sundance 2006 - Zoael

SUNDANCE INSTITUTE 25th • SLAMDANCE • SXSW • CINEQUEST
CONFIDENTIAL: CLOWES AND ZWIGOFF GO BACK TO ART SCHOOL
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W I N T E R
2 0 0 6
NOT A DREAM! NOT A HOAX!
NOT AN IMAGINARY TALE!
REDFORD MOVES
SUNDANCE TO
BROOKLYN!
THE TRUE TALE OF THE
TALENT& THE
TALONS
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW:
PAUL GIAMATTI SPILLS
HIS BLOOD, SWEAT
AND TEARS OVER
“THE HAWK IS DYING”
THISMOVIE
WOULD TURN A
LESBIAN
HETERO!
But Maria Maggenti
laughs her way back
with her screwball,
second feature outing
“
Puccini for Beginners”
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$4.50
JOHN MALKOVICH
IS
PROFESSOR LANGFORD
ADVENTURES IN
COLOR SPACE:
DIGITAL INTERMEDIATES
CONQUER MASTERING
INDIE FILM DISTRIBUTION
PARADIGMS EMERGE
ART HOUSE CIRCUIT
RESURRECTS ITSELF
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IMAGE ENHANCING
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DIGITAL CINEMATOGRAPHY
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WOW! SERIOUS SOUND,
NO FLUTTER

farewell to
patrick hulsey
writer, producer, auteur, Rockers
SUNDANCE 2006
Page 4
Awards Ceremony Ends In Surprised Parties
By Sandy Mandelberger
Page 6
It’s the Silver Age of the Institute
By Sandy Mandelberger
Page 7
How Sweet It Is: Fuhgedaboud Skiing,
We’ve Got the Cheesecake!
Sundance to be Held in Brooklyn
By Eddy Gilbert Herch
Page 8
Sundance: Swag, Stars, Snow, Skis
and Some Serious Cinema
By Jackie Lovell
COVER STORY
Page 9
Talent, Talons and Truthful Talk
Paul Giamatti’s career no longer travels sideways,
but soars skyward in The Hawk Is Dying
Interview by Eddy Gilbert Herch
SUNDANCE 2006
Page 11
Life Imitates Art School
Daniel Clowes Opens a Door to a New “World”
with Art School Confidential
Interview by Eddy Gilbert Herch
Page 12
It’s a Straight Boy Meets Lesbian,
Lesbian Meets Straight Girl Story
Maria Maggenti Plays Triangle and Orchestrates
Puccini for Beginners
Interview by Eddy Gilbert Herch
SUNDANCE 2006
INTERNATIONAL
Page 16
Sundance Speaks All Languages
By Sandy Mandelberger
Page 17
Sundance Thinks Globally
Top International Titles Expand the Independent Vision
PEOPLE YOU
SHOULD KNOW
IRA DEUTCHMAN,
EMERGING PICTURES
Page 64
Emerging Profit
Interviewed By Scott Bayer
Page 65
And Now a Plot Point
from Our Sponsor
By Joe Tripician
Page 66
Fine Arts Theater Reopens
in Beverly Hills
Brings with it Vestiges of
Hollywood’s Golden Era
By Cristianne Roget
SUNDANCE 2006 FILMS
Page 20
Independents Week
A listing of buzz titles from our editorial staff
SUNDANCE SOUND BITES
Page 26
“Homecoming” On Shakey Rock
By Lily Hatchett
SLAMDANCE 2006
Page 27
Salt Lakeand Swamp:
SparkyWinners Light Up Night
By Sandy Mandelberger
Page 28
A Rambunctious Twelve Year-Old
By Sandy Mandelberger
Love Notes
By Sandy Mandelberger
Guatemalan Feast for the Senses,
A Handshake for the Brain
By Christina Kotlar
Page 29
Can’t Get Enough Love?
By Peter Rosenthal
BE OUR GUEST
Page 30
What Does Not Kill You...
Feeling dejected and neglected because
your script was rejected? Here’s why.
By Gill Holland
THE HATCHETT REPORT
Page 32
Art, Food, Music, Dogs, Anarchy
By Lily Hatchett
PALM SPRINGS
Page 34
It’s No Mirage, It’s Where to be Seen
Film literacy, visible on the horizon,
makes the desert bloom
By Stephen Ashton
MIAMI INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL
Page 35
MIFF Lives Up To It’s Name
By Sandy Mandelberger
Page 67
Koch Lorber: Art House on DVD
Reviving Cinema Classics
By Sandy Mandelberger
Page 68
Saving Their Her-itage
The Woman’s Film Preservation Fund
Makes Its Presence Known
Page 70
Archivists Take Over the World
AMIA In Austin 2006
Comiled By Christina Kotlar
Page 71
Sounds of Silence Wakes Up
Audio Industry
Alternative Sound Tracks for Silent Films
Wow…Flutter…Analog
Artifacts…Gone
CONTENTS WINTER 2006
NEW CINEMA TOOLS
& DIGITALTECHNOLOGIES
BERLINALE
Page 36
Berlinale Takes Europe
by Claus Mueller
Page 72
Archiving 4:3 Small Format Images
Into The Widescreen 16:9 World
By Philip Vigeant
RESTORATION &
MASTERING SERVICES
DIRECTORY
Page 73
PEOPLE YOU
SHOULD KNOW
JEFF ANTHONY,
IRON MOUNTAIN
Page 74
Iron Clad Preservation Starts
When Film Is Finished
By Scott Bayer and Christina Kotlar
Page 76
DI Format Choices
2K - HD 4:4:4 RGB - HD 4:2:2 YUV
By Jim James, Chief Engineer, IVC
Page 77
High Quality Cost Effective
Options for Digital Intermediate
Film Scanning with HD 4:4:4 Finishing
By Jim E. James, Chief Engineer, IVC
Interview with Berlin
Festival Director Dieter Kosslick
by Stephen Ashton
BIG SKY INTERNATIONAL
DOCUMENTARY
FILM FESTIVAL
Page 38
Big Night in Missoula
Where the buffalo and documentarians roam
by Christina Kotlar
PEOPLE YOU SHOULD KNOW
DAWN HUDSON
MICHELLE BYRD
Page 39
It Was a New Dawn for “IFP West”
Film Independent/LAFF adapts and
grows more viable, more vital for “west indies”
Interview By Scott Bayer
Byrd Comes to Roost at IFP
IFP sticks to its Knitting Factory development
Interview By Scott Bayer
SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST
PREVIEW
Page 41
A Festival So Big,
It Can Only Take Place In Texas
By Jose Martinez
CINEQUEST PREVIEW
Page 42
Silicon and Cinema
By Dane Andrew
FILM FESTIVALS
AROUND THE WORLD
Biggest variety ever in print
Page 43
NAPA/SONOMA
WINE COUNTRY
Page 55
Aging Like A Fine Wine
A Very Good Year for a Classic Vintage of Film Festival
By Justine Warner
Page 79
Bringing a Director’s First and
Latest Films to New Life
Translating the Look of Film onto Video
with the da Vinci 2K Plus
Page 80
Comic Relief
The DI Pie In The Sky
PEOPLE YOU
SHOULD KNOW
BRADLEY GREER,
CINEWORKS DIGITAL
Page 82
Good Color Space in Miami
By Scott Bayer
Page 83
New York Cine Equipment Show
New show fills void left by
defunct ShowBiz Expo
by Michael Vitti
NAB Post+
First event in New York City shows promise
by Michael Vitti
REST IN PEACE
CHRIS PENN
GALWAY
Page 55
Film Fleadh Shepards the Financing
Green to Eire
By Greg McKay
PEOPLE YOU SHOULD KNOW
ROSANNA ARQUETTE
Page 58
All She is Saying
The actress-turned-director’s sophomore outing again
seeks to explore the artist’s life
Interviewed By Scott Bayer, courtesy Festival Junkies
SOUNDS OF SIGHT
Page 59
From Max’s to Moogs
Plucking history from obscurity on new DVDs
By Lily Hatchett
Tracking Down Your Soundtrack
ASCAP Brochure Is Your Guide to Music Rights In Film
By Lily Hatchett
SXSW MUSIC CONFERENCE
PREVIEW
Page 60
Keynote Speaker Neil Young Offers to
Help Keep Austin Wired
Twenty years of torch, twang, reeling, rocking,
informative seminars and trade shows
By Jose Martinez
PEOPLE YOU SHOULD KNOW
WITHOUTABOX.COM
Page 60
Opening the Democratic Box
By Christina Kotlar
SHOW BIZ
Page 61
Maximizing Your Distribution Pt. 2: D.I.Y.
New paradigms, channels and strategies
change indie landscape forever
By Peter Broderick
INDIE PRODUCTION
Page 62
Made Men of Sopranos Sing... for Made in
Brooklyn
“Home” movies draw local talent to their own backyard
By Christina Kotlar
Page 87
Indie Side Out
P2: The Great Equalizer
By Michael Caporale
Page 88
Lenses for Digital
Cinematography
Two Approaches
by Larry Thorpe and Gordon Tubbs
CAN OF WORMS
Page 92
To P2 or Not To P2?
By Michael Caporale
VIDEO GURU
Page 93
31derful Flavors
By Michael Silbergleid
Page 93
DTS Reaches Out To
Independent Filmmakers
By Kristin Thomson

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Awards Ceremony Ends
In Surprised Parties
BY SANDY MANDELBERGER
SEVERAL SURPRISE WINNERS
dominated the Sundance Film
Festival Awards, which were presented
to a packed house of enthusiastic
filmmakers, professionals and audience
members at a gala ceremony held
on Saturday night at the Park City
Racquet Club. The concluding awards
ceremony and party bring to an end a
ten-day film bonanza that drew nearly
40,000 visitors to the Festival.
Two films, both surprise choices based
on early predictions, won the four top
prizes in the American
Independent Film competition.
Quinceanera, a heartfelt family
drama set in the Mexican community
of Los Angeles’ Echo Park, won both the
Grand Jury Prize as Best Dramatic Film
and the Audience Award, voted on by the
general public. The film, co-directed by
Wash Westmoreland and Richard Glatzer,
focuses on a family preparing for a
Mexican version “La Quinceneara”, a rite
of passage that has since evolved into a
debutante’s “coming out party” for a
young Chicano girl. The film touched on
themes of tolerance, gentrifrication and
the eroding of traditional Latino culture.
The documentary film God Grew
Tired of Us won both the Grand Jury
Prize as Best Documentary and the
Audience Award. The film, directed by
Christopher Quinn, is an intimate look
at three Sudanese “lost boys” who leave
their war-torn country to start new lives
in the United States.
Neither film had been handicapped
in the press as potential winners, nor
have either secured distribution deals.
Of course, all this can change rapidly,
since the films obviously scored points
with both the discriminating professional
juries and the “grande publique.”
Expect to hear about pickups of both
titles in the coming days.
For the second year, films competed
in the World Cinema Competition in
both documentary and dramatic categories.
13 Tzameti, a black-and-white
thriller directed by Georgian-born
French director Gela Babluani won the
Grand Jury Prize as Best Drama. The
film is a gritty tale of making moral
choices, as a taxi driver decides to follow
instructions intended for someone
else that lead him to confront the
underbelly of society.
The World Cinema Audience Award
went to the New Zealand sleeper No. 2,
a feel-good family comedy starring
4
SUNDANCE 2006
American actress Ruby Dee. The film,
which comes alive with the heat and
passion of the South Pacific, was written
and directed by Toa Fraser.
Two Mexican documentaries dominated
the Best World Documentary categories.
In the Pit, written and directed
by Juan Carlos Rulfo, chronicles the
daily lives of workers building a new
freeway in Mexico City. De Nadie,
directed by Tin Dirdamal, won the
Audience Prize for his telling of a
woman’s terrifying journey through
Mexico to enter the United States illegally.
The documentary film Irag in Fragments
walked away with the most prizes, winning
awards for best direction and cinematography
(James Longley) and editing
(Billy McMillin, Fiona Otway and
Longley). The film offers a harrowing
look at the violent atmosphere of the
war-torn country seen through the eyes
of a young boy. The film has not yet been
picked up for distribution, but seems a
likely bet for a courageous distributor.
If Sundance has launched any career
this year, it would be that of Dito
Montiel. The debut director won the
Best Director prize for his autobiographical
A Guide to Recognizing
Your Saints, a memoir of growing up
on the drug-infested streets of Astoria,
Queens in the 1980s. The film, which
featured good performances by such
veterans as Robert Downey Jr, Chazz
Palminterri, Diane Weist and a host of
dynamic young actors, also earned an
award for Best Ensemble Cast. The
film, which has not yet found a distributor,
may yet have the good luck of benefiting
from a bidding war. The film certainly
seems destined to have a future
on the big screen, and Dito Montiel is a
new indie name to be reckoned with.
The prestigious Waldo Salt Screenwriting
Award went to Hilary Brougher,
for her sensitive portrayal of a young
girl’s unexpected pregnancy in the film
Stephanie Daley. The Best Cinematography
prize was awarded to Tom Richmond
for his work on the terrorist bombing
thriller Right at Your Door, the only
film to win an award that secured a distributor
during the Festival (Lions Gate).
Several films that early opinion polls
predicted as frontrunners, including
such dramatic films as Come Early
Morning, Sherrybaby and Steel City,
and documentary titles A Lion in the
House, Thin and The Trials of Darryl
Hunt came away empty handed.
However, as has been endless repeated
in the trade press, the Sundance
awards are not always terrific predictions
for box office success. There
is talk of a “Sundance curse” which has
bedeviled the Festival from the beginning.
However, as Festival Director
Geoff Gilmore eloquently put it at the
awards ceremony, “All the films shown
at the Festival are to be lauded as a
tremendous achievement for simply
being made against great odds.”
Now that Sundance 2006 is history,
the films, award winners and official
selections that moved audiences during
an extraordinary ten days of cinema
excellence will have lives of their own.
Some will make it to the big screen,
some will only make it to the small
screenand others will only get seen at
other film festivals. Whatever their fate,
their Sundance pedigree will distinguish
them as filmgoing events.
AQUISITIONS
COMPILED BY EDDY GILBERT HERCH
By alphabetical order, director, distributor,
rights purchased and amount (if
announced):
The Darwin Awards
Finn Taylor
Bauer Martinez (domestic)
Factotum
Bent Hamer
IFC Films
The Film is Not Yet Rated
Kirby Dick
BBW (UK broadcast)
The Foot Fist Way
Jody Hill
Momentum (UK rights)
God Grew Tired of Us:
The Lost Boys of Sudan
Christopher Dillon Quinn, Tom Walker
TF1 International
(all non-English language territories)
The Ground Truth:
After the Killing Ends
Patricia Foulkrod
Distributor information not available at
press-time
Half Nelson
Ryan Fleck
ThinkFilm
CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

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© 2005 KOCH Lorber Films
A KOCH Entertainment LP Company
All Rights Reserved

It’s the SilverAgeof theInstitute
BY SANDY MANDELBERGER
LONG BEFORE IT EVOLVED INTO
the instantly recognizable name
brand that it has become, most
people were aware of Sundance as the
nickname of one of Hollywood’s most
famous duos in one of filmdom’s most
enduring male bonding films. In this
year of Brokeback Mountain, when
the relationships between cowboys
have come a long way since Paul
Newman’s Butch Cassidy and Robert
Redford’s the Sundance Kid stepped
into immortality in a rain of bullets,
Sundance has become a potent symbol
of the continued vitality of the
American independent film movement.
Sundance has also come to represent
the persistent vision of an
American original, actor/director
Robert Redford. It was in 1980 that the
Sundance Kid gathered a group of colleagues
and friends at his ranch in the
Wasatch Mountains of Utah to discuss
new ways to enhance the artistic vitality
of American film. What emerged
was the Sundance Institute, an artistic
AN INTERVIEW WITH
GEOFFREY GILMORE,
SUNDANCE FESTIVAL DIRECTOR
BY SANDY MANDELBERGER
SM/FFR: What remains the
biggest challenge for you in keeping
the Sundance Festival fresh
and a place for new discoveries?
GG: It’s a challenge every year as
we continue to rethink the Festival
and keep up with trends in filmmaking
and the industry. We are
always questioning the nature of
independent filmmaking, always
charting the changes that are coming
our way. We always are trying to
improve things so that the Festival
can be an arena for creativity.
Personally, my challenge is to
remain open to what is coming
your way as new generations of
filmmakers reinvent the film form.
SM/FFR: How do you deal with
the staggering number of films to
be reviewed?
SUNDANCE 2006
Robert Redford at an early Filmmakers Lab with participating filmmakers.
enterprise with the goal of creating
networks of support between the
mainstream and independent film
communities, and to encourage the
creation of vital new works from
emerging filmmakers with a singular
vision of their own.
GG: Well, obviously, the numbers
have grown so much that I can’t
personally be in the first rounds of
screenings of the films. Luckily, we
have a great programming staff
that is secure in its artistic choices
and the best films are recommended
on. However, with the advent of
digital cinema, we have seen the
submission numbers jump significantly
but that also is an indicator
that a lot of new talents are
attempting to find their voices.
SM/FFR: How do you deal with
the pressure from established
distributors who want to showcase
their films at the Festival for
purely marketing reasons?
GG: This always has been and will
continue to be part of what I
must deal with in my job. Of
course, we are interested in working
with distributors since we’ve
become such an important platform
for the release of films. But
I hope that we never lose sight of
the fact that for every “big” film
6
This year, the Sundance Institute
celebrates its 25th anniversary.
Through its widely regarded film festival,
film and theater workshops, cable
television channel, home video label
and planned movie theater chain, the
Institute has not only made an impact
SUNDANCE PROGRAMMING: LOOKING FORWARD WITH A VISION
with recognizable names, we are
showing twenty films that are
basically coming out of nowhere. I
try to maintain a balance.
SM/FFR: Now that you have instituted
competition sections for
international features and documentaries,
what are your goals in
making Sundance a truly international
film event?
GG: This can function in two
ways. In a practical way, the creation
of the competition sections
is able to channel the publicity
generated at the Festival
for international filmmakers and
sales agents to find distribution
in the American marketplace.
The greater goal is fostering a
world of global independent filmmaking
that goes beyond strictly
national barriers. You see this in
the complex way that films are
now financed, with multiple international
partners involved. We
also want to feed a growing
hunger of curiosity about the
within the confines of the film industry
but has enriched the national culture
by encouraging the creation of a wider
palettte of film choices for film buffs
and novices alike.
This impact seemed like a distant
goal back in the seminal year of 1980,
when Redford invited a local
Playwrights Conference to hold its
event at his Sundance ranch. This was
the first of many seasons of give-andtake
between aspiring film and theater
writers and established professionals
anxious to give back to the community
and stimulate a more daring film and
theatrical environment.
The following year, the renowned
Filmmakers Lab was born, inviting
ten independent filmmakers to
develop their projects in creative
conjunction with established
Hollywood luminaries. That first
group of mentors included directors
Sydney Pollack and Caleb Deschanel,
cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs,
screenwriter Waldo Salt, actor Karl
CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
world in terms of political and
ideological dimensions.
Americans, who have generally
been rather insular, now want to
understand the world they live
in, and film is a wonderful vehicle
for exploring new cultures
and examining attitudes and
beliefs that we generally can’t
find in other media.
SM/FFR: What is the biggest misconception
about the Festival?
GG: That we are an event driven
by movie stars. Sometimes if I
catch a short news segment on
television, it appears that we exist
simply as an excuse for celebrities
to be photographed in snow boots
and wool caps. While we certainly
do court film talents and it is a
wonderful part of our event, it is
frustrating that sometimes that is
all that gets written or reported
on. We are so much more, and
the loyal audiences who attend
know that this is a Festival of discovery,
first and foremost.

BY EDDY GILBERT HERCH
ON AN UNSEASONABLY WARM THURSDAY,
January the 5th, Robert Redford and his posse
rode into Downtown Brooklyn, New York to
spread word that Sundance was coming, hot on his
heels—the Film Festival, not “The Kid.”
The Sundance Institute is collaborating with
the Brooklyn Academy of Music—BAM, as the locals
know it, and the cultural epicenter of the borough—to
present “Creative Latitude: Sundance at BAM,” a slate
of official selections from the 2006 Sundance Film
Festival which occuring January 19th through the 29th.
Sundance comes to Brooklyn May 11th through the
20th. Films will not be announced until the Sundance
Film Festival in Park City, Utah has concluded, as to not
litter the landscape with “spoilers” prior to the Closing
Night Ceremonies and award presentations.
In addition to the film screenings, Redford is
bringing the Institute experience, many of the artistic
development programs which have propelled
Sundance into the powerful creative mecca for filmmakers
which it has become. Programs will include
multiple screenings housed in the BAM Rose
Cinema’s four theaters with accompanying talks to
take place in the BAM Opera House. BAM
spokesperson Sandy Sawotka committed to
rehearsal areas, rarely seen by the public, to serve
as discussion spaces.
“Creative Latitude” is a reference to the fact that
both Park City, Utah and Brooklyn share a 40.6 degree
latitude.
BAM is internationally renowned for the Next
Wave Festival, which lives up to its namesake in
7
SUNDANCE 2006
How Sweet It Is: Fuhgedaboud Skiing, We’ve Got the Cheesecake!
Sundance to be Held in Brooklyn
Robert Redford holds a press conference to announce a collaboration between the Sundance Institute and the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Pictured left to right are Brooklyn Council
Member Letitia James, Redford, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, BAM Board Member Alan Fishman, BAM Executive Director Joseph V. Melillo, BAM President Karen Brooks
Hopkins and Sundance Executive Director Ken Brecher. PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF BAM
dance, drama and music, and for innovative film programming,
unique and thoroughly researched retrospectives
and the BAM Cinematek, providing access
to rare prints, lectures by and discussions with directors
and experts, programs rivaled only by downtown
Manhattan’s Film Forum or Lincoln Center’s Walter
Reade Theater.
New York City filmmakers—especially those
from Brooklyn—are a multitudinous presence at
Park City every year. Last year’s nominee for the
Grand Jury Prize, Dramatic and winner of both the
Director’s Award, Dramatic and the prestigious
Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance was
Brooklyn’s native son, Noah Baumbach, for his Park
Slope, Brooklyn tale, “The Squid and the Whale.”
Actor/director Steve Buscemi is also an annual
Brooklyn representative at Park City. Buscemi greeted
Redford at the BAM press conference. Ken
Brecher, Sundance Institute executive director, told
indieWIRE, “I don’t think there would have been a
[Sundance] Festival last year without Brooklyn.”
Redford told the press, “This seemed like a wonderful
place to create a home,” and added that this
collaboration was “the keystone of the Sundance
Institute’s 25th anniversary celebration.”
“Creative Latitude: Sundance Institute at BAM” will
follow Robert DeNiro’s Tribeca Film Festival, held this
year on April 19th through May 1st, by ten days.
Although Tribeca has brought revenues of over
ten million dollars to the revitalization effort for
downtown Manhattan in the wake of the events of
9/11, it is doubtful that the Sundance collaboration
with BAM will stimulate local economy in any significant
way. Buisness owners believe that the audi-
ences who would flock to this event are already here.
Brooklyn borough president Marty Markowitz,
always the over-the-top Brooklyn enthusiast and
local-pride cheerleader, but unfortunate fount of misinformation
(There is egg in a real egg cream,
Marty!), stated emphatically, “The Festival will help
solidify the burgeoning Brooklyn film scene’s reputation
as ‘Hollywood East’.” This is, of course, erroneous
as Brooklyn filmmakers are fiercely independent,
as is the Sundance Film Festival, making them
the very antithesis of Hollywood!
For the record, Astoria, Queens, right next door,
is considered, world-wide, to be “Hollywood East,”
due to the large number of sound stages—such as
Astoria Kaufmann where The Cosby Show was
taped—committed to the production of television
and motion pictures for major studios and production
entities. Long Island City, Queens, is the
world’s center for commercial advertising production,
movie interiors and music videos, boasting
landmark facilities like Silvercup Studios.
But still, you can’t have a more commited-to-
Brooklyn advocate than Marty Markowitz. (He did put
the entire borough on a diet.) And, guerrilla filmmaking
in Brooklyn is at an all time high. You can see
Park Slope locations in many Hollywood features and
a current Volkswagon commercial. It can’t be refuted
that the most serious independent filmmakers (and
filmgoers) in the world are living in Brooklyn. If you
don’t believe that, you’d best believe that we can still
kick your ass.
Could that be the reason why Robert Redford decided
to bring Sundance to Brooklyn? Or was it Junior’s
cheesecake? Fuhgedaboudit!

Sundance: Swag, Stars, Snow,
Skis and Some Serious Cinema
BY JACKIE LOVELL
AT 2 A.M. WE SAW A MAN IN A LONG
wool coat with a wide brimmed
hat. He said, “Hi,” as he passed.
Wash turned to me and said, “That was
the Midnight Cowboy.” I thought it was
the drink talking. Two days later on the
bottom left corner of the Sundance
Snapshots page was a smiling picture of
John Voight. “We had an encounter with
the original Joe Buck!”, comments
Richard Glatzer (Quinceañera, Dramatic
Grand Jury prize winner, and Dramatic
Audience Award winner).
Only at Sundance can you meet a
movie star walking the streets at 2 a.m,
go to a glitzy party every night and, in
the same locale, see some of the most
creative films in the world. The Festival
audiences agreed, and packed the seven
Park City venues. There were the waiting
lists for the waiting lists.
Now in it’s Silver Year, Sundance is a
well-oiled machine. Two-hundred films
from amongst 3000 applications showcased this year.
From its humble, idealistic beginnings to “create a
new and independent thinking in movies,” the
Festival has now expanded to include workshops, discussion
panels, forums, and film music. It is the place
to meet like-minded filmmakers. Not to be left out,
Film Festival Reporter and Indie Slate magazine,
hosted a party for filmmakers on the last Thursday of
the Festival. The Spotted Frog Bookstore, Café and
Wine Bar provided an eclectic setting for filmmakers
to meet, greet, and get acquainted, while listening to
the soothing sounds of the John Flanders Jazz Trio.
Arguably, Sundance has to attract the press and the
public. So, along with the fantastic, one-of-a-kind
documentaries and world cinema films, there has to
be the “special” screenings starring “known” talent.
In keeping with this, Friends with Money opened
the Sundance Festival with Jennifer Aniston and
Joan Cusack present. However, this has added some
unfavorable side effects to the Festival. Adam Parrish
King (The Wraith of Cobble Hill) commented, “The
worst was the first day of the first weekend, and Main
Street was full of what I expected—lots of paparazzi
chasing stars. That turned me off.”
Another peculiar exaggeration at Sundance was the
swag (sealed with a gift). In these exclusive lounges
the “A” list celebrities were given freebies worth thousands
of dollars. Every festival has its bag of goodies
for the filmgoers and press, and that’s how I keep
my Koozie collection growing. Lets face it, handing out
thousands of dollars of presents to an individual
(including designer handbags, jewelry, electronic
games and adventure ski trips) is not just too much, it’s
downright outrageous. May I suggest that next year the
marketing gurus try donating instead (in the name of
their product) to the neglected coffee farmers in Black
Gold, or the Sudanese young men in God Grew Tired
of Us. It might not leave such a bitter taste.
8
SUNDANCE 2006
Park City now, as if it was all a dream...
After the “drama” of the first weekend, the Festival
returned to the business at hand. Networking is the
main event at Sundance. This turned out to be very
important to Richard Glatzer.
“It’s nice to realize that the problems and stresses
that you go through making a film are universal, and
it’s great to share the camaraderie of others in the
trenches. On the whole, independent filmmakers are
a very supportive bunch, and help each other out.”
The filmmakers wear the Sundance ID passes
swinging around their necks like a badge of honor.
They have every right to. For some, it is their first
time here. For others, it is a right of passage, as one
of their projects finally gets recognized.
Adam Parish King is one of the newcomers. This is the
first time Adam has entered a film into a festival —and
the first time he has actually been to a film festival. With
his fifteen-minute, black and white short The Wraith of
Cobble Hill, he tied for the Jury prize in short films with
Bugcrush.” The oddest experience at Sundance I had
was getting the award. It was very surreal.” A full-time
sound engineer in Los Angeles and former MFA in film
production from USC School of Cinema, he is currently
working on the sound for a television documentary,
Back Country Boot Camp. While at the Festival, Adam
worked on the Back Country sound during the day, and
went out and saw a movie each night. “I saw some really
great films. The theatergoers were really into the
films. I especially enjoyed the Q&As.” Adam is currently
working on a feature animated film.
The third time is the charm at Sundance for In the
Pit writer Juan Carlos Rulfo (World Cinema
Documentary Jury Prize). Rulfo already knows his
film will be at the Miami Film Festival. A native of
Mexico City where In the Pit was filmed, Rulfo is in
awe of his time at Sundance. “I was a little confused.
People were interested in me, and not just the film. I
was sure someone else had won.”
It never fails to amaze me that each
filmmaker has a great story to tell. That
is what Sundance is, and should only be
about. The affirmation Sundance gives
new filmmakers allows them to continue
their work.
The first time Tin Dardamal ever
picked up a camera was to film deNADIE
(World Documentary Audience Award).
Tin focuses on Central America, immigration
and the U.S. border crisis. His
reception at Sundance has inspired him.
“What I learned is that I am now more
confident to continue doing this. To have
won the Audience Award and know
deNADIE touched people. Hopefully
there will be more cultural understanding
in the U.S. that will level the playing
field.” Tin has taken a semester off from
studying to be an industrial engineer. He
is currently planning to film his next documentary
in Bolivia. deNADIE will be
shown next at the Amnesty International
Film Festival in Amsterdam in the Hague.
Alex Pastor (Natural Route, Jury
prize in International Short Film making) nearly
didn’t go to the award ceremony.
“We actually had tickets for a film that night, but we
knew there was a party afterwards and we figured
that might be fun, so we went. And we won! I froze
on stage. It took me a while to get over the shock.”
Alex studied screenwriting at film school in
Barcelona, Spain, and Natural Route was his first
short film. Studiously working on his second short,
he finished shooting it just a few weeks ago. Monday,
he looked at the dailies and Tuesday he was at
Sundance. Alex has already done the rounds of the
festivals in Spain, Milan and Palm Springs,
The Sunday morning after the Awards, Park City
became a ski resort again. For the first time in ten days,
Main Street was empty. Along with the filmmakers, the
paparazzi and celebrities are gone. No matter what you
think about Sundance, the filmmakers are important.
Sundance is still one of the most influential festivals in
the world. If your film makes it to Sundance, you have
good chance of furthering your film career in whatever
way you choose. For some, it will be the only chance
they have to publicize their movie.
With Quinceañera winning both the Dramatic
Grand Jury Prize and the Dramatic Audience awards
I wondered if director/writers Wash Westmoreland
and Richard Glatzer felt changed by the Festival.
“We took away two trophies, which is way beyond
anything we could have imagined going in, and a flu
virus, which I could have done without. The Festival
hasn’t changed us, but it sure has started the phone
ringing! Thank you, Sundance!”
Originally from England, trained in Theatre Arts,
Jackie Lovell is a freelance writer. She also writes
for Indie Slate magazine. She was at Sundance
until they turned the lights out. She can be contacted
at www.jacquelinelovell.biz.

Talent,Talons and Truthful Talk
Paul Giamatti’s career no longer travels sideways, but soars skyward in The Hawk Is Dying
AN INTERVIEW BY EDDY GILBERT HERCH
PAUL GIAMATTI IS THAT RARITY
in motion pictures, an actor for
whom the acting is, no pun
intended, paramount over the trappings
of stardom. Like his New York
contemporaries David Strathairn (who
I interviewed in the previous Film
Festival Reporter) and Phillip Seymour
Hoffman, Giamatti, without exception,
exudes intensity and demonstrates
sincerity towards every role he plays.
As an interview subject, I found his
answers were just as intense, thought
out and emotionally generous as his
acting. Even more generous was the
fact that he answered all my questions
via e-mail—I was hospitalized at the
time—within the same two day period
which included his appearance at this
year’s Golden Globe Awards, his being
a Nominee for Best Actor in a
Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
for Cinderella Man.
In Julian Goldberger’s The Hawk is
Dying, Giamatti portrays George
Gattling, a man desperately trying to
connect to something meaningful,
despite failure and heartbreak.
EDDY GILBERT HERCH/FILM FESTIVAL
REPORTER: Your career has made a
deserved, marked change. Your talent
to communicate a great range of emotion
to an audience has taken you from
noted character actor to leading man.
Sideways and Lady and the Water
are romantic leads. What was it in the
character of George Gattling that drew
you to The Hawk is Dying?
PAUL GIAMATTI: It was a very enigmatic
script. I really didn’t know what to
make of the story or the character, and
I guess I actually found that pretty compelling.
The idea of working that closely
with an animal was very intriguing. I
was sold on the whole thing when I met
[director] Julian [Goldberger]. After
three minutes of talking with him, I
knew this would be fun and strange—
he’s a wonderful, smart guy. The character
seemed interesting, but the whole
package—Julian, the hawk, filming in
an interesting place like Gainsville—
that really sold me.
EGH/FFR: Gattling is a loner who lives
with his own failure, adding the guilt
for the tragic death of his helpless
nephew to it. Do you empathize with
the sad quality of the character? How
deep is the emotional pain you experi-
ence in creating a role such as
Gattling? How much of it do you take
home after a shooting day?
PG: I guess it’s my job to empathize. I
suppose part of me instinctively
zeroes in on the points of “contact”
emotionally that I have with a character
and the points where I don’t have
any “contact,” and tries to find the
ways to express them.
As to how deep the pain is I experience
playing a character, specifically
George, well, that’s a tricky question.
At the risk of sounding like a pedantic
asshole, your question begs the question
of how “real” anything an actor
does is. Of course, none of it is “real.”
The pain is not mine, I’m pretending to
have George’s pain—but in simulating
pain, I suppose you somehow access
some sort of pain you’ve felt yourself
and re-experience it yourself. I guess
you trick yourself into thinking the pain
is real, and thereby trick the audience.
So all of that said, I don’t reallly take
my work home. I don’t think I do, anyway.
There’s a certain, physically taxing
aspect to playing emotions like that, so
that goes home with you. I can actually
find playing very emotional stuff kind of
liberating, kind of cathartic. It can make
you feel lighter, unburdened.
EGH/FFR: Were you familiar with
9
COVER STORY
Michael Pitt and Paul Giamatti watch for a rare bird in The Hawk Is Dying.
Harry Crews novel? Did this influence
your preparation for the part?
PG: I was not familiar with this novel. I
had read Feast of Snakes and Car, so
I had some sense of his writing, but I
didn’t read “Hawk [Is Dying]”, figuring
I had to play the character Julian
had written in his screenplay, which
was, I gathered from Julian, different
from the book. Since I’m easily confused,
I left the book alone.
EGH/FFR: How did you prepare for
the mastery of falconry? Do you have
the scars to prove it?
PG: I can in no way claim to have mastered
falconry—but the birds were so
well trained, I didn’t have to do a whole
hell of a lot of work to feel comfortable
with them. They are, obviously, amazing
creatures. Actually, the trickiest part of
working with them was to make them
appear untrained. I had to keep them
slightly off balance to make them want
to get away from me. It was a tricky
process. I adored them, one in particular
, who seemed to sense what was needed
from him in a given moment (there were
three different birds). And the trainer
was a wonderful guy, who became
almost like another character in the
film for me, because often he was
controlling the bird’s behavior just out of
frame. But they’re intimidating critters—remote,
alien creatures. You have
to have a lot of respect for them,
because they could do a lot of damagetheir
talons are razor sharp. But these
birds were never less than remarkable
and friendly-and you do, inevitably, get
cut up by them.
EGH/FFR: Crews’ novel is in the tradition
of Southern Gothic, similar in tone
to authors the likes of Flannery
O’Conner and Carson McCullers. This
genre combines the tragically comic
with the emotionally brutal. Do these
appeal to you as an actor? What parts
are the most attractive to you?
PG: I do like a lot of those Southern
writers who fall under the rubric
Gothic-O’Connor in particular. A certain
sense of the grotesque definitely
appeals to me. I don’t why, but I find
the combination of pain and violence
and humor a very powerful one, and I
always have. It seems to strike to the
root of some kind of hysterical helplessness
in the face of death.
Fred’s death is not funny, but the
absurdity of it, the grotesque nature of
it delivers it up into some kind of
realm of black humor so black it’s
beyond mere ha ha ha laughter. Those
writers like O’Connor get at that
essential shocking joke of existence.
Jeez, I sound pretentious, and vague. I
wish I could articulate this better,
because it is a very powerful thing for
me. The spiritual concerns of those
writers are are ultimately so exciting.
EGH/FFR: Metaphor is a strong element
of The Hawk is Dying, particularly
the themes of release from captivity
and survival of the lone animal in
the wild. One scene in Sideways has
become the textbook example by
screenwriting teachers for both its
metaphor and subtext. Alexander
Payne uses Miles’ wine expertise as
the subtext for his awkward avoidance
of Maya for fear of rejection.
As Miles’ examines the fragile life of
a Pinot Noir, he is peeling back the layers
of a metaphor for his own passion,
romantic fragility and fear of intimacy.
Without your tender performance in
this scene, the metaphor might have
been lost. How aware are you of subtext
in your acting? Do you find yourself
adding qualities which amplify
what is on the page? And how does
CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

Sundance Institute At 25
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6
Malden and producers Frank
Daniel and Michael Hausman.
One of the first film projects developed
at the Lab was Gregory Nava and
Anna Thomas’ El Norte, the story of
two illegal immigrants from Guatemala
and their heart wrenching journey to
come to America. The film became an
independent classic, winning awards
the world over and attracting new
audiences to a landmark film that was
produced outside of the constraints of
the Hollywood industry machine.
1985 was another landmark year.
The Institute assumed creative and
administrative control of a rather nondescript
local film event, the U.S. Film
Festival. Changing its name to the
Sundance Film Festival, the Festival
took the bold move of dedicating itself
to showcasing newly emerging film talents
on the American independent
film scene. In its first year alone, the
Sundance Film Festival presented
such seminal works as Jim Jarmusch’s
Stranger Than Paradise, the Coen
Brothers’ Blood Simple and the
Academy Award winning documentary,
The Life and Times of Harvey
Milk. The Festival continued to grow
in prestige in the 1980s and into the
1990s, introducing a new generation of
filmmakers who have since become
major film directors, including Steven
2005 Sundance Institute Theatre Lab rehearsal
Talent And Talons
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9
subtext play into the dialogue of
George Gattling?
PG: Again, that’s a tricky, subtle question
that a smarter actor could answer
better than I can, but in the case of
that scene in Sideways, part of the
power of it comes from her clarity of
purpose and meaning. She’s far more
Soderbergh (Sex, Lies and Videotape),
Quentin Tarantino (Reservoir Dogs),
Kevin Smith (Clerks), Edward Burns
(The Brothers McMullen) and Todd
Solondz (Welcome to the Dollhouse).
The Institute also experienced an
explosion of new initiatives in those
years. New conferences, patterned on
the success of the Filmmakers Lab,
were established for screenwriters,
music composers, documentary filmmakers,
film producers and theater
professionals. The essence was always
the same, providing a creative environment
where established professionals
could share their specific input with
newly emerging talents.
The Institute also began to reach
out internationally. Films from outside
the U.S. were added to the Festival,
further solidifying the Festival’s critical
role in furthering global exchange
among independent film artists and
expanding industry possibilities for
non-U.S. films in the marketplace.
The Latin American Exchange
Program was established to support
the creative work of Latin American
filmmakers and film producers. Latin
American films were presented at the
Festival and professional conferences
traveled to major Latin American cities
to create a vital exchange between
emerging filmmakers in the Americas.
aware of the subtext than he is. She
takes him out of self-involvement there.
Certainly Alexander [Payne] wanted a
degree of awareness, of subtext on my
character’s part there, I guess I tend to
want to let the audience find their own
meaning in things. They’re going to,
anyway, I think. Film acting is funny though;
the camera is not as smart or subtle an
10
PHOTOGRAPHED BY FRED HAYES
Robert Redford, at the Filmmakers Lab, confers with Denzel Washington.
The Sundance/NHK Filmmakers
Award was created to honor and support
the next generation of independent
filmmakers from Europe, Latin
America and Asia. “Best of” Festival
screenings were presented in Japan,
China, Brazil, Mexico and other countries,
introducing a new audience to
the dynamic American independent
film movement.
In the past few years, the Institute
has begun to provide grant monies to
documentary filmmakers to help
develop their projects, which has contributed
to the flowering of documentary
features and the increased opportunities
for non-fiction work to find
theatrical distribution and explosive
box office response.
Several exciting programs have been
organized to help celebrate the 25th
anniversary. In December, an 11-disc
DVD box set was released by Hart Sharp
Video under the title The Sundance
Film Festival Collection: Celebrating
25 Years of the Sundance Institute.
The package includes ten landmark
films which all premiered at the
Festival, plus a special features disc that
includes interviews with Robert
Redford, participating filmmakers and
professionals, and rare behind-thescenes
footage of the various Sundance
labs. All net proceeds benefit the notfor-profit
Sundance Institute to further
its mission of discovering and developing
independent artists and audiences.
The films included in the box set are
observer as a human being. You are forced
to “indicate” your emotions more,
show them in more obvious ways, I
think. The camera is a blunt instrument.
George is a weird character. He’s
smarter than most of the people around
him, but he’s not too smart himself. That
Sex, Lies and Videotape (Stephen
Soderbergh,1988); Clerks (Kevin
Smith, 1993), The Usual Suspects
(Bryan Singer, 1994), Smoke Signals
(Chris Eyre, 1997), American Movie
(Chris Smith, 1999), Boys Don’t Cry
(Kimberly Pierce, 1999), In the
Bedroom (Todd Field, 2000), Real
Women Have Curves (Patricia Cardozo,
2002), Capturing the Friedmans
(Andrew Jarecki, 2002) and American
Splendor (Shari Springer Berman and
Robert Pulcini, 2002).
In 2006, the Insititute plans an
extensive film tour of highlights from
this year’s Festival, which will bring
films without distribution to the attention
of discriminating filmgoers around
the country. In addition, the Institute
has recently announced a collaboration
with the Brooklyn Academy of
Music (BAM). In May of this year, the
Institute will present a dozen feature
films from this year’s Festival along with
a number of special programs at BAM,
the oldest performing arts center in
America. (see page 7 for the full story
on Sundance in Brooklyn).
With 25 years of personal integrity
invested, we leave the final word to
Institute founder Robert Redford.
“Sundance is not just a festival,”
Redford told audiences at the
press conference announcing the celebration
events. “The meat of
Sundance is about its development programs”,
Reford continued, “sort of like a
baseball farm club for the major leagues.”
creates a lot of his frustration. There was
a lot of mysterious dialogue for George in
the film, and I guess I had to provide subtext
for those moments just to specify
them for myself. I guess something
unconscious is always operating under
what you’re doing. Frankly, in this movie
we had so little time to think anything
through, it was such a quick shoot, I
don’t know what the hell I was doing.
EGH/FFR: That would be hard to believe.
Eddy Gilbert Herch was dramaturge for
the Fifth Night Screenplay Reading
Serieswhere he first met Paul Giamatti.

INTERVIEW BY EDDY GILBERT HERCH
DANIEL CLOWES IS NO STRANGER
to comic book readers, whom
he has won over to the “alternative”-side
from standard super-hero
fare by the droves. His ground-breaking
comic book Eightball, steeped in
the tradition of underground comics of
the Sixties with a modern sensibility,
has satirized middle-class mediocrity,
artistic pretension, teenaged angst and
a panacea of everyday, modern
dilemmas. Ghost World, his
Generation X portrait of two teen-aged
best friends, was in keeping with the
mood and dark humor that typified
Clowes’ earlier works.
Terry Zwigoff, director of the
Directors’ Guild Award-winning documentary
about the life of pioneer underground
cartoonist Robert Crumb, cowrote
the screenplay adaptation of the
Oscar-nominated Ghost World with
Clowes. That film contained an in-joke
from a short story featured in Eightball
entitled “Art School Confidential.” Art
School Confidential is now Clowes’
and Zwigoff’s second collaboration for
the big screen.
The story of an art student, Jerome
(a breakout performance by
Max Minghella), who dreams of
becoming the world’s greatest artist,
again breaks down pretension and the
frustrations of teens and adults
trapped in middle-class limbos of their
own creation.
The questions posed to Daniel
Clowes are about his process of writing
only. I did not go into detail about the
plot or characters in the film because
those questions would have been
redundant to a planned interview with
the film’s director, Terry Zwigoff,
which we hope to publish soon.
EDDY GILBERT HERCH/FILM FESTIVAL
REPORTER: I’ve enjoyed Eightball, in
which the graphic-short story, “Art
School Confidential,” first appeared.
For you personally, how does your
graphic storytelling translate to the
screen? What are you happy with?
What doesn’t work?
DANIEL CLOWES: I don’t really think
in terms of “translating.” it’s an entirely
different thing, especially in the case
of Art School Confidential. I didn’t
use the source material as anything
more than a starting point.
EGH/FFR: Do you see screenwriting
as a completely separate craft, or are
the two compatible?
SUNDANCE 2006
Life Imitates Art School
Daniel Clowes Opens a Door to a New “World” with Art School Confidential
“Professor” John Malkovich “reassures” bright newcommer Max Minghella.
DC: There are many similarities. Both
tend to be dialogue and image-driven,
but the experience of reading a comic
is very different from that of watching
a movie. There’s a certain indescribable
organic process in writing a comic with
words and images simultaneously that
can never quite be replicated in devising
a film, but each form has it’s advantage.
Film, in both screenplay and postproduction,
is a far more fluid medium
in terms of editing, for example.
EGH/FFR: With two successful adaptations
behind you, would you ever
write a story directly for the screen?
Are you planning other adaptations?
DC: I don’t think of Art School Confidential
as much of an adaptation.
There is really only about one minute
of material from the comic in the final
film. I am fairly ruthless when it comes
to adaptations, especially with my own
work, in terms of any loyalty to the
original. I am only interested in writing
movies in which I have carte blanche
to invent, change and delete at will to
make an interesting script. I probably
wouldn’t be the right guy to adapt a
Harry Potter book.
EGH/FFR: How does your professional
11
and personal friendship with Terry
Zwigoff differ? Are you comfortable
suggesting new projects to him, or
does he approach you? Does Terry
read your comics and suggest to you,
“This would be a good screenplay?”
DC: We are mostly just friends, and our
professional relationship is an extension
of that. Our “partnership” is ridiculously
unbusinesslike and informal.
EGH/FFR: Is there a give-and-take relationship
between you and Terry Zwigoff
when developing a picture, or do you
work autonomously from each other?
DC: With the screenplay for Art
School Confidential, I worked out
the basic plot in advance with Terry’s
input, and then I went off and wrote
the first draft by myself. It was written,
however, with Terry in mind and
my intent was to write something
that he would find interesting and
amusing.
EGH/FFR: Did you go to art school?
Did the character types that inhabit
the world of Jerome come from your
experience?
DC: Of course, though ultimately the
characters all took on lives of their own,
quite separate from their role models.
EGH/FFR: What process did you go
through to expand the graphic-short
story into a feature-length screenplay?
Did the short story’s original themes,
mood and dark humor guide your decision-making
in writing the script?
DC: I didn’t even really think about the
comic at all. I merely set out to write
something that captured the odd,
intense emotions I felt when I went off to
art school in Brooklyn at age eighteen.
EGH/FFR: What does Art School
Confidential try to say to an audience?
DC: If I could answer that question, I
would just say it rather than spending
two years of my life working on a movie!
EGH/FFR: Which cartoonists do you
admire? Which screenwriters inspire you?
DC: I like lots of cartoonists; Kim
Deitch, Steve Ditko, Mark Beyer, Basil
Wolverton, Chester Gould, Chester
Brown, Julie Doucet. As for screenplays,
my favorite, at least in terms of
a pure reading experience, is one
called Edward Ford, by Lem Dobbs.

INTERVIEW BY EDDY GILBERT HERCH
MARIA MAGGENTI’S FIRST
short films featured lesbian
vampires, women kissing and
bathing together against a soundscape
of the Iran-Iraq War, an AIDS victim’s
sister discovering her deceased brother’s
queer family and a Fellini-esque,
light romp of a woman and her admirers
through Rome and New York. She associate
produced Phil Zwickler’s 1987 gay
rights documentary, Rights and
Reactions and the Testing the Limits
Collective AIDS documentary, Voices
from the Front, which earned the Best
Documentary Award at the 1992 Berlin
Film Festival. Her involvement with the
activists of ACT UP inspired her 1988
documentary, Doctors, Liars, and
Women: AIDS Activists Say No To
Cosmo, challenging dangerous medical
misconceptions about the disease and
how it is transmitted to women.
Maria was accepted into the NYU
Graduate Film Program and was
awarded a teaching fellowship after her
first year. Her 1993 film, Name Day,
received the Warner Brothers Production
Award and the Grand Prize at the 1993
Hamptons International Film Festival.
Maria’s debut narrative feature, The
Incredibly True Adventure of 2Girls
in Love, examined interracial relationships,
teen sexuality, alternative families
and first love through comedy. Her
new feature is a faithful screwball comedy
which, by its nature and not
intent, challenges the sexual orientation
films which are popular now, by
virtue of being a witty, cautionary relationship
tale devoid of the expected
soap-box for politcal ideologies.
EDDY GILBERT HERCH/FILM FESTIVAL
REPORTER: What prompted you to
explore a straight relationship for a
bisexual character as opposed to the
strong lesbian story-line of The
Incredibly True Adventure of 2Girls
in Love? Does this derive from personal
experience?
MARIA MAGGENTI: Puccini for
Beginners is about a lesbian who falls for
a man. I wouldn’t call her bisexual. And
the idea did come from my life, yes. But
my life isn’t as funny as my imagination.
EGH/FFR: How long did you work on
the screenplay?
MM: I developed the screenplay on an
eight week break that I had from a big,
Hollywood writing gig. It then went
through seven years of redrafts. The
redrafts only came from the fact that
12
SUNDANCE 2006
It’s a Straight Boy Meets Lesbian,
Lesbian Meets Straight Girl Story
Maria Maggenti Plays Triangle and Orchestrates Puccini for Beginners
Allegra Castiglione (Elizabeth Reaser) is waitin’ on the man...or woman.
Allegra and Grace (Gretchen Mol) engage in straight talk.
the film wasn’t getting made, which
gave me plenty of time to revise.
EGH/FFR: Your reading at the legendary
Fifth Night Screenplay Reading
Series at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in
New York, when the script was titled
Us, We, Them, received the best audi-
ence reaction from over two hundred
presentations performed there. Do you
get the same laughs for the same
moments at screenings?
MM: The Nuyorican Reading was one
of the best experiences ever. The film
hasn’t been screened yet so I have no
idea what kind of laughs we’ll get.
Hopefully a few. In the rough cut
screenings, we got some chuckles and
a couple of guffaws, but that was
before the film was finished.
EGH/FFR: I would say that you were
a pioneer in the open-sexuality genre,
as opposed to stories about “coming
out.” How do you feel about what has
come after, namely a gay/ lesbian cable
network, Will & Grace, The “L” Word
and the acceptability (by the entertainment
community, at least) and
Oscar buzz of the Golden Globe-winning
Brokeback Mountain? Do you
see a role you had in a now friendlier
atmosphere for gay/lesbian “product”?
MM: I have no take at all on lesbian/gay
media. I still think the most
important thing for lesbian and gay
Americans is political justice. It would
be nice if a person could be gay and
safe and happy in this country. That’s
what matters to me and I don’t think
TV or film are necessarily the routes to
liberation-literature maybe.
EGH/FFR: The film was slated to be
produced at October Films prior to
their sale to USA. Did they pressure
you to make any changes? And how
might that film have been different
production-wise?
MM: If I’d made the film seven years
ago with October Films or USA Films,
I would have shot on film and I would
have had more money to make it. No
one ever wanted me to change the film
although we had trouble casting the
lead character.
EGH/FFR: How did Indigent become
involved, and how much freedom were
you given as a writer and director?
MM: Gary Winick had been supportive
of me and my work for a very long

Allegra warms to Phillip (Justin Kirk).
time. He convinced me to bring the
film to Indigent. I was given total freedom
as a writer and director—
totally. I doubt I’ll ever have that
much freedom again, and who knows,
maybe that’s not such a bad thing.
EGH/FFR: How was the experience of
directing Puccini for Beginners different
than directing 2Girls?
MM: We made this film in eighteen
days, three days less time than I had
with my first film, 2Girls. Whoa. I got
to shoot in my neighborhood in New
York, the West Village, and I got to
work with amazing actors, all of them,
Justin Kirk, Gretchen Mol. Julianne
Nicholson—whom I’d met when I
wrote The Love Letter for Dreamworks—and
Elizabeth Reaser who
plays Allegra, and who is a wonderful
actor and person. I had no time to
think because we had to move so fastsometimes
seven pages a day! That
was hard, but the good news was that
I had had this film inside me for so
many years that I seemed to know
what I was doing most of the time.
Once I got into the editing room
of course, I wanted to kill myself.
My editor, Sue Graef, was my editor
on 2Girls and she is my true creative
soul sister. She and I worked
seven days a week from October
1st until December 26th to get the
film finished. She worked a lot
harder than I did. I mostly smoked
and drank and worried. But occasionally
I had some ideas about how
to bring the story to life on screen.
It was a spectacular experience and
a hellish one to work so quickly,
especially for no money, but this is
what one has to do sometimes-sacrifice.
Also, we cut 2Girls on a
flatbed, and this was my first experience
with the Avid. That was
interesting. There’s nothing to do
in the cutting room when you work
on an Avid. I mean, for the director.
At least with film I could organize
13
bins or something. Sue told me I
should take up knitting. I never did
figure out what all those buttons
were that she would push.
Also, we shot this film on digital
video. It looks okay. Better than
most. Eden Wurmfeld, my producer,
got these amazing cameras from
Sony. They had prime lenses which
was delicious. However, I can’t help
but want to make at least one film
with a big, huge 35mm camera. I
just want to look through that
viewfinder!
EGH/FFR: You did a commentary
extra for the 2Girls DVD release. What
new revelations will we hear from you?
MM: Buy the DVD of 2Girls! The commentary
was designed for filmmakerswhy
I shot what I did—no time, no
money—and how I made the film.
EGH/FFR: You’ve been writing
Without a Trace for CBS Television.
Can you discuss your favorite work or
episodes? Did you work as a show-runner,
staff writer or autonomously?
MM: I wrote for Without a Trace for
three seasons, from 2002-2005, and I
had a great time. I was a staff writer. I
loved working with other writers, a
new experience for me, and it was fantastic.
However, my particular ego
problems made it obvious to me that I
wasn’t born for being on a TV writing
staff. Hopefully, this feature directing
idea of mine will take off...
EGH/FFR: You were doctoring screenplays
for a living in Hollywood. Can
you name names?
MM: I worked as a screenplay writer
for ten years and a number of the films
I worked on were produced by big studios.
I’d be happy not to have to name
any of them! I will say that I was able to
pay my rent and student loans on time,
thanks to those jobs, however.
EGH/FFR: What other screenplays are
bubbling up in your imagination?
Allegra and Grace discuss geometry. More specifically, the triangle.
MM: New ideas? Tons. None. I don’t
know. I need a job mostly. I don’t want
to sit around alone and write for a
year. it’s too lonely. Writing is hell. I
like doing it, it’s better than temp
work, which is what I did before I got
the film thing going, but I’d rather be
directing. Then, at least you get to
work in collaboration and that’s what I
like the most about it. And I love the
weird hours and drinking coffee at 5
a.m., while standing on a street corner
waiting for a shot to be set up. I like
running around. I’m too hyper to sit at
home anymore. That was in my youth.
Old folks need to be up and out.
Eddy Gilbert Herch was dramaturge for
the Fifth Night Reading Series where he
worked with Maria Maggenti.

La Tragedia de Macario
Pablo Veliz
Arrival Pictures
Little Miss Sunshine
Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris
Fox Searchlight, $10 million plus
(first pick-up of the Festival)
Lucky Number Slevin
Paul McGuigan
Weinstein Company
Man Push Cart
Ramin Bahrani
Films Philos (domestic)
14
Sundance Aquisitions
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4
Photo © Fox Searchlight. All Rights Reserved.
Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Paul Dano, Toni
Collette and Abigail Breslin star in Little
Miss Sunshine.
The Night Listener
Patrick Stettner
Miramax
Right at the Door
Chris Gorak
Lions Gate
The Sound of Sleep
Michael Gondry
Warner Independent, $6 million
Stay
Bob Goldthwait
Roadside Attractions &
Samuel Goldwyn Films (domestic)
Gaumont (foreign)
TV Junkie
Michael Cain and Matt Radecki
Katapult (all rights except North
America)
Wordplay
Patrick Creadon
IFC Films, $1 million
Fox Searchlight acquired Jason Reitman’s
Thank You For Smoking for $6.5 million
during the Toronto Film Festival,
four months prior to Sundance.

COWAN, DEBAETS, ABRAHAMS & SHEPPARD LLP
CONGRATULATES THE FILMMAKERS
PREMIERING AT THE 2006 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL
OUR SERVICES FOR FILMMAKERS INCLUDE:
-- PRODUCTION COUNSEL LEGAL SERVICES
- FINANCING DOCUMENTATION AND NEGOTIATION
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RLSENTLAW@AOL.COM

Sundance Speaks All Languages
BY SANDY MANDELBERGER
THE NAME SUNDANCE
has become synonymous
with the excitement
and diversity of the
American independent film
scene. Even people who are
not in-the-know reco
g nize Sundance as an
emblematic symbol of all that
is cool, hip and glamorous
about emerging film talents on
the American indie scene.
However, in a series of
strategic moves, Sundance
is heading towards an increasingly
global perspective with
plans to give other festival
events such as Toronto,
Cannes and Berlin a run for
their money.
“Sundance reflects a new
world of global independent
filmmaking,” Festival Director
Geoffrey Gilmore said. “The
entrepreneurial spirit of go-for-broke
American independent filmmakers has
greatly influenced their international
counterparts, while young filmmakers
have greater access to the cinematic
works of fresh talent from around the
world that we and other estivals tend
to showcase.”
The Festival made a major move in
a global direction last year, when it
introduced competition sections for
international features and documentaries.
“Now we have given the international
films in the Festival the proper
platform to access the American
press, distributors and general public,”
Gilmore added. “We are now as much
about the new wave of Chinese cinema
Michael Gondry’s The Science of Sleep
SUNDANCE 2006 INTERNATIONAL
Solo Dios Sabe (Mexico and Brazil)
or the exciting revival of Latin
American films as we are about
American independents.”
Nowhere is this more evident than in
the number and caliber of international
distributors and sales companies who
will be making the trek to Park City this
year. Such leading companies as
Fortissimo (Hong Kong/Netherlands),
Celluloid Dreams (France), Wild Bunch
(France), Trust Film Sales (Denmark),
Fulcrum TV (UK), Bavaria Film
International (Germany) and French
Gaumont will have a major presence at
this year’s event.
“We now need to be in Sundance as
much as we have needed to be in
Cannes or Berlin,” one prominent
16
European sales agent stated. “Not only
is the American market an important
one for us to access, but the international
press attention that the
Sundance Festival gets provides us
with the fuel and the momentum to get
films sold in other countries as well.”
The presence of international sales
agents is being subsidized in part by
Film Sales Support, an initiative of
European Film Promotion, a pan-
European organization that represents
government-sponsored film promotion
offices and presents major programs at
the Toronto, Berlin and Cannes Film
Festivals, introducing new
European acting, directing and producing
talents. This year, eleven European
films selected for the
Festival will receive
support towards the costs
of subtitling, shipping of
film prints and on site
presence of the films’ creative
talent and sales
agents.
For filmmakers,
Sundance has become a
major showcase for
their works for the
American market and
beyond. “Sundance is a
great place to present an
international film to U.S.
buyers,” exclaimed
George Bermann, the
French producer of The
Science of Sleep, the new
film from Michel Gondry
being shown in the
Premieres section. “A
buyer can test how the films are
working in front of a U.S. audience,
which is hard to duplicate
in Europe or elsewhere.”
For Chris Ryan, the
Executive Producer of the
Mexican/Brazilian co-production
Solo Dios Sabe—competing
in the World Cinema Drama
Competition—showing the film
at Sundance was a no-brainer.
“A sales to the U.S. can set the
bar for sales of the film to other
territories,” Ryan offered. “The
backing of a U.S. distribution
company will help the film cross
borders and go to places that are
typically out of reach for Latin
American films in general.”
Sundance is a bit of a homecoming
for the Solo Dios Sabe
team, which is very much in
keeping with the Sundance
spirit of networking and contact
sharing. “The film’s director
showed an earlier work a
few years ago in the Latin American
Showcase section,” producer Ryan
explained. “This new film began to
take flight when the director met
someone at that Festival who eventually
became one of the film’s producers.
A whole multi-national team was
put together, so seven years after its
birth as a casual conversation, the film
is returning to Sundance as a world
premiere event.”
“How do I describe our Sundance
strategy?” Diana Holtzberg of Film
Transit International, the Montrealbased
international sales company that
specializes in documentary film, replied.
“For our film Giant Buddhas, which is
competing in the Word Cinema
Documentary Competition, we will
concentrate on individual buyers that
we know are championing non-fiction
films, and make sure that they see the
film with an audience”, Holtzberg continued.
“At Sundance, we are hoping
to secure a theatrical release and DVD
deal, and also to set up further festival
exposure for the film in the coming
months at other U.S. film festivals.
Sundance is perfect for that.”
While American independents remain
at the core of the Sundance Film Festival,
the Festival is actively expanding its
international profile to promote a global
film culture where national boundaries
are less of an issue than originality, talent
and consummate passion. “We were
particularly impressed with the originality
and caliber of this year’s crop of international
filmmakers,” Gilmore concluded.
“These are original storytellers with
important stories to tell.”

Sundance Thinks Globally
Top International Titles Expand the Independent Vision
THE FOLLOWING LIST WAS
compiled by Sandy Mandelberger
from the diverse international
offerings in the Premieres, Spectrum
and World Cinema competitions at
Sundance 2006.
THE AURA
(ARGENTINA, FABIAN BIELENSKY,
WORLD CINEMA DRAMA)
Director Fabian Bielensky roared onto
the international film scene with his first
film, the David Mamet-like caper film
Nine Queens, which was distributed by
Sony Pictures Classics. Bielensky is
back with another twisting thriller, The
Aura, which is having its North
American premiere at the Festival after
winning the Top Jury Prize at the
Havana International Film Festival in
December. The film is also the official
entry from Argentina in the Best
Foreign Language Film Oscar race.
After five years of economic depression,
currency devaluation and near
revolution, Argentina is slowly emerging
from its financial crisis. With the
economic turnaround has come a raft
of stories about the impotence of government,
religion and institutions to
control the fate of the people. From
this cynicism has emerged a very
smart and potent cinema, which
accents man’s vulnerability and his
continual longing for a better life.
The Aura is an engrossing existential
thriller that reunites the director
with his favorite actor Ricardo Darin, a
dour-faced everyman who handily represents
the down-and-out of their
native country who aspire to something
more. Darin, in a brilliant performance,
plays Espinoza, an introverted taxidermist
who secretly dreams of pulling off
the perfect robbery. On a hunting trip
in the Patagonian forests, his dreams
unexpectedly are made reality with
one squeeze of the trigger.
Sam Shepard in Don’t Come Knocking
Ricardo Darin in The Aura
Complicating matters is Espinoza’s
epilepsy, which hurls him into “the
aura” of utter confusion and overwhelming
disorientation, just when he
most needs to be at his sharpest. The
plot contains a number of superb
twists, as the timid taxidermist experiences
violence, fear and betrayal on
the road to the perfect crime.
DON’T COME KNOCKING
(GERMANY, WIM WENDERS,
PREMIERES)
Enjoying its world premiere at this
year’s Cannes Film Festival, the newest
film from German master director Wim
Wenders, and his first collaboration
with writer/actor Sam Shepard since
the milestone Paris, Texas, comes to
Sundance as one of the highlights of the
Premieres section.
Shepard not only wrote the screenplay
but also stars in a part that could
not be more perfect for his grizzled,
weather-beaten look. He plays Howard
17
Spence, a star of Western movies who
has seen better days. As he turns sixty,
Spence uses drugs, alcohol and young
girls to avoid the painful truth that the
best part of his life is over. After another
night of drunken debauchery on
location on yet another Western,
Howard awakens in disgust and
decides to embark on a journey that
will reunite him with his past.
His journey leads him to visit his
estranged mother (the ever-luminous
Eva Marie Saint) and eventually into the
arms of an old lover (Shepard’s partner
Jessica Lange), where he discovers that
their brief affair produced a son, a rebellious
rock musician played by up-andcomer
Gabriel Mann. Emotional fireworks
are sparked between father
and son, as each try to heal the wounds
of loss, bitterness and rejection.
Howard’s redemption may only come
with his relationship with a mysterious
young woman named Sky (played by
Sarah Polley), who also has unknown
familial ties to them all.
Wenders, who has always been fascinated
by the codes and behaviors of the
American West, embraces a more heartfelt
style in pointed contrast to his usual
detached cinema technique. Perhaps it
is the contribution of the Shepard
script, with the playwright’s great
themes of familial bonds, longing and
regret, which makes this such an emotional
and cathartic experience for all
concerned. Wenders will receive the
Lifetime Achievement Award at the
Miami International Film Festival in
March, and the film will be released later
this year by Sony Pictures Classics.
KZ (UNITED KINGDOM, REX
BLOOMSTEIN, WORLD CINEMA
DOCUMENTARY)
On the banks of the Danube River, surrounded
by picturesque mountains,
lies the fairytale town of Mauthausen.
The cobbled streets, church spires and
18th century buildings bring to mind a
quaint reflection of the old Austria.
However, less than one mile from the
town center are the remnants of one of
the most brutal concentration camps
of the Nazi era, a horrific place where
tens of thousands of people were
worked to death, tortured and murdered.
How can two such different
locations, an idyllic mountain town
and a place of horror and atrocities,
live so comfortably side by side?
That is the central theme of Rex
Bloomstein’s superb documentary KZ,
the German name for the Mauthausen
camp. Eschewing the standard
Holocaust documentary techniques of
archival footage and survivor testimonials,
Bloomstein’s film delves into a more
pressing issue; now that the eyewitness
survivors to the Nazi horrors are dying
off, how much do new generations know
of the horrors of that time and this place?
A veteran television documentarian,
Bloomstein points his nonjudgmental
camera on current residents to query
old-timers about the dark secrets of the
past, newcomers about choosing to live
there now, and tourists about their
attraction to visit such a horrific place. “I
was fascinated with the reality that this
fairytale town is part of an Austria that
has never quite owned up to its involvement
and culpability,” Bloomstein
explained. “I decided to make a film
about a day-in-the-life of a concentration
camp today, tour guides leading groups
of school children, Mauthauseners going
about their daily lives and tourists trying
to make sense of the atrocities—an
attempt to thrust the horrors of the past
into the present.” The film powerfully
makes the point of the old adage that
those who do not learn from history are
condemned to repeat it.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

Sundance Thinks Globally
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17
LITTLE RED FLOWERS
(CHINA, ZHANG YUAN, WORLD
CINEMA DRAMA)
One of the trailblazers of the new
Chinese cinema, Zhang Yuan returns to
Zhang Yuan in Little Red Flowers
the screen with his emotional and overtly
political film yet. The film is based on
a semi-autobiographical novel by Wang
Shao, the best-selling “bad boy” of contemporary
Chinese literature.
The film covers one year in the life
of four year-old Qiang, who is deposited
into a government-sponsored
kindergarten in 1949 Beijing after the
Communist takeover of the country.
Qiang is a natural rebel, an adorable
tot with large, expressive eyes but a
precociously indomitable will. He
clearly does not fit into the highly
organized, closely-regimented world
he has been thrown into. He balks at
the indoctrination lessons designed to
train children to be good members of a
collective society. Qiang is a fierce
individualist in miniature, whose
nature prevents him from collecting
the reward of little red flowers given to
students as tokens of their good
behavior.
The red flowers are both symbol
and metaphor for the mind-numbing
conformity and subservience to
authority that are part and parcel of
the Chinese social experiment. “I con-
18
ceived the film like an animated cartoon
played by real people,” director
Zhang explains. “It is like a parable,
not meant to be realistic, although it
has real lessons about it.”
Zhang uses his visual gifts and intimate
storytelling to explore the genesis
of power—how power shapes personalities
and defines character. How
does one balance free will with control,
the individual with the masses. This
fascinating story of early childhood
illustrates how power relations are
created right from the beginning.
Zhang has made a potent film on the
rewards and risks of taking an individual
stand.
A LITTLE TRIP TO HEAVEN
(ICELAND, BALTASSAR KORMAKUR,
PREMIERES)
The trailblazing Icelandic filmmaker
Baltassar Kormakur, whose debut film
The Sea was an international sensation,
is back at it again, only he has
traded in the ice flows of Reykjavik for
the similarly frozen tundra of northern
Minnesota.
In his first English-language project,
Kormakur delves into the mysteries,
secrets and hidden passions of small
town America. Forest Whitaker stars
as an acclaimed investigator (with an
Irish brogue no less) who comes into
the snowy, small town of Hastings,
Minnesota to confirm the death by a
notorious con artist named Kelvin
Anderson. Kelvin’s sole beneficiary, his
sister Isolde (played hauntingly by
Julia Stiles) is anxious to collect the
money, but, as so often happens in
great crime noir, things are not exactly
as they seem.
Kormakur has a nose for deception,
corruption and the secrets that only
families can keep. His hard-edged
camera breaks through the seemingly
apple pie environment to uncover a
hornet’s nest of lies, deceit and hidden
agendas. The film keeps it audiences
guessing, as characters move in and
out of dark shadows, beautifully contrasted
with the purity of the snowy
environment. Kormakur returns the
genre to a place of both credibility and
true danger, cruising on the ambivalent
moral winds of the twists and
turns of the plot.
As an Icelander, Kormakur
knows that the volatility of nature
is a force that is only barely controlled
and he uses the richly photographed
frigid landscape as a
metaphor for loneliness, isolation
and desperation. The shadows and
the pure snow creates a contrast
of right and wrong, which the
skilled filmmaker continues to
muddy in what is destined to be
one of the most talked about foreign
films of the year.

A Little Trip To Heaven
THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP
(FRANCE, MICHEL GONDRY, PREMIERES)
When you team the charismatic
Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal (Y
Tu Mama Tambien, The Motorcycle
Diaries) with the volatile director of
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless
Mind, you have a must-see combination
that will certainly be one of
Sundance’s hottest tickets.
Gondry, working in his native
France, has assembled an amazing cast
of actors for what may be his quirkiest
film to date—which is saying a lot for
this director. Bernal plays Stephane, a
shy and withdrawn young artist who is
coaxed to return to his childhood home
by his mother with the promise of a job.
Acknowledging Creative Excellence
Stephane has a unique life challenge.
His fanciful and often disturbing dream
life threatens to usurp his waking world.
That dream life is much more exciting
than the boring job he has as a copy editor
in a stiflingly small office. When he
meets his sexy next door neighbor
named Stephanie (played with a radiant
cool by Charlotte
Gainsbourgh), Stephane finds a kindred
creative spirit, and he slowly but surely
lets her into the confused and colorful
world of his mind.
Gondry masterfully careens between
the colorless reality of Stephane’s waking
life and the fantastically dynamic
world that awaits him whenever he falls
to sleep. The line between fantasy and
reality becomes intentionally blurred, as
39th Competition 2006
Worldwide Entries Invited
Documentary and Short Films
also accepted
19
Gondry questions whether our realities
are more about absolute truths than
individual perceptions. While exploring
such weighty existential subjects,
Gondry fills the film with great humor
and touching emotions, turning
Stephane’s dilemma into a saga of
dreams lost and won. The film is certain
to ignite debate in Park City about
whether it is another masterwork or an
indulgent, navel-gazing reverie on the
passion and pangs of creating art.
SOLO DIOS SABE
(MEXICO/BRAZIL, CARLOS BOLADO,
WORLD CINEMA DRAMA)
Diego Luna, one of the two breakout
stars of the Mexican sensation Y Tu
Mama Tambien, returns to the screen
in the world premiere of the first dramatic
film by Oscar-nominated documentary
director Carlos Bolado.
Luna stars as Damian, a brooding
young journalist, who one night crosses
paths with a sexy, stoical Brazilian student
named Dolores (played by Alice
Braga, the niece of actress Sonia Braga)
in a nightclub in the seedy border town
of Tijuana. When her passport is stolen,
Dolores accompanies Damian to Mexico
City to replace it. Their road trip
together awakens a deep attraction and
sexual passion but also uncovers a
secret that causes Dolores to flee.
Damian tracks her to Brazil, where a
mysterious sacred heritage gives
Dolores new insight into a primal destiny
that envelops them both.
Luna and Braga play the tortured
lovers with a radiance and emotional
intensity that recalls the classic
Hollywood pairings of years gone by.
Also notable is the film’s soundtrack,
with music by Brazilian electronic
wunderkind Otto and Mexican alternative
rocker Julieta Venegas.
Director Bolado uses spectacular
landscapes to further inflame the passion.
Taking the characters from high
rises in urban Sao Paolo to ships on the
open sea, the director uses the dramatic
urban and natural backdrops as third
characters in the emotional unraveling
of a film steeped in both romance and
mystery.
Solo Dios Sabe
Deadline March1st
Entry Kit Available at www.filmfestawards.com

AMERICAN HARDCORE
(Paul Rachman, U.S., Midnight)
Director Paul Rachman had a dilemma.
His new documentary film American
Hardcore, a slashing portrait of
American punk and hardcore bands of
the 1980s, was accepted at the Sundance
Film Festival’s quirky Midnight section.
However, as one of the founders
of rival Park City event, the Slamdance
Film Festival, which also wanted to
screen the film, Rachman had a difficult
decision to make.
“Of course, I give all my support to
Slamdance and serve as the East Coast
director”, Rachman explained. “But
Slamdance is an anti-establishment
event and delivers an expected audience.
I realized we are telling this story
more for a mainstream audience, and
Sundance is a bigger stage for that.”
Rachman’s film was inspired by
Steven Blush’s book American
Hardcore: A Tribal History. The film
chronicles the spirit of the times, as
influenced by the seminal punk bands
from England who developed their
own unique, American-style. The film
provides a vivid portrait of the influential
bands of that era and their loyal
fans, including the mind-numbing
music of Black Flag, Bad Brains and
Minor Threat.
Hardcore was more than music; it
was a social movement created by
Reagan-era, misfit kids who thought of
themselves as a tribe existing outside
the margins of the polite, consumeroriented
society of the “Me Decade.”
Rachman takes the audience on a frenzied
joyride through the movement,
combining archival concert footage
with interviews of the key players who
voiced the discontent of a generation.
AN UNREASONABLE MAN
(Henriette Mantel, Stephen Skrovan
U.S., Documentary Competition)
Paired with novice Stephan Skrovan as
a co-director, Henriette Mantel, who
has numerous credits as an actor,
comedienne, producer and writer,
directed and produced a long overdue
critical documentary about the U.S.
American icon Ralph Nader. Probably
no other public figure from what could
be loosely called the reform camp has
generated as much controversy as
Nader. His arduous political career has
ranged from his being the crusading
consumer right’s hero of the Seventies,
whose effective advocacy and lobbying
SUNDANCE 2006 FILMS
IndependentsWeek
A listing of buzz titles from our editorial staff (not pictured below)
Destricted
saved countless lives to the role of the
political spoiler in the last two presidential
elections, who, it is argued,
delivered the White House to the
Republicans. For some, Rader is an
uncompromising idealist, yet for others
an egomaniac public pariah.
Relying on archival footage, numerous
new interviews with Nader, family
members, critics and supporters, this
enlightening documentary chronicles
Nader’s background as a son of a
Lebanese shopkeeper of modest
means in a small town in Connecticut
to his rise to national fame, challenging
effectively the corporate and political
establishment, creating numerous
enemies in the process. Becoming the
Flannel Pajamas
20
people’s advocate was not an expectation
attached to someone graduating
with honors from Princeton University
and Harvard Law School. Among the
many topics addressed by the documentary
are Nader taking on General
Motors, the “Nader’s Raiders” phenomenon,
the consumer protection laws
bearing the Nader imprint, his presidential
candidacies and the limits of
political compromises.
THE DARWIN AWARDS
(Finn Taylor, U.S., Premieres)
You do not want to be the recipient of a
Darwin Award. These awards are
reserved for acts of stupidity above and
beyond the call of anything. Physical
damage or death are prerequisites for
those who accidentally kill themselves in
stupid ways, a heavy financial burden for
insurance companies. Writer/director
Finn Taylor develops this premise into
an absurd feature, The Darwin Awards,
which looks into life’s real comedies of
error. The cast includes Joseph Fiennes,
Winona Ryder, David Arquette, Juliette
Lewis, Metallica and Wilmer Valderrama.
Finn Taylor won a Browning Award in
1987 and became the literary director of
Intersection for the Arts. In 1994 he cowrote
Pontiac Moon, his first film experience.
Dream with the Fishes, a film
he wrote and directed, premiered at
the 1997 Sundance Film Festival.
Cherish, his second directorial outing,
screened at Sundance 2002. Finn Taylor
was named by Variety as “one of the top
twenty creative people to watch.”
DESTRICTED
(Various Directors, International,
Midnight)
Here’s a concept. Commission some of
the world’s most glamorous art stars and
rebel filmmakers to make short erotic
films, then combine them in an anthology
which mines the artistic in the erotic.
Described as “porno chic for the 21st
century,” this omnibus film is contemporary,
explicit and direct in its goal to
arouse the senses and the most sensitive
erogenous zone—the mind.
Each film maps its territory in dramatically
different ways. Performance
art legend Marina Abramovic delves
into Balkan folklore to create a series
of tableaux that explore the crude,
magical and mysterious rites of ethnic
fertility.
American fabulist Matthew Barney
stages the sexual encounter between
“The Green Man” and a customized
deforestation vehicle at a Brazilian
Carnival.
American iconographer Richard
Prince captures big tits, big cock and
multiple cum shots as a comment on
the cowboy mystique that first made
him famous.
American artist and filmmaker
Marco Brambilla ransacks porn-film
archives to produce a witty, fast-moving
montage of money-shots.
British art star Sam Taylor-Wood
directs a porn star in a droll elegy to
masturbation and the “Great American
Outdoors.”
Larry Clark, the controversial
anthropologist of American adoles-

cence, directs a riveting documentary
about desire and sexual initiation.
France’s Gaspar Noé, maker of
Irreversible, the controversial arthouse
movie whose brutal depiction of
rape left audiences physically sick,
now promises to turn you on with a
cinematically-erotic journey into the
world of a babysitter. Be careful who
sits next to you.
FLANNEL PAJAMAS
(Jeff Lipsky, U.S., Drama Competition)
Contrary to the adage that there are
no second acts in American life, Jeff
Lipsky presents his second feature
film after a distinguished career as a
pioneering film distributor at the now
defunct October Films and Lot 47 Films.
Lipsky’s film is an emotionally deep
look at the highs and lows of romance
told with great delicacy and human
feeling. In the deceptively simple first
act, Stuart and Nicole meet through
mutual friends on a blind date and
experience a magical evening of intimacy
and discovery. As they move
closer together, experiencing delicate
and subtle affection in the simplest of
things, their disparate backgrounds
and religious differences threaten to
overwhelm the preciousness of the
love between them.
Lipsky’s marvelously observed characters
and dialogue are brought to life
by warm, natural and genuinely inhabited
performances from Julianne Nicholson
(Tully) and Justin Kirk (Angels in
America). “The film is a story of contradictions.
It’s about hope in the face
of failure, about second chances when
all is deemed lost, it’s about loneliness
amid the embraces of a large family,”
Lipsky explained.
“I hope the film will touch a resonant,
emotional chord with audiences
all over the world. If one young
woman in Hungary sees my film and
identifies with my fragile woman from
a large Montana family, then the film
will be a success.” Coming from a former
distributor who sweated over
weekend grosses, that is quite a statement
and is evidence of an artist’s
transformation.
GIANT BUDDHAS
(Christian Frei, UK,
World Cinema Documentary)
Christian Frei’s 2001 documentary
War Photographer received the
prestigious Peabody Award and was
nominated for both the Oscar and the
News and Documentary Emmy. His
current Giant Buddahs already
received the top Silver Dove award
from the Leipzig International
Documentary Festival and is a finalist
for the best Swiss documentary of
2005. “With Buddha’s motto “Every
21
thing changes. Nothing is permanent”
as a leitmotif, Frei devotes his latest
opus to the destruction of two giant
Buddha statues from the 13th century
in a remote Bamiyan region of
Afghanistan in March 2001. The statues
were blown up by the Taliban six
month before the 9/11 destruction
of the World Trade Center’s twin
towers. Frei’s documentary is a cinematic
meditation on terror, ignorance,
fanaticism and tolerance, and
addresses the hypocrisy surrounding
our response to the political annihilation
of cultural artifacts by the
Taliban. The filmmaker quotes the
Iranian filmmaker Mosehn
Makhmalbat, “I am now convinced
that the Buddhist statues were not
demolished, but crumbled to pieces
out of shame, because of the West’s
ignorance toward Afghanistan.” Celebrating
diversity of perspectives and
cultures, Frei considers the Taliban
“fanatical iconoclasts” but suggest in
his dispassionate approach that
nobody, neither Taliban nor U.S. politics,
should force the world into
homogeneity.
GOD GREW TIRED OF US
(Christopher Quinn, U.S.,
International Film Competition:
Documentary
The Sudanese civil war between the
Arab Muslim government-backed mili-
tias from the North and Christian and
Animist groups in the South has
resulted in the massive displacement
of civilian populations. Many perish in
their escape from war zones, and hundreds
of thousands of others are
rounded up and placed into the abject
poverty of desolate refugee camps in
neighboring countries. God Grew
Tired of Us documents the escape
and eventual passage to the United
States of three boys from Sudanese
cattle-tending families. They fled their
villages and certain death to join an
estimated 25,000 orphaned boys
searching for safety. Most of the Lost
Boys, as the group came to be known
in Africa, perished in the five year
journey crossing the Sudan on foot to
reach refugee camps. These three
boys, spent nine years in the miserable
conditions of a refugee camp in
Kenya and were selected under a U.S.
government program to migrate to
America. Their passage to the United
States and the culture shock these
boys experience as they settle in different
American cities become focal
points. Adaptation to a “normal” life,
to an American home and education,
is a challenge for these boys.
Director Christopher Quinn had training
as an anthropological filmmaker.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

Sundance Independent Picks
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21
A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING
YOUR SAINTS
(Dito Montiel, U.S.,
Drama Competition)
Films that look at the survival of street
smart kids on the “mean streets” of
New York City have been a potent
genre since Martin Scorsese’s Mean
Streets. In his debut feature, writer/
director Dito Montiel draws on his own
history and struggles to find a unique
way to give voice to the denizens of the
tough neighborhood of Astoria,
Queens. The film’s script was developed
at the Sundance Screenwriters
and Filmmakers Labs.
For a first feature, Montiel has
assembled a dynamic cast to tell his
autobiographical tale which includes
Robert Downey Jr., Rosario Dawson,
Dianne Weist, and Chazz Palminteri.
The producers are Trudie Styler (Lock,
Stock and Two Smoking Barrels)
with her musician husband Sting.
Astoria in the 1980s is a hardscrabble
place of working class families,
local mobsters, drug addicts and street
toughs. The main character, standing in
for the director, has dreams beyond his
humble origins. Most of his friends are
in jail, are junkies or are working boring
dead-end jobs that have aged them prematurely.
As he tries to find his own
voice and a way out of his stifling environment,
Dito encounters the “saints”
in the film’s title, the people who influenced
him and who, for better or worse,
made him into the man he is today.
Montiel doe not romanticize the past
but infuses it with a gritty edge that
feels well earned and realistic. The past
gets layered upon the present, and the
film comes to life with the performances
of a great ensemble of actors who
bring with a native New York sensibility.
This is an honest account of a bittersweet
return to one’s past.
JOURNEY FROM THE FALL/VUOT SONG
(Ham Tran, Viet Nam, Spectrum)
Our national media far too often portrays
the population of countries that
our military takes action in as background
extras for our liberating forces.
They are nameless and often are the
“collateral damage” of our efforts to
liberate them. In Viet Nam, the nameless
background people were either
with us or against us. Those who
joined our side were given a rude
awakening on April 30, 1975, when the
last helicopter lifted from the roof of
the U.S. Embassy in Saigon and
America abandoned Viet Nam. For
Americans, the war was finally over.
For our allies who we left behind, a
new set of horrors had just begun.
Journey From The Fall is the story of
those unfortunate allies.
This is the story of one family and
their struggle for survival after the fall
of Saigon. Long Nguyen, a former officer
in the South Vietnamese Army,
chooses to stay in Viet Nam and fight
for his country. He encourages his
wife, Mai, to take their son and mother-in-law
to leave their homeland for a
safer place to live. They leave on a fishing
boat bound for America, a perilous
exodus fraught with uncertainty, lack
of provisions and repeated attacks
from pirates. Their journey tells the
Journey from the Fall (Vuot Song)
story of two-million people who fled
Viet Nam in fear of Communist
reprisals.
As Saigon falls, Long is captured
and imprisoned in a series of re-education
camps, where he endures solitary
confinement and witnesses the death
of his friends. He falls into deep
depression, feeling that his family is
dead, until he receives word that his
family is alive in the new world. He
escapes from the camp and begins his
own journey to join his family. First he
must escape from Viet Nam, and that
proves perilous.
Writer/director Ham Tran employs
jump cuts that take us from Long—his
capture, internment, and escape—to
Mai, her son Lai, and Grandma on their
dangerous journey to a new life in
America. During the exodus, Grandma
tells Lai the story of Le Loi, who drives
the Chinese invaders out of Viet Nam in
the Fifteenth Century with the help of a
magical sword given to him by the
Golden Turtle God. After the invaders
are vanquished, the Golden Turtle God
rises from a lake and takes back the
magic sword. Grandma’s tale inspires her
grandson, giving him hope in his new life
in America while connecting him to Viet
Nam and the presence of his missing
father, who has died in his attempts to
rejoin his family in the new world.
22
OPEN WINDOW
(Mia Goldman, U.S., Spectrum)
Veteran film editor Mia Goldman who
honed her skills and sensitivity by
working on films such as My Big, Fat,
Greek Wedding, The Big Easy and
Choose Me, now makes her own
impressive debut as writer/director of
a provocative love story.
The project has been gestating for
over ten years, but it more than realizes
its potential as a haunting,
uncompromising portrait of human
relationships set into turmoil by one
violent act. Robin Tunney is a revelation
as Izzy, and Joel Edgerton, a star
in his native Australia, proves himself
to be the latest exceptional
talent from Down Under with his
raw, deeply felt portrayal of Izzy’s
fiancé Peter.
Izzy is struggling young photographer
who is madly in love with Peter,
an assistant professor at a university in
Los Angeles. Their cozy world is about
to be shattered by a random act of violence.
The tragedy threatens to capsize
the stability of their relationship
and eventually courses through the
lives of their demanding and emotionally
distant parents, played to perfection
by Elliot Gould, Cybil Shepherd
and Scott Wilson.
“I wanted to take the audience on a
journey to show them that no matter
what kind of trauma they had experienced,
the loss of a child, a parent, a
limb, a house burning down—any
seemingly irrevocable event—that
there was always a choice,” Goldman
explained. “We have the will to choose
how we respond to an event, and that
is what makes us human.”
THE PROPOSITION
(John Hillcoat, Australia, Spectrum)
Legendary musician Nick Cave makes
the move to screenwriting in this tale of
loyalty, betrayal and retribution set in
the harsh frontier of 1880s Australia. Guy
Pearce (Memento, Hollywood
Confidential) gives an award-worthy
performance as a renegade living in the
lawless frontier whose loyalty is tested.
Pearce and his two brothers are
wanted for a grisly murder. When he is
captured by local law enforcer Ray
Winstone, he is presented with an
impossible proposition: the only way to
save his younger brother Mikey from
the gallows is to track down and kill his
psychotic older brother Arthur, played
by Danny Huston.
Winstone also has other problems
with which to contend. Having given
up their comfortable life in England,
he is desperate to shield his luminous
wife Martha (played by Oscar nominee
Emily Watson) from the brutalities of
their new surroundings.
The conflict between the repressive
forces of “civilization” and the freedomloving
spiritual aesthetic of the outlaws
and the native aborigines is told
in a vivid drama superbly played by its
ensemble cast.
This is an epic battle that is not only
part of Australia’s founding history but
has resonance toward the American
treatment of its own natives.
Individualism always carries with it
a brutal price and that is the theme of
this blistering, beautiful-to-look-at feature
debut. The film will be distributed
by First Look Films in April of this year.
SHERRYBABY
(Laurie Collyer, U.S.,
Drama Competition)
Indie queen Maggie Gyllenhaal
(Secretary) has her most challenging
part to date in this impressive directorial
debut by Laurie Collyer. Gyllenhaal
plays Sherry Swanson, a recent
parolee from prison, who spent three
years in the pen for a robbery she committed
while addicted to heroin.
Transformed and rehabilitated
while in prison, Sherry immediately
sets out to regain custody of her
young daughter Alexis, who has
been cared for in her absence by her
brother Bobby and his wife Lynn.
Realizing quickly that she’s unprepared
for the demands of the world
she’s stepped back into, Sherry’s hopes
of staying clean, getting a job and
becoming a responsible mother are
challenged by the realities of unemployment,
halfway houses, and parole
restrictions.
Will Sherry be able to overcome the
demons of her own childhood, her
temptation to start up with heroin
again and the estrangement of her
family? Director Collyer presents a
devastating portrait of an essentially
good person who must walk a
tightrope of insecurity and vulnerability
while confronting life-altering questions
about her own survival.
Collyer avoids movie-of-the-week
clichés and a false happy ending as she
has Sherry confront her insecurities
and gain some insight about what it
means to be a good mother. This is
destined to be one of the most talkedabout
performances at Sundance, with
Gyllenhaal presenting a complex, not-

thoroughly likable character who
learns that the harsh realities of life
often get in the way of your best
intentions.
SON OF MAN/JEZILE
(Mark Domford-May, Xhosa, World
Cinema Competition: Dramatic)
Son of Man enters Sundance accompanied
by high expectations, given the
past performance of its director and
producer, plus the theatre ensemble of
talented but lay actors who flesh out
the film. Director Mark Domford White
and his cast, the Dimpho di Kopane
(meaning “combined talents”),
received the Golden Bear, the top
award at the Berlin International Film
Festival, for their first film U-Carmen.
Stephen Daldry, executive producer of
the film who directed some of its
sequences, garnered several Oscar
nominations for Billy Elliot and The
Hours, and is winner of nine Oscars,
the Golden Globe and forty other
international awards. The film chronicless
the story of Christ in contemporary,
conflicted South African Society.
In a new context, in a violence-ridden
township where Mary conceives the
child during a militia attack on the
grade school she lives in. The angel
Gabriel is a white feather-clad, precocious
child. Jesus collects hand guns
from the apostles. As in contemporary
South Africa, political dissidents disappear.
So does Jesus through his crucification
and resurrection. Jesus’ life is
retold in this setting of conflict and
violence.
STAY
(Bob Goldthwait,
U.S., Drama Competition)
The newly named Bob Goldthwait
(better known to his legion of fans as
Bobcat) finds a new maturity in his
impressive third feature film. His previous
features have achieved a cult status,
including his debut Shakes the
Clown, heralded by the Boston Globe
as “the Citizen Kane of alcoholic
clown movies”. He has cemented his
reputation as a television director,
with such diverse programs as Jimmy
Kimmel Live!, The Man Show,
Chappelle’s Show and Crank Yankers
to his credit.
Goldthwait’s newest film is a labor of
love and was financed, according to
the press notes, “by friends and pawn
shops.” Shot over a two week hiatus
from his television gigs, the film is a
wild ride of a comedy about sexuality
and the complexities of honesty.
The film follows the comic saga of
Amy, a seemingly normal young girl,
adored by her parents and golden-boy
23
fiancé. Her future looks bright until
her fiancé suggests they tell each
other their darkest secrets—things
they have never told anyone. When
Amy finally relents and reveals her
most intimate sexual secrets, everything
falls apart.
Stay is a funny and perceptive dark
comedy that adeptly explores honesty,
family, forgiveness, and courage. By
frankly probing family relationships
and the idealization of the absolute
virtues of honesty, Stay is a provocative
departure for the former shock
comedian.
STEPHANIE DALEY
(Hilary Brougher,
U.S., Drama Competition)
An impressive ensemble cast is the
highlight of Hilary Brougher’s follow
up film to her widely praised debut
feature The Sticky Fingers of Time.
Television star Amber Tamblyn (nominated
for consecutive Emmys for her
lead role as Joan of Arcadia) finds an
astonishing part that she can sink her
teeth into, revealing her potential as a
charismatic lead actress.
Tamblyn plays the title character, a
sixteen year-old named Stephanie
Daley, who is accused of murdering
her newborn child. Stephanie claims
she never knew she was pregnant and
that the child was stillborn. A forensic
psychologist, Lydie Crain (played by
the superb Tilda Swinton) is hired to
determine the truth behind Stephanie’s
continuing state of denial.
Lydie is pregnant herself and grappling
with the difficulties of her own
shaky marriage as well as a growing intuition
that something may go wrong with
her own unborn child. Her
encounters with Stephanie soon lead her
to believe that unraveling the teenager’s
mystery is crucial to her own fate.
The screenplay was developed at the
Sundance Filmmaker Lab two years
ago, where the themes and conflicts
were first explored. “I am interested in
the concept of denial—the collision of
who we think we are with who we suddenly
learn we are”, the director
explained. Brougher’s courageous film
unearths the emotional tension behind
such hot-button issues as abortion and
abstinence-only sex education.
THANK YOU FOR SMOKING
(Jason Reitman, U.S., Premieres)
Jason Reitman, the comic heir to
director father Ivan Reitman, hits paydirt
with his directorial debut, a satirical
look at today’s “culture of spin”, based on
Christopher Buckley’s acclaimed 1994 novel.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

Sundance Independent Picks
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23
Director Kirby Dick and DP Amy Vincent on the set of This Film is Not Yet Rated
Aaron Eckhart (In the Company of
Men) gives a harrowing and hilarious
performance as Nick Taylor, chief
spokesman for the tobacco industry,
who makes his living defending the
rights of smokers and cigarette makers
in today’s no-smoking culture. Nick’s
right-to-smoke crusade is confronted
by health zealots out to ban tobacco
and an opportunistic senator, played
with giddy enthusiasm by William H.
Macy, who wants to put poison labels
on cigarette packs.
Nick goes on a PR offensive, enlisting
a Hollywood super-agent (the perfectly
cast Rob Lowe) to promote
smoking in movies and on television
chat shows. Nick’s newly-found
notoriety attracts the attention of
both tobacco’s head honcho (an austere
Robert Duvall) and an investigative
reporter for an influential
Washington daily (the future Mrs. Tom
Cruise, Katie Holmes).
The film skewers the moral shallowness
of both Big Tobacco and show
business.
Underlying the comedy, the film
also explores the costs to Nick in his
family life as his young son begins to
think of his father as the enemy. The
film, which premiered to great acclaim
at the Toronto Film Festival, will be
released by Fox Searchlight Films
sometime later this year.
THIS FILM IS NOT YET RATED
(Kirby Dick, U.S., Premieres)
Veteran documentary director Kirby
Dick returns to Sundance with the
world premiere of another of his singularly
provocative films. His current
project is a look behind the scenes of
the Motion Picture Association of
America, the trade organization that
determines and enforces the film ratings
system.
Dick unveils the cultural and economic
influence of these unknown
gatekeepers who have it in their power
to limit the release of films they deem
too provocative by slapping them with
adult ratings. These decisions can
greatly limit a film’s avenues of exhibition.
Many theater chains will not show
them, media outlets will not run their
advertisements and video store chains
will not stock them. This amounts to a
subtle censorship process that is not
subject to review and is done completely
in secret.
The film boldly asks whether
Hollywood movies and independent
films are rated equally for comparable
content; whether sexual content in
gay-themed movies are given harsher
ratings penalties than their heterosexual
counterparts; and the double standard
of treating extreme violence as
less objectionable than frank sexual
scenes.
Filmmakers who speak candidly
include John Waters (A Dirty Shame),
Kevin Smith (Clerks), Matt Stone
(South Park), Kimberly Pierce (Boys
Don’t Cry), Darren Aronofsky
(Requiem for a Dream), Mary Harron
(American Psycho) and former distributor
Bingham Ray.
Dick tries to uncover Hollywood’s
best-kept secret—the identities of the
ratings board members themselves.
The result is a movie about movies
unlike any other movie ever made. The
film, produced by Independent Film
Channel, will air in Fall 2006.
WHAT REMAINS
(Steven Cantor, U.S., Spectrum)
Director Steven Cantor received an
Emmy for Willie Nelson Is Still Moving,
filmed for the PBS American Masters
series. Producing the documentary
Devil’s Playground (Sundance
24
EDDIE SCHMIDT
2002) earned him another Emmy nomination.
What Remains is a feature
based on his 1994 Academy Award-nominated
Blood Ties: The Life and Work
of Sally Mann, a short documentary
about Mann’s photography and her controversial
book Immediate Family.
Through a photo series exploring death
and decay, Sally Mann examines her
feelings on these subjects while pushing
the boundaries of contemporary photography.
She invites the viewer into her
world and into her artistic process at the
family farm in Virginia. Covering a span
of five years, What Remains is a portrait
of one of America’s great photographers—a
national treasure.
WHO NEEDS SLEEP
(Haskell Wexler and Lisa Leeman, U.S.,
Spectrum)
After enduring the glare of on-camera
revelation in last year’s Tell Them Who
You Are, directed by his son,
acclaimed cinematographer/director
Haskell Wexler (Medium Cool,
Coming Home) turns the tables and
offers a personal look at the disturbing
underside of Hollywood success.
Wexler delves into the unglamorous
life of film industry grunts whose hard
work is unsung and largely unrewarded.
Today’s film industry crews routinely
work sweatshop hours, often
clocking fifteen to eigthteen-hour
days at the expense of their families,
their health, and even their lives. In
1997, after a nineteen-hour day on the
set, assistant cameraman Brent
Hershman fell asleep behind the
wheel, crashed his car, and died.
Deeply disturbed by Hershman’s preventable
death, Wexler dons the director’s
hat to examine how sleep deprivation
and long work hours are a lethal
combination.
Using behind-the-scenes footage
from major film shoots, Wexler and codirector
Lisa Leeman invite the viewer
into the coveted world of the
Hollywood elite, the corporate conglomerates
whose major concerns are
quarterly earnings and satisfying their
shareholders. Studios are no longer
the extended families they were dur-
Giant Buddhas
ing the Hollywood Golden Age of the
movie moguls. Corporate greed
trumps workers’ safety and well-being.
Wexler, always a provocateur, literally
bites the hand that has fed him,
skewering the corporate suits and
their undisguised disinterest, waking
us to the gnawing reality that we are a
dysfunctional culture and country in
the throes of a moral crisis.
WORDPLAY
(Patrick Creadon, U.S.,
Documentary Competition)
First there was Spellbound, the
acclaimed documentary on the tensions
and triumphs behind the
American institution known as the
spelling bee. Now comes Wordplay, a
fascinating look at the obsession
shared by 50 million Americans who
challenge their brain matter every
week by solving crossword puzzles.
The film’s star is Will Shortz, the
crossword puzzle editor at The New
York Times, known to millions of crossword
cultists as the Puzzle Master.
Shortz’s routine and rituals have won
him die-hard fans that include such
luminaries as former President Bill
Clinton, Senator Bob Dole, Jon
Stewart (The Daily Show), filmmaker
Ken Burns and music group The
Indigo Girls.
The tension builds as the film follows
the hopes and travails of worldclass
crossword puzzle solvers who
descend on a quiet Connecticut town
to compete at the nation’s oldest crossword
competition. Over the course of
one long, snowy weekend, five-hundred
competitors will battle it out for
the title of “Crossword Champ.”
The film belongs to a tradition that
explores the competitive spirit in all
aspects of American culture and our fascination
with the triumph of the underdog.
Whether it is gap-toothed preteens
who can spell the most obscure
words, ghetto youth who learn the fine
art of ballroom dancing or cut-throat
competitors on exotic islands who
must use their wits to survive, we as the
audience are riveted by their sheer
courage and determination to succeed.

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BY LILY HATCHETT
AMERICAN HARDCORE
(Steve Blush, Paul Rachman, U.S.,
Park City at Midnight)
Ninety-eight minutes of footage were
acquired inch-by-inch from all over the
country.
Steve Blush’s book American
Hardcore, the definitive tome for rock
music bookshelves, kick-started the film
project. There would be no Red Hot Chili
Peppers without the likes of Black Flag
or Minor Threat in the early 80s. Three
years ago, Steve told me about the film
he and Slamdance cofounder and filmmaker
Paul Rachman were doing. I got a
sneak peek and wrote a sneak blurb, but
they weren’t sure when it was going to be
finished. Ironically for the man who started
the alternative fest as a counterweight
to Sundance, American Hardcore gets
selected for Sundance 2006.
“We knew each other through shows.
It was a small subculture. We kind of
met through the scene. Bad Brains in
D.C. Parties in N.Y. Seconds Magazine.
Stacy Fine.” Paul said that he was getting
“L.A. burnout.” He returned to NY
to reconnect. They ran into each other
as Paul was finishing his film, Four
Dogs Playing Poker, and Steve was
finishing the book. “We both experienced
the dismal state of music and life
at the same time. Hardcore was our
community, our music. Slamdance,
also, came out of a communal zeitgeist”
Steve felt that there was “a layer of
conformity and under it was a layer of
really sleazy subculture-sleazy in a
happy, positive sense, more like decadent,
physical, hungry.” Steve was doing
book tours and rock shows at Don Hills.
The film idea created a camaraderie.
“The film was made from our guts,
casually, like we are talking now-organic,
and the story tells itself. We took off
months at a time to collect footage in a
van tour around the country.”
Paul told me the secret to maintain-
26
SUNDANCE SOUND BITES
“Homecoming” On Shakey Rock
AMERICAN HARDCORE
Director: Paul Rachman
Screenwriter: Steven Blush
Producers: Paul Rachman,
Steven Blush
Cinematographer/Editor:
Paul Rachman
Motion Graphics/
Graphic Designer:
John Vondracek
IN THE DETAILS
American Hardcore’s Blush and Rachman
ing momentum. “The creators have to
be in love with the project from beginning
to end and it all has to do with the
approach and the process. The new culture
of cinema is not driven to make
films like this—the industry is not set up
for casual laptop filmmaking. Slamdance
has shown me how this works, the successes
and the failures. With American
Hardcore we are far from dealing with
the industry. Steve thought that this
kind of filmmaking “approaches the
mindset of independent music.” Paul
questioned the meaning, or meaninglessness,
of the word “independent.”
“We have close relationships with the
artists. This is our cache. We are all part
of a subculture. When we get together
twenty years later, it’s like the army—we
have all experienced something together.
Hardcore was an ethic, a no-bullshit
mindset. The extended common group
NEIL YOUNG: HEART OF GOLD
Director: Jonathan Demme
Executive Producers:
Bernard Shakey, Elliot Roberts,
Gary Goetzman
Producer: Ilona Herzberg
Cinematographer: Ellen Kuras
Editor: Andy Keir
Production Designer:
Michael Zansky
had a lot of strength. Life was hard, the
environment was hard, it was not easy to
do anything—records made in one takeno
overdubs, no remix. We went around
the country and hung out.”
American Hardcore
PHOTOGRAPHED BY LILY HATCHETT
AWESOME: I FUCKIN’ SHOT THAT!
(Adam Yauch, shot by the audience, U.S.,
Park City at Midnight)
This concert film was made by distributing
fifty cameras to audience members at
a 2004 Madison Square Garden Beastie
Boys concert. Yauch assembled the
shaky, grainy footage and glued it together
with video effects. The unusual means
of documenting the show captures the
entire concert experience, including
bathroom and beer runs, and attempts at
backstage entry. The mix of footage
accelerates like a fugue. It is a collage of
quick bites and remixes. Having the audience
shoot the film brings in unexpected,
unscripted random factors.
The film brought the Beastie Boys to
Sundance to promote it. They put on a killer
concert in conjunction with the premiere.
Awesome: I Fuckin’ Shot That!
will be released by ThinkFilm in late March.
NEIL YOUNG: HEART OF GOLD
(JONATHAN DEMME, U.S.,
PREMIERES)
PARAMOUNT CLASSICS
Neil Young is the subject of a muchneeded
concert on film, especially considering
inflated ticket prices and infrequent
live shows. Neil Young: Heart Of
Gold captures a two-night “Prairie
Wind” concert at the fabulous Ryman
Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee in
2005. Jonathan Demme’s meticulously
loving documentary of the concert and
of Neil Young’s state of health following
his brain embolism surgery shows us
the way music works on the heart, soul
and body. Young has unrelentlessly, uncompromisingly
kept the fire burning.
Promos and trailers are touting the
film as a “homecoming” for Mr. Young,
although this is misleading as it is only
meant as a metaphor; Neil hails from
Winnepeg to the North.
Jonathan Demme, twice named
Best Director by the New York Film
Critics Circle, has been nominated for
fifteen additional Oscars, including
two wins for screenplays. Demme has
also filmed documentaries on Haiti and
other music concerts including Stop
Making Sense which featured the
Talking Heads.

Salt Lakeand Swamp:
SparkyWinners Light Up Night
BY SANDY MANDELBERGER
THE SLAMDANCE FILM FESTIVAL
came to a close on Friday evening
with the announcement of the
Sparky Awards at the edgy nightclub
Suede. Winners were announced in
twenty-plus categories. Over $200,000
in prizes were awarded. Following the
ceremony, revelers partied into the
wee hours with celebrity DJ’s Swamp,
C-Minus and Tito Plenty ramping up
the techno music.
Award winners were screened
in Salt Lake City on the concluding
weekend of the Festival. A “Best Of”
program will screen in New York
and Los Angeles in February, with
other cities to be announced on a
national tour.
27
SLAMDANCE 2006
SLAMDANCE AWARD WINNERS
Grand Jury Award
for Best Narrative Feature:
WE GO WAY BACK
(Lynn Shelton)
A sly and tender depiction of one
young woman’s journey of selfrediscovery.
Grand Jury Award
for Best Documentary Feature:
EMPIRE IN AFRICA
(Philippe Diaz)
The story of the unjust war the international
community waged against
civil war stricken Sierra Leone.
Grand Jury Prize for
Best Narrative Short:
THE SAVIOUR
(Peter Templeman, Australia)
This director won the same award at
the 2005 Sparky Awards.
Grand Jury Prize for Best
Documentary Short:
UNDER THE ROLLER COASTER
(Lila Pace)
Grand Jury Prize for Best Animated Short:
DRAGON (Troy Morgan)
Audience Award for
Best Narrative Feature:
THE SASQUATCH DUMPLING GANG
(Tim Skousen)
Young fantasy/sci-fi aficionado Gavin
Gore and his friends stumble onto
some huge footprints in the woods,
while two of his dim-witted neighbors
hatch a scheme to profit from the
situation.
Audience Award for
Best Documentary Feature:
ABDUCTION:
THE MEGUMI YAKOTA STORY
(Chris Sheridan & Patty Kim)
The haunting story of a 13 year-old
Japanese girl kidnapped by North
Korean spies.
Special Jury Prize
THE GUATEMALAN HANDSHAKE
(Todd Rohal)

A Rambunctious
Twelve Year-Old
BY SANDY MANDELBERGER
IT BEGAN AS A THORN IN
Robert Redford’s side.The erstwhile
Sundance Kid once described the
anarchic upstart Slamdance as “a parasite.”
Founded by disgruntled filmmakers
who were not accepted into the
Sundance program, the event has, in
the past decade, become a respectable
sidekick to the major extravaganza,
with savvy distributors and programmers
sampling its line-up to yield a few
golden nuggets. After all, last year
Sundance rejected the documentary
Mad Hot Ballroom, which did screen
at Slamdance, becoming one of the big
indie hits of the past year.
This year’s Festival may yield similar
treasures. The event kicks off on
January 19th with the U.S. Premiere of
controversial photographer/director
director Larry Clark’s latest film
Wassup Rockers. The film is a skateboarding
odyssey about a group of
Latino teens who leave their East Los
Angeles neighborhood to explore the
wilds of Beverly Hills. Clark, whose
photographic and film portraits of teen
subculture have often been criticized
as nothing more than soft core pornography,
will be present at the Festival to
confront both supporters and skeptics.
Slamdance presents a tight program
of 26 feature films (twenty in competition
and six special screenings) and
BY CHRISTINA KOTLAR
TODD ROHAL WROTE AND DIRECTED FOUR
short films before his first feature, The
Guatemalan Handshake. While the synopsis—which
includes unrelated characters and events,
from turkey legs to a sideways sunrise to wild boy
scouts, culminating in a massive demolition
derby—may not satisfy the filmgoer’s expectations for
what the movie is about, it’s not meant to be mysterious-it’s
just not something that can be summed up in
one sentence. But that’s what Rohal is banking on.
His earlier shorts Knuckleface Jones screened at
Slamdance (2001) and Hillbilly Robot at SxSW and
the New York Undergound Film Festival (2002) had
similar reactions from film reviewers whereas both
films somehow defied the explanation of what the
SLAMDANCE 2006
has become a truly international event
with films coming from countries as far
as Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Cuba,
Egypt, Poland and South Korea. The
core, however, remains American
independents. “Slamdance 12 will celebrate,
as always, our original mission
of showcasing emerging filmmaking
talent,” states Peter Baxter, Slamdance
president and co-founder.
The Festival received a staggering
3000 feature and short film submissions,
almost as many as the Sundance
Film Festival, demonstrating that a
slot in Park City, at either event, has
become a major priority for both
American and international filmmakers.
Most films are having their world
premieres at the event, further inflaming
a must-see impulse by distributors,
programmers and hip moviegoers
interested in the next big thing.
Slamdance hosts a special out-ofcompetition
section of several highly
anticipated films, including the world
premieres of Letters from the Other
Side, a documentary about video letters
that are carried across the U.S./Mexico
border, directed by Heather Courtney;
The Limbo Room, a bracing drama
about real or assumed sexual harassment,
written and directed by Debra
Eisenstad; and Neo Ned, the story of an
Aryan Brother neo-Nazi skinhead who
drifts into a romance with a black girl,
directed by Van Fischer.
28
The heart of the Festival remains its
Narrative and Documentary Feature
competitions. American dramatic features
that are on the radar include the
world premieres of Elliot Lester’s Love Is
the Drug, about the tragic turn at a high
school graduation that forever changes
the lives of five friends; Paul Gordon’s
Motorcycle, the saga of a young man and
two young women whose lives intersect
through their prized motorcycle; and
Lynn Shelton’s We Go Way Back, a
clever fantasy drama about a young
woman who confronts her 13-year-old
self, leading to a journey of self-discovery.
American documentary films,
undergoing a major renaissance, are
among the Festival’s most anticipated
titles, including B.I.K.E by Jacob
Septimus and Anthony Howard, the
behind-the-scenes portrait of an exclusive
underground bike club;
Downtown Locals by Robin and Rory
Muir, a portrait of six unique performers
on New York City’s subway system;
Forgiving Dr. Mengele by Bob
Hercules and Cheri Pugh, the story of
an Auschwitz survivor’s controversial
decision to forgive the notorious Nazi
war criminal that caused a firestorm of
criticism; and The Holy Modal
Rounders: Bound to Lose by Sam
Wainwright Douglas and Paul Lovelace,
a look at the ups and downs of the legendary
hippie band with appearances
by Sam Shepard and Dennis Hopper.
movie is, with one reviewer likening it to visual “non
sequiturs piling up on one another to create a hysterically
bizarre effect—where description is difficult
and explanation perhaps impossible.”
As Rohal explains it, his films are “similar to your
favorite record albums. What is it that makes it great
to you and how is it that you relate to the music and
lyric experience? Film should be such an experience.
What you’re seeing and hearing will be determined
by how you interpret things, how your brain is wired
and if we’re on the same wavelength.”
Originally from Columbus, Ohio, graduated from
Ohio University (where he discovered the works of
George Kuchar) and film experience firmly
entrenched in Baltimore, may be clues to where
Rohal draws from a well of idiosyncrasies, meanwhile
fine-tuning a penchant for filming complex
scenes on numerous locations on a shoestring budg-
Love
Notes
Guatemalan Feast for the Senses,
A Handshake for theBrain
SOME HIGH-POWERED
talent from the worlds of
film, television and music
combine forces in the teen
thriller, Love is the Drug, having
its World Premiere in the Narrative
Features Competition section at
the Slamdance Film Festival.
The film is the feature debut
of music video director Elliot
Lester, who has directed awardwinning
videos for current teen
idols Jessica Simpson, Hillary
Duff and Mandy Moore. This is
a stylish look at a high school
graduation party gone terribly
wrong.
John Patrick Amedori, a rising
teenage heartthrob, is the charismatic
lead.
The film’s other major
Hollywood connection is screenwriter
Wesley Strick, whose film
credits include such gems as
Cape Fear and The Glass House.
Strick, who was originally
tapped to direct, has written an
involving and twisty plot that is
enhanced by the tight visual
skills of the director. This
Hollywood-indie mix, produced
by Burbank-based Alpine
Pictures and Box Office
Productions, could turn out to
be the major find of the
Slamdance Film Festival.
et. Shot in 35mm in an anamorphic format, Rohal
readily admits that his films are visually sensual.
Nevertheless, he’s confident that international audiences,
whose sensibilities also depend on their own
particular upbringing, will find that the feelings and
emotions in the story when combined with visuals
and sound, will be equal to an indie film experience.
Hence, the “feast for the senses and challenges for
the brain” tagline, “You have to pay attention to
everything that’s going on. It may not appear to
mean anything at first but then it connects. Expect
the unexpected,” Rohal said.
Expect the unexpected. I wouldn’t expect anything
less at Slamdance.
At the Slamdance awards party, The Guatemalan
Handshake was presented a “Special Jury Prize”
given away for the first time in the Festival’s 12-year
history.

BY PETER ROSENTHAL
SEDUCTIVELY ATMOSPHERIC
Find Love, authored and directed
by Erica Dunton, is another fine
production effort from the LaSalle-
Holland production stable with Gill
Holland and Matt Parker presiding.
Find Love captures, over a 24-hour
period, the chance encounter of two
twenty-somethings, believably portrayed
by Christian Camergao and Alexie
Gilmore.
This film explores the surface of things.
It hovers around the edges of fleeting
moments, and dances lightly around the
notion of any substance, like the incomplete
impressions left by names carried in
trendoid magazines such as Surface,
Wallpaper, Face and Self.
At the moment you realize, as a spectator,
that you are never going to find out
anything substantial about these characters,
who they really are, what they care
about, what they believe in, what they
intend to do with their lives—when you
29
SLAMDANCE 2006
Can’t Get Enough Love?
Will Christian Camergao and Alexie Gilmore Find Love?
realize that there isn’t a compelling reason
to connect emotionally with them-
that’s when you “get” the portrait of shallow,
self centered, me-centric adults in
the making, searching for something real
to latch onto.
A solid example of effective filmmaking
is the peek-a-boo into the psyche, a
glimpse into the search that seems to be
going on underneath the surface of this
generation of adults.
The film portrays the struggle and torment
that lurks within emotionally vacuous
characters, rudderlessly adrift, looking
for the meaning of love, clueless to
understand what is important along the
way of life’s unfolding mysteries.
Find Love achieves its texture and
life with its shaky camera style, its muted
color palette, and the mesmerizing
soundtrack created by the music collaboration
of Michael Termante, the film’s
composer and Mum, the European electronica
band described as somewhere
between Reykjovik and Berlin.
(www.fat-cat.co.uk)

BY GILL HOLLAND
THE INDEPENDENT FILM BUSINESS
is rough. As a producer involved
with every step of the filmmaking
process, I endure rejection every day.
In the beginning, I ask investors for
money. They say no. Then I send the
script to other production companies
to help find financing or to co-produce.
They say no (often because they never
READ the script). After I do finally
find the financing (or enough to get
the film started or in the can), I ask
actors to be in my movie and they say
no (again, most likely because the
actor never gets the script to actually
READ because the agent insists on a
“pay-or-play” offer first or we are just
too low-budget). Then I ask landlords
if we can shoot on their property. They
say no. Then, after hundreds more
rejections, and years spent on getting
the film completed, there are still more
rejections to come: film festivals
around the world refuse to accept the
film (no explanations given); distributors
walk out of screenings after ten
minutes (an emphatic “no” whose only
noise is the seat-back clacking up
when they arise); critics pan it; audiences
fail to attend in the droves you’d
hoped. You get the picture.
Ironically, however, in this business
of constant rejection, we are also “rejectors.”
We reject hundreds of screenplays
on a yearly basis at our production/management
company. The rea-
30
BE OUR GUEST
What Does Not Kill You...
Feeling dejected and neglected because your script was rejected? Here’s why.
sons are many. Maybe the script is
great, but it is a $100 million period
piece and we just do not think we can
get it made. Maybe the script is good
but the writer insists on directing, and
though we would do it with another
director we do not have confidence in
this particular writer’s ability to direct
it. Maybe we got burned on an “art-film”
or two and are a little more commercially-minded
now. Maybe, for personal
reasons, we do not like the subject matter.
Maybe we are wimps. Maybe we do
not want to have to go to outer
Mongolia for six months for a shoot.
Maybe we did a similarly-themed film.
Maybe it is a simple “opportunity
costs” issue: If we make this particular
film, we cannot make that other one,
so each one we do has to be a huge
labor of love. This is also why “name”
actors, while they may love your project,
are not going to commit 100% to a
low-budget indie with untested directors
until the absolute last minute,
when they have realized that Spielberg
is not calling that month.
We have passed on projects we recognized
could be successful for various reasons.
Or should I say, we decided not to
dive in to certain projects despite their
quality. I read The Woodsman, liked the
director and felt she could pull it off, but
I just did not want to spend three years of
my life being involved with that particular
film for subject matter reasons (yes, I
was scared). I read Maria Full Of Grace
but I had no idea how to find the two million
dollars needed to get that Spanishlanguage
film to be shot in Columbia produced.
I read an early draft of The
Station Agent and gave some script
notes, and then the producer never sent
it back to me for me to decide at that
point if I thought my points had been
addressed and would even want to be
involved. One year during spring cleaning,
I found the script for the Sundancewinning
Judy Berlin in the yet-to-beread
pile, three months after the
Festival’s award ceremony. Sometimes,
we just do not get the writer/director’s
vision, just as some movies that are successful
I personally do not like...
Interestingly enough, we produce
between four and six films a year. We
get about 25 script submissions a
week. That works out to less than half
of one percent of the scripts we get
which we end up producing, which is
about the same proportion of films
that get into Sundance Competition
(16 out of 3,000).
So, from now on I’m thinking of using
this sample form rejection letter for
script submissions which we “pass” on:
Dear Supplicant,
We are herewith rejecting your
script. There are a million reasons
why this could be so. Pick one.
The script needs more work and
you should come back after getting a
dozen people (not related to you) to
read it and give you notes.
Your cover letter shows that you
are illiterate. Maybe the five typos on
the first page made us feel that you do
not take your job seriously, and therefore
we do not take you seriously.
We think you have no talent at all
and need to stop deluding yourself.
We have just produced a film that
has a similar theme.
Your script is a straight-to-video
“tits and guns” movie and you did
not do any research into the kinds of
films we make.
We were in a bad mood when we
read the script and just didn’t like it
at the time and we are making a
huge mistake.
Our pile is so big and we are so
busy that unless you are a friend of a
VERY close friend or have something
hugely compelling about your project,
we will simply keep putting
something else on top of it in the pile.
But remember that everyone passed
on My Big Fat Greek Wedding, many
passed on Whale Rider and nobody
knows anything so please do not let
this discourage you!
Warmest regards,
Gill Holland and
Lillian LaSalle
Remember, at the end of the day, we
would all make more money if we had
picked certain other careers, so never
forget that the producer rejecting you
still shares your underlying passion for
cinema. No one should take rejection
too seriously. It won’t kill you, but you
might get a little bit stronger. Our film
Loggerheads in competition at Sundance
last year was rejected by the
Sundance labs. But you know what? In
retrospect, they were right to reject us
because when we submitted it, the
script was not ready, and getting rejected
helped us realize we still had work to
do. We did a lot of work subsequently
and the we are proud of the movie,
despite poor box office! Maybe it will do
better on DVD. There is always hope.

Art,Food, Music,Dogs, Anarchy
Ron English beautifies Charlie Manson
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THE HATCHETT REPORT
BY LILY HATCHETT
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IMUST BE MAGNETIZED FOR FILM.
Here is a good batch that collided
with me and stuck, some more than
once.
Popaganda: The Art And Crimes
Of Ron English, produced and directed
by Pedro Carvajal, is a documentary
about one man’s crusade for billboard
liberation and culture jamming.
Let me preface this story with a sigh
of relief and a couple of ha ha ha’s.
Behold a beautiful sight.Funny,
dangerous art, on a billboard. Free for
all. Yes, folks, here it is—Gonzo
Billboard Hijacking as Art Form!
Finally, an artist that takes “going all
out on a limb, stepping over the edge,
risking disapproval and arrest” as artistic
imperative. Bear in mind that this
artistic imperative is realized with
extreme skill, wit and agility. Watching
Ron English, we see a sublimely funny
32
master at work. First it starts with
research for an accessible billboard.
Back in the studio, the idea has to be
hand painted with acrylic on photo
backdrop paper. Hand-painted, yes,
but slick to a Madison Avenue caliber
ad-man. And, he is fast! Finished and
dry in record time, the next step is to
apply the Ron English Billboard to its
designated location. This calls for
teamwork. Ron prefers to do this by
day, during working hours. Looking
like guys on the job, he and his cohorts
go about the “mundane” task of putting
up a billboard. They are poised
and ready to paste and run, and run
they did immediately upon putting up
the “Let’s Get Drunk and Kill God” billboard
that evoked killer rage in the
onlookers. “It’s called criminal mischief,
it’s a second degree felony,” says
Ron, “but it is a way to give the art to
everyone.”
Ron has covered the full spectrum of
topics, from politics to surrealism. He
calls his art Popaganda (www.popaganda.com).
The idea is to leave no stone
unturned in his quest to tease and subvert
marketing icons of popular culture.
This newly revised version of
Pedro’s documentary (78 minutes)
includes Ron English’s new “Art
Crimes” committed during festival
screenings as well as new interviews
and follow-up. Also included is art by
Shepard Fairey, ArtFux, Cicada,
Anthony Ausgang with music by The
Dandy Warhols, Daniel Jonston,
Tripping Daisy and more.
The Future Of Food, intellectual
property and gene splicing gone horribly
awry, is an expose of a devious and
underhanded plan that affects all of us.
Deborah Koons Garcia made one dangerously
smart movie, a movie that can
arm the viewer with facts, facts that can
awaken even the most complacent and
make them aware of how the “controllers”
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are tightening their grip. Tampering with
mother nature can produce everything
from tasteless tomatoes to crops classified
as insecticides, plus other mutant
horrors. This documentary about our
vital needs is extremely well produced,
well written, and there is never a dull
moment—the information is jaw dropping!
Forget the scary movies of yore,
forget the blood-curdlers and the devil
hunters, the really scary stuff is not
forged of fantasy but of greed and ignorance.
No amount of wealth can heal the
monster unleashed by the id. Everyone
must see this film, the real revolution
begins with knowledge and altruism.
The Future Of Food has already
been instrumental in the passing of
“Measure H” in Mendecino County, a
local initiative to ban GMO crops. Hail
to the power of film!
The Steve Plan premiered at the
Breckenridge Film Fest, and was slated
to open the New Orleans Film
Festival in 2005, but Katrina abruptly
stopped that.
All that Steve planned to do was to
retire from medicine to create art fulltime.
He was counting off the days on
his kitchen blackboard calendar. Most
artists have to have a day job or some
way that pays the bills. Steve Laser’s job
is ER medicine. Medicine was a good
profession for Steve, who mused, “I like
working here at Charity Hospital, providing
free services for people.”
Antediluvian New Orleans emergency
medicine consisted mostly of gunshot
wounds, tens of thousands annually. “It
is an important, but futile task.” He was
asked to participate in a art exhibit
using bent up confiscated guns. His
piece, using guns, an old gurney and a
clipboard received quite a bit of notoriety.
He caught the attention of a couple
of British filmmakers, as well as the
director of the hospital.
The cinematography of The Steve Plan
is striking. The extraordinary choice of
music, especially considering New
Orleans expectations, is mesmerizing.
Steve Lesser, when questioned about the
opportunity to examine his life through
the eyes of a documentary gained,
“intense feedback, a clear view without
POPAGANDA: THE ART & CRIMES
OF RON ENGLISH
Documentary 78 minutes
Director/Producer: Pedro Carvajal
Editor: Kevin Chapados
Featuring the art of Ron English,
also featuring art by Shepard
Fairey, music by Dandy Warhols,
ArtFuxand more
Associate Producer: Nicole Steffen
Email: Harvest-Moon@juno.com
or pedro2nd@hotmail.com
Publicity contacts:
Karen Larsen and Chris Wiggum
Larsen Associates
360 Ritch Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
t: 415 957-1205
f: 415 945-1520
e: larsenassc@aol.com
personal filters.”
The IFP side stairs of the Puck
Building were the epicenter of meeting
and grooving with filmmakers.
A 2005 IFP Market selection, Cast In
Gray, written, directed and edited by I.
Michael Toth, was given to me on those
steps. I had to watch this award-winning
short film twice to fully savor the joke. I
like a well-written, subtle piece of
humor, rich with content, questions and
plenty of rain. The international blend of
cast and crew gave this Chicago film a
world language, a cross-culturally
understood modern fable. Cast In Gray
is a rakishly quiet, wry smirk of a film, a
tale of two men, a car, a dog, and of
course, lots of rain. They can be found
at festivals all over, fundraising to make
it a feature.
I first met filmmaker John Daniel
Gavin outside the Puck Building as the
IFP Get-It-Made Conference 2005 was
winding down. There was a gathering of
some filmmakers and IFP staff. That
must have been a moment of peak convergence,
as quite few connections happened.
John rushes toward us with
remarkable glee, as I am the only one
facing his direction, he immediately
starts telling me about being on that Jet
Blue flight out of LA with the askew
landing gear and the most excellent
landing. That’s the reason he was late
for the conference. He did have a film.
A genuine, bona fide, one-man independent
film he called “the new high
watermark in no-budget feature filmmaking.”
He was busting out with unaffected
enthusiasm. I had to see his
movie. Written, directed and played by
Gavin, Johnny Montana has better
than good production values, and good,
honest acting and directing. The feature
is a cautionary tale of a modern
everyman tasting the raw edges of the
underworld to make a living. For a low
budget indie, Gavin pulled together an
admirable cast and crew. johnny@johnnymontanathemovie.com
He didn’t know whether he was
Serb, Croat or Muslim. Assassin “Uncle
Vanya” was an orphan out of Bosnia. He
really wanted to get out of the profession
but due to blackmail, could not.
THE FUTURE OF FOOD
Producer/Director:
Deborah Koons Garcia
Distribution through:
Cinema Libre Studio,
Good Company Communications
Other Deborah Koons Garcia films:
Grateful Dawg, Poco Loco,
All About Babies
www.thefutureoffood.com
THE STEVE PLAN
Produced by: Laura Gregory,
Nathalie Marciasno
Editor: Scott Stevenson
Music: Mix: Steve’s Choice
Great Guns Productions
Founder: Laura Gregory
London, England
www.greatguns.com
33
IN THE DETAILS
One last job stood between he and a
change of careers. This is where the
story starts to convolute and get good.
Vladan Nikolic’s Love was shot digitally,
“for the price of a mid-sized SUV, with
help from Swiss Effects for the 35mm
transfer.” There is some great use of
gyro-cam in a brand new way, placing
the viewer into disconnected space.
The soundtrack worked on me on some
deep, primal level. The sinewy, slinky,
Balkan/Oriental melodies were like
threads, pulling me into the film’s core.
Love has had a considerable amount of
festival play and acclaim since its premiere
at the Tribeca Film Festival 2005.
The Pioneer Theatre in NYC will host
its first theatrical release. www.lovethefilm.com
Matt Zoller Seitz called his film
Home, “$1.98 Nashville.” Matt, the film
critic, became Matt, the filmmaker,
because he wanted to make a movie that
had qualities he liked in film, and to see
what it meant to be in filmmakers’
shoes. Therefore, he went straight to
the masters, Robert Altman and John
Frankenheimer. In fact, he “appropriated”
shots and direction directly from his
heroes. He challenged me to find them.
Home, Seitz says, is built on a bell curve.
The theme is a house party. As the party
grows, so the number of characters and
interactions grow, and then taper down
to the first two. We have all been there,
at all points of the curve. Home will have
its theatrical release at the Pioneer
Theatre in March. Matt’s next film is a
puppet parody, The Rabbit of the Siph.
The Peace One Day film project is the
brainchild of British director Jeremy
Gilley. Supported by world leaders, individuals
and organizations, the film documents
the establishment of the United
Nations International Day of Peace, an
annual world event, a day of global ceasefire
and non-violence which falls on
September 21. (www.peaceoneday.org)
Quilombo leader, Zumbi of Palmares,
died 310 years ago on November 20.
Zumbi was the militant leader of
an African country that existed inside
colonial Brazil. The quilombo of Palmares
was created by escaped and freed
slaves near the city of Recife, and had
CAST IN GRAY
Written, Directed & Edited by:
I. Michael Toth
Produced by: Christopher Gentry
Co-Producer: Frank T. Herbert
Executive Producers:
Predrag Konstantinovic,
Charles Renslow
Co-Executive Producers:
Steve Weiss, Martin Selak,
Siro Pieri
Cinematographer:
Sasha Rendulic
Production Designer:
Slobodan Radovanovic
Sound Designer: I. Michael Toth
Costume Designer:
Natasha Vuchurovich Djukich
www.castingraymovie.com
a population of as many as 30,000.
They defeated every attempt at conquest
until 1694, when the Portugese
succeeded.
Leonard Abrams, one man with a
camera, walked into that world full of
lore, of ceremonies, festivals and life.
Quilombo is the Angolan word for
encampment.
A few years later, Abrams emerged
with Quilombo Country, a film filled
with Forro beats and mysterious beliefs.
It is a private, unpressured look into a
contemporary, parallel world, another
dimension, an opportunity to listen to
the music, the words, and the cosmologies,
both different and unifying.
www.quilombofilm
Finally, watch for the Belgians.
Perhaps they will save the world!
Pamela Peeters is an environmental
economist and founder of the
Sustainable Planet Film Festival
(Walter Reed Theatre, April 20, ‘06, in
conjunction with Earth Day). She is
also producing a 35mm short film
called Snoopy Dance. Snoopy has
become such a cultural icon as a
metaphor for happiness. Director Ian
Fischer brings his Rene Magritte
inspired, surrealistic, existential tale to
the screen with a unique international
team, including DP, Chris J Lytwyn ,
Joel Johnstone and Tamiko Joye Ball.
www.pamelapeeters.com
Johnny Montana
HOME
95 min./DigitBeta
Matt Zoller Seitz, film critic,
New York Press, Star-Ledger.
Director: Matt Zoller Seitz
Producers: Sean O’Dea,
Jeremy Seitz, Matt Zoller Seitz
Screenwriter: Matt Zoller Seitz
Director of Photography:
Jonathan Wolff
Additional Photography: Steve Hopkins
Editors: Matt Zoller Seitz,
Jeremy Zoller Seitz,
Cast Jason Liebrecht,
Nicol Zanzarella, Stephen Neave,
Minerva Scelza, Erin Stacey
Visslailli, Bradley Spinelli,
Jennifer Larkin, Pavol Liska
www.brooklynschoolyard.com

BY STEPHEN ASHTON
WHEN THIRTY YEAR FESTIVAL
vet Darryl Macdonald rode
into the desert from the
Great Northwest (he had been with
Seattle International for years), he
brought with him a posse of seasoned
cinema warriors to watch his back. His
sidekick Carl Spence took the reins as
Director of Programming, and led his
team of trusty programing workhorses
(six specialists in various areas) to
round up 232 films from senty-one
countries, including eighty-four pre-
mieres and forty-nine of the fifty-four
foreign entries for this year’s Academy
Awards. Not to mention a gang of
“back-grounders”—festival pros in
every area of administration from
operations and events to print trafficking
and promotion.
IN HIS OWN WORDS:
MACDONALD ON PALM SPRINGS
STEPHEN ASHTON: What excites you
most about the Festival this year?
DARRYL MACDONALD: The new intiatives
we are undertaking: paying more
attention to the programming of films
of historical merit, including Chaplin’s
The Circus, Frank Borzage’s film noir
classic Moonrise and rarest of all for
American audiences, Alfred Radockk’s
Distant Journey, a Czech masterwork
incorporating elements of expressionist
and surrealist cinema. Further
underlining this archival programming
strand is our retrospective of the work
of Pupi Avati, which, while it is not
widely known in America, represents a
34
PALM SPRINGS
It’s NoMirage, It’sWhere to be Seen
Film literacy, visible on the horizon, makes the desert bloom
Lifetime Achievement...which lifetime?
17TH ANNUAL PALM SPRINGS
INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
AWARD WINNERS
FLASH! THE FIRST FESTIVAL
of 2006 closed just days
ago with a flood of raves for
its films, fun and smooth operation.
Minh Nguyen-Vo’s feature debut
from Vietnam, Buffalo Boy,
received the FIPRESCI Award.
Ion Fiscuteanu received the
FIPRESCI Award, Best Actor for
his performance in The Death of
Mr. Lazarescu (Romania), directed
by Cristi Puiu.
Meltem Cumbul received the
FIPRESCI Award, Best Actress for
her performance in Lovelorn
(Turkey), directed by Yavuz Turgul.
Love + Hate, directed by
Dominic Savage, received the
New Voices/New Visions Award.
AUDIENCE AWARD WINNERS
Five Days in September (Canada)
received the Audience Award for
Best Documentary Feature.
Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont
(U.K.) and Mother of Mine
(Finland/Sweden) tied for
Audience Award for Best Narrative
Feature.
This year’s FIPRESCI jury members
were president Kirill Razlogov
(Russia), Henrik Uth Jensen
(Denmark), Gideon Kouts (France),
Charles-Stephane Roy (Canada)
and Robert Koehler (U.S.).
New Voices/New Visions Jury
members included actor Udo Kier,
Los Angeles Times writer John
Horn and Screen International
writer Jeremy Kay.
Two Sons of Francisco received
the John Schlesinger Award for
Outstanding First Feature
(Narrative or Documentary).
Carl Spence, director of programming
said, “Breno Silveira is
a celebrated cinematographer who
has masterfully made a flawless,
IN THE DETAILS
distinctive directorial voice in European
cinema who has done exceptional
work in a number of genres. Each of
the prints is newly struck, and collectively,
they represent a fitting foray
into cinema’s past, which is intended
to provide some balance for our
emphasis on cinema’s present and
future, which are the focus of the other
showcases in the Festival line-up.
Speaking of that cinematic future,
I’m particularly pleased with our New
Voices/New Visions section of the
Festival this year, which encompasses
the work of twelve exceptional new
directors on the world stage, each of
whom provides cause for excitement
about the filmmaking talent emerging
in different countries around the globe.
SA: Do you think the PSIFF has
contributed to “film literacy” amongst
the public? That is to say, is the
audience more accepting of innovative
cinema or more experimental
out of the ordinary work. If you
think the Festival has contributed
to this, how?
moving and visually stunning film
with his feature-length film debut.
Our hope is that with the presentation
of this award, Two Sons of
Francisco will receive the critical
acclaim and attention in North
America that it deserves. The
Festival looks forward to watching
Silveria’s continuing career as an
emerging master filmmaker.”
In addition to the Film Awards,
Palm Springs is high on the “glam
charts” as well, with its Annual
Black Tie Gala. This year delighting
the crowds were Shirley
MacLaine, who received the
Lifetime Achievement Award presented
by Academy Award winner
Kathy Bates. Shirley danced a bit
and joined in song.
Charlize Theron was presented
with the Desert Palm Achievement
Award, Actress, presented by her
Sweet November co-star Keanu
Reeves. They clowned around.
David Cronenberg received the
Keanu presents Charlize with her award.
DM: Part of our overall mission is to
raise both the appreciation for and
the level of discourse about films and
filmmaking in general amongst audiences.
Certainly the Festival has gone
a long way towards achieving those
goals in its first seventeen years,
encompassing post-screening discussions
and seminars, master classes
and panel discussions in its program-
CONTINUED ON PAGE 62
Sonny Bono Visionary Award presented
by A History of Violence
star Viggo Mortensen. Not only
did he seem to be moved by the
award, but he gave a most well
thought-out acceptance speech.
Jake Gyllenhaal was given the
Desert Palm Achievement Actor
Award, presented by his Jarhead
co-star Peter Sarsgaard and
Terrence Howard took home the
Rising Star Award presented by
his Crash co-star Chris “Ludacris”
Bridges and director Paul Haggis.
Felicity Huffman grabbed the
Breakthrough Performance Award
presented by her Transamerica
co-star Fionnula Flanagan and
Michael London got the Producer
of the Year Award presented by
Sideways star Virginia Madsen.
Thomas Newman took the
Frederick Loewe Award for Film
Composing presented by Finding
Nemo director Andrew Stanton.
—STEPHEN ASHTON

BY SANDY MANDELBERGER
WHILE MIAMI MAY CONJURE
up images of swaying palm
trees, white sand beaches
and pina coladas at poolside, the truth
is that the city is undergoing a major
cultural renaissance. Along with a
major development of its downtown as
a performing arts district and a burgeoning
reputation as a fine arts capital,
Miami’s largest film event, the
Miami International Film Festival, is
also undergoing a major upgrade.
The Festival is fast becoming one of
the country’s major showcases for
American independent and international
films, with an accent on Spanish
and Portugese language cinema.
Having gone through choppy administrative
waters and a revolving door of
Festival Directors, the Festival has
finally achieved stability and gravitas
under the direction of Nicole
Guillemet, a former Sundance Film Festival
programmer and administrator, who
celebrates her third year at the helm.
Guillemet recently announced the
event’s most impressive line-up to
date. The Festival will open on March
3rd with the world premiere of
Heartlift (Lifting de Corazon),
Argentine director Eliseo Subiela’s
delicious meditation on the madness of
love. The Festival closes ten days later
with the East Coast Premiere of
Friends With Money by hot American
indie director Nicole Holofcener.
The films in between are an eclectic
mix of genres and styles. “More than
75% of our films this year are by international
filmmakers,” Guillemet
announced. “In addition, 60% of ou
MIAMI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
MIFF LivesUpTo It’sName
Heartlift
films are by first and second time
directors, and almost a third are by
women directors.”
The Festival will present ten World
Premieres across its Competition categories.
Highlights include Premium
(Peter Chatmon, USA), the tale of a
struggling actor planning his comeback;
The King Of San Gregorio
(Alfonso Gazitua, Chile), an unvarnished
look at the inner lives of people
living on the margins of Chile’s urban
underworld; For The Love Of Dolly
(Tai Uhlmann, U.S.), a hilarious documentary
on the fan cult of country
superstar Dolly Parton; The Good
Voice (Antonio Cuadri, Spain), an
inspirational drama about a taxi driver’s
personal transformation; Yo Soy
Boricua, Pa’Que Tu Lo Sepas! (I’m
Boricua, just so you know!!), Puerto
Rico/U.S.), the directorial debut of
actress Rosie Perez and a tribute to
Puerto Rican pride; and Bob Marley
and Friends (Saul Swimmer, U.S.), a
tribute to the reggae king on the 25th
anniversary of his early death in Miami.
Films from Latin America and Spain
are a high priority of the Festival.
Among the highlights are Angels of the
Sun (Rudi Lagemann, Brazil), a
poignant drama bout a young girl
forced into child prostitution; Life In
Color (Santiago Tabernero, Spain), a
coming-of-age story set against the
repression of the Franco regime;
Orlando Vargas (Juan Pittaluga,
Uruguay/France), a political thriller
about the disappearance of a French
businessman in Uruguay and Muxes
(Alejandra Islas, Mexico), a portrait of
native Indian homosexuals fighting for
their rights in rural Mexico.
35
The Festival’s commitment to
Spanish language cinema is further
evidenced by Miami Encuentros, a coproduction
market where Latin
American and Spanish producers
have a chance to network with their
American and Euro-pean counterparts
in a networking exchange.
A major coup for the Festival is the
participation of German auteur director
Wim Wenders, who will be feted
with the Career Achievement Award
honoring his four decades of risk taking
and artistic integrity. The Festival
will honor Wenders at a gala screening
of his latest film, Don’t Come Knocking.
As a special treat, Wenders’ documentary
portrait of classic Cuban musicians,
the widely acclaimed Buena
Vista Social Club, will screen on the
closing day of the Festival at the historic
Tower Theater in Miami’s Little
Havana community.
Festival Director Nicole Guillemet

INTERVIEW WITH
BERLIN FESTIVAL
DIRECTOR
DIETER KOSSLICK
BY STEPHEN ASHTON
STEPHEN ASHTON/FILM FESTIVAL
REPORTER: What excites you
most about the Festival this year?
DIETER KOSSLICK: The international
response to the enlargement
of the European Film Market is
overwhelming. We have become the
first major market in the year and
had to adapt space capacity, services
and facilities to this new challenging
opportunity. In 2006 the
EFM will be held in its new location,
the Martin-Gropius-Bau, which perfectly
suits the new situation. The
market is sold out for 2006. We have
a very promising prospective.
SA/FFR: Do you think the
Berlinale has contributed to “film
literacy” amongst the public? Is
the audience more accepting of
innovative cinema or more “experimental,
out-of-the-ordinary”
work. If you think the Festival has
contributed to this, how?
DK: The sold-out screenings for all
sections of the Festival confirm
that there is an audience that
wants to see innovative and
diverse movies. The Berlinale and
other festivals play an important
role as a platform for an overview
of the international filmmaking
including new discoveries in aesthetics
and content.
SA/FFR: Is there anything different
about the structure of the
2006 Festival? Anything different
about the venues, technology or
opportunities for filmmaking education
or items of interest for professionals?
DK: After five years introducing
new initiatives we can feel the
synergies working with Talent
Campus, Co-Production Market,
World Cinema Fund, and the new
cooperation with the International
Book Fair of Frankfurt. They
make the Festival a platform of
education, culture and business.
Now, after five years, again the
presence of German films is particularly
strong. The year was
very good and we will have as
many German films as we can.
We’ll be showing some really good
CONTINUED ON PAGE 37
Berlinale Takes Europe
BY CLAUS MUELLER
THE 2006 BERLIN INTERNATIONAL
Film Festival, the Berlinale, has
grown again, specifically in the
tradition of the European Film Market
and new program components Dieter
Kosslick, helmer of the Berlinale, has
been adding since May 2001. These
include the Talent Campus (2003), The
World Cinema Fund (2004), and the
Berlinale Co-Production Market
(2005). In his previous position as the
CEO of the North Rhine Westphalia
Film Foundation, Kosslick transformed
that institution into the second largest
public funder of film production in
Europe. At the Berlinale, his additions
are now emulated by other festivals
such as Talent Campus. Kosslick has
transformed the Berlinale into the most
comprehensive European showcase of
feature films and documentaries.
In 2005, 17,000 accredited professionals
attended, including 3,800 journalists,
a larger press presence than at
Cannes. The Berlinale has come to be
known as the place to work rather than
to party. With a budget of about $12
million, most of the Kosslick additions
to the Festival are privately funded,
thus do not drain the Festival budget.
Primary revenue sources are provided
by German federal agencies. Among the
most important corporate sponsors are
L’Oreal Paris, Volkswagen, and ZDF, the
second largest German television network,
Both the European Film Market
and the Co-Production Market are supposed
to generate enough income to
pay for themselves-a reasonable goal.
Whether or not both markets can also
become profit centers for the Berlinale
remains to be seen.
As a creation of the Cold War in
1950, the Berlinale served as a Western
cultural window to communist countries
and never lost its political overtones
as compared to the strictly commercial
Cannes and Venice events. The
Forum, Panorama, Teddy, and the principal
Festival selections have a long history
of showing innovative work questioning
conventional political and cultural
wisdom. Numerous productions in
the 2006 program carry on that tradition
by focusing on the social consequences
of globalization. In Kosslick’s
words, “These productions reflect a
new form of neorealism and show that
something is wrong in society, that family
structure is falling apart and tmany
people pass [through] their life in disorientation.”
This view may have
prompted the selection of the famed
British actress Charlotte Rampling to
head the Festival jury.
36
BERLINALE
The Festival Palace is home to the multi-storied Opening Night extravaganza.
Among the films selected and slated
for the final competition and out of
competion programs are seven world
premieres. Two premieres are by
German directors Oskar Roehler, The
Elementary Particles, and Hans-
Cristina Schmidt, Requiem. The others
are Bosnia’s Grbavici by Jasmila
Zbanic, Australia’s Candy by Neil
Armfield, Britain’s and Canada’s Snow
Cake by Marc Evans, Thailand’s
Invisible Waves by Ratanaruang Penek
and China’z Wu/Ji (The Promise) by
Chen Kaige. Out of competition premieres
for Germany include Terrence
Malick’s The New World and Stephen
Gaghan’s Syriana.
The Berlinale annual film retrospective
is devoted in 2006 to actresses
(although the correct term from a
female is actor) of the 1950s, screen
heroines trying to assert themselves in
a male dominated world between prudery,
nostalgia and the sense of a new
beginning and progress. Forty-five
films will feature thiry screen icons the
likes of Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly,
Setsuko Hara (Japan), Tatjana
Samoiulova (Russia) and Hildegard
Knef (Germany). On a different note,
the Bertlinale Forum pays homage to
Japanese director Nakagawe Nomuo
through midnight screenings of nine
classic mystery films.
The Berlinale is the only major film
festival that makes the screening of
films with gay, lesbian and transgender
content a regular part of its program-a
Festival innovation introduced under
former helmer Moritz de Hadeln in
1987. Over the last twenty years the
Teddy-the queer Film Award of the
Berlinale-was provided to the best
short, documentary and feature film
with a gay theme. Directed by Wieland
Speck who also runs the Panorama section
of the Berlinale, the Teddy 2006
celebration complements the regular
program with the screening of all productions
garnering a Teddy in the past.
2006 will also see the beginning of
Queer Academy, an internet based data
archive of all Teddy awardees, which
will expand and eventually to include
all major productions with gay, lesbian
or transgender content.

The European Film Market is moving
to a new location, the famed Walter
Gropius Bau, within walking distance
of the main Berlinale venue. There is
no question that the strategic timing of
the market in the film festival calendar
combined with a high proportion of
superb and commercially viable productions
and savvy market management
under Becky Probst contributed
to its rapid expansion. About 200 companies
participated in the 2005
European Film Market with more than
240 having registered, forcing EFM to
rent additional office space at
Postdamer Strasse to accommodate
thirty-three companies.
Apart from screening-on-demand
services, EFM provides all market participants
access to the new facilities,
including additional small theatres and
an auditorium capable of accommodating
200. In cooperation with Sundance,
the “Straight from Sundance” series at
the market will highlight the most
important independent productions
shown several weeks earlier.
For Kosslick, the long term supply
of new and original productions for the
Berlinale is a crucial element in his
development strategy and is directly
linked to several components of the
Berlinale, Since October 2004, 367
projects from fifty-two “Third World”
countries have been submitted for production
and/or distribution seed-funding
to the World Cinema Fund. Twenty
projects received funding.
Three features were completed
which are now making the festival
rounds, including the Berlinale-
Paradise Now, Saratan and
Naousse. The 2006 Berlinale Co-
Production Market for film producers
and financial backers in 2006 included
fifty-eight countries and more than
300 co-production projects.
The market presents case studies of
financing of feature films in the 2006
official competition, the pitching of
new projects, and a series of professional
encounters. Since the Co-
Production Market is located in the
city Parliament building across from
the European Film Market, synergy for
deal making is at its peak.
The Talent Campus is the most
important component in assuring
long-term quality product supply for
the Berlinale and in profiling Berlin as
a production center and attractive
location for any type of film. Gifted
and carefully-chosen young filmmakers
from all over the world participate
in the campus.
Since 2003, about 1,600 young
filmmakers have been selected for
the annual Berlinale Talent Campus
and participated in six days of professional
seminars, specialized training
in various film crafts, working with
funding, working with production
and distribution specialists, screenings
and parties.
37
The major focus of the 2006
Talent Campus is editing. Apart from
following the main program, members
of the talent campus can apply
to additional programs encompassing
“Talent Movie of the Week,”
“Talent Project Market,”
“Volkswagen Score Competition,”
“Script Clinic” and “Doc Clinic.”
Once they’ve become participants
they have fewer costs since most
transportation and lodging costs are
covered by the Berlinale. Given the
qualifications of the film professionals
training the students, the incredible
networking opportunities and
the generous stipend, there has
been a dramatic increase in applications.
Last year, 2,400 applications
were received for the 2005 Talent
Campus. This year, 3,500 young film
professionals from 120 counties
applied for 500 slots the 2006
Talent Campus will offer.
Applicant qualifications and expectations
of the applicants has ncreased
and it is much more difficult to be
selected, thus, virtually all applicants
have production experience. About
twenty Talent Campus graduates had
production or acting credits in the
2005 Berlinale program and numerous
others won kudos elsewhere.
But, as several Talent Campus participants
told me last year, they will
submit their work to the Berlinale
first before going elsewhere.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 36
and quite different kinds of
German films. I have always had a
lot of confidence in German filmmakers.
The initiatives we undertook
have proved very positive.
German producers and filmmakers
trust in us. They even try to
coordinate production schedules
in order to be on time to submit a
film to the Berlinale.
SA/FFR: What would you say is
your idea of the mission of the
Festival?
DK: There are two important
components. One is to compose a
program which reflects the current
state and new trends of
international cinema. This involves
films that attract broad audiences
as well as more experimental
formats.
The other focus is to promote
cinema as a medium for cultural
exchange and the understanding
of cultural diversity. A kind of
personal mission is the support of
young filmmakers. With the
Berlinale Talent Campus we
started an educational program
which is unique so far. The evolution
of cinema will be continued
by the next generation.

BY CHRISTINA KOTLAR
IWANTED TO WRITE “BIG SKY
International Documentary Film
Festival” but was corrected by
Doug Hawes-Davis, Festival founder
and programming director. It’s officially
called Big Sky Documentary Film
Festival, although it is fast becoming
known as an international film festival
with over 800 entries coming in from
all over the world.
Doug was on his way on to a buffalo
shoot when we talked about the
upcoming week-long Festival slated
for February 16th through the 22nd,
a new 2006 Festival season in
Missoula, Montana, where some of
the last buffalo roam. Bison, to be
exact, about to be shot because they
strayed across the protected park
boundary. Doug was driving out that
way for the doc shoot and before the
phone signal faded in the lastremaining,
remote landscapes of
the American West, Butch Cassidy,
the Sundance Kid and the Hole in the
Wall Gang country, we talked about
another frontier-the resurgence of
documentaries and their increasing
theatrical profile.
This resurgence, or perhaps a reinventing,
of the documentary genre as
seen in the Academy Award-winning
38
BIG SKY INTERNATIONAL
DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
Big Night in Missoula
Where the buffalo and documentarians roam
Fog of War and box-office recordsetting
March of the Penguins, has
lured audiences in droves to see
these types of films in theatrical settings
rather than the typical PBS infront-of-the-TV
domain. “Where else
can you come to the theatre and go
away after seeing a 35mm film of
Maysles’ documentary on the Rolling
Stones, Gimme Shelter, the way it
was made to be seen,” remarked
Hawes-Davis, passionately advocating
a venue that is a mix of friendly
local filmgoers combined with a large
industry event in an amazing setting.
While contemporary film successes
draw an audience, the program-
ming director balances the Festival
with not-in-competition documentaries
that have become classics in
the filmmaking realm.
Hawes-Davis also credits Withoutabox
with getting the word out and therefore
getting in more entries for Big
Sky, effectively presenting itself as a
combination of Hot Docs and Hot
Springs.
A hot venue for showing world premieres,
North American premieres,
introducing experimental filmmakers
and highlighting quirky film productions,
Big Sky is technology home on
the range at its best. www.highplainsfilms.org

INTERVIEW BY SCOTT BAYER
DAWN HUDSON HAS BEEN THE
executive director of Film
Independent (formerly IFP Los
Angeles) since 1991. Under her leadership,
Film Independent has grown
seven-fold, from a nine-hundred member
organization to its current membership
of 6,300. Revenues have also
increased an average of 25% per year.
Film Independent is dedicated to
cultivating the careers of independent
filmmakers, increasing the audience
for independent films, and increasing
diversity within the film industry.
During her tenure at Film Independent,
the organization has created
Filmmaker Labs for writers, directors,
and producers; provided fulltime,
on-staff advisors for filmmakers;
introduced free on-on-one consultations
for filmmakers in the categories of
post-production, festival strategy, lineproducing,
legal advice, and foreign
sales; and established onsite facilities
(casting rooms, editing suite, and production
office) for filmmakers. In addi-
PEOPLE YOU SHOULD KNOW
DAWN HUDSON • MICHELLE BYRD
It Was a New Dawn for “IFP West”
Film Independent/LAFF adapts and grows more viable, more vital for “west indies”
tion, Film Independent’s first film
mentorship program, Project:Involve,
was established in 1993 as a mentorship
program for under-represented,
emerging filmmakers which has provided
jobs and industry access for over
five-hundred honorees for the past
twelve years.
In 2001, Film Independent acquired
the Los Angeles Film Festival, now the
largest film festival in Southern
California with attendance of more than
60,000. The Los Angeles Film Festival
and the twenty-year old Independent
Spirit Awards remain Film Independent’s
two signature events. The organization
also produces 250 educational and
screening events annually.
Hudson serves on the Advisory
Board of the Latino Entertainment
Media Institute.
SCOTT BAYER/FILM FESTIVAL REPORTER:
How long has your relationship been
with LAFF?
DAWN HUDSON: I took over five years
ago. We were IFP/LA but not formally
affiliated with the IFP—the two are
not formally associated—we act separately.
The organization was called
IFP/LA, now it’s called Film
Independent.
SB/FFR: What’s coming up for Film
Independent in 2006?
DH: The Indie Spirit Awards and LAFF
on June 22nd through July 2nd. We
program one-hundred and fifty screenings
each year and about one-hundred
educational events in various screening
rooms, including commercial theaters
throughout the city. We serve the
community of indie filmmakers and
build events where people can socialize
as well as learn. Because L.A. is
such a large city you can meet other
like-minded filmmakers and reinforce
that path for independents. We are a
little nomadic. Our people are all over
the city. One thing we started which
was very successful is a new program
that’s going into its second year, “How
To Sell Your Film Without Getting
Screwed.” The conference will be next
fall in October.
Byrd Comes to Roost at IFP
INTERVIEW BY SCOTT BAYER
MICHELLE BYRD’S FIRST
position at IFP was as assistant
to the executive director.
She is now executive director, helping
to bring together New York’s creative
community and strengthening the
independent film industry through
education, networking, exhibition and
opportunities. Michelle. Byrd’s responsibilities
include shaping programs,
fundraising, building industry relationships
and moving long-term projects
forward.
During her tenure, Byrd has broadened
the scope of the annual Gotham
Awards and reinvented the IFP’s annual
market, the only U.S. market which
focuses on films in development, facilitating
more than 1,500 meetings in
which “Made in NY” projects such as
Maria Full of Grace and Mad Hot
Ballroom come to fruition.
SB/FFR: Congratulations for being
able to last as long as you have at IFP.
You’ve lasted longer in one position in
the industry than anyone else I know of.
MICHELLE BYRD: (laughing) Have I
won the “Survivor Award?”
SB/FFR: Very likely. When did you
first come to IFP?
MB: 1991. Before, I’d had an editing
background. I did some volunteer work
and started as my predecessor—assistant—working
from the ground up.
SB/FFR: Did you have any idea that
the indie market would get so big?
MB: No. In fact, so many people have
said I was the first full-time employee—
no one was working at it all year long. It
was a huge surprise when the orginization
had a huge growth spurt then
staffed up bigger programs. I had no
idea. My parents had just stopped getting
after me about getting a proper job.
SB/FFR: People think after a job like
this you would use it as a steppingstone
to a high paying position at a big
studio or production company or the
39
like but you seem dedicated to the
indie film support system.
MB: I came here wanting to get into
film and really wanted to get a sense of
what people were doing and what the
options were. So I started working at
IFP and though it would help me figure
out a path for myself. What I realized
was that there are people who have
the appetite and are driven, and I freelanced
for a while and that was not for
me, clearly. I’d rather be struggling
executive assistant that a struggling
filmmaker.
SB/FFR: It’s good to know that early.
MB: Yeah, I think I like it a lot. I don’t
compete with people who make
movies. It’s still all a hustle. I really
believe the whole idea that everyone
should have an opportunity for their
voice to be heard. That resonates with
me on a more socio-political level.
Those kinds of things are important to
me on a personal level, which is why I
like working for non-profit—it’s been
SB/FFR: You make resources available
to your members?
DH: People are always here in our
office, all the time. People are always
here in our office, all the time. Our onsite
facilities include casting rooms,
resource libraries and camera equipment.
SB/FFR: The Spirit Awards are a big
deal, being held around the Academy
Awards.
DH: Yes, held on the Saturday before
Academy Awards Sunday.
SB/FFR: Is there crossover between
the Academy and Spirit awards?
DH: It depends if there’s good studio
support, then there’s lots of crossover.
This year there’s Brokeback Mountain,
Capote and Good Night and Good
Luck. We also have a Director’s Series
and an annual Producer’s Lab, which
you can find out more about on our
website: www.filmindependent.org/.
very rewarding because it’s not necessarily
status or box-office driven.
SB/FFR: What other initiatives and
developments are in the works?
MB: The Producer’s Group in NYC,
which has earned a lot of respect
worldwide because of several successful
production companies, will be meeting
to talk about focus and what’s going
to happen next, and to find ways to help
support the independents. Right now,
the production community is very busy
partly resulting from the new New York
tax incentives. We are also trying to
develop an academy of independents in
the U.S. IFP is now the full owner of
Filmmaker Magazine (we were just one
of the owners previously) and we plan
on building further upon its success.
SB/FFR: What is it about New York
that has enabled the city to become a
major center and arguably the core of
indie filmmaking?
CONTINUED ON PAGE 40

2006 LOS ANGELES
FILM FESTIVAL
CALL FOR ENTRIES
Film Independent is now accepting submissions for the 2006
Los Angeles Film Festival, which will take place
June 22 - July 2, 2006. The final entry deadline for
short films and music videos is February 10, 2006,
while the final deadline for feature-length narrative and
documentary films is March 1, 2006.
Film Independent members receive discounted entry fees.
Additional discounts and extended deadlines may be available
for submissions made through withoutabox.com.
To submit your film or for more information, please visit
LAFilmFest.com, or contact the Festival Programming
Department at 310.432.1208 or
LAFilmFest@FilmIndependent.org.
IFP MARKET
CALL FOR ENTRIES
Seeking financing or a producer for your script?
Completion funds or distribution for your documentary?
Looking to expand your contact list?
The IFP Market is a great place to begin: the only selective
forum in the U.S. to introduce new work to an
industry-only audience of sales companies, fest programmers,
distributors, broadcasters, producers and
agents from the USand abroad. An essential networking
opportunity, IFP Market connects you with the industry
reps you need to know to get your work financed, completed
and distributed.
Sections include Spotlight on Documentaries (features,
works-in-progress, shorts); Emerging Narrative (screenplays
and a select number of short films); and No
Borders International Co-production Market (new fiction
projects with some financing in place by producers with
track records).
Rolling deadlines begin May 1. Fees: $40-$50 application;
$200-$450 attendance fee upon acceptance (depending
on section). Complete information and on-line application
at www.ifp.org starting March 1. For more details call
212-465-8200 x 222 or email marketreg@ifp.org
MB: It’s not just a one industry town.
It’s a vibrant arts and culture mecca for
different businesses and arts people,
plus there’s fringe businesses that have
direct connections to indie filmmaking.
New York is very much a street culture—no
matter how many high rises
and transit strikes, it’s still a place
where you need to be engaged with
your neighbors, tourists and everybody
else. There’s an immediacy about how
information travels, how it bleeds into
things and the pockets of people.
40
People You Should Know
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 39
SUNDANCE 2006:
American Hardcore
Paul Rachman
A Lion in the House
Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
So Much So Fast
Steven Ascher and Jeanne Jordan
The Trials of Darryl Hunt
Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg
Born Into Brothels
Ross Kauffman and Zana Briski
HBO Documentaries/ThinkFilm
Mad Hot Ballroom
Marilyn Agrelo
Paramount Classics
There’s a real energy living here. While
everyone’s on top of each other, that
creative energy feeds you. Whatever
you do, it’s okay to do it here. There are
a lot of self-made people here. Artisic
freedom, commercial success—there’s
something for everyone. You have to
walk, be on the street. I think that’s
what makes it so interesting. It’s a place
where the unexpected happens.
Scott Bayer is publisher and executive
editor of Film Festival Reporter.
IFP MARKET TITLES AT PARK CITY 2006
SLAMDANCE 2006:
B.I.K.E.
Jacob Septimus and Anthony Howard
Forgiving Dr. Mengele
Bob Hercules and Cheri Pugh
The Holy Modal Rounders:
Bound to Lose
Sam Douglas and Paul Lovelace
Outsider:
The Life and Art of Judith Scott
Betsy Bayha
Under the Roller Coaster
Lila Place
IFP MARKET TITLES: RECENT AQUISITIONS
Rock School
Don Argott
Newmarket Films/A&E Indie Films
Farmingville
Carlos Sandoval and
Catherine Tambini
POV
Guerilla:
The Kidnapping of Patty Hearst
Robert Stone
Magnolia Pictures
In the Realms of the Unreal
Jessica Yu
Wellspring
Highway Courtesans
(Women Make Movies)
Mystelle Brabee
Who Gets to Call It Art?
Peter Rosen
The Breast Cancer Diaries
Linda Pattillo
Seventh Art
The Boys of Baraka
Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady
ThinkFilm
The Aggressives
Daniel Peddle
Seventh Art
One Strong Arm
Loren Mendell and Tiller Russell
A&E Indie Films
Three of Hearts:
A Postmodern Family
Susan Kaplan
ThinkFilm/Bravo
La Sierra
Scott Dalton and Margarita Martinez
First Run/Icarus
Hiding and Seeking:
Faith and Tolerance after the Holocaust
Oren Rudavsky and Manachem Daum
First Run Pictures
Howard Zinn:
You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train
Deb Ellis and Denis Mueller
First Run Features
Another Road Home
Danae Elon
GeoQuest Entertainment Group

BY JOSE MARTINEZ
EVERYONE KNOWS THAT THE
state of Texas likes to do things big.
From the mere size of their state to
the magnitude of their famous barbeques
to the enormity of a ten-gallon cowboy
hat, big is how they like it, and that most
certainly includes their film festivals.
Film buffs, tech geeks and music lovers
around the globe always know that the
month of March is a big extravaganza in
Austin, Texas. The home of SxSW, Austin
is the Mecca for anyone who loves independent
film, great weather, even better
food (Mmm, Texas barbeque!), rock and
roll and a damn good time.
SxSW is so big that it not only consists
of a renowned film festival but an interactive
festival (both of which are celebrating
their thirteenth year) and a music &
media conference now twenty-years old.
The interactive Festival brings together
uber-geeks, tech entrepreneurs, and digital
innovators from around the world for
four days of keynote speeches, exhibits,
panels, parties and assorted evening fun.
It’s billed as “the event where the Web’s
most creative minds share their ideas
about how interactive technology will
shape our future.” The 13th Annual
SxSW Interactive Festival will take place
March 10th through the14th, 2006.
The music and media conference, the
original component of SxSW, showcases a
thousand musical acts from around the
planet on over fifty venue stages in downtown
Austin. By day, conference registrants
do business in the SxSW exhibit
area in the Austin Convention Center and
participate in a full day’s worth of informative,
provocative panel discussions featuring
hundreds of speakers of international
stature. The 20th Anniversary of
the SxSW Music & Media Conference and
Festival will take place March 15th
through the 19th, 2006.
Taking your average film festival to
new heights (and size), HYPERLINK
“http://2006.sxsw.com/film/,” the SxSW
Film Conference and Festival runs from
March 10th through the 18th, 2006 and
showcases all aspects of the art and business
of independent filmmaking. The
Festival has gained international acclaim for
the quality of its programming with a special
focus on emerging talents who bask in being
included in the company of the cinematic
greats whose work is regularly presented.
Documentaries that screened last year
that are now nominated for Academy
Awards include Enron: The Smartest
Guys in the Room and Murderball.
The largest annual conference held in
the city of Austin, last year’s SxSW Film
Festival screened one-hundred and
eighty films to approximately 3,800 film
conference participants, including 125
trade show exhibitors and nearly 500
members of the press.
Highlights of this year’s film conference
and Festival include a panel discussion
with Palm Pictures founder Chris
Blackwell and John Sloss, head of Sloss
Law/Cinetic Media, titled “DVDs Vs.
Theaters.” These two powerful figures in
the world of independent entertainment
will join other influential decision-makers
such as Eric Besner from Netflix, Ted
Mundorff from Landmark Theaters and
more for the Saturday, March 11th session.
The participants will discuss and
engage with the audience about the growing
debate and diminishing window
between the world of DVD releases and
theatrical releases.
Another discussion of note is an interview
session with Henry Rollins. The
musician, author, actor, iconoclast, standup/spoken
word performer and host of
IFC’s The Henry Rollins Show, Rollins
will sit down for a one-on-one chat with
journalist Andy Langer (Esquire) to
address his feelings on the current state of
the media, pop culture, politics, education
and all the ties that bind them. Having traveled
extensively to Iraq, Kuwait, Siberia
and South Korea, Rollins notes, “We are
living in interesting times and, as bad as
things are, I draw considerable inspiration
from the things I’m seeing and the people
I’m meeting.” This joint session, open to
both SxSW Film and SxSW Interactive reg-
41
SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST PREVIEW
A Festival So Big, It Can Only
Take Place In Texas
60s hot-rod designer “Big Daddy” Ed Roth is the focus of Ed Mann’s new documentary.
istrants on Sunday, March 12th, is a conversation
not to be missed.
The Opening Night film at this year’s
fest include the North American premiere
of Robert Altman’s A Prairie Home
Companion starring Woody Harrelson,
Tommy Lee Jones, Garrison Keillor, Kevin
Kline and Lindsay Lohan in the adaptation
of the popular radio program by
Garrison Keillor.
World premieres at SxSW will include
the following:
Al Franken in God Spoke, directed by
Nick Doob and Chris Hegedus, a cinema
verite pursuit of Al Franken, shot over the
course of two years. The film follows the
former SNL writer-turned-political attack
dog from his feud with Bill O’Reilly to the
2004 Presidential election.
Fired!, is directed by Chris Bradley
and Kyle Labrache. After being fired by
Woody Allen, actress Annabelle Gurwitch
set out, with the help of some famous
faces to look at what it means to be both
hired and fired as an American worker in
the global economy.
Heavens Fall, directed by Terry
Green, features Timothy Hutton, David
Strathairn, Anthony Mackie and Leelee
Sobieski in this film based on the
“Scottsboro Boys” trial of the 1930s. A
lawyer meets obstacles and injustice
while defending the accused.
The Life of Reilly, directed by Barry
Poltermann, is about popular character
actor and TV staple Charles Nelson Reilly
as he delivers his final performance of his
touching and hilarious one-man show.
loudQUIETloud: A Film About
Pixies, directed by Steven Cantor and
COURTESY RATFINK.COM
Matthew Galkin, is an engrossing, uncompromising
document of the difficult yet
successful Pixies reunion tour.
The Oh in Ohio, directed by Billy
Kent, stars indie film-maven Parkey
Posey, Paul Rudd, Mischa Barton,
Danny DeVito and Liza Minnelli.
Priscilla Chase seemed to have everything
going for her with one small, private
exception. She never thought
much of sex. When her husband unexpectedly
leaves her to regain his manhood,
she embarks on a wild journey
that leads her to satisfaction and love
in the most unlikely place.
Tales of the Rat Fink, directed by Ron
Mann, is a fun and comprehensive documentary.
John Goodman narrates a journey
through the cult status and international
influence of hot-rod designer Ed
“Big Daddy” Roth, creator of the popular
“Rat Fink” character.
Making its North American premiere is
The King, directed by James Marsh and starring
Gael Garcia Bernal and William Hurt, is a
tale of family turmoil in small town Texas.
The Notorious Bettie Page, directed
by Mary Harron, will make its U.S. premiere.
Starring Gretchen Mol, David
Strathairn and Lili Taylor, the film focuses
on legendary pin-up girl Page in this
acclaimed biopic.
Acclaimed French action film,
District 13, will be part of the Round
Midnight program at SxSW 2006. The
film won raves at the Toronto Film
Festival and will be released in the U.S.
during spring 2006.
Another standout film to look out for is
Neil Young: Heart of Gold by filmmaker
Jonathan Demme (Philadelphia and
Silence of the Lambs), an intimate musical
portrait of legendary singer/songwriter
Neil Young, filmed on the occasion
of the world premiere of Young’s “Prairie
Wind” concert at Nashville’s hallowed
Ryman auditorium last summer. Young’s
music provides an emotionally rich view
into this unique artist’s relationship to
family, friends, mortality and the passage
of time. Young is accompanied onstage by
many long-time musical companions,
including country star Emmylou Harris,
Neil’s wife Pegi Young, and band
leader/steel guitarist Ben Keith.
SxSW will also include a Kris
Kristofferson retrospective, showing a
restored print of Eagle Pennell’s influential
The Whole Shootin’ Match, in addition
to numerous competition features,
shorts, special screenings and more!
For more information on SxSW 2006 go
to www.sxsw.com.

BY DANE ANDREW
When one thinks of Silicon
Valley, many thoughts come
to mind; computers, new
technology, geeks. And for some it’s
the valley of large surgically-enhanced
breasts. If you thought the later, sorry,
that’s silicone not silicon.
What you will find in Silicon Valley,
held for the past fifteen years in the city
of San Jose, California, USA, is an aheadof-the-curve
film festival—Cinequest,
wowing the film world with its cuttingedge
use of technology to get films to film
fans. In fact, Cinequest recently
announced that through these new
platforms—the Cinequest DVD label,
Cinequest Online, mobile phones, laptops,
handhelds and video pod casts—
the Festival is now reaching an audience
that is global and ever-present. No other
festival is doing what this one is.
At the heart of Cinequest is the twelveday
Festival which runs from March 1st
through the 12th in downtown San Jose.
This year the Festival will have a collection
of one-hundred and ninty-one feature
and short films with an ever-growing
list of premiere feature films. This year’s
feature lineup consists of twenty-one
world, fourteen North American and four
United States premieres.
What does Cinequest look for in
films? We asked Mike Rabehl, Director
of Programming.
“When the Cinequest programming
team reviews films, we obviously see a
wide variety of genres and stories.
But what really stands out are the
films that have a force—a heart—that
drives each story’s characters. This
heart can take many forms, but it must
ultimately speak to us as an audience.
Once we have narrowed the list to a
collection of the best stories, we then
look for those that step outside of the
box stylistically, thematically, and perhaps
challenge us—maverick.”
But the Festival is only one way to
catch the programming from
Cinequest. Cinequest launched its
own DVD label last September,
presenting feature films chosen
from the Cinequest lineup and making
them available to fans worldwide
through a new model of distribution
that combines DVD releasing as well
as online delivery of certain titles via
Cinequest Online (www.cinequestonline.org)
in a partnership with
Netflix Inc. This model is a new solution
to distribute the truly independent
film that doesn’t fit into the traditional
model of studio films or quasiindependent
films cast with “name”
movie stars. In 2005,
Cinequest delivered 125,000 secure
downloads of films to fans around the
world, and for 2006, the number of
projected viewings is projected to be
over 400,000. Continuing to be ahead
of the curve, Cinequest this year will
debut Festival content on mobile
video platforms such as Palm® hand
held devices, iPods®, wireless laptops
and any mobile phone with video
capabilities, regardless of an individual’s
service provider. Getting films to
film fans using both traditional and
non-traditional methods is part of
what makes Cinequest a “maverick”
of festivals. While other festivals have
claimed to be the first, Cinequest was
the premiere festival to deliver free
feature-length films in DVD quality
through the Internet and in completely
secure format. That’s the
irony of Cinequest. Other festivals
will claim to be the first to present
some type of technology that I saw
two years prior at Cinequest. The
Festival is located in the backyard of
the tech world, so the organizers
bring in top tech talent to present at
forum presentations each year.
Cinequest’s co-founder and Executive
Director Halfdan Hussey has been
there from the beginning, pushing for
more. He remarked, “Cinequest was
founded by independent filmmakers
and technology innovators—giving it a
unique perspective and focus on solving
the problems traditionally plaguing
film artists. Always ahead of the curve,
Cinequest works to empower filmmakers
with ground-breaking technologies
and opportunities to not only make
films, but to distribute their films, too.
In addition to being a powerful discovery
film festival, Cinequest’s Break Out
distribution label leverages its position
in the Silicon Valley to provide filmmakers
with leading-edge Internet,
DVD, PPV, Mobile and Home
Entertainment delivery of their films
to their fans world-wide and yearround.
You have found and will continue
to find the future of film at
Cinequest.”
Cinequest was one of the first to
project video as film using very expensive
video projectors, and now with
digital video quality even better, is it
film or is it Memorex? This year the
Festival is using a new Omneon server
system which completely enhances
the viewing experience. The Omneon
servers allow the projectionist to preset
and control various aspects of digital
formats. This provides higher technical
standards for film presentations.
No more messing with multi-deck formats
will help facilitate on-time
42
CINEQUEST PREVIEW
Silicon and Cinema
screenings. You’d be hard pressed to
know if the film you are watching originated
on video or film—that might be
because Panasonic comes to the
Festival each year bringing top of the
line equipment. Sometimes films are
projected on digital projectors not
even available on the market yet.
All of the venues are within a three
block radius, making viewing watcher
friendly, and still giving you time to
catch a bite at a local café where you
are sure to meet other filmmakers. The
venues are amazingly plush and opulent,
and all are state-of-the-art.
Expected are over 70,000 attendees
this year. Each year, the Festival grows
in size.
The movie-making forums put on
during the run of the Festival are
worth getting a full Festival pass alone.
The latest in digital filmmaking equipment
in displayed and the possibilities
for making that dream film yourself,
which would have cost hundreds of
thousands of dollars in the past, is now
truly a dream come true. Prospective
filmmakers can learn how, with new
breakthroughs in high-quality cameras
and editing software, they can actually
make their film on a shoestring budget.
And maybe it will be in the next
Cinequest? To all you of you who think
only film is film, remember, Star Wars
III was shot on video.
This year, the Day of Forums will
focus on five critical aspects of the
movie-making process. The forums
include the Day of the Writer, Day of the
Producer, Day of the Cinematographer, Day of
Post and Day of Distribution. Cinequest
brings in top guests for these presentations
and in the past these were
received with great enthusiasm by filmmakers.
For example, this year a live
“brainstorming” session will go on
between the techies from Palm (who are
the leaders in mobile platforms) and an
established Hollywood producer who is
trying to develop content for mobile
phone. The Future. This list goes on.
Each year Cinequest gives out an
award to someone who has independent
vision, who would be considered a
“Maverick.” Past years have included
James Woods, Val Kilmer, and William
H. Macy. This year, Edward James
Olmos will be presented a Maverick
Spirit Award at his March 9th live-onstage
interview at the California
Theatre. The Theatre received an $80
million makeover and is one of the
most incredible movie palaces from
the 1920s. Cinequest plays silent films
there accompanied by an enormous,
live Wurlitzer organ. Olmos who was
born in Boyle Heights in Los Angeles,
PHOTOGRAPHED BY DANE ANDREW/TEN
Cinequest Co-Founders Kathleen Powell
and Halfdan Hussey hold Maverick Award.
launched his acting career with the
play “Zoot Suit,” which earned him an
LA Drama Critics Award and a Tony
Award nomination. Now he may be
best known by Sci-Fi Channel audiences
as Commander Adama on
Battlestar Galactica. Olmos is quoted
as saying, “I did not come out of my
mother’s womb saying ‘to be or not to
be’ with a Spanish accent. I came from
a dysfunctional family. I’m a minority. I
have no natural talent but I did it. If I
can do it, anybody can do it. I take
away the excuses.”
The Festival is sure to have many big
league guests showing up as it gets
into full swing. Some of the guests are
not always announced, but can surprise
an audience at the end of a film
with a big name actors that decided to
take on an Independent film, forgoing
large payments for their work for the
rewarding work they really want to do.
The Festival opens and closes with
a film that is chosen as one to please
the vast audiences, with a lavish party
to follow, complete with local wines,
beer and good eats at a fine local
establishment. The parties are a great
avenue for film buffs and students
alike to mingle with filmmakers from
around the world, in a relaxed and fun
atmosphere.
Some of the best contacts and deals
in Hollywood are made at similar
encounters, so with that in mind, got a
script in hand?
This is a festival which has a friendly
atmosphere, excellent guests, and
forums where you will learn more
about the future technology and how
people are actually making and selling
their films, rather then spending years
and thousands on college courses
where you still won’t get this type of
real-world information.
Don’t panic if you are too far away to
go, Cinequest can come to you via the
web casts, and online via
www.cinequestonline.org. For more
Festival info, go to www.cinequest.org.

JANUARY
BELOIT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
1/19 to 1/22 2006 Beloit, WI
608-365-4838
www.beloitriverfest.com
CENTRAL NEBRASKA FILM FESTIVAL
1/28 to 1/29 Kearney, NE
www.sdientertainment.com
CLERMONT-FERRAND SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
1/27 to 2/4 Clermont-Ferrand, FRANCE
+31 4 7391 6573
www.clermont-filmfest.com
DANCE ON CAMERA FILM FESTIVAL
1/4 to 1/14 New York City, NY
212-727-0764
www.dancefilmassn.org
DAYS OF EUROPEAN FILM
1/26 to 2/14 Prague, CZECH REPUBLIC
+420 608 223 250
www.eurofilmfest.cz
EXPLORERS CLUB DOCUMENTARY
FILM FESTIVAL
1/21/06 New York City, NY
212-628-8383,
explorers.org/spec_events/filmfest/
filmfest.php
FESTIVAL D’ANGERS PREMIER PLANS
1/20 to 1/29 Paris, FRANCE
www.premiersplans.org
FLICKERING IMAGE SHORTS FESTIVAL
1/8 Hollywood, CA
www.actorsbone.com/Shorts/contact
FLICKERFEST INTERNATIONAL
SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
1/ 6 to 1/15 Sydney, AUSTRALIA
+61 2 9365 6877
www.flickerfest.com.au
FAJR FILM FESTIVAL
Tehran, IRAN
+98 21 200 2088 89 90/265 086
FUTURE FILM FESTIVAL
1/ 8 to 1/22 Bologna, ITALY
+39 051 2960664
www.futurefilmfestival.org
GOTEBORG FILM FESTIVAL
1/27 to 2/6 Goteborg, SWEDEN
+46 31 339 30 00
www.filmfestival.org
HARTWICK COLLEGE INDEPENDENT
FILM FESTIVAL
1/26 to 1/28 Oneonta, NY
607-431-4923
www.hartwick.edu/x12884.xml
HUNGARIAN FILM WEEK
1/31 to 2/7 Budapest, HUNGARY
www.hungarianfilm.com
INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL OF INDIA
New Delhi, INDIA, +91 11 615 963
NEW YORK JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL
1/11 to 1/26 New York City, NY
212-423-323
www.thejewishmuseum.org
NOIR CITY
1/13 to 1/24 San Francisco, CA
510-843-4245
www.noircity.com
PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL
1/5 to 1/16 Palm Springs, CA
619-322-2930
www.psfilmfest.org
PARK CITY FILM MUSIC FESTIVAL
1/19 to 1/29 Park City, UT
435-649-5309
www.parkcityfilmmusicfestival.com
ROTTERDAM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
1/25 to 2/5 Rotterdam, NETHERLANDS
+31 10 8909090
www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com
SCHMOOZEDANCE
1/ 20 to 1/21 Park City, UT
212-663-7676
SLAMDANCE FILM FESTIVAL
1/19 to 1/27 Park City UT
323-466-1786
www.slamdance.com
SMOGDANCE FILM FESTIVAL
1/20 to 1/22 Pomona, CA
909-397-9716
www.smogdance.com
SOLOTHURN FILM FESTIVAL
1/16 to 1/22 Solothurn, SWITZERLAND
+41 32 635 80 80
www.solothurnerfilmtage.ch
SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL
1/19 to 1/29 Park City, UT
310-360-1981
www.sundance.org
TRIESTE FILM FESTIVAL
1/19 to 1/26 Trieste, ITALY
+39 040 311153
www.triestefilmfestival.it
TROMA DANCE FILM FESTIVAL
1/22 to 1/23 Park City, UT
212-757-455
TROMSO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
1/17 to 1/22 Tromso, NORWAY
www.tiff.no
VICTORIA INDEPENDENT
FILM & VIDEO FESTIVAL
1/27 to 2/5 Victoria, CANADA
250-389-0444
www.vifvf.com
43
FILM FESTIVALS AROUND THE WORLD
Film Festivals in the U.S. & Canada (Plus Selected Foreign Markets) FF = Film Festival Int’l = International
WILD AND SCENIC ENVIRONMENTAL
FILM FESTIVAL
1/13 to 1/15 2006 Nevada City, CA
530-265-6232
www.syrcl.org/filmfest
FEBRUARY
ADELAIDE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
2/22 to 3/4 Adelaide, AUSTRALIA
+61 (8) 8271 1488
www.adelaidefilmfestival.org
ANNAPOLIS REEL CINEMA FESTIVAL
2/21 to 2/23 Annapolis, MD
410-263-1465
www.annapolisfilm.com
AVAILABLE LIGHT FILM FESTIVAL
2/28 to 3/5 Whitehorse, Yukon, CANADA
867-393-3456
www.yukonfilmsociety.com
BANGKOK INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
2/17 to 1/27 Bangkok, THAILAND
+66 (0) 2250-5500 ext.1757
www.bangkokfilm.org
BERLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
2/9 to 2/19 Berlin, GERMANY
+49 30 25 920 0
www.berlinale.de
BIG MUDDY FILM FESTIVAL
2/25 to 3/6 Carbondale, IL
www.bigmuddyfilm.com
BIG SKY DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
2/16 to 2/22 Missoula, MT
406-541-FILM
www.bigskyfilmfest.org
BLACK DIASPORA FILM FESTIVAL
2/10 to 2/13 Durham, NC
www.hayti.org/film
BOMBAY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Bombay, INDIA
+91 22 386 1461
BOULDER INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
2/16 to 2/19 Boulder, CO
303-449-2283
www.biff1.com
CAIRO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
FOR CHILDREN
Cairo, EGYPT
+202 3923562
CAROLINA FILM AND VIDEO FESTIVAL
2/22 to 2/25 Greensboro, NC
336-334-4197
www.uncg.edu/bcn/cfvf
DIRECTOR’S LOUNGE INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL
2/9 to 2/19 Berlin, GERMANY
kultur-in-berlin.de
DIY FILM FESTIVAL
2/10 to 2/12 Los Angeles, CA
323-665-1776
www.diyconvention.com
DOVER FILM FESTIVAL
2/6 to 2/7 Dover, UK
www.doverfilmfestival.homestead.com
DUBLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
2/17 to 2/26 Dublin, IRELAND
+353 1 6616216
www.dubliniff.com
FANTASPORTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
2/21 to 3/7 Porto, PORTUGAL
+351-222076050
www.fantasporto.online.pt
FAYETTEVILLE FILMFEST
2/22 to 2/24 Fayetteville, AR
501-521-8700
GLASGOW FILM FESTIVAL
2/16 to 2/26 Glasgow, SCOTLAND
+44 141 332 6535
www.glasgowfilmfestival.org.uk
ISTANBUL INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
2/17 to 2/20 Istanbul, TURKEY
www.2005.ifistanbul.com
MCGUFFIN FILM FESTIVAL
2/17 Austin, TX
www.mcguffinfestival.com
NEW YORK SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
2/24 to 2/28 New York City, NY
newyork@filmfest.com
NOIR FILM FESTIVAL
2/2 to 2/5 San Diego, CA
www.noirfilmfestival.com
PAN AFRICAN FILM AND TV FESTIVAL
OF OUAGADOUGOU
2/24 to 3/3 Burkina FASO
+226 30 7538
www.fespaco.bf
PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
2/10 to 2/25 Portland, OR
503-221-1156
www.nwfilm.org
RAINY STATES FILM FESTIVAL
Seattle, WA
206-322-3572
SAN FRANCISCO INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
2/2 to 2/14 San Francisco, CA
415-820-3907
www.sfindie.com
SANTA BARBARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
2/ 2 to 2/12 Santa Barbara, CA
805-963-0023
www.sbfilmfestival.org
SCIENCE FICTION SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
2/3 to 2/4, Seattle WA
206-262-3496
www.sfhomeworld.org

SEDONA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
2/23to 2/26 Sedona, AZ
928-282-1177
www.sedonafilmfestival
SPOKANE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
2/2 to 2/9 Spokane, WA
509-624-2615
www.spokanefilmfestival.com
TAMPA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
2/ 3 to 2/11 Tampa, FL
813-253-3333
www.tampafilmfest.org
U.S. SUPER 8MM FILM & DIGITAL VIDEO FESTIVAL
2/17 to 2/19 New Brunswick, NJ
732-932-8482
www.njfilmfest.com
WHITE SANDS FILM FESTIVAL
2/23 to 2/26 Alamogordo, NM
505-434-5882
www.whitesandsfilmfestival.com
MARCH
ABSOLUTE TIME FILM FESTIVAL
3/23 to 3/25 San Francisco, CA
415-401-9768
www.sfstagefilm.org
ACTION AND ADVENTURE FILM FESTIVAL
3/15 to 3/19 Valenciennes
+33 03 27 29 55 40
www.festival-valenciennes.com
AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN IN
CINEMA FILM FESTIVAL
3/4 to 3/6 New York City, NY
212-769-7949
www.aawic.org
ALES FILM FESTIVAL - ITINERANCES
3/17 to 3/26 Ales, FRANCE
+33 4 66 30 24 26
www.itinerances.org
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
3/22 to 3/26 Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS
+31(0) 20-7733624
www.amnesty.nl/filmfestival
ANN ARBOR FILM FESTIVAL
3/21 to 3/26 Ann Arbor, MI
734-995-5356
www.aafilmfest.org
ARIZONA BLACK FILM SHOWCASE
3/16 to 3/19 Phoenix, AZ
602-304-0830
www.azblackfilm.com
AUGSBURG CHILDREN’S FILM FESTIVAL
3/26 to 4/2 Augsburg, GERMANY
+49 821 15 30 78
www.filmfest-augsburg.de
BELFAST FILM FESTIVAL
3/23 to 4/1 Belfast, Ireland, UK
028 9032 5913
www.belfastfilmfestival.org
BERMUDA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
3/17 to 3/26 Hamilton, Bermuda
441-293-3456
www.bermudafilmfest.com
B-EST INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
3/28 to 4/2 Bucharest, ROMANIA
+4021 231 28 28
www.b-estfilmfest.com
BIRD’S EYE VIEW FILM FESTIVAL
3/8 to 3/13 London, UK
www.birds-eye-view.co.uk
BIRMINGHAM FILM & TV FESTIVAL
3/5 to 3/11 Birmingham, UK
0121 212 0999
B-MOVIE FILM FEST
3/3 to 3/5 Liverpool, NY
315-652-3868
www.bmoviefest.com
BRADFORD FILM FESTIVAL
3/3 to 3/18 Bradford, UK
44 1274 203308
www.nmpft.org.uk
BROOKLYN ARTS COUNCIL INTERNATIONAL
FILM & VIDEO FILM FESTIVAL
3/26 to 3/31 Brooklyn, NY
718-625-0080
www.brooklynartscouncil.org
BRUSSELS INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL
OF FANTASTIC FILMS
3/10 to 3/25 Brussels, BELGIUM
32 2 2040013
www.bifff.org
CANADIAN FILMMAKERS FESTIVAL
3/23 to 3/26 Toronto, Ontario, CANADA
www.canfilmfest.ca
CANADIAN INDEPENDENT
SHORT FILM SHOWCASE
3/3 to 3/3 Hamilton, Ontario, CANADA
www.can-indie.com
CELTIC FILM & TELEVISION FESTIVAL
3/26 to 3/31 Glasgow, SCOTLAND
44 141 302 1737
CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL
DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
3/30 to 4/8 Chicago, IL
773-486-9612
www.chicagodocfestival.org
CHILDREN’S FILM FESTIVAL
3/26 to 4/2 Augsburg, GERMANY
49 821 349 5218
CINE NOIR: FESTIVAL OF BLACK FILM
3/2 to 3/5 Wilmington, NC
910-350-1120
www.blackartsalliance.citymaker.com
CINEMA DU REEL
3/10 to 3/19 Paris, FRANCE
33-144-7845-16
www.cinereel.org
CINEQUEST 16 FILM FESTIVAL
3/1 to 3/12 San Jose, CA
408-995-5033
www.cinequest.org
CLEVELAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
3/16 to 3/26 Cleveland, OH
216-623-3456
www.clevelandfilm.org
44
CLEVELAND LATIN FILM FESTIVAL
3/10 to3/20 Cleveland, OH
216-623-3456
www.clevelandfilm.org
CRETEIL INTERNATIONAL
WOMEN’S FILM FESTIVAL
3/10 to 3/19 Creteil, FRANCE
www.filmsdefemmes.com
CROSSROADS FILM FESTIVAL
3/30 to 4/2 Jackson, MI
601-359-3347
www.crossroadsfilmfest.com
CYPRUS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
3/24 to 3/27 Cyprus, GREECE
+30 6972080441
www.cultureguide.gr
DAMAH FILM FESTIVAL
3/11 to 3/12 Los Angeles, CA
www.damah.com
DELRAY BEACH FILM FESTIVAL
3/8 to 3/12 Delray beach, FL
561-213-5737
www.delraybeachfilmfestival.com
DEUTSCHES KINDER-FILM &
FERNSEH FESTIVAL
3/8 to 3/1 6 Gera, GERMANY
+49 365 8 555 0
www.filmhaus-bielefeld.de
DIAGONALE-FESTIVAL OF AUSTRIAN FILMS
3/14 TO 3/20 Vienna, AUSTRIA
+43 1 526 3323
www.diagonale.at
DOCAVIV-TEL AVIV INTERNATIONAL
DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
3/30 to 4/8 Tel Aviv, ISRAEL
972-3-6060817
www.docaviv.co.il
D.C. INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
3/2 to 3/12 Washington, DC
202-537-9493
www.dciff.org
DURANGO INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
3/1 to 3/5 Durango, CO
970-903-9821
www.durangofilm.org
EAST LANSING FILM FESTIVAL
3/17 to 3/21 East Lansing, MI
517-336-5802
www.elff.com
EMIRATE FILM COMPETITION
3/1 to 3/6 Abu Dhabi, UAE
+971 2 6210205
FARGO FILM FESTIVAL
3/1 to 3/4 Fargo, ND
701-239-8385
www.fargofilmfestival.com
FAUX FILM FESTIVAL
3/30 to 4/2 Tigard, OR
www.fauxfilm.com
FEARLESS TALES GENRE FEST
3/29 to 4/3 San Francisco, CA
415-282-4120
FESTIVAL DU CINEMA ESPAGNOL DE NANTES
3/16 to 3/27 Nantes, FRANCE
02 40 20 55 84
www.cinespagnol-nantes.com
FESTIVAL DU FILM D’ACTION ET ADVENTURES
3/16 to 3/20 Valenciennes, FRANCE
33 3 27 29 55 40
www.festival-valenciennes.com
FESTIVAL PARIS-ILE-DE-FRANCE
3/28 to 4/5 Paris, FRANCE
33-45-72-9640
www.festivaldeparisidf.com
FIFI - INTERNATIONAL INTERNET
FILM FESTIVAL
3/20 to 3/28 Albert, FRANCE
33-4016-5201
www.fififestival.net
FLORIDA FILM FESTIVAL
3/24 to 4/2 Orlando, FL
407-644-6597
www.floridafilmfestival.com
FOOD IN FILM FESTIVAL
3/23 to 3/28 Monforte D’Alba ITALY
+390173789245
www.foodinfilmfestival.it
GALWAY FILM FLEADH -
IRISH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
3/18 to 3/21 New York City, NY
212-414-2688
www.thecraicfest.com
GARDEN STATE FILM FESTIVAL
3/30 to 4/2 Asbury Park, NJ
877-908-7050
www.gsff.org
GEN ART FILM FESTIVAL
4/5 to 4/11 New York City, NY
212-255-7300
www.genart.org
GEORGE LINDSEY UNA FILM FESTIVAL
3/3 to 3/5 Florence, AL
256-765-4592
www.lindseyfilmfest.com
GRASSROOTS CINEMA
3/5 to 4/30 Burbank, CA
323-337-2070
www.grassrootscinema.com
GREEN MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL
3/17 to 3/26 Montpelier, VT
802-229-0598
www.savoytheater.com/gmff
GUADALAJARA INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL
3/24 to 3/31 Guadalajara, MEXICO
(52) 33 3107581
www.guadalajaracinemafest.com
HAZEL WOLF ENVIRONMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL
3/23 to 3/26 Seattle, WA
206-443-7239
www.hazelfilm.org

HUMAN RIGHTS NIGHTS FILM FESTIVAL
3/23 to 3/31 Bologna, ITALY
+39 051 2194844
www.humanrightsnights.org
INDEPENDENT BLACK FILM FESTIVAL
3/12 to 3/18 Atlanta, GA
404-249-9529
www.indieblackfilm.com
INTERNATIONAL BELGRADE FEST OF
DOCUMENTARY & SHORT FILM
3 Belgrade, YUGOSLAVIA
+381 11 334 6946
INTERNATIONAL WINDSONG FILM FESTIVAL
3/6 to 3/12 Fort Wayne, IN
260-348-5510
www.windsongpictures.com
ISRAEL FILM FESTIVAL
3/22 to 3/29 Miami, New York, Los Angeles
323-966-4166
www.israelfilmfestival.com
IT’S ALL TRUE INTERNATIONAL
DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
3/23 to 4/2 Sao Paolo, BRAZIL
55 11 30 34 55 38
www.itsalltrue.com.br
JULES VERNE FILM FESTIVAL
3/22 to 3/27 Paris, FRANCE
+33 1 56 24 30 30
www.julesverneaventures.com
LOVE AND LUST FILM FESTIVAL
3/21 to 3/26 Toronto, Ontario, CANADA
416-918-3295
www.loveandlustfilmfestival.com
MEMPHIS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
3/23 to 3/26 Memphis, TN
901-626-9685
www.memphisfilmforum.org
METHOD FEST INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
3/31 to 4/7 Calabasas, CA
310-535-9230
www.methodfest.com
MIAMI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
3/3 to 3/12 Miami, FL
305 237 3456
www.miamifilmfestival.com
MILANO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
3/30 to 4/10 Milan, ITALY
323-512-4450
www.miff.it
MINIMALEN SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
3/24 to 3/26 Trondheim, NORWAY
+47 7352 2757
www.minimalen.com
MISSOURI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
3/2 to 3/5 Springfield, MO
www.mofilmfest.com
MUDFEST
3/11 to 3/11 Mudgee, NSW, AUSTRALIA
61263727722
www.mudfest.org.au
MUNICH INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
3/24 to 3/26 Munich, GERMANY
+49 89 420 958 982
www.muc-intl.de
MUSKEGON FILM FESTIVAL
3/3 to 3/4 Muskegon, MI
800-861-7675
www.muskegonfilmfestival.com
NEW DIRECTORS/NEW FILMS
FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER
3/22 to 4/2 New York City, NY
212-875-5638
www.filmlinc.com
NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL
CHILDREN’S FILM FESTIVAL
3/10 to 3/21 New York City, NY
212-349-0330
www.gkids.com
NEW YORK UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL
3/8 to 3/14 New York City, NY
212-614-2775
www.nyuff.com
OMAHA FILM FESTIVAL
3/24 to 3/ 26 Omaha, NE
www.omahafilmfestival.org
ONE WORLD HUMAN RIGHTS INTERNATIONAL
DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
3/2 to 3/9 Prague, CZECH REPUBLIC
+420 226 200 401
www.oneworld.cz
THE OTHER VENICE FILM FESTIVAL
3/16 to 3/19 Venice, CA
www.veniceofilmfest.com
OTTAWA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
3/16 to 3/24 Montreal, CANADA
514-987-9866
www.offestival.com
PHILADELPHIA FILM FESTIVAL
3/30 to 4/12 Philadelphia, PA
267-765-9700
www.phillyfests.com
PHOENIX FILM FESTIVAL
3/23 to 3/30 Phoenix, AZ
602-955-6444
www.phxfilmfestival.com
RAWSTOCK INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
3/10 to 3/24 Bandung, INDONESIA
REEL SISTERS OF THE DIASPORA FILM FESTIVAL
3/10 to 3/12 Brooklyn, NY
718-488-1052
www.reelsisters.org/
REEL STRANGE FILM FEST
3/30 Kingston, Ontario, CANADA
home.cogeco.ca/~reelstrange
RIVER RUN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
3/16 to 3/19 Winston-Salem, NC
336-724-1502
www.riverrunfilm.com
ROMA INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
3/24 to 3/31 Roma, ITALY
+39 06 45425050
www.riff.it
45
SAN DIEGO LATINO FILM FESTIVAL
3/9 to 3/19 San Diego, CA
www.sdlatinofilm.com
SAN FERNANDO VALLEY INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL
3/17 to 3/26 North Hollywood, CA
818-623-9122
www.viffi.com
SARASOTA FILM FESTIVAL
3/31 to 4/9 Sarasota, FL
941-364-9514
www.sarasotafilmfestival.com
SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL ASIAN
AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL
3/16 to 3/26 San Francisco, CA
415-863-0814
www.naatanet.org
SAN LUIS OBISPO INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL
3/7 to 3/12 San Luis Obispo, CA
805-546-3456
www.slofilmfest.org
SEATTLE JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL
3/11 to 3/19 Seattle, WA
206-622-6315
www.ajcseattle.org
SHOW ME MISSOURI
INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
3/2 to 3/5 Springfield, MO
417-725-8267
www.mofilmfest.com
SHEPPARTON SHORTS FILM FESTIVAL
3/3 to 3/3 Shepparton, AUSTRALIA
www.sheppartonfestival.net.au
SOFIA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
3/4 to 3/13 BULGARIA
www.cinema.bg/sff
SXSW
3/10 to 3/19 Austin, TX
512-467-7979
www.sxsw.com
TAMPERE INTERNATIONAL
SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
3/8 to 3/12 Tampere, FINLAND
+358 (3) 223 0121
www.tamperefilmfestival.fi
THUMBDANCE MOBILE FILM FESTIVAL
March to May Seattle, WA
206-332-1749
www.thumbdance.com
TIBURON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
3/9 to 3/17 Tiburon, CA
415-381-4123
www.tiburonfilmfestival.com
TITANIC INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
3/31 to 4/10 Budapest, HUNGARY
www.titanicfilmfest.hu
TWIN RIVERS MEDIA FESTIVAL
3/29 to 4/1 Asheville, NC
828-273-3332
www.twinriversmediafestival.com
U.S. COMEDY ARTS FILM FESTIVAL
3/8 to 3/12 Aspen, CO
310-382-3595
www.hbocomedyfestival.com
VAIL FILM FESTIVAL
3/30 to 4/2 Vail, CO
970-476-1092
www.vailfilmfestival.org
WESTCHESTER FILM FESTIVAL
3/9 to 3/12 White Plains, NY
914-995-2917
www.westchestergov.com/filmoffice
WINFEMME FILM FESTIVAL
3/4 to 3/8 Los Angeles, CA
310-229-5365
www.winfemme.com
WISCONSIN FILM FESTIVAL
3/30 to 4/2 Madison, WI
877-963-3546
www.wifilmfest.org
WOMEN’S FILM FESTIVAL
3/4 to 3/20 Brattleboro, VT
802-258-9100
www.womensfilmfestival.org
ZOIE FILM FESTIVAL
3/20 to 3/1 Marietta, GA
404-816-0602
www.zoiefilms.com
APRIL
5-MINUTE FUNNY FILM FESTIVAL
4/4 to 4/13 Raleigh, NC
www.funnyfilmfestival.com
ANTELOPE VALLEY INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
4/21 to 4/23 Lancaster, CA
661-945-7702
www.aviff.com
APPALACHIAN FILM FESTIVAL
4/27 to 4/29 Huntington, WV
304-634-8581
www.appyfilmfest.com
ARIZONA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
4/20 to 4/30 Tucson, AZ
520-628-1737
www.azmac.org

ASHLAND INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
4/6 to 4/10 Ashland, OR
541-488-7782
www.ashlandfilm.org
ASIAN PACIFIC FILM & VIDEO FESTIVAL
5/4 to 5/11 Los Angeles, CA
213-680-4462
www.vconline.org
ASPEN SHORTSFEST
4/5 to 4/9 Aspen, CO
970-925-6882
www.aspenfilm.org
ATHENS INTERNATIONAL
FILM & VIDEO FESTIVAL
4/28 to 5/4 Athens, GA
740-593-1330
www.athensfest.org
ATLANTA HIP HOP FILM FESTIVAL
4/28 to 4/30 Atlanta, GA
www.atlhiphopfilmfest.com
BUENOS AIRES INTERNATIONAL
INDIE FILM FESTIVAL
4/11 to 4/23 Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA
+54 11 4371 2354
www.bafici.gov.ar
BEVERLY HILLS FILM FESTIVAL
4/5 to 4/9 Beverly Hills, CA
310-779-1206
www.beverlyhillsfilmfestival.com
BLACKPOINT FILM FESTIVAL
4/23 to 4/27 Lake Geneva, WI
262-903-1955
www.blackpointfilmfestival.com
BOSTON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL
OF WOMEN’S CINEMA
4/3 to 4/6 Cambridge, MA
917-876-0838
www.beaconcinema.com/womfest
BROOKLYN UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL
4/19 to 4/23 Brooklyn, NY
www.brooklynunderground.org
CALGARY UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL
4/15 to 4/16 Calgary, CANADA
www.calgaryundergroundfilm.org
CEDAR RAPIDS INDIE FILM FESTIVAL
4/7 to 4/8 Marion, IA
319-721-7465
www.crifilms.com
CHICAGO ASIAN AMERICAN SHOWCASE
4/2 to 4/11 Chicago, IL
www.faaim.org
CHICAGO LATINO FILM FESTIVAL
4/21 to 5/3 Chicago, IL
312-431-1330
www.latinoculturalcenter.org
CLIFFHANGER FILM FESTIVAL
SALUTE TO ASIAN AMERICAN FILMMAKERS
www.fortleefilm.org
Fort Lee, NJ
CON-CAN SHORTS MOVIE FESTIVAL
4/25 to 9/1 Tokyo, JAPAN
+81 3 5414 6532
www.con-can.com
DAWSON CITY INTERNATIONAL
SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
4/14 to 4/16 Dawson City, Yukon, CANADA
867-993-5005
www.kiac.org/filmfest
DOCFEST ATLANTA
4/19 to 4/23 Atlanta, GA
404-468-7078
www.mediarights.org
FORT MYERS FILM FESTIVAL
4/27 to 4/29 Fort Myers, FL
www.sneadsferry.org
FULL FRAME DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
4/6 to 4/9 Durham, NC
919-687-3699
www.fullframefest.org
GENART FILM FEST
4/5 to 4/11 New York City, NY
212-255-7300
www.genart.org
GRANADA SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
4/9 to 4/17 Granada SPAIN
34-958-224 963
www.filmfest-granada.com
HAVANA FILM FESTIVAL IN NEW YORK
4/21 to 4/25 New York City, NY
212-946-1839
www.hffny.com
HI/LO FILM FESTIVAL
4/13 to 4/16 San Francisco, CA
www.hilofilmfestival.com
46
HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
4/9 to 4/19 HONG KONG
852-2970-3300
www.hkiff.org.hk
HOT DOCS CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL
DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL
4/28 to 5/7 Toronto, CANADA
416-203-2155
www.hotdocs.ca
HUMBOLDT INTERNATIONAL
SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
4/1 to 4/8 Arcata, CA 707-826-4113
www.humboldt.edu/~filmfest
INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL OF BOSTON
4/19 to 4/24 Boston, MA
www.iffboston.org
INDIANAPOLIS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
4/26 to 5/4 Indianapolis, IN
317-513-9379
www.indyfilmfest.org
INDIELISBOA - LISBON INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL
4/20 to 4/30 Lisbon, PORTUGAL
+351 21 315 83 99
www.indielisboa.com
IOWA INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY
FILM FESTIVAL
4/12 to 4/15 Iowa City, IA
www.icdocs.org
ISTANBUL INTERNATIONAL
SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
4/1 to 4/16 Istanbul, TURKEY
+90 212 252 5700
www.iksv.org/film
KANSAS CITY FILMMAKERS JUBILEE
4/7 to 4/13 Kansas City, MO
913-649-0244
www.kcjubilee.org
KEY WEST INDIEFEST
4/7 to 4/10 Key West, FL
www.filmarts.org
LAIFA LOS ANGELES ITALIAN FILM AWARDS
TBA Los Angeles, CA
213-955-1888
www.italfilmfest.com
LEEDS YOUNG PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL
4/6 to 4/16 Leeds, UK
+44 113 247 8389
www.leedsfilm.com
LONGBOUGH FILM FESTIVAL
4/6 to 4/10 Portland, OR
www.longbaugh.com
LOWER WEST SIDE FILM FESTIVAL
4/22 to 4/27 New York City, NY
www.lwsff.org
MADE BY WOMEN INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL
Travels 8 cities Mumbai, INDIA
+91 22 55739803
www.madebywomen.org
MALIBU INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
4/6 to 4/10 Santa Monica, CA
310-452-6688
www.malibufilmfestival.com
MIAMI GAY & LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL
4/21 to 4/30 Miami, FL
305-534-9924
www.mglff.com
MIAMI LATIN FILM FESTIVAL
TBA Miami FL
305-279-1809
www.hispanicfilm.com
MILIA
4/3 to 4/7 Cannes, FRANCE
33-41-90-45 80
www.milia.com/
MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL
INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
4/1 to 4/16 Minneapolis, MN
612-331-3134
www.mnfilmarts.org
MONTCLAIR INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
4/20 to 4/23 Montclair, NJ
973-509-7300
www.montclairfilmfestival.com
MOVIESIDE FILM FESTIVAL
4/1 to 4/1 Chicago, IL
773-907-8513
www.movieside.neweyefilms.com
MYRTLE BEACH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
4/28 to 4/29 Myrtle Beach, SC
843-497-0220
www.myrtlebeachfilmfest.tripod.com
NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL
4/20 to 4/26 Nashville, TN
615-742-2500
www.nashvillefilmfestival.org
THE NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL LATINO FILM FESTIVAL
is now accepting films of all genres for
the 2006 edition, to take place July 2006.
To find out more information and to download an application
and regulation form please log to our website:
www.NYLatinoFilm.com
Application Deadline:
Friday, March 10th, 2006

NEWPORT BEACH FILM FESTIVAL
4/20to 4/30 Newport Beach, CA
949-253-2880
www.newportbeachfilmfest.com
NEW RIVER FILM FESTIVAL
4/7 to 4/10 Christiansburg, VA
540-239-4115
NEW YORK DOWNTOWN SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
4/24 to 4/26 New York City, NY
212-598-4320
www.nycdowntownshorts.blogspot.com
PALM BEACH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
4/20 to 4/28 West Palm Beach, FL
561-362-0003
www.pbifilmfest.org
REELWORLD FILM FESTIVAL
4/19 to 4/23 Toronto, CANADA
416-598-7933
www.reelworld.ca
ROGER EBERT’S OVERLOOKED FILM FESTIVAL
4/26 to 4/30 Champaign, IL
217-244-0552
www.ebertfest.com
SACRAMENTO FILM FESTIVAL
4/5 to 4/9 Sacramento, CA
916-648-8056
www.sacramentofilmfestival.com
SAN DIEGO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
4/16 to 4/30 San Diego, CA
619-582-2368
www.sdiff.org
SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
4/20 to 5/4 San Francisco, CA
415-561-5000
www.sffs.org
SEATTLE POLISH FILM FESTIVAL
4/28 to 5/7 Seattle, WA
www.polishfilms.org
SEHSUCHTE FILM FESTIVAL
4/25 to 4/30 Potsdam, GERMANY
+49(0)331/62 02 781
www.potsdam.de
SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
4/13 to 4/29 SINGAPORE
Fax 6738-7578
www.filmfest.org.sg
SONOMA VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL -
CINEMA EPICURIA
4/5 to 4/9 Sonoma, CA
707-933-2600
www.cinemaepicuria.org
SPAGHETTI JUNCTION URBAN FILM FESTIVAL
4/17 to 4/23 Atlanta, GA
www.sjuff.com
SPINDLETOP FILM FESTIVAL
4/15 to 4/17 Beaumont, TX
409-880-8490 dept.lamar.edu
SPIRITUAL CINEMA FESTIVAL-AT-SEA
4/22 to 4/29 Santa Ana, CA
714-619-3752
www.spiritualcinemafestival.com
ST. BARTH FILM FESTIVAL
4/25 to 4/30 St. Barthelemy Island, FRANCE
212-989-8004
www.stbarthff.org
SYRACUSE INTERNATIONAL
FILM & VIDEO FILM FESTIVAL
4/6 to 4/9 Syracuse, NY
315-443-8826
www.syrfilmfest.com
THUNDERBIRD FILM FESTIVAL
4/6 to 4/8 Cedar City, UT
435-865-8352
www.thunderbirdfilmfestival.suu.edu
TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL
4/25 to 5/7 New York City, NY
212-941-2400
www.tribecafilmfestival.org
USA FILM FESTIVAL
4/21 to 4/28 Dallas, TX
214-821-6300
www.usafilmfestival.com
VENTURA ARTISTS FILM FESTIVAL
4/23 to 4/22 Ventura, CA
805-258-1712
VISION FILM FEST
4/20 to 4/16 Roanoke, VA
540-342-4171
www.blueridgeswvafilm.org
WASHINGTON, DC
INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
4/19 to 4/30 Washington, DC
202-628-FILM
www.filmfestdc.org
WEST VIRGINIA INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL
4/27 to 4/30 Charleston, WV
304-342-7100
www.wviff.org
WILMINGTON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
4/7 to 4/10 Wilmington, DE
www.wilmingtonfilmfest.com
WORLDFEST HOUSTON INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL
4/21 to 4/30 Houston, TX
713-965-9955
www.worldfest.org
MAY
ALGONQUIN FILM FESTIVAL
5/19 to 5/22 Warrington, PA
205-981-1139
www.algonquinfilmfestival.com
AGON FILM FESTIVAL
May dates Athens, GREECE
+30 210 331 2990
www.sitemaker.gr
47
BIG ISLAND FILM FESTIVAL
5/18 to 5/21 Waikoloa, HI
808-883-0394
www.bigislandfilmfestival.com
BICYCLE FILM FESTIVAL
5/12 to 5/15 New York City, NY
212-726-8505
www.bicyclefilmfestival.com
BILBAO FANTASTIC FILM FESTIVAL
5/2 to 5/7 Bilbao, SPAIN
+34 944 248 698
www.zinebi.com/fant
CANNES INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
5/17 to 5/28 Cannes, FRANCE
33 (0) 1 53 59 61 00
www.festival-cannes.org
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY FILM FESTIVAL
5/3 to 5/12 New York City, NY
212-854-1547
www.cufilmfest.com
CRACOW FILM FESTIVAL
5/30 to 6/4 Krakow, POLAND
+48 12 294 69 45
www.cracowfilmfestival.pl
DANVILLE INTERNATIONAL
CHILDREN’S FILM FESTIVAL
5/19 to 5/21 Danville, CA
925-552-7335
www.dicff.org
DOK FEST: MUNICH INTERNATIONAL
DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
5/4 to 5/11 Munich, GERMANY
+49 89 51 39 97
www.dokfest-muenchen.de
DUBROVNIK INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
5/24 to 5/28 Dubrovnik, CROATIA
310-903-0483
www.dubrovnikiff.org
EMPIRE FILM FESTIVAL
5/13 to 5/19 Albany, NY
212-802-4679
www.empirefilm.com
FLINT FILM FESTIVAL
5/5 to 5/7 Flint, MI
810-238-2787
www.flintfilmfestival.com
FOCAL AWARDS
5/15 Middlesex, UK
+44 (0) 20 8423 5853
www.focalint.org/focalawards.htm
FOREST FILM FESTIVAL
5/18 to 5/21 Portland, OR
503-359-1905
www.forestfilmfest.com
FLYING BROOM INTERNATIONAL
WOMEN’S FILM FESTIVAL
5/4 to 5/11 Ankara, TURKEY
+90 312 427 00 20
www.en.ucansupurge.org
HONOLULU RAINBOW FILM FESTIVAL
5/25 to 5/28 Honolulu, HI
808-941-0424
www.hglcf.org
HOUSTON GAY & LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL
5/29 to 6/15 Houston, TX
www.hglff.org
INSIDE OUT GAY & LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL
5/18 to 5/28 Toronto, CANADA
416-977-6847
www.insideout.on.ca
INNSBRUCK INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
5/24 to 5/28 Innsbruck, AUSTRIA
+43 512 57 85 00 14
www.iffi.at
INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
5/19 to 5/22 Chisinau, MOLDOVA
+373 22225409
www.cronograf.owh.md
INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM
FESTIVAL OBERHAUSEN
5/4 to 5/9 Oberhausen, GERMANY
+49 (0) 208 825-2652
www.kurzfilmtage.de
INTERNATIONAL WILDLIFE FILM FESTIVAL
5/13 to 5/20 Missoula, MT
406-728-9380
www.wildlifefilms.org
JACKSONVILLE FILM FESTIVAL
5/18 to 5/21 Jacksonville, FL
904-355-5661
www.jacksonvillefilmfestival.com
MARYLAND FILM FESTIVAL
5/11 to 5/14 Baltimore, MD
410-752-8083
www.mdfilmfest.com
MENDOCINO FILM FESTIVAL
5/18 to 5/21 Mendocino, CA
707-937-0171
www.mendocinofilmfestival.org
MOUNTAINFILM IN TELLURIDE FILM FESTIVAL
5/26 to 5/29 Telluride, CO
970-728-4123
www.mountainfilm.com
NAOUSSA INTERNATIONAL
SHORT FILM & VIDEO FESTIVAL
5/4 to 5/7 Naoussa, GREECE
+302332028459
www.artion.org.gr
NEW HAVEN UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL
5/13 to 5/14 Meriden, CT
203-639-2856
www.nhuff.com
NEW JERSEY INTERNATIONAL FILM & SCREENPLAY
5/19 to 5/25 North Haledon, NJ
973-304-0553
www.filmfestivalnj.com
NEW YORK INDIE FILM & VIDEO FESTIVAL
5/4 to 5/11 New York City, NY
212-777-7100
www.nyfilmvideo.com

NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL
DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL
5/17 to 5/18 New York City, NY
212-668-1100
www.docfest.org
PACIFIC PALISADES FILM FEST
5/11 to 5/13 Palisades, CA
310-459-7073
www.friendsoffilm.com
PARKDALE FILM FESTIVAL
5/15 to 5/15 Hood River, OR
541-386-1909
www.parkdalefilmfestival.com
PHILADELPHIA DOCUMENTARY
& FICTION FESTIVAL
5/23 to 5/30 Philadelphia, PA
734-538-6155
www.mamut.com
ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
5/4 to 5/6 Rochester, NY
585-234-7411
www.rochesterfilmfest.org
SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL
5/5 to 5/13 Santa Cruz, CA
831-459-7676
www.santacruzfilmfestival.com
SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
5/25 to 6/18 Seattle, WA
206-464-5830
www.seattlefilm.com
SPROUT FILM FESTIVAL
5/6 to 5/7 New York City, NY
888-222-9575
www.gosprout.org/filmfestival
TRENTON FILM FESTIVAL
5/5 to 5/7 Trenton, NJ
609-396-6966
www.trentonfilmfestival.org
VICTORIA EROTICA FILM FESTIVAL
5/5 to 5/7 Victoria, British Columbia,
CANADA
www.victoriaeroticaff.com
YORKTON SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
5/25 to 5/28 Yorkton, CANADA
306-782-7077
www.yorktonshortfilm.org
JUNE
ANNECY INTERNATIONAL ANIMATED FF
6/5 to 6/10 Annecy, FRANCE
33 (0) 4 50 10 09 00
www.annecy.org
AVIGNON FILM FESTIVAL IN PROVENCE
6/22 to 6/25 Provence, FRANCE
(33) 490 25 93 23
www.avignonfilmfest.com
BAY RIDGE FILM FESTIVAL
6/23 to 6/26 Brooklyn, NY
718-510-2768
www.bayridgefilmfestival.com
BRONX INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
6/22 to 6/28 Bronx, New York
www.bronxstage.com
BROOKLYN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
6/2 to 6/11 Brooklyn, NY
718-388-4306
www.wbff.org
CANADIAN FILM CENTRE’S
WORLDWIDE SHORT FILM
6/13 to 6/16 Toronto, Ont. CANADA
416-445-1446
www.worldwideshortfilmfest.com
CINEVEGAS INTERNATIONAL, FILM FESTIVAL
6/9 to 6/17 Henderson, NV
702-992-7979
www.cinevegas.com
DAY OF THE LIVING SHORTS
6/13 to 6/14 Campobasso, ITALY
347-3157032
www.kimeracine.it
DREAMSPEAKERS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
6/7 to 6/10 Edmonton, AB CANADA
780- 378-9611
www.dreamspeakers.org
DURBAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
6/14 to 6/25 Durban, SOUTH AFRICA
+27 (0) 31 260 1145
www.nu.ac.za
ECOCINEMA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
6/2 to 6/7 Athens, GREECE
+30 210 8848055 6
www.ecocinema.gr
48
FEMALE EYE FILM FESTIVAL
6/1 to 6/4 Ontario, CANADA
416-276-1304
www.femaleeyefilmfestival.com
FIRST GLANCE PHILADELPHIA FILM FESTIVAL
6/1 to 6/4 Philadelphia, PA
215-552-8566
www.firstglancefilms.com
FOREST GROVE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
6/7 to 6/12 Forest Grove, OR
www.pnwfilmfestivals.com
GENOA FILM FESTIVAL
6/27 to 7/3 Genoa, ITALY
+39 010 2725915
www.genovafilmfestival.it
GRIMSTADT NORWEGIAN SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
6/16 to 6/20 Oslo, NORWAY
+47 22 47 46 46
www.kinoeye.org
HOLLYWOOD BLACK FILM FESTIVAL
6/13 to 6/18 Hollywood, CA
323-556-5742
www.hbff.org
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
6/11 to 6/24 New York City, NY
212-216-1839
www.hrw.org/iff
IFP/LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL
6/17 to 6/26 Beverly Hills, CA
310-432-1240
www.lafilmfest.com
IMAGE INDEPENDENT MEDIA ARTISTS OF ATLANTA
6/11 to 6/20 Atlanta, GA
404-352-4225
www.imagefv.org
INTERNATIONAL HAMBURG SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
6/7 to 6/12 Hamburg, GERMANY
+49 40 39 10 63 0
www.kurzfilmfestivalhamburg.de
INTERNATIONAL YOUTH FILM FESTIVAL
6/28 to 6/30 Kundl, Tirol, AUSTRIA
www.jugendfilmfestival.org
JACKSON HOLE FILM FESTIVAL
6/7 to 6/11 Wilson, WY
307-733-8145
www.jacksonholefilmfestival.org
KARLOVY VARY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
6/30 to 7/8 Prague, CZECH REPUBLIC
+420 221 411 011
www.iffkv.cz
KIDSFILMFEST
6/4 Brooklyn, NY
718-388-4306
www.kidsfilmfest.org
LA ROCHELLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
6/30 to 7/10 La Rochelle, FRANCE
33-1-48-06-1666
www.festival-larochelle.org
LONGEST NIGHT FILM FESTIVAL
6/17 to 6/26 Hobart, Tasmania, AU
61 3 6233 5926
www.longestnightfilmfestival.com
LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL
6/22 to 7/2 Beverly Hills, CA
310-432-1208
www.lafilmfest.com
MARIN COUNTY FESTIVAL OF
SHORT FILM & VIDEO
6/30 to 7/4 San Rafael, CA
415-499-3700
MAUI FILM FESTIVAL
6/14 to 6/18 Maui, HAWAII
808-579-9244
www.mauifilmfestival.com
MEDIA THAT MATTERS FILM FESTIVAL
6/1 New York City, NY
646-230-6288
www.mediathatmattersfest.org
MILWAUKEE SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
6/4 Milwaukee, WI
414-477-0572
www.dirtyjobfilms.com
MIDNIGHT SUN FILM FESTIVAL
6/14 to 6/18 Sodankyla, FINLAND
+358 16 614 525
www.msfilmfestival.fi
MOONDANCE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
6/9 to 6/11 Boulder, CO
303-545-0202
www.moondancefilmfestival.com
MOSCOW INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
6/17 to 6/26 Moscow, RUSSIA
7-095-917-2486
www.miff.ru

NANTUCKET FILM FESTIVAL
6/14 to 6/18 Nantucket, MA
212-708-1278
www.nantucketfilmfestival.org
NEW JERSEY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
6/4 to 7/25 New Brunswick, NJ
732-932-8482
www.njfilmfest.com
NEW FEST - NY LESBIAN & GAY FILM FESTIVAL
6/1 to 6/11 New York City, NY
212-571-2170
www.newfestival.org
NEW YORK BASEBALL FILM FESTIVAL
6/24 to 6/26 New York City, NY
212-245-1772
NEWARK BLACK FILM FESTIVAL
6/30 to 8/4 Newark, NJ
973-596-6550
www.newarkmuseum.org
NEWPORT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
6/6 to 6/11 Newport, RI
401-846-9100
www.newportfilmfestival.com
NORTH BY NORTHEAST FILM FESTIVAL
6/8 to 6/11 Toronto, Ont. CANADA
416-863-6963
www.nxne.com
NORWEGIAN SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
6/15 to 6/20 Grimstad, NORWAY
+47 22 47 46 46
www.kortfilmfestivalen.no
OCEAN CITY FILM FESTIVAL
6/3 to 6/5 Ocean City, NJ
1-800-232-2465
www.njstatefilmfestival.com
PHILAFILM
6/27 to 7/2 Philadelphia, PA
215-545-4862
www.philafilm.org
PLANET ANT FILM AND VIDEO FESTIVAL
6/16 to 6/19 Hamtramck, MI
313-365-4948
www.planetant.com
PROVINCETOWN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
6/14 to 6/18 Provincetown, MA
508-487-FILM
www.ptownfilmfest.org
SAN FRANCISCO BLACK FILM FESTIVAL
6/6 to 6/11 San Francisco, CA
415-771-9271
www.sfbff.org
SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL LESBIAN &
GAY FILM FESTIVAL
6/15 to 6/25 San Francisco, CA
415-703-8650
www.frameline.org
SHANGHAI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
6/17 to 6/25 Shanghai, CHINA
86-21-62537115
www.siff.com
SHORT SHORTS FILM FESTIVAL
6/3 to 6/11 Tokyo, JAPAN
310-657-5400
www.shortshorts.org
SILVERDOCS AFI/DISCOVERY CHANNEL
DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
6/13 to 6/18 Silver Spring, MD
301-495-6738
www.silverdocs.com
SOLSTICE FILM FESTIVAL
6/21 to 6/25 St. Paul, MN
www.solsticefilmfest.org
SOUTHSIDE FILM FESTIVAL
6/15 to 6/18 Bethlehem, PA
610-882-4300
www.ssff.org
ST. PETERSBURG INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL
6/23 to 6/29 St. Petersburg, RUSSIA
7 812 237 0304
www.filmfest.ru
STATEN ISLAND FILM FESTIVAL
6/1 to 6/4 Staten Island, NY
718-477-1400
www.sifilmfestival.org
SUPERFEST INTERNATIONAL MEDIA FESTIVAL
ON DISABILITIES
6/7 to 6/8 Berkley, CA
510-845-5576
www.madknight.com/cdt/superfest
49
U.S INTERNATIONAL FILM & VIDEO FESTIVAL
6/3 Los Angeles, CA
319-540-0959
www.filmfestawards.com
SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL
6/9 to 6/25 Sydney, AUSTRALIA
+61 2 9280 0511
www.sydneyfilmfestival.org
U.S. INTERNATIONAL FILM & VIDEO FESTIVAL
6/6 to 6/5 Redondo Beach, CA
310-540-0959
www.filmfestawards.com
WATERFRONT FILM FESTIVAL
6/8 to 6/11 Saugatuck, MI
269-857-8351
www.waterfrontfilm.com
WILD WEST FILM FEST
6/10 Lawrence, KS
913-645-4207
www.wildwestfilmfest.com
WILLIAMSBURG BROOKLYN FILM FESTIVAL
6/2 to 6/11 Brooklyn, NY
718-486-8181
www.wbff.org
WINNIPEG INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
6/8 to 6/11 Winnipeg, CANADA
204-944-1143
www.winnipegfilmfest.ca
WORLDWIDE SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
6/13 to 6/18 Toronto, CANADA
416-445-1446
www.worldwideshortfilmfest.com
YUKON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
6/21 to 6/25 Whitehorse, Yukon, CANADA
876-667-8302
www.yukonfilmfest.com
ZAGREB WORLD FESTIVAL OF ANIMATED FILM
6/12 to 6/17 Zagreb, CROATIA
385 1 4501191
www.animafest.hr
JULY
ABUJA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
7/19 to 7/22 Burkina Faso
234-8023188813,
www.nffo.org
ACTION ON FILM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
7/29 to 7/31 Long beach, CA
323-257-3300
www.aoffest.com
AMERICAN BLACK FILM FESTIVAL
7/18 to 7/23 Miami, FL
212-219-7267
www.abff.com
ARTIVIST FILM FESTIVAL
726 to 7/30 Hollywood, CA
310-712-1222
www.artivists.org
ASIAN AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
7/14 to 7/30 New York City, NY
212-989-1422
www.asiancinevision.org
AUCKLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
7/13 to 7/30Wellington, NEW ZEALAND
+64 4 385 0162
BESTFEST AMERICA STUDENT FILM FESTIVAL
7/26 to 7/30 La Jolla, CA
858-449-7085
www.bestfestsandiego.com
BICKNELL INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
7/21 to 7/22 Bicknell, UT
435-425-3554
www.waynetheatre.com/biff
BLACKFILMMAKERS FESTIVAL
7/1 to 7/1 Brooklyn, NY
818-939-4994
BRONX INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
7/5 to 7/9 Bronx, NY
718-907-0079
www.bronxfilmfestival.com
CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
7/7 to 7/17 Cambridge, UK
+44 1223 462 666
www.cambridgefilmfest.org.uk
CAMP BETTY CAMPOUT FILM FESTIVAL
7/22 to 7/24 Eureka, CA
707-442-3607
www.campbettycampout.com
DA VINCI FILM & VIDEO FESTIVAL
7/14 to 7/26 Corvallis, OR
541-757-6363
www.davinci-days.org

ENCOUNTERS SA INTERNATIONAL
DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL
7/14 to 8/6 Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA
27 21 465 4686
www.encounters.co.za
FREE RANGE FILM FESTIVAL
7/28 to 7/29 Wrenshall, MN
www.freerangefilm.com
GEORGIA CHRISTIAN FILM FESTIVAL
7/29 to 7/30 Griffin, GA
770-228-2307
GIFFONI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
7/15 to 7/22 Valle Piana, ITALY
+39 089 8023 001
www.giffoniff.it
GOLDEN APRICOT YEREVAN INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL
7/10 to 7/15 Yerevan, ARMENIA
+374 1 56 44 84
www.armeniaemb.org
HEARTS AND MINDS FILM
7/1 to 7/31 Wilmington, DE
302-429-7534
www.heartsandmindfilm.org
HOMETOWN VIDEO FESTIVAL
7/6 to 7/9 Monterey, CA
916-441-6277
www.tctv.net/hometown
JERUSALEM FILM FESTIVAL
7/7 to 7/15 Jerusalem, ISRAEL
+972 2 724 131
www.jff.org
LONG ISLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM EXPO
7/14 to 7/20 Bellmore, NY
516-783-7200
www.longislandfilm.com
MAINE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
7/14 to 7/23 Waterville, ME
207-861-8138
www.miff.org
MESSAGE TO MAN INTERNATIONAL
DOCUMENTARY SHORT AND ANIMATED
FILM FESTIVAL
7/18 to 7/31 St. Petersburg, RUSSIA
+7(812) 972-1264
www.message-to-man.spb.ru
MOTOVUN FILM FESTIVAL
7/24 to 7/28 Zagreb, CROATIA
+385 1 374 06 99
www.motovunfilmfestival.com
NICKEL INDEPENDENT FILM & VIDEO FESTIVAL
7/5 to 7/9 St. John’s Newfoundland, CANADA
709-722-3456www.nickelfestival.com
OUTFEST LA GAY AND LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL
7/6 to 7/17 Los Angeles, CA
213-480-7088
www.outfest.org
PARNU INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY &
ANTHROPOLOGY FILM FESTIVAL
7/2 to 7/16 Parnu, ESTONIA
+372 44 30772
www.chaplin.ee
PATTAYA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
7/19 to 7/28 Pattaya THAILAND
66 38 427 585
www.pattayafilmfestival.com
PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL GAY &
LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL
7/13 to 7/25 Philadelphia, PA
267-765-9700
www.phillyfests.com
ROSWELL FILM FESTIVAL
7/1 to 7/4 Roswell, NM
505-624-6744
www.uforoswell.com
RURAL ROUTE FILM FESTIVAL
July New York City, NY
www.ruralroutefilms.com
SAN ANTONIO UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL
7/29 to 7/31 San Antonio, TX
210-977-9004
www.safilm.com
ST. JULIAN FILM FEST
7/18 to 7/20 Paw Paw, MI
269-599-2521
STONY BROOK FILM FESTIVAL
7/20 to 7/29 Long Island, NY
516-632-71235
www.stallercenter.com
TRAVERSE CITY FILM FESTIVAL
8/1 to 8/6 Traverse City, MI
231-392-1134
www.traversecityfilmfestival.org
UNDER CURRENTS
7/26 to 7/27 Champaign, IL
312-493-2190
WELLINGTON FILM FESTIVAL
7/21 to 8/6 Wellington, NEW ZEALAND
(64) 4-385 0162
www.enzedff.co.nz
WINE COUNTRY FILM FESTIVAL
7/20 to 8/16 Glen Ellen, CA
707-996-2536
www.winecountryfilmfest.com
WOODS HOLE FILM FESTIVAL
7/29 to 8/5 Woods Hole, MA
508-495-3456
www.woodsholefilmfestival.org
AUGUST
ARTIVIST FILM FESTIVAL
August Hollywood, CA
310-712-464-5566
www.artivists.org
ATLANTA UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL
8/24 to 8/29 Atlanta, GA
404-898-0622
CHILDREN’S INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
IN ARTEK
Moscow, RUSSIA
+7 095 181 0451
50
CHRISTCHURCH INTERNATIONAL FILM
FESTIVAL
8/3 to 8/20 Christchurch, NEW ZEALAND
www.kftv.com
COPENHAGEN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
8/18 to 8/28 Copenhagen, DENMARK
+45 33 45 47 49
www.copenhagenfilmfestival.com
CRESTED BUTTE REEL FEST
8/9 to 8/13 Crested Butte, CO
970-349-2600
www.cbreelfest.com
DOKUFEST INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY
AND SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
8/31 to 9/4 Prizren KOSOVA
+381622718
www.dokufest.com
EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
8/17 to 8/28 Edinburgh, SCOTLAND
0131 229 5501
www.edfilmfest.org.uk
GLORIA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
8/11 to 8/20 Salt Lake City, UT
801-965-8916
www.gloriafilmfest.org
GREAT PLAINS FILM FESTIVAL
8/1 to 8/14 Lincoln, NB
402-472-9100
www.theross.org
HERMOSA SHORTS FILM FESTIVAL
8/26 to 8/27 Hermosa Beach, CA
www.hermosashorts.com
HIROSHIMA INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION FESTIVAL
8/24 to 8/28 Hiroshima, JAPAN
+81-82 245 0245
www.asifa.jp
INDIE GATHERING
8/4 to 8/6 Cleveland, OH
216-651-5441
www.theindiegathering.com
LOCARNO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
8/12 to 8/26 Locarno, SWITZERLAND
+41 91 756 21 21 jahia.pardo.ch
LOLA KENYA SCREEN
8/7 to 8/12 Nairobi, KENYA
www.artmatters.info
MONTERREY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
8/19 to 8/26 Monterrey, MEXICO
+52 (81) 8675 6935
www.ficmty.org
MONTREAL WORLD FILM FESTIVAL
8/24 to 9/4 Montreal, CANADA
514 848 3883
www.ffm-montreal.org
MOTOR CITY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
8/19 to 8/21 Detroit, MI
888-723-9093
www.nuvisiondesign.com
MUSLIM FILM FESTIVAL
Spring 2006 Clayton, CA
www.mffusa.org
NEW YORK MINUTE FILM FESTIVAL
8/8 to 11/2 New York City, NY
212-253-2888
www.newyorkminutefilmfestival.com
NORWEGIAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
8/18 to 8/24 Haugesund, NORWAY
+47 52 734 430
www.filmweb.no
ODENSE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
8/15 to 8/20 Odense, DENMARK
+45 6 592 4318
www.filmfestival.dk
RHODE ISLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
8/8 to 8/13 Providence, RI
401-861-4445
www.film-festival.org
ROXBURY FILM FESTIVAL
8/7 to 8/21 Boston, MA
617-541-4900
www.roxburyfilmfestival.org
SANTIAGO FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL DE CINE
8/3 to 8/7 Santiago, CHILE
562 9416050
SARAJEVO FILM FESTIVAL
8/18 to 8/26 Sarajevo BOSNIA
387 33 668 186
www.sff.ba
TAHOE/RENO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
8/23 to 8/27 Incline Village, NV
775-298-0019
www.t-riff.org
TILCARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
8/19 to 8/27 Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA
+54 11 43260407
TRAVERSE CITY FILM FESTIVAL
8/1 to 8/6 Traverse City, MI
231-392-1134
www.traversecityfilmfestival.org
TRUE WEST CINEMA FESTIVAL
8/11 to 8/14 Boise, ID
208-342-4222
www.truewestcinema.fiberpipe.net
ZIMBABWE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
8/26 to 9/4 Harare, ZIMBABWE
+263 4 793502
www.ziff.co.zw
SEPTEMBER
ABUJA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
9/29 to 10/2 Lagos, NIGERIA
234-1 8110170
www.nffo.org
ALL ROADS FILM FESTIVAL
9/23 to 10/2 Washington, D202-857-7660
www.nationalgeographic.com/allroads
ANTALYA GOLDEN ORANGE FILM FESTIVAL
9/16 to 10/23 Istanbul, TURKEY
+90 212 244 52 51
www.antalya-ws.com
ARSENALS INTERNATIONAL FILM FORUM
9/16 to 9/24 Riga, LATVIA
+371 7210114
www.main.arsenals.lv

ASPEN FILM FEST
9/28 to 10/2 Aspen, CO
970-925-6882
www.aspenfilm.org
ATLANTIC FILM FESTIVAL
9/15 to 9/25 Halifax, Nova Scotia, CANADA
902-422-3456
www.atlanticfilm.com
BIG BEAR LAKE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
9/15 to 9/17 Big Bear Lake, CA
909-866-3433
www.bigbearlakefilmfestival.com
BITE THE MANGO FILM FESTIVAL
9/23 to 9/29 Bradford, UK
441 274 725 347
www.nmpft.org.uk
BLUE SKY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
9/25 to 9/28 Las Vegas, NV
702-566-7666
BLUEGRASS INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
9/9 to 9/11 Louisville, KY
502-241-1006
www.oldhamcountyarts.com
BOSTON FILM FESTIVAL
9/9 to 9/13 Boston, MA
617-266-2533
www.bostonfilmfestival.org
BRECKENRIDGE FESTIVAL OF FILM
9/16 to 9/19 Breckenridge, CO
970-453-6200
www.brecknet.com/bff
CAMDEN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
9/29 to 10/2 Camden, ME
617-817-5376
www.camdenfilmfest.org
CALGARY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
9/22 to 10/1 Calgary, Ab, CANADA
403-283-1490
www.calgaryfilm.com
CINEFEST - SUDBURY FILM FESTIVAL
9/17 to 9/25 Sudbury, Ont, CANADA
705-688-1234
www.cinefest.com
CONEY ISLAND FILM FESTIVAL
9/30 to 10/2 Brooklyn, NY
212-696-6689
www.coneyislandfilmfestival.com
COOL BANANAS SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
9/17 to 9/24 Coffs Harbour AUSTRALIA
0266564829
www.coolbananas.com.au
COPENHAGEN FILM FESTIVAL
9/21 to 10/1 Copenhagen, DENMARK
+45 35 45 47 49
www.copenhagenfilmfestival.com
DEAUVILLE FESTIVAL OF AMERICAN FILMS
9/2 to 9/11 Neuilly-sa-Seine, FRANCE
+33 1 41 34 20 32
www.festival-deauville.com
DOCNZ FILM FESTIVAL
9/15 to 9/28 Auckland, NZ
64 9 3094084
www.docnzfestival.com
DONOSTIA SAN SEBASTIAN INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL
9/15 to 9/24 San Sebastian, SPAIN
+34 943 481218
www.sansebastianfestival.com
DOWNSTREAM FILM FESTIVAL
9/12 to 9/21 Decatur, GA
770-998-2288
www.downstreamfest.com
EARTHVISION INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
9/29 to 10/2 Santa Cruz, CA
831-425-8848
www.earthvisionfest.org
EDMONTON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
9/29 to 10/7 Edmonton, CANADA
780-426-4343
www.edmontonfilmfest.com
ESTES PARK FILM FESTIVAL
9/15 to 9/17 Estes Park, CO
970-231-2580
www.sdientertainment.com
EUGENE CELEBRATION
9/30 to 10/2 Eugene OR
541-681-4108
www.eugenecelebration.com
E.VIL CITY FILM FEST
9/8 to 9/12 New York City, NY
516-316-1869
www.evilcityfilmfest.com
FESTIVAL OF FANTASTIC FILMS
9/1 to 9/3 Manchester, UK
+44 161 929 1423
www.fantastic-films.com
FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL DU FILM
FRANCOPHONE
9/23 to 9/30 Namur, BELGIUM
+32 81 24 12 36
www.fiff.be
FILM CAMERA FESTIVAL MANAKI BROTHERS
9/20 to 9/25 Bitola, MACEDONIA
+389 2 32-11-811
www.manaki.com.mk
FILMEKIMI - ISTANBUL INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL
9/30 to 10/6 Istanbul, TURKEY
+90 212 334 07 20
www.iksv.org
FILM FEST NEW HAVEN
9/22 to 9/25 New Haven, CT
203-789-2082
www.filmfest.org
GREAT LAKES INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
9/20 to 9/24 Erie, PA
814-873-5069
www.greatlakesfilmfest.com
GULF COAST FILM & VIDEO FESTIVAL
9/16 to 9/18 Nassau Bay, TX
281-333-5804
GWANGJU INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
9/2 to 9/11 Gwangju, KOREA
82 62 228 9968
51
HARLEM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
9/10 to 9/14 New York City, NY
212-234-3363
www.harlemfilmfestival.com
HELSINKI FILM FESTIVAL - LOVE & ANARCHY
9/17 to 9/26 Helsinki, FINLAND
+358 -9 6843-5232
www.hiff.fi
INDEPENDENT FEATURE FILM MARKET
9/15 to 9/22 New York City, NY
212-465-8200
www.ifp.org
INDEPENDENTS FILM FESTIVAL
9/16 to 9/17 Tampa, FL
813-254-2253
www.independentsfilmfest.com
INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS
FILM FESTIVAL
9/26 to 10/5 Nuremberg, GERMANY
49 911 231 83 29
www.humanrightsfilmfestival.org
INTERNATIONAL 1001
DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
9/29 to 10/5 Istanbul, TURKEY
+90 212 231 39 31 32
www.bsb-adf.org
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S
FILM FESTIVAL IN REHOVOT
9/7 to 9/10 Rehovot, ISRAEL
972-8-9349086
KANSAS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
9/15 to 9/21 Overland Park, KS
913-642-4404
www.kansasfilm.com
JACKSON HOLE WILDLIFE FILM FESTIVAL
9/19 to 9/24 Jackson Hole, WY
307-733-7016
www.jhfestival.org
LITHUANIAN FILM FESTIVAL
9/9 to 12/16 Vilnius, LITHUANIA
8 5 2644764
LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL
SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
9/6 to 9/13 Los Angeles, CA
323-874-2902
www.lashortsfest.com
MADCAT WOMEN’S INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL
9/13 to 9/27 San Francisco, CA
415-436-9523
www.madcatfilmfestival.org
NETHERLANDS FILM FESTIVAL
9/27 to 10/20 Utrecht, NETHERLANDS
+(0) 30 2303800
www.filmfestival.nl
NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL
9/23 to 10/9 New York City, NY
212-875-5610
www.filmlinc.com/nyff
OTTAWA INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION FESTIVAL
9/20 to 9/26 Ottawa, CANADA
613-232-8769
www.ottawa.awn.com
OXNARD INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
9/16 to 9/25 Oxnard, CA
805-385-8335
www.oxnardfilmfest.com
RAINDANCE FILM FESTIVAL
9/28 to 10/9 London, UK
+44 (0) 20 7287 3833
www.raindancefilmfestival.org
REBELFEST INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
9/7 to 9/11 Toronto, CANADA
416-703-9205
www.rebelfest.com
RESFEST
Multiple dates & locations
415-437-2686
www.resfest.com
REYKJAVIK INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
9/29 to 10/9 Reykjavik, ICELAND
www.filmfest.is
ROME INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
9/7 to 9/10 Rome, GA
706-295-2787
www.riff.tv
ROUTE 66 FILM FESTIVAL
9/17 to 9/18 Springfield, IL
217-793-3572
www.route66filmfestival.org
SALENTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
9/9 to 9/17 Salento, ITALY
www.salentofilmfestival.com
SANTA FE DE BOGOTA FESTIVAL
Santa Fe de Bogota, COLOMBIA
+57-4 251 853 3988
www.festicineantioquia.com
SAN DIEGO FILM FESTIVAL
9/27 to 10/1 San Diego, CA
619-582-2368
www.sdff.org
SAN SEBASTIAN INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL
9/15 to 9/24 San Sebastian, SPAIN
+34 943 481212
www.sansebastianfestival.com
SAVANNAH OCEAN FILM FESTIVAL
9/23 to 9/25 Savannah, GA
www.thecreativecoast.org
SEA TO SKY FILM FESTIVAL
9/21 to 9/22 Squamish, BC, CANADA
604-898-5930
SIDEWALK MOVING PICTURE FESTIVAL
9/23 to 9/25 Birmingham, AL
www.sidewalkfest.com
SILVER LAKE FILM FESTIVAL
9/23 to 9/23 Los Angeles, CA
323-660-1935
www.silverlakefilmfestival.org
SOUTHWEST GAY AND LESBIAN FILM
FESTIVAL
9/12 to 9/14 Albuquerque, NM
www.closetcinema.org

TELLURIDE FILM FESTIVAL
9/1 to 9/4 Telluride, CO
603-433-9202
www.telluridefilmfestival.com
TEMECULA VALLEY INTERNATIONAL
FILM & MUSIC FESTIVAL
9/13 to 9/17 Temeculah, CA
909-699-8681
www.tviff.com
TOOFY FILM FEST
9/29 to 10/1 Boulder, CO
www.toofy.com
TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
9/8 to 9/17 Toronto, Ont, CANADA
416-967-9477
www.e.bell.ca
TULSA UNCENSORED FILM FESTIVAL
9/24 Tulsa, OK
213-840-9382
www.tulsauncensored.com
UMEA FILM FESTIVAL
9/15 to 21 Umea, SWEDEN
+46 90 133388
www.filmfest.se
VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL
9/13 to 9/17 Toluca Lake, CA
818-754-8222
www.valleyfilmfest.com
VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
9/29 to 10/14 Vancouver, BC, CANADA
604-688-0260
www.viff.org
WOODSTOCK FILM FESTIVAL
9/28 to 10/2 Woodstock, NY
www.woodstockfilmfestival.com
OCTOBER
ABITIBI-TEMISCAMINGUE INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL
10/29 to 11/3 Rouyn-Nouranda, CANADA
413-458-9700
www.lino.com/festivalducinema
AGGELIOFOROS FILM FESTIVAL
10/20 to 10/26 Thessaloniki, GREECE
+30 2310 779260
www.agelioforos.gr
ALAMEDA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
10/10 to 10/11 Alameda, CA
510-740-0220
www.alamedafilmfest.com
AMERICAN AUTUMN IN MOSCOW: FESTIVAL OF
AMERICAN INDEPENDENT CINEMA
10/12 to 10/16 Moscow RUSSIA
+7 095 237 1088
www.russiannightsfest.com
AMERICAN CONSERVATION FILM FESTIVAL
10/25 to 10/29 Shepherdstown, WV
304-876-7276
www.conservationfilm.org
ASHEVILLE FILM FESTIVAL
10/27 to 10/30 Asheville, NC
828-259-5606
www.ashevillefilmfestival.com
ATLANTIC CITY FILM FESTIVAL
10/7 to 10/14 Atlantic, NJ
609-487-9299
www.atlanticcityfilmfestival.com
AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL
10/20 to 10/27 Austin, TX
512-478-4795
www.austinfilmfestival.com
BACKWOODS FILM FESTIVAL
10/7 to 10/9 Yanceyville, NC
336-694-7785
BANFF FESTIVAL OF MOUNTAIN FILMS
10/27 to 11/6 Banff, CANADA
403-762-6100
www.banffcentre.ca
BARCELONA INTERNATIONAL
EROTIC FILM FESTIVAL
10/5 to 10/9 Barcelona, SPAIN
www.ficeb.com
BARE BONES SCRIPT2SCREEN
INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
10/13 to 10/16 Muskogee, OK
918-391-1313
www.script2screenfilmfestival.com
BEND FILM FESTIVAL
10/12 to 10/15 Bend, OR
877-388-FEST
www.bendfilm.org
BERGEN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
10/20 to 10/26 Bergen, NORWAY
+47 55322590
www.biff.no
BETHEL INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
10/25 to 10/30 Bethel, CT
203-791-1123
www.bethelfilmfestival.com
BLACK BEAR FILM FESTIVAL
10/14 to 10/16 Milford, PA
570-409-0909
www.blackbearfilm.com
BOGOTA FILM FESTIVAL
10/5 to 10/13 Bogota, Colombia
+571 341 7562
www.bgocine.com
BORDEAUX INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF
WOMEN IN CINEMA
10/3 to 10/9 Bordeaux, FRANCE
+33 (1) 5636 1501
www.cinemafeminin.com
CALIFORNIA INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
10/26 to 10/30 Livermore, CA
925-552-7335
www.caindiefest.com
CAMDEN WORLD FILM FESTIVAL
10/28 to 10/31 Camden, NJ
215-842-0808
CANBERRA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
10/26 to 11/5 Canberra AUSTRALIA
+61 (02) 6298 5300
www.canberrafilmfestival.com.au
CARTHAGE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
October Tunis, TUNISIA
+216 17 56 30 03
CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
10/6 to 10/20 Chicago, IL
312-644-3400
www.chicagofilmfestival.com
CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL
CHILDREN’S FILM FESTIVAL
10/27 to 11/6 Chicago, IL
773-281-9075
www.cicff.org
52
CORK INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
10/9 to 10/16 Cork, IRELAND
+353 21 4271711
www.corkfilmfest.org
DIRECTOR’S VIEW FILM FESTIVAL
10/20 to 10/24 New York City, NY
914-533-0270
www.dvff.org
EDINBURGH MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL
10/20 to 10/22 Edinburgh, SCOTLAND
07919 818 901
www.edinburghmountainff.com
EUGENE FILM FESTIVAL
10/1 to 10/2 Eugene, OR
541-681-4108
www.eugenecelebration.com
FLANDERS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
10/11 to 10/22 Ghent, BELGIUM
+32 9 221 90 74
www.filmfestival.be
FEMINALE WOMEN’S FILM FESTIVAL
10/6 to 10/10 Cologne, GERMANY
+49 221 130 0225
www.feminale.org
FESTIVAL OF NEW FILM
10/13 to 10/23 Montreal, Quebec, CANADA
514-847-9272
www.nouveaucinema.ca
FIERY FILM FEST
10/11 to 10/13 Clovis, NM
505-762-9535
www.fieryfilmfest.org
FILMS FROM THE SOUTH
10/5 to 10/15 Oslo, NORWAY
+22 82 24 80
www.filmfrasor.no
FLANDERS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
10/10 to 10/21 Ghent, BELGIUM
+32 9 242 80 60
www.filmfestival.be
FORT LAUDERDALE
INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
10/14 to 11/20 Fort Lauderdale, FL
954-760-9898
www.fliff.com
GEORGETOWN INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
10/13 to 10/16 Washington, DC
202-338-4300
www.georgetownfilmfest.com
GOLDEN WALNUT MIDDLE- LENGTH
FEATURE FILM FESTIVAL
10/6 to 10/8 Belgrade, SERBIA
+381 63 10 52 777
www.zlatniorah.org.yu
HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
10/19 to 10/23 East Hampton, NY
631-324-4600
www.hamptonsfilmfest.org
HAWAII INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
10/20 to 10/30 Honolulu, HAWAII
808-528-3456
www.hiff.org
HEARTLAND FILM FESTIVAL
10/13 to 10/21 Indianapolis, IN
317-464-9405
www.heartlandfilmfestival.org
HEART OF GOLD INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL
10/26 to 10/29 Gympie, Ql, AUSTRALIA
61 7 54825056
HOT SPRINGS DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
10/21 to 10/30 Hot Springs, AR
501-321-4747
www.hsdfi.org
IMAGINENATIVE FILM & MEDIA ARTS FESTIVAL
10/19 to 10/23 Toronto, Ontario, CANADA
416-585-2333
www.imaginenative.org
INTERNATIONAL HORROR &
SCI-FI FILM FESTIVAL
10/21 to 10/23 Tempe, AZ
602-955-6444
www.horroscifi.com
INTERNATIONAL LEIPZIG FESTIVAL FOR
DOCUMENTARY AND ANIMATED FILM
10/3 to 10/9 Leipzig, GERMANY
+49 341 308 64 16
www.dokfestival-leipzig.de
INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF HUMAN RIGHTS
10/13 to 10/24 Barcelona, SPAIN
3432023264
INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM
FESTIVAL LUXEMBOURG
10/16 to 10/17 Arlon, BELGIUM
+32 63 41 22 35
KYIV INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
MOLODIST
10/22 to 10/30 Kyiv, UKRAINE
+380 444 619803
www.molodist.com
LONDON FILM FESTIVAL
10/19 to 11/3 London, UK
+44 171 815 1323
www.lff.org.uk
LONG BEACH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
TBA Long Beach, CA
www.longbeachfilmfestival.com
LOS ANGELES LATINO INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL
10/21 to 10/30 Hollywood, CA
323-469-9066
www.latinofilm.org
LOST FILM FESTIVAL
10/5 to 10/9 Philadelphia, PA
215-662-0397
www.lostfilmfest.com
MARGARET MEAD FILM FESTIVAL
Traveling Festival - New York City, NY
212 769-5305
www.amnh.org/programs/mead
MIAMI ITALIAN FILM FESTIVAL
10/8 to 10/11 Miami, FL
305-447-0233
www.miamidade.gov/filmiami/ff-ItalianFF
MIFED
10/12 to 10/16 Milano, ITALY
+39 2 48 01 29 12
www.mifed.com
MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL
10/6 to 10/16 Mill Valley, CA
415-383-5256
www.mvff.com
MILWAUKEE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
10/19 to 10/29 Milwaukee, WI
414-225-9740
www.milwaukeefilmfest.org
MOSTRA DE VALENCIA/
CINEMA DE MEDITERRANI
10/22 Valencia, SPAIN
+34 96 392 15 06

MT. SHASTA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
10/7 to 10/9 Mt. Shasta, CA
530-926-5186
www.shastafilmfest.com
MUSIC ON FILM-FILM ON MUSIC
10/20 to 10/24 Prague, CZECH REPUBLIC
+420 296 236 509
www.moffom.org
NEW PALTZ CLIMBING FILM FESTIVALS
10/17 to 10/19 New Paltz, NY
215-923-4158
NEW ORLEANS FILM AND VIDEO FESTIVAL
10/6 to 10/13 New Orleans, LA
504 523-3818
www.neworleansfilmfest.com
NORDIC FILM DAYS
10/14 to 10/20 Riga, LATVIA
+371 7221620
www.arsenals.lv
OJAI FILM FESTIVAL
10/20 to 10/23 Ojai, CA
805-649-4000
www.ojaifilmfestival.org
PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL
LESBIAN & GAY FILM FESTIVAL
10/14 to 10/23 Pittsburgh, PA
412-422-6776
www.pilgff.org
RED BANK INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
10/14 to 10/16 Red Bank, NJ
732-842-9000
www.rbiff.org
SAO PAOLO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
10/25 to 11/3 Sao Paolo, BRAZIL
+55 11 853 7936
SITGES INTERNATIONAL
FANTASY FILM FESTIVAL
10/9 to 10/18 Barcelona, SPAIN
+34 93 4 19 36 35
www.cinemasitges.com
ST. JOHN’S INTERNATIONAL
WOMEN’S FILM FESTIVAL
10/18 to 10/22 St. John’s CANADA
+49 30 30 31
www.prix-europa.de
TAOS MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL
10/7 to 10/9 Taos, NM
505-751-3518
www.mountainfilms.net
TOKYO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
10/22 to 10/30 Tokyo, JAPAN
+81 3 3563 6305
www.tiff-jp.net
UPPSALA INTERNATIONAL
SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
10/24 to 10/30 Uppsala, SWEDEN
+018 12 00 25
www.shortfilmfestival.com
VALLADOLID INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
10/21 to 10/29 Valladolid, SPAIN
+34 83 305700
www.seminci.com
VIRGINIA FILM FESTIVAL
10/27 to 10/30 Charlottesville, VA
1-800-UVA-FEST
www.vafilm.com
WILDSCREEN FESTIVAL
10/15 to 10/20 Bristol, UK
+44 (0) 117 915 7100
www.wildscreenfestival.org
WILLIAMSTOWN FILM FESTIVAL
10/28 to 11/6 Williamstown. MA
413-458-9700
www.williamstownfilmfest.com
WINSLOW INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
10/23 to 10/26 Winslow, AZ
818-219-9339
www.winslowfilmfestival.org
WARSAW FILM FESTIVAL
10/14 to 10/17 Warsaw, POLAND
+48 2 635 7591
www.wff.pl
YAMAGATA INTERNATIONAL
DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
10/7 to 10/13 Tokyo, JAPAN
+03 3266 9704
www.city.yamagata.yamagata.jp
NOVEMBER
AFI LOS ANGELES
INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
11/3 to 11/13 Los Angeles, CA
213-856-7707
www.afi.com
AMIENS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
11/10 to 11/20 Amiens, FRANCE
+33 22 91 01 44
www.filmfestamiens.org
53
ASBURY SHORTS OF NEW YORK
11/18 New York City, NY
718-832-7848
www.asburyshortsnyc.com
BAHAMAS ONE WORLD FILM FESTIVAL
11/17 to 11/22 Los Angeles, CA
1-888-213-2137
BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL
10/27 to 11/6 Banff Ab, CANADA
403-762-6125
www.banffcentre.ca
BIRMINGHAM INTERNATIONAL FILM & TV FEST
11/15 to 11/24 Birmingham, UK
+(44) 121 2120777
www.film-tv-festival.org.uk
BLACK EARTH FILM FESTIVAL
11/8 to 11/12 Galesburg, IL
309-342-2299
www.blackearthfilmfestival.org
BORDERLANDS TERRE DI CONFINE
11/10 to 11/18 Bolzano, ITALY
+39 0471 301530
www.forumautori.com
CAIRO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
11/29 to 12/9 Cairo, EGYPT
(202) 3923962
www.cairofilmfest.com
CAPE MAY NEW JERSEY STATE FILM FESTIVAL
11/18 to 11/20 Cape May City, NJ
888-944-1816
www.njstatefilmfestival.com
CAPE TOWN WORLD CINEMA FESTIVAL
11/11 to 11/20 Cape Town,
SOUTH AFRICA
www.sithengi.co.za
CARDIFF SCREEN FESTIVAL
11/9 to 11/19 Wales, UK
+44 (0) 2920 33310
www.cardiffscreenfestival.co.uk
COLUMBUS INTERNATIONAL
FILM AND VIDEO FESTIVAL
11/3 to 11/8 Columbus, OH
614-444-7460
www.chrisawards.org
CUCALORUS FILM FESTIVAL
11/8 to 11/11 Wilmington, NC
910-343-5995
www.cucalorus.org
DAYTONA BEACH FILM FESTIVAL
11/4 to 11/10 Daytona Beach, FL
386-323-9842
www.volusiafilm.org
DENVER INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
11/14 to 11/20 Denver, CO
303-595-3456
www.denverfilm.org
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
11/6 to 11/12
Puerto Plata, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
www.driff.org
DUISBURGER FILMWOCHE
11/1 to 11/6 Duisburg, GERMANY
+49 203 283 4171
www.duisburger-filmwoche.de
ETIUDA & ANIMA INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL
11/18 to 11/24 Kraków, POLAND
+48 12 633 35 38
www.etiuda.org
FESTIVAL DES TROIS CONTINENTS
11/22 to 11/29 Nantes Cedex, FRANCE
+33 2 40 69 74 14
www.3continents.com
FESTIVAL DEI POPOLI INTERNATIONAL REVIEW
OF SOCIAL DOCUMENTARY FILM
12/2 to 12/8 Firenze, ITALY
+39 055 244778
www.festivaldeipopoli.org
FUCKING FABULOUS FILM FESTIVAL
11/11 to 11/13 Seattle, WA
206-768-2712
www.fuckingfabulous.org
GOLDEN ELEPHANT - 14TH INTERNATIONAL
CHILDREN’S FILM FESTIVAL
11/14 to 11/20 Hyderabad, INDIA
91 22 23526798
www.cfsindia.org
HIGH FALLS FILM FESTIVAL
11/9 to 11/13 Rochester, NY
585-2588-0401
www.highfallsfilfestival.com
HIMALAYA FILM FESTIVAL
11/6 to 11/7 Alkmaar, NETHERLANDS
www.himalayafilmfestival.nl
I CASTELLI ANIMATI - INTERNATIONAL
ANIMATED FILM FESTIVAL
11/30 to 12/4 Roma, ITALY
0693955108
www.castellianimati.it

IMMAGINARIA - INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S
FILM FESTIVAL
11/17 to 11/25 Bologna, ITALY
www.immaginaria.org
INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY
FESTIVAL AMSTERDAM
11/23 to 12/3 Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS
+34 4 424 8698
www.idfa.nl
INTERNATIONAL MOUNTAIN &
ADVENTURE FILM FESTIVAL
11/9 to 11/11 Graz, AUSTRIA
+43 (0) 316 8142234
www.cms.graztourismus.at
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT FILM FESTIVAL
11/1 to 11/6 Hollywood, CA
818-753-0153
www.isffhollywood.org
INTERNATIONAL THESSALONIKI FILM FESTIVAL
11/18 to 11/27 Athens, GREECE
+30 1 361 0418
www.filmfestival.gr
ISRAEL FILM FESTIVAL
11/30 to 12/15 Los Angeles, CA
213-966-4166
www.israelfilmfestival.com
LATIN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL
11/10 to 11/20 Huelva, SPAIN
+34 59 21 0170
www.latinamericanfilmfestival.com
LEEDS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
11/3 to 11/13 Leeds, UK
+44 113 247 8389
www.leedsfilm.com
LJUBJANA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
11/10 to 11/24 Ljubjana, SLOVENIA
+386 (0)1 24 17 298
www.ljubljanafilmfestival.org
MARCOS ISLAND FILM FESTIVAL
11/3 to 11/8 Marcos Island, FL
www.marcosislandfilmfest.com
MONTEREY BAY INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL
11/11 to 11/13 Monterey, CA
831-886-3655
NORTHAMPTON INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
11/2 to 11/9 Northampton, MA
413-582-1832
www.niff.org
OHIO INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
11/6 to 11/13 Cleveland, OH
216-631-2727
www.ohiofilms.com
OSLO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
11/17 to 11/27 Oslo, NORWAY
+47 22 20 07 66
www.oslofilmfestival.com
OULU INTERNATIONAL
CHILDREN’S FILM FESTIVAL
11/14 to 11/20 Oulu, FINLAND
+358 8 881 1293
PHILADELPHIA VIDEO FESTIVAL
11/5 Philadelphia, PA
215-932-0293
www.phillyvideofest.com
REGENSBURG SHORT FILM WEEK
11/16 to 11/23 Regensburg, GERMANY
www.regensburger-kurzfilmwoche.de
ROCKY MOUNTAIN WOMEN’S FILM FESTIVAL
11/4 to 11/6 Colorado Springs, CO
719-226-0450
www.rmwfilmfest.org
SAN JUAN CINEMAFEST
11/9 to 11/16 San Juan, PUERTO RICO
809-721-6125
S.N.O.B. SOMEWHERE NORTH OF
BOSTON FILM FESTIVAL
11/11 to 11/12 Concord, NH
603-223-6515
ST. LOUIS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
11/10 to 11/20 St. Louis, MO
314-862-1107
www.cinemastlouis.org
STOCKHOLM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
11/17 to 11/27 Stockholm, SWEDEN
+46 8 20 05 50
www.filmfestivalen.se
TAIPEI GOLDEN HORSE FILM FESTIVAL
11/27 to 12/12 Taipei, TAIWAN
+886 2 567 5861
www.goldenhorse.org.tw
TEHRAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
11/15 to 11/20 Tehran, IRAN
0098 21 8511242
VERZAUBERT GAY AND LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL
Berlin, GERMANY
+49 30 861 4532
DECEMBER
ANCHORAGE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
12/2 to 12/11 Anchorage, AK
907-338-3690
www.anchoragefilmfestival.com
54
BAHAMAS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
12/8 to 12/11 Nassau, BAHAMAS
242-356-5939
www.bintlfilmfest.com
BRATISLAVA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
12/2 to 12/10 Bratislava, SLOVAKIA
+421 2 5441 0673
www.iffbratislava.sk
CAN FILM FESTIVAL FOR CHARITY
12/9 to 12/11 Fort Lauderdale, FL
954-760-9898
www.fliff.com
CINEMA OF THE SPIRIT FILM FESTIVAL
12/1 to 12/4 Sandpoint, ID
1-800-560-6984
www.cinemaofthespirit.org
CINEMAGIC INTERNATIONAL FILM
FESTIVAL FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
11/22 TO 12/20 Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
+44 1232 232444
www.belfastcity.gov.uk
CURTA CINEMA: RIO DE JANIERO
INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
12/1 to 12/11 Rio de Janiero, BRAZIL
+55 (21) 2553 2033
www.curtscinema.com.br
DIAGONALE-FESTIVAL OF AUSTRIAN FILMS
3/14 TO 3/20 Vienna, AUSTRIA
+43 1 526 3323
www.diagonale.at
DUBAI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
12/11 to 12/17 Dubai, UAE
www.dubaifilmfest.com
FESTIVAL DEI POPOLI
12/2 to 12/8 Florence, ITALY
+39 055 244778
www.festivaldeipopoli.org
FILM ART FEST (LJUBLJANA)
12/26 to 12/31 Ljubljana, SLOVENIA
+386 (0) 1 241 7100
www.cd-cc.si
FIRSTGLANCE HOLLYWOOD FILM FEST
12/1 to 12/4 Tarzana, CA
818-464-3544
www.firstglancefilms.com
FLORIDA FAMILY FILM FESTIVAL
12/10 to 12/15 Ocala, FL
352-624-8877
www.f4presents.org
GLOBAL PEACE FILM FESTIVAL
12/7 to 12/11 Orlando, FL
407-224-6625
www.peacefilmfest.org
GOLDENEYE FILM FESTIVAL
12/7 to 12/11 Orcabessa Bay, JAMAICA
212-320-3678
HAVANA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
12/2 to 12/3 Havana, CUBA
www.habanafilmfestival.com
HDFEST
12/1 to 12/5 Los Angeles, CA
321-206-5343
www.hdfest.com
INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF NEW LATIN
AMERICAN CINEMA
12/6 to 12/16 Havana, CUBA
+53 7 55 2841
www.habanafilmfestival.com
ISRAEL FILM FESTIVAL
12/1 to 12/11 Los Angeles, CA
323-966-4166
JAKARTA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
12/9 to 12/18 Jakarta
+62 21 3192 5139
www.jiffest.org
KATHMANDU INTERNATIONAL MOUNTAIN FILM
FESTIVAL
12/7 to 12/10 Lalitpur, INDIA
977 1 542544
www.himalassociation.org/kimff
KERALA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
12/9 to 12/16 Thiruvananthapuram, INDIA
+91 471 2310323
www.keralafilms.com
LEUVEN INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
12/3 to 12/10 Leuven, BELGIUM
+32 16 320 300
www.kortfilmfestival.be
RIO DE JANIERO INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM
FESTIVAL
12/1 to 12/11 Rio de Janiero, BRAZIL
(55-21) 2240 1093
www.curtacinema.com.br
SANTA FE FILM FESTIVAL
12/7 to 12/11 Santa Fe, NM
505-988-5225
www.santafefilmfestival.com
TIRANA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
12/4 to 12/10 Tirana, ALBANIA
+355 69 2026703
www.tiranafilmfest.com
WHISTLER FILM FESTIVAL
12/I to 12/4 Whistler, BC, CANADA
604-938-3209
www.whistlerfilmfestival.com

Aging Like A FineWine
A Very Good Year for a Classic Vintage of Film Festival
BY JUSTINE WARNER
THE 19TH EDITION OF THE
Napa/Sonoma Wine Country Film
Festival screened over 125 films
from thirty-five countries with filmmakers
attending from all over the
world. This is a festival with a difference,
and several of its sections are
dedicated to creating deeper cultural
understandings, an enlightened world
view and a more conscious approach
to living.
The launch of “CineLatino,” one
of seven sections with twenty Spanish
speaking films, was enthusiastically
received. Best of the Festival
International went to Spanish director
Joaquin Oristrell’s Unconscious.
Best Cine Latino went to Carlos
Sorin’s Bombon, El Perro (Argentina).
BY GREG MCKAY
THE 17th GALWAY FILM FLEADH
(Irish for feast or festival) once
again outdid itself in the quality
and number of films and events presented
in the magical Medieval town of
Galway on the West Coast of Ireland.
Some of the highlights of this year’s
Fleadh included actor’s master classes
taught by Campbell Scott and Patricia
Clarkson who were attending with The
Dying Gaul. A director’s master class
was taught by Luis Mandoki, attending
with his powerful Los Innocentes. A
screenwriting master class taught by
the legendary Paul Schrader. A public
interview with Matt Dillon. Though, of
all the international talent attending,
the most popular proved to be twelve
year-old Caeli Smith.
Featured in Robert Downey
Senior’s film Rittenhouse Square, the
charming prodigy had brought along
her French violin and could not stop
An homage to director Carroll
Ballard (Black Station, Fly Away
Home) included a sold out Master
Class and the screening of his latestthe
magnificent Duma, which won
Best U.S. Cinema award.
55
NAPA/SONOMA WINE COUNTRY
Students learn to identify land mines in the documentary Disarm.
playing it at the Fleadh, or on the
streets and in the pubs of Galway. This
young lady is an exciting talent and
should be watched for in the future,
both for her cinematic triumphs as
well as her music.
International talent aside, the
Fleadh is primarily about promoting
Irish and European filmmakers, and
secondarily about bringing films to this
far corner of Ireland that the people of
Galway might not otherwise have the
chance to see. To which end, a tribute
to well known Irish actor Seamus
Deasy was presented, featuring four
films exhibiting, not only the length of
his career from Bob Quinn’s Potin, but
the breadth of it, to in Pearse Elliott’s
The Might Celt.
Other new Irish features included
Dermot Doyle’s fresh new comedy, Hill
16, Perry Ogden’s harshly wonderful
Pavee Lackeen, Stephen Bradley’s
zombie comedy, Boy Eats Girl, Patrick
Kenny’s thriller, Winter’s End, Polly
GALWAY
The Festival’s “Reels of Wheels”
program provided movie buffs with
outdoor “Films al Fresco” as the
Festival migrated from one county
(Napa) to the next (Sonoma).
The popular “EcoCinema” section
Film Fleadh Shepards the
Financing Green to Eire
Steele’s doc, Keeping the Peace, and
the closing night film, Short Order,
from Anthony Byrne, wherein food
becomes a metaphor for the poetry of
life. All these, as well as bushels and
bushels of new Irish shorts which filled
what amounted to almost three solid
days of programming alone.
An adjunct to the Fleadh is the
Galway Film Fair which brings together
potential financiers from around the
world and tries to help match them up
with Irish and European filmmakers, in
hopes of getting projects launched.
The enormous success of this event
cannot be estimated. Projects pitched
and produced from this market are not
so important in as much as the relationships
that are created and the
projects launched from those relationships.
The Fair is an invaluable resource
to filmmakers.
Awards are presented by jury in the
Shorts category, with first place for
“Best Irish Short” going to Recoil,
included 30 films plus an Eco Fair
and symposia on sustainable topics.
Gaia Awards were presented to filmmakers
honoring their works that contribute
to making our earth a greener
place to live.
As part of the extensive “Cinema of
Conscience” series, a release of onehundred
live doves provided a symbolic
celebration following the world premiere
of Mary Wareham’s Disarm
which took home the David L. Wolpher
Best Documentary award. Nobel Peace
laureate Jody Williams, who is featured
in the documentary, received the
Festival’s Humanitarian Award.
The Napa/Sonoma Wine Country
Film Festival celebrates its 20th
anniversary in 2006, running in various
locations from July 20 through August
31, 2006. Located forty-nine miles
north of San Francisco’s Golden Gate
Bridge, the Wine Country location is a
splendid place to visit to enjoy the
amenities of a unique area and the
finest of international cinema. Entries
now accepted through May 15th at
withoutabox or www.wcff.us or call
707-935-3456.
“Best First Short” going to Taxing
Night. The distinction between “Best
Short” and “Best First Short” is made
to distinguish between filmmakers
who are well financed with European
or University grants, and those made
by filmmakers who have nothing to
work with in terms of financial
resources other than what they can
come up with themselves. “Best
Animation” went to Stars, and the
“Best Short Documentary” to Idir
Dha Shoal. The audience award for
“Best Feature” went to Pavee Lackeen.
Sally Ann O’Reilly, artistic director
of the Fleadh, has left the Fleadh after
many years of powerful and admirable
programming. Her very big shoes will
be filled in 2006 by the inimitable and
talented Felim MacDermott. The
Fleadh and Fair will take place in 2006
from July 11 through July 16.
Information and application forms can
be found on their website: www.galwayfilmfleadh.com.

All She is Saying
The actress-turned-director’s sophomore outing again seeks to explore the artist’s life
INTERVIEW BY SCOTT BAYER
THE FOLLOWING CONVERSATION
took place at this year’s Tribeca
Film Festival where Ms. Arquette
was screening her second documentary
feature in a similar vein.
SCOTT BAYER/FILM FESTIVAL REPORTER:
The title of your film is All We Are
Saying. What is the significance of that?
ROSEANNA ARQUETTE: When I was
trying to come up with a title, I realized
that I was making an interview movie
about musicians but there wasn’t any
music in it. They were just talking, so it
just came to me to call it All We Are
Saying.
SB/FFR: You have a lot of musicians in
the film.
RA: Sting, Joni Mitchell, Burt Bachrach,
Radiohead, Willy Nelson...
SB/FFR: I really liked the way you presented
Ricky Lee Jones, for example, as
she was getting ready, getting made up
and making that transformation.
RA: I was just sort of looking at the state
-of-the-art of music which I wanted to
explore with musicians. I really love
music. I think it is a powerful force to be
reckoned with and I wanted to talk to
some of the great artists that we all
know and love and have been inspired
by. I wanted to see what they had to say
about what was going on in music and
balancing your life with your art, how
they deal with their muse or state of
inspiration and what keeps them going.
SB/FFR: It seems from the film that you
have been to a lot of special shows?
RA: One of my favorite concerts that I
ever saw was Neil Young acoustic. It was
just him with all of his guitars and two
pianos. One of the greatest shows I’ve
ever seen in my life.
SB/FFR: How many guitars does he have?
RA: I don’t know, twelve maybe. It was a
lot. That was one of my five favorite
shows ever and then Radiohead, any
Radiohead show, for me.
SB/FFR: You’ve premiered this film at
Tribeca. Have you ever been here before
and what you feel about the flavor of the
Festival?
RA: No. I hadn’t been here before. It”s
a huge festival. It runs well over a
week, like Cannes, it’s a big festival. Its
got great movies and I think it’s growing.
I haven’t had a chance to see any
other films because I’m working with
this one, promoting it and doing all the
special meetings. I’ve been really
bummed that I haven’t been able to see
any movies, but I hope to see Griffin
Dunne’s movie tonight.
SB/FFR: Well, I hope you do because
we will be shooting the red carpet
tonight. We play paparazzi every once in
a while.
RA: Oh, that’s okay, speaking of which,
look over there. Turn around. [Two photographers
have appeared out of
nowhere at this privately arranged
interview on a bench on a side street in
Tribeca.]
SB/FFR: Are you paparazzi? Do you
know where the term came from?
PAPARAZZI: La Dolce Vita.
SB/FFR: Right, Fellini. Well, he’s a real one
anyway. Fellini is my favorite filmmaker.
RA: Me too. Favorite in the world. I’ve
seen every movie that Fellini has ever
done. He’s the ultimate director. I got to
meet him once. I met him in Cannes. He
was getting into an elevator and he
grabbed my cheek and he pinched it and
said, “ I very much like your face.” I was
dying! “I love you! I want to work with
you!” He goes, “Ah, someday I make a
movie with you.” And the elevator door
shut. And it was like ah, it really happened
and I said to everybody, see, see
what he said. It was one of those dream
things. I was like twenty-eight.
SB/FFR: Was this before you broke out?
RA: No. It was after. I was doing the big
loop. It was such a great moment for me
and I actually have photographs of that.
SB/FFR: Later you went to Cannes as a
filmmaker?
RA: I did a film called Searching for
Deborah Winger. That was a documentary
where I interviewed actresses. That
58
PEOPLE YOU SHOULD KNOW
ROSANNA ARQUETTE
premiered there, actually the second
night of the Festival.
SB/FFR: You had a red carpet?
RA: Yeah. I went up the huge red steps,
For a documentary! I went with my sister
and Sharon Stone came. It was really
neat. I always enjoy Cannes. I love
Cannes. They had wanted this one but it
wasn’t ready in time when they made
the selection.
SB/FFR: How long have you been working
on the film?
RA: A year and a half.
SB/FFR: And you had over two-hundred
hours?
RA: And it was really hard to cut into an
hour and a half. That was very frustrating
for me, and I would love to do a
longer version because that to me would
be my director’s cut.
SB/FFR: It looks like you have three
DVDs there.
RA: We are hoping to be able to do that
because how do you cut Joni Mitchell?
SB/FFR: I was so glad to see you
include somebody like Meryl Haggard.
RA: I know. Isn’t he great? You know,
he’s touring with Dylan right now? I just
saw the show. He was fantastic.
SB/FFR: You could see the sparks
going off. He’s saying, “People don’t
know how good I am.” (She laughs.) “
It’s all I do. What should I do? Quit and
spend more time with the wife?” That
was very intense. How long was the
interview?
RA: Most of the interviews I have done
are usually an hour, an hour and a half,
but that one was only twenty minutes,
maybe a half hour.
SB/FFR: What are you doing in front of
the camera now?
RA: I haven’t even been thinking about
acting because I’ve been really concentrating
on directing. I have two features
that are being set up. Two movies that
deal with music. Not green-lit yet, butthey
are getting made.
SB/FFR: Speaking of women directors,
the first film I ever saw you in was
Desperately Seeking Susan and you
were so great in that. I thought Susan
Seidelman was going to be our next
Lena Wertmuller.
RA: She directs a lot of TV, like Sex in
the City.
SB/FFR: Well, those are pay days .
RA: It’s hard to get a movie made.
SB/FFR: Do you feel that there is a
glass ceiling for women directors?
RA: I think its changing. I think there
are more and more women directors
coming out, and they are talented, taking
center stage. It’s exciting! There
were some negative things said about
my making Searching for Deborah
Winger, but all in all I have women coming
up to me everyday who loved that
movie, so that’s what really matters to
me. I don’t read good or bad reviews.
SB/FFR: You shot this movie digitally.
How do you think that’s affected filmmaking?
RA: Technology is changing everyday
and is getting better and better, and its
great! I know people who love film and
the look of film. I know Panavision is making
a new camera that is digital that looks
like film. I might just end up shooting my
next film in digital. Did you see
Anniversary Party? Jennifer Jason
Leigh and Allen Cumming’s movie that
they co-directed. It was shot in hi-def and
it was great looking and it’s a great movie.
SB/FFR: You shot this film in DV but I read
that you did a digital intermediate on it.
RA: Yeah, we did an intermediate thing
at a company called IVC in Burbank. It
was transferred to 35 mm film. The first
time I saw my movie was on a giant digital
screen they had there.
SB/FFR: You looked like you were having
a great time shooting the film. This
was actually shot pretty steadily. You’re
not actually supposed to shoot these
cameras that steadily, but I guess
nobody told you.
RA: I got a pretty steady hand but were
times that I messed it up.

From Max’s to Moogs
Plucking history from obscurity on new DVDs
BY LILY HATCHETT
MAX’S KANSAS CITY WAS A
food and music joint in NYC’s
Union Square, founded in the
late sixties by Mickey Ruskin. It was
named after some arbitrary Max plus the
steak=Kansas City connection, Max’s
became the stomping ground for The NY
Dolls, Willie Nelson, Bruce Springsteen
other notorious rockers, folkies and jazz
artists. Many a now-famous rock star
had an uncollected tab with Mickey.
Mickey cared for and took care of many
performers. In his honor, to continue the
kindness, Yvonne Ruskin founded the
Max’s Kansas City Foundation dedicated
to helping artists in crisis. In 2004, the
singer Morrissey asked the New York
Dolls to reunite for his UK Meltdown
Festival. The DVD of the performanceis
titled The Return of the New York
Dolls: Live from Royal Festival Hall.
Dolls front man David Johansen was
joined by original members Sylvain
Sylvain and Arthur “Killer” Kane to perform
old favorites like “Lookin’ for a
Kiss” and “Trash.” The DVD was premiered
in NYC at the Max’s foundation
benefit (maxskansascity.com) held in
December 2005 at the fabulous Gibson/
Steinway Hit Factory location. The party
was so good, that it could still be going.
Gary Keys produced concerts with
BY LILY HATCHETT
RIGHTS, ACCESS, ACTION!
Jonathan Couette’s acclaimed
little “home movie”, Tarnation,
opened to raves at Sundance 2004 and
went on to win the hearts of the seenit-all
audience at Cannes. He made the
movie, used the music he deemed
appropriate, and didn’t worry about
music rights.
The music industry has provided
the soundtrack of our lives from its
inception. Music has saved many a
teenager from some uninvited grim
reality and inspired others to create.
Movie music has the power to take
viewers by the ears and heighten the
tale being told. We experience the
musician’s vision. Personal and universal
at the same time, a seamless con-
SOUNDS OF SIGHT
greats like Stevie Wonder, The
Supremes, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz
and more. He was producing the
Cultural Olympics, in conjunction with
the 1968 Olympic Games, Mexico City,
when he first met and booked Duke
Ellington. To document the occasion,
Gary bought a camera and became a
filmmaker. He and the Duke became
lifelong friends. Gary’s camera became
comfortable, almost invisible, providing
him with some straight, unfiltered
footage, a rare peek into moments that
could have been relegated to oblivion.
Reminiscing In Tempo (2005) is
one of Gary’s three docs about Duke
Ellington. There is a lot of uninterrupted
music, including the never before
released, twenty minute “Mexican
Suite”. Interviews with Bobby Short and
sister and manager Ruth Ellington are
interspersed with impromptu performances
with Dr.BillyTaylor and Al Hibbler.
Today, Emmy-nominated Gary Keys
has more than a dozen documentaries
to his credit. His works are part of the
MoMA film archives. Reminiscing In
Tempo and the other two films of his
Duke Ellington trilogy will be screened
at the museum on the Duke’s birthday,
April 29, 2006.
In his first doc, Concert Joe: A New
York Story, Roy Szuper went gonzo
with his camera, in pursuit of the fabu-
tinuum, like languages, different and
yet the same.
Couette had the music for his film.
It was the soundtrack of his life, so far.
When it comes to making indie
movies, the best policy is if you think
you might get no for an answer, don’t
ask for permission.
But wait! What happens if suddenly,
out of nowhere, you gain accolades
and someone wants to promote and
distribute your film?
In the case of Tarnation, a certain
large distributor decided not to
acquire this film because of the
amount of money and effort needed to
acquire the music rights. The distributor
that did pick up the film sent off
tireless eager-to-learn cadres off to get
the job done. And they did.
Backtracking, so to speak
59
lous and notorious Concert Joe, the
notorious frontrunner in rock concert
attendance records. This time, documented
in The Gonzo Music Diaries,
Roy tackled the production of his first
music festival. The First Annual
Williamsburg Music Festival, 2004, was
formed to protest the upcoming
Republican National Convention.
Musicians included kick-ass subway
performer Snakerleg, Papa Mali,
Vernon Reid, Buddy Cage and the one
and only David Peel, to name a few.
There is an abundance of tasty and
insightful interviews with core people
like CBGB founder Hilly Kristal, promoter
Ron Delsner, Michael Franti and
Dana Beal.
Roy’s films have received international
screenings. He is the sole promoter
and distributor. Find Roy Szuper
at www.gonzomusicdiariesnyc.com.
Moog is a darned good documentary
about a one-of-a-kind All-
American mad scientist. Bob Moog left
us this year. Or did he? I cannot imagine
a world without a Moog synthesizer
or a theramin.
Somehow, surely more due to oversight
than intent, Robert Moog did not
make the list of notable departures of
2005. Please pass on the correct pronounciation.
Moog rhymes with rogue.
Bob Moog invented and built elec-
What are the basics of music for film
deals? Here come the Brabecs to
untangle the web of mystery. Todd
Brabec, Executive VP and Director of
Membership for ASCAP and Jeff
Brabec of The Chrysalis Music Group
have put together the book, as well as
the quintessential booklet.
Music, Money, Success and the
Movies, the bullet-point brochure,
provides the basics at a glance. An
excellent overview, the booklet covers
the film business, the market, the ins
and outs of using a pre-existing song,
payment types, contracting writers,
ownership, underscoring, and the
importance of music cue sheets.
There are three distinct types of
music in film. One is the underscore,
like Randy Newman’s score to
Monsters, Inc. Another is using a pre-
A Max’s Kansas City reveler
tronic musical instruments that changed
how we hear and understand music.
Moog said that he “can feel what’s
going on in a piece of electronic equipment.
It’s something between discovering
and witnessing.”
Moog, by filmmaker/musician Hans
Fjellestad, explores Moog’s collaborations
with musicians and his ideas about
creativity, design, interactivity and spirituality.
The film features rare, vintage
footage from private collections as well
as appearances by Bernie Worrell, Keith
Emerson, Rick Wakeman, DJ Spooky
andMix Master Mike.
Stereolab, Meat Beat Manifesto,
Bernie Worrell & Bootsy Collins,
Suzanne Ciani, Gershon Kingsley,
Doug McKechnie, Electric Skychurch
and others created original music produced
on Moog instruments for the
soundtrack.
Tracking DownYour Soundtrack
ASCAP Brochure Is Your Guide to Music Rights In Film
existing song, either as a remake performance
or by the original artist. The
last type is a song written for the film.
Each of these categories have very different
negotiations and considerations.
The contracts produce very different
back-end royalties once the film
is released. Let us not forget that the
Saturday Night Fever soundtrack
sold the movie.
The ASCAP brochure is a quick reference
guide. It is definitely a must for
the filmmaker. It is a keeper. The information
for the brochure was derived
from the revised paperback edition of
the book Music, Money and Success:
The Insiders Guide to Making Money
in the Music Industry (Schirmer Trade
Books/Music Sales). Visit ASCAP’s
award-winning website, www.ascap.
com/filmtv/movies-part1.html.
PHOTOGRAPHED BY LILY HATCHETT

BY JOSE MARTINEZ
AS FAR AS MUSIC CONFERENCES
go, Austin’s South by Southwest
(SXSW) is in a class all by itself.
While New York City’s CMJ Music
Marathon keeps losing steam (ever
since the tragic events of 9/11) and
Miami’s Winter Music Conference finds
itself catering too much to a niche
audience, SXSW, now celebrating its
twentieth anniversary, only seems to
be getting bigger and better.
Now a three-headed entertainment
monster consisting of an interactive
festival, as well as a touted film festival
(both of whom are celebrating their
thirteenth year), the SXSW Music
Conference, Festival & Trade Show is
the staple of the Texas extravaganza.
Always considered a fairly cosmopolitan
town for its size and because
of the University of Texas, SXSW
draws people from all over the
world to Austin every year. Home to
60
SXSW MUSIC CONFERENCE PREVIEW
Neil Young to KeepAustinWired
Twenty years of torch, twang, reeling, rocking, informative seminars and trade shows
the state capitol and Texas legislature,
Austin has always been a raging party
town with a reputation that goes back
to the 19th century when numerous
nightspots and bars were populated by
General Custer’s troops after the
Civil War. These nightspots are located
in the same areas where the 6th
Street and 4th Street club and bar
scenes are now housed.
Austin’s eclectic music scene
harkens to the early days of the city’s
history (from Mexican, German and
colonial origins) and encompasses a
wide variety of music including country,
folk, jazz, blues and rock. Central
Austin, including the adjacent Red
River District, boasts more original
music nightclubs in a concentrated
area than any other city in the world.
The SXSW Music Conference and
Festival has grown from seven-hundred
attendees in 1987 to over 8,000 people
last year. As Austin has grown and
diversified, film companies and high-
tech companies have played a major
role in the Austin and Texas economies.
In 1994, SXSW added a film and interactive
component to accommodate
these growth industries. SXSW Film
and SXSW Interactive events attract
approximately 6,000 people to Austin
every March.
According to the festival, “The goal
from the beginning was to create an
event that would act as a tool for creative
people and the companies they
work with to develop their careers, to
bring together people from a wide area
to meet and share ideas. That continues
to be the goal today whether it is
music, film or the Internet. And Austin
continues to be the perfect location.”
There are currently over 1,100
bands confirmed to play this year at
SXSW, including 80’s favorites the
Motels and the Plimsouls, alternative
icons Flaming Lips, buzz bands
Dashboard Confessional and Nada
Surf, plus a who’s-who of young, brash
Opening the Democratic Box
BY CHRISTINA KOTLAR
WITHOUTABOX.COM IS ONE
of the most well known, early
adopters of applying a wide
scope method for networking, most
notably web-based tools for a truly democratic,
independent artistic exposure.
David Straus and Joe Neulight, cofounders
of Withoutabox.com, had clear
visions for uniting independent filmmakers
with the simple goal of making communication
cheaper, faster and easier for
everyone. Unequivocally a step ahead of
the masses, they are now launching a
menu of new tools and resources to reach
audiences directly. Announced at Park
City, The Distribution Lab will offer services
supporting filmmakers who plan
their film release through theatrical,
DVD and on demand distribution.
Participants will have access to ticketing,
catalog management, accounting and
online social networking and marketing
PEOPLE YOU SHOULD KNOW
WITHOUTABOX.COM
solutions. DVD fulfillment and download
distribution is also in the works.
Bringing together film festivals, along
with their films, actors, directors and
audiences, Straus and Neulight have
firmly rooted a brand with over 75,000
dedicated members (growing by 3,500
new filmmakers a month from over onehundred
countries worldwide). “On the
point of leveling the playing field,” Straus
says, “It’s a whole new ball game compared
to the industry in the late 1990s
and wait until you see what happens next.”
“Now more than ever independent
filmmakers have an opportunity to reach
their audience directly through creative
and innovative technologies; it’s just a
matter of taking advantage of the opportunity,”
says Straus. “These days there
are much better odds of your work being
noticed than any other time in filmmaking
history.”
Recently at the Sundance Film Festival,
there were many filmmakers without the
support of high-profile sales reps and
high-priced publicists. While a film may
be acknowledged by premieres and
screenings at Sundance, the filmmaker
still may not be able to shine above the
rest on merit alone. “Indie filmmakers
need to be as creative and resourceful in
getting their films out to audiences as
they are in making them. Even the simplest
creative idea is exponentially amplified
when you add the right technology
to the mix,” says Straus, who sees the
latest developments as the tip-of-theiceberg.
He expects to see tons of partnerships,
mergers, acquisitions and comarketing
campaigns this year.
“It’s not a mystery how films get to an
audience,” says Neulight, an early advocate
for empowering filmmakers
through greater exposure, “it takes
organization and a network. We are
assembling these elements for independent
filmmakers i.e., the kinds of
‘plug-n-play’ relationships that large
and outstanding bands from the UK
such as The Rakes, Arctic Monkeys,
Hard-Fi, Editors and The Go! Team, as
well as the life of any party, the
Mutaytor from Los Angeles. Austin’s
favorite sons, and a band everyone
needs to know, The Riverboat Gamblers,
will be a popular and hard-to-get ticket.
This year’s keynote address will be
given by venerable rock legend Neil
Young who will be joined in conversation
by filmmaker Jonathan
Demme, whose musical portrait of
Young, entitled Neil Young: Heart
Of Gold, will screen at SXSW. The
Keynote will take place Thursday,
March 16th, 2006.
Legends Sam Moore, kd lang, Judy
Collins, Kris Kristofferson, Billy
Bragg and Chrissy Hind will give live
interviews at the conference. Morrisey
will be interviewed as well and play a
rare performance.
The Music Conference runs from
March 15th through the 19th this year.
studios enjoy, so the filmmakers can get
their works in front of audiences across
all media—including theatrical—and
build word over time. So many filmmakers
have the talent, the drive, and the
marketing savvy to pull their own success
together. Access is all they lack.
Withoutabox is a network on which they
can organize and exercise new access
and new opportunity while remaining
independent.”
“We’re creating a system that will facilitate
transactions,” explained Straus, during
a recent conversation in Park City. “In
every aspect of the process, we want
filmmakers to be able to step in and pick
and choose which part of the process fits
them best.”
“No two independent films are the
same or meant for the same audience,
yet distributors want to squeeze them
into the same box,” Neulight added.
Now is the time to act on the out-of-thebox
thinking.

BY PETER BRODERICK
VIDEO DEALS
THE ANCILLARY WITH THE
greatest potential is usually
video. This is the most important
distribution route for independents
to understand and master. When
a video distributor offers to acquire
an independent film, it will probably
suggest a standard royalty deal with
an 85% distributor/15% filmmaker
split, in which the distributor covers
expenses from its share. The split
could be worse or better, depending
on the circumstances and leverage.
Video distributors will only make
offers when they expect to cover their
expenses and make a profit. The bulk
of production and marketing expenses
occur at the beginning of a release,
and once they are covered, the distributor
is in a great position if it is
receiving 85% of all revenues. If the
retail price of a film is $25, and the
wholesale price is $12.50, then the
video distributor would receive
$10.63 from each sale, and the filmmaker
would receive $1.87.
Filmmakers may be better off making
other types of video deals. They could
make a “distribution deal” in which the
video distributor gets a distribution fee
of 20 to 30% and the filmmakers
receives 70 to 80% and covers all
expenses. Another possible deal structure
is one in which the video distributor
and the filmmakers split revenues 50/50
after expenses are taken off the top.
Certain deals are better in certain
circumstances. If video sales are small,
a royalty deal is better for filmmakers
since they will receive revenues from
the first dollar of sales. If video sales
are large, a distribution deal will be
better assuming expenses are capped.
A 50/50 sharing of revenues may be
best if sales are expected to be solid
but not spectacular.
DIRECT VIDEO SALES
Filmmakers may be tempted to hold
onto video rights and handle all video
sales themselves. But this would only
make sense if they were willing to
forgo retail and make all sales directly.
In most cases they will be better of
working with a video distributor who
already has relationships with retailers
and wholesalers.
Filmmakers may be able to make a
significant number of video sales
themselves online. During the years
they’ve been working on the film, they
have had the opportunity to learn
about and interact with the possible
core audiences for their film. When
making a deal with a video distributor,
filmmakers should retain the right to
sell their film online if there is a substantial
core audience for their film.
There are several ways this can be
structured. The filmmakers can create
a window to sell a “preview” edition of
the film on DVD before retail sales
begin. This could be a “plain vanilla”
DVD with just the film and none of the
extras that will be on the retail DVD.
The filmmakers can also arrange to
sell copies of the retail DVD online
once retail sales begin. They can either
arrange to make their own copies or to
buy copies from the video distributor
at cost plus some percentage. The
video distributor will probably offer to
sell them at wholesale minus 10%. The
filmmakers will probably offer to buy
them for cost plus 10%, and they will
negotiate from there.
The filmmakers will be able to target,
reach, and sell to their core audience
more effectively than any video
distributor can. The video distributor
should be able to reach and sell to a
general audience through retail outlets
more effectively than the filmmakers
can. By supplementing what
the video distributor does well, the
filmmakers are expanding the pie.
Since the filmmakers are doing all of
the work to make these additional
sales online, they should get the bulk
of these extra revenues.
The returns to filmmakers from direct
sales they make online are much higher
than from those made from retail sales.
Assuming a $25 retail price, a $12.50
wholesale price, and a 15% royalty, the
filmmaker receives $1.87 from the video
distributor for every DVD sold
through retail. However if the filmmaker
sells the same DVD directly online,
the returns could be ten times as much.
If fulfillment can be covered by the additional
shipping and handling charge, and
61
SHOW BIZ
Maximizing Your Distribution
Pt.2: D.I.Y.
New paradigms, channels and strategies change indie landscape forever
if DVDs can be purchased from the video
distributor for $6 a piece, the profit per
sale could be $19 (not including credit
card charges) rather than $1.87. Even if
the royalty was 20% yielding $2.50 a
sale, and the cost of the DVD purchased
from the distributor was $7,
the profit from direct sales would be
seven times greater. And of
course with direct sales, the money is
coming directly to the filmmaker
without being diminished by
accounting problems or delayed by
the time it takes for cash to flow from
retailer to wholesaler to distributor
to filmmaker.
CORE AUDIENCES
A series of questions need to be
answered when formulating a distribution
strategy for a film. One of the
most critical questions: Is there a sizeable
core audience interested in buying
tickets and/or purchasing the
DVD? Varying types of core audiences
exist; some are defined by ethnicity,
religion, or sexual orientation. Others
are linked by subject matter which
they are passionately interested in,
whether it is Tibet, college wrestling,
CONTINUED ON PAGE 63

BY CHRISTINA KOTLAR
MADE IN BROOKLYN IS A
seamless anthology comprised of
four short films. The picture captures
the essence of Brooklyn, its people,
hangouts, smells, life, irony and the comedy
of a bunch of “wise guys.” connected by
serendipity and a familiar childhood summer
activity-the lemonade stand. The four
stories making up Made in Brooklyn are
entitled Happy Birthday Joe, Wood, Let
it Go! and Choose Life. What makes this
indie unique is that the filmmakers, actors
and extended family relations (Uncle
Louie as well as the neighbors) are often
transposed and interconnected within the
filmmaking process itself, effectively blurring
the lines that are so often rigidly
drawn and set in stone “protocols” normally
associated with Hollywood films.
The first blur is that it’s not made in
Hollywood but as the title insists, it’s
made in Brooklyn, and in New York City,
Staten Island and upstate New York, locations
that can’t be copied or staged
where the familiar sights and sounds take
us back to childhood reminiscences.
According to director Luca Palanca with
lead producers Justin Hogan and Jeff
Mazzola, stories started with,
“Remember when,” then became slightly
embellished yet remained based on true
events. “Once people read the script, the
word got out and everybody said, “I want
to do this!” Luca said.
Then there’s the atmosphere. It’s family-style
on the set in a traditional Italian
neighborhood. As former Sopranos actor
Michael Rispoli (his character was
bumped off a season ago) remarks,
“When you’re working on an independent
film it’s more the generosity of spirit.
Everybody kicks in to make it work.
You’re there for a reason, you like the
script and you want to be part of the project.”
Katherine Narducci, also of The
Sopranos and a native of East Harlem,
born and raised, agrees, “This is very
familiar. The characters are not far from
The Sopranos. We’re all the same and in
an independent film the actors are more
involved.” Finally, what usually happens
in an independent is that you work with
somebody who knew somebody who
worked with you before. Sound familiar?
But making it in a New York borough
brought about a different experience for
the film producers. Jeff asserted that the
greatest challenge was putting together a
INDIE PRODUCTION
Made Men of Sopranos Sing...
for Made in Brooklyn
“Home” movies draw local talent to their own backyard
Made in Brooklyn director Luca Palanca and director of photography Alicia Robbins.
crew, “because everyone is so busy in
New York that they had to make choices
on what projects they wanted to work on.”
“The Made in NY incentive program
made it an incredible year for production
in New York,” Katherine Oliver,
Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of
Film, Theatre and Broadcasting said.
“Not only has the City been successful in
retaining the films set in New York, but
we have also lured productions into the
city as well. The film production industry
employs 100,000 New Yorkers, contributes
$5 billion to our local economy
on an annual basis and brings our city to
audiences around the world.” Free permits,
tax incentives, police and film commission
assistance and the authentic
New York City atmosphere is hard to
beat. Additionally, film festivals have
become a financial boon to the city. The
Tribeca Film Festival brought millions to
the downtown area in its fourth year.
Independent films and film festivals are
perfect together. But that’s another
state.
State of mind here on the set of Made
in Brooklyn-director Luca Palanca’s
mother’s house-is upbeat, despite the
first cold, rainy day officially ending the
unseasonably mild autumn. Luca,
62
wrapped in a blanket, shivered a bit, but
that was being in cold. knee-deep, water
the day before during a scene out on
Staten Island. That’s the price of location
shooting in the woods, at the mercy of
the elements. But it reminds Luca of the
character he portrays in the semi-autobiographical
story. He reminisces about his
years hanging out with the guys and
doing dumb guy things like camping in
the woods when the only camping you
did was on the front porch of the girl you
were trying to ask out, or with the other
Brooklyn “wise guys.” Luca smiles knowingly,
“The secret to filmmaking is having
control and maintain a collaborative
effort.” And with the multiple directors
whose individual visual styles for separate
story segments put an additional
spin on the way it all turns out-just like
having the same story told by different
people-there will always be nuances
reflected in the storytellers point of view.
Alicia Robbins, the Director of
Photography who worked with a director
that worked with Justin, before was
up for the challenge to a sometimes
unconventional production schedule
that had her work with four different
directors in one day during pick-up
shots. “I forgot who I was listening to
because they all started talking to me at
the same time.”
“Attitude is what counts,” Luca said,
“When I told her she might be sleeping
on a couch,she said whatever it takes to
get the film done.” Luca notes,”Yeah, it’s
guerilla filmmaking without stealing
anything.”
Production credits for Made in
Brooklyn are Jon Sheinberg, Malek
Akkad, Luca Palanca, Jack Lipmann,
Justin Hogan, Jeff Mazzola, and Eric
Minutella, producers; Sharon Angela,
Joe Tabbanella, Jeff Mazzola and Luca
Palanca, directors; Bret McCartney,
executive with Trancas International
Films; Peter Dobson, co-producer; Luca
Palanca, writer.
The Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre
and Broadcasting congratulates “Made
in NY” productions which have received
official selection at Sundance include A
Guide to Recognizing Your Saints,
directed by Dito Montiel and starring
Robert Downey Jr. and Rosario Dawson,
Flannel Pajamas, directed by Jeff
Lipsky, Half Nelson, directed by Ryan
Fleck and starring Ryan Gosling, Man
Push Cart, directed by Ramin Bahrani
and Maria Maggenti’s new film, Puccini
for Beginners.

Maximizing Distribution Pt. 2
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 61
or motorcycle racing. For the purposes
of formulating a distribution strategy, a
core audience must be identifiable and
reachable, both of which have been
made substantially easier and more
affordable with the growth and diversification
of the internet.
Some films have an avid core audience
(fan base) that can’t wait to see a
film and own it. Some films have multiple
core audiences. And other films
never find one. While researching,
preparing, shooting, and posting a
movie, filmmakers need to be exploring
their film’s core audience. How can
they be reached online and offline?
What are the key websites, web publications,
discussion boards and mailing
lists? What organizations and clubs do
they belong to? What special interest
publications do they read? What
organized and ad hoc social gatherings
do they frequent? Who are the leading
figures in the field whose endorsements
could be most influential?
During the filmmaking process, the
filmmakers will have one to three years
to learn how to reach their core audience
most effectively. They will also have time
to create an effective web presence. This
will enable them to build a valuable mailing
list as they are creating awareness for
their film within the target.
Reaching a general audience can be
very expensive and inefficient, while
connecting with a core audience can be
done inexpensively and effectively. In
the past, many independent film cam-
paigns targeted the general audience,
assuming that the core audience would
show up, which often didn’t happen. For
films with large and avid core audiences,
filmmakers should make sure that they
can effectively reach the core audience
first, and then build on that base of support
to cross their film over as widely as
possible. My Big Fat Greek Wedding,
Monsoon Wedding, and E Tu Mama
Tambien each attracted core audiences
to theatres, enabling them to stay on
screens long enough to reach a general
audience. Films with avid core audiences
may be successful even if they
don’t cross over, if members of the core
audience buy enough tickets and DVDs.
A PERSONAL AUDIENCE
Conceptually there are three audiences—the
core audience, the general
audience, and the filmmaker’s personal
audience. In the past, filmmakers had
little knowledge of and few direct connections
to their audience. However
loyal their regular viewers, they were
for the most part anonymous. Today’s
filmmakers have an unprecedented
opportunity to build and nurture a personal
audience Thanks to the internet,
filmmakers can now have a much more
direct connection to a personal audience,
made up of individuals they can
communicate with.
This audience is built one name at a
time- it includes everyone who e-mails
you about your film, everyone who reg-
Palm Springs International
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 34
ming focus, and growing the audience
for foreign and alternative films in the
Coachella Valley (Fourteen local
screens are now devoted to showing
foreign and independent films here
year-round, where there were none in
the Festival’s early years).
Part of this is a simple matter of
exposing increasingly larger audiences
to alternative voices and visions—
this Festival is now one of the top two
film events in the U.S. in terms of audience
size and the size of its film lineup.
But I think the diversity and range
of our programming is also key, providing
audiences with a comprehensive
and all-encompassing program of films
which covers a wide variety of genres,
perspectives and countries of origin, in
such packages as our Supercharged
Cinema showcase, our New Voices/
New Visions competition, our Modern
Masters series and our expansive
World Cinema Now section, in addition
to our Awards Buzz series of Foreign
Language Oscar submissions and our
documentaries sections. Our philosphy
is to show “something for everyone,
not everything for someone.”
As filmgoers gain more exposure to
alternative cinema, they also gain an
appetite for discovering the work of
unheralded filmmakers and seek out
the opportunity to be exposed to new
perspectives and filmmaking styles. In
the process, they become more openminded
in their film going habits, and
develop more of a sense of appreciation
for films that are unconventional
or strike out in bold new directions.
DM: In that sense, I think we’re doing
our job, but, Lord knows, it ain’t easy,
with the increasing number of festivals
and the growing competition amongst
them for premieres. “Premiere” doesn’t
63
isters at your website, and everyone
who buys a copy of a film from your
site. This personal audience should also
include everyone you meet while making
and launching your film. At first,
this group’s size may seem insignificant
(in the tens or hundreds), but it may
increase to thousands before long, and
eventually, after several films, could
reach tens of thousands.
Each member of this audience can
buy a ticket and encourage others to
see your film in theatres, and later
buy the DVD for themselves or
friends. Filmmakers sending out periodic
updates to their personal audience
should be able to create a sense
of connection and loyalty.
Filmmakers may be able to carry
much of this audience to their next
projects. They can also benefit from
direct feedback from this audience,
e.g. reactions to the film in theatres
may help filmmakers decide on the
best extras for the DVD.
By skillfully using his website,
Kevin Smith has built a formidable
personal audience. ViewAskew.com is
unique, provocative, and very funny.
Smith is ever present, through his
postings and journal entries. He has
built an extremely large fan base and
has sold a significant amount of merchandise
from his site. If Smith made
a new film and chose not to utilize
conventional distribution channels, he
could easily sell enough DVDs and
videos from his website alone to fully
recoup a million dollar budget.
A NEW ERA
Independent filmmakers now have
unprecedented opportunities. Digital
production is shifting the balance of
always translate as good. I’ve always
said I could program you a line up of
nothing but world premieres in a day,
but that doesn’t mean that any of the
films would be worth seeing.
SA: Is there anything different about
the structure of the Festival, the venues,
technology or opportunities for
filmmaking education or items of interest
for professionals?
DM: We have put an entirely new ticketing
system into place which will
make it possible for us to shift the
most popular films to larger rooms
within the same theatres. This is really
a major improvement over past seasons
when we would get into a jam
with not enough seats for certain
shows and too many for others.
Our programming strategy has been
refined too, so that we have a great
team of people working together to
bring the finest films to us. And our
website has been totally recreated and
much improved.
SA: What would you say is your idea of
the mission of the Festival?
power from financiers to filmmakers.
Filmmakers who can make movies digitally
at lower budgets are no longer
wholly dependent on financiers for the
resources and permission to make their
films. Likewise, new distribution models
are freeing them from dependence on a
traditional distribution system which has
been failing them. Powerful digital distribution
tools-the DVD, digital projectors,
and the internet are empowering independents
to increasingly to take their
fate in their own hands and have a more
direct relationship with their audiences.
By effectively using these tools, filmmakers
will be able to not only maximize the
distribution opportunities for their current
films but also find investors for subsequent
projects designed to reach core
audiences. These tools will also enable
them to build and nurture a personal
audience, which could ensure a long and
fulfilling career.
This article originally appeared
in DGA Magazine.
Peter Broderick is President of
Paradigm Consulting, which provides
consulting services to filmmakers and
media companies. It specializes in
state-of-the-art distribution techniques
—including innovative theatrical
service deals, lucrative DVD sales
strategies (mixing retail and direct
sales online), and web-based global
distribution. Paradigm helps filmmakers
reach target markets effectively
and build core personal audiences.
Broderick was founder and President
of Next Wave Films, which helped
launch the careers of exceptionally talented
filmmakers from the U.S. and
abroad, including Christopher Nolan
and Joe Carnahan.
DM: It’s about providing opportunities
to both filmgoers and filmmakers that
provide exposure for each to the other,
and subsequently furthering the
advancement of the art form. Apart
from that, it’s to inject a sense of
excitement and fun—certainly to provide
an arena for discovery—into the
process of film going. After all, just like
what they say about “show business,”
there are two words that make up
what it’s called—and the “festival” part
is every bit as important as the “film.”
SA: Indeed, this year’s Festival ran
more smoothly than ever. Remarkably,
the schedule of films published nearly
a month before opening, as comprehensive
as it was, didn’t suffer a single
change or missed screening. Kudos to
the Macdonald gang for what is sure to
be remembers as one of the year’s best
festivals.
Stephen Ashton writes about cinema,
culture and cuisine for several
publications and is the Founder/
Director of the 20th Annual Napa
Valley/Sonoma County Wine Country
Film Festival.

AN INTERVIEW BY SCOTT BAYER
Continuing a series of profiles of
creative distributors who have
implemented working strategies
in the off-Hollywood arena, FFR
recently spoke with Ira Deutchman of
Emerging Pictures. With Larry
Meistrich of Film Movement, a chessplaying
mentality prevailed while Rich
Wolf of TLA Releasing brought us to
the poker table. Ira returned us to the
chessboard with FFR arguably
encountering a Grand Master at that.
Deutchman started in the business
in 1975 working in the art house circuit
with such films as Seven
Beauties, Pumping Iron and Swept
Away. Then he moved to UA Classics,
probably the first major studios classics
division releasing indie features,
handling such films as the The Last
Metro, Diva, The Weavers: Wasn’t
That a Time and Fassbinder and
Truffaut features. Then he moved to
Cinecom. This was in the early eighties
and the classics divisions at that
point started to have bidding wars for
foreign films. Because of that Ira, following
the old approach of Pee Wee
Reese “Hitting Them Where They
Ain’t” went after American Indies
using the same kind of marketing as
he had used on the foreign films.
Notable films that he worked with
included: The Brother From
Another Planet, El Norte, Stop
Making Sense, Altman’s Come Back
to The Five and Dime Jimmy Dean,
and A Room With A View, which was
the most successful indie film up to
that time. Then came a brief stint as
a consultant and producer’s rep with
Ira consulting on sex, lies and
videotape through its sale to
Miramax at Sundance and then on
the film’s marketing campaign and as
a producer’s rep on Metropolitan.
This led to the founding of Fine Line
Features when Bob Shaye made Ira
an offer he could not refuse. Movies
at Fine Line included An Angel At
My Table, My Own Private Idaho,
Night on Earth, Hal Hartley’s Trust,
Proof, and big successes with The
Player and Short Cuts.
In 2003 he founded Emerging
Pictures with Barry Rebo and
Giovanni Cozzi, which now has five
Theatres (Scranton, PA, Wilmington,
DE, Fort Lauderdale, FL, Lake
Worth, FL and the newest one just
opened in Buffalo, NY). Ira has
attended every Sundance and
Toronto since the festivals were
founded, continuing that tradition by
having attended all four Tribeca festi-
NEW CINEMA TOOLS
& DIGITALTECHNOLOGIES
PEOPLE YOU SHOULD KNOW
IRA DEUTCHMAN • EMERGING PICTURES
Emerging Profit
vals as well where Emerging Pictures
represented Red Doors which won
the New York NY Jury Prize last year.
A sale of the film was recently completed
with Polychrome Distribution.
SCOTT BAYER/FFR: Tell us about the
Emerging Pictures paradigm.
IRA DEUTCHMAN/EMERGING PIC-
TURES: Essentially, what Emerging
Pictures is about is trying to use new
technology to recreate an old paradigm,
i.e. the notion that there is a parallel
universe for people who are interested
in more stimulating movies than
are available in the local multiplex. The
idea being that the enemy of the smaller
movies and more niche-oriented
movies is cost. So if you can find a way
to bring down the cost of distribution in
the same way that we have brought
them down for production, we have a
chance of putting an audience together
so that you can make some money.
That is what it’s all about, and we
developed our own digital platform for
theatrical distribution. The whole trick
to what we’re doing is utilizing all sorts
of underutilized assets. On the one
hand, you have movies that are searching
for an audience and having trouble
finding it. You have a bunch of arts
institutions around the country that
have auditoriums that they use only
part time or in some cases not at all.
And you have a constituency out there
that actually is hungry for these sorts
of things and is having trouble finding
it. So, if you put all this into a hopper
and mix it up, what you’ve got is what
we do. We put state-of-the-art digital
projection technology into existing arts
institutions and gang them together
into a national network that is exhibiting
art films on calendar the way that
art institutions used to have film societies
and that sort of thing.
SB/FFR: Tell us about your newest
initiative with Indiewire.
ID: Well that’s one of a number of initiatives
that we are doing like that. We
call them our syndicated film festivals-thematic
film festivals that we
believe can travel. Unlike a normal
traveling film festival which has to
shuffle prints from place to place to
place, we have digital projection at all
the places that participate and can do
them all at the same time. We did a
pilot program with the Jackson Hole
Wildlife Film Festival about two years
ago and we started with the Full
Frame Documentary Film Festival
shortly after. We’re now preparing for
the third year that we are going to
syndicate Full Frame.
indieWIRE is yet another one that
we are doing. The indieWIRE
Undiscovered Gem Series is their list
of the top ten films that didn’t
achieve distribution and that were
hits on the film festival circuit. They
curate that list once a year. Their new
list just came out. Last year we did it
as a festival in the course of a week.
This year we are going to do it as a
series where we are going to show
one film a month. It’s going to start in
March. It goes to all the theaters in
our network plus any other theater
that wants to participate.
SB/FFR: Where do you think this is all
going in the next couple of years?
ID: Number one, we are planning to
be on at least thirty screens in the
U.S. by the end of the year. By then, I
think we are going to have enough of
a footprint that we will become an
important part of the release pattern
for the smaller distributors. The second
thing is, as you may have read in
the trades recently, we’ve created a
partnership with a company called
Rein. They are based in Brazil and
they have over a hundred screens in
Brazil that are working digitally. Part
of what we are trying to do is create
those kinds of alliances around the
world so that we can create a platform
where we all agree on some sort
of interoperability of the equipment.
In this way, we can make this a world
wide platform.
The final thing is that more and
more filmmakers are finding us. They
are realizing, that the way the marketplace
is working for films that are
really niche-oriented is that one of
the big major studio “classic” divi-
sions thinks that their film will be the
next Napolean Dynamite and therefore
cause a bidding war. The alternatives
that are presented by some of
the smaller distributors are just not
very good deals! We’re finding more
and more filmmakers coming to us
saying, “We like what you guys are
doing and because your costs are so
low, there is a chance that we will get
to see something.”
SB/FFR: Is there a difference in the
way that money flows through the system
to the filmmakers now? Does it
come back to them faster? Do they get
a better deal?
ID: As the distribution paradigms
change, and more and more of the
money is made from DVD distribution
or video on demand, and a lot of people
even downloading the film, we’ll
have a real market.
I think that filmmakers will start
taking a hard look at the way deals are
structured. Many of these deals are
based on old-fashioned paradigms that
really don’t exist anymore.
SB/FFR: On the marketing end, I
would expect that there would be a
whole new paradigm there as well.
ID: Well, that is a bit more nebulous
because when you are dealing with
films that are trying to reach a mass
audience by design, as compared to
those that are intended to be nicheoriented,
there is a whole different
discussion to be had as you are then
talking about different types of marketing.
The problem that we have
right now is just that general marketing,
even marketing to large niche
audiences, has become so outrageously
expensive that they have, in
effect, priced themselves out of the
market. So that has to be reinvented
also. There has to be new ways of
reaching audiences where they have
a chance to sample product and find
what they are truly interested in.
Curators are going to be the distributors
of the future and what I mean by
that is that I don’t really believe that
consumers want 1,000 channels of
product to choose from. I think what
they really want is one really good
channel that they can count on to
show stuff that they are really interested
in. If we can create channels
through whatever methodology is used
where people can actually find products
that they want, that’s going to the
key to marketing in the future. Mass
distribution is the enemy of niche
product.

And Now a Plot Point from Our Sponsor
BY JOE TRIPICIAN
IN THE SCATHING MONTY PYTHON
sketch, Trim Jeans Theatre, actors
clad in heavily padded pants perform
a scene from T. S. Eliot’s Murder
in the Cathedral, while hawking
weight-loss jeans:
Priest
I am here. No traitor to the King.
First Knight
Absolve all those you have excommunicated.
Second Knight
Resign those powers you have
arrogated.
Third Knight
Renew the obedience you have
violated.
Fourth Knight
Lose inches off your hips, thighs,
buttocks and abdomen.
Host
Good evening. This new series of
Trim-Jeans Theatre Presents will
enable you to enjoy the poetry of
T. S. Eliot whilst losing unsightly
trouser bulge.
The troupe then appears in altered
scenes from Swan Lake, The Life and
Loves of Toulouse Lautrec, and the
Trim-Jeans version of The Great
Escape, “...with,” the Host exudes, “a
cast of thousands losing well over fifteen
hundred inches.”
Call it product placement, paid content,
integrated advertising or plain
old sponsorship, today’s era of advertising-saturated
media harkens back to
the “Golden Age” of television’s
Texaco Star Theater and The Colgate
Comedy Hour, where entire programs
were owned and “branded” by the
sponsor. The dramatic and entertainment
programs now being sponsored
extend into the new media of broadband,
videogames, podcasts and wireless.
Advertisers are employing these
new media because the nature of modern
audiences has changed. With the
explosive growth of cable, satellite
channels, the web and mobile devices,
audiences have become fragmented
and niche-oriented, requiring advertisers
to devise new methods of getting
their products in front of consumers.
As repeatedly reported in business
articles, advertisers are seeing their target
audiences TiVo-ing past commercials,
and losing an increasing number
of younger viewers to the internet,
video games and iPods. To reach this
“connected generation,” marketers are
now employing the same technologies
that their audience is using-the net,
instant messaging, mobile phones, podcasts
and video games. A survey of a
sample audience of students by advertising
giant BBDO concluded that the
safe approach to reaching this connected
demographic is placing products in
the programming.
Product placement and content
sponsorship are growing more prominent
in Hollywood, with BMW cars in
web shorts and in the later James Bond
films, castaways munching Doritos on
Survivor and the characters in Harold
& Kumar Go To White Castle going to
the corporate house of trademarks. And
the strategy appears to be working.
A Mediaedge study reported that
consumers respond favorably to product
placement of brands on television
and in movies, with about half of consumers
surveyed saying they’ve
noticed brands. And newly minted
advertising entities have arrived to
exploit this marketing trend.
Integrated Entertainment Partners is
one such entity, launched by four industry
veterans “to marry advertising with
entertainment content.” Partner Chris
Gebhardt, commenting on digital video
recorders like TiVo, was quoted in the
Jack Myers Report as stating, “The
interruptive model of advertising is
clearly challenged by these changes.
Brandbuilders need to shift to an invitational
opt-in model. They need to create
messages that are interesting and entertaining.
They need to smuggle brands
into the content in a strategic way. It
can’t be just product placement that
puts the brand in the background.” IEP
plans to identify suitable storylines in
films and TV programs as the advertisers’
Trojan horse.
A slightly more benign approach can
be seen in the launch of short films commissioned
by and featured on
Amazon.com. In these free online shorts,
product names and logos aren’t in-yourface,
but are listed alongside actor’s
names in the closing credits. Viewers
who click on a product name from the
credits will be sent to a product page on
Amazon featuring everything from a
Weber Outdoor Grill to Sephora cosmetics
to a Motorola cellphone.
None of the product companies
paid for inclusion in the films. Amazon
footed the production costs (with
financial support from J.P. Morgan
Chase & Co., which issues an Amazon
credit card) and provides the films
free as another incentive to attract and
retain customers. Whether this means
more creative freedom for indie directors
is yet to be seen, as most of the
films offered are directed by the roster
from RSA—Ridley and Tony Scott’s
dynasty production company—even as
Amazon is collecting e-mails of other
less-connected directors for undisclosed
future projects.
Advertising agencies, such as
Publicis Groupe’s Fallon Worldwide
who developed the film series, are
65
playing a key role in shaping the future
of product sponsorship. This may be
the most exciting yet troubling development
yet. The doors of opportunity
could finally be opening for indies in
exciting new mediums, while the
potential for artistic constraints has
never been more dire.
Meanwhile, advertisers are reaching
out directly to media-savvy consumers,
employing them in creating homegrown
advertising. Subaru of America solicited
30-second films from amateurs, and
game leader Electronic Arts used short
films created by gamers reconfiguring
actual scenes from their games (called
“Machinimas”). EA brought 15 gamers
to its Redwood City, California headquarters
to make the films, which subsequently
became the basis of television,
online and print ads.
For the independent filmmaker—
always in need of financing and venues
to show their work—this sponsored
media landscape presents another challenge
and just possibly an opportunity.
The danger is in trying to craft your art
with an advertiser in mind. The video
closeout bins are littered with the DVDs
of failed films that blatantly tried to slap
products into a story. The opportunity is
to leverage various new media in the
promotion and marketing of your film or
television project.
The scrappy indie filmmaker, cynical
yet ever opportunistic, might start forging
alliances with the multitude of online
sites, from bloggers to product reviewers
to peer communities, and may directly
seek advertisers whose products are in
harmony with the film’s “philosophy.”
But be wary of the market’s influence,
which still sees film not as the penultimate
art form of modern times, but as
yet another come-on to sell housewares,
electronics and adult diapers.
And what might this brave new media
world of sponsored indie content look
and sound like? “Join us for a season of
cutting-edge films and rapid slenderizing.
Enjoy Heath Ledger and Jake
Gyllenhaal losing a total of fifteen
inches in Ang Lee’s Bare Buttock
Mountain. Enjoy Coffee, Cigarettes and
Dexedrine, Super Downsize Me and
The Exerciser Diaries while inches
melt away. Enjoy Felicity Huffman
with a Constant Snug Fit as she
shrinks to a waif-life figure...”
Joe Tripician is an award-winning
writer-director-producer who
teaches at New York’s Digital Film
Academy (www.digitalfilmacademy.com),
and is Managing Director
of focuscast (www.focuscast.com), a
live video streaming service in
Manhattan. He can be contacted at
joe@joetripician.com.

Fine Arts Theater
Reopens in
Beverly Hills
Brings with it Vestiges of
Hollywood’s Golden Era
BY CRISTIANNE ROGET
MICHAEL S. HALL, PRESIDENT
and Founder of Screening
Services Group, operator of
the Fine Arts Theatre, the nearby
Wilshire Screening Room and the
Wilshire Screening Room Art Gallery
has made the three venues available
for receptions, single bookings or
lengthy theatrical runs.
The patron-friendly Fine Arts
Theatre on Wilshire Boulevard in
Beverly Hills is now available for bookings
and rentals to meet the demands
of the Academy, Sundance and Cannes
screening season that is in full-swing.
Major studios, producers, independent
filmmakers, companies, post facilities,
organizers of film festivals and retrospectives
are already jockeying for
position on the Fine Arts Calendar to
showcase their latest film release.
The world premiere of The
Weinstein Company’s Mrs. Henderson
Presents was among the inaugural
events to be held in the Fine Arts
Theater. Luminaries including Judy
Dench, Bob Hoskins and director
Stephen Frears were walking the red
carpet into a theatre that has undergone
complete renovation and has
been restored to its original grandeur.
The renovation and reopening of the
Fine Arts Theatre is not unlike the
reopening of Mrs. Henderson’s historic
Windmill Theater, the subject of the
movie. The Fine Arts Theatre captures
the splendor and spirit of the past
blending exciting architecture with the
latest technology. Mrs. Henderson
Presents tells a true-life tale of the notorious
theater whose proud boast was
that it never closed during the London
blitz of WW2. A formidable and persuasive
dilettante (Dench) partners with an
equally tenacious theatre manager
Vivian Van Damm (Hoskins). The argumentative
duo wins a regular audience
in the cut throat competitive world of
Soho theatres by discovering a loophole
in the censorship laws which permits
totally nude models on stage as tableau
vivants, i.e. living statues!
Though Michael claims there are no
immediate plans for an all-nude review
at the Fine Arts Theatre, he and his
team are planning a series of showy
events to attract discerning Los
Angeles audiences. These include
weekend retrospectives, independent
releases and one-of-a-kind events.
The Fine Arts Theatre is grander in
style if not in dimension than the movie
palaces of yesterday when theatre going
was a glamorous experience and not a
drudge-like chore. Gracing the lobby is a
hand painted mural of a comely damsel
with eyes flecked in gold leaf and sapphires,
splashes of vivid color, gilt plaster
and hand carved stone.
The three locations, each with a
personality and life all their own, are
equipped to project content on almost
any delivery system with state of the
art projection systems from DVD to
35mm to HD digital projection. A 2K
digital projection will be installed
shortly at the Fine Arts Theatre.
Catering to the rich tradition of the
indie filmmaker, the theatre offers
some of the most competitive prices
available anywhere. Its central location
and visibility, with an estimated
100,000 motorists passing the marquee
each day, all but guarantees the
success of any booking.
Combine this with architectural
details that include a black glass and
silver gourmet stocked concession,
430 plush seats upholstered in rich red
velvet, a staff that has refined the art
of customer service with ushers in
black tie and a private parking lot, and
you have a few of the countless amenities
that come standard at the theatre.
Additional services offered by
Screening Services Group are equipment
rentals for film and video as well
as audio and projection engineering
services. The theatre also serves as a
shooting location. A Coca Cola competition
spot wrapped on site last week.
Michael, who gives off an air of
refinement, arrives impeccably attired
to host the evening’s entertainment. He
is self-possessed about his dedication to
making success of this new venture. He
admits his true motivation in manning
the gallery and two theaters is to make
sure films that deserve an audience are
not left behind. As independent theatres
(sometimes referred to as art or
revival houses) must face off with the
lackluster mega-multiplexes, the “business”
of indie theater exhibition has
become a misnomer. It is less a “business”
and more a “passion.”
The Fine Arts Theatre has already
66
PHOTO BY JOE KLEINMAN
Michael S. Hall, President and Founder,Wilshire Screening Room
captured the devotion of a growing audience.
Theatergoers are lured by the
blaze of neon on the marquee, the
seductive posters framed in hand carved
wood and gold leaf, the crisp snap of icy
cola and the rich and redolent popcorn.
Referred to by Scott Bayer, publisher
of Film Festival Reporter, as “the hardest
working exhibitor in Hollywood,”
Michael has been in the exhibition business
for close to three decades. His first
behind-the-projector job began at the
tender age of eleven. These days, when
he is not sleeping on a woolen mat
between two projectors in his office, he
is finding yet another way to enhance
the business. It’s in his blood.
In fact, he is a third generation projectionist.
His great-grandfather started
in 1907 and joined the IATSE in 1908.
“My grandfather began in 1935 with his
brother to follow thereafter, and I began
in June of 1977, three months before
turning twelve, as a projectionist at a 3screen,
1,500 car drive-in theatre.”
“Yes, my Great-grandfather started
at a storefront nickelodeon by hand
cranking a projector and catching the
film in a bushel basket after it left the
projector. One of the theatres my
grandfather worked at was the
Fabulous Fox in St. Louis. At the time,
it was the third largest single-screen
theatre in the United States, with 5,060
seats. They saw a lot of action in those
days. In fact, my Grandfather and his
dad, during the 30s, fought the Mob
when they had taken over the IA. One
memorable day they were in a shootout
with the Mob.” When asked the outcome
for his family, Hall quipped, “They
survived, the others didn’t.”
The Fine Arts Theater and the
Wilshire Screening Room harken back
to the time when catching a film at the
local Bijou was a memorable experience.
Who can forget the scene in
Giuseppe Tornatore’s Cinema
Paradiso in which the two villagers
caught each others eyes in the darkened
theater and true love was born?
The Fine Arts experience brings to its
patrons this magic. One almost tiptoes
into the hushed theater to join in
a collective experience at an optimum
point of concentration. This is stuff
from which memories are made.
ON THE TECHNICAL SIDE
Not unlike the protagonist in
Umberto Eco’s literary masterpiece
Foucault’s Pendulum, Michael Hall
developed a love for tinkering with
things and, in fact, worked as a maintenance
engineer for Edwards
Theatres. His abundant responsibilities
included maintenance at the Big
Newport, the granddaddy of state-ofthe-art
projectors.
“During my time as chief projectionist,
I have also covered vacation shifts at
Pacific Theatres, the Paseo Pasadena
and National Amusements’ the Bridge. I
like to know my equipment inside and
out and am responsible for taking care
of all repairs on site myself. If anything
goes wrong on a screening for a client,
we don’t need to send for an outside
engineer. I fix it on the spot.”
This is no small attribute given the
boiler-room stress of a first off screening
and the ramifications held in the balance.
By their very nature, screenings,
unlike box office fare, usually have key
CONTINUED ON PAGE 70

Koch Lorber: Art House on DVD
Reviving Cinema Classics
BY SANDY MANDELBERGER
SPECIALTY DVD LABEL KOCH
Lorber Films (KLF) has an
ambitious slate of classic films
that it has artfully restored for a new
generation of film buffs. The company
is fast becoming the leading DVD
label for classic international independent
cinema.
“We had tremendous success two
years ago with the release of the
Jacques Demy classic musical The
Umbrellas of Cherbourg,” KLF
President Richard Lorber explained.
“That success demonstrated that there
was a hunger for pristine versions of
classic foreign language films in the
DVD market.”
Another Jacques Demy classic,
Donkey Ski-which was given a token
release by Paramount Pictures in the
early 1960s-is also getting the restoration
treatment, under the watchful
eye of Demy’s widow and acclaimed
filmmaker Agnes Varda. “The film has
been virtually unseen in forty years,”
Lorber explained, “and we are lovingly
restoring the film in all its
Technicolor glory.”
Another European classic from the
1960s was released with great success
in December 2005 as an impressive
three-disc set. Federico Fellini’s La
Dolce Vita, one of the most influential
films of its generation, has been meticulously
restored in digital format that
enhances the richness of its superb
black and white cinematography. This
DVD package has already been hailed
as a milestone, not only for the quality
of the imagery, but the treasure of
extras that have been collected or
originally produced. The disc includes
an introduction by American director
Alexander Payne (Sideways), audio
commentary by noted critic and
author Richard Schickel, interviews
with director Fellini, stars Marcello
Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg and
composer Nino Rota, a short documentary
on the legendary Cinecitta film
studios and a collection of short films
67
made by Fellini for television that have
not been seen for almost fifty years.
KLF is also releasing a special package
of films from another acclaimed
Italian director, Lina Wertmuller. The
company has packaged two of her best
known films, the Oscar-nominated
Seven Beauties and Swept Away,
with three more recent features that
have not been seen in the U.S. This
amounts to a ten-hour appreciation of
the first woman director to receive an
Academy Award nomination. “By
assembling a broad spectrum of films
in this one affordable package, we are
reminding people of the extraordinary
contribution that Wertmuller has made
to contemporary film,” adds Lorber.
This month, KLF has an ambitious
slate of remastered classics, including
the “lost” Alain Resnais classic
Murielle, starring Delphine Seyrig,
writer/director Alain Robbe-Grillet’s
La Captive and a reissue of two influential
American indie titles from pioneer
director Wayne Wang, Chan Is
Missing and Dim Sum.
KLF has high expectations for the
March 2006 release of a digitally
restored and re-mastered version of
the modern French classic, Tous Les
Matins Du Monde (All The Mornings
Of The World), directed by Alain
Corneau. The film was hailed by critics
upon its release as one of the most celebrated
motion pictures ever to
explore the art of music. Based on the
lives of 17th century French composer
Sainte Colombe and his protégé Marin
Marais, the film stars Academy Award
nominee Gérard Depardieu and
includes a classical soundtrack performed
by Jordi Savall. The two DVD
set features a wealth of bonus materials,
including interviews with the
director and cast, a documentary on
lead musician Jordi Savall, a making-of
featurette, the original French trailer
and a commemorative program book.
“This evergreen film is destined to be
one of our biggest releases of the
year,” KLF’s Richard Lorber predicted.

Saving Their Her-itage
The Woman’s Film Preservation Fund Makes Its Presence Known
THE WOMEN’S FILM PRESERVAtion
Fund (WFPF) is the only
project in the world specifically
preserving the cultural legacy of women
in cinema by restoring and conserving
their films. Founded in 1995 by New
York Women in Film & Television, in conjunction
with the Museum of Modern Art
(MoMA) and the American Movie
Channel (AMC), the WFPF has contributed
to the restoration of over fifty
short and feature films in all genres and
from all eras. The Fund awards cash
grants, as well as in-kind post-production
services, donated by Cineric in New
York, to preserve or restore American
films in which women have played a significant
creative role as director, editor,
screenwriter, actor, animator or in
another craft. The films range from A
Fool and His Money (1912) by Alice
Guy-Blaché to Harlan County, USA
(1976) by Barbara Kopple, and includes
footage of 20th Century plantation work,
Raisin’ Cotton (1938-1941), and
Gandhi in India (1934).
Other artists include Dorothy Yost,
screenwriter of Alice Adams and a
number of Astaire/Rogers musicals,
Sonya Levien, screenwriter whose thirty-five
year career spanned the silent
and sound eras including Quo Vadis
(1951) and Oklahoma (1955)), Lois
Weber, once the highest paid director
in Hollywood who always tackled controversial
topics such as abortion and
capital punishment, Marie Menken,
avant-garde filmmaker whose 1950s
work influenced Andy Warhol, Jonas
Mekas and Stan Brakhage, and Helen
Gardner, director and the first actor to
build her own production company. A
panel of professional filmmakers,
preservationists, curators, and educators
includes Mary Lea Bandy, Chief
Curator, Department of Film and
Media, the Museum of Modern Art,
Marian Masone, Managing Director of
Preserve and protect
your film and sound assets
BEFORE THEY’RE GONE FOREVER.
68
Festivals and Associate Director of
Programming at the Film Society of
Lincoln Center, Thelma Schoonmaker,
two-time Academy Award-winning editor,
Drake Stutesman, author and editor
of Framework and Catherine Wyler,
filmmaker and Artistic Director of the
High Falls Film Festival.
The Fund’s larger purpose is to
raise public awareness of the contribution
of women to cinema history
and to augment the growing scholarship
around these subjects through
promoting crucial access to these
films. WFPF screens films from its
archive every year during MoMA’s
Save and Project event held in June
and is currently touring nationwide
with a four-hour program. This show
includes short features actresses
Francine Everette starring in Spencer
William’s Dirtie Gertie from Harlem
USA (1946), an African-American version
of Rain set during WWII, and
Iron Mountain Film & Sound
Archive Services—
Complete film, video and audio archival services
for the entertainment industry.
Hollywood • Nashville
New York • Toronto
Paris • United Kingdom
Grace Cunard in Unmasked (1917),
who was known as the “Queen of the
Serials;” films by directors Alice Guy-
Blaché (Matrimony’s Speed Limit,
1913), Meredith Monk (Ellis Island,
1979), Maya Deren (Divine
Horsemen: The Living Gods of
Haiti, 1947-1951), Storm De Hirsch
(Divination, 1964) and Gunvor
Nelson, whose work Stan Brakhage
considered to be “more true to the
intrinsic possibilities of film than any
but a few in the history of the medium.”
The 1971 collectively made documentary,
The Women’s Film, the
first to address political issues leading
to the women’s movement’s second
wave; and pioneering animation from
Mary Ellen Bute (1940-1959).
Donations can be made through the
NYWIFT website. Annual deadline for
grant applications is November 30th. For
more information go to the WFPF link:
http: www.nywift.org/article.aspx?id=21.
What if Gone With the Wind was really gone? An important piece of film history and a
valuable asset would be lost forever. Unfortunately, too many companies fail to adequately
safeguard against possible disaster.
Iron Mountain’s film and sound archiving services can tailor a media archiving solution to
meet your specific needs. We offer secure, climate-controlled, above- and below-ground
vaults that meet or exceed industry standards. And with our leading inventory, tracking,
and transport system, you can access your media anytime via the Web.
Since 1951, prestigious film companies, audio/video producers, recording studios and
record labels have trusted Iron Mountain to preserve their priceless assets. Find out why.
Phone us today: (800) 899-IRON, or visit us at www.ironmountain.com
(800) 899-IRON www.ironmountain.com
© 2006 Iron Mountain Incorporated. All rights reserved. Iron Mountain and the design of the mountain are registered trademarks
of Iron Mountain Incorporated. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Archivists Take Over the World
AMIA CONFERENCE
ARCHIVISTS FROM THE WORLD
over landed in Austin, TX for
the Association of Moving Image
Archivists (AMIA) conference held
November 30-December 3, 2005. The
annual conference provides an opportunity
for colleagues and those interested
in the field to meet, share information
and work together. For newcomers
to the widely expanding film
preservation community, networking
with other AMIA members and trade
professionals proves invaluable for
professional development. AMIA conference
registration includes participation
in all regular sessions and screenings
and various special events.
THE REEL THING
The fifteenth edition of the ongoing
technical seminar, “The Reel
Thing,” took place on November 30,
2005 at the historic Paramount
Theater. According to Grover Crisp,
Asset Management Guru at Sony
Pictures Entertainment, the objective
for the Reel Thing seminar is to
“expose the restoration and archival
audience to the current thinking and
most advanced practical examples of
progress in the field of preservation
and restoration, it is looking to create
common ground for discussion
and evaluation of preservation methods,
so that informed decisions can
be made about when and how to
deploy both traditional and emerging
technologies.”
The seminar scheduled a program
demonstrating both traditional and
digital techniques for restoration and
preservation, restoration of unusual or
unique film formats, image scanning
and recording tests, problems and
solutions surrounding the creation and
preservation of digital intermediates as
well as myriad sound exigencies.
One such seminar revealed an
encouraging salvation for almost
beyond hope acetate and nitrate film
rolls. Russ Suniewick, owner of
Colorlab, Rockville, MD, brought to
mind typical scenarios that would
evoke heavy sighs of dismay when
coming across rare film rolls that, in
the past, could not be saved. With a
Fine Arts
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 66
personnel in the audience which can
include potential distributors, finishing
fund investors and the ubiquitous critics.
All the more reason the screening
conditions must be optimum, where
even the smallest glitch can spell disaster
or an unraveling of nerves at best.
new treatment created by Colorlab
and aptly named DeStick (see box
The Reel Thing Can be a Sticky
Business), the method was illustrated
with before, during and after visuals,
summing up the technical, theoretical
and practical facets of unsticking the
decomposition menace from problematic
acetate and nitrate film rolls—
accompanied by a workflow budget
showing what services were necessary
to salvage these examples.
BIG INTEREST IN SMALL GAUGE
The Small Gauge Interest Group,
established in 2001, has become an
integral part of the AMIA conference
with a well-organized program to
promote information exchange
among individuals involved with
small gauge and amateur film at all
levels; continue developing and publicizing
standards for the care and
preservation of small gauge and amateur
film materials; encourage small
gauge and amateur film works appreciation,
especially in film and social
history and moving image culture;
and to support research, writing, and
public activities related to small
gauge and amateur film and the
issues associated with it.
Several events chaired by the this
Group included meetings moderated
by committee chairs Dwight Swanson
and Andrew Lampert and scheduled
panel discussions. Topics ranged from
the basics (such as supply availability
for splicers, splicing tape, leader, film,
labs, and the discontinuation of K-40)
to complex preservation procedures
followed by project reviews from
2005, a preserved-film screening
series, the Alan Kattelle Oral History
project, lab survey and improvements
for the website. Other new projects
proposed included a discussion about
ideas for the AMIA Book Publishing
Task Force.
The conference also commemorated
the 40th anniversary of Super 8
with a panel of professionals addressing
the Past, Present and Future? of
Super 8 film as a professional medium.
Steve Polta of San Francisco
Cinematheque, chaired the panel; Alan
Kattelle, historian and author of the
Michael, who learned his craft from
the best in the business, “the sound
engineers at Dolby Labs,” has single
handedly installed all of the digital projection,
digital sound equipment, and
upgraded the previously existing film
projection equipment in the Wilshire
Screening Room. Similar installations
are almost complete at the Fine Arts.
For Audiophiles the Fine Arts boasts
a new Dolby Digital sound system with
Surround-EX. Still not satisfied, Hall
added his own personal touch to an
70
San Francisco Earthquake and
Fire April 18, 1906 (1906)
Jeffries-Johnson World’s
Championship Boxing Contest
(1910)
Making of an American (1920)
Hands Up (1926)
Power of the Press (1928)
The Cameraman (1928)
H2O (1929)
Baby Face (1933)
Imitation of Life (1934)
Commandment Keeper Church,
Beaufort, South Carolina
(1940)
Mom and Dad (1944)
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
book Home Movies: A History of the
American Industry, 1897-1979,
spoke about the early roots of the format
and early equipment; Colette
Scott, Development Manager for
Kodak, talked about Kodak’s decision
to discontinue K-40 and how the new
Ektachrome would facilitate “workflows”
with local labs offering better
and more expedient processing;
Andrew Lampert, Archivist for NYC’s
Anthology Film Archive, discussed the
history of Super 8 from an archivist’s
perspective and the importance of
amateur films in collections; and Phil
Vigeant, president of Pro8mm, talked
about the growth of Super 8 film, its
technical advances and about the professional
filmmakers who made significant
contributions to this evolution a
well as amateurs who generated thousands
of home movies.
A highlight—the AMIA Silver Light
Award recognizing outstanding career
achievement in moving image archiving
which went to Alan Kattelle for his
substantial contributions and leadership
in the area of amateur film and
with the completion of the AMIA-spon-
already exquisite sounding room.
“Aside from the quality of the room
itself, I have an excellent, experienced
staff. We are in a very classy building
that is very centrally located in Beverly
Hills, with free underground parking.
We are only five blocks east of the
Academy and ten minutes away from
several freeways,” Hall says modestly.
The Fine Arts and the Wilshire are
in a class of their own with no competitors.
“They are easily the most gorgeous
screening rooms of this size
IN THE DETAILS
ASSOCIATION OF MOVING IMAGE ARCHIVISTS (AMIA)
25 Films Inducted to the National Film Registry, Library of Congress
Giant (1956)
House of Usher (1960)
A Raisin in the Sun (1961)
The Music Man (1962)
A Time for Burning (1966)
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
The French Connection (1971)
The Sting (1973)
The Buffalo Creek Flood: An Act
of Man (1975)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
(1975)
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
(1982)
Hoop Dreams (1994)
Toy Story (1995)
sored Alan Kattelle Oral History
Project. As the first of its kind in the
organization’s history, Kattelle’s unparalleled
knowledge of amateur film history
spear-headed this in-depth record
to fruition. It will be available through
AMIA, the George Eastman House and
the Northeast Historic Film Society.
The conference ended with a showing
of a new design for archival film
cans by Andre Pion of Stil Design,
Canada, and a historical Small Gauge
Task Force timeline presentation by
Karen Sheldon.
Newly elected co-chairs of the
Small Gauge Interest Group are Chad
Hunter, archivist at Appalshop,
Whitesburg, KY and Rhonda Vigeant,
vice president of marketing, Pro8mm,
Burbank, CA. This event was recorded
on DVD for educational purposes.
Interested parties should contact
Laura Rooney for a copy at AMIA. The
Annual AMIA Conference is open to
all, regardless of membership For
more information on joining AMIA or
on past events, go to www.amianet. or
contact the AMIA Office at (323) 463-
1500 or amia@amianet.org.
around,” states Elliott Kotek at Moving
Pictures Magazine. “If you were to
imagine the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre
in miniature with a more intimate setting,
you would visualize the Wilshire
Screening Room. This is the type of
screening room you want to bring your
biggest clients to in order to show an
important film and talk business.
www.studioscreening.com
For more information contact
Cristiane Roget, 310.858.7062,
mobile 310.220.9118.

Sounds of Silence Wakes
Up Audio Industry
Alternative Sound Tracks for Silent Films
ROAR. THUNDER. CRASH.
Explode. Theater owners install
the best theatrical sound exhibition
systems available to enhance
movie watching because fundamentally,
sound is a most vital part of the
film experience. It’s hard to fathom
why then, in cinema’s earliest days,
the inventor of the first 35mm film
gauge (late 1890s), gave no thought
to accommodate musical accompaniment
on a printed sound track. Was
the guy deaf?
So, silent films were composed
using the full frame - an aspect ratio of
about 1.17:1 and standardized in 1926
as the Academy Silent Aperture of
1.33:1. With the introduction of optical
soundtracks printed on release
prints, one-tenth of an inch (100 mils-
100/1000 inch = 1/10) of the film was
BY ROBERT HEIBER, PRESIDENT,
CHACE AUDIO AND JAMIE HOWARTH,
PRESIDENT-PLANGENT PROCESSES
MACHINE SPEED INSTABILITY
in the motion picture and
audio recording process is a
well-known phenomenon. Two artifacts
commonly known as “wow” and “flutter”
can conspire to ruin a sound track.
Heretofore, rejectable wow and flutter
anomalies were unsolvable audio problems—absent
finding an alternate
“unflawed” source. These audio roadblocks
have now been removed thanks
to a unique technology called Clarity
Audio Restoration (Clarity) by
Plangent Processes. Clarity is a combination
of proprietary DSP (Digital
Signal Processing) and hardware for
the playback of 35mm magnetic sound
film and audiotape to correct wow and
flutter due to machine speed instability.
It is well known that even “Rolls
Royce” audio recorders and playback
machines like Albrechts and Studers
have a published wow and flutter specification.
“Wow” refers to irregular cyclical
motion, which creates variations in
the pitch of a sound track (usually at a
slow rate), while flutter is attributable to
similar deviations in the transport at a
higher rate of occurrence. Regardless of
the quality of the equipment, all analog
recordings suffer from these flaws.
When gross errors occur, even the
untrained ear can hear the problems
associated with wow and flutter. More
lost for the image. A new picture ratio
standard of 1.37:1 emerged and called
the Academy Reduced Aperture.
Since silent films did not accommodate
a soundtrack, the original silent
film negatives were not suitable to
PRESENTED AT
AMIA CONFERENCE
make sound prints. That became a
problem in the case when new prints
of Harold Lloyd’s silent comedies were
needed for exhibition with an optical
sound track.
A common solution is to optically
reduce the image and make new prints
that would accommodate the soundtrack
area. However, it’s a time-consuming
process and the result can still
affect the image through a build-up in
subtle errors manifest as masking phenomenon,
and listener fatigue. Clarity is
the first technology addressing these
problems utilizing a novel method of
“re-timing” the audio signal.
To re-time the audio signal, the special
Clarity transfer equipment recovers signals
in the ultrasonic region that can be
found on the tape or film along with the
audio of the original recording. Ascribing
to these ultrasonic components, the
properties of a moving clock (think varying
sample rate), and mathematically
retiming these signals such that the clock
is crystal-steady, the dsp now “knows”
the speed fluctuations of the original
machine occurring at the moment it
made the recording. By inverting the
error signal, and conforming the corresponding
audio to it, Clarity’s DSP
retimes the audio to a fixed and stable
time base. The result: perfectly pitched
audio with no wow or flutter.
Conventional wisdom suggests that
analog degradation is the result of two
factors: the quality of the recording
electronics and the recording characteristics
of the magnetic media and heads.
No one would argue that in the early
days of magnetic recording, both the electronics
(tubes) and early tape formulations
contributed to sound quality degradation.
However, once manufacturing
71
contrast. An alternative solution is to
use a digital soundtrack, which does
not infringe upon the picture area.
Two of the three digital sound formats,
Dolby Digital (SR-D) and Sony
Dynamic Digital Sound (SDDS) meet
this criteria. DTS doesn’t because it
records a time code control track in a
tiny area unused in standard analog
optical recording.
Another issue is projection speeds
for the films since 1920s films often
ran at 20fps while all modern projectors
run at 24fps for sound prints.
This speeds up slower films with
24fps projection; often giving action
sequences too much of a “Blair
Witch” jerky look. While some theaters
are able to adjust projection
speeds and run the film slower, a
soundtrack pitch changes to a lower
processes for both audiotape and magnetic
sound film were standardized, they
were very quickly considered high fidelity
media. When solid-state electronics made
their appearance in amplifier design, the
electrical component also became more
reliable. Since it is standard practice to
align the replay electronics of the film or
tape machine to the alignment tones
recorded onto the film or tape, it is possible
to very accurately replay a tape with
very little -if any- degeneration from the
electronics or media.
As noted earlier, no analog recording
mechanism is immune from these
artifacts.. Thirty-five millimeter magnetic
sound film is particularly vulnerable
to another type of periodic fast
flutter known as “sprocket-cogging.
Sprocket-cogging, as the name
implies, is a function of the sprocket
drive of 35mm film. With 4 perforations
per frame and 24 frames per second a
96Hz (4 x 24), audio artifact can be
found in magnetic sound film, not unlike
“perf buzz” in optical sound. Though the
sprocket-cogging is at a fairly low signal
level, it creates an intermodulation distortion
component that also affects the
purity of the sound, and creates listener
fatigue, or “ear glare”.
In addition to these factors, the capstan,
bearings, rollers and reel motors all
create an ever-shifting pattern of beat
frequencies that intermodulate with the
audio. These mechanical instabilities
cause everything from bass cancella-
register whether digital or analog. So
pitch correction would be required
to compensate for this slower nonstandard
projection speed.
Empirical speed tests showed that
a SR-D track could be slowed down to
20.3fps before the failure rates
became excessive. In modern exhibition
the analog track is the backup for
the digital, these silent prints indeed
would be silent if the digital track fails
since no analog track could be printed
on the film. After comparing tests at
22fps and 24fps, it was determined to
release the film at 24fps for consistency
in exhibition. There is another
option. Rather than making new digital
soundtracks for all of the films, several
shorts ran with “synchronous”
CDs. These tracks are cued to start
with the “start mark” in the projector
gate, similar to a Vitaphone presentation.
These tracks worked with surprisingly
accurate results.
Unconventional, inventive ways
that use digital sound technologies are
excellent examples of emerging technologies
for saving film history.
Audiences of today and the future can
now see these original images and
experience theatrical sound as they’ve
come to expect.
Wow…Flutter…Analog Artifacts…Gone
PRESENTED AT
AMIA CONFERENCE
tion, to lower midrange mud, up
through grainy sidetones in the
midrange, and on up into the clouding of
the high frequency with interstitial haze
and transient blurring. The effect of
these artifacts was not well understood
during the heyday of analog recording,
because the problems were difficult to
quantify, and were measured with an
antiquated international standard that
didn’t provide a useful metric regarding
the audibility of these faster wow and
flutter components. Regardless of the
lack of documentation regarding these
flaws it is indisputable that they were
always there. Furthermore it is evident
that removing wow and flutter artifacts
with Clarity not only reduces obvious
pitch fluctuation, it also reduces or eliminates
the characteristic roughness
and/or muddiness caused by high-frequency
flutter. This helps to explain
why a tape or film copy, whose frequency
response “by the tones” measures
identically to the original is found to be
perceptibly “duller” in character and
offers a more sensible explanation for
the true cause of generation loss. analog
signal degradation attributable to
machine speed instability is not theoretical.
Clarity Audio Restoration by
Plangent Processes can analyze and
compensate for these inaccuracies for
the first time ever. The result-legacy
recordings that can now be presented
with wow and flutter specs comparable
with today’s digital recordings.

Archiving 4:3 Small Format Images
Into The Widescreen 16:9 World
BY PHILIP VIGEANT
As the world moves from the traditional
4:3 space of conventional
television, amateur
moviemakers and small format film
producers must decide how to exist in
a 16:9 universe.
How do you fit your square image
world into the rectangular displays of
the future? Since most small format
images were shot in 4:3, our world and
the world of archiving must address
these issues as we look into the future of
preserving and presenting this picture.
PRESENTED AT
AMIA CONFERENCE
For 25 years, I have been at the center
of this great debate—whenever a production
called for Super8 film, a 4:3 medium
to be used in 35mm theatrical productions.
Although the focus has always been
on resolution and techniques of getting
resolution, it can’t be overlooked without
tremendously compromising one of the
most important issues: You have a square
original you want to use in a rectangular
presentation.
If you shot something in Super8 and
you want to use it in a theatrical feature,
you have to make a decision
about how you’ll present a 4:3 picture
in a rectangular display. This is the
same dilemma now faced with every
archive of 4:3 images including every
picture ever used or shot in traditional
video and 16mm film. How do you
archive and display images originated
in a square in a rectangular display?
Technically speaking, there are only
3 options:
� You can crop the square into a rectangle
by blacking out the top and the
bottom of the picture. This technique
commonly referred to as matting.
The top of the 4:3 film frame is
repositioned to the top of the
enhanced for widescreen frame.
The resulting transfer gives the
same head room of the original
and all of the cropping is done
from the bottom. This technique
will work for a majority of
images because most images are
framed for head space.
� You leave the square
in the rectangle by matting
the sides of the rectangle
so that there are black
mattes on the sides of the
image. This is known as
using side panels or windowpane.
� You can take the
image and squeeze it onto
the video. This technique
is referred to as anamorphic
in film and more commonly
known to the public
on DVDs as “enhanced for
widescreen.” You are still cutting off
the top and the bottom of the image
but you are also filling the video with
picture. The resulting image must be
unsqueezed when it is presented.
In my experience with feature film
and feature filmmaking, the idea of
matting the screen has never had
much appeal. Most viewers would not
tolerate this in a theatrical presentation
and most people are annoyed
when they are forced to watch their
televisions with part of the viewable
screen obstructed. For this reason I
believe that enhanced for widescreen
is the best option unless artistic reasons
are present to use mattes.
If you decided to do an enhanced
for widescreen master, you are committing
to cutting some of the image
and so it is important to understand
how that is going to be done. Having
done this many times it is readily
apparent that cutting equal parts of
the bottom and the top is usually not
the best choice. For years we have
been doing these type of transfers
called “top frame justified.”
In this technique, the top of the 4:3
film frame is repositioned to the top of
the enhanced for widescreen frame.
The resulting transfer gives the same
head room of the original and all of the
cropping is done from the bottom. This
technique will work for a majority of
images because most images are framed
for head space. In a situation where the
72
“Enhanced for widescreen”
cuts off the top and bottom
of the image,but fills the
video with picture (left)
while photo below is full
frame.
aesthetic is more critical, individual
scenes can be reframed to maximize the
look of a particular scene.
This reframing has been done for years
to fit the rectangular image of theatrical
films into the square of television through
pan & scan. This same equipment and
function can now be used in reverse to fit
the square of small format film into the
rectangle of 16:9. Systems like the da Vinci
that support scene-to-scene color and
exposure correction also support framing
changes on a scene by scene basis.
For those who cringe at the idea of
throwing something away when doing
archiving, one solution is to do dual or
multi-masters. Multiple masters can be
created at the highest quality at time of
transfer. During a typical transfer, the
majority of time is need to do color correction
and a much smaller time is dedicated
to actual recording. It is at this
point in the process that recording a second
pass can be created on the original
in the format of choice by recording
once in full 4: 3 and then laying down the
image again in enhanced for widescreen.
For example, a scene-to-scene transfer
of one hour of material at Pro8mm is
done in three hours of time: Two hours
are dedicated for correction and one
hour for recording. If a second master is
created during scene-to-scene transfer,
the additional cost is only one hour of
transfer time. Multiple masters can be
created as well between video standards
like PAL and NTSC or framing
like enhanced for widescreen, 4:3, matted
and in the future HD.
Although not very popular, there will
be some archiving that will finally see
the original which was produced in rectangular
space in its proper glory. On
very rare occasions, people did shoot in
anamorphic squeeze like in the theatrically
release film Flatliner. The Super8
footage was shot in 2:35 anamorphic
and these images can now be presented
outside the confines of the square.
Nowhere is this more exciting then in
theatrical release where remastering is
bringing audiences at home in touch for
the first time with the artistic framing
quality of the originals.
In addition, many projects which
were originated in Super16 with an
original aspect of 1:68, only require
slight cropping when doing enhanced
for widescreen. Looking towards the
future of small format, new ideas must
realistically align themselves with the
future of media. Such a format is MAX-
8, a new widescreen format introduced
by Pro8mm last year. MAX-8 will
become a standard for Super8 that
looks to the future of small format film
by originating in 1:58.
Enhanced for windscreen mastering
has certain advantages over matting or
full frame. Since all the video space is
being used, it has the best image quality.
Since the framing has been defined,
any up-rezzed to HD or back out to
35mm film will only be about formatting
not formatting and framing.
Whenever I work a project that has a
4:3 original, I know that the closer I can
get to what is going to be used in the final
presentation, the greater my chances of
seeing that image used in the final project.
Enhanced for widescreen uses videos
margin of error known as under scan built
into the system so that you can carefully
monitor the framing during transfer without
having to reset if the frame line drops
into picture space. Because many displays
are not 100% accurate in matting,
there is sometimes a different width of
matte on bottom and top which aesthetically
is quite distracting.
The biggest challenge is actually less
technical and more about understanding
the output environment. I have recently
learned that commercial DVDs can now
be encoded with a flag to adjust the output
of an enhanced for widescreen master
to automatically matte the output
when the image is set up to play on a 4:3
display. This to me was the clincher: All
future projects that I do would be mastered
in enhanced for widescreen format.
That is until I can master on HD.
Philip Vigeant is President of
Pro8mm (www.pro8mm.com).

RESTORATION & MASTERING SERVICES DIRECTORY
ARCHIVING • PRESERVATION • FILM & VIDEO SUPPLIES & EQUIPMENT
DTS DIGITAL IMAGES
Formerly Lowry Digital Images
2777 Ontario Street
Burbank, CA 91504
818-557-7333
digitalimages@dts.com
www.dts.com/digital_images/
DTS Digital Images
is a market leader in
the digital restoration
and enhancement
of moving pictures. They deliver
stunning quality using groundbreaking
algorithms developed by
visionary founder John Lowry.
DTS Digital Images has restored more
than 100 of the world’s most recognized
feature films with output to DVD, HiDef,
35mm film, and IMAX ® . The company
specializes in solving difficult imaging
problems like flicker, color breathing,
dye fade, misregistration, film damage,
dirt, grain buildup and lost detail.
DTS Digital Images also works its
magic on movie and television projects in
production today, salvaging shots damaged
in camera, in the lab, or even in the
airport X-ray scanner.
IVC FILM DATA CENTER
2777 Ontario Street
Burbank, CA 91504, USA
818-569-4949
contact: Dick Millais or Peter Dana
www.ivchd.com
IVC is one of the
world’s largest facilities
for Digital
Intermediate and
Digital Cinema
Mastering, with a 20year
reputation for
technical excellence.
IVC’s services include: 4K / 2K film scanning;
film-to-HD; data-to-HD; 35mm filmout;
advanced digital restoration; quality
assurance, and conversion for worldwide
technical deliveries. IVC’s client list
includes every major Hollywood studio.
CHACE AUDIO
201 S. Victory Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91502
818-842-8346
Founded in
1 9 8 4 ,
Chace has
earned a world-wide reputation as a
leader in audio preservation and restoration.
Chace offers a full range of
services for the sound restoration and
archive community including: sound
restoration featuring NoNoise © , Audio
Cube and Pro-Tools, transfer/digitization
services with 86 formats in-house,
many of them obsolete. Optical sound
negative transfers with COSP-Xi,
proprietary techniques for the rejuvenation
and playback of distressed
magnetic sound film and audio tape.
Whether you have one tape or an entire
library, every project benefits from the
personnel and specialized equipment
available only at Chace Audio.
CINEWORKS DIGITAL STUDIOS INC.
6550NE 4th Court
Miami, FL 33138
305. 754. 7501
888.724.FILM (toll free)
www.cineworks.com
vinny@cineworks.com
Cineworks
Digital Studios
Inc. is a high
end post facility and a professional
motion picture laboratory, all under
one roof. Specializing in color correction,
we are located in Miami and services
the South East with three
Telecine Suites with DaVinci color correctors,
doing supervised work and
dailies to all Video tape formats including
HD, and HDSR and streaming
media. The facility also offers editorial
services, color correction, formatting
and mastering of feature films
originating on film or Video to HD in its
Digital Theater. Projecting an NEC 2K
HD image, Cineworks also offers Film
outs for commercials as well as features.
Pal and NTSC conversions and
up and down converts of HD material
are offered on the Teranex Xantus. For
quotes and inquiries call Vinny Hogan.
COLORLAB CORP.
5708 Arundel Ave.
Rockville, MD 20852
301-770-2128
27 West 20th St., #307
New York, NY 10011
212-633-8172
email: info@colorlab.com
website: www.colorlab.com
Colorlab offers
motion picture
laboratory and
telecine services with a focus on film
preservation and restoration. We offer
both film-to-film and film-to-tape
preservation from 35mm, 16mm,
Super 16, Super 8, 8mm, 9.5mm, and
28mm acetate and nitrate base film.
Our custom-designed Super 8, 8mm
and 9.5mm gates for our Rank Cintel
telecines enable us to perform broadcast
quality film-to-tape video mastering.
Liquid-gate contact and optical
printing are available for creation of
polyester preservation masters.
Replasticizing is available for rehabilitating
shrunk, curled, or brittle film.
Rewash is available for removing dirt
and masking scratches.
Our recent preservation projects run
the gamut of early American silent cinema—from
9.5mm through 28mm and
35mm. We use the Desmet Method of
reproducing tinting and toning. Having
telecine and optical printing preservation
capabilities under the same roof
allows us to accurately evaluate tinting
logs for color matching when working
from black and white negatives.
The Archival Preservation
Department at Colorlab regularly
makes presentations at the Orphans
Film Symposium and the Association
of Moving Image Archivists annual
conferences. We also participate
through preservation donations in the
grant projects funded by the National
Film Preservation Foundation.
MOVIOLA
1135 N. Mansfield Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
323-467-3107
Education Center: 323-467-1116
email: info@moviola.com
email: edu@moviola.com
www.moviola.com
Contact: Michael Mostin
Known for creating
the film industry’s
first-ever
editing machine
in 1924, Moviola continues to build on
tradition while paving a path to the
future. Today, this can be seen by
the company’s unique ability to serve
the ever-changing needs of post-production,
feature film and television’s discriminating
professionals with divisions
devoted to sales, rentals and education.
Moviola has always believed in fostering
editors’ artistic endeavors, enabling
them to break new ground with cuttingedge
digital tools and providing advanced
educational courses to keep them at the
pinnacle of their craft.
BROADWAY VIDEO
1619 Broadway, 9th floor
New York, NY 10019
212-265-7600
www.broadwayvideo.com
Contact: Dirk Van Dall
Broadway Video,
New York
City’s premier
independent
post-production
facility, producer
of TV and film
entertainment, and distributor of content,
also provides expert encoding
services and digital restoration of
video and film with full sound restoration
and mixing.
The company’s experienced artists
transform problematic content to
remarkable clarity in a full-service,
cost-effective environment. Its expansive
encoding services are in demand
for broadcast, archive and all emerging
digital technologies.
Broadway Video has provided
restoration and encoding services for
a wide range of clients and projects
including: Music Choice and
Showtime Networks, Saturday Night
Live, and classic films such as Lina
Wertmuller’s Swept Away and The
Seven Beauties.

Iron Clad Preservation Starts
When Film Is Finished
BY SCOTT BAYER
AND CHRISTINA KOTLAR
Independent filmmakers tend to
concentrate blindly on just getting
their movie made, then just getting
it into film festivals and ultimately just
get a distribution deal. Most of these
independents are made on a shoestring
budget. Often it isn’t until the
urgency returns to normalcy, that filmmakers
realize their master copy is
worth its weight in gold and should be
preserved.
That, according to Jeff Anthony,
Vice President of Iron Mountain’s Film
and Sound Archives, is what small
independents rarely think about - that
‘this really is their crown jewel’ and the
sooner it can be preserved properly,
the better it will be for the long term.
“One of the things we do at the
Sundance Film Festival is offer the
winners for each category - a free
year’s worth of storage for their master.
That’s their baby, that’s the most
important thing in their life. It doesn’t
matter that it’s just one project,
they’re preserving with us, because
those people are as important as the
large majors.”
“Indie filmmakers go on to make
very large, big budgeted movies and
we just want to plant the seeds early
that Iron Mountain’s been around for
fifty years and is dedicated to the
preservation of the motion picture
74
PEOPLE YOU SHOULD KNOW
JEFF ANTHONY • IRON MOUNTAIN
market and if we can grab somebody
early and prove to them just how serious
we take this, they tend to remember
us as they become the new Martin
Scorcese’s of the world.”
Iron Mountain Incorporated is highly
regarded, as one of the world’s most
trusted partners, for records management
and data protection services. It
ensures long-term preservation and
protection, of these assets, by archiving
media assets in specially engineered,
climate-controlled facilities.
Services include motion picture, audio
and video preservation, inspection,
cleaning, rejuvenation and duplication.
Beginning with the original Iron
Mountain, an upstate iron ore mine in
Rosendale, New York, the company
now has motion picture and audio dedicated
facilities worldwide. Locations
include London, Los Angeles, Nashville,
New York, Paris, and a few in
South America. Its crown jewel is in
Boyers, PA, 112 acres, 300 feet undergound
where all original camera negatives
for the studios are kept. Things
can be kept there forever in an earthquake
free zone protected even from a
nuclear disaster. Iron Mountain
recently acquired Fort Lee Films
which, over the last 50 years, specialized
in storing and preserving motion
picture film, in a town of great historical
importance, in the early years, of
the movie business.
“Iron Mountain caters to every
major film studio and all the recording
studios, as well as independent producers
who want to store and preserve
their movie with us. If there is
no budget for a commercial facility to
store their film at that point we advise
filmmakers to remain preservation
conscious and at least keep it in their
refrigerator. Keep it very cold and
very dry and it will be preserved. Get
it cold and dry as quickly as possible.
Audio and video tapes don’t have to
be kept so cold because they don’t
have all the emulsions that motion
picture film has but you want to keep
50-degrees in the magnetic world and
35-40 in film world.”
Anthony fervently stresses this
point, “Half of the films from the
1950s aren’t around anymore because
it wasn’t taken seriously then and
that’s a real crime because it’s not
only movies we’re talking about here.
This is our cultural heritage and we
need to take care of it so that things
are preserved properly for this generation
and future generations.”
With that in mind, Iron Mountain
management takes preservation seriously,
demonstrating their commitment
with strong support of AMIA
(Association of Moving Image
Archivists). Many countries have
substantial government programs in
place to safeguard their national cultural
heritage. In the U.S. these
efforts tend to be less centralized and
a little more capitalistic, allowing free
enterprise to take over supplemented
by organizations such the National
Film Preservation Institute along with
dedicated film societies and local film
commissions.
“Half of the films from the 1950s
aren’t around anymore because it
wasn’t taken seriously then and that’s
a real crime because it’s not only
movies we’re talking about here.”
“The importance of the preservation
of the films and videos, that are
really the true assets of the media corporations
and motion picture film studios,
cannot be overemphasized. Fifty
years down the road someone will look
back at our generation and ask why
preservation wasn’t taken more seriously
(as in the 1950s). My mission is
to make sure it doesn’t happen like
that again,” Anthony pledges, “So Iron
Mountain will be regarded as a company
that worked towards preserving our
cultural heritage for future generations
to enjoy.”
That’s sound advice not only for
the distant future but the near future
as well as in ancillary distribution,
Anthony notes, “The whole idea
behind preservation is once you start
making these DVDs and Director’s
Cuts down the road, you’ll want to
make sure you can go to a pristine
master. The only way you can do so, is
to make sure it was preserved properly
from the start immediately after
the movie is finished.”

DI Format Choices
2K - HD 4:4:4 RGB - HD 4:2:2 YUV
BY JIM JAMES, CHIEF ENGINEER, IVC
WHEN A FILMMAKER DECIDES
to go for a Digital
Intermediate he faces a
potentially confusing array of choices.
Film or Digital? 2K or HD? 4:4:4 or
4:2:2? Choosing the best DI format
revolves around which approach provide
the best combination of technical
quality and creative flexibility, yet still
allows the project to finish on time and
on budget. If you shoot with a digital
camera your DI format choice will likely
result from the choice of the camera,
but if you shoot film you face
three choices; 2K, HD 4:4:4 RGB, and
HD 4:2:2 YUV. Each has its advantages,
but which will work best for your project?
Answering this question requires
an understanding of the factors determining
technical quality in a digital
image, and how the three formats
compare in both this respect as well as
economic and workflow considerations...
Digital Image technical quality analysis
can be divided into three areas:
Image Resolution, the amount of detail
available in the image, Color Precision,
how accurately the image reproduces
colors, and Data Compression, how
much image loss occurs due to the
attempt to save space.
Image Resolution is a measurement
of the fine detail visible in an image. In
simple terms, it’s how sharp your
image will appear on the screen. There
are two things that determine resolution,
the total number of usable pixels,
and how clearly edges are defined in
the image. (You can have lots of pixels,
but if the lens is out of focus the visual
resolution, or definition, will be poor.)
In addition, Image definition loss often
happens due to scaling or other
actions, even if the total number of
pixels remains the same.
Any discussion of resolution quickly
turns into a numbers game. Full aperture
2K has a resolution of 2048x1556
(3.1 Megapixels). HD has a resolution
of 1920x1080 (2.0 Megapixels).
However, these numbers are deceiving.
2K has a 1.33:1 aspect ratio, while
HD is 1.78:1. Feature films are not distributed
in either of these formats, so
to accurately compare we need to
check the numbers for the most common
theatrical format, 1.85:1. At a 1.85
aspect ratio 2K has 2.2 Megapixels,
and HD has 1.9 reflecting difference of
less than 10%.
Another influencing factor derives
from film scanners which usually scan,
“perf to perf”, capturing everything
that could be on the film, usually scanning
beyond what the camera cap-
tured. To get rid of this overscan the
image may be blown up (scaled) to fit
the 2K frame. Scaling creates new pixels
out of the adjacent pixels, almost
always losing detail in the process.
Cropping the 2K image to HD size,
keeping the image detail and losing the
overscan and all the unneeded data
presents a workable alternative solution
in many scenarios. A 2K frame
takes up 33% more space on disk than
an HD frame, meaning longer renders,
slower data transfers, and higher cost
due to the increased storage requirements.
Both 2K and HD are not standards,
but loosely applied terms. 2K can be
2048 horizontally or 1828 (Full Frame
or Academy), and some HD formats
fall well below 1920 at 1280 or less.
Others start at 1920 but end up 1440
after compressed on tape. Don’t just
accept the buzz terms. Find out what
you’re paying for.
COLOR PRECISION
Explaining color precision requires
a little engineering history. Video
started out as black and white, with
color added on later. By simply laying
the color signal, on top of the black
and white signal, older TV sets
remained useable. The YUV colorspace
(Y being luminance, U & V being
the color difference channels) used in
HDTV exists as a remnant of those
monochrome days. At the first introduction
of digitized video the technology
simply could not provide enough
bandwidth to record all the color data.
Since our eyes show less sensitivity to
color than to luminance, the industry
determined that fewer samples of the
color information would suffice.. Thus
on each line for every 4 samples of
luminance, there are only 2 samples of
each color. This means that in conventional
HD 4:2:2, horizontally you have
only half the color resolution. Color
Film on the other hand represents
color as RGB, with each color at full
resolution. 2K and HD 4:4:4 RGB use
full bandwidth RGB, just like film,
resulting in higher resolution in highly
saturated parts of the picture, especially
reds and blues. For Example, if
you zoom in on a field of bright red
flowers, and compare a 4:2:2 image
with a 4:4:4 one, the edges of the flowers
look sharper and more saturated
in 4:4:4.. which means the filmmaking
process will permit pulling sharper
mattes, and offer more range in color
correction. Additionally, by working in
RGB, just like film, the colors you
choose in the DI process are more
likely to come across on the final film
76
If you shoot with a digital camera
your DI format choice will likely
result from the choice of the cam-
era, but if you shoot film you face
three choices; 2K, HD 4:4:4 RGB,
and HD 4:2:2 YUV.
out. The difference is not large, but
frequently noticeable.
8-BIT VS. 10-BIT
Another important issue is bitdepth
which determines the total
range of data available to work with.
Most PC based graphics systems work
in 8 bit, while most digital film work
has been 10-bit. Digital video typically
appears as 10 bit in transmission, but
only 8 bit on tape. 8-bit only provides
255 steps between blackest black and
brightest white while 10-bit has 1,024
steps to work with. This gives you
more subtlety in gradations, and, particularly
important for DI, more range
of data to work with. Both HD 4:4:4
and 2K data operate as 10-bit contrasted
to several HD 4:2:2 formats where
only HDCAM-SR and D5 are 10-bit and
all the others are 8-bit on tape.
DATA COMPRESSION
Data compression reduces the
amount of storage, or bandwidth an
image will require in its digital form.
All compression of moving images
results in the loss of some detail.
Current technology cannot practically
record HD to tape in real-time without
some compression. Then why use
tape at all? Why not record to disk?
Tape has the advantages of portability,
and storability. Tape proves ideal
when the material needs to be stored
idle for some time (as in dailies or
camera tapes), or entails transportation
to another location. A tape will
more likely survive being dropped
than a disk drive.
The key is to find a format, and
workflow, that minimizes the chance
of visible compression artifacts
appearing in your final product.
Compression artifacts do not look natural
and therefore subliminally influence
the viewer to sense that something
is not quite right. Anytime an
image, undergoes uncompression and
recompression, it loses additional
image detail. For this reason the postproduction
process should be uncompressed.
Since tape will be used widely
to bring material into the Digital
Intermediate,and as the final result of
the DI, inevitably creates a certain
level of image degeneration but multiple
generations of tape,or compressed
file formats,should never be used for
the stages within the DI.
2K although never compressed,
can also never take advantage of the
benefits of real-time tape formats. HD
4:4:4 RGB can be uncompressed on
disk, or recorded to HDCAM-SR with
virtually no visible loss. HD 4:2:2 can
be uncompressed on disk, or recorded
to many tape formats, with varying
degrees of loss. All three formats can
go through the entire Digital
Intermediate process uncompressed,
but for reasons of economy, practicality,
and time, most HD projects will
spend at least some time on tape.
MIXING FORMATS
It has become quite common to mix
formats in the DI process. A film
scanned in 2K, then goes through conforming,
color grading, effects, etc.
work flows that remain in HD 4:4:4
from the 2K files. This takes advantage
of the enhanced resolution of modern
film scanners, and the economy and
speed of HD 4:4:4 RGB. The final output
can then go to film or any tape format
for delivery without compression
until the final tape output.
SUMMARY
HD 4:4:4 RGB and 2K exhibit identical
color precision, bit depth, and
lack of data compression (if recorded
to disk) with the only difference
between the two a small divergence in
usable resolution. HD 4:2:2 differs only
in color precision, and depending on
tape format, the amount of compression
and bit depth.
Despite the wide range of formats,
standards and media types, all of
these formats have been used successfully
on major motion pictures.
The difference in technical quality is
minor compared to the many creative
and human factors that decide the
final look of the film.
Choosing a successful DI strategy
comes down to finding the right balance
between technical quality and
creative possibilities so that you come
up with the best possible project for
your budget. Your decision on a DI format
should be based largely on which
format has the tools you need, at a
price you can afford, and with people
you trust.

High Quality Cost Effective
Options for Digital Intermediate
Film Scanning with HD 4:4:4 Finishing
BY JIM E. JAMES, CHIEF ENGINEER,
POINT 360, IVC
THE CONCEPT
HD 4:4:4 RGB has become a standard
format for high quality, cost effective
Digital Intermediate. It has all the
quality of 2K, with a more efficient
workflow, resulting in lower cost, and
faster results. There are three ways to
get from your original film negative to
the digital realm of HD. Each has
advantages and disadvantages in the
areas of cost, time, and workflow.
THE OPTIONS
Option One: SD Dailies and 2K Scan:
One option is to create standard definition
dailies for offline, then after the edit
is approved scan only the selected shots
in 2K. A 1920x1080 extraction is then
taken from the 2K scans during the DI
process to create the highest quality HD.
Option Two: SD Dailies and HD
Selects: The next option also starts
with standard definition dailies, but
uses the Spirit Datacine to transfer the
selected takes to HD. This saves cost
and time over the 2K scans, but with a
slight loss of visual sharpness.
Option Three: Dual Sync Dailies: The
final option starts with “Dual Sync”
dailies where both HD “Digital
Negatives,” on HDCAM-SR or D5, and
SD offline tapes are created simultaneously.
After the offline edit is finished the
HD “Digital Negative” tapes are used for
the final conform, or online edit. This
saves time between offline and finishing,
and has alternate takes readily available
if needed. If you want to save time and
be ready for that alternate “Director’s
Cut” this may be the method for you.
THE CHOICES
All three options will yield a high
77
quality final product. Which is the
right choice depends on your budget,
time constraints, and the special needs
of your project. Either HD method
works for 16mm or 35mm. 2K scans
are usually from 35mm only.
2K scans can be pin registered,
which could be an advantage if you will
be compositing using this material.
They also have a higher visual resolution
due to 4K over-sampling in the
scanner. The difference is minor, so
whether this will be noticeable
depends largely on the sharpness of
your negative, and the nature of your
images. 2K will be more expensive and
takes far longer to scan then telecine,
which could be an issue if deadlines
and budgets are tight. Only “Selects”,
or shots that will be in the final movie
are scanned.
HD Selects has the advantage of
being a faster and usually less expen-
sive process. Again, only the material
in the final edit is transferred. The
shots can be transferred to tape, or
uncompressed to disk. If a lot of material
was shot that will not be used this
can be the most cost-effective option.
Dual Sync Dailies transferred all
your dailies to HD tape, so when you
are done in offline you can go immediately
to the conforming stage with no
wait for scanning. The tapes can be
archived so that if future re-edits are
required all the alternate takes are
available with no additional scanning
cost or time. While transferring all the
takes to HD may result in a slightly
higher original cost, there could be a
long term cost benefit by avoiding retransfers.
Also, if during the offline
process there is any question about the
quality of a shot, it can be viewed in HD
on the big screen without the cost of
having to pull and rescan the negative.

Bringing a Director’s First and
Latest Films to New Life
IT IS AN UNUSUAL EXPERIENCE FOR
a legendary film director to walk into
a post house on one day to complete
the transfer of his latest film, and then
the very next day, as if traveling back in
time, return to the post house to
remaster the film that launched his
career. But that’s exactly what Jim
Jarmusch experienced recently with
Broken Flowers (2005)—the 2005
Cannes winner of the Grand Prize—
and Permanent Vacation (1980)—his
first film that started out as a school
project at NYU film school.
Broken Flowers was met with
instant acclaim when the independent
film was unveiled at the 2005 Cannes
Film Festival. When it came time to
transfer the project to video and DVD
for home release, Jarmusch’s main
concern was to preserve the integrity
of the special look and feel for which
the film was heralded. So he turned to
a longtime ally in freelance colorist
John Dowdell, who first worked with
Jarmusch more than 15 years ago.
Dowdell in turn relied on the familiar
toolset of the da Vinci 2K Plus as he
worked on the material.
This collaboration of the old friends
was actually intended from the start to
be a two-pronged endeavor. While the
newly acclaimed Broken Flowers had
the higher priority due to the schedule
of release, Jarmusch had wanted for a
long time to remaster his first flick,
Permanent Vacation, in order to
release it to a new audience. While the
work on Broken Flowers was a relatively
straightforward process, it was
the transfer of Permanent Vacation
that really put the da Vinci to the test.
79
Translating the Look of Film onto Video with the da Vinci 2K Plus
The remastering of Broken
Flowers began with the screening of a
new print of the film. Along with DP
Fred Elmes—who years ago started
his career with Dowdell at the
Rochester Institute of Technology—
Jarmusch and Dowdell collaborated
together to determine the look that
would characterize their remastering
of the movie.
Broken Flowers included a number
of scenes that presented the team with
a challenge in retaining the look of
film. For example, one scene was shot
at a cemetery with changing light and
rain. Before the video was corrected
with the 2K Plus, the greens were
exaggerated and the blues were overly
saturated. With da Vinci’s new
Toolbox2, Dowdell was able to isolate
skin tones and clothing on separate
mattes to bring these colors into balance.
The Gallery feature proved criti-
CONTINUED ON PAGE 82

Comic Relief
The DI Pie In The Sky
WHEN HE FINISHED WRITING
the purchase order for
Digital Intermediate services,
he glanced at the date he had just
scrawled—April 1, 2005. Typical, he
thought, this whole thing feels like a
bad joke. He could only hope that his
post production partner in all of this,
DTS Digital, had a sense of humor, and
more importantly could pull off the
miracle they had both conceived.
Aurélien Bonzon, producer for
AlphaKey Productions, SA and producer
of the independent feature film
9-A had a big problem. In fact it was a
huge problem, and it was growing at an
alarming rate.
Late in the summer of 2004, while
viewing rushes, his team realized they
were in trouble. 9-A is a noir drama set
in New York City, directed by Reza
Rezai, and shot on 35mm B&W film.
While the postproduction was planned
to be completed in Europe, the negative
processing was done locally in
New York City. The stock was fine, the
camera operated flawlessly, but the
prints and processed negative came
back horribly grainy, dirty, loaded with
flicker, and covered with waterspots.
There was some sort of chemical processing
control problem.
What could he do? They couldn’t
reshoot. Talent, schedules, finances,
nothing added up. Fortunately, someone
suggested that he contact DTS
Digital Images.
DTS Digital Images (formerly Lowry
Digital Images) is one of the top film
restoration houses in the world and
they achieved that reputation by solving
the very toughest image problems.
You didn’t call them with a simple
request for a telecine transfer and color
correction. You called them when your
images had problems, tough image
problems. That’s what he had now, and
maybe, just maybe they could help.
THE PROBLEM SOLVER
Founded by television and motion
picture veteran and imaging expert
John Lowry and acquired by DTS, Inc.
in 2005, DTS Digital Images uses custom
image processing algorithms that
they develop in-house and apply with
600 Apple G5 dual processor computers.
They specialize in eliminating the
bad things that happen to film and
video through age, physical abuse, and
even problems in original capture.
More fortunate yet, the problems that
the people at DTS Digital Images had
solved on other projects, he learned,
included high grain levels, flicker, dirt,
and damage. If they were good enough
to be trusted with the restorations of
the Star Wars trilogy, the Indiana
Jones trilogy, Bambi, Cinderella,
Casablanca, Singin’ in the Rain,
Sunset Boulevard, and nearly 100
other classic films, they were probably
good enough for 9-A.
Three weeks later, by the end of
August, DTS Digital Images had completed
a series of tests to confirm that
those ridiculous grain levels, the horrible
flicker, and the dirt and waterspots could
be removed. This custom image processing
stuff was amazing. A plan was quickly
put in place to process the entire feature
film. This would be done after editing
was complete, but before final digital
assembly at a digital intermediate house
in Europe. The ship was back on course
and all was right with the world. That is,
until the other shoe dropped.
WHAT!?!
It was raining on the day that
Aurélien received the fateful call from
his European digital intermediate
house. They were behind schedule and
terribly overbooked they said. They
could not complete his DI, not on the
schedule they had promised and not
on the schedule he needed.
80
9-A was slated for its world premier
at the Cannes Film Festival in the
beginning of May and he had five
weeks to find someone else and complete
everything. He had to digitize his
film, have it image processed at DTS
Digital Images, have the digital opticals
created, conform the movie, color correct
it, output it to a digital negative,
finish sound, and print it. All in five
weeks. The insanity of it all was that he
knew it normally took six to eight
weeks just to do a simple digital intermediate.
There was really only one possibility.
There was no way to coordinate
between multiple companies and multiple
locations anymore. He had to
convince his contacts at DTS Digital
Images to do the digital intermediate
work too. And, busy as they were, he
had to convince them to do it in record
time. Maybe, just maybe, since DTS
Digital Images was a data centric facility
and had so many imaging tricks up
their sleeve, they could pull this off.
So, here he was, after a few days of
intense negotiations, writing the purchase
order on April Fool’s Day. He
had restacked the cards for one more
shuffle, but he just hoped that the joke
wasn’t on him.
Twenty five days later on board his
flight to France with two prints under
his arm, what he felt was relief. It hadn’t
been a cruel joke after all. Right now
though those 25 days were just a blur.
In fact, repairing each of 120,000
frames of damaged film and then
pulling off a full digital intermediate
this quickly had surely set a record.
His assistant editor, Annick Raoul
(she was assistant to editor Sébastien
Prangère) had spent a week directing
the conform and digital optical work
with DTS Digital’s Robin Melhuish on a
DVS Clipster. He himself, and director
Reza Rezai had tag teamed to super-
You didn’t call them with a
simple request for a telecine
transfer and color correction.
You called them when your
images had problems, tough
image problems. That’s what he
had now, and maybe, just maybe
they could help.
vise the marathon color correction sessions
with DTS Digital’s colorist Marian
Grau using Speedgrade DI, the software-based
color correction system
from Iridas. On a daily basis the entire
team had scrutinized and tweaked the
output from DTS’s image processing
pipeline with Stephanie Middler the
image processing specialist on the DTS
team. Each day had generally ended
with screenings of prints from the digital
negatives output the previous day
on DTS’s ARRI laser recorder. The
project had run like clockwork, even if
it had run around the clock.
While his mind drifted to the impending
premiere screening of 9-A, Aurélien
couldn’t help but wonder when another
project of his would take him back to
Burbank, and the image magicians at
DTS Digital Images. No one really hopes
for imaging problems, but how often do
you get to blaze new trails and set new
records in this business.
To learn more about the image
repair and digital intermediate
services from DTS Digital Images,
call them at (818) 557-7333 or write
them at digitalimages@dts.com. To
find out more about 9-A and other
films from AlphaKey Productions,
call (323) 804-4213 or write them at
contact@alphakeyprod.com.

DIGITAL INTERMEDIATE MASTERING
FOR FILM, DIGITAL CINEMA, BROADCAST & DVD
• Digital Intermediate Mastering Theater
• Film-to-HD / 2K / 4K and Data-to-HD
• HD / 2K -to- 35mm Filmout new digital process
• Resolution Independent Digital Restoration
• Visual Improvement Processing
• Audio Restoration and Dolby ® Encoding
• HD / 2K Editing and Color Correction
• Conversion to/from All Formats & Standards
PHONE: 818-569-4949 www.ivchd.com
IVC DIGITAL FILM CENTER
A Point. 360 Company
2777 Ontario Street
Burbank, CA 91604 USA

Good Color Space in Miami
BY SCOTT BAYER
BRADLEY GREER, POST
Production Supervisor at Cineworks
Digital Studios in Miami,
started with the facility when they
opened their doors six years ago with
just one telecine and one editing suite.
Today the company sports three
telecines, full-blown HD facilities, a
screening room with complete 2K
capabilities.
Cineworks’ owner originally intended
to provide the level of sophistication
technically and creatively that
flourishes in New York and Los
Angeles to the Miami marketplace.
That goal has been more than accomplished
as Cineworks now offers the
only full digital intermediate work flow
not only in Miami but the whole southeastern
part of the country.
“We pretty much have all the standard
decks,” Greer observes. “On the
high end we have the DVCPRO and all
the mini DV options but we do sit on a
HDCAM format. We do a lot of independent
features on HDCAM because
it is very cost effective and allows producers
with limited budgets to
increase their production value. At the
same time we have just invested in the
latest and greatest technology, the
HDCAM SR format which is 4:4:4.”
(Cineworks can do 4:4:4, 4:2:2 and 2K)
When I was in film school, I made
my first video when it was being
recorded on porta-paks and they told
us that video would keep getting better
and film would be gone soon. That’s
around 25 years ago and as I’ve gotten
deeper into restoration, preservation,
digital intermediates and yes “Color
Space” (or 4:4:4 vs. 4:2:2 vs. 4:2:0 vs.
2K) and as evangelizing HD has turned
into moving product; it has become
quite relevant that film technology and
film itself keeps improving and that
film still lasts longer than any other
medium.
According to Greer “it’s certainly a
da Vinci
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 79
cal for comparing color nuances, especially
in matching skin tones.
With release of the movie scheduled
for theaters, HBO and DVD, the project
passed several times through a Spirit
telecine for pan and scan. Dowdell then
utilized the da Vinci Revival restoration
toolset for final touch-ups on the different
versions of the material.
complicated issue with people talking
about HD over film and film over HD.
For me the bottom line is this: video
has come a long way. HD image capturing
is incredibly impressive especially
when you reference it to what
video used to be which is the handicap
we always give it. We’re all going “Oh
my god, we never thought a video picture
could look so good. But we should
be referencing it to the standard of
film. When you do a split screen comparison,
video technically still has a
long way to go to be at the quality film
is at. But the most exciting thing about
filmmaking and HD is the fact that
since its been phased into the post end
of the process, it has become the most
powerful technology available to
manipulate your film-originated material
and still maintain a level of quality
that is rather superior and keep resolution
and integrity. That certainly is
pretty intense in terms of the option
and flexibility it gives you. When you
look at it over the last couple of years
HD has exploded in the business and
digital intermediates have really taken
off. Unfortunately, what you find is
that the dust has yet to settle. There is
just not enough standardization yet
between all of the big competing corporations,
offering the decks, the cameras
and the technology. There is
such a war going on that the filmmakers
and the post-facilities get stuck in
the middle of this confusion. It certainly
can get very complicated and tricky
and I think we are years away from
that being sorted out to a point that
everyone is comfortable with the new
pipelines and the digital tools. Because
as much as we have this computer
power and certainly it liberates you
creatively, so I can do almost anything
With the transfer of Jarmusch’s
most recent work successfully completed,
Jarmusch and Dowdell proceeded
right into tackling the more
complex remastering of Permanent
Vacation. Originally shot on 16mm
reversal film, Jarmusch’s thesis film for
completion of his studies at NYU had
been blown up from 16mm to 35mm
negative. Then, using a Spirit telecine
and da Vinci 2K Plus processing,
Dowdell transferred the 35mm 4:3
negative images into HD, mastering
them at 24p on Panasonic HD tape.
Now with a remastered tape of his
film, Jarmusch turned to both the 2K
82
PEOPLE YOU SHOULD KNOW
BRADLEY GREER • CINEWORKS DIGITAL
I want to my image. to tell my story
but, at the end of the day, what people
take for granted is the fact that you
could have all the power and capacity,
in the world, but who’s operating or
driving your machine?
“Everybody gets all excited about
hearing 2K, 4K, 6K, 8K and those resolutions
are only limited by the CPU processing
power which will never stop
increasing. So certainly that’s just
around the corner. Regrettably, I think
the discussion point out there among
the trade magazines and people inside
the industry is the wrong point of discussion.
Everybody goes ‘Oh my god’ I
want to scan at 4K instead of 2K
because it’s going to be better. You
know you can add all the resolution,
into the image, you want. You can add
all the scan lines you want. The real
flaw in the system right now is really
your color space and nobody talks
about color space. You can add all the
lines of resolution you want and sharpen
and sharpen and sharpen your image
but you are still dealing with the video
electronic color space of NTSC television,
which was invented in the 1950s,
and which is essentially what we are
still stuck with. You can add all the lines
you want but it’s still going to have that
video characteristic. At least until
somebody comes along and actually
reinvents that color space to capture
millions and millions of colors more
accurately like film. You can go up to
12K in four years, all you want, but its
just going to look like a really sharp
video picture. And I’m really kind of disappointed
that isn’t a “common” point
of discussion out there in the business.”
Yeah, people don’t know what colorspace
is—they have enough trouble
getting DI down. “We have people
Plus and Revival toolsets. Dowdell utilized
the da Vinci tools to make a number
of adjustments to the original material
that were not available in 1980,
including post-production changes in
exposure, focus, contrast, and density.
Not only was the color adjusted and
improved compared to the film print,
the team also took the opportunity to
correct other problems with the original,
such as removing an original camera
scratch from an important scene.
Jarmusch was so amazed with the
improvements that he often came to
request “Why don’t you da Vinci that?”
during the screenings.
coming in all the time,” Greer continues,
“saying can you give us a 2K scan,
because that’s the buzz word, and
that’s not really what you want to talk
about. You should be talking about getting
the best image out of your film.
The other problem is when you look at
2K and 4K, the scans are so high resolution
that they pick up more film
grain then you would have gotten
doing an old school answer print. I
don’t think film is going anywhere too
soon but certainly Sony is trying hard.
What about Super 16?
“That’s the exciting part as HD
options in the post pipeline have created
a renaissance in Super 16mm. You
are now really able to make a competitive
product with good photography,
shot on Super 16 film and finishing on
HDCAM”.
I ask whether the Super 16 look is
as good as the top HD.
“Super 16 is far superior because
you are still originating on film.”
All things being equal, cinematographer,
lighting, crew, everything else; if
you are shooting Super 16 or the best
4:4:4 HD what is going to look better?
“Super 16, indisputably,” Greer
proclaims without any hesitation.
“Super 16 is far superior because
you are still originating on film.
We get these independent filmmakers
who come in all the time and
they’ve got half a million, three quarters
of a million, million dollar budgets
and they go, “hey we are ready to
make our movie and we’re going to
shoot it in HD.” That’s when we give
them the big Super 16 pitch that they
are going to get more bang for their
buck and are going to have a better
image at the end of the day. And their
response typically to us is “oh no we’d
never shoot film because it is so much
more difficult than video” but the reality
is, capturing a strong, seductive
image on video requires four to five
times the effort and time than it does
to capture it on film.”
Revival’s combination of automated
and interactive toolsets made it possible
for Dowdell to tweak every single
shot in the film, yet still complete the
restoration in just 16 hours and on
budget.
“The tools that da Vinci provides
are outstanding for achieving the
results that I’m looking for when transferring
a film to video,” said Jarmusch.
“The transfer of Broken Flowers was a
straightforward process with beautiful
results, but it was the transfer of
Permanent Vacation that really put
da Vinci to the test. Their tools let me
give this film new life.”

New York Cine Equipment Show
New show fills void left by defunct ShowBiz Expo
BY MICHAEL VITTI
AS THE PAST YEAR STARTS
its inevitable fade, one bright
spot was the maiden run of the
New York Cine Equipment Show
September 20-21, 2005. Michael and
Amy Trerotoli of Trerotoli & Associates,
Arri’s Franz Wieser and the American
Society of Cinematographers turned the
New York Hilton into cameraland for
two full days of seminars, exhibits and
social events.
The exhibition hall and ASC powered
seminars were free to the cine
conscious public. Some of the notable
NYCES events: Jon Fauer’s Lighting
101, NY Film Production, Digital
Intermediate sessions, Arri debuted
the Arriflex D-20 digital cine camera to
the American East, the new Arriflex
235 film camera and new Arrimax
18/12K par fixture in the exhibit hall
and the industry cocktail party were
heavily attended. Amy excitedly told
me about the new show for the South
East, the Miami Digital and Cine Expo,
November 13-14, 2006.
Refering to the upcoming NYCES,
“We look forward to seeing New Yorkers
NAB Post+
again Oct. 9th & 10th, 2006 at the
beautiful Metropolitan Pavilion on
West 18th Street,” says Amy
Trerotoli. Trés cool space, the
Metropolitan is usually filled with
super models, luxury sample sales
and fashionable events.
The atmosphere was collegial
and boundless between presenters
and attendees. Found at the door
or in the hallways greeting and
meeting was Franz Wieser acting
as Arri’s emissary. Inside, Jon
Fauer’s ‘user friendly’ approach to
camera workings is legendary and
the same approach is applied to his
Lighting 101 session. Copies of
Film and Digital Times were on
every seat, sessions were ambitious, and
attendees swapped questions with panelists
during Q&A or in the halls. A sampling
of panelists included Ellen Kuras,
Sol Negrin, Dejan Georgevich, Billy
Baldwin, Stefan Czapaky and John
Dowdell offering great access and facilitated
the exchange of ideas with the
accomplished.
Though foot traffic varied across the
two-day event (partially a result of the
83
event being scheduled the same week as
the IFP Market), the exhibit hall was just
busy enough to keep vendors in their
booths offering unprecedented knowledge
& gear exposure for attendees.
Abel Cinetech had all it’s stars on the
floor for Q&A, Aaton and Panasonic
camera gear and some cool grip gear as
well. In this photographer’s opinion,
Chimera had the best show schwag with
its velcro rip key fob. Eric Druker repre-
First event in New York City shows promise
BY MICHAEL VITTI
TWO THOUSAND AND FIVE
turned in another regional first:
The National Association of
Broadcasters developed a post production
show for the northeast in New
York City. Well, at least the famous
South Hall of the International NAB
Las Vegas show migrated east to the
Jacob K. Javits last November.
Sandwiched between the Kosher
Food Festival and the International
Hotel & Food Show, NAB Post+ produced
its first East Coast event 15-
17 November, 2005. Emphasizing
training and all things digital, this
show featured Apple Pro
Applications and Avid certified
training, exposure to production
and post production techniques,
and several Adobe, Flash and web
applications produced by Future
Media Concepts. For all other
attendees, the big attraction was
the freebies, the keynote events
and exhibit hall.
Video acquisition and post, DVD
authoring and web based distribution
figured prominently in this show, perfect
for the independent storyteller
with limited capital and a desire for
solid production value.
Every day of the NAB Post+ show
produced a unique keynote event
with three editors and a documentary
film screening, Secrets of Movie
Magic Revealed (co production with
NHK, BBC, AVRO and ACE). Emmy
award winning editor of the TV
series 24, Chris Willingham took the
first keynote on Tuesday evening.
Oscar Award winning editors Thelma
Schoonmacher (Raging Bull) and
David Sqyres (Crouching Tiger,
Hidden Dragon) spoke on
Wednesday and Thursday mornings
respectively. By the way, Secrets of
Movie Magic Revealed is out on
DVD, and was surprisingly candid.
Wednesday night was Post
Magazine’s 20th anniversary party at
44 1/2 Restaurant located in the Hell’s
PHOTO BY MICHAEL VITTI, VITTIPHOTO
Exhibit hall floor,NY Cine Equipment Show.
Kitchen neighborhood
while the local user
groups met on site. The
East Coast Final Cut Pro
User Groups prevailed
with six speakers (audio
engineer Peter Levin,
trainer Jem Schofield,
Avid’s Tim Wilson, editor
Anne Renehan, Total
Training guru Richard
Lainhart, and composer David
Majzlin) on audio and music for film
and schwag bags with Genarts killer
laser pens. Programming was completed
by Don Gaile and Keith Larsen
of the NYC FC UG and CTFCPUG.
With that kind of lineup, the
ECFCPUG meeting resulted in a nearly
a full house despite the competition
and inclement weather.
The show floor traffic was strongly
supported by local retailers and VARS
like Tekserve, Manhattan Production
Music, Student Filmmakers, Dale Pro
Audio, and B&H. The exhibits provides
senting Lowel set up a mini studio
with every light out of their catalog.
Several rental houses like
TCS, Plus 8 Digital and Tamborelli
were on hand with a good amount
of grip equipment, lighting and
video equipment to mark the
progress in digital cinematography’s
incursion. NYCES also
worked closely with local labor
unions and the New York City
Final Cut User’s Group. Several
publications were on hand to
round out industry representation
with Millimeter, Post, American
Cinematographer, Videography,
and Markee Publishing.
If the visual image is your passion,
occupation or preoccupation, the
New York Cine Equipment Show may
be a new calendar entry. The NYCES is
an ideal show for indie filmmaker,
commercial DP and feature cinematographer
fulfilling the need for
idea exchange, peer to peer interaction
and education opportunities. Look
for NYCES this fall, October 9-10 at
the Metropolitan Pavilion. For current
information, visit www.nyces.org.
PHOTO BY KEITH LARSEN,
SLEEPLESS KNIGHTS PRODUCTIONS IMAGE SOURCE
The East Coast Final Cut Pro Users’ Gropu event at
NAB Post+
opportunity for visitors to meet the
representatives, ask questions and get
to know their wares in an unhurried
atmosphere. As one vendor opined,
“this has been a relaxing show, probably
not a good thing!”
The National Association of
Broadcasters site has New Yorkers
looking forward to NAB Post+ 2006,
October 24-26th also at the Javit’s
Center. I would suspect this show will
see heavier attendance, more like the
Las Vegas experience sans neon and
desert sand. Visit www.nab.org for
more information.

INDIE PRODUCTION SERVICES
Public Relations
JAY SILVER
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Call For Current Reel
(m) 718.809.9655
jay.silver@mac.com
GARY SPRINGER
SPRINGER ASSOCIATES PR (212) 354-4660
1501 Broadway Suite 1314A Fax (212) 354-7588
New York, New York 10036 Mobile (914) 659-4802
e-mail: gary@springchicpr.com
Mik Cribben
Steadicam Operator
NYC/MIAMI
(P) 800.235.2713 • (C) 917.513.3795
Tb6-Monitor • Modulus Video Transmitter
Sony Monitor and Receiver
Jerry Hill 12V & 24V Electronic • BDF Follow Focus
Sony Beta SP Camera-Arri 16/S16-Arri 35 BL
212-228-4254
646-247-7871
www.earthvideo.net
From the creator
of the Youth Actors Expo,
VR Events will travel anywhere
for your next Film Festival Party.
Go to www.vrevents.com for more information
or contact 800-310-9830 • eric@vrevents.com

Indie Side Out
BY MICHAEL CAPORALE
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2005
Behind rows of pristine white linen
couches and stylish table lamps, in the
back row of the lavishly decorated
Ballroom C of the Universal Hilton sit
worried executives nervously awaiting
the unveiling of the HVX200,
Panasonic’s latest camera, to the
national press. As would be expected,
anticipation in the press is high. Will
the HVX live up to the many claims
made about it since its introduction at
NAB... a tapeless, multi-format HD
camera with variable frame rates and
cine-gamma for under $6,000, capable
of shooting digital feature films with an
uncompromised film look? The basis
for the executives’ concern, however,
is not the performance of this new
camera but that of their guest speaker.
You see, the camera performs flawlessly.
I can attest to that. I shot the
demo footage about to be shown on the
big screen. To confirm the camera’s
sharpness and resolution I had decided
to put it to the ultimate test, to shoot a
music video on greenscreen. Shortly,
that video, Boom, Baby, Boom by artist
John Brannen, will fill the giant screen
as it already has for other meetings. So,
yes I am quite confident.
BUT IT ALL BEGAN TWO DAYS AGO
WITH THE SALES MEETING...
As the music video rolled, I watched
carefully, examining the mattes to see
any evidence of green fringing, tearing,
or loss of image. None. In fact, individual
hairs blowing in the wind were
keyed perfectly at Harry Potter quality
from the HVX’s footage shot at 720/24p
DVCPRO HD. Had this been an HDV
camera, precise matte work such as this
would not have been possible, since the
MPEG-2 long GOP’s prediction frames
lack sufficient resolution on moving
objects, yet alone fine individual hairs
blowing in the wind. I can relax.
Several speeches followed delineating
marketing and pricing policies and
then the surprise guest speaker, Kevin
Smith (Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing
Amy, Dogma), was introduced and
took the stage. A few awkward, academy-award-style
scripted jokes later
and suddenly Kevin was off-script.
Expletives that would have caused
a lump of pride in the throat of former
President Richard Nixon, now split the
room into stupefied silence punctuated
by howls of spit-stuttering, bellyaching
laughter as Mr. Smith explains
in horrifying detail how he expects the
HVX200 to improve his home
movies—porno movies that is.
Apparently he has trouble with his
current camera rendering the exact
color of his ample posterior correctly.
And while the HVX can certainly
address those technical issues for
him, he’d also be pleased to know
that he won’t experience a loss of
detail on fine hairs either, although I
doubt he uses a wind machine for
such productions.
Not since the Polaroid Swinger
swung its way onto the scene in 1966
has the notion that mere amateurs
could anonymously revel in activities
formerly reserved exclusively for the
elite become reality. Rob Lowe, Paris
Hilton, and Pamela Anderson will face
stiff competition in their private film
endeavors as eager flocks of unemployed,
would-be movie stars ratchet
up production values, shunning moral
values, to bask in their own glory,
tempting their otherwise passive,
naive girlfriend/boyfriend to take the
plunge with them or in a low-flying
solo act give new meaning to the
words “independent film.” Expanding
the job market and filling the loss in
camera assistants by creating more
opportunities for fluffers, these
unsung filmmakers will provide comfort
to Republicans everywhere.
Inexpressible joy will seize their calculating
GOP (it used to mean something
different) hearts as they spin
this into the first positive economic
news since Bill Clinton gave up cigar
smoking for other pleasures.
AGNOSTICISM
But pleasure does not come without
pain, as the politicos will have to reckon
with a camera that is “Format
Agnostic”...huh? Excluding the late
17th century where such an admission
would get you a public dunk in the
local river, tied to the long end of a
see-saw, such words have ne’er been
spoken until recently when format
agnosticism came full circle, vengefully
manifesting itself in catchy little
phrases that would spell the utter
destruction of a broad range of religious
celebrations... phrases like “season’s
greetings” and “happy holidays.”
Now, with P2 cards in use in the
HVX200, these very same words will
destroy single format cameras by
being simply “multi-format.” Yes, “format
agnostic” means that these virgin
filmmakers (I use the word lightly) can
co-produce in any or all formats of
standard or high definition, that is 480,
720, 1080, interlaced or progressively
at 24, 30 or 60 frames per second. And
if that isn’t enough to stimulate Viagra
sales, narcissists everywhere can
87
P2: The Great Equalizer
watch themselves in slow or fast
motion by taking advantage of the
many variable frame rates offered by
the HVX200.
But these benefits are not limited
to home movie upgrades. Other
embedded shooters will also benefit,
presumably without suffering a confusion
of values. Citizen surveillance
of police departments will improve
with high definition imaging. No
longer will we have to endure the
fuzzy, muddied images of nightstick
beatings and streetside stompings of
passive drunken minorities by platoons
of uniformed officers on the
evening news. The crisp high definition
images of the HVX200 will easily
surpass the vagaries and detached
ambivalence of network news production
while creating a more compelling
vision for reality TV.
And when our narcissists are
ready for the big time, anything is
possible because these cameras will
be at the front line of independent
feature film production.
In fact this has been the core of the
secret government’s secret plan for us.
As boring factory jobs are moved offshore
and fast food service jobs are
filled with our elderly, lawyers and
bankers will emerge as politicians in
the only occupations with job security
and benefits. The rest of us will
become filmmakers, who after making
obscene amounts of money can marry
some other guy’s wife (as in my case,
yours may vary with gender and sexual
preference) who also makes
obscene amounts of money starring in
our effects-laden epics.
As to Mr. Smith, well he’s about to
spill the beans to the press and once
they get it, (and they will, because
they won’t have to think about it) Indy
filmmaking will enter the 21st century.
DP Michael Caporale is the principal
of production company 24p Digital
Cinema, LLP (Cincinnati, OH)..
10555 Victory Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91606
(818) 508-YALE
(800) 955-YALE
FAX (818) 762-0688
www.yalefilmandvideo.com
info@yalefilmandvideo.com
35MM COLOR PROCESSING
16MM, SUPER 8 & REG 8
PROCESSING & SALES
SUPER 8 RENTALS
FILM TO VIDEO TRANSFERS
DIGITAL ENCODING

Lenses for Digital Cinematography
Two Approaches
BY LARRY THORPE AND GORDON TUBBS
DIGITAL HIGH DEFINITION VIDEO
cameras that capture 24 discrete
motion-images per second
(24p) are increasingly being used to
make theatrical features by traditional
film-using moviemakers as well as digital
cineastes from the TV/pro video
world. Both types of digital filmmaker
are taking advantage of the workflow
benefits and relative affordability of
HD 24p to produce everything from
major Hollywood releases to indie pictures.
Both types of filmmaker are also
gaining a better appreciation for one
another’s production methods.
Film-users have come to appreciate
the longer load times, lower media
costs, and workflow improvements that
HD 24p brings from its video-camcorder
origins. Moviemakers migrating from
the TV/video world, meanwhile, have
access to the creative options afforded
by new prime and zoom lenses designed
for digital cinematography. Like their
film-using colleagues, these moviemakers
know that lenses not only create the
optical image for presentation to the
camera’s digital sensor (or film shutter),
but are also a powerful means of manipulating
that image to enhance and convey
the art of storytelling.
TWO WORLDS OF LENSES
Lenses for digital cinematography
today include cine primes and zooms
designed for traditional film-style
shooting as well as a broad range of
portable HD lenses made for electronic
field production (EFP) and electronic
newsgathering (ENG) in the
TV/video world. Which style of HD lens
to use for 24p moviemaking usually
depends on what an individual filmmaker
is comfortable with, or what
their background (film or TV/video)
happens to be.
In the world of film—whether it be
Super16mm, 35mm, 65mm, or other
formats—directors of photography,
camera operators, assistant camera
operators, and grips all have pre-determined
expectations as to how their
equipment is supposed to operate.
These expectations are based on a
long process of experience and lenstechnology
refinements that began
more than a century ago. Professional
film crews expect certain features to
be present in the equipment they use.
TV and video professionals also have
expectations as to how their equipment
will operate. Portable TV cameras were
first developed for ENG during the
1970s. Lenses that could zoom proved
their value for news early on. EFP applications
soon followed. Thirty years later,
when companies such as Sony and
Panasonic began introducing portable
HD cameras that can be switched to
address both the 60i ENG/EFP needs of
the TV/video world as well as the 24p
requirements of digital cinematography,
the need emerged for lenses that could
address both styles of production.
Canon’s Broadcast &
Communications division, one of the
world’s leading makers of high-performance
lenses, had a long history in making
standard definition (SD) portable
video lenses, as well as 16mm and
Super16mm film lenses for Arriflex and
Aaton cameras. The transition to
designing and manufacturing HD lenses
for both digital cinematography (“cine”)
and HD ENG/EFP was a natural next
step. Canon’s first cine lenses, known as
the High Definition-Electronic
Cinematography (HD-EC) line, were
introduced in 2000, and included an
18:1 zoom lens and a wide-angle zoom
lens, which had a 9x zoom ratio. Those
lenses have since been replaced; today
Canon’s HD-EC line today includes a
series of six Cine Prime lenses, three
Cine Zoom lenses, and a revolutionary
Anamorphic Converter that is available
to be used with all B4-format lenses.
Canon has also, meanwhile, developed
a full line of versatile and innovative
portable HD lenses for the ENG and
EFP needs of the TV/video world. These
lenses include extreme wide-angle models,
lenses with built-in Image
Stabilization, and “eDrive” lenses with
programmable features (such as zoom
speeds and focus settings) that camera
operators can automate for exact, digital
servo-controlled repeatability.
INITIAL DIFFERENCES
The design parameters from an
optical standpoint are basically the
same between Canon’s HD-EC line of
cine lenses and its line of portable HD
ENG/EFP lenses, with some subtle differences
as will be outlined later.
There are, however, definite mechanical
and electronic differences between
HD-EC lenses (primes and zooms) and
portable HD lenses (all of which are
zooms). These differences are a reflection
of the long and differing traditions
in the way these lenses are used.
A first major difference between
these lens categories is evidenced in
the fact that portable video lenses
include an integral primary servo-drive
unit. This unit contains an internal
zoom motor, iris motor, and—in some
cases—a focus motor. The unit, which
also serves as a camera grip that
includes control buttons, the zoom’s
rocker-switch, and—in some models
an LED screen to set eDrive features—is
designed to comfortably
accommodate the contours of the
user’s hand. This servo-drive unit/grip
88
assembly provides a means of both
holding the camera (which is balanced
on the operator’s shoulder) and controlling
it physically and electronically.
The drive units built onto the side
of portable HD (and SD) video lenses
do not exist on cine lenses. Other than
the highly readable and detailed markings
on the lens barrel, and the gear
teeth that circle the outside of that
barrel, the cine lens is bare. This is
because traditional film-style shooting
uses third-party accessories for focus
motors, mechanical focus drives, zoom
motors, and iris motors.
Incidentally, the pitch of the gears
used for cine-zoom, focus, and iris is
quite a bit larger than what is used for
portable HD lenses. Canon uses the
international standard usually referred
to as the “Arri gear pitch,” which
allows for all standard film accessories,
including zoom motors, focus motors,
and mechanical attachments to be
married to the cine (HD-EC) lens just
as they would on a cine lens designed
for a film camera.
A second major difference between
cine and portable HD lenses is the rotation
angle of the focus barrel. Today all
portable lenses produced by Canon for
video applications use Internal Focusing
(which is also true of Canon’s HD-ECstyle
cine lenses). The amount of this
rotation is based on the fact that
portable camera users need to be able to
move from infinity to close-focusing
without taking their hand off the barrel.
This limits the rotation angle of the
focus barrel to about 100 degrees.
Cine-style shooting is, however, very
different from ENG/EFP-style shooting.
In cine-style shooting it’s typically not
necessary to move the focus barrel from
one side to the other without taking
your hand off the barrel. But the focussetting
numbers and calibration marks
engraved on the barrels of cine-style
lenses must be far more precise, readable,
and abundant. Consider: With
portable video lenses, focus is achieved
by looking through the viewfinder. This
is not true in cine-style shooting, where
focus is typically accomplished by precisely
measuring the distance from the
focal plane of the camera to the subject
and then rotating the lens barrel to the
proper focus mark. Although markings
on a video lens may take you from 10 to
50 feet in one small movement of the
barrel, this would never be accurate
enough in cine-style shooting. Cinestyle
lenses have to be marked in many
more segments, which requires a complete
mechanical re-design of the focus
system from what’s found in portable
HD (and SD) video lenses. The amount
of focus rotation is increased on the
cine-style zoom-lens barrel from video’s
100 degrees to 270 degrees of rotation
(280 degrees in cine primes). This
allows for a greater number of precise
focus marks to be engraved. These are
large, luminous markings that are very
precise and easy to read.
A third major difference between
these lens categories is that portable
video lenses are marked for focus from
the front vertex (the front element of the
lens). In other words, if the camera operator
were to measure the distance from
the camera to the person or object being
photographed, that measurement would
begin from the glass face of the lens.
Focus markings on a cine lens barrel,
on the other hand, do not indicate the
distance from the front lens element to
the subject. Instead they refer to the
distance from the film plane (indicated
by a small circle intersected by a vertical
line engraved on the camera body) to
the person or object being photographed.
Even though digital cinematography
cameras do not use film—
and therefore have no film plane—this
style of focus measurement is still used.
The difference is that instead of a film
plane, the intersected circle represents
the position of the plain of the image
sensor (a CCD or a CMOS chip).
MANAGING LIGHT IN VIDEO AND CINE
LENSES
Both video and cine lenses have a
built-in diaphragm that controls the
amount of light they transmit. This variable
aperture alters the diameter of the
bundle of light rays passing through the
lens, allowing fine control over the
brightness of the image being formed at
the lens output port. Aperture Ratio
relates to image brightness and is the
ratio of the effective aperture (D) and
the focal length (F) of the lens. The
brightness of the output object image of
a lens is proportional to the square of
the aperture ratio.
THE VIDEO WORLD—GEOMETRIC
APERTURE
In the traditional video world, for
purposes of calibration, the steps of
aperture control are termed f-
Numbers—and the nature of this control
is known as a Geometric Aperture
system. The f-number expresses the
optical speed (the receptivity to light)
of the lens on the assumption that
100% of the incident white light is
transmitted through the lens. This is
impossible in real-world lens design,
and thus the f-number is not an
absolute measurement of the lens’ optical
sensitivity. Given that the spectral
transmittance of lenses made by different
manufacturers invariably will not be
CONTINUED ON PAGE 90

Lenses for Digital Cinematography
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 88
the same, any two such lenses having
the same f-number may actually have
different optical speeds. This needs to
be carefully accounted for in any sideby-side
tests between different lenses
(using appropriate light meters).
The true merit of the f-number calibration
is its precise control over
changes in light level. The f-number
values are expressed as a geometrical
series starting at 1 with a common
ratio of the square root of 2, as follows:
1.0, 1.4, 2.0, 2.8, 4.0, 5.6, 8.0, 16.0,
22.0, 32.0
Each doubling of the number indicates
a precise halving of the previous
amount of light exiting the lens-output
port. This form of light control has well
served the television world. All of
Canon’s lenses (both SD and HD)
intended for traditional “video” shooting
have their adjustable aperture ring
clearly marked with f-numbers.
The Maximum Relative Aperture of
a lens is a measurement of the lens
optical speed when the lens diaphragm
is wide open—and this f-number may
(and often does) fall between two of
the standard f-numbers listed above.
In such cases, the lens is marked with
a non-standard f-number, e.g., f1.9 in
the case of the Canon HJ11ex4.7B
portable high definition lens.
THE CINE WORLD—PHOTOMETRIC
APERTURE
The filmmaking world has always
been concerned about knowing the
amount of light reaching the film emulsion.
Accordingly, their lenses have traditionally
employed an alternate calibration
system known as Photometric
Aperture—which rates lens light control
in T-numbers. T-number values
take into account the actual transmittance
of the lens and can be related to
f-Number according to:
T-Number = f-Number x 10 /
Transmittance Efficiency (in percent)
Consider a “video” HD lens with a
maximum aperture of f 1.9 and a transmittance
of 84%. The equivalent Tnumber
for that lens is 1.9 x 10 / ( 84 =
19/9.16 = T2.1. Any two lenses having
the same T-number setting will have
identical optical speeds.
DPs accustomed to using film cameras
are just as desirous of knowing the
precise amount of light reaching the
image sensors of digital cameras (particularly
if they have occasion to use one)
and hence they expect that the cine
lenses for such cameras should also be
calibrated in T-numbers. Accordingly,
Canon’s family of 2/3-inch cine prime
lenses and cine zoom lenses all have
their adjustable aperture rings clearly
calibrated in T-numbers.
90
THE CINE LENS: A VARIATION ON A
THEME OF THE HD VIDEO LENS
Those long accustomed to shooting
with motion picture film cameras have
acquired personal, subjective prefer- ences on perceived picture sharpness
and color reproduction that are often at
variance with those who shoot with digital
24p cine cameras. Quantifying the
difference in technical specifications
has proven elusive—but various efforts
are underway to attempt to do so.
Canon undertook a project to begin to
address this issue. They did so on the
basis that a broad family of HD video
lenses had been firmly established to
support conventional HDTV (ENG,
EFP, studio, and field) shooting, and
that the development of this lens technology
also afforded them the opportunity
to develop a parallel family of HD
cine lenses. These HD cine lenses,
Canon determined, would perform in
ways more tailored to the imaging
expectations of the long-established
motion picture film community. It is
important to note that the basic HD
optical design of the two families of lenses
is identical, but that some additional
subtle modifications have been added to
the cine lens family.
Having heard a variety of comments
from those using the first-generation
HD cine lenses, Canon elected to consult
with several DPs to closely examine
the issue of subjective picture sharpness
Canon HD Electronic Cinematography HJ11x4.7B KLL-SC Zoom lens and
HJ11x4.7B portable HD ENG/EFP Zoom lens.Note the focus markings on the
Cine lens and the servo-drive unit on the ENG/EFP lens.
and color reproduction in the case of a
new-generation design of an HD cine
zoom lens and an accompanying family
of cine prime lenses. The collaboration
got underway using a 1080/24p HD camera
and a range of existing HD lenses to
shoot and then subjectively assess a
range of selected images and scenes.
Even with the HD camera image
enhancement set to minimum, there
emerged a general consensus that the
visual perception of sharpness on the
HD monitor was still somewhat “hard”
(too sharp)—especially on close-ups
with the lens aperture setting near to
wide-open—compared to the equivalent
reproduction from a 35mm motion
picture film print. In addition, the DPs
urged a tight match between the color
reproduction of the new family of cine
prime lenses and the cine zoom lens to
facilitate frequent and rapid lens changing
during a shoot without the need to
invoke the auto color balance system of
the HD camera.
A considerable amount of viewing—
on a large screen—followed the shooting
tests. All of the picture detail information
of 1080-line HD is approximately
100 Line-pairs per millimeter
(Lp/mm). There was general agree-

ment that the contrast detail reproduction
of the HD lens-camera system
in the 35-70 Lp/mm region was especially
important to the subjective
“look” of the imagery. This proved
especially true on facial close-ups
when the lens aperture was close to
wide open (a setting popular with
those DPs seeking a shallow depth of
field). These findings provided a first
clue. Bearing in mind that the norm of
imagery for film DPs is, naturally, the
film print projected onto a large
screen, it was felt that another clue
might emerge from a consideration of
the film lens-camera resolution and
the modifications to this that result
from traditional film processing steps.
Canon was challenged to seek a
technical solution to the dilemma of
preserving as high a resolution as
possible at all lens settings of focal
length and aperture, but at the same
time to also introduce a modification
of the level of contrast over the 30-70
Lp/mm spatial frequency region that
might better emulate the behavior of
the film camera and film processing
system. But this, only when the lens
is operating at close to a wide-open
aperture on close-ups.
Powerful computer simulation tools
are available to today’s optical designers.
These tools facilitate all forms of
exploration of the use of different optical
materials, lens element designs,
and optical coatings. The simulations
can show the impact of all of these
design variables on lens-image performance
and on optical aberrations.
Even more important, the collaboration
between the HD camera manufacturers
and the optical manufacturers
has also produced very accurate computer
simulations of HD camera characteristics.
On this particular project
the design engineers manipulated
optical design characteristics for the
lens to search for an overall lens-camera
system image sharpness and color
reproduction that would be more
appealing to the film DPs.
On the issue of picture sharpness,
the design optimization remained
empirical in the sense that the computer
was programmed to progressively
alter appropriate designs that affected
the referred-to 30-70 Lp/mm midband
contrast levels of the lens while
the results were subjectively judged by
the DPs on projections of the simulated
images onto a large screen. The
goal was to effect an adjustment to the
degree of sharpness that synthesized a
“look” on human facial close-ups, producing
an approximation to those seen
on 35mm film projected on a large
screen. For the quest on color reproduction,
simulations of carefully controlled
alterations to the light transmission
characteristics of the lens
were also programmed and subjectively
reviewed on the large screen.
Based upon the consensus that
emerged from this work, a prototype
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model of the new 5.5-44mm T2.1
zoom lens was ultimately built to the
agreed specifications. Manufacturing
tolerances in HD lenses are so tight
that the design simulation could be
accurately reproduced in the actual
optical elements’ manufacture. The
DPs then tested the prototype lens
on the 24p HD camera. Their many
comments included a general agreement
that an important step had
been taken in realizing an HD cine
lens-camera combination that produced
perceived picture sharpness
on human faces and color reproduction
that was pleasing to film DPs.
THE ACV-235 ANAMORPHIC CONVERTER
An important extension of the collaborative
work between Canon and
the DPs was the development of an
optical solution to their additional
request for widescreen CinemaScope
capabilities with 24p digital HD cine
systems. This project produced the
world’s first optical anamorphic converter
for 2/3-inch 24p cine systems.
The converter mounts between the
2/3-inch cine lens and any of the available
2/3-inch digital cameras. It is a
high performance and innovative
design that optically compresses the
output object image from the lens by a
factor of 1.32 in the horizontal direction
and thus ensures that the input
2.35:1 scene content fully occupies the
total 1.78:1 image plane of the camera’s
HD imagers (1.78 x 1.32 = 2.35).
The HD video is subsequently digitally
uncompressed in postproduction prior
to the actual film-out. This maximizes
the overall spatial resolution of the
captured HD image and obviates the
need to “crop” a widescreen image
from a normal 16:9 image capture in
postproduction. This, in turn, produces
a higher overall picture sharpness
on a film-out. The results, as seen
on a final large film projection system,
have been lauded by those who have
used this device, known as the ACV-
235 Anamorphic Converter.
CONCLUSION
So which should be used for digital
cinematography? Cine lenses, such as
Canon’s line of HD-EC primes and
zooms? Or portable HD lenses originally
designed for the ENG/EFP needs of
the television/video world? The answer
is: Whatever the digital filmmaker is
comfortable with. What have long been
parallel universes of emulsion-based
and electronic production are now
intersecting in the age of digital 24p,
and this trend may continue. For now,
however, two separate shooting styles
with long traditions are being accommodated
in a range of HD lenses that
fill the needs of every digital filmmaker.
Larry Thorpe is National
Marketing Executive and Gordon
Tubbs is Assistant Director, respectively,
of the Canon Broadcast &
Communications Division.

To P2 or Not To P2?
BY MICHAEL CAPORALE
THE CHAT GROUPS ARE ALL
buzzing and for those of you who
don’t follow such things or who
don’t own a computer, the really big news
this year that seems to be causing a lot of
confusion is a new technology called P2.
So, let’s get right into it. Just what is P2?
P2 is a tapeless recording media created
by Panasonic for recording video
and audio signals. P2 is format agnostic,
which means P2 does not care what
format you write to it, therefore it can
be multi-format or any format. 1080i,
1080p, 720p, 480p, 480i... all can be
recorded to P2. The housing used for
the media is a PCMCIA card that contains
within its 4 small SD cards striped
as a raid. Currently, P2 cards are available
in 2, 4 and 8 gig configurations.
P2 has actually been around for a
few years. Touted for use in news gathering
because it gives broadcasters
immediate access to their footage for
editing to critical deadlines, P2 has
been misunderstood. Tapeless recording
is not just about immediate access.
That is the least of it. It is more about
freeing the camera from the limitations
and liabilities of recording to tape of
which access time is but one issue. To
record usable video to tape, tape must
move at a constant speed. The speed
that it moves determines how much
data can be written to the tape, hence,
limits the performance of a camera
regarding information such as resolution,
color space and frame rates.
Additionally, with tape comes extra
expense and maintenance as the camera
and tape become subject to heat
and noise and as with all moving parts
will eventually require maintenance
and/or repair. With increased speeds,
tape can break and repeated use can
cause wear familiar to video shooters
as dropouts. Tape can also be problematic
in extreme weather conditions
regarding temperature and humidity.
And tape is a linear format, which is
the reason for those slow access times.
P2 has none of these issues. In operation
it remains as cool as a cucumber
and as silent as a public library on the
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planet Pluto. It is a non-linear media
that allows random-access, so managing
the footage during recording, playback
and editing is greatly simplified. It holds
the promise of a bright future for filmmakers
because theoretically color
space can expand to 4:4:4, resolution
can be increased and frame rates know
no limits. In the real world, however
there are limits and currently they are
the size of the cards, the codecs of the
formats employed, and the limits
imposed by the other hardware used in
manufacturing cameras.
Even within those restrictions,
Panasonic has already shown us the possibilities.
First in the SDX800 and now in
P2’s latest incarnation, the HVX200, with
its many advanced features, it has set an
entirely new standard and opened a
door to future camera designs.
Cameras are, after all, just small
computers with an analog imaging system.
The HVX200 is not only the smallest
“full-up” HD camera but also the
only camera with a surprisingly broad
range of new features that are not just
equivalent to more expensive broadcast
cameras but also otherwise
impossible in tape-transport cameras.
Right now, cards may be relatively
expensive, but the cost of cards drops
rather quickly. Witness the 4 Gig card
which dropped in price from $1,750 to
$650 in a few short months. More
importantly when you consider that
cards are re-used over and over, the
break-even point on the cost of a card
over film or tape costs is only a few uses.
While the size of the cards will be
ever increasing, current record times
are very good. For example an 8 gig
card records 22 minutes of 24 frame
720p DVCPRO HD and since the
HVX200 has two card slots, a shooter
can currently record in that format the
equivalent of four 1,000 foot loads of
CAN OF
WORMS
35mm without reloading cards, which
incidentally are hot-swappable.
But P2 memory cards are only one
of the many ways that the HVX200
records the P2 format. Users can also
record directly to a Firewire-capable
VTR such as the 1200A, outboard
Firewire devices such as Focus
Enhancements’ 120 Gig cameramounted
drive, or directly into a laptop
or computer with appropriate software
such as Final Cut Pro 5.04.
Workflow is simplified in many ways.
In-camera review allows for reclaiming
space by deletion of bad shots or scenes
and shooting can be resumed instantly,
even while reviewing footage. Cards
can be downloaded in the field to
portable drives such as the P2 Store, or
directly read into the PCMCIA slot of a
laptop such as a Powerbook. A five slot
reader is available for interfacing to
desktop computers and the camera will
also function as a reader utilizing
Firewire or USB connection.
Logging and capturing for editing is
automated and is faster than real time.
11 minutes of 720/24p DVCPRO HD can
be captured and automatically logged in
between three and four minutes.
Archiving is the last step in the
process and data can be written to tape,
DVD, Blue Ray Disc, SAIT, DLT, and
LTO devices. With this many choices
security need not be a concern. Other
fields have already successfully made
the move to various forms of non-linear
capture, such as still photography
(writing to cards) and audio recording
(writing to hard drives).
2006 will be the first year that we
will see a feature film authored on P2
memory cards. The benefits to independent
film are many. In the coming
years as P2 expands into larger professional
models of cameras such as the
VariCam, it will eventually be industry
wide adopted and could easily become
the de facto standard for filmmaking.
DP Michael Caporale is the principal
of production company 24p Digital
Cinema, LLP (Cincinnati, OH).

31derful Flavors
BY MICHAEL SILBERGLEID
HOW OFTEN HAVE YOU
TALKED to an equipment dealer
or rental facility that asked
you what you needed? Probably a lot.
They all want to fill your needs,
whether it be for film-based or electronic-based
production or post.
But when is the last time you were
asked what you do?
What you do is the more important
question.
Here’s an example. “I need a 24p
production package for a micro budget
film.” But what do you do? “I’m a news
photographer.”
News photogs work in a 60i world of
everyday television. While 24p gear
might physically look the same with
similar menus, 24p is a different world.
This guy knows video not digital cinematography
and there is a big difference
in how one shoots and the lenses
one can use).
And why does he want 24p anyway?
Does he think that frame rate
alone will give this project a film look
or was he told that 24p is what he
needs? 24p is just a flavor. One of the
best film outs I have ever seen for a
feature was from 60i video—I would
have sworn the project was shot on
35mm film.
Video has made moviemaking
more affordable. Although, depending
on what you’re shooting and how
you’re shooting, film can be cheaper
than video.
So why shoot video? It’s cheaper on
the front-end (even with seemingly
endless reshoots), so you can get
started with less money.
With video, a major chunk of the
budget will be spent on the back-end
during post. You don’t need full financing
to get started.
That being said, I know a ton of
filmmakers who are still waiting to
cut their masterpieces, even though
they wrapped production months or
years ago. Sadly, some projects never
make it to post.
So you want to shoot video. OK,
what flavor?
If budget dictates the answer, then
it’s probably DV. But how would you
answer this question: “We’ve got some
money in the budget, should we shoot
with HDCAM, DVCPROHD, Viper,
HDCAM SR, XDCAM HD, Infinity...?”
All of these formats are (or will be)
fine for acquisition. They’ll all allow
for on-set visualization of images so
you’ll have a better idea of what you’ll
have to work with in post. So how do
you pick one or two flavors from 31
wonderful flavors?
For some reason, producers and
directors think that this is a front-end
decision.
Here’s what I’ve discovered in life. If
your project has an actual editor
whose only job is to craft the film
together from the work of others, your
answer is with them. Have a post production
supervisor? That person is
now your best friend (another best
friend is the colorist).
Will HDCAM SR’s 4:4:4 make post
easier? Will Viper give you the ability
to get that “look” in post? How much
color correction will you do and will
you have enough color information to
do what you need to do? Keys? Is
DTS Reaches Out To
Independent Filmmakers
BY KRISTIN THOMSON
Long established with major
Hollywood studios as a provider
of high-quality digital surround
sound for film, DTS has expanded its
efforts to reach and educate independent
filmmakers about DTS
Digital Sound as a viable option for
their projects, and to promote the
accessibility and affordability of DTS
Digital Stereo, which provides an
optical/analog sound option for independent
features.
In 1993, Steven Spielberg’s
Jurassic Park introduced the crisp,
clean sound of DTS Digital Sound,
changing forever the way audiences
experience sound in a movie theater.
DTS’s uncompromising digital
process has set the standard of quality
for cinema sound by providing
premier-quality, discrete, multichannel
audio for motion pictures.
Designed to deliver precisely replicated
studio master recordings, the
DTS system stores the digital soundtrack
on a CD-ROM, affording a data
capacity, reliability, and quality that
cannot be matched by digital systems
which store the soundtrack
directly on the motion picture film.
The soundtrack is then synchronized
with the film via a proprietary timecode
that is unique to the DTS system,
and results in playback that is
unaffected by film print deterioration
or degradation—the soundtrack
is perfect whether played for the
first time or the thousandth.
The DTS commitment to quality
and performance begins in post-production
when a film soundtrack is
mixed in DTS Digital Sound. In addition
to providing digital mixing and
recording equipment worldwide, DTS
provides a studio engineer / consultant
to assist with equipment set-up.
The consultant is also present at the
print mastering session to assure correct
monitoring levels, and to ensure
the film mixers hear an accurate representation
of DTS playback.
Additionally, DTS offers a variety of
rates and plans to meet the needs of
independent filmmakers.
Because the DTS soundtrack is on a
93
CD-ROM, as opposed to the actual
film, last minute changes can be made
up to a few days before release without
incurring the high cost of remaking
film prints. Another advantage of having
a soundtrack separate from the
film is that additional film prints need
not be made to accommodate foreign
languages or subtitles.
“DTS is committed to understanding
an artist’s vision, and to providing
the creative tools to unlock the power
and emotion of their story,” said Don
Bird, Senior Vice President, Cinema
Division at DTS. “We offer the flexibility
and accessibility to meet the needs
of any filmmaker.
“We want filmmakers working in
every format—be it 16mm, 35mm, or
70mm—to call upon DTS to meet all of
their multi-channel sound needs,” Don
continued. “We’re especially excited
about the work we’re doing with 16mm
films—we’re able to deliver a digital
soundtrack in up to six discrete channels
of stereo, which is a great
improvement over the mono sound
that has historically confined 16mm.
The Video Guru Explains It All
your project for the big screen or the
little screen?
So many filmmakers who use video
think the only difference between a
DV-based image and the other formats
is just a better picture. The real
difference is what you have to work
with in post... where the money is
really spent.
What’s your favorite flavor? More
importantly, why? If your answer is
format-based and not project based, it
may be time to try some other flavors.
Michael Silbergleid is the technical
editor for Film Festival Reporter.
He is also the editor of Television
Broadcast magazine and The Video
Guru website
(www.TheVideoGuru.com) and coeditor
of The Guide To Digital
Television.
The Video Guru is a trademark
of The SilverKnight Group,
Incorporated.
DTS also provides a 4:1 compression
rate, versus the 12:1 compression rate
of other film soundtracks.”
Alaskan filmmaker Sean Morris is
one director who knows the value of
DTS for 16mm film. According to
Sean, “New advances in film stocks
have hugely improved the quality of
the 16mm film image, but the medium’s
limitation has always been its
poor sound quality. DTS has fixed
this problem with an amazing and
innovative advance that allows us
independent filmmakers to have the
exact same sound quality in our
16mm films that multi-million dollar
features have in theirs.” Morris’ film
Kusah Hakwaan won several
Festival awards after being encoded
in DTS Digital Stereo.
DTS is continuing to work closely
with independent filmmakers to
license material for future projects. In
2006, the company has several new
projects that showcase independent
talent in the U.S., and is actively copromoting
the independent filmmakers
that they are supporting.