Newport Beach Film Festival - now a featured spot on Gowalla

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So it's official! We have a featured custom Newport Beach Film Festival Gowalla icon. If you don't already use geo-location apps or know what one is - It's a mobile application where your phone locates you on the globe using GPS and posts it to the gowalla site, and/or your Twitter and/or Facebook. It connects with friends and people who may be at... the same location looking to meet up! 

 

For this year's festival we'll be using to notify people of sold out events, celeb sightings, movies with ticks still available, the hottest parties, best food, etc. Thanks Gowalla team and Jonathan, you guys are awesome.

 

Most importantly TONIGHT, when you arrive at the Opening Night tonight make sure to CHECK IN on the mobile App, that way we can create a hot spot and get some buzz going on this thing! 


Check Out our page on Gowalla HERE!

Have an iPhone, Blackberry, Android, or Palm smartphone?
Click here to download the app free to your phone.
 
Hope to see you there. 
Kelly Strodl - @kelly4nia
Posted by Kelly Strodl
 

NBFF Filmmaker's Five with Matthew Leutwyler

By Kelly Strodl

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This afternoon we talked with Matthew Leutwyler, director of THE RIVER WHY, the story of 20-year old Gus Oryiston. A Mozart of fly fishing, Gus leaves his big city home in rebellion from his family to live the simple secluded life on the banks of a river. Instead of the bliss Gus hoped for, his isolation drives him to a journey of self-discovery. Along this journey Gus comes in contact with a number of eccentric people who help him through his passage into adulthood. He finds friendship and love where he never expected it, and lives by the following observation: "The surface of the earth is 30% land and 70% water. A newborn baby is composed of 70% water and 30% everything else. I guess this means that life and water are inseparable."

Q: How did you hear about the Newport Beach Film Festival?

A: I actually had a film there years ago. My first feature, Road Kill. I live in Los Angeles now so am familiar with the fest anyway. 

Q: Tell a little about the story of your film and the production of it.

A: Upon high school graduation, I left on a trek to Australia and took along with me a soft cover copy of THE RIVER WHY. It was my constant companion on an adventure that included working on a dairy farm and fishing the various rivers and streams of Victoria's high country. I must have read the book four or five times over the course of my journey, identifying closely with Gus's departure from his home in pursuit of happiness in the wilderness. The book remained a favorite of mine over the years since I returned, so naturally when the opportunity came to direct the film version it was a dream come true.

Q: Tell a little about yourself and your story in filmmaking.

A: I studied film at The San Francisco Art Institue and then moved to L.A. to get into the business. A few years later I met Miranda Bailey (director of the doc Greenlit, also playing at the fest) and we formed our production company Ambush Entertainment. . Since then, Ambush has produced 2005's award-winning critically acclaimed drama The Squid and the Whale; the sexually charged comedy The Oh In Ohio starring Parker Posey, Paul Rudd, and Danny DeVito; the sci-fi horror Unearthed; and the comedy Lower Learning with Eva Longoria Parker, Jason Biggs, and Rob Corddry. Recent films include: Against the Current, with Joseph Fiennes, Mary Tyler Moore and Justin Kirk which Premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and was picked up by IFC Films; the Matthew Broderick and Sanaa Lathan drama Wonderful World, distributed by Magnolia Pictures; and Every Day, written and directed by Richard Levine (Nip/Tuck) and starring Helen Hunt, Liev Schreiber, and Carla Gugino which will make its World Premiere at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival. The company’s latest film, the action comedy Super starring Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Liv Tyler, and Kevin Bacon just wrapped production and is expected to be completed in late Spring 2010.

My latest directing was the ensemble drama Answers To Nothing, starring Dane Cook, Elizabeth Mitchell, Julie Benz, and Barbara Hershey which recently completed principal photography.

I've also been doing some short form work with spots for Chevrolet and most recently a Coke Zero commercial that was a cross promotion with the film Avatar.

Q: Your take on the performances of the lead actors, (set backs, triumphs, impressions, good surprises, etc.)

A: Working with William Hurt was an obvious thrill. He really challenges you to be your best. But working with Zach Gilford and Amber Heard was the most fun. I have a real fondness for both actors. Zach and I worked again recently on Answers To Nothing. They were game for anything and totally prepared. They also fit into the loose vibe but quick pace that we had on set. Zach especially had to endure a lot on THE RIVER WHY. Not only did he have to carry the entire movie, as he is in almost every scene but he had to do it while dealing with the elements. The climatic fishing sequence at the end of the film was shot over 16 hours straight - from day into night and then back into the early morning. And he had to do it while performing in 55 degree water. There was never a complaint, he really just wanted it to be authentic and it came out beautifully. 

Q: What do you do when not making a smash indie film?

A: Sleep. Its been a really busy few years for us at Ambush so right now that is all I have time for.

THE RIVER WHY screens at 6 PM on Friday, April 23 at the Edwards Island 7.

Buy tickets here for Friday:

http://newportbeachfilmfest.tix.com/Event.asp?Event=256931

Posted by Kelly Strodl
 

NBFF Filmmaker's Five with Rob Stefaniuk

By Kelly Strodl

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How does one go about making a fun indie-rock-n-roll-vampire-spoof film? Mix in a hot chick, some misguided young men, loud music, lots of blood and body parts, a few cameos (Iggy Pop -clothed, Alice Cooper -weilding a knife, Moby - covered in blood, Malcolm McDowell - sporting an eyepatch, etc…), a quirky writer, and of course a vampire or two. That’s how writer/director of SUCK, Rob Stefaniuk went about composing this energetic romp through the world of vampirism and rock. In the film, a down and out band that will do anything for a record deal, including not ask questions when their bass player, Jennifer, disappears one night with a hip-looking guy who turns out to be a vampire. Suddenly, Jessica emerges with a sexually-charged charisma that drives the audiences wild, changing the bands humdrum image forever… 

Hear what Rob had to say about himself, the making of his new film, and what it’s like to work with Iggy:

Q:  How did you hear about the Newport Beach Film Festival?

A: I heard about it from a future version of myself. I said it went really really well. (actually my Producer told me about it, but he was dressed a lot like me)

Q: Tell a little about the story of your film and the production of it.

A: SUCK took five years before someone was willing to make it. After a very slow start, the film suddenly became a "little film that could". We began with a million dollar budget and no stars, and thanks to a great team and a little luck, we ended up with a 3.5 million dollar film and some of the coolest people in rock (Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper, Henry, Alex, Moby etc). Sometimes it's better to wait. 

Q: Tell a little about yourself and your story in filmmaking.

A: I began as an actor and had my first screenplay made when I was twenty three (The Size of Watermelons starring Paul Rudd). After that I produced, did some editing and directed some rock videos. I made my first short in 2004, followed by my first film PHIL THE ALIEN, a film about an alien that crashes in Northern Ontario and becomes an alcoholic. Then I went down to the crossroads and made a deal, which brings us to Suck.

Q: Your take on the performances of the lead actors, (set backs, triumphs, impressions, good surprises, etc.)

A: All of the actors came to the table ready rock. We have some very talented up and coming actors who put in extra rehearsal time and really delivered on the day. Biggest surprise...Iggy wore a shirt.

Q: What do you do when not making a smash indie film?

A: Get smashed and watch indie films.

SUCK screens at 8 PM on Friday, April 23 at the Edwards Island Theater 1, as part of the Friday Spotlights, and includes admission to a party after the film – with filmmakers, celebs and VIPs. Live DJ. Food prepared by some of OC’s top restaurants. OPEN BAR by Absolut and Stella Artois.

And at 9 PM on Monday, April 26 in Edwards Island 4.

Buy tickets here for Friday:

http://newportbeachfilmfest.tix.com/Event.asp?Event=256920

Buy tickets here for Monday:

http://newportbeachfilmfest.tix.com/Event.asp?Event=256921

Watch the trailer for SUCK here:

Posted by Kelly Strodl
 

NBFF Filmmaker's Five with Danny Buday

By Kelly Strodl

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Today we talk with Danny Buday, director of FIVE STAR DAY, the Opening Night selection for the 2010 Newport Beach Film Festival – also the first local film to be chosen as the festival opener since the festival began in 1998.

In the film, Jake Gibson suffers a less than stellar birthday, when his world is turned upside down and all that could go wrong, does – to rub it in his horoscope forecast a perfect 'five star day.’ Determined that astrology has no legitimacy, Jake embarks on a journey to test the theory of astrology by finding the three people born the same time and place as himself. Jake's pursuit in finding his three astrological matches not only will test his convictions, but validate how life's unexpected twists of fate can deliver much more than the anticipated. What Jake learns along the way is an important lesson about life, love, fate and destiny that will unexpectedly change his life forever.

Q:  How did you hear about the Newport Beach Film Festival?

A: Both Mike Robertson (our Executive Producer/Producer) and myself have roots in the Orange County area so I first heard of the Newport Beach Film Festival a few years back. Also, I remember hearing good things about the festival while I was at AFI (American Film Institute).

Q: Tell a little about the story of your film and the production of it.

A: FIVE STAR DAY is a journey film about a guy (Cam Gigandet) who sets out to disprove the theory of Astrology by finding the other three people born the same time and place as himself. I think what people are most surprised about when I initially tell them the premise of the film is that that it's not a comedy, given its Astrological theme. We filmed in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, New York and Atlantic CIty on a very tight shooting schedule, so production was like an amazingly organized traveling circus.

Q: Tell a little about yourself and your story in filmmaking.

A: I grew up in Chicago till my family moved to Southern California, where I went to high school in Huntington Beach (Marina High '95). When I finished up undergrad at Cal State Long Beach ('99) I moved up to L.A. and graduated from AFI's (American Film Institute) directing program in 2005. After shorts and music videos along the road to the first feature, Five Star Day is my feature film debut.

Q: Your take on the performances of the lead actors, (set backs, triumphs, impressions, good surprises, etc.)

A: Both Cam Gigandet and Jena Malone were amazing to work with. Cam is a focused and quiet perfectionist, and Jena is a magically improvisational wonder to watch act.

They both gave strong performances in the film. I'm definitely excited to have people see Cam as a 'good guy' character. And Jena as a single-mother is so subtle and touching. Brooklyn Sudano is also amazing, but I think Max Hartman's breakout role as an Atlantic City lounge-singer is going surprise a lot of people.

Q: What do you do when not making a smash indie film?

A: I'm a self-admitted workaholic, so it's rare that I'm not locked up working on some project, but in my spare time I enjoy hanging out with my family and friends, playing music; basically getting into as much trouble as possible.

FIVE STAR DAY is the Opening Night film, showing at 7:30 PM on Thursday, April 22 at the Edwards Big Newport Theater.

Plus join the filmmakers and other celebs, VIPs, and more at the OPENING NIGHT GALA in the Bloomingdale's courtyard in Fashion Island. The night's festivities features a performance of Cirque du Soleil's Mystère, a fashion show put on by Fashion Island, food from acclaimed Newport Beach area restaurants, and an Open Bar hosted by Absolut Vodka and Stella Artois and Perrier.

Dress: Cocktail attire, black tie optional. Age: 21 & Over

Buy tickets for FIVE STAR DAY here:

http://newportbeachfilmfest.tix.com/Event.asp?Event=256819

Watch the trailer here:

http://www.facebook.com/l/2f8c2;www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIhxSlLgdiw

Posted by Kelly Strodl
 

NBFF Filmmaker's Five with Mark Claywell

By Kelly Strodl

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Today we talk with Mark Claywell, director of AMERICAN JIHADIST, a documentary that explores the life of Isa Abdullah Ali, an African-American Muslim from the ghettos of Washington, DC. Ali has been labeled a 'known terrorist' by the U.S. Defense Department, though he's never been charged with any crime. The film documents the spiritual coming of age of Ali – a young man, growing up without a father, searching for meaning amid the violence and racism of America's inner city - a young man who turned his personal quest for justice into an international struggle. He served for five years with the Amal militia as a sniper and street fighter, barely survived an assassination attempt in Beirut, and suffered post-traumatic stress and depression as his marriage of ten years unraveled. Later, he found himself on wanted posters throughout Bosnia, labeled a 'known terrorist' by the Pentagon. AMERICAN JIHADIST is Claywell’s first feature film project.

Q:  How did you hear about the Newport Beach Film Festival?

A: I heard of the Newport Beach festival through our film rep Circus Road films. They spoke highly of the festival while we were attending Slamdance 2010 and the vibe sounded exactly like something I wanted to be a part of. 

Q: Tell a little about the story of your film and the production of it.

A: We arrived in Lebanon just a few days after the Bush administration declared that anyone helping or aiding Hezbollah were considered enemy combatants and would feel the full brunt of the American military. This made an already tense situation even more so. This was early in 2007, just a few months after the war between Hezbollah and Israel. Everyone was on edge as we set off to interview several key players in Hezbollah and the Amal militias in and around Beirut. We plastered our production van with huge signs that said TV CREW. Don't shoot. Our fixer who arranged our interviews insisted that the entire country knew we were there but most were skeptical of our motivations. The subject of the film, Isa Abdullah Ali, is well known within the various Shia militias and several people said they were convinced we were part of a CIA hit team.  After a few days our fixer insisted we get Isa Ali out of the country. A few months after our shoot the fixer fled Lebanon after several death threats. He now lives in Detroit.  

 Q: Tell a little about yourself and your story in filmmaking.

A: I am a commercial TV director who is use to shooting advertising campaigns that are fairly well defined and controlled. AMERICAN JIHADIST was a complex story to tell. It had to be shot in many different countries including a couple that don't like Americans very much. Also, the subject of the film, Ali, has worked on many different sides. It was impossible to know who was telling the truth. Can you trust a "known terrorist?" How about the CIA? But the goal was to let the man tell his story without the filter of the Western news media.  We want the audience to make up their own mind where in the commercial world we are trying hard to influence the audience's opinion.

 Q: Your take on the performances of the lead actors, (set backs, triumphs, impressions, good surprises, etc.)

A: ISA Abdullah Ali was clearly not an actor but he had some well rehearsed sayings and stories that he would hide behind – short sound bites that he would use to avoid certain questions and answers. He is a very smart man who has spent years maneuvering through difficult situations. He would charm me one minute and intimidate the next. But the entire time we spent with him his main goal was to make the crew smile. Not what I expected from a man who has admittedly killed hundreds of people.     

Q: What do you do when not making a smash indie film?

A: Mostly I direct TV commercial campaigns and have shot all over the world. This is my first film and the difference between the two worlds are smaller than I ever imagined. When not working I spend as much time on the beach just outside of Savannah Georgia, with my two adorable children.

AMERICAN JIHADIST screens at 6 PM on Sunday, April 23 at the Edwards Island Theater 3.

Buy ticket here:

http://newportbeachfilmfest.tix.com/Event.asp?Event=256759

Watch the trailer for WE WERE FEARED here:

Posted by Kelly Strodl
 

NBFF Filmmaker's Five with Larry Brand

By Kelly Strodl

Christina

Today we talk with Larry Brand Director/Screenwriter of CHRISTINA, a film inspired by the true story of a young German woman who must confront a dark secret before she can start a new life in America. As the young woman prepares to leave her war-ravaged city to begin a new life in the U.S. with her G.I. fiance - standing between her and a hopeful future is a relentless police inspector, determined to prevent her from escaping the past. He pushes her to face the truth about a child, whose secret the woman has kept all this time. Before she can leave for her new life, she will be forced to confront the past she's been trying to leave behind. 

Q: How did you hear about the Newport Beach Film Festival?
A: My executive producers, Rebecca Reynolds and Jim Carpenter, heard about it through our producers’ rep, Noor Ahmed, who’s a longtime fan of the festival. Noor thought it would be an excellent venue to premiere our film.

Q: Tell a little about the story of your film and the production of it.
A: Years ago, a family friend told me a story about an American GI who became involved with a young German woman just after the end of the war. As their relationship unfolded he learned, painfully, that she was not what she had appeared, and in fact stood accused of a monstrous act committed in the shadows of the greater carnage. I’d always been fascinated by World War II, but wasn’t particularly interested in doing a traditional war movie; personal, intimate crime is inherently more intriguing to me than the spectacle of battle. The story of CHRISTINA, its constantly shifting narratives, its layering of truth and half-truth, its real-time pacing and cinematic intimacy, offered a way to shrink down to human scale the unapproachable vastness of a war that took fifty million lives.

Q: Tell a little about yourself and your story in filmmaking.
A: Like most filmmakers, I loved movies as a kid, and can remember waiting for the next horror or monster flick to hit the Midway Theater in Forest Hills. Years later, when working for Roger Corman, I would recall how effective his THE PREMATURE BURIAL had been on me and my friends. But I was equally influenced by TV shows like “The Twilight Zone,” “The Outer Limits,” and “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.” In fact, I can even see some Twilight Zone influences in CHRISTINA. Sometimes, I can almost imagine Rod Serling, standing just off the set, watching the story unfold....

Q: Your take on the performances of the lead actors, (set backs, triumphs, impressions, good surprises, etc.)
A: Nicki Aycox and Jordan Belfi seemed as if they were born to play the roles of Christina and Billy. Nicki has the ethereal quality of a living ghost, a survivor who doesn’t quite believe she’s made it into the present; Jordan captures the optimism and likeability of a WW II GI, certain the future is his for the taking. 

Berlin Police Inspector Reinhardt was the last to be cast and, when producer/cinematographer Kees Van Oostrum suggested Stephen Lang, I flew to New York to meet him. Though I knew of his reputation as an actor, I was a bit concerned about his physicality: he was a good decade younger than I’d imagined Reinhardt, and very muscular – he still looked like Col. Quaritch from AVATAR. But he told me not to worry, just to make sure wardrobe got him a suit one size too big for him. By the time he got to the set he’d undergone a complete transformation; he was unrecognizable. He looked stiff, almost frail, a good decade older. People were asking me where we found the “old German actor.” 

Q: What do you do when not making a smash indie film?
A:Well, sometimes I’m writing non-indie films. But, mostly, when I’m not making movies, I spend my time watching other people’s movies.

CHRISTINA screens at 7:30 PM on Friday, April 23 at the Edwards Island Theater 4.

Buy tickets here:

Watch the trailer for CHRISTINA here:

Posted by Kelly Strodl
 

Newport Beach Filmmaker's Five with Daryn Tufts

By Kelly Strodl

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I took a moment to talk with Daryn Tufts, director/writer of MY GIRLFRIEND’S BOYFRIEND, a fun rom-com about Jesse, a sassy, intelligent woman who has yet to find "Mr. Right." That is until she bumps into Ethan, a writer pushed to the edge of despair after having another novel rejected by publishers. For Jesse, the encounter offers more than a chance to inspire the artist in Ethan again. It also opens a new, romantic chapter in her life... with one huge complication. Moments after meeting the perfect guy for her, Jesse meets Mr. Perfect – Troy, a confident and successful advertising executive who makes almost every moment elegant and romantic. Soon Jesse is in over her head and grappling with the ultimate romantic paradox: what does a girl do when she meets "Mr. Right" after already meeting the right guy? 

 

Q: How did you hear about the Newport Beach Film Festival?

A: Being local to Salt Lake City, I attend the Sundance Film Festival every year, which made me interested in other festivals. I first heard of the Newport Beach Film Festival a couple of years ago when I was attending some other festivals with another movie I was involved with. When it came time to submit MY GIRLFRIEND’S BOYFRIEND to film festivals, our distribution partners strongly encouraged us to submit it to Newport Beach, having nothing but tremendously positive things to say about that festival. So we did, and this will be the first time I’m coming to NBFF to experience it for myself.  

Q: Tell a little about the story of your film and the production of it.

A: I wanted to write a love story that did something surprising and unconventional. Over the years, I’ve noticed that many loves stories follow a very familiar and predictable story structure. I thought, wouldn’t it be interesting if a movie presented itself as a conventional love story, and then turned into something very different and surprising? Essentially, I wanted to write something that had a twist – a smart, funny love story that had heart, but also did something I’ve never seen in this genre before.

We shot the film entirely in Salt Lake City, with local crew, producers, etc. We wanted to shoot Salt Lake in a way that brought out the charm and interesting aspects of that city, hopefully in a way we haven’t seen done before. All of the main cast came from Hollywood, and we cast some of the smaller parts out of Salt Lake City.

 

Q: Tell a little about yourself and your story in film-making.

A: I’ve always been passionate about film. Nerd, geek passionate, in fact. But I didn’t set out to be a filmmaker. I began my career as a copywriter, working for ad agencies and production companies. During and after college, I also enjoyed writing and performing sketch and improvisational comedy with a couple different comedy troupes. Those experiences were incredible, and indirectly led to some opportunities to write and act in some small independent films.

Originally, I didn’t foresee anything happening with those movies, but they each went on to find success in theaters and DVD. Once I had some experience in filmmaking and I was already working as a professional writer, I thought I’d see what I could do with it. I started writing my own screenplays and decided to produce a couple of small documentaries. And things sort of grew from there. Writing led to opportunities to act, direct, and produce. Through it all, I’ve discovered that writing and directing is what I definitely enjoy the most.  I haven’t performed live comedy in a long time and while I still do a little bit of acting, writing and directing is definitely what I see myself continuing to do.

 

Q: Your take on the performances of the lead actors, set backs, triumphs, impressions, good surprises, etc.

A: I guess the biggest surprise is that these actors wanted to be in the movie in the first place. I know that might seem a little cliché, but it’s really true. As independent filmmakers in Utah, we didn’t have any connections to any of these actors.  All we had was a script and a business plan to throw at these actors and say “Hey…ummm… wanna be in it?” When I first heard that Alyssa Milano was interested in the film, I half-expected that the person telling me was just yanking my chain.

Making a movie is a huge process that involves a lot of people, so there are always set-backs. But we were very fortunate that things went as smoothly as they did. Alyssa really dug in and helped shape and polish the story and production of the movie, and all of the actors brought some surprises. For example, some of Chris Gorham’s best and funniest dialogue was stuff Chris came up with for his character. And our crew was incredible. I’m proud to say that on a limited budget, we have a film that looks amazing and much bigger than its budget constraints – and that was all because of the people behind the scenes.

Q: What do you do when not making a smash indie film?

A: Reading, writing, watching movies and great TV shows, traveling, spending time with my family and friends, and forcing myself to get to the gym once in a while. And thanks to Alyssa Milano’s influence, I’ve been twittering for the past year. Follow me! @DarynTufts

MY GIRLFRIEND’S BOYFRIEND screens at 7:45 PM on Saturday, April 24 at the Edwards Island Theater 1.

Buy tickets here:

http://newportbeachfilmfest.tix.com/Event.asp?Event=256875

Watch the trailer for MY GIRLFRIEND’S BOYFRIEND here:

Posted by Kelly Strodl
 

Newport Beach Filmmaker's Five with Jonathan W.C. Mills

By Kelly Strodl

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Take a ride with Jonathan W.C. Mills, director of WE WERE FEARED, a new documentary about the SoCal punk scene and the crusaders of The Cuckoo's Nest,' considered not only the birthplace of slam dancing but a key incubator to the surf, skate and extreme sports culture of today. During the late 1970's 'The Nest', as it was known, played host or was home to almost every influential and soon to be famous punk bands including: Black Flag, The Ramones, Iggy Pop, TSOL, The Dead Kennedy's, The Circle Jerks, Fear and The Vandals, whose song, 'The Legend of Pat Brown,' chronicles one of the more famous incidents at the The Nest. The saga of the The Nest and its owner Jerry Roach is one of the great untold stories of punk rock, until now.

 

Q: How did you hear about the Newport Beach Film Festival?

A: Katey Bright, my editor first introduced me to the Newport Beach Film Festival. She said, ‘we have to screen here’...and she was right because ‘The Cuckoo’s Nest’ punk rock club, which is the subject of our film, was located only a few miles inland...and few tax brackets, from Newport Beach and there is a huge local fan base for the club and the music that sprang from it...so it was an obvious choice for us; we’re just happy that the festival agreed.

Q: Tell a little about the story of your film and the production of it.

A: I am probably not the obvious choice to make this documentary. I do NOT claim punk rock. I actually came to this material because I believe the broader themes will resonate beyond the punk community. The movie deals with an insular social culture going through seismic changes. It has a crusading anti-hero in Jerry Roach, loud music, slam dancing and social injustice – all wrapped up in a specific place, time and person. It just seemed like a story that needed to be told –As for the production, WE WERE FEARED started with an actual piece of source material, Urban Struggle which was a short documentary made while the Nest was still open. My producers were going to release that movie and I thought, ‘These guys who are in this film are still around!” So over the last two years using editing, new footage, new interviews and a lot of creativity we have created an original documentary that captures the spirit of Urban Struggle yet adds to its legacy in substantive ways; from both an emotional and narrative perspective.

Q: Tell a little about yourself and your story in filmmaking.

A: I make a living as a writer and I could talk a lot about my journey to this moment but it might be more appropriate to say that I have simply worked very hard learning to tell interesting stories. It doesn’t matter the medium, documentary, narrative films, television graphic novels...it always comes back to a telling the kind of tale that gets people to put down what they are doing and pay attention...and that is increasingly hard to do in today’s world of media distractions. It also helps to find mentors that want to see you succeed and will help you gain access to people and situations that can make that happen...the old adage ‘you’re only as good as the people you know is probably true in my case’...oh, and make sure you work with a great editor!

Q: Your take on the performances of the lead actors, any set backs, triumphs, impressions, good surprises, etc.

A:  The ‘talent’ in WE WERE FEARED are actual people with lives and jobs but as PEOPLE: they are amazing. Each and every one of the individuals featured in We Were Feared have lived the kind of life that most people only dream of...or in some cases have nightmares about. We’re talking about a group of guys that have lost a significant percentage of their friends to drugs and alcohol. They’re greeting is sometimes, ‘Hey! You’re still alive!’ These are people who went through immense turmoil and personal pain to create a music and social movement and have never really been compensated for it...and now they struggle to make a living in the world while the kids of today have no clue of what it means to really BE an outsider... It’s kind of crazy to interview guys who are probably lucky to be alive simply due to the lifestyle they chose to pursue. Think about that.

Q: What do you do when not making a smash indie film?

A:  I spend most weekdays days swimming with sharks...but on weekends I enjoy spending time with my son Jacob and my girlfriend Elizabeth. I also like to skate and get outside. We live in Cali after all, gotta love the weather.

WE WERE FEARED screens at 5:45 PM on Sunday, April 25 at the Edwards Island Theater 7.

Buy ticket here:

http://newportbeachfilmfest.tix.com/Event.asp?Event=256950

Watch the trailer for WE WERE FEARED here:

Posted by Kelly Strodl
 

Newport Beach Film Festival Filmmaker's Five with Kern Konweiser

By Kelly Strodl 
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Today we talk with BAKER BOYS director Kern Konweiser. A Newport Beach native and former screenwriting instructor at UCI, Konsweiser has had films in the festival on four prior occasions.

 His film BAKER BOYS tracks cameraman John Steele, who after covering nearly every major conflict over the past 35 years, went straight into the heart of an Al Qaeda hotbed a few kilometers outside of Baghdad to chronicle the last 90 days of Baker Company's (U.S. Army, 3rd Infantry battalion) tour of duty, and the 'war inside' that they will inevitably bring home with them. Steele developed an uncommon level of trust with the soldiers, and an unprecedented level of access to the Army's commanders. The resulting conversations with the soldiers toward the end of the final 90 days of their tour of duty are so deeply personal that they seem more like confessionals than interviews.

Q: How did you hear about the Newport Beach Film Festival?

My brother (who is my producing partner) and I were raised in Newport Beach, so it was always been an ambition of ours to have a film included in the festival.  Our first film to make it into the Newport Beach Film Festival was the documentary "Crossover: A Worldwide Basketball Odyssey" in 2004.  We've had a few other films in the festival since then, but "BAKER BOYS: INSIDE THE SURGE" is by far the most significant documentary we've made and we are deeply proud to be able to bring it to our hometown audience in Newport Beach.

  

Q: Tell a little about the story of your film and the production of it.

A: The documentary was filmed in Iraq by a crew of one -- war cameraman Jon Steele.  Jon has an amazing 35-year career of filming in war zones and areas of crisis around the world for the UK news channel ITN.  But he quit his job the day before the bombing started in Baghdad because he objected to the way the media had been complicit in the Bush administration's lead up to the war.  

Five years later, he saw tens of thousands of American soldiers coming home with PTSD and realized that nobody was covering the story of what this war was doing to the hearts and minds of our own soldiers.  So he went back to Iraq -- by himself, with no media affiliation -- and spent 90 continuous days embedded with Baker Company of the 1/15 Infantry, an Army combat unit at a forward outpost in the middle of an Al Qaeda hotbed, so he could ask the soldiers on camera "What do you think?" and "How do you feel" about a range of topics.  He joined them right at the start of a new turn in the war, which we now know as The Surge.  What Jon ended up capturing is perhaps the first and only look on film at how a counter-insurgency really works, including the massive cash payouts the Army made to Sunni extremists in order to buy their loyalty away from Al Qaeda.  It is startling to see these American soldiers handing over briefcases full of cash to Iraqis who they know are harboring terrorists... but the strategy actually worked and what Jon captured in the film was the turning of the tide from Al Qaeda back toward the American troops.  And all the complex questions that arise out of a strategy like this.  Questions like what does this say about our mission in Iraq?  What impact does this tactic have on the common soldier who earns in a year what we're paying the enemy every two weeks?  And the soldiers spoke candidly to Jon about all of that, and more.

After Jon returned, I was fortunate enough to be introduced to the project by David Pritchard of Gigapix Studios, and I threw myself into it with everything I could give.  I collaborated with Jon and the editors, Davon Ramos and Derek Boonstra, on taking his 120 hours of raw footage and crafting the documentary.  About a year later, we now have a movie that we all feel is the most important thing any of us has ever done in our careers.

Q: Tell a little about yourself and your story in filmmaking.

A: When we were kids, my brother Kip and I used to sit on a bluff near our house in Newport Beach, looking out over the harbor and planning how we were going to make movies together someday.  Kip would be the producer and I'd be the writer/director and between us we'd make sure that creative and business earned equal attention.  And that's pretty much what we did.  We got our masters degrees from USC School of Cinema-Television, myself in screenwriting and Kip in production, went to work at the very bottom of the industry as assistants and PAs and learned every possible aspect of the business on our way up.  We had a break out hit in 1997 with our film "Miss Evers' Boys" for HBO, and have stayed busy ever since.  Our expertise has become documentaries and independent feature films, often with a global view of the world or getting inside cultures beyond what we find in our own backyards.  We both consider ourselves 'world citizens', to steal the phrase from Arthur Ashe, and try to reflect that in the stories that we tell.  Currently, we're both working at Gigapix Studios, an independent film company specializing in family films and the company that co-funded "BAKER BOYS: INSIDE THE SURGE".

Q: Your take on the performances of the lead actors, any set backs, triumphs, impressions, good surprises, etc.

A: Since "BAKER BOYS: INSIDE THE SURGE" is a documentary, I'll speak to the process of working with the soldiers in the film, which was a delicate situation because they speak so honestly on film and say things that are deeply personal, things that they probably haven't even told their own families but are saying to Jon on camera.  Many of the guys shared their experiences dealing with PTSD, which I know was difficult for them.  So we felt a powerful responsibility to treat these guys with respect and to avoid being exploitative.  Our approach was that we're not making a pro-war film or an anti-war film, it's just a naked look at what war really is.  And the response from the soldiers in Baker Company has been largely supportive and grateful.  It's a sign of validation that so many of the guys from Baker Company have asked what they can do to help promote the film, including the commanding officer, Captain Rich Thompson, who will be attending the Newport Beach screening and leading a Q&A immediately afterward.

One other thing I have to say is that the U.S. Army was remarkably cooperative with us, especially considering that the film shows the cash payouts and that many of the soldiers say things that probably make the Army's top brass turn blue in the face.  But the Army's take on it was "We may not like the things the soldiers have to say, but after 7 years in Iraq, they've earned the right to say it."  The Army exhibited no creative control whatsoever on the content of the film. The only changes they requested were to blur the faces of certain people whose safety would be compromised if their identities were revealed on film.

Q: What do you do when not making a smash indie film?

A: The curse of making independent films is that as soon as you finish one, you are unemployed until you get the next one going. It's a frightening cycle that means no matter how much success your latest film achieves, you can never get comfortable resting on your laurels.  So when we're not in production, we're writing scripts or searching for scripts that we can fall in love with, then packaging them, securing financing and basically pouring our souls into the entire process, because in my experience that's the only way that worthwhile films get made.  

That, and spending good quality time with our wives and kids who endure us being gone for months at a time when we're in production!

BAKER BOYS screens at 2:45 PM on Friday, April 23 at the Edwards Island Theater 6.

Buy ticket here:

http://newportbeachfilmfest.tix.com/Event.asp?Event=256746

Watch the trailer for Baker Boys here:

Posted by Kelly Strodl