Cucalorus Film Festival- Day 5

When I find something that works I stick to it, for example, for 5 days I've ordered a croissant and vanilla latte from Port City a Java. It has been such a great way to start the day. When I was in New York a couple of years ago, it was the latte with some Mallorca. If you've never had mallorca, you need to!

The Act of Killing - In a country where killers are celebrated as heroes, the filmmakers challenge unrepentant death squad leaders to dramatize their role in genocide. The hallucinatory result is a cinematic fever dream, an unsettling journey deep into the imaginations of mass-murderers and the shockingly banal regime of corruption and impunity they inhabit.

I don't know why I keep starting my days with such graphic and controversial films. Yesterday was the film about the youngest mother and today it's about these executioners who were so causal about what they did that Anwar ( the man the film focuses on) cha cha'd on the very ground where hundreds of communist Chinese were brutally killed. I can't get that image out of my head. 

It's time for lunch and the only thing we can all seem to agree on was the best sushi place in Wilmington, Nicki's sushi which is one of my favorite sushi places in the world. Well in the US really cause I've never had it anywhere else. 

We really took a chance today and attended the Secret Screening of Butter on the Latch. By the end of the film I had no idea what I watched. I did, however, have a terrible headache from the unfocused shots. They were unnecessary in my opinion. There were moments in the beginning that seemed hopeful with no pay off. I was stuck and couldn't leave. 

What's a visit to Wilmington without a walk downtown. It was in the mid 70s and Kilwans fudgery was calling my name. So was the filmmaker's Lounge where Brandon finally met us. We dined at Reel cafe which is a local Hollywood stop and rushed back to Thalian Hall to watch 

The guys are pooped!

Short Term 12 again. It was just as good the 2nd time around! But this time I was able to drag a few with me. 

The festival wrapped in such a fun way, Kareoke at City Stage. Everyone was in good spirits, and although I did not sing I had an incredible time. I met some really awesome people and saw some really great films! Until next year, Cuc!

Cucalorus Film Festival- Day 4

Day 4 11-16-13

Termitaria- Inspired by the actual story of one of the youngest mothers in Philippine history, this film follows the story of Krista, who at the tender age of 9 got pregnant from the sexual abuse perpetrated by her own father. What follows is a story of struggle and renewal. Krista's story is complex. She refuses to see herself as a victim. Despite her situation, she demonstrates an incredible level of resilience and determination to overcome the trauma of her past. Her mother on the other hand is torn between her love for her child and her love for her husband.

I think the description alone demonstrates the maturity I think is unrealistic for a 9 year old. I was really looking forward to this film but was a little disappointed in the lack of focus. I couldn't tell who's story I was listening to. 

The best part of this film was the woman who introduced it. She sang a Russian song called Moscow Nights. It was beautiful!

I'm so grateful for the filmmaker's lounge, whenever it's open, there's beer. Noon may have been a little too early for me. We had time to check out the Button Bush Shorts. Where, luckily, Blue played again! 

Austin Taylor was being interviewed at a restaurant near by so we decided to join him, and look who joined us! 

couldn't wait to watch Blue

I was so excited to convince everyone to get fondue after dinner at Hell's Kitchen (Where Dawson's Creek was filmed). 

Stranger By The Lake was not a favorite for the guys in attendance with me. It may be because there were more penises than there were film credits. It was basically the male version of Blue is the Warmest Color. 

Winner of the Queer Palm award at Cannes 2013, Alain Guiraudie's shockingly erotic exploration of death and desire takes place over nine days at an isolated lakeside gay cruising beach in Southern France. Franck is a regular at this nude beach, where he finds companionship both platonic and carnal. He meets Michel, a mustachioed Adonis straight out of the 1970s, who captures Franck's full attention. But his new paramourl turns out to be a love-'em-and-leave-'em type, in the deadliest sense... 

The Midnite Brunch party at Ziggys was fun because of the company. And the fact that there were more familiar faces on the screens than in person. Can you recognize that cutie patootie?

Almost 3 am, and I'm getting to do this all for one more day. Good nite!

Cucalorus Film Festival- Day 3

Day 3- 11-15-13
What better way than to start the day with a latte, croissant and really good film?!

Short Term 12- Sometimes I hate that I can't seem to write down how I feel. I'm more expressive visually, yet I'm not an artist in that sense. What I'm trying to say is that I really really loved Short Term 12. It's indie in the truest sense, so much so, I think it's become a genre. Subtle, quirky, and easy are the words I can think of to describe it. Brie Larson and John Gallagher had cute chemistry. Both, workers at an under privileged community. The kids in the community are all distinct characters as well that move the story along while being completely unpredictable. I cried maybe 5 solid times. It was such a great film all around.

With "Robot" from Death and the Robot

 2nd screenings of Sundarban shorts:

Blue
A fearful balloon must learn to put his fragile life in the hands of an unlikely friend. 

Voice Over
I-won't-tell-you-whose voice over guides us through three extreme situations which are actually the same. Will you survive?

Death and the Robot
Two lonely souls, bored of their safe havens, venture into new worlds and share an encounter that will nurture a friendship and an everlasting legacy.  

Bajo la Almohada (Under the Pillow)
Animated documentary which uses the voices and drawings of a group of children who live in a clinic in India. The guitar, the dances, a trip out to sea, the cats Sweety and Kitty, and the sisters who look after them are just some of the treasures and dreams which the children keep hidden under the pillow. 

Helpless
Trapped in the school library, two teens try to keep each other calm. 

After
After is a film about contemporary life in Auschwitz. In an observation from dusk till dawn, it portrays the theatre of everyday life around the grim confines and captures the energies and activities of a world fascinated by this former concentration camp.

America 6.1
A frame-by-frame crowd-sourced meditation on environmental media pollution. The film is about our relationship with time and the desire to capture experience. It is Sam's attempt to depict herself standing still while time flows around her. 

Building a Better Wilmington: Giving and Volunteering in the Port City
Volunteers from local nonprofit organizations, musicians, activists, and community leaders discuss topics such as the personal rewards of involvement, how to get involved, and the importance of giving and volunteering in Wilmington. The film aims to encourage student film making and to inspire participation in the community. 

Aqua!(Water!)
Guille and Alex don't know each other. Each of them leads their lives in their own way. They live according to how they have been taught and raised. Although they come from different worlds, they are united by something - their passion for swimming. And today, there's a competition.

How to Lose Your Virginity- A documentary exposing the ambiguity of the word virginity and virgin. It was interesting and provoking with interviews by 30 year old virgins and porn producers. It left me trying to answer what is virginity? It is lost at the first impure thought or the first moment of intercourse? Intercourse where? Think about it.

The Visual/Sound/Walls Comedy Hour was very unique. The comedians incorporated projections on screen to help in their story telling. The emcee shared photos of his roommate's cat and her asshole.
Good time!

Cucalorus Film Festival- Day 2

11-14-2013 (Thursday)
FYI- Port City Java offers a free cup of coffee or $1 off your order with a festival pass.

I head over to Thalian Hall where the Sundarban shorts are screening at 10am. Large groups of high schoolers are piling into The theatre as I start to get nervous. My producer on one arm and my packet of post cards in the other, I brave the crowd and enter.

The short films in this category were all incredible! The very first film, Blue, about a balloon, blew me away! (No pun intended). They are working on a trailer for it. 

Katelyn Bianchini & Rena Cheng

The screening of Helpless made me cringe, for a moment I felt like I was losing the crowd. Secretly I told myself that the ending would pay off. I was right. It was received so well! And I couldn't be more proud to have Austin Taylor next to us representing Death and the Robot!

Some fans of Helpless and future filmmakers!

 With the excitement and a little time to kill we decided to embark on a little retail therapy at my favorite Wilmington boutique, Planet. Then to the best pizza joint, Slice of Life. 

At TheatreNOW we had the privilege of seeing The Kill Team by Dan Krauss:

From Oscar-nominated director Dan Krauss comes a story about a young soldier in Afghanistan who attempted to alert the military to horrific atrocities being committed by U.S. soldiers, and who then himself became a target of one of the largest war crimes investigations in U.S. history. With extraordinary access to the soldiers who were convicted and the evidence used against them, this film takes us inside a story that was largely impenetrable to the media.Director Bio:Dan Krauss was nominated for an Academy Award and two Emmy Awards for his first film, The Death of Kevin Carter. The film also won prizes from the Tribeca Film Festival, the International Documentary Association and The San Francisco International Film Festival, among others. Krauss earned his Master’s Degree from UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism, where he is presently a lecturer in film and television production.Next on the agenda is the State of Slate panel.

This special panel presented by Entertainment Partners at the 19th Annual Cucalorus Film Festival will highlight the Film and Television production incentives tax structure and production resources that have made North Carolina an evolving filmmakers destination.

The panel State of the Slate panel was really informative and some really useful information for filmmakers in NC. I tend to just assume I'm moving to CA or NY and never consider digging roots in Nc and making films here. It's a great idea, but without the film incentive it will almost be impossible to afford compared to filming in a state where you get a percentage of what you spend back. It's like shopping on Black Friday versus shopping the day before christmas. 

Moderated by Joe Chianese, Executive VP of EP Financial Solutions, the panel will explore the current and future state of film and television production in North Carolina, highlighting recent productions including "Under the Dome", "IRON MAN 3", "SLEEPY HOLLOW" as well as Emmy Award Winning "HOMELAND".

Panelist Include: 
Aaron Syrett - DIRECTOR, NC FILM COMMISSION 

Susan Ruskin - DEAN, UNCSA SCHOOL OF FILM
Dale Williams - PRODUCER, PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR, and currently the UNIT PRODUCTION MANAGER of UNDER THE DOME 
Jason Rosin - BUSINESS MANAGER, IATSE LOCAL 491

Bill Vassar - EXEC. VP, EUE/SCREENGEMS STUDIOS


 

After the panel, Susan hosted a gathering for all UNCSA students and alumni. Brandon finally joined me as we had tapas and wine with some past graduates. I had some great conversations with people that went to UNCSA.

Still a little hungry we ventured to the Copper Penny before catching the Bangwelu shorts which featured Remy, Baldwin and The Virgins (all UNCSA productions). I am so exhausted and it's only day 2!!

Cucalorus Film Festival- Day 1

Cucalorus Film Festival November 13-17, 2013 

Day 1- 11-13-2013

This is my very first time attending a film festival solely as a filmmaker. I'm usually working the festival. This feels good. I picked up my pass ($300 value) with a couple of gifts, a bottle coozie, t-shirt, and tie sticker that needs to be worn in order to attend a party. A few students from UNCSA will also be attending. I was so excited to see that my film, Helpless is screening with an animated film made last year called Death and the Robot, that is by far the best film I've seen at my school. 

My first stop was the very first event, Dance-a-lorus at Thalian Hall. A communion of dance and film where Filmmakers pair with choreographers and dancers to create a piece. Below, dancers dance in front of a projected film about the process of choreographing this piece. 

After the performances I met up with Jeremiah, Andreas and Eduardo for some beers at Front Street Brewery. Below, Jeremiah enjoys a plate of homemade ketchup. 

The Opening Night Party was held at the Bellamy Mansion on Market street.  I love that everything is walking distance. It was gorgeous! With two huge floors and hundreds of people eating incredible food. This is such a great opportunity to mingle and meet other filmmakers.

We bumped into more UNCSA alumni and danced the night away! And took fun pics at the photo booth that always seems to be one of my favorite parts of a film festival!

Brandon was on duty and had a second to say hello! Just across from his boat, Sleepy Hollow was filming an episode of their show. You can see the carnival in the background of the photo below.

I feel right at home even surrounded by complete strangers. We all have one thing in common: a love of films. And I can't wait to start watching them! Helpless screens tomorrow morning at 10am. So I'm hitting the hay early tonight. Good night, Wilmington!

Helpless (2013)

The resources The North Carolina School of the Arts School of Film making provides are just amazing. Where I use to carry around a Sony Cyber Shot digital camera ($80) with a 1G SD card, I was now shooting a 7 minute movie on a Cannon 5D Mark III ($3,500).

Year 1 in my producing class, Bob Gosse, assigns us to pitch a story. The day is February 1st, 2012.
I had images in my head, but no story.

I started writing. "A girl and a guy in a library." "Two kids in a library." Library. Library. Library.

I gave up and went to class. The pitches are going well so I decide to go.

[enter pitch here]

I can't remember what I said but the hands started raising and the questions started.

We go on break and Evan Scott Russell approaches me with something along the lines of "I loved your idea, I totally connected. I want to be a part of it."

That night I post on Facebook:

We start to find the crew, first on the list is our Cinematographer, Chris Ellison. I worked with Chris before and I truly admire and respect him. We really lucked out when he agreed to shoot our movie because he provided a vision that really did the story justice.

Next comes our Editor, Isaac Banks. And then so on and so forth. By the end of the hiring we had an incredibly tight and small crew.

We had a hard time finding a library. Our own school library refused us and the few we looked at wouldn't agree to some aspects of the script. Bob Gosse swoops in and connects us with a contact for a local library and within 2 meetings we lock the library. Our scheduled shooting dates are March 31st and April 1st. April 1st just so happened to be Easter and the Library Manager had plans to visit her family so we had one of our first obstacles of moving our entire schedule a day earlier. March 30-31st. That may seem easy, but we had to accommodate everyone's schedule, including the caterer and the hours of operation of the library.

The casting process was a little unconventional. I already knew who I wanted to cast as Leah, and Evan knew who he wanted to cast as Chayse. They each read (separately) and are offered the roles. We begin to rehearse while Dylan Arnold and Mary Mattison Vallery begin their journey.

DAY ONE-We arrive at the library around noon on Friday the 30th. The Camera crew set up the set while the production crew sets up crafty and makeup and wardrobe. Everyone is equal parts excited and giddy. Our first day goes by without a hitch. We reunite later at Chris' (DP) to watch dailies.

Director/Story By/Art Director: Christene Hurley

Produced/Written By/Special Effects Make Up: Evan Scott Russell (middle)

1st AD- Taylor Zabloski, Co-Producer/Boom Op-Austin Elliott and Director of Photography- Chris Ellison

DAY TWO- We meet at our only other location which is the high school hallway. I luckily locked our very own high school hallway months earlier so we did not have to travel far this morning. The freight elevator also proved convenient when pushing the dolly/crane job through.

Michelle Shiraziefard- Gaffer (left)

We left our special effect shot for the last day of shooting, we took our time to prepare and I think it really paid off. I can't say much more without spoiling the story so I just hope that everyone gets a chance to see this film if you haven't.

Kyle Frank-Key Grip

Chris and Kazmo Kida-1st AC

Dylan Arnold and Mary Mattison Vallery

That's a WRAP! The best part was when I got to announce to my dear crew that we had submitted our film into the Courte Metrage Short Film Corner at the Cannes International Film Festival!! I applied for an internship at the festival and was accepted and offered the opportunity to submit a film. I had so much faith that I submitted a film we hadn't even shot yet!

Top: Austin Elliott, Dalton Price, Dylan Arnold, Michelle, Drew, Kazmo, Isaac, Taylor
Bottom: Evan, Mary, Kyle, Christene, Chris

We were a little pressed for time to submit the film to France so Isaac got cracking quick! After 6 days he had a first cut. We were all so very happy with the way it turned out. This is the birth of "Helpless."

Isaac Banks- Editor

April 24th, 2013 "Helpless" is officially screened with all of the other 2nd year films of the year. The films were incredible, the 2nd year students were riveted. I was excited and ecstatic and also sad that this was all over. Little did I know, my journey with "Helpless" had just begun. 

May 7th, 2013 I drive to Fayetteville to get interviewed for the Fayetteville Observer. Roger Mullen who had covered shows I performed in at The Cape Fear Regional Theatre was now interviewing me about "Helpless"! 

May 15th, 2013 "Helpless" premieres at the Court Metrage at the Cannes International Film Festival

May 24th, 2013 "Helpless" screens for the American Pavilion at the Cannes International Film Festival

August 30th, 2013 Evan is interviewed by the Times-Georgian on his 21st birthday about "Helpless". 

September 20th, 2013 "Helpless" screens at Big Bear Lake International Film Festival in California and is awarded the Jury Award for best Student Film! 

November 8th, 2013 "Helpless" will screen at the Asheville Cinema Festival in North Carolina.

November 15th, 2013 "Helpless" will screen at the Cucalorus Film Festival in Wilmington North Carolina.

This has been one of the most exciting rides of my life and I can't wait to see how it all turns out. I'm happy to report that Evan and I have just started pre-production on our second production together along with Kazmo Kida, the 1st AC for "Helpless" who will be our Cinematographer. Austin Elliott, the co-producer and Boom Operator for "Helpless" will also join us on our next adventure:
"Roses for Margaret"


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Related articles:

http://fayobserver.com/articles/2013/05/14/1253196

http://www.times-georgian.com/article_bfd840e8-1751-11e3-8c76-0019bb30f31a.html