A Light Blog
Looking Ahead
Now that the lights are all flicked on and the dust has finally settled, I want to tell you about what's next. The ViewFinders International Festival for Youth (Facebook group) is set to take place April 22-26, 2008. It is a five-day celebration of film, video and media geared towards young people between the ages of 3 and 18. There is something for you, whether you are an educator, student, parent or child.
The Call for Entry is available for download (or check out withoutabox). For all the budding filmmakers that are under 18, you are eligible to enter the exciting Movie, Animation and Green Screen Challenges. It is an excellent screening opportunity and way to get your hands on $5,000!
Hope to see you there...and keep counting down until the 28th Atlantic Film Festival!
Posted by Lumen Essen on Oct 4/07
Going out with a bang!
Can you believe it has been 10 days of films, industry sessions, parties, receptions, bacon wrapped scallops and cheese cubes and I am still floating! I do hear people asking what's next? I can't think of a better way to say goodbye than with the Empire Theatres Closing Night Gala Party alongside your friends (both new and old). This is your once last chance to schmooze or lose. Nathan Wiley (PE) and Hey Rosetta! (NL) are both performing and, as a special bonus, there will be an encore presentation of the 10 X 10 Program (10 Atlantic Canadian music videos mentored by Norwood Cheek) that debuted at the Seahorse tavern last night. Some of the great bands that took part in the program are Dog Day, I See Rowboats, The Superfantastics, Caledonia, Mark Bragg, Hey Rosetta!, Steven Bowers, Down With the Butterfly and Jessica Rhaye. It all starts tonight at 9 PM ($25) at The Marquee, a Halifax musical landmark that is set to reopen permanently next week.
- Lumen
P.S. I also hope you got your vote in for your favourite, because the People's Choice Award for Best Picture will also be announced tonight. The Hollywood Reporter, CBC and Chronicle Herald have details on the other awards handed out on yesterday.
Posted by Lumen Essen on Sept 22/07
Want to be my date at the Murder Party?
It looks like Late Shift had to have its Teeth replaced.
Many times when attending the festival you feel like you are on the edge of your seat...and working behind the scenes in the industry is no different! Dealing with hundreds of filmmakers and distributors, international shipments and custom issues, other film festivals around the world, limited print availability and many more mysterious and unpredictable elements is just as dramatic and suspenseful as being inside the theatre.
So, adjust your schedule...the IFC Late Shift Gala film is going to be Magnolia Pictures' hipster comic slasher film Murder Party (myspace). It all goes down tonight (Wednesday, September 19th) at 11:30 PM at Empire Park Lane (Theatre 3) and includes a party at Gallery Page and Strange (1869 Granville Street) from 11:00 PM until 2:00 AM with your ticket stub (or delegate badge).
Directed by Jeremy Saulnier, Murder Party had its world premiere at Park City's Slamdance and won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature. It also won Best Feature Film at the Vail Film Festival in Colorado and was an official selection at the SXSW Film Festival. Saulnier has crafted "a crowd pleasing, tight little film. At a brisk 80 minute running time, and taking place almost entirely in a single warehouse location, Murder Party is an exercise in rip roaring simplicity" and it is said to be "a midnight movie classic in the making." Check out the trailer for yourself:
Murder Party - teaser trailerAdd to My Profile | More Videos
Posted by Lumen Essen on Sept 19/07
Fade-in: Inspired Industry Series
Behind every great movie is a great script. Sure, there are a lot of movies for you to see this week, but did you know you can also take a look behind the scenes? If you are also interested the nuts and bolts of script writing you should check out the following Inspired Script events taking place on Tuesday, September 18:
Script out Loud featuring Daniel MacIvor's "Remember Me"
12:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Delta Halifax, Bluenose Room
Script Out Loud presents a unique opportunity to experience Remember Me, a new screenplay from highly acclaimed writer, director and playwright, Daniel MacIvor (Wilby Wonderful, Marion Bridge, Whole New Thing).
Script To Screen with Chaz Thorne & Friends
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Delta Halifax, Bluenose Room
Join writer, director and actor Chaz Thorne (Poor Boy's Game, Just Buried) in an engaging panel consisting of Gordon Whittaker (Director, Atlantic Region, Telefilm Canada), Bill Niven (producer, Marion Bridge) and Pen Densham (producer) about two of the biggest films to come out of Atlantic Canada this year, Just Buried and Poor Boy's Game.
Posted by Lumen Essen on Sept 17/07
The Big Day...in a Series of 10 Big Days!
As you already know, the Atlantic Film Festival is kicking things off tonight in a major way with screenings of Shake Hands With the Devil and a huge street party with Mr. Buck 65 and The Heavy Blinkers.
If you are still trying to finalize your schedule for the rest of the fest, you must check out the Atlantic Film Festival Stella Artois Insiders Guide available inside this week's issue of The Coast - Halifax's Weekly (available free around town today). You can also download a PDF version of the guide (2.7 megs) right now. It is chock full of several Programmers Picks to help guide you through the festival forest with ease.
Posted by Lumen Essen on Sept 13/07
RSVP on FB
It is great to see how many filmmakers were quick to take advantage of the internet (in particular, Facebook) and create their own publicity. Go ahead and add these upcoming events to your calendar and don't forget to let them know you are going to show your support!
* Ben's Famous Animation Fun Times and Show!
* A Winter Tale @ The Atlantic Film Festival
* Eastern Shore - 2007 Atlantic Film Festival
* OLIVE PREPARES by Siloen Daly
* DAUGHTERS OF WISDOM at Atlantic Film Festival
* Copain de Memoires World Premiere
* "You Can't Do That On Film Anymore" premiere
* FAMOUS MONSTER at the Atlantic Film Festival
- Lumen
P.S. Here is an overall event for the 27 Atlantic Film Festival. Let me know if I am going to see you around!
Posted by Lumen Essen on Sept 12/07
Who's Around Town?
As we approach opening night, I thought I would let you know about some special friends that will be out and about at the 27th Atlantic Film Festival.
* Newfoundland's own Gordon Pinsent (Away from Her, The Thomas Crown Affair, The Rowdyman) is one of Canada's most respected actors. He even helped the cast of The Shipping News hone their Newfoundland accents.
* Deborah Kara Unger (Shake Hands with the Devil, The Game, Crash) is a wonderful west coast actress that was the first Canadian to attend the highly-regarded Australian National Institute of Art.
* The award-winning director/writer/producer Clement Virgo (Lie with Me, Rude) is here to screen Poor Boy's Game, his collaboration with Chaz Thorne (Just Buried, One-Hit Wonder), starring Kiefer's half-brother Rossif Sutherland ("Monk", "ER") and actress Tanya Lee Williams ("The Young and the Restless", "Polka Dot Door")...all of which will be attendance.
* Acclaimed director/producer Peter Greenaway (Nightwatching, The Pillow Book, The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover), who is also a painter, based this buzz worthy film on Rembrandt's Night Watch.
* Local actress Ellen Page (The Stone Angel, Tracey Fragments, X-Men: The Last Stand), who played Treena Lahey in the "Trailer Park Boys" series and is quickly becoming an international star, will be here.
* Groundbreaking documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles (Gimme Shelter, Grey Gardens, Salesman) will be here to chat with Liz Rigney (a halifamous celebrity herself).
And that is just a sampling of who you might bump into!
Posted by Lumen Essen on Sept 11/07
Mark Your Calendar
Have you checked out the box office yet? You should really sign-up as soon as you can and start filling up your online calendar with some of the spectacular events the festival has in store. How else are we going to bump into each other? There is a special section you should check out called the buzz, which will give you some insight into the tastes and interests of the community of users.
I should also mention that the results of one popularity contest are already in. The Academy Award-winning animated feature Spirited Away, by acclaimed animator Hayao Miyazaki, will kick off the 27th Atlantic Film Festival during the third annual Film On The Hill event on Friday, September 7th (8 PM or dusk) at the Garrison Grounds at Citadel Hill. There is a $5.00 suggested donation. You can also RSVP by checking out the Facebook event.
After doing some poking around, I found out that the film festival programmers watched 1791 films this year. How many do plan on going to see?
Posted by Lumen Essen on Sept 05/07
I'm in a book!
I just found out I am in an awesome new 176 page book. It is called "27th Atlantic Film Festival" and has a ton of great things in it (besides me, of course!). Some people call it a Program Guide...and others a Catalog. I think it reminds me of that the Sears Wish Book but for amazing new movies, showcases, sessions, panels, keynotes and parties.
Stop by the Atlantic Film Festival Box Office (1599 South Park Street, Halifax) to get your very own copy. Did I mention it is free?
If you can't swing by in person, you can also read the online version here to get the scoop. I can't wait to talk to you more about what is inside!
Posted by Lumen Essen on Aug 30/07
"It's a fire, mister, and all fires are bad"
I am worried that the Halifax Harbour may boil this Friday evening.
Any of the films featured in the FireFit People's Choice Firefighter Classic Online Vote were capable of heating things up, but the people have spoken and the last alFresco filmFesto screening of the season will be the 1974 Oscar nominated film The Towering Inferno. It stars Steve McQueen, Paul Newman (of equal merit, according to my mom and her friends) and O.J. Simpson.
Bring your fire-retardant lawn chair or blanket down this Friday and you will see two novels (Richard Martin Stern's "The Tower" and Thomas N. Scortia and Frank M. Robinson's "The Glass Inferno") mashed-up and set ablaze in one mega-disaster movie.
Speaking of voting, you still have a change to exercise your right and take part in the Film On The Hill vote for the Friday, September 7, 2007 screening on the Garrison Grounds at Citadel Hill. You can choose from a fine selection of fantastic animated family features dealing with lost fish (Finding Nemo), glaciers (Ice Age), bad dreams (Monsters Inc.), clay chickens (Chicken Run) and the age old dilmea of dealing with your parents when they are turned into pigs (Spirited Away).
The winner will be revealed on August 31st before The Towering Inferno gets too out of control.
Posted by Lumen Essen on Aug 28/07
See me!
Can you see me now? I am glad I finally got your attention. You look lonely floating all by yourself. I have been searching for someone like you. After working behind the scenes for so long, it is great to be able to finally find someone to share with.
If you want hang out with me, you should come down to the Tall Ships Quay this evening. I would love for you to dress up for the occasion.
Hint: the smellier the better if you want to be the best Shrek on the harbourfront. See you soon!
Posted by Lumen Essen on Aug 10/07
