NewEnglandFilm.com

WriterDirector.com has launched the WriterDirector.com Film Festival, the first online-based film festival of its type. Open only to films and videos with a hyphenate creator — writer-directors — the festival will choose winners in three length categories: feature (60 minutes or longer), featurette (15 to 59 minutes), and short (under 15 minutes). The work can be either film or video, in narrative, documentary, animation, experimental, and music video categories. The entry fees range from $15 to $30, depending on length. The deadline for submissions for the spring awards is March 20; the summer awards deadline is June 20. Submissions are accepted on VHS, DVD, CD-ROM or miniDV. Complete rules and entry form are available online at http://www.writerdirector.com/filmfest.htm or by email at festival@writerdirector.com. 

Local Sightings presents the 2nd Annual Boston Underground Film Festival from February 25-27 at Boston’s Revolving Museum. For more information, call 617-975-3361, or visit the Web site at http://www.localsightings.com. 

Now Playing

The Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, MA, kicks off another season of "Coolidge Shorts," sponsored by the LEF Foundation. Beginning on February 4, short films by local filmmakers will be screened prior to the feature movie. Four films are scheduled, beginning with a Boston University student film by Gina Sohn called "Wilma and the Wedgit: A Lost Dream." Next up will be "The Blue Shoe," a romantic film for Valentine’s Day by Peter Reynolds of Fablevision. Alex Rose’s "Bill vs. the City" will play the week of February 18, and the Hilary Weisman’s "Sex Without Love" will show the week of February 25. For more information, visit the Coolidge Corner Web site at http://www.coolidge.org. 

MuseArts Cartoons of Somerville, MA, has launched "Everyman," the second Web-toon in its Guinea Pig Theater series. Fans of the series can view the new episode by visiting the MuseArts Cartoons Web site at http://www.musearts.com. 

The locally made short film "Night Deposit" is in competition at Slamdance’s online "Anarchy" film festival. Co-written by WIFVNE member Alice Stone, directed by Monika Mitchell, produced by Kelly McMahon, and photographed by Eileen Schreiber, the film stars local actress-producer Christy Scott Cashman. You can go to the site, watch the film, and give it a rating from 1 to 10. The short film which receives the highest number of "10" votes wins the top prize. Go to Anarchy home page http://www.slamdance.com/2000/anarchy/ to take part.

Frederick Wiseman’s "Belfast, Maine" premieres this month on PBS, on Friday, February 4. On January 29, the Cambridge, MA, documentary filmmaker was honored by The Human Rights Watch International Film Festival with the 2000 Irene Diamond Lifetime Achievement Award for "his lifelong commitment to human rights filmmaking."

Also in the News

Local filmmaker Karyn Kusama distinguished herself at Sundance this year with her film "Girlfight." Kusama took home two awards: the Directing Award in Dramatic Competition and the coveted Grand Jury Prize for Best Dramatic Film (a split with Kenneth Lonergan’s "You Can Count on Me."

Another bit of news from Sundance: Andrew Mudge’s "Chicken Pox Pal" was one of five short films acquired by the Sundance Channel.  The films were licensed for both Sundance Channel and sundancechannel.com.   

"Radical Jack," a film produced by Vermont film company Edgewood Studios and starring Billy Ray Cyrus, De Dee Pfeiffer, Noah Blake, produced by Peter Beckwith and David Giancola, and written and directed by James Allen Bradley, is now is post-production. Edgewood has announced that Billy Ray Cyrus and Don Von Tress have been attached to write and score the soundtrack for the film. You can find more information at http://www.edgewoodstudios.com. 

Filming for the new cable TV sitcom "Davis Square" begins this month in Somerville. The indie sitcom, the brainchild of writer-director Anita Weiner, will run on Somerville Access Community Television in the spring. Weiner is from Detroit but has lived in Davis Square for four years. Co-directed by Brendan Hughes and Miranda Yousef, the series sprung from an $800 grant from the Somerville Arts Council.

BuyIndies.com and the New England Film and Video Festival announced a partnership which enables past winners of the festival to offer titles for sale through both web sites. Filmmakers and distributors representing past festival titles can now join as sellers at BuyIndies.com and instantly begin adding titles to the catalog.  Their films will automatically be featured in the New England Film and Video Festival web site store at its launch.  For more information about the partnership see the press release at the BuyIndies.com site.