Film Festivals | Industry News | Local Industry | Reports
Industry News – July 2010
Written by Casey Stirling | Posted by: Michele Meek
Summer Festivals
Waterville hosts the 13th Annual Maine International Film Festival July 9–18. Highlights include a presentation of the Mid-Life Achievement Award to screenwriter Jay Cocks and the American Film Institute Project: 20/20. Check out http://www.miff.org/ for ticket information and a full schedule of films.
The Woods Hole Film Festival runs July 31st through August 7th on the Cape. Events include opening and closing night parties, a panel discussion on making independent films in Massachusetts, and casting workshops. Visit http://www.woodsholefilmfestival.org/2010/ for more details.
Martha’s Vineyard’s Chilmark Community Center continues its 7th Annual Summer Film Series this month, beginning July 7th at 8pm with a screening of Bill Cunningham New York, with director Richard Press and producer Phillip Gefter in attendance. Tickets are available for purchase at the Chilmark Community Center box office after 5 pm the day of the event. Visit http://tmvff.org/mvff_films_adults.php?id=1 for ticket prices and a full schedule.
Celebrate the Roxbury International Film Festival July 29th through August 1st in Massachusetts. Three films – Off and Running, Do it Again, and Children of Invention – will be screened in the weeks leading up to the festival. Visit http://www.roxburyfilmfestival.org/ for information on these screenings along with festival updates.
Check out the Main Street Independent Film Festival July 10-12 in Historic Wakefield Village, Rhode Island at the Church of the Ascension (370 Main Street.) Tickets are $10 for all three days. See http://www.southkingstownri.com/files/judith%20poster%20-%202009.pdf for a list of films and contact information.
Happenings
Where else can you find Cary Grant, aliens, and a very special pig? Beginning July 11th, Images Cinema in Williamstown, Massachusetts presents Family Flicks Under the Stars. The films will screen for four consecutive Sundays at sundown on Chapin Lawn of Williams College (at the top of Spring Street.) All films are free and open to the public. If it rains, films will screen at Images Cinema (50 Spring Street.) Enjoy Babe on July 11th, Galaxy Quest on July 18th, North by Northwest on July 25th, and Annie on August 1st. Visit http://www.imagescinema.org/ for updates.
Providence, Rhode Island hosts Movies on the Block at Grant’s Block (corner of Westminster St. and Union St.) every Thursday through September 30th. All films begin at dusk and are free and open to the public. This month, catch Blues Brothers on July 1st, Easy Rider on July 8th, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles on July 15th, Rocky II on July 22nd, and Groundhog Day on July 29th. Check out the event Facebook page for more information.
Like music to your ears this will be! Catch the Star Wars in Concert tour this summer in New Hampshire and Connecticut. The event features a live orchestra playing the scores of John Williams from all six movies accompanied by film footage. “Star Wars in Concert” is at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, NH on July 21st at 7:30pm and at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT on July 22nd at 7:30pm. Visit http://www.starwarsinconcert.com/ for more information and to purchase tickets.
If celebrating Bastille Day leaves you wanting more, visit Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, which presents the 15th Annual Boston French Film Festival July 8–25. Films include Farewell, Le Petit Nicolas, and The Concert. Full and half festival passes are available. Visit http://www.mfa.org/calendar/sub.asp?key=12&subkey=52 for ticket prices and the complete festival schedule.
The Harvard Film Archive presents the retrospective Nicholas Ray: Hollywood’s Last Romantic from July 9th to August 9th. Films include Rebel Without a Cause, They Live By Night, and Johnny Guitar. The series kicks off July 9th at 7pm with an introduction by Susan Ray and a screening of Bigger Than Life. Visit http://hcl.harvard.edu/hfa/films/2010julsep/ray.html to read more about Ray’s life and career and see the full film schedule.
This summer, celebrate documentaries and connect with others in the Boston filmmaking community with the DocYard. Hosted by the Brattle Theatre, the DocYard is a bi-weekly screening of documentary films, followed by discussion and after-party at Noir at the Charles Hotel (One Bennett Street, Cambridge.) The series continues through August. This month: Gabriel Noble’s P-Star Rising July 5th at 7pm (followed by a filmmaker Q&A), and Frederick Wiseman’s Hospital July 19th at 7pm. Visit http://thedocyard.com/ for a full schedule and more information.
Travel a little farther than your living room to laugh with The Late Late Show host Craig Ferguson at Connecticut’s Stamford Center for the Arts July 7th at 8pm. Visit https://tickets.stamfordcenterforthearts.org/public/show.asp for more details and to purchase tickets.
Starting July 3rd, the Norman Rockwell Museum of Stockbridge, Massachusetts presents Rockwell and the Movies. The exhibit features artwork created by Rockwell for Hollywood films such as Stagecoach and The Razor’s Edge. Visit http://www.nrm.org/2010/06/rockwell-and-the-movies/ for museum and exhibit details.
Industry Buzz
The Rhode Island Film & TV Office has announced that ABC’s new fall series Body of Proof will be shot in Rhode Island, starting this month. The show stars Dana Delany and Jeri Ryan. Check out a sneak peek here: http://abc.go.com/shows/body-of-proof.
Plymouth Rock Studios co-founder David Kirkpatrick has left the company, reports The Boston Globe (http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/06/02/cofou…). He will continue to serve as CEO of Rock Entertainment, which is no longer affiliated with the studio project.
We need to shoot in Connecticut: filmmakers were in Stamford recently for the adaptation of the best-selling novel We Need to Talk About Kevin. The film is directed by Lynne Ramsay and stars Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly, and Ezra Miller. Read more at http://thewestwordonline.com/home/?p=1027. Also filming in Stamford is Showtime’s new series The Big C, starring Laura Linney. Shooting is expected to continue through August. Read more at http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Showtime-drama-shoots-all-summer-in-….
Rhode Island’s The 989 Project will premiere their feature film Sleather at the Rhode Island International Film Festival this August. Written by Anthony Ambrosino and Nicholas Delmenico, and directed by Ambrosino, the comedy takes place in New England and features local talent on both sides of the camera. Visit http://www.sleathermovie.com/ for more updates.
Allston, Massachusetts’s Shodan Productions recently wrapped filming on the feature film I’m Holding, directed by Daniel Joseph Gonzalez. Shot in Massachusetts, the film follows the lives of two characters as they navigate their way through college. Visit the Shodan Productions website (http://www.destinationmatters.net/) for more updates.
Massachusetts native Kenny Wormald has been cast in the lead role of the upcoming Footloose remake, reports Entertainment Weekly (http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2010/06/22/kenny-wormald-footloose/). Wormald appeared on MTV’s Dancelife and has toured with Justin Timberlake.
On June 25th, Boston hosted its first annual SuperMeet at the Back Bay Events Center. The event welcomed FCP, Avid, and Adobe editors, HD-DSLR and digital filmmakers, and featured screenings, prizes, and discussions. Check out the event website to learn more: http://supermeet.com/
Opportunities
The 6th Camden International Film Festival, which takes place September 30-October 3, 2010, will be expanding its Points North Forum, an informal gathering of some of the documentary community’s key industry leaders (last year featured representatives from HBO, Sundance, PBS, IFP and funders the LEF Foundation and Gucci Tribeca). The event features several panels, structured networking sessionsand receptions. New this year is the Points North Pitch, an opportunity for six New England filmmakers to pitch current projects in development to an international delegation of industry leaders who will provide critical feedback and advice. Filmmakers with projects in development are invited to submit proposals through August 30th, 2010. For more information visit www.camdenfilmfest.org.
The Rhode Island International Film Festival is currently accepting applications for its Student Film Jury Program. Rhode Island students entering their junior or senior years of high school (or seniors who have just graduated) are encouraged to apply. Students accepted will have the chance to view a selection of films from this year’s festival (which runs August 10–15) and present the Student Jury Award at the festival awards ceremony. Application deadline is July 19th. For information on how to apply, e-mail Student Jury Coordinator Tim Mendonca at timothy.mendonca@film-festival.org.
The Williamstown Film Festival is currently accepting submissions for this October’s festival. Visit http://www.williamstownfilmfest.com/submit_film.shtml for information on how to submit a film.
Submit your films to the Vermont International Film Festival, which is accepting submissions until August 16th. This year’s festival will offer two cash awards for Vermont filmmakers. See http://www.vtiff.org/for-filmmakers/ for entry form and more details.
The New Hampshire Film Festival is now accepting submissions for its 10th annual festival, which will take place October 14–17 this year. The early entry deadline is July 5th; late entry deadline is August 5th. Visit http://www.nhfilmfestival.com/ to learn more about submitting a film.
It’s your last chance: the Camden International Film Festival is accepting late deadline submissions until July 15th, with a $40 fee for features, $30 for shorts; extended deadline is August 1st, with a $45 fee for features, $35 for shorts. Visit http://www.camdenfilmfest.org/submissions.php for more details.
