interviews

Interview with the director/star of THE EAGLE HUNTRESS

festreviews Documentary, Festival Interview, Interview, interviews, matthew toffolo wildsound, Uncategorized , , , , ,

the_eagle_huntress.jpgWhat a thrill it was to chat with the team of one of the best documentary films of 2016 in THE EAGLE HUNTRESS.

Director Otto Bell and his subject, the eagle huntress Aisholpan Nurgaiv chatted with me in a press junket hotel room in downtown Toronto during the Toronto International Film Festival. It was a bit of a surreal moment for me walking in as Aisholpan was dressed in her full huntress gear. English isn’t her first language so she didn’t have much to say in this interview. What was striking for me was her demeanor and eyes. At 13 years old, there was wisdom way beyond her years. It was interesting to hear what her next passion is (read below) too. Enjoy. And make sure you check out the film. It’s playing in all of the big cities in North America today.

Matthew Toffolo: Who is taking care of the Eagles right now while you’re in Toronto?

Aisholpan Nurgaiv: My older and younger brothers are taking care of them right now.

MT: What attracted you to making this documentary and going to Mongolia to film Aisholpan and her family?

Otto Bell: I saw a BBC photograph on the day it was posted. I was struck by it immediately. The backdrop and setting was beautiful. It was almost like an oil painting. She (Aisholpan) was training with her father’s bird at the time and the eagle had a 7 foot wingspan – like it was from prehistoric times. And I saw her face, it was striking. Those three factors got me thinking. Is there a movie here?

I found the photographer on facebook that day. Skyped him and then was on a plane to Mongolia in a matter of days.

MT: Wow. What was your headspace like when you saw the photograph?

OB: I was in my cubicle at work.

MT: I mean mentally. spiritually. What propelled you to skype with the photographer and then jump on a plane?

OB: I was in New York making short documentary films for IBM, Philips etc…. I was looking to make a feature film. At least attempting to make one. And the photograph came at the right time. It had to be the right film in order for me to plunge my life savings and go for it.

I got into some pretty tight corners making this film and I was luckily saved by Morgan Spurlock who set me up with more financing. I was able to finance about 2/3rds of the film and then they (Morgan and his team) were able to add some checks and balances to the film and legalize everything. I’m grateful

MT: (to Aisholpan) What is your feeling having Otto and his camera team consuming your lives for so many months?

Aisholpan: We got used to the cameras quickly and it was fine.

MT: Is this your film time in Toronto, Canada?

Aisholpan: Yes.

MT: How do you like the North American culture?

Aisholpan: We were in Utah for Sundance and the culture there with the mountains was fine. Not used to New York or Toronto yet.

MT: Would you ever want to live in North America?

Aisholpan: Yes.

MT: What would you like to do if you lived here?

Aisholpan: First I want to study. I want to be a doctor. I like to be a surgeon.

MT: Did you have a script already completed when you started shooting? Or did you make it ala cinema verte?

OB: I made the film with a compass, not a map. Things kept coming up and I was able to adjust. What made me able to finish was the story map of her going through the stages of being a true Huntress. So that was good.

I first thought it was going to be a “girl power” film, but the strongest theme that came out of it is a story of a father/daughter relationship.

MT: There is still a lot of social commentary happening with the female empowerment.

OB: Yes, I didn’t want to hit people over the head with that. It comes out and that’s great.

MT: You were able to grab Daisy Ridley to do the voice over. How did that come to be?

OB: Initially, there wasn’t a voice over when we first showed it at Sundance. We sold the film to Sony Pictures Classic. Through Morgan Spurlock’s machine at CAA, they had Daisy on the books and they showed it to her.

She called me up saying that she loved the film and she really got it. That was nice.

Then Sony suggested that I add some voice over in it. What they wanted to provide was a little bit of a hand-hold for the viewers. To make it easier for kids to watch. I was hesitant at first, but when they suggested Daisy I thought it would work. She has a fantastic voice and it really needed to be from a female perspective. So I was sold and it makes the film better.

MT: Tell us your experience working with your cinematographer Simon Niblett? What an amazing job he did.

OB: Simon and I made about 8 short films together around the world. I was very used to him and vice versa. He’s a natural world documentarian. And he’s an inventor. He brought in a lot of equipment, which was my biggest expense. And that’s how we got all the terrific landscape shots in the film.

MT: When I watched the film and the credits came up, I was shocked by how small the list was. A DP. An assistant. An editor. That’s it.

OB: Yes. It was very small. And we made it look like there was a whole lot more.

MT: (to Aisholpan) What is your all-time favourite movie?

Aisholpan: Ice Age. Animation films are my favourite.

MT: What film have you watched the most times in your life?

OB: The Quiet Man. I love that film.

PHOTO: Aisholpan Nurgaiv – THE EAGLE HUNTRESS:

aishpolan.jpg

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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 Festival held in downtown Toronto on the last Thursday of every single month. Go to http://www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

Interview with the Executive Director of VanChan (The Vancouver Channel)

festreviews Festival Interview, film festival, Interview, interviews, matthew toffolo wildsound, Uncategorized , , , , ,

vanchan_2.jpgVanChan or “The Vancouver Channel” is a North American, MONTHLY, webisode festival in where the contestants create a pilot WEB SERIES. Comedy, Drama, Cooking show? Anything goes and any genre is allowed as long as it has a Series Title, is 5 minute’s or less in length and it’s an episode 1 to a larger story you want to tell.

For more information go to: www.vanchan.ca/

Interview with Executive Director Zia Marashi

Matthew Toffolo: What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

Zia Marashi: Our festival connects emerging artists with the community of filmmakers (and film lovers) of Vancouver. Together we are shaping the film culture in our city.

MT: What would you expect to experience if you attend your festival?

ZM: VanChan is the best way to spend 3 hours every month. We are a budding community that supports emerging filmmakers by providing a space where ‘stretch their creative muscles’.

As an audience member, you can expect a playlist of amazing short films and night full of mingling, networking and drinks.

As a filmmaker, you can expect to meet fellow passionate filmmakers and connect face-to-face with your audience and experience.

MT: What are the qualifications for the selected films?

ZM: To qualify for VanChan we only have three rules:

1) Must be under 5 minutes
2) Must be intended to be a web series
3) Must have the Web-Series title featured on-screen at some point.

And that’s it. Oh and it has to be good. We get a lot of good stuff and we only select 5 films every month.

MT: Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

ZM: I’d have to say the #1 reason for films not to be considered for film festivals is for “breaking Festival rules” – the only films VanChan.ca have immediately disqualified are those that did not follow the our 3-rule instructions (listed above).

With everyone and their mom making movies nowadays, the other main reason films don’t get ‘their fair shake’ in film festival is because of the film’s quality and creativeness. (e.g. boring / redundant story (or lack there of), poor sound quality and bad casting choices, to name a few.)

MT: What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

ZM: We at VanChan.ca were all at one point unemployed, starving artists, who grew up in the art vacuum that was Vancouver, Canada.

We love making our film festival a reality every month because our city struggles to support its local artists.

MT: How has the festival changed since its inception?

ZM: Its only been 18 months, but our film festival has reported increases in attendance, increase in quality films and increase in brand recognition.

MT: Where do you see the festival by 2020?

ZM: To become a live streaming subscription based website.

MT: What film have you seen the most times in your life?

ZM: Me? Thats tough. Probably the LOTR triolgy. It never gets old.

MT: In one sentence, what makes a great film?

ZM: A great film is a form of ‘translation’ – great artists see the world differently and a film is how they communicate that world to us.

MT: How is the film scene in your city?

ZM: Good, the BCFilm Industry is booming with work pouring in from the US – we help shoot popular TV/Film like ‘Once upon a time’, ‘Star Trek: Beyond’ and ‘A series of Unfortunate events’ – there is also a lot of support for local artists from Telus StoryHive, Crazy8s Film Society and Vancouver International Film Festival.

Our festival hopes to add onto our cities growing set of ‘wins’

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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 Festival 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.

Interview with Festival Director Daniel Hoyos (Seattle Shorts Film Festival)

festreviews Festival Interview, film festival, film festival reviews, Interview, interviews, matthew toffolo wildsound, Uncategorized , , , , , ,

seattle_shorts.jpgSeattle Shorts Film Festival may feature short films, but big things are in the works for the sixth year. This year the festival will be three days, Friday November 11th to Sunday the 13th, with new program elements. Seattle Shorts once again received over 1,000 films from Pacific Northwest, national, and international filmmakers. Seattle audiences should be ready to watch a wide variety of films this year, from music videos to shorts to even a full feature film.

http://www.seattleshort.org/

Interview with Daniel Hoyos

Matthew Toffolo: What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

Daniel Hoyos: The Seattle Shorts Film Festival succeeds at giving filmmakers a one of a kind experience where they can interact with Hollywood stars, and indie filmmakers at the same event while watching each other’s work on the big screen.

MT: What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2016)?

DH: We’re very excited to announce Fatima Ptacek the voice of Dora the Explorer will be joining us for a special screening of Before I Disappear Friday November 11th 7:00pm at the SIFF Film Center. Also this year we’re throwing a dance party at the Seattle Center pavilion, and we’re excited to host two awesome panels focusing on learning more about how to navigate film festivals, and young actors in the business.

MT: What are the qualifications for the selected films?

DH: Each year we get about 13,000 submissions roughly so, selecting the best shorts is not always such an easy task. The Seattle Shorts Film Festival accepts films from 5 minutes to 30 minute in length in the following categories Narrative, Documentary, Animation, Music Video, and College Student.

MT: Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

DH: As a filmmaker myself I do believe that some films don’t get a fare shake at the film festival, but also in defense of programmers it can be very difficult to program shorts just based on quality alone. When selecting films we also have to take into account the length, which is very essential because, of our limited time slots.

MT: What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

DH: The Seattle Shorts staff has always takes great pride in being able to help independent filmmakers reach a wider audience, and provide a unique venue to showcase their short films. Being able to see filmmakers, actors, and producers go on to bigger and more exciting heights is the most rewarding experience working at Seattle Shorts Film Festival.

MT: How has the festival changed since its inception?

DH: Since 2009 the founding year of the Seattle Shorts Film Festival, we’ve grown in size from a single day event to a full two-day festival at the SIFF Film Center. The festival has also grown to include panels, discussions, and more parties for filmmakers during the weekend long event.

MT: Where do you see the festival by 2020?

DH: We’re very excited to announce the Seattle Shorts Film Festival, will be moving to the Uptown Theater in Queen Anne for 2017 which, is a bigger theater owned by SIFF by moving to a larger venue this will allow us to grow our audience even more.

MT: What film have you seen the most times in your life?

DH: That’s a tough question, but I will probably say “Back to the Future” which is a fantastic film that has stood the test of time because, of the rich characters and the way Robert Zemeckis was able to make the film very relatable.

MT: In one sentence, what makes a great film?

DH: The acting is always the first thing that draws me into any type of film.

MT: How is the film scene in your city?

DH: The film scene is Seattle has grown quite a bit over the last 5 years; in fact we have double the number of film festivals that I sometime lose count of just how many we have in the area. The main part of the Seattle Shorts mission is always to help grow the Seattle film community.

seattle_shorts_2.jpg

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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 Festival 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.

Interview with Festival Directors Nicolas Iordanou & Sylvia Nicolaides (Paphos International Film Festival)

festreviews Festival Interview, film festival, film festival reviews, Interview, interviews, matthew toffolo wildsound, Uncategorized , , , ,

The Paphos International Film Festival (PIFF) is an annual festival held every June in Paphos in the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. PIFF is an independent not-for-profit organization committed to supporting authentically independent films and it aims to research, promote and develop the art of independent filmmaking. We support low (or no) budget films because we strongly believe that they are worth a chance. PIFF is a platform giving a voice to directors and filmmakers who work with very little, but have a lot to give.

Facebook | Website  (Open for submissions until April 21st, 2017)

Matthew Toffolo: What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers? 

Nicolas Iordanou & Sylvia Nicolaides: Paphos International Film Festival is the only film festival of the city of Paphos, which is also the European Capital of Culture in 2017. Our aim is to support, promote and develop the art of independent cinema. We want to support films that were produced with a low (or sometimes zero) budget, because we believe that they are worth a chance. PIFF is a platform giving a voice to directors and filmmakers who work with very little, but have a lot to give. We, the directors of the festival, understand this because we are also independent filmmakers and we recognize the difficulties.

Each year, in each category, there is an Audience Award, where the audience gets to vote for the films that were the most inspiring to them. We believe that it is a great honor to receive an award given by the audience.

We also arrange a ‘meet and greet’ get-together with the directors and producers/distributors that attend the festival, and encourage them to exchange ideas, interests and create possible new collaborations.

MT: What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2017)? 

NI & SN: Three days of open-air cinema, with ice cold drinks with friends and of course a great selection of independent films from all over the world.

MT: What are the qualifications for the selected films? 

NI & SN: We appreciate and value independent films that were made from directors and filmmakers who have something to say that is essential and genuine. We look for filmmakers that manage to connect themselves in a personal way with their film and at the same time reflect the issues that concern today’s society.

MT: Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why? 

NI & SN: Some films get lost due to the large number of submissions that the festival receives and that’s where we come in: because we want to take on the films that did not make it in other film festivals, just because they have not been filmed with the best cameras, the best lighting, etc. We support these productions that despite the difficulties, they have strong and essential ideas, they have quality, and we can see their potential.

MT: What motivates you and your team to do this festival? 

NI & SN: Our own personal experiences as independent filmmakers. We also have to work sometimes with very little, and we would like to show our support and give a voice to all the filmmakers out there who have a vision, a passion, and want to tell compelling and inspirational stories.

MT: How has the festival changed since its inception? 

NI & SN: It is only our second year, but we are determined to keep improving and keep this festival growing and becoming part of the city. PIFF has four categories: International short films, Cypriot short films, Student short films and a Special Category. The Special Category’s thematic is changing every year: last year we dedicated this category to films about refugees and immigrants and we had many powerful films and documentaries on that subject. The most moving part was that because of this, we had many Syrian refugees in our audience who came especially to watch them and this brought them closer to the locals who were attending the festival. This year, we dedicate the festival to our dear friend and a great Cypriot artist Costas Economou (1925 – 2016), so our Special Category is devoted to films about art, artists and art forms.

MT: Where do you see the festival by 2020? 

NI & SN: We hope to start a tradition of cinema in our city, a film festival that will inspire people and that will bring people together. Our aim is to make this festival part of the city. We are working on growing and evolving our network, bringing together different elements of the industry, like filmmakers, distributors, producers, actors, artists, and start a constructive dialogue about social, environmental, political and personal issues that are essential to us, through new collaborations between us.

MT: What film have you seen the most times in your life? 

NI & SN: Darren Aronofsky’s Pi (Π). We love its thematic and the fact that he produced it with such a low budget by asking friends and relatives to support him with small amounts of money. We appreciate the spirit of making a film possible without having a budget. What is admirable, and that is what we would like to pass to the emerging filmmakers, that no matter the difficulties, there are always ways to make a film and share it with the world.

MT: In one sentence, what makes a great film? 

NI & SN: A great script and the desire to translate it in the best possible visual way.

MT: How is the film scene in your city? 

NI & SN: Unfortunately it is very limited and almost nonexistent. That is why both of us, as filmmakers and as the directors of this festival, we are now creating the environment through filmmaking courses, workshops, lectures and through the festival itself and everything is encompasses. Our mission statement is that instead of complaining of all the things that do not exist in our city, we ourselves with our community, are trying to cultivate the film culture here with our vision and actions.

THE DIRECTORS:

Sylvia Nicolaides studied Fine Arts in Chelsea College of Art and Design (University of the Arts) London and received a Master’s Degree in Audio-Visual Studies in the Academy of Performing Arts, in the Film and Television department (FAMU) in Prague, Czech Republic. She participated in several group art exhibitions and her films were awarded and screened at several film festivals both in Cyprus and internationally. In 2013 she participated in the exhibition ‘Catharsis/Rebirth’ in Paphos, Cyprus and co-directed a short film presentation from it, which was selected and presented in the Louvre Museum in Paris as part of the Michelangelo Pistoletto’s exhibition ‘Annee Un – Le Paradis Sur Terre’. She is the co-founder of Kimonos Art Center in Paphos, and the co-founder and co-director of the Paphos International Film Festival (PIFF).

Nicolas Iordanou studied Photography at Columbia College Chicago. From 2001 until 2006 he worked as a photojournalist, dealing with conflict and postwar photography in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Palestine/Israel, Uganda, Lebanon and also covered the September 11 attacks in New York City. He also collaborates pro bono with the United Nations (UNHCR). In 2005 he was invited by the Goethe Institut as a reviewer in the 1st Photography Festival of Berlin. In 2007, he was assigned to photograph an international project called ‘Challenging Walls’ in collaboration with Akademie der Künste – Berlin and Sibylle Bergmann, whose goal was to bring conflicted communities closer, having a common vision of peace and coexistence. In 2013 he participates in the exhibition ‘Catharsis/Rebirth’ in Paphos, Cyprus and co-directs a short film presentation from it, which was selected and presented in the Louvre Museum in Paris as part of the Michelangelo Pistoletto’s exhibition ‘Annee Un – Le Paradis Sur Terre’. He directed documentaries and short films that were awarded and screened around the world. He is the co-founder of Kimonos Art Center in Paphos and co-director of Paphos International Film Festival in

logolaurels

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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 http://www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

Interview with Festival Director Danny MAlin (YES! Let’s make a Movie Film Festival)

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yes_logoThis festival aims to bring together all corners of the globe to share passion of filmmakers.

Interview with Festival Director Danny MAlin 

Matthew Toffolo: What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

-We are a platform geared towards our local community getting an opportunity to share their work infront of their peers. We are also an international festival offering the chance for international works to get recognized in a market with diverse talents.

MT: What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2016)?

-The Festival this year will have tones of glamor and exposure and a chance for many to get connected and network heavily within our Montreal market.

MT: What are the qualifications for the selected films?

A wide variety of categories are allowing films to be selected, including best actors, directors, quality cinematography, humor and above all great work.

MT: Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

-Some films do not stand a chance, and as a filmmaker myself, we understand it can be disappointing to not receive recognition, however, rejection is a good way for a filmmaker to take a good look at their work and ask themselves how they can step it up.

MT: What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

-Pro activity. Monkey See-Monkey Do. When people such as myself (Danny MAlin-Festival Director) lead by example of doing and creating works, others get fired up and inspired to make their own works.

MT: How has the festival changed since its inception?

-The Festival started out as a film race, and turned into an international festival. Branching worldwide and seeing what the rest of the world is doing allows artists to broaden their subject matter.

MT: Where do you see the festival by 2020?

-5 times greater than the awesome it is already.

MT: What film have you seen the most times in your life?

– Myself(Danny MAlin), I watched Beetlejuice more than 60 times when I was a child, one of my latest films SWEET AS was heavily influenced by that film.

MT: In one sentence, what makes a great film?

-Good sound quality, unique storyline and tolerable actors.

MT: How is the film scene in your city?

-We are a passionate film city with immense potential of superstar actors, waiting for a break.

yes.jpg

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Danny MAlin, a studied actor at various institutions in Montreal, LA, and NYC, grew up playing and winning many championships in baseball and hockey. He took his leadership skills and eased his way into Directing, having created more than 200 original works since 2010.

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 http://www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

Interview with Festival Director Moosa Saleem (Access Code Short Film Festival)

festreviews Festival Interview, film festival, film festival reviews, Interview, interviews, matthew toffolo wildsound, Uncategorized , , , , , , , ,

access-code.jpgAfter amazing 8 editions, we are here again. It’s a festival where 200 movies are played, more than any of the festival in the world. Almost every film that enters the festival will be screened at the festival, no matter how many days the festival runs.

Interview with Festival Director Moosa Saleem:

Matthew Toffolo: What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

Moosa Saleem: Access Code Short Film Festival has been very supportive to student and young filmmakers across the world.

MT: What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2016)?

MS: Very high quality shorts and indies. We also selected a lot of music videos by unknown bands.

MT: What are the qualifications for the selected films?

MS: We always prefer sound over images. An indie filmmaker spends a lot on camera, costumes and other props and hardly gives sound any importance. They forget that a film is 50% sound. A bad quality sound can ruin the whole film even if the visuals are amazing, but even if the video is bad or shaky, a good quality sound can cover up for it.

MT: Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

MS: I explained it in the above question. A lot of indie filmmakers neglect a good quality sound setup. It’s not that expensive, to be honest. Most films get rejected by a lot of film festivals because of bad sound. Also, it’s impossible to screen every film out of the amount of entries we get after each passing edition.

MT: What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

MS: We love films, be it narrative, documentary, animation. It saddens me to see some amazing filmmakers going unnoticed in this competitive world. We are creating a platform for filmmakers who stayed restricted to YouTube and Vimeo to showcase their talent to the world. We even try to get them a TV distribution deal

MT: How has the festival changed since its inception?

MS: We started as a film festival for animation shorts and music videos. Now, we have amazing submissions from documentaries to webisodes.

MT: Where do you see the festival by 2020?

MS: We are planning to take this festival to other parts of the country by 2020.

MT: What film have you seen the most times in your life?

MS: The Intouchables from France and 3 Idiots from India.

MT: In one sentence, what makes a great film?

MS: A good screenplay, with some good acting talent.

MT: How is the film scene in your city?

MS: I am originally from Jammu and Kashmir and it’s a conflict zone and there is no such thing as film scene here but a lot of Bollywood films are shot here every year, including some of the Hollywood movies like The Fall and Hector And The Search Of Happiness, to name among the few. Three amazing movies came out of Kashmir few years back, Valley of Saints (it won the Sundance in 2012), Haider and Harud. ;

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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 http://www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

Interview with Festival Director Michael Harrington (Wandering Reel Traveling Film Festival)

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Wandering Reel is a traveling short film festival with a focus on bringing meaningful films to communities with limited or no access to compassionate, thought-provoking cinema. We strive to engage our audiences in deeper conversation about the role of cinema, and how films can relate to community, conscious living, and contribute to making the world a stronger and more unified place.

http://www.wanderingreel.org/

Interview with Festival Director Michael Harrington

Matthew Toffolo: What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

Michael Harrington: Wandering Reel exposes films to a larger theater audience as well as a more rural, small town audience. We visit communities that don’t already have a film festival and/or do not have easy access to art films, independent films, international films and especially short films. We also facilitate conversation around the films to deepen the experience of a community coming together to watch films. Hopefully, some of the stories go home with some of the audience members and they care a little bit more about what the films were trying to say.

MT: What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2016)?

MH: Great movies. Great conversation. Theaters are the perfect meeting place of people and yet people tend to gather, watch and leave without actually interacting about this shared, cultural experience. Wandering Reel engages the audience a little deeper, first by allowing them to ask questions about how and why the films were made but also encouraging conversation with each other about how the films relate to their own lives and own community.

MT: What are the qualifications for the selected films?

MH: We only ask the films relate in some small way to the greater mission of Wandering Reel, which is to demonstrate how cinema can be a powerful tool in inspiring conversation around important topics and creating meaningful change in the world. We show narrative, animated and documentary films. We show students films and professional films. We show local films and films from the other side of the world. We show films fresh off the press and films from a decade or more ago. The point is to extend the life of short films so we offer very few hurdles for filmmaker to cross once they’ve made an outstanding short.

MT: Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

MH: Nowadays anyone can make a film. Our phones capture pretty good images and our laptops come with editing software. And it’s easier than ever to submit to film festivals because it’s all done digitally with a few clicks of a mouse. So, there are hundreds if not thousands of films vying for festival slots each year. The good news is there are more festivals than ever, but it’s really easy for the best, trendiest films to play 100 festivals while some smaller films only find a few niche markets. The biggest name festivals are hit with thousands of submissions for only a small amount of slots. Emerging festivals have to work much harder to garner lots of submissions and need the best of the best films in order to succeed and grow. It is my wish that more film festivals will program based on heart, ingenuity and merit, rather than politics or celebrity.

MT: What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

MH: We think it’s extremely important to support meaningful filmmaking. We think it’s important for films to be viewed in an audience with other people and to allow for a forum to talk about that experience. We think there’s a hole missing in the distribution of short films and that we can help fill it in our own small way. When an audience member shakes your hand after a screening and thanks you for bringing a film to their community, that’s motivation like no other, if only because they wouldn’t have likely seen that film that inspired them otherwise.

MT: How has the festival changed since its inception?

MH: Wandering Reel evolves each year based on the films we receive, audience reaction and the communities we visit. We are a young festival entering our second year and we are still learning how to motivate people to pause Netflix for an evening and come out for a fun and engaging event. We are working hard this year to connect deeper with each community we visit. This means visiting schools, retirement communities, prisons, hospitals and any other members of the community that may not be able to come to our festival. It also means collaborating with local artists, activists and thinkers to connect the work we curate with the great work being done in the local community.

MT: Where do you see the festival by 2020?

MH: At the moment, funds limit our reach to a couple small tours per year and just one curator. Our goal is to have curators all around the world traveling with our films simultaneously. In five years or so, we should be able to reach all regions of the United States with a few international curators as well, likely in Europe and Australia to start. We also want to grow the outreach wing of our festival so that free screenings are offered whenever possible. No one should ever be turned away because they can’t afford the ticket cost. We also want to reach more people that can’t come to community screenings: the elderly, prisoners, students, and people in our poorer urban communities to just name a few.

MT: What film have you seen the most times in your life?

MH: Probably The Princess Bride, if only because I watched it on loop as a child and to be honest quite a bit as an adult. But since we are a short film festival, I’d also like to make a nod to our grand prize winning film from last year, “Stop” by Reinaldo Marcus Green, because that’s probably the short I’ve likely seen the most, and a short everyone in the U.S. should see right now.

MT: In one sentence, what makes a great film?

MH: How about one word: passion.

MT: How is the film scene in your city?

MH: I live in Portland, Oregon a city known for its indie theaters and growing film market. We have lots of film festivals and a very attentive indie film audience. The film production scene here is beginning to really blossom. This is the perfect alternative city to Los Angeles and New York for emerging filmmakers: beautiful urban landscape, incredible access to nature, amazing food and drink and a thriving art scene.

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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 http://www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

Interview with Festival Director Anamika Raj (GardenCity Film Festival)

festreviews Festival Interview, film festival, film festival reviews, Interview, interviews, matthew toffolo wildsound, Uncategorized , , , , , ,

Garden_City_Logo-01.jpgI am Anamika Raj and I am a graphic designer by profession and have produced 2 feature indies. GardenCity Film Festival is one of the most appreciated in the country by several critics. It’s main focus is student and female filmmakers from around the world. We are happy to introduce the local audience to a range of most recent, cinematically daring and powerful filmmaking from around the globe. We want to be a festival that touches and teaches the audience, a festival that will drive creators to produce meaningful films, a festival that drives audiences from all walks of life and makes the week-end a deep experience that becomes a long lasting tradition.

Interview with Festival Director Anamika Raj

Matthew Toffolo: What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

Anamika Raj: The best feeling for a budding filmmaker is not to earn loads of money, but to showcase his film in front of an audience, sharing the thoughts, and if the film is appreciated by the audience that is the biggest reward for every filmmaker all around the world. Film festivals are the stage to showcase great talents of the independent filmmakers. We at GardenCity give the same oppurtunity. There are so many film festivals all around the globe, and we don’t say we are the best, but as far as we can help filmmakers, we think we are doing our part.

MT: What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2016)?

AR: A lot of amazing documentaries made by young girls and there’s a section of LGBT films.

MT: What are the qualifications for the selected films?

AR: The qualification on the film depends on how the filmakers has tried to reach out to the audience. Your effort shows on the output of the film. We prefer films that are hard-hitting and are there to make an impact and should connect to the audience.

MT: Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

AR: It’s absolutely impossible to select every film witht he time duration we have and the amount of entries we get. Filmmakers need to understand that and maybe up their game. Every filmmaker is working very hard to bring out a good film, but they need to understand that if their film is not selected, maybe the other filmmakers have put a bit more effort than them in their pictures.

MT: What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

AR: Let me tell you a true story, I am a filmaker myself and people in my team are very passionate about films. So, we were doing this one project and we were working day and night on it, with just 4 hours break in a day. The project was completed and then we started sending it to film festivals. The feeling that you get when you receive a mail from the authorities saying that your film has been selected is amazing. I mean, you are actually being praised for your hard work. And that’s when my team and I decided to start something like this. If we can be a part of motivating talent, then, why not! See it’s simple, you are good at something and if you don’t get any good comments about that work, you will start working hard on your films, but if you get praised for doing that same work, next time you will try to give a better film to the audience.

MT: How has the festival changed since its inception?

AR: We got 20 films as entries in the first edition and in the last edition, we got 300+ films. So, we are getting there.

MT: Where do you see the festival by 2020?

AR: In 4 years, we surely see ourselves as a big competitor to Cannes and Berlinale. Haha! Just kidding. When we started GardenCity Film Festival, we had one point very clear, all the film festivals happening all around the corner are not competing against each other, they are just helping brilliant filmakers to showcase their work. So, in 4 years, we would see ourselves helping four times of people we are helping now to bring out their work. We keep giving heavy discounts to the filmmakers who are really short of funds, especially student filmmakers.

MT: What film have you seen the most times in your life?

AR: Rang De Basanti (from India) and every Woody Allen movie.

MT: In one sentence, what makes a great film?

AR: As I already mentioned that a great film is that which connects to the audience and which has an amazing thought process behind it. See, for independant filmakers, cost of the movie really matters. Sometimes a filmmaker can come out with mind blowing movie on a very small budget, and sometimes, movies with huge budgets are panned by critics and audiences. So, to make a great movie all that it takes is a great thought and knowledge of using the given resources rightly. Script is the king.

MT: How is the film scene in your city?

AR: In Bangalore, we have a film industry called Sandalwood. It’s growing and very good young filmmakers are coming out with their films. Sandalwood usually prefers action movies or thrillers. Some of them are Lucia, U-Turn and Cryptic Road.

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 http://www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

Interview with Festival Director Craig Higgins (Norwich Film Festival)

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norwich_1.jpgThe Norwich Film Festival is now preparing for it’s sixth year (2016). They have an amazing array of celebrity patrons and judges (including Bernard Hill, Tim McInnerny, Olivia Colman and Martin Walsh) who are all eager to watch your films and read your screenplays. The people of Norwich are also committed to supporting artists of all media and have been wonderful throughout our four previous years, turning up in their droves to see the best the festival has to offer.

www.norwichfilmfestival.co.uk

Interview with Festival Director Craig Higgins:

Matthew Toffolo: What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

Craig Higgins: The Norwich Film Festival is passionate about screening filmmaker’s work from not just Norwich but from all over the world. We love that we get the opportunity to help the audience see something they generally wouldn’t see, and I feel this helps to give filmmaker’s a voice and the recognition they deserve. We have also just started to screen local feature films made in Norfolk throughout the year which we screen free of charge to help raise the profile of filmmakers. There really is an incredible amount of talent out there and we are just doing our little bit to help the world see it.

MT: What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2016)?

CH: Fantastic short films made by the some of the most talented filmmakers you will ever see.

We have not yet released the programme, so here is a little bit of a spoiler. The festival will be looking to screen 50 short films, 2 feature films (both are premiers for Norwich), an industry panel of getting your film made, a talk from one of the best Editor’s in the world, BAFTA regional shorts tour, along with lots of a Q&A’s from filmmakers. We are also going to ensure that we offer lots of networking too!

MT: What are the qualifications for the selected films?

CH: We have 5 competitive prizes this year including best short, best animation, best student, best documentary and best script. The standard of submissions this year as been incredibly high, so short listing is going to be tricky! Luckily enough we have a fantastic team who have helped to judge and score your film. What is also exciting, the best of the best films are sent to industry judges who will watch them and decide who should win our competition. Some of our judges this year include Damian Jones (Producer – The Iron Lady, Lady in the Van, Dad’s Army), Nick Moore (Editor – Love Actually, Notting Hill), William Osborne (Scriptwriter – Twins, Scorpian King), Julian Jarrold (Director – Kinky Boots, A Royal Night Out), Steven Hall (DOP & Camera Operative), Jane Gull (Director – Sunny Boy, My Feral Heart) & Hugh Fraser (Actor)

MT: Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

CH: That’s a good question. It’s difficult, because festival’s only have so much allocated time to screen films and usually the best of the bunch are the one’s which are screened. However, you sometimes have that middle pile of films which are good, but don’t always make it through due to another film being submitted with maybe a similar theme but can be slightly stronger in terms of its narrative. What, I would say is even if your film doesn’t get through to one festival don’t stop trying! If you believe in your work, get it out there to festivals, screen it in local bars etc….

MT: What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

CH: Easy – we love films! We also enjoy that we are the first people who get the opportunity to watch some of the most exciting, engaging and inspiring films out there and we get to screen them! How brilliant is that? We also love meeting and hearing from filmmakers and anything which can help showcase and bring people together is fabulous.

MT: How has the festival changed since its inception?

CH: Well this year as been a huge development shift in the festival, keeping in mind that everyone involved with the Norwich Film Festival are volunteers. We are now running as a small charity (but are due to apply shortly to become a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in the next few weeks), we have increased our web content for filmmakers, increased our social media fan base, built up an impressive list of judges & patrons (Brian Cox, Olivia Colman, John Collee & Tim McInnerny), offered monthly screenings and an increased networking opportunities for filmmakers. We have worked really hard this year and we are planning bigger and better things for 2017 already!

MT: Where do you see the festival by 2020?

CH: I would love to see the festival become BAFTA accredited. That is my dream! It would be great if we could also continue to build the level of submissions we receive each year and offer the audience even more than we are providing now.

MT: What film have you seen the most times in your life?

CH: Jaws….. I love this film!

MT: In one sentence, what makes a great film?

CH: Great story, originality, creativity & something that stay’s with you even when the film ends.

MT: How is the film scene in your city?

CH: Norwich is such a creative city, we have a host of incredibly talented filmmakers, a brilliant picturehouse cinema, 2 Universities which offer film related courses and a lot of love from the people of the city who welcome all creative types. Norwich as also played host as a location setting for big budget films such as Averngers: age of ultron, Tulip Fever, Stardust, James the Giant Killer and so on. I would love filmmakers to come to Norwich to continue filming as it offers so much diversity.

Don’t forget the Norwich Film Festival will holding it’s annual festival from the 10 – 13th November. It’s gonna be fun! Come along and enjoy something different.

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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 http://www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

Interview with Festival Director Elena Ringo (Vienna Independent Film Festival)

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VIFF Vienna Independent Film Festival invites filmmakers from all over the world to submit their films to their international film festival which takes place in Vienna.  The goal of our festival is to find new talented filmmakers who will be able to approach the heights of cinematography created by geniuses like Antonioni, Fellini, Tarkovsky, Bergman, Visconti, Godard. Now, when the whole world has a tendency towards commercialization, they appreciate free spirit, new ideas an independent point of view and new approaches. Not the budget of the film but solely talent should be the criteria for the film’s success.

http://www.vienna-film-festival.com/

Interview with Festival Director Elena Ringo

Matthew Toffolo: What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

Elena Ringo: VIFF 2016 – Vienna Independent Film Festival took place for the first time in July and it laid the foundation for the future. There were 38 films screened at the festival, almost all of them were Austrian premieres and the films were introduced to a varied audience. The participants had a lot of opportunities for networking and have received exposure via social media and press coverage.

MT: What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2016)?

ER: Our festival took place in July 2016 and now we are preparing for the next edition.

MT: What are the qualifications for the selected films?

ER: We value artistic quality of the films, independent point of view, cinematographic innovations and appreciate auteur cinema. Many films were directed, produced, shot and written by the directors themselves and the films were often based on real stories and personal experiences which brings truth to the films and makes the films more authentic and believable.

For example, the film Imperfect Sky which received the award for Best Feature Film, was written, directed and shot by Graham Streeter and was based on true events. Another interesting film which received the Grand Prix – Let’s Dance to the Rhythm was written, directed and edited by Bardroy Barretto and tells the story of real jazz musicians from Goa.

MT: Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

ER: I think that when festivals are very well-known they receive an enormous volume of submissions and very limited number of people actually select them on the first stage so many films are not noticed at all. Also, many festivals are more interested in big names rather than discovering new talents and do not want to take any risks.

MT: What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

ER: I hope that our festival will become a bigger event but will still preserve our main principles; independence, artistic quality, lack of political motivation and no discrimination against any genre or countries.

MT: Where do you see the festival by 2020?

ER: I hope that our festival will become a bigger event but will still preserve our main principles; independence, artistic quality, lack of political motivation and no discrimination against any genre or countries.

MT: What film have you seen the most times in your life?

ER: The Mirror by Andrei Tarkovsky. This is a film which you can watch many times and every time discover something new.

MT: In one sentence, what makes a great film?

ER: Artistic vision and deep ideas make a great film.

MT: How is the film scene in your city?

ER: There are many cinemas and film lovers in Vienna. There are several film schools and there is a demand for more festivals in this cultural center.

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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 tohttp://www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.