November 2002

When someone mentions Northern Ireland, the first thing that comes to mind probably isn’t painting. And that’s exactly why Boston filmmaker, Paul Goudreau was drawn to the subject matter of his new short documentary, "20 Feet over Belfast," produced with Belfast-born Christine Hurson. The film documents the hundreds of brightly painted murals depicting Northern Ireland’s history, myths, and conflicts, and opens up audiences to a new way of looking at this area of the world.

Highlighting the relationship between money and politics, "State of the Union" is the fourth in Kadagian's "Crisis of Faith" series. Each film addresses a different aspect of Western culture: the Jesus movement, the Grail myth, spirituality, and economics. Interviews with noted scholars intermingle with the sounds of classic rock and cool jazz, while the viewer absorbs a montage of images ranging from gritty cityscapes to Impressionist art. In October, Kadagian signed a broadcast deal with the Hallmark Channel, which read more...

The Northampton Independent Film Festival (NIFF) bills itself as "a gathering place for those seeking alternatives to the offerings of major studios." From locally produced films like festival favorite "Adrift" to the Japanese animated feature "Sprited Away," NIFF presents a broad vision of the best in independent film and video.

"3 Weeks After Paradise"

[see an interview with Paul Goudreau]

Documentary Short, DVCam, Color/B&W, 25 min, 2002

Director Mary Feuer is haunted by her past. A Boston native, Feuer moved to Los Angeles four years ago but can’t seem to sever her hometown ties. Friends she thought she’d left behind keep popping up in California in a transnational bond that just won’t break. Her east coast connection has proved beneficial career wise, however, supplying a lifeline to Feuer’s new short film, "Rock Bottom."

The Independent Feature Project (IFP) Market may have changed its name in 2000, but it didn’t make its millennial shift until now.

This year marked several significant changes for the Market -- a more rigorous selection criteria with a reduction of 40% in accepted projects; the discontinuance of screening narrative features (although they did screen a handful); and a greater focus on works-in-progress and scripts.

Images of the moon landing or Martin Luther King’s speeches have become such visual icons in our culture that we rarely think about where this footage comes from or consider the work involved in making it available to media artists. Although we often take for granted the work that archivists do, they are preserving our history and culture, from monumental images like these to clips of the common man going about his everyday life. The Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) dedicates itself to advancing the field of audio-visual read more...

Consider this scenario.

You are a filmmaker with a recently completed project. You have devoted years of your life (your blood, sweat, and tears as they say) to making your film a reality. And now, when you should be jubilant about the completion of your project, you are left struggling once again. The question looms large and ominous before you: who am I going to get to show this film?

One of the many highlights of the 2002 Boston Jewish Film Festival is the world premiere of filmmaker and cinematographer Austin de Besche’s "Pilgrimage into the Past." In the summer of 2000, de Besche accompanied Holocaust survivor Michael Kraus and his family on a three-day trek through the Austrian countryside. As a boy Kraus and thousands of other prisoners were forced on a "death march" in the waning days of the war, and for a long time Kraus had wanted to walk the route once more.