The sixth annual DC Shorts festival will screen 100 films, from all parts of the U.S. and 16 countries around the world. But local filmmakers comprise nearly 10 percent of the festival. As DC Shorts organizer Jon Gann said at the press luncheon, 2009 is the year of "technical proficiency," that is, the films are looking better and better than they have in the past. These D.C.-area filmmakers took time out of their busy schedule to talk about their films. Having had a sneak preview, it was great to find out a bit of history behind the films as well as to find out just how intertwined the filmmaking community is in D.C. To read more about the entire festival, see the On Tap overview at http://www.ontaponline.com/article/11610.
Local filmmaker: William Saunders
Film: Dash Cunning
Hometown: Leesburg, VA
William Saunders is the son of former Washington Redskins coach Al Saunders, so it’s not surprising that he got his start with the NFL creating the ever popular highlight reels produced by NFL Films. Saunders put in four years before deciding to "step away from NFL films and start doing what I’ve always wanted to do, writing and directing."
"Dash Cunning" is Saunders’ "non-thesis" film for his Columbia University Masters program. The film is a charming tale of a foster child whose fantasy life helps him overcome problems in real life. Saunders filmed in New Jersey at the home of a "very, very sweet" couple "who let us come in and take over their house for four days. For free, which was remarkable. I don’t think they’ll ever do it again," he laughs, adding, "We didn’t break anything, which I thought was pretty amazing. Took a little paint off one of their shutters, but that was about it."
The script demanded five child actors, age 3 to 13, and "the director in me hated the writer in me while we were shooting," says Saunders. One child can be hard to work with but five within a 10 year age span, could have been a nightmare. But Saunders compliments his young cast. "They were just all great. I got really lucky, I think."
In addition to writing and directing, Saunders was also his own editor. "It was a lot of fun to see it change and evolve over those three different areas," he says. "I can’t tell you which one I enjoyed more. They’re all so different and all so fun."
As we spoke, Saunders was calling from Monument Valley -- perhaps the most famous film location in the world with its Red Rock Buttes and the Grand Canyon -- where he’s at work on his first feature, which again focuses on foster kids, this time on the run.
Friday, September 11, 10 p.m. at the U.S. Navy Memorial’s Burke Theater
Saturday, September 12, 1 p.m. at Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Local filmmaker: Kristin Holodak
Film: Doggie Drill Team
Hometown: College Park, MD
There’s an old showbiz adage, "Never work with children or animals." William Saunders ignored that advice, as did Kristin Holodak -- and both produced successful films. So much for old adages.
Holodak’s film involves lots of animals -- the many dogs who practice for and then take part in a parade drill team (with their owners, of course). If that sounds utterly cute, that was Holodak’s intention. "I decided if I was going to do a non-fiction film, I wanted to be the sorbet. A little 10-minute break in the day to remind people that it’s OK to be happy," explained Holodak.
And, adds Holodak, "If you want to make a fluffy documentary you might as well make it really fluffy."
Holodak’s own fluffy companion, the three-legged terrier Blue, was in an obedience class, which gave Holodak her inspiration. The instructor also coordinates the doggie drill team. "Ironically," notes Holodak, this movie about dogs was also her first movie that Blue "didn’t at least cameo in -- so she only shows up in a photo in the credits. And to be honest, there’s only photos in the credits so that she can show up."
Holodak is excited that DC Shorts will be the film’s world premier and is eager to share her philosophy of low-budget filmmaking: "If you want to do it, you need to just do it. It’s very easy to make a film these days, but still just as hard to make a good one. And you won’t get good if you only ever read about it or talk about it. If you want to be a filmmaker, then shut up and shoot."
Saturday, September 12 11 a.m. at Landmark’s E Street Cinema and 11 a.m. at U.S. Navy Memorial ‘s Burke Theater. Followed by a demonstration of the Greenbelt Doggie Drill team on the USNM Plaza at 12:30 p.m.
NOTE: This screening is DC Short’s programming for the Penn Quarter neighborhood’s Arts-on-Foot Festival. Films are appropriate for children aged 8+.
Local filmmaker: Brian Armstrong
Film: No Child Left Untested
Hometown: Washington, D.C.
Brian Armstrong is yet another D.C. filmmaker who ignored the "no kids and animals" warning, but he has a good excuse. His star, Amanda Chulick, was a friend of his daughter’s, as well as a veteran of local stages.
While the film’s title obviously parodies the No Child Left Behind initiative, the story is neither political nor parody. It is a bright fantasy about a student facing down a challenging assignment. Armstrong, who has sold screenplays to Hollywood, chose to make this short because "we thought it might resonate a little more. Because if you look at it the right way, and we hope people will, it had more of a message to it."
"The initial idea we had was a very complicated dream sequence that wasn’t going to match our budget. And we said, ‘Well the idea for this particular dream sequence is it’s a stressful situation.’ And we thought, ‘What’s the most stressful situation you can think of for putting a child in?’ And for me that’s always been crossing the road. So the idea was kind of born out of that."
Armstrong’s project benefited from his professional contacts. When a National Geographic shoot took him to Las Vegas, he arranged to fly his young start out and shot his road scene in the middle of the desert.
"The camera we shot this on was the same type of camera that George Lucas shot the last three Star Wars movies on," says Armstrong, adding with a laugh, "Our quality was potentially way above what was necessary." But that level of quality was important behind the scenes. "The big advantage is -- if you’ve been doing this professionally in whatever capacity, documentary or not, for a long time -- is that you surround yourself with friends who are very good at what they do. We had all the right people doing their job, everybody donating their time for the most part, but professional people."
Saturday, September 12 11 a.m. at Landmark’s E Street Cinema and 11 a.m. at U.S. Navy Memorial ‘s Burke Theater Followed by a demonstration of the Greenbelt Doggie Drill team on the USNM Plaza at 12:30 p.m.
NOTE: This screening is DC Short’s programming for the Penn Quarter neighborhood’s Arts-on-Foot Festival. Films are appropriate for children aged 8+.
Local filmmaker: Barry Gribble
Film: Gwendolyn Dangerous and the Great Space Rescue
Hometown: Washington, D.C.
"Gwendolyn Dangerous and the Great Space Rescue" was the big winner in this year’s D.C. 48 Hour Film Project, but director Barry Gribble almost didn’t make it. His frequent co-writer and cinematographer Kevin Good had another job lined up for that weekend, so Gribble figured he’d be sitting this one out. When Good’s gig canceled at the last minute, the pair were already behind in a contest where time is limited to begin with. But they pressed on.
Fortunately, the group pulled the "Film de Femme" genre card, which meant they "could do anything, really," as long as the main characters were female -- in this case Casie Platt, Joy Haynes, and Danielle Davy camping it up delightfully.
Gribble had always wanted to do a Flash Gordon-type film, so "anything" meant a futuristic story shot entirely with green screen -- that is, everything other than actors had to be created by computers. Oh, and one of the team members would be working from home -- in Iowa. This three-step production process -- shoot actors against the green screen, create backgrounds for every scene, then composite both together -- meant that if either of the first two parts don’t work, everything falls down like house of digital cards.
"It was Kevin’s big idea," says Gribble, who warned his partner that "we could fail more spectacularly than we ever have before. Kevin said ‘That’s the reason to do it.’"
Good’s brother Paul happened to be in town and he began creating the backgrounds. Ed Watkins did the compositing over the Internet from Iowa. Even though Gribble says each man is "the fastest people at their crafts, it still took them 24 straight hours" to complete the work.
The results belie the fact that everything was done in only two days. But Gribble seems to enjoy such challenges. His latest project, which was made for a total cost of $100, just won the big prize at the Independent Television Festival.
Friday, September 11, 10 p.m. at the U.S. Navy Memorial’s Burke Theater
Saturday, September 12, 1 p.m. at Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Local filmmaker: Joy Haynes
Film: Tryst
Hometown: Washington, D.C.
Joy Haynes may be seen frequently in Barry Gribble’s films, and though he did direct Tryst, the idea came from Haynes, who also produced and stars in the sly and stylish short.
"It’s funny. I definitely don’t call this a day job," she says from her, well, day job office, a s an immigration attorney. "I’m probably just as passionate about being a lawyer as I am about acting and producing. So in the end, I sort of manage to create an ideal situation, because I get to practice law part-time and I get to act and produce part-time," she says. "I’ve definitely gone back and forth just doing one and giving up the other. And ultimately I find that just doing one I end up being bored. And I always go back. So having all these things going on works well for me."
Producing movies brings together both of Haynes’ skill sets, "as far as analyzing and negotiating and liability issues, damage control, things like that," she says. "That is the blending of the actor part of me and the more serious lawyer part of me."
For the film, Haynes says she "wanted to put something out there that was really fun and sexy and a little risky -- and in the end had a great message. Sort of a moral message." That message comes in the form of an unexpected twist, so no spoilers here. "In the end," she says, "it’s a good old honest story."
As for working with Gribble, Haynes notes the pair’s "very different working styles." "I’m very organized and have a lot of forethought, like to do things in advance, and come prepared. Which is sort of the antithesis of how Barry works," she laughs. "Barry works really well under pressure and under deadlines. [See above.] Which is why I think we do so well in the 48 [Hour Film Project]." The team won this year and two years ago, in addition to racking up many other awards. But "Tryst" was a organized affair. "Nothing really happened by chance in this," says Haynes. "Everything was put together in advance."
Thursday, September 10, 10 p.m. at the U.S. Navy Memorial’s Burke Theater
Saturday, September 12, 6 p.m. at Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Local filmmaker: Jehan S. Harney
Film: The Colors of Veil
Hometown: Alexandria, VA
Jehan Harney found the subject of her latest film over dinner. While visiting a Muslim imam in Baltimore, she discovered that his wife, Kimberly King, used to be in the army but she traded her helmet for a veil after converting to Islam.
"She comes from, like, two odd worlds," says Harney. "How could these two worlds come together? At that point, I decided she would be the subject of my film."
Harney always looks for subjects who are "a little different," she explains, a qualification King certainly met. "She’s interesting, with the different faith, different background, and how they come together in a way that’s bigger than just herself."
"We have certain preconceptions of what Muslims are like in America," says Harney, who is Egyptian-American. "We expect them to be Arab Muslims. Or sometimes we think that they are black, like the Nation of Islam. But we rarely think of them as people from the establishment, from the army, and people who are white, pretty women. So [King] kind of defies the stereotype both as a model of Muslims, both in the east and in the west."
Harney received a masters in journalism from American University and has worked as a TV news producer for several U.S. networks, as well as overseas. For her films, she is a one-person crew, handling both camerawork and editing.
Handling both camerawork and editing?
"Absolutely! Because I know my characters usually before I do any filming," she explains. "I have to know my characters really intimately. So I basically know what their environment is about, I know how they act, how they react to things."
Harney says she works by herself for two reasons. "One, I like my camera, my lens, to see what I’m seeing. So I like to be the one to film them. And also, as I’m discovering new things about them, even though I know what to expect, I like that to unfold on camera. And because a lot of these subjects usually are very private, I don’t like to bring a crowd with me. It makes it more intimate. And it makes my access even stronger and bigger. And it makes them open up easily on camera."
Harney is now working on a feature-length version of "The Colors of Veil."
Thursday, September 10, 7 p.m. at Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Saturday, September 12, 9 p.m. at the U.S. Navy Memorial’s Burke Theater
Local filmmaker: Harun Mehmedinovic
Film: In the Name of the Son
Hometown: Alexandria, VA
Hollywood is worried about "runaway productions" (films made overseas but intended for U.S. audiences), but they should thank Harun Mehmedinovic. Although his film is set partly in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He filmed it in Los Angeles.
Actually shooting overseas would have been difficult for many reasons, explains the Bosnian native, whose family moved to Alexandria in 1995. Still, the script called for a major scene set on a battlefield. "But what happened is there was that huge firestorm that went through LA about three years ago," Mehmedinovic explains. The ravaged grounds resembled a war zone enough for his art. "We got lucky," he jokes, "somebody up there did us a favor and torched half of LA."
Mehmedinovic’s D.C. roots also helped him in producing the film. "We had at least 10 to 15 D.C. people helping us, either on the crew or people that we knew," he says. The cinematographer also went to high school in Alexandria. In Mehmedinovic’s AFI graduate film program, the D.C. diaspora "gravitated toward each other, the Northern Virginia people."
Having lived through much of the Bosnian conflict, Mehmedinovic knew that the subject "was something that I was going to make a movie about at some point, and I’m probably going to make a feature about it in the future." He also knew that he "would most likely spend a year to a year-and-a-half on this thing. So I said it’s gotta be something worth making."
The story was one that he’d heard and that had stuck with him, about a Bosnian prisoner of war who is spared execution by a Serb officer. "That is the setup, and then years later this guy is living in Los Angeles and the guy who spared his life shows up at his doorstep," says Mehmedinovic. "And he says, ‘I want you to kill me.’ The Bosnian isn’t about to shoot, but the Serb isn’t going to leave. So something’s gotta give."
Thursday, September 10, 10 p.m. at Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Saturday, September 12, 6 p.m. at the U.S. Navy Memorial’s Burke Theater
Local filmmaker: Tyler Korba
Film: Rakirovka
Hometown: Washington, D.C.
"Rakirovka" is another 48 Hour Film Project winner, from the Washington Improv Theater. The group pulled the "Foreign Film" genre and called on WIT member Mark Chalfant, who majored in Russian, to provide the authentic narration in that language. WIT cast member, producer and "Ice Cream Man" in the film Topher Bellavia admits with a laugh that "we knew the lines we were speaking, but the narration -- I still don’t know what that’s about."
The film is an evocative psychological drama that evolves over a chess game between two mysterious men haunted by their pasts. It is beautifully shot using the fancy HD camera the group won in a previous 48 Hour contest. Not surprising for an organization built on spur-of-the-moment improvisation, WIT tends to do well with the constraints of that festival.
But that isn’t the only thing that makes their collaborations such a success. Bellavia notes with pride the many national directing awards that director Tyler Korba has won. "And each film is worlds apart from each other." Still, Korba’s style takes some getting used to. "A lot of it’s in his head," says Bellavia. "So even if you’re in it, you sometimes don’t know what’s going on." Which, of course, is like life -- few of us have the script to our own existence. But how does that work for an actor? "It requires a lot of trust and experience," says Bellavia. "And knowing someone over 10 years -- for the first five you’re like, ‘He has no idea what he’s doing. This makes no sense to me.’ You just have to trust that he has some idea of how it’s going to pull together. Because it’s always a surprise, which is fun."
Friday, September 11, 10 p.m. at Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Saturday, September 12, 1 p.m. at the U.S. Navy Memorial’s Burke Theater
Local filmmaker: Adriana Cepeda Espinosa
Film: El Salto a la Felicidad (The Leap to Happiness)
Hometown: Washington, D.C.
Writer/Producer Adriana Cepeda Espinosa could not make it to the shooting of her film "El Salto a la Felicidad (The Leap to Happiness)," which is set deep in the jungles of Colombia. But the crew almost didn’t make it, either. A bus was stuck in the mud, blocking the unpaved road the team had to travel. And when they finally did make it to the Rio Negro (Black River) location, the constant rain had swelled the waters to dangerous levels. "Fortunately," says Espinosa, "there were no fatal accidents."
That’s always a good thing on a movie set. And despite scenes of a treacherous river crossing, "Leap" is largely a lyrical meditation about a broken-hearted villager who undertakes a "metaphorical journey of renewal."
The inspiration for the film came from an image Espinosa saw in a book about Buddhism of "a man who was walking with all of his belongings on his back. And he was walking on a tightrope. And I thought, Wow, this is a really powerful image." The picture struck a chord "because I had been going through a lot of change in my life in the past two years," she says. "And I was thinking about the idea of leaving your life behind and what’s really valuable and what you take with you. And that you sometimes have to take risks to be able to reach a higher level of fulfillment."
The film has certainly fulfilled Espinosa’s expectations. In Colombia, "Leap" was screened for two months in hundreds of theaters across the country. "So if you were to go and watch "Up," or "Transformers," you would see the short before the movie," says the delighted Espinosa. Such extensive exposure is due to the Colombian government’s active support for native filmmaking. "There’s actually a law right now in Colombia that theaters have to show Colombian shorts before the features," Espinosa explains." The country’s largest distributor is eager for more product -- and will pay in advance. "So you can do a pre-sale and use that money to actually film," says Espinosa. "That’s what we did."
Now fans are burning up the Facebook page, but Espinosa has moved on -- and back to the past. She’s working on a black-and-white silent short as part of her MFA film studies at NYU. Espinosa appreciates the challenge of working without dialogue. "That’s one of the things I like about it," she says. "It doesn’t divide, it unites people through the image."
Friday, September 11, 7 p.m. at the U.S. Navy Memorial’s Burke Theater Lion of Czech Films Series US-ASEAN Film Festival 2009: New Films from Southeast Asia AFI Latin American Film Festival
Saturday, September 12, 3:30 p.m. at Landmark’s E Street Cinema
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Alain Resnais: The Eloquence of Memory
September 5, 6, 12, 13, 18–20
"A creature is a memory that acts." Research scientist Henri Laborit’s remark sums up the abiding artistic obsession of Alain Resnais (b. 1922), one of Europe’s most thoughtful and thought-provoking filmmakers. Resnais’ collaborations with powerful literary figures such as Marguerite Duras and Alain Robbe-Grillet are legendary and unique—he maintains that a script should be conceived apart from any concession to the medium. Yet Resnais is also a superb virtuoso of filmic technique, as this retrospective reveals. For the complete schedule of films and more information see the website.
National Gallery of Art: 4th & Constitution Ave., NW, D.C; 202-737-4215; www.nga.gov/programs/films
Wednesday, September 9
The Avalon presents Elementary School (Obecna skola) of the first films in its Lion of Czech Films monthly film series. Presented in collaboration with the Embassy of the Czech Republic, this series offers an invaluable opportunity to see the best of Czech cinema. A mixture of films for the upcoming series reflects the diversity and some of the best cinema of Czech directors. All of the films are in Czech with English subtitles. Elementary School Set in a Prague suburb shortly after World War II, a new teacher arrives at a boy’s school and soon becomes an admired figure to his students and the townspeople. Elementary School is a cinematographic childhood memory of screenwriter Zdenek Sverak and directed by his son Jan Sverak. The film takes place in the first year after the war in an atmosphere of reborn freedom and new hope for the future. The story revolves around young Eda and his relationship with the two authority figures in his life—his father and his teacher Hnizdo.
The Avalon: 5612 Connecticut Avenue, NW, D.C.; 202-966-6000; info@theavalon.org
September 13 – October 18
The Freer’s annual survey of contemporary Southeast Asian cinema brings together films that highlight the region’s cultures through both fiction and nonfiction cinema. With partners such as the National Geographic Society and the Smithsonian Institution, the festival has been offering Washingtonians the chance to see the latest films from Southeast Asia – the up and coming region in global cinema. From Thai horrors to Singaporean satires, films from the region are carving its own niche in the heart of film enthusiasts all over the world. For complete schedule of films, visit www.asia.si.edu/events/films.asp
Freer Gallery: Jefferson Drive at 12th Street, SW. D.C.; 202.633.1000; http://www.asia.si.edu
September 23 – October 12
Now in its 20th year, the annual AFI Latin American Film Festival showcases the best filmmaking from Latin America and, with the inclusion of films from Spain and Portugal, celebrates Ibero-American cultural connections. The festival kicks off with its Opening Night film, Mexico’s I’m Going to Explode [Voy a Explotar], a New Wave-styled story of young lovers on the run. Highlights among the films confirmed so far include: Tony Manero, a disco-infused, murderous black comedy from Chile; Dog Eat Dog, a gritty crime thriller from Colombia; Uruguay’s coming-of-ager Acne and oddball love story Gigante which won the Silver Bear at the 2009 Berlin Film Festival; Argentina’s Lion’s Den and The Headless Woman, both of which screened in the Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008; plus a free sneak preview of Latin Music USA, a four-part miniseries set to air on PBS later this fall. Tickets are $10 for most shows unless otherwise listed.
AFI Silver Theatre: 8633 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring, MD; 301-495-6700; www.AFI.com/silver