Episode Forty-Four: Zak Forsman of Cinefist and Filmmaker Tom Quinn

With the rapid emergence of several new models of production, distribution, exhibition and audience discovery comes a quarterly event to Los Angeles that distinguishes itself by curating contemporary art films and connecting the artists and their audience in an innovative, interactive and entirely participatory manner.

Links
Sabi Pictures
Cinefist Website
The New Year Parade Website
The New Year Parade on Facebook
Carnivalesque Films Website
Dead Center Film Festival
Workbook Project- Radar
Crowd Controls Website

Zak  Forsman- Filmmaker and Cinefist Founder

Zak Forsman is an American interdependent filmmaker whose emotionally-charged work is known for authentic performances and beautiful compositions. In 2006, he co-founded SABI PICTURES and has produced and directed several award-winning motion pictures. In response to the changing landscape of independent cinema, he co-founded CINEFIST to focus all of SABI’s direct-to-audience distribution and exhibition endeavors. Zak also serves as the editor of the NEW BREED blog at THE WORKBOOK PROJECT and you can follow him on Twitter at @zakforsman. (www.sabipictures.com)

Tom Quinn- Filmmaker

Tom Quinn grew up in Bucks County, PA, where he directed a few shorts and freelanced as a camera assistant. His directorial debut The New Year Parade was selected for the IFP Narrative Rough Cut Labs, won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative at Slamdance, and was a Gotham Award and Independent Spirit Award nominee. Tom has been listed one of the 25 New Faces of Independent Film by Filmmaker Magazine and Ten Young Writer-Directors to Watch, by MovieMaker Magazine. He was fortunate to be the first American filmmaker accepted to the Toronto International Film Festival Talent Lab and is currently working toward his MFA at Temple University.

Episode Forty-Three: 48 Hour Film Project

The 48 Hour Film Project, which is the world’s biggest timed filmmaking competition in which you and your team get a genre and 3 elements (character, prop, line of dialogue) to make a movie – write, shoot, edit, score and get it in the can – in 48 hours. After catching up on sleep, watch your completed film on the silver screen in a local theater!

Join us as we speak to Jeanette Di Pinza, who represents The 48 Hour Film Project in the Inland Empire and Scott Baker, the filmmaker whose film Rationed was 2nd runner-up in the world finals of 48 Hour Film Project, aka, Filmapalooza as part of the NAB Show in Las Vegas. The film was also selected for a showcase at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival (Short Film Corner: Marche du Film).

Show Links
Inland Empire Film Commission
48 Hour Film Project- Inland Empire
48 Hour FP Posterous Website
JDS Actor’s Studio
Vegan Cannibals Productions
Independent Filmmakers of the Inland Empire

Jeanette Di Pinza- Festival Coordinator/Producer

Full Filipino yet Guam born and -raised Jeanette Di Pinza joined the Temecula Valley International Film & Music Festival as a staff member in 2008, and although still staff, she has successfully weaned herself from many duties in the pursuit of more sleep, less stress, and a chance to do other film-related activities. Jeanette dabbles in filmmaking – mainly as a screenwriter, producer or anonymous crew member – but is making her directorial debut with a short film that will finally see principal photography at the end of 2010.

Scott Baker- Filmmaker

Scott Baker, a native of Northern California, received a degree in History from Sonoma State University and served in the United States Peace Corps from 2000-2001 in Turkmenistan.  He co-founded Vegan Cannibals Productions with Philip Stimmell in 2002.  Their first film, Brunch of the Dead was a feature-length zombie-comedy.  Since re-locating to Riverside they have done several award-winning short films, including Rationed which screened at this year’s Cannes Short Film Corner and 2 episodes for their new series Findings (think Ghosthunters meets Reno911!).  You can find out more at www.VeganCannibals.com
Scott’s film Rationed was 2nd runner-up in the world finals of 48 Hour Film Project, aka, Filmapalooza as part of the NAB Show in Las Vegas. The film was also selected for a showcase at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival (Short Film Corner: Marche du Film).

Episode Forty-Two: Shorts & Spirits Showcase

Shorts & Spirits Showcase (S3) is a networking event that allows filmmakers to primiere their short film, webisode, or music video on the big screen. Shorts & Spirits is a year-round, quarterly, multi-city event, which means they are always taking submissions!

Shorts & Spirits on Facebook
Mental Eclectic on Twitter
The Crusader
Universal Dead Web Series

Kelly Parks- Writer/Producer

Filmmaker/Buisnessman Kelly Parks is the world’s only ex-CIA, Rocket Scientist, Stand-up Comic, Screenwriter! Kelly grew up in Wisconsin (mmmm… cheese) and spent his youth watching sci-fi and horror movies as well as gazing up at the heavens, wishing he could live among the stars. After high school, Kelly moved to Arizona to study Engineering Physics and one fateful day he met a recruiter from the CIA. Soon after, Kelly was recruited as an analyst into the CIA’s Space Systems Division (he highly recommends getting a Top Secret Clearance if you ever have the opportunity) where he and a few other hand picked scientists kept track of what the Russians were doing in space. Realizing that The Agency was never going to fulfill his dream of space travel, Kelly left public service and took a job in the private sector as an aerospace engineer specializing in Orbital Mechanics. These days Kelly writes screenplays and recently won 1st prize at the International Horror & Science Fiction Screenplay Competition. Kelly’s greatest writing honor came in 2007 when he was a semi-finalist for the prestigious Nicholl Fellowship, a feat rarely accomplished by a screenplay in the sci-fi/horror genre. In 2008, he became a partner in Unconventional Films and finished writing and directing the awesome comedy web series, The Crusader, and is now producing Universal Dead, a new horror/sci-fi web series that he also wrote.

Mel Huff man- Event Coordinator/Production Designer

Mel’s passion has always been art. After creating her first work at the age of 5, she joined the Buena Park Civic Center Arts earning multiple awards for her oil paintings. Spending years working backstage with her family on productions, she found her calling behind the scenes. She has previously worked closely with such artists as Artis Lane, Richard MacDonald, and Ricky Swallow at the LA Fine Art Foundry. Mel helped these artists create their vision in fine art bronze sculpture. Mel is also the Los Angles Regional Manager for Mental Eclectic, assisting Southern California filmmakers in production, networking and marketing. She has now dedicated herself to a full time career in the film industry. Mel produced The Return of the El Diablo, which premiered at Geekfest in Mexicalli in 2009. She was also the on-set dresser for The Guild season 3 in addition to working as the production designer for Simply Simon, Art Director for the music video Feel Better by Nikki Lang and Production Designer for the web series The Last.

Craig Wilson- Producer/Director

Craig started his 12 year career in entertainment as an Artistic Director for a black box theater troop. In 2003 he graduated Los Angeles Film School majoring in Directing and minoring in Producing. Since that time he has worked as a Producer, Director, First Assistant Director, Grip, Electrician, Craft Service and Production Assistant in television and film. He has produced two independent feature films, is in pre-production for one and is in development of another, both slated to shoot 2010. He has also Event Coordinated and Produced five world premiere screenings, four monthly networking events and is currently a Producer for the San Diego Indie Festival Film Stage.

Momentum Creative Studios Website Deal

Film Method Listed as a Top 10 Podcast Worth the Listen

The latest issue of MovieMaker magazine was just released and to our sheer delight we were listed as one of the “Top 10 Podcasts Worth a Listen”! Check out the article here. MovieMaker has also graciously extended a deal to our listeners: only $9.99 for a full year subscription! Click here to take advantage of the offer. Thank you MovieMaker!!

Episode Forty-One: Ivana Todorovic & Larry Laboe

Ivana Todorovic

Ivana is a self -proclaimed video street fighter from Belgrade, Serbia. She has shot, directed and co-produced three short social documentary films in Belgrade and New York City on low-to-no-budget, with the aim of both helping the people she filmed and producing social change.

In 2006, Everyday life of Roma children from Block 71 about Roma children living in shanty town in Belgrade. In 2009 A Harlem Mother about a mother who after losing her only son, she decides to fight despair by organizing her Harlem neighborhood against gun violence. In 2008, Rapresent about 19 year old homeless man, Bojan, who is a passionate graffiti artist and hip hopper surviving on the streets in Belgrade.

Her documentary films have been shown in over 40 International Film Festivals around the world, and have been used in educational settings for high school and university classrooms, including NGOs, in order to bring awareness to social issues. Films have won acclaim at the Mixed Messages Film Festival in New York, the Ethnographic Film Festival in Belgrade and the Human Rights Film Festival in Montreal.

Links

Raprasent & A Harlem Mother
Ivana Todorovic on Facebook
Newfilmmakers LA Website

Larry Laboe- Producer/Executive Director

Larry Laboe has been working as part of the professional media industry for over 8 years, in a truly collective experience of various mediums; film, TV, radio, print advertising, new media and most recently film exhibition. While in New York City, Mr. Laboe was employed on TV, print and radio campaigns by the world’s most prestigious marketing and advertising firms, including McCann-Erickson Worldwide, Publicis Groupe, J. Walter Thompson (JWT) and Arnold Advertising Worldwide.

After Relocating to Los Angeles Mr. Laboe began consulting with key entertainment venues, promoting their properties through corporate media events. These events included film premieres and television series launch parties for such networks as Showtime and CBS. After working on numerous narrative short and feature film productions, Larry began producing television and new media projects with international production and distribution company SXM. The first network series was NBC’s ‘Ctrl’ starring Tony Hale and Steve Howey. Larry more recently began work as a producer on Comedy Centrals newest network web series ‘Matumbo Goldberg’ starring Anthony Anderson, Directed by Oscar nominated Rob Pearlstein and NBC’s ‘FCU: Fact Checkers Unit’ starring Jason Alexander, Jon Heder, Donald Faison, Dave Navarro and more.

Larry co-founded NewFilmmakers Los Angeles in 2007 with partner and Program Director Susie Kim. In an effort to bring opportunity to filmmakers, film goers and entertainment industry professionals in Los Angeles Larry is working as Executive Director of the organization and coordinating film screenings on a monthly basis, along with on-camera interviews with MovieMaker Magazine for each filmmaker selected as part of the festival at Sunset Gower Studios in Hollywood.