Archive for the ‘programmer profile’ Category
By chris, June 23rd, 2010 in programmer profile | Comments Off
My name: Mark Flindall
My current festivals: Atlantic Film Festival and the ViewFinders International Film Festival for Youth.
My title: Programming Coordinator
Other fests I’ve worked for: None, this is my first. I started as a volunteer, and within a month I had a job. I was unemployed at the time, so I had lots of free time to try and impress. I should mention though that I do have the credentials with a BA in Film Studies from Brock University.
Movies that best represent my personal tastes: Being John Malkovich, Bottle Rocket, Cloverfield, Dazed and Confused, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Fight Club, Groundhog Day, I Heart Huckabees, Lost in Translation, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, Primer, The Big Lebowski, The Jerk, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zizzou, Wall-E.
When I’m not watching movies I like to: Spend time with my girlfriend Trina and our two cats Chomsky and Papa. I also always enjoy working on our house, playing video games, drawing and watching too much TV (Lost, Breaking Bad, Parks and Recreation, Daily Show, Colbert Report, Eastbound & Down, etc.).
A movie I recently programmed that I consider to be a great personal discovery: We definitely didn’t premiere it, not even close, but I really loved the short The Surprise Demise of Francis Cooper’s Mother. It really felt like something special, and it’s also a pretty good distillation of my personal taste in film. It’s deeply weird, animated, has cats in it, perfect narration, and the suggestion that life goes on no matter how stupid, insane or unsuitable for life we may be. Which is actually kind of an amazing statement. Did I mention it has cats?
When filmmakers ask me “What’s different about your film festival?” I say: The accessibility. Who doesn’t like to have all of their films (and the people related to those films) in one very compact, walkable, beautiful and historic city on the ocean? The fact that Halifax is an incredibly laid back, fun and culture loving city that likes to drink doesn’t hurt at all either. We’re also renowned for being extremely pedestrian friendly so no accidents when you’re stumbling around town after our parties. Still not sold? We have a huge fort right in the middle of our city. So we’re really nice but we’re also kind of bad-ass.
Read more »
By chris, May 26th, 2010 in programmer profile | Comments Off
Our names: Nina Streich & Kelly DeVine
Our current festival: Global Peace Film Festival
Our titles: Executive Director (Nina) and Artistic Director (Kelly)
Other fests we’ve worked for: Newport International Film Festival, Nantucket Film Festival, NYC Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting (Nina); Tribeca Film Institute, Creative Capital, IFC Channel (Kelly)
Movies that best represent our personal tastes: Nina: American Dream (Barbara Kopple), The Parallax View (Alan Pakula), Day for Night (Francois Truffaut), Z (Costa-Gavras). Kelly: Love and Death (Woody Allen), Reds (Warren Beatty), Hail, Hail Rock and Roll (Taylor Hackford), The Russian Ark (Aleksandr Sokurov).
When I’m not watching movies I like to: Nina – follow & talk politics and current events; relax with friends and a good glass of wine or vodka; take a long walk in a park or on a beach. Kelly – I love to work in my yard/garden, read fiction and non-fiction on a range of issues and topics (usually with a sociological or philosophical bent), I am news hound – one of the few people who actually watches C-Span!
A movie we recently programmed that we consider to be a great personal discovery: Two films spring to mind: Schnitzel Paradise and One Village, Same Ocean. Schnitzel Paradise is a romantic comedy from Holland featuring the unlikely love story between a poor Moroccan student and the wealthy Dutch woman whose relatives own the hotel in which they both work. It’s a polished and familiar formula, but for our audiences who hear only the worst stories regarding the relations between Muslim immigrants in Europe it was revelatory – maybe, just maybe the immigrant situation in Europe was both more nuanced and more familiar than they had thought. One Village, Same Ocean, a doc about the conflict between the existing fisher culture and the proposal to attract cruise ships to the port, is what I like to call a “medium”. With a running time of 44 minutes, it doesn’t fit neatly into the screening schedules of the typical festival, but because GPFF was open to this non-typical length, we were able to program a film from a first-time director local to the state and to highlight an issue still very much in discussion that had not attracted statewide media attention prior to the festival showing.
Read more »
By chris, May 12th, 2010 in programmer profile | Comments Off
My name: Sean Doherty
My current festival: Estes Park Film Festival
My title: Executive Director
Other fests I’ve worked for: Central Nebraska Film Festival (2005), Florida Film Festival (1999-2001)
Movies that best represent my personal tastes: Sunset Boulevard, The Searchers, Goodfellas, The Graduate, Midnight Cowboy, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
When I’m not watching movies I like to: I like to make movies too! I work for a production company here in Estes Park, CO that makes travel documentaries for PBS. I’m also a long distance runner (just completed my second marathon with a third one coming up this October).
A movie I recently programmed that I consider to be a great personal discovery: I would say it was the winner of our feature film award last year. It was a British film from Paul Cotter called Bomber. It made me laugh and it made me cry. Everything that I love about movies was in this film! We were also so happy to have Paul here to answer questions about the film when it was done screening.
Read more »
By chris, April 12th, 2010 in programmer profile | 3 Comments
My name: Rachel Morgan
My current festival: Sidewalk Film Festival
My title: Lead Programmer
Other film-related organizations I’ve worked for: I wrote reviews for Film Threat very briefly and interned with New Line Cinema during my undergrad film studies. Everything else is broadcast/film related academia and advertising, so I won’t bore you.
Movies that best represent my personal tastes: Halloween (1978), Birth (2004), Manda Bala (Send A Bullet) (2007), Beyond The Valley of the Dolls (1970), Modern Love Is Automatic (2009), American Movie (1999), Foxes (1980), Valley Girl (1983).
When I’m not watching movies I like to: Cage fight, free walk, clog, participate in competitive eating, attend slumber parties, eat sushi and shop at the mall, visit Renaissance Festivals and, of course, go to pizza parties.
A movie I recently programmed that I consider to be a great personal discovery: General Orders No. 9, though we weren’t the first festival to program it. Kyle (McKinnon, my programming partner) and I actually caught a screening of it at the 2009 Atlanta Film Festival and were both all like ‘what an amazing film, too bad we can’t program it in Birmingham’, as it is certainly not an easy film by any stretch. But it stuck with us and I/we eventually got to a place where I/we couldn’t imagine not programming it. I love how meditative the film is. I think it’s a true work of art. For me it serves as a love letter and a note of apology to what is lost and will never be recovered and that is intensely sad. It’s not a film that is very kind to humans and I suppose it makes sense why some people are so put off by it. I think it’s a really important experimental documentary and certainly a truly Southern work that can have quite a bit of difficulty in regards to interpretation. While it certainly has its influences, as a whole, I’ve really never seen anything quite like it. A great film and one that Kyle and I were very proud to bring to Birmingham and see screen in the extremely beautiful historic Alabama Theatre.
Read more »
By chris, March 2nd, 2010 in programmer profile | Comments Off
My name: Lane Kneedler
My current festival: AFI FEST
My title: Associate Director of Programming
Other fests I’ve worked for: Sundance, LAFF, Cinevegas
Movies that best represent my personal tastes: Primer, Network, Container, and Chain Camera
When I’m not watching movies I like to: Game, read comics, mainline internet culture.
A movie I recently programmed that I consider to be a great personal discovery: Last year we had the world premiere of the film Playing Columbine by Danny Ledonne. It’s a great film because it highlights how some subject matter requires a long form documentary investigation to be fully understood, some subjects can’t be reduced to a sound bite or 2 minute trailer.
When filmmakers ask me “What’s different about your film festival?” I say: Our new free festival model allows us to support filmmakers that are taking more risks. Audiences risk little in coming to see our free show so they can be a little more adventurous, in turn we are looking for filmmakers who are taking risks and making art on the edge. I see our festival as a safe place where we can challenge our boundaries together, audiences and filmmakers alike.
Our festival audience has come to expect: Challenging world cinema and original voices, I hope that’s what they are expecting because that’s what they are getting!
Read more »
By chris, February 9th, 2010 in programmer profile | 3 Comments
My name: Jon Gann
My current festival: DC Shorts Film Festival and Screenplay Competition
My title: Festival Director (and creator)
Other fests and film-related organizations I’ve worked for: I started the DC Film Alliance, a non-profit organization which unifies the Washington, DC regional film and media arts community through the sharing of information, a monthly Film Salon, online resources, and a comprehensive calendar of every film event from Baltimore to Richmond. Before that, I ran a small production house which created short films, commercial and industrial works for hire.
Three movies that best represent my personal tastes: Sunset Boulevard, Big Night, Soapdish.
When I’m not watching movies I like to: Write new screenplays and theatrical pieces, knit, cook, meet with visiting filmmakers, travel.
A movie I recently programmed that I consider to be a great personal discovery: Every season, there is one film that touches me deeply to the point of tears. Last year, Marc Havener’s And What Remains was that film. I must have seen it a dozen times before it hit the bigs screen during the festival — and I still melted into a mess — as did a large portion of the audience. I love short film’s ability to move people and register some deep-seated emotion in only a few minutes. That is the power of good storytelling.
Read more »
By chris, January 19th, 2010 in programmer profile | Comments Off
My name: Jenn Murphy
My current festival: New Orleans Film Festival
My title: Program Director
Movies that best represent my personal tastes: My top 3 would probably be: Requiem for a Dream, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and My Neighbor Totoro. The longer list would include: Rear Window, The Day The Earth Stood Still, The Princess and the Warrior, Wild at Heart, Children of Men, Pan’s Labyrinth, Control, Dancer in the Dark, Oldboy, Heavenly Creatures and The Muppets take Manhattan.
When I’m not watching movies I like to: Play roller derby with the Big Easy Rollergirls, make delicious vegan meals and cakes, hang out with my boyfriend and two cats, and reading film magazines and comics. Read more »
By chris, December 16th, 2009 in programmer profile | Comments Off
My name: Adam Roffman
My current festival: Independent Film Festival of Boston (IFFBoston)
My title: Program Director
Other fests I’ve worked for: Past/Forward Film Series (Chinatown, Boston – 2002), Member of IATSE Local 481 film union 1998-present, Advisory Board Member – Women in Film & Video/New England, 2008-present
Movies that best represent my personal tastes: DIG!, The Cruise, Man On Wire, Miller’s Crossing, Brick, The Kid Stays In The Picture, Day Night Day Night, The Puffy Chair, The Hole Story, Frownland and Decasia: The State of Decay.
When I’m not watching movies I like to: Do set decoration on or produce feature films: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0736526/
A movie I recently programmed that I consider to be a great personal discovery: This isn’t very recent, but the movie that stands out the most in my mind as a great personal discovery was Alex Karpovsky’s The Hole Story. This film hadn’t played anywhere yet when I got it and I was immediately taken with its originality, its humor, and its perfect blend of documentary and fiction. I thought it was unlike any other film we had shown at the festival at that point and was excited to bring it to Boston audiences. I was so taken with the film that I called other program directors around the country to recommend the film and have since produced Alex’s next two films. Read more »
About