Connecticut | Massachusetts | Rhode Island
Industry News: February 2016
Happenings, industry buzz and opportunities in the New England film industry.
Written by Casey Stirling | Posted by: NewEnglandFilm.com
Academy Award celebrations (and news from Camden International Film Festival to be a qualifying fest), plus more industry buzz, screenings, events and film opportunities. To submit news, email news@newenglandfilm.com.
Happenings
Celebrate the Academy Awards at special events around New England on Sunday, February 28th. Check out viewing parties, red carpets, contests and more at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, Ellie Fund, Red Carpet Experience: Providence, Spotlight Theatres in Hartford, The Strand in Rockland, and Red River Theatres in Concord. And, of course, amidst controversy over the lack of diversity at the Oscars, some changes at the Academy will be made, as reported by the Boston Globe.
Providence’s Cable Car Cinema hosts Brown University’s French Film Festival February 25th to March 3rd. General and student admission tickets offered, as well as festival passes. Learn more here.
The Mass Production Coalition hosts its Winter Meeting on February 10th at Boston’s Revere Hotel. Cocktail reception begins at 6:00 pm, with presentations to follow from 7:30–9:00 pm. Admission is free for MPC members, $25 for guests. To learn more and register, visit the MPC website.
The Providence Children’s Film Festival runs February 6–21. Check out short and feature films, workshops, and the 2016 Youth Filmmaker Showcase. Learn more at providencechildrensfilmfestival.org.
Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts hosts “Stanley Kubrick: A Retrospective” February 7–28. Screenings will include Fear and Desire, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Spartacus, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, and more. For showtimes, visit the MFA website.
Rule Boston Camera hosts free workshops Teradek Bolt: Reliable Wireless Video on February 17 from 10 am to noon to learn about why the Bolt has become the staple for most focus pullers alongside Steadicam and MōVI work and Taking Your Show on the Road with DeJero on February 24 at 10 am to noon to see a demo and learn how Dejero solutions simplifiy remote acquisition, cloud management and multiscreen distribution of professional live video. See their website for more info, or RSVP.
The University of Massachusetts Boston Spring Film Series runs through April. Screenings are free and open to the public. For a schedule and more information, click here.
Newton, Massachusetts’s Talamas hosts Don’t Move the Camera, Move the Story! on February 20th from 9:00–3:00. The free event will cover effective uses of camera work and lighting. Learn more and register at the Talamas.
Industry Buzz
Hasty Pudding Theatricals held their annual parade honoring Woman of the Year Kerry Washington in Harvard Square on January 28th. Read the Boston Globe’s coverage of the event here. Man of the Year recipient Joseph Gordon-Levitt will be honored on February 5th; learn more and purchase tickets here.
The Academy Awards air on February 28th. Check out the list of nominees, including Spotlight (set and partially filmed in Massachusetts) and several short films premiered or honored at the Rhode Island International Film Festival and Cape Cod International Film Festival, here.
Kenneth Lonergan’s film Manchester by the Sea has been a hit at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Set in the seaside town, the film was partially shot on Massachusetts’s North Shore and stars Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, and Kyle Chandler. Read more from Variety.
Maine’s Camden International Film Festival has been named a qualifying festival for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Documentary Short Subject Award. This fall’s festival winner for Best Short will be eligible to enter the Academy’s Documentary Short Subject category. Read more at the festival website.
Jane Fonda received the Coolidge Corner Theatre’s Coolidge Award on January 31st. The event included a screening of her recent film Youth, career highlights, and a conversation with WGBH’s Margery Eagan. Read more from the Boston Globe and the Coolidge.
PBS’s American Experience recently premiered The Mine Wars in late January. The documentary focuses on Virginia coal miners in the early 1900s, produced by Boston company The Film Posse. Watch a trailer and learn more at their website.
Studio16, a new photo, video, and event studio, recently opened in East Boston. The studio has partnered with Rule Camera Boston to offer free delivery and pickup for equipment rentals when booking a day at Studio16. Learn more at Studio16.
The Center for Independent Documentary in Massachusetts celebrates 35 years in 2016. Learn more about the organization and its upcoming events here.
The Boston Jewish Film Festival has named Barbara Resnek as Board President. Resnek has been on the festival board for ten years. For more information about the festival, visit bjff.org.
Sean Mewshaw’s feature film Tumbledown opens February 12th. The comedy stars Rebecca Hall and Jason Sudeikis, and was partially filmed in Massachusetts. Read more and watch a trailer here.
New England native Soren Sorensen was awarded the Best Documentary Feature award at Florida’s Flagler Film Festival for his film My Father’s Vietnam. Read more about the documentary here.
The documentary In Crystal Skin, directed by New England filmmakers Michaela O’Brien and Melissa Langer, recently screened at Slamdance 2016. Learn more about the film here.
Opportunities
The Independent has an open (free) call for its annual 10 Filmmakers to Watch in 2016. Read the guidelines and submit a nomination form.
The Nantucket Film Festival is currently accepting submissions. Late deadline is February 15th; WAB extended March 1st. For fees and guidelines, visit the festival website.
Connecticut’s Greenwich International Film Festival is open for submissions. Late deadline is February 1st; extended February 28th. Learn more here.
The Berkshire International Film Festival is accepting submissions through March 8th. The festival will be held this summer. For information on how to submit, click here.
Submit now to the Woods Hole Film Festival. Filmmakers and screenwriters are encouraged to submit in a variety of categories. Visit the festival website to learn more.
