NEWS

AS = Ashley Sabin
DR = David Redmon

DR 7-1-09 In the country to get another visa (we were issued a 30 day visa), but leaving again soon. Will have frequent updates in Tokyo through September. Let us know if anyone recommends an area in which to film, stay, or visit while in Tokyo.

DR 6-6-09 Will update asap. Out of the country until the end of August. 

DR & AS 5-13-09 - One of the best festival experiences of the year occurs at the Independent Film Festival of Boston. Ashley and I have attended every IFFB festival since its inception – and probably around 60 festivals between the two of us - and we both agree that few regional festivals can match IFFB’s dedication, audience turnout, local support, and commitment to filmmakers and audiences (exceptions include Sarasota, Maryland, Magnolia, and Cinema on the Bayou). Every year festival programmer Adam Roffman works diligently to sift through hundreds of films to curate a diverse festival based on taste, pure passion for the film’s story, the needs and wants of the local public, a few world premieres (almost all Northeast premieres) and award winners from other festivals. IFFB’s screenings are either sold out, or sold to near capacity; hundreds of people can be seen in lines that meander for blocks; festival sponsors include Zipcar, JetBlue, Ford, and the Liberty Hotel. The buttress of support allows IFFB to take care of filmmakers and provide a unique moving-going experience for audiences. Indeed, it is an honor to show a film to the public in the Somerville theaters, be part of its thriving festival community, and participate in panels or activities where filmmakers can truly collaborate with other filmmakers, staff and volunteers.

On Thursday nights IFFB staff and volunteers rent out the infamous “candle bowling alley” so filmmakers can enjoy clumsily competing or jostling each other to obtain the highest score, or the best bowling form. On Friday and Saturday nights, festival volunteers and staff put together free parties with free food, drinks and alcohol. Through generous festival sponsorship, IFFB flies in filmmakers, houses them, and feeds them a variety of food (yes, including a range of desserts!). “Okay,” you might be wondering at the point, “But what about the quality of the films!”

In fact, IFFB is the festival where we’ve acquired several films for our Carnivalesque label (upcoming releases include Low and Behold, Woodpecker, and The New Year’s Parade).  This year’s standout film from IFFB is Winnebego Man – a wild and moving journey to find out the story behind the “world’s angriest man.” So far, it’s our favorite documentary of the year. Other notable films include Shooting Beauty (which won the audience award) and Trust Us This Is All Made Up.  Beyond the films, panels included How to Build your Audience with excellent presentations by Chris Holland, Sean Flynn, and Scott Kirsner. The room was packed, all seats were taken, and several people crammed against the walls in order to listen to the panel.

During a committed seven years, Roffman has already demarcated a new festival experience for film lovers. It’s only a matter of time before he permanently redefines the cinematic landscape of Boston community in similar ways that Ross Mckelvie, Fredrick Wiseman, Errol Morris, Jeff Kreines, and the legacy of others who come out of the cinematic region of Somerville, Cambridge, and Boston film scene. 

On a final high note, last year we showed Intimidad at IFFB and met Scott Oxholm. Scott is a 4th year volunteer for IFFB. In addition to having a full time job, Scott also manages to volunteer for IFFB while also watching 18 films during the festival. Each year Scott selects one film from IFFB to screen at Fayerweather Street School where he teaches math. This year, Scott went out of his way to set up a screening of Intimidad at Fayerweather. First, he invited us to speak in two 7th grade classes where the students already knew words such as “commodity chain” and “infrastructure.” While eating lunch outside with Scott a fire alarm drill happened and the entire school population of about 200 - including adorable kindergartners - began running out of the school.  Later that evening Intimidad screened in the school gymnasium. Preceding the screening, however, was a potluck dinner with students and parents.  The response to the film was fantastic and the audience asked questions no one has ever asked. It was the first time we actually understood Intimidad as a family film.  Thank you, Scott! See you next year, if not sooner.

DR 4-13-09 - Independent Film Festival of Boston has posted the screening times and dates for their upcoming films. Click here to order tickets for INVISIBLE GIRLFRIEND. IFFB is one of our favorite festivals. In fact, it's the first festival that Ashley and I attended together to see films. I still recall the days of watching POWER TRIP, CON MAN and AN INJURY TO ONE. Those films - dare I say - inspired me to finish MARDI GRAS: MADE IN CHINA. The festival world at that time was magical, new, and far away. Today, few festivals remain magical, but it's always the programmers who make all the difference (Holly Herrick and Tom Hall, for instance). True to his word, Adam Roffman (IFFB programmer) is a no nonsense person, someone who cares deeply about the film community in the Boston areas (Cambridge, Brookline, Somerville). We can't wait to sit down and respond to the films he's showing in the festival. Ashley and I are honored to return to the IFFB for the 6th year in a row - a truly magical place that always feels both new and familiar. 

DR 4-6-09 – The month of March has been extremely busy with due dates for our upcoming DVD releases, promotion of our current films, a book that I’m co-writing writing with Mark Horowitz on Mardi Gras: Made in China, and trips to various parts of Russia (mostly in the Siberian regions), Louisiana, and Florida. First, Ashley and I have been documenting an artful and poetic story that connects landscapes with fashion and girls in Russia who want to become models. At this point we’ve followed our main character to parts of Shanghai, China, Paris, France, New York City, and regions in Russia. Second, INVISIBLE GIRLFRIEND is out and about, screening in several U.S. cities in the next few months. We took an unconventional route and decided to premiere Invisible Girlfriend at the Magnolia Film Festival where it was awarded the Ron Tibbett Award for Excellence and subsequently screened at the Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival in Lafayette, LA where the jurors awarded it Best Humanities themed film – the highest honor of the festival. Last, Ashley and I experienced the warm weather and enthusiastic crowds at the Sarasota Film Festival (organized by Holly Herrick and Tom Hall). Now, the two of us are gearing up to complete our three new projects on landscapes (TWISTED), chasing chickens and training dogs (POTLATCH), and a documentary about single people over the age of 65 who work with their hands (DARLINGS). We’ll also announce three new films we’re releasing through our Carnivalesque label.

Cinema on the Bayou is a must attend event for any filmmaker looking to meander from the beaten path of film festivals, especially if you’re interested in exploring local culture with distinct tastes found nowhere else in the United States (French speaking Cajuns living side by side with Zydeco playing Creoles). Any attempt to characterize the festival in writing is an immediate and impossible task. Nevertheless, I feel compelled to write something even at the risk of hyperbole. Simply stated, filmmakers need to experience Cinema on the Bayou in order to understand what it’s trying to do. Created by one of my all time favorite filmmakers, Pat Mire and Rebecca Hudsmith (a Louisiana Human Rights lawyer and artist), Cinema on the Bayou is truly a home grown festival with eager audiences, home cooked meals, local beer, and dancing and music that drifts into the wee hours of the night. The party continues bright and early the next morning at 8am with lines extending out the door to get inside rural bars where people dance, play more music, and drink while eating breakfast. That’s right. Believe it, and see it for yourself right here where Ashley and I filmed a little bit of the action. We haven’t experienced this kind of local culture and festive event anywhere else in the United States; it’s distinct to the region and part of what makes for a unique transformation and understanding of the term “diaspora festival,” especially since the community who helped create this event were originally dispersed from their lands. I think Barry Ancelet, a subject in Pat’s most recent film MON CHER CAMARADE, says it best when referring language, “We all to often think of linguistic diversity, language difference as a problem. It’s not a problem, it’s an opportunity, a treasure. It is in those differences that we find traces of our linguistic past.”

I first came across Pat Mire’s films in my college days while exploring representations and social constructions of Mardi Gras and Carnival. Perhaps the most popular and well-known aspect of Carnival takes place in New Orleans and parts of Rio in Brazil. However, Pat has been documenting Louisiana’s unique Southern rituals for decades, including Carnival. His film, DANCE FOR A CHICKEN, explores the historical rituals and origins of rural Carnival, specifically, the element of “dancing for a chicken” on Mardi Gras day. I’ve watched DANCE FOR A CHICKEN and ANYTHING I CATCH dozens of times, always learning something new upon each viewing. Pat’s a rare, prolific, and audacious filmmaker who insists on shooting with 16mm and 35mm – something unusual in today’s digitally saturated world. His films explore the construction, repetition, and continuity of local culture from an insider’s perspective, much like the classical anthropologists who emerged out of the Chicago school, except Pat comes from his own school of thought which he invented in Southern Louisiana. Pat’s also worked alongside Les Blank in finding his own unique voice and stories. Pat’s other films have played worldwide at the London Film Festivals (DIRTY RICE) and on TV (PBS, Discovery Channel, among others) including international stations. This summer Pat will be traveling throughout parts of Europe showcasing his most recent documentary, MON CHER CAMARADE – a beautiful yet stern critique of WWII mis-representations of French speaking Cajun soldiers who helped translate during the war. To actually meet Pat was a small, curious dream come true (I don’t have big dreams yet!) as I have wondered for years who Pat is and how he continues to be so artfully prolific. Ashley and I look forward to working alongside the festival as well as cinematically exploring and understanding unique regional stories in the Louisiana landscapes (POTLATCH).

Before leaving Cinema on the Bayou, we met up with filmmaker Zack Godshall (Lafayette, native) who directed the moving film LOW AND BEHOLD and recently completed the poetic project GOD’S ARCHITECTS. Zack was in the middle of shooting his third feature film yet somehow found time to take us to the Blue Moon Saloon for live music and a little bit of dancing. The next morning Ashley and I traveled to New Orleans to rest for a day and a half, visiting old friends while making new ones (Ian Wood and TSUNAMI ESCAPE).  We were lucky enough to meet up with Benh Zeitlin who created one of our favorite films from 2008, Glory at Sea. Ben is still productive and creative as ever, remarkably overcoming a car accident that left him unable to walk for months. He is currently working on another project unique to New Orleans and casting local residents to become nonprofessional actors in the film. His current film is supported by the Sundance Institute and we can’t wait to see it – it’s certain to be glorious hit.

We left New Orleans early Weds morning and spent two days with Ashley’s grandparents where we ate home cooked meals, swam in their pool, and hung out at the beach. Afterwards, we made our way to the warm and receptive Sarasota Film Festival. Although we didn’t get to see as many films as we had hoped to watch, we did see what we deem as our favorite documentary of the year, LOOT by Darius Marder. LOOT follows Lance Larsen, a treasure hunter who looks for buried loot in the Phillipines and Austria discarded by soldiers during WWII, only to dig into memories of the past and intimations of the future that demand closure. It’s a haunting, meditative story with no easy resolutions. In an effort to not spoil the story, I’ll refrain from describing any part of it and simply say look for its release soon on both HBO and DVD. LOOT premiered at the LA Film Festival where it won Best Documentary and took home a cash award of $50,000. Darius’ story of how the film got made is just as magical and synchronistic as the actual story in the film. Meanwhile, Invisible Girlfriend played to a nearly sold out crowd on Sunday in Sarasota. Afterwards Ashley and I sold several DVDs of our previous films to interested attendees. Charles made the trek to Sarasota via Greyhound bus and the crowd enthusiastically applauded his efforts as documented in the film. We look forward to upcoming screenings in Nashville, Atlanta, Boston, Maryland, Camden, Monroe, New Orleans, Chicago, and Shreveport.  Afterwards, Invisible Girlfriend will premiere on TV. More details coming soon!  

AS 3-6-09 I have recovered from the flu and the dungeon of a bed. For the sake of reminiscing I have posted some Mississippi/Memphis pictures below. Take a peek and have a happy weekend...

DR 2-28-09 Ashley inadvertently set up an NPR (All Things Considered) interview with Peter Stampfel (band member of The Holy Modal Rounders) and Paul Lovelace (co-director of The Holy Modal Rounders: Bound to Lose). After setting up a free screening of the film at Shake It Records in Cincinnati, Ohio, a local NPR producer watched the film and then contacted national NPR. You can listen to the piece here and order the DVD here, here, or Netflix it here.

Last weekend Ashley and I traveled to Starkville, MS to screen our newest film, Invisible Girlfriend, at the 12th annual Magnolia Film Festival. It was our first time to attend the Magnolia Film Festival and I hope it won’t be the last. It was a refreshing experience to meet new filmmakers, eager audiences and attend a festival to which we have never traveled. We expected a small, warm, and intimate event; we experienced that plus a whole lot more. The crowds were extremely receptive, the hospitality was top notch, and the organizers even set up a table where we sold out of DVDs. Two reviews of Invisible Girlfriend by Michael Tully and Pamela Cohn can be read here and here.

(Packed house)

Immediately upon arriving in Starkville we walked up and down the street looking for the restaurant where everyone was meeting for dinner. Suddenly, a friendly man walking down the street approached us and said, “Looking for something!” “The Restaurant Tyler,” we told him. “Ohhh, it’s the best place to eat in town. You’re gonna love it! It’s right across the street. Welcome to Starkville!” We walked over to the restaurant where a large group of residents and festival volunteers welcomed us for a free dinner. Afterwards, we drove to the theater where Charles (main character in Invisible Girlfriend) and his friend Kimberly attended the sold out screening (see photos). Afterwards, Charles did a question and answer session with the audience. Later that weekend Invisible Girlfriend won the Ron Tibbett Award for Excellence in Filmmaking. In more ways than one, the experience was humbling and we’d definitely return to the festival. We also recommend it to other filmmakers. In fact, we met a variety of filmmakers from Toronto, Durham, Tupelo, Portland, and several other cities who attended the festival. 

After leaving our bed and breakfast (where the festival houses filmmakers) the next morning, Ashley and I left Starkville to visit Oxford, MS where we came across a fantastic bookstore called Square Books. There, we found a 2008 edition of the Oxford American, opened the magazine, and discovered that Derek Jenkins, an editor of the magazine, named Low and Behold – a film we’re going to release – one of the best films of the South in 2008! The magazine included a DVD with 5 minutes from the film. Apparently, Oxford was named after the British city in hopes of attracting the state university. Indeed, we came across double-decker busses and red phone booths (see photo) that resembled cultural objects straight out of London. Still, it was apparent we were in Mississippi – and that’s what made the experience so rich.

 

(Phone booth in Oxford, MS)

Our final stop was in Memphis, where we stayed in the one of a kind and friendly Talbot Heirs (highly recommended and owned by Tom and Sandy Franck), ate dinner at the Flying Fish (excellent), and had a beer at the Flying Saucer where we watched 5 minutes of the Academy Awards. The next morning we had breakfast with Erik Jambor (current Director of the Indie Memphis Film Festival) at The Arcade - the famous diner where Jim Jarmusch shot Mystery Train (highly recommended), Wong Kar Wei shot My Blueberry Nights (not so highly recommended) and Ira Sachs shot Forty Shades of Blue (haven’t seen it).

 

(Talbot Heirs hallway)

Later that night we returned to Brooklyn, began working on other projects, and continued banging out ideas on distribution (digital, theatrical and DVD). We’ll soon announce a few more films we’ll be releasing, but for now we simply can’t understand how low-budget filmmakers will make money from digital distribution, especially in the current climate of diminishing DVD sales. Still, that doesn’t mean we oppose it; instead, we need to understand how to utilize the digital world for the filmmaker’s benefit, the audience’s benefit, and the distributor’s benefit. All three of needs are conflicted at the moment. Hopefully, we’ll work out a solution for everyone. Stay tuned for more news about Carnivalesque Films and Invisible Girlfriend!

DR1-30-09 It's been a while since we've posted notes on what's happening in the Carnivalesque world. Right now Ashley and I are two days away from completing Invisible Girlfriend (including the extras for the DVD). We have a unique distribution strategy for this film and hope it'll garner more interest from a general audience in a way we have not tried with our other films. 

We're back in Brooklyn after staying 10 days in Park City as jurors at the Slamdance Film Festival. Strongman won best documentary and we hope it'll garner more visibility in upcoming months. Ashley's in the process of completing Darlings while I continue to work on the hybrid film in Mansfield, TX. Hopefully both films will be done by this summer.  

DR 12-5-08 Allen Bell from the Southern Arts Federation has just released the following announcement. I have to say that Southern Film Circuit was my all time favorite event in the last three years involving film and travel. 

The 35th Annual Southern Circuit – Tour of Independent Filmmakers
The 3rd Annual Short Circuit –Traveling Film Festival
OPEN CALL FOR ENTRIES
 
The Southern Arts Federation announces the call for entries for both the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers and the Short Circuit Traveling Film Festival.
 
For 2009-2010, Southern Circuit is accepting submissions of feature-length films for consideration. Each of the twelve films accepted into the program will tour with one of the filmmakers to screenings at venues throughout the South. All travel expenses (airfare, car rental) and per diem (food, lodging) are covered by the program. Filmmaker tours are 10-12 days and will occur between September 2009 and April 2010. In addition, each touring filmmaker receives a $300 stipend for each screening. Stipends generally total $2,400-3,000. Southern Circuit is open to any filmmaker living in the United States who possesses a valid driver’s license. Filmmakers may submit a single feature-length work or a group of short works whose combined time reaches feature length (a minimum of 45 minutes, a maximum of 120 minutes). Films are considered in the categories of narrative fiction, documentary, experimental, and animation. Southern Circuit is the nation’s only regional tour of independent filmmakers, providing communities with an interactive way to engage and experience independent film. The tour utilizes an intimate context to connect audiences with filmmakers and films they might not otherwise have the opportunity to see. Early bird deadline for submissions is January 23, 2009; regular deadline is February 6, 2009; late deadline is February 13, 2009. To submit to Southern Circuit, go to Withoutabox.
 
Short Circuit is accepting short works (30 minutes or less) by filmmakers living and working in the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Each filmmaker will receive a one-time stipend of $300 if their film is selected to be included in the program. The twelve films accepted into Short Circuit may screen together as a single program at venues throughout the United States and Canada and also may serve as opening films for feature-length Southern Circuit screenings from September 2009 to May 2010. Films are considered in the categories of narrative fiction, documentary, experimental, and animation. Early bird deadline for submissions is February 27, 2009; regular deadline is March 13, 2009; late deadline is March 20, 2009. To submit to Short Circuit, go to Withoutabox.
 
Southern Circuit and Short Circuit are film programs produced by the Southern Arts Federation, a not-for-profit regional arts organization making a positive difference in the arts throughout the South since 1975. Southern Arts Federation is supported by funding and programming partnerships with the National Endowment for the Arts and the state arts agencies of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. For more information on the Southern Arts Federation and its programs visit www.southarts.org.

AS 12-5-08 We have just learned of some exciting news!  Ry Russo-Young's (the director of Orphans) next film got into Sundance.  The film is titled You Won't Miss Me.  David and I both are eager and excited to see the film and are thrilled for Ry!  Check out her film and other titles at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival website.   

DR 11-22-2008 Just as it seemed that all would fall apart due to misunderstandings regarding the roles of each person involved in our next collaborative film, the modeling film - TWISTED - is back on course with mutual understanding from everyone involved. Ashley and I couldn't be more thrilled to complete this film with the help of our main character! At this moment, we're certain the film will paint an impression of landscapes, bodies, and where models come from. The main character (and creative advisor) has contributed many hours of her own footage as a former model. Now, she's a scout with many years of experience who travels to Russia (and other countries) to find girls who will eventually become models. Ashley and I are leaving with her on Tuesday to document the process, the landscapes, and the modeling contests. We'll be in Siberia - cold weather - and travel on the Transiberian Railway to rural provinces where she and her friend find potential models. Everything is set for "go" and we return in December. 

Today Ashley and I sent DVD screeners of Invisible Girlfriend to several film festivals. We hope to premiere the film in March 2008 and eventually bring it to DVD and TV.  

DR 11-19-2008 Manhattan, Kansas is officially released on DVD today! If you haven't seen Tara Wray's movie, I'd suggest ordering from Amazon or renting it from Netflix. I still remember the first time I watched Tara's film and how we met. Ashley and I volunteered to pass out postcards for Mark Becker when he was promoting his film, Romantico. I noticed a young woman sitting on a bench in front of a coffee shop so I walked over and handed her a card. She said, "Oh! I've heard of this film." Afterwards, we continued talking and she told me about her film, Manhattan, Kansas. A few days later, I ordered her film from her webpage. Two years later, Ashley and I are releasing it on DVD under the Carnivalesque label. 

Intimidad continues to screen in festivals and theaters around the country. Last week Ashley traveled to Space and Time in Hudson, NY to present Intimidad to a warm and receptive audience. Afterwards, we screened Intimidad at MoMA followed by a trip to East Tennessee State University to show clips from our body of work (Mardi Gras, Kamp Katrina, Intimidad, Invisible Girlfriend, and Twisted), followed by copies on DVD for sale at a table. The folks at East Tennessee are some of the friendliest and down to earth people I've met on our tour since Ashley and I started in 2005. The organizers contacted me in July, booked my ticket, stayed in contact regarding classroom presentations, dinners, keynote presentations (it was International Week there - and still is) and provided a detailed itinerary over the course of three days. It should be an example of how screenings can be organized to maximize the images as well as everyone's time (including students). It has been one of the most memorable experiences so far. Plus, on the way out of TriCities airport, I came across a photojournalism book by Kenneth Murray titled A Day Before Yesterday: Appalachia. The black and white photographs in the book are filled with  harsh honesty and intimacy, followed by oral histories of the people in the photos. It's easily one of the most moving photo books I've seen in years. In fact, it's so moving that it makes me want to understand the images instead of look at them. Sometimes it feels like the images are talking to you. It's the way I'd eventually like to make films - where the images speak (in addition to the people).  

Tonight Ashley and I screen Intimidad at MoMA - our second screening of the Contenders series. We're gearing up to go to Russia, but we're also encountering major obstacles (and have been for the last 6 months). While I realize every film has its own internal set of problems, this film is beginning to unhinge me in so many ways. If this film actually comes together, then I think we'll be able to overcome any problem that surfaces in any future film. 

DR 11-7-2008 There's so much to write about: recent films we've watched (The Match Factory Girl, Me and My Brother, and Billy the Kid, just to mention a few gems); trips to USC and other colleges; late night editing episodes to finish our next film; our current and upcoming releases; and our next - next film...

Tonight I arrived in CT with Ashley to present Intimidad at the Hartford Film Festival tomorrow night at 6pm. Saturday we'll be screening Invisible Girlfriend as a rough cut so we can receive feedback from an audience before we submit the final version to festivals and TV stations. We're also preparing for a few more college and theatrical presentations of Intimidad next week, including a rare trip to East Tennessee State University - a trip I've been looking forward to since they contacted me this past summer. 

Next week INTIMIDAD has its NYC premiere at MoMA - the Museum of Modern Art! It's the opening film for a series MoMA calls "The Contenders." Here's the description:

The Contenders November 14, 2008–Ongoing View all related screenings

Every year there are films that resonate far beyond a theatrical release (if they manage to find their way to a commercial screen at all) or film festival appearance. Their significance can be attributed to a variety of factors, from structure to subject matter to language, but these films are united in their lasting impact on the cinematic art form. For this new ongoing series, the Department of Film combs through major studio releases and the top film festivals in the world, selecting influential, innovative films made in the last twelve months that we believe will stand the test of time. Whether bound for awards glory or destined to become a cult classic, each of these films is a contender for lasting historical significance—and any true cinephile will want to catch them on the big screen. Please visit www.moma.org for screening information.

We released THE HOLY MODAL ROUNDERS: BOUND TO LOSE on OCT 28, with Paul Lovelace throwing a DVD release party a few days later in the presence of a live band. It was definately the highlight of October. We'll post reviews of the film as soon as we get a chance, but for now you can order the DVD almost anywhere, rent it from Netflix, or order it online at Amazon.com You can also directly order the DVD from the director's webpage or our webpage by clicking on Films. 

Ok, I'm tired. Bedtime. Go Obama.  

DR 10-20-08 It’s been an adventure since returning from our shoot during Paris Fashion Week. Intimidad’s screening at Trinity University was packed with students, thanks to David Spener’s efforts in bringing together multiple disciplines to see the film. Afterwards, we immediately drove to Reynosa to see Ceci, Camilo, and Loida. Since we last saw them in FEB 2008, they’ve added a bathroom (with plumbing) and an extra room. We also split all the money we’ve made from Intimdad’s screening. THANKS to everyone who purchased Ceci’s jewelry, bought a dvd, set up screenings, and paid for dvds in advance. We’ve made over $4,000 just from sales, dvds, and screenings! As explained during Q&A’s, both Ceci and Camilo helped shoot the film and document their lives. They also advised us on how to edit certain scenes (her father’s death, for example). Both Ashley and I see this contribution (of their footage and knowledge) as a form of labor and therefore need to credit them as cinematographers and pay them for their time. Currently, their neighborhood has a water tower (built by a group from Austin, TX) and busses come to their area every 30 mins so they don’t have to walk three miles to catch a bus. There’s no electrical grid in the area and they still use candles and outdoor fire for light. Loida is in school and she’s missing her two front teeth! She still wants to become a teacher when she graduates college (she’s seven years old). Both Ashley and I are still documenting Loida to see where she ends up in life. Reynosa? Puebla? Somewhere else?  

We left Reynosa in the middle of the night and drove to Ft. Worth, TX where we continued filming for one of our next films and then caught a plane the next morning to Chicago for Intimidad’s week long premiere at Facet’s Theatre – organized by Charles Coleman. There, we had dinner with the director (Jay Delaney) of Not Your Typical Big Foot Movie (which is currently playing at the Pioneer Theater in NYC), spent some time with Kris Swanberg, and talked in extensive detail with Charles Coleman about movies and sports (Ashley LOVES football). After Chicago, we flew to Columbia, MO to show Intimidad at Rag Tag Theater (one of our favorite venues) to a much larger than expected crowd who absolutely “got” the film.

Ashley and I lived in Columbia, MO this summer so it was refreshing to see familiar places and faces. We had the shuttle driver from the airport drop us off at Sparky’s Ice Cream shop. After double dipping chocolate and fudge brownie ice cream, we walked over to Uprise Bakery for a warm cup of fresh coffee and a conversation with David Wilson. We enjoyed the next two days showing clips of our films in classes, meeting students, and showing and talking about “Representation and Documentary Filmmaking” in relation to the body of our work (including Invisible Girlfriend and our upcoming film, Twisted). Jackie Litt, Chair of the Women and Gender Studies, arranged the events and we also stayed at her house – with her two dogs Frank and Minnie. We lived with Frank and Minnie this summer in Columbia, MO and got to know them, well, intimately. They are splendid dogs who like to go to the bathroom a lot.

After Columbia, we flew to Boston, MA to meet with Gerald Peary at Boston University to show Kamp Katrina and Intimidad at his screening series. There, we met Legacy – Gerald’s TA – who is teaching an invigorating class about filmmaking. Every week students show up to meet a director, see their film(s), and then have conversations about the film in relation to their written material. The experience at BU made Ashley and I want to return to Boston. Gerald is one the most active people we’ve met. Not only has he published several books, but he’s also a professor, a reputable critic, an avid reader of poetry and literature, and he’s just completed a seven-year documentary with his wife Amy. Look for its release in 2009!

We also met with our friends Anna and Jeff who have been giving us invaluable advice for our upcoming trip to Russia to continue shooting one of our current films, TWISTED. The next morning we rented a car and drove to Hampshire College in Amherst, MA where we attended an intimate and casual wedding between Adam Roffman (programmer at IFFBoston) and his fiancé/wife Kristina. Afterwards, everyone danced with cupcakes, beer, and wine all night long to the sounds of Prince, Talking Heads, and the Beastie Boys.

Now, Ashley and I are back in Brooklyn, unpacking books and dvds and preparing for Carnivalesque Films next release: THE HOLY MODAL ROUNDERS: BOUND TO LOSE before we jet away to screenings at USC, New Jersey, Museum of Modern Art, and East Tennessee State University. Actually, we’ve been preparing for the release for a while and we’re excited about some of the upcoming press for Holy Modal Rounders. Its official street date is October 28 followed by a small party in Austin and NYC. More information to come!

Last, and not least, INVISIBLE GIRLFRIEND will be done by the end of the month! Yes, we’ll have a sneak peek screening here in Brooklyn before sending it off to a few festivals where we hope it’ll have a successful run before finding its way onto TV, DVD, and in theaters! Invisible Girlfriend is about Charles – a character from Kamp Katrina – who journeys on a big red beach cruiser through rural Louisiana, accompanied by his invisible girlfriend Joan of Arc. His desire is to deliver a candle to a woman in New Orleans who just might be the Joan of Arc of his life. Along the way he meets a cast of unforgettable characters who all offer insight into the future.

DR 10-1-08 Ashley and I recently returned from the Sidewalk Film Festival in Birmingham, AL where Intimidad won Best Documentary. If you've never been to Birmingham, be sure to go sometime and meet the fine folks from the festival. It's a must attend festival on the circuit with an older downtown as something to explore! After Sidewalk, we went to the Austin Film Society to screen Invisible Girlfriend, our forthcoming documentary which explores one person's desire to find his invisible girlfriend in the flesh. The responses were excellent and the feedback was even better. Now we know what to cut out and what to add. Invisible Girlfriend will be done at the end of October. Last night we returned to San Marcos to screen Intimidad in front of a packed audience. Every semester John Lasser organizes a screening series that has really taken the campus by storm. I'd estimate a few hundred people showed up who all dug Intimidad. Once again, we sold out of Cecy's designs.

Right now Ashley and I are sitting on the east side of Austin in a small cafe called Progress. She's having the bisquit and egg (with coffee) and I'm having the hearty oatmeal with fruit (and a cup of coffee). We leave for Paris in a few hours where we'll continue documenting our other film about models and fashion (there's more to the story of course). Anyone have friend's with a couch in Paris? We just got an email from our hotel saying they've overbooked.

We return next week to launch our theatrical release of Intimidad in Chicago, but not before sharing the film at Trinity University in San Antonio, TX. The best news of the year, however, is that Ry Russo-Young's ORPHANS is officially out on DVD! Please request it at your local video store (before the store disappears). If your local video store no longer exists, then order it from Amazon, our webpage, or Netflix. In the near future we'll have all our films available on iTunes. However, we did meet Chris Holland this week of the innovative B-Side (Austin, TX) who introduced us to some alternate internet ideas (along with Blood Car Alex Momma Shark).

DR 9.16.08

Ashley and I are back in Brooklyn after a long stay in Texas. We showed Intimidad and Kamp Katrina in Houston, TX at the Landmark Theater (sponsored by Mark Lacey at the AMAZING Houston Institute for Culture) just before Hurricane Ike made a rude visit. We ended up leaving Houston at 1am and sleeping in our car on the highway due to jam-packed traffic. The next day we packed 15 harddrives and jumped on a plane headed for NYC where we quickly departed and rushed over to the IFP market to participate in industry events and see friends. Alas, we're leaving tomorrow morning for a 6am flight to screen Intimidad in Athens, GA and back again on Thursday morning to participate in a panel at the IFP. Afterwards, we're heading to the incredible Sidewalk Film Festival and then back to Texas to show our newly completed film INVISIBLE GIRLFRIEND at the Austin Film Society, followed by Intimidad at Texas State University and Trinity University in San Antonio, TX. Afterwards, we might leave the country to coninue filming one of our current projects, and then return Chicago to show Intimidad at Facets. Later that week, Ashley and I will drive to Columbia, MO to screen one of our films. USC, New Jersey, and a few more places... It's all starting to run together, but somehow we're managing to stay organized and afloat. However, we've also managed to release Mardi Gras: Made in China, and ORPHANS is at the end of the month! We're super excited to release THE HOLY MODAL ROUNDERS: BOUND TO LOSE in October followed by MANHATTAN, KANSAS on Nov 18. Right now we're working on press releases, garnering press, and soliciting several companies for bulk orders. Food? Sleep? More later...  

AS 9.4.08 

Sorry we have been MIA for so long.  We've been busy with our new distribution branch and completing other projects.  The shoot in Shanghai, China for our latest documentary (Twisted) went well.  I've got some nice images to share.  

It's not overcast in this photo, but pollution!

Shooting in the show room of a garment factory

Inside factory

The two skylines of Shanghai competing: The Old and The New

DR--8-04-08 - Hello everyone! MARDI GRAS: MADE IN CHINA is ranked #1 on most blogged about movies in the New York Times. Hopefully, this will increase people's awareness of the film and provide motivation to Netflix it, buy it on Amazon.com, or purchase it from our webpage. Your local video store should also have a copy! If not, let em' know about the film and ask them to call me - my direct number is 347 282 6132 or email me at mgmadeinchina@yahoo.com. Thanks, Y'all. We'll have more exciting news soon.  (see the image below taken from the New York Times - on the right side is "Most Popular Movies/Most Blogged. 1. Mardi Gras: Made in China Traces the Origins of a Festival's Beads." 

 

DR - 8-4-08 ORPHANS, our next release, is now available to preorder on Amazon.com. Please go to Netlfix and request ORPHANS - it'll be available to rent next month.

DR 6-3-08 MARDI GRAS: MADE IN CHINA
DVD available on July 29, 2008
Review copies available now

Pre-order at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Best Buy, Borders, Circuit City, Buy.com

Rent Online: Blockbuster and Netflix

Nominated for the Grand Jury Award at the Sundance Film Festival
Winner of 20 awards, Theatrically Released in the U.S.
Curated by the Sundance Channel as one of the "Classical Festival Moments" of all Sundance films
New York Time's Critics Pick

"Punchy documentary critique of globalization looks at the conditions in a factory in the Chinese city of Fuzhou where young workers make the beads showered onto revelers in New Orleans in exchange for baring their breasts at Mardi Gras." New York Times

"Cleverly juxtaposes the apex of American bacchanalian excess with the sweatshop-like conditions that facilitate the fun." Los Angeles Times 

"This is one of the best films I know about real (as opposed to op-ed) globalization.   Please welcome it." The Nation

June 3, 2008 - Carnivalesque Films will release the Award Winning documentary MARDI GRAS: MADE IN CHINA in stores everywhere on July 29, 2008. Winner of twenty national and international awards, Mardi Gras: Made in China follows the path of Mardi Gras beads from the naked streets of New Orleans during Carnival – where revelers party and exchange beads for sexual acts – to the disciplined factories in Fuzhou, China – where teenage girls live and sew beads together all day and night. Blending curiosity with comedy, Mardi Gras: Made in China is the only film to explore how the toxic products directly affect the people who both make and consume them.

Carnivalesque Films is a new production and distribution company whose goal is to explore how personal stories relate to complex social issues. David Redmon and Ashley Sabin - directors of the award winning films KAMP KATRINA and INTIMIDAD - founded Carnivalesque Films and will release three award winning films ORPHANS (Ry Russo-Young), THE HOLY MODAL ROUNDERS: BOUND TO LOSE (Paul Lovelace and Sam Douglas), and MANHATTAN, KANSAS (Tara Wray) on September 28, October 30, and November 16, 2008.  

For screeners, publicity and interviews contact David Redmon and Ashley Sabin,  203 417 3136 and 347 282 6132
info@carnivalesquefilms.com

For Sales (national and international) please contact Ewa Bigio at Smiley Films

Pre-book date: July 4, 2008
Street Date: July 29, 2008
SRP: $19.95
Bonus features: PG version, deleted scenes, extra scenes, 7 min version, clips from upcoming films,
and a worker's diary.

PRE-ORDER NOW at Amazon.com 

DR 5-29-08 We've arrived to Columbia, MO after only 2 days of driving. Now, we're getting ready to settle into our new home and begin working on several goals we want to explore and pursue during the next year. 

Recently, INTIMIDAD won Best International Film at the Connecticut Film Festival. Last month it won the Human Rights award at the RiverRun Film Festival, and during the previous month it won the Excellence in Filmmaking award at the Magnolia Film Festival in Mississippi. We are honored for these awards and will be sure to share the recognition with Cecy, Camilo, and Loida (as well as all the money made from Cecy's jewelry that we're selling online). 

Lately I've been hesitant to mention that Ashley and I don't send our films to the Full Frame Film Festival or the Silverdocs Film Festival. Sometime in the near future I hope to write a brief article explaining why these two festivals, in particular, are not festivals we consider "storytelling" festivals. Instead, these two festivals prioritize liberal films that focus on politics, presented in a journalistic manner over the aesthetics and craft of storytelling. Additionally, the two film festivals operate in a top-down manner in which they assume to be "enlightened" and therefore it's their duty - even obligation - to "enlighten" the remaining people who don't conform to their liberal beliefs. As such, the two festivals - Full Frame and SilverDocs - sacrifice story by replacing it with ideological dogma and the dissemination of ideologies that confirm what they want to hear and what they already believe - and hope to convince audiences or at least change their minds. These two festivals select films that reflect what the programmers of the festivals already believe. Ashley and I don't make films to reinforce what we want to hear. Our films are not mouthpieces for our beliefs. Our films don't attempt to convince anyone of anything. Yet,  our "nonsubmission" is our own small way of being political. But we'll never make a film about it. 

DR 5-26-08 Most recent review of INTIMIDAD by Hammer to Nail's Michael Tully.

Ashley and I are back in Mansfield, TX after taking three long trips to Reynosa, Monroe, and New Orleans. Tomorrow we leave for our new "home" in Columbia, MO (home of the True/False Film Festival). Both of us are excited to leave Texas, but also looking forward to some downtime, finishing a few more films, and kick-starting our new distribution company Carnivalesque Films. We have several titles to release (Mardi Gras: Made in China on July 29) followed by ORPHANS, BOUND TO LOSE and several more gems! WAITING FOR JONIE (title in progress) will be done in a few months at which point Ashley and I will begin another film that we'll talk about when it's done.

Ahhh, life on the road as a dependent (yes, DEPENDENT) filmmaker. On our way back from Mexico our car overheated every 30 mins. So, we'd pull over at a station (or the side of the road), wait 20 mins for the engine to cool off, fill up the radiator with water (stored in bottles), and drive for 30 mins at 30mph (sometimes cruising with the engine turned off while coasting down a hill) - repeating the process for the next 14 hours. Yep, we made it back to Mansfield, and now we're looking forward to the same routine while driving to Columbia (not really, the car has been repaired - we hope). You can't do anything but laugh about it all (or film it).

Cecy, Camilo, and Loida are doing well. For those of you who donated money to the family (or purchased jewelry) please know the money was used to pay for a few months of bus service, their land, and additions to their home (cement floor, another room, bathroom, water container). They're still living "off the grid" without electricty, but they're doing fine. Ashley and I have sold a few DVDs, booked the film in theaters and colleges, and are working on television distribution for INTIMIDAD. Half the profits go directly to the family (yes, they helped shoot it).  

DR 5-17-08 Ashley and I are in Reynosa, Mexico for the next two days where we're visiting Ceci, Camilo, and Loida. They've started to build another room onto their current home and Loida turned 7 years old last month. Ashley and I have been on the road for what seems like three years and therefore we're getting ready to hopefully settle down in Columbia, MO in two weeks. 

DR 5-8-08  MARDI GRAS: MADE IN CHINA will have its official release on July 29,2008! You can preorder the DVD from Amazon.com and rent it from several outlets. Here's a recent article written about MGMIC. Click NOLA.COM Critics have also been responding to INTIMIDAD in a positive manner. We don't have links to all the press right now, but here's one review that captures the effort of INTIMIDAD.

DR 5-6-08  Hope to have some updates on festival films and new releases in the next few days. At this moment both Ashley and I are viciously tired from too much traveling. We're in CT getting some work done, some much needed rest, preparing to release more films on DVD, and editing the next film about Charles and his girfriend, Jonie. IFFBoston was absolutely a blast this year - new friends, one of the best programmed festivals all year, and of course Werner Herzog's most "mature" film to date: ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD. The Maryland Film Festival was equally as solid with supportive crowds and three days of packed screenings for a variety of films.

DR 4-13-08  The last few weeks have been packed with too much travel - so much that I'm truly dizzy and ready to stay still. At this moment I'm in sitting in La Guardia airport, leaving NYC where I've been staying for the previous two days in order to get some work done for upcoming films and releases. Prior to NYC Ashley and I were in Sarasota where Intimidad screened to an inquisitive audience who stayed for the entire duration of the Q&A. Before and after the screening we needed some downtime so we went to the beach, watched a few solid films, and spent time with a few friends who happened to also be in Sarasota. Over the next few days we'll finalize the release of Mardi Gras: Made in China with our designer Roanld Wong, then meet with Joanne Rabinger in Austin so we can begin to finish Waiting for Jonie. Afterwards, we're heading to Boston to show Intimidad at one of our favorite festivals on the circuit: IFFBoston!!! We love this festival and can't wait to sink our eyes into some incredible films and see friends who we haven't seen in a while. We'll also be screening our films at Wheaton College on the side and then travel to the Maryland Film Festival. More updates soon!   

DR 4-6-08  It seems that it's that time of the year again where we lose track of dates, place, and time. Today we leave the warm hearted Florida Film Festival and drive to Sarasota where Intimidad plays on Tuesday and Weds. We're very much looking forward to the beach, but also relaxation and time to ourselves. Florida Film Festival was packed with reunions where we met both old and new friends, solid films, and greetings by volunteers that remind us exactly why people make films in the first place.

DR 4-1-08 Today Ashley and I returned from a delightful week of excellent crepes and expensive coffee in Paris where we screened Mardi Gras: Made in China three times at the Paris International Human Rights Film Festival. Cinemas in Paris (Latin Quarter) seem to be on every block; indeed, Paris has the most cinemas per capita in the world. Mardi Gras screened in the center of the Latin Quarter – walking distance from the Sorbonne, the University of Paris, and Ecole Normal University. It’s a stunningly romantic area in terms of its architecture and original buildings, though the entire area is structured by high rent, commercialism, and $5.00 cups of coffee at numerous coffee shops. Any signs of May 1968 are obviously dead (though the spirit of existentialism and Society of the Spectacle are present in art, sociology, film, and history books). Instead, American Apparel and Starbucks have finagled their way into the Quarter, though the fact remains that people still care about specific struggles given the turnout for the festival. The screenings went well and the discussions and debates afterwards were excellent. It is definitely comparable to the Southern Film Circuit (which I can’t stop talking about. It’s one of the best tours Ashley and I have been on so far).

Right now we’re in Cincinnati, on our way to Dallas, where Intimidad screens three times at the well organized AFI Dallas Film Festival. Can I be blunt? AFI has their shit together! Tomorrow morning we have three more interviews (with local papers and CNN) – they’ve already set up numerous interviews for Intimidad (I’ve honestly lost count) and still have more planned. It’s a festival that appears to be spoiled on the surface, but like all surface appearances, simple glances are deceiving. Every person on the AFI staff (Michael Cain, James Faust, Sarah Harris, and John Wildman), works 18-20 hour shifts to ensure that every film is cared for and obtains individual attention. Few festivals can match the dedication of the AFI Dallas staff (here I’m thinking of True/False and IFFBoston). It’s definitely a festival that we’d love to spend more time attending, but impossible due to the number of screenings for Intimidad this year. 

Tomorrow night, just before Intimidad’s second screening at AFI, we fly to Orlando for three days to attend another one of our favorite festivals: the Florida Film Festival. FFF will be screening Intimidad at the warm and intimate Enzian Theatre. Three days later we leave for Sarasota, Rutgers University, and Smith College, and then Intimidad screens in New Orleans, Lafayette, Indianapolis, River Run, Boston, Maryland, Houston, and Madrid (with more screenings on their way, though we do not apply to Full Frame or Silverdocs so don’t expect to see any of our films in those two festivals). So far the reactions to Intimidad have been overwhelming (you can read the updated press links below to understand how some people are responding). Thank you to everyone who helped with obtaining press over the last few weeks (John Wildman, Matt Dentler, Joe Leydon, Karina Longworth, Charlie, Heather Courtney, Marcy Garriot, AJ Schnack).

Sometime near the end of May we return to Monroe, LA to complete the final shooting of Waiting for Jonie. Afterwards, Ashley and I are renting a house in Columbia, MO near the Rag Tag Theater (home of the True/False Film Festival) and 9th Street Bakery so we can hopefully complete two more documentaries, finish a book that I’ve been writing for several years (more information soon), and see some fantastic films at the theater. We’ll also be releasing a few documentaries on DVD later this year so look of those starting in July!

DR 3-20-08 Here's an interview I meant to post last week... Sorry! I haven't heard it yet... There's so much to write about - Mobile, Baton Rouge, and West Palm Beach. I'll update as soon as I can.

AS 3-20-2008 While I am back in Texas David still has one more screening on the Southern Circuit.  I got a great google update today of Cinematical's insightful review of Intimidad.  Oh and also to add to the stockpile of embarrassing video footage please check out, Filmcatcher.  You have to really take a look at the end of the clip where part of the Weinstein family (Josh Weinstein on the far right made Flying on One Engine) do a wonderful rap inspired by Intimidad.  

DR 3-17-2008 During the editing of Kamp Katrina, Tim Messler recommended that Ashley and I watch a documentary titled Seventeen, a film made in Muncie, Indiana for PBS that never actually premiered on TV because of its controversial subject matter (nor was it released - we were able to watch a bootleg copy in NYC). Seventeen is the kind of film that I aspire to make one day. After researching the filmmakers - Joel DeMott and Jeff Kreines - I came across another documentary they created titled Demon Lover Diary (which I've never seen). Like Seventeen, Demon Lover found its way into obscurity, never having a release in the US for reasons unknown to me to this day. A few months later, Jeff and Joel's name came up during a film festival panel. Later that day I looked up their names on google and found an article that explained during the making of Demon Lover Diary, Ted Nugent chased Joel and Jeff out of town at gunpoint, all which was captured on film. The article ended by saying that the couple had not made another film and they were living somewhere outside of Montgomery, AL inventing new cameras.

Jump ahead one year. Ashley and I are in Montgomery, AL, getting ready to screen Kamp Katrina at the Capri Theatre when Martin, the programmer, was giving us a tour of the town and mentioned Joel and Jeff in a passing conversation. It turns out that Jeff and Joel sometimes show up for screenings at the Capri. Low and behold, two hours later a man with a greying beard walks into the Capri and Martin leans over to me and says, "That's Jeff." After the screening - which was well attended by about 45-50 people - Jeff took three hours of his time to sit and talk with us about his years of filmmaking, the making of his and Joel's films, and how they ended up in Montgomery. Indeed, it was a major highlight of the Southern Film Circuit's tour! Next, we're off to Mobile, AL for another screening tonight.  

DR 3-16-2008 It's 12:42AM and we're in a hotel in Greensboro, GA, getting ready to show Kamp Katrina in Montgomery, AL tomorrow night. We'll be sure to write about today's experiences as soon as we have a chance. For now, here's a link to our acting debut: a spoof of Ashley's mishandling of David Lynch's crystal award from last year's AFI Dallas Film Festival. 

DR 3-15-2008   It's been a whirlwind of activity in the last few days on the Southern Film Circuit. We're currently in the Common Ground coffee shop, taking a moment to write from Beaufort, SC, one of the most beautiful and romantic Southern cities we've visited so far! The entire historic district is laced with colorful three story homes surrounded by Spanish Moss in a picturesque quality that would make any DIY movie look like a million bucks. Our screening last night was PACKED - the largest audience so far (and everyone stayed for the Q&A). Every venue has been well attended by inquisitive and understanding people who patiently sit through Kamp Katrina and then asked direct, honest questions afterwards. This morning Ashley and I had a delicious breakfast (blueberry pancakes with coffee) and then took a 3 hour stroll alongside the sandy beach with our camera in hand, capturing brown pelicans diving into the ocean to catch fish. We also found a few people to interview and they eagerly shared stories about shark teeth and David Lynch; we hope to include this footage in our upcoming film.

If you ever have a chance to visit Columbia, SC, be CERTAIN to find the Nickelodeon Theatre and visit LARRY. How shall I describe Larry? Perhaps I shouldn't. He's the most outgoing, blunt, energetic, friendly and exuberant person I've met in the last 10 years. After almost attacking Ashley and I with friendliness, he then asked us a million questions, made us feel at home, gave us a walking tour of Columbia, brought us to a bar (and paid for EVERYTHING after greeting almost everyone who entered) and then invited us into his home and let us sleep in his extra bedroom. He woke us up early in the morning, prepared coffee and directions, and then set up another screening before we left. Yes, Larry is the kind of person who defines a town's mood and in a way that makes someone never forget their experiences. Plus, his theater is one of the most intimate spaces we've visited (similar to the Rag Tag Theater in Columbia, MO). However, the Nickelodeon is about to shut down and reopen a few blocks down in a newly renovated 1940s building with two screens and a $5 million dollar renovation! I'd like to keep writing about our experiences in Columbia and Larry's gregariousness, but the coffee shop is closing in just a few minutes and we need to leave before they turn off the internet. More to come soon!  

DR 3-12-08      SXSW was a long, tiring, and inspiring week of films, parties, two screenings of Intimidad (and a third one on Thursday), and a tedious job of transcribing Mardi Gras: Made in China into French (next week we leave for a one week stay in Paris to show MGMIC). We spent most of our time with Adam Roffman, programmer of IFFBoston Joshua Weinstein (Flying on One Engine), Tatiana McCabe (our translator), and Heather Courtney (director of Las Trabajores and Letters from the Other Side). Our friends and new designer, Ronald Wong and Tammy Yu, also came out from Mansfield just to see the film. My high school friends Jamie and his wife Carrie were also there. And so was my mom, aunt, and her friend Linda! Yes, what would the world premiere of a film be without the presence of your mother! Likewise, Deborah and Dale Smith have always claimed that Intimidad is "the" special film, and after watching it Friday night, I have to agree with them.

Intimidad looked incredible on a big screen as it engaged the audience from start to finish! We can officially claim that Intimidad was an opening night documentary at SXSW and that EVERY PERSON STAYED for a Q&A session on both nights! Furthermore, last night’s 10:15pm screening ended at 12:30AM, even though Intimidad is only 72 mins (though we’re making a shorter version for TV). We sold ALL of Cecy’s jewelry and raised over $260US for their land. The audience’s reaction to the film varied from disbelief in how Cecy, Camilo, and Loida let us into their lives, to utter magic of how well told the story was. In fact, I was shocked by how different Intimidad looked on a theatrical screen instead of a 15 inch computer monitor! It is truly a stunning and beautiful film because the family shares so much of their personal lives with an unknown audience. It’s a true gift in every sense of the word. Here’s a few reviews and stories on Intimidad.  

Austin American-Statesman

Austin Chronicle 

Spout 

Film Threat 

Dallas Morning News Blogger Chris Vognar

A.J. Schnack's blog 

Right now Ashley and I are in Athens, GA as part of the Southern Film Circuit. Tomorrow we drive to Columbia, SC. Last night, however, we left Austin at 1:00am (after telling Joel Heller Happy Birthday) and drove all night to Mansfield where we dozed into a 45 minute nap before waking up in a rushed daze to catch an early morning flight to Atlanta. We rented a car in Atlanta and then drove to Athens where Kamp Katrina is screening at the Georgia Museum of Art! [note: we JUST completed the Q&A with a fabulous audience who were both disturbed and intrigued by what was in the film (and what was left out). It was one of the most honest Q&A's so far]. We are delighted that Allen chose to program Kamp Katrina as part of the screening series and can’t think of another tour that we’d rather be part of. Thankfully, the Southern Film Circuit has stepped in to fill a needed gap in community involvement by providing a film series that focuses on storytelling as opposed to putting forth a political agenda or reinforcing a particular ideology. It’s also beyond our belief that Kamp Katrina is still finding locations in which to screen, colleges are programming our film(s), and teachers are using it in their classes.

All of the above mentioned events seemingly come out of nowhere. For instance, my claim of catching an “early flight to Atlanta” and “renting a car and droving to Athens” are a bit misleading. Hardworking people who care about the function of the organization they work for set up those events, of course. All the car rentals, tours, food, and flights were arranged ahead of time. Therefore, I think it’s realistic to describe me and Ashley as “dependent” filmmakers as opposed to “independent” filmmakers. In truth, no one does it alone. We (and other filmmakers) are dependent on organizations to secure screening venues, people who raise money to show Kamp Katrina (and our other films), fly us in for a workshop or Q&A, donate their time and energy for feedback, provide finishing, startup funds, or stipends, create and audience, and offer a much needed social and psychological support network for everyone involved in the complicated world of documentary storytelling.

The Southern Film Circuit provides all of the above functions and much, much more for filmmakers and audiences. Please check out their organization and welcome a filmmaker (or film) into your hometown, or volunteer a local venue to screen a documentary or two. Inviting people over to watch documentaries or sponsoring a screening in your hometown or neighborhood is a fantastic way to become engaged.
 

DR - 3-8-08 SXSW Here's a news ciip of Ashley talking about INTIMIDAD. She appears, along with Cecy and Camilo, at the end of the clip. More later about the fantastic screening last night! We sold all of Cecy's earrings! 

DR - 3-7-08 Final update from True/False Film Festival and a safe arrival at SXSW. Ashley and I finally made it to Austin, TX, in spite of the hail, sleet, rain, and snow that tried their damnest to prevent us from arriving. However, we armed ourselves with coffee, Vitamin water, and snacks in our pursuit of the SXSW Film Festival while ripping down I-35 (picture FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS, except without the drugs, convertable, and desert). Needless to say, four hours later we arrived safely and immediately began passing out postcards in the local Moose Lounge, Vulcan Video store, Waterloo Records and Video, coffee shops, Bookpeople, and Bookwoman bookstore. We're staying at Heather Courtney's house, a friendly and wonderful director of LETTERS FROM THE OTHER SIDE and LOS TRABAJADORES/THE WORKERS. 

Tonight our film, INTIMIDAD, premieres at 10:00pm in The Alamo (Lamar) Theatre. It's opening night and we're truly nervous about how people will respond. More updates from SXSW coming soon.

True/False. A knock out film at every emotional, intellectual, and humanistic level, FORBIDDEN LIES is, hands down, the most stunning and captivating documentary I’ve ever seen. Anna Broinowski, a 5th time director, has single handedly created a new visual language for documentary storytelling. I don’t want to “explain” the story in this entry or reveal what happens in her amazing gem of a film (you can read about it here). Instead, what’s important to me is how Anna reveals her story, what it does to an audience, and her desire of pursuing something that one will never, ever obtain. In brief, the film’s essence lies in its interactive language of pure desire, seduction, and disappointment, ad infinitum.  In contrast, most films follow a typical dialectical form of storytelling based on character driven conflict. That is, a scene or Act is presented as a thesis, followed by another scene/Act that differs from the previous scene/Act (antithesis) and thus creates a logic of conflict that advances the story until a synthesis is created. Ultimately, the dialectical story ends in a resolution that synthesizes the previous material into a coherent transformation – the end moment of satisfaction (or, synthesis). FORBIDDEN LIES, by contrast, starts with a thesis, poses an antithesis, and then - in a deductive process - proceeds to introduce layers of seduction and desire in pursuit of a deferred satisfaction or resolution. The viewer is left with an unresolved story that introduces seduction  and desire as the final logical pieces. I simply can’t stop thinking about Anna’s film; I hope it finds a home in the U.S. It completely reminds me of the late Jean Baudillard's 1979 book, "Seduction."

Here's an entry on "Seduction" from the Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy): At the same time that his work was becoming extremely popular, Baudrillard's own writing became increasingly difficult and obscure. In 1979, Baudrillard published Seduction (1990), a difficult text that represented a major shift in his thought. The book marks a turning away from the more sociological discourse of his earlier works to a more philosophical and literary discourse. Whereas in Symbolic Exchange and Death (1993a [1976]), Baudrillard sketched out ultra-revolutionary perspectives as a radical alternative, taking symbolic exchange as his ideal, he now takes seduction as his alternative to production and communicative interaction. Seduction, however, does not undermine, subvert, or transform existing social relations or institutions, but is a soft alternative, a play with appearances, and a game with feminism, a provocation that provoked a sharp critical response.[6] Baudrillard's concept of seduction is idiosyncratic and involves games with signs which set up seduction as an aristocratic "order of sign and ritual" in contrast to the bourgeois ideal of production, while advocating artifice, appearance, play, and challenge against the deadly serious labor of production. Baudrillard interprets seduction primarily as a ritual and game with its own rules, charms, snares, and lures. His writing mutates at this point into a neo-aristocratic aestheticism dedicated to stylized modes of thought and writing, which present a set of categories — reversibility, the challenge, the duel, — that move Baudrillard's thought toward a form of aristocratic aestheticism and metaphysics. 

AS 3-3-08 David and I got back this evening from Columbia, MO just avoiding the SNOW in Texas.  It very rarely snows here so we got pretty excited.  I think David's summary below is a great sum up but since his entry we have seen many other great films at True False.  My favorite films were, Very Young Girls and Forbidden Lies. I'm pretty tired so I don't feel like my summaries right now would do these films justice but what I will say is that these films make me excited to be a part of an everchanging field of making documentary films.  Another side note as reviews come in for Intimidad I figured I would post them check out this one from The Austinist.  Nighty night!

DR 3-1-08 I feel like it's been forever since we've updated our online "blog" (it's not a"blog" - "blog" is such a funny name, something similar to a horror film, "Return of the Blog!"). Ashley and I arrived to Columbia, MO on Tuesday for the True/False Film Festival where we've been watching 2-3 films a day. So far, the most thoughtful, articulate, and complex film we've seen is called "How I Am." Fresh out of college, and made as their senior thesis project, HOW I AM is a 50 minute elegant documentary about an 18 year autistic young man named Patrick who lives in Northeastern Italy with his parents and two younger brothers. The film's stunningly beautiful photography, combined with the tender and intimate access to his daily life (shaving with his dad, going to high school, playing with his brothers), makes this film a true experience as opposed to a lecture or lesson. The directors (Ingrid, Daniel, and Caroline ) bring us into Patrick's world by recording his complex thoughts, fears, and affirmations onto a computer screen, thus rendering his thoughts into philosophical poetry. 

We've been traveling so much in the last few months that it's becoming difficult to remember all the changes taking place: college screenings, Sundance and Slamdance films, surprising Cecy, Camilo, and Loida in Reynosa, meeting with folks in Austin, seeing Charles and editing the film about him titled WAITING FOR JONIE, visiting Ms. Pearl and New Orleans, and launching our new and novel distribution methods - both domestically and internationally. 

The trick is to create films, distribute them, and sustain ourselves (and other filmmakers) by staying healthy, paying bills, and finding a stable place to live while traveling so much. The other problem is putting up with pyschopaths who impersonate us, our company, and threaten to harm us (yes, indeed it happens). Over the last few months a certain someone - whose name will later be revealed - has created a Myspace webpage in our name, false email accounts in our name, and has called companies we're dealing with and threatened to sue them for trying to release our films in novel ways. In short, this person has broken several criminal laws and there's a trail of evidence leading directly to his PC computer out in Lake County, IL. Yes, it's nuts and immature, but it's true. Ahh, the adventures of low budget filmmaking is both comical and absurd. 

Next week we return to Mansfield, TX for one day and then embark on a city-wide campaign (Obama style) to market and advertise INTIMIDAD at the SXSW film festival! INTIMIDAD's world premiere is on opening night at 10pm, which makes us both nervous and excited. Will anyone show up? What will happen when people show up? It's almost as disconcerting as the first time we premiered Mardi Gras: Made in China... We love SXSW for what it represents in documentary film: it's a festival that is truly ahead of its time. Docs selected for the festival are eclectic and risky to program, but they're the kind of films which always seem to be situated in the future. 

In addition to the excellent SXSW film festival (which is a MUST ATTEND), we'll also travel on the Southern Film Circuit for ten days to show KAMP KATRINA in several theaters in the South. It's our first time selected for the tour and Ashley and I are preparing materials to distribute for Carnivalesque Films. Sonn afterwards, however, we're flying to Paris to share Mardi Gras: Made in China with Parisians for one week. It's a much needed break and vacation, and it's also a way to meet with European TV stations since the festival sets up meetings with acquistions people. It's a rapid life.  

Although it's a rapid life filled with transient experiences, we're super-excited to show INTIMIDAD in a few more of our favorite festivals: Florida, IFFBoston, AFI Dallas, and Maryland (among others which we'll write about when we attend). Florida has a special place in our hearts for one simple reason: Matthew and the talented staff and volunteers know how to host a truly warm and intimate film festival. Ashley and I can't think of another festival that's dedicated to creating an event strictly for the shared experience between filmmakers and audience. AFI Dallas, however, is a ton of fun and unforgettable! The staff (James, Michael and Sara) work day and day to bring some of the best films to Dallas that result in large audiences, excitement and buzz in the air, and pampering like no other festival experience. Still, how can anyone with or without a film miss out on IFFBoston? All film lovers need to at least experience IFFBoston and True/False once in their life. The only difference between the two is the midwest and the east coast locations (as well as venues spread out in Boston whereas in Columbia they're all walking distance to each other). Last, the we're returning to the Maryland Film Festival again this year for the second time. I can't think of another festival on which to end the circuit other than Maryland. Still, it would be an honor to attend the Sidewalk Film Festival this summer. We're keeping our fingers crossed for Sidewalk (they're call for entries went out this week). More to come tomorrow.     

AS 2-27-08
David and I are in Columbia MO to introduce films for the True False film festival and to present Mardi Gras: Made in China at University of Missouri at Columbia.  We love Columbia and are excited to be back!  I just wanted to do a quick post that may seem like bragging but really we are just excited about it.  Texas Monthly did a short piece on four Texas filmmakers and they included us as the next, "Great Texas Directors." Christopher Kelly continues on and says, “INTIMIDAD—a portrait of a couple in Mexico trying to save enough money to reunite with their young daughter—is their strongest yet.  It’s a documentary with its heart (and brain) in the right place.” Hopefully this article will get some people to our SXSW screening.  As for True False films we will fill you in our opinions in the next few days.   

DR 2-20-08
We no longer have the flu! We're in Reynosa, Mexico visiting the family in INTIMIDAD (Ceci, Camilo, and Loida). More updates soon regarding film festivals, cyberstalkers (and impersonators), designs, travels in CT, New Orleans, South Carolina, Georgia, and of course reviews of films at Sundance. SXSW is around the corner!!! Obama and Clinton will be debating on Thursday in Austin - we might be there to film... 

AS 2-08-08
Yah!  We're updating our blog so all of you people with PCs out there can finally open it again!  More to come later after David recovers from the green gumboo!   

DR 1-10-08
During the last month Ashley and I have been back and forth from LA, TX, and CT while editing our new film about Charles (Charles was one of the characters in KAMP KATRINA). So far the story is coming along nicely and it looks to be a true cinematic experience as he rides his bicycle from Monroe, LA to New Orleans, LA meeting people along the rural routes. We hope to finish the film in the next few months during which our third documentary, INTIMIDAD, will be screening at several confirmed film festivals and colleges over the next 6 months. Furthermore, we will be announcing several changes within our small company as we move to release our films - and others - on cable TV, DVD (retails chains, independent stores, autonomous spaces, small video rental stories, Amazon, Blockbuster, Netflix, etc), and PPV.