One of the most chilling moments in Beth de Araújo’s masterful and outraged Soft & Quiet occurs early on, before the film’s sickeningly violent chain of events formally begins. After shooting side eye at her school’s immigrant female custodian, blonde thirtysomething elementary school teacher Emily (Stefanie Estes) coaches a young boy to go back inside the lunchroom and tell the woman off — to tell her that she must wait to do her job until the school is totally empty. Emily is not just using the child to disrespect the custodian, she’s instilling in the boy the sort of racial […]
by Scott Macaulay on Mar 23, 2022SFFILM in partnership with Dolby Institute announced today the two films and filmmakers who will receive 2021 Dolby Institute Fellowships. Kobi Libii, known for his work on Comedy Central’s The Opposition with Jordan Klepper, and Beth de Araújo, a 2017 Filmmaker 25 New Face, will receive creative and industry guidance as well as a cash grant enabling them to work with a sound designer at the screenwriting stage — something that’s near unheard of in independent film. “Fellows also gain post-production support, with comprehensive sound design, a Dolby Atmos mix, and Dolby Vision color correction and mastering support,” reports SFFILM […]
by Scott Macaulay on Mar 10, 2021What’s the main reason to go to film school? You could say to broaden the mind, to learn about cinema history, to meet future collaborators. Those are all true, but at base, the chief reason is to learn a skill. Ideally, you exit your program (whether it’s undergrad or graduate) ready to enter the industry. Perhaps you won’t be doing what you expected when you first applied, but you also don’t want to emerge with no idea what’s next. That said, film school can be tough. There are countless ways to do it, and it can be hard to focus and […]
by Matt Prigge on Jun 19, 2019