The New York Surf Film Festival Presented by JetBlue Airways and the Dominican Republic has put together an eclectic Short Film Program encompassing animation, environmental documentaries, comedy, abstract and more.  The NYSFF opens Friday September 25th and has a stacked program that will be sure to get the audiences hooting and stoked.  Each short film is under 30 minutes and provides the filmmakers with a great opportunity to show off their creativity within the limited time frame.

“The Short Film category is the fundamental stepping stone for the independent filmmaker to craft their story.  The audience will be amazed at the short films that we have this year.  We are lucky to have some truly unique and talented submissions from all over the globe. ” said Morgan Rae Berk, co-founder of the New York Surf Film Festival

SHORTS PROGRAM:

EPIC: A SAVAGE JOURNEY: By Michael Mallen Epic: A Savage Journey is a loaded gun with its cross hairs on the ugly side of surfing. Blustering locals, embittered soul surfers and homophobic professionals all fall victim to their own delusions. Follow three different surfers as they babble their way into corners of hypocrisy and self-loathing, peeling away layers of misconception and phony facades like a rotten onion until there’s nothing left but a rancid surfer. Only in this case you’ll be laughing instead of crying, unless of course you’re the kind of surfer Epic portray’s then you’ll be crying.

BOARD TO DEATH: By Blake Scripps Danny might say that a day in his life is the same as the next.  Whether it’s his daydreaming or his undefined self, he always seems to find himself struggling through school or in some other troubling situation.  Come along for the ride as Danny searches for his true passion and lives moments where “board to death” goes far beyond any boredom you’ve experienced.

MADERA:  By Kepa Alvarez Ruiz This short film shows the audience the whole process of building an empty wooden surf board. With this board building method, by Tom Blake, they were made about 20 kg lighter than tose of twenties and early next decade which were solid and heavier. Waste wood from yards and streets garbage containers is reused to create this board working just with fretsaw, sandpaper and plane.

RUNMAN’S GROM: LIL’ RAY N’ HIS FRIENDS: By Ray Kleiman Jr. Runman’s latest about Lil Ray the grom, other groms, and adults that act like groms.

MY TOYS: By Karim Rejeb Highly adrenaline addicted toys that rip on everything…In this surrealist world,off the wall director KR plays around in the house, make the carpets and magazines curl into waves.The bathtube becomes a massive skate bowl and the sand dunes at the beach a huge playground for the biggest challenges… Just hilarious…

MONTAUK HOUSE, A PERIOD PIECE:  By Guy Fiorita What if you and your boys could have a beach house with full quiver and a private break? And it was all because of a beautiful girl. There’s just one catch…

HINDERED ROOT:  By Aaron Bogushefsky Hindered Root originated as a concept from artist, Aaron Bogushesky to create a completely hand draw animation.  In a world of computer generated graphics, this production takes the grassroots approach to animated film making.  The cost of such an endeavor was over 4,000 pencil drawings. Our main character finds himself in a pristine naturel environment, but when a radical developer moves in, he is forced to deal with the effects of over development and pollution. After a confrontation and a miraculous event, our hero finds himself at home again.

GUM FOR MY BOAT: By Russell Brownley Gum For My Boat is a story of Hope focusing on the Bangladesh Surf Club and its members. The club consists of more than 30 boys and girls and is helping to introduce surfing into a culture in a very unconventional method. Many of the children are street kids or come from very poor families. Some don’t even know how to swim, but their love for surfing brings them together and into a way of life they never even knew existed. An ocean that was once deemed off limits due to fear and a very conservative Islamic culture is now becoming source of fun, escape and even a chance for a way to make a living. Follow professional surfer, Kahana Kalama (a past guest star of Fuel TV’s series On Surfari) as he works with Hawaiian-based non-profit, Surfing The Nations, and learns from these kids that sometimes, surfing involves much more than catching waves.

LET’S BOOGIE: By James McAnulty Exploring opinions from the general public, LETS BOOGIE looks at the difference between a BODYBOARD and a BOOGIEBOARD.

I’D RATHER SINK THAN CALL BRAD FOR HELP: By Tyler Healy A short sequence that questions space and time.  The subject focuses on a number of basic issues, including whether or not time ans space exist independently of the mind, whether they exist independently of one another, what accounts for time’s apparently unidirectional flow, whether times other than the present moment exist, and questions about the nature of identity (particularly the nature of identity over time).

ALL POINTS SOUTH: By Josh Berry & Save The Waves Surfers are a litmus test for the health of our oceans. Save The Waves Coalition’s forthcoming new film, All Points South, relates how surfers and fishermen in Southern Chile are joining together to fight against rampant pollution from the pulp industry, and how consumers can help by making better choices when buying paper. From California to the long left points of Southern Chile, board-riders find themselves increasingly in the line of fire between coastal waters and industrial pollution. The journey in All Points South takes us to Southern Chile, where pulp mill pollution jeopardizes entire ecosystems, endangers an ancient way of life, and threatens to tear apart a tight-knit fishing community. With world-class surfing at some of the planet’s best point breaks, this is the story and adventure of a group of surfers and their effort to expose the injustice being done by a powerful, worldwide industry.

INUNDATION: By Chase Fin & Douglas Anderson School of Arts Faced with the challenges of a new international economy, the surfing community of Jacksonville Beach, FL must adapt to market change or face virtual extinction. Journey into the lives of Jax Beach’s tight knit surfboard shaping community and meet the faces behind the respirators as they eke out a living doing what they love & shaping custom surfboards. Visually stunning and dramatically told, Inundation examines one community’struggle to survive in a global economy.

To view the full features program, film synopsis and trailers please visit: www.nysurffilm.com Tickets will go on sale for the NYSFF September 4th, 2009.

The New York International Independent Film & Video Festival runs from October 22nd-29th in Manhattan and will showcase a diverse range of features, shorts, documentaries and animations from all over the globe. The opening night kick-off party takes place at Boulevard (199 Bowery at Spring St., NYC, NY) on Thursday, October 22nd. Film screenings begin Friday, October 23rd - 29th at City Cinemas Village East (181 2nd Avenue at 12th Street, NYC, NY).

A sampling of NY Premieres in the upcoming festival includes films with Liam Neeson, Ed Asner, Vincent Pastore, Carmen Electra, Lainie Kazan, Jai Rodriguez and Saul Rubinek.

Oy Vey! My Son Is Gay!
A romantic, heartwarming and inspirational family comedy featuring a Jewish family who struggles coming to terms with their son’s non-Jewish and gay boyfriend. When the gay couple adopts a child and it makes headline news, their families come to defend them and realize how much they love them. Starring: Carmen Electra, Lainie Kazan, Saul Rubinek, Vincent Pastore, John Lloyd Young and Jai Rodriguez.

Resting Places
A global phenomenon is spreading at an alarming rate. Opponents want it stopped. Oscar-nominated actor Liam Neeson narrates this thought-provoking documentary about the cultural phenomenon that now surrounds the tradition.

The Triumph of William Henry Harrison
Journalist Amanda Delacourt works to expose the true story of William Henry Harrison, America’s 9th President: that he never died in office, but faked his death and rose from the shadows to become the most powerful man in the world. Narrated by Edward Asner.

The New York International Independent Film & Video Festival is currently accepting entries for New York, October 22nd-29th, 2009.

Please visit www.nyfilmvideo.com , if you want to submit a film.

Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2009 wrapped up eight thrilling nights of new horror, sci-fi, action and cult cinema last week, blazing new cinematic trails and setting new records! A new high of over 9,000 enthusiastic fans attended the Toronto After Dark 2009 which ran Aug 14-21 at the legendary Bloor Cinema, over double the size of the event of just three years ago!

Highlights of the 4th Annual Festival included jam-packed screenings of Nazi zombie movie DEAD SNOW, the creepy anthology TRICK ‘R TREAT and the cult action flick BLACK DYNAMITE, which won Gold, Silver and Bronze respectively in our Audience Choice Awards. The festival also hosted its first ever World Premiere, STRIGOI, an offbeat Romanian vampire comedy that was awarded by the fest Gold in the Best Independent Feature Film category. Silver and Bronze honours went to the darkly hilarious undead buddy movie THE REVENANT and the shocking zombie baby flick GRACE respectively.

And the winners are

AUDIENCE AWARDS, BEST FEATURE FILM

1. GOLD: DEAD SNOW
2. SILVER: TRICK ‘R TREAT
3. BRONZE: BLACK DYNAMITE

VISION AWARDS, Best Independent Feature Film
The Vision Awards are given out by the Festival in recognition of outstanding independent genre feature filmmaking.

1. GOLD: STRIGOI
2. SILVER: THE REVENANT
3. BRONZE: GRACE

AUDIENCE AWARDS, Best Canadian Short Film

1. GOLD: CAPTAIN COULIER (SPACE EXPLORER)
2. SILVER: BLACKHEADS
3. BRONZE: DANSE MACABRE

AUDIENCE AWARDS, Best International Short Film

1. GOLD:  THE USERS GUIDE TO IMAGINARY FRIENDS (ABRIDGED)
2. SILVER: THE HORRIBLY SLOW MURDERER WITH THE EXTREMELY INEFFICIENT WEAPON
3. BRONZE: KING OF POWER 4 BILLION %

Filmmaker Valerie Weiss will share her experiences of financing, making, and marketing her first independent feature film Losing Control in this monthly film journal.

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Hailed for its riveting performances by Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton and Steve Buscemi, the East Coast Premiere of Oren Moverman’s The Messenger will kick off the 10th Anniversary Woodstock Film Festival, Thursday night, October 1, at the Tinker Street Cinema in Woodstock, followed by a Q&A and reception with the director and select cast.

Woody Harrelson was WFF’s 2003 honorary Maverick Award Recipient. Steve Buscemi received the honorary Maverick Award in 2005 and director Oren Moverman co-wrote the Bob Dylan bio-pic I’m Not There, which closed the 2007 Woodstock Film Festival.

Reviewed as “a moving and elegant film that is an elegy of our time,” the film embodies Woodstock’s independent, political spirit, and dedication to excellence in filmmaking, according to WFF Executive Director and co-founder Meira Blaustein.

In his most powerful performance to date, Ben Foster (3:10 to Yuma, Liberty Heights, Hostage, X-Men) stars as Will Montgomery, a U.S. Army officer who has just returned home from a tour in Iraq and is assigned to the Army’s Casualty Notification service. Partnered with fellow officer Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson) to bear the bad news to the loved ones of fallen soldiers, Will faces the challenge of completing his mission while seeking to find comfort and healing back on the home front. When he finds himself drawn to Olivia (Samantha Morton), to whom he has just delivered the news of her husband’s death, Will’s emotional detachment begins to dissolve and the film reveals itself as a surprising, humorous, moving and very human portrait of grief, friendship and survival. The Messenger brings us into the inner lives of these outwardly steely heroes to reveal their fragility with compassion and dignity.

“The Messenger is a brilliant film, destined to be a classic, in which the darkest side of war is depicted without a single shot being fired” said Blaustein. “Grappling with all the pains and ethical dilemmas that war brings to the human spirit, this film is the perfect opener for the Woodstock Film Festival. We are thrilled to have it and are looking forward to share its perfectly nuanced and delicate composition with our audience.”

The film marks the directorial debut of screenwriter Moverman, who will be attending the WFF screening: “The Messenger ultimately deals with the desire to live, to let life into the darkness, even to laugh,” said Moverman. “It definitely makes the point that there are people who have to deal with war in a way that is not strategic or political, but personal.”

The Messenger had its world premiere at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and went on to win the Silver Bear Award for Best Screenplay and the Peace Film Award at the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival. Oscilloscope Laboratories will be releasing the film in theatres on November 6th, 2009.

The fiercely independent 10th Anniversary Woodstock Film Festival begins Wednesday Sept. 30th through Sunday Oct. 4th. The full schedule of events will be announced in Mid-September.

For more information, visit www.WoodstockFilmFestival.com, or contact the WFF Woodstock office at (845) 679-4265.

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ABOUT THE WOODSTOCK FILM FESTIVAL:
The “fiercely independent” Woodstock Film Festival premiers exceptional films; hosting the most talented emerging and established professionals in the movie industry; presenting A-list concerts, parties and panels, and creating stimulating, innovative programming year-round.

This year’s landmark 10th Anniversary WFF, Sept. 30-Oct 4, includes more than 150 films, panels, concerts and special events in Woodstock and the neighboring towns of Kingston, Rhinebeck and Rosendale in New York’s exquisite Hudson Valley Catskills, just two hours from NYC

Whether you’re a new or a seasoned filmmaker, festivals provide a supportive and constructive atmosphere to show your work. Established festivals such as Cannes, Tribeca and Sundance are not only respected venues, but they can give otherwise unknown films ample exposure. But what happens once your film makes it or breaks it on the festival circuit?

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The Independent launches its new series of Exhibitor FAQs to provide resources and advice on how to get your film onto the big screen. Following in the tradition of the distributor and funder Q&As, the Exhibitor FAQ will feature a different theatre, museum or other screening venue with tips on how to approach the theatre, market your film, and find an audience for your film.

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Congratulations to the 5th Annual HollyShorts Award Winners!

Best Short Film
La Petite Lilia by Reda Mustafa
Grand Prize. Clifton Production Services RED ONE Rental Package Prize: The winner will be awarded a RED ONE digital cinema package rental that includes camera body, support and
accessories valued up to $5,000.00. Moving Pictures Magazine Automatic entry into its short film contest.

Best Student Short Film
Turbo by Garrett Conaway
Martini Crew Booking Camera Rental package
Copy of Roberta Munroe’s ground breaking book HOW TO NOT MAKE A SHORT FILM
Copy of Showbiz Directory . Moving Pictures Magazine Automatic entry into its short film contest.

Best Director
Small Collection by Jeremiah Crowell
H Magazine Profile
Moving Pictures Magazine Automatic entry into its short film contest.

Best Director
Ten For Grandpa by Doug Karr
H Magazine Profile
Moving Pictures Magazine Automatic entry into its short film contest.

Best International
Terminus by Trevor Cawood
Holiday Inn Express and Suites Hollywood Walk of Fame prize package 2 nights free
Moving Pictures Magazine Automatic entry into its short film contest.

Best Narrative
Meltdown By David Green
Showbiz Software prize package

Best Screenplay
Rite by Alicia Conway
Inktip Prize Package

Best Documentary
The Last Dragon Kingdom by Aine Carey and David Emery
Stock Footage Software prize package from Footage Film

Best Cinematography
Welgunzer by Bradford Schmidt
$1000 Indie Rentals Prize Package

Best Children’s film
The Book of Tomorrow by David Yohe
Clifton Production Services. Post Production Prize: Up to $2,500.00 in Post and/or VFX services.

Best Drama
Skylight by Tony West
Lighting Package to shoot next project
StoryBoard Quick power production software package

Best Comedy
Pissing Vocal Gold by John Mann
Studio Space Prize package from Hollywood Film and Acting Academy to shoot next project.

Honorable Mention
Kindness By Jeffrey Price
StoryBoard Quick power production software package

Indie Rentals Honorable Mention
Step Seven by Christopher Lucy
$250 Gift Certificate from Indie Rentals

Best Music Video
Music & Liquor by J. Ahn
Agency Meeting

Best Actor
John Savage, First Time, Long Time
Starnow Membership Prize Package

Best Actress
Amanda Plummer, First Time, Long Time
Starnow Prize Package

Best Animation
The Mouse That Soared by Kyle Bell
StoryBoard Quick power production software package

Special Jury Prize
William’s Christening by Joshua Hume

Best French Language Film
The Bed By The Window by Michael Barocas

Victorian student Kristian Lang has taken out the top student prize at the SCINEMA Festival of Science Film for the second year in a row.

Kristian is one of several Australian filmmakers whose films garnered awards from the international science film festival, which screens across Australia and New Zealand during National Science Week (August 15 - 23).

The winners were announced at the launch of National Science Week at Questacon in Canberra this morning.

The young student from Debney Park Secondary College in suburban Melbourne won the prize for his documentary short Woomera Test Facility.

“Kristian’s film was outstanding in terms of his sharp and informative script and wonderful mix of archival and contemporary footage,” judge and Festival Director Cris Kennedy said.

While still in primary school, Kristian’s stop-motion film entitled Photosynthesis won best student film at SCINEMA in 2008, and drew the attention of ABC’s Catalyst program, which ran a story on the budding filmmaker in March 2009.

For his efforts this year, Kristian wins an internship at ‘The Dish’ in Parkes, NSW, courtesy of Festival sponsor CSIRO.

Among the other winners was Canberra’s Bobby Cerini whose film Robot World was voted Best Experimental Film, and Sydney filmmaker Martyn Park whose film 1 and 0nly, an environmental take on the Heart of Darkness tale, took the gong for Best Narrative Film.

The full list of 2009 Scinema Festival of Science Film winners:

Best Film - Between the Folds (USA) by Vanessa Gould Producer & Director for Green Fuse Films “…for so elegantly and succinctly capturing the science of art and the art of science”

Best Director - Kris Kroening for 400 Years of the Telescope (USA)

Best Student Film - Kristian Lang for Woomera Test Facility (Australia)

Commendations:
Geoff Abeshouse for Universal Surprise  (Australia)
Enya Daly and Katya Simao for The Little Street Called the Milky Way (Australia)
An Honourable Mention for Alexander Simpson for Black Holes (Australia)

Best Television Series - Pierre Bressiant for The Antibiotic Adventure (France)

Best Narrative Film - Martyn Park for 1 and 0nly (Australia)

Best Animation/Experimental Film - Bobby Cerini for Robot World (Australia)

Best Short Film - Sasha Andrews and Jeanne Guiraud for Sound Waves (UK)

Award for Scientific Merit - Deborah Kingsland (Producer) and Documentary Filmmakers Group (UK) and The Wellcome Trust for the short film series Science on Film (UK)

The SCINEMA Festival Jury also granted a special award to the Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (CAAMA) in recognition of their ongoing contribution to science film in Australia.
SCINEMA (pronounced with a long ‘i’ to emphasis the science behind the cinema) screens at over 200 venues across Australia and New Zealand from this week.
SCINEMA is a partnership between CSIRO and Cosmos Magazine, and is funded by the Federal Government through its National Science Week program.
The full program is available online at www.csiro.au/scinema

Image credit: Vanessa Gould. A still image from American filmmaker Vanessa Gould’s Between the Folds, which won Best Film at SCINEMA

Canary Wharf Film Festival has announced its tantalising 2009 film line-up, and with four UK premieres, six world premieres and a whole host of international award winning shorts…

CWFF 09 promises to be the stand out festival of the year.

Canary Wharf Film Festival 2009 (CWFF 09) takes centre stage this September with a film offering unlike any other festival this year. The festival will host UK and international short film premieres along with programmes focussing on Serbian film and international award winning short films which rarely touch these shores.

CWFF’s film strands consist of Mix: UK, Mix: International, Showcase and Focus Serbia, all of which will be showing the best that short film has to offer. Mix: UK will be providing a glimpse of the UK’s rising stars of short films with world premieres from directors of the future Matthias Hoegg, James Rogan and Lisa Forrest.

Olivia Bellas, Festival Director for CWFF 09 comments on this year’s films: “The shorts featuring at this year’s festival are some of the best we’ve ever had. With such a diverse cross-section of international cinema I’m sure that there will be something for all film tastes. I’m particularly excited about the Serbianshorts and the range of top quality UK entries spanning all genres.”

CWFF 09 runs from 3-7 September, 2009, with films being shown at Museum of London Docklands and Cineworld, West India Quay. The festival - which is being supported by the Canary Wharf Group plc and Film London - will show the best quality in short film; the most colourful animations, hilarious comedies, intriguing documentaries, and gripping dramas.