Authors — Paula Bernstein
-
Mechanical Dreams Uses VR to Amplify Diverse Voices
As Hollywood is rightfully called out on its underemployment of women, virtual reality companies like Mechanical Dreams Virtual Reality (MDVR) are actively courting underrepresented voices. The Seattle-based virtual reality content company housed by the University of Washington and the start-up incubator CoMotion is producing six innovative 360 films, five of them directed by women. The company’s first production, Tracy Rector’s Ch’aak’ S’aagi (Eagle Bone), one of the first VR pieces ever by a Native American filmmaker, was recently selected as one of five VR projects to screen at TIFF as part of its inaugural POP VR section at the festival. MDVR is currently raising money on […]
by Paula Bernstein on Oct 11, 2016 -
Quick Takeaways from Sundance Artist Services Distribution Workshop in Seattle
Launched in 2011, the Sundance Institute’s Artist Services program was initially designed to help Sundance alumni filmmakers get their work in front of audiences in a shifting industry environment in which DIY distribution strategies were increasingly an option. While digital distribution opportunities continue to be offered to Institute alumni, Artist Services has expanded its educational initiatives and online resources to include all indie filmmakers, not just ones who have screened at Sundance. Through online resources, live workshops, and a network of allied organizations, the program provides support and insights on creative funding, marketing, and distribution. Artist Services also holds daylong events around the […]
by Paula Bernstein on Oct 11, 2016 -
Chicken & Egg Pictures Announces Call for Accelerator Lab
Chicken & Egg Pictures will begin accepting submissions for the Accelerator Lab for first and second-time women nonfiction filmmakers on October 11. This program brings together ten projects helmed by first or second-time directors, with a special focus on underrepresented voices. “Completing and launching a documentary takes grit, nerve, and creativity; it also takes money, connections, and time. We offer women directors the tools to realize the full potential of their projects, both as works of art and as catalysts for change,” writes Chicken & Egg Pictures on its web site. Each participant will receive a two-part grant for the production […]
by Paula Bernstein on Oct 10, 2016 -
Making Blue Jay in Black and White
It’s been a momentous year for cinematographer Alex Lehmann, who successfully made the transition to director/DP with his first two features. His documentary feature Asperger’s Are Us, about the first comedy troupe consisting of openly autistic people, premiered earlier this year at SXSW, where it was bought by Netflix. Blue Jay, Lehmann’s narrative feature debut, recently premiered at TIFF and will hit select theaters on October 7 before heading to digital on October 11 and Netflix later this year. Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass executive produced both films. Starring Mark Duplass (based on his screenplay) and Sarah Paulson as two former high school sweethearts who reconnect […]
by Paula Bernstein on Oct 7, 2016 -
Vimeo Introduces ‘Staff Pick’ Premieres as Year-Round Online Film Festival
Vimeo has announced it is extending its flagship Staff Pick channel into a year-long online film festival and has added new laurels honoring films selected as Best of the Month and Year, plus weekly premieres. “The Vimeo Staff Pick channel represents the most progressive and imaginative filmmaking direct from our community of world class filmmakers,” said Peter Gerard, General Manager, Vimeo. “The iconic Staff Pick laurel has helped launched the careers of many filmmakers coming up through the Vimeo platform and we’re excited to continue to honor and elevate our Staff Picked filmmakers with two new levels of prestige, while also […]
by Paula Bernstein on Oct 5, 2016 -
What 12 Real Female Filmmakers Wear to Set
Do women filmmakers need to wear certain clothes on set to be taken seriously? Is a female filmmaker’s wardrobe the real secret to success? When Refinery 29 recently posted a story, “How to Dress for the Job You Want” including “film director,” they inadvertently irked a number of actual female directors and producers with their career outfit suggestions. “You’ll likely be on your feet for long days on set, but still don’t want to look sloppy, so opt for a thick ‘grandma’-style heel that can last you the whole day through, along with some soft trousers and a stylish take on the […]
by Paula Bernstein on Oct 4, 2016 -
The Wexner Center Announces 2016-17 Artist Residency Awards
The Wexner Center in Columbus, Ohio has announced its 2016-17 Wexner Center Artist Residency Award recipients in performing arts and film/video. The recipients are Faye Driscoll (Performing Arts), John Canemaker (Film/Video), Kevin Jerome Everson (Film/Video), and Sam Green and Kronos Quartet (Film/Video). Selected by the center’s curators and director to fulfill the center’s role as a creative research laboratory for artists, the residency awards provide significant sums of money (from $25,000 to $100,000) and space — along with technical, intellectual and professional support — to develop new works on-site. Kelly Reichardt was the recipient of last year’s residency award, which she used […]
by Paula Bernstein on Oct 3, 2016 -
The Eyeslicer: An Indie Filmmaker Variety Series (By Invitation Only)
Producers Dan Schoenbrun and Vanessa McDonnell have launched a Kickstarter campaign for The Eyeslicer, a new variety series by and for indie filmmakers. Among the filmmakers set to contribute are David Lowery, the Zellner Brothers, Lev Kalman & Whitney Horn, Yen Tan, Calvin Reeder, Shaka King, Ornana, John Wilson, Jennifer Reeder, Leah Shore, Colin Healey, Lauren Wolkstein, and Chris Radcliffe The campaign is aiming to raise $28,000 to fund season one and if all goes smoothly, the 10-episode, 10-hour first season will launch in January. Schoenbrun (a contributor to Filmmaker) and McDonnell recently collaborated to create collective : unconscious, an anthology feature film where they […]
by Paula Bernstein on Sep 30, 2016 -
Trailer Watch: Jim Jarmusch’s Paterson Stars Adam Driver as a Poet/Bus Driver
Jim Jarmusch’s latest film, Paterson, premiered to acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival in May and now, courtesy of Yahoo Movies, it’s gotten its first trailer (above). The film stars Adam Driver (Girls, The Force Awakens) as Paterson, a poet/bus driver who lives an uneventful life with his pregnant wife (Golshifteh Farahani) in Paterson, New Jersey. In a report from Cannes, Blake Williams wrote, “It’s a remarkably free form film —so affable and comfortable in its skin —that my registration of time (‘the fourth dimension’; ‘Hmm’) dropped away for much of the first hour; I would have been perfectly satisfied to see it continue, devoid […]
by Paula Bernstein on Sep 29, 2016 -
DOC NYC 2016 Short List Films
DOC NYC has announced its 2016 Short List, which has a track record of successfully predicting other awards, including the Oscars. All of the DOC NYC Short List titles will screen during the festival with the director or other special guests present for their first screening. Additionally, all the directors or other collaborators will participate on Friday, November 11 in the DOC NYC Short List Day of panel conversations. Last year, the DOC NYC Short List had ten titles overlapping the subsequent Oscar Documentary Short List, and all five titles that were Oscar nominated. For the last five years, DOC NYC screened […]
by Paula Bernstein on Sep 28, 2016
