FA SHORT FILM LAB CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Filmmakers Alliance (FA) is now accepting submissions for its 2008 FA Short Film Lab. The FA Short Film Lab is a comprehensive 8 month workshop for the artistically driven short filmmaker. 

FA has been supporting the Los Angeles independent filmmaking community - and facilitating its own self-support - since 1993, having placed films and won awards in dozens of festivals including Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, Rotterdam, Berlin, Los Angeles, AFI, Cinequest, Palm Springs, Waterfront and many, many others. Take advantage of what this dynamic and prolific collective has to offer by submitting to the 2008 FA Short Film Lab.

Sessions will begin in May and will meet monthly through December 2008.  The Lab will once again be facilitated by Former Director of Programming of LA Film Festival, Film Consultant, and FA Board President Thomas Ethan Harris.

The design of the Lab includes:

·        In depth story and character analysis and notes

·        Detailed examination of the visual design of your short

·        Focus sessions on directing actors, camera, and editing

·        Supportive filmmaking preparation through your first

         sketchbook

·        Practical producing considerations

The FA Short Film Lab makes sure you leave completely prepared for production.  This is the only short film lab of its kind in the United States, and is being offered at an incredible rate:

FA Members - only $300.  For an 8 month lab that makes it ONLY $39 a month.  You can pay in full or we are offering an installment plan of 4 easy payments of $75 each.

Non Members - only $400.  For an 8 month lab that makes it only $50 a month.  You can pay in full or we are offering an installment plan of 4 easy payments of $100 a month. INCLUDES FA MEMBERSHIP.

As an added bonus, on the last session of the lab, the participants vote for the winner of a FREE Canon HD Camera Rental package, and FREE Production Insurance for their shoot.  Our goal is to help get your short films made!

Here’s what previous lab participants have to say:

“The lab literally saved my film.  My ideas were there, but it took solid peer review and Thomas’ keen eye to strip it down and sharpen it into the exciting piece we are about to shoot.“

- Connor Alexander, 2007 Film Lab Participant

“No matter what stage you are in the process of making a film, the Short Film Lab is a great environment to nurture your ideas and to challenge yourself to take your script and film further than you could have on your own.”  

- Filmmmaker David Woods, 2006 Los Angeles Short Film Grant Finalist

“The Lab was a crucial forum helping me see through the superfluous and get down to the story at hand. Thomas is a gifted leader whose generous insights and passionate involvement both inspired and motivated all the participants. The lab was creatively energizing and it raised the bar of excellence and possibility.

Thumbs up!“

- Artist Filmmaker, Sean Russell 2007 Film Lab Participant

“The FA Lab provided me with great feedback on my short script which gave me the motivation and momentum I needed to get my butt into production!“

- Destri Martino, 2007 Los Angeles Short Film Grant Finalist

“The FA Film Lab is the most fun you can have with your clothes on.  Even if you think your script is perfect and ready to shoot, Thomas will teach you ways to improve it.  He knows the indie world inside and out.”

- David Andrew Lloyd, 2007 Film Lab Participant

“The FA Short Film Lab experience was invaluable to me, not only for forcing me to move forward with my project, but also in getting me to confront the shortcomings of my script.   Having Thomas Harris in the room is an opportunity that you’d have to be nuts to turn down“.

- Warren Davis, 2006 Film Lab Participant

The deadline for scripts and applications for the 2008 Lab is April 15, 2008. If you are interested in applying for the lab, please click HERE. (http://www.filmmakersalliance.org/Shortslab.html)

b-side is now distributing Native New Yorker ,the award-winning documentary short that has screened at over 20 film festivals worldwide and won the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival for best documentary short. Visit b-side and see what all the buzz is about!

http://www.bside.com/films/nativenewyorker.

b-side is the home for great independent festival films and millions of fans who love them. You can find, watch and buy your festival-favorite independent films on DVD or DRM-free download at bside.com.

AWARD-WINNING INDIE HIT SHORT FILM “THE TRIBE” MAKES DEBUT ON THE iTUNES STORE!

Crash Course in Jewish Culture As Told Through the History of the Barbie Doll Available for Download on October 2, 2007

SAN FRANCISCO October 2, 2007 The Moxie Institute is pleased to announce that the award-winning film festival hit short film (Sundance & Tribeca) “The Tribe” will be released commercially online for the first time, exclusively on the iTunes Store. Starting today, October 2, the extraordinary and provocative 18-minute short film, which traces the Barbie doll’s Jewish roots to shed light on what it means to be an American Jew in the 21st Century, will be available for downloading for $1.99. Written, directed and produced by Tiffany Shlain and narrated by Peter Coyote (E.T., Bitter Moon), “The Tribe” asks “What can the most successful doll on the planet show us about being Jewish today?”  Winner of 8 awards including Audience and Grand Jury Prizes and selected at over 60 festivals since 2006, “The Tribe” mixes old-school narration with a new-school visual style. It weaves together archival footage, graphics, animation, Barbie dioramas, and slam poetry to take audiences on an electric ride through the complex history of both the iconic doll and the Jewish people — from Biblical times to present day.

Native New Yorker broadcasts on the WNET/PBS series REEL NEW YORK July 19th & July 22nd.  This series is available in New York, CT, PA and NJ on Channel Thirteen 

http://www.thirteen.org/reelny/

The award-winning documentary short Native New Yorker continues to garner worldwide acclaim. The contemporary silent film with an original score follows Shaman trail scout Terry ‘Coyote” Murphy throughout the isle of Manhattan before, during and after 9/11.

Since winning Best Documentary Short at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival, the film has steadily received prestigious invitations for screenings and broadcasts both nationally and internationally. This past November Native New Yorker screened at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government with The United Nations Association Traveling Film. Most recently, the Tribeca Film Festival invited Native New Yorker to participate in Mexico’s Expression en Corto in a retrospective highlighting Tribeca’s best shorts over the past six years.

WHAT IS NEXT FOR THESE TALENTED FILMMAKERS?

Walker and Mitchell are currently developing their first feature project A FAMILY IN LOVE slated for production in Fall 2007.

2007 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL

APRIL 25 THROUGH MAY 6 

The following shorts will be shown before feature films as noted below:

• MEMORIES ABOUT SAYAT NOVA (Vospominania o Sayat Nove), directed by Levon Grigorian (Armenia/Italy) – North American Premiere. (D) with To Die A Little.
• WE WILL WIN, directed and written by Mahmoud Hojeij (Lebanon) – World Premiere. (N) with A Slim Peace.
• SHUT-EYE HOTEL, directed by Bill Plympton (U.S.A.) – World Premiere. (N) with The Last Jews of Libya.
• EDDEAA, directed by Saman Arbabi (Iran/Sweden) – International Premiere. (N) with Half Moon.

The thematic programs are:

Archiving Identity, a program of experimental shorts, which as a point of departure, all utilize previously filmed footage to address issues of personal and cultural identity.

• NYC WEIGHTS AND MEASURES, directed by Jem Cohen (U.S.A.). (D)
• A YEAR, directed by Mark Street (U.S.A.) – World Premiere. (D)
• WHO BY WATER, directed by Bill Morrison (U.S.A.) – North American Premiere. (D)
• LOSS, directed by Kristen Nutile (U.S.A.) – New York Premiere. (D)
• THE SMALL ONES, directed by Lynne Sachs (U.S.A.) – World Premiere. (D)

Balance Beam, the characters in these shorts try to maintain a foothold as they navigate the bumpy road of life.

• GREETINGS FROM EARTH, directed by Kim Jacobs (U.S.A.) – World Premiere. (N)
• I AM AN APARTMENT BUILDING, directed and written by Lara Azzopardi (Canada) – > New York Premiere. (N)
• COUGH DROP, directed and written by Kristina Lear (U.S.A.) – World Premiere. (S)
• UNLOCKED, directed and written by Daryl Wein (U.S.A.). (N)
• RISE AND SHINE (Sabah Al Fol), directed by Sherif El-Bendary (Egypt.) – North American Premiere. (N)
• MENGED, directed and written by Daniel Taye Workou (Ethiopia) – New York Premiere. (N)
• LENS LOVE STORY, directed and written by Sonia Whiteman (Australia) – North American Premiere. (N)

Desperate Measures, the characters in these diverse shorts look for a way out, a way in, or a way to make sense of it all.

• FIRST FLUSH (Ynglinge), directed and written by Mikkel Munch-Fals (Denmark). (N)
• A MOMENT TO BREATHE (Un Attimo Di Respiro), directed and written by Sara Colangelo (Italy/USA) – New York Premiere. (S)
• RED & BLUE (Azraa Wa Ahmar) directed and written by Mahmood Soliman (Egypt) – North American Premiere. (N)
• THE SHADE (Sayeh),directed and written by Mohammad Gorjestani (Canada) –
  North American Premiere. (S)
• GOOD LUCK NEDIM (Sretan Put Nedime), directed by Marko Santic, written by Goran Vojnovic (Slovenia) – North American Premiere. (S)
• CLEAR CUT, SIMPLE (Khayen), directed by Vineet Dewan (U.S.A.) – New York Premiere. (S)
• REFUGE CITY (Miasto Ucieczki), directed by Wojciech Kasperski (Poland) – North American Premiere. (S)

Express Stops Only, our New York, New York Program rides the express train with a fast-moving selection of big city shorts.

• SAY YOU CAN SEE, directed and written by Tony Caio (U.S.A.) – World Premiere. (N)
• RED SHOES, directed and written by Li-Anne Huang (U.S.A.) – World Premiere. (S)
• LOCK, directed by Ming Kai Leung (U.S.A.) – World Premiere. (S)
• A NICK IN TIME, directed by Bé Garrett (U.S.A.) – New York Premiere. (N)
• SUPER POWERS, directed by J. Anderson Mitchell and Jeremy Kipp Walker, written by J. Anderson Mitchell (U.S.A.). (N)
• RAVING, directed and written by Julia Stiles (U.S.A.) – World Premiere. (N)
• HAPPINESS, directed and written by Sophie Barthes (U.S.A.) – New York Premiere. (N)
• IN VIVID DETAIL, directed by Dara Bratt, written by Dara Bratt, Kieran Dick (Canada/U.S.A.) – World Premiere. (S)

Family Legacy, the past melds seamlessly with the present as these documentary shorts explore the heart and soul of places called “home.”

• A SON’S SACRIFICE, directed by Yoni Brook (U.S.A.) – North America Premiere. (D)
• SALIM BABA, directed by Tim Sternberg (India/U.S.A.) – North American Premiere. (D)
• ANDERMAN, directed by Jaap van Heusden (Netherlands) – International Premiere. (D)
• GOING HOME, directed by Hung P. Nguyen (U.S.A.) – New York Premiere. (S)
• DISPLACED, directed by Andrew Berends and Michiel Pilgram (U.S.A.) – World Premiere. (S)
• SOMEONE ELSE’S WAR, directed by Lee Wang (U.S.A./Philippines) – World Premiere. (S)

Life Support, four very different worlds with four very different stories that challenge perceptions of morality and mortality.

• TOWER BLOCK (Hochhaus),directed and written by Nikias Chryssos (Germany) – New York Premiere. (N)
• THE LAST DOG IN RWANDA (Den sista hunden i Rwanda), directed and written by Jens Assur (Sweden) – New York Premiere. (N)
• THREE TOWERS, directed by Yoni Bentovim and Emily Harris, written by Etgar Keret, Shira Geffen (UK, Italy) – U.S. Premiere. (N)
• ILLEGAL, directed and written by Andrew Oh (U.S.A.) – World Premiere. (N)

Mood Enhancer, a group of unusual and very imaginative short films.

• ONION UNDERWATER, directed and written by Paul Yates (U.S.A.) – World Premiere. (S)
• THE WATER AND THE MILK (La leche y el agua), directed and written by Celso García (Mexico). (N)
• HEART OF WHISTLER, directed by Ken Hegan, written by John Meadows, Ken Hegan (Canada) – U.S. Premiere. (N)
• LAWRENCE, directed and written by Gregory Mitnick (U.S.A.) – New York Premiere. (S)
• TELL IT TO THE FISHES, directed and written by William Sinclair (U.K.) – New York Premiere. (N)
• COLOR ME OLSEN, directed and written by Darren Stein (U.S.A.) – World Premiere. (N)
• I AM BOB, directed and written by Donald Rice (U.K.) – World Premiere. (N)

Portraits of Women, this program of experimental shorts brings together diverse stylistic ways in which filmmakers portray the image of women in society.  All five short films will precede So, a feature documentary by Aimee Jennings.

• MANUELLE LABOR, directed by Marie Losier (U.S.A.) – New York Premiere. (N)
• I JUST WANTED TO BE SOMEBODY, directed by Jay Rosenblatt (U.S.A.) - New York Premiere. (D)
• HER HEART IS WASHED IN WATER AND THEN WEIGHED, directed by Sasha Waters (U.S.A.) – New York Premiere. (D)
• LUCIA AND THINGS, A FILM IN NINE FRAMES (Lucía y las cosas), directed and written by Andrés Riva and Paula Abramovich Gullco (Argentina) – U.S. Premiere.
• LOST: IN MEMORIAM, directed by Anita Thacher (U.S.A.) – World Premiere. (D)

Taken To Extremes, these documentary shorts illuminate personal passions, diverse dedications and occasional obsessions.

• PIECE BY PIECE, directed by Sachi Schuricht (U.S.A.) – New York Premiere. (S)
• ALOHA NEW YORK, directed by Carolina Cruz Santiago (U.S.A.) – World Premiere. (S)
• SAND DANCER, directed by Valerie Reid (New Zealand) – International Premiere. (D)
• THE COMMON SENSE FARM, directed by Kathleen Russell (U.S.A.) – New York Premiere. (S)
• A WARM, COMFORTING HOME, directed by Annette Apitz (U.S.A.) – New York Premiere. (D)
• MISS CHINATOWN, U.S.A., directed by Kathy Huang (U.S.A.) – World Premiere. (S)

Ulterior Motives, a group of emotional short films about trust, betrayal, and the complexity of relationships.

• FOOL ME ONCE, directed and written by Paco Farias (U.S.A.) – New York Premiere. (N)
• RED ANGEL, directed by Matthew Ross (U.S.A.) – World Premiere. (N)
• PRETEND (Nagpapanggap), directed and written by Debbie Formoso (U.S.A./Philippines) – World Premiere. (S)
• TRUE COLOURS, directed by Barney Elliot (U.K). (N)
• BREATHE, directed and written by Juliet Porter (Australia) – New York Premiere. (S)
• WHEN THE TIDE TURNS, directed by Campbell Maynes, written by David A. Fellows (Australia) – International Premiere. (N)
• VARTAN LLP, directed and written by Myles Price (U.S.A.) – New York Premiere. (S)

We are Here: New Shorts from Lebanon
Presented in collaboration with ArteEast, Ashkal Alwan (Beirut) and the Kevorkian Center at NYU.

• WINDOW, directed by Rana Salem - International Premiere.
• NO CONNECTION, directed by Myriam Sassine - International Premiere.
  
• BREAKING NEWS, directed by Hisham Jaber - International Premiere.
• TANK YOU, directed by Ziad Antar - International Premiere.
• TO THE LEBANESE CITIZENS, directed by Ali Cherry - International Premiere.
• LEBANON/WAR: SHORT VIDEOS, directed by Rania Stephan - International Premiere.
• LEBANON/WAR: DAILIES OF THE WAR, directed by Rania Stephan - International Premiere.
• JULY TRIP, directed by Wael Noureddine - International Premiere.

Family Film Shorts ProgramsShow and Tell
Determined young cowboys, magical fish, marbles, dumplings, wild and fanciful dreams and more come alive in this youthful and entertaining shorts compilation for children 8+.

• AMARELINHA, directed and written by François Choquet (U.S.A.) – World Premiere.
  
• CHINESE DUMPLINGS, directed by Michelle Hung (U.S.A.) – North American Premiere.
  
• DORME, directed and written by Sylvia Binsfeld (U.S.A.) – World Premiere.
  
• THE FISH MIRACLE SKY (WHEN FISHES CRY, THE MIRACLE, CLOSER TO THE SKY), directed and written by George Racz (U.S.A.) – World Premiere.
  
• FOR ALL THE MARBLES, directed by Kris Booth, written by Brian Hartigan (Canada) – North American Premiere.
  
• THE MELANCHOLY PUFF MACHINE, directed by Jennifer Oxley, Nicholas Oxley (U.S.A.) – World Premiere.
  
• TOMMY THE KID, directed and written by Stuart Clegg (Australia) – North American Premiere.

Short Attention Span
Nostalgic about those teenage years? Take a trip down memory lane and remind yourself that life after 18 isn’t bad after all. Laughter, sadness and vivacity – it’s all part of growing up. 16+

• DEAR LEMON LIMA, directed and written by Suzi Yoonessi (U.S.A.) – World Premiere.
  
• EXPLODING BUDS (Knospen Wollen Explodieren), directed by Petra Schröder (Germany).
• LINES, directed and written by Sonja Jasansky (U.S.A.) – World Premiere.
  
• LOOK BOTH WAYS, directed by Daniel Oron, written by Daniel Oron and Jeffrey K Rohrs (Canada) – New York Premiere.
  
• THORNDIKE, directed and written by Chris Teague (U.S.A.) – New York Premiere.
• WOODEN SOUL, directed by Rehana Rose Khan (U.K.) – New York Premiere.
  
• YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU (Do Mundo Nao Se Leva Nada), directed and written by Charly Braun (Brazil) – International Premiere.

Synopses, cast and crew credits and press contacts for all these feature-length films can be viewed in the media section of the Tribeca Film Festival website.

 Venues and Tickets