Indie Memphis on radio

Tune those radios!

Monday morning I'll be pitching "Memphis Muck" with the Wake Up Crew on Rock103.

And Corduroy Wednesday will be on the airwaves pitching Grim Sweeper Monday pm WREC News Radio AM600 around 7:10 AM -- it's a live interview with Grim Sweeper director, Edward Valibus Phillips. And then Tuesday Oct. 17 listen to Q 107.5 fm morning show with Karson and Kennedy as Edward Valibus Phillips and actor Benjamin Rednour will be on air!

The winners are...

Here is Beifuss' story on the Indie Memphis award winners. Congratulations to Keenon Nikita, Rod Pitts, Lance Murphey, Alan Spearman, Iddo Patt, Chad Schaffler, Kaleo Quenzer, Joey Lauren Adams, Terry Kinney, Sean Pamphilon, Royce Toni, Sherri Larson, Banner Gwin and Clayton Hurley.

And big thanks to Les Edwards, Linn Sitler, Craig Brewer, Christopher Reyes, Sarah Fleming, Adam Hohenberg, Delta Axis and the amazing volunteers who make Indie Memphis happen.

Beifuss on Indie Memphis

In today's CA, Beifuss writes and blogs about the Indie Memphis Film Festival. He also has a story about the Alloy Orchestra.

Flyer on Indie Memphis

The Memphis Flyer Online has a big package on the Indie Memphis Film Festival. Cover is on the outstanding documentary "Nobody" by Lance Murphey and Alan Spearman, both photographers with The Commercial Appeal, who worked five years on the project.

Beifuss on Joey Lauren Adams

Joey Lauren Adams, director of Come Early Morning at the Indie Memphis Film Fest, is interviewed by John Beifuss in this article in the CA.

"The $3.5 million movie -- shot over 25 days last year, mostly in Little Rock and North Little Rock -- screens at 8 p.m. Friday at Muvico's Peabody Place 22 as the opening-night feature for the 9th annual Indie Memphis Film Festival. Adams will introduce the film and answer questions afterward; actor Ray McKinnon ("Deadwood"), who appears in the movie as a preacher, also will attend the screening."

Also in the film are Memphians Nancy Ellen Mills and Ann Marie Hall.

Trailers for Indie Memphis

A selection of trailers of upcoming projects is here. Thanks Les and Hugo!

One-person play workshop

Free Workshop on one-person plays. John Maxwell will conduct a workshop on writing and
performing one-person plays. The workshop will be held at from 9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. at The Powerhouse--Oxford Mississippi--on Saturday, October 14. Space is limited. To register, call 662-236-6429 or e-mail lnwdesigns@msn.com. Participants should bring pen and paper.

Indie Memphis: volunteer dates and times

Indie Memphis is almost entirely volunteer run. We appreciate those in the community who can give their time during the festival to help make it a success. Volunteer opportunities include staffing the festival and special events, distribution of promotional materials, selling merchandise, transportation and more. Perks include free tickets to movies, parties and more. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact volunteer coordinator, Saralyn Williams at anthrograd23@yahoo.com or info@indiememphis.com or call (901) 246-7086.

Volunteer Needs:

Note: an earlier post had incorrect dates; these are corrected:

Friday, October 13
5pm-9pm
9pm - 12am

Saturday, October 14
12:30pm-5pm
5pm-9pm
9pm-12am

Sunday, October 15
12:30pm-5pm
5pm-9pm

Monday, October 16
5:30pm-8:30pm

Tuesday, October 17
5:30pm-8:30pm

Wednesday, October 18
5:30pm-8:30pm
5:30pm-10pm

Thursday, October 19
5:30pm-8:30pm
5:30pm-10pm

Indie Film Fest -- the lowdown

On Friday, October 13 the ninth annual Indie Memphis Film Festival, a project of Delta Axis, opens at Muvico 22 Theaters in Peabody Place and runs through Thursday, October 19. Just under 100 films will be screened at the weeklong event, which celebrates hometown filmmakers and southern film.

Note: Due to the film festival there will be no Indie Memphis Micro Cinema Club in October. Micro Cinema Club will resume on Wednesday, November 1st at 7:30 at Power House.

Highlights of the 2006 Soul of Southern Film Festival include:

Come Early Morning, the opening night film screening Friday, October 13 at 8 p.m. This writing and directing debut of actress Joey Lauren Adams, a native of Little Rock and known for her memorable performance in Chasing Amy, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Best Actress award, stars Ashley Judd, and was an official selection of the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.

Alloy Orchestra, a three-man musical ensemble performs a live soundtrack to a restored print of the 1925 silent film, Phantom of the Opera, starring Lon Chaney on Saturday, October 14 at 8 p.m. This film has a special ticket price of $15 per person. Festival and Six Pack Pass Holders are guaranteed tickets (see below for ticket information).

Phil Chambliss is a self-taught filmmaker from East Camden, Arkansas, who has written, directed, shot, edited and scored 27 films over the last three decades. Chambliss has developed a cult following from San Francisco to London. Phil Chambliss: Auteur from Arkansas features three narrative shorts and screens Saturday, October 14 at 5:15 p.m. Filmmaker will be present.

Live From Memphis Music Video Showcase screens for the second year on Saturday, October 14, at 9 p.m., featuring 24 music videos by local musicians and filmmakers.

A Reel Man, documentary by director Todd Lothery features the story and collection of Skip Elsheimer, a.k.a. the A/V Geek, a collector of a vast archive of educational films. Elsheimer will be in attendance at the festival and following the screening of his biographical documentary on Wednesday, October 18 at 8:30 p.m., will show a selection of rarely seen 16-mm films from his collection.

The 2006 Indie Memphis Film Festival is pleased to present the most Hometowner features ever presented in Festival history. Of the eight Hometown Features to be screened, narrative features Eat directed by C. Scott McCoy, The Importance of Being Russell by Sean Plemmons, and documentary feature, Nobody by Alan Spearman and Lance Murphey are sure to resonate with Memphis audiences.

Each year the Indie Memphis Film Festival presents workshops that are free and open to the public. This year’s workshops are Working with SAGIndie on Saturday, October 14 at 11 a.m. and The Personal Documentary on Sunday, October 15 at 12:30 p.m. SAGIndie will address ways for filmmakers to use SAG actors regardless of their budget and walk filmmakers through the SAG Low-Budget Agreement. The Personal Documentary brings back Indie Memphis favorite, Kelley Baker, who will discuss how to take the little moments in life and make award winning films out of them for fun and profit.

Individual tickets may be purchased through the Muvico box office and Web site, www.muvico.com, for $6.50 each. Festival passes, allowing admission to all films screened during the week are $60 per person, and Six-Pack Passes are $30 per person and allow admission to six films over the week. Passes are available at the Indie Memphis counter at the entrance to the theaters on the upper level at Peabody Place.

For more information and a full festival schedule, go here.

Free tickets! Parties! Be an insider!

Indie Memphis is almost entirely volunteer run. We appreciate those in the community who can give their time during the festival to help make it a success. Volunteer opportunities include staffing the festival and special events, distribution of promotional materials, selling merchandise, transportation and more. Perks include free tickets to movies, parties and more. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact info@indiememphis.com or call (901) 246-7086

'Memphis Muck' trailer

Another shameless self-promotion for my "Memphis Muck" documentary. See the trailer here of the doc on the musician that John Beifuss calls "Memphis' clown prince of hip-hop." The 30-minute video chronicles the Muck Sticky Revue of March 31, 2006, also featuring music and interviews with El Dorado and the Ruckus, Taco & the Mofos and the incomparable Mr. Safety.

"Memphis Muck" will screen at the Indie Memphis Film Festival on Oct. 16 at 8:30 pm. For the schedule and synopses of the festival, go here.

Indie Memphis party at Burke's Book Store

Filmmaker Craig Brewer and Burke's Book Store present Indie Memphis Film Festival Preview Party ... Local Filmmakers and Storytellers Gather to Promote Southern Films

On Friday, Oct. 6, Craig Brewer and Burke's Book Store host a preview party for the Indie Memphis Film, a project of Delta Axis. This event at Burke's will highlight local storytellers and the filmmakers featured in the weeklong Indie Memphis Film Festival, October 13-19.

It's at Burke's Book Store, 1719 Poplar Avenue, Friday, October 6th, 7:00 to 11:00 p.m.

Live music and trailers for the films to be premiered at the film festival along with trailers for Craig Brewer's forthcoming movie, "Black Snake Moan," will be presented in an outdoor theater at Burke's. Brewer will also sign "Black Snake Moan" posters for any one who makes a purchase that evening from Burke's.

The Preview Party is free and open to the public. Indie Memphis Film Festival passes will be sold this night only for a discounted price of $50 each (regular price $60) The passes provide admission to all films during the festival, and also guarantee a ticket to the special performance on Saturday October 14th, of Alloy Orchestra's live soundtrack to the 1925 Phantom of the Opera film.

Burke's Book Store: 1719 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee 38104, 901-278-7484/800-581-5156
burkes@netten.net, http://www.burkesbooks.com
Hours of Operation: Monday - Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The complete Indie Memphis program

Go here for PDF files of the program for the Indie Memphis Film Festival -- synopses, schedule, sponsors and everything.

Craig and Jodi Brewer create cancer awareness PSA

John Beifuss writes in the CA:

Grizzlies guard Mike Miller, Shelby County Mayor A C Wharton and Muck Sticky, Memphis' clown prince of hip-hop, are among the local celebrities who appear in a new public service announcement about the battle against breast cancer, directed by Craig Brewer and produced by his wife, Jodi Brewer.

The TV spot is the second the "Hustle & Flow" creator has directed to kick off a campaign to raise money for the local affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, an organization working to eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease. This year's campaign -- dubbed "Passionately Pink for the Cure" -- asks companies to pick any day during October (Breast Cancer Awareness Month) to encourage employees to wear pink in exchange for a $5 donation to Komen. More information is available at passionatelypink.org.

All participants donated their time for the public service announcement, which was created at Beale Street Studios, with studio owner Geo Holmes acting as videographer and Shan Sanford in charge of editing and digital animation.

Here's the Live at 9 program with Craig, Jodi, Muck and all.

Another film comes to Memphis

From today's story in the CA by John Beifuss:

Memphis director Craig Brewer will reunite with his "Hustle & Flow" star Terrence Howard, who will portray country singer Charley Pride, in a movie biography under a deal expected to be signed with Paramount Pictures.

Although Pride achieved fame in Nashville, Brewer said, "One of the reasons I went after this project is because I knew I could shoot a majority of it in Memphis." ...

The Charley Pride biopic -- to be produced by Southern Cross the Dog, the company founded by Brewer and his producing partner Stephanie Allain, with the participation of other producers connected with Pride -- could represent the first time Brewer has directed a film he didn't write. Brewer said he is too busy writing his next film, "Maggie Lynn," to script the Pride movie; he said he and Allain are looking for "the right writer" for the project.

Assuming a script is accepted, the movie still likely wouldn't be ready to go before the cameras until 2008.

"I want the project ready to direct after I do 'Maggie Lynn,'" said Brewer, whose ambitious slate also includes a possible broad-canvas film about the Memphis sanitation strike of 1968 that would link the city's music and civil rights histories.

Feature Film Auditions and Crew Call

Wordmonger Pictures, LLC is pleased to announce auditions for a feature film called "The Rabbit's Prayer," written and directed by Stephen Leet.

Story Line: Three travelers journey to the fictitious town of Riverton in the Depression era South. Each carrying a different, secret goal which together will ignite a spiritual awakening, a spiritual death and a long awaited judgment.

Jeanie - Starring / FEMALE / 18 TO 22 / Caucasian

Naive, innocent, shy, petite young adult without much direction in life; looking instead for others to guide the way. She is calm, contemplative and short on words. As the story progresses and Jeanie communes with her naturalistic environs, she will experience a spiritiual awakening. Her characterization will define the narrative's core.

Foster - Starring / MALE / 45 TO 55 / Caucasian

A Baptist preacher who acts as a self imposed father figure to the two other main characters. His faith is strong to the point of fallacy. He is full of songs and saying, folksy wisdom and religious ambition.

Harper - Starring / MALE / 20 TO 23 / Caucasian

A tormented young man who believes in little other than the weight of his own conscience. He is Jeanie's companion and is desperate for the promise of new work in the town of Riverton.

It will be shot on high definition and produced under the Screen Actor's Guild Low Budget Agreement. SAG as well as non-union performers are able to audition. Casting will also take place in Los Angeles.

For sides and/or more information, please send an email to: therabbitsprayer@hotmail.com

Auditions will be held 1-5 p.m. on Oct. 21st, 2006 at First Congo Church, 1000 S. Cooper, Memphis, TN 38104. Please enter via the handicapped ramps.

Craig Brewer directs for the cure

Director Craig Brewer and local musician Muck Sticky are promoting breast cancer awareness. Brewer has created a 30-second public service announcement for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in conjunction with its “Passionately Pink for the Cure” Campaign.

The commercial features Muck, Shelby County mayor AC Wharton, Grizzly Mike Miller, Beauty Shop chef Brett “Shaggy” Duffee and local breast cancer survivors. You can see/record it Tuesday during WREG-TV’s “Live at 9" show on Channel 3.

More on Village Roadshow Pictures Group

In the CA story referred to below, Rey Flemings asks local governments for money for his new film enterprise. Here's a story from an Aussie paper that offers more detail. And the Smart City Memphis blog has a thing or two to say about it.

"Just the Two of Us" is a winner!

The DogDay Entertainment/ Pittstop Productions film "Just the Two of Us" won the Grand Prize at the American Artist Film Festival in Kansas City. Way to go Keenon and Rod!

See it at the Indie Memphis Film Festival on Tuesday, Oct. 17 at 6:15 p.m.

Indie Memphis preview at MeDiA Co-op

The MeDiA Co-op is proud to present an Indie Memphis preview at the MeDiA Co-op Tuesday, October 3 7:30 pm. Donations accepted.

The Indie Memphis Film Festival will give a preview of their 9th annual film fest, screen some films, and talk all about what's in store for their 2006 installment, October 13-19, at Peabody Place/Muvico Theatres downtown, Memphis.

Go here for more info on Indie Memphis.

Have some extra time? Wanna volunteer some hours helping the MeDiA Co-op w/events, and various in-house projects, please respond to memphisdigitalartscoop@gmail.com with general inquiries, and availability. We appreciate it!