Best of Instagram Photos: Best of Under 5 minute short film festival
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Read the best of Interviews this week.
Interviews from Matthew Toffolo from WILDsound
Interview with Stunt Performer James Cox (Star Wars VII, The Dark Knight Rise)
Interview with Stunt Performer James Cox (Star Wars VII, The Dark Knight Rise)
Interview with Actor James Wallis (Shakespeare BASH’d)
Interview with Actor James Wallis (Shakespeare BASH’d)
Interview with Graphic Designer Tina Charad (Maleficent, Fifty Shades of Grey)
Interview with Graphic Designer Tina Charad (Maleficent, Fifty Shades of Grey)
Interview with Festival Director Oscar Piloto (Miami Indie Artist Film Festival)
Interview with Festival Director Roger Sampson (Focus International Film Festival)
Interview with Festival Director Michael Wearing (The Rob Knox Film Festival)
Interview with Festival Director Onur Yayla (Around International Film Festival)
Interview with Festival Director Charles McNeil (Cape Fear Independent Film Festival)
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Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 10-20 screenplay and story readings performed by professional…
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The Cape Fear Independent Film Network is dedicated to promoting independent film and preserving the Cape Fear region’s rich film history.
Go to the film site for more information: http://www.cfifn.org/
I recently sat down with festival director Charles McNeil to learn more about the festival.
Matthew Toffolo: What is the CFI: Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?
Charles McNeil: We consider the Cape Fear Independent Film Festival a Filmmaker’s festival. For Filmmakers that attend we ensure that They first off have a good time, but we also like to focus on the networking aspect of a film festival, we encourage all of the filmmakers in attendance to meet the other filmmakers. For those who can’t attend we offer the notoriety of being in the festival, we are a very competitive festival.
Matthew: What would you expect to experience when you attend the festival?
Charles: We are a welcoming festival, those who attend, whether a filmmaker or someone who is just out for some entertainment, should expect to be approached by a member of the festival and engage them in conversation. We also encourage our filmmakers to engage with our audience and our audience to engage with our filmmakers.
Matthew: What are the qualifications for the selected films?
Charles: What is most likely to get a film into our festival is its entertainment and engagement value. Our screeners are looking to be compelled to watch the film they are reviewing, and we want our audiences to be compelled also. Short, feature, documentary, doesn’t matter, tell us a good story that draws our attention.
Matthew: Why would a filmmaker be motivated to submit to your festival?
Charles: The Cape Fear Independent Film Festival offers two monetary prizes, $250 for best short and $500 for best feature, however this isn’t the only reason to submit to our festival. Wilmington NC has always been a film hub, since Frank Capra Jr. brought Firestarter to film here over 30 years ago.
Matthew: What motivates you and your team to do this festival?
Charles: We do the film festival because we are filmmakers. We have attended festivals as filmmakers and audience members and love the sense of community you can get from some of the really great ones, and that’s what we are doing here. Creating a sense of community for our filmmakers and audience members, it’s great to see the same filmmakers submit again, not only because it’s great to have them visit if they make it into the festival, but it’s great to see the evolution of their craft.
Matthew: How has the festival changed since its inception?
Charles: At it’s heart it’s the same, but when we started we did a lot more screenings in local bars, they embraced us and made it easy for us to put films in front of an audience. We have grown over the years and now we use larger venues. But we are still there to make sure the filmmakers have a good time and network.
Matthew: Where do you see the festival by 2020?
Charles: This year we are showing films over 3 days. I would like to expand that in the next few years, our aim is to be a 5 day festival by 2020. More films, more filmmakers, more awesome. But we won’t change the fact that we are a filmmakers festival and want to not only show them a good time, but offer the chance at networking and honing their craft.
Matthew: What film have you seen the most in your life?
Charles: The film I have probably seen more times than any other, and it is my favorite film, is Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with Dick Van Dyke. People don’t realize it’s essentially James Bond for kids with singing and dancing. Written by Ian Fleming, produced by Albert R. Broccoli, with Desmond Llewelyn ( the original Q) and Gert Fröbe (Goldfinger) as the bad guy. It’s gotten under my skin and I watch it at least a couple of times a year.
Matthew: In one sentence, what makes a great film?
Charles: What makes a great film is it’s ability to hold your attention, horrified, laughing, crying, edge of your seat, the emotion doesn’t matter.
Matthew: How is the film scene in your city?
Charles: With the reduction of the film incentive a lot of productions have gone elsewhere, but we are bringing it back, when NC went from a Tax Credit to a Film Grant it was originally $10 million, but now that has been increased to $30 million. Productions are coming back to North Carolina and to Wilmington in particular. Having a professional base of crew makes for a great independent film scene.
Watch all of the winning writings for January 2016. 1 novel made into a movie. 1 feature screenplay reading. 2 TV Pilots. 1 Spec screenplay. 4 novel readings. 2 1st scene screenplays. 2 short screenplays. 10 Twitter Short Stories. 12 Poetry Readings.
Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival: http://www.wildsound.ca
Watch recent Writing Festival Videos. At least 15 winning videos a month: http://www.wildsoundfestival.com
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Director/Producer: Matthew Toffolo
Editor: John Johnson
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
A stunt performer, often referred to as a stuntman or daredevil, is someone who performs dangerous stunts for the Film and TV industry.
James Cox has worked on over 40 productions as a stunt performer in just the last 6 years of his young career. He’s been a part of the most popular and iconic films and TV shows too, including: Game of Thrones, Pirates of the Caribbean, Downton Abbey, Wrath of the Titans, The Impossible, Dark Knight Rises, Skyfall, World War Z, Spectre and of course Star Wars: Episode VII.
I was thrilled to be able to ask him a few questions about his job and career.
Matthew Toffolo: First off, we need to talk about Star Wars as you were a part of what is going to be the most popular movie of all-time. What was your role in “The Force Awakens”? How many days did you work on…
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The Rob Knox Film Festival is held annually in Bexley, London. in memory of the actor who played Marcus Belby in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.
Go to the Film Freeway submission page to submit your film: https://filmfreeway.com/festival/RobKnoxFilmFestival
I sat down with the Festival Director to learn more about this unique festival.
Matthew Toffolo: What is the Rob Knox Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?
Michael Wearing: The Rob Knox Film Festival has been extremely successful at identifying talented individuals at an early stage in their career and given them recognition, and a renewed motivation to move on to better things. Perhaps the best example of this is Stephen Fingleton who won his first ever award at the festival. (Best director for the his film Driver). This year he was nominated for a BAFTA award for outstanding debut feature by a British writer, Director or Producer. Another good example is Gareth Fient who won his first award at the festival aged just 15, and now aged 21 is getting regular work as a director and editor from producers in New York, LA and London.
Matthew: What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival?
Michael: The festival exhibits films from around the world, but is proud to ensure that locally made films are screened as well. There’s a real sense of community. Alongside the main awards night we lay on 8days of film related activity, this will include screenings at community venues and workshops. The festival ends with an awards evening and a free networking event.
Matthew: What are the qualifications for the selected films?
Michael: We are very keen to experience films of all genres and lengths. The festival is named after and held in memory of Rob Knox who played Marcus Belby in Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince and was murdered a week after filming his scenes aged just 18. His parents are active in the organisation of the festival, so we are mindful of their sensitivities and wishes.
Matthew: What makes a great independent film?
Michael: It’s a difficult question, I’m often surprised by the decision of the judges…. But from my point of view a great independent film will tell a story in no more time than is required to tell the story. We will allow slight imperfections in the visuals but the sound should be of a high quality.
Matthew: What motivates you and your team to do this festival?
Michael: My principle motivation is to honour the memory of Rob, and I think that is so with the whole team. A side effect of the festival is the increased networking opportunities it has provided to me and the others involved. I’m also keen to raise the positive profile of young people and so we get them involved in all aspects of the festival…
Matthew: How has the festival changed since its inception?
Michael: The main change is that from being a totally free festival. we have introduced a charge to filmmakers for most categories. This was done to reduce the quantity of entries we receive. The festival is run by volunteers and we were aware that the amount of entries we were receiving would eventually overwhelm the judges. Another change was accepting entries via film freeway instead of requiring DVDs…
Matthew: Where do you see the festival by 2020?
Michael: It would be good to get some increased sponsorship, and more volunteers, so that we can increase the offer.. The general format We see as remaining as it is, but we are always open to suggestions on ways to improve.
Matthew: What film have you seen the most in your life?
Michael: I’ve seen many films more than once, a few I would put as having seen 100s of time but there is one film that I have seen thousands of times. And that is Tootsie starring Dustin Hofmann. An incredible piece of writing, I just love the way there are so many sub stories weaved together impeccably.
Matthew: What country (or countries) seem to make the bests short films year after year?
Michael: We get great films from all over the world. I don’t think country comes into it. Our audience is predominately British, but we have had films from Russia, USA, Greece, France, Belguim, Spain, Ireland and Brazil all win awards. We are happy to show films with subtitles..
Matthew: How is the film scene in your city?
Michael: The Rob Knox Film Festival takes place in Bexleyheath in South East London, and part of the reason we started it was because there was nothing going on in this particular area… However across London there is always film related activity going on.
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Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 10-20 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Fesival held in downtown Toronto on the last Thursday of every single month. Go to www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.
Submit your Family Screenplay to the Festival Today: http://festivalforfamily.com
Watch the Novel Transcript Reading of TO FLY AGAIN:
Poetry Read by actress Maya Woloszyn
Get to know writer Rachelle Hasnas:
1. What is your novel about?
My book is a memoir but so much more. To Fly Again- Portrait of a BIPOLAR Life is the story of my son’s struggle with this mental disorder but also features a substantive section providing educational material on bipolar disorder from the National Institute of Mental Health. The inclusion of Joshua’s poetry appearing throughout the pages of this, his story offers the reader a deeper understanding into the profound anguish he experienced with this oftentimes crippling disease. This work shares my tumultuous journey with my son through many years of pain and struggle, and finally my process of dealing with his death. Both my voice as a mother and my voice as a therapist…
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I first met James Wallis 5 years ago when he performed at one of our Screenplay Festival events when we were working at the National Film Board of Canada. Right away you could tell he was an actor on the rise as he always served the story he was performing in while also bringing an original and unique take. That is something that is very rare to see in an actor.
I was happy to sit down with James as he’s preparing to play Hamlet at the Monarch Tavern in downtown Toronto, Canada from February 2-7 2016. Go to http://www.shakespearebashd.com/hamlet.html for more information.
James also serves as the Artistic Director for the successful theatre company Shakespeare BASH’d.
Matthew Toffolo: What motivated you and your team to start the Shakespeare BASH’d company?
James Wallis: For me I was interested in doing Shakespeare’s plays very simply, with a bare bones approach to…
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Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival: http://www.wildsound.ca
I CONFESS, 1953
Classic Movie Review
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Starring Montgomery Cliff, Anne Baxter, Karl Malden
Review by Steve Painter
SYNOPSIS:
Refusing to give into police investigators’ questions of suspicion, due to the seal of confession, a priest becomes the prime suspect in a murder.
REVIEW:
Alfred Hitchcock was notorious for loathing actors. He once famously remarked that actors should be “treated like cattle.” His least favorite kind of actors were those who used “The Method” technique pioneered by Stanislavski and taught by Lee Strasberg at The Actors’ Studio. Despite his dislike for method actors, one of Hitchcock’s best films starred one of the greatest Method technicians. The movie was I Confess (1953), and its star was Montgomery Clift.
I Confess is not one of Hitchcock’s well known movies. This is hard to believe considering that the cast includes Clift, Anne Baxter and Karl Malden. The story is also top notch. Its premise involves the binding nature of the confession on Catholic priests.
The story begins as the church’s groundskeeper, Otto, happens to get in an argument one night with a man, Villette, who he gardens for on the weekends. Otto wants Villette’s money, but the he won’t give it to him, so Otto kills Villette.
The only witnesses to the murder are two young girls who say that they saw a man wearing a cassock walking from the scene. A small note about the cassock needs to be inserted here. Not only does the cassock play a large role in the movie’s story, but it played an even bigger role in the movie’s filming. Quebec was the only city Hitchcock could find where priests still wore cassocks. So, the cast and crew shot most of the movie on location in Quebec.
Feeling remorse, Otto heads to the confessional. There Father Logan, played by Clift, hears Otto confess to the murder of the rich lawyer Villette. Of course, being a priest who is bound to keep confessions a secret, Father Logan can not go to the police.
The suspense becomes enhanced when it is learned that Father Logan has become the prime suspect in the murder. Hitchcock has created his trademark “innocent man accused” situation. He then ratchets up the suspense like only he can.
We learn that before becoming a priest, Father Logan had been a war hero who had fallen for Anne Baxter’s character, Ruth. The two were lovers before World War II, but Logan never wrote her during the war. When he returns he finds Ruth. The two spend the day together and get caught in a rainstorm, while on an island. They spend the night in a gazebo. In the morning, a man appears and he asks Logan why he spent the night with a married woman.
From here on the man, who happens to be Villette, begins to blackmail Ruth. When Father Logan comes to view the body the day after hearing Otto’s confession, he spots Ruth who tells him that she was being blackmailed by Villette.
Karl Malden’s Inspector Larrue sees the two talking and begins to investigate their relationship. He figures out that Ruth still loves Logan and that she was being blackmailed by Villette. Putting two and two together he accuses Logan of the murder. The climax of the movie occurs in the courtroom where all the major players are. Otto sits in his seat, smugly knowing that Logan will not break his vow. Ruth knows Logan is innocent, but can’t provide any proof. Worst of all, Logan knows who the real killer is, but can’t say anything about it.
I will stop the plot summary here, as I don’t want the end of the movie to be ruined. This great story is also filmed brilliantly. The murder is pointed out to us during one of the best opening sequences Hitchcock ever did. This movie should really be on more lists of the best movies made by Alfred Hitchcock. It is a worthwhile watch for any fan of Hitchcock, Baxter or Clift.
Also, Free logline submissions. The Writing Festival network averages over 95,000 unique visitors a day.
Great way to get your story out: http://www.wildsound.ca/logline.html
Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival:http://www.wildsound.ca
Watch recent Writing Festival Videos. At least 15 winning videos a month:http://www.wildsoundfestival.com
Submit your Fan Fiction Screenplay to the Festival: http://fanfictionfestival.com
Read Interview with Star Wars Storyboard Artist Kurt Van der Basch
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, 1980
Movie Review
Directed by Irvin Kershner
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness, Peter Cushing
Review by Andrew Kosarko
SYNOPSIS:
THE EMPIRE STRIKE BACK continues creator George Lucas’s epic saga where STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE left off. The Rebel Forces–which include young adventurer Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), rogue pilot Han Solo (Harrison Ford), and the beautiful but seemingly humorless Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher)–have been successful in destroying the Evil Empire’s Death Star. However, the Empire’s top commander, the terrifying Lord Darth Vader (played by David Prowse, voiced by James Earl Jones), is scanning the galaxy for the Rebels’ secret location. After a visually stunning showdown on the ice planet Hoth, the Rebels are forced to flee, and Luke separates from Han and…
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Festival Reviews 