magdamayan's blog
INAUGURAL SESSION
JANUARY 29TH 2010
11.00 AM to 12.00 PM
Inauguration by Shri Arun Dutt, film maker and son of legendary film maker Guru Dutt.
My short film "9 mm"will be screened on the 29 th. Jan. 2010: session 1 : 12PM- 1.30 PM. : film number 4 in the screening schedule.
Hope some of you will be able to make it.
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Sunday, January 17 2010, 1 pm (doors open at 12:30 pm)
Whiteman Hall, Phoenix Art Museum
1625 North Central Phoenix AZ 85004
Free Admission (ask for pass at front desk)
Mature Content Adult language and sexual situations.
(NOTE TO PRESS: IF YOU WOULD LIKE PHOTOGRAPHS JUST ASK!)
Enjoy nine award winning yet little seen short films by a distinguished group of national and international directors. Thoughtful, hilarious and provocative subjects selected by Steve Weiss, Executive Director of No Festival Required Independent Cinema.
Running time approximate running time 77 minutes.
Sponsored by The Friends of No Festival Required at Phoenix Art Museum
FILM SELECTION
THREE FIFTY directed by Maurice Chauvet (Los Angeles)
BEHIND THE MASK: LUCHA LIBRE USA directed by Chris Metzler and Jeff Springer (San Francisco)
SYBIOSIS directed by Rebecca Martos (Phoenix)
MEESKEIT directed by Neil Ira Needleman (New York)
7 MINUTES OF UR LIFE directed by Magda M. Olchawska (Poland) http://www.bulletfilm.com/movie/97
LA LAPIN JALOUX directed by Sarah Oleksyk (Portland)
DOMESTIC directed by Brett Snelgrove (England)
TRUE BEAUTY THIS NIGHT directed by Peter Besson (Los Angeles)
YARD SALE directed by Brad Barber (Salt Lake City)
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Attending the Europa Cinemas networking conference (www.europa-cinemas.org) in Warsaw I got a chance to watch two independent European films. I suppose if it wasn’t for the conference, I wouldn’t have a chance to watch any of them.
I don’t want to write about the general bad condition of distribution of European independent films (of course the films made by first or second time directors, not those made by the well known ones).
I would just like to share my experience about “Eastern Plays”, Bulgarian film by Kamen Kalev and “La Pavellina” co-production between Italy and Austria by Tizza Covi & Rainer Frimmel.
“Eastern Plays” by Kamen Kalev is a feature film set in Sofia (a beautiful city where I spent quite a long time when I was a kid), Bulgaria, Eastern Europe. The plot of the film is very simple: two brothers completely lost in a modern world and both are trying to find their own way of surviving.
Itso, the older brother is a designer who finds it difficult to create anything in Bulgaria since he doesn’t believe that his art will ever be shown in public(a feeling many artist coming from the Eastern block have since Eastern Europe is still not really into equal opportunities).
The younger brother, Georgi, lives still at home and doesn’t have a good relationship with his parents. Georgi tries to find his place in the world by joining a gang.
The relation between Itso and Georgi is very strong in my opinion and Itso as the older brother feels responsible for Georgi.
What I liked the most about the film was that Itso’s inner conflict was very honest and believable. I could definitely identify with him.
The soundtrack is a great bonus to the film itself.
If anyone of you out there gets a chance to watch “Eastern Plays” please do it. Not only you’ll support European Cinema but also will have a chance to watch a piece of good work.
To find out more about the film go to http://www.easternplays.com/en/crew
“La Pavellina” is a feature film by Tizza Covi & Rainer Frimmel. I have to say that the subject for the film was very intriguing. A circus artist Patti finds a small girl at the playground. It turns out that the girl’s mother left her there (for most mother even thinking of leaving a child behind is heart breaking). Patti, her husband and her grandchild not only learn how to look after the girl but also in a very short time they start loving her and try to do everything to make her happy. Acting in the movie is just amazing.
I strongly recommend to watch this one too, to find out more go to http://www.lapivellina.com/
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“Europa Cinemas was founded in 1992 with fundings from the MEDIA programme and from the Centre National de la Cinématographie. Europa Cinemas is the first film theatre network focusing on European films.
Its objective is to provide operational and financial support to cinemas that commit themselves to screen a significant number of European non-national films, to offer events and initiatives as well as promotional activities targeted at Young Audiences and to screen digital European films.” Read more about Europa Cinemas http://www.europa-cinemas.org
Europa Cinemas organized a conference for producers, cinema owners and distributors in November 2009 in Warsaw, Poland.
I went to the conference and spent 4 days listening to, watching, discussing and networking with other film professionals interested in preserving the art of European Cinematography.
The main objective of the conference was to talk about digitalization of European cinemas as well as how to use Internet for both, getting people into the cinemas and promoting films online over networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter or www.bulletfilm.com for that matter.
The conclusion from that conference is simple (for me at least): The cinemas don’t want to buy digital projectors because the distributors don’t provide them with the relevant digital content (Film). The distributors say that it is producers fault that films for exhibition are delivered mostly on 35 mm. The producers say that they can deliver films in digital formats as long as there are cinemas that are willing to show those films. Basically everyone waits for the other party to make the “digital move”.
The other problem is, as it is in most cases, the EU countries can’t decide what kind of digital equipment they are going to use. For now each country has a different digital projection system in operation which only generate costs for distributors if they have to keep transferring the film from one system to another (and this is just silly).
In my personal, very humble opinion it’s not a question whether we are going to go digital but how we can do it as fast as possible to give independent filmmakers opportunity to show their films in movie theatres.
Anyway, because of its diversity Europe seems to be afraid (Europe does have problem with decision making unlike our overseas friends) and is very much used to screening films in 35 mm. Besides each country wants to force its digital system onto another.
That's why Europe is not united on that matter (but it is not an exception). However it is united on one subject: digitalization of cinemas should be done but how and when nobody knows.
When it comes to the subject of the Internet everybody knows that it's useful and it should be used as a tool to get people into the cinemas (which by the way shouldn’t be any longer just a place for screening films but multi-cultural place with a bar or a coffee/restaurant space, exhibition, performing arts place.)
Some examples presented by panellists showed that sometimes Internet is not enough to promote a film and more standard methods of promotion need to be put in place as well.
The conclusion from the distributors' point of view was that the most important part of the promotion of any film is to find a target audience and use the Internet to promote the film to them. This approach seems to be much more useful than just using just Facebook or Twitter because you can have thousands of people following your Facebook page but then really few will come to watch the movie.
My conclusion after the conference is that USA is going to be doing “Super digital” or showing films in “5 D” and our old, beloved Europe will be still discussing and wondering what the next move for the European film business should be.
Below there is the list of trailers of the European films I managed to watch during the conference and I thought that are worth mentioning:
‘Mr. Nobody” by Jaco Van Dormael http://www.mrnobody-lefilm.com/
‘Nothing personal” by Urszula Antoniak
http://www.hollandfilm.nl/nothing-personal-wins-silver-giraldillo.html
http://www.hollandfilm.nl/Bavaria_Nothing_Personal.html
“Everyone Else” by Maren Ade
http://www.theauteurs.com/notebook/posts/563
“Whisky with Vodka” by Andreas Dresen
[[http://cineuropa.org/trailer.aspx?/]documentID=112244&fmt=flv&lang=en]]
Watch trailer
http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/europe/features/whisky-with-vod]]ka/5003239.article]]
“Oceans” by Jacques Perrin & Jacques Cluzaud
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117941600.html?categoryid=31&cs=1
“Women Without Men” by Shirin Neshat
http://brask-art-blog.blogspot.com/2008/10/shirin-neshat-women-without-men.html
“John Rabe” by Florian Gallenberger
http://www.screendaily.com/awards/florian-gallenbergers-epic-drama-john-rabe-wins-four-lolas/5000535.article
“Hadewijch” by Bruno Dumont
http://www.indiewire.com/article/hadewijch_faith_no_more/
“Storm” by Hans-Christian Schmid
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0768239/
“White Material” by Claire Denis
http://www.indiewire.com/article/white_material/
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Hatch is an experimental showcase that takes place on regular basis in Bradford, UK.
My short film called “9 mm” was selected to be screened at Hatch in November. (Thanks so much Alissa for choosing “9 mm”.)
Since it was “9 mm” World Premiere me and my producer decided to attend the screening.
It was also the first time we watched “9 mm” on a big screen. I have to say the experience was much better than I ever thought. All the technical problems I was afraid could “pop out” did not. I was really afraid that the short was too dark in some parts and that the sound wasn’t loud enough. However it turned out that the problems were just in my head. Even the subtitle behaved themselves and came on right away.
The event was great. We managed to see some interesting work. I liked a lot Sarah’s Ellen’s Ayrgael’s performance. If anyone out there gets a chance to see her – I strongly recommend.
It was definitely worth flying to London, renting a car, driving up to Bradford and back to London and flying back home. Me and my producer enjoyed it a lot.
Now let’s keep our fingers crossed for more screenings and festivals for “9 mm”.
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Hatch
Thursday, 5th November
8pm - 12am
Bradford Playhouse, 4-12 Chapel Street, BD1 5DL
Bradford's finest experimental arts showcase returns on the 5th November for its 1st Birthday event, bringing its unique blend of short films, performance, interactive happenings, installation and music to the many nooks and crannies of the Bradford Playhouse. Come on down, meet other artists and see what surprises are in store.
The November Hatch Birthday event is running as part of the new rolling artistic programme at the Bradford Playhouse which is now open on Tuesday to Saturday evenings every week. See www.bradfordplayhouse.co.uk for details of what's coming up and how to get involved.
Presenting:
‘Entwined’
Dance performance by Rachel Dean:
An original dance performance inspired by the curious, fantastical and real stories that revolve around the making of clothes.
Performance from The Skeleton Project
Puppetry from London School of Puppetry
Animatronic art from Chris Peel and Matthew Dennall
Installation by Bella Wood, Steve Call,Robert Clarke,Freya Stansfield, and Alice Bradshaw
Films by Finnian Varney, Magda M. Olchawska and Julian Pratt
Live music from Arcomnia and Honeytone Cody, with live visuals from iMan4d
http://www.facebook.com/reqs.php#/group.php?gid=44296871799&ref=ts
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"9 MM"
2009-07-22 13:44:36
Katia is an artist who has isolated herself from the outside world. She is lonely and has been trying to convince herself that this kind of life was her choice.
Mathew was her first and probably only true love even though they were only kids when they met. He travels a lot to run away from his real and true desire.
One day mysteriously Katia finds a letter in an old bottle. It is from Mathew whom she hadn’t seen for 16 years. Can the old feelings be awaken again? Is it possible to leave everything behind and start everything yet over again? These are the questions the two of them will have to face sooner than they ever expected.
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REVERSE
2008-10-29 06:00:41
Angela is a very lonely woman. She hasn’t been in a relationship for quite a while.
At the moment she spends most of her time trying to discover who she really is and what she really wants from life.
At one point Angela decides to create a perfect man. For the creation to be as good as she would want to she uses magic. When the man appears in her life, he turns out to be an angel.
This is a story of self-discovery on both sexual and personal level that happens to every woman in her lifetime.
To watch the film go to http://bulletfilm.com/movie/2
To watch the trailer go to http://bulletfilm.com/movie/102
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