AIFF 2010: How'd This Film Get In? Commercials Don't Belong Here. Even Classy Ones.

Jeff Chiba Stearns is a great animation artist. His film about Yellow Stickies a couple of years ago at AIFF was clever and well executed. He used yellow stickies to make his film. He even got the interest of 3M which makes yellow stickies. All well and good. I even have a yellow bunny post-it pad he gave out at his animation workshop which was one of the best I've ever been to. Real hands on. I did a post of his film including a video with him about it.

Art Fry picks up yellow post it at 3M Headquarters

But his animated film this time seemed to me to be more of a corporate commercial - or as Public Television would call it an underwriter announcement. It's about the 30th anniversary of the yellow stickie pads and some pads sitting around a computer see a father's day card. So they google (actually it's some generic search engine) father's day and find out Father's Day is. The stickie then googles 'father of post-it notes" which leads the stickie to make a trip to 3M headquarters to meet Art Fry the Father of the Yellow Post-It note.



BUT, it's really a commercial. Jeff's LinkdIn page says:

Currently, Meditating Bunny Studio Inc. has moved into commercial production and has begun production on a viral video for 3M Canada's 30th Anniversary of the Post-it Note.

I understand that 'commercial production' doesn't necessarily mean 'producing commercials.'   But AIFF isn't an advertising film festival. This animated film should not be in the festival. Unless maybe 3M was a major sponsor of the festival.  There are other venues for this kind of work.   Like the ClIO's.

Not only is "Ode to a Post-It Note" in the festival, it was picked as an Animation in Competition.  It's in the running for the best animation film at AIFF 2010.  A commercial!  That will help raise our stature as a serious film festival.  

So how did it get in?  Well, here's what the AIFF submission rules say:

The competition is open to any film or video completed after to January 1, 2009 regardless of content, subject, or origin.  The film cannot be screened in Alaska or the USA on broadcast cable TV before December 17, 2010.

So, technically, McDonald's ads and even Miller and Murkowski ads could start showing up in the animated and shorts programs, as long as they are reasonably well made and haven't aired yet on US television. [Why does it say in Alaska or the USA as though Alaska were not in the USA?]  Is that where we want AIFF to go?  Corporations could test their commercials by sending them to film festivals first.  That's not the direction I'd like to see this festival go.

I think the committee should look into revising the submission rules to keep commercials, even good ones, out of the festival.  Or, if they insist on leaving things wide open, commercials should be labeled as such and put in a separate program.  People who want to see 90 minutes of commercials can go there.  (I say this knowing that Out North shows the best British commercials every year.)

My objections, I'm sure, are based on some underlying but yet unarticulated concern about the commercialization of everything.  Perhaps others can express it better, or explain why I'm wrong.

AIFF 2010: Tuesday Festival Tips for Pearl Harbor Day

I've added a tab for the "Anchorage International Film Festival - Daily Tips" just under the orange header.  But it seems most people don't know it's there.  So today I'm going to also put up my tips as a separate post too. 

Tuesday Dec. 7  - TODAY'S   TIPS 
This is getting harder as it becomes obvious that there are too many overlaps. For example

• Hello Lonesome is a feature in competition at 5:30pm at the Bear Tooth.  It's won some awards.  But it's 93 minutes so if I watch it all, I can't get to Out North in time to see all of . . .
• Journey on the Wild Coast starting at 7pm at Out North.  This documentary is about Hig and Erin who walked/skied/and paddled from Seattle to the Aleutians.  I missed it in another conflict once. 
• The Wild Hunt was the opening night show and plays again at 7:45 at Bear Tooth.  You can read my thoughts and hear some audience reaction.  It's worth seeing, but I don't agree with the reviewers who put it 'in competition' but left Fanny, Annie, and Danny out of competition.  I certainly am not interested in a second go at it.  
• I think I'll just go to Out North for the 5:30 Documentary double bill - My Perestroika (in competition) and Samsui Women, a movie from Singapore.  Stay for Journey and the shorts program Crazy Love.   Damn.  How can they have a whole shorts program and not have a single one of the films in competition in it?  But judging by the animated films I saw Sunday, the best films may not all be 'in competition.'  Jeff Watkins who made Dishonesty which I did see and will be meaningful to anyone in a relationship, is scheduled to be there. 
• Then back to Bear Tooth for the Canadian Reception and shorts at 9:45pm.

Given that today is Pearl Harbor Day, the programmers missed a great chance to show The Red Machine  today.  We saw it last night.  It's about breaking the Japanese code machine in prior to WW 2.  It's a film that was invited and is not in competition.  It was a very slick and irreverent spy movie.  It shows again on Wednesday at 7:45pm at the Bear Tooth. 

AIFF 2010: Iditarod Film - Mush's Maker Alex Stein Video

I ran into Alex Stein Sunday night at the Bear Tooth. He and I were on Shannyn Moore's show at KUDO (1080 am) together Friday - but we were both calling in - to talk about the film festival. Shannyn's asked me to call in after the 1pm news during the festival to talk about what looks good each day. I think I might have said that in an earlier post, sorry. It's hard keeping things straight. For tonight's lineup, click on the Alaska International Film Festival tab above.

Anyway, Alex gave a brief description of the film on the video.  Mush  plays again  

Saturday evening at 7:30 in a Snowdance (Alaska films) program at Out North.

Alex focused on some of the mushers who were bringing up the tail end of the race to learn about their motivation when they know they can't win. (Why does everyone have to always win? Just being able to mush to Nome is adventure enough.) He's scheduled to be at the presentation Saturday.

AIFF 2010: Antonio Garcia, LA Scout Checking Out Movies

Sunday night I ran into Kodiak born Antonio M. Garcia who now lives in LA and works for a producers' representative company called Ostrow and Company.  He says Alaska is hot in Hollywood right now.  Watch the video.

AIFF 2010: Day 3 is Over, I'm Exhausted

I was feeling guilty that I hadn't packaged the animated films in competition into a neat post. But I went to see the 1pm "Cool Animation for All Ages" program at Out North Sunday. It was great not having any idea what was coming up, what was supposed to be good, and being able to just enjoying the great imaginations of the animators. Not everything was great, but every film had something of interest. 

I got there late and knew it would be crowded by all the cars parked on the street. 

The top one below was called Tmelines, and took the literal lines on the woman's face and drew pictures of - the parents' deaths, raising kids - the things that put the wrinkles on the face.  

And then there was one that was my clear favorite - a perfect mesh of animation style and story that surprised me with great twists in its short run time. Toothnapped!  It's middle right - but that's not a good representation of that film (or any of the others.)










I also liked Not Over Easy - the egg image.  I didn't catch the pun until I watched the movie.  (It's about breaking up AND eggs.)




 Taking care of aging parents came up two or three times.  A few examined couples learning to negotiate with each other.  Two took place in prison. 


I stayed for the workshop on "Cinema of Poverty" which was about how some huge number of features are made each year - say about 12,000 - of which a tiny fraction will have theatrical release, and maybe 20 will break even or make money.  (I could be distorting the numbers a bit, but you get the idea.)  Erik Knudsen, the workshop leader, was saying the film makers shouldn't lust after big bucks, but be creative and work within the budget restraints.

And there were these two bikes there, and another one at the actual bike racks. 

AIFF 2010: Video Reaction to "Anatomy of Vince Guaraldi" and other Notes

The 5pm slot left me with choosing between two good movies I'd previewed on DVD - Fanny, Annie, and Danny and The Anatomy of Vince Guaraldi.  In the end I chose Fanny simply because it meant I could just stay there for The Temptation of St. Tony at 7:30.  (More on those two later including video of Chris Brown talking about Fanny, Annie, and Danny.) 

But I heard from a couple of folks that echoed my own impressions of the Vince Guaraldi movie.  The Out North venue was full and the movie's rich trove of music and civil rights history was moving.  Here's one of the festival passholder's comments in the video:




I also want to point out the Anchorage International Film Festival tab above. It has links to various posts I've done on the festival and I have a Today section which points out events of interest each day.

For instance The Temptation of St. Tony is playing again at 8:30pm at Out North. It's a great movie for people who think of themselves as serious film goers - it's black and white and the modern day middle manager Tony - part of Estonian post Soviet nouveau riche faces the spiritual emptiness of his life as he faces the huge gap between the newly wealthy and the many poor. Like the early Egyptian St. Anthony, Tony faces temptations to test his goodness. Taavi Eelmaa told me Friday the movie is basically about whether it is possible in society to be a good person. While it is not an action packed Hollywood movie, neither is it without humor, sex, or violence to keep a general movie goer's interest as well. But the film language (not the Estonian, there are subtitles, though there were a couple of times the subtitles were only in what I assume was Estonian, but the language of how the film was shot) is different, but understandable.

And Taavi Eelmaa, the star of the movie, will be there to answer any questions. You can see a video of him Friday night talking briefly about his film. He said he was afraid of cameras.

AIFF 2010: Oğulcan Kirca - World Premier Outside Turkey Today in Anchorage

Before you start reading this go to the Last Station (Son Istasyon) website.  Just click on the link, let it open, and the music from the film will play as you read this to get you ready for watching today - SUNDAY Dec. 5, at 5:30pm at the Bear Tooth. Besides, the website is very well done.

The showing is the world premiere outside of Turkey, so I hope that the Bear Tooth will be packed. So far I've seen a Canadian film, two American films, an Estonian film, and today this premiere of a Turkish film.

I met the director (and writer) and his brother Saturday night - actually I think it was already Sunday. Their father is a famous Turkish actor - Levent Kirca - and he's the star of the film. Oğulcan said it was 'amazing' to be able to direct his father in his (Oğulcan's) first feature film. But he and his brother pretty much grew up backstage. When they return to Turkey in a few days, they'll stop in New York to visit their sister who is at Julliard studying acting.

The video is really noisy. It also includes a Turkish portion which is then translated by Oğulcan's brother. Enjoy the sounds of Turkish. Sorry for the sound, but you should look at a bit of it to see
these brothers.

There's just this one showing scheduled. Last Station is in competition, so if its in the top two or three of the features it might be shown in Best of the Fest Dec. 13-16.)

I do have an earlier post on this film.

AIFF 2010: Taavi Eelmaa is Afraid of Cameras

Tonight is the first of two showings of The Temptation of St. Tony.  Last night I got to talk to the actor playing Tony in the film, Taavi Eelmaa.  As you can see. if you watch the short video, this guy is special.  From his shrinking back - with a smile - when I tell him my little digital camera is on video, to his brief, serious explanation of  the original St. Anthony. 

This is one of the films I have highest expectations for, though I'm prepared to be disappointed.  But briefly talking to Taavi encourages me. The film is about nothing less, he says, than whether it is "possible at all to be in society a good person?"




Just for fun, I tried Google's translation of Taavi's Estonian Wikipedia portrait.  It changed his name to Jim Johnson and his gender to female and left some of it untranslated.  So I went to Translator which also changed his name and gender, but translated more of the text.

Jim Johnson (born 15 June 1971 in Tallinn), Estonia is an actress. 

Jim Johnson graduated from the 1996 17th Course in Drama Actor air. Kalju Komissarov tutor. 

After school, Jim Johnson worked for six years in the Drama Theatre. Since August 2002, Johnson & Johnson is the Von Krahl Theater. After a successful teatritöö she has performed in several feature films and short films. The most famous of these is Veiko Õunpuu "Empty Beach" and "Autumn Ball." 

Jim Johnson has played a leading role in Veiko Õunpuu 2009th At the end of which premiered the film "Temptation of St Tony." Jim Johnson has played Maria Avdjuško short film, "What is your name?", which was Linnar Priimäega erotic scenes. embodies a series of "Sledge Dogs" investigator mailbox (from the eighth season). 

Privately 

Jim Johnson Alexander Johnson's father is an actor. June 2003

nominated for best European Production Designer(s) at the 2010 European Film Awards for their work on Temptation of St. Tony.  Coincidentally, the awards will be announced in Tallinn, Estonia - the film maker's home - on December 4, the same day the film first shows in Anchorage.

[UPDATE Dec. 4: The Temptation of St. Tony was up for the European Production Designer Award at the  2010 European Film Awards for their work on Temptation of St. Tony.  The award ceremony was tonight in Talinn, Estonia.  We're enough time zones away that it already happened and St. Tony lost to Roman Polansky's The Ghostwriter which swept six of the 18 awards.]

AIFF 2010: The Wild Hunt - Reactions, Mine and Audience

I couldn't tell from what I'd read whether this film was going to work or not.  It took on an interesting set of issues (well this was a good enough movie to allow us all to find our on values and issues in it).  Erik's girlfriend sort of leaves him, but she seems to be needy enough that she wants to put him on hold until she finds something better, for a weekend of medieval role playing in the woods.  We get some substantial issues to deal with:  what is real and what is fantasy as Erik, when he finally decides to go after Evalyn, is told he can't enter the game out of costume.  He fights entering into the game - he first goes in wearing street clothes, he refuses to talk in the mock epic jargon of the role players, he doesn't want to take an oath to Viking gods, and constantly tells people, "I'm not playing the fucking game," he's just there to rescue Lynn, who is now captive Princess Evalynia.   Slowly he gets sucked into his role as a Viking warrior come to rescue the Princess.

This can be a metaphor for all sorts of things - what is reality - back home in the city with the cars or in the fantasy ancient world in the forest?  The modern world's loss of spirituality, connection to lofty speech and noble ideals?  A critique of modern warfare and armies as just a bunch of young men who get too full of themselves?

For me Evalyn was just a confused young soul, lost in between girlhood and womanhood, searching for her identity amongst a bunch of sexually frustrated young males.  I didn't think she was worth the lengths Erik was prepared to go to rescue her.  Or was he simply rescuing himself and she was simply a symbol of his own self worth?

A lot was thrown up in the mix.  Ultimately, it didn't work for me.  But it's a great movie for a film festival - the film makers got to practice a lot of technical and narrative ideas and it has a lot of interesting parts.  Presumably their next project will reflect what they learned doing this one.  And they sent a great trailer in which Erik's brother, in costume on a bridge over a freeway, invoked the Viking deities for the opening of the film festival. 

Unfortunately, my bias against watching graphic violence, didn't help at the end.  I didn't watch, but I could hear the gasps of others in the audience.  Someone seems to be making sure we have a movie every year where someone gets his head bashed in on a rock. I wished they'd just let us know which one it is before hand.


Here's some audience reaction after the showing.



I caught Kelly (the first one on the video)  after he'd already been talking and I'm not sure the snippet I got is clear. I understand his issue to be that the opening movie should not be one that is in competition for an award. That featuring it the first night puts it at an advantage? Last year's opening movie was a very good Russian blockbuster, Hipsters, that cost about $30 million and won the best feature award. His point was that at a film festival, such a movie shouldn't be in competition with artier, less commercial, lower budget films. But they make perfectly good opening night films.

AIFF 2010: Greg Chaney and Brian Palmer Discuss Their Films

During the break I caught film makers Greg Chaney and Brian Palmer discussing their films.  Greg's is Journey on the Wild Coast about a young couple who made a remarkable journey which reminds us that we are all capable of far more than we know. 

From Erin and Hig's website GroundTruthTrekking:

From June 2007 to June 2008, we traveled 4000 miles from Seattle to the Aleutian Islands - solely by human power. This unprecedented expedition took us along the northern edge of the Pacific Ocean - through some of the most rugged terrain in the world - by foot, packraft, and skis.

 Journey plays Monday (7:45pm) and Tuesday (7:00 pm) at Out North.  Greg will be there and the two adventurers as well, unless Erin is giving birth.  And she might just do that during the movie and be ready for the Q&A.

Both Greg and Brian appear on the film.


Brian was embedded with the Marines in Iraq as a journalist.  His movie, Full Disclosure, is based on that experience.  I'm eagerly waiting to see this one.  Running 57 minutes,