jules dongu saves the world…but only with your help on april 15

April 14, 2008 at 8:08 pm | In Events, Filmmakers, Movies, Tampa Bay Area | No Comments

From Creative Loafing:

Shot primarily in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, Jules Dongu Saves the World is an independent feature-length comedy about a too-big-for-his-britches anime voice actor who must win back the love and respect of his disillusioned friends and fans while saving the world from an evil anime movie director. Unfortunately, filmmakers Christian Schwier, Jeff Hillyer and Kristin Pavelski have run out of money to actually complete the film and distribute it. So the trio hosts “Save Dongu,” a fundraising party that features fashions by Ivanka Ska and Aleka Phoenix, live music, complimentary hors d’oeuvres, a behind-the-scenes look at the film and the presentation of an extended trailer, live comedy by the cast and crew, prize drawings and a silent auction of works by St. Pete Creative Network artists. Save Dongu, Tues., April 15, 7 p.m., Push Ultra Lounge, 128 Third St. S., St. Petersburg, $10, JulesDongu.com.

Be there or be square! Visit www.julesdongu.com for more info.

line up for tampa film review april 11

April 10, 2008 at 5:51 pm | In Events, Film Series, Filmmakers, Movies, Tampa Bay Area | No Comments

Here’s the line up for tomorrow night’s Tampa Film Review:

The next Tampa Film Review will be held on Friday, April 11, from 8–10 p.m. at the International Bazaar, 1600 E. Eighth Ave. in the Centro Ybor complex in Ybor City. The event is FREE and open to the public.

Tampa Film Review is a monthly showcase of local independent films and is held every second Friday of the month and is free.

This month’s lineup includes:

  • A preview of films from the HCC-Ybor Festival of the Moving Image
  • Scenes from the Weekend Film School: Five teams of student filmmakers filmed the same one-page scene. Despite using the same script, their visions all differed.
  • Music videos by Johnny Watson, Ground Up Films and Rodrick Colbert
  • An trailer for the new feature film Jules Dongu Saves the World
  • Joe Redner:The Documentary preview: An advanced look at the upcoming documentary on one of Tampa’s most colorful and controversial individuals, Joe Redner.
  • Drawing Dead by Planet Lizard Productions: This comedy adventure starring Fisher and Boy from 97X’s Morning Show takes you through the underbelly of the Tampa Bay illegal gambling ring. When Boy gets kidnapped because of Fisher’s gambling debt Fisher must come to the rescue of his partner. Will the talk-show duo have what it takes to talk their way out of this one?
  • And more!

    • Visit www.thetampafilmreview.com for more info.

campus moviefest florida grand finale

April 8, 2008 at 11:46 am | In Events, Awards/Award Shows, Filmmakers, Movies, Tampa Bay Area, Florida (Not Bay Area) | No Comments

Here’s what you missed at the Campus MovieFest Florida Grand Finale last Friday:

The top sixteen films for Florida are (in no particular order):

Vigilante (Rollins College)
The Warden Asylum (University of Tampa)
Fly (Jacksonville University)
Melvin (University of Central Florida)
Toying With a Mind (University of Central Florida)
Swing Man (Jacksonville University)
Odiferious (Stetson University)
Relapse (University of Tampa)
Mobile (University of South Florida)
Voy (University of South Florida)
What the .Net Catches (Stetson University)
Focus (University of South Florida)
The Fall (Rollins College)
Out of the Muck (Rollins College)
Total Run Time (University of South Florida)
Late Night Cover Up (University of Central Florida)

The winning films were:

Best Picture: Focus (University of South Florida)
Best Comedy: Mobile (University of South Florida)
Best Drama: The Fall (Rollins College)

Congratulations to all the people who worked on these films! You can watch the movies at www.campusmoviefest.com/finale/florida08.html.

news and notes:digital media storage cost, kinsler, seminole heights movie, ground up films

April 7, 2008 at 12:23 pm | In Events, Film Studios, Filmmakers, Movie Theaters, Movies, Tampa Bay Area | No Comments
  • I don’t know which surprises me more: that I read a Computer World article without falling asleep, that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has a council devoted to studying technology, that digital media storage is more expensive than film storage, or that the article’s comments were more interesting than the article itself.
  • Filmmaker and Tampa native Lauren Kinsler recently finished shooting the short film Widow in the Bay area. Kinsler told me that “the shoot was great and we are now in the post-production phase.” To learn more about the film and future screening dates, visit www.widowthemovie.com.
  • On Thursday, April 17, the Old Seminole Heights Neighborhood Association presents Seminole Heights:An Intimate Look at the Early Years at the Tampa Theatre. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the film starts at 7:30 p.m. General admission is $5, with free admission for anyone who lived in Seminole Heights before 1945 (see the box office on the evening of the event for these free tickets). Here’s the scoop from the Tampa Theatre’s website: “Discover Seminole Heights’ part in the Civil War. See the development of the neighborhood in the early decades of the 20th Century. Hear tales of growing up during the Great Depression when material goods were scarce, but the abundance of backyard vegetable gardens and warm camaraderie kept bellies full and spirits high. Co-sponsored by Eric Krause Designs and Quillian Craftsman, the film is written, directed and filmed by award-winning filmmakers Gene and Krissy Howes of Cigar City Pictures, Seminole Heights residents.” (h/t to the Reclaiming Our Heritage e-newsletter)
  • Local filmmakers Jon Wolding and Jen Persons have a new website at www.GroundUpFilms.com. You can check out their short films, read about their philosophy, or just hang out and get distracted.

local film ghosts of ybor:charlie wall the documentary premieres april 19

April 5, 2008 at 8:51 pm | In Events, Filmmakers, Film Festivals, Movies, Tampa Bay Area, Documentaries | No Comments

Received via email from Guzzo Brother #1:

1 Day Films is proud to announce that its latest project, Ghosts of Ybor:Charlie Wall the Documentary, will premiere on the evening of Saturday, April 19, at 6:30 p.m. at the new HCC Performing Arts Building, located at Palm Ave and 14th Street, across from the Cuban Club in Ybor City as part of the HCC-Ybor City Festival of the Moving Image. Seating is VERY limited. For tickets, call 253-7674 and leave a message with your reservations OR email ckossar(at)hccfl.edu (preferred). Tickets are $10 and must be picked up prior to show at the arts building’s box office.

Combining historical reenactments and interviews with some of Tampa’s greatest storytellers and those who actually were involved with Charlie Wall during his reign as kingpin of Ybor City’s underworld, 1 Day Films has brought one of Tampa’s most notorious and colorful individuals back to life. Interviewees include historians Dr. Ferdie Pacheco, Dr. Gary Mormino, Mayor Pam Iorio, author Ace Akins and author Scott Deitsche. Also interviewed are former detective Ellis Clifton, once known as the bolita buster for his exploits breaking up bolita games; Celia Zagula, daughter of the late Scarface Johnnie Rivera - Charlie Wall’s driver and bodyguard; and Eddie Wall, one of Charlie Wall’s last living relatives.

It may have been the South, but in the early 1900s Tampa, specifically its Latin community known as Ybor City, was more reminiscent of the Wild West. Gambling parlors and whorehouses were located on almost every corner in Ybor City, shootouts between police and gangsters were a regular occurrence, election ballot boxes were stuffed, police and politicians were on the take, and very few residents found any of this to be odd. The man behind all this insanity was Charlie Wall, Tampa’s first crime lord and perhaps the earliest crime lord to control most of Florida. This documentary tells the tale of one the nation’s most unknown gangsters

To those who still believe that the murder of Charlie Wall is a mystery - the mystery MAY be solved at the premiere.

Ybor City has been clamoring for a documentary on its most famous gangster for years. 1 Day Films has delivered. To watch the trailer, visit www.yborghosts.com/wall_trailer1.mov.

1 Day Films’ last project was a short fictional film based on Ybor City that showed around the world, garnering numerous awards along the way, including Best Short Drama at the NY International Film and Video Festival.

In 2009, 1 Day Productions will begin a feature fictional film based on the mafia wars of Ybor City during the 1940s. Through this film, the world will learn not only about the mafia wars, but about everything that makes Ybor City’s history so fascinating - the social clubs, the food, the traditions, the theatre shows, the residents, the cigar factories, and more.

1 Day Productions is run by Pete and Paul Guzzo. Pete is the producer/director for 1 Day Films and also works as a producer/director at Tampa Digital Studios. Paul has been a writer for the past nine years for La Gaceta, the nation’s only tri-lingual newspaper (English, Spanish and Italian). Pete and Paul founded and co-host the Tampa Film Review, a monthly film review that screens local and national independent films. The Tampa Film Review has been recognized in Creative Loafing as the Best Reasons to Believe the Local Film Scene is Alive and Well in Tampa and Best Recovery (2006). The Guzzos’ films include Joyce Story, the award-winning short The Dance, the multi-award winning feature film 99 and The Ghosts of Ybor:The End is Blossoming.

Visit www.1dayproductions.com for more info on the Guzzos and their films. For more info on the Ybor Festival of the Moving Image, visit www.yborfilmfestival.com.

UPDATE 4/19/08: It was brought to my attention that Celia Zagula is the daughter, not the wife, of the late Scarface Johnnie Rivera. I confirmed this with the filmmaker who sent me this press release and have corrected it here.

local filmmaker andy nguyen is finalist in national competition and needs your help to win

April 5, 2008 at 11:40 am | In Filmmakers, Contests/Submissions, Movies, Tampa Bay Area | No Comments

Last month, local filmmaker Andy Nguyen and his brother entered the uPromise Scholarship Tuition Tales competition. This week, their video entry Dream School made it to the top ten.
Tuition Tales received over 250 video entries, which “were judged on their creativity, ability to move voters and how clearly and effectively they communicated the need for money for college.”

The Nguyens are trying to win $25,000 in college scholarship funds and they need your help. The Tuition Tales winner — and recipient of the scholarship — will be determined by online voting.

To vote:

1) Go to http://upromise.eprize.net/tuitiontales/
2) Enter your email in the space provided and click SUBMIT
3) Fill out the little information they ask of you (bare minimum - AGE, ADDRESS, EMAIL, NAME) and click SUBMIT
4) Then click VOTE next to the video called Dream School

You can vote one time per day from now through April 16.

Also, everyday you vote, you can play an instant-win game to win a $50 dollar Bed, Bath and Beyond gift card.

I’m voting for Dream School as soon as I finish this post, and then again every day through April 16. I hope you will too.

(cross-posted at www.sticksoffire.com)

news and notes:danford, international cinema series, 99, fmpta

March 27, 2008 at 12:27 pm | In Events, Film Series, Filmmakers, For Filmmakers, Movies, Tampa Bay Area | No Comments
  • Local filmmaker Rick Danford is staying busy, writing for FearZone and 24/7 Magazine. He’s just finished directing the short film Alarum and is working on securing financing for his next project.
  • There are a few more screenings upcoming in this semester’s International Cinema Series at Eckerd College. Screenings are Friday nights (check schedule to verify) at 7 p.m. in the Miller Auditorium of Eckerd College and are free and open to the public.
  • Congratulation to filmmakers Paul Guzzo, Pete Guzzo and Jereme Badger on signing a distribution deal with Indie Pictures for their feature comedy 99. A release date has not yet been set. 99 has shown on three continents (North America, Europe and Africa) and has won multiple awards from numerous film festivals, including Best Comedy at the Barebones Film Fest in Oklahoma and Audience Choice Award at the Garden State Film Festival. In his weekly e-newsletter, Guzzo Brother #1 said “We are very excited about this distribution deal and congratulate everyone who made the film with us. It is hard to get distribution for a feature indie film with no star power … throw in no nudity, cursing or violence, and many people told us it was impossible. So this is a giant ‘I told ya so’ to all the naysayers.” (h/t to Guzzo Brother #1)
  • The Florida Motion Picture and Television Association Tampa Bay Chapter has a new location for its monthly meeting: American Legion: USS Tampa Post No 5, 3810 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, FL 33609 (813) 870-0505, Commander Hamblin. “Our location is a much larger facility that will provide sufficient space for several future fundraisers, premiers and exciting new projects that will benefit the entire Florida Film industry.” I’m sorry to not post this in time for the FMPTA March meeting a week or two ago. Visit www.fmptatampa.org for more info. (h/t to Sherri Lawrence of the FMPTA)

award-winning filmmaker returns home to tampa bay area for sunscreen film festival

March 21, 2008 at 2:59 pm | In Events, Filmmakers, Film Festivals, Movies, Tampa Bay Area, Florida (Not Bay Area) | No Comments

Received via email:

St. Petersburg native and Lakewood High School and SPJC graduate, Suzanne Niedland, will be screening her award-winning short documentary Miss Lil’s Camp at the Sunscreen Film Festival this weekend. The film will screen on Saturday, March 22, at 2:45 p.m. in the Renaissance Vinoy’s Majestic Ballroom. Among Miss Lil’s Camp’s numerous awards is the prestigious CINE Golden Eagle as well as winner of an international competition to screen at the opening of the William J. Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, Arkansas.

In 1936, Lillian Smith was the first white woman in the South to write and speak openly against racism and segregation. Miss Lil’s Camp focuses on an aspect of Smith’s life as the founder and director of Laurel Falls Camp (Miss Lil’s Camp), an exclusive summer camp in Clayton, Georgia, for girls from upper middle class Southern homes. During the time when traditional Southern leadership was committed to a racially segregated society, some of young campers rejected Smith’s radical ideas, while others embraced them. Sixty years after the close of camp, Miss Lil’s Camp reunites three former campers and a former camp employee at the original campgrounds, bringing Miss Lil and Laurel Falls Camp back to life using rare archival footage woven into interviews of these women.

According to Niedland, who produced, edited and co-directed the film with Anberin Pasha, “The theme of this documentary is the timeless issues of racial, social and gender intolerance and the courage of one woman to confront them.” What pleases Niedland most is that when the 26-minute film ends, the dialogue about the relevancy of these issues continues among viewers of the film.

Attending the screening with Niedland will be Bunny Timmerman, a camper at Laurel Falls Camp for eleven years. “Aside from my parents, Miss Lil had the greatest influence on my life. Miss Lil taught campers about tolerance and to love our neighbors and leave the judging to God.”

Niedland, who has family in the Tampa Bay area, received her BA and MA in Documentary Filmmaking from the University of Florida. While living in St. Petersburg, as an actor, she performed at both the Tampa Theatre and the Golden Apple Dinner Theater. Niedland lives and works in Jupiter, Florida where she produces and directs film projects through her company, BusEye Films, LLC.

Miss Lil’s Camp screens with Inside the Handy Writers Colony, directed by St. Petersburg native Dawn Sinclair Shapiro. Both women will attend the Saturday screening and Q and A. Tickets are $8 and can be purchased on the festival website or in person at The Vinoy.

Visit www.sunscreenfilmfestival.com for more info.

pinellas filmmakers society meeting and screening tonight

March 21, 2008 at 2:50 pm | In Events, Film Series, Filmmakers, For Filmmakers, Movies, Tampa Bay Area | No Comments

Received via email:

HI EVERYONE !!!…this Friday evening we meet again….6:00 PM at Indie Studios, 1776 11th Avenue North, St. Petersburg, Fl. 33713.

Well I have to start off with a loud cheer in that MARK KEIM IS BACK !!!! and feeling better. As the Executive Producer for our film project The Electric Picasso, we missed his recent absence but now he advises the THE SHOW MUST GO ON…..and so be it.

Of course the big local news is that this week, St. Petersburg hosts the 2008 ANNUAL SUNSCREEN FILM FESTIVAL and the agenda of activities is packed from the opening day - Wednesday 3/19 through and including Saturday 3/22. You are all encouraged to go to the web site (www.sunscreenfilmfestival.com) and view the daily schedule of films, auditions, demonstrations, concerts, panel discussions and gatherings. Event locations vary which include the Vinoy Resort, Muvico Baywalk 20, Push Ultra Lounge (opening night party) and State Theatre. Let’s get out there and support as many events as possible as participation helps us all.

I also want to include in our newsletter a special Thank You to Dave Walker and the students at the International Academy of Design and Technology for allowing us to show their films at last month’s meeting. The audience was very impressed with the professionalism of your work..CONGRATULATIONS !! ….and stay involved with our group as Mark and Lisa have several needs upcoming to accomplish the production of our short. This means great experience and your name included in the credits, so great exposure when distributed to film festivals and contests.

This Friday evening we have three more SHOWCASE entries from Jennifer Sloane, more discussion and updates by our writers headed by Barbara Harrington, the head of The Florida Screenwriters Actors Connection, and continued constructive discussion about our own film project. All are encouraged to bring with them film submissions for next month’s SHOWCASE certainly as well. Additionally, anyone wanting to promote their projects, business, other club meetings, etc., are always welcome to grab the mic and make whatever announcements you so wish. We all want to be in the know and possibly use each others’ services whenever possible.

Finally, for now I want to, as done in the past, encourage our members to attend the monthly film lovers’ meeting held by our neighbors (TAMPA FILM REVIEW) across the bay. Once again, their monthly gathering is held the second Friday of each month at the International Bazaar in Ybor City, is absolutely free, and is always chuck filled with industry news, so put it on your calendar.

SEE YOU FRIDAY EVENING….
My best - PETE B.

Visit www.fierceifilms.com/PinellasFilmmakers.html for more info.

sunscreen film festival runs through march 22

March 20, 2008 at 6:51 pm | In Events, Filmmakers, Film Festivals, Movies, Tampa Bay Area, Florida (Not Bay Area) | No Comments

The Sunscreen Film Festival will run through Saturday, March 22, and will screen 73 films from all over the world, including fifteen Florida films (films either made in Florida or made by Floridians). The festival will close with an Oscar-style awards ceremony at the Vinoy followed by an after party at Art Gallery NOVA 535.”

The film fest will take place at “the Renaissance Vinoy Hotel and other downtown St. Petersburg locations. Pricing is structured to accommodate the needs of any festival addendee from single screening passes for $8 to all-events passes for $90. Please refer to the festival website for a complete breakdown.”

From the press release:

One feature that is sure to get a lot of attention is Raiders of the Lost Ark:The Adaptation. This charming remake of the Steven Spielberg classic was begun by three boys in Mississippi. They started at ages 11, 12, and 13 and finished seven years later. It was recently discovered, blessed by Spielberg himself and has been playing to sold-out audiences ever since.

In keeping with its mission of promoting film in Florida, Sunscreen will show 15 films made in Florida and five others by Floridians now working out of the state.

There’s also an interesting workshop on the schedule for tomorrow:

Screenwriters — Aspiring screenwriters will have the opportunity to get some pointers from an impressive panel of experts. Blockbuster action writer, Steven DeSouza (Commando, Die Hard), best-selling how-to author Karl Iglesias (The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters and Writing for Emotional Impact), and Academy-Award nominee Timothy J. Sexton (Children of Men) will conduct a 90-minute discussion on the fine art of turning stories into film.

The screenwriters panel will take place on Friday, March 21, at 4 p.m. The session is free and open to the public.

Other festival highlights (besides the ones mentioned above, I mean) include:

Visit www.sunscreenfilmfestival.com for the schedule and more info.

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