SLAMDANCE SCREENPLAY COMPETITION 2008
http://www.slamdance.com/writing/feature.html
Broken Egg: Help Fix a Filmmaker
Independent film is all about community, and one of our own is having a rough time of it!
Slamdance two time alum Benh Zeitlin (EGG & THE ORGINS OF ELECTRICITY) was in a bone-cracking car accident before the SXSW screening of his new short. Like many filmmakers who get by on charm and favors, Benh doesn’t have health insurance and is currently holed up in the hospital.
Mark Rosenberg from Rooftop Films, which co-funded Benh's SXSW short GLORY AT SEA, posted a blog about Benh’s story, his successes with GLORY and eventually, what people out there can do to show support. Please check it out, and see how you can lead a hand to a super talented filmmaker.
The good news is that GLORY also won an award, which you can read about here!
Photo of cast on boat, courtesy rooftopfilms.com
View & Vote: New Anarchy Videos!
Our March Anarchy videos are up to stimulate your eyeballs. And your heart. If you didn't get to take part in the primaries, this is also your chance to vote! Anarchy is a really simple idea, we must say. Each month, three videos are selected to play online where you, the viewing public, get to watch and then choose your favorite. The winners from each month get to screen at the festival and have an overall winner chosen.
It's democracy AND it's indie filmmaking. Slamdance 4-prez!
Now, I'm admittedly biased, but we have three really fun films this month so I encourage you to check them out. They're short, they're well-made, they could be you next month (submit your own on the Anarchy page). Check them all out here at Slamdance Presents, or hit them up individually:
Harrold Was At the Bus Stop, directed by Brandon Mugar
This is the story of Harrold, and how he fell in love, but did not get his love.
An Artist, directed by Danny O'Malley
An artist who confesses all while remaining pretentiously unclear.
My Hands Are Bananas, directed by Nick Andrews
This dark German techno tells the tale of a young man und his appealing attributes.
Writing Submissions & New Video
After some technical hiccups, we're thrilled to announce that our Writing Competition is now accepting submissions online. You hear me, writers? Get on that! Grand prize is $7,000 and all the acclaim you can eat. You'll need to register as a user to submit, but that's easy. (Incidentally, that's the good kind of user, not the kind your mom worried about you turning into when you got into all this Hollywood nonsense)
Secondly, if you were wondering when you could get a visual on the actual award winners from this year's festival - have I got an answer for you! Slamdance TV. I could not make this up if I wanted... but thankfully, Heidi Van Lier is still churning out video from festival footage, bless her, and the most recent posting is of the first half of the awards presentation. Oscars, schmoscars, right? Enjoy!
I Was Caught In The Middle Of A Railroad Track
Thanks to one of our great documentaries, I now have a new reference point when I hear the word "Thunder".
This lovely lady is part of the Lightning and Thunder duo and was wonderful enough to grace us with her magical voice at last night's happy hour.
She brought the house down not only with her renditions of Patsy Cline, but do you know anyone else who can rock gold lame like that? She puts American Apparel models to shame. Speaking of great outfits, as part of their promotional materials, the Song Sung Blue team provided us with two magnificent costume pieces, as worn by L&T, to wear on the day of screening. I was wondering who would possibly step up to the plate to rock out these pieces when the answer appeared before me:
I don't know if the phrase "A Vision in Sequins" fully sums up my emotions when I see this image of our President and Co-Founder (on the left) Peter Baxter, and our Production Supervisor (on the right - with some random chick in the middle) Scott Pourroy, but it's pretty close.
Let Your Back Bone Flip But Don't Slip A Disc
Did someone say Slamdance Sled Off?
For those of you who missed out, yesterday was our annual Sled Off which took place about as close to the Pearly Gates as you can get.
It was a fun filled afternoon of snowy mayhem that saw fight to the death finishes, sneaky stealth tactics and much improvisation on the definition of the term "Sled".
How ingenious are our filmmakers? Not only do they create interesing, thought provoking films, they figured out a way to turn the Slamdance banner into a sled! Now if that's not independent thinking, I don't know what is.
Our good friends at Parish sponsored the event and resident Alumni Filmmaker, Heidi Van Lier, was there to capture all the action for Slamdance TV (which you should be watching if you aren't already).
Cory Desrosiers captured all the great shots featured here as well as a bunch more over on our MySpace page. Do I really need to say go check it out?
Fright Night
Day Four of the Festival is under way! Last night we had our Twilight Screening of Paranormal Activity with The Henry Convention. I was waiting outside the theatre and got freaked out of my mind just from the sounds coming from behind the door, so I am assuming everyone else was scared too. Although I have been known to jump at my own shadow so I don't know if I am such a relevant measuring post.
Paranormal Activity
The Henry Convention
We also had our annual Alumni Hot Tub Party sponsored by our good friends at Parish.
It was a fun filled, Twin Peaks-esque time up at that old hot tub, let me tell you. The Slamdance Alumni were answering questions left and right, and there may or may not have been some impromtu water ballet flexing. I don't think you can call yourself an Independent Film Festival unless there is water ballet flexing.
Lipstick Cherry All Over the Lens
Does anyone else not believe that it is only Sunday? We've had so many great films screen already, and so many fun events take place. it feels like it has been an entire week of frenzied fun instead of just the three offical days of screening we have actually had. One of the films shown last night was Pageant.
A great time was had by all and I think everyone was in awe of all the fabulous costumes/hair/eyelashes. Ok, FINE, I was absolutely dazzled and completely jealous of how those ladies did their hair and make up, not to mention how they carried themselves in a pair of heels.
Aren't you jealous this wasn't your office yesterday? You're jealous.
Is That Real?
As a rule, I generally like to avoid anything that involves large, yelling groups of burly photographers and drafty corridors. So you think the Slamdance Red Carpet Event would have been the last place to find me last night.
However, once I remembered that taking photographs for the Festival is part of my job and that one of my future husbands (we're in Utah, it's legal) Jay Baruchel (from Real Time with Randy Quaid) was going to be there I willingly stepped up to fufil my duties.
How to add more icing to the photographic cake, I hear you ask? My answer as always: More Filmmakers! Here's the team from The Project making my job easier:
Thanks to our great Press Team everything ran in an orderly and fashionable fashion, and if I had a good time then I can pretty much guarantee everyone else did too.
The only possible down side of the evening was five minutes after our opening feature (Real Time) screened the whole of Park City was struck with a power outage which sent Treasure Mountain Inn plunging into almost total darkness. However since TMI has such a good emergency light system and everyone was so engrossed in the Q&A Session taking place after the screening, it barely effected the night. In your face, electrical circuits!
I Sip the Def Ale With All the Fly Women
I don't know if any of you got the memo but at Slamdance, we love us some Filmmakers. You know who also loves them some Filmmakers? Kodak, that's who. So what happens when you combine our potent, bubbly energy with the potent, bubbly champagne supplied generously by our friends at Kodak? FILMMAKER TOAST!
Yesterday afternoon the Kodak Filmmaker Line Up took place in our Main Gallery, which basically let everyone stand up, introduce themselves and their film, and give a little shimmy.
The lovely Lorette Bayle from Kodak gave some encouraging words to everyone, which were followed by Peter Baxter - President of Slamdance/ Co-Founder/ Man About Town- giving a stirring introduction and hearty welcome to all.
Today the first screenings commence and already this place is so brimming to capacity with excitement and energy it could probably be used to light two small cities and a remote Norwegian village. All systems are a go!