Production company coming to town?

John Beifuss reports on a movie production firm sniffing around Memphis:

Local officials were hopeful Thursday that Robert L. Johnson, the African-American billionaire who founded the Black Entertainment Television network, might move his new movie production company to Memphis.

"Of all the cities we've been to so far, Memphis has been the most impressive," said Damon Lee, executive vice president-production for Johnson's fledgling Our Stories Films company. "We've been very impressed with not only the locations but also the commitment and the hunger to bring movies to Memphis."

Memphis-made doc at MIFF Saturday

A group of Memphians have made a documentary that shares the story of NASA's Columbia Shuttle's failed re-entry and the aftermath.

The film "Of Good Courage" is being shown as part of the Memphis International Film Festival on March 24 at 10 a.m. at Studio on the Square. All aspects of the film -- directing, editing, production, scoring, etc -- were done in Memphis except the interviews that were shot in Texas.

The film, which won a trophy for first prize in the Trail Dance Film Festival in Oklahoma, is a documentary about the people of a small east Texas community who helped in recovery of the Columbia Shuttle and its crew.

The documentary was co-directed by David Wayne Brown and David Perry of Conaway Brown Inc., a Memphis advertising firm. It was produced on behalf of a not-for-profit Hemphill citizens group dedicated to building a memorial to the astronauts and two others who lost their lives in a helicopter crash during recovery efforts. A soundtrack includes original music written by composer Chris Nemec.

For more information about the film, call 458-1652.

Film at the Brooks

Sunday, March 25, 2 pm
African Film Series: Totsi
Free with museum admission
Join us for this Academy-Award winning film set amidst the sprawling Johannesburg township of Soweto—where survival is the primary objective. Tsotsi traces six days in the life of a ruthless young gang leader who ends up caring for a baby accidentally kidnapped during a car-jacking.



Thursday, March 29, 7 pm
Film: Matthew Barney: No Restraint
Purchase your tickets on-line

$5 for Brooks members, $7 for non-members
A documentary about the enigmatic modern artist Matthew Barney that traces his journey to Japan with Bjork, where he creates a "narrative sculpture" involving 45,000 pounds of petroleum jelly and a factory whaling vessel.


Thursday, April 12
Saturday, April 14
Sunday, April 15
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival
Purchase your tickets on-line

Times to be announced

Brooks members: $40 for a festival pass (10 films total) or $5 per film

Non-members: $50 for a festival pass or $6 per film
Recognized as the premier documentary film festival in the United States by The New York Times, the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival celebrates the power and artistry of documentary film. Many of the films shown at the festival have gone on to be Academy Award nominees and winners.

Memphis International Film Fest

The Memphis International Film Festival opens Thursday and runs through Sunday.

The festival showcase some 60 films from 13 countries with more than 40 filmmakers, cast and crew members scheduled to attend. Included are narrative features, documentaries, shorts, experimental films and music videos, including four in the "International Masters Series": Claude Chabrol's "The Flower of Evil," Tsai Ming-liang's "Goodbye, Dragon Inn," Pedro Almodovar's "All About My Mother," and "The Devil's Backbone," from Guillermo del Toro ("Pan's Labyrinth").

The event is organized by the Memphis Film Forum, a not-for-profit "dedicated to the promotion of education, economic development and cultural diversity through the cinema arts."

Read the CA's John Beifuss on "Oh, Mr. Faulkner," the opening-night selection for the 8th annual MIFF.

Tickets to the opening night's events are $10. It includes the 7:30 p.m. screening of "Oh, Mr. Faulkner, Do You Write?" at Malco's Paradiso and an after-party at Dan McGuinness East, 4698 Spottswood.

Remaining screenings are at Malco's Studio on the Square, beginning as early as 10 a.m. and as late as midnight. Tickets to individual programs are $6 for matinees and $8 in the evening.

Isaac Hayes is scheduled to appear at a tribute to his career as a film actor and scorer at 7 p.m. March 24 at the Studio. Tickets are $10.

VIP passes good for all events are $35 each, or $30 if bought in advance. Student passes are $15 each.

Passes and advance tickets are available at malco.com.

Acting class tonight

Acting for the Camera
Monday March 19, 2007
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
(This event repeats every week.)
Location: 174 Leif Cv. Cordova, TN 38018
If you plan to attend contact Lisa Lax at laxcast@bellsouth. net. This is for older teens and adults. Class time is 7-9. Cost is $25 for one class and $85 for 4 classes (that do not have to be used consecutively) .

'Ought' in Nashville

Please join us in Nashville for the premiere of “OUGHT”
Thursday, March 22, 2007, 7 p.m.
at The Palace Theatre, 146 N. Water Avenue in Gallatin

From the directors of ‘Lenders Morgan’, ‘Bernee’: Jon Russell & Tracy Cring.

A hit and run accident, seen in the aftermath through the eyes of the notorious driver, prominent attorney, Johnson Reynolds.

Starring Denton Blane Everett (Mad Bad, Prison Break), Geoff Falk, Valri Bromfield (Grace Under Fire), Jan Falk, Sarah Ewell and many others.

Li'l Film Fest 5: Craig Brewer Exposed!

Well, maybe not exposed.

5th Li'l Film Fest: The Legend of Craig Brewer will be this Saturday (March 17th) at 2pm at the MeDiA co-op (1000 S. Cooper, Midtown). For more info, go here.

The lineup:
"Brainstorm" dir. Tatsuya Graham
"Do You Know Craig Brewer?" dir. John Pickle
"Dream and Achieve" dir. J. Lazarus Hawk
"Intense Black Guys and Bitchy White Women" dir. Timm Scalita
"It's Hard Out Here for a Gump" dir. Jon W. Sparks
"Maggie Lynn" dir. Elizabeth Harris
"The Secret History of Black Snake Moan" dir. C. Scott McCoy
"Trail Spice" dir. Tom Foster
"What's Brewin' Craig" dir. Donald Meyers
*Plus bonus fun stuff by Christopher and Sarah!!!

Come out and Support Local Filmmakers!!

Sarah Fleming
Creative Director
Live From Memphis, LLC

Delta Axis: March delectations

Please join us for our contemporary art and film events this month.

Wednesday, March 14, 7:30 p.m.
Indie Memphis Micro Cinema Club #27
Power House, 45 G.E. Patterson (between Main & Front Streets)
Free Admission, Donations Recommended
The Best of Ottawa International Animation Festival 2006
Featuring:
· OIAF 06 Signal Film (2006) Nathaniel Akin & Bruce Alcock / Global Mechnic / Canada / 0:30
· guy101 (2005) Ian Gouldstone / Royal College of Art / UK / 8:00
· Dreams & Desires: Family Ties (2006) Joanna Quinn / Beryl Productions International Ltd / UK / 9:50
· Mr. Schwartz, Mr. Hazen & Mr. Horlocker (2006) Stefan Mueller / FH Wiesbaden University of Applied Sciences / Germany / 7:40
· Tyger (2006) Guilherme Marcondes / Brazil / 4:30
· The Possum (2005)Chris Choy/California Institute of the Arts/USA/5:20
· Lightning Doodle Project [pikapika] (2006) Takeshi Nagata & Kazue Monno / Tochka Factory /Japan / 4:00
· Rabbit (2005) Run Wrake / Sclah Films / UK / 8:30
· Crossing the Stream (2006) Skip Battaglia / USA / 4:00
· The Runt (2006) Andreas Hykade / Studio Film Bilder/Germany / 10:00
· The Carnival of the Animals (Karneval Zvirat) (2006) Michaela Pavlátová / Negativ Film Productions / Czech Republic / 12:00
· Jason Forrest: War Photographer (2005) Joel Trussell / USA / 4:12
· Who I Am and What I Want (2005) Chris Shepherd & David Shrigley/ Slinky Pictures /UK / 7:30

Wednesday, March 28th from 6:00-7:00 p.m.
Artist Studio Visit
Murray Riss
516 South Main Street
Free for Delta Axis members, $5 for non-members
The Artist Studio Visit includes a light reception and discussion with the artist, Murray Riss, in his studio at. Please note this is a change from the usual Thursday evening program.

Murray Riss was educated at City College of New York, Cooper Union School of Art, and the Rhode Island School of Design. He established the photography department at the Memphis College of Art and taught there from 1968-1986. He was an adjunct lecturer in photography and film at Rhodes College from 1971-1986. Currently he is a professional photographer for magazines, advertising agencies and corporations with clients locally, nationally, and internationally. His work has been shown in group exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, the New Orleans Museum of Art, and the George Eastman House Museum of Photography; and in solo exhibitions at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, and Harvard University. Riss’s upcoming exhibition, Painted Portraits, opens in the Beverly & Sam Ross Gallery at Christian Brothers University, on March 16.

Friday, March 23, 6-9 p.m.
Opening reception for
Paul Behnke | Sallynoogin Drawings and
Dwayne Butcher | Art Made With a Ring
Delta Axis @ Marshall Arts
639 Marshall Avenue
Exhibition dates: March 23- April 28, 2007
Gallery hours: Saturday 1-5 p.m. or by appointment

Both artists are presenting new work inspired by their recent life experiences. Behnke has recently returned from a three-month stay in Dublin where the images and ideas for the Sallynoggin Drawings were engendered and the work was completed. Butcher’s works were all created since his marriage in fall 2006, hence Art Made With a Ring, and explore changes in the artist’s life and artistic direction.

Paul Behnke was born in 1965, in Memphis, TN. He received a B.F.A. in painting from the Memphis College of Art in 1999 and is currently living and working in St. Augustine, FL. Behnke’s work is represented by The Hallward in Dublin, Ireland and Zeitgeist Gallery in Nashville, TN.

Behnke’s Sallynoggin Drawings were begun with the intention that they would be soundly connected to a specific location and time. However, as the images progressed from notebook jottings of experience, environment and memory, to more complete drawings, their meanings began a steady shift from specific reactions to broad allusions. The finished works signify the faulty concepts of security, place and distance and give form to the rituals and obsessions that sprout from these notions.

Butcher has shown his minimalist influenced and abstract expressionist based work in most galleries and alternative spaces in Memphis, TN, as well as in Dallas, TX, Carbondale, IL, Jackson, TN, Nashville, TN, Little Rock, AR, and Jonesboro, AR. Butcher has curated guerrilla shows in non-traditional spaces such as; abandoned apartment buildings, old warehouse spaces, backyards, and established the “world’s smallest gallery” at the P and H Café. Butcher is the curator of Caseworks, an exhibition space for new and emerging artists, with openings that run in conjunction with the Art Museum at the University of Memphis. Butcher is the director and co-founder of Artmemphis.net, an artist registry and art related calendar serving the Mid-South.

Art Made With a Ring encompasses new work Butcher has created since being married in October 2006. While his style has not changed significantly, his approach and process have changed substantially.


Showing through March 31
Mary Ellen Carroll
ME LIKE BLACK
Power House, 45 G.E. Patterson (between Main & Front Streets)
Gallery hours: Thursday-Saturday 12-6 p.m., Sunday 1-6 p.m.
Carroll’s new body of work makes use of the city of Memphis not only as a physical original but also a cultural, social-political and economic original as well – a site of authenticity. All of the works in the exhibition have the subject of impersonation as their conceptual and philosophical basis. Included in the exhibition will be ME LIKE BLACK, two neon signs that are inverted mistakes that reference the 1960s book Black Like Me by white journalist John Howard Griffin, a civil-rights activist and friend of Dr. King who disguised himself as a black man and chronicled the experience. Four new silkscreen paintings produced with Brand X Editions will be shown from Carroll’s One Star Press series You and Me is based on the difference between how we see ourselves and how we are seen by others. The week before the exhibition’s opening, the performance Whatever It Takes, an impersonation of the escaped Haley, the female polar bear that FedEx relocated from Chicago to the Memphis Zoo, was documented and is presented in the exhibition.


Support Delta Axis – become a member!
Members receive free admission to our monthly Artist Studio Visit, a free ticket to a screening at the 10th annual Indie Memphis Film Festival in 2007, and invitations to special parties and events. Membership is $50 for individuals and $75 for couples. For more information call 901.494.6543 or email info@deltaaxis.org.

Memphis International Film Fest -- here's the plan

What can you expect to see this year? How about 58 films from 13 countries, and more than 40 filmmakers, cast & crew in attendance? With 3 days and 4 nights of shorts, documentaries, animated and feature films, you are sure to find something to please your cinematic palate. Opening Night (Mar. 22) takes place at Malco’s Paradiso with screenings Friday through Sunday (23-25) at Malco’s Studio On The Square.

The festival will showcase filmmakers from around the globe and right in our own backyard such as the Thursday Night Opening Night pairing of a Romanian Short film—A Very Small Trilogy of Loneliness from Romanian Director, Bogdan George Apetri (nominated for a Student Academy Award) and the Opening Night Feature—Oh, Mr. Faulkner, Do You Write? - John Maxwell's critically acclaimed one-man show based on the life of William Faulkner filmed before a live audience in Faulkner's home town of Oxford, Mississippi—a true departure from the typical opening night films, this film is NOT to be missed.

On Friday, members of the cast and crew of 2 blues-oriented documentaries will join the audience for Jook Joint Jam and Iron City Blues. Jook Joint Jam was filmed live on location at Ground Zero, owned by Morgan Freeman in Clarksdale, MS and includes interviews with Morgan Freeman and performances by George Thorogood and Eddie Shaw. Iron City Blues takes a look at the lawless town of Iron City, TN through the eyes of Bluesman Big Mike Griffin. Memphis Music takes center stage on Saturday night with a special tribute to Soul Man Isaac Hayes at 7 pm and our MIFF Awards Party that will shake your soul downtown at The Warehouse featuring Craig Schuster. Admisson to each of these events is $10 or free with a Festival Pass.

Special programming during the festival includes the International Masters Series. This year’s IMS films are: Todo sobre me madre (All About My Mother), Fleur du mail, La (The Flower of Evil), Espinazo del Diablo (The Devil’s Backbone), and Bu San (Goodbye, Dragon Inn). These films will be shown in their original 35 mm format – a true treat for the cinephile.

In addition to the films, the festival features special events, parties and workshops each day of the festival. Partnerships with SmartSound, Apple and Mania TV will provide 3 different workshops to help filmmakers on their path to success. SmartSound representative Richard Manfredi will be presenting the features and application uses of their computer program Sonicfire Pro 4. Presenters from the local Germantown Apple Store at Saddle Creek will be showing how Apple software can help you to create a master DVD to give your film that professional presentation touch. A panel discussion and Q&A session with various guests that utilize the internet for independent films will include topics such as Networking, Marketing, Distribution, and Broadcasting. Panelists include Chad Bardon - Content Manager for Mania TV (Internet Broadcasting Network), R.C. Knight – Executive Producer for Knight Entertainment (Internet Distribution) and Sarah Fleming – Live From Memphis (Internet Promotion & Marketing). Mania TV will also be taping and broadcasting from the festival at www.maniatv.com each day.

Individual screenings are $8.50 per person ($6.50 for matinees screenings) based on first come, first served seating with Festival Passholders receiving priority seating at all festival events – Opening Night tickets are $10 per person. Festival passes which allow priority seating to all film screenings and seminars and to the MIFF Awards Party are $30 in advance via the festival website www.memphisfilmforum.org or at the door for $35. A special discounted pass ($15) is available to students with valid ID. The festival is presented by the Memphis Film Forum, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of education, economic development, and cultural diversity through the cinema arts. MIFF 8 sponsors include Malco Theatres; FedEx; TCB Entertainment, the Memphis and Shelby County Film and Television Commission; The Tennessee Arts Commission & the Greater Memphis Arts Council; and the Tennessee Film, Entertainment and Music Commission, Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau, InBaselne, Howard Flynn Law Group, the Memphis Flyer and Avid Software. More information can be found on the Memphis Film Forum website at www.memphisfilmforum.org.

Hold the ramekins...

"Eat" from the Oddly Buoyant crew will be screened at the Brooks Museum in Memphis as part of its 1st Wednesday series. Free for members, $6 for non-members. Cash bar. For more information: www.brooksmuseum.org.

BSM needs you this weekend

From Deadline Hollywood Daily.com:

One of the most interesting movies so far this year, Paramount Vantage's Black Snake Moan, received great reviews. So it's all the more surprising that the #8 movie not only didn't do better at the box office, but its per-screen average was so weak. Playing in 1,252 venues, the Christina Ricci-Samuel L. Jackson starrer should have only a $3.4 mil weekend after making just $1.3 mil at the box office Friday.

Two older actors needed for commercial: REVISED

(Updates with age range)

Two actors for a public service announcement / political commercial. There is no pay and screen time is a few seconds. Possibility of paid work in the future.

Needed are a male and female to play younger grandparents -- age range is late 40s to early 50s. No words to memorize - just looking at the mail and the wife touching a shoulder at his sadness at the pile of bills - and then a second scene with the happy grandchild running and hugging.

The shoots will take little time - quick shot by the mailbox and front door - no lighting waits and no sound hassles -- just 2 secs of sad and 2 secs of happy and several takes

Contact is 484-5684

Memphis International Film Fest: Mar. 22-25

Purchase Festival Passes Online from now until Wednesday, March 21. Advance passes are available for the discounted rate of $30 through PayPal. Festival passes will be available at the door for $35.

Students may purchase a pass for only $15. A valid, current student ID is required, and it must be presented at the door in order to obtain this rate.

Go here for online purchases. And here's the MIFF web site.

Craig vs. Wendi

The CA's Wendi Thomas and filmmaker Craig Brewer go at it over "Black Snake Moan" on the AppealTV website. She didn't think much of "Hustle & Flow" and here she and Craig have, as they say in diplomatic circles, a full and frank discussion. A longer version is here.

Reviews of Black Snake Moan

John Beifuss of the CA and Chris Herrington of the Memphis Flyer have a couple of the smartest reviews you read on Craig Brewer's "Black Snake Moan" -- not only for their observations of the film, but of their assessments of how critics elsewhere see this movie and the South in general.

Excerpt from Beifuss:

Many of the critical nay-sayers are decrying what they perceive to be sexist and racist stereotypes in the film, but there's an element of regional condescension at work that impedes serious analysis. Apparently, you can mock the South with impunity, as long as you're claiming to defend it.

Perhaps it's true that Southerners are among those most likely to be embarrassed by the white trash/black bluesman conventions embraced in "Black Snake Moan." Yet Southerners also are the biggest fans of extreme, even cartoonish depictions of their behavior. Often, the impulses co-exist: I'm sure I'm not alone among Memphians in thinking the world would be a lesser place without either William Faulkner or Jethro Bodine.

What a mess of contradiction! But do we really want it any other way?

... and from Herrington:

When you make a movie about a white "nymphomaniac" chained to the radiator of a black bluesman's farmhouse, suffuse it with humor, and pitch it as a straightforward entertainment set in a world that sometimes feels as slightly exaggerated as a live-action Disney feature, perhaps you should expect critics to get a little discombobulated.

Last Train To Memphis -- March schedule

LTTM's Shorts Fest for the month of March on WYPL-18!

This month's edition of the fest includes great films by some excellent filmmakers. Our host for this month is the man who is everywhere and in everything, Donald Meyers.

Previews:

Trailer for Strange Cargo, a Paradox Production


The Films:

Whatever Happened to Floor Monkeys? The Movie- directed by Del Curlin. A nine-minute spoof about how some filmmakers can blow their own artistic insights and visions way out of proportion.

The Other Side of the Pillow- directed by Sarah Fleming. In the mundane existence we call life, is change really possible?

What It's All about- directed by Tammy Marqueerius. Created by Old School Productions for the Barbeque themed Lil Film Fest.

The Morning Ritual- directed by J. Lazarus Hawk. Produced by Craig Brewer, The Morning Ritual won Indie Memphis 2001, received honorable mention at the Nashville International Film Festival in 2002 and received the Darrel award from the Memphis Science Fiction Association.

Music for ending credits:

Change Your Mind - sung by Rusty Lemon from the The Morning End album.

Be sure to look for the BONUS FILMS after the ending credits!

A Live From Memphis music video production of Psychochauffeur by Organ Thief directed by Christopher Reyes.

A Subteens live concert footage produced by Live From Memphis

The Times:

Sunday- midnight
Thursday- 2:00 a.m.
Thursday- 10:30 p.m.
Saturday- 1:30 a.m.
Saturday- 11:00 p.m.

For more info or to enter a film, go to www.LastTraintoMemphis.com
Check with the Library Channel web site or our web site for scheduling info. This is a weekly schedule that will begin on March 3.

Acting class tonight

From Lisa Lax: Class tonight! 7pm-9ishpm

We will be doing scenes to get ready for our next guests.

Bring 2 copies of a scene you want to do, if you like. I will have scenes for you as well.

Let me know if you're coming -- actlink@aol.com.

Beifuss on Brewer

Meaty story on Craig Brewer by the CA's John Beifuss, including slide show.

Craig Brewer presents ...

"I was telling friends of mine earlier that I wish I could go back in time to -- there was this place, this bar called The Last Place on Earth ... and me and my friend Mike McCarthy used to shoot movies and we'd project them up on these dirty sheets with bad projectors that we'd have to get for a couple of six-packs. And then the Subteens would play afterwards and the sound sucked and the picture was weak but it was like you were watching rock and roll. I've felt like I always wanted to bring this movie back to that time."

--Craig Brewer, Feb. 22, 2007 at the Memphis premiere of "Black Snake Moan"

Audition

Rusted Sun Films, the Memphis production company who brought you
Divine Manipulation of the Threads, Cowboy's Silver Lining and The
Visitor, is proud to announce their next motion picture production,
Soul Mates, written by Ken Axmaker, Jr. Axmaker has written such films
as the award winning, Man-tute, A Waste of 02, the cult classic
Service With a Smile and most recently Bad People. Soul Mates is a
story of a young boy lost in a big world. He finds what we are all
looking for, his Soul Mate. A touching film that promises not to leave
a dry eye.

Synopsis

Life can be rough. Especially when you are 10 years old and all alone
in the world. You long for something or someone who completes your
life. Someone to end the loneliness and disappointment of everyday
existence. You long for your Soul Mate. Some people are born with
silver spoons, and some are born with all the cards against them. Some
lucky people might meet their Soul Mate early in life, and others
might not ever. To the lucky few who meet their Soul Mates, cherish
every moment no matter how short it may be.

We are currently in pre-production and would like to announce a
casting call for:

Approx. 10 year old white female
Approx. 10 year old white male
25-45 yr old white male x 2
25-45 yr old white female

Please send all headshots and resumes to info@rustedsunfilms.com

Audition Saturday

CASTING NOTICE:
New York University thesis film.

info: newperspectivefilms.com

SAG ELIGIBLE*, Shooting ON FILM:

Males and Females, ages 25 to 50, are eligible for 3 main speaking roles and 5 extras. All types are welcome and headshots are not necessary.

CASTING LOCATION: Memphis Digital Arts Co-op

(First Congregational Church, 1000 South Cooper, Midtown Memphis--southwest corner of building)

TIMES: SUBJECT TO CHANGE--please check back regularly to confirm (and refresh your browser):

TUESDAY FEB 20th 6-8pm **CANCELLED**

SATURDAY FEB 24th 2-4pm

SATURDAY MAR 3rd 2-4pm
* (SAG eligibility does not mean this project will garner credit towards union certification, rather allows existing union members to participate. SAG and NON-SAG actors are welcome to audition.)

Film at the Brooks

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art has several programs, some featuring screenings of excellent films

Film: This Film is Not Yet Rated
Friday, February 23, 7 pm
Seating is limited!
$5 for members, $7 for non-members
With an introduction by Commercial Appeal film critic John Beifuss, this film is a fast-paced, absorbing, and at times comical exposé of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) film rating system. The ratings are allegedly created by a panel of "average" parents of school-age children, according to long time MPAA CEO Jack Valenti and other officials.


Living Green
Community Panel Discussion & Film
Sunday, February 25, 2 pm
Seating is limited!
Dorothy K. Hohenberg Auditorium
About the Panel
Moderator
Thomas Badgett, IdleAire Technologies Corp.
Speakers: Jim Lutz, Uof M architecture professor - Sustainable Design; Bill Bullock, MLGW - Renewable Energy; Andrew Couch, Clean Cities of W. Tennessee - Alternative Fuels; Laura Adams, Shelby Farms Park Alliance - Green Spaces
About the Film
Following the panel discussion at 3:30 pm, there will be a screening of the film Kilowatt Ours introduced by Jon Paul Plumlee, Program Coordinator for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. Kilowatt Ours offers practical advice for reducing energy consumption in consumer households.

Have lunch at the Brushmark Restaurant before the panel discussion!
Reservations are recommended, please call 544.6225.


Film: Who the #$&% is Jackson Pollock?
Thursday, March 1 at 7 pm
Sunday, March 4 at 2 pm
Seating is limited!
$5 for members, $7 for non-members
Dorothy K. Hohenberg Auditorium
This film tells the story of Teri Horton, a seventy-three year old former truck driver, who buys a painting in a thrift shop for five dollars. After a local art teacher remarks on its similarities to the work of Jackson Pollock, Teri hires an investigator to find out what she’s really got. In a real-life story that is truly stranger than fiction, Who the #$&% is Jackson Pollock? explores what happens when Teri refuses to listen to the so-called experts and sets out to prove her case, taking on the high and mighty of the art world.


Memphis Brooks Museum of Art:
901.544.6200 | fax 901.725.4071 | brooks@brooksmuseum.org | 1934 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee 38104 USA
Hours: Tuesday through Friday 10 am - 4 pm; Saturday 10 am - 5 pm; Sunday 11:30 am - 5 pm
First Wednesday of the Month 10 am - 4 pm, 6 pm - 9 pm, except in January and July
Closed Mondays, New Year's Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day

Need actors right now

Anyone interested in performing in a play for children Sunday?

Characters:

Kit-a famous jungle explorer and treasure hunter. Enjoys a good challenge.

Andi Bennett-expert on the life of Jesus. Not used to the jungle and easily frightened.

Either gender OK. Age range: 20-60

Contact Lisa Lax at actlink@aol.com

'Black Snake Moan' tonight...

... but you have to go to the Magnolia Film Festival. Other local films include Eat as the closing movie on Friday night, and The Importance of Being Russell on Saturday afternoon. The festival is today through Saturday in the greater Starkville-West Point, Miss. area.

Tonight! Micro Cinema Club

Wednesday, February 14, 7:30 p.m.
Indie Memphis Micro Cinema Club #26
Power House, 45 G.E. Patterson (between Main & Front Streets)
Free Admission, Donations Recommended
Selections from the 2006 Rural Route Film Festival
The Rural Route Film Festival was created to highlight works that deal with rural people and places. The festival, which showcases rural themes in an urban environment, features award-winning narrative, documentary, and experimental films as well as music videos. Based in New York City, the most urban of environments, the festival brings an alternative to the box office action flick so often set in New York or Los Angeles. We give city folks a chance to see what’s going on in the rest of the world, and bring a sense of home to country folk that have relocated to the city. We are also programming more and more international work, including films in this year’s festival from England, Siberia, Canada, Portugal, India, and Germany.


Support Delta Axis – become a member!
Members receive free admission to our monthly Artist Studio Visit, a free ticket to a screening at the 10th annual Indie Memphis Film Festival in 2007, and invitations to special parties and events. Membership is $50 for individuals and $75 for couples. For more information call 901.494.6543 or email info@deltaaxis.org.

Exploitation (2-minute version)

Too taboo for Youtube!
Not safe for work, school, church, or home!!!!!
See the uncensored black market version of Corduroy Wednesday's latest project for the Robert Rodriguez SXSW Film Festival Grindhouse Trailer Contest!
CUM SEE SINDY ST. SINNAMON IN… SNUFF'S ENUFF!!!!!!
only at www.cwfilms.net
(You might see me in this one, toots.)

Memphis International Film Fest: the lineup

The following films have been chosen as finalists and will be screened at this year’s Memphis International Film Festival:

Features:

MEXICAN SUNRISE, directed by Rowdy Stovall
BEAUTIFUL DREAMER, directed by Terri Farley-Teruel
FORGIVEN, directed by Paul Fitzgerald
VANAJA, directed by Rajnesh Domalpalli
OH, MR. FAULKNER, DO YOU WRITE, directed by Jimbo Barnett
FORFEIT, directed by Andrew Watson
MOJAVE PHONE BOOTH, directed by John Putch

Documentaries:

IRON CITY BLUES, directed by Scott Jackson
STIRRING IT UP: THE NEW DISSENTERS, directed by L. Yansen
HARD TIMES, directed by Damien Blaylock
DO NOT GO GENTLY, directed by Melissa Godoy
AN AMERICAN OPERA, directed by Thomas McPhee
HELLO AGAIN EVERYBODY, directed by Noel Gimbel
THE FIRST SATURDAY IN MAY, directed by John Hennegan and Brad Hennegan
SOUL OF JUSTICE: THELTON HENDERSON'S AMERICAN JOURNEY, directed by Abby Ginzberg
LAST FLIGHT HOME: SEARCHING FOR AND FINDING MIAs, directed by Jennifer Powers and Daniel T. O’Brien
A MAP FOR SATURDAY, directed by Brook Silva-Braga
ROCK'N TOKYO, directed by Pamela Valente
BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD: 911 IN AMERICA, directed by Renee Pezzotta
THE CLINTON 12, directed by Keith McDaniel
OF GOOD COURAGE, directed by David Wayne Brown and David Perry,

Shorts:

TELL-TALE, directed by Jason Roberts
BROKEN, directed by Alex Ferrari
THE GRASS GROWS GREEN, directed by Jesus Beltran
THE SILENT, directed by Jordan Burt
A PERFECT DAY, directed by Erik Jorgen Sampson
BYE BYE BENJAMIN, directed by Charlie McDowell
RAW FOOTAGE, directed by Rupert Thompson
GRACE, directed by Camille Cellucci
A VERY SMALL TRILOGY OF LONELINESS, directed by Bogdan Apetri
ROSARIO, directed by Zahik Rizvi
ALIVE & WELL, directed by Chris Peckover
THOMAS IN BLOOM, directed by Jeff Prugh
THE FRANK ANDERSON, directed by Dave Perkal
DEFACE, directed by John Arlotto
A.W.O.L., directed by Jack Swanstrom
AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSORS, directed by Wojciech Lorenc
MAKING DO, directed by Mary Tucker
POP FOUL, directed by Moon Molson
QUINCY & ALTHEA, directed by Douglas Lenox
THE PROJECTIONIST, directed by Elaine Liu
KARMA CAFE, directed by Eben Kostbar

Animations:

MIRAGE, directed by Youngwoong Jang
EVERYTHING WILL BE OK, directed by Don Hertzfeldt
BARNEY THE TERRIER, directed by Anny Slater
THE WAIF OF PERSEPHONE, directed by Nick Cross
NASUH, directed by Anya Belkina and Ken Calhoun
IDEA DEVELOPMENT, directed by Dane Webster
SAUL GOODMAN, directed by Jim Connell

Music Videos:
LOST, directed by Samrat Chakrabarti
SHE'S A DOG, directed by Sue Corcoran
SLOWLY SURFACING – directed by Shahane Bekarian
TWENTY, directed by Sue Turner-Cray
THE SQUARES 'I'M SORRY YOU'RE PERFECT', directed by Rick Castañeda
GONE, directed by Andrew Watson

The 38th Nashville Film Festival (NaFF) is set to take over Music City for eight artful and entertaining days April 19-26 at Regal Green Hills Cinema. MY SECRET RECORD or How I Learned to Stop Worrying & Love the Biz, a documentary focused on singer-songwriter and international recording star Rob Thomas, will open the festival, with Thomas, his wife Marisol Thomas and director Gillian Grisman attending the screening.

Films will once again be screened in four state-of-the-art theaters at the Regal Green Hills Cinema. Events connected to the festival, including the opening night party atop BMI’s Nashville headquarters, will spread out around the city.

“Each year, Nashville Film Festival’s role in the local, national and international film communities and place among the top film showcases in the world is further established,” says Brian Gordon, NaFF Artistic Director. “Our artistic integrity has always been our top priority, and this year makes it clear that we can attract excellent films of all kinds that offer great quality, appeal and discussion, drawing filmgoers to a one-of-a-kind experience in Nashville.”

MY SECRET RECORD or How I Learned to Stop Worrying & Love the Biz traces the creative process and aggressive marketing campaign of Rob Thomas’s Billboard history making solo debut, Something to Be. Featuring a cast of superstars and CEOs, we are given extraordinary access into the world that manufactures rock stars and hits for mass consumption. The film features an incredible cast of musicians and industry “A” listers including: Carlos Santana, Alicia Keys, John Mayer, Jeff Trott, Robert Randolph, Clive Davis, Lyor Cohen and Matt Serletic.

At release time, other highlights of this year’s festival include the Irish film SMALL ENGINE REPAIR, which tells the heartfelt tale of four men – one of whom is an aspiring country singer – who hang around an engine repair shop in a small Northern Ireland country town. The film’s soundtrack includes contributions from Bobby Bare, Jr., John Prine, Todd Snider and the Silver Jews. Director Niall Heery will attend the screening. The documentary I AM AN AMERICAN SOLDIER, by director John Laurence, covers the highs and lows of a year in the life of one battalion from Ft. Campbell, Kentucky as it trains for and is then deployed to Iraq. Laurence and several Ft. Campbell soldiers will attend.



KIDCINEMA

Among its many cinematic offerings are Saturday and Sunday morning films especially for kids, sponsored by Nashville Parent and Target. This year, the popular ANIMAL BAND takes its “Imagination Dance” show to the big screen for a unique cinema experience that will captivate children ages 3 and up as well as parents.

"We were thrilled when the Animal Band’s Jim Moore approached us about supporting the Festival,” says Sallie Mayne, NaFF Executive Director. "His incredible enthusiasm and positive message makes KidCinema even more of a HAPPENING not to be missed!"

PURCHASING TICKETS

Tickets go on sale online March 19, 2007, including the ALL-FESTIVAL LAMINATE (good for all films, panels/workshops, opening and closing galas and the awards reception), tickets to individual films, workshops and panels, as well as ten-pack and three-day passes. Popular films sell out. To avoid disappointment, we strongly suggest you buy your tickets in advance online at www.nashvillefilmfestival.org, or at the NaFF Box Office, which opens onsite at the Regal Green Hills lower level on Wednesday, April 18 from 1 p.m. – 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at any time March 19 – April 26, and will be held at Will Call at the NaFF Box Office. No refunds, exchanges, or substitutions. All ticket sales are final.

Who is the Brat Pack 2000?

I think we're going to find out soon...

Tonight! Two screenings!!

Just a reminder! Tonight at Malco's Studio on the Square theatre in Midtown, we will be having two special Valentine Screenings of my independent film "What Goes Around..." - one at 7:15pm and the other at 9:30pm.

Tickets are $6.00 per person but if you bring a girlfriend, boyfriend, best-friend or ex-friend the tickets are $10.00 for two. (Simple math: bring a friend, save 2 bucks).

There were several people who missed recent screenings and we figured what better time to screen it again than "The Love Holiday". So call up the love or your life or just a good friend and come and check us out. We’re looking forward to seeing you there. And as always, thanks for all the love and support.

Rod Pitts

Pittstop Productions
www.pittstopproductions.com

All Hallow's Eve -- check it out

All Hallows' Eve is on the "On The Lot" web site. Please go to the website, watch it, and tell everyone you know to go watch it. Rate it, discuss it, add a review, link it, get it in the most viewed, most linked (PUT LINKS ALL OVER THE NET!!) and most discussed.

http://films.thelot.com/films/2550

If you have any problems viewing it or problems with the site, please contact us so we can help you.

We are so excited!!! Please, please, please take a few minutes to go see a truly fun and touching short. Then send the link to everyone you know!
While you're watching, please pray that Jessica makes it into the first round interviews to actually get on the show...

OK, why are you still reading this. GO!!!!

Thanks so much. More to come!


BE A PART OF THE MEMPHIS FILMMAKING COMMUNITY! SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL FILMMAKER!
Check us out at www.scpflicks.com or look for updates and news at www.myspace.com/slackercentral.

Romance is in the air

Corduroy Wednesday has quite the Valentine's Day gift for you. This WEDNESDAY February 14th, we will premiere our latest project on the internet!

In the spirit of the holiday, it's a romantic 2 minute trailer for the SXSW Film Festival Grindhouse Trailer Competition.

Directors Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez are releasing a film called "Grindhouse" It's actually two movies packed within one in the spirit of the old bloody sexploitation films of the 70s. Within the film itself, trailers for "fake" grindhouse films will play that are directed by special guest celebrities (Eli Roth, Rob Zombie, etc).

And a contest was created for the general public to create their own Grindhouse trailers, with the best being showcased at this year's South By Southwest Film Festival by Robert Rodriguez himself.

So our entry will be our gift to you on this loved filled holiday.

To whet your appetite check out the official Grindhouse trailer:
www.grindhousemovie.net

and check out some of the competition:
http://youtube.com/results?search_query=grindhouse+contest&search=Search

See ya Wednesday and feel free to post this to friends!!

love,
Corduroy Wednesday

Lisa Lax acting class

Reminder: Pls confirm your space tonight!
Monday night scene study with Lisa Lax
7pm-9ish pm
174 Leif Cv. Cordova, TN 38018

actlink@aol.com

Tuesday: What Goes Around ...

On Tuesday, February 13th at Malco's Studio on the Square theatre in Midtown, we will be having two special Valentine Screenings of my independent film "What Goes Around..." - one at 7:15pm and the other at 9:30pm.

Tickets are $6.00 per person but if you bring a girlfriend, boyfriend, best-friend or ex-friend the tickets are $10.00 for two. (Simple math: bring a friend, save 2 bucks).


There were several people who missed recent screenings and we figured what better time to screen it again than "The Love Holiday". So call up the love or your life or just a good friend and come and check us out. We’re looking forward to seeing you there. And as always, thanks for all the love and support.

Rod Pitts

Pittstop Productions
www.pittstopproductions.com

State film commissioner commentary

Smart City Memphis has a few things to say in the post "It's A Wrap For State Film Commissioner And Incentives Are Next" about the recent resignation of David Bennett.

It's worth checking out.

Works of Heart Saturday

The Memphis Child Advocacy Center serves young victims of sexual and severe physical abuse through prevention, education, and intervention.

You can help.

And, yes, it involves giving MCAC money, but you get some terrific art in return. The nonprofit's annual Works of Heart auction offers more than 100 works of art by local artists that you can bid on. There have been some amazing pieces over the last 15 years.

Maritza Davila, who is my wife and a professor at Memphis College of Art, and I collaborated on a piece in the show. She did all the hard work and I wrote some haiku that's part of the artwork. But you don't have to bid on ours ... just go and look at the great offerings.

It's Saturday night and all the info is here.

See ya there.

'What Goes Around ...' next Tuesday

On Tuesday, February 13th at Malco's Studio on the Square theatre in Midtown, we will be having two special Valentine Screenings of the independent film "What Goes Around..." One at 7:15pm and the other at 9:30pm.

Tickets are $6 per person but if you bring a girlfriend, boyfriend, best-friend or ex-friend the tickets are $10 for two. (Simple math: bring a friend, save 2 bucks).

There were several people who missed recent screenings and we figured what better time to screen it again than "The Love Holiday". So call up the love or your life or just a good friend and come and check us out. We’re looking forward to seeing you there. And as always, thanks for all the love and support.

Rod Pitts

Pittstop Productions

Reality show for the outrageous: That you?

Producers of a reality show in development are looking for people (18 years+) with extreme views, extreme lifestyles and everything in between for a chance to win big bucks.

Read the following and if you fit the description, email the address below. Don't wait around -- auditions will be held quickly.

Do you have strong opinions and are not afraid to stand up for your beliefs? Are you falsely judged by your appearance? Do others find you too conservative or too liberal? Are you an amazing judge of character?

The International Emmy Award-winning WITHOUT PREJUDICE? is being produced for the North American audience. One of the most provocative shows to hit the air anywhere, WITHOUT PREJUDICE? features a panel of ordinary people who are given the chance to improve the course of someone's life by awarding one of five contestants a large sum of money. Contestants vie for the money by opening up their lives for examination by the panel.

The show, from the producers of The Weakest Link, is described in press materials this way:

The 5 people hoping to be given the money do not have to answer any quiz questions, eat any disgusting vile foods, race around the world, live in house with degenerates or jump out of a plane to prove themselves worthy. Instead, the panel of 5 will determine who gets the cash simply by hearing information about each contestant's life and deciding who they like the most.

They will hear all about each contestants beliefs, family status, salary and occupation….they will also be shown photographs and interview the hopefuls which will all go towards building a case for each contestant to win the money.

However, there will be no sob-stories – this isn't about being the most deserving.

Instead, it's about the panel themselves and how they reveal their prejudices through their judgments.

Would the panel rather give the cash to a man or a woman? To a Jehovah's Witness or an agnostic? To a gay person or a straight person? To someone who believes in the death penalty or someone who is anti-abortion? To a mother of 5 kids living on welfare or a self-made businessman? To a republican or democrat? To someone fit or someone who's clearly not?

Looking for the following types but not limited to:

hippie/alternative lifestyle
obsessed with plastic surgery
in an open marriage
war veteran/military
psychic healer
ex-addict/alcoholic
mistress
stripper/male/female
swinger
polygamist
little person
Muslim
real cowboy
naturist
body art/piercings
married gay man/woman with children
Native American
Vegas Showgirl
Rapper
Gun club member
Orthodox Religion
Scientologist

Strong beliefs/opinions may include:

Death penalty
Lesbian/Gay Marriages
Gay Adoption
Cannabis
Abortion
Immigration
Animal rights
Euthanasia
Prostitution
Terrorism
Global Warming
Stem Cell Research
Inner racial relationships/dating


In the email please include the following:
Your Name
Your Age
Your Contact Information
A recent photograph
A short bio including your type and beliefs

TO APPLY email us at: castingstory@yahoo.com

Cool Memphis stuff

LiveFromMemphis.com has recently released 2 new products: "My Memphis" (DVD) and "Gonerfest 2" (DVD+CD). Both of these products serve to highlight the things and events that makes our city a truly unique and exciting place (albeit in different ways).

Whiteville: Star city

Shooting for a few days in Hardeman County... here's John Beifuss' story in the CA.

Oscar-winning actors Tommy Lee Jones and Susan Sarandon are in the Memphis area this week to work on a new movie for Paul Haggis, the writer and director of last year's Best Picture, "Crash." Shooting begins today in Whiteville, Tenn., on "In the Valley of Elah," the story of a war veteran (Jones) and his wife (Sarandon) who go in search of their missing son, a soldier recently returned from Iraq. more...

Li'l Film Fest

Here's a reminder from the CA on Li'l Film Festival 5 -- Tribute to Craig Brewer.

Submissions are now being accepted for "Li'l Film Fest 5," devoted to this theme: "The Legend of Craig Brewer." (With one movie about a pimp-turned-rapper and another about a nymphomaniac chained to a bluesman's radiator, Brewer's projects certainly offer plenty of interesting content to work with.)

The fifth Li'l Film Fest is scheduled to take place at 2 p.m. March 17 at the MeDiA Co-op theater at First Congregational Church, 1000 S. Cooper. The event is coordinated by Livefrommemphis.com, a Web site devoted to local film, music and other arts.

Movies must be 5 minutes or shorter (hence, the "Li'l" tag). A trophy and $200 cash prize will be given to the winners of both the "Audience Choice Award" and the "Jury Award."

For an entry form and more information, visit livefrommemphis.com/filmfest or call 523-9763.

Actress needed

Very Sexy Attractive fit Actresses needed ASAP to play Ladies of the Night for Quentin Tarantino Movie Trailer Contest.

Call times Saturday 2/3 8:00am and Sunday 2/4 5:00 am.

All day shoot.

Food and Beverages provided.

Call Arnita VM 213-403-4001

or call cell phone if you alread have the #

Memphis Film Society -- new

In addition to filming my feature in Memphis, I am also in the process of setting up a new non-profit called the "Memphis Film Society." I am modeling this group after the famous Austin Film Society. At first, MFS will be offering free monthly network mixers, free monthly screenings of otherwise unseen films in this area, and parties at the two big Memphis film festivals.

Later (a year or so down the line), we will add membership levels, workshops, a filmmaker's grant program, and other interesting events in Memphis--all geared towards you, area actors, filmmakers, and film enthusiasts!

Check out our baby website at www.memphisfilm.org periodically to see info (though I will also send it to this group). What I need right now from you, the film community, is word-of-mouth advertising. The bigger the turnout for the mixers/screenings, the bigger a force we will be in this community.

I am putting together the e-list for everyone who would like to receive discounts, newsletters, and information about events concerning the Memphis Film Society right now. If you would like to be on this list, email me at info@memphisfilm.org and I will add you to all our mailings.

Please forward this to everyone you know in the film industry. Our first mixer will be in March, and I'm looking forward to meeting each and every one of you. Cheers!

Rich Newman
Founder, Memphis Film Society

Chris Ellis and you

Native Memphian Chris Ellis, a true working actor will make a guest appearance at Lisa Lax's scene study class Monday night. Ellis will give insight into the business, speaking on topics such as becoming a working actor, how to survive the dry spells, and going after the job not just relying on the agent.

Ellis, is most known for his roles as Deke Slayton in Apollo 13, J.T. in My Cousin Vinny, co-starring in October Sky and so many more. You can also see him this Tuesday night in Veronica Mars and Friday night in Vegas with James Caan.

For more info and class registration email Lisa at actlink@aol.com.

LTTM for Feb

We have re-tooled the LTTM Shorts Festival. Beginning with the February edition we will feature a different guest host each month to provide exposure for local actors. This month's host is Wasabi Jones, an actor whose resume includes such films as Rookie Bookie, Service With a Smile, Bad People, A Waste of 02, Split Decision, Southern Comfort and most recently, Curbside Confessions. This month's edition of the fest includes remarkable films by some excellent filmmakers.

Previews:

The trailer for Old School Productions feature film Act One.
The trailer for Def MF's production of The Phone People.
The trailer for a LTTM documentary production of The Memphis Belle - Its Final Chapter in Memphis.

The Films:

Checking In - directed by Steve Gelder. A hotel robbery in the desert goes wrong - or does it?

Wet Noises - directed by David Liban. A film produced in 1999 by the University of Memphis film department,
Wet Noises tells the story of a young man who longs to know a father he never knew. What he finds is not what he was hoping for.


Classified Ad - directed by Ben Siler. Classified Ad portrays a man’s obsession with a young woman and the fantasy relationship he has created about her.

George and Martha - directed by Donald Meyers with cinematography by J. Lazarus Hawk. A spoof film made for the Lil Film Fest, Politically Incorrect Holidays.

Music for ending credits:

Used To Be - sung by Sandy Carroll from the Delta Techno album.

Be sure to look for the BONUS FILM after the ending credits - Believe by Crippled Nation, a music video produced by Live From Memphis, (livefrommemphis.com).

The Times:

Sunday- midnight
Thursday- 2 AM
Thursday- 10:30 PM
Saturday- 1:30 AM
Saturday- 11 PM

For more information about the festival or to enter a film or music video, go to www.LastTraintoMemphis.com
Check with the Library Channel website or our website for scheduling info. This is a weekly schedule that will begin this weekend.

Casting notice for Shrewsbury project

Casting Notice: short film SHOOTING ON FILM in late March.

Former two-time Indie Memphis winner Geoffrey Shrewsbury is holding open casting calls for his New York University senior thesis project.

Males and Females, ages 30 to 50, are eligible for 3 main speaking roles and 5 extras. All types are welcome and headshots are not necessary.

Also seeking interested producers and crew.

Go to: newperspectivefilms.org or call 788-2200 for days and times

ZoMBiEz auditions

This is a reminder about the auditions for our short film 'ZoMBiEz', Saturday, Feb. 3 from 2 to 6 at the Collierville Library. Thanks for those that have responded and for those that have reposted our bulletins. We've got character descriptions now so please pass them on!

ZoMBiEz Casting Call – Character Descriptions

Lead Roles:

Nathan
Age: 17
Skinny, awkward teen. Tries to be cool by wearing baggy jeans below his butt, polo shirts with the collar popped, and trucker hats. But his glasses and affinity for sci-fi and fantasy keep him firmly planted in the “dork” category. Has no common sense but lives on information gleaned from his sci-fi and entertainment publications.

Chris
Age: 18
Bigger than Nathan. Unassuming and classically handsome. Laid-back, smooth, and an effortless way about him. Dresses in t-shirts and jeans, always nice looking, in style, and natural. Has a high IQ but no interest in learning or reading.

Stefanie
Age: 17
Beautiful, Christian young woman. Can be found attending Bible studies and discussions in her spare time. Wears sweater sets and quotes the Bible often. Generally has hair up, glasses, and keeps a Bible with her at all times.

Jesse
Age: 30-40
Ruggedly handsome man usually wearing tweed and found feverishly working in a library. Has a PhD in Occult Practices and Cryptology. Often has a five o’clock shadow from late night studies, and glasses that he pushes up on his nose or cleans when nervous.

Supporting Roles:

New Age Shop Sales Girl (16-18)
Abercrombie Fitch Boy (17-20)
Librarian (M/F 20-40)
Ray (18-21)
Old Man Walker/Zombie (50-70)
Prom Guy Zombie (16-20)
Zombie Little Leaguer (9-12)
Spatula Head Zombie (20+)
Slacker Pizza Guy (16-25)
Headless Zombie (20+)
Zombie Family (M-40+, F-40+, M-10+, F-10+)

Of course, we need numerous extras of ALL AGES (especially 40+ adults) for our zombie hordes.

Everyone is asked to attend the casting call (with headshot and resume if available) on February 3rd, 2pm – 6pm, at the Collierville Public Library. Please sign-in at the table. Request audition material for a specific role at sign-in.

Delta Axis for February

Delta Axis, the edgy visual arts nonprofit, has a great lineup for February. It's all good -- film lovers note especially the Indie Memphis Micro Cinema Club presentation Feb. 14.


Saturday, February 3, 6-8 p.m.
Opening reception for
Mary Ellen Carroll
ME LIKE BLACK
Power House, 45 G.E. Patterson (between Main & Front Streets)
Exhibition dates: February 3 – March 31, 2007
Gallery hours: Thursday-Saturday 12-6 p.m., Sunday 1-6 p.m.
Carroll’s new body of work makes use of the city of Memphis not only as a physical original but also a cultural, social-political and economic original as well – a site of authenticity. All of the works in the exhibition have the subject of impersonation as their conceptual and philosophical basis. Included in the exhibition will be ME LIKE BLACK, two neon signs that are inverted mistakes that reference the 1960s book Black Like Me by white journalist John Howard Griffin, a civil-rights activist and friend of Dr. King who disguised himself as a black man and chronicled the experience. Four new silkscreen paintings produced with Brand X Editions will be shown from Carroll’s One Star Press series You and Me is based on the difference between how we see ourselves and how we are seen by others. During the week before the exhibition’s opening, the performance Whatever It Takes, an impersonation of the escaped Haley, the female polar bear that FedEx relocated from Chicago to the Memphis Zoo, will take place at the Power House. On the opening night Carroll will become the subject and object of the artwork during a special performance.


Thursday, February 8, 6 p.m.
Artist Studio Visit
Jay Etkin
409 South Main Street
Free for Delta Axis members, $5 for non-members
Jay Etkin was born and raised in New York City. He graduated from Brooklyn College and apprenticed with American Realist painter Philip Pearlstein. Etkin has been exhibiting work since 1971 and is currently represented by Galerie Petra Spuijbroek in The Netherlands. His work is in private and public collections all over the world. Jay Etkin Gallery is currently in its 18th year in Memphis. The artist maintains studios at 409 South Main St. in Memphis, TN and in Santa Fe, NM.


Friday, February 9, 6-9 p.m.
Opening reception for
Southern Graphics Council Traveling Exhibition
Delta Axis @ Marshall Arts
639 Marshall Avenue
Exhibition dates: February 9 – March 17, 2007
Gallery hours: Saturday 1-5 p.m. or by appointment
The Southern Graphics Council is the largest print organization in North America; the organization fosters dialogue about prints and print education. The Southern Graphics Council Traveling Exhibition is comprised of 34 prints by 25 members of the Southern Graphics Council. These prints represent a wide variety of printmaking processes and approaches as well as diverse imagery and content.


Wednesday, February 14, 7:30 p.m.
Indie Memphis Micro Cinema Club #26
Power House, 45 G.E. Patterson (between Main & Front Streets)
Free Admission, Donations Recommended
Selections from the 2006 Rural Route Film Festival
The Rural Route Film Festival was created to highlight works that deal with rural people and places. The festival, which showcases rural themes in an urban environment, features award-winning narrative, documentary, and experimental films as well as music videos. Based in New York City, the most urban of environments, the festival brings an alternative to the box office action flick so often set in New York or Los Angeles. We give city folks a chance to see what’s going on in the rest of the world, and bring a sense of home to country folk that have relocated to the city. We are also programming more and more international work, including films in this year’s festival from England, Siberia, Canada, Portugal, India, and Germany.


Support Delta Axis – become a member!
Members receive free admission to our monthly Artist Studio Visit, a free ticket to a screening at the 10th annual Indie Memphis Film Festival in 2007, and invitations to special parties and events. Membership is $50 for individuals and $75 for couples. For more information call 901.494.6543 or email info@deltaaxis.org.

Beifuss on Craig and Sundance and BSM

John's story on BSM's premiere at Sundance is here. And for more coverage, see this post from below.

Update:
Salon.com is all atwitter about BSM -- read Andrew O'Hehir's review here, where he says, among other things:

It was pretty damn good! A memorable work of art? Well, I'm not so sure about that. It's more an ingenious and stylish entertainment, "Pulp Fiction" with a Southern accent and a heart of gold, driven by both love of the Lord and a certain affection for the other fella.

Extras needed -- paying!

From Forrest Pruett:

New Film..."In the Valley of Elah" will need 20 background actors in this new film coming from Albuquerque, NM to Memphis...Actors would be needed for the first week in Feb. exact dates not yet known yet.

Must be over age 18, women & men of different ethnicities and I need some people who are overweight. I also need to know the make, model, year and color of their cars. it is paying.

please e-mail me at forrestpruett@gmail.com ASAP if you would like to send me your headshot and resume. don't forget to include the make, model, year of your cars.

Extras for this weekend

Drew Richcreek needs a few people to volunteer as extras. A new reality show called “Bodog’s Battle of the Bands” will be filming in Memphis this weekend. They will be creating a scene that looks like a press conference for the competing bands to interview in front of. They are looking for extras or volunteers some of whom may be fed questions to ask the bands. Filming will be Saturday the 27th from 9:30AM till 1:00pm at the Gibson Lounge. This is strictly volunteer -- no pay.

If you can commit, contact Drew at 525-1340.

Here is further info on the project:

“BODOG'S BATTLE OF THE BANDS’

Jet-setting billionaire Calvin Ayre is offering an American rock band a $1,000,000-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get signed, seen and heard by the world. There are no sign up fees. Just your music, your fans and your blood, sweat and commitment. The prize: a million dollar label recording contract and a chance to live the almighty rock n roll dream!

By putting a 5-star, sexy, fun twist on the American battle of the bands concept, Calvin Ayre takes television where no reality series has dared to go before. Calvin is determined to find the best unsigned act in America whom he can sign and nurture into international superstars. He is not just handing over his money; he is challenging the best bands in the country to show him their blood, sweat and commitment by taking their music to the streets, making themselves valuable and fighting their way to the top of the rock pile.

Each week on “Battle of the Bands” (9 episodes on the Fuse network, premiering early April 2007) Calvin will put his bands through a selection process comprised of carefully-devised, star-studded challenges in rock n roll locales like Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Calvin's crew of A-list celebrities and music industry judges will take part in each episode helping him narrow the playing field down from 17 bands to The One.

During the competition all of the bands (regional champions from the ongoing “Bodog Battle of the Bands” contest) will fight their ways up to the luxurious lives of celebrity entertainers: from no roadies, crammed in a van, and sleeping on the floor to a full road crew and tour support, tour buses, private jets and penthouse suites. All locations will be wired to record every behind-the-scenes moment between the bands. Challenges and situations will be produced to bring out the bands’ talent and character.

Episodes will be designed to reflect lessons of the rock 'n roll lifestyle and to showcase the fun and drama of this "fish out of water" competition. Personalities, social-economic backgrounds, age, sex, life experience, and personal values will all come into play over the arc of the eleven one-hour episodes.

Each week when it's time to yank one band out of their new rock n roll life and send them home, Calvin’s Road Manager will be there to do the dirty work and confiscate the keys to their hotel room or tour credentials.

The final three bands will compete in an ultimate showdown for a worldwide live audience - where the viewers will vote and be instrumental in deciding which band walks away with a million dollar prize, a record deal, and a shot at rock stardom.

"Bodog's Battle of the Bands" is being produced for Fuse and Bodog TV by Executive Producers Steve Jones and Julio Kollerbohm. Between them, some of the team’s credits include: “Bands Reunited,” “Vh-1’s Fan Club,” “MTV’s The Real World” and the Emmy-nominated “Bands on the Run.”

What: Bodog Music’s $1 Million Battle of the Bands has narrowed the field to 10 survivors culled from more than 7,000 entrants who signed up on the bodogbattleofthebands.com web site and participated in over 300 live battle concerts. Saturday, the 10 who remain will be walking in Memphis, right to a press conference announcing the show and showcasing each bands media relations chops. The press conference will be filmed for use as part of the show.


Who: Starting with 17 of America’s best indie bands as chosen by the Bodog Battle of the Band Elimination Rounds, by the time their tour buses roll into Memphis, 10 will be left. The tour manager for the Bodog Music Battle of the Bands will be noted KROQ DJ and Loveline host Stryker. Judges for the battles include legendary Sex Pistol John Lydon, Canadian superstar Bif Naked and more TBA.

Where: The Gibson Beale Street Showcase, in the Lobby, 145 Lt. George Lee Avenue, Memphis, TN 38103

Craig and Sundance and BSM

So Black Snake Moan premiered tonight at Sundance and now we await the reaction. John Beifuss of the CA is there and blogging about it as is David Merrill. Elsewhere there is lots of froth, a story about the film's music, and here's an interview with Brewer by some guy. Stay tuned for more...

Update:
Here's the Flyer's report...

And here's the New York Times' Manohla Dargis dismissing Craig and BSM with a curled cosmopolitan lip, calling the movie "entertainingly risible." Let's treat her to a jook joint, shall we?

Li'l Film Fest 4 ... and 5!

The excellent people at LiveFromMemphis.com have posted the films that were screened at the Li'l Film Festival 4 in December. Watch 'em here along with all the films from LFF 3, 2 and 1. Plus trailers and other nutritious and savory items.

And Sarah has announced the theme for Li'l Film Fest 5:

Theme: the films of Craig Brewer

Duration: 5 minutes or less

Entry Deadline: March 2nd

Festival Date: Saturday, March 17th at 2pm

Festival Location: the MeDiA co-op, 1000 S. Cooper St.

As Memphians, we are grateful for the publicity and exposure that Brewer has brought to our city; and as artists, we respect and admire his drive and creativity. This is why we have chosen him as the focus of Li’l Film Fest 5: The Legend of Craig Brewer.

Oh, and remember, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery…

Extras for wedding scene

Perception Films is filming one last scene of Chance Encounter the 24th of Wed. at Saint Mary’s Catholic Church located at 155 Market Street. Downtown Memphis. We will start filming at 8pm. This scene will be a wedding in the largest cathedral in Memphis. It was belt in 1860. Come dressed nice for the wrap of Chance Encounter. Justin Gullett, PERCEPTION FILMS.

Memphis International Film Fest

Film and music lovers, if you’re looking for fascinating feature and short films to make you laugh and cry, documentaries and experimental films to make you think, animation to amaze and delight, and, for the first time, music videos to get you up on your feet and put a song in your heart, join us at the Memphis Film Forum’s 8th Annual Memphis International Film Festival, March 22-25, 2007, at Malco’s Paradiso and Malco’s Studio on the Square theatres.

The Mid-South’s premiere film event, our festival attracts top films and filmmakers from all over the world, along with fantastic local filmmakers, giving us an intriguing and inspiring collection of films to share with our audience.

Film submissions are closed, and the screeners are engaging in the exciting process of judging the entries. The chosen films will be announced February 5 and also will be posted on our website, memphisfilmforum.org, along with viewing dates and times. A festival pass can be purchased in advance by calling 901-626-9685 for only $ 35, entitling the bearer not only admission to all the films, but to a cornucopia of events, including parties and seminars presently being planned. Individual tickets will also be available for purchase to sample the many offerings we’ll be presenting.

New this year, the Memphis Film Forum is promoting a design contest for our festival logo which will be used on the official festival poster, t-shirt and other marketing materials. The winning artist will receive a pair of all-access VIP passes for the entire festival as well as the gratitude and recognition of the Memphis arts community. Entries will be accepted immediately, through Friday, February 9th, 2007. Full details are available on our website at www.memphisfilmforum.org.

Seeking more involvement? We’re actively seeking volunteers, who, for their support, will receive passes and other considerations. We’re a non-profit, working to inspire and educate our community, so we appreciate all of our wonderful volunteers!

Need more information? You can visit our website where you can email us or call us at (901) 626-9685.

So mark your calendars, March 22-25, 2007, and we’ll see you at the Memphis Film Forum’s Great Eighth Annual Memphis International Film Festival at Malco’s Paradiso and Malco’s Studio on the Square theatres.

Clark/Carter and Pitts take the Snake

Black Snake Moan trailer winners were featured in a story in the Memphis Daily News:

John Paul Clark, a freelance cinematographer who recently graduated from the University of Memphis, and Daniel Carter, a screenwriter with a couple of semesters to go at U of M, won a promotional contest coinciding with the release of "Black Snake Moan," Brewer's new film soaked with images of the blues and the gritty side of Southern culture.

Clark and Carter, both in their early 20s, won the grand prize, the trip to Sundance. First prize went to Rod Pitts of Pittstop Productions, a Memphis-based film production company. He'll get to attend the premiere of "Black Snake Moan," which Brewer said probably will be held in New York City.

"The fact they both are from Memphis floors me, because I did not know that when I chose the two," Brewer said. "The trailer was just another way to have fun.

"We knew that we eventually wanted to launch a very user-friendly campaign, where people could get into the movie, contribute, get in on the fun and then talk about it. The studio sees it as a marketing tool. I see it as, 'Oh, wow, we get to take two young filmmakers, one gets to go to Sundance, one gets to go to the premiere.'"

Bring out your dead

ZoMBiEz!! Casting Call
Slacker Central Productions is casting their next production,
ZoMBiEz!!, written and directed by local filmmaker, Jessica Powers.

Lead Roles:
2 males – 17-23 yrs old
1 female – 17-23 yrs old
1 male – early 30's

Lead Supporting Roles (Zombies):
1 Male/Female – 50-70 yrs old
1 Male/Female – 8-12 yrs old
1 Male – 17-20 yrs old

And of course, we need extras of all ages for our zombie hordes.

Audition Date: February 3, 2007
Collierville Public Library
2pm – 6pm

**Please come prepared with a headshot and resume if you have one.**

If you have any questions, contact:
Karen Preston 901-484-0669
Jessica Powers 901-569-1630
everyone@scpflicks.com

Memphis + film = Excellent!

I've been saying that moviemakers in Memphis and the Mid-South had a great 2006 and that we'll have a terrific 2007. Now MovieMaker magazine puts us as No. 7 in the top 10 movie cities in the country for 2007.

Told you so.

Here are excerpts from Mike Lollar's story in the CA:

The magazine's winter issue, which will be released today at the Sundance Film Festival, is Memphis' third appearance in the periodical, which has a circulation of 54,000 readers, primarily independent filmmakers.

Memphis received an honorable mention in 2005 and was ranked 10th last year.

"I think we can all be proud from the mayors to the film commission to the community that we're ranked so high on such a prestigious list," said Memphis and Shelby County film commissioner Linn Sitler.

She attributed part of the ranking to film incentive legislation passed last year. ...

In the MovieMaker article, [Craig Brewer] says, "I love the city, but it's the character of the people that truly inspires me."

Of the commission, he says, "You will never find a more dedicated film commission in the country. I try to find projects that must be shot in Memphis just so I can work with Linn Sitler."

Sitler helped lobby the legislature for the incentive program, which set aside $10 million to help fund projects and also provide bonuses to film companies that spend at least $1 million in Tennessee.

Sitler said the incentives are less than those offered by the Shreveport-Bossier City, La., area, which ranked No. 6 on this year's list and has quickly become one of the busiest filming locations in the country.

The list:

1 - New York
2 - Philadelphia
3 - Austin, Texas
4 - Albuquerque, N.M.
5 - Las Vegas
6 - Shreveport-Bossier City, La.
7 - Memphis
8 - Miami
9 - Portland, Ore.
10 - Salt Lake City, Utah

New state film commissioner

Here's the announcement in the Tennessean naming Perry Gibson as executive director of the Tennessee Film, Entertainment and Music Commission. Her statement:

"One of my first priorities as the director of this commission will be to get the new incentives program set up properly so that we can both aggressively market Tennessee's wide-ranging assets to the entertainment industry, while also growing this important part of Tennessee's economy. We need to get this program set up correctly, and quickly, so that it will be an attractive program for the industry, and will produce positive results for the people of Tennessee - creating more jobs and more revenue for our state.

"Throughout my years working in the commercial real estate business in California, I've been fortunate to have the opportunity to develop relationships with a number of entertainment industry executives. I look forward to having the chance to build on those relationships here in Tennessee."

Meanwhile, here's more on the Bennett resignation from the Nashville Scene:

Now, the worry is that the package will die a slow death, made restrictive enough to scare away any potential applicants. With that comes the fear that the governor’s office might dismantle the film commission altogether or fold it under another department, such as the Office of Economic and Community Development—thus giving the state’s film industry even less in its puny arsenal.

and further resignation info in the Nashville City Paper.

Petition for incentives

To: Tennessee government, actors, actresses, writers, entertainers, performers, directors, lighting technicians, make-up artists, SAG members...

1.) We support tax incentives for the film industry in Tennessee!
2.) We support bringing in more entertainment business to the Great State of Tennessee!
3.) We support David Bennett, Tennessee Film Commissioner.

Do you agree? Then go here and sign the petition.

Black Snake Moan trailers

Winners of the Black Snake Moan trailer contest are here. Congratulations to Rod Pitts of Pittstop Productions and John Paul Clark for winning first and grand prizes, respectively.