von Trier declared "Persona Non Grata" at Cannes

Filmmakers sometimes make remarks that ignore political and social sensitivities. We must remind ourselves that we are artists, not politicos. That is unless, you are a politico filmmaker (e.g., Michael Moore, Morgan Spurlock). Our job is to entertain, inspire, inform, and educate. In that order. Well, Cannes declared Lars von Trier a persona non grata at its festival amid his inflammatory comments surrounding Hitler. He may have had the right to say it, but he probably should not sympathize with the Nazi Leader, especially in France. Or anywhere in Europe for that matter. Don't worry about von Trier as he will most likely bounce back from this in a few years.

In case the phrase is new to you, persona non grata status is usually reserved in the political arena. Basically, it means "unwelcome person". In some countries, declared personas non grata will be prosecuted if caught trying to reenter that country. Talk about visiting those Latin lessons!

Happy Filmmaking!

Is Memphis the new Tribeca?

The Indie Memphis Film Festival opens tomorrow, running through Sunday. Although still short for a film festival, Memphis is quickly becoming a hot bed for indie talent. Is it because Three 6 Mafia won an Oscar? Well...

I think I would "blame" the tax incentives. Tennessee has a phenomenal 32% tax rebate!

Happy Filmmaking!

Why so quiet on TIFF

I haven't been ignoring the 35th Toronto International Film Festival. indieWIRE pretty much has it covered. While it will be great to go to Toronto, 300 films would tire this blogger out. Fortunately, indieWIRE has the manpower to see and review nearly all of the largest indie previews of the year. The winners are actually being announced as I write this.

The best news I've heard out of TIFF: distributors are buying! Don't take my word for it, here is the latest buzz on TIFF. Great festival, Toronto.

Happy Filmmaking!

LAFF-ing All The Way to the Bank

What has happened to you, LA Film Festival? You are disappointing me. Last night felt like Purgatory. And by that, I mean, waiting in line for absolutely everything. I guess it was my fault for not securing a pass. But hey, I don't have $500 right now to give to the film festival so I can stand in line somewhere else. Some of us have student loans to pay. While I used to and still enjoy chatting up my fellow line-waiters, you come to realize that many of the conversations in-line are not about that great film from Kenya. Instead, the conversations steer closer to, "Did they say the film is running 15 minutes late, or 45 minutes late?"

There seems to be a lack of scheduling this year. I waited in line for about 40 minutes to get into the free screening of Lost Angels, only to find out not only were there no more seats, but the film started 15 minutes late. And it was too late to check out another film. So, I guess I can hang out in the void that is LA Live's open air space until my next film starts at 9:45pm. Only, that film actually started around 10:15pm.

Yeah, that was silly of me. What I like about LAFF last year was the enclosure atmosphere. Everything was about the film festival in Westwood. This year, the indie film crowd shares the same space as graduating high school seniors, Club Nokia goers, Lakers fans, and hockey families enjoying all the pleasures of the NHL draft. Seriously. This makes for a diverse, but chaotic crowd of individuals, who all happen to be hungry. Oh, and the Starbucks is out of food. The smell of Miller Light and diapers does not mix well with the smell of some full-bodied, California Cabernet and smugness. And both do not mix well with the smell of hair gel, lip gloss, and used condoms either.

I guess I should talk a little about the movie I did see last night. Ain't in It for My Health documents aging rocker Levon Helm as he struggles with waning popularity, money issues, and losing his voice. Great film, but personally, I wanted to see more about Levon's previous battle with cancer. Seems to be omitted from the doc. Also, the doc never fully answered why Levon was bitter about The Band's height of popularity.

Happy Filmmaking.

Blogging the LAFF

It's that time of year! The LA Film Festival is now in full swing. This year, instead of the rolling hills and glistening streets of Westwood, the festival takes place downtown at the recently-completed LA Live. Methinks this is part of the city's plan to gentrify the once-avoided area.

Anywhoo, I thought I would take the time to review the films I saw today and the festival thus far. While I still ponder the reasoning behind moving the festival downtown, I must admit it was a smart choice. Moving the festival to LA Live makes it more accessible to locals via Metro. Not to mention, everyone in Los Angeles knows where the Staples Center is. Despite its premier location, I must shake my head at the available food and rest options currently at LA Live. Last year, there was a plethora of cafes, fast food joints, convenience stores, restaurants, and sushi bars to keep the plebeians happy. This year, most of the food choices center around the sit-down restaurant experience and Starbucks. Needless to say, the Starbucks is seeing alot of action these days for festival-goers looking for a quick bite in-between screenings. There's a Subway three blocks up and one block east, but seriously, no one walks in LA. I found it by accident myself.

Moving on to the screenings. I saw two docs today. Great films. A quick review on both.

GasLand, directed by hippie-raised Pennsylvanian Josh Fox, protests natural gas companies' abuses of our most precious and vital resource: water. Interview after interview reveals how landowners' water reserves are now filled with undrinkable, flammable water. Yes, you can literally light what is supposed to be drinking water straight from the faucet. The citizens try to fight back in their own ways, but are ultimately at a loss for a final solution. God only knows what these folks are drinking. Interesting enough, Fox mentions during the Q-and-A how he is now the target of natural gas companies who are desperately trying to debunk his film. He wasn't lying.

The film was informative, however, Fox inserted himself in the documentary a little too much for me. I gave it a 3 in the audience choice vote.

Where are You Taking Me?, directed by Kimi Takesue, highlights life in post-civil war Uganda. Takesue uses a non-narrative, minimalist documentary style in order to create a living portrait of the Ugandan people. She uses plenty of close-ups, carefully capturing each nameless subject as they go by their daily lives. Scenes slowly reveal themselves, busting stereotypes wide open. For example, one scene shows young children breaking rocks in a quarry. Dirty and waif-like, they peer at the overseer. He's pushing them to work harder. Then, a boom mike and camera appear, and the word "cut" is heard. This is a movie set. As you watch, you come to the realization that despite the civil war being in the recent past, the Ugandan people are optimistic. They are also more athletic and multi-lingual than you will ever be! My vote was a 4.

Happy Filmmaking!

Yes, we Cannes!

So I'm talking about Cannes five days after it ended. Sue me. I was busy.

In an excuse to visit Côte d'Azur and mark it as a business expense, hundreds of filmmakers, distributors, and buyers flock to the coastal town every year to see acts of intellectual pretentiousness on celluloid. But seriously, how can one hate a film festival that exists because everyone was sick of Nazi films?

This year, Tim Burton led the prestigious film jury. Also, legendary filmmakers Woody Allen, Lars von Trier, and Jean-Luc Godard (yeah, that one!) showcased comeback films.

So, how was Cannes this year? Well....

"....was far from a stellar year." -FilmBlog at The Guardian

Ummm. Ok. Well, they are Brits. Brits only have a taste for tea. How 'bout an American?

"...I said that this doesn’t seem to be a very good Cannes. Her answer was, 'No masterpieces so far.'”-Howard Feinstein, Filmmaker Magazine

Well, I subscribe to Filmmaker Magazine and it's possible the editors have impossibly high standards. Another news source?

"...a lack of star power and too few movies generating genuine buzz sapped the festival of excitement." -Reuters

Ok, do these guys count? Reuters is still kinda British. Hollywood, Your take?

"...it looked as though Cannes 2010 would be remembered as the year of the volcano and not much more, so uninspiring were most of the films in competition" -Justin Chang, Variety

F*** you, Variety. Moving on.

There was one surprise. A film called Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul (say that 10 times fast!), won the Palm d'Or. The film beat out British indie golden-boy Mike Leigh and Mexician-American indie powerhouse Alejandro González Iñárritu who both went home with nothing.

We salute you, Mr. Weerasethakul. Happy Filmmaking!

Roman Polanski Arrested!!!

As IndieWire reports, Polanski was arrested in Zurich, Switzerland on the now 31-year old charge of statutory rape. He happened to be in town for the film festival, but failed to check whether the Swiss had an extradition agreement with the US. They do.

This adds more to Polanski's problems. Although one of his wife's murderers died this week, the arrest will probably make even bigger headlines.

Happy Filmmaking!

Shameless self-promotion plug!

Because I have no shame, please feel free to vote for me in the link below for the Canadian Festival WILDsound. You know I deserve it. Also, check out my competition. There are some pretty talented people here.


http://www.wildsound-filmmaking-feedback-events.com/encounter.html

Happy Filmmaking!

More Images from LAFF

I never did mention the movies I saw. I am a working girl, so many of the films I wanted to see previewed on the weekends. I saw:

Zero Bridge-touching tale about a pickpocket teenage orphan in Kashmir.

I Sell the Dead-very quirky, but fun.

Wah Do Dem-which won the narrative award, by the way! White boy lost in Jamaica. What's not to love about that?

The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia-just like it sounds. Produced by Johnny Knoxville.

Not a large list, but I missed quite a few I intended to see. My boyfriend volunteered at the festival so my tickets were gratis! It was at this same festival that he decided he wanted to produce some projects I'm working on. In LA for less than two months and he already caught the filmmaking bug!

Us in the Filmmaker's Lounge.

More photos. Excuse my Blackberry camera:


Tap dancing king of West Virginia.

Happy Filmmaking!

Photos from LAFF

Didn't think I was going to cover the festival, right? Well, enjoy my attempt to take decent pictures with my camera phone.

Westwood CA, USA

Map of the festival.

The Zone Perfect Lounge: where the cool kids hang out.

This was an exhibit where patrons added on the paintings. The results are...interesting. I'm attempting to "fix" a painting.

I added the water, the hill, and the city. I tried.

More photos later! Happy Filmmaking!

USC's First Look 2009!

This weekend. Saturday and Sunday. In the Norris Cinema Theatre on USC's campus. In Los Angeles, California! Be there!

But seriously, First Look is always a big deal for the School of Cinematic Arts. It showcases both undergrad and grad thesis projects from the previous semester to the general public and alums. Highly supported by former and current students, First Look is often the highlight of the year for the schoo, only falling short of graduation.

I'm going to not only support my fellow trojans, but to support a few friends and acquaintances who are showcasing on Sunday. For example, Christine T. Berg will It gives me time to be jealous of them (I'm just kidding, but I live for this!) If you are in town, you should check it out, too.

I can't sign off with doing the school cheer:
S-O-U-T-H-E-R-N C-A-L-I-F-O-R-N-I-A! Southern California! (Victory sign in the air).

Happy Filmmaking!

Do Film Festivals REALLY care about unknown filmmakers?

An interesting concept. Over at Film Independent, one aspiring filmmaker dares to post this question. Although it would feel like many film festivals only care about films that would give them the most press, it does seem a little harsh to assume all festivals can care less about the rising filmmakers.

The article suggests that filmmakers should never limit themselves with just the large, tougher-to-get-into-than-Heaven film festivals like Sundance and Cannes, but also check out the local scenes. And also follow the golden rule of the Industry: network.

The rest of the article is here.

Happy Filmmaking.

"Because we can":a filmmaking contest

Over at filmmaking.net, Kyle Pretorius wrote an article laying out the general idea for a film contest titled "Because We Can." A Vodka company from New Zealand will grant some lucky filmmakers a chance of exposure and $4200 in exchange for a unique concept incorporating the contest's motto.

The contest ends 31 December 2008. Get crackin'!

The contest's site is here.

Happy Filmmaking!

2009 Los Angeles Film Festival

The 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival, sponsored by Film Independent, is now open for submissions. This is a great and huge film festival, lasting 10 days and hosting 85,000 attendees this year. You have the option of submitting your film through withoutabox.com. They have three deadlines, with the earliest being 5 December. The festival will be held 18-28 June 2009.

The rest of the guidelines are here.

Happy Filmmaking.

Joaquin Phoenix Quits Acting for Music!

The younger brother of the late River Phoenix told Associated Press last week that Two Lovers was his last film. The actor wants to focus more on his budding music career. He earlier displayed his musical talents as Johnny Cash in Walk the Line.

Phoenix started his acting career as a child, acting along side of his siblings. He gained critical acclaim for his roles in To Die For, U-Turn, and Gladiator.

Two Lovers, produced by 2929 Productions, is scheduled for USA release 13 February 2009. The film already previewed at Cannes, Hampton International, and London Film Festivals.


The Variety article is here.

Happy Filmmaking!