Some news from Sam Feuer, director of our Audience Favorite Narrative film, THE FIRST GRADER.
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Hi… We are excited to announce that for each view of THE FIRST GRADER trailer on YouTube, our friends at Capella University will donate fifty cents to promote education worldwide! The money will go to Reading is Fundamental, South Sudan Institute, and Kakenya Center for Excellence… All you have to do is watch the video…
Please share the link below with family and friends! It’s doesn’t cost you a thing…
THE FIRST GRADER, will begin it’s theatrical run in the USA on May 13th (theaters listed below)… Canada on May 20th… UK on June 24th… Australia/NZ on June 30th… Japan on July 30th… Kenya and South Africa on Aug 5th… Singapore/Brunei on Sept 1st… And will be spreading throughout Africa, the Middle East, Europe and more to come with your support…
THE FIRST GRADER tells the remarkable uplifting true story of an 84 year-old ex Mau Mau Freedom Fighter in Kenya that enrolls in the first grade for the first time in his life after the Kenyan government offers free education for all. It was directed by Justin Chadwick (The Other Boleyn Girl), written by Ann Peacock (The Chronicles of Narnia) and stars Naomie Harris (of the Pirates of the Caribbean series, 28 Days Later, Miami Vice)
Winner of the Doha Tribeca Film Festival Audience Prize, Toronto Film Festival Audience Prize – runner-up to A King’s Speech, Sedona Film Festival Best Director’s Choice and the Audience Choice Award, The Pan African Film Festival Audience Choice Award, Palm Beach Film Festival Best Feature Film Award, Nashville International Film Festival Audience Choice Award and the Rochester 360/365 Film Festival Audience Prize for Best Narrative Film.
For this year’s 360 | 365 George Eastman House Film Festival, we asked audience members to vote on their favorites from the three screenings of short films.
We’re pleased to announce that Amy Adrion’s SHOEGAZER was selected as audience favorite. Shoegazer is a big short film about trust, love, standing up for yourself, the kindness of strangers, and the magic of one long night in the big city.
Congratulations! It was no surprise that audiences found the film as beautifully acted and directed as we on the shorts committee did.
Oscar®-nominated and Tony Award®-winning director honored April 29
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The 360 | 365 George Eastman House Film Festival announces Oscar®-nominated and Tony Award®-winning director Julie Taymor is the 2011 recipient of its Susan B. Anthony Award. The ceremony will be at 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 29 in the Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House, followed by a screening of her 2010 film The Tempest, which she directed and also wrote the adapted screenplay. Tickets are $15 and are on sale now.
Taymor is a theater, opera, and film director, as well as an award-winning songwriter, screenwriter, and costume designer. Her filmography includes Titus (1999), Frida (2002) and Across the Universe (2007), and her stage work includes The Lion King, for which she earned Tony Awards® for costumes and direction — making her the first woman to earn a Tony® for directing a musical — as well as the Pulitzer-nominated opera Grendel (2006) and most recently serving as co-writer and original director of Broadway’s Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark (2011).
“Julie Taymor had clear, rich ideas about how The Lion King should look from start to finish,” said Garth Fagan, who earned a Tony Award® for choreographing The Lion King and who will take part in her award ceremony. “Julie had numerous superb ideas as to how we would solve any problems that arose and insisted we find the magical solutions. She was hardworking and visionary. Congrats, Julie!”
The Susan B. Anthony Award, which has been given by the festival since its inception in 2001, shines a spotlight on individuals who have done extraordinary things throughout their careers to advance women in film. Past recipients include Rita Moreno, Pam Grier, Angela Basset, Lynn Redgrave, and Thelma Schoonmaker.
“This year we wanted to honor a filmmaker that was fearless in her pursuit of creativity and excelled in her artistic vision,” said Linda Moroney, managing director for 360 | 365. “Julie Taymor holds those two elements with grace and with clarity. We are honored to present her with our 2011 Susan B. Anthony Award.”
Festival audiences will have two opportunities to experience Taymor in person, and two opportunities to experience her films. “A Conversation with Julie Taymor” led by Jack Garner will take place at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 30, in Little Theatre 5. Tickets are $12. Screenings include The Tempest on award night, Friday, April 29, which stars Djimon Hounsou, Russell Brand, and Helen Mirren as Prospero, a role usually cast with a male actor.
The second film, Across the Universe (PG-13), will be shown as a free outdoor screening at 8 p.m. Thursday, April 28 at the Memorial Art Gallery (to be held indoors at the MAG in event of rain). The film features the music of the Beatles and the Vietnam War as the backdrop to a visually charged romance between an upper-class American girl and an artist from Liverpool, England.
The 360 | 365 George Eastman House Film Festival takes to Rochester screens April 27-May 2, with 105 films from 21 countries, plus celebratory parties, panel discussions, artist conversations, and award ceremonies. Others being honored this year are Oscar®-nominated and Emmy®-winning cinematographer Buddy Squires, who will receive the Golden Lens Award for Cinematography, presented by Kodak and the festival, and celebrated Rochester-based screenwriter Brock Yates, who will receive the inaugural Rochester Film Legacy Award. The festival is celebrating its 10th year in 2011.
The 360 | 365 George Eastman House Film Festival is the only contemporary film festival in the United States aligned with a major motion picture archive. It is also Rochester’s largest film festival. The artistic vision for the festival is steered by a three-member team: a filmmaker, a film programmer, and a film critic — Linda Moroney (Independent Filmmaker), Jack Garner (retired chief film critic for Gannett News Service), and Lori Donnelly (George Eastman House’s film programmer).
Tickets for the 2011 festival are on sale now. Tickets and passes can be purchased at www.film360365.com/festival/tickets-and-passes. Tickets also can be purchased in person at The Little Theatre (lobby of Theaters (2-5) Wednesday, April 20 through Sunday, May 1, as well as at each venue before each event if tickets remain.
The festival’s official program book will be available to the public beginning Wednesday, April 13, inserted into that weeks’ issue of City Newspaper and at various sites throughout the community, as well as posted online.
The major sponsors of the 360 | 365 George Eastman House Film Festival are Monroe County, Assemblyman Joe Morelle, City of Rochester, VisitRochester, Partners + Napier, Dixon Schwabl, Harris Beach Law Firm, Eastman Kodak Company, and Philipson Group.
About the 360 | 365 George Eastman House Film Festival
The 360 | 365 George Eastman House Film Festival is a six-day celebration of film and film history, including local premieres of more than 100 new features documentaries, short films, and experimental works. This international festival – the only contemporary film festival in the United States aligned with a major film archive — presents lively panel discussion and awards to legendary filmmakers and artists. Experience the films and excitement you see at Sundance, Berlin, and Tribeca. For more information visit www.film360365.com. Live.Breathe.Film.
Award recipients include Buddy Squires and Brock Yates
ROCHESTER, N.Y.— The 360 | 365 George Eastman House Film Festival takes to Rochester screens April 27-May 2, with 104 films from 21 countries, plus celebratory parties, panel discussions, artist conversations, and award ceremonies. Those being honored this year include Oscar®-nominated and Emmy®-winning cinematographer Buddy Squires and celebrated Rochester-based screenwriter Brock Yates. The festival is celebrating its 10th year in 2011.
“This festival is an opportunity to showcase international films and to share the beauty of the region with our visiting filmmakers,” said John Richardson, executive director of 360 | 365. “Here you experience the excitement and films you see at Sundance, Berlin, and Tribeca, with a front-row seat to future Oscar-®winning films.”
The 360 | 365 George Eastman House Film Festival is the only contemporary film festival in the world aligned with a major motion picture archive. It is also Rochester’s largest film festival. Highlights of selected films include Bill Cunningham New York, about the famed New York Times fashion photographer; The First Grader, the inspiring story of an 84-year-old man experiencing free education in Kenya for the first time; Harmony: The Road to Carnegie Hall, a documentary capturing the historic YouTube Symphony Orchestra Concert, featuring a student from Eastman School of Music; LouderThan a Bomb, theworld’s largest youth poetry slam; the modern Western Meek’s Cutoff; Not My Life, a documentary about human trafficking by Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Robert Bilheimer and Oscar®-nominated cinematographer, and Rochester’s own, Richard Young — a tribute to Richard will be shown before the screening; Poetry, from South Korea, which has won honors at film festivals internationally; Another Earth, recent winner of the Sundance Film Festival’s Alfred P. Sloan Prize; Tracker, the story of a hunter and his prey played out against the backdrop of the New Zealand wildnerness; The Lie, a dark comedy starringJoshua Leonard;and Wrecked, a mystery starring Adriene Brody as the sole survivor of a car crash.
The film lineup features three screenings from the Eastman House archives, including a recent restoration, Jazzmania (1923), accompanied by live jazz band The Djangoners, a rare nitrate screening of Gone to Earth (1950), and A Matter of Life & Death (aka Stairway to Heaven, 1946), which was photographed by Jack Cardiff, and will follow a screening of a new documentary titled Cameraman about the famed cinematographer.
“We screen premieres as well as restored films daily in our Dryden Theatre, and the 360 | 365 George Eastman House Film Festival provides an additional platform to present archival films and our work as a world leader in film preservation,” said Dr. Anthony Bannon, the Ron and Donna Fielding Director of George Eastman House. “This festival is a rich blend of our film history with the newest film releases, selected by the exceptional programming team comprised of an award-winning filmmaker, a nationally celebrated film critic, and Eastman’s House’s experienced film programmer.”
Festival Awards
Buddy Squires: Golden Lens Award for Cinematography, presented by Kodak
and 360 | 365 George Eastman House Film Festival
6:45 p.m. Thursday, April 28
Buddy Squires, whom many call “the visual poet,” is best known for photographing the films of Ken Burns and is a founding member of Florentine Films. He has earned several Oscar® nominations and Emmy® awards for cinematography, as well as for producing and directing, plus several additional leading cinematography honors. A program featuring Squires’ work will be screened followed the award presentation. The festival’s film roster includes a screening of Strangers No More (2010), the current Oscar® winner for Best Short Documentary, for which Squires served as cinematographer.
“Buddy Squires is a master of the cinematic art,” said Lauren Lung, vice president and general manager of Kodak’s motion picture business in North and South America. “His works reveals us to ourselves. Whether it’s an interview with Buck O’Neil or a steamboat on the Mississippi River emerging from the mist at dusk, it’s clear that behind the camera is the eye — and soul — of a true artist. We at Kodak are constantly amazed by what filmmakers do with our tools, but never more so than by Buddy’s iconic and timeless imagery.”
Squires’ films with Ken Burns are preserved at George Eastman House, which houses the Florentine Films Archive.
Brock Yates: Rochester Film Legacy Award
This is a new award established by the festival, to honor a filmmaker or film supporter based in the Rochester area whose passion and dedication embodies Rochester’s proud film legacy. Screenwriter Brock Yates, who resides in Wyoming in Wyoming County, has been chosen as the inaugural recipient. His film scripts include Smokey and the Bandit II and The Cannonball Run. This award will be given during a sponsor’s reception in advance of the festival (Attn. Media: Press coverage is welcome; this private event is at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 20– award presented at 6:30 p.m.)
The Susan B. Anthony “Failure Is Impossible” Award
Recipient to be announced soon.
The Programming Team
The artistic vision for the festival is steered by a three-member team: award-winning independent filmmaker Linda Moroney, who is managing director of 360 | 365; Jack Garner, the retired chief film critic for Gannett News Service; and Lori Donnelly, George Eastman House’s film programmer, who is charged with programming more than 300 films annually for the museum. The programming team is assisted by a committee of local film experts and fans.
Venues
Most screenings will take place at the Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House, 900 East Ave., and the Little Theatre, 240 East Ave. Two additional venues have been added for 2011. Three screenings will be featured in the 1,000-seat Nazareth College Arts Center, 4225 East Ave., Pittsford, and an outdoor screening on the lawn at the Memorial Art Gallery, 500 University Ave. The free outdoor screening at 8 p.m. Thursday, April 28 (to be held indoors at the MAG in event of rain) is the Julie Taymor film Across the Universe (PG-13, 2007), which features the music of the Beatles and the Vietnam War as the backdrop to a visually charged romance between an upper-class American girl and an artist from Liverpool, England.
Festival Parties
The parties during the 360 | 365 George Eastman House Film Festival have experienced a reputation for excitement and intrigue. The roster this year includes an opening night/10th anniversary party at George Eastman House at 9 p.m. Wednesday, April 27; a post-screenings gathering at 2Vine Restaurant, 2 Vine St., at 9 p.m. Thursday, April 28; and the “Studio Party” at Young Lion Film Studio, 777 Elmgrove Road, which is the largest movie soundstage between New York City and Toronto.
Panels and Artist Conversations
Four panels will take place beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 30, in the Curtis Theatre at George Eastman House. The topics are Media Literary and Youth Filmmaking, Filmmakers Panel: New York Loves Film, and Screenwriters Panel, plus a “Screenplay Live!” performance. In addition, “Coffee With” talks will take place at The Strathallan Hotel with various artists and filmmakers.
Guest Artists and Filmmakers
Following most festival screening, filmmakers and artists associated with the film will engage in a Q&A with the audience. One guest artist will be animator John Canemaker, who will present the program “The Animated World of John Canemaker,” at 4 p.m. Saturday, April 30. Canemaker earned an Oscar® in 2006 and Emmy® Award in 2007 for his animated short The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation. He has created animated sequences for The World According to Garp as well as award-winning documentaries. He is also a scholar of animation history and has authored several books and articles and created films about legendary animators and animated characters Winsor McCay, Otto Messmer, and Felix the Cat.
Collaborations
In celebration of film in Rochester, fellow festivals will be represented during the 360 | 365 George Eastman House Film Festival. The JCC Ames Amzalak Rochester Jewish Film Festival will host a screening of the film Precious Life at 7:45 p.m. Sunday, May 1, and ImageOut will host a screening of Three (Drei) at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, April 30. Additional collaborators are the Rochester Teen Festival, with screenings at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 30, and the RIT School of Film and Animation, presenting an Emerging Filmmakers Program at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, April 30. In addition, festival week will kick off with an internationally renowned filmmaking seminar April 25-27 focused on cinematography. “Masters POV” presented by the Film Training Company features four award-winning cinematographers and masters classes.
Tickets and Printed Program
Tickets for the 2011 festival go on sale Wednesday, March 30. Tickets and passes can be purchased at www.film360365.com/festival/tickets-and-passes. Tickets also can be purchased in person at The Little Theatre (lobby of Theaters (2-5) Wednesday, April 20 through Sunday, May 1, as well as at each venue before each event if tickets remain.
The festival’s official program book will be available to the public beginning Wednesday, April 13, included in that week’s issue of City Newspaper and at various sites throughout the community, as well as posted online.
Festival Sponsors
The major sponsors of the 360 | 365 George Eastman House Film Festival are Monroe County, Assemblyman Joe Morelle, City of Rochester, VisitRochester, Partners + Napier, Dixon Schwabl, Harris Beach Law Firm, Eastman Kodak Company, and Philipson Group.
About the 360 | 365 George Eastman House Film Festival
The 360 | 365 George Eastman House Film Festival is a six-day celebration of film and film history, including local premieres of more than 100 new features documentaries, short films, and experimental works. This international festival – the only contemporary film festival aligned with a major film archive — presents lively panel discussion and awards to legendary filmmakers and artists. Experience the films and excitement you see at Sundance, Berlin, and Tribeca. For more information visit www.film360365.com. Live.Breathe.Film.
Media Contacts:
Jennifer Lynn (585) 899-3261
Jennifer_Lynn AT dixonschwabl DOT com
Dresden Engle (585) 319-1812
dengle AT geh DOT org
Have you been keeping up with the entries to our latest Shorts Contest? The submissions are rolling in on our Youtube channel, and we’re getting a great selection of Mini-Musicals. These are 3 minute short films, some made in Rochester, some made in far off places with names like “Pittsburgh.”
Co-sponsored by 360 | 365, The Little Theatre, and Rochester/Finger Lakes Film & Video Office
Join us on Thursday, March 10th from 2 – 5 p.m. at The Little Theatre (L5) – 240 East Avenue for a unique and hands on workshop for Western NY women filmmakers
Chicken & Egg Pictures is a hybrid film fund and nonprofit production company dedicated to supporting women filmmakers who are as passionate about the craft of storytelling as they are about the social justice, environmental and human rights issues they’re exploring on film. In this presentation and workshop, Judith Helfand will discuss films supported through this innovative UPSTART OF A “start up” and present clips from current grantees’ projects. She will explore and present the new brave world of “community engagement” via the efforts of WORKING FILMS using Chicken & Egg supported films as examples.
This workshop will be of special interest to filmmakers, community activists, and those curious about how story-driven, non-fiction films paired with community engagement campaigns lead to concrete social change. Women filmmakers, environmental health and justice activists and women’s and girls’ rights advocates will find this session especially useful — because CHICKEN AND EGG PICTURES is dedicated to a whole new brand of chick flicks!
This workshop will make time for participants to share the films and stories they are working on, will focus on best practices for applying to chicken and egg pictures (the next open call is March 31, 2011) and will highlight/explore storytelling strategies that lead to effective, resonant and riveting filmmaking and ‘call to action’ activism.
Come ready to ask questions about writing an LOA, preparing a dynamic bio, get frank feedback on that clip, scene or “trailer” (bring your DVD!), brave enough to share a short passionate “pitch” and open to creating a circle of collaboration, community and chickflickship.
MEN who are collaborating/co-directing/producing with WOMEN who are in leadership positions are welcome. This is just for DOCUMENTARIES — shorts, features, webisodes etc…
360 | 365 George Eastman House Film Festival has officially opened its doors for film submissions to the 10th Anniversary Festival, April 27 – May 2, 2011. Submit early and often!
What to Submit?
Main Feature-length program
Shorts Program
Children’s and Young Adults Program
MAIN PROGRAM:
FEATURE-LENGTH films targeted to an adult audience. All genres, including: live-action narrative, documentary, animation, experimental, hybrid, etc. are eligible.
SHORTS PROGRAM:
SHORTS targeted to an adult audience. All genres including live-action narrative, documentary, animation, experimental, hybrid, etc are eligible.Maximum length is 30 minutes.
CHILDREN’S AND YOUNG ADULT PROGRAM – SHORTS AND FEATURES
Shorts and feature-length accepted; all genres.
We prefer shorts no longer than 12 minutes; longer lengths will be considered based on merit.
DEADLINES:
Early-bird: OCTOBER 29, 2010
Regular: NOVEMBER 29, 2010
Late: DECEMBER 31, 2010
Extended: JANUARY 28, 2011
Fees vary depending on submission type and date. See site for details.
Create a short film (3 minutes or less) about how people communicate in the modern world. It could land you $1,000, (2) All Access Passes to the 360 | 365 George Eastman House Film Festival, and a publicized screening at the festival!
Please join us Thursday, October 7th at The Little Theatre (L5) at 6:30 pm to see all the films and find out the winners! Come early and have a light supper in the cafe beforehand.
