Pervasive turkey and pumpkin pie supermarket ads signify two things this time of year—Thanksgiving’s around the corner and the 2010 Florida Film Festival late deadline for Shorts is coming on fast like a speeding freight train. Believe it or not, this Friday, November 20 is the third landmark to hit of the various submisssion deadlines for Shorts and Features for the upcoming 19th edition of the festival April 9 - 18. Our late deadline for Shorts looms just 48 hours from now, while our brand spanking new late-late extended deadline for all you Without a Box-ers out there allows for yet one more week of post-production or procrastination (or both) until November 27 (the day after Turkey day). But NOW is finally the time to send in your short film if it’s complete and ready to go. The Friday, 11/20, date is actually a postmark deadline so we can receive a bulk of submissions by the middle of next week, so go ahead and get your entry in transit this weekend and you’ll be fine. Narrative, documentary, animation, experimental, domestic, international—if it’s a new short, we want to see it, and for the most part, it’s now or never. Show us your shorts!
In last weekend’s final FilmSlam of 2009 (Enzian’s monthly showcase of locally produced short films), Steven Shea’s “2:22” was the big winner, taking 1st Place in the Audience Award voting and guaranteeing itself a spot in the upcoming Brouhaha Film & Video Showcase. Shea’s gory creepfest about a young woman waking up after a night of clubbing with a lot more than the spins clearly struck a nerve (or a vein) with local indie film supporters still in the Halloween spirit.
Congratulations also to Ryan Kindel for earning 2nd Place honors for his documentary about Titusville, SPACE TOWN: LAST STOP BEFORE THE MOON, and Kevin Dusinberre’s salesman film, PURRFECT PITCH, which took 3rd Place. And while there is no FilmSlam in December, be sure to circle your calendar for the 18th annual Brouhaha Film & Video Showcase on Saturday and Sunday, December 5 & 6, a 2-day/4-program event composed of many monthly FilmSlam winners, films curated by school departments statewide, and the best of the independent submissions. A jury of industry professionals will be on hand to pick the cream of the crop and select an 80 - 90 minute “Best of Brouhaha” program, which will then be presented as the shorts portion of the Florida Sidebar in the 2010 Florida Film Festival this April 9 - 18. So be sure to come out, show your support, and join the festivities.
Two wonderful documentary features that had their Southeast premieres at last year’s Florida Film Festival in March will have additional showings over the next few days on both TV and at Enzian. God bless public television and God bless our troops! In a perfect storm of holiday and film subject, PBS’ P.O.V. series hosts the television premiere of Aron Gaudet’s THE WAY WE GET BY tonight (Wed) at 9:00 PM for Veterans Day. This inspiring and profoundly moving film focuses on three senior citizens who are part of the Maine Troop Greeters, individuals who volunteer their time to personally greet every plane of US soldiers flying to or returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan at the Bangor airport. It’s a remarkable and emotional story that will put a lump in your throat and a tear in your eye.
And this Sunday, November 15, at 12 noon, come support the local food movement while enjoying some good eats and tasty drinks along with Chris Taylor’s highly entertaining and informative FOOD FIGHT. The Ourlando Local Food Alliance has organized this “Farm to Table” very special event, complete with the film screening, local farmers and food vendors on property, and food by Enzian Executive Chef Josh Oakley. FOOD FIGHT is narrated by Justin Kirk (TV’s Weeds) and won the Audience Award for 2008 from the esteemed International Documantary Association. It is a rousing portrait of the birth of California cuisine, “celebrity” chefs, and the “eat local/save the planet” movement. If you missed it during the Festival because you were out of town or there was just too much other good stuff playing at the same time that first Sunday afternoon, well now’s your big chance. Enjoy!
Unbelievable, but the 2010 Florida Film Festival early deadline for Features is already here. Friday, November 6 is the first submisssion deadline for Features (films over 40 minutes) for the upcoming 19th edition of the festival April 9 - 18. While our late deadline for Features hits 5 weeks from now on December 11, and our brand spanking new late-late extended deadline for all you Without a Box-ers out there allows for yet one more week of post-production or procrastination (or both) until December 18, NOW is the time to send in your feature film if it’s complete and ready to go. The November 6 date is actually a postmark deadline so we can receive a bulk of submissions by the middle of next week, so just go ahead and get your entry in transit this weekend and don’t worry about those annoying late fees. Narrative, documentary, animation, experimental, domestic, international—if it’s a new feature, we want to see it, and the sooner the better.
Congratulations to International Film Circuit and director Aviva Kempner for their film, YOO-HOO, MRS. GOLDBERG, which just passed the $1,000,000 box office mark this weekend. No small feat for a documentary about “The most famous woman in America you’ve never heard of,” audiences nationwide obviously agree with the critics who have made this deeply affectionate and engrossing work one of the highest rated films at RottenTomatoes.com for the past four months (it still has a “93” rating). A remarkable portrait of an even more remarkable woman, the film tells the story of Gertrude Berg, a pioneer in radio and television who created TV’s very first character-driven domestic sitcom in 1949 and paved the way for women in the entertainment industry. As Associate Editor Lyn Payne wrote in the Heritage Florida Jewish News, ” Kempner’s film will not only make you fall in love with the indefatigable, charismatic Berg, it will show you the way Jewish Americans—and really, all Americans—lived in the pre- and post-war years.”
For anyone with an interest in entertainment history, Jewish culture, 20th century American history, women’s studies, radio, television, humor, media, the Hollywood Blacklist, and many more themes this joyful and informative doc touches upon, YOO-HOO, MRS. GOLDBERG is a must-see. The film has only 3 more matinee performances locally at Enzian, Tuesday - Thursday at 4:00 PM—you don’t want to miss it!
Syndicate this site