#filmmakers
A taste of how Harry and the crew spent D-Day. Thanks to FOX29 and KYW for interviewing Harry for this special anniversary!
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DECEMBER 9 - ALICE GUY-BLACHÉ
She dreamed two impossible dreams: to produce, write and direct in the earliest days of cinema, and for fulfillment as a lover, wife and mother. She achieved it all. But could she hold on to what she had won, especially when the two dreams conflicted with each other?
To pursue her dreams Alice Guy Blaché had to overcome the confines of a rigid social structure which barely tolerated the presence of women in leadership roles. And yet she grew and developed from young secretary right out of the convent to the owner and head of a film studio, business partner to her husband, mother of two children, and the creator of storytelling on film as we know it today. She worked with many of the intellectual, scientific and artistic luminaries of her time, such as the brilliant inventor and entrepeneur Léon Gaumont, Gustave Eiffel of Eiffel Tower fame, had a love-hate relationship with her competitor, Ferdinand Zecca, who directed for Pathé, and came into conflict with industrial giants like Thomas Edison. Alice’s directing helped turn stage actresses such as Olga Petrova, Alla Nazimova and Bessie Love into film stars.
She trained almost all the great directors of the next film generation, including Étienne Arnaud, Victorin Jasset, and Louis Feuillade, and set designers Henri Menessier and Ben Carré. She trained her own husband, Herbert Blaché, he of the matinee-idol good looks; Herbert would go on to direct Buster Keaton in his first feature film, The Saphead.
We still remember names like Gaumont, Edison, Nazimova, and Bessie Love, but Alice Guy was completely forgotten, the record of her achievements lost, as she worked in an era when films carried no credits, when sound films made silent films seem obsolete and they were recycled for the silver nitrate they contained. But Alice Guy’s life continues to inspire. She wanted it all and had it all, career, love, partnership, family, film studio, years before women could even vote.
Text for today’s post was taken from the synopsis of Alison McMahan’s Inventing The Movies.Please consider donating a few minutes to make a submission to Celebrate Women before the year is over.
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“These young women are yearning for the same thing I did and do: they want to see themselves as protagonists in their own stories; they want to go into a theater and see themselves on screen. That interaction gave me the courage and confidence to keep going.” - Head First Into the Deep End
WOMEN IN PRODUCTION | Writer, Director, Producer | Joyce Wu
A current MFA candidate in Film Production at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Joyce Wu is working on her very first feature film, The Real Mikado, a coming-of-age story about a young woman who goes home to Detroit and is tasked with saving the local theatre. In a recent HuffPo article, Kia Makarechi reminds us how, while Actors of Color are receiving acclaim for their roles in film and television, these roles “literally could not have been given to white actors,” because all of the projects were based on true, heavily racialized experiences. Wu is one of many filmmakers who are determined to create stories for People of Color that are not defined by their race. She sees how diverse these stories can be and how narrow a view Hollywood takes when it comes to telling them. Sponsored by the non-profit arts organization, Fracture Atlas, Wu is finishing up production on her film and will soon be taking the festival circuits by storm.
[photo source: joycewu.com]
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“I believe if there’s any kind of God it wouldn’t be in any of us, not you or me but just this little space in between. If there’s any kind of magic in this world it must be in the attempt of understanding someone sharing something. I know, it’s almost impossible to succeed but who cares really? The answer must be in the attempt.” - Julie Delpy, Before Sunrise & Before Sunset: Two Screenplays
WOMEN IN PRODUCTION | Writer, Director | Julie Delpy
Many know Julie Delpy as the actress from the “Before Sunrise” trilogy among other films, but this talented woman does even more behind the camera. In 1995, she wrote, directed, and starred in the short “Blah Blah Blah.” She also co-wrote the two sequels to “Before Sunrise,” and she also wrote, directed, and starred in “2 Days in Paris” and “The Countess.” Delpy has also dabbled in editing, producing, and writing music for film scores. While most of her credits are for acting, Delpy truly loves directing. She loves every aspect of film and fearlessly explores. Delpy also insists on working with strong and developed female characters.
[photo source: Chris Hardy]
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Barnard Wants To Recognize Your Leading Ladies
The Athena Center at Barnard College aims to put women in focus. The 2014 Athena Film Festival is calling for entries with strong female lead characters. Enter before September 15, and you could see your film featured in February.
Go for it and dream big. Athena Center director Kathryn Kolbert suggests some of today’s most successful female directors for inspiration — Lena Dunham and Kathryn Bigelow both started their careers shortly after college.
“I think that says a lot about the creativity and innovation of young people today and how important it is to showcase their work,” Kolbert said in an interview with mtvU.
Just take it from the Athena Center interns, who put this clip together for your encouragement.
It’s not too late! Submittoday!
“I think the women have a particular ability to work with strong directors. They can collaborate. Maybe there’s less of an ego battle.”
WOMEN IN PRODUCTION | Editor | Thelma Schoonmaker
In all of the production team, editors are the ones that truly mold the film into its final form. They set the pacing, the musicality, and choose the best performances among countless other duties. One of the most prolific film editors in the business is Thelma Schoonmaker, who has famously worked with Martin Scorcese for over two decades and has won two Academy Awards for The Aviator and Raging Bull. From their interviews and collaboration, it is clear that there is a great deal of trust between the two and that Schoonmaker is a force to be reckoned with in the editing room.
[photo source: Home Theater]
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Today’s the last day of the awareness campaign for our film.
no matter what happens I loved every moment of sitting around this table being in this room with all the talented people I got to work with and I will happily have a drinks and snacks with them anytime and I know we’re all going to do great things someday so I’m glad we all do this moment together.
Thank you so much
@nicnovicki @daniellehmusic @allisoncamerongray @theweslawson
#EDFC2022 #DisabilityFilm
#disabilityfilmchallenge
#Inclusion
#accessible #filmmakers
#filmmaking
#SuperHero #DisabilityRepresentation
#UniqueStories #DisabilityStories
#Filmlndustry
#Easterseals
#ActoresWithDisabilities
#SeeTheAbility
#ExpandTheConversation
#WatchNow
#SpreadtheWord (at Los Angeles, California)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CcylERZvAcX/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
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@daniellehmusic Ate these extremely hot takis all day on set take after take for @disabilityfilmchallenge she should be a spokesperson for @takisusa
#EDFC2022 #DisabilityFilm
#disabilityfilmchallenge
#Inclusion
#accessible #filmmakers
#filmmaking
#SuperHero #DisabilityRepresentation
#UniqueStories #DisabilityStories
#Filmlndustry
#Easterseals
#ActoresWithDisabilities
#SeeTheAbility
#ExpandTheConversation
#WatchNow #takis
#SpreadtheWord (at Los Angeles, California)
https://www.instagram.com/tv/Ccv8yFZluPV/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
The look you get when we find out you didn’t share our movie!
#EDFC2022 #DisabilityFilm
#disabilityfilmchallenge
#Inclusion
#accessible #filmmakers
#filmmaking
#SuperHero #DisabilityRepresentation
#UniqueStories #DisabilityStories
#Filmlndustry
#Easterseals
#ActoresWithDisabilities
#SeeTheAbility
#ExpandTheConversation
#WatchNow
#SpreadtheWord (at Los Angeles, California)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CcvoDehPmFi/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
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Obviously, all of us are into anime. But how many of us are into Japanese cinema that does NOT involve high school students saving the planet from giant alien robots?
In their Saturday evening panel Japanese Cinema 102: Where to go After Kurosawa, hosts Liz and Zod shared their list of the best Japanese directors–and titles–this side of famed filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. Here is just a sampling of their recommendations.
Yasujiro Ozu
This postwar filmmaker is noted for his very intense films that stay with the viewer long after seeing them. Film critics consider him just as iconic as Kurosawa.
- Tokyo Story (Ozu’s most well-known work in North America)
- Tokyo Twilight
- Early Spring, Late Spring, End of Summer (trilogy)
Shohei Imamura
Born into an upper-class family, Imamura found himself dealing with Japan’s black market following World War II. As such, he gained an appreciation for the country’s underground culture that is reflected in his work.
- Pigs and Battleships (this explores the strained relationship between the U.S. and Japan after the war)
- Insect Woman
- Intentions of Murder
Seijun Suzuki
An artist with an eye for style, Suzuki tends to lean toward yakuza fare in his work. Considered a cult filmmaker in Japanese society, noted American directors like Jim Jarmusch and even Quentin Tarantino have cited him as inspiration.
- Branded to Kill
- Gates of Flesh
- Lupin III: Legend of Gold Babylon (yes, he was one of many directors to tackle Lupin III)
Takashi Miike
Dubbed by Zod the “James Patterson of directors,” Miike is notable for putting out a slew of movies every year. As a result, his library is vast, varied, and the most accessible for North American audiences.
- Audition
- Ichi the Killer
- Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure (yes, he is behind the 2018 live-action version of the popular manga and anime)
Hirokazu Kore-eda
Dubbed by Roger Ebert as the “heir to [Yasujiro] Ozu,” Kore-eda is noted for being empathetic and really digging into the lives of his characters, many of whom tend not to live the best lives.
- Maborosi
- Nobody Knows
- Shoplifters (this title earned him the Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at this year’s Oscars)
In addition to directors with storied bodies of work, Liz and Zod also shared some titles that fans of Japanese cinema would definitely take to.
Godzilla (Ishiro Honda) - Do I even need to explain this movie?
Hausu (Nobuhiko Obayashi) - A supernatural horror film that is unlike anything else in the genre, in Japan or any other country. How many characters in horror flicks have gotten eaten by a haunted piano?
Kamikaze Girls (Tetsuya Nakashima) - Unlike most other entries on this list, Kamikaze Girls is a sweet film that will leave its viewers with a warm feeling. Liz even shared an anecdote about a former roommate who, despite not being into Japanese cinema at all, absolutely adored this picture.
–Mike Fenn, AB staff blogger
Yossuana Aguilar is a director, filmmaker, and model who graduated from University of Houston with a Bachelor’s Degree in Media Production and Studio Arts in 2012. Since then, she has returned to her native Venezuela and started up her film company, Condor Films, which produces independent short films and experimental videos focusing on dark imagery. Her Vimeo also displays her personal short films, many of which feature herself as the main subject and explore themes of cultural alienation,political turmoil of her country, and freedom in self expression.
Yossuana’s Tumblr: x // Yossuana’s Instagram: x
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Artemus Jenkins has been infamous for staying behind the scenes. Here he is on the other side of the lens.
