film festival review

Interview with Festival Director Anam Abbas (Face International Film Festival)

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The Face Film festival is a not for profit, unticketed event aiming at promoting cinema, screening the best of contemporary world cinema and providing a platform for emerging Pakistani filmmakers to screen their work. Last year  was a one day event where we hosted the Pakistani Premiere of the American /Pakistani Documentary feature “Without Shepards” and the world premiere of the film “K2 and the invisible footmen” which proceeded to screen in multiple festivals across the globe.  In our second year, our program so far includes 6 international features, a program of local and international shorts and 3 panel discussions with the industry’s most respected filmmakers.

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

Anam Abbas: As the only Film Festival in Pakistan’s capital, our venture seeks to support a fledgling film industry and expose audiences and filmmakers to the best in contemporary world cinema as well as allow emerging young filmmakers in pakistan to showcase their work and mingle with the industry.

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

Anam: We are screening contemporary features hot off the festival circuit. We have also added three panel discussions to our program. We expect a lot more media attention and a very exciting opportunity for Islamabad to interact with filmmakers from Lahore and Karachi.

Matthew: What are the qualifications for the selected films?

Anam: Films have to be completed after Jan 2014 and appeal to a Pakistani audience. Our criteria is broad because we want a diversity of expression presented at our festival.

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

Anam: The entries received are staggering and competition is always steep. We judge and select by quality of film alone.

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

Anam: We are artists and film-makers ourselves. The love of cinema and desire to start dialogues is why we make films and create a culture of watching films, and especially film that showcase independant voices.

Matthew: How has the festival changed since its inception?

Anam: We are only in our 2nd year and expanding in our scope and our expected audience and impact.

Matthew: Where do you see the festival by 2020?

Anam: By 2020 we hope to be a truly international film festival with a weeklong program, presemting Pakistani feature film Premieres and guests from around the world.

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

Anam: Gone with the Wind and Sholay- A classic Hollywood Melodrama and a classic Bollywood blowout.

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

Anam: Great films evoke intense emotions!

Matthew: How is the film scene in your city?

Anam: Islamabad is definitely NOT the industry hub. However this allows for the nurturing of a lot of great independent talent that has already made a mark in the industries in lahore and Karachi.

***

Anam Abbas up in Pakistan and studied Cinema at the University of Toronto and Documentary Production at Sheridan College, Canada. She produced three short live action films and two short documentary films in Canada. I am deeply interested in creating platforms for women’s voices and exploring life at the peripheries in Pakistan.

Her documentary short “Lucky Irani Circus” about the children who work in Pakistan’s longest running circus group travelled to 5 film festivals around the world in 2015 including the Toronto International Reel Asian Film Festival.

 

 

 

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.

Interview with Aviel Silook, Founder & Creative Director (BERLIN MUSIC VIDEO AWARDS)

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Berlin Music Video Awards
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Matthew Toffolo: What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

Aviel Silook: Our event is not a film festival, we really try to step out of this definition. The next teaser will explain: http://dai.ly/x3hcbkz

Our event is the biggest music video networking event in Europe, we already know about many nominees and winners who visited and found great job opportunities. Besides, some of the winners who traveled between Music Video’s events grasped that it is very unique, personal and fun compares to others.

We believe that getting selected by us means something special.. different than other events that their winners are always high budget productions. 2 of our final winners were winning with their first ever music video and since then they were invited to make many more videos. I believe that the fact that we nominate music videos in all languages is really appreciated as well.

We managed to get over 700 mentionings in a bit more than 3 years and we always ask to include videos from our nominees

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

Aviel: I am originally a nightlife events producer and my main goal is that the guests of the event will have fun! so besides the great video selection we pay a close attention to other elements like good food, after parties, live shows, fun guests and a lot of press presence.

Matthew: What are the qualifications for the selected films?

Aviel: Originality and good execution

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

Aviel: I think that many film festivals care about big names.. that’s a pity really.

We do our best not to discriminate unknown artists and also on the other side to give a fair chance to filmmakers who did a video for famous musicians. In Berlin we have a lot of social pressure not to let those in but we always remember that behind the music video could be a young filmmaker that had his first chance to make a video for a big musician. So if the video is good we won’t exclude him but at the same time we rejected many big names before.. the fame plays no role for us. If you take a look at our previous selections.. we have Bob Dylan, Katy Perry, Cold Play and other big artists who were nominated but in the end most of them lost. Popularity plays no role for us.

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

Aviel: To do something unique

Matthew: How has the festival changed since its inception?

Aviel: We really grew fast.

In the first year we had 1000 guests and this year we expect 8000 (4th edition). We have better prizes and a bigger press exposure for the winners. The venues are bigger and we work with more professionals.

Matthew: Where do you see the festival by 2020?

Aviel: The real question for us is where do we see our nominees in 2020. We really hope that what we do will push them to go far, we want them all to get good job offers and keep making music videos.

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

Aviel: I will refer this quetsion to music videos.

I think that the music videos that i watched really many times are the ones that we are getting as submissions and specifically the winners. I view them over and over again before they get nominated and then maybe 50 more times afterwards (and try to compare them to the others, which is very difficult) just to make sure that we don’t do any mistakes with the selection.

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

Aviel: A great music video is a music video where the crew went with it all the way without a safe play (but that’s just my personal opinion).

Matthew: How is the film scene in your city?

Aviel: The independent scene in Berlin is pretty good but not really many big productions, especially not around music videos.

Originally our festival was supposed to be a local festival and our goal was to develop the local scene but in the end we received so many international good videos and changed our mind very quick.

***

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.

Interview with Festival Director Shane Burzynski (Northwest Horror Show)

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The Northwest Horror Show is a way for cult and horror fans to experience their favourite genre films on the big screen with special guests, giveaways, trailers and short films before each feature. All films will be screened on 35mm prints and Uncut whenever possible.

http://www.viff.org/theatre/series/northwest-horror-show

Interview with the Festival Director Shane Burzynski:

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

Shane Burzynski: The Northwest Horror Show is still very new, so at this time its pretty much just having the chance to have their films screened for audiences of like minded genre fans and help promote their work among the festival guests from the audience to our guest speakers. I’m also trying to start issuing awards so that they can also have the laurels for their posters.

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

Shane: Some very enthusiastic film goers, a lot of beer and some of the greatest junk food cinema ever produced! Maybe a little bit of emotional trauma for those heading into our 40th anniversary screening of Salo as well. It’ll be a very positive atmosphere despite the subject matter of a couple of our films.

Matthew: What are the qualifications for the selected films? 

Shane: They just have to be made within the last couple of years, be under 15 minutes and be in the horror/exploitation genre. Seen a lot of great stuff so far!

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

Shane: It’s hard to say as I haven’t really had the opportunity to experience any others myself. With the sheer volume of films flooding into them I’d imagine its hard to choose between all the submissions. I had to turn down some really terrific films last year and we only had 50 submissions, I can’t even imagine what its like for some of the big festivals. Luckily though there are tons of niche festivals for practically any subject these days and a lot of very supportive festival organizers/audiences. There’s an audience for pretty much anything these days, just gotta get your stuff in front of the right one.

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

Shane: Mostly just bringing these classic genre films back to Vancouver and introducing some programming to the city that wouldn’t have been shown otherwise. For instance, last year I got to finally bring in these two Duke Mitchell films in which I had wanted to see here for a long time and it was a blast! People seemed to really enjoy themselves so that was really great.

Matthew: How has the festival changed since its inception? 

Shane: As it’s only our second year, not too much. I’ve got some deals I’m making that will make it a bit more interactive and fun and am also adding more awards for the short films, but the atmosphere will pretty much be the same layout as we did last year.

Matthew: Where do you see the festival by 2020? 

Shane: Hopefully still running! We had a great first year and momentum just seems to keep on building. I dont think it will get much different than it is now but maybe a bigger crowd. I’m hoping to have the funds to bring more guests in as well as to start recreating some of the old gimmicks that came with the films I’m screening.

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

Shane: I think its a tie between a few movies. I’ve seen the first two Lone Wolf and Cub movies a ton due to how many people I’ve felt the need to show them to. Brain Damage and Taxi Driver are also playing constantly as well.

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

Shane: To me a great film is a passionate film. If you love what you’re doing and believe in the project you can make a great film, even if its not necessarily  talented. Ed Wood made terrible movies but charming movies that have stood the test of time because they were so hilariously sincere.

Matthew: How is the film scene in your city?

Shane: Its there but a little hard to get people out. Luckily my festival is offering something unique enough to pique peoples interests as no one else seems to wanna show things like Cannibal Holocaust or Salo, especially on 35mm.

It’s definitely a rarity in this city so it really helps to get people motivated to come out. They seem to be really happy to get these movies too which makes me even happier to bring them in.

Hopefully we can reach out to more people and keep it all going for as long as possible.
—

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 Festival Director Reham Alsamerai (Green Caravan Film Festival)

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The Green Caravan Film Festival (GCFF) is a traveling festival of environmental and socially conscious films that was founded by the environmental company Equilibrium in 2009. It has toured Kuwait and Dubai and London. In 2016 it returns to the Gulf for an expanded tour of several Gulf cities. The festival hopes to bring together a variety of audiences, filmmakers, NGOs and supporters that can discover, share and cooperate on the vital issues presented by the films in an atmosphere of inspired camaraderie and passion.

I recently sat down with the Co-Festival Director  Reham Alsamerai:

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

Reham Alsamerai: As of 2015 Green Caravan, which up until that point was focused mainly on environmental films, launched a new section for Middle Eastern shorts. This is was during our London edition and we felt it was a good opportunity to give exposure to up and coming filmmakers from the Middle East, and to give the London audience access to these stories that might otherwise not get told to them. Filmmakers from the Middle East region suffer from a lack of support and weak infrastructure, not that this deters their creativity, but what it does is make everything much harder than it should be. Taking their films with us to multiple platforms where the reception is overwhelmingly positive means that we are helping in our own little way in ensuring that there is a future for filmmaking in the region.

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

Reham: This year we are taking a batch of films on a Gulf Tour, multiple cities and multiple venues. In each place we’re screening a programme of Middle Eastern shorts as well as a feature film or documentary. Later in the year we go back to London for another run- 3 to 4 days of social and environmental films including a selection of Middle Eastern shorts.

Matthew: What are the qualifications for the selected films?

Reham: When it comes to shorts, they have to be succinct, impactful, and stylistically impressive. With environmental features and documentaries, we look for films that don’t come across as sensationalist, that tell stories seldom heard before, and of course that are well crafted and can hold an audience’s gaze.

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

Reham: Happy faces, angry faces, shocked faces, teary-eyed faces.
When someone comes up to me after a screening and says something that starts with “I never knew…” or “thank you” or “what can I do about…”

When we know that we have changed someone’s perception of or perspective on something, that makes it all worthwhile.

Matthew: How has the festival changed since its inception?

Reham: The festival began as a local event meant to raise local levels of awareness about environmental topics. It is now a traveling festival showcasing films of environmental as well as social relevance, and includes a section dedicated to short films from the Middle East.

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

Reham: Within the themes we cover: balance, honesty and creativity.

Matthew: How is the film scene in your city?

Reham: In Kuwait city where I’m from and where the festival is headquartered, there isn’t a film ‘scene’ per se. There is a handful of filmmakers all working tirelessly to get their work produced. Most of the time they have to self-fund. There is excellent work being made with extremely low budgets. In neighbouring countries there are multi-million funds available to filmmakers every year, but this is a concept still absent in Kuwait, although I am told there are plans in the pipeline for a local film fund, and I do hope it gets realised in the near future.

—-
Reham Alsamerai is co-founder and co-director of the Green Caravan Film Festival, a traveling festival for social and environmental films, established in 2009.She holds an MA in Arts Administration and Cultural Policy from Goldsmiths College, University of London, and has been managing cultural events and happenings since 2008. Responsible for multiple start-ups, mainly in the fields of social and cultural entrepreneurship, Reham also currently holds the title Entrepreneur in Residence at Goldsmiths College.

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 Festival President Sergey Mavrody (Blow-Up Film Festival)

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The 2016 BLOW-UP ARTHOUSE FILM FESTIVAL brings the most original storytellers together with very adventurous audiences for its annual program of dramatic and documentary films, shorts, animations, experimental films, and student work. The Festival was named after the Michelangelo Antonioni’s iconic film “Blow-Up”.

For more information, to go: http://www.blowupfilmfest.com/

I recently sat down with the Festival President Sergey Mavrody:

  • What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

We believe we succeed in promoting authentic voices that can awaken new ideas that have the power to push creative boundaries, spark new levels of compassion and understanding, and even lead to social change.

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

I would expect to bring the most original storytellers together with very adventurous audiences. It would be a great range of quality art-house films from all over the world. I would also expect a smart audience, people, who love art-house films.

  • What are the qualifications for the selected films?

The Festival welcomes serious, independent films aimed at a specific audience rather than a mass-market consumer. We would like to see films made primarily for aesthetic and philosophical reasons rather than commercial profit. The festival would like to approach the caliber of films made by such great directors as Eisenstein, Antonioni, Fellini, Tarkovsky, Godard, Truffaut, Kurosawa.

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

Yes and no. On one hand, many films have to try very hard to get seen and recognized. On the other hand it is hard to miss a truly great and talented film.

  • What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

The main motivation would be to discover new talented artists promoting that type of films that fit well into our vision, that push creative limits and educate audiences. On the other hand, if we have passion we don’t really need a motivation.

  • How has the festival changed since its inception?

The festival is always evolving. We have changed names, concepts, and places of screening, websites, staff, jury, method of film submission.  This is a great question and answer could be very long.

  • Where do you see the festival by 2020?

By 2020 the festival will be making an even greater impact on the world cinema by discovering talented filmmakers and setting new standards.

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

The most times in my life I have seen the films I made, of course.

  • In one sentence, what makes a great film?

Well, Jean-Luc Godard once said: all you need for a great movie is a gun and a beautiful girl J That was an irony, of course. Truth: that’s what makes a great film in a nutshell. More specifically, this includes an authentic story and a sincere unpretentious artistic expression.

  • How is the film scene in your city?

The MovieMaker Magazine recently unveiled its list of cities with the best film scene. You’re probably wondering who topped the list? Well, it’s my Chicago! According to the magazine – the criteria they used include festivals, film schools, movie-related vendors, local theatres, living standards, unemployment rate, median home price and aggressive tax incentives. Chicago is also rich in filmmaking history and has seen an increase in both independent and Hollywood film productions in the last few years. As we speak, a bunch of film production trucks parked right on my street. They are filming the “Empire” TV series.

BIO: Sergey A. Mavrody

Sergey Mavrody moved to US from Moscow, Russia in 1990. He was granted a green card as an “Alien of Extraordinary Ability”.  Sergey received his first graduate degree in animation from VGIK film school, Moscow, Russia. Sergey earned his second MFA degree in Computer Animation from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Sergey was a Production Designer for the Emmy Award-winning musical film “The Bridge”. Sergey produced and directed several animated films. His films have received numerous international awards.

Sergey is also a professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and DeVry University. Sergey served as a board member and as a head of the jury at several film festivals. He is a founder and a president of the Blow-Up Arthouse International Film Festival.

 

http://blowupfilmfest.com/

 

 

 

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

Interview with Festival Director Sean Gabriel (Shortfest International)

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Shortfest International is aimed to promote as much as possible the productions created by our submitters. All foreign films must have English subtitles. Genres including: Sci Fi, Animated, horror, experimental, drama, comedy, thriller, action, documentary. Live screening will be held during the festival on 3 nights where elite personalities from the local scene will be attending this event. There will be a winner for each category. All those who will make it to the end and are nominated for the final award ‘The Best Overall Film’  will have the opportunity to attend or virtually attend to the final night as All films and any other kind of production which are submitted to this festival will be aired on an IPTV channel and it will be promoted on our websites and Facebook pages. This could be a one time opportunity!! Our aim is to turn this event in an annual event where here filmmakers will be able to meet and share their thoughts and ideas, hopefully from all around the globe.

Interview with Festival Director Sean Gabriel:

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

Sean Gabriel: This is our first edition of The Shortfest International Festival and we are hoping that we can be a good helping hand to those producers who dedicate their time and money in creating short movies. Being ourselves a production house and having produced a couple of short films ourselves, we know the dedication and sometimes even financial sacrifices these producers do to get their film casted and produced. When the production is ready and presented to different festivals around the world, some succeed and others not, and are then put on a disk and archived to be forgotten and never given the opportunity to have the chance to screen them and get promoted properly. So we hope that through our initiative, where we created an IP TV channel dedicated solely for short movies incorporating both short film festivals and also content submission for free, we will be able to give the well deserved attention to all these productions having their films screened on an international platform.

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

Sean: It will be a wonderful experience for everyone present at the festival. Being our first edition we are very limited financially but we are still giving it our best both in setup and organisation. Several distinct local producers and filmmakers will be present to this festival, some of which will be giving their contribution as part of the judging panel. This will be a good opportunity for those attending to meet up with some of the best local producers and filmmakers having the opportunity to meet in person and maybe share some ideas for future projects they might collaborate in.

Matthew: What are the qualifications for the selected films?

Sean: There are no specific qualifications for the selected films. All short films are welcome as we believe that every film has its story, then it is up to our judges to determine whether a film should be qualified to the next level or not.

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

Sean: I don’t think that there are any specific reasons the way a film is judged and not given a fair shake but then again that is just my opinion. When we participated with our productions we always had what we thought was fair for us, always depending on which festival we were participating in.

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

Sean: The need for more exposure and promotion for such small productions drove us to come up with the idea of this festival boosting it with the idea of having all movies promoted on our channel to which we asked the permission to have their films aired as part as the festival procedure. Some had other commitments and withdrew their submissions and others greeted this idea with enthusiasm to the extent to give us consent to air their production anytime we want during the year.

Matthew: How has the festival changed since its inception?

Sean: This is the first year of our festival therefore there has not been much time for changes even though i have to admit that from the the day we started this festival project to present day we have changed, added and improved alot the festival in terms of promotion and presentation….. and it keeps getting better.

Matthew: Where do you see the festival by 2020?

Sean: Our aim is to make this festival an annual event. In 5 years time we hope that we manage to make it a calendar event in the media industry in Malta, something that filmmakers, producers etc will be looking forward to. Hopefully with some help we could be getting some international professional people in the field to attend our Festival which will definitely make it an important event for the short film enthusiasts.

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

Sean: One of the films i love and am never fed up of watching is Gladiator – watched it last week again in fact ….. probably it was the 300th time i watched it lol!!

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

Sean: A great film is made when it has an artistic core and every aspect of filmmaking is well prepared and executed.

Matthew: How is the film scene in your city?

Sean: Malta has d same equivalent value in terms of the city you are referring to. With its 440,000 inhabitants the film industry is still very strong. We had some of the best blockbusters here in Malta, to mention a few Gladiator, Troy, Munich, Assassin’s Creed and recently 13 hrs. The people involved in the film industry are very competent and recently a new fresh overhaul in the Film Commission has given the desired results attracting more and more film producers and directors who chose Malta as part of the filming location for their film. As for the local scene unfortunately things are somehow different with alot of emerging filmmakers not having enough opportunity to express their creativity and passion for this industry. This happens just because in the technical dept of filmmaking locally we ar not given much opportunity as most of the films bring their technical crew with them which makes it even harder to get involved.

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

Interview with J. Michael Seyfert (Cine Pobre)

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Cine Pobre is a self-funded filmmaking genre without a set of stylistic criteria nor format boundaries, involving many geographically separated creators with at least two things in common: a strong desire to tell our story and to do so with our own resources.

You can also find more info at
www.facebook.com/cinepobre/

I recently sat down with J. Michael Seyfert to talk more about the festival:

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

JMS: So far Cine Pobre has co-produced 8 films, and we provide post production talent and technical skills through camera stabilization workshops, and help with branding and niche market exposure. Cine Pobre Film Festival is like filmmaking itself, a collaborative and not a competitive concept.

Matthew: What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival? 

JMS: Personally , unless you’re talking about Orson Welles or Werner Herzog for example I am not keen on listening to a lot of self-congratulating trivia and gossip staged by most film festivals who appear more like cocktail parties. I appreciate excellent programming that has attitude and teeth, to be intriguing,  that’s what Cine Pobre delivers: New Eyes.

Matthew: What are the qualifications for the selected films? 

JMS: Anything goes, but must be self-funded and under $25,000 usd crowd-funding is also accepted, but productions financed by grants and film fund supported budgets are not accepted.

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

JMS: The business model of conventional festivals, of which there are literally thousands, is strictly a numbers game no matter how idealistic they may cloak themselves. As soon as an event gains some prestige it becomes elitist and exclusionary, rich in overhead and filmmaker exploitative.

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

JMS: Curating the best self funded films to the widest audience is gratifying, as only the works of story tellers unbeholden to sponsors are censorship-free.

Matthew: How has the festival changed since its inception? 

JMS: Started with small screenings in rural areas to become the largest resource of self-funded film with over 10,000 shorts, features, documentaries, animation, experimental and music videos.

Matthew: Where do you see the festival by 2020?

JMS: We receive entries from about 100 countries and would love to curate films from all 190 states and territories on the planet.

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

JMS: Bye Bye Havana

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

JMS: A story so well told that it holds the attention of a 7 year old.

Matthew: How is the film scene in your city? 

JMS: Still emerging from provincialism…. However Cine Pobre is neither stagnant nor static. Over the past 13 years we have taken our screenings to rural areas in Mexico and different countries in Latin America. We hope to also develop events in Africa where many exciting self-funded filmmakers are emerging.

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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 Kristine Renee Farley (MayDay Film Festival)

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The MayDay Film Festival originated in May 2009 at the University of Southern Indiana. It was created by a group of student filmmakers.. Year one was about showing off student films at their event to the student body. Since then, it has evolved into a full fledged festival showcasing films from all over the world.

Website: www.maydayfilmfestival.com

Twitter @MayDayFilmFest

I recently sat down with the Festival Director of the Festival:

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

Kristine Renee Farley: I consider MayDay Film Festival’s biggest achievement our audience members. Last year we had 500 people in attendance across our 2-day event. Sometimes it can be difficult for independent film to find an audience, but we don’t have that problem at MayDay. We’re also currently in negotiations with international distribution companies. We want to partner with one to get MayDay Film Festival official selections in front of their eyes, and hopefully the rest of the world.

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

Kristine: MayDay is alway a fun experience for attendees. We pride ourselves on not being a pretentious film festival. We have vendor booths similar to what you see at conventions. This gives filmmakers a chance to sell their movies as well as other merchandise like tshirts. But we also invite local businesses and artists to rent booth space as well. We want to be interactive with the whole community, and invite anyone who thinks indie film fans would like to buy their product a chance to get it out there. All the info to get a booth is on our website. We also always have a guest artist or two to do a Q&A panel. We’ve had cosplayer Collin Royster, Emmy-award winning writer of Friday the 13th Victor Miller, Jake Lloyd of Star Wars & Jingle all the Way, and the Star Wars 501st Legion in past years.

Matthew: What are the qualifications for the selected films?

Kristine: Our submission guidelines are pretty loose. We like to have a wide variety of films screen at MayDay. During the selection process, we try to keep a good balance of looking at the quality of everything from camera work, image, audio, acting, and story. A filmmaker may not have had the best camera when they made their film, but if the story is amazing, we’ll still take it. Likewise, if a film looks too beautiful to pass up, we sure won’t.

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

Kristine: I agree to a certain extent, yes. I think the bigger film festivals only take “independent” films that are only so just because a studio wasn’t involved. Yes, TECHNICALLY they’re “independent,” but they have huge stars and the best equipment. It makes sense for a festival to accept such movies because it will help their festival be more successful, so I can’t really discredit them for that at all. But I do believe that a lot of really amazing films that didn’t have the budget and didn’t have the stars do get ignored sometimes. Just because they don’t have that selling power. Which kind of leads into your next question…

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

Kristine: We want to give people a chance to get their films seen. That’s the whole point of making a movie! For people to see it! In addition to our fantastic & growing attendance numbers, filmmakers have the opportunity to secure booth space to sell their DVDs to the right audience – people interested in watching indie film.

For me personally, I’m also an actress working in TV & indie film. It’s a wonderful opportunity to see who’s making amazing films & to check out other actors & actresses who are getting work. We have films that come to us from all over the country & the world. It’s a wonderful networking opportunity for anyone in the indie film scene.

Matthew: How has the festival changed since its inception?

Kristine: This festival has changed SO much! It first started as a few students at the University of Southern Indiana showing off short films that they had made that school year. Then the Filmmakers’ Club was created to give students a more organized foundation to create their films since the school doesn’t have a film program. Each year it’s gotten bigger & bigger, incorporating local filmmakers and businesses. Now we’re in an actual movie theatre (Shout out to Showplace Cinemas in Evansville, IN! They’re the best!), showing films on 3 screens, and have international selections each year. I started helping with the fest in year 3. We had 38 submissions total. This year we had 40 our first day. We’re up to 470 currently, and we don’t close submissions until May 1st! We’ve had to bring on more people to get through the first round of watching films.

Matthew: Where do you see the festival by 2020?

Kristine: I certainly hope we continue to grow as much as we have already. At this time, we’re a not for profit event in the sense that we make absolutely no profit, haha. All fees & admissions go straight back into the festival costs. A lot of the time myself and the other coordinators will spend money out of pocket to make sure everything goes off without a hitch. I’d certainly like to see it begin to turn a profit because we have some amazing ideas to expand the MayDay brand into other film related events. If I had my way, we’d have a different themed event each month!

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

Kristine: The absolute most times is probably Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. I may have been a teenager when it came out, but I geeked hard core over it. My sister and I were probably watching it 3 times a day that summer we were off from school. I started developing a bit of a British accent. It was pretty crazy, haha. As an adult, it’s probably either Kill Bill or Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Those films just never get old for me. I notice something new each time I watch them. If you’re talking indie film, you should totally check out Bounty Killer. God, I love that movie.

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

Kristine: Oy. ONE sentence? And “great” is so subjective… I’d have to say, “A great film understands it’s audience.” Understanding your audience and how your film is perceived really helps tell a great story. That sentence also allows for films that may not be technically sound, but are still entertaining. &#X1f60a AND it transcends genres. Someone who loves horror may not like romantic comedy, but that doesn’t mean either genre isn’t great.

Matthew: How is the film scene in your city?

Kristine: Well, I’m living in New York City now, so pretty awesome, haha. Back in Evansville, things are pretty hopping, too. The work I got there and the experience I gained have been invaluable to me in pursuing my career. Last year at MayDay Film Fest in particular, the quality of local films skyrocketed. Evansville, IN is definitely holding their own against some of the best films from around the country. Some even won awards against them too! I continue to be impressed year after year at how much my friends & associates in indie film have grown.
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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 Festival Director Dave Merson Hess (Rush Process Festival of Handcrafted Animation)

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Rush Process celebrates handcrafted animation. The festival’s first edition – set for August 27-28, 2016 in Houston, Texas – will combine curated and competition screenings with filmmaker Q&As and a DIY animation jam. RP aims to screen visually and emotionally stunning, non-digital animation.

I recently sat down with Festival Director Dave Merson Hess to talk more about the festival:

What is Rush Process succeeding at doing for animated filmmakers? 

On the screening side, we’re bringing handcrafted animated films to an enthusiastic audience that appreciates the gesture of choosing to work with tangible, analog materials. And with our workshops, we’re encouraging absolutely everyone to embrace low-budget, DIY animation as both a rich area for visual exploration and an accessible entry point into personal filmmaking.

What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival?

Eye-opening screenings of handcrafted animated shorts from around the world, workshops offering the opportunity to collaborate with complete strangers who share a passion for time-based collage and scribbling, and snacks. We’ll definitely have snacks.

What are the qualifications for the selected films? 

I’m not involved with judging, but I can tell you that we only screen handcrafted animation. These are painstakingly produced films made by hand, with real ink and paint, and often by lone practicioners. To quote our site, handcrafted is “a materials-focused practice at the intersection of DIY, auteur-driven cinema and analog animation art.”

What makes a great independent film? 

A great independent film: 1) chooses the discomfort of honesty and doubt over audience-pandering via formula and cliche, 2) embraces the limitations of the particular context of its own making, and 3) demonstrates a passionate dedication to a unique and highly developed personal or collective vision.

What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

The opportunity to become DIY animation enablers for as large an audience as possible, and the genuine feeling that we’re filling a niche programming void.

>Where do you see the festival by 2020?

I see the workshop element expanding dramatically. Imagine a DIY animation-focused Hack Week, with independent animators, artists and film lovers of all ages meeting and collaborating on free-form, time-bound production challenges.

How has the festival changed since its inception?

Well, 2016 will be our first edition but I’ve been working on Rush Process for a year and a half. It began as an idea for a monthly screening series, then after some reshuffling and delays it morphed into a full-fledged animation festival. On the workshop side, we were inspired by Tom 7’s Crap Art Manifesto, and our friends at Beta Theater’s Make-A-Movie Night, which was this rad monthly happy hour event where filmmakers got together in teams and each made a short start-to-finish in about three hours.

What film have you personally seen the most in your life?

As a teen: Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, Wayne’s World, and Jan Svankmajer’s “Alice”.

While in film school: “Rehearsals for Extinct Anatomies”, by The Brothers Quay.

As an adult: I’m not really someone who re-watches films much anymore. Despite this tendency, the films I’ve spent the most time with in the last five years have been: Penny Lane’s “The Voyagers”, Terence Nance’s feature, “An Oversimplification of Her Beauty”, Karolina Glusiec’s “Velocity”, and my friend Dax Norman’s whole body of work.

How is the film scene in your city?

On the production side, it’s relatively small and a bit fractured, with grant-funded video artists at one end of the spectrum, indie genre filmmakers at the other, documentarians somewhere in the middle, and the vast majority of local film professionals focused on industrials and commercial work.

In terms of curating and screenings, Houston’s film scene is downright incredible. We’ve got Mary Magsamen at Aurora Picture Show bringing the likes of Jodie Mack and Roger Beebe, Houston Cinema Arts Fest, annual festivals hosted by the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, even more screenings at the CAMH, video art/installations/transmedia madness at Civic TV Collective, Peter Lucas’s “Jazz On Film”, the Menil projecting work in a museum context (William Kentridge, anyone?), plus Mystical Crystal Revelations Movie Club showing rad cult flicks, and newer nomadic programmers like Suplex starting to screen stuff around town.

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Bio:
Dave Merson Hess is an animator, media arts educator and film curator based in Houston, Texas.
Twitter: @lofiaction

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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 Festival Director Asher Segelken (Teen Faith Film Festival)

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Christian filmmakers from high schools across California come together through the celebration of filmmaking in a place of collaboration and exposure!

Go to the website for more information: http://teenfaithfilmfest.weebly.com/

I sat down with the Festival Director to talk about the festival.

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

Asher Segelken: The Teen Faith Film Festival is succeeding on three major fronts, the first is exposing stories of faith exploration through film. Our first year hosted very powerful narratives, documentaries and Art-House films that conveyed something deeply spiritual.

Secondly we are succeeding in the networking, for a second year event we have been able to network with Biola University, and other Christian Filmmaking Professionals to bring an event that is very active for networking and internships.

Thirdly we are succeeding in the quality of submissions attracting the best of faith based High School films from across the country.

Matthew: What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival?

Asher: If I was at a festival I would expect to see people represented from a lot of places and perspectives I would expect to be blown away by the efforts of the student committee who put on and market the festival as well as expect to know the essential details of each film before I left the Nechita Center.

Matthew:  What are the qualifications for the selected films?

Asher: All films must be under ten minutes and made by a teenager.  That’s it. We assess the spirituality of different submissions looking for profound insights coupled with good filmmaking and then we send the films on to professionals judges that then score the films.

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

Asher: I think festivals want what would sell in that they want the publicity of being the festival where a deal was made because that is what festivals are after. I also think festivals want to see innovation in film and so if either extreme is not met a spiritual margin somehow disqualifies you. At teen faith we look for the best filmmaking and the best story. The only way a film is subjectively disqualified at teen faith after qualifying by being 10  minutes and made by a teen is if that film ignores spirituality which is frankly a difficult thing to ignore in while telling a story.

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

Asher: What motivates my team and I to do this festival is the idea of celebrating what our peers are doing through an art form we love to express faith of all kinds and to further story in a unique way as students.

Matthew:  How has the festival changed since its inception?

Asher: The Festival was originally supposed to be a closed festival to selected schools but then became a much more open and international event.

Matthew:  Where do you see the festival by 2020?

Asher: By 2020 I see the Teen Faith Film Festival being the place to see up and coming christian filmmakers celebrated and then going on to continue to innovate Christian filmmaking changing it for the better by going away from cheesier films that we are used to cringing at when they are in the box office to making films that create legitimate hype regardless of a person’s religious standings.

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

Asher: For me I can’t stop watching Birdman or the Dark Knight those films are so well done and speak so much to the complexities of societial and individual humanity.

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

Asher: A Great film is made when realism is balanced with reasonable suspense forcing the viewer to be present, while also being provocative in a way that changes ones perspective when they leave the theater.

Matthew:  How is the film scene in your city?

Asher: Orange County is better known for the amazing contract/freelance filmmakers in the area who make a good profit for providing film services. The Art-form itself is very beloved being in the greater Los Angeles area.

asher_segelken

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.