Still playing catch-up with the office move and all last weekend, but I was thrilled to discover that two of the most popular shorts at this year's 17th Annual Florida Film Festival were recently awarded Student Academy Awards at the 35th annual competition presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.The Animation category was won by Nicole Mitchell's delightful ZOOLOGIC, a New Yorker-esque work in which a fussy zookeeper must contend with some uncooperative and rebellious tenants. This under 5-minute gem was the second highest rated animated short in the festival (both domestic and international), with only Aardman's SHAUN THE SHEEP: STILL LIFE garnering a more enthusiastic response from our audiences.
Rajeev Dassani's A DAY'S WORK, winner of a Florida Film Festival Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble Acting, took home the Student Oscar honors in the Narrative category. This intense, beautifully acted drama about a middle-class family and three immigrant day-laborers trapped by mistrust and language barriers, was also the third most popular narrative short film out of the 26 in our American Independent competition. Congratulations to both of these very talented and deserving filmmakers.
--Matthew
Congratulations to former Penn State student and Pennsylvania National Guardsman Jeremy Zerechak, who just announced a TV broadcast and DVD distribution deal with Anywhere Road Entertainment in the U.S. and Canada for his documentary, LAND OF CONFUSION. The eye-opening film, which recently had its World Premiere at the 2008 Florida Film Festival where it won a "Special Jury Award for Bold Truth," shows what happened when Jeremy's unit was deployed to Iraq in 2004 as part of a secretive group charged with the duty of locating the infamous weapons of mass destruction. The fact that he brought his cameras with him every step of the absurd way (including training in the snows of Fort Dix, New Jersey!) and was able to shoot (and keep) tons of footage "not under the direction of the Army" is a miracle. LAND OF CONFUSION presents an uncensored and unflinching look at war, one in which the bravery of our fighting men is undone by the corruption, chaos, and futility of their mission.
There's a lot of fine Iraq war docs out there at the moment, and Jeremy's film deserves to mentioned and seen with the best of 'em. I'm thrilled that people besides festival audiences will get a chance to see this important work--and having met him and spending a few days hanging out early last month, it couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
--Matthew
Congratulations and best wishes to New York filmmaker Myna Joseph as she heads overseas to the Croisette. Her short film, MAN--which won the Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Short at the recent Florida Film Festival (thus qualifying it for Oscar consideration in next year's Academy Awards)--was selected for the distinguished Directors Fortnight program at Cannes, where it will be the only American short in her film program.
Myna's stark and disturbing tale of two sisters was also invited to be part of this summer's Sundance Institute's Art House Project shorts program tour, a formidable collection of award winners and favorites from last year's festival (some of which appeared at Florida as well). So it looks like MAN will not only be showcased over in France this week, but will also be getting an encore performance at Enzian in the coming months--exciting news!
--Matthew
After four days of going dark to recover and clean up after the just-completed and stunningly successful 17th annual Florida Film Festival, Enzian Theater is back in business this weekend with yet another great film and some special programming. A huge FFF thank you to all of our die-hard, film-loving patrons as well as our visitors and special guests such as Anthony Bourdain, Malcolm McDowell, Mary Stuart Masterson, Don Mancini, Jennifer Tilly, Rex Reed and dozens of attending filmmakers and panelists--every single one of them was generous with their time, nice, passionate about film, and a helluva lot of fun to be around. Bravo!
Friday April 11th marks the long awaited opening of Eran Kolirin's THE BAND'S VISIT, once slated to premiere locally back in mid-March but pushed back due to the success of MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY and the impending Florida Film Festival. Never fear--it was worth the wait! This Israeli charmer, winner of over 35 international film awards (and the country's original choice for Best Foreign Film Oscar consideration until the Academy dissed it for having too much English), is a delightful and gentle dramatic comedy about a small Egyptian police band en route to a gig that gets stranded overnight in a remote Israeli town. Much more than your standard fish-out-of-water tale, this is a cross-cultural fable that resonates with universal truths and lovely moments. And festival burn-out or not, you won't want to miss it.
And don't forget that this Sunday afternoon, 4/13, at 1:00 PM, it's the return of FilmSlam. The fourth edition for 2008 features seven brand new Florida short films, including such provocative titles as POOCH SMOOCH, THE TERROR OF COCKROACH BEACH, and THE MESS. So come on out and support your local indie filmmaker--it's a lot of entertainment for a mere $5, and you'll feel glad that you did.
Enzian--back in bidness, dynamite new outside bar and all. Come join the fun.
--Matthew
After 8 months of planning, lots of new faces and energy on the staff, and vast amounts of incredibly hard work, the 17th annual Florida Film Festival is finally here! The Southeast Premiere of YOUNG @ HEART preceded by the World Premiere of THE PLUSH LIFE kicks things off Friday night the 28th and sets the tone for 9 more days of great cinema, parties, food, celebrities, and special events. Anthony Bourdain, Malcolm McDowell, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Jennifer Tilly will all be in town for what is shaping up to be the most exciting and well-attended festival yet.
A total of 159 films will hit the silver screen from March 28 - April 6, including World Premieres of Tom Gustafson's WERE THE WORLD MINE, Jeremy Zerechak's LAND OF CONFUSION, and Tony Cane-Honeysett's MONDO BONDO, along with the North American Premiere of Chris Rodley's FACTORY: MANCHESTER FROM JOY DIVISION TO HAPPY MONDAYS. And it all culminates in this year's Closing Night Retro screening, a gorgeous archival print of Roman Polanski's ROSEMARY'S BABY, playing in conjunction with Jeffrey Schwarz's SPINE TINGLER! THE WILLIAM CASTLE STORY and a rare 35mm screening of Castle's own Joan Crawford shocker, STRAIGHT-JACKET (at midnight of course).
Info on the complete line-up is available at http://www.floridafilmfestival.comYou can also check out this week's Orlando Weekly, Friday's Calendar section in the Orlando Sentinel, or head on over to Festival HQ at the Best Western - Mt. Vernon Inn, with the infamous Red Fox Lounge featuring Mark & Lorna. Don't miss it--be sure you're a part of one of Cenrtral Florida's great (and most fun!) cultural events.
--Matthew
Two weeks and counting...those of you who out there who still long for the printed page even as you peruse the internet for info will be excited to hear that the 2008 Florida Film Festival Preview Guide insert in the Orlando Sentinel's weekend Calendar section drops tomorrrow. That's right--your basic guide to all of the films, food, and fun events at this year's FFF will be on display (in abridged form; full-length descriptions are available at enzian.org/fff) in hundreds of thousands of copies of the Friday Orlando Sentinel, not to mention a few thousand loose ones that will be available at Enzian and Festival Ticket HQ at the Best Western - Mt. Vernon Inn on 17-92 (that conveniently opens Friday as well) while supplies last.
Be sure to check out all the enticing selections and start making your plans now. Remember--if it sounds really good to you, the same probably applies to lots of other Central Floridians and out-of-towners planning to visit during the 10 days of festivities (March 28 - April 6). Don't get shut out and don't mess with "Stand-by Only" shows. Buy early--you'll be glad you did. See you in a couple...
--Matthew
It wouldn't be the Florida Film Festival without a healthy dose of our homegrown talent and Sunshine State connections in the lineup, and this year's 17th annual edition (now a mere 3 weeks away!) is no different. No less than 23 titles out of the 159 films we have lined up beginning March 28 have that Florida association. And it's not just the 15 films in the Florida Shorts - Best of Brouhaha program that represent both FilmSlam winners from 2007 and works from UCF, FSU, Ringling College of Art & Design, Daytona Beach Community College, and other talented local filmmakers. The incredibly diverse Florida touch can be found in a total of 6 other sections of the festival.
In the American Independent Competition, we've got two narrative shorts, one animated short, and a doc feature all ready for their close-ups. Ron Davis and Stewart Halpern's PAGEANT is the funny and highly entertaining feature-length doc about the 34th Miss Gay America Pageant, and Orlando's own Robert Martin (aka "Chantel Reshae") is one of the five men caught following their dream. Robert Scott's ANATOMY OF A KISS is an extremely clever send-up of Japanese melodramas set on the beach of Tokyo Bay in 1956. Benjamin Piety's SUNLIT SHADOWS is the other live-action competition short, a well-shot, somewhat experimental visual mix tape of a relationship, complete with a Side A and Side B. Lee Stringer's ZOMBIE DEAREST, featuring Tofu the Vegan Zombie, plays in the Animated Shorts program and is cute and funny and features some fine CGI and a few homages to the horror greats as well.
Not to be outdone in the horror department, our two in-state consituents in the infamous Midnight Shorts program lay on the gore, the scares, and the laughs. Jason Kupfer's THE SLEUTH INCIDENT is the bizarre story of a giant stuffed teddy bear out looking for a little buddy. Ryan Spindell's KIRKSDALE takes no prisoners in its unforgettable take on goings on at an insane asylum in early 1960's rural Florida--you've been warned!
This year's Florida Sidebar Doc Feature is Vivien Lesnik Weisman's THE MAN OF TWO HAVANAS, a fascinating and controversial work filmed in both Cuba and Little Havana, Miami, in which the filmmaker explores her father's role as a revolutionary and rabble-rouser. And last but certainly not least, Stephanie Johnes' DOUBLETIME is one of this year's family friendly offerings, a tremendous doc feature about two totally different jump rope teams--one suburban white and one inner-city black--as they train to compete against each other for the very first time. Footage shot in Orlando at Disney's Wide World of Sports as they compete in the National Championships helps set the tone for their ultimate showdown at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.
This is just a small sampling (w/ a Florida twist) of the many cinematic gems that await at this year's FFF--can't wait to see you there.
--Matthew
Congratulations to both Chris Eska and Cynthia Wade for their triumphs this past Saturday and Sunday nights. First Chris wins the John Cassavetes Award (for best feature made for under $500,000) at the Independent Spirit Awards, where his film, AUGUST EVENING, was also nominated for Best Actor. This beautifully shot, touching work about families, children, responsibility, and love focuses on an aging, undocumented farm worker and his young, widowed daughter-in-law as their lives are thrown into upheaval. With its honest relationships and superb acting, this is a stunning feature debut. AUGUST EVENING screens Saturday, March 29 and Friday, April 4 as part of the Narrative Feature Competition in this year's 17th annual Florida Film Festival.
The next night Chris' victory was followed by Cynthia Wade's emotional win of the Best Documentary Short Subject Oscar at the Academy Awards. Her outstanding film, FREEHELD, which I'm proud to say Enzian helped qualify by booking it for a 2-day run this past summer, chronicles the poignant story of terminally ill New Jersey Police Lieutenant Laurel Hester as she struggles to fight discrimination and transfer her pension to her domestic partner Stacie before she dies. Already a winner of the Sundance Special Jury Prize in 2007, it was no surprise that the combination of such an important subject and such skillful filmmaking (already on display years ago when Cynthia's doc feature, SHELTER DOGS, played the 2003 FFF) brought home the gold.
--Matthew
Enzian announced today the nine industry professionals who will make up the three juries for the American Independent Competition at this year's 17th annual Florida Film Festival, now just a little over six weeks away (March 28 - April 6). A process that begins every year at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, I couldn't be happier with the end result--this is a great and diverse group of individuals who will add much to the festival, not to mention have a whole lot of fun and watch some terrific new films.
The Narrative Features jurors are Effie T. Brown, Producer (REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES, ROCKET SCIENCE); David Laub, Acquisitions Manager - THINKFilm; and Rex Reed, Film Critic - New York Observer.
The Documentary Features & Shorts jurors are Brian Brooks, Managing Editor - indieWIRE; Kate Davis, Filmmaker (SOUTHERN COMFORT, FFF 2001 Grand Jury Award - Best Doc Feature, and PUCKER UP: THE FINE ART OF WHISTLING, FFF 2005 Audience Award - Best Doc Feature and Special Jury Award for Excellence in Filmmaking); and Greg Rhem, Manager - Original Programming, HBO.
The Narrative & Animated Shorts jurors are Karen Durbin, Film Critic - Elle Magazine; Nat Baruch, Regional Publicity Manager - IFC Films; and Cara Longo, Manager - Acquisitions & Programming, Sundance Channel.
Two narrative features, three short films, and three documentaries will be receiving Grand Jury and Special Jury Awards from these folks (and I'm sure they'll have to earn it), and there will also be three Audience Awards sponsored by JetBlue Airways given to one film in each category. Results are announced at the big closing weekend party known as "The Revel" on Saturday night, April 5. You don't want to miss it--or for that matter, the approximately 160 new films that are coming to town.
--Matthew
The Florida Film Festival takes a lot of pride in the quality and participation of hundreds of volunteers every year (we couldn't do it without them!), and I've just been informed by the powers that be that the 2008 new volunteer application deadline has been extended one week. Please go to floridafilmfestival.com/volunteers.php for more information and to download an application, and be sure to get it submitted by Monday, January 21. Questions? You can e-mail Annalyn at abush@enzian.org
So if you love film and have some free time during the end of March/early April, your services are needed to help make this year's Festival another great cultural event that Central Florida can call its very own. See you at the movies. And thanks.
--Matthew
Snap your fingers and it's upon us. Yes, the dreaded final entry postmark deadline for the 2008 Florida Film Festival hits this Friday, November 30. With programming decisions getting made beginning in early January, it's imperative that all submissions are received in our office by the end of the first week of December. This gives our committees just enough time to get through everything in a thorough and organized manner.
So if you're one of the thousands to recently hear about not getting in to Sundance (I'm sorry about that), do not despair. The life of your film has not ended before it even got started--there are plenty of wonderful regional festivals eager to preview your work that can do great things for both you and your film. But this particular one needs you to send in your submission pronto. Good luck--we look forward to seeing your artistic creations (soon).
--Matthew
OK short film fans, the end is most definitely near. This Friday, November 16, is the honest-to-goodness final entry postmark deadline for shorts (all films 40 mins and under) for the 2008 Florida Film Festival (March 28 - April 6). There's plenty of opportunities for a fine short film to get programmed at the FFF, as there's generally at least 10 different shorts programs (and over 100 titles) that are featured and celebrated: four (Oscar-qualifying) narrative programs and one animated along with 10 doc shorts that precede features in the American Independent Competition; separate International Shorts and International Animated Shorts programs that are eligible for an Audience Award; our infamous Midnight Shorts program; the Best of Brouhaha Florida Shorts program, and perhaps even a Family Shorts program.
So do not dawdle around any longer. We love the short film format and want to be sure to have the opportunity to program the best stuff out there--period. We look forward to previewing your work.
--Matthew
Incredible but true. This Friday, October 26, marks the arrival of the "Early Entry" postmark deadline for features (all films over 40 minutes) for the 2008 Florida Film Festival (March 28 - April 6). If that date looks familiar, Friday is also the previously mentioned deadline for the 16th annual Brouhaha Film & Video Showcase (Florida filmmakers only for that one, please). Festival bound features can be domestic or international, narrative or doc, animation, music, midnight-worthy, you name it. If it's 41 minutes or more and you want to avoid those dreaded late fees (for you procrastinators out there or those of you still in post, the official "Late Entry" deadline for features is five weeks away on November 30), your submission needs to be in transit this weekend. We eagerly await your work and can't wait to see some exciting new stuff!
As always, entry info and an application are available at floridafilmfestival.com and http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/1139.
--Matthew
That's a lot of "F"s. Yes it's true film fans--the weeks are flying by and the early entry deadline for shorts for the 2008 Florida Film Festival (March 28 - April 6) is actually upon us. The first of four deadlines to rear their ugly heads is October 12, and shorts (films under 41 minutes) need to be postmarked or at least in transit this weekend to avoid the dreaded $20 late fee. Just so you know, early entry deadline for features is a couple of weeks from now (Oct. 26), and late deadline for shorts is Nov. 16 while late entry for features is November 30.
So, the time to act is NOW!! Stop the dawdling and send in your latest cinematic creations right away. Don't despair over final sound mixes, end credits, or color corrections if your perfect final cut isn't quite ready. We are used to previewing rough cuts and works-in-progress, and my selection committees are chomping at the bit to look at some really good stuff. Information and entry forms are available at Without a Box or FloridaFilmFestival.com
--Matthew
