NBFF Filmmaker's Five with Robert Celestino

By Kelly Strodl

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Today we talk with Robert Celestino, director of LEAVE, a film about Henry Harper - a successful novelist who has it all. But after surviving a recent trauma he finds himself haunted by a reoccurring dream that terrifies him. Henry decides to go to a remote second home to begin work on his next novel, a thriller. Convinced that the only way to understand what the dream means is to write his way through it. While there he encounters a strangely familiar drifter, who confronts him with information that threatens to turn everything he knows to be true, upside down. Director, producers and talent will attend the screening of this premiere!! 

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

Who doesn't know about the Newport Film Festival? My last film premiered at Tribeca, the one before that at Sundance and now Leave is premiering at Newport -- In horse racing, they call that the Triple Crown.  The producers and I are delighted to be premiering our film here.

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

Frank John Hughes and Rick Gomez came up with the story and then Frank, who I think is one of the greatest American writers living wrote the screenplay.  It's a wonderful story with great characters and dialogue.

They guys introduced me to producer Michael Hagerty.  Michael is a hard worker who brings out the best in people.  He brought producer Bettina Tendler O'Mara aboard.  Bettina has the patience of a saint, she believed in the project and along with Michael; she was able to obtain a budget and schedule I could work with.  I had a lot of fun making this film and working with these talented and like-minded people.

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

I started in the late 80's with shorts and doc's, and wrote and directed my first feature in 1991. Things didn't go to well with the picture and financing ran out pretty quick.  We were still shooting on film in those days and cutting on flatbeds. A shoestring budget in 1990 was well over $200,000. The days of shooting a feature for pennies on video did not yet exist.   

When I ran out of money the lab tried to auction my negative and I spent the next three years in court trying to hold onto the film.  My efforts proved futile and ultimately I lost the film. But in my eyes, it was my film and I held all aesthetic rights.  So I walked into a local video facility in Yonkers to do some re-cuts, change the title, and hopefully make some foreign sales.  When I showed the film to the owner, he was impressed and asked me if I would look at a film he made for five thousand dollars. The film wasn't a masterpiece but he shot it on film for five grand!  I couldn’t believe it.  I walked out of there inspired. I thought if he can make a feature for $5000, I should be able to do one for $10,000.

I looked over my scripts.  I had one I thought could be produced for very little. I called in every favor and asked for plenty more, still I couldn’t budget the film for less than $20,000 – and that was just to get it in the can. 

But where was I going to get twenty grand?  I had sold my condo to finish the last film and lost every dime.  On top of that I borrowed a bunch of money from guys with New York accents who were showing up at my apartment wondering what happened to the condo I was going to sell to pay them back. 

Two weeks later I set a production date and scheduled a 19-day shoot.  We were set to start shooting in six weeks.  I still didn't have any money.  I was desperate.   My wife was willing to borrow $5000 against her only credit card and I had a friend who owned and gym in CT., who said he would invest $5000 if he could write some of the songs for the film.  That gave me $10,000, half the money, with two weeks left to the start of production.  One of the co-producers said jokingly, “Let’s go to Atlantic City and put it all on the black.”  Of course he was kidding and I the guy who made Yonkers Joe – I know you can’t win gambling, especially when you are desperate.  But I needed a sign, after what I went through on the last film, I thought of the words Carl Jung had posted over his door, “Ready or not the Gods will come.”  I needed the gods to come.  If I was going to stick around it had to be more than me. 

Cut to my co-producer, Brian Smyj and I diving down the Jersey Turnpike in the rain to Atlantic City.  It was a two and a half hour drive from where I lived.  The only rule we had is we’re not going to talk about.  We’re going to the first casino we come to, walk to the closest roulette wheel and bet the entire 10 grand… No thought, no decision, no hesitation – Just make the bet.  And that’s what we did…  The first hotel we came to was Trump’s casino.  We came off the escalator and walked up to the roulette wheel.  The money was in crumpled bills; we were in shorts and unshaven.  I could only imagine what the dealers were thinking when I threw the bills on the table and said “Gimme all black.” 

The dealer straitened out the money as she counted it, then pushed me the chips.  I pushed them right back – all ten thousand dollars worth onto the black.  And this is where it becomes like a movie.  Anyone who has played roulette knows it takes some time for the ball to settle -- it bounces around a bit then plops into a slot.  After what seemed an eternity, the ball plopped into the red. 

I looked at Brian and I thought, this is it… I’m done. The gods have made their choice.  There will be no film and I’m no filmmaker.    Then, at that very moment as if some invisible finger stuck their hand into the slot and grabbed hold of the tiny white ball – it popped out of the red and into the black!  We did it!  We had the money!  I remember Brian screaming and I began to weep.  We left the casino and two weeks later I began production on Mr. Vincent.  Everything that went wrong with my first feature went right with Mr. Vincent.  There was no looking back.  We premiered at Sundance and had a wonderful experience with the film.

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

Frank introduced me to Rick Gomez.  I was a fan of Rick’s but I had no idea of his work ethic. I knew where Frank would go, as we had worked many times together.  But the film could not work unless Rick was able to believe in something his character would find impossible to believe.  As a man, there is no fooling Rick; he’s a brave heart who will go anywhere you ask of him as long as he believes it too.  He’s also wickedly intelligent.  So if you start to change things around he’s going to have questions. It was give and take for he and I at first, but then at some point early on we began to bond.  Making a film is a battle; your courage is tested many times. I respect him for his courage and his sensitivity, and a phenomenal ability to make you believe what his character believes. Every part of him, every cell of his body, heart and mind goes into the roll.  That’s how much courage he has. I loved working with him.

Frank John Hughes is more of a partner than I actor I work with.  On every film we’ve worked on together you’ll find us off in some corner discussing an element of the scene we’re shooting.  He’s extremely smart and has a keen sense of what is real and what is believable.  He also has what I believe is the greatest quality an artist can have -- he’s not lazy.  Through the years he and I have had marathon sessions trying to get to the heart of a character or solve a story point.   

Casting Amy was a real challenge, I had to believe that husband and wife shared a bond that went beyond physical attraction -- that went beyond even the love they felt for each other.  I wanted to experience something spiritual in their relationship – as if one doesn’t exist without the other.   A lot of what Henry does in the film comes from how connected he is to his wife.  Vinessa Shaw understood this.  Amy is an emotional roll, whose function in the story to attack the hero’s weakness as an ally.  Vinessa approached her as a strong women, dignified, classy but a little icy.  It was a brilliant approach as Vinessa kept the character’s arc in mind.  She knew it would be more moving for an audience if her character found that deeply emotional part of herself at a time when it would have the most impact. Vinessa nailed it!  It was a great choice and it was all hers. 

Great actors are the smartest people I know.  An ‘alive’ performance must be calculated, thought out in stages, then thrown away so we as an audience may feel like we’re experiencing it for the first time.  If you don’t think that’s hard, try it.  Try experiencing something you’ve done many times, as if it were the first time – then make me believe it!

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

I’m writing smash indie scripts!  Ha!  I write seven days a week, but only in the mornings.  The rest of the day I spend with my beautiful wife, who won’t let me out of her sight, until I pay her the $5000 I still owe her.

LEAVE screens Tuesday, May 3 at 7:45 PM at the Regency Lido Theater.

To purchase tickets visit:

http://newportbeach.slated.com/2011/films/leave_robertcelestino_newportbeach2011

Watch the trailer for the film here:

http://www.facebook.com/thefilmleave

Then click on the videos tab to the left.

Posted by Kelly Strodl
 

NBFF Filmmaker's Five with Grant Wheeler

By Kelly Strodl

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Today Grant Wheeler, director of The Lone Jackal took a few minutes to answer some questions about his film that will screen as part of the Action Sports Shorts showcase this year. The documentary film follows motorcross freerider, Alastair Sayer on his return to his native African homeland after a successful European FMX tour. His journey home is chronicled through heart-felt narration while visiting friends and family and battling the weather to ride once again. The Lone Jackal documents a major turning point in Sayer's life, when he comes full circle, both literally and symbolically, preparing for the next stage of his life where he blazes a new path in his career and seals his legacy as one of Africa's most stylish freeriders.

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

I found the festival on Withoutabox.com.

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

I've been a dedicated fan of motorcycle movies from an early age, and I've collected almost every single title released since Terrafirma 1. And I've seen the progression of dirtbike films over the decades, following in the footsteps of skate and surf movies. As the years progressed these films started becoming more narrative driven and focused on the athletes and their personal stories. I felt that dirtbike movies needed to evolve into that direction, and I needed to evolve my own filmmaking into that direction too. So I rounded up the most volatile and well respected African freerider, the bushcat from Botswana, Alastair Sayer. 

Alastair has a jam packed schedule traveling around Europe doing shows for Masters of Dirt and competing in the Night of the Jumps series, thus we had to plan our shoot for when he returns to South Africa between events. The premise of the film was to depict the rider 'helmet off', getting a deeper perspective of what it takes to live this rock-star lifestyle, yet still with a healthy dose of great riding sequences. Alastair moved into my house for his time back home, and so did most of the production crew. We followed him almost Cinema Verte style from the moment he stepped off the plane till he left again. 

Jakalas, as his fans know him by, was going through a huge personal battle at the time. He was at a turning point in his career, where he either had to progress to the next level, or quit completely. Each time he left home he risked his relationship with close family and friends. Being away from your loved ones for long periods takes its toll on the toughest of characters. Alastair beautifully narrated his journey and the choices he made. After five weeks of shooting, and an all night session in the voice over studio later, we said our goodbyes and he was off on another adventure. Days later he set the new World Record for set-up and was awarded the best African FMX rider. 

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

I grew up racing motorcycles, broke too many bones and had to find something else I could do creatively while healing up. Shooting my buddies ride was always my passion, and still is. After making some dirtbike movies, I completed my studies at film school and now I'm very fortunate to still be making motorcycle movies, its not really a job. Thats why I love it so much.

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

The weather played a big role in the production of this film. We went into production during spring, just as the summer thunderstorms started rolling into Johannesburg. We planned an epic sunset freeride session but day after day we got rained out, and our time with Alastair was also running out. But eventually the bad weather turned into a metaphor for Alastairs personal struggles, so I wrote it into the film. On the second to last day of shooting, we headed out to his favorite freeride spot and the clouds magically parted for us to shoot the most epic sunset sequence. And in his own words, "Every day is a gift, that is why they call it the Present".

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

I try to ride my motorcycle as much as I can. I've just recently had most of the titanium plates and bolts removed from my body, and hope to be injury free for a while. Other than that I'm currently making Extreme Enduro movies for Throttle Entertainment and traveling the world in search of new stories.

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THE LONE JACKAL screens with two other films as part of the ACTION SPORTS SHORTS SHOWCASE Saturday, April 30 at 11 AM in the Triangle Square Theater 4.

To purchase tickets visit:

http://newportbeach.slated.com/2011/films/thelonejackal_jonathangrantwheeler_newportbeach2011

Watch the trailer for the film here:

Posted by Kelly Strodl
 

NBFF Filmmaker's Five with Lisa Gossels

By Kelly Strodl
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Today we talk with Lisa Gossels, director of My So-Called Enemy, the coming of age story of six Palestinian and Israeli teenage girls who travel to the U.S. to participate in a women's leadership program called Building Bridges for Peace and the transformative journey that follows both in the program and upon their return to their native countries. In July 2002, 22 women came to the U.S. to participate in the program, and during their time learned to reconcile their experience in the program with the realities of life back home in the Middle East over the next 7 years. What unfolds is an emotionally-charged film about the human consequences of all conflicts--as seen through the eyes of 6 young women who are thoughtful, intelligent and articulate beyond their years.

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

From Steve Shor, a Film Festival Advisor to the Newport Beach Film Festival.

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

When I started making "My So-Called Enemy" in 2002, I had no idea how long it would take to make the movie, or how transformative the 8-year journey would be.  I did not make the film with any answers;  the process was all about asking questions. 

Right after 9/11, I remember engaging in heated political debates about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.  I came to understand how wars could be fought on words and how easy it is to reduce conflicts to black and white terms. 

Two months earlier, I had the privilege of meeting Melodye Feldman, the founder of Seeking Common Ground (and its Building Bridges for Peace flagship program), at a Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education conference (CAJE) in Denver.  Melodye shared the stage with some Palestinian and Israeli participants from her 2001 summer program.  I was so taken by the stories from the teenage girls about how the program had changed them that I knew I had found the subject-matter for my next film. "My So-Called Enemy" was never a film about an idea, but about young people. And, I loved the idea that those young people were women, because, as Nicholas Kristof once wrote, "focusing on women and girls is the most effective way to fight global poverty and extremism."

While the first act of "My So-Called Enemy" takes place in the emotionallly charged 2002 Building Bridges program, to me the film is really about what happens to the six participants when they return home to the Middle East over the next 7 years.

Q.  What is the core message of your film? 

The central message of "My So-Called Enemy" is the transformative power of knowing  "the other," or "the enemy," as a human being.  Through the stories of the young Israeli, Palestinian and Palestinian Israeli women in the film, we see how creating relationships across emotional, ideological and physical borders is a first step towards resolving conflict.  Because "My So-Called Enemy" is an emotional journey, it opens hearts and minds and creates the space for dialogue about not only the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, but issues that divide us in our families, schools and communities.  By watching "My So-Called Enemy," viewers will see the complexities of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict through a human lens--and the possibility and hope that comes from listening to each other's stories.

Q: Your take on the main characters in your movie (set backs, triumphs, impressions, good surprises, etc.)

Adi, Gal, Hanin, Inas, Rawan and Rezan, the main characters in "My So-Called Enemy," were teenagers when I first started filming them.  Because they live in a conflict region, it took a great deal of courage for them to participate in the movie.  While we had some access issues of where we could film some of the girls, particularly the Palestinians, all of them opened their hearts, minds and lives to our cameras.  Because films can be very manipulative and will be seen by mass audiences, we have an awesome responsibility as  documentarians to not only convey the personal truths of our subjects, but to honor the trust they have bestowed upon us--with the understanding that will have to live in their societies with the final film.  We were always careful to respect not only the girls' dignity, but their personal safety.  We never created high drama, or humorous moments, at their expense.  The young women in "My So-Called Enemy" are my hope. They all have become my family.

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MY SO-CALLED ENEMY screens on Sunday, May 1 at 1 PM at the Triangle Square Theater 3. And Wednesday, May 4 at 3:30 PM at the Regency Lido Theater.

Click on link below to watch a sample of the film:

Click below to buy tickets for the film:

http://newportbeach.slated.com/2011/films/mysocalledenemy_lisagossels_newportbeach2011

Or for more information on the film and program, follow the links below:

www.mysocalledenemy.com

www.facebook.com/mysocalledenemy

www.s-c-g.org

Posted by Kelly Strodl
 

NBFF Filmmaker's Five with Kevin Van Hagen and Drew Pierce

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By Kelly Strodl

Yup, you know what this means... We're back with the 2011 edition of NBFF Filmmaker's Five a quick and quirky Q&A with independent filmmakers showing their films at the festival each year. For our kickoff edition, I talked with producer Kevin Van Hagen and director Drew Pierce – of DEADHEADS, a postmodern take on the buddy flick, where the two friends just happen to be two inexplicably coherent zombies!

Reminiscent of such 80’s-epics as Goonies, TeenWolf, My Best Friend’s a Vampire, and the like, the story follows two slackers, Mike and Brent, who find themselves surprisingly un-dead amid a disastrous zombie outbreak. After discovering an engagement ring in his coat pocket, Mike enlists his new found zombie pal, Brent, to embark on a quest in search of his lost love. So they’re undead, that doesn’t mean the two can’t embark on a road trip adventure of Goonies proportions – full of high jinks, awkward reunions,  and a search for lost love, unaware that they are being pursued by ruthless, zombie-killing bounty hunters!

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

It had been recommended to us and we'd read an article about the 10 best fests that were worth the price of submission and Newport was up there. Advice to any new filmmakers like ourselves, budget for festival submission costs and do your homework about which ones are worth it. 

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

It's a zombie/buddy/road trip/action/adventure/romantic comedy. Say that three times fast! It's about two zombie pals newly risen from the dead, Mike and Brent, whom embark on a cross country road in search of Mike's lost love as they are pursued by a team of ruthless bounty hunters. After moving to LA to pursue our dreams we quickly entered the lovely world of production assistant employment. Drew came up with the idea of a zombie buddy film andI chimed in with the lost love angle and we started burning the midnight oil on draft after draft of the script out of fear of becoming permanent PA's. 

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

Drew and I grew up amid the production of EVIL DEAD as kids, our father was the visual FX artist on it. Watching Sam Raimi and the guys spin out their crazy horror/comedy flick got us itching to do the same. We made some zero budget indie films with our friends back in our home state of Michigan and that was our film school. Every weekend someone was shooting something and if you didn't show up to lend a hand (or your camera) you weren't pulling your weight. 

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

Our cast is amazing. Michael McKiddy and Ross Kidder are our zombie comedy duo and it kills me that others haven't picked up on these two yet. Mike and Ross are the type of actors you pray you get. They never flinched that we shot 10 weeks/6 days a week, covered them in fake blood, and rigged them with explosive squibs. Truth is, they wanted to be there just as much as us, they believed in us and the movie. I remember one night we we're setting up for this beautiful wide shot of an old creepy barn with encroaching zombies, and there's Mike next to me in full makup and costume. He looked at me and said with a smile "I can't believe we're doing this!" That makes me smile even to this day. 

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

I'm a production coordinator on a reality TV series and my brother is a freelance animator. After work it's still a full time job on DEADHEADS. The battle for distribution is an entirely different monster and applying to fests can be very up and down emotionally but you just keep moving forward. Making movies is a series of insurmountable problems but it's also the most fun we've ever had in our lives.

DEADHEADS screens on Friday, April 29 at 8:15 PM at the Triangle Square Theater 1. And Tuesday, May 2 at 7:45 PM at the Triangle Square Theater 6.

The Friday show has already sold out, but there are still tickets available for the Tuesday screening.

Purchase tickets here:

http://newportbeachfilmfest.tix.com/Event.asp?Event=358115


Or watch the trailer on YouTube, here:

Posted by Kelly Strodl
 

The NBFF 2011 Official Line UP

The time has come film-frienzied followers for the 12th annual Newport Beach Film Festival. Boasting yet again, a slew of high-quality film, fancy fare, and pimped-out partying, it's sure to be an event for the books. 

Eight days and nights filled with more than 350 films, many starring big names the likes of Lucy Liu, Michael C. Hall, Peter Fonda, Colin Hanks, Harvey Keitel, and more... Spotlight parties that have earned their own reputations as high-quality industry networking events and just a plain good old fashioned time. Food from more than 30 of this international destination's most illustrious eateries. Old friends and new – plus, dancing, drinks, the Southern California sun await the thousands expected to visit this April 28th through May 5, 2011.

With less than a month to go before Opening Night, there will be a ton of giveaways, deals and special announcements to be found right here: 

For starters...

Right now you can sign up to win a pair of ALL ACCESS Passes to the fest through OC Weekly. Valued at $450 each, these laminated golden keys will gain you entrance to all parties, films, social events, free food, drinks, networking and special events you can imagine.

Make sure to get started planning your week, to catch the best of the best in film, fun and entertainment. With several than 350 films and 10+ evening events planned, plus a slew of workshop and the the like there's a lot to pack in to eight days. 

Flip through this year's NBFF Program e-booklet for a peek at all the happenings. (No trees were harmed in the making of this program).

- @kelly4nia your film fest corespondent
Posted by Kelly Strodl
 

NBFF Filmmaker's Five with Nicolas Simonin

By Kelly Strodl

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Today I spoke with Nicolas Simonin, director of the short film DERAILED. The film, part of a collection of short films called DETOUR.FR, a project that will take the watcher into a dark side of Paris. In DERAILED, An anonymous man finds himself lost on the no man's land of railways in a strange train station at night, in Paris, as he tries to help a woman. A woman who is not all that she seems. 

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

I heard about the New Port Beach Festival few months ago in France while I was searching for Festivals to submit my movie to. I found the previous selection of movie interesting and the place really great. New Port Beach is a really nice set for Networking and for enjoying movies.

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

DERAILED is part of a collection of short stories I wrote a year ago. My goal is to make one or two shorts per year. All the stories share the same concept: “a dark story happens the same night in a large western city like Paris, London, or Sao Paolo”. What’s important is, it always starts with a simple situation that turns to scary life-to-death situation. I am currently working on the feature version of the short ‘DERAILED’.

Making an Horror movie on real locations was very challenging but it worth it. With DERAILED I had to deal with a lot of elements: the weather, the windy cold, the security of the set and of the actors. My first DA fainted the second day of the shooting. I had no choice but to continue shooting the movie without DA. But at the end, we had amazing images and a really scary atmosphere…as scary as it was on the real set.

Q: Tell a little about yourself and your story in filmmaking.
DERAILED is my second short movie. I am a ‘traveling’ film maker. I did my first short in Argentina few years ago. Then with DERAILED I moved to the United States. I am originally an Engineer who switches 8 years ago for a career in the movie industry.

I have been working as a producer assistant in France for 3 years, then as a professional screenwriter for the French TV networks for 5 years. Now I am moving my career toward the Feature movie industry with a first movie in development in France and a lot of projects here in the US. DERAILED is my first success with already 5 official selections since January and two Awards (Honor Award at the NPB Festival and “Best Foreign Film” at the Fearless Film Festival Forth Worth, Texas).

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

Hubert Benhamdine is a well known actor in France. He has done lot of TV shows. His physical performance on the set was so great. He did all the stunt performances. He was so involved physically on the set, that the last day Hubert’s legs were almost paralyzed by the cold.

Julie Louart who plays the Creature of the rail tracks, did an amazing job. We did a lot of rehearsal to built the Creature gestures and movements. She stayed incredibly resistant to the cold. We filmed the movie during 4 cold winter nights in Paris and she was wearing almost nothing during the whole shooting.

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

By day, I work as a social media consultant and graphic designer. Internet has always been my thing since 6 years now. I also work as a professional TV screenwriter for France.

THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE FILM: www.DETOUR.FR I suggest Internet users have a look to www.detour.fr : we’re building an Interactive game that will allow Internet users to try to save the main character of the short from his curse. The game will start in late summer on this website. You can Join us on Facebook.

JOIN the film's Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=72869249417&ref=ss

Or check out the film's official blog www.aboutderailed.com

Find Simonin on IMDB:  http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2144991/resume

Posted by Kelly Strodl
 

Win a Trip for Two to the Edmonton International Film Festival

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The Newport Beach Film Festival is proud to partner with the Edmonton International Film Festival this year. 
Win A Trip for Two to Attend this fall. Just Text ALBERTA to 88704 to enter.
* Message and data rates may apply
 
About EIFF:
The Edmonton International Film Festival has prided itself for years on one concept - 'discovery'. Striving to uncover cinematic gems and celebrate unique voices in moviemaking such as directors, writers and producers. EIFF is about films and the people who make them.

Just a couple hours drive from the majestic Rocky Mountains, Edmonton is known for its big sky, endless sunshine, and its glorious crown jewel - The River Valley (which contains the largest stretch of urban parkland and trail systems in North America). Located east of Vancouver and west of Toronto, Edmonton is THE heart of the Canadian Prairies, the northernmost big city in North America. And with a population of more than one million people, this is a city that loves movies.

For nine days each autumn, Edmontonians feast on all things cinematic. It's a veritable buffet of fantastic, independent films from around the globe. Whatever the genre, EIFF programmers search the world over for entertaining films that exhibit great storytelling qualities. The  schedule includes 55 feature-length slots, and 110 short films programmed into feature-length packages. All films screened at EIFF must be Edmonton premieres.

Over the years, they've hosted John Waters, Patrick Warburton, Norman Jewison, Deepa Mehta, Jorgen Leth, Arthur Hiller, Anne Wheeler, Werner Herzog, Don McKellar, Bruce McDonald and more at the festival.

For more information on EIFF visit: 
Posted by Kelly Strodl
 

NBFF Filmmaker's Five with Jason Victor Everett

By Kelly Strodl 

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Today I spoke with Jason Victor Everett, director/writer/producer of the Sitdown, a short film showcased in the “Find Your Voice” set of films that screened the final day of the 2010 Newport Beach Film Festival. This short film asks the question: How do concerned foster parents cope with today's generation of violent wayward youth? What guidance can be offered to the adopted offspring of abusive homes and troubled streets? Perhaps delivering a few stern words is still the best place to start...

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

A:  We've been hearing good things about the festival from various sources for a while now, but the Newport Beach festival was portrayed in an especially good light in the documentary entitled "Official Rejection," which we saw about two months ago.  After attending this year, we can happily attest to the festival's rave reviews.  They really care a lot about the filmmakers and audiences at NBFF.

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

A: THE SITDOWN is a short comedic piece we put together in early 2009.  It's about a concerned foster parent providing advice to a troubled wayward youngster.  We shot it over the course of two weekends in my living room.

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

A: Seems like it's been a long road, since I had sort of an unfortunate detour along the way known as law school.  While working in the legal world in the years since graduation and trying to pay down huge student loans, I attended film classes at night and started up a small production company named Sound & Fury Productions.  We were lucky to start playing the festival circuit with THE SITDOWN in late 2009, which was the first short film out of that venture.  I also want to acknowledge the efforts of Olivia Lee, a very talented graphic designer by day, who helped immensely with THE SITDOWN in terms of both the production and promotional process.     

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

A:  Hmmm ... well given that the lead performance was from a non-actor (unfortunately yours truly), I'd have to say the acting was especially weak!   

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

A: Well, as I have a very very long way to go before ever making a "smash indie film," I'd say in my spare time (what is that? some kind of foreign concept?) I'm doing my best to hopefully make semi-competent short films.  But most of the time I'm working the non-film day job, which is both a blessing (glad to be working in this economy) and maybe a curse, since it takes up so much time and energy.  In sum, I truly believe I have consumed enough 5-Hour Energy over the past two years that I could be their official spokesperson by now.

Posted by Kelly Strodl
 

NBFF Filmmaker's Five with David Orr

By Kelly Strodl

Refresh_kelly2

Today I spoke with David Orr, director of Refresh, a sci-fi thriller about Roger Dean, a successful businessman, who has been clinically depressed for years, to the point of suicide. He has attempted a range of remedies, some prescribed, some radical, but none have worked for him. At the end of his rope, he approaches PDLAS, a mysterious private company that promises an effective - but irrevocable - solution. All he is told is that he will emerge 'completely refreshed.'

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

A: Through a colleague of mine, Stuart Shook of Shelter Post. He works with our editor, Christopher Willoughby, and suggested we submit to Newport Beach. I'm really glad I did - I saw some great stuff here.

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

A: REFRESH was based on an experience of mine at a sleep study lab - where they monitor sleep patterns during an overnight stay, although in the film that experience is taken to an extreme! I wanted to address the idea that some people would do anything to utterly change their life. We shot on a DSLR with video capabilities, the Canon 5D mark II in May of last year. We were the first narrative piece ever shot with that technology (at the time only Vincent Laforet and Shane Hurlbut had used the camera as a production tool: Vincent for a montage titled 'Reverie' and Shane for some viral packages for Terminator Salvation). Canon had no idea that people would take the 5DmkII seriously as a production tool (the video function was really intended for photojournalists to grab clips on the fly), so had not developed refined controls for filmmakers. As pioneers, we were figuring out a lot of fixes and workarounds on our own. For instance, this was before you could even set the exposure on the camera itself; we'd establish what the exposure should be, point a light in the lens, then move it off the center until the exposure was correct. Then we'd hit the exposure lock and shoot. The week after we wrapped, Canon announced an upgrade to allow setting exposure! Since the production, I've been invited by Canon to consult on hardware and software development.

The results are astonishing. I showed clips of REFRESH at a symposium on emerging technologies at the Directors Guild of America. This was Theater 1 - one of the best screens in the world - and it held up! It looked better than the RED footage we saw there.

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

A: I am a commercial director and fine art photographer. I had done some experimental works quite a while ago (FAIRCHILD and NOCTURNE), which did well in festivals, and were shown repeatedly on PBS here in the states and Channel 4 Britain. This is my first narrative piece, and is a teaser for a feature I'm developing. 

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

A: I knew that Andrew (Turman, cinematographer) and I could make it look great; but I was adamant that we get great performances. In fact, the production was designed to accommodate faster setups to allow ample time with the actors.

Casting was, by far, the most critical aspect of the production (as it should be), and I have to give thanks to Anthony Krauss, our Casting Director. Luckily everyone: Anthony, actors we approached, and their representation, liked my reel, and really responded to the script. Steven Culp loved it - he's a big 'Twilight Zone' fan - and signed on quickly. That was a game changer - suddenly our calls to Endeavor and CAA were being returned quickly! Scott Michael Campbell signed on after that, and we were good to go. Both, of course, are excellent and accomplished actors, so were a significant asset on a project like this. They were both enormously sympathetic to the rigors and realities of an indie flick, and both worked very, very hard.

Their working styles were different, of course: if pressed, I'd say that Steven works more from the inside out and Scott from the outside in. In order to work more effectively with actors, I'd studied acting at Playhouse West, and had taken the Judith Weston (acting for directors) course, so was able to navigate both styles fairly well. The most exciting moments by far were seeing what a talented actor brings to character and a story. Not only seeing the words come to life, but the nuances that are brought into play - the 'inner life' of the characters and situations. That's gold, especially when those things are something you may not have thought of initially, but seem so dead-on, furthering the story and bringing additional layers to it. Both Steven and Scott have the presence and charisma that makes you want to watch them constantly - especially on a big screen.

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

A: I’m also a fine artist. Lately, the main medium has been photography. I love the collaborative nature of filmmaking, but it's nice to be able to create something without needing access to thousands of dollars and a crew! I've had some success with it - I'm in collections with Ansel Adams, John Baldessari, Jim Dine, David Hockney, and Edward Weston, and have shown all over the country and in Europe. I had originally tinkered with still cameras to become more fluid with the mechanics of lenses, exposure, composition etc., but now also love it was a means of expression. I do artists talks and presentations, and have been a guest speaker at UCLA on several occasions. The print work is fairly large, 20x30 inches to 40x60 inches. I will most likely be integrating motion into my artwork as time goes on. In my view, still and motion picture photography are merging quickly so one medium very much feeds and informs the other, both technically (look at my film!), and aesthetically.

Watch the film’s trailer here:

http://www.refreshfilm.com/trailer.html

Posted by Kelly Strodl