Each year I seem to want to do more and more and feel like I'm doing less and less. But I think, at least pre-festival, I'm doing more, but in a more focused area. It seems that this year I've concentrated on the Animated Films in Competition. There's already a post up with an overview of the seven.
I've tried to contact the various film makers of these animated films to talk with them in advance. I know that Gergely Wootsch [This is Not Real] is planning on being here for a week from London and that Patrick Neary [Landscape with Duck] is doing a reverse migration trip to the north in winter for the festival.
I've had some email communication with others and just had a skype chat with Nayeem Mahbub who is in Kenya for the wedding of a good friend. The video quality was poor to begin with. I did a video interview with Brent Scarpo before he came to Anchorage, but that was using my little camera to record the screen. This time I have software called Call Recorder which records the skype audio and video directly. As I say, the video quality I saw on my screen was pretty squirrely, but I'll leave it because Nayeem is still pretty expressive.
I had some questions that related to the cultural context of the film. Nayeem is from Bangladesh.
Q: Is there a market for films like this in Bangladesh?
A: Not really
Q; Is there something that a Bangladeshi audience would get that an American audience might miss?
A: We follow a lot of conventions of Bangladeshi films - some dancing, a lot of sounds and uses of sound, and other conventions Bangladeshi audiences would recognize and combines them with a modern zombie style film.
I'm giving you these answers here because I still haven't figured out how I want to use what I got, given the quality of the video. But I decided to take a three minute part of the chat to give you an idea of how much fun it was to talk to Nayeem. I'll figure out how to use the rest later - there's too much going on with the festival starting now to do this well now. But here's a teaser.
Friday, December 02, 2011
AIFF 2011: Anchorage International Film Festival Begins Today - What's New?
I've barely scraped the surface of things this year. I ended up being more focused on the animated films in competition. But here are a few things I've noticed about the festival that are different this year.
1. Reduced Role of Bear Tooth
Rand Thornsley, as manager of the Bear Tooth theater, was half of the Tony Sheppard and Rand team at the heart of the festival. He's moved toOregon [Washington] to run his own theater there, and while I'm told he still programs the Bear Tooth he's not been involved in the festival this year. [UPDATE Dec. 5: I ran into Rand Sunday night and Monday again. He's in town for the festival. He did have a small role in the festival. He move to Washington, not Oregon. Camas to be exact - east of Vancouver, WA. and owns the Liberty Theater.] Last year the Bear Tooth was non-stop film festival which included showing all the winning films again the week after the festival. This year there are eight showings at the Bear Tooth, all features, all at 8pm. A key festival staffer says that the manager at Bear Tooth has been very supportive.
2. Increased Roles of Out North and Alaska Experience Theater
These two venues will take much of the load from the Bear Tooth.
3. Tickets and Passes
Individual tickets remain $8 - a bargain for film festivals. (I think we paid $11 Canadian at the Vancouver Film Festival). There is only one pass this year - all films. The all events pass is gone. The all films pass is $90, up from $80.
4. All Animated Films in Competition in One Program
In the past it was a hassle to see all the animated films that were selected to be in competition (ie eligible for an award) because they were scattered over different programs. (Program meaning a grouping of films that all showed together.) But this year there weren't that many animated films that got selected for the festival and all those in competition are in one program.
5. Awards Ceremony moves to Organic Oasis
The awards ceremonies have been in the Bear Tooth the last two years. This year they are out again. I haven't been in the Organic Oasis for a while. It will be interesting to see how they organize the awards there.
6. Cyrano's and Wild Berry Theater Join the Festival
There will be two showings (in HD) of the film at Cyrano's of "A Director Prepares" on Tuesday at 7pm and 9pm. The description says:
The Alaska Wild Berry Theater will show "The Movement: One Man Joins an Uprising" at 2pm on Saturday Dec. 10. The description for that movie is:
7. More Visiting Film Makers
And there's supposed to more film makers coming from around the world this year, partially due to an Academy of Motion Pictures grant to help pay for the airfare. Don't be shy about going up to them and welcoming them to Anchorage. They mostly don't know many folks here and will appreciate it.
See you soon at the Bear Tooth tonight for the Greenland movie, Inuk, at 8pm. For the last couple of years, the opening film has gone on to win the Best Feature. If it happens again this year, we'll know there's a pattern. This is the gala opening so it will be $20 ($10 with an all films pass) and includes a party. The short A Day in Our Bay: Views and Voices from Bristol Bay Alaska will be shown too tonight.
1. Reduced Role of Bear Tooth
Rand Thornsley, as manager of the Bear Tooth theater, was half of the Tony Sheppard and Rand team at the heart of the festival. He's moved to
2. Increased Roles of Out North and Alaska Experience Theater
These two venues will take much of the load from the Bear Tooth.
3. Tickets and Passes
Individual tickets remain $8 - a bargain for film festivals. (I think we paid $11 Canadian at the Vancouver Film Festival). There is only one pass this year - all films. The all events pass is gone. The all films pass is $90, up from $80.
4. All Animated Films in Competition in One Program
In the past it was a hassle to see all the animated films that were selected to be in competition (ie eligible for an award) because they were scattered over different programs. (Program meaning a grouping of films that all showed together.) But this year there weren't that many animated films that got selected for the festival and all those in competition are in one program.
5. Awards Ceremony moves to Organic Oasis
The awards ceremonies have been in the Bear Tooth the last two years. This year they are out again. I haven't been in the Organic Oasis for a while. It will be interesting to see how they organize the awards there.
6. Cyrano's and Wild Berry Theater Join the Festival
There will be two showings (in HD) of the film at Cyrano's of "A Director Prepares" on Tuesday at 7pm and 9pm. The description says:
A DIRECTOR PREPARES is a 94 minute "hybrid" documentary/narrative-drama chronicling Alaska's foremost playwright/director, Dick Reichman, as he prepares his cast for the world premier of his play "The Big One" about the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. Until 2010, the spill was the largest in history.
The Alaska Wild Berry Theater will show "The Movement: One Man Joins an Uprising" at 2pm on Saturday Dec. 10. The description for that movie is:
In 2004 Rick Finkelstein was paralyzed in a ski accident on Aspen Mountain. With a severed spine and severe internal injuries, he wasn't expected to live. Six years, nine surgeries and a lifetime of rehab later, cameras capture his dramatic return to Aspen.
7. More Visiting Film Makers
And there's supposed to more film makers coming from around the world this year, partially due to an Academy of Motion Pictures grant to help pay for the airfare. Don't be shy about going up to them and welcoming them to Anchorage. They mostly don't know many folks here and will appreciate it.
See you soon at the Bear Tooth tonight for the Greenland movie, Inuk, at 8pm. For the last couple of years, the opening film has gone on to win the Best Feature. If it happens again this year, we'll know there's a pattern. This is the gala opening so it will be $20 ($10 with an all films pass) and includes a party. The short A Day in Our Bay: Views and Voices from Bristol Bay Alaska will be shown too tonight.
AIFF 2011: David Andrade on Nuts For Pizza and Making an Internet Collaboration Film
Nuts for Pizza is one of the animation films in competition for an award at the Anchorage International Film Festival that begins today, Friday, December 2. David Andrade, the director, isn't going to make it to Anchorage - work deadlines - but we were able to connect via Skype Thursday evening. And I got to try out Call Recorder, a software that allows you to record your Skype conversations.
In researching the animated films, I found out that Nuts for Peanuts was an internet collaboration. 32 people were involved in the film, many doing just one small part to move the film along, recruited via the internet on CG Chat. You can see David's recruiting post from July 2010 here.
In the video David talks about the story for Nuts for Pizza, doing the film via collaboration, and I asked him to talk a bit about the difference between hand-drawn video and computer generated video. He also talks briefly about his current job working as video-game animator in San Diego. Finally he tells us he wants to come to the Anchorage festival next year.
Using Skype to interview folks has lots of possibilities, but it also has its challenges. For one thing, you have more time and end up with a lot more video and thus need to do a lot more editing. Second, the audio and the video didn't come out synched and I had to extract the audio in iMovie and move it a bit. It's pretty close but not perfect.
Wednesday night I interviewed another animation film maker - Nayeem Mahbub. His film is in Bangla (the language of Bangladesh) but he was in Nairobi, Kenya for the wedding of a good friend. We had a fascinating chat about the meaning of this film in the Bangladeshi film world. But the video quality is terrible. Bad enough I don't have to worry about the audio/video synch. I can't take too much time to edit it because the festival begins tomorrow. So I'll try to get it up tomorrow.
Nuts for Pizza and Attack of the Killer Mutant Chickens both are part of the "Animation World-Wide" program (link goes to the schedule) which plays four times over the festival.
Both these short animations come to the festival with previous festival awards (as do others) so this will be a highly competitive group. For more, see my previous post on the animated films in competition.
In researching the animated films, I found out that Nuts for Peanuts was an internet collaboration. 32 people were involved in the film, many doing just one small part to move the film along, recruited via the internet on CG Chat. You can see David's recruiting post from July 2010 here.
In the video David talks about the story for Nuts for Pizza, doing the film via collaboration, and I asked him to talk a bit about the difference between hand-drawn video and computer generated video. He also talks briefly about his current job working as video-game animator in San Diego. Finally he tells us he wants to come to the Anchorage festival next year.
Using Skype to interview folks has lots of possibilities, but it also has its challenges. For one thing, you have more time and end up with a lot more video and thus need to do a lot more editing. Second, the audio and the video didn't come out synched and I had to extract the audio in iMovie and move it a bit. It's pretty close but not perfect.
Wednesday night I interviewed another animation film maker - Nayeem Mahbub. His film is in Bangla (the language of Bangladesh) but he was in Nairobi, Kenya for the wedding of a good friend. We had a fascinating chat about the meaning of this film in the Bangladeshi film world. But the video quality is terrible. Bad enough I don't have to worry about the audio/video synch. I can't take too much time to edit it because the festival begins tomorrow. So I'll try to get it up tomorrow.
Nuts for Pizza and Attack of the Killer Mutant Chickens both are part of the "Animation World-Wide" program (link goes to the schedule) which plays four times over the festival.
| Day | Time | Venue |
| Sunday Dec 4 | 12 pm | Alaska Experience |
Tuesday Dec. 6 | 7pm | Out North |
| Friday Dec. 9 | 7:20 pm | Alaska Experience |
| Saturday Dec 10 | 6pm | Out North |
Both these short animations come to the festival with previous festival awards (as do others) so this will be a highly competitive group. For more, see my previous post on the animated films in competition.
Thursday, December 01, 2011
AIFF 2011: UFAQs - Unasked Frequently Asked Questions about the Festival
[This is an updated version of similar posts from previous years. If you only read one of my posts on the festival, this is the one to read.]
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.
Where's the official AIFF site?
Who won in each category?
2010 Winners - No page of my picks last year Official AIFF 2010 Winners Page
2009 Winners - My 2009 winners post - Official AIFF 2009 Winners Page
2008 Winners - My 2008 winners post - Official AIFF 2008 Winners Page
What do all the categories mean? ("official selection;" "films in competition," etc. ) This is an updated post from 2008, but still gets the basic information across. It also covers the process for how films get selected for the Festival and how the winners get chosen.
What films are the best films this year (2011)?
Films in Competition are the ones chosen to compete for the Golden Oosiker awards. Here are guides to each category - something about each film and when and where they will play.
Films in Competition - Features and Documentaries 2011 (My post)
Link to Festival Genius Features Schedule
Link to Festival Genius Documentaries Schedule
Films in Competition - Animation 2011 (My post)
Link to Festival Genius Animation Schedule
Films in Competition - Shorts (coming soon I hope)
Link to Festival Genius all Shorts Schedule
Films in Competition - Super Shorts (coming soon I hope)
Link to Festival Genius all Super Shorts Schedule
The films in competition for Snow Dance (Alaskan films) have not been announced yet as I post. Short documentaries are included in documentaries, but none were picked to be in competition.
What is Festival Genius?
Festival Genius is a national software program that AIFF began using last year. It lets you sort films in many ways. You can sort just to see all the films (each film is listed with a picture) in a category, for instance, or see the schedule for the films in a category. My links sometimes do one, sometimes the other. Also, the links only go to page 1, be sure to check for any additional pages linked at the bottom of the pages.
If you register on Festival Genius, you can use it to make your own schedule of films you want to see. You can also make comments and reviews.
NOTE: Once you're in Festival Genius, there doesn't seem to be a link back to the local AIFF website.
Short films are grouped together into 'programs.' How do I find which short films are playing together and the same of program?
Easiest place is the printed program. As of last year (2011) when they added Festival Genius software, things are easier to find.
Animation Programs - The link goes to all programs that have animation. Some are programs that might have one animation in it. Animation-Wrld Wide is the program with all the animated shorts. (There weren't that many this year, but the ones in competition appear to be pretty strong.) There are also two feature animations - George the Hedgehog and Lady of Names. George, I'm told, is definitely adults only, but Lady will be shown at the kids free showing at Loussac on Saturday, Dec. 10.
Snowdance Programs (films made in Alaska or by Alaskans)
Short Films - There's also a short documentary category.
Super Shorts
(The links only go to page one. Check at the bottom for more pages.)
I'm not interested in the festival, but if there are any films on my favorite place, food, sport, etc., I'd go. Are there any?
The Festival Genius software allows you to look at a list of countries and then see what films are being shown from that country. Click on the blue (where the red arrow points below) and it will open a list of countries. Then pick a country, and wait until it loads the films from that country. (This screen shot is from 2010)
I counted 26 countries this year.
The film festival spans two calendar weeks and so you have to check for each week. Just click on the week and it changes. The Screenshot above is from last year, but here's a link to the same page this year:
http://anchorage.festivalgenius.com/2011/films
Then click on the countries window to see the list of countries. Choose the one you want and they will give you all the films from that country in the festival.
To find out about films of special topics, you need to look through the films themselves.
How do I find your blog posts on specific films or film makers? There's a tab below the page heading for Anchorage International Film Festival 2011. I'll put links for specific films here as I post them (check for the video posts there too)
Do you have videos of the Festival? - I'll add the video posts as they happen on my web with links at the Anchorage International Film Festival 2011 tab on the top of the page.
Where will the films be shown?
Locations: Bear Tooth, was the main venue last year. This year there are only eight showings there - all features, all at 8 pm.
Out North has two rooms for screening.
3800 DeBarr Road, (two blocks SW of Debarr and Bragraw) 907.279.8099
The Alaska Experience Theater has a large and small theater.
333 West 4th Avenue # 207 (4th and C St) (907) 272-9076
Marston Theater (Loussac Library) will have the Family Programming on Saturday Dec. 10.
The Alaska Wild Berry Theater has one event - a ski movie - Saturday Dec. 10 at 2pm
There are special events at other venues. You can check all the venues next to the window where you check the countries on Festival Genius (see screenshot above).
What workshops are there?
There are five workshops with film makers. These are listed on the local site, but NOT on Festival Genius. There's an $8 fee for most of the workshops, but they are free with Festival Passes.
What are your criteria for a good movie? When I made my picks for the 2008 best films, at the end of the post I outlined my criteria. The link takes you to that post, scroll down to second part.
Should I buy a pass or just buy tickets as I go?
Tickets are $8 per film ($5 for kids, except at the Bear Tooth). All films passes are $100. (There's only one type of pass this year.) So, if you go to thirteen films, the pass is cheaper. But there are other benefits to the pass. You do have to get a ticket (free) for each film and only a certain number of seats are held for passholders, but you do get priority seating with your pass.
And if you have a pass, you'll go see more films because you'll think "I've paid for them. I should go and get my money's worth."
The pass gets you into Workshops free and a few extra events, though this year they give you a discount, and half price to the opening night film and the awards (which are $20 each, $10 less than last year.)
Another option is to volunteer and get a pass to a movie.
You can buy tickets at the venues. You can also get advanced tickets at the venues.
You cannot buy tickets online this year.
What about family films?
Saturday, December 10, 11:30am to 5pm at Loussac Library - in the Marston Auditorium. FREE
Here are the AIFF links for family events.
NOTE: The link goes to page 2 of the schedule because it includes the all the movies in this category at the Loussac Library. This event is free. Check page 1 for week one showings of Lady of Names.
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:
Well I blogged the 2007 festival and the AIFF people liked what I did and asked if I would be the official blogger in 2008. 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 had a link to the blog last year. They also thrown in a free pass for me since 2008.
I probably won't say anything terrible about a film, but I did rant about one film two years 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.
I did a post last year for Film Festival Skeptics who might be sitting on the fence and need to be given reasons to go and strategies to make it work.
How do I Keep Track of What's Happening at the Festival?
I'll be blogging the film festival every day. The link below will be my festival posts only, starting with the most recent.
Anchorage International Film Festival (AIFF 2011)
Are there other Alaskan Film Festivals?
There are some events called 'festival' that I know of in Anchorage, but they aren't major film events like this one. There is another organization, that puts Alaska in it's name and rents a postal box in Alaska, but has no other connection that we can find to Alaska. You can read about that at Comparing the ANCHORAGE and ALASKA International Film Festivals - Real Festival? Scam?
Anyone who knows of other legitimate film festivals in Alaska, let me know. I've heard stuff about Sitka in 2008. And there's also an Indigenous Film Festival Feb. 2011. [Not updated since 2010]
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.
Where's the official AIFF site?
Who won in each category?
2010 Winners - No page of my picks last year Official AIFF 2010 Winners Page
2009 Winners - My 2009 winners post - Official AIFF 2009 Winners Page
2008 Winners - My 2008 winners post - Official AIFF 2008 Winners Page
What do all the categories mean? ("official selection;" "films in competition," etc. ) This is an updated post from 2008, but still gets the basic information across. It also covers the process for how films get selected for the Festival and how the winners get chosen.
What films are the best films this year (2011)?
Films in Competition are the ones chosen to compete for the Golden Oosiker awards. Here are guides to each category - something about each film and when and where they will play.
Films in Competition - Features and Documentaries 2011 (My post)
Link to Festival Genius Features Schedule
Link to Festival Genius Documentaries Schedule
Films in Competition - Animation 2011 (My post)
Link to Festival Genius Animation Schedule
Films in Competition - Shorts (coming soon I hope)
Link to Festival Genius all Shorts Schedule
Films in Competition - Super Shorts (coming soon I hope)
Link to Festival Genius all Super Shorts Schedule
The films in competition for Snow Dance (Alaskan films) have not been announced yet as I post. Short documentaries are included in documentaries, but none were picked to be in competition.
What is Festival Genius?
Festival Genius is a national software program that AIFF began using last year. It lets you sort films in many ways. You can sort just to see all the films (each film is listed with a picture) in a category, for instance, or see the schedule for the films in a category. My links sometimes do one, sometimes the other. Also, the links only go to page 1, be sure to check for any additional pages linked at the bottom of the pages.
If you register on Festival Genius, you can use it to make your own schedule of films you want to see. You can also make comments and reviews.
NOTE: Once you're in Festival Genius, there doesn't seem to be a link back to the local AIFF website.
Short films are grouped together into 'programs.' How do I find which short films are playing together and the same of program?
Easiest place is the printed program. As of last year (2011) when they added Festival Genius software, things are easier to find.
Animation Programs - The link goes to all programs that have animation. Some are programs that might have one animation in it. Animation-Wrld Wide is the program with all the animated shorts. (There weren't that many this year, but the ones in competition appear to be pretty strong.) There are also two feature animations - George the Hedgehog and Lady of Names. George, I'm told, is definitely adults only, but Lady will be shown at the kids free showing at Loussac on Saturday, Dec. 10.
Snowdance Programs (films made in Alaska or by Alaskans)
Short Films - There's also a short documentary category.
Super Shorts
(The links only go to page one. Check at the bottom for more pages.)
I'm not interested in the festival, but if there are any films on my favorite place, food, sport, etc., I'd go. Are there any?
The Festival Genius software allows you to look at a list of countries and then see what films are being shown from that country. Click on the blue (where the red arrow points below) and it will open a list of countries. Then pick a country, and wait until it loads the films from that country. (This screen shot is from 2010)
I counted 26 countries this year.
http://anchorage.festivalgenius.com/2011/films
Then click on the countries window to see the list of countries. Choose the one you want and they will give you all the films from that country in the festival.
To find out about films of special topics, you need to look through the films themselves.
How do I find your blog posts on specific films or film makers? There's a tab below the page heading for Anchorage International Film Festival 2011. I'll put links for specific films here as I post them (check for the video posts there too)
Do you have videos of the Festival? - I'll add the video posts as they happen on my web with links at the Anchorage International Film Festival 2011 tab on the top of the page.
Where will the films be shown?
Locations: Bear Tooth, was the main venue last year. This year there are only eight showings there - all features, all at 8 pm.
1230 West 27th Avenue (West of Spenard Road) - 907.276.4200
Out North has two rooms for screening.
3800 DeBarr Road, (two blocks SW of Debarr and Bragraw) 907.279.8099
The Alaska Experience Theater has a large and small theater.
333 West 4th Avenue # 207 (4th and C St) (907) 272-9076
Marston Theater (Loussac Library) will have the Family Programming on Saturday Dec. 10.
The Alaska Wild Berry Theater has one event - a ski movie - Saturday Dec. 10 at 2pm
5225 Juneau Street (Off Old Seward and International Airport Road) 907) 562-8858
Cyrano's has one film - A Director Prepares: The Story of the Exxon Valdez.
413 D Street (Downtown) (907) 274 2599
My understanding is the director pulled his film out of the festival last year because it wouldn't be shown in HD. This is a special showing in HD.
Two shows, Tuesday Dec. 6, 7pm and 9pm
What workshops are there?
There are five workshops with film makers. These are listed on the local site, but NOT on Festival Genius. There's an $8 fee for most of the workshops, but they are free with Festival Passes.
What are your criteria for a good movie? When I made my picks for the 2008 best films, at the end of the post I outlined my criteria. The link takes you to that post, scroll down to second part.
Should I buy a pass or just buy tickets as I go?
Tickets are $8 per film ($5 for kids, except at the Bear Tooth). All films passes are $100. (There's only one type of pass this year.) So, if you go to thirteen films, the pass is cheaper. But there are other benefits to the pass. You do have to get a ticket (free) for each film and only a certain number of seats are held for passholders, but you do get priority seating with your pass.
And if you have a pass, you'll go see more films because you'll think "I've paid for them. I should go and get my money's worth."
The pass gets you into Workshops free and a few extra events, though this year they give you a discount, and half price to the opening night film and the awards (which are $20 each, $10 less than last year.)
Another option is to volunteer and get a pass to a movie.
You can buy tickets at the venues. You can also get advanced tickets at the venues.
You cannot buy tickets online this year.
What about family films?
Saturday, December 10, 11:30am to 5pm at Loussac Library - in the Marston Auditorium. FREE
Here are the AIFF links for family events.
NOTE: The link goes to page 2 of the schedule because it includes the all the movies in this category at the Loussac Library. This event is free. Check page 1 for week one showings of Lady of Names.
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:
Well I blogged the 2007 festival and the AIFF people liked what I did and asked if I would be the official blogger in 2008. 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 had a link to the blog last year. They also thrown in a free pass for me since 2008.
I probably won't say anything terrible about a film, but I did rant about one film two years 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.
I did a post last year for Film Festival Skeptics who might be sitting on the fence and need to be given reasons to go and strategies to make it work.
How do I Keep Track of What's Happening at the Festival?
I'll be blogging the film festival every day. The link below will be my festival posts only, starting with the most recent.
Anchorage International Film Festival (AIFF 2011)
Are there other Alaskan Film Festivals?
There are some events called 'festival' that I know of in Anchorage, but they aren't major film events like this one. There is another organization, that puts Alaska in it's name and rents a postal box in Alaska, but has no other connection that we can find to Alaska. You can read about that at Comparing the ANCHORAGE and ALASKA International Film Festivals - Real Festival? Scam?
Anyone who knows of other legitimate film festivals in Alaska, let me know. I've heard stuff about Sitka in 2008. And there's also an Indigenous Film Festival Feb. 2011. [Not updated since 2010]
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Meanwhile, in Pakistan . . .
If you listened to the foreign policy debate of the Republican candidates, you might want to read something with real meat. The source article is by, according to the blurb in the Asian Times, Indian career diplomat Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar whose assignments included the Soviet Union, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Germany, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kuwait and Turkey.
This is an Indian talking about US-Pakistani relations. Someone in a position to know a lot more about this sort of thing than most Americans, including most members of Congress and presidential candidates. He's also someone with skin in the game. It does provide a lot of information to use to help assess other information (or lack of information) you read on this topic. In discussing the Pakistani response to the NATO air raid which killed 28 Pakistani forces, Bhadrakumar writes:
Thanks to my friend who alerted me to this article.
The heart of the matter is that the Pakistani citadel has pulled back the bridges leading to it from across the surrounding crocodile-infested moat. This hunkering down is going to be Obama's key problem. Pakistan is boycotting the Bonn Conference II on December 2. This hunkering down should worry the US more than any Pakistani military response to the NATO strike.
The US would know from the Iranian experience that it has no answer for the sort of strategic defiance that an unfriendly nation resolute in its will to resist can put up against an 'enemy' it genuinely considers 'satanic'.
The Pakistani military leadership is traditionally cautious and it is not going to give a military response to the US's provocation. (Indeed, the Taliban are always there to keep bleeding the US and NATO troops.)
This is an Indian talking about US-Pakistani relations. Someone in a position to know a lot more about this sort of thing than most Americans, including most members of Congress and presidential candidates. He's also someone with skin in the game. It does provide a lot of information to use to help assess other information (or lack of information) you read on this topic. In discussing the Pakistani response to the NATO air raid which killed 28 Pakistani forces, Bhadrakumar writes:
Exactly what happened in the fateful night of Friday - whether the NATO blundered into a mindless retaliatory (or pre-emptive) act or ventured into a calculated act of high provocation - will remain a mystery. Maybe it is no more important to know, since blood has been drawn and innocence lost, which now becomes the central point.It makes me think of the advice Vaclav Havel gives in Power of the Powerless. I wrote about it earlier in the context of TSA. Here it fits in the relation of one nation to another. Of course, it's a form of civil disobedience as well. Just say no. Those who have power say everyone should fight like they do. That's because they have all the weapons in that sort of battle. But disobedience is the main tool of those without power. There is immense power in simply refusing to cooperate. Ask the Occupiers. Ask the Republicans in Congress.
At any rate, the DDC [Pakistan's Defence Committee of the Cabinet] simply proceeded on the basis that this was a calculated air strike - and by no means an accidental occurrence. Again, the DDC statement implies that in the Pakistan military's estimation, the NATO attack emanated from a US decision. Pakistan lodged a strong protest at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels but that was more for purpose of 'record', while the "operative" part is directed at Washington.
The GHQ in Rawalpindi would have made the assessment within hours of the Salala incident that the US is directly culpable. The GHQ obviously advised the DDC accordingly and recommended the range of measures Pakistan should take by way of what Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kiani publicly called an "effective response."
The DDC took the following decisions: a) to close NATO's transit routes through Pakistani territory with immediate effect; b) to ask the US to vacate Shamsi airbase within 15 days; c) to "revisit and undertake a complete review" of all "programs, activities and cooperative arrangements" with US, NATO and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), including in "diplomatic, political and intelligence" areas; d) to announce shortly a whole range of further measures apropos Pakistan's future cooperation with US, NATO and ISAF. [Read it all in the Asian Times.]
Thanks to my friend who alerted me to this article.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Arts and Crafts at the Museum Sunday
We went to the museum arts and crafts fair on Sunday. Here are a few examples of the art and the people who made it.
KC Lowe was a neighbor when we first moved to Alaska. She had these bars of soap dressed in wool felt. The lanolin in the wool is supposed to do good things for you and the cover makes the soap last much longer. Is this art? I don't recall ever seeing soap wrapped up in felt before. And look at those colors. And the fact that it's something you actually use, doesn't exclude it from being art. What she is holding is the left over felt cover after months and months of use. I've been thinking about soap for a while now and I've been planning to do a blog post. It's coming, think of this as a preview.
I knew Larry Kingry back when he was an administrator at ACC and then UAA. Now he's turning wood into interesting and unique bowls. His card says you can email him here if you're interested in a bowl.
Another old friend, in that we've had one of his water colors up on our wall for 30 years or so, is Ken Lisbourne. He's originally from Point Hope, but now lives in Tok.
We had a long talk and it was interesting to hear the stories behind his paintings. It really is a collection of Inupiaq culture and legends. Matt Shields did a long post on Ken a few years back that gives a lot of information.
Guitta Corey's work is amazing. I only took one photo which does a poor job of portraying the artist and her work. But it's all I've got. But you can see more at Alaska Home. The work she had for sale Sunday was various sized and shaped glass trays that were 'painted' with exquisite papers. I can't explain. Just check the link.
As Jacob suggested in a recent comment, if you don't keep using photoshop, you forget it. So you'll have to bear with my experimenting. Someday it will work more consistently for me. There are parts of this I like and parts that I just couldn't make do what I wanted. And parts I didn't know what I wanted.
But Wendy Gingell's ceramics aren't ordinary. They're strong and opinionated. I love the shapes and designs and colors. Her inspiration for the large plate in the background was a cyst she had in her abdomen. The two little ones on the lower right, I was told, were a parent's eye view of kids. And can you tell she likes yellow and black?
KC Lowe was a neighbor when we first moved to Alaska. She had these bars of soap dressed in wool felt. The lanolin in the wool is supposed to do good things for you and the cover makes the soap last much longer. Is this art? I don't recall ever seeing soap wrapped up in felt before. And look at those colors. And the fact that it's something you actually use, doesn't exclude it from being art. What she is holding is the left over felt cover after months and months of use. I've been thinking about soap for a while now and I've been planning to do a blog post. It's coming, think of this as a preview.
I knew Larry Kingry back when he was an administrator at ACC and then UAA. Now he's turning wood into interesting and unique bowls. His card says you can email him here if you're interested in a bowl.
Another old friend, in that we've had one of his water colors up on our wall for 30 years or so, is Ken Lisbourne. He's originally from Point Hope, but now lives in Tok.
We had a long talk and it was interesting to hear the stories behind his paintings. It really is a collection of Inupiaq culture and legends. Matt Shields did a long post on Ken a few years back that gives a lot of information.
Guitta Corey's work is amazing. I only took one photo which does a poor job of portraying the artist and her work. But it's all I've got. But you can see more at Alaska Home. The work she had for sale Sunday was various sized and shaped glass trays that were 'painted' with exquisite papers. I can't explain. Just check the link.
As Jacob suggested in a recent comment, if you don't keep using photoshop, you forget it. So you'll have to bear with my experimenting. Someday it will work more consistently for me. There are parts of this I like and parts that I just couldn't make do what I wanted. And parts I didn't know what I wanted. But Wendy Gingell's ceramics aren't ordinary. They're strong and opinionated. I love the shapes and designs and colors. Her inspiration for the large plate in the background was a cyst she had in her abdomen. The two little ones on the lower right, I was told, were a parent's eye view of kids. And can you tell she likes yellow and black?
Monday, November 28, 2011
Tacky Spam Comment with Dentist Ad Suggests Businesses Be Careful of SEO Firms
[UPDATE: I've had a legal threat which I responded to and then a much more rational email concerning this post. I'll post them soon. [Part 1] I've decided that the dentist in question had some legitimate points on my stereotypes about large dental practices. He has said that he was unaware of the SEO firm doing this sort of commenting promotion and that they have contacted the SEO firm to end such practices. I have decided to take his word on this. The intent of the post is to alert people to sleazy SEO companies and the specific dentist is irrelevant. Thus I’ve removed the name of the dental group involved. So I've removed the name of the dental practice.]
[PART 1:] Sometimes, posts force their own way onto this blog. It's Monday Nov. 28 and I have better things to do than this, but I can't help it.
[Note to readers: This is a blogging-behind-the-scenes post. The stuff in brackets I added after I finished this 'investigation.' This post wrote itself as I got more information. It started out as a snarky post about a tacky dentist. Now I'm not sure how tacky the dentist is or if he just got a sleazy SEO firm to jack up his google position. Have I lost you yet? I'll explain SEO down below. But let's begin at the beginning now. The parts without brackets, I wrote as it was unfolding.]
Occasionally I get comments on a post that have nothing to do with the post. I've written about 'Kevin' who posted Chinese spam from Taiwan in the comment section for a while. These are spam ads that require a bit of work because someone has to get to my blog, then write something in the comment area, and then get past the Captcha code. So it generally takes a human being to do this.
Most such comment/ads I get are for companies in China or India, and generally for electronic or industrial products. Today on a post about planned obsolescence and the Anchorage building code, I got this comment:
[This is a screen shot image, not text, so the links don't work. Also, I've deleted this comment on the original post. See Update at top of this post on not identifying the dentist.]
To me, this is pretty bizarre. And extremely tacky. Enough so that I called the XXXXXXX Intelligencer which the internet told me was a newspaper that covered Lititz (emphasis, I learned, was on the first syllable, not on the body parts) and talked to a reporter who agreed it was strange, but didn't know anything about the business. He said he'd check with some dentists he knows nearby.
I also called the XXXXXXXXX Dental Arts office and left a message on their voice mail. You have to admit it takes a little thought to explain what I wanted for a voice mail.
I did learn while I was listening to their answer recording that they are open from 8:00am to 8:00pm two days a week and shorter hours the other days. I also learned that they have done some serious internet work - they dominate the first five pages when you google them.
So, for now here are a couple of tentative explanations:
PART 2: Beware of sleazy SEO companies.
So, what is SEO? SEO stands for SearchEnhancement [Engine] Optimization. That's geek speak for doing things to get a higher google rating so that your website shows up in the first two or three pages when people search terms related to your site.
Here's what Ethical SEO says (in part)
So, the point is to get backlinks; ideally, links with the name of your website on other websites. It doesn't even matter if no one uses the link, because the point is to have Google count all these back links - and they are worth more if the site they're on is rated well - so that when people google 'your name' your site will come up on page one of google.
[I'd also note that I don't invest in SEO, but I still get on page 1 on Google. My guess is that my frequency of posting and some backlinks have helped.]
OK, so giving her the benefit of the doubt, she wasn't planning to have spam comments on blogs. And she was going to change it.
But then I got to thinking, "Not only does she know what SEO is, but that was the first thing she mentioned." These people are serious about their marketing. I doubt that my dentist's office manager has heard of SEO. I wasn't sure if my dentist even had a website. [I checked and he does, but it's pretty generic. Mine has four dentists just like the one in Pennsylvania. But the XXXXXXXX one just gives the names and photos of the dentists. Mine doesn't have photos, but has a lengthy background on each dentist. And my dentist doesn't have such long hours. But he probably charges more. After all, this is Alaska.]
Anyway, I guess there are several lessons to be learned here.
For me:
And if you get spam comments on your website, or see such tacky ads, call up the company and let them know what you think. If it's on your website, delete it right away.
[Just in case someone is asking, "What's wrong with the ad?"
[PART 1:] Sometimes, posts force their own way onto this blog. It's Monday Nov. 28 and I have better things to do than this, but I can't help it.
[Note to readers: This is a blogging-behind-the-scenes post. The stuff in brackets I added after I finished this 'investigation.' This post wrote itself as I got more information. It started out as a snarky post about a tacky dentist. Now I'm not sure how tacky the dentist is or if he just got a sleazy SEO firm to jack up his google position. Have I lost you yet? I'll explain SEO down below. But let's begin at the beginning now. The parts without brackets, I wrote as it was unfolding.]
Occasionally I get comments on a post that have nothing to do with the post. I've written about 'Kevin' who posted Chinese spam from Taiwan in the comment section for a while. These are spam ads that require a bit of work because someone has to get to my blog, then write something in the comment area, and then get past the Captcha code. So it generally takes a human being to do this.
Most such comment/ads I get are for companies in China or India, and generally for electronic or industrial products. Today on a post about planned obsolescence and the Anchorage building code, I got this comment:
[This is a screen shot image, not text, so the links don't work. Also, I've deleted this comment on the original post. See Update at top of this post on not identifying the dentist.]
To me, this is pretty bizarre. And extremely tacky. Enough so that I called the XXXXXXX Intelligencer which the internet told me was a newspaper that covered Lititz (emphasis, I learned, was on the first syllable, not on the body parts) and talked to a reporter who agreed it was strange, but didn't know anything about the business. He said he'd check with some dentists he knows nearby.
I also called the XXXXXXXXX Dental Arts office and left a message on their voice mail. You have to admit it takes a little thought to explain what I wanted for a voice mail.
I did learn while I was listening to their answer recording that they are open from 8:00am to 8:00pm two days a week and shorter hours the other days. I also learned that they have done some serious internet work - they dominate the first five pages when you google them.
So, for now here are a couple of tentative explanations:
- They are a tacky, factory dental clinic that will do whatever it takes to get customers.
- They are a dental group that has hired an SEO company to pump up their web presence and they don't know they bought spam comment/ads.
PART 2: Beware of sleazy SEO companies.
So, what is SEO? SEO stands for Search
Here's what Ethical SEO says (in part)
Promote your website, getting as many quality backlinks as possible; a backlink is a link posted on somebody else’s website which leads to your website. The backlink should ideally have a good “anchor text”, a text that describes what your website is about. As an example, instead of having a link to my website that says “click here”, I would rather have a link that says ethical seo company [they had this linked in the original, but I've already given them a link above, so I took it out] if I plan to get a good rank for the “ethical seo company” search phrase.
This is called off-page SEO and is by far the most important (and time-consuming) part of the SEO process, being responsible for about 90% of its success. While finding the proper keywords to target and optimizing the web pages is a one-time operation, building backlinks to your website must be an ongoing process, especially if the industry you’re in is profitable. Most (or all) of the companies on the 1st Google page invest in SEO on a monthly basis; othewise, they wouldn’t get these good ranks and sales. [emphasis added]
So, the point is to get backlinks; ideally, links with the name of your website on other websites. It doesn't even matter if no one uses the link, because the point is to have Google count all these back links - and they are worth more if the site they're on is rated well - so that when people google 'your name' your site will come up on page one of google.
[I'd also note that I don't invest in SEO, but I still get on page 1 on Google. My guess is that my frequency of posting and some backlinks have helped.]
So I left a message at the Dental Center, but wasn't expecting much. However, it wasn't long before I got a call back from XXXXXXX [I'm guessing at the spelling]. She said this was the second call about this in one week. She said she needed to call the SEO person and let him know. She even found the blog without my telling her the name. I did leave my name, but not too many people can spell my last name just hearing it on a voice message.SEO Primer Backlinking Tips
. . . Getting inbound links (backlinks that point to our website) which contain proper anchor text (the keywords we’re interested in) is an art in itself; fortunately, there are several 100% ethical (also called white hat) methods that allow us to get them. If you have written a good piece of content, for example an interesting article, you can submit it to thousands of article directories and format it in such a way that you will get the desired backlink with proper anchor text. Sure, many article directories will reject your submission, but if your article is really good and you are submitting it to thousands of directories, you will definitely get not only a few hundreds of backlinks to your website, but also traffic (website visitors) from the tens of millions of people that are visiting the article directories each and every day. [So that explains the people who have asked to post guest posts here.]
OK, so giving her the benefit of the doubt, she wasn't planning to have spam comments on blogs. And she was going to change it.
But then I got to thinking, "Not only does she know what SEO is, but that was the first thing she mentioned." These people are serious about their marketing. I doubt that my dentist's office manager has heard of SEO. I wasn't sure if my dentist even had a website. [I checked and he does, but it's pretty generic. Mine has four dentists just like the one in Pennsylvania. But the XXXXXXXX one just gives the names and photos of the dentists. Mine doesn't have photos, but has a lengthy background on each dentist. And my dentist doesn't have such long hours. But he probably charges more. After all, this is Alaska.]
Anyway, I guess there are several lessons to be learned here.
For me:
- Now I better understand why people are putting links in spam comments. It's less about getting people to link to their sites. It's more about getting lots of links out there to goose their google search ratings. So, if a blogger left the links because she didn't pay attention or didn't think anyone would use them, the source is still getting a benefit through bogus comments.
- Don't jump to conclusions. I still think there are signs of tackiness here on the dentist's part - the long hours, the heavy push on SEO, including a staff member who knows the term, and the multiple offices in the area. But it could just be a younger dentist with more internet savvy whose SEO specialist used unethical ways to boost the google ratings.
- There are lots of SEO companies out there trying to get your business. I get regular solicitations here myself. It's probably a good idea to ask them what their ethical standards are and what practices they use and don't use.
- Not being careful means, like with this Dental Center, that you can end up with ads that make you look really tacky. But then maybe that's why the ads were put on an Alaska blog, where XXXXXXXX area patients aren't likely to see them. But the internet is beyond borders, so that doesn't matter.
And if you get spam comments on your website, or see such tacky ads, call up the company and let them know what you think. If it's on your website, delete it right away.
[Just in case someone is asking, "What's wrong with the ad?"
- It's fake. It was put on the blog, not as a legitimate part of the discussion of the post, but simply to drop a flyer for this company.
- It's spam. It's like internet litter. Like putting your ad on someone's fence.
- It tries to game the system. It distorts the ratings that Google (and others) use to determine who gets on page one of searches. I'm not saying Google's system doesn't have flaws, but it's like cutting in line, or cheating on a test, in my book. There's a better way to say this. It's like learning all the tricks of looking good without actually being good. But when people see through it, it looks tacky, like a bald man wearing a toupee.
Occupy Your Brain
Everyone is telling us what and how to think.
The occupiers - whatever their message - have tapped into a general distaste for all the bullshit we live with everyday. There is no one message. Those who say the occupiers need to brand themselves, don't get that this is an anti-branding movement. The critics so take for granted their own brainwashing that they don't realize this is about paradigm shifting. Each person feels the anomalies, feels that something is fundamentally wrong with how our economic system is conceived. As we watch the hope of Obama ground up by Washington's establishment power brokers, each of us can join the Occupiers for our own reasons.
But underlying it all, it seems to me, is the need to occupy one's own brain. To be alert to the ways our brains are manipulated - by the media, by advertising, by churches, by schools, by music, by everyone. We need the ability to filter the bull shit out of the constant bombardment of invading messages.
We need times of peace and quiet, with no external brain assaults other than the warmth of the sun, the smell of fresh flowers and grasses and trees, the sound of running water and rustling leaves. No words. Time to sort through all the crap we've accumulated, to consider where it came from, to reassess its validity, and to toss out the garbage. Then we can see the ideas that matter, that are grounded in reason and feeling and some sort of rational correspondence to the world outside our heads.
So Occupy Your Brains. Once others have control over your brain, they have complete power over you. It took years for them to infiltrate. Cleaning them out won't happen overnight. But begin now and do a little bit each day.
And as I offer this video - which I saw at Immoral Minority - I remind you to question the video as well. Don't simply accept it (or reject it) because it fits what you (don't) want to believe. Or because you like the music. Look it over, test it, put it in the quarantine section of your brain to make sure there isn't some hidden infection. And remember to beware of those who would hijack this and other good ideas and pervert them for their own benefit.
- "By cutting taxes, repealing regulations, balancing our budget and expanding domestic energy production America can create millions of new jobs"
- "The increase in consumer spending was widely embraced as good news, a sign that consumers might be helping to propel the economy forward."
- "This threat from within consists of Godless, Bible-bashing, self-serving groups who proclaim personal freedom to all, when they actually mean freedom only to those like themselves. Groups such as Planned Parenthood, and the National Organization of Women, who have been abortion advocates since their beginnings, resulting in the deaths of more than 1.5 million babies each year in the United States alone. Groups like the Gay and Lesbian Coalition, which tear at the very fabric of our society by claiming theirs is only an "alternate lifestyle", instead of an abberation and an abomination."
- " … the pulpit preachers of exclusion are a brand of the old fire starters of the southern landscape. They influence the young and those who need fellowship, telling them who to dislike and who to blame for their own weaknesses. They take the sponges waiting to be filled. “Exclusion of all that can hurt you” is the message. “Now,” they say, “let me tell you WHO can hurt you, and God’s plan for YOU.”
- "Illegal immigration causes an enormous drain on public funds."
- "Give me your tired, your poor/Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free"
- "Environmental stresses are increasing. Even if it were possible for fossil fuels to maintain their current share of the energy mix and respond to increased demand, CO2 emissions would then be on a pathway that could severely threaten human well-being"
- "The printed book is doomed"
- "Occupiers don't comprehend how the market capitalist system works."
- "The connection between marijuana use and gang activity and violence is inescapable."
- Just do it.
- "Cigaret smoking causes lung cancer."
- Brain exercise works: crossword puzzles stave off Alzheimer's
- "Fat free, cholesterol free."
- "Abstinence-centered education can – and does – work."
- "With Cenegenics, you’ll feel better, look younger and enjoy a longer, healthier life. Learn more about Cenegenics and register to receive our free Healthy Aging Kit."
- "Our experience working in rigorous and challenging conditions in the Arctic means that we are qualified to do the job right -- to explore for offshore oil and gas in Alaska in a very safe and careful way."
The occupiers - whatever their message - have tapped into a general distaste for all the bullshit we live with everyday. There is no one message. Those who say the occupiers need to brand themselves, don't get that this is an anti-branding movement. The critics so take for granted their own brainwashing that they don't realize this is about paradigm shifting. Each person feels the anomalies, feels that something is fundamentally wrong with how our economic system is conceived. As we watch the hope of Obama ground up by Washington's establishment power brokers, each of us can join the Occupiers for our own reasons.
But underlying it all, it seems to me, is the need to occupy one's own brain. To be alert to the ways our brains are manipulated - by the media, by advertising, by churches, by schools, by music, by everyone. We need the ability to filter the bull shit out of the constant bombardment of invading messages.
We need times of peace and quiet, with no external brain assaults other than the warmth of the sun, the smell of fresh flowers and grasses and trees, the sound of running water and rustling leaves. No words. Time to sort through all the crap we've accumulated, to consider where it came from, to reassess its validity, and to toss out the garbage. Then we can see the ideas that matter, that are grounded in reason and feeling and some sort of rational correspondence to the world outside our heads.
So Occupy Your Brains. Once others have control over your brain, they have complete power over you. It took years for them to infiltrate. Cleaning them out won't happen overnight. But begin now and do a little bit each day.
And as I offer this video - which I saw at Immoral Minority - I remind you to question the video as well. Don't simply accept it (or reject it) because it fits what you (don't) want to believe. Or because you like the music. Look it over, test it, put it in the quarantine section of your brain to make sure there isn't some hidden infection. And remember to beware of those who would hijack this and other good ideas and pervert them for their own benefit.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Spanish Unemployment Brought Home - The Wicked Power of Great Animation
Fellow blogger and friend, Spanish architect and wicked* artist, Tomás Serrano, just posted a short animated film he made that is NOT in the Anchorage International Film Festival this year (maybe next year?) But it shows the power of animation to convey the emotional impact of Europe's economic hard times. Even though this short cartoon is in Spanish - spoken so fast only a supersonic speed reader could keep up with subtitles if there were any - it's completely comprehensible to anyone whether they understand Spanish or not.
MR. ARCHITECT EN CRISIS from TOMAS SERRANO on Vimeo.
*Since English is not Tomás' first language and I've used a slang version of the word 'wicked,' I guess I should explain. The Urban Dictionary doesn't quite cover the meaning I intend. "Wicked" here, means "something so honest about an unfortunate truth that it is both painful and delicious."
MR. ARCHITECT EN CRISIS from TOMAS SERRANO on Vimeo.
*Since English is not Tomás' first language and I've used a slang version of the word 'wicked,' I guess I should explain. The Urban Dictionary doesn't quite cover the meaning I intend. "Wicked" here, means "something so honest about an unfortunate truth that it is both painful and delicious."
AIFF 2011: Animated Films in Competition - Ducks, Nuts, Mutant Chickens, Zombies, and More
The 2011Anchorage International Film Festival starts in less than a week - Friday, Dec. 2.
These are the animated films that have been chosen by the screening committees as the best and they are in competition for the festival prizes.
All the Animated Films in Competition will be in the same program this year, so seeing them all will be much easier. See the schedule at the bottom.
8 Second Dance was created by 12 students at the University of Colorado Denver's Digital Animation Center.
8 Second Dance from Bart Tyler on Vimeo.
Mutant Chickens just started on the film festival circuit in September. It's already won Best Animated Film at the Rockport Film Festival and the Offshoot Film Festival. Nayeem Mahbub seems to have many overlapping roles - columnist for the Independent (Bangladesh), BBC producer/director, and graduate of Oberlin in cinema studies.
Probably, when most Americans hear the word Bangladesh, if they have any image of the country at all, think about poverty and flooding. They probably don't think about
Not quite Tagore, in this film killer mutant chickens terrorize Bangladesh, but it's much better than that description sounds.
This is a hand drawn animation about a duck who's late for migration and has to find his own way south. Kinografx's facebook page says Duck's flying north to Anchorage for the festival. Does that mean Patrick Neary is coming along? [UPDATE 11/27/11 - 1:13pm: Comment below says 'yes.' Also, I see I missed that Northwest Animation Festival selected "Landscape with Duck" for their Best of the Fest.]
This 2:21minute animation has 32 people listed in the credits. Back in July last year, the Director posted a request on CGSociety requesting internet collaboration on this film. The n4p.theoryanimation.com sums up what happened next:
2011 Reel from David Andrade on Vimeo.
Their vimeo site has a picture of Max and Ru which I've paired up with a screen shot of the main characters from Something Left, Something Taken.
This one fits neatly in a theme I've mentioned on this blog at various times: We see what we're conditioned to see. This video below is the whole movie. You can see it with French or Japanese subtitles at their Vimeo page.
Something Left, Something Taken- Full Version from Tiny Inventions on Vimeo.
Check their bi-lingual blog (Japanese and English) and this interview at Wacky Shorts Creations where they each answer the question:
Gergely, according to his website, is a Hungarian who's living in London recently got his MA at the Royal College of Art in Animation. By the way, he's planning to be in Anchorage for the festival.
This is Not Real - Trailer from Gergely Wootsch on Vimeo.
HTML Tables
Video from DNAInfo
WHEN AND WHERE TO SEE THESE FILMS?
.
They will all be part of the porgram called "Animation World-Wide" which will show twice at the Alaska Experience Theater and twice at Out North.
Seven addition animated films will be part of the Animation World-Wide package.
One thing to pay attention to when you watch these films is the difference between hand drawn and computer drawn animation. I'm not taking sides, but viewers should pay attention and learn to distinguish between the two. Here's part of a blog post in which Tom Benthin addresses this:
If you want even more, in 2002, David Mitchell wrote a Masters Report on The Future of the Cartoon Feature Film. But that's like a historical document given how fast technology is changing.
These are the animated films that have been chosen by the screening committees as the best and they are in competition for the festival prizes.
All the Animated Films in Competition will be in the same program this year, so seeing them all will be much easier. See the schedule at the bottom.
| 8 Second Dance | Trey Moya | USA | 8 minutes |
8 Second Dance was created by 12 students at the University of Colorado Denver's Digital Animation Center.
8 Second Dance from Bart Tyler on Vimeo.
| Attack of the Killer Mutant Chickens [Murgi Keno Mutant] | Nayeem Mahbub | Bangladesh | 15 minutes |
 |
| Nayeem Mahbub |
Probably, when most Americans hear the word Bangladesh, if they have any image of the country at all, think about poverty and flooding. They probably don't think about
Bangla poet and philosopher Rabindrananth Tagore (1861 - 1941) was the first Asian novelist to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. The award was for an English translation of his mystical poem "Gitanjali" (Song offerings).[From Betelco.com]Or that's it's the 9th most populous country in the world with over 142 million inhabitants. So it's good that we have a film from Bangladesh.
Not quite Tagore, in this film killer mutant chickens terrorize Bangladesh, but it's much better than that description sounds.
| Landscape With Duck | Patrick Neary | USA | 4 minutes |
This is a hand drawn animation about a duck who's late for migration and has to find his own way south. Kinografx's facebook page says Duck's flying north to Anchorage for the festival. Does that mean Patrick Neary is coming along? [UPDATE 11/27/11 - 1:13pm: Comment below says 'yes.' Also, I see I missed that Northwest Animation Festival selected "Landscape with Duck" for their Best of the Fest.]
| Nuts For Pizza | David Andrade | USA | 2 minutes |
This 2:21minute animation has 32 people listed in the credits. Back in July last year, the Director posted a request on CGSociety requesting internet collaboration on this film. The n4p.theoryanimation.com sums up what happened next:
Nuts for Pizza represents a new wave of film-making techniques and is the first truly online collaborative animated short film. Simply by logging into a website, artists from the United States and Canada were given the means to produce Nuts for Pizza without ever meeting in person. In total, 32 skilled artisans worked together to produce the short, which was inspired by actual events.It's been at a few festivals so far
Theory Animation began in early 2008, born from the desire to allow artists hundreds of miles apart to collaborate in a studio-like setting over the Internet. Because nothing like this had existed before, the goal was to create an easily-accessible portal that would allow anyone to use their skills to contribute to creative projects in production. With talented artists scattered throughout the globe, Theory Animation crosses borders and marries technology with art.
2011 Reel from David Andrade on Vimeo.
| Something Left, Something Taken | Ru Kuwahata Max Porter | USA | 10 minutes |
Their vimeo site has a picture of Max and Ru which I've paired up with a screen shot of the main characters from Something Left, Something Taken.This one fits neatly in a theme I've mentioned on this blog at various times: We see what we're conditioned to see. This video below is the whole movie. You can see it with French or Japanese subtitles at their Vimeo page.
Something Left, Something Taken- Full Version from Tiny Inventions on Vimeo.
Check their bi-lingual blog (Japanese and English) and this interview at Wacky Shorts Creations where they each answer the question:
HW: What does being able to draw mean to you?
RK: Being able to create a world from nothing.
MP: Drawing can mean a lot of different things A drawing can be pure communication or a plan for something else. Sometimes the drawing is a finished product and sometimes it a way to study the world around us. I guess it’s all about the context.
| This Is Not Real | Gergely Wootsch | UK | 7 minutes |
Gergely, according to his website, is a Hungarian who's living in London recently got his MA at the Royal College of Art in Animation. By the way, he's planning to be in Anchorage for the festival.
This is Not Real - Trailer from Gergely Wootsch on Vimeo.
| Year Zero | Richard Cunningham | USA | 24 minutes |
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| Richard Cunningham |
This is an animated zombie movie. Last year Elias Matar explained that Ashes was an "infected" movie rather than a zombie movie and this too seems to fit in the infected category, but I'm not an expert on these things.
The photo is a screen shot from Zombies
"He spent 14 to 16 hour days at work in his Astoria basement apartment while "slowly draining away my savings." Without training as an illustrator or animator, the one-time Bard College student depended on online tutorials and forums and, for much of the process, a 10-year-old computer.
"I learned so much from 15-year-olds, just how to solve problems in Final Cut [video editing software]," Cunningham said. "It's kind of embarrassing listening to this pubescent kid tell you what to do, and yet they're totally right.'"Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/20110422/downtown/zombies-take-manhattan-tribeca-film-festival-short#ixzz1etrtr3Uq
Video from DNAInfo
WHEN AND WHERE TO SEE THESE FILMS?
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They will all be part of the porgram called "Animation World-Wide" which will show twice at the Alaska Experience Theater and twice at Out North.
| Day | Time | Venue |
| Sunday Dec 4 | 12 pm | Alaska Experience |
Tuesday Dec. 6 | 7pm | Out North |
| Friday Dec. 9 | 7:20 pm | Alaska Experience |
| Saturday Dec 10 | 6pm | Out North |
Seven addition animated films will be part of the Animation World-Wide package.
One thing to pay attention to when you watch these films is the difference between hand drawn and computer drawn animation. I'm not taking sides, but viewers should pay attention and learn to distinguish between the two. Here's part of a blog post in which Tom Benthin addresses this:
I’ll start by saying that I believe that drawings that are hand-made and loosely or roughly drawn engage us more, drawing us into the process of animating what we’re viewing. By “animating” I mean the way we bring a drawing to life in our mind. Here’s a cartoon from the New Yorker that I’ve shown to graphic facilitation classes I’ve taught over the years:You can read the whole post and see his illustrations here.
If you want even more, in 2002, David Mitchell wrote a Masters Report on The Future of the Cartoon Feature Film. But that's like a historical document given how fast technology is changing.
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