NewEnglandFilm.com

Happenings

The Boston LGBT Film Festival runs May 5-15. Two films will have their New England premieres: Tom Tykwer’s 3 on opening night and the BBC’s adaptation of The Night Watch on closing night. Films screen at several different venues; festival passes are available. Visit http://bostonlgbtfilmfest.org/ for the full schedule and more information.

Kingdom County Productions presents several screenings of their documentary Ask Us Who We Are throughout Vermont this month. The film explores the lives of young people in foster care. Visit http://www.kingdomcounty.org/our_films/ask_us_who_we_are.php for screening dates and locations.

Bentley University hosts the Filmmakers Collaborative Making Media Now conference on May 6th from 8:45 am to 6:30 pm. Conference includes workshops, individual consultations, and receptions. Learn more at http://filmmakerscollab.org/programs/making-media-now/.

Celebrate the 24th annual Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Film Festival May 26-June 4. Screenings take place at Trinity College’s Cinestudio (300 Summit St. Hartford, CT). Visit http://www.outfilmct.org/ for a list of films and festival details.

Celebrate the 8th Annual Coolidge Award May 10-11 at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. This year’s award honors Film Preservation. Events include screenings of These Amazing Shadows and All About Eve, panel discussions, and presentation of the award. Ticket packages are available. Visit http://www.coolidge.org/programs/coolidge-award to buy tickets.

This Mother’s Day, check out the third annual Womanimation! The festival, which celebrates women in animation, takes place May 8th from 2:00 to 6:00 pm at Providence Inner City Arts’ Roots Cafe (276 Westminster Street, Providence, RI). Learn more at http://www.mergingartsproductions.com/.

The Whaleback Environmental Film & Art Festival runs May 13-15 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The festival will feature installations and screenings in downtown Portsmouth. Visit http://www.whaleback.org/ for more information.

New Haven, Connecticut’s Site Projects, Inc. screens its film shorts festival winners on May 15th. Filmmakers were encouraged to submit original short films that relate to or interact with Felice Varini’s installation “Square with four circles” in downtown New Haven’s Temple Plaza. Learn more at http://www.siteprojects.org/SitesCameraAction/.

Industry Buzz

The Massachusetts Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts, and Cultural Development will host a briefing on the Massachusetts Film Tax Credit on May 2nd at 10 am at the Dedham Community Theatre. Speakers will include Senator Eileen Donoghue, Representative Sarah Peake, Betsy Wall, Tug Yourgrau, and Paul McMurtry. A report on NewEnglandFilm.com will follow the event written by Chuck Slavin.

Boston’s Greenview Entertainment is in production on 617, a sitcom web series that will shoot around the city this summer. The pilot will be available in June, with the rest of the series to follow this fall. Check out http://www.617theseries.com/to read more.

London’s Populus Pictures has signed a contract with director Si Wall to begin work on Resistance, written by Massachusetts screenwriter Caitlin McCarthy. Learn more about the film at http://www.resistancethemovie.com/.

New England’s Astropiano Films has begun production on the feature film Mark of the Dog Rose. Shooting will take place in Massachusetts and New Hampshire this summer. Read more at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mark-of-the-Dog-Rose/185949091437823.

Maine-based film and television executive Louise Rosen has been chosen to join the Independent Filmmaker Project’s 2011 Advisory Board. Rosen currently lives in Brunswick.

Opportunities

Vote for the Berkshire International Film Festival’s Next Great Filmmaker Award. Check out the five films online, then vote for your favorite and be entered in a drawing to win one of three prizes. Voting ends May 31st. Visit http://www.biffma.com/index.php?catId=8&subCatId=84 for more details.

Register now for a spring screenwriting workshop with Jean-Paul Ouellette in Gloucester, MA; the workshop will be held at the Annie and the Cape Ann Cinema. Ouellette is a writer, director, producer as well as teacher at Emerson College. The workshop runs evenings May 9th through June 20th and costs $120. Learn more and register at http://www.CapeAnnCinema.com/workshops.

Sign up now for the 48 Hour Film Project. Filmmakers will have 48 hours over the course of a weekend to create a short film. The event will take place this spring throughout New England. Visit http://www.48hourfilm.com/tour/ for cities and dates.

The Boston Film Festival is currently accepting submissions for this fall’s event. Filmmakers are encouraged to submit features, documentaries, animated films, and shorts. Submission deadline is June 10th. Learn more at http://www.bostonfilmfestival.org/submissions.shtml.

The Roxbury International Film Festival is currently accepting submissions. Films must be produced, directed, and/or written by or about people of color, with some preference given to past or current residents of New England. Submission deadline is May 15th. Visit http://roxburyfilmfestival.org/ to learn more.

Bangor, Maine’s Kahbang Film Festival is currently accepting entries for this August’s festival. Categories include “Gen-Next,” “LMFAO,” and “MaineStream.” Regular deadline is April 8th, late is May 8th, and extended is June 8th. Check out http://www.kahbang.com/film/submit-your-film to learn more.

The Martha’s Vineyard International Film Festival is now accepting short film entries for this September’s event. Fiction, live action, animation, and documentary short films under 15 minutes completed after July 1, 2010 are eligible for submission. The deadline to submit is July 15th. Read more at http://www.mvfilmfest.com/.