NewEnglandFilm.com

It’s September, and we all know what that means. Productions start up again. Organizations start meeting again. And everybody’s back from vacation. So, as you might guess, we’ve got one action-packed month.

Films/Videos in Production
The Southeastern Connecticut Film Office has been assisting in the production of the new film "All Shook Up." The independent film, being shot on location in southeastern Connecticut, is directed by Eugene Celico of Pawcatuck, CT. Filming concluded this summer. For more information, contact the Southeastern Connecticut Film Office at 860-444-2206.

The DreamWorks team arrived in Rockport, Massachusetts for the shooting "The Love Letter" in August. Producer and Lead Actress Kate Capshaw (who also happens to be Speilberg’s wife) leads a star-studded cast including Tom Selleck, Ellen DeGeneres and Blythe Danner in a story about the owner of a book store in the mythical town of "Loblolly-by-the-Sea." DreamWorks trucks, vans, hundreds of crew (not to mention the star-struck tourists and locals) filled the town with excitement. Filming continues through mid-September.

The Miramax film "Cider House Rules" will begin production Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts area this mid-September. Directed by Lasse Hallström and starring Tobey Maguire and Kathy Bates, the film is based on John Irving’s novel about Wilbur Larch, a young physician who offers women either "an orphan or an abortion" in early 20th century rural Maine. "Cider House Rules" has chosen the Northfield Drive-in Theatre in NH as one of their locations. Read about it in a featured story on drive-ins this month.

"The Boondock Saints" by writer/director Troy Duffy will be in production in Massachusetts during late September. The film by Trademark Pictures will star William Dafoe, Billy Connolly, Norman Reedus and Sean Patrick Flannery. Premise: Two Irish brothers become vigilantes and try to fight crime in their neighborhood. But are the methods they use any better than the criminals they hunt?

Rhode Islander Nick Pasyanos recently showed his screenwriting/filmmaking debut "BOXed Man" to a packed crowd at the Rhode Island International Film Festival. Currently, he’s in the process of talking with a number of distributors for the film. As for his breaking into the film industry with a full-blown feature, he says it’s either due to "over confidence or insanity." As a photographer, he originally planned to write the script and sell it. But after hearing the success stories of "The Brothers McMullen" and the like, he decided to make it himself. "BOXed Man" is a comedy about an insecure young man in his late 20’s who goes to work for a large corporation as a salesman. He struggles to succeed in business while enduring rejections from prospects and aggravation from his customers. His boss compounds his difficulties by threatening his job, stealing commissions from him and sexually harassing his office love interest. For more information, visit their web site at http://www.boxedman.com/

The film "The Autumn Heart" starring Ally Sheedy and Tyne Daly was recently edited and is now seeking distribution for release in late 1998. Actor/Writer/Producer Davidlee Wilson who grew up in Saugus, Massachusetts shot the film in several different locations throughout the greater Boston area, including Cambridge and Saugus.

Miramax Films acquired North American rights to the romantic comedy "Telling You." The film premiered at the Hollywood Festival on August 7th at Paramount Studios. The film shot in California in March 1997 was the first feature produced by LA-based Division I Entertainment since 1996. The principals of Division I include David DuPuy, Christopher DeFranco and Robert DeFranco who were all raised in Sudbury, Massachusetts. For more information about the film visit http://www.tellingyou.com

Shoshana Hoose of Portland, Maine is completing production on her half-hour video about the music of Bob Blue, a gifted educator, songwriter and co-founder of the Children’s Music Network. She plans to premiere the piece this October at the national gathering of the Children’s Music Network in New York. Contact hoose@gwi.net for more info.

Capping off a wildly successful month on the videotape sales front, "Old Man Dogs" tapes are now available in Newbury Comics as well as all of New Hampshire’s Booklands and Toadstool Book Shops. If you’re unable to travel to any of the 70 New England locations where tapes are available, including Tower Records and Video Update, you can always purchase a videotape of Old Man Dogs by sending a check or money order for $19.95 (plus $3 shipping, $1 shipping per additional tape) to Back Lot Films, PO Box 6054, Manchester, NH 03108.

Back Lot films also has two features in development "Murder of the Lake" and "Pierce & Hawthorne." Production meetings for these ambitious back-to-back features will next occur in Worcester September 8th and Boston October 4th. A comprehensive marketing campaign is underway and will coincide with the upcoming Holiday Season. Principal Photography remains set for Spring. For more info, contact Bill Millios at backlot@juno.com  

Hey, did you know? The 2nd unit of TV hits "Ally McBeal" "The Practice" are shot in Boston on occasion…

Local Film Screenings
(For more info on these & other screenings, see the listings of Screenings in the Events Section)

Boston-made film "Monument Ave" formerly "Snitch" starring local boy Denis Leary will screen as part of the Boston Film Festival. The film is also scheduled for release late in September. The plot – Bobby O’ Grady (Denis Leary) born and raised in the Boston neighborhood of Charlestown – a one square mile mix of working class Irish families slowly being gentrified by cash-happy outsiders – Bobby’s got a great "under the table" system set up.

Boston filmmaker Roland Tec’s film "All the Rage" which has shown in festivals worldwide will be screening at the Kendall Square Cinema beginning September 11. Read a review in this month’s NewEnglandFilm.com. As well, his earlier short film "Hooking Up" will screen as part of the South End Open Studios on September 19.

The 1998 Mass Ave Film Festival is gearing up for its first four-day celebration of Boston’s independent films to take place Columbus Day Weekend, October 9-12, 1998. The festival will incorporate various theaters such as the Coolidge Corner Theater, the Arlington Regent, the Harvard Film Archive, and the Belmont Studio Cinema. All proceeds from the film festival will equally benefit the National Breast Cancer Coalition and the AIDS Action Committee. Some of the local films to be featured include the features "Starving Artists" and "Urban Relics;" the shorts "Coat Check," "Repetition Compulsion," "Dizzy Horse," "Lost Face," and "Molt!"; and documentaries "Playland," "The Cape Cod Canal," "An Irish American Story," "Hello Photo" and "How Can You Go Wrong." For more information, contact 617-924-9701. More details to come in the October issue of NewEnglandFilm.com.

An Independent Filmmaker Show and Tell will take place in Providence, Rhode Island on September 12. Local filmmakers will screen and discuss the "making of" their work.

The Harvard Film Archive is back from "vacation" on September 11 with a host of new film series. Contact 617-495-4700 for more information.

Brad Anderson’s "Next Stop Wonderland" is now screening at Kendall Square Cinema in Boston, Massachusetts. The film will be released nationally next month. Read a review in this month’s NewEnglandFilm.com.

There will be several New England-based films at the Independent Feature Film Market in New York this September.  We will post a list here as soon as we have it.  In October’s issue, we’ll feature complete coverage of the IFFM.

Film Organization News
The Maine Filmmaking Alliance welcomes interested Maine filmmakers, media professionals and students to find out more about this new organization. Contact David Lyman at DHLyman@aol.com or read more about it at http://www.meworkshops.com/mainefilm/index.html

After a year away, Boston Film • Video Foundation is delighted to announce the return of State Grants Program for Film and Video Artists for 1999. Funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) with additional support from the LEF Foundation, and administered by BF•VF, the Fellowships program will provide direct cash support to artists through a minimum of 4 major grants of $7500 each and 5 merit awards of $1000 each. There will also be equipment access fellowships available, sponsored by BF•VF for post-production of projects. For more info, visit their web site at http://www.bfvf.org/mmfellow.htm

Women in Film/Video New England will be celebrate the upcoming season during their Season Kick Off Event on September 23 at CF Video in Watertown, MA. Current members, as well as those interested in learning about the organization are invited to attend. Renew or join and receive a discount on membership. Contact wifvne@shore.net or 617-924-9494 for more information.

Richard Krevolin, USC Screenwriting Professor and author of the book "Screenwriting From The Soul" will be speaking to the Harvard Square Scriptwriters on October 12, 1998 at 7 pm, Larsen Hall, Appian Way, Cambridge, Massachusetts. For more information, contact hssw@fiam.net

The Center for Independent Documentary is now sending all their advance meeting announcements via email. If you want to be on the list contact, Fred Simon at Fsimon@aol.com. Their next meeting will be held on September 17 with Sean Horgan of Barbizon Lighting conducting a meeting on the use of filters.

The New England Filmmakers Society will feature Novelist Lisa Baumgartner at their September 16 meeting. She will discuss story structure, character development, creating strong villains and her experiences with the adaptation of her novel "At the Midnight Hour" for CBS.

The Paradise City Media Collaborative recently screened the film "Italian Lessons." Read an article about the film in this month’s issue of NewEnglandFilm.com

Indies on TV
MediaOne is now offering the Sundance Channel to its Cambridge and other Massachusetts customers. Call 1-888-633-4266 to subscribe. However, they still do not offer the Independent Film Channel, so if you’re interested, let your cable provider know they should carry it.

Meetings, Workshops and other Screenings
The National Registry of Films will be touring in October at the Latchis Theatre in Brattleboro, Vermont. Contact the theatre at 802-254-5800 for more information.

The Fairlee Drive-In/Motel in Fairlee, Vermont, will host the Drive-In Theatre Fan Club Club, an organization dedicated to the restoration and revival of drive-ins, on September 19. Get this – you get a double-feature for only $5. Read all about it in the current issue of NewEnglandFilm.com.

There’s a wealth of happenings this month throughout New England. Check out the Events Section for details.