The Ellensburg Film Festival’s semi-annual film slam is back for 2015: Show Us Your Shorts Spring Fling! Assemble your team and meet for the SUYS LAUNCH Friday, May 1st, 2015 at the festival offices in Gallery One at 5:00pm sharp. Teams will be assigned their film elements and then be released upon Ellensburg with 72 hours to write, shoot, edit and burn onto DVD their speedy masterpieces.
Selected entries will be screened Friday, May 8th, at the Hal Homes Center. Prizes will be awarded, along with heaps of praise and a liberal distribution of good feeling.
This event is co-sponsored by the Ellensburg Public Library.
The EFF office is located on the top floor of the Gallery One Visual Arts Center, in the Eveleth Green Gallery. Ride the elevator or take the stairs at the rear of building next to the Picasso Gallery.
LAUNCH: 5:00pm, Friday, 5/1, EFF office, Gallery One
SUBMISSIONS: 5:00pm, Monday, 5/4, EFF office, Gallery One
SCREENING & AWARDS: 8:15pm, Friday, 5/8, Hal Holmes Center
The teen film workshop wraps up production today. Four movies will be ready to show in the Hal Holmes Center at the conclusion of the today’s class: Thursday, August 8th, 4:30pm. Stop on by if you want to see the student’s work. We have a kidnapping mystery, a broad “chaplinesque” comedy, girl super heroes, and something involving the wearing of a chicken head.
Remember, all of the films will be screened at the Ninth Annual Ellensburg Film Festival as part of the Children’s Program.
The Ellensburg Film Festival is collaborating with the Ellensburg Public Library‘s teen summer reading program “Beneath the Surface” with our second annual teen filmmaking workshop “Beneath the Movie,” August 6-8, 2013.
This is an effort to support teens in expressing their creativity by telling a story through film. Participants will collaborate to write, film and edit a two minute film based on an original screenplay developed by the group. The finished movies will be shown on the last day of the workshop and will also be screened at the upcoming 9th Annual Ellensburg Film Festival, October 4-6, 2013.
Here are the class details:
32 teens have signed up. They will be divided into three crews and assigned 2-3 instructors per group.
John Otteni, EFF Intern and CWU Film & Video Studies student
Jordan Perry, Maddie Schlesinger and Nick White, Clearwater Studios Access Channel staff
Allison Carpenter, Elizabeth Maurer, Laura Newman, Lynn Ostenberg and Debbie Rowden
Equipment:
The CWU Film & Video Studies helped secure four Vixia cameras for filming. Volunteers are donating the use of their personal Macbook Pro computers to edit the footage using iMovie.
EFF’s 72-hour film competition is back for Spring 2013!
Kickoff: Friday, May 3, 5pm
Deadline: Monday, May 6, 5pm
Awards Ceremony: Wednesday, May 8, 7pm
Here’s how to enter:
Step 1:
ENTER!
Come to May 3rd the kickoff at Gallery One for directions and key elements for your short film.
➙ There is a $20 fee for each film.
Payments will be accepted at kickoff, or with final submitted materials in cash or check.
Step 2:
FILM!
72 hours to script, film, and edit.
Step 3:
SUBMIT!
Drop off your final DVD no later than 5PM on May 6th in the EFF Office, which is upstairs in Gallery One, the second door around the corner from the elevator.
Step 4:
SCREEN!
Short films will be screened at Gallery One, 408 N Pearl, downtown Ellensburg.
Awards will be given for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenplay, and Best Cinematography.
The Ellensburg Film Festival (EFF), in partnership with the Ellensburg Public Library Summer Reading Program, has put together a five hour course to teach teens about filmmaking. The product of a collaboration between librarian Josephine Caramillo and EFF board member Ralla Vickers, the class will be facilitated by festival interns from the CWU film and video studies program. Nearly 30 students are expected.
Participating teens will work in small groups to create short films. Working collaboratively, teams will script, record and edit their movies. The final products will be screened for the class. The hope is to also include the students’ work in the schedule at the 8th Annual Ellensburg Film Festival, October 5-7. 2012.
The workshop will be held at the Hal Holmes Center on Tuesday July 31, Wednesday August 1, and Thursday August 2 from 3-4:30 PM.
(Charlie) This is 2012 logo projected before all the films.
I returned to the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah again this January. My sister Joanne, her husband Charlie & I had so much fun last year that we plan to return as often as possible. Lucy Bull joined us this year. Thank heavens she was with me as we spent 28 hours in the Seattle Airport during the epic ice storm. She termed Sundance as “movie boot camp.” The untimely flight delays caused Lucy & me to miss our first day of the film festival. We experienced our remaining 4 days in a blur of sleep deprivation, adrenaline, coffee & excitement.
Here are some of the photos…..
One of the cool things about Sundance is that there is a Q&A after each film. Almost always the director is there, but often one or more actors show up.
(Charlie) Emily Blunt in "Your Sister's Sister"
Joanne reports that she was very good & they enjoyed the movie. Lucy & I still stuck at SeaTac. Lucky for us Joanne kept me updated via text messaging about all the wonderful things we were missing.
Another cool thing about Sundance is that celebs are often sitting in the audience.
(Charlie) Seth Rogan(Charlie) Edward James Olmos(Charlie) Andie Macdowell.
Celebs sometimes stand in line drinking lattes while they wait to get into the films. Joanne & Charlie are way ahead of us in the seeing star spotting department.
Lucy & I finally made it at 9 PM Friday! We walked around Park City & it was hopping.
(photo by Ralla) The Johnny Depp wanna-be caused a bit of excitement. He attracted a multitude of pretty girls.
Our first movie—-finally!
(Ralla) Sigourney Weaver in "Red Lights."
Audience was sooo excited to see her at the Q&A. The movie is a paranormal thriller with Robert de Niro (he was not there). Movie should come out in theaters. When the four of us were discussing it later we wondered if we had seen the same movie–it’s kind of ambiguous. As always, Sigourney Weaver rocks.
(Ralla) Cillian Murphy in "Red Lights"
When he walked on stage the director commented that he didn’t know who was prettier–Sigourney or Cillian. Not sure if Cillian appreciated that. I thought he was terrific in the movie. The Spanish writer-director was Roderigo Cortes. He made a movie called “Buried” with Ryan Reynolds a couple of years ago where the only character is confined in a coffin with only a cell phone for the duration of the film. It would take a “Clockwork Orange” situation where I was tied to a seat with my eyes forced open to get me to watch that movie.
(Ralla) Elizabeth Olsen in "Red Lights"
She is the Olsen twins’ younger sister. She was in “Martha Marcy May Marlene” at last years’ Sundance. I didn’t see it but have read good reviews of it. Liked her in this movie.
(Ralla) The guy with the mike is Don Hertzfeldt.
Don made my favorite film. It’s a 20 minute animated film called “It’s Such a Beautiful Day.” He is a cult figure in the animated film world and was even nominated for an Oscar for one of his films a few years ago. He lives in Austin. Here’s another cool thing about Sundance–I saw him outside the venue afterwards & walked up to him to tell him how much I loved his movie & he was very nice & conversational. I suppose it never gets old to be appreciated by your audience. You never know where you are going to find your favorite movie. Lucy & I went to the animated shorts program because it was the only one in that time slot available. And that’s where I saw my favorite.
(Charlie) Lucy, Ralla, Joanne
We were literally in a windy blizzard when we went to see “Wuthering Heights” at 10 PM Saturday. The film was British & made you feel like you were living on that muddy farm with Catherine & Heathcliff–very authentic & made me grateful for the comforts of home. The scenes of hanging live dogs on fence posts & necrophilia were a bit over the top unfortunately. They made an interesting casting choice with the black Heathcliff but it wasn’t enough to save the film.
Lucy & I happened to be riding the wrong shuttle on our way to the condo one night & John Goodman got on. And B.D. Wong (of Law & Order SVU) was sitting right across from us. Cool, huh?
Richard Gere was not present for the Q & A on “Arbitrage” at Sunday am showing. I was so looking forward to seeing him. Loved the movie–Susan Sarandon in it too & she is terrific. It’s a great Richard Gere vehicle. He is rich, powerful & sexy with a big hint of bad boy. Who could ask for more? Will be coming soon to a theater near you.
(Ralla) The Occupy Wall Street marchers in Park City.(Photo by Lucy)
Lucy & I were wandering the streets of Park City looking for the coffee shop & she said –Look that’s the guy on Parks & Recreation!– So we stopped & he posed very nicely for Lucy.
(Ralla) Julianne Nichols in coffee shop. I recognized her from Law & Order Criminal Intent.(Ralla) Spike Lee the writer-director of "Red Hook Summer."
He made quite a splash with his colorful language & strong comments about how Hollywood movies don’t know anything about making movies about black people. The movie had incredible gospel music, a tough story line, long scenes of philosophical dialogue, & a few hard truths thrown in. I thought I didn’t like it that much, but in the days that followed it kept popping up in my mind.
(Ralla) Clarke Peters in "Red Hook Summer." He was great as an evangelical christian preacher. He was in "The Wire" & currently he's in "Treme" one of my favorite TV series.(Ralla) Jules Brown (I think) & Toni Lysaith in "Red Hook Summer." These are middle schoolers that live in Red Hook that Spike Lee recruited for the movie. They were good, considering. The movie was shot in 19 days.(Charlie) Justin Long in "For a Good Time Call..."(Charlie) Nia Vardalos & Mimi Rogers at Q & A of "For a Good Time Call..."(Ralla) Beverly Johnson, former super model.
She was part of a documentary called “About Face” about the subject of bygone super models. Engaging film, was financed by HBO so I assume it will air on that channel.
(Charlie) John Hawkes, William H. Macy, Helen Hunt in "Surrogate."
I didn’t see this but numerous people I talked with said it was fabulously wonderful. One man who saw it said he cried like a baby. It’s about a guy in an iron lung (Hawkes) who wants to have sex so a sex surrogate counselor (Hunt) “counsels” him. Macy is a priest. It’s based on a true story. It will probably come out in theaters.
(Ralla) Alice Rohrwacher the Italian writer/director of "Corpo Celeste."
My 2nd favorite film about a 13 year old girl engulfed by the Catholic culture of her Italian community. This is one to watch for when it comes out on net flicks. Cool thing–I saw this director in Safeway after the movie & managed to gesture my appreciation of her movie.
Lucy & I were #1 & #2 in line in the holding tank of the Eccles Theater.Still #1 & #2 an hour and a half later.(Ralla) Julie Delpy the French writer/director of "Two Days in New York."She's very animated & has no vanity about the expressions she exhibits while she's talking.
Remember “Before Sunrise” in ’95 with her & Ethan Hawke where they met on a train & talked all night walking around Vienna? It’s a fun romantic movie.
(Ralla) Kate Burton--she's Richard Burton's daughter FYI. She was in "Two Days in NY."(Ralla) Chris Rock--"Two Days in New York."
He was the straight man around all these zany French people. He was really funny. The movie was a hoot–pure entertainment.
(Charlie) Kyle Bornheimer, yours truly, Hayes Macarthur.
We had just seen these guys in “Bachelorette” Tuesday morning, then we spotted them at the restaurant. “Bachelorette” is a cross between “Bridesmaids” & “Hangover.” Kirsten Dunst was in it. The demographic is 30 & 40 somethings so perhaps I didn’t appreciate it as much as I could have. These guys were good though & quite hunky in person.
(photo by Joanne)
Parker Posey eating at next table over in restaurant. She’s known as the indie movie queen. Remember her in “Best in Show”? And I notice she’s making appearances on the TV series “The Good Wife” this season.
(Ralla) Rachel Leah Jones
She made a documentary called “Gypsy Davy” about her estranged father from Alabama who ran off to Spain to become a flamenco guitarist. Davy was a serial fatherer–had many women, many children. She was at the Q & A with her Israeli husband who almost got in a fight with an obnoxious drunk guy in the audience that he thought insulted his wife. Luckily she guided hubby away from situation so fisticuffs were avoided. The movie was good too.
(Ralla) Andrea Riseborough in "Shadow Dancer."
Clive Owen (who unfortunately was not at the Q & A) was also in this quiet Irish thriller. It was about the IRA peace process in the early ’90’s.
A tradition in the making: Charlie, Joanne, Ralla & Lucy in front of Egyptian Theater in downtown Park City.
The Artist (2011)
Written & Directed by Michel Hazanvicius
100 mins.
***1/2 (out of four)
By Tim Lucia
Basically a shoo-in for Best Picture at the Academy Awards this Sunday, The Artist is a magical, fun, one-of-a-kind movie experience. French director Michel Hazanvicius (the OSS 117 films) breaks into American cinema with this magnificent black-and-white, silent film unlike any you have ever seen. A tribute to classic Hollywood films that all audiences can enjoy.
Hollywood, 1927. Silent film star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is a swashbuckling screen icon, in the tradition of Douglas Fairbanks and Rudolph Valentino. He is on top of the world, adored by critics and fans alike, though he is quite self-absorbed. While on the red carpet at a premiere, he bumps into – literally – the beautiful, young Peppy Miller (Bernice Bejo). In a wonderfully staged meet-cute, Peppy kisses Valentin on the cheek, and they smile and pose for the photographers, flashbulbs popping like shining stars.
The next day, the headline in Variety reads: “Who’s That Girl?” with their photo on the front page. Peppy is soon hired as a back-up dancer for the studio. Then comes the innovation of sound in film. Talkies become all the rage, and the silent films are left behind. Peppy rockets to stardom, becoming Hollywood’s newest it-girl, while Valentin’s star falls into obscurity, and his life begins to spin out of control.
The Artist is a once-in-a-generation kind of film, I don’t think I’ve seen anything quite like it. The black-and-white photography, coupled with the (almost) silent nature of the film (of course, there is music), suggest a somewhat dream-like experience. Dujardin’s performance is absolutely mesmerizing, drawing the perfect amount of expression in every scene; he really seems like a silent film star. Bejo is also perfect as Peppy, her wide mouth, accentuated eyes, traditional beauty and flapper vestements make her the ideal actress for the role. Rounding out the cast are veteran actors John Goodman (The Big Lebowski), James Cromwell (L.A. Confidential), and Penelope Ann Miller (Carlito’s Way).
Hazanvicius re-creates a time and place that we all know from history, and he does it perfectly. The Artist really captures the magic of an era in filmmaking that (in my opinion) Martin Scorsese’s Hugo did not do as well. Though the film is predictable at times (there are a few surprises), I found myself not caring at all, because it was still so enjoyable. Dujardin is likely to win Best Actor on Sunday, and the film will surely win Best Picture.
Calling all filmmakers, videographers, artists, dabblers, dilettantes and dreamers!
The 8th Annual Ellensburg Film Festival is now accepting submissions for consideration in this year’s fest. Check out our website for more information, and submit your work through Withoutabox.com between now and June 30, 2012.
Exhibition dates are October 5-7, 2012, and notifications will be sent out by August 31, 2012.
Cash awards for Best of Fest, Best Feature, Best Documentary, Best Short & Best of (Central) Washington.
The Descendants (2011)
Directed by Alexander Payne
115 mins.
*** (out of four)
By Tim Lucia
Director Alexander Payne’s latest effort, The Descendants, is a decent film, but a little bit disappointing (I probably went in with too high of expectations). Payne loves the hybrid genre of dramedy, again following that pattern here. After starting his career with the biting satires Citizen Ruth and Election, Payne went on to direct the excellent dramedies About Schmidt and Sideways. The Descendants achieves some of the same comedic elements and situations as those two films, but lacks the emotional payoff with the drama.
Payne’s films always involve an everyman protagonist who is forced into a difficult situation, and forced to deal with quirky, odd, and somewhat troubled supporting characters. The Descendants is no different in that respect. Matt King (George Clooney) is a lawyer in Honolulu and a land baron, entrusted with a large chunk of idyllic paradise on Kauai that has been passed down through the generations from his royal ancestors. The opening scene fades in on a shot of Matt’s wife, Elizabeth (Patricia Hastie) basking in the sun on a speeding motorboat. The shot then fades out, and we soon learn that an accident occurred, and Elizabeth is now in a coma. Matt describes himself in voice-over as “the back-up parent”, and now has to care for his two daughters, rebellious 17-year old Alex (Shailene Woodley) and cute 10-year old Scottie (Amara Miller).
On top of all that, Matt is informed his wife may have been having an affair; and his family desperately wants to sell the land to developers, netting them all a big pay day. Of course, Matt is conflicted about all of this, but soon realizes the importance of family, despite the pain and frustration they sometimes bring.
Some solid performances and interesting actor choices fill out the supporting characters; Alex’s dimwitted but likable boyfriend Sid (Nick Krause) provides some laughs — Payne loves the dumb-but-lovable boyfriend character (Dermot Mulroney in About Schmidt, Chris Klein in Election). Robert Forster (Jackie Brown) co-stars as Matt’s father-in-law, Beau Bridges as his cousin, Matthew Lillard (Scream) as a real estate agent, and Judy Greer (Arrested Development) as the agent’s wife — a somewhat normal character which she played well, a far cry from the crazy Kitty on A.D. (“Say goodbye to these, Michael”). Clooney shows somewhat of a different side of himself, gaining weight and donning some pretty ugly vestements to play Matt. This is probably the least attractive he has looked on film, and he plays his role well.
Payne adapts most of his films and does again here, from a novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings. Although, instead of working with his normal writing partner, Jim Taylor, Payne instead adapted the script for The Descendants with two actors, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash. Though it is a decent film with good performances from Clooney and Woodley, and a setting that would make anyone want to hop on the next plane to the beautiful archipelago that is Hawaii, the film falls short of Payne’s two previous films. There are some laughs, and plenty of drama happens, but I felt disconnected from it. There was a lack of emotional impact, and the predictability of some of the situations, outcomes, and characters didn’t help. A solid dramedy worth watching, but not an absolute must-see in the theater. Side note: HBO announced today they are canceling Hung, the dramedy series starring Thomas Jane which was executive produced by Payne. This should ensure he will be making feature films with more frequency. The Descendants ended a seven year drought from Payne, he has two new films announced on imbd, one already in pre-production.
Ellensburg Film Festival 