And me, I’ll be in Kansas City for the Kansas City Filmmakers Jubilee. In KC? Be sure to look me up!
After a 24-hour whirlwind food tour of St. Louis (frozen custard at Ted Drewes, gooey butter cakes at the Missouri Baking Company, toasted ravioli and the STL fave a Slinger at Courtesy Diner and the perfunctory search for real St. Louis ribs) and a visit with my guys from Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore? I headed off to Columbia, MO for the 4th Annual True/False Film Festival. The fest isn’t joking around when they say they don’t tell people how far out they are. I’ll tell you. They’re a 2-hour drive from the St. Louis airport and a 3-hour drive from Kansas City. It’s not as bad as it sounds.
The festival kicks off Thursday, but doesn’t really heat up until Friday. Overall I thought the programming this year was pretty great. Movies I’d missed on the circuit, new stuff and what are becoming their famous non-premieres. I can’t talk about those. And I can’t really remember what I can talk about or not.
Highlights for me include the short claymated doc about Swedish graffiti girls, Blue Karma Tiger, David Wilson watching Night Mail with live music from Gutbucket, daily breakfast at the Main Squeeze, a spirited panel “The Shock of the New†(see Docs That Inspire – Joel transcribed some of it!), and the best (only) parade I’ve seen at a film festival.
And now a moment to talk about audiences in Columbia… They rock my socks! Standing ovations (The Devil Came on Horseback played to a packed house and everyone rose to their feet to salute Annie Sundberg), great question and answers (I thought David Kohn might upset the audience with his loose cursing, but they didn’t care), town pride (best place to see a film shot in Columbia!), love them! When Paul Sturtz calls it paradise this might be part of what he’s talking about. 2006 was my first T/F and the audiences came out for the big movies. We were thrilled that Homemade Hillbilly Jam was sold out in the 1200 seat Missouri Theatre. But this year, everything was sold out. 10:00 am screenings were full and industry is so incredibly outnumbered it’s like going to a real movie. I really get swept up in it and I think it’s so important to both the festival and just plain ole movie going experience.
I had a great time and despite the fact that I didn’t realize that Booche’s was world famous until Sunday (we’re closed, see you in church) when you can’t get a burger because like many Columbia businesses they’re not open, this festival will be a permanent date on my schedule for years to come. They treat filmmakers great, it’s got that right camp vibe and the festival co-conspirators David Wilson and Paul Sturtz give better intros for films than I have ever heard. I’m already looking forward to 2008 and it’s not just so I can finally get that Booche’s burger (the malt is supposed to be pretty good too).
My blogging buddies have talked up movies etc, etc, etc. See AJ Schnack, Agnes Varnum, Joel Heller and our Columbia Tribune man on the scene Pete Bland.
I feel like I’ve been away from home more than I’ve been home lately. I’ll be hitting the BBQ in Austin starting Sunday. Me and everyone else will be blogging from SXSW. Good movies abound!
