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Interfaith Film & Music Festival Tackles Hard Hitting Issues Through Cinema
- Details
- Parent Category: Film Festivals
- Category: Previews
- Published on Thursday, 29 November 2018 17:23
- Written by Renzo Adler
With film, music, and networking events across NYC, the 2018 Interfaith Film & Music Festival aims to promote diversity and inclusion through music and cinema. Running November 30 to December 2, the IFMF addresses issues of racism, sexism, immigration, and identity through shorts, documentaries, narrative films and animation.
The festival opens with Searching Skies, directed by Vivian Hua, in which a Syrian refugee family is invited to a Christian family's house for Christmas dinne. They are caught between opposing viewpoints for and against their presence, until an unexpected event suddenly occurs. The documentary Sunday’s Best, directed by Marlon Johnson, Dennis Scholl, and Chad Tingle, explores the cherished African-American custom of wearing extraordinary hats to church services on Sundays, and explores the rich tradition with Miami's own fashionable faithful black community. Wilhemina’s War, directed by June Cross, is the story of Wilhemina Dixon, an uneducated daughter of sharecroppers who becomes a force in helping her granddaughter survive the health risks and social stigma of living with HIV in the South, where HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death among black women.
The festival will also have community events in Harlem on December 1 as part of World AIDS Day, and a slate of panel discussions to go with the films.
To learn more, go to: http://www.interfaithfilmfest.com/
2018 Interfaith Film & Music Festival
November 30 - December 2, 2018
Various Locations
Unite LA 2018: Future of Storytelling
- Details
- Parent Category: Film Festivals
- Category: Previews
- Published on Tuesday, 16 October 2018 13:21
- Written by Donna Cheng
Content creators and developers will converge at the Unite Los Angeles 2018 conference this fall, October 23–25, in downtown Los Angeles. The last leg of the Unity Technologies’ world tour ends appropriately in Hollywood, the epicenter of entertainment. Once known primarily as a gaming engine, the Unity software has expanded in the last several years as a cutting-edge media platform for XR (Extended Reality) that encompasses emerging technologies like VR, AR, and real-time 3D rendering.
Filmmakers should pay attention to the power of Unity's real-time CG engine for linear media. The Unite LA conference will hold a Film & Animation Summit on Wednesday, October 24, for content creators to learn how Unity's real-time rendering will revolutionize filmmaking workflows and enhance movie and television production. Innovations include virtual location and production design through VR headsets, Timeline animation sequencing, and pre-visualization through the Unity's Cinemachine virtual cameras.
Film industry notables will be present at these sessions: "Virtual Cinematography & Hollywood: The Tools Powering Ready Player One and Blade Runner 2049"; "Disney TV Animation + Unity: Non-Linear Animation Production on the 'Baymax Dreams' Shorts"; and "CocoVR: Pixar Storytelling in an Interactive, Multiplayer World."
To learn more about the Unite LA conference and register: https://unite.unity.com/2018/los-angeles
Unite Los Angeles 2018
October 23–25, 2018
The Orpheum Theatre and JW Marriott Los Angeles
842 S Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90014
United States
19th Annual Woodstock Film Festival: Music & Movies
- Details
- Parent Category: Film Festivals
- Category: Previews
- Published on Wednesday, 03 October 2018 19:05
- Written by Brad Balfour
Fall ushers in the festival season, and that means the return of the Woodstock Film Festival. Running October 10 - 14 in scenic Woodstock, NY, the festival has a full slate of indie features, animation, documentaires, shorts and more. The festival also features a special segment for VR experiences, as well as panel discussions and awards.
The festival opens with Karl Berger - Music Mind, directed by Julian Benedikt, which follows the life of legendary jazz improvisational pioneer and longtime Woodstock resident Karl Berger. A concert featuring Karl Berger, Ingrid Sertso and Steven Bernstein, Billy Martin, Peter Apfelbaum, Ken Filiano, and special guest Marliyn Crispell will happen after the screening.
There is also a special slate of music video screenings from acts including Japanese Breakfast, Toulouse, Journey Blue Heaven, Boogrov, and more.
Special guests to the festival also include Steve Buscemi, William Fichtner, Julie Taymor, Rosamund Pike, Bill Plympton, Christopher Lloyd and Stanley Tucci.
Photos from the Woodstock Film Festival preview party, courtesy of John Mazlish Fine Art Photography
To learn more, go to: http://woodstockfilmfestival.org/
19th Annual Woodstock Film Festival
October 10 - 14, 2018
Woodstock, NY
Impactful Shorts at the Ojai Short Film Fest
- Details
- Parent Category: Film Festivals
- Category: Previews
- Published on Thursday, 27 September 2018 02:54
- Written by Richy Rosario
A slew of new compelling short stories are coming to the first ever Ojai Short Film Festival (OSFF) in Ojai, California. Running October 6 to 7th at Greater Goods (145 West El Roblar Drive), the festival features 27 films from all over the world such as the award winning Night Shift, produced by Viola Davis’ production company JuVee. There’s additional star power behind the mother daughter story, Little Match Girl, starring two-time Academy Award winner Kim Magnusson and Golden Globe nominee Rebecca Ferguson.
The festival’s co-founders, Sunil Sadarangani and Aman Segal, believe in the power of short films because of the impact it can spawn on its creators for bigger business ventures. In other words, small content is a vehicle for a longer journey in the filmmaking and entertainment business—it helps creatives get their work in front of audiences.
"Digital tech has given filmmakers a freer hand to fully express their craft using superior production methods to communicate powerful narratives in a limited time span,” Sadaranganitold a Ventura Countylocal paper. “Creators from diverse cultures and communities, therefore, are more than ever seeking a common ground to reconnect, ideate and showcase their debut work for better business prospects and a short film festival is that perfect conduit.”
In addition to the artistic push it gives creators, it also helps that the festival’s prime location is a beautiful place. “Ojai is a destination town,” Sadarangani said. “Its unique geographic location nestled right at the foot of the Los Padres National Forest provides natural magnetic vibration of earth, rock, flora, and fauna.”
“It has attracted many people to hone their art, music, and creations, and is home to many such artists,” he added.
In the end, what matters most is how much short content will grow and evolve as a business venture in the future. Both the co-founders of Ojai see a bright outcome within the next few years because of establishments like OSFF.
“The Ojai Short Film Fest's vision is to provide Filmmakers and Artists, from around the globe, a platform that empowers them to share their stories and to bring the Ojai community closer to the world,” shared OSFF co-founders Sadarangani and Segal. “Moreover,short-form content will be a major revenue stream for filmmakers in a few years, and we want to stay ahead of this ever-evolving, digital universe curve. As filmmakers ourselves, we have faced it all. It’s time for us to take the reins and gallop ahead.”
To learn more, go to: https://filmfreeway.com/OjaiShortFestOctober 6 - 7, 2018
145 West El Roblar Drive
Ojai, California 93023
