AIFF 2014 - Attila Szász Talks About His Film The Ambassador To Bern

The Ambassador To Bern looks to be a very good film.  Unfortunately, film maker Attila Szász can't make it to Anchorage for the festival - he's just starting filming of his next film.  But I got a chance to interview him via Skype recently.  I'm going to combine text and video here, because I think it will work best, particularly since there was some trouble with the Skype images for some of the video.  I'll give you enough video to get a sense of Mr. Szász.

The Ambassador to Bern plays

Today (Tuesday) at 5:30pm at the Bear Tooth and 

Tomorrow (Wednesday) at 5:30pm at the AK Experience small theater

There's nothing in this long interview with the director that should be a spoiler for anyone.

As I've worked with the video in preparing this post, I realize there are a couple of key themes of interest that are discussed:

• The poetic license of fictionalizing a historic event.  Szász speaks of how the facts aren't all known about what happened, so they decided to write their own story about it.  And even though the ambassador in question was still alive - in his 90s - they decided not to talk to him before making the film. 
• Using past events to get people to discuss current events.  Szász relates that while they wanted people to think about how people in government today have the same kind of complex relationships as people did in the past, he wasn't trying to make a point either for or against the current Hungarian government.  But people on different political sides saw statements for or against the current government. 
• The story I hear from all film makers - the perseverance required to make a film.  

We spoke first, well after comparing the weather in Anchorage and Budapest, about how he got onto this topic.  He had a friend who'd stumbled onto the story of two Hungarian immigrants in Switzerland who stormed the Hungarian embassy in Bern, not long after the Russians crushed the Hungarian revolution in 1956.

1.  How he found the story

"Our screen writer Norbert Köbli who wrote two movies before regarding this subject matter, spent time in the library searching for those other two movie and he kept bumping into interesting stories from this time - 1956 and the surrounding year - and he bumped into this story he’d never heard of, actually no one had ever heard of it in Hungary, this attack against this embassy in Bern and he liked the idea of something that happened outside of Hungary regarding the revolution, it was the aftermath of the revolution."

2.  Fictionalizing an historical event   (this is the text of the video clip above)

"He realized what they had in the library was just the confessions of those people in the embassy and he realized they were synchronized confessions, synchronized reports, probably just one side of the truth.  Then he decided, ok, he takes creative freedom  and writes a version that’s a possibility that might have happened inside because nobody knows what really happened inside.  That’s why he created this hostage situation that never really happened in the embassy.   Because what happened according to the reports, the two guys broke in and started shooting and they were surprised the people in the embassy started shooting back.  They found at least 70 something bullet holes in the walls. So it was like a scene from a Western movie and we realized it would be too much to consume for the audience, the whole shooting, so we decided to go with a more intellectual happening inside."

Since I haven't seen the movie - only the trailer - I asked about what the two were looking for in the safe in the embassy.

3.  What were they looking for in the safe?

"No body knows what they were after but there were two versions, one is to get the attention of the Western media, because the former prime minister was just executed two months before this happened, and these guys who were immigrants in Switzerland,  realized nobody pays attention to what is going on in Hungary any more so they decided to make a blast, come up with something violent and loud, that’s why they used their guns.  They got what they wanted because the western media covered the event for many months afterward and again they started paying attention to what was happening in Hungary.     

And the other version was they were after the agent list which they kept in the safe in the embassy, because they heard that a lot of agents filtering in among the immigrants, pretending they are immigrants and finding out what all the immigrants are about and there were even attacks happening against the immigrants in Switzerland, so that’s why the guys decided to find out who were the agents among the immigrants so that’s the other version, but we thought that the agent list, even if it might be true it’s a little bit used for these kinds of movies, so we started the code book"

Q:  First shown on Hungarian tv?

Yes it was on Hungarian tv and came out on dvd and had a limited theatrical run and now on the festival circuit

Q:   Did people come out and tell you more about that time?

People wanted to find out what was true and not true.  After the gala premiere in Budapest, in the movie theater.  One of the relatives of one of the guys who died in the embassy came up to us.  

4.  Relatives of the two men contacted us after seeing the film  (Part 4 is in the clip above)

"Two guys were shot during the incident and we kept (???).  His relative showed up and  said it was very shocking to see the movie and told us her version of what happened.  A few months later, relatives of the other guy showed up.  They still lived in Bern, they said they liked the movie, they like the performance, but didn’t come up with their own version.  

The Ambassador was still alive, fictionalizing names of characters 

Actually the guy who was the ambassador in the film was still alive when we shot the film, but we decided not to contact him because he was over 90 years old and because we have a very strong statement in the movie that never happened in reality.We decided to change his names, to change all the characters’ names in the film, because it was not about them any more.  It was a story inspired by a real incident.  I think one or two months after the premiere he died." 

He had a very brilliant career.  He  became ambassador in Moscow and Prague and I don't know where else and he retired as a deputy prime minister I think.  He went far after this incident.  Basically we didn’t want to use him as a model.  We created brand new characters and we just wanted to show that there was a lot of conflict inside the embassy between the workers, between the secret police, between the ambassador,  between the secretaries, so it's all about people agreeing or not agreeing about how the system works and fighting for how things work.  The same thing that is happening today.  We wanted to reflect that as well, And of course we wanted to create a very tense and suspenseful thriller with all the twists. We realized whenever it was shown in a film festival outside Hungary, would have difficulty to understand the political and historical context because we used a lot of names that they don’t know who they are, but they enjoyed it anyway - 

Q:  but they’re all fake anyway -  

The Real Historical Figures in the Film

No the real names, because we're using the name of János Kádár  new prime minister at the time  of the incident who executed the former minister [Imre Nagy], so these were real historical figures, but outside of Hungary very few people know who they are, [but they kept hearing their names again and again. . .]

5.  Parallels to today 

Q:  You say the same thing is happening  today in Hungary.  What parallels are there?

It was fun to see that both parties said, this is a great movie for our party.  One party said because it is anti-communist it is a good election movie.  We told him that was not our motive, or goal at all.  We didn’t want to criticize or agree with the current government, just to show nothing has changed in the last fifty years.  Another crew member asked how could you get financing for this because you can see all the lines all the turns all the suggestions in the story and in dialogue are so much about what’s going on today.  So we enjoyed the situation that everyone kept hearing what they wanted to hear and read what they wanted to read between the lines, so it’s something that makes people think and makes people think about the recent situation, so that was fun.

How the film evolved over a decade

Q:  I understand that was your first feature film?  Yes.  

Q:  How does it feel having it done?

 I was working on getting my project off the ground for about a decade.  I directed a short film that has done pretty well all over the world. And so I thought ok the next step would be easier for now I have a   [hole in can?]   , but the one or two projects I was working on was too big to get financing in Hungary especially because we imagined  . . .

6.   A Script Appears

I wanted to shoot film based on my script, but it took a very long time that I got very frustrated.  My old friend Norbert Köbli, who wrote the screenplay, suddenly out of the blue called me and said I wrote this script and I know you aren’t interested in other people’s scripts but just read it and if you like you have a chance to direct it.  At that time I said I was interested in anything, Norbert just send it over.  He sent me the script and I read it and said, it’s going to be a tv film because it’s not financed by the film fund, but by another authorization who are usually financing tv movies and short films.  Yes, it’s a very little money, very low budget, but maybe you can take it one step further than a tv movie if you can get hold of the material.  Fine, I’ll give it a try, even if it is a tv movie, it is a narrative I can direct, because I usually direct commercials for a living and you know I wanted to, finally I wanted to film  . . . 

7.   Shooting the film and distribution

It was a very,very fast, crazy fast shooting and we enjoyed every moment of it, and the editing was brilliant. But we had a deadline.  We needed to deliver the film. 

Q:  Where did you shoot it?  

We shot it in Budapest.  So it was a great couple of months.  We had a limited run in movie theaters we gave it a chance, but the Hungarian tv had a premiere date, no distributors wanted to touch it because they didn’t have time to promote the film before it came out.  So we just went from movie theater to movie theater and they enjoyed it very much and they wanted to show it  so they organized special screenings all over the city and then we had the tv premiere and then afterward it came out on DVD because of the demand. 

Because the critics reacted enthusiastically and the audience loved it and so they all wanted to see it again.  So it is out in DVD and from time to time it is being shown in a movie theater in a couple of the cities in Hungary and we just had a rerun on tv so, we are getting good feedback and now we are in the beginning of our festival run.  We had the international premiere in Montreal with [?????] and we won an award in the first fiction film category, Bronze Zenith for the First Fiction Feature Film.  It was a blast.  It was a nice start with the festival.  And probably because of Montreal and the award, a lot of festivals have taken notice  and we’re happy to see it is doing well around the world and we are happy to see it is going to Alaska - We’re pleased -  Actually the short film I was talking about was also screened at this festival in Anchorage, it was called Now You See Me, Now You Don’t  In 2006 it was screened in Anchorage.  

Q: I started going to the festival regularly in 2007, so I don't recall it.  Is anyone from the film coming to Anchorage? -  

 I would love to go, but we are shooting our next movie.  Same crew and same producer, same production company, same writer, financed by the same authority.  And the same amount of money.

8.  The new project - assassination of a famous courtesan, financing the film

Q: What's the new film about?

The ssassinatrion of a famous courtesan….Years ago that shook up the entire city of Budapest, everybody was talking about it because the courtesan was very famous, everyone knew about her and they were shocked because someone famous was getting murdered.

Q:  Was that before or after the Arch Duke got shot?

It’s before.  It takes place in January, so it’s maybe a couple of months before the assassination [of the Arch Duke].  It’s a style piece.  It’s the Austrian-Hungarian monarchy.  So it’s very difficult to recreate the era, because we have to start from scratch, the costumes the props, set, everything.  And we have so little money again, but I just couldn’t refuse this chance because the script is again is something I love very much.  I was warned, do you remember the first time you had to shoot in 17 days with so little money, you suffered and you were frustrated, and you want to do it again?  I said, yes, because it’s a good script and we have now, nineteen days so it’s two more days, - piece of cake - probably it's a bit longer,  the story. so it’s very difficult to shoot again, but hopefully next time we’ll have the backing of the film fund and we’ll have maybe three or four times the time and money, because it’s normal that Hungarian films are being shot in 35, 40, maybe 45 days and we had less than 20 both times.

 Q:  So they got good value for their money?

Yes, and I’m afraid they are getting used to it that I am maybe being categorized as a guy who can make something good with very little money, so let’s not give him any more.

 Q:  That’s good and that’s bad

Yes, so we are very excited, we start shooting in two weeks, and we see how that turns out.   But otherwise we have now a lot of projects we want to take to the film fund

9.  Why the Hungarian poster just had the ambassador's face and the English poster had guns

Based on our success with the Ambassador to Bern, they are open to support us, and we’ll see how this second movie turns out.

 Q:  One more question - about the differences between the two posters

The first one was a teaser poster.  In Hungary the guy who plays the Ambassador is a very famous actor.  So his face alone is a very strong image for most of the audience.  But the producer wanted to something to put more actors, more action to show it has some real action, excitement, suspense in the film, so that’s how we came up with the second poster.  And we decided to use the second one internationally, because no one knows the actor who plays the ambassador outside of Hungary, so we wanted to give a feel of what is happening in the film.  I remember the first version of the poster even had explosions in it because the graphic artist got carried away so let’s not go the Indian way or the Thai or Korean way 

 Q:  The US way

So we don’t have any of that in the film so we took it off.  

 Q:  Is there anything I didn’t ask?

I don’t want to spoil anything for you, so I’d rather not talk about the story  , , I think  the first film it was a great experience but every film maker says that,  especially working with the actors, that was the biggest jump for me, to work with such good actors.  And we were very happy and pleased to see all the love we received.  We didn’t know if it would go anywhere.  We wanted to make a film that might be broadcast on tv once or twice and that was it and we’re happy to see the length it goes.  These are very good months for us.

Q:  Looking forward to seeing it. 

I asked again if anyone from the film might be able to come to Anchorage and he said unfortunately not.  Everyone is busy.  He's starting his new film and the actors are all involved in live theater in Budapest.  He said that right then Ambassador to Bern was at the Cairo Film Festival and they'd been offered airline tickets and free hotel rooms, but no one could even take advantage of that, even though none of them had ever been to Cairo, and it's a lot closer to Budapest than Anchorage.  

AIFF 2014: Tuesday's Offerings Include Ambassador To Bern and The Empty Chair

I can't believe it's only Monday night as I write this.  The weekend was packed with all sorts of interesting events and good films.  So, what about Tuesday?

My Picks

Greg Chaney, Director of The Empty Chair, Sunday

The Ambassador to Bern  and The Empty Chair (Made in Alaska #6)

I saw The Empty Chair Sunday at its world premiere.  It's a great Alaskan documentary that looks at the Japanese-American community living in Juneau when Pearl Harbor was attacked.  Although they were well integrated into the small town (one of the people interviewed said there were about 5000 people), they were all evacuated to internment camps after the attack.  Through interviews with the survivors - both Japanese-Americans and not, the movie paints a picture of a community that worked hard to support their neighbors.  The empty chair in the title refers to a chair on the stage of graduation for John Tanaka, who would have been the valedictorian had he not been sent to an internment camp.  This is a powerful movie that uses interviews with people who were there - including Katie Hurley - and archival footage and photos.  This was a very low budget film and gets my highest ratings on quality per dollar spent.  It captures some Alaska history while the eyewitnesses are still alive.  7pm at the AK Experience Theater Small.

Attila Szász director of Ambassador to Bern

The Ambassador To Bern - I've only seen the trailer, but I did a Skype interview with the director Attila Szasz which I'll get posted later today.  This is an historical feature film.  Based on a true story about two Hungarian immigrants who try to take over the Hungarian embassy in Bern, Switzerland, a couple of months after the Russians crush the 1956 Hungarian revolution.  This one feels like it's going to be good.  It is in competition (as are the other two films at the Bear Tooth tonight.)  5:30pm Bear Tooth

Ambassador to Bern is set to end at 6:46pm, so there is time to get down to the AK Experience in time to get to the 7pm showing of The Empty Chair.  This is a documentary, so if you get there a few minutes late, it will be ok.  For those sticking around at the Bear Tooth, there's over an hour between films.

The Others

You shouldn't dismiss the rest just because these aren't included in "the picks.' I just haven't been able to track everything. I Believe in Unicorns  (8pm Bear Tooth) and Six Bullets To Hell (10 pm Bear Tooth) are both features that are 'in competition.' You can see more about them (and Ambassador) at my post on the features in competition.

Québékoisie- A Canadian documentary.  From festival genius:

Mélanie and Olivier decided to cycle the North Shore of Quebec, Canada, to better understand the complex relationships that exist between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. This quest for identity would push them to travel deep inside themselves and to faraway lands. Their encounters, both planned and spontaneous, include the surprising tale of an Innu man in search of his ancestors in Normandy, and the heart-wrenching story of the sister of Corporal Marcel Lemay, who was killed during the 1990 Oka crisis.

6pm at AK Experience Large


These Hopeless Strangers  - Another Brooklyn film (Monday night's Appropriate Behavior also took place in Brooklyn.)   From Festival Genius:

When big news comes in for the constant bachelor Shawn, he makes it a mission to visit everyone who has shunned him for years. This includes his old friend Greg - a children's musician living in the cozy, domestic confines of Brooklyn. After the two hit some hilarious re-acquainting pains, they soon hit the American road for a trip that will show them the gifts and the costs of real friendship.

8pm at AK Experience Large 

The Making of the Cebra

This is one of the film brought in by the Mexican Consulate. Here's the description from Festival Genius: Mexican filmmaker Fernando León's award-winning film "La Cebra (The Zebra)" will be shown as part of the 2014 AIFF Mexican Consulate Program at the Bear Tooth Theater on December 10. Here's what one critic had to say about The Zebra: "A visually stunning debut by longtime screenwriter Fernando León, The Zebra feels like what might have resulted had Luis Bunuel adapted Homer’s Odyssey and set it in Mexico circa 1915" Come to the inlet Tower hear Sr. León director discuss his film, and then go see La Cebra at the Bear Tooth the following night.  7pm Inlet Towers, 

AIFF 2014: Monday Choices

The craziness of the weekend schedules - multiple movies playing simultaneously from 11 am to 11 pm - is over.  But one is still left with decisions.  Here's today's schedule.

I've had trouble keeping up with all the feature films and all the documentaries.  My focus has been on those 'in competition' to start with and then look beyond.  I did see "Listening" last night and enjoyed it and I'll post more on that later.  Just because a film isn't in competition doesn't mean it's not good, and the decision to pick one film over another often is divided.  Every year, there's at least one feature or documentary that I think is better than one in competition.

But tonight, I'm going with Appropriate Behavior (feature in competition) and Mala Mala (documentary in competition.

Appropriate Behavior is about an Iranian-American lesbian.  I bet you haven't seen too many films on that theme.  I have more on the film in my list of features in competition.   5:30pm Bear Tooth

Mala Mala is about the Puerto Rican trans community.  Another topic you probably haven't seen on film before.  This one is a documentary and I've covered it a bit more in my list of docs in competition.  8pm Bear Tooth

These two films are part of the Festivals traditional "Gayla" program.


Other Films being shown tonight:


Porch Stories
This feature sounds promising.  From their Indie GoGo fund raising page (which got $7900 out of their goat of $7500.)

Maddie is engaged and closing on a house when a man from her past walks by, throwing her planned out life into question. From nearby porches, neighbours young and old witness Maddie’s quandary unfold and are in turn moved to act radically in pursuit of their own happiness. Maddie’s actions inspire her next door neighbours - an elderly Portuguese couple and a musical brother/sister duo - to follow their hearts’ desire, even if it means going against convention.

And here's an interview with Sarah Goodman, the director, before it was finished if you want to  find out more.   The film takes place in Toronto.   8pm Alaska Experience Large

Made in Alaska #4  includes an aurora film.  You can get more info on each film here.  When you go to the link, click on the titles.  7pm Alaska Experience Small

• The Mystery of the Copper River | Mikhail Malakhov

• Tracing Roots | Ellen Frankenstein 2014

• Aniak to Dillingham | Luc Mehl 2014

• The World Beyond the World | Paxson Woelber 2014

• EPIC AURORA & Natural Phenomena | Todd Salat 2014

The Homestretch is a documentary that follows the lives of three homeless high school students as they struggle to graduate.  I heard good things about this movie from people who saw it Saturday, and I'm sorry I'm going to miss it.  6pm Museum


Mr. Intangibles  -  A bit from their Kickstarter Page (which also has a trailer):

MR. INTANGIBLES has been a labor of love from the beginning.  Over the course of 3 years, we wrote, re-wrote, raised money and finally shot our passion project.  We pulled together an amazing cast and crew and shot a film that is both heartfelt and hilarious.  And now we are seeking your help to finish post production and bring this film to a theater near you!
SYNOPSIS:Inspired by (probably) true events, MR. INTANGIBLES is the story of Billy “Junk” Wainwright, a guy who only loves two things: his girlfriend, Celia, and his college football team, The Bulldogs. But when Junk finds out that Celia is leaving him to date the team’s star quarterback and nation’s golden boy, Tate Armstrong, Junk’s world is turned upside down and kicked in the nuts.  8pm Museum

Sacrifice

The description at Festival Genius:

"Deep in the woods, four teenage boys come face to face with their own conscience."

  The Hollywood Reporter review, gives a little more detail.

"To celebrate their winning season, Hank and his friends Kaz (Brandon Smith) and Benny (Lewis Tan) decide to go on a hunting trip, with Tim begging to come along. Things begin well enough, with the usual drinking and boisterous spirits, until . . ."

I don't want to spoil it so I'll stop there.  And it's in Texas.  6pm Ak Experience Large



  

AIFF 2014: Khalil Sullins, Director of "Listening"

This is the kind of thing that happens at the film festival all the time.  I meet a director and actor and I end up seeing their film instead of what I had planned.  In this case, Saturday afternoon, I had an hour before Rocks in My Pocket began nearby at the museum.

So after making this very brief video, I went in to see 'Listening' - a feature I knew nothing about, except someone had told me it was good.  It's also Khalil's first feature.

So I decided to at least see the beginning.  

It starts out with a young man sweating his way through a Cambodia forest until he reaches a remote temple where he meets the head monk (or at least a monk who spoke English) and says he needs to gain self discipline because he's done something very bad.  Then we cut back to, well, I don't want to tell you too much.  Let's just say two young men are experimenting with brain reading technology.  What I saw was reasonably well done and I wanted to stay, but I knew it would be playing again -   And I'm planning to go see the rest of it tonight:

Sunday, Dec. 7, 8pm Bear Tooth

Here's the festival's  description  of Listening.

[There are going to be a few of these quick and dirty videos.  I was on my way to another film, and in all but one case, hadn't seen the film yet.  I wanted to give you a chance to see and hear the filmmaker, but didn't have the time to push for more than their canned quick "my film in 30 seconds' speech.  I'll get better stuff up during the week when the films are only in the evening.]

AIFF 2014: Films (and events) For Sunday, Dec. 7 [UPDATED]

It's Pearl Harbor Day.  A couple of years ago we had a great film, The Red Machine (scroll down), that was all about trying to decode the Japanese messages just before Pear Harbor Day, but it wasn't programmed for Dec. 7.  I don't see any such films for today. [UPDATE:  Actually, The Empty Chair was a good film for Dec. 7.  They even had clips of the bombing of Pearl Harbor AND footage of people playing in the snow that day in Juneau.  It was a very good movie, and a great capture of Alaska history while Juneau folks who experienced the internment of Japanese in WWII are still around to talk about it. NOTE:  Empty Chair (see bottom of post for more) is at 11am at Alaska Experience Theater.]

My picks (that I've seen):

Petter Ringbom Dec. 5 at Bear Tooth

Shield and Spear, which I saw last night, is an outstanding documentary on the contemporary on the edge art and music scene in South Africa.  The filming itself is beautifully shot  
and Petter Ringbom (who is here in Anchorage for the festival) did this as a one person film crew - which you wouldn't know.  But when I talked to him after the film, he said he thought this helped him gain the trust of the artists he filmed, had a painting vandalized when the ruling party's lawsuit to have it taken down was unsuccessful.  A photographer had her hard drives, with all her work, stolen.   Interesting characters and their stories are revealed well.  1pm Alaska Experience Large



Rocks In My Pockets -  This is a full length animated feature.  Word I'm getting is that the programmers and juries were split on this, some loving it and some hating it.  I'm on the loving it side.  The Latvian born American film maker, tells her family history with depression and suicide, which takes you through the history of Latvia in the last century as well.  It's very droll and she talks about things individuals and their families normally want to hide with straightforward images (they are simple in one sense but not really - each frame is a piece of art you could put on your wall).  I can understand if you like traditionally told stories this will not be your thing.  If you like original films that have a look and feel you probably have never seen before and are full of serious and honest content (and if you don't, why spend time at a film festival?) then this is a must see film.  5pm Alaska Experience Large



Film Archival Viewing and Talking at The  Museum

Rick Prelinger Image from Spots Unknown

Jim Parker, Director of Film Programming,  has put together a  day at the museum featuring archival film and discussions and demonstrations of interesting ways it can be used.  I'm struggling with words here because I haven't seen this yet.  But he's got a film archive living legend - Rick Prelinger - here with his film No More Road Trips  made up of old home movies he's gotten from people all over the US.  The film, as I understand, edits together all these home movies into one cross country road trip.  This again, is the kind of thing you can get at a film festival - unique kinds of films and a chance to talk to the people who make them.  There are also some vintage Alaska film.  Check out all the stuff going on at the museum today.  Here's an earlier post I did on Rick Prelinger.   No More Road Trips? is at the Museum at 2pm. 

Richard Gray director of Lookalike

The Lookalike  - I saw this last night against my better judgment, but it was well made and kept me watching the whole way through.  This is a typical Hollywood action murder movie with a good dose of violence, drugs, and sex.  The musical score, when I noticed (and mostly you shouldn't), was good.  But I'm just not into movies that use women as sex objects and for target practice.   But if you like that sort of thing, it's well done.  The film maker is here.  And he just finished shooting a film in Seward, that I'm guessing we'll see at the festival next year.  2pm Alaska Experience Small

Dec. 5 at AK Exp Theater

Listening    - I saw the first 45 minutes or so of this yesterday and plan to go back for the rest tonight. Two college plus another, develop brain reading technology.  Based on the opening scene, it doesn't go well.  This is a first feature for film maker Khalil Sullins, who is here in Anchorage.  I'm putting up a short post with video of him later today, so look for it.  8pm Bear Tooth





Global Village Short Narrative Program -   I'm looking forward to this because I've been scoping out the short narratives  in competition.  This program has four of them.  Based on what I saw in yesterday's short narrative program, they're going to be as good as my expectations.  I did talk to one of the film makers via Skype last week and you can see that here.  This is high on my todo list. Here's an overview I posted of all the short narratives in competition - by program.  You can get more details of each film there.  1pm Alaska Experience Theater Large

Alaska films  -   As you can see on the schedule, there are a bunch of Made in Alaska films to see as well.  This is a chance to see what Alaskan film makers are doing, and I think you'll be surprised by the quality of many.  Check the grid above of times and places.

Particularly look at the 11 am program which is the first program of the day.

The Empty Chair (11am at Alaska Experience Theater) looks worth seeing.  Here's the description

In 1942 an Empty Chair was set aside for the Juneau born Japanese American valedictorian of the Juneau High School. The Empty Chair is a unique story about how Japanese Americans from Juneau Alaska were sent to prison camps during WWII and how the community stood in quiet defiance against the immoral internment of American citizens.

The director, Ed Chaney, did a movie that followed a couple who walked, skied, and kayaked across Alaska.  You can see him talking about that film here.

AIFF 2014: My Saturday Highlights

I started at the short narratives program Love and Pain.  I missed the first film and came in during the second one.  Of the rest, I particularly liked two:

• Universal Language
• Reaching Home

Based on what I'd read and seen about Universal Language, I was a little unsure if the director would really be able to pull it off.  And at the beginning I still wasn't sure, but it worked very nicely.  An American in Paris meets a Parisian woman - they don't speak each others' languages.  

Reaching Home was just a very good short family drama - family gathering at Thanksgiving - some sibling rivalry among the two adult sons - as they try to resolve what Mom should do about Dad.  Sailing plays a big role in this movie.  This shorts program plays again Thursday evening.

Rocks In My Pockets

Then on to the museum for Rocks In My Pocket.  I was looking forward to this one - an animated feature film where we learn the history of Latvia in the 20th Century through a family in which depression and suicide  are passed on from generation to generation.  This is a film that has had the programmers and judges divided.  The animation programmers didn't even select it to show in the festival.  The feature programmers not only picked it, but made it one of their films in competition.  

The  animation is playful, and relatively simple (not pixar-like) and the story does go on awhile, but all the history gives us context for the end.  This is probably the most unique film in the festival, but if you like Hollywood action films, this one may not be your cup of tea.  

Rocks in My Pockets plays again Sunday (today), Dec. 7, at 5 pm at the Alaska Exp Theater.

Petter Ringbom after showing of his film Shield and Spear

Shield and Spear

Then to the Bear Tooth for the 5:30 film Shield and Spear, a film about cutting edge, generally below the radar artists in South Africa.  The Swedish born director, Petter Ringbom, who lives in New York was here.  Just very briefly, this a beautifully shot film - wonderful images - of artists on the edge in South Africa.  Petter did this as a solo film crew, something that he says helped him gain the trust of the people who filmed.    Interesting topic, well done.  

Shield and Spear plays again today - Sunday, Dec. 7, 2014 at the Alaska Exp Theater (large) at 1pm.

Hands Up, Don't Shoot - Anchorage

As I left the Alaska Experience theater about 2:50pm to catch Rocks In My Pockets at the Museum, I heard want sounded like a drum?  chanting?  I'd just seen the short "What Cheer?" where the main character is followed around, closely, by his own bizarre brass band.  So I was wondering if I was hearing that in my head.

But I looked back, as it got louder, and there were marchers coming down 4th Avenue to cross C St  where I had just been.  There were marchers in Seattle last week, but I was driving and had to make a left turn before our path was blocked by the marchers.  So no pictures.

But this time i was on foot and so here's a super short video to just document the march.

AIFF 2014: Bob Curtis-Johnson On The Digital Data Management Workshop

I ran into long time Anchorage film maker Bob Curtis-Johnson, who has been promoting film making and new film makers for decades.  I knew he was doing a workshop, but I didn't know the details, so I asked.  When we have national talents in town for the Festival,  I think there should be more technical workshops aimed at local film makers.


This workshop - Sunday, Dec. 7, 2014  at 2pm at the Museum - on Digital Data Management is the kind of workshop I was talking about.  But listen to Bob describe it.





The official Title is:

Archive Before You Shoot: Media Management 

for Digital Filmmaking

The official description is:

Illustrated with an eclectic assortment of digital media and film clips, this open conversation will explore workflows used by digital filmmakers and how media can be optimized to aid repurposing (such as stock footage licensing) and ongoing preservation. Jeff Consiglio, editor on multiple Academy Award-recognized documentary films, will Skype in from L.A. to discuss his media management workflow. Included in the conversation will be a discussion of the digital and analog preservation technologies utilized for the recent restoration of UKSUUM CAUYAI (The Drums of Winter), a 90-minute feature documentary listed on the Library of Congress' National Film Preservation Registry. Also: "52 Cats and 1 Kitten" makes its triumphant return to the Alaskan screen.

AIFF 2014 - Saturday - What To Do?

I'm throwing up my hands here.  Lots of good things and some I really want to do are at the same time.  And the alternative times conflict with something else.  But that's the nature of festivals like this.  More than anyone can see.

I'm going to try to get to Global Village Shorts Program which has four films in competition and to Rocks in My Pocket.  I hate to miss The Homestretch at Loussac and will try to get to the discussion at least.  But I may change my mind.  The grid below will get bigger if you click on it.  Or go to the original at Festival Genius.  There, if you mouse over a film, a popup will give you more detail.

Note the Frost Drive-In.  And there's a family friendly drive-in, in the Loussac Parking lot (I think that's what someone told me, the program just says Loussac.)  That's at 7pm.  You'll use your car radio to get the audio I was told.  

AIFF 2014: Who Is Rick Prelinger?

Image from Spots Unknown

Lots of really interesting people show up in Alaska at one time or another, and they can walk down the street and you would just see "a tourist" or "some old guy" or whatever.  I never would have known who the man in the museum waiting for his wife one Sunday afternoon was 25 or so years ago if the museum director hadn't said, "Steve, have you met Arthur Miller?"

Well coming to Anchorage for the festival is one Rick Prelinger.  He teaches at UC Santa Cruz but more important he's a HUGE old film buff - specifically home videos and sponsored videos made to promote companies, ideas, and, not incidentally, cultural values.  So if you see this guy on the left, say hello.

In my tips for how to get the most out of the festival I include the advice to go to programs that include the film maker.  Well, I think in this case, it's a chance to meet a man who has spent a lot of time and effort learning about film making in the US and how it shapes us as a nation.  This is a big deal.

 He collected thousands of such films and we'll have the chance to see a road trip across the US made up of many of these old films and you'll be able to hear him talk about his truly remarkable Prelinger Archives that is part of the National Archives now.

Check out this short video to learn about one big aspect of Rick Prelinger.







 You have a chance to see his film Saturday night and see and hear him on a panel Sunday at the Museum.   From Festival Genius:

No More Road Trips?

Documentary

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Matches: participants

No More Road Trips? isn't a conventional documentary. It's made completely from home movies that were shot by hundreds of people, starting in the mid-1920s. Its narrative traces a composite automobile journey from the Atlantic to the Pacific, beginning with the shoreline and historical monuments of New England and ending on a beach in southern California.

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Sat, Dec 06, 9:00 PMAnchorage Community Works

The Past and Future of Moving Image Preservation

Event

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Matches: synopsis

Join us for a scintillating and wide-ranging panel discussion on the history and future of moving image preservation in Alaska and the U.S. Our panel of experts will consist of Bob Curtis-Johnson of Summit Day Media in Anchorage, Kevin Tripp and Greg Schmitz of the Alaska Moving Image Preservation Association (AMIPA), and San Francisco Film Archivist and Filmmaker Rick Prelinger. 

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Sun, Dec 07, 6:30 PMAnchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center

Here's what Wikipedia says about him:

"He worked at The Comedy Channel from its startup in 1989 until it was merged into the comedy network HA!, and then worked at Home Box Office until 1995. Rick has taught

in the MFA design program at New York's School of Visual Arts and lectures widely on American cultural and social history and on issues of cultural and intellectual property access. He sat (2001–2004) on the National Film Preservation Board as representative of the Association of Moving Image Archivists, was Board President of the San Francisco Cinematheque (2002–2007), and is currently a board member of the Internet Archive. In July 2013, he was appointed Associate Professor in the Department of Film & Digital Media at UC Santa Cruz.
His feature-length film Panorama Ephemera, depicting the conflicted landscapes of 20th-century America, opened in summer 2004. With spouse Megan Prelinger he is co-founder of the Prelinger Library, an appropriation-friendly reference library located in San Francisco. In recent years he has produced archival compilation films on the history of San Francisco (Lost Landscapes of San Francisco, eight annual films, 2006–2013, and Lost Landscapes of Detroit, three films, 2010–2012 and a fourth, "Yesterday and Tomorrow in Detroit", 2014.) He was awarded a Creative Capital grant in 2012 to make the film No More Road Trips?, which premiered in Austin, Texas, at South by Southwest in March 2013.^[5]He wrote The Field Guide to Sponsored Films (2007) which "describes 452 historically or culturally significant motion pictures commissioned by businesses, charities, advocacy groups, and state or local government units between 1897 and 1980." It is available as a book and as a free PDF from the National Film Preservation Foundation. He worked at the Internet Archive (2005–2007) on a large-scale texts digitization project and (2004–2005) helped organize the Open Content Alliance."