November 12, 2009
As I mentioned in one of my first posts, I decided to take only film photographs during my visit to the Savannah Film Festival. Now that I’m back in Los Angeles, I’ve finally developed and scanned them to share with you! Below are some of my favorite snaps from Savannah and SCAD, taken during the festival and on my walks around this lovely town.
Click here to view my full photo set on Flickr.
The day before the festival, I took a walk around to get my bearings and find my way to the SCAD Theatre.
I wandered into Slicer’s Deli, where Cindy told me that Robert Redford had taken it over to film The Legend of Bagger Vance.
The Lucas Theatre on Abercorn is a gorgeous venue, right around the corner from the SCAD Theatre.
I stopped by Leopold’s Ice Cream in hopes of meeting Stratton, but he was out. My consolation prize: A scoop of pistachio ice cream.
Opening night pre-screening party in the street, Halloween night.
View of the SCAD Theatre as the crowd slowly oozed its way in to watch The Messenger.
Spanish moss. Couldn’t get enough of it!
David Paterson (Bridge to Terabithia) and his awesome found art, in the lobby of the Marshall House. Paterson was a great presence around the festival – his stories are legendary.
The lovely Jennifer Jones (of SCAD Atlanta) and Bevy Smith (of Harlem and Paper Magazine), on our way to do interviews at the Jen Library.
Three costumed Savannahians outside the Marshall House. Excellent detail. I did a double take at first.
Professors Chaney and Auer, with Prof. Chaney’s awesome dad, outside the Marshall House.
Everyone’s favorite SFF dapper fixture, outside of the SCAD Theatre after a screening of Scott Caan’s Mercy.
Indie filmmaking guru Mark Wynns and the lovely Barbara Ruddy inside Cafe Ambrosia.
Cupcakes at Mabel Francis Potter’s Cupcake Emporium, where I had a delish pistachio cupcake. Owner Dee Keeton is also the proud parent of a SCAD student and another SCAD grad.
Apologies to the lady who owns these legs, but your stockings were fierce! Taken at an after party in the subterranean bar in the City Market.
My last day in Savannah, I walked down to the river to catch the sunrise.
Looking down the cobbled road that runs along the river, I took my favorite shot of the bunch.
I absolutely loved visiting Savannah. I’m grateful to Prof. Chaney for bringing me on board as a guest blogger for the festival, and to Caitlin Currey-Ortiz, Michelle Balshem, Jennifer Bins, Emily Belford, and all of the great staffers who helped me one way or another.
It was especially enriching to meet my fellow bloggers Lisa Kaminsky and Sumie Garcia (Derek – I never got to say hello!) and awesome SCAD students like Renn Brown, Jacob Hall, and Ivey Lowe!
One of the highlights of my visit was meeting Professor Cox Stanton and her Film Studies students Andrew, Chele B.T., Stacy Haynes, Meaghan Walsh, and others whose names I unfortunately did not catch. I’d also like to thank SCAD student Dashiell Coleman, who quoted me in his piece on the festival for The Inkwell.
If you’d like to keep in touch with me, you can email me at jenyamato@gmail.com and find me waxing poetic about everything from Twilight to Fantastic Mr. Fox (just to give you a sampling of my last 24 hours) on Twitter.
Thank you all!
Read More
November 9, 2009
Sumie Garcia
Senior in film and television at SCAD
Now that the whirlwind is over, there must be some final reflections to share. There are films I didn’t even write about and loved like Broken Embraces, and others that are still simmering in my brain like The Hurt Locker, The White Ribbon and Precious. I also attended a master class by animator Bill Plympton and got to talk with him a bit. His independence, perseverance and work inspired me along with his words, as he gave his thoughts on spontaneity, discipline and multiple inspirations.
I met a number of great people one of which was the amazing Jen Yamato. Her tips on writing and pursuing careers after college were truly helpful. This is close to my last quarter in SCAD, perhaps, though hopefully not, my last year attending the festival. As I reflect on where I will go next and what I should or shouldn’t put on my resume, I’ve come to realize I’ve had great experiences I haven’t weighed out enough. Last year, I met wonderful people at the festival as well, after which I went on almost immediately into working on the Coca-Cola Refreshing Filmmaker’s Award as a writer and director. It was a tough job, making me understand and grow within my field in a very short amount of time. This year, I came into the festival with those experiences and the added experience of shooting my senior film and working on a bunch of different sets. There is a definite feeling that I have grown as a person and as a filmmaker.
Now, as a writer-blogger for the film festival, I feel like I could communicate clearly with anyone. These life experiences are invaluable aids to my future career and decisions. I look forward to attending the festival again, perhaps next year as an official participating filmmaker.
Read More
Lisa Kaminsky
Sponsor and loyal attendee of the Savannah Film Festival
When I awoke at 6:30am Sunday morning to write my last blog for the SFF, I asked myself two questions. “Where do I begin,” and “Why the heck am I up at 6:30am writing again?” I have to keep on reminding myself that the SFF has come to a close. Unfortunately there is not a 9:30 panel discussion or an 11:30 movie to catch. I am still functioning on the adrenaline high from this past week’s festivities. Let me begin with Saturday. WOW! What a GRAND Finale! The Advisory Board planned a fantastic line-up of people and movies to watch all day. At 11:30am, the Trustees Theater was filled with people watching Kathryn Bigelow’s and Tony Mark’s screening of “The Hurt Locker.” Talk about ending the Festival with a bang! Yes, the pun is intended. “The Hurt Locker” is dynamite! This movie focuses on three soldiers who carry out the world’s most dangerous job. They are members of the EOD, which stands for the Explosive Ordinance Disposal team. They are highly trained technicians who disarm bombs that are planted in the city of Baghdad to murder Iraqis and Americans. This movie is explosive from start to finish. At the end of the film, the actor Jeremy Renner, who played Staff Sergeant Will James, appeared on stage for an informal Q&A. An audience member asked him how he was able to prepare for this type of a role. He answered, “From the direction of Kathryn Bigelow, and her vision of how do I want the audience to feel?” Renner became a trained EOD technician and carried out Bigelow’s dream of making this movie from a soldier’s perspective, and not from a politician’s. The producer also informed us that today (Saturday) will be the last time “The Hurt Locker” will be screened at a festival.
To wrap up the day and final movie of the SFF, “Precious” was screened with the Director Lee Daniels giving the audience a Q&A session at the end. I have already written about this movie in my past blogs, but I would like to add a few comments. After seeing this powerful, emotional movie, I was truly impressed with the Director. Lee Daniels is an eloquent, humble man who speaks from the heart. He stated, “I make my movies from Harlem, not from Hollywood.” When Mr. Daniel’s childhood teacher stood up and introduced herself, everyone in the audience listened intensely as she commanded the microphone. All of a sudden, I felt as though I was watching a young child feeling intimidated by this extremely educated, authoritative woman. When she told Lee, “Even though there were times I had to tug on your collar, I could not be any more proud of you and your achievements.” Mr. Daniels was sitting on stage, crying with happiness. The audience cheered and cried with Daniels for receiving this gracious compliment from his teacher.
I would like to share one of my most memorable experiences from this year’s festival. I made a date with my Grandfather on Friday the 6th, at 11:30 to see the Documentary “No.4 Street Our Lady”. This amazing story is about a Polish- Catholic woman, named Francisca Halamajowa, who hid sixteen of her Jewish neighbors in her tiny house during the Holocaust. Thirteen men, women, and children lived in the hayloft above the pigsty, while another family lived in a man-made whole in the ground beneath her kitchen table. This story is so rare because she was able to shelter so many people for almost two years without getting caught. Francisca and her daughter were extremely careful and cautious, while pretending to be Nazi sympathizers, and holding parties for the Germans in their home. I know I wrote in my first blog about last year’s festival when I took my Grandfather to see “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.” My Grandfather is a Holocaust survivor, and does not enjoy seeing too many movies about the Holocaust. Yet, he does appreciate films that have different views on the war.
My Grandfather survived Auschwitz, the Death March, and was finally liberated at the death camp Bergen Belsen on April 15, 1945. Every time my Grandfather gives one of his talks to people in high school, or college, or the soldiers at Ft. Stewart and Hunter, he always remarks that all survivors have the same type of story. Well, this remarkable, little known Documentary is quite different. The Co-Director and Producer is Judy Maltz, the granddaughter of one of the survivors who lived in Halamajowa’s pigsty. Her Grandfather, Moshe Maltz kept a detailed diary of their miserable daily existence. They could not laugh, cry, or even cough for fear a neighbor may hear. But, somehow, 15 of the 16 Jews survived. So many people ask survivors, how did you survive? My Grandfather’s answer to that question is simply, “My number didn’t come up.” He still wears his number every day of his life.
There were so many movies screened this week based on the premise of “the will to survive.” We watched the struggles that people face from war, from poverty, and from abuse. Yet, at the same time, we were allowed to laugh, to cry, and to escape for a few hours. I want to thank Bobby Zarem and SCAD for another amazing festival. I also want to congratulate my friend and creator of our most recent Southern Motors commercial, Prof. Michael Hofstein, for receiving the Professional and Educational Panavision Award.
So what will I do Monday? I will be on to my next project. At 6:30am, I will be wearing my fitted corsette,dress, and bonett for the filming of Robert Redford’s “Conspirator”.
See you at the movies!
Read More
November 6, 2009
Jen Yamato
Entertainment writer and editor
I had to say good bye to Savannah and make my way home to cover a very important press junket (two words: Edward Cullen), but even from afar I have to recommend that you clear your schedule for Saturday — as in, the whole day. The last day of this year’s festival features one of the best line-ups of the entire week: Savannah might just be the only place in America showing three in-the-bag Oscar favorites in the span of one day!
It all starts with Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker (11:30 am), a humanistic Iraq war film that was released earlier this year in select cities. Bigelow, if you recall, is the director behind such muscular films as Near Dark, Strange Days, and K-9: The Widowmaker, although she made arguably her most indelible mark on pop culture with the epic proto-bromance, Point Break. (For more proof of this, watch Hot Fuzz.)
The Hurt Locker is riveting and tense, the story of a small unit of bomb technicians operating in occupied Baghdad. Their jobs come with high casualty rates, since they deal with insurgents and the most lethal form of attack in Iraq: IEDs, or roadside bombs. Every soldier risks their lives and mental well-being in order to serve, but these guys really put themselves out on a limb every time they approach potential explosive devices and, often, attempt to manually disarm them.
Bigelow excels with this material. She treats her subjects with a searching eye, seeking to find out what drives them towards this high-risk occupation, and what it takes to succeed (or, to survive) in this small and specialized group. She balances military life with moments of visceral tension and action that drive home the stakes these men play with, the whole while doing her best to avoid taking political sides.
SAFF attendees are lucky to have guest Jeremy Renner in town. As The Hurt Locker’s seemingly reckless new squad leader, Renner is a revelation. It’s a career-making performance for the seasoned actor, one that could even bring him an Oscar nod.
At 2:30 pm, stick around for Michael Haneke’s The White Ribbon. As I mentioned in an earlier blog entry, The White Ribbon may not be for everyone, but it is immensely rewarding for patient and observant cineastes. Haneke, best known for modern-day social thrillers like Cache and Funny Games, is an auteur at the top of his game; I give him points just for having the guts to make the same movie twice. (See 1997’s Funny Games and its 2007 follow-up/remake, Funny Games.)
The White Ribbon is a black and white portrait of a Protestant German town on the eve of World War I, a small but strict community where strange happenings begin to occur that tug at the social fabric that connects its adults and, more importantly, its children. Haneke, who is loathe to give explanation to his own films, has mostly avoided discussing The White Ribbon, but his intent is to provoke thought on the link between systems of social control and fascism — a historical convergence that some scholars believe led to the rise of Nazism in Germany.
But beyond its weighty subtext, The White Ribbon is also beautiful and full of moments of dark humor. I call it “Children of the Corn by way of Carl Th. Dreyer.” It’s an Oscar favorite for Best Foreign Film, so take advantage of seeing it here in Savannah.
Saturday’s evening screening (7:30 pm) is a must-watch: Precious, Based on the Novel Push By Sapphire, is a Sundance darling that has only grown in acclaim throughout the year. You might consider it this year’s Slumdog Millionaire, or the little movie that could. (Some critics use that comparison negatively, however.) Either way, Precious is a movie you won’t want to miss, if only to approach Oscar season having seen one of this year’s most beloved films.
Precious star Gabourey (Gabby) Sidibe will be in Savannah along with director Lee Daniels, which is a major get for the Savannah Film Festival. Sidibe is already one of Oscar’s front runners for Best Actress — the newbie nominee of this year, a la Jennifer Hudson, perhaps — and her co-star Mo’Nique is also on critics’ honors watch lists.
Meanwhile, the upcoming Michael Cera comedy Youth In Revolt will also play Saturday at 2:30 pm. It was pushed back until January 2010, which is never a great sign, but it’s directed by Miguel Arteta (Star Maps, Chuck & Buck) and based on C.D. Payne’s popular novel. It also co-stars Justin Long, who’s been around town filming Robert Redford’s The Conspirator, so who knows who might show up?
Read More
Lisa Kaminsky
Sponsor and loyal attendee of the Savannah Film Festival
Whatever works” is the most appropriate title for Woody Allen’s most recent movie. This romantic comedy is about the common, universal quest in life; how does one find happiness? This film begins with Boris Yelnikoff, brilliantly played by Larry David, who brags about being a miserable misogynist and an “almost” nominated Nobel Peace Prize genius. Boris suffers from nightmares and wakes up screaming “the horror.” He is referring to his isolation and wants to end his dark suffering.
When the young and naïve Melody( played by Evan Rachel Wood) appears at his doorstep, Boris’ life starts changing for the better. Brightness has entered Boris’ life, and he marries this twenty-one year old girl. The marriage only lasts about a year, which comes as no surprise. Boris states that, “relationships are invariably transient.” The joy in the movie not only comes from Woody Allen’s and Larry David’s combined sense of humor, but also from the relationships that have evolved during the film. Ultimately, Melody and Boris’ chance meeting provides happiness for themselves and for Melody’s father and mother who separately find their own happiness with a variety of different partners. (I don’t want to spoil the end.) Back to the title of the movie, “Whatever Works,” Allen lets his character’s come to terms with whatever makes you happy is acceptable. If someone realizes they prefer ménage-a-trios, or is a homosexual, or loves someone fifty years older or younger, it is O.K. Whatever works for you.
After the screening of the film, the lovely Patricia Clarkson answered several questions from the host, SCAD Professor Tracey Cox Stanton. Patricia Clarkson is extremely smart and witty. She studied at Yale School of Drama where “they pounded out her southern accent.” In this film, Patricia Clarkson plays the bible-loving, abandoned wife and mother from a small town in Mississippi. Clarkson said she was thrilled to be able to work with Woody Allen again, six months after filming Vicky/Christina Barcelona. She was also glad to play a southern character again and to let herself and accent all hang out. “The best part about being asked to do this movie, was working with the two comedic geniuses, Woody Allen and Larry David.” And then with Clarkson’s sexy, raspy voice she utters, “Now that would have been a real ménage-a-trios.”
My husband and I were sitting with Dr. Carmella Pettigrew during the screening of this movie. She is a local OB/GYN, and her husband Chris is a plastic surgeon. They have very busy schedules with work and carpooling three young boys! They have been longtime supporters of the Savannah Film Festival and have started adjusting their schedules six months in advance to attend as many movies, and parties as possible. Both she and her husband are looking forward to seeing “Precious” and hopefully meeting the actress, “Gabby” Sadibe and the Director Lee Daniles who might be in attendance on Saturday night. I also want to remind everyone that Saturday night is the last night of the Festival. Every badge holder is invited to attend the Southern Motors Acura Reception from 5:00 – 7:00p.m. for cocktails and hors d’eoeuvres. The party takes place prior to the awards ceremony honoring Jeremy Renner at the closing film. Please come and say “hello” to me!
Whatever works for you!
Read More
Michael Chaney
Professor of film and television at SCAD
Well, it’s finally coming to a close.
The Ross brothers finally made it to town for the second screening of 45365. It was great to see these guys again. Bill told me that seeing Jonathan Rosenbaum present short films of Abbas Kiarostami and hearing him discuss the Iranian New Wave at the 2002 Savannah Film Festival was a watershed moment in his academic life as a SCAD student. I know that feeling. When I was a student at ArtCenter we worshiped the ground Syd Meade walked on. How awesome was it to see his presentation yesterday? Very awesome. And what a turnout! Close to 800 people filled Trustees Theater for a 2:30 lecture.
I also had a blast at last night’s surprise screening of Up in the Air. Derek Carter made an excellent prediction in his blog last week. I think Jason Reitman is a perfect success story for our students to hold up as a model of dedication and hard work at making films. Despite his daddy being a Hollywood big shot (Ivan Reitman of Meatballs, Stripes, and Ghostbusters fame) this kid paid his dues by making six, count ‘em, six awesome short films before landing his break with Thank You for Smoking and following it up with Juno. I really dug what I saw last night. Great performances and a third act that didn’t let me down.
We had a great coffee talk this morning on film festivals. Susan Morgan Cooper (An Unlikely Weapon), Tomer Gendler (Underpants) and Kyle Bell (The Mouse that Soared) shared their stories from the trenches of the festival circuit and imparted their wisdom to our students. One of the most important Coffee Talks of the festival in my opinion. I want to give a big shout to the Sentient Bean for the best coffee in town, Krispy Kreme for clogging my arteries, and students Michael Phipps, Sarah Beth Gosselin and Becca Ulmo for getting up early every day to pick up the goods and bring ‘em to the Marshall House.
And then I got great news! I was checking my email in the Jen Library when freshman film student Brody Carmichael walks up and informs me that he has been selected as a top 10 finalist in this year’s Coca Cola Refreshing Filmmakers Award Program. This is the 3rd consecutive year that SCAD has been invited to participate in this exclusive and prestigious program and the 3rd year we have had students selected as finalists. Brody will receive a $7,500 production grant from Coke and compete for the opportunity to screen his short film on over 20,000 theater screens nationwide. Congratulations, Brody.
And now… on to Lone Scherfig’s film, An Education! I smell Oscar all over this one. Tomorrow I’m set for Michael Haneke’s A White Ribbon and Lee Daniels’ Precious. I was gushing all over these films last night on the WTOC news. I would love to go see The Hurt Locker again. I think it’s one of the best films of the last year. I’m just exhausted though.
Read More
Sumie Garcia
Senior in film and television at SCAD
I was speaking a bit earlier with Prof. Rawlings about the panel What Do Films Mean?. Having taken cinema studies courses, any subject related to the cultural, historic and social contexts of films is truly interesting to me. One of the major points was the trends that films are taking. The trend for war films, whether on the home front or abroad, can be seen at the festival with The Messenger (opening night) and The Hurt Locker. On a somewhat different note, Men Who Stare at Goats came up. I had not yet written about this film, even though I did attend it, because I am still trying to figure out what to make of it.
The theater was completely packed, the jokes were loudly laughed at, and most members of the audience seemed cheery when leaving the theater. I missed about 15 minutes of the film, while discussing set problems on the phone, yet I didn’t feel like I missed anything. For some reason I dismissed my disengagement from the film as a cultural barrier. Maybe I wasn’t getting all the Star Wars jokes; I never really saw all of Star Wars and didn’t grow up with it. The opinions of peers and friends were somewhat mixed or dispassionate. The film was definitely funny though. There was a chord that was hit somehow. Whether seen as a parody of a current situation, a fantastical escape or a comedy based on a current trend, there were people that responded.
At this point, I must digress into a personal musing. While watching the sequences of the film in the wide, white, beautiful desert, a strong image of Saint-Exupéry’s Little Prince settled into my brain. A fantasy too good to be true was taking place: a planet of one’s own to care for with a beautiful rose, or an army of peace-promoting Jedi soldiers. There is a beautiful, isolated setting full of danger: the Sahara after an airplane crash or a car crash with a reporter and “soldier” in the Iraqi desert. There are elements of fantasy with contemplation in this. Le Petit Prince fell to earth after learning from planets and absurd men. Lyn Cassady (George Clooney) learned from Bill Django to pursue peace and supernatural powers. There is an unquestionable element of escapism in the film; the wounds of war, torture and pain in the collective consciousness are flimsily masked with fantastical comedy, hope and LSD.
I must admit I have not gotten much sleep. Film sets and film festivals don’t mix very well. Perhaps my pondering and wonderings on the beautifully wise and fragile Little Prince seeped into my brain at that point for entirely different reasons. Films, like drawings or paintings, mean different things to different people. Just like an Elephant swallowed whole by a Boa Constrictor, or perhaps just like a simple, brown hat.
Read More
November 5, 2009
Lisa Kaminsky
Sponsor and loyal attendee of the Savannah Film Festival
When I picked up a quick synopsis about the movie Adam, I quickly retrieved my computer and googled “Asperger’s Syndrome,” which is exactly what Hugh Dancy said he did when he was first offered the role of Adam by the Director and Screenwriter, Max Mayer. In yesterday’s Question and Answer session, after the screening of Adam, Hugh Dancy explained that he prepared for this role mainly by researching and learning about Asperger’s Syndrome. He had never even heard of this disorder before he was offered the part. Dancy said he tried to focus on the characteristics of the syndrome: severe trouble with social situations and not being able to pick up on social cues, avoiding eye contact, and talking a lot about a favorite subject incessantly.
This film is a heart-warming story about two young adults who love each other, yet the character Adam has Asperger’s Syndrome, which ultimately causes Beth to never feel truly loved by her partner. Adam does not know how to look her in the eyes and say, “I love you,” and is incapable of recognizing raw emotions. Beth struggles with loving this kind, gentle, honest soul, but questions if he can make her truly happy. Who makes a perfect mate? Is it someone like Beth’s father, played by Peter Gallagher, who cheats on his wife and launders money, or a man who is pure and honest, but may be embarrassing and child-like because he does not follow the correct social graces?
The most charming scene in the whole film takes place in Central Park where Adam and Beth are watching two raccoons come out from hiding in the middle of the night. Adam has been watching this pair for years. Adam is mesmerized by these raccoons and says, “They don’t belong here.” These raccoons are completely out of place, yet somehow continue to survive in Central Park for years. The bond or love between these two raccoons is such a great comparison to Adam, now with Beth, in his lonely habitat.
This movie gives great awareness to Asperger’s Syndrome, and I am hopeful it will allow people to be more tolerant of others who may not act “normal” or “socially acceptable.” At the end of the Question and Answer session, a woman in the audience, Pepi Streiff, stood up and told Hugh Dancy that she is the mother of a thirty-seven-year-old “child” who has autism. She complimented Hugh Dancy in his perfect portrayal of a young man with Asperger’s and thanked him for handling his role with such grace.
Read More
Jen Yamato
Entertainment writer and editor
I finally did it! I made it to the Marshall House by 8:30 a.m. in time for one of Professor Chaney’s coffee talks! I know it’s early, folks, but there’s no better way to hear experts and professionals speak on a variety of topics than attending this informal morning get-together, which today tackled the wide-ranging topic of regional filmmaking. (Read The Chane’s account of the coffee talk here.)
If you’re a SCAD filmmaker, the community is really trying to make it easy for you to shoot in Savannah. Some highlights from the discussion:
- Tommy Holland from the Film Commission advised students to make use of the city’s free permits and suburban backdrops.
- Visiting indie film guru Mark Wynns discussed how savvy filmmakers can and should take advantage of generous tax incentives, which can help your deep-pocketed investors make back their investments quite quickly.
- The SCAD grads who founded the brand new Meddin Studios described the fully loaded production and post facilities they’ve built, which will be available to professionals and students alike.
Basically, Savannah is becoming a sort of filmmaking Disneyland, and you SCAD students have season passes.
Following the coffee talk I was delighted to meet and chat with Professor Tracy Cox Stanton, her cinema studies students, and even – gasp – production students! The subject: film criticism, film journalism, and how one goes about making either their living. With print criticism on the decline and a job market quickly filling up with an increasing number of laid-off film writers, the latter is not an easy question to answer.
I went to a college that emphasized film theory over film production, so I supplemented my communications studies by packing in as many film analysis courses as I could. Watching films, studying directors, and writing about cinema gave me more joy than any other field, and I’d like to think the academic background helped prepare me to write about movies for a living. And so, I was delighted when I heard about the cinema studies department at SCAD. It’s a younger department here, and considering the huge presence of SCAD’s production side, one that needs as much support as it can get in order to thrive – and, more importantly, to send students into the world prepared to become the next generation of great film critics and advocates.
(Thank you to Professor Cox Stanton, Andrew, Chele B.T., Stacy Haynes, Meaghan Walsh, Renn Brown, Jacob Hall, and everyone else who was there.)
Later in the day, I caught up with Patricia Clarkson. She was literally minutes away from receiving her award before Wednesday night’s screening of Broken Embraces when we sat down for an interview in the Jen Library. (Whoever named the place had impeccable taste, if I do say so myself.) Afterward, I skedaddled across the street to watch Pedro Almodovar’s latest, which I enjoyed on multiple levels. I’m a sucker for movies about filmmakers. Plus, there’s something deliciously funny about a film about a producer and a director fighting over a woman where the ultimate affront is premiering a poorly edited film.
There are more panels and discussions to be had in the remaining days of SFF, so I encourage everyone to try to attend at least one each day. Thursday at 8:30am, meet Professor Chaney in the Marshall House for coffee and donuts and a discussion on “The Changing Role of Cinema;” at 2:30, learn how to read a film at the “What Do Films Mean?” panel. Friday’s coffee talk will cover “Navigating the Festivals” while aspiring performers should check out the “Casting Director, Actor, Agent” panel at 11:30am.
Read More
November 4, 2009
Michael Chaney
Professor of film and television at SCAD
Wow. What a day. Coffee talk this morning got us digging in on some of the local resources here in Savannah and in Georgia. Film commissioner Jay Self, representatives from the new Meddin Studios, and Mark Wynns and Don Mandrik from the Atlanta indie scene were very generous with their time and energy.
It was a perfect segue into a spectacular exchange on the Future of Entertainment panel. Eric Mortenson from blip.tv gave the best quote from all week, “When it comes to the internet, you’re all experimental film makers.” I am completely impressed with Justine Bateman’s work with fm78.tv and her enthusiasm, knowledge and dedication to emerging media content (I was impressed with her in the 80’s on Family Ties, but that’s another story altogether). Stefanie Sarofian and Christine Beardswell from Digitas rounded out the panel with great input on marketing. This was one of my favorite panels from any film festival.
I also did an interview for cnn.com. Look for it. I have no idea when it goes up but Chris Auer and I had a blast doing it. And a big thanks to fellow blogger Jen Yamato for meeting with Prof Tracy Cox Stanton and our Cinema Studies students today.
So finally, what a way to end the day with Broken Embraces, a screening from one of my favorite directors, Pedro Almodovar! And reunited with Volver co-star Penelope Cruz. Whooo hooo. It helped take my mind off the pitter patter in my heart from the appearance of the incomparable Patricia Clarkson.
And lo and behold here come the Turner brothers at the BarBar! Their documentary, 45365, screens Thursday at 11:30 at the Lucas. Do not miss this film. It’s poetry, I say. These guys are SCAD grads and the Grand Jury Prize winners from SXSW this year.
I need to turn in now. Coffee Talk will be here again sooner than I think.
Read More
