Here’s a story from The Washington Post about the “Spiritual Bride” who became part of one of LA’s most notorious cults, The Source Family. Watch the film today at Silverdocs at 10:45 pm. Also, playing tomorrow at 9:30pm.
Here’s a trailer of Joe Berlinger’s UNDER AFRICAN SKIES to get you excited for tomorrow’s free outdoor screening. It’s at the Silver Plaza in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland. Come enjoy the beautiful evening while tapping your toe to Paul Simon’s loved album “Graceland.” The film screens at 9 pm.
Here’s a video of the talkshow Silverdocs Tonight with AJ Schnack @ajschnack. Tonight is your last chance to catch AJ’s show with guests: Filmmakers Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady (DETROPIA), Filmmaker Susan Froemke (ESCAPE FIRE & WAGNER’S DREAM), Washington Post Critic Ann Hornaday and NPR’s Don Gonyea..
Behold, a Wayne White creation. Can you guess who it is? If it’s not obvious find out on Saturday & Sunday when art world darling Wayne White comes to town with BEAUTY IS EMBARRASSING.
Here’s an interview with filmmaker Ramona Diaz of DON’T STOP BELIEVIN’: EVERYMAN’S JOURNEY, the Opening Night film at Silverdocs 2012.
Here’s a video recap from last night’s Guggenheim Symposium honoring Bruce Sinofsky & Joe Berlinger.
Q & A w/Filmmaker Caleb Slain of IT AIN’T OVER
Introduce yourself:
My name is Caleb Slain. I’ve been creating vibrant worlds and stories since I was a kid. I love to watch GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS over and over, but don’t know why. I don’t wear colors. I was born into poverty, and have eight siblings from the same two parents (I’m #3). My oldest brother is the severest form of autism, and the environment I grew up in embodied a colorful variety of contradictions (creativity and sociopathy are both attributed to similar external factors). I’m a closet actor. I just turned 22, and had a midlife crisis. All downhill from here.
What inspired this film? How did you find your subjects?
Karl Koelling, our producer, had met Ed and was floored by the depth and complexity of his stories. After two years of developing the film with various groups (including a short doc that was filmed and canned altogether), he asked me to join the team and direct/edit the film. I was only 20, and it was the first time a producer had hired me to direct something non-commercial.
What were some of the biggest challenges/surprises?
Starting from the day I was officially brought on to direct, we had precisely 29 days until our delivery deadline (zoinks!), which essentially meant it would be impossible to make something good. It was round-the-clock work for the entire month, involving several 24+ hour editing stints with no breaks. Pure insanity, but we wanted the best film possible.
What was your VERY FIRST film?
My first real “film” was called THE LEGEND OF MR. MAN. A 20-minute saga in live action with puppeteered figurines. It’s just as cool as it sounds. It was about a figurine who needed money to buy a motorcycle, and used five different forms of psychological manipulation on five increasing complicated toys to get money from them. I think I was 15. That’s kind of embarrassing.
What is your proudest professional moment?
When I was 19, I wrote and directed an ambitious short film called THE LOST & FOUND SHOP. It was a massive undertaking of fantasy proportions, and at one point there were over 50 people on set and nearly $500,000 worth of camera/lighting equipment…all volunteer and loaned for free, just because people believed in the story. I was just a poor kid from the ghetto with no car, no money, and nothing but a script, and that moment showed me how powerful an idea could be.
What other projects are in the pipeline?
My second cinematic documentary JUGGLE & CUT is finishing its sound mix and will hit the festival circuit this fall. Similarly, I wrote/directed a traumatic comedy called FREE PIE, which is in the final stages of color correction, and premiering in a few weeks. Presently I’m work with a film collective in Grand Rapids, MI, and story consulting on our first group feature shooting this fall. The summer will see the launch of a creative writing app I developed called Flowstate, which operates unlike anything yet seen.
Why did you become a filmmaker?
I couldn’t find anything harder to do.
What are some of your creative influences?
I’m sure there are many, but I try not to reflect on it. PTA and Steve Jobs are probably the biggest. For this film, we drew a lot of inspiration from the Sundance docINTO GREAT SILENCE, and the IMAX doc BABIES. A bizarre mix.
Did you go to film school?
I went to a small film school in Grand Rapids for a semester, but had to drop out on account of having no money.
What do you shoot on?
RED One and RED Epic. I’ve been working on RED for a few years, and have a strong understanding of its capabilities and limitations. The Epic is brilliant for doc work.
What has been the most unexpected thing to happen since taking the film on the festival circuit?
Every moment has been unexpected, but last week we received a “Request for Submission” for the Telluride Film Festival. I screamed. Very loud.
2012 marks our tenth edition of the Festival. Why did you want to screen your film at Silverdocs?
Not only have I heard great things about the festival, but everything I’ve read emphasizes the general level of respect and appreciation given to all documentaries screening at Silverdocs. We are excited to be there for the first time, and build a deeper understanding of what Silverdocs is all about.
How old are you in your head?
Dorian Gray is a kindred spirit.
Filmmaker Q&A with Andy Taylor Smith of IF HIMMLER PLAYED GUITAR
Introduce yourself:
Andy Taylor Smith is a Nottingham born filmmaker/artist who has been working in the industry for over 10 years.
Establishing the tone for his career early, Andy raced through his education, completing his Photography Diploma a year early and also graduating from Art College with a First Class Honours Degree in Photographic Communication.
Andy’s photography career has held equal success. He has worked with well known commercial clients such as Nike, Guinness and Volkswagen, but his personal photographic art projects have set him apart, exhibiting internationally and winning multiple awards, including three Lucies.
Andy has years of experience as a Director of Photography working on projects for Omega, ITV and the BBC. Since 2009, he has been making a name for himself with his directing talents. In 2010, Andy wrote and directed his first short film THIS CHAIR IS NOT ME. The success that followed its release has been exceptional, winning top awards at Silverdocs, Super Shorts and Sheffield Doc/Fest film festivals. It was nominated for the Best British Short Film award by the UK Film Council and was runner-up in early 2012 for the prestigious Cinema-Eye Honour for filmmaking, losing out to the late Tim Hetherington.
In 2011, fresh from this wave of success, Andy completed two more films, IF HIMMLER PLAYED GUITAR and I CAN SMELL THE CORDITE, which had its successful premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2011. Early in 2012, Andy finished his fourth film, a commission by Film London for the 2012 Dickens bicentenary celebrations, which premiered to critical acclaim at the BFI South Bank and has now started its run on the international film festival circuit.
What inspired this film? How did you find your subjects?
I was doing some research on another film, into the world of World War II re-enactors, when an email out of the blue introduced me to Jon. After meeting him and spending some time together, I knew I wanted to make a film about him.
What were some of the biggest challenges/surprises?
The biggest challenge was the subject matter. The character represents a delicate and controversial subject, and I knew I had to get the balance right. We went through a process of test screenings after every edit. Invariably the audience was always split into two camps — one half loved the film, and the other half hated it. There didn’t seem to be anyone in the middle. The most important thing for me was that my intentions were honest and genuine; I think this process of test screenings paid off though. My intention always was to make a film that challenges the audience, that asks questions not only about the film but also themselves.
What was your VERY FIRST film?
It was a film called THIS CHAIR IS NOT ME that also premiered at Silverdocs in 2010 and subsequently went on to win the Sterling Award for best short film.
What is your proudest professional moment?
Receiving the Silverdocs Sterling Award for best short film in 2010.
What other projects are in the pipeline?
I have just finished a short documentary, a visual piece about two children (a brother and sister) that are in care in the UK. I’ve just started the process of submitting it to film festivals. I’m currently writing a script for a narrative short which I hope to shoot later this year.
Why did you become a filmmaker?
Prior to becoming a filmmaker, I was working as an artist using photography as my primary means for expression. I found that more and more of my ideas centered around stories, which are really hard to express when only using still images. Moving into film seemed like a really natural progression and one that compliments what I was already doing.
What are some of your creative influences?
All sorts of things inspire me: art, paintings, sculptures, architecture, films, poetry. But I guess one of my biggest influences is the world itself and the individual, unique people that inhabit it.
Did you go to film school?
No, I didn’t go to film school. My education was at Art College, which for me was the best thing I could have done as it primarily taught you to have a voice and to come up with ideas. How you expressed those ideas and the medium you used was up to you.
What do you shoot on?
All sorts. At the moment I’m shooting a lot on the Canon 5D because of its creative and cost potential, but I shoot on everything from the Red Epic, Arri Alexa, and both 16mm and 35mm film.
What has been the most unexpected thing to happen since taking the film on the festival circuit?
Hopefully I can get back to you on that one? I only started submitting the film to festivals earlier this year and Silverdocs will be its world premiere.
2012 marks our tenth edition of the Festival. Why did you want to screen your film at Silverdocs?
For me, Silverdocs is the best documentary film festival out there. Year after year, it showcases incredible films, which is a testimony to the intelligent and creative programming from its staff and associates. I will always have a unique fondness for Silverdocs, as the festival was influential in the success of my first film in 2010 (following the Silverdocs screening, it went on to be nominated for the Cinema Eye Award).
How old are you in your head?
That’s easy, 12 and a half. 13 in September…
Guggenheim Symposium Honored Doc Filmmakers Joe Bergliner & Bruce Sinofsky
The Guggenheim Symposium is traditionally a special experience. Last night felt equally special in honoring documentary filmmakers Joe Berlinger & Bruce Sinofsky. The doc-duo has worked together for 25 years. “We love each other,” remarked Sinofsky. Jason Baldwin, one of the three freed “West Memphis Three” (WM3) joined the duo and gave salutatory remarks before excerpts of the filmmakers body of work was shown. Grace Guggenheim, filmmaker and daughter of four-time Academy Award-winning filmmaker Charles Guggenheim, for who the award is named after, presented the award to Berlinger and Sinofsky.
Filmmakers Joe Berlinger (left), Bruce Sinofsky (Center), and Eugene Hernandez of the Film Society of Lincoln Center
Here is a piece from the Silverdocs crew from Opening Night of Silverdocs 2012.
“When the lights go down in the city”
When the lights went down last night after Opening Night the after-party celebration began. Here’s a sneak peak of action at The Fillmore in Silver Spring, MD.
Now in it's 10th edition Silverdocs is the most talked about documentary festival in the United States, called “Non-Fiction Nirvana” by Variety, the “Pre-eminent documentary Festival in the US” by Screen International and the “premiere showcase for documentary film” by Hollywood Reporter.
Silverdocs encompasses a seven-day international film festival and five-day concurrent conference that promotes documentary film as a leading art form, supports the work of independent filmmakers and fosters an atmosphere for public dialogue and civic engagement around the issues and ideas explored in the films.
