Alternative Film/Video Festival

My films are well represented in this years Alternative Film/ Video Festival in Belgrade. Charade is in the competition program and screening opening night in Program #1, December 10th., with another screening the next day.  And Bryan Konefsky was invited to bring a selection of films from his Experiments in Cinema Festival, Happiness is a Warm Projector, which includes How to Draw Clouds on December 14th. In addition to this the festival begins with a screening of the award winners from last years festival which includes The Swimmer. Festival Programmer Greg deCuir will then bring the award program to International House Philadelphia on December 20th, and in spring next year bring programs of vintage Yugoslav films to New Mexico's Experiments in Cinema and hopefully  Seattle's Northwest Film Forum.

Film Review

Here is a link to a review of my films by curator Greg de Cuir. The review was the result of a screening at the Academic Film Center in Belgrade Serbia. I was there for a film residency, an award given during their 2012 Alternative Film and Video Festival. On December 20th a program of the 2012 award winners will screen in Philadelphia at International House Philadelphia.

Future Films

I have just been awarded a grant from Seattle Office of Arts & Culture to begin a series I’m calling Erasure Films. This series is based on themes begun in my film Nothing to Fear but Nothing Itself. In that film I took footage from the 60’s spy genre, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and erased the threats. In this new series I plan on extending this theme to other film genres: rogue cop, film noir romances, horror, etc… films that have a clearly definded Other. At the same time I have a lot of “found footage” that I brought back with me from Belgrade Serbia. This footage ranges from Yugoslavian home movies from the 60’s & 70’s, 60’s military educational films, and TV coverage of student rebellions in the 60’s and anti-war demonstrations in the 90’s. The wealth of this footage will probable create another series of films. There are obvious themes between these two series that may keep me busy for years.

More Screenings of Charade

There are a couple more screening of Charade in the next few weeks on the west coast. On Wednesday, October 23rd, at 9pm Victoria BC's Antimatter Film Festival will include it in a program called Bone Ghost. Then Portland's Northwest Filmmaker's Festival will include it in a program Saturday November 9th at 7pm. I'll only be able to attend the Portland festival. If you live in the area, it would be really nice to see you.

Filmmaker Residency in Belgrade Serbia

I am currently in residence at The Academic Film Center in Belgrade Serbia. I was awarded this residency last year through their Alternative Film and Video Festival. I arrived on September 5th and promptly got to work looking through their collections of found footage material. The plan is to take some digitized copies of this footage back with me to make a new film. The filmmakers here in Belgrade have been very gracious, and I am having a wonderful time. On Wednesday September 18th I will screen a collection of my short films in their cinema. If you happen to live close by I hope you will join me. I will be staying here through September 22rd. More info on the screening here.

CHARADE IN MARSEILLE

My film Charade, originally shot in 1963 Paris, will be screening closer to that neighborhood in Marseille, part of Festival Images Contre Nature,  July 11th & 13th.  If you're lucky enough to be spending your summer nearby I hope you'll check it out. This link to their site has a short clip of the film.

Erasable Cities in Winnipeg

Next week, Friday June 14th, Erasable Cities will have another Canadian screening at the Winnipeg Underground Film Festival. It's included in a section titled Cinema Studies: Hollywood Repurposed.

Charade

My newest film Charade will have three screenings along the west coast in late May. The premiere will be at Seattle International Film Festival on May 23rd, and will be the only one I can attend. A couple days later on May 25th it will screen at both Other Cinema in San Francisco, and EFF Portland.
Charade is based on themes and uses manipulated footage of the original 1963 film with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. It's a film about identity, trust & lies. I've heard many stories about people who have lied about their past, changed their names and created new lives for themselves. The reasons for this behavior intrigues me, and was the starting point of making this film.

Belgrade Update

Well my fundraising on Indiegogo worked and I'm going to Belgrade in September. If you saw this post and contributed to my campaign thank you so much, you'll be hearing from me. I now get to spend my time doing research.

Help Send Filmmaker to Belgrade for New Film

I have been given a wonderful opportunity to travel to Belgrade Serbia for a filmmaking artist in residency this year. This opportunity came out of the blue, a film festival award given to nine international filmmakers, an opportunity to make a new film with their technical help at my disposal, and room and board for a month. What they won’t cover is my traveling cost, so I’m starting a funddrive via Indiegogo to raise some travel money. This drive is important, because without help I won’t be able to except my award. So please look at my site, check out my perks, and know every donation receives my undying gratitude for helping to send me off on an amazing adventure!

Link to funddrive

Notes on Charade

My latest film Charade is based on themes and incorporates manipulated footage from the original 1963 film with Cary Grant and Audry Hepburn. Normally when I make a film I don’t publicly talk about the research that goes into it’s creation. But this time I’m experimenting  sharing my thought processes. My goal in this film was to explore the themes of identity and deception. Here’s part of my original proposal:

I’m interested in the core themes of the original film, identity and deception. The film is full of people who are not who they say they are, including the actors themselves. I’ve heard many stories of people who have changed their names, lied about their past and created new identities. The reasons for this kind of deception intrigues me and is why I want to make this film.

Another way of phrasing my curiosity is asking the question why do people lie? Below is a sample of my thought process.

Why do people lie?

Lies are at the center of the original film. No one is who they say they are. The hero of the film changes his identity though out the film. The heroine doen’t know who to trust. The question is asked “Why do people lie?”  The answer given is “ Usually there’s something they want and feel the truth won’t get it for them.” This is a very pragmatic answer. It’s a very good answer, and works for many situations, but if you consider that everyone in the film are actors and not who is who they say they are, then you’re saying that acting is lying, and this answer is no longer sufficient. So why do people act becomes part of the question why do people lie.  Lying becomes an even more complicated issue. Lying becomes part of the creative process.

In the middle of these questions are issues of truth and identity. An actor might tell you they take on a role, because they have some understanding of that character. In the safety  of the pretend world of acting they can explore the outer limits of their own identity. So the question they would ask is what is truth, and what is true about themselves. The lie of acting would then be a test of what is true about their own identity.

So considering these issues I have a theory. People lie because it sets them free. The simple answer is it sets them free of the truth. But truth and identity are complicated, and can’t be channeled into good and bad behavior. People reinvent themselves on a daily basis. Identity is never stagnant. Some people may change their names and invent a new life for themselves. They may do it for deceptive reasons. They may do it for personal gain, a lie created to get ahead in the world, or then again it might be testing the boundaries of what is true about themselves.