Sunday, October 31, 2010

44 Finalists Go to the Judges

The Finalists!

Abidjan * Anaphylaxis * Ants & elephant * Antisex * Asylum seekers * Beautiful girl * Children of the Wind * Common Thread * Cricket * Daddy I Do * Dilated * Downbeat * Film Noir * Fragment * Fray * Harold's Going Stiff * Holy Cow * How to Boil a Frog * If You Pull North * Iron Sky * Light * La Camioneta * Madeleine * Manifest Destiny * Mrs Peppercorn's Magical Reading Room * Nickel Children * Night Freight * Norman Mailer * Polypore * Red Light Revolution * Rage * Seneca Falls * Synergy * The 3rd Letter * The Cineplex * The Devil & Me * The Gentleness of Rabbits * The Little Café * The Needle * The Visitors * Voorbijgangers * Where My Heart Beats * White Night * Yallah Underground

Monday, October 18, 2010

Making Mission

Mission Movie Trailer from Memekiyaye Deneke on Vimeo.

Memekiyaye Deneke writes about Mission:

"Mission" - the latest feature film of Memekiyaye Deneke - is an intercontinental drama, involving interfamilial strife and interfamilial revenge that spreads across Ethiopia and beyond. With shooting locations in Ethiopia and Florida, filming of "Mission" started in August 2009 with shooting wrap in February 2010.

James, an elderly gangster, infamous for the smuggling of weapons, drugs and diamonds, has invested in a new and more dangerous business proposition. James' son, George, is a man of the law. On the other hand, entranced by his grandfather's stories of international adventure, James' grandson Dustin is keen on following in the footsteps of the old man. Dustin's every wish is to impress his grandfather. Meanwhile, an Ethiopian journalist arrives on the scene. His probing becomes problematic. Irrational behavior on his part leads to his murder.

The trailer begins with a despondent mother, Enatnesh, walking barefoot in the desert. She has a sad story to tell, for she convinced her only son Tinbite to help his father, Ethiopian Police Chief Taffere, hunt down archenemy James. In so doing, she is responsible for the death of her dearly beloved son. Meanwhile, George is intent on bringing down his father James.

Writer, Director and Producer Memekiyaye Deneke received generous support from several college friends, especially: (1) Jorge German who plays Simon, an obtuse Mexican with the gorgeous head of a Greek God, who is bamboozled by Dustin into going to Ethiopia under the pretext of furthering his dream of becoming a movie star; Jorge, also, was responsible for Audio Production; and (2) Joshua Schnose who plays James' grandson Dustin, stepping in to implement James' new mission in Ethiopia subsequent to James' most recent imprisonment, thanks to the efforts of none other than his own son George; Joshua was, also, Director of Photography; and (3) Disco San Andreas, Film Instructor, who plays George, the police officer who arrests James, his own father.

John-Archer Lundgren embodies the role of James, a sinister racketeer of unknown European origins. He has spent decades operating in and out of various countries, stirring up revolts and all manner of civil unrest to profit his marketing of arms, "blood" diamonds, drugs and other contraband. He operated for many years in Ethiopia, where Police Chief Taffere finally imprisoned him for many years. In addition to playing the role of James, John-Archer contributed significant time and resources to the scripting, sequencing and provisioning of the dramatic final scenes of the film.

Memekiyaye Deneke plays the role of the Ethiopian journalist, Tinbite, the murdered son of Enatnesh and Police Chief Taffere.

It was the wonderful collaboration of the Ethiopian cast and crew and a variety of local facilitators who proved to be the true blessing in the making of this film.

First and foremost to mention was the participation of Jemanesh Solomon, who plays Enatnesh, the grieving mother wandering barefoot in the desert. Jemanesh is a famous actress - in fact a well-known celebrity - in Ethiopia. Among other things, she participated in the Oscar-nominated movie Dirty Pretty Things.

Director Memekiyaye says: “It was a dream come true working with her. I grew up in Ethiopia watching her perform on stage and in TV dramas. I admire Jemanesh in so many ways. She is very professional and fun to work with. She is amazing; my idol as an actress. Her talent stretches belief. And she is a very kind person. Knowing that I was a student, Jemanesh wasn’t willing to take any payment."

After reading the script, Jemanesh said: 'this is a story that needs to be told'. (Spoiler alert: this blog will not divulge the crucial element leading to the story's climax. See the film.)

Among the other Ethiopian cast members, particular mention should be made respective to my uncle Teklu, who played Police Chief Taffere; Keke Desalegn, who played James' undercover agent Fikerte; and Beza Asmamaw, who played Mahlet, the hotel clerk and eventual love interest of the perpetually befuddled Simon.

Five days after graduation, three film students travelled to Ethiopia to shoot crucial scenes in Africa. Locations in Ethiopia included urban scenes in and around Addis Abba, the nation's capital, Awash desert scenes, and the Nile River Falls, the source of the Nile River.

Director Memekiyaye says: "I had to convince - with elaborate explanations - the families of both Jorge and Joshua that traveling to, and working in, Ethiopia wasn't going to be an endangerment, nor put their kids in harm's way. I tried to make their visit to my country a wonderful experience. I wanted to take this opportunity to show how Ethiopia is a beautiful country and far different from what rogue media might portray.”

Jorge says: “we were a little bit frightened at first, but excited at the same time. My mom was especially worried. She kept calling me every other day. We enjoyed the whole experience. Shooting on location at the Nile River Falls was a real treat and the best experience we had."

"Mission" was shot on a variety of cameras: the RED one (thanks to the generosity of the Otero family), Sony HVZ and Cannon. Unfortunately, that mix of cameras makes postproduction editing extra challenging. Director of Photography Joshua Schnose did a wonderful job, as well as the various cameramen who worked on this movie at its various stages.

Memekiyaye says: "I am so blessed to have had all the wonderful support, dedication and hard work from my friends, both here in the US and Ethiopia."

"Mission" tells a story about revenge, and one can see notions of that human frailty in the trailer. However, more importantly, "Mission" opens a window on a truly nasty international undertaking, which in and of itself, is a sorry blemish on the face of contemporary society.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Making 100 to Spend

100 to spend trailer from Elliot Thompson on Vimeo.

About Elliot Thompson, director of 100 to Spend:

Elliot Thompson, who's 12 years old and a student at Riverside Middle School in Springfield Vermont, has been doing a lot of filming for the Springfield Area Public Television. He is currently completing a film of an artist's presentation at the Springfield
Art Center, The Vault. He has also filmed the work of the artist Sol Levenson who's work is on exhibit at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. A piece that he did two years ago is shown on the local church's web site.