January 13, 2010 • 10:22 am 0
Quick note about the next edition of Cinema Speakeasy at the Echo Park Film Center in LA. We’re presenting another short film workshop ’cause it was so fun last time, featuring two brand new films:
ALL AMERICAN TOOLES, Dir. M. David Melvin
PROCESSION, Dir. Beth Spitalny
More info at cinemaspeakeasy.com
Filed under: GO , Beth Spitalny, cinema speakeasy, M. David Melvin
January 2, 2010 • 10:07 am 0
Participate in the conversation and propose topics for the Filmmaker Summit: http://discussion.workbookproject.com/
Learn more about the summit and register to attend: http://www.slamdance.com/summit/
Logo by Michael Beynart
SLAMDANCE, WORKBOOK PROJECT and OPEN VIDEO ALLIANCE present the FILMMAKER SUMMIT, 2010
Thanks to the generous support of IndieFlix, XMission, Flumotion
STATEMENT FROM THE PRODUCERS
The mission of the Slamdance, WorkBook Project and Open Video Alliance Filmmaker Summit is to jointly craft a new charter for filmmaking, storytelling and content distribution, with and by the global filmmaking community.Our collaboration is born out of reaction to an independent film industry currently in a state of change and how, as a global filmmaking community, we can better understand and find greater success afforded by new technology and the democratization of new tools and processes.
We believe sustainable independent filmmaking is no longer about the production itself. Instead, it’s about how filmmakers must now expand their role and take charge of reaching and engaging worldwide audiences across all viewing platforms. In this direct approach, the viewer is now collaborative, less passive and more connected then every before. New business models will emerge as a direct result of experimentation and transparency around process, the Filmmaker Summit is an attempt to chart a course towards sustainability one that is by filmmakers for filmmakers while at the same time being inclusive of the audiences that support them.
We are inviting the DIY filmmaking-loving public to pick topics to discuss through an online voting up process. These topics will then be thoroughly examined by speakers Steven Soderbergh, Brian Newman, Christy Dena, Jamie King, Timo Vuorensola, Khavn de la Cruz, Lance Weiler, Peter Baxter and Jon Reiss in a one day summit – on site in Park City (and, of course, online).
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The Filmmaker Summit was made possible thanks to the support shown by IndieFlix and Xmission, and to a large collaborative production effort: produced by Saskia Wilson-Brown, programming by Lance Weiler (WorkBook Project), technical assistance Ben Moskowitz (OVA), overall support Peter Baxter (Slamdance), streaming services George Chriss (openmeetings.org) with additional support from Greg Urich, Megan MacLeod, Zak Forsman and Kevin Shah (SABI Pictures), Josh Levy, and Paul Rachman. Logo design by Michael Beynart, and program design and consultation from Micah Hahn at Autumn Seventy.
Filed under: GO, diy distribution, film, self-referential, subverting dominant paradigms, theory , autumnseventy, ben moskowitz, christy dena, filmmaker summit, filmmaking, free, In no particular order..., indieflix, Lance Weiler, logo, micah hahn, Michael Beynart, open video alliance, park city, peter baxter, saskia wilson-brown, slamdance film festival, workbook project, xmission
September 29, 2009 • 11:13 pm 0
Ultra Fabulous, Beyond Drag: Part Deux
Curated by Austin Young & Saskia Wilson-Brown
December 2nd 2009, 7:45 PM
Downtown Independent Theatre in Los Angeles
Squeaky Blonde, by Austin Young
Curated by Austin Young and developed by Saskia Wilson-Brown, Ultra Fabulous: Beyond Drag was first screened at the LA Gay and Lesbian Center in 2007 as part of the fiercely independent Silver Lake Film Festival (so punk rock indie, indeed, that the festival died in a blaze of rancour and debt… But that’s another story).
This new follow-up program – the part deux – presents a comprehensive look at the new developments in transsexual/transgender/tranimal culture through short films by and about the performers working in this space.
International in scope, with a healthy dose of the LA/NY/SF scene(s), Ultra Fabulous, Beyond Drag: Part Deux goes way beyond the anticipated boas, glitter and whip-smart sass. Indeed, it aims to showcase a new genre — a genre we are (predictably) dubbing ‘Transploitation’ — born of, and predicated on the instant accessibility of internet culture, the do-it-yourself ethos of home publishing, and, yes, the narcissism inherent to self-reflection and ‘otherness’. All this, through the best new performance video and short film work by established filmmakers, avant-garde performers and digital video sensations.
“Ultra-Fabulous: Beyond Drag is a tribute to the ‘other’ among us.”
–Buzznet, 2007
“Viewed collectively, [the films in Ultra Fabulous Beyond Drag] make a solid case for the continued relevance of an art form that is as diverse in its roster of artists as it is festive— and challenging— in its entertainment value.”
–Frontiers Magazine, 2007
An evening hosted by Jer Ber Jones, featuring the work of: Mathu Anderson & Andrew Schneider with RuPaul; Willam Belli; Jer Ber Jones; Lawrence Elbert with Jackie Beat, Selene Luna and Nadya Ginsburg; Mike Karma; Kurt Koehler with Chicos Angels; Clay Weiner; Calpernia Addams; Matthew Snead with Taylor Mac; Zackary Drucker; Austin Young; Karis; Fredrik S. Hana; Scott Boswell with Peaches Christ; Peter Pizzi with Ben McCoy; And more…
Critical Panel: ‘Gender Identity and Transploitation in Contemporary Media’
Featuring Zackary Drucker, Calpernia Addams , Buck Angel, Moderated by Jackie Beat
And finally: A Buzznet segment on the May 2007 edition, hosted by a slightly hoarse but no less fierce Clint Catalyst.
PS. You can see more videos (including one featuring a very tired me) on Buzznet, here!
Filed under: GO, art & design, film , Andrew Schneider, Austin Young, Ben McCoy, Buck Angel, Calpernia Addams, Downtown Independent Theatre, film, film exhibition, Jackie Beat, Jer Ber Jones, Karis, Los Angeles, Mathu Anderson, RuPaul, saskia wilson-brown, Squeaky Blonde, tranimal, transploitation, Ultra Fabulous Beyond Drag, Zackary Drucker
September 15, 2009 • 3:38 pm 0
I curated a Cuban film series, affiliated with a larger exhibition of Cuban photography that started Sunday September 20th at Casa Del Tunel, in Tijuana.
Here’s more information:
Fotografía de la Revolución Cubana
Curada por Darryl Couturier
Featuring photography by:
Septiembre 20, 9:00 PM
Debut Musical, en La Casa del Tunel: Art Center Ghost Magnet Roach Motel
Participantes: Shinpei Takeda, Tony Cozano, Brian Sueda, Daniel Ruanova, Julio Orozco
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Film Serie: CINE FRONTERA TIEMPO Y CULTURA Presenta
Cuatro Cineastas Caminan en la Revolucion Cubana, 1964-2006
Curada por Saskia Wilson-Brown
A FILMMAKER WALKS INTO A REVOLUTION…
CUBAN FILM & THE REVOLUTION
CASA DEL TUNEL, 2009
Curatorial statement:
In turn a time of turmoil, trauma, joy and great upheaval for the country’s inhabitants, it can however be affirmed that the revolution had one brilliant effect: Ushering in what is known as the golden era of Cuban cinema. The effects of great change on art cannot be understated, and in Cuba – no exception to that rule – it provided a rich and complex subject to observe, interpret and chronicle. This film program aims to elucidate the opinions and conclusions drawn around this cataclysmic event through the unique cinematic eye of some of the country’s greatest storytellers: Its filmmakers.
Soy Cuba
Director. Mihail Kalatozov, una coproducción ruso-cubana, 1964, 141 minutos.
Septiembre 24, 8:00 PM
Lucia
Director. Humberto Solás, 1969, 106 minutos.
Octubre 1. 8:00 PM
Memorias del Subdesarrollo
Director. Thomás Gutiérrez Alea, ICAIC, 1968, 95 minutos.
Octubre 8, 8:00 PM
Habana: Arte Nuevo de Hacer Ruinas
Director. Florián Borschmeyer, 2006, 86 minutos.
Octubre 16, 8:00 PM
Para mas iformación ir a: www.lacasadeltunelartcenter.org
Filed under: GO , Alberto Korda, border culture, Casa Del Tunel, Cuban film, Cuban photography, Curation, Darryl Couturier, José Figueróa, mexico, Oswaldo Sálas, Raúl Corrales, saskia wilson-brown, Tijuana
July 17, 2009 • 3:48 pm 0
DIY DAYS A ROVING CONFERENCE FOR THOSE WHO CREATE COMES TO PHILADELPHIA: A FREE DAY OF SPEAKERS & NETWORKING.
The WorkBook Project and PIFVA present DIY DAYS Philadelphia on Saturday August 1st at UArts on the 17th floor of the Terra Building. DIY DAYS is a FREE day of talks and networking centered on how to fund, create, distribute and sustain from your creative work. After a successful first year that included stops in LA, San Francisco, Boston, NYC and London, DIY DAYS returns with a series of day long conferences for creatives that enable the sharing of work and ideas while providing an important networking outlet with industry innovators.
Many of those working in film, music, design, gaming and tech are wondering how to sustain themselves in challenging economic times. How does one monetize their creative work and get the word out? DIY DAYS aims to answer these questions with a day of – speakers, panels, case studies, roundtable discussions and workshops presented by an impressive list of innovative thinkers and doers.
Acclaimed author and filmmaker, Douglas Rushkoff (Life Inc., Get back in the box: innovation from the inside out) will open the conference with a keynote on storytelling. Other speakers include Scott Kirsner (Friends, Fans and Followers), Lance Weiler (Head Trauma, The Last Broadcast), Michael Monello (co-founder of Campfire Media & Blair Witch Project producer), Ana Domb (MIT), Arin Crumley (Four Eyed Monsters), Scott Macaulay (Producer Gumo, Raising Victor Vargas, editor Filmmaker Mag), Don Argott (Rock School), Anita Ondine (STM) Brian McTear (record producer Miner Street Studios), Mark Schoneveld (the Poverty Jetset), Saskia Wilson-Brown (Current TV) and Geoff DiMasi (founder of P’unk Avenue)… And more.
Lance Weiler, a resident of the greater Philadelphia area, and founder of the WorkBook Project and DIY DAYS explains the genesis for the project. “DIY DAYS is an attempt to pull back the curtain on a once closed industry – to share the process of what it takes to make work and sustain from one’s creative efforts. Philadelphia has so many talented people working in different areas, and our hope is that DIY DAYS can help to bring some of them together and, maybe in the process, spark some new collaborations.” The conference runs from 8:30am to 6:30pm on Saturday August 1st, followed by an after party/ mixer to be held at the Brandywine Workshop located at 730 S. Broad Street.
Registration is now open http://diydaysphilly.eventbrite.com but space is limited.
For more information and a full program visit http://www.diydays.com for more on the WorkBook Project visit http://workbookproject.com
Filed under: GO, diy distribution, film, saskia's on a panel, subverting dominant paradigms, television, theory, video , Brandywine Workshop, DIY Days, Lance Weiler, Philadelphia
May 29, 2009 • 12:58 am 0
Wednesday June 3rd, 6:30 to 9PM
Wokcano: 1413 5th St., Santa Monica
Do you think that if 1000 people send their love and support all at once from Los Angeles, that Laura and Euna will hear them? I think so….
Come join us for an evening of friends, family and community as we unite for the common goal of bringing Laura and Euna home safely. Laura Ling and Euna Lee are currently being detained in North Korea. Their trial is set to begin on June 4th.
Link to Facebook information about vigil in Los Angeles can be found here
Co-Host – Kelly Hu
Guest Speaker – Lisa Ling
Filed under: GO, subverting dominant paradigms , Euna Lee, Kim Jong Il, Laura and Euna, Laura Ling, North Korea, protest, vigil
