video i Season 13
#1301 - Original Airdate: Mon, December 10 at 11pm
17th ANNUAL CINEQUEST FILM FESTIVAL
Featuring short films and interviews from the festival.
I WAS A DANCER (DIR. JASON WHITON)
In this Cinema Verite-inspired short, form and movement become haunting testimony for an elderly Japanese woman who can no longer dance in a local festival. Much in the style of Werner Herzog, the filmmaker made documentary-like observations in Japan during a festival and then created a narrative in the editing room. By focusing on an elderly woman's reaction, the end of this art piece becomes a testimony of memories for the character. For more info about this film go to: jasonwhiton.com.
Filmmaker Bio
Jason Whiton is an award-winning screenwriter and comic writer. His work has been recognized and awarded by the Nicholl Fellowships (Academy of Motion Picture Arts), PBS, ScriptPimp, American Zoetrope, Sundance, Slamdance, Scriptapalooza, and others. Publications include Rolling Stone, USA Weekend, Photographers Forum, The Japan Times, Dark Horrors II (Arcana Studios), and Mort Walker Conversations (U Press of Miss). Jason has programmed movie events for over twenty years as a film series director.
LOOM (DIR. SCOTT KRAVITZ)
A poignant animated film which tells the story of a street musician who risks his life to save a child and meets his fate at the hands of an old woman in a wheelchair who is more than she seems. The filmmaker shot the stop motion film in his living room over a period of three years using a 35mm Mitchell Camera with quite a history. It had once been the property of the US Navy and was subsequently tested for radioactivity, and had been used for Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. These old cameras are little used these days, which is how one ended up in the living room of a stop motion animator. To learn more, visit the filmmaker's website at: scottkravitz.com.
Filmmaker Bio
Scott Kravitz is a professional animator living in San Francisco. His film work includes The Matrix Revolutions, Evolution, Scooby Doo 2, and Pirates of the Caribbean 2. His stop-motion work can be seen in the television shows The PJs and Robot Chicken. After studying veterinary medicine, Scott went to work in the Badlands of South Dakota as a wildlife biologist. Soon, however, his childhood love of animation called him back to filmmaking. His first animated film, Family Portrait, screened in the Seattle and Cleveland Film Festivals, and won an "audience favorite" award at the Onion City Film Festival in Chicago. His next film, Magic Trick, has screened in every continent, including Antarctica. Loom is his most ambitious film yet.
OUR MAN IN NIRVANA (DIR. Jan Koester)
An homage to psychedelic music and Asian shadow puppet plays, Our Man In Nirvana, is a wild, fast paced and colorful 'Rock Opera' unlike anything you've seen before. It tells the story of a famous rock guitarist named John who dies suddenly on stage while playing a concert with his band. He wakes up to find himself in Nirvana. There he faces crazy, wild and wonderful creatures and occurrences as he must atone for his deeds. To learn more about this film and the filmmaker go to: ourmaninnirvana.com.
Filmmaker Bio
German born filmmaker Jan Koester studied animation at the Hochschule für Film und Fernsehen - Konrad Wolf. His film Our Man In Nirvana was completed over a 3 year period of time. Jan has won numerous awards for his film including the coveted Silver Bear Award at the 2006 Berlin International Film festival.
ON A TUESDAY (DIR. David Scott Smith)
This gorgeously filmed tale of romance is the first 35mm short film allowed to shoot in San Francisco's historic City Hall. It's the story of a couple getting married in the middle of their workday: about a beautiful moment hidden within busy life. To learn about this film as well as behind the scenes info on the production, go to: davidscottsmith.com.
Filmmaker Bio
David Scott Smith is an award winning editor and producer making his directorial debut with On A Tuesday. His editing and producing work has won numerous awards including Emmys, BDAs, Tellys, and audience awards and has played in festivals such as Sundance, Palm Springs, and the Berlinale. David graduated from the Binger Filmlab's Screenwriting Program in 2005, where he developed his feature film Travelin' under the guidance of David Howard. David Scott Smith is currently continuing development on Travelin', which wilil be his first feature film.