Sunday, March 27, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Q and A part 2 Session 7 March 24, 2011
Q and A from Session 7 Thursday, March 24th Part I
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
The FLORIDA PREMIERE of PLAY in the GRAY!
An intimate look into the lives of the Boston-based drag theatre troupe, ALL THE KINGS
MEN (ATKM), the film PLAY IN THE GRAY explores questions of identity, sexuality,
love, and shakes the foundation of gender stereotypes. The film is a vivid, lovable
portrait of life that one viewer calls a look into "the most unique theater troupe ever
documented." Viewers experience their work, family relationships, and struggle to
survive as performers.
familiar in new ways," says Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, Founder of The Progressive Project,
a national movement building group. "PLAY IN THE GRAY will take you brazenly,
fabulously off-script, showing queer lives with depth, candor, and humor."
The film debuted at the Atlanta Film Festival in 2010, and continues to gain attention at
festivals all over the world. It has played in Cambodia, the UK, and across the United
States to thrilled audiences. The Boston Phoenix calls it “the best film about cross-
dressing since Paris is Burning.” The Seattle True Independent Film Festival awarded it
“Most Eye Opening” film of 2010.
Director Kaitlin Meelia hopes the film raises awareness about gender and sexuality for
people of all ages and walks of life. Youth have responded to the film and, "are able to
feel less alone and possibly become inspired to live their truth," says Director Kaitlin
Meelia. Her first film, PLAY IN THE GRAY dives head first into the social construct of
gender including footage of the prominent gender theorist Kate Bornstein. The film is
accessible to a wide audience because of Meelia’s careful balancing of the intense
personal stories with the electrifying cabaret-style and modern vaudevillian work of
ATKM.
"The film provokes incredible conversation everywhere we go," says Danielle Connor,
Associate Producer who will be in attendance. "Anyone interested in the art of following
dreams is likely to fall in love with this story.”
Since the film’s release, ATKM has continued to rise in popularity. Several of the troupe
members are up for awards for best comedians of 2010, and their solo projects have
attracted national attention.
For more information about the film visit: http://playinthegray.com/news.html
For more information about ATKM visit: http://www.atkm.com/
To purchase tickets visit: http://sbdac.com/tickets/fmff-session-25
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Director Roberta Moore talks about her short film PoleStar
*image courtesy of Mikal Mount
http://www.poledancefitnessofswfl.com/
I volunteered to direct the PoleStar video before I knew
anything about pole dance fitness. Then
I wondered how I was going to handle the topic.
However, during a visit with Mikal Mount, owner of Pole Dance Fitness
Studio in Bonita Springs, Florida, I felt reassured. She told me and our cameraman and editor,
Greg Helton, about how she had grown up
a tomboy, fishing and riding dirt bikes with her dad. It wasn't until she found a pole dance fitness studio when she was
trying to lose weight that she discovered her graceful, feminine side and also
shed the pounds in a few months.
Having had her life transformed and having honed her skills,
Mikal decided to open a studio and share her experience with other women. As she talked of her students and the changes
in their lives brought about by this challenging form of exercise, the theme of
personal transformation became clear.
One of the best parts of making the video for me was
visualizing the shots that we needed to tell the PoleStar story. All of the pieces fell into place like a
puzzle fitting together as I played the scenes in my mind. The subject was a director's dream because of
the wonderful visuals of the actual dancing exercises and the special
atmosphere created by dim lights and mirrors in the studio. I also loved the image of the stilettos, the
six to seven inch high heels worn by pole dance exercisers.
One of the funniest times when working on the project was
when our editor, Greg, and I started to plan the editing process. Greg has a very auditory approach and
generally works on the sound track to tell the story and then fits the video
into that story line. Having been an
artist for many years, my approach is very visual. I can see the scenes unfold in my mind. We spent at least an hour in frustrating
crossed communication until we diagnosed our problem. When we each understood where the other
person was coming from, we found a way to take advantage of our contrasting
styles and worked together quite well.
Another dilemma that arose was when to settle on a final cut
of the video. We continued to make
changes for a number of weeks before we decided that it was done. As with any art work, it's possible to go on
endlessly refining the work until at last we have to say, "Stop! That's it."
I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished with
PoleStar. I think that we were able to
capture the essence of the story both visually and through our interviews. I hope that the audience at the Fort Myers
Film Festival will be touched by the personal stories and the theme of transformation that unfold in PoleStar.
Roberta
Moore
March
16, 2011
PoleStar will be screening at the Alliance of the Arts Friday March 25th along with 3 other documentary shorts. Show time starts at 2:20pm.TRAILER
Monday, March 14, 2011
Film festival will host U.S. premiere
Edgy, sexy ‘A Swedish Midsummer Sex Comedy’ produced by Naples native
The Fort Myers Film Festival will host the U.S. premiere of “A Swedish Midsummer Sex Comedy” at the festival’s opening-night gala Wednesday, March 23, at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall in Fort Myers.
“I’m so excited to have a sexy, edgy U.S. premiere starring Luke for this festival’s red-carpet opener at the Barbara B. Mann,” Eric Raddatz, FMff founder and executive director, says about the romantic comedy set in among sumptuous food, saunas and midnight skinny-dipping in the Swedish midsummer tradition. “I’m not going to lie —this one is a real panty dropper—perfect for a town that expects some real edge.”
Melissa Davis
The film starring Luke Perry, who will Skype in and take questions from the audience, was produced by Naples native Melissa Davis. A 1997 graduate of Barron Collier High School, Ms. Davis was nominated for a Grammy in 2010 for producing the feature documentary “Anita O’Day – The Life of a Jazz Singer.” She was most recently a producer on the feature documentary “ Happiness,” which is being executive produced by Oliver Stone and presented by British writer/comedian Russell Brand.The inaugural Fort Myers Film Festival will also showcase “Meth,” recently screened at Sundance and starring a local actress who is making it big, Ayla Ocasio.
FMff screenings will be held March 24-27 at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center in downtown Fort Myers, also at the Alliance for the Arts March 25-26.
A complte program guide for the festival is available for download online and at participating venues. A black-tie awards ceremony is set for Sunday evening, March 27, at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre to honor winning films and local filmmakers including John Biffar, hosted by Chad Oliver.
A portion of the festival’s proceeds will go to The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida.
For tickets and more information, visit http://www.fortmyersfilmfestival.com/.
Fort Myers Film Festival plays March 23-27, 2011 at the following locations:
Wednesday, March 23, 2011: Opening Night Red Carpet VIP at Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall
239.481.4849
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Thursday, March 24- Sunday, March 27, 2011: Fort Myers Film Festival Screenings at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center
Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center @ 2301 First St., Fort Myers, Florida 33901
239.337.1933
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Friday, March 25- Saturday, March 26, 2011: Local programming at the Alliance for the Arts
Enjoy local programming from some of the top filmmakers in town as the Fort Myers Film Festival keeps it local. Enjoy screenings at the Alliance for the Arts @10091 McGregor Boulevard, Fort Myers, FL 33907
239.939.2787
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Sunday, March 27, 2011: Black Tie Awards Gala Dinner at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre
A climactic black tie awards gala dinner will be held at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre with an opening evening champagne toast at 5 p.m., dinner and priority seating for the best of the best awards ceremony and featured winning shorts, giving special honorary recognition to local filmmaker John Biffar and other local filmmakers in attendance, including student winners of the FMff student commercial competition. Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, 1380 Colonial Blvd., Ft Myers, Florida 33907
239.278.4422
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Wednesday, March 23- Sunday, March 27, 2011: See It All with the FMff VIP All Access Pass
A limited availability FMff VIP All Access Platinum Cineast Pass will entitle the holder to attend all Fort Myers Film Festival public and VIP events, with priority seating, open bar & food at the gala, schwag bags and first class VIP treatment. Individual passes are available for $400. http://fortmyersfilmfestival.ticketleap.com/fmff-vip-all-access-platinum-cineast-pass-march-23-27-2011/
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Alliance of the Arts Programming March 25th, 26th
10091 McGregor Boulevard
Fort Myers, FL 33907
(239) 939-2787
Fort Myers, FL 33907
(239) 939-2787
Independent films not specifically in children's programming are not rated. Parents are strongly cautioned.
FRIDAY MARCH 25th
SHORTS SHOWCASE #3 -65mins
1pm - 2:05pm
1pm - 2:05pm
Bewildered - 17mins
In the United States of Corn, love withers on the vine and belief is replaced by addiction and obsession.
Sketch - 19mins
Ellen's painting career has been derailed, but she is finally attempting to pick up the brush again. Victor, a young good-looking model has arrived to sit for her with the lights of the big city still shining in his eyes. She wants him to inspire her and he wants her to make him famous...will either of them get what they want?
Exclusive - 13mins
Still broken up about his recent breakup, Ben Miller becomes an unlikely hero when he rescues a young woman being assaulted in the street. After first resisting the media spotlight, he then agrees to be interviewed by Talia Morgan, an up-and-coming local reporter anxious to score her first exclusive. Their interview reveals new angles about what happened on that street and shows that, in news-gathering as in life, getting the story is sometimes the real story, for better or for worse.
Based on a short story by acclaimed Israeli author Etgar Keret.
4 Pictures - 15mins
'4 Pictures' is a personal narrative comedy that focuses on Kaitlin, living and documenting a simple day to day routine. Trying to avoid 'change' whenever possible, an unexpected revelation causes her to rethink her closest relationships. STRICTLY LOCAL #1– Documentary Shorts – 59mins
2:20 pm – 3:20pm
Return to Sender - 24mins
There in the jungles more than nine thousand miles away America lost what they cherished the most, its innocence. Upon returning home the American soldier was not about to lay down their very souls and surrender to a country void of loyalty and devotion. Honoring the ultimate sacrifice of 76 young men from South West Florida, Veterans organizations, community citizens and local contractors unite to build a Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Lee County. This film reveals commitment to brotherhood, the painful reality of motherhood and a deeper meaning to neighborhood. Witness the relentless task of building this special memorial.
Donna’s Story - 10mins
After losing close everything to in her life, Donna Tomassoni talks about going to college for the first time at age 57 and how it has changed her life.
Pole Star - 16mins
Mikal Mount describes her early life as an ungraceful tomboy and truck driver, and explains how she later became interested in pole dance fitness training. She then walks us through a typical pole dance class at her studio, where we meet and interact with some of her s students. The students speak at length about both the physical and emotional transformation they've experienced through their involvement in the sport of pole dancing.
Kinetoscope: The Life and Inventions of Thomas Edison 9min
'Kinetoscope: The Life and Inventions of Thomas Edison' chronicles the life of Thomas Edison in images, and features many of his 1,093 patents. Filmmaker Gerard Damiano Jr. weaves together archival footage, early dramatizations and some of the earliest films produced by Edison himself, to create a narrative which is more of a music video than an actual documentary.
The Kinetoscope was a forerunner of the modern movie projector developed by Thomas Edison and William Kennedy-Laurie Dickson. The word 'Kinetoscope', combines the Greek root words 'kineto' (movement), and 'scopos' (to view).
Documentary Feature Dreams for Sale - 34mins
3:35pm – 4:10pm
3:35pm – 4:10pm
This debut documentary film from the production team Kosar Schillinger Keenan tells the story of Lehigh Acres, Florida, an inland community ravaged by the housing crisis of 2008. Nearly a half century of history is recounted by the living citizen witnesses to this unique, fascinating tale of boom and bust, stretching back to the early days of Florida's postwar real estate speculation and arriving at today's economic catastrophe. And yet, rising out of the rubble of half-built homes and empty streets is a deep-seated hope for the future of this once tightly knit community.
KIDS PROGRAMMING – 79mins
4:25pm – 5:45pm
Beneath the Same Sky - 13mins
Many American children struggle with having loved ones deployed to war. For ten year old James, the distance separating him from his mother becomes a lesson in sacrifice, and a test of courage as the Fourth of July approaches.
The Blindness of Immokalee - 2 mins
A group of school children in Immokalee make a short film, based on a true story, about a young Haitian boy who loses his family and his eyesight in the 2009 Haitian earthquake and then relocates to Immokalee, Florida. Voice-over in Creole with English subtitles.
The Trampoline - 6 mins
When Brian takes his daughter, Lucy, to the meadow he played in as a boy, they discover an unexpected surprise waiting for them.
Flip - 2 mins
A girl goes on an adventure inside a flipbook.
A girl goes on an adventure inside a flipbook.
Tale of the Taylor - 2 mins
A young girl who sucks her thumb, finds herself trapped in the very fairy tale that warned her to stop her bad habit in the first place. Based on the German fable from Der Struwwelpeter, this is a bed time story you'll never forget.
Sidewalk Symphony - 8mins
A 12 year old boy gets his Ipod taken away, and instead uses his imagination to make music with the environment around him.
The Rusty Bucket Kids: Lincoln Journey to 16 - 46mins
Think 'Back to the Future' meets The History Channel, when a young brother and sister find they can unlock the secrets to Steamy, the train that travels through time. The brother and sister travel and visit history's heroes who are but teenagers. Fifteen year old Abe Lincoln is met on this excursion into the past!
Saturday - March 26th
STRICTLY LOCAL SHORTS SHOWCASE #2 – 56mins
1:00pm – 2:00pm
1:00pm – 2:00pm
Sandbars to Sanibel - 27mins
Set on Sanibel Island, Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico in 1929, the mail girl soaks the mailbag and the whole town fondles a water soaked letter trying desperately to find the recipient, resisting the temptation to read its contents. A love affair ignites, a school house goes bezurk, and a small village becomes re-united. Point of view camera angles keep the audience suspended in the action.
Keeper of the Earth - 14mins
The Right Friend - 15mins
Alliance Showcase - 50mins 2:15pm – 3:05pm
A Man who came from France - 30mins
“Another Day at Booklinks” - 9mins
'Another Day at BookLinks' has been billed as a 'Surreal Publishing Musical'.This short feature, created for the educational publishing industry, depicts a day in the life of 'Everyworker' Steve, and his quest to satisfy a typical client who needed their job done yesterday. Filmed on location in Queens, New York (the most culturally diverse place on earth), and San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico, 'Another Day at BookLinks' employs traditional 'claymation' techniques as Steve enlists all the members of his company to achieve the impossible. Gerard Damiano Jr. (originally hired as the storyboard artist), directed, co-wrote, and edited this surprising industrial film.
Guilty Shoes - 11mins
When a high school student sees the school's bully violently assault a shy, awkward student, he takes matters into his own hands and murders the bully. He takes the bully's shoes as a trophy.
The Forgotten Seed
The Forgotten Seed is based on truth, reasoning and logic. Because live in a fast world that lead us to live a fast life, we are sometimes so overwhelmed with work, school, friends, relationships and family that we never sit down to think about our temporary journey, and the one to come when we die. This short film will provoke you to think about your present life and will challenge you to think about your after life.
STRICTLY LOCAL SHORTS SHOWCASE #3 – 70mins
3:20pm – 4:30pm
3:20pm – 4:30pm
Charity - 13mins
When a beautiful socialite travels to Tahiti, she expects to spend money and be treated like a princess. But when she gets stranded among the very locals she looks down upon, her vacation takes a much different turn. Just Believe - 32mins A ten-year-old girl, after losing her creativity, meets a stranger - the Conjurer - who helps her embark on a magical journey of rediscovering herself. On her way she meets new friends, confronts old demons within, and learns that if she believes in herself then with the power of imagination anything is possible. The Eagle and the Pit - 8mins In the midst of WW1 a young American waits in the trenches for his first experience on the battlefield against the Germans. He meets a seasoned infantryman who shows him that it's much easier to talk about killing than actually engaging in the act.
Just Believe - 32mins
A ten-year-old girl, after losing her creativity, meets a stranger - the Conjurer - who helps her embark on a magical journey of rediscovering herself. On her way she meets new friends, confronts old demons within, and learns that if she believes in herself then with the power of imagination anything is possible.
The Eagle and the Pit - 8mins
In the midst of WW1 a young American waits in the trenches for his first experience on the battlefield against the Germans. He meets a seasoned infantryman who shows him that it's much easier to talk about killing than actually engaging in the act.
Hold on Me - 18mins
NO IMAGE AVAILABLE
NO IMAGE AVAILABLE
Hold On Me, a story of passion, prices and payoffs. Professional singer impersonators live their dream - sometimes losing loved ones to make nameless people happy. What I did for love - the thread throughout Hold On Me. The roar of the crowd is the addictive energy that feeds performers. The story of a fleeting second family evolves – crew, singers, dancers, musicians – in the trenches for a brief time, then on to separate gigs. The cycle for the high begins again.
Alliance FINAL
4:45pm - 6:00pm
John Paul II: A Saint for Our Times
This PBS documentary looks at the former Pope's life in the context of his imminent beatification by the Vatican. It explores spiritual themes in his life, his openness to other religious traditions, his re-definition of sainthood in modern times and the impact that his charismatic personality and fearless fight for freedom had on individuals and nations alike.
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