I've been on a statewide steering committee putting together a plan to help prevent intimate partner violence in Alaska for a couple of years now. We're moving along. Yesterday afternoon and today we met at the Sheraton - piggy backing on another education/health conference that members were going to.
Intimate Partner Violence is a broad term to cover people in relationships - whether high school kids are a married gay couple and everything in between. It does not necessarily mean sexual relationship - not all high school kids are sexually active with their boy friends or girl friends. But it also focuses on these relationships rather than other situations of violence. The prevention people focus on developing communities that promote healthy relationships - promoting conditions that lower the risk factors of intimate partner violence, rather than traditional programs that intervene once violence has occurred.
(view from meeting room yesterday)
Anyway, our project is funded with Center for Disease Control money. A key goal is to have some sort of infrastructure in place to help link people working on prevention, facilitate cooperation on developing programs and materials, finding the resources that are already available, getting better data on what is actually happening, and a few other related things. Each one of these can stir up old wounds, suspicions, misunderstandings. We're looking for ways to take advantage of existing state agencies but also giving the people working across the state access and say without this becoming seen as (or de facto) an arm of the state. We want to slightly formalize the already existing informal networks and make them a little less accidental. Sort of a non-cyber Facebook so people can keep in contact and multiply contacts and access to tools, expertise, and resources. We were done today a little after noon, so I stopped by the Film Festival hospitality suite at the Inlet Towers. This is available for All Film and All Events pass holders and filmmakers. Rand and Tony were getting things ready. Here Rand is adding some short films to show along with scheduled feature length films.
At the Gala tonight at the Aviation Museum they will be showing three shorts continuously - The King and Dick (The real Elvis meets the real Nixon); Nibbles (something about fishing and mosquitoes I think); and Spin, about a dj.
Tonight is the opening of the Anchorage International Film Festival with a showing of Camille at the Bear Tooth at 7pm. This is the easy day. There's only one movie to see so there are no agonizing decisions about which venue to go to.
Starting at 9pm will be the "Gala Opening." I never did quite get the word "Gala" but that's what they're calling it. At the Aviation Museum. Entry is $18 (Free with an All Events Pass) to the Gala. You get food and you get to rub elbows with local and visiting film buffs and makers. And you probably get to see the exhibits in the museum as well.
Cast: Sienna Miller, James Franco, David Carradine, Scott Glenn
Young love has rarely been so twisted. Silas has just been blackmailed into marrying Camille. On their honeymoon, an accident leaves Camille deceased and then inexplicably revived, setting the stage for an undead romance as the couple flees from the cops toward the Canadian border.
Friday, December 5, 7:00 PM - Bear Tooth Theatre
There's a trailer here, but it does have an ad first. (It actually didn't work on my computer.)
I'm not sure its cricket to have FAQs if no one has asked any questions so these are UFAQs - Unasked Frequently Asked Questions. This is information people might be or should be asking for. Below are links to posts with general information about the Anchorage International Film Festival.
What are your criteria for a good movie? When I made my picks for last year's best films, at the end of the post I outlined my criteria. The link takes you to that post, scroll down to second part.
Is there any public transportation in this town? If you're here for the festival from out of town and you don't have a ride to the next venue, just tell people around you and I bet they'll find someone going your way. Really, people will help out here, especially if you are a film maker. I'm told the Festival was loaned several vans that will help visiting film makers get from venue to venue.
The Program Guide - the link takes you to a PDF of the Program Guide the festival used to have on their website. It is what they sent to The Anchorage Press which printed it as an insert last week (Nov. 26). So, if you have that fine. If not, you can get one at the link. I also suspect these will be available at the venues.
Who Are You Anyways? - who's paying you to do this? does your brother have a film in competition? What is your connection to the festival? From an earlier post here's my Disclosure:
The eagle-eyed might notice that this blog is linked on the AIFF main page. What's up with that? Well I blogged the festival last year and they liked what I did and asked if I would be the official blogger. They promised me I could say what I wanted, but I decided it was better to blog on my own and then if I write something that upsets one of the film makers, the Festival isn't responsible. They also threw in a free pass for me this year.
I probably won't say anything terrible about a film, but I did rant about one film last year that I thought was exploiting its subject as well as boorishly demeaning a whole country. I mentioned in an earlier post that if I sound a little promotional at times, it's only because I like films and I like the kinds of quirky films that show up at festivals, so I want as many people to know about the festival as possible so the festival will continue. Will I fudge on what I write to get people out? No way. There are plenty of people in Anchorage who like films. They're my main target. To get them out of the house in the dark December chill when inertia tugs heavily if they even think about leaving the house. But if others who normally don't go out to films hear about a movie on a topic they're into, that's good too.
The Short films will be shown in groups with other short films and they have names that, perhaps after we see the films, will make sense. I've looked through the groups to find out when the ones in competition will be shown. I'm told they will be shown in the order they are listed. So if one you want to see is first at one venue and another is last at another, you could possibly pull that off. Good to get a pass of some sort rather than pay all the separate admissions if you're going to try that.
In any case, I've gone through them and tried to pick out the Short Films in Competition - those eligible to win prizes at the Award Ceremony, Saturday, Dec. 13.
But, it's possible I missed one or two, and that I haven't gotten all the details exactly right - so when you find something you want to see, double check the official Festival Program Guides at their website. Also, there will probably be a few changes now and again. Click the chart to enlarge it.
I've stolen the descriptions right from the AIFF website. I just don't have time to do more at this point.
A journey of self-discovery begins when a woman diagnosed with breast cancer finds herself locked in a bathroom with a stranger during a bridal shower.
The film maker is scheduled to attend the screening.
Martha is a passionate dancer. She and her company are at the verge of international success. A coming tour will make her ambitions come true. However, she is 7 weeks pregnant and keeps this delicate matter secret from her colleagues and boyfriend.
A young illegal immigrant couple spends their time furtively avoiding the German authorities, until the wellbeing of their young son dictates that they resolve their untenable situation.
Here's a list of film makers who will be at the film festival sometime during the next ten days. This was posted on the AIFF website yesterday. [When you're on their site and can't find the link back to the main page, try clicking on the snowman in the upper left corner.] I don't have time to go through and identify them all more. You can click on the links to learn more about the films. A number, naturally, are Alaska related film makers, but a number are coming from as far as Australia and Holland. The first four are films in competition either for features or full length documentaries.
Walt Monegan talked about integrity and ethics and leadership. He spoke softly - I hope it comes out on the video - and the words came from his heart. You could tell. And he knew what he was talking about.
Phil Munger asked him about the Rural Domestic Violence Prevention program he was working on, and it was clearly state of the art, recognizing that this was not simply a police issue. It included a Trooper cadet program for 18-21 year olds in rural Alaska. They would take on some of the community outreach tasks and other work that would free up Troopers to focus on other issues. It included teams of retired, but well qualified officers and judges.
He also fielded questions about running for higher office. He didn't say no. He said things like - "I like that kind of challenge - new things coming at you all the time" and "My wife and I are discussing it."
The video is about 13 minutes of the 70 or so minutes he spoke. By now I'm sure the television station there has broadcast the best soundbites, so I'm going to just play the whole thing. I think it's better that way anyway. This is not a superficial soundbite guy. I think we're about to see a lot more of Walt Monegan.
But also a note of caution. We tend to think what we need in leaders, in new employees, by what we didn't like in the last one. The Sarah Palin we saw in her VP candidate role seemed to morph into a person who was far more interested in furthering her own career than looking after the people of Alaska. I don't think that will happen to Monegan. Also, since Palin fired Monegan and then her minders tried to trash him (I think I heard the word rogue a couple of times), there's a natural tendency to compare the two. After all, we are still left with which one you believe - Palin or Monegan?
Watch the tape, then watch any tape you want of Palin and see which one you have most confidence in.
NOTE: The video freezes around 5:40, but the audio goes on fine. I'll post it as is for now and try to get a corrected video up soon. But it's a busy week.
UPDATE Dec 7: Note two changes I've made to the schedule. Last Days of Shishmaref plays Saturday Dec. 13 at the Fireweed (originally I had Museum) and
Upstream has a Tuesday Dec. 9 showing at the Museum that I missed the first time around.
Here's a list of the documentary films that are in competition (for awards in the festival - more on what the categories mean here). Short Documentary Reefer Madness Leave Her To Die Splitting Hairs Health, Peace, and Happiness Monster Dudes City of Cranes
Feature Documentary Crawford The Last Days of Shishmaref Ballou Upstream Battle Nashville State of Mind Diamonds in The Rough The Wrecking Crew
Below I've simply copied the text from the AIFF Website, but I've taken only those documentaries in competition, the ones on the schedule above. I'll try to make a schedule for the short documentaries too.
NOTE: Diamonds in the Rough and Upstream Battle (N. California Salmon fisheries) are only shown one time each! The others all get two showings.
Samantha Gibb, daughter of Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees, and her band move to Nashville after her father’s death. They enter Nashville’s Alternative music scene with some of the best local musicians on the scene. This peek into the lives of musicians/song writers who struggle to follow their dreams features guest appearances by industry professionals like Hank Williams III, Jody Williams, Dan Keen, Doc McGhee and Scott McGhee.
Monday, December 8 at 5:30 PM - Anchorage Museum
Wednesday, December 10 at 5:30 PM - Fireweed Theatre
The talented Ballou High School Marching Band overcomes a negative environment filled with guns, drugs and violence through music, dedication and personal sacrifice. On their way to a national band competition, band members must first learn how to play instruments and overcome personal losses due to the neglect of an impoverished community just three miles from the Capital. Celebrities including Rev. Jess Jackson and Colin Powell speak to the importance of a small marching band that becomes an award-winning band. Thursday, December 11 at 7:45 PM - Anchorage Museum
Saturday, December 13 at 2:30 PM - Anchorage Museum
Months after arriving in Crawford, Texas, population 705, George W. Bush declares his candidacy for President and uses the town as the perfect set-piece to project a folksy image. Crawford explodes overnight. Souvenir stores open. Their Baptist pastor calls it a miracle. But with the Iraq War and the arrival of 20,000 protesters in Crawford’s backyards, conflict mounts in the town itself, pushing a progressive teacher and her student to the brink – and beyond. Soon, tourists stop coming and the stores are boarded up. But the human impact of political stagecraft is far graver. Now, through the eyes of Crawford’s colorful, dynamic people, comes a unique reflection on the last seven years. Thursday, December 11 at 5:30 PM - Bear Tooth Theatre
Directed by Brett Mazurek Narrated by Michael Franti
A group of young rappers in Uganda use hip hop to spread awareness about the political and social troubles engulfing their country, and to bring about positive change. Silas and Krazy Native are the two members of the Bataka Squad, rapping in their native language. Silas’s family was forced to flee to Canada when he was twelve, with his father subsequently falling victim to politically motivated murder. During Silas’s exile, Krazy Native rises to become one of Uganda’s most successful contemporary hip hop artists. When Silas returns to his homeland to set up a charity foundation for young people, he and Krazy reunite for the first time in ten years. Their journey goes from the riot-torn streets of the capital, Kampala, to the smallest villages in the countryside; from the Pearl of Africa Music Awards to the Global African Hip Hop Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa; and finally back across the Atlantic as Silas and Krazy bring their music and their message to the United States. On the way, a host of other young rappers tackle subjects ranging from genocide to AIDS in their music. Sunday, December 7 at 12 noon - Bear Tooth Theatre
Netherlands • 88 mins. • English - Snowdance selection - In Competition and Iñupiaq with English subtitles • 2008
Directed by Jan Louter
While politicians, scientists and environmentalists debate the effects of global warming, the Iñupiaq Eskimo community of Shishmaref in Northwest Alaska, just under the Arctic Circle, faces the real world consequences of climate change every day. As the ice beneath the small village melts, homes fall into the ocean. The situation is so severe that it has been predicted that the entire village will disappear within the next 10 years. How can you move an entire way of life? And should these villagers go to the edges of a city, or retain their rural ways? The transience of the Iñupiaq’s traditional way of life becomes apparent in the face of climate change, satellite television and mail order shopping. Here, the icy landscape — its water, smoke, steam and sky — is beautifully photographed, as are the village’s inhabitants. Sunday, December 7 at 6:15 PM - Bear Tooth Theatre
Saturday, December 13 at 12:30 PM - Fireweed Theatre
The director is confirmed to be in attendance at these screenings.
“The Wrecking Crew” was a group of Studio Musicians in Los Angeles in the 60s who played on hits for the Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, Nancy Sinatra, Sonny and Cher, Jan & Dean, The Monkees, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, the Mamas and Papas, Tijuana Brass, Ricky Nelson and Johnny Rivers. They were Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound. Sometimes they would lay down some instrumental tracks and if the song became a hit, they would record an album and put a group together to hit the road. This happened many times — the Marketts, Routers, and T-Bones — and the next day they would do the same thing and call it another name. Just call them “The Wrecking Crew.” Friday, December 12 at 7:45 PM - Anchorage Museum
Sunday, December 14 at 12:30 PM - Fireweed Theatre
Germany • 97 minutes • English • 2008 - In Competition
Directed by Ben Kempas
Native Americans in Northern California fight for their fish and the survival of their culture. An energy corporation is messing up their river with a series of hydropower dams, contributing to one of the worst fish die-offs in U.S. history. To confront their opponents, tribal members first travel to Scotland, then to the second-richest man in the United States. The dam owners praise hydropower as a low-cost, climate-friendly source of energy, a valuable resource they say they can’t afford to lose. Yet, the tribes at the Klamath River may trigger the largest dam removal project in history. A long-term documentary with incredible access to tribal members, utility managers, and farmers in the basin — all fighting for water. Saturday, December 13 at 3:15 PM - Bear Tooth Theatre
Tuesday, December 9 at 7:30 PM - Museum **(added 12/7)
For parents who want to go to the Anchorage film festival, Saturday is an opportunity to go to movies, with your kids, for free. Loussac Library will be the venue all day for movies for the family. I've copied the list below, but if you want it in color with pictures and links, go to the AIFF Mixed Media page.
Iron Giant
USA 86 min. • Animated Feature
Directed by Brad Bird A giant metal robot falls to the earth, scaring the townsfolk of a small town in Maine in 1958. After befriending a boy named Hogarth, the unlikely duo ultimately saves the residents from their own fears and prejudices. Based on Ted Hughes' 1968 novel The Iron Man.
10:30 AM
Family Animation Program
An eclectic mix of animation films make up this collection, which is designed for a family audience, including young children. It is a mix of films with entertainment and educational value, most of which incorporate humor. Parents will enjoy the film programs along with their children. Some of the films have subtitles, but are still accessible to younger audiences through imagery and action.
Come Back Sweet Heart - The filmmaker Chang-Pei Wu states, “My art work is always about the search for an answer in my life. By creating this animation, I’d like to explore the meaning of give and take between the people I love and me.”
Maggie and Mildred - Maggie and Mildred have been best friends their whole lives. Well, at least one of their lives.
12:30 PM
Little Miss Dewie: A Duckumentary
USA - 29 min - Documentary
By Mira Tweti & Sarro
A funny and insightful story about life with the grandest of ducks, and the animal welfare consciousness living with her entailed, is ready for the world.
2:00 PM
Eating Alaska
Alaska/USA - 56 min
Directed by Ellen Frankenstein - Snowdance selection
Public Broadcasting A documentary about a vegetarian, who moves to Alaska, marries a fisherman and hunter and begins to wonder what the “right” thing to eat is on “the last frontier.” What ensues are humorous and enlightening adventures in eating as the filmmaker heads to the woods and mountains with women hunters, communes with the Alaska vegetarian society, talks moose meat with a group of Alaska Native kids in a public schools in the Arctic and more, all in search of a meal that makes sense politically, socially, spiritually and tastefully. This wry look at what’s on your plate explores ideas about eating healthy sustainable food from one’s own backyard, either urban or wild, versus industrially produced food shipped thousands of miles. The 60-minute film is a collaboration of an independent filmmaker with KTOO-TV.
2:30 PM
Student Film Forum
Please join us for a mix of local short film productions from students and young adults. Student filmmakers from Mediak, and Service High School will be present to introduce the films and field questions about their films.
Tonight was a volunteer orientation for the Anchorage International Film Festival. I didn't count, but I'd guess there were at least 50 volunteers, probably more.
People got to sign up for various tasks. The conference organizers looked relatively calm considering things start in a couple of days.
In a previous post I wrote about the different classifications of films. The "Films in Competition" are the ones selected by the pre-screening committees to be in the running for awards - Golden Oosiks. Below is a table of the Feature films that are in competition - when and where they will be shown. You can double click the image to enlarge it. The intent here was to help people who want to focus on the Features in Competition and figure out to see them all.
Below is an eclectic collection of information about the six Features in Competition. I've tried to match the title colors to the colors in the chart above - but the light colors don't show up that well on the white background. I haven't seen any of these films. In any case, this should give you some ways to get a sense of the films.
[Technical note: I feel kind of dumb. I've never put a link in a picture before. Never thought about doing it. But I needed to here, so I tried, and it worked. So, most of these pictures link to the sites they came from rather than enlarge. (The schedule above enlarges!) If you see a little hand when you move the cursor over them you know it's a link.]
Features in Competition:
1. Bart Got a Room USA 80 min • Comedy • 2008 • In Competition Saturday, December 6 at 5:45 PM - Bear Tooth Theatre Thursday, December 11 at 7:30 PM - Bear Tooth Theatre
Here's the director Brian Hacker explaining the film at the Tribeca Film Festival. For a more entertaining discussion of the film, see this video of minor actor in the film Brandon Hardesty talking about being in the movie.
2. Chronic Town
USA/Alaska - 94 min. - Dark Comedy • 2008 - In Competition Directed by Tom Hines Written by Michael Kamsky Saturday, December 6 at 7:55 PM - Bear Tooth Theatre Friday, December 12 at 5:30 PM - Bear Tooth Theatre
This is an Alaska themed movie, shot, at least in part, in Fairbanks. The director was born in Fairbanks when his father was stationed there in the Air Force, but did most of his growing up Outside. What I saw of the trailer seems to have some of that “Outsider gee whiz I’m in Alaska feel” but it also looked like a real movie. And we have to give him lots of credit for really shooting it in Fairbanks. Here’s a bit from an email interview when he was headed for the Sundance Film Festival.
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced in either developing the project or making the movie?
We faced a lot of challenges in making the film, but I think that's what made the film so worth making. Most of our crew was from LA, but we had some great Alaska crew that kept all of us LA knuckleheads from freezing to death. Our Gaffer, Greg Kern, was from Anchorage and he brought his Key Grip, Billy Marr, over from Valdez, AK. Billy is not only a Key Grip; among other things he also picked up survivalist skills from a past career. When we were shooting JR with his shirt off during one scene, it was about 25 below freezing. Billy informed us that we had about 45 seconds until the exposed skin cells would begin to die.
3. Coyote (Coyote) USA • 95 min - Action/Drama • 2007 • In Competition Written & Directed by Brian Peterson Producer, Writer & Editor Brett Spackman Friday, December 12 at 7:45 PM - Bear Tooth Theatre Sunday, December 14 at 7:15 PM - Fireweed Theatre
COYOTE holds a special place in my heart because I feel it sheds a new light on the humanity behind the immigration issue. This issue is important to me because my parents came to the U.S. from Mexico, where my dad started as a migrant worker. I grew up very aware of this issue and have always looked for ways to share the stories I heard growing up.
Growing up in South Texas, I remember hearing in school about “wetbacks” and “illegals” being caught and sent back to Mexico. As an 8-year old, the thought of having my family ripped apart was unsettling to say the least. I would hound my poor mom endlessly for proof that they would not be taken away. She always reassured me that they had papers and permission to live in the states. This is where I learned of the intricacies involved in permissions, governments and paperwork in order to chase the American dream.
4. Half-Life USA • 116 min • Drama • 2008 • In Competition Written & Directed by Jennifer Phang Saturday, December 13 at 5:30 PM - Bear Tooth Theatre Sunday, December 14 at 4:45 PM - Fireweed Theatre
The website looks really classy, but ultimately doesn't have much hard information. This is NOT the New Line Cinema feature of the same name. The IMDB site says
As troubling signs of global cataclysms accelerate, a brother and sister react to their father's desertion and the powerful presence of their mother's new boyfriend
and a commenter who apparently saw the film at Sundance compares it to Donnie Darko and Pink Floyd's The Wall.
Best of Sundance, 16 February 2008 7/10 Author: chuck-391 from United States The film explores major-themes in Multiculturalism and the human angst for the 21st century. What is specifically startling is how vibrant the aesthetic approach is in production value. Although reportedly not a high budget project, Phang's mis-en-scene is breath-taking. Also worth noting is the extremely likable performance by Alexander Agate, who rivals any child performance to date (reminded me of the powerful performance by Anna Paquin for THE PIANO.) While the pacing may not be for everyone, I think this is a film for the type of audience who enjoys a cerebral experience similar to DONNIE DARKO or Pink Floyd's THE WALL. The original score takes a post-modern approach of incidental music, which is very innovative in keeping the film from being too sentimental.
5. How To Be
UK/England • 85 min • 2008 • In Competition Written & Directed by Oliver Irving Produced by Justin Kelly Wednesday, December 10 at 5:30 PM - Bear Tooth Theatre Friday, December 12 at 7:30 PM - Fireweed Theatre
There are good actors in this, the trailer looks interesting, but the website and blog are more promotional than insightful. Here's the trailer.
Australia • 77 min • 2007 • Arthouse • In Competition Directed by Neil Mansfield Produced by Toby Ralph Saturday, December 6 at 2:30 PM - Anchorage Museum Wednesday, December 10 at 8:00 PM - Anchorage Museum
The website describes this movie as:
Streetsweeper is an idiosyncratic Novocastrian feature film. Shot in three days and made for virtually nothing, it is a bold portrait of an eccentric pedestrian in an urban Australian landscape…
I was wondering what sort of post-modern school of philosophy Novocastrian referred to so I looked it up. It means: "A native or resident of Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia."
I guess it’s what archaeologists do, they go and they try and piece together what a society is like from the fragments that are left behind
In the film’s credits Mr Mansfield thanks “the people of Newcastle for being themselves”, as many of the scenes include exchanges between the actor and pedestrians. It was an approach the director was worrying about up until the night before the first day of shooting.
“I actually started to panic and think ‘hang on, we’re about to make this film with only one actor, and maybe I need to get some other actors to pretend to be pedestrians and set up more conventional encounters’,” he said.
Fortunately additional actors were not enlisted, resulting in a film in which chance encounters with the public enhance and even change the way the story unfolds.
“Part of my philosophy was if you go out on the street, and stand there long enough, something interesting happens,” he says. “The timing of some of these pedestrians was absolutely incredible.”
Something about the website tells me that this film is going to be quirky and different - the kind of film I like. (There are shots from the film, but I couldn't get their Quicktime player to work on my Mac.) It is a well made website, but it has much more authenticity about it than say the one for How to Be which is blatantly promotional. This looks like the kind of film, film festivals were made for.
And the filmmaker is coming to the Festival. From his blog, Nov. 29, 2008:
Domestic Economic Crisis averted. Just. So, yes, I’ve finally paid for my return ticket to Anchorage, Alaska. I am going next Sunday and will be back in just over a week. (Yes, I know.)
The price of the ticket/s kept fluctuating whilst I was waiting for my new passport to arrive, which also cost me… Anyway, I ended up having to take my money box down to the bank to get all my coins counted just so I could cover the return air fare. And I ended up with about $1.50 to spare (including a New Zealand 20c piece, an Indian Rupee and an American Dime!?) and at this point in time this is all the money I have: so it’s going to be a quiet weekend indoors listening to the rain pour down the gutters I still can’t afford to fix. NM
[After all these years I still end up having to “shop with coins” at least once a year: bring on the recession.]
Note: There is another movie called Streetsweeper coming out in April about a guy on a giant sweeper machine in San Diego. A much different film. There's a review on Worldsweeper - a website with the logo "World's Largest Power Sweeping Resource."
view from meeting room yesterday)
I don't have time to go through and identify them all more. You can click on the links to learn more about the films. A number, naturally, are Alaska related film makers, but a number are coming from as far as Australia and Holland. The first four are films in competition either for features or full length documentaries.
