July 2002

During the ten days of this year’s Maine International Film Festival, which runs July 12-22, there are almost 100 screenings with over 50 films. One program not to be overlooked is the Visions program, a selection of unique short films mostly from local filmmakers. The 2002 Visions program brings back filmmakers Devon Damonte and Nancy Andrews for another year at the Maine festival in a screening of their latest experimental works.

You've assembled piles of Post-Its, Tootsie Roll wrappers and paper napkins full of notes for a script and you are struck this very minute by the muse. Perhaps it’s time to get organized. Some screenplay-formatting software may be just the thing to help get you on track.
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Twenty-seven years ago, an elementary school teacher in Fitchburg, Massachusetts decided he wanted to enlarge his classroom. But he wouldn’t be using a sledgehammer or drawing up architectural blueprints. His only tool would be a video camera. That was when Chip Taylor decided to take his passion for education beyond the schoolyard and into an even bigger classroom: the world. Taylor wanted to make films that educated -- films that opened eyes and challenged minds.

If you think your kid may be the next Spielberg or just would like to get a shot at moviemaking, there is a unique opportunity located locally in Rhode Island. Executive Director, Eleyne Austin Sharp created Kid Filmmakers this year to bring kids to another world -- the filmmaker world. The company’s mission is to promote and encourage self-esteem, creativity, and discipline through the art of filmmaking.

"I've always been on the fence between observing and portraying things," says Leah Mahan, producer and director of the new documentary, "Sweet Old Song."

Mahan began her academic life studying book illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design but transferred to Cornell University to study anthropology. While at Cornell, she found herself drawn to ethnographic films.

"I do see film as some sort of anthropological view at the way people are living, a look at a world outside of my own experience," she says.

Email news to news@newenglandfilm.com. 

Upcoming Film Festivals

In a country as multicultural as the United States -- a nation built on immigrants -- you would expect (or at least hope) the movies produced here would reflect our ethnic diversity. Alas, minority roles in American films tend to fall into the standard categories: the villains and gangbangers; the faithful sidekicks who offer mystical advice and/or sacrifice their lives for the sake of white leads; and  the wisecracking outsiders who yuk their way into polite, white society. Spike Lee films excepted, rarely does an American film address read more...

Douglas Horn’s film the "Trailer, The Movie!" was one of the most sought after films at this year’s Nantucket Film Festival. Since every showing sold out, the theater owner himself decided to create extra screenings for the film. A true spoof of Hollywood hype, the film portrays two filmmakers who discover their blockbuster is a bust. In an effort to save their careers, they decide to cut together any half-decent shots into a misleading movie preview or trailer to dupe audiences.

Breaking into the film industry can be a daunting task. Without the right contacts, it can be nearly impossible to get the chance to prove yourself. The Director’s Guild of America (DGA) has been helping promising newcomers launch their careers since 1965 through the Assistant Directors Training Program (formerly the Directors Guild-Producer Training Plan). Operating independently in both Los Angeles and New York, the program trains participants to become 2nd assistant directors through on-the-job experience.

Lynne Adams is a cheerleader for creativity. She talks animatedly about "creative passion" and how women need to support each other in the arts. And while at first blush her new movie, "Made Up," appears to be a girly comedy about beauty and aging, when you wipe away the lipstick, its core message trumpets the value of imagination.

With an impressive list of credits under his belt (assistant editor on "Meet Joe Black" and "Analyze This" and editor of the local feature "Made Up"), Michael Matzdorff took the leap to directing with his first short film "The Belt." A two-and-a-half-minute film, the story depicts an overly safety-conscious Bud as he guides Blacky in the challenging task of getting the passenger seat belt of his 1973 BMW buckled. After showing his film to a delighted crowd at this year’s Nantucket Film read more...