December 2003

Several years ago, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck inspired a program called "Project Greenlight" whose mission was to bring to the screen unknown screenwriting and directing talent. For two seasons, HBO followed the search for and selection of Greenlight winners. For the moment, Damon and Affleck’s Greenlight seems to be on hold, but that doesn’t mean the tradition is dead.

Nearly three years ago, Brian Kamerzel faced a terrifying, existential dilemma: "What to do?" Having recently completed his studies at the New York School of Visual Arts (SVA), the Southbury, Connecticut native was looking for the subject of his first film after college. His search ended at the local elementary school where his mother teaches. There he stumbled upon art teacher and accomplished painter Florin Ion Firimita.

Jafar Panahi’s "Crimson Gold" begins in the middle of a foiled bank robbery, the thief and his victim obscured by shadows. But when things go wrong, there are no sensational Hollywood tricks or clever escapes. For Pahani’s film is gritty and realistic, entirely unsentimental. The film, showing at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts as part of the current Festival of Films from Iran, evokes the envy and eventual despair -- brought about by economic disparity -- that can lead to violent crime.

The mercury’s falling, but the cinematic spark of Newburyport’s smokin’ new film series is starting to catch fire. Every month, this quintessential New England town hosts the region’s hottest filmmakers, importing a bit of Beantown film flair to quaint Market Square on the Merrimac River.

Picture a classic ‘coming-of-age’ film. You know the type, growing up, getting out; the themes of these films are all but universal: reconciling one’s need for social acceptance, forging one’s unique identity, overcoming one’s often crippling angst and anxiety. Now, how many of those familiar films tell the story of a young black girl?

Email news to news@newenglandfilm.com. 

Government support for the New England film industry continues to be rocky. Connecticut has pulled the plug on the Southeastern Connecticut Film Office, due to budget cuts and a structural reorganization. The office closed November 14. The Connecticut Film, Video & Media Office is still up and running.

Teja Arboleda grew up in Japan, lived in Germany, and moved to the United States. He has visited 23 countries around the globe and 500 cities and towns in North America. "I am African-American/Native-American, Filipino-Chinese and German-Danish," he says when asked about his heritage.

The advent of lightweight cameras, digital video and desktop editing systems has been a boon to filmmakers, especially documentarians, because the equipment allows them to shoot solo and "on the fly." The downside to these innovations is that documentary filmmaking can be a lonely pursuit. Filmmakers toiling alone in an editing room become so familiar with their footage or so attached to certain parts of it that they lack perspective on the work and need fresh opinions. Enter the DocuClub, where any filmmaker who is a member can read more...