Energized Films

Connecting indies to community - March 2010

2010-03-16T10:24:00.001-04:00

How quickly 3 months have passed! I hope you all enjoyed your holiday season and have had a productive start for 2010!

For those of you interested in Asian Studies, or living in Philadelphia, I will be attending the Annual Meeting of the Association for Asian Studies on behalf of AsiaPacificFilms.com from March 25-28. I’m looking forward to it, they have such interesting discussions programmed!

Second personal bit of fun news is that I was recently the focus of a blog post concerning the film that I am now in post-production on, In the Family Way. I got called a superhero and she even went into all of my previous films. I am still speechless, at least speechless for me.

http://www.homunculusprods.com/directing-way-rachel-gordon-director-family-way

I will be participating in a conference call with the MFA Documentary program at the University of North Texas on March 25 for a discussion focused on helping film students understand the marketing and distribution landscape for their finished films.

Alice Elliott and Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy have the most news:

Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy is now part of the American Documentary Showcase, a program of contemporary documentaries offered to US Embassies for screening abroad. Funded by, and as a cooperative program with, the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs of the US Department of State, the Showcase is designed to promote American documentaries and their filmmakers at international venues. For more information go to www.documentary.org

Alice participated in a United Nations Television interview about disability rights being human rights for the series Global Connections. It has already started airing and continues to do so.

Alice going to Israel with film for their first international film festival about challenging the concept of disability. The Reframing Reality Film Festival is April 27-29.

Alice was a guest lecture the School of Visual Arts series Process and Style based on her experience with The Collector of Bedford Street.

Diana Braun just gave speeches on March 5 and 6 at both the St. Louis Arc and the Down Syndrome Association of St. Louis.

To keep up with Alice and Diana, visit www.welcomechange.org

To wrap things up this time I share an article by fellow (awesome) filmmaker Randi Cecchine, which contemplates how funding can affect styles of filmmaking:

http://www.aivf.org/magazine/2010/03/doc_funds_and_form

Thanks for your continued interest in independent film. If you wish me to delete you from this list, don’t hesitate to ask. Please also feel free to forward along to anyone you think might be interested.

Rachel

Connecting indies to community - November 2009

2009-11-24T14:10:00.001-05:00

Hello Indie Community and Fans!

I know brains are slowly shutting down for the holidays so here’s a selection of positive news as well as what to look forward to in the new year. I should note that I took the liberty to add some of you for the first time after conversations we had at conferences so if you wish to be removed, just tell me kindly and I’ll happily do so.

Larry Selman, of The Collector of Bedford Street, traveled to Los Angeles in October to receive the prestigious Caring Award from the Caring Institute, alongside fellow recipient Colin Powell! Larry was nominated for the award by the Kiwanis International, an organization who utilizes Larry’s story in their youth leadership training. www.welcomechange.org

Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy screened for the University of Guam on November 12. It will also screening at Mumbai International Film Festival from Feb 3-9, 2010 in programming for women’s issues. It also won the Audience Award and the Second Place Jury Award at “The Way We Live” Festival in Germany! www.dianaandkathy.com

I will be receiving a $500 “sponsorship” grant from the Virginia Film Office for the new short (fiction) video project that I am almost done shooting – In the Family Way. Last day of shooting will be in December before the holidays and I hope to show a rough cut early in the new year.

New Services!

Having attended multiple conferences on usage of media in education and employment training over the past few months, I am developing new tools that I would love to discuss.

1) A program that fits into a single class period (including time for questions) about the types of distribution that filmmakers-in-training should think about during production. Students exiting film school tend to focus on getting their finished product in a theater, or listed with Netflix, but this discussion focuses on the other ways that their media could be used and how to build an audience for any work.

2) A film series focused on a variety of disability issues for state agencies and non-profit/advocacy groups. Topics covered include independent living, self-advocacy, transitioning to employment.

3) And after years of only focusing on non-fiction content, I’m slowly veering into combining fiction content for classroom use. I will match current content I already work with to fictional work to provide a more well-rounded – perhaps provocative – sense of important subject matter.

More NYWIFT events coming up!

I’m co-producing a 3 part series in collaboration between NYWIFT and Marymount Manhattan College. The series will take place January 12, 19, and 26. It is free to attend. The series is called “Imagining Genre, Race, and Disability in Film & Television”.

I hope the holiday season treats you well and I hope you’ll respond about the usefulness – or not – of the ideas listed above. If you think anyone can use this information, please feel free to pass it on.

Connecting indies to community - October 2009

2009-10-28T22:57:00.001-04:00

First, the News!!!

In Good Conscience is included in the Top Ten Religion Videos in upcoming Booklist Magazine!

The Collector of Bedford Street screened at the annual convention for NYSARC on October 23.

Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy aired nationally on PBS. It will also be shown in the media room at the upcoming conference for the Association of University Centers on Disability on November 9, for which I will be in attendance to answer questions.

Based on the broadcast director Alice Elliott has been asked to be interviewed by United Nations Television for a segment about global awareness for disability issues. The title of the talk show is Global Connections Television, hosted by Bill Miller. I do not yet have an airdate.

H-2 Worker by Stephanie Black was recently highlighted by Arts Engine for its focus on social change.

I am working with two new companies whose content includes a variety of documentary and fiction media:

IndieFlix – www.indieflix.com

Alive Mind Education – www.alivemindeducation.com

I produced a program for NYWIFT that takes place on November 18 – a Marketing 101 for filmmakers. You can read about and sign up for the event here:

http://www.nywift.org/article.aspx?id=1963

Also upcoming is a screening of my last film, Loose Ends, through NYWIFT/Cinewomen Series Women in the Reel World, on November 23. Here is a link to the event:

http://www.nywift.org/article.aspx?id=1994

I am fortunate enough to have wrapped 3 out of 4 shooting days for my latest short, In the Family Way, which I hope to have completed by the end of the year. I am very thankful to the wonderful cast and crew that I’ve had. I also continue to shoot my series on alternative medicines.

Busy season for all, I think. I hope it is treating you well. Thanks for caring about indies! Next month I will focus on more tangible information than just news snippets, but will have only spent 10 of 31 days in October at home so I appreciate your patience!

Best,

Rachel

Connecting indies to community - September 2009

2009-09-11T13:49:00.002-04:00

Fall is going to be quite the busy season and I am looking forward to it!

I will be participating in a panel discussion that I programmed for the CCUMC (Consortium of College and University Media Centers) conference on October 16 to discuss a variety of ways in which media can and is being delivered to academic classrooms. My co-panelists are Monique Threatt (Indiana University), Gina Cone Krause (Seattle Community College Television), Andrea Eastman-Mullins (Alexander Street Press), and Doug Humphrey (Films Media Group). I am partially going on behalf of a new website that will be launching called AsiaPacificFilms.com. Should be a great discussion!

For the 4^th year in a row I am attending the National Media Market (right before CCUMC) with a bunch of independent films. There will also be another invaluable digital delivery discussion right before the market. If you have not been before, first time attendees (not exhibitors like me) only pay $95 for registering, and that includes lunches! Check out www.nmm.net for more details.

I am also producing a “Marketing 101” panel discussion for NYWIFT to take place the evening of November 18. This event will help filmmakers understand what they need to have/be ready with/know while shooting their films what so that when principal photography is over they can get their work out. So far panelists include representatives from Magnolia Pictures, Focus Features, and Lorber Digital!

NEWS!!!

I have been told that my last short – Loose Ends – will be playing with the NYWIFT/Cinewomen screening series in November, but we do not have an exact date yet. Will send alerts when I know more.

Alice Elliott’s Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy is airing nationally on PBS throughout the month of October for National Disability Awareness Month. Diana and Kathy will also be speaking at the upcoming annual meeting of the Arc of North Carolina at the end of September. www.dianaandkathy.com

Larry Selman – the subject of the Academy Award-nominated The Collector of Bedford Street is going to be one of several recipients of The Caring Award (alongside Colin Powell and Jane Seymour!) presented by The Caring Institute. The event is on October 13 in Los Angeles and Larry will be traveling to California to accept it! www.welcomechange.org

Maria Pusateri’s moving portrait of recovery, Vito After, is now available through Netflix through the following link:

http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Vito_After/70121956

An article about it also recently appeared in the Valley Stream Herald and it was reviewed at FilmCritic.com (which though I do write for them I had nothing to do with this review):

Valley Stream:

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20361722&BRD=1601&PAG=461&dept_id=479861&rfi=6

FilmCritic.com:

http://www.filmcritic.com/misc/emporium.nsf/reviews/Vito-After

I hope the summer was beneficial for all of you. I welcome you to pass this information on, or to let me know if you no longer wish to receive it.

Best,

Rachel

Connecting indies to community - May 2009

2009-05-27T09:59:00.001-04:00

This one is going to be short and sweet because I know many brains are already on vacation!

Several bits of fantastic news as the summer approaches…

The Reframe Collection was one of 15 official honorees for a Webby Award, alongside organizations such as Kiva.org, so that was pretty exciting! You can read about that here:

http://www.webbyawards.com/webbys/current_honorees.php?media_id=96&category_id=47&season=13

Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy received an award for Best Documentary at the Talking Pictures Festival. It also recently played with the Sprout Film Festival. www.dianaandkathy.com I am in the process of finding partnering organizations to send letters of support for the upcoming October broadcast of the film so let me know if you have any ideas!

Mr. Conservative will be screening at the Hoboken International Film Festival on May 31 at noon at the Cedar Lane Cinemas in Teaneck, New Jersey. www.mrconservativemovie.com

The new film by Arthur Dong, Hollywood Chinese, will be airing on PBS American Masterworks TONIGHT at 9pm! He is also now releasing the film on DVD with a study guide so take a look at www.deepfocusproductions.com for more information!

I am headed to the American Library Association conference in July in Chicago and look forward to seeing my favorite media people there!

I am also starting to help a streaming-only service that focuses on Asian content. The plan is to launch next month so there is something to look forward to!

Thanks very much for your interest in independent film!

Connecting indies to community - March 2009

2009-03-23T20:43:00.001-04:00

Welcome to lighter weather, but I probably should not speak too soon…

Last week I participated in roundtable discussions, on behalf of the Reframe Collection (www.reframecollection.org) surrounding the usage of media in university settings at the bi-annual conference for the Association of College and Research Librarians. It was a great informal setting where people really got to talk about what they are trying to do with media in educational environments, where they see things headed and the challenges they are facing.

Speaking of Reframe, two of my earlier films are now available online for streaming and in actual DVDs. I am working on a combo of 4 of my films altogether still. That should be happening at some point, but for now here is the link:

http://reframecollection.org/filmmakers/filmmaker?Id=1128

Continuing on the path of previous films, the lead actress from my last film, Loose Ends, is currently featured in a New York Times commercial! Congratulations to Dina!

NEW FILMS!!!

I am excited to be helping two more great films with outreach that I think many people will benefit from.

The first is Mr. Conservative – which is CC Goldwater’s exploration of her renowned grandfather Barry Goldwater’s personal and political history. If you have any interest in discussing political theory, history, elections, or anything related to American government, check out www.mrconservativemovie.com.

The second is Mardi Gras: Made in China which shows the connection between the infamous beads tossed at each other during parades and the factories in China who make them. You can check out more about this film by heading to http://www.carnivalesquefilms.com/Mardi_Gras.html

CURRENT EVENTS!!!

This month, on March 30, filmmaker Joanne Hershfeld and her daughter Gillian Fink are presenting at the Power of 3 Summit sponsored by the state of Louisiana. Check out their story by going to www.thegillianfilm.com

Next month, on April 18, Diana Braun and Kathy Conour will be presenting at the self-advocacy conference for the organization Advocating Change Together, in St. Paul, Minnesota. Check out their story by going to www.dianaandkathy.com

Freedom Machines (www.freedommachines.com) was featured in the newsletter for ANCOR – American Network for Community Options and Resources – www.ancor.org

Barbara Rick, the director of In Good Conscience, is screening her new film, Road to Ingwavuma, at Columbia University for its Forum on Global Health and Human Rights tomorrow, March 18. For more information on this film go to www.southafricamovie.com.

Many of you are aware that there is a lot of discussion/debate about the copyright laws surrounding Digital Rights Management. There are a pair of hearings – in Washington, D.C. and California – for which people can testify. Requests to testify must be submitted by April 3. Check out this link:

http://www.copyright.gov/1201/comment-forms/index.html

That’s it for this month. I hope life is treating you all well and let me know what programs you’re involved in!

Best,

Rachel

Connecting indies to community - February 2009

2009-02-09T18:51:00.001-05:00

A Happy New Year to all! I missed January, I am unclear where that month went but alas it is gone and many things to report!

Last month I participated in the ACRL (Association of College and Research Librarians) Media Resources Discussion Group during the Mid-Winter American Library Association conference. It was a great talk, people asked fantastic questions about the production of media and how to deliver it, and how end users are using what they are using. Others in the discussion were Tracy Montri of the Toledo-Lucas Public Library and Tom Ipri (who actually asked us to do this) from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. Thanks to Tom being brilliant, here is a link if you would like to take a peak. I believe viewing the link is totally public, not needing a password:

http://wikis.ala.org/acrl/index.php/Media_Resources_Discussion_Group

A roundtable discussion I proposed has been accepted to the ACRL for their conference in March in Seattle. I (representing the Reframe Collection – www.reframecollection.org) along with 5 other agencies will be discussing the different paths of delivery that media can take for inclusion in college and university curriculum. The other agencies include Films Media Group, INTELECOM, SCCTv, and the awesome librarian from Indiana University – Monique Threatt.

Which brings me to a very important point of expansion for my wee list:

SEND ME YOUR LINKS

From going to various conferences I have learned how many of you present on really interesting and useful topics that should be shared by all, about the usage of media and new resources or events. If you have a moment, send me your links to these types of things and I will include them in future newsletters and on the website.

Film Updates

The Gillian Film will be part of a Self-Determination Summit entitled Power of 3, sponsored by the state of Louisiana in March. Filmmaker Joanne Hershfeld and her daughter Gillian will also be there to present about the transition to independent living for youth with disabilities. (www.TheGillianFilm.com)

From Alice Elliott/Welcome Change - The Academy Award-nominated The Collector of Bedford Street will be screening in March, in Vermont with the Green Mountain Film Festival. (www.WelcomeChange.org). Body & Soul will be airing on PBS this October - which coincidentally is National Disability Awareness Month and National Down Syndrome Awareness Month. I will send out more on this later.

Arthur Dong’s Flower Drum Song was added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress. He’s also recently released a new film on DVD – Hollywood Chinese. Check out his info at www.deepfocusproductions.com

Absolutely Safe – a fascinating exploration of issues surrounding breast implants – is finally available on DVD. Along with the 83 minute film, the DVD features include deleted scenes and interviews with implant activists and experts. You can purchase the DVD by going to: www.absolutelysafe.com/buy_individuals.html

My older films off the shelf? It is taking a little while because I have to complete all the deliverables but I am finally practicing what I preach and putting my own older films into the Reframe Collection. You can view the page by going to:

http://reframecollection.org/filmmakers/filmmaker?Id=1128

I am putting together plans to attend the Fast Forward Media showcase in Vancouver in April. I was there 2 years ago and it helped several films I work with to get a little foothold in Canadian educational media.

As usual, feel free to pass this on, or tell me that you no longer wish to receive it.

Cheers for 2009!

Best,

Rachel

2008-12-02T11:03:00.001-05:00

Happy Holiday Season to one and all.

Here are the big items of the moment:

Firstly, I am finally practicing what I preach and will be including my personal short films in the Reframe Collection (www.reframecollection.org). A link to the page will most likely appear in the next newsletter. There is a process involved, and thanks to the kindness and patience of my previous collaborator, writer Carl Kelsch, I have been getting all the technical deliverables together to move forward. Room Tone (2002), my first directing project, and Bench Warmers (2005) have gotten positive feedback in the past so perhaps someone I do not know can find use for them as well. There will also be a compilation DVD of 4 shorts that will include these two plus Writing on the Wall, and Open Shutter, films I am excited about the opportunity of getting out more.

I am now officially a member of the American Library Association, and of the Video Round Table within ALA, and I am very happy about it.

The Reframe Collection is also looking for bloggers and curators from colleges and universities to provide each other peer-reviewed media that they have found useful. If you are interested in participating in such a venture, contact Teri Tynes at teritynes@hotmail.com. Tell her I sent you. She is good people and very open to ideas.

Reframe is sending me to the Mid-Winter conference of the American Library Association in January, which will take place in Denver. If you or anyone you know will be attending, I would love to connect with them. I have been asked by my brilliant friend Tom Ipri to talk about indie film and distribution at one of the meetings so I am looking forward to more interaction on this subject.

“Events” and film-specific announcements tend to thin out as the year comes to a close but I am extremely happy to report that The Gillian Film will be screening at the conference of Idaho Parents Unlimited, Inc, January 13-16 of 2009. The subject of the film, Gillian, and her mother/filmmaker Joanne Hershfeld, will be in attendance to speak with the film. You can learn more about the film by going to www.TheGillianFilm.com and the conference by going to www.ipulidaho.org.

Shooting People recently requested I write a blog for their tools section about non-theatrical distribution, so here is the first part of that essay. I hope you find it useful:

http://shootingpeople.org/tools/2008/12/01/a-primer-on-non-theatrical-distribution-part-1/

Thanks very much for your interest in independent film. As usual, you are welcomed to pass this on to whomever you wish, and if you would like to get knocked off the list, please tell me so gently.

With warm regards,

Rachel

Connecting indies to community - October 2008

2008-10-29T21:28:00.001-04:00

Hello Folks! Tons of interesting news…it has been a busy fall. This may not be as eloquent as usual because I am going to concentrate more on substance than language, but so many wonderful things have been going on that I think these things will speak well for themselves.

I produced, and am in the process of releasing, the new DVD by filmmaker Alice Elliott (The Collector of Bedford Street) called Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy, which chronicles a grand experiment in independent living for two disability advocates who have been living interdependently to pursue social action work for 38 years. This film was recently nominated as a Notable Videos for Adults by the Video Roundtable of the American Library Association. There were several screenings taking place this month – which is National Disability Awareness Month. You can find it by going to the following link:

http://www.newday.com/films/body&souldiana&kathy.html - if you are an institution or

http://dianaandkathy.com/purchase/homevideo.php - if you are looking for home video

Creating a DVD was not easy, especially as we were insistent that it have many accessibility features as it was the story of disability advocates that needs to be shared with the widest audience possible. I highly recommend anyone creating a DVD to look into these features – closed-captioning, audio description, and creating talking menus. It provides added value to what you are trying to sell and it also expands the audience you are able to reach. I recently produced and participated in a panel discussion about creating such features on DVDs for NYWIFT and I suggest perusing websites of companies like CaptionMax (www.captionmax.com) to learn more about the process and products that shape the ability to view a film.

In Good Conscience is really starting to make its mark, being reviewed by the Catholic Library Association and in nomination for Video Librarian’s “Best of 2008”. Check out their updated website at: www.ingoodconscience.com

Two of the films I worked with were positively reviewed by Spectrum Magazine, a magazine that provides insight and resources to families with children who have a disability. The Gillian Film was reviewed in their August/September issue and Freedom Machines was reviewed in the October/November issue.

I will be attending more conferences for the Reframe Collection (www.reframecollection.org). I have been asked to talk about independent distribution at a discussion group during the American Library Association Mid-Winter meeting in January (will experience Colorado cold) and have submitted a proposal for a panel discussion at the bi-annual ACRL (Association of College and Research Librarians) in Seattle in March. I am happy and honored to be a part of an apex of independent filmmakers and the communities they hope to have an impact on.

A fiction film I helped produce, called Under the Raven’s Wing will be playing at the Queens Film Festival on November 6 at 10pm! It also screened at the Dark Carnival Festival in Indiana in September. Susie is a really bold filmmaker who I also have the honor to call a dear friend and I deeply admire her for writing and directing a film that doesn’t get boxed into an easily capsulated genre. For more information, go to:

www.undertheravenswing.com

As for personal projects, I began taping the documentary series on homeopathy last month and will continue shooting next month, when I will put the focus on my own health and roll tape at the same time. I will most likely also be taping some of the naturopathy segment when going to Seattle in March.

I hope life is treating you well. As always, if you do not wish to be receiving this newsletter, please tell me gently to go away and if you think somebody else could use it, by all means pass it on.

Connecting indies to community - September 2008

2008-09-03T21:24:00.000-04:00

The summer came and went so quickly that I did not even realize I had the same newsletter in my “draft” folder for 2 months! I hope everyone enjoyed some good weather, or at least was able to relax at some point. And for those in Louisiana, I really hope things are progressing as they should be…

National re-broadcast of Freedom Machines!!!

Freedom Machines – a film I have been helping with outreach for almost 3 years, is getting a national re-broadcast, starting on September 9! You can check your local listings for the times and channels for your area by going to:

http://pov.org/tunein/2008/freedommachines/index.html

Recently, I was asked about digital delivery and independent distribution by a colleague of mine, Laure Parsons, for her new blog “infinicine”. Laure has a lot of impressive experience with distribution and now works with a distributor I hold in high esteem, Zeitgeist Films. I have a great deal of respect for her and I thought you all might be interested both in what she is doing, as well as my thoughts, so here is a link to that article:

http://infinicine.com/2008/08/interview-educational-market-rachel-gordon-energized-films.html

Upcoming Event!

On October 7^th, I will be participating in a panel discussion and screening event – which I also co-produced – for NYWIFT (New York Women in Film and Television). It is about creating accessible/marketable DVDs of films to sell to a variety of audiences. Included in the panel will be Alice Elliott (www.welcomechange.org), Kim McLean (Have, Inc. – www.haveinc.com), Donna Horn (www.captionmax.com) and myself. The panel will be moderated by Liz Ogilvie of Indiepix. I will spread details of cost and location as soon as I have them. If you have ever had questions about how to create a sellable DVD, this is an event to come to!

Also in October, I will be attending the CCUMC conference (Consortium of College and University Media Centers) on behalf of the Reframe Collection, which I can happily report has been getting much in the way of positive buzz since it launched in June. (www.reframecollection.org)

This month (September 22-26) I’m headed for my 3^rd year to the National Media Market (www.nmm.net) where I’ll be screening films from a variety of independent filmmakers.

Thanks for reading, and as always, feel free to pass on as you wish, or tell me to leave you alone if necessary! Also, if there are topics you’d like me to explore, or questions you’d like me to get answered, forward them over and I’ll put them in my next newsletter (which I promise will go back to monthly now that downtime is officially over).

Connecting indies to community - June 2008

2008-06-19T10:38:00.001-04:00

The most exciting adventure on the horizon is that I will be attending the annual conference of American Library Association in Anaheim, California from June 27-July 2. I am representing the newly launched Reframe Collection – www.reframecollection.org – which is a venture from the collaboration of Renew Media and the Tribeca Film Institute to enable educators and film buffs to explore and obtain films from a variety of sources at the same time. I truly believe this new project will do wonders to not only bring out some wonderful content that could have been forgotten but to also make it easier for people to obtain materials on a variety of subjects without going through an insane amount of websites. You can read more about the venture in this recent New York Times article:

Films With Limited Release Find a Home on the Web
By MICHAEL CIEPLY
The Tribeca Film Institute is joining Amazon.com to create a digital marketplace for films and videos that have been unavailable through conventional retail and Web outlets.

I will be also be attending the National Media Market again this year, which runs September 22-26, bringing independent films to educators from across the country.

As for current screenings of the films that I work with:

Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy is screening at the annual meeting of the Society of Disability Studies today, June 19, 2008. I will be there to represent the film. Read more about it by visiting http://dianaandkathy.com

Freedom Machines will be playing at the Assistive Technology Cluster Conference July 29-31 in Texas. You can find out more about the film by visiting www.freedommachines.com

I’ve been slowly starting to help out with a brand new disability inclusion film as well called The Key of G, which shows how a group of artists in San Francisco take care of a young man with disabilities so that he can maintain an independent life outside of an institution. You can read about the film by going to www.lateral-films.com

Future speaking event:

I am co-producing a panel discussion with NYWIFT (New York Women in Film and Television) that will discuss how filmmakers can produce accessible, marketable DVDs. The event is to take place September 18, 2008 and fellow panelists will include filmmaker Alice Elliott, a representative from Have, Inc. - the authoring company of her new DVD, and a representative from an agency that creates disability accessibility features for media. More details will be revealed as I have them.

Filmmaking Projects

I am also going ahead with my own film projects. I’ve started to request and gather headshots for a short video I intend to shoot towards the end of year, written by my brilliant friend/colleague Nadine Graham. It’s called In the Family Way and focuses on familial expectations.

The documentary series I’ve been developing on alternative medicinal routes is still in the works and I will begin to travel and film doctors and educational institutions this summer. Many people have thrown some fantastic ideas for coverage my way, and for that I’m very grateful.

I hope that the summer is treating you all well, and as usual, if you think information in this newsletter is useful to anyone, please feel free to pass it on. If you wish to be taken off this list, please let me know that as well.

Thank you for your support of independent films.

Connecting indies to community - March 2008

2008-03-21T21:53:00.001-04:00

Good news all around this month. I was waiting to get confirmation on some things before sending this out, so it’s a little late, but I think it’s exciting enough…

First a slight personal plug - My film got a nice mention in the lead critic’s blog for the Gasparilla Film Festival! It was not only great to see it on a real screen with my mother & stepfather (who flew down for the occasion) but also to share that with my grandmother and one of her oldest friends: http://blogs.tampabay.com/movies/2008/03/time-to-resurre.html

The most important announcement of all is that I will be heading to the enormous annual American Library Association (ALA) conference taking place in Anaheim, CA in June to help educate librarians about the renew re:Frame venture organized by Renew Media - which has recently partnered with Tribeca Film Festival to become the Tribeca Film Institute. You can read more about their new venture at www.TribecaFilmInstitute.org, it’s quite a massive project and I’m really impressed with what they’ve accomplished.

The Gillian Film screened at the Reaching New Heights Conference sponsored by the Developmental Disabilities Training Institute in North Carolina. www.TheGillianFilm.com.

Freedom Machines is being shown at the Assistive Technology Expo in North Dakota and I’ve also just received word that it will be part of programming at the National ADA Expo in St. Louis, Missouri. www.FreedomMachines.com

Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy played at the Cleveland Film Festival. More upcoming screenings include Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, during which we’ve also got a community screening sponsored by the Arc of Orange County, and Atlanta Film Festival. http://dianaandkathy.com.

Vito After has been programmed into the Rochester/High Fall Film Festival, taking place from April 30-May 5. www.vitoafter.com.

Mention in critic's blog for Gasparilla!

2008-03-15T19:09:00.002-04:00

Steve Persall, the lead film critic for the St. Petersburg Times in Tampa, Florida had these kind words to say (including "delightful") about Loose Ends:

http://blogs.tampabay.com/movies/2008/03/time-to-resurre.html

Check it out!

Connecting indies to community - February 2008

2008-02-06T18:50:00.001-05:00

This has been quite the pleasantly hectic month for the indie film world I've been cultivating and I have a bunch of exciting news to share:

Absolutely Safe had a theatrical premiere at the Museum of Fine Arts on January 27^th & January 31^st. It was also mentioned in the New York Times January 17^thin an article about breast implants. www.absolutelysafe.com

Freedom Machines will be playing at the Peak Parent Conference in Colorado tomorrow -- February 15^th, and presented by a wonderful self-advocating mother and son. You can look up the conference by going to www.peakparent.org, and you can see more about the film by going to www.FreedomMachines.com.

Body & Soul is playing at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival on February 18^th. Also, Alice's previous film, The Collector of Bedford Street was included in an article in The Jewish Week News about films that deal with disability inclusion. You can read about Alice's films at www.welcomechange.org. The article can be found here: http://www.thejewishweek.com/viewArticle/c36_a3543/News/New_York.html

Vito After received a very positive review from Educational Media Reviews Online:

http://libweb.lib.buffalo.edu/emro/emroDetail.asp?Number=3076. You can read more about the film by going to www.vitoafter.com.

In Good Conscience will be showing at the Rainbow Center of the University of Connecticut at Storrs on February 26. Filmmaker Barbara Rick will be there for a Q&A. Her film will also be playing as part of the Blue Wave Film Festival on March 16 in Montclair , New Jersey . www.ingoodconscience.com

On a personal note, my short film Loose Ends has been programmed into 3 different film events in the month of March and I'll be going to all of them! It will be playing at the Gasparilla Film Festival - www.gasparillafilmfestival.com in Tampa, Florida on March 1, which is very exciting as I have family down there. My grandmother gets to see my name on a real film screen! Then it shows (but they don't have times up yet) at the Kent Film Festival - www.kentfilmfestival.org, followed by a screening with a Q&A at the Emerging Filmmakers Series at the Little Theatre in Rochester, New York on March 31.

In an exciting experiment, the filmmaker collaborative New Day Films has decided to attempt streaming their films for 14-day trials on a new website - www.newdaydigital.com. This is a test, and depending on the response, the catalog for it could grow.

Doing it for yourself!

As for an article, I'm happy to say that Peter Broderick (whom I do not know and who does not realize I am doing this but hopefully wouldn't mind) wrote an article for Nov/Dec issue Documentary magazine that reflects how I've felt since beginning to work with independent filmmakers individually - that it is possible to get your film out on your own to people who care to see it. You can read his cheerleading article by going to: http://www.peterbroderick.com/writing/page19/page19.html

Thanks, folks, and be sure to spread this around to anyone of interest!

Best,

Rachel

Connecting indies to community - January 2008

2008-01-01T18:59:00.006-05:00

Hello everyone and welcome to 2008!

As many of you might realize, the end of the year tends to be fairly slow, so I didn't want to toss a newsletter into the internet universe that people would only ignore in a rush for that special gift, or drink.

I can report, however, that I am now assisting with the following new film:

www.blinddogfilms.com/twisted/index.html - Twisted, a new film (which aired on PBS) that deals with the rather difficult disability - acquired and genetic - of Dystonia, a neurological problem that results in your muscles doing something different than you thought you were telling them to do.

Alice Elliott's film Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy continued the festival route this month, where it played the Palm Springs Film Festival. It was also the co-recipient of this year's TASH Image Award. You can communicate with the subjects, Diana & Kathy, by visiting http://dianaandkathy.com and learn more about Alice's work as a whole by www.welcomechange.org.

On a personal front, my latest short film - Loose Ends - will be playing in the Emerging Filmmakers Series run at the Little Theatre of Rochester, on March 31, so that's very exciting. There is a short Q&A afterwards, so that is always a wonderful experience. If you know anyone in that area, spread the word!

Instead of doing an article this month, as I did for my first mass email in November (which I will continue but nothing has been that serious/deep focused this year yet outside of primaries), I thought I would share 2 bits of interesting information.

The first is simply funny and a nice difference from your normal spam. One of my previous roommates, and a talented cinematographer I have worked with several times, have teamed up to “live in IKEA” for a week. Yes, you read that correctly. It's worth a moment's distraction. Seriously, go to www.MarkLivesinIkea.com.

The second is that I came across a notice in another listserv that I thought people might want to contribute to. I must state that I do not know this person and they have not asked me to include this. I merely read it and thought it a good cause:

Dr. Edna Tulloch, Director of the Bio-Ethic Family Living Institute based in Atlanta , GA runs/hosts a public access TV show called 'Re-education in the 21st Century.' Her hour long show focuses on alternative education systems and methods. She is in danger of losing her show after a number of years, as she is in need of content. Is anyone out there looking for a venue to screen material?
Please contact:
Charlotte Ingles, CEO - PTV Inc.
Phone number - 404-873-6712 ext. 201

In conclusion, as a wonderful, productive new year begins, please feel free to pass this on to anyone you think could find use for the information provided in these monthly emails. Also, if you ever want a previous newsletter sent to you (so far there has only been one) I also keep copies.

Thanks very much and hope you had a fantastic holiday season!

Best,

Rachel