Page 18 - the NOISE May 2015

The illuminate film festival (IFF) in only its second year has been expanding like the universe, challenging us once again to expand our consciousness, like no other film festival
in the galaxy. Being held at various venues across sedona, May 27-31, check their website below for specific times and locations. IFF offers the movie business world a new genre: The Consciousness Cinema Movement is upon us and here to stay, viable and alive. IFF curates narrative features, docu- mentaries and shorts showing inspirational stories of human development and themes related to self-discovery, medita- tion, spiritual practice and sustainable living.
Last year’s festival was wildly impressive in only its first year and premiered a wonderful film Awake: The Life of Yogananda to a packed sedona Performing Arts Center. This year there will be a case study of this million-dollar movie with Awake director Paola di florio and producer Peter Rader present to inform the curious about distribution of a gem like this. This film screened in over 250 venues across north America and booked more than 30,000 tickets through GATHR theatrical on-demand. These filmmakers will discuss strategic partner- ships, grassroots marketing and a hybrid distribution model that allowed the film to gross over a million dollars. Can this model be replicated? Like last year, there will be many work- shops and panels affiliated with this new expanding genre. Be on the ground floor for this upcoming boon in films that make a difference and meet some of the creative souls in the process of making this a reality.
Danette Wolpert, IFF’s executive director, has plenty to say about Conscious Film Convergence, which really offers the first forum on developing and distributing films in the mind-body- spirit independent film niche. Besides a fantastic film festival you get industry insiders trail-blazing a new film path for the 21st century. Ms. wolpert explains, “The mission statement we are putting forth is a desire to expand human conscious- ness through film, our vision is to become the global hub for consciousness cinema and we’re dedicated to pioneering the growth of the consciousness movement, including show- ing how viable it can be as a business model.” Ms. wolpert’s workshops focus on developing and distributing these eclec- tic films, and spreading the message, loud and clear, that the business model in Hollywood can benefit by presenting the public with this new genre at this time in human history.
And to have this film convergence take place in the vortex- laden red rocks of sedona seems most appropriate. where else? Ms. wolpert says, “There’s a market out there for films that can benefit from the mind-body-spirit niche. It’s our job to help educate the business model to the possibilities that the Consciousness Cinema Movement brings to the market. This movement is at a tipping point, consciousness concepts, once trivialized, have become mainstream thanks to moguls like Oprah, Deepak Chopra and Russell Brand.” A spotlight conversation with Barnet Bain, whose credits include What Dreams May Come and The Celestine Prophecy suggests that in order to make a conscious film, “you must first become a conscious individual.” Besides all the great opportunities for
above: a promotional still, and the crew & cast (so far) of the new feature-in-production, Witch Child.
filmmakers to expand their business acumen, meeting pro- ducers who have been there, there will also be some mind- expanding films to discuss.
Dying to Know is a film narrated by Robert Redford and featuring Timothy Leary and Richard Albert (better known as Ram Dass) that will present how they varied in their LsD experiments in the 1960s to come to their own conclusions about the hereafter. The film shows their intimate life-long relationship and how Leary’s cyber-freezing of his head for a time in the future (to be unthawed and stuck to a body,) by way of Futurama was achieved! And Ram Dass, may actually skype-in, if he’s feeling up to it. The fact that Robert Redford is narrating demonstrates how mainstream these ideas are becoming.
A Place to Stand is a wonderful documentary that played at the sedona Film Festival about Jimmy santiago Baca, an il- literate prisoner, who comes out a full-blown poet. It demon- strates transformation of the human spirit in its most extreme form. Illuminate launch party, wednesday May 27th, shows Landfill Harmonic outdoors for free, so bring a chair and blan- ket and enjoy a film about recycled instruments, that takes a musical group in Paraguay from rags to riches as their way of making music goes viral.
And Sold, by Jeffrey Brown, starring Gillian Anderson, shows how man’s inhumanity to ‘man’ will tear us apart in a story that explores the trafficking of young girls. Don’t miss Paulo Coelho’s Best Story, which tells the tale of the author of The Al- chemist and The Pilgrim whose life story is one of overcoming great obstacles to become a writer. iGod explores the nature of God and asks what, if anything, can be known! The festival website has all the intricate details about workshops, panels, conversations and the films. Get a pass today! Change your life. Check: IlluminateFilmFestival.com
in Prescott, this summer an eclectic co-op group of 13 filmmakers team-up to make a narrative feature. Using all the skills at their finger-tips and the goodwill of a community in full support, they plan on making the horror film Witch Child. If it takes a village to make a movie, this will be the “village of the damned.” A community reaches out for northern Arizona participation in a win-win scenario for all of us.
The Synopsis, presented by Prescott favorite Andrew John- son Schmit, who as a co-writer/director/producer of the film along with his wife Angie Johnson Schmit promises to have the tropes of every great horror film. “It’s a supernatural- thriller that explores what happens when a developer breaks ground for a new golf course in a lonely stretch of Arizona and workmen accidentally uncover an unmarked graveyard. state law requires an evaluation before the developer can continue and so Adam Thorne, a down-on-his-luck archae- ologist is called in to get the evaluation done as painlessly as possible. Adam and his family live in an abandoned farm house while he evaluates the dig site. They find an ancient grave box, containing the body of a young woman, chained facing down. Cassie, Adam’s daughter, tries to fit in at the
local high school by having a party at the dig site, while her parents are away and they accidentally release the vengeful ghost of witch Child. This leads to a showdown, three hun- dred years in the making.”
Casting Calls to join in this project are scheduled for satur- day May 16, at Gateway Mall in Prescott (near the food court) from 10AM to 4PM. And in Flagstaff at the Doris Harper white Community Playhouse (Theatrikos) at 11 w. Cherry from 1 to 3PM, saturday May 23. Come and read some sides from a creepy horror-script and have fun!
Here’s the lead roles the script calls for: Adam Thorne – late 30’s to early 50’s, academic and smart. Karen Thorne – match- ing ages to her husband, she’s a smart, attractive, trapped housewife. Cassie Thorne – teenage daughter, shy but no push over. Raphael — 50’s and Hispanic, burly but smart. They need a Dylan – Aaron – sara – Anna, all teenagers, precocious and active youths and ‘friends’ of Cassie. Teacher – 40’s and a witch Child – small, ageless, must be scuba certified by time of shoot! There are many more roles to fill too! so, come ready to “act naturally” for Andrew and Angie!
Timelines for the shoot:
April 29 – May 31, Kickstarter campaign and casting calls. June 1 – July 16, Pre-production
July 17 – August 15, Principle Photography
August 16 – February 2016, Post-production!
These 13 wonderfully creative filmmakers from Prescott
formed an LLC partnership to pool their production skills and finances for an ambitious project. Try out for a role with the cast or crew! This is one of those great community events that come along, ever so often, that challenges the general public to step up and show where their artistic hearts lie. so, go for it! And please help with their kickstarter campaign at: kickstarter.com/projects/andrewjohnson-schmit
The Sedona international film festival (sIFF) continues in May with eclectic film, plays and live performances at The Mary D. Fisher Theater. Here’s a few to put on your calendar. Ivan the Terrible; a ballet from the Bolshoi; King John, a shake- spearean play from the stratford Festival; and a wonderful film Clouds of Sils Maria, a Cannes favorite about an aging ac- tress who is psychologically tortured by her new replacement, with Julliette Binoche and Kristen stewart, don’t miss May 8-13. Also check: SedonaFilmFestival.org for more events and dates/times.
Finally, on May 3 at the Orpheum Theater in Flagstaff (doors open at 6PM) don’t miss the nAU Student film fes- tival. Held at the end of the year, the two winning student films go on to play at the sedona Film Festival in 2016. These award-winning shorts showcase up and coming talent that will trail-blaze into the world of film for years to come. Meet the next speilberg/Lucas on the ground floor and support nAU film! Go to: OrpheumFlagstaff.com for more info!
| Bob Reynolds takes his popcorn seriously. bob@thenoise.us
18 • MAY 2015 • the NOISE arts & news • thenoise.us