A few months ago we told you about a great and young non-profit in Los Angeles that is constantly working to create spaces for emerging talent to showcase both short and feature length works for local audiences. NewFilmmakers Los Angeles hosts a monthly event that aim to help filmmakers launch their careers, connect with crucial support, and exchange ideas with each other and attendees.
Read More: Endless Indie Talent: Larry Laboe on NewFilmmakers Los Angeles
This week NewFilmmakers L.A. is taking part in a weeklong series of diverse events across L.A entitled BritWeek, which celebrate the rich culture of our neighbors across the pond. First on Monday April 27th at the At&T Center in Downtown, NewFilmmakers will host three feature length programs consisting of both recent British and international shorts
Then on April 30th the organization will screen Thomas Vinterberg’s latest film “Far From the Madding Crowd” ahead of its theatrical release in collaboration with Fox Searchlight and Melnitz Movies at UCLA's James Bridges Theater.
We had the chance to reconnect with Larry Laboe, co-director of NewFilmmakers Los Angeles and James Defebaugh, who co-programmed the event with Nfmla Artistic Director Susie Kim and the Nfmla Programming team, to talk about this exciting new program.
Tickets for the event on April 27th can be purchased Here!
Aguilar: How this particular initiative come about and what are some of the elements that make distinct from other NewFilmmakers programs?
Larry Laboe: Our programs usually consist of two feature lengths programs that are made up of shorts and then one feature, but for this one we are doing all shorts the whole night. It’s 13 shorts for our first event on the 27th. Two of the programs are all English films and the third program is made up of international shorts. We have a film from Argentina, a film from Brazil, and two from the U.S. I’m particularly excited about a film titled “The Girlfriend Game”
As you know a huge goal in our organization is to showcase international films. We feel that as a festival in Los Angeles is important to help people in the city experiences films from all over the world. Our initiatives have always focuses on highlighting films from different parts of the world. This year we decided we wanted to do a British film program.
We reached out to Brit Week, and actually one of the NewFilmmakers board members is also BritWeek and BAFTA committee member as well. He had a relationship with Brit Week and we pitched them the idea for this program and they were really excited about it, particularly because they didn’t have any other film programs as part of BritWeek. As you might know Brit Week is a celebration of British art and culture in Los Angeles that includes exhibitions, musical performances, and other events that make it a very well rounded experience.
This initiative grew into a two-part event. We are doing the program I just mentioned and the Fox Searchlight movie “Far from the Madding Crowd.” We wanted to show a film that more people from the community would feel compelled to come out and see based on the talent that was involved in making the film, As we were researching what indie labels had new films coming out that could work with our program. We got in touch with Fox Searchlight and they were very excited to take part. Obviously this film is an English film, so it was a really fit.
Aguilar: Tells us more about the diverse British shorts included in the extensive program
James Defebaugh: We are really excited about this screenings. We feel like this program really represents a huge variety of what U.K. cinema has to offer in an array of genres. There is a film called “Anemone,” which is a beautiful portrait of a forbidden love that has some fantastic performances by its cast. We have “Madeleine Makes a Man,” which is a whimsical, fairy tale-like retelling of Frankenstein in which the lead character is trying to create the ideal romantic partner.
There are also a couple of interesting character driven dramas, one is titled “I’m in the Corner with the Bluebells” about two siblings who meet for the first time which find themselves with a this sort of genetic attraction, which is uncomfortable but very interesting and it’s beautifully shot. There is also “Stalemate,” a historical character driven work that takes place on Christmas Day during Wwi
We have two science fiction pieces, one of them is "Perfect State," a dystopian view of the U.K. in which the government has sold out to major corporations that run all the public services, and then there is "Roadside,"which is a post-apocalyptic short that feel very kinetic and has several successful action sequences. We have a couple of comedies.
One is “The Trouble Downstairs” a comedic mystery about a guy who is trying to figure out the culprit behind his Chlamydia, and then we have “Anita’s Birthday Wish” about a teacher whose birthday is coming up and who is bored and looking for something interesting to do. She decides to smoke pot but realizes that she has solicited the pot from one of her students, which is evidently an awkward situation. We have a big range of what U.K. filmmakers have to offer.
Aguilar: What are some highlights of the non-British program that will be screening alongside the films you already mentioned?
James Defebaugh: For the other program we have some great international films. We have one from Brazil called “The Passenger,” which is about a man’s displacement, which takes him on a journey of self-discovery throughout his homeland after his wife’s death. We have a really great film from Argentina called "Esperame" based on Dante’s Divine Comedy but sues corporate imagery in a metaphorical manner to retell that story.
There is also the one Larry mentioned earlier called “The Girlfriend Game,” which is an erotic thriller with a twisted game that a couple plays at bars. It’s tone and subject matter feels like “Gone Girl” in terms of the sexual tension. This film feature Ryan Eggold who starts in NBC’s “The Blacklist” and Sarah Roemer who was in the film “Disturbia”
Larry Laboe: Ryan Eggold actually has a special relationship with NewFilmmakers. We screened a short that he directed, and we’ve screened a few shorts that he starred in. It’s really exciting to see him back again at the festival. Specifically regarding “The Girlfriend Game,” the guy who produced it, Alejandro de Leon, has produced other great shorts. I’m really excited about him as a producer. One of the shorts he’s produced is called "The Strange Thing About the Johnsons," which I was really impressed by. He was also Upm of the short “Narcocorrido," which won a Student Academy Award in 2012. I particularly expect to see great things from Alejandro.
Aguilar: Why is it crucial for NewFilmmakers to balance special programs like this with films from diverse regions and backgrounds?
Larry Laboe: We do a lot of special themed programs, from Latino film programs, to African American film programs, or programs like this British one, but the reason why during these events you see a program made up of films from around the world is because we don’t want to put people inside a box. We do want to honor storytellers from different backgrounds but we don’t to make it so that storytellers become stereotyped or labeled based on being Latino, or British, or female. It’s great to honor different types of filmmakers but I think we have to be careful not to put too much of a label on it. When you see programs from NewFilmmakers that are special programs we typically like to mix it up.
James Defebaugh: We want to spotlight films that come from a specific cultural place but we also want to make sure we support indie filmmaking as a whole.
Larry Laboe: We want to support diversity all around.
Read More: Endless Indie Talent: Larry Laboe on NewFilmmakers Los Angeles
This week NewFilmmakers L.A. is taking part in a weeklong series of diverse events across L.A entitled BritWeek, which celebrate the rich culture of our neighbors across the pond. First on Monday April 27th at the At&T Center in Downtown, NewFilmmakers will host three feature length programs consisting of both recent British and international shorts
Then on April 30th the organization will screen Thomas Vinterberg’s latest film “Far From the Madding Crowd” ahead of its theatrical release in collaboration with Fox Searchlight and Melnitz Movies at UCLA's James Bridges Theater.
We had the chance to reconnect with Larry Laboe, co-director of NewFilmmakers Los Angeles and James Defebaugh, who co-programmed the event with Nfmla Artistic Director Susie Kim and the Nfmla Programming team, to talk about this exciting new program.
Tickets for the event on April 27th can be purchased Here!
Aguilar: How this particular initiative come about and what are some of the elements that make distinct from other NewFilmmakers programs?
Larry Laboe: Our programs usually consist of two feature lengths programs that are made up of shorts and then one feature, but for this one we are doing all shorts the whole night. It’s 13 shorts for our first event on the 27th. Two of the programs are all English films and the third program is made up of international shorts. We have a film from Argentina, a film from Brazil, and two from the U.S. I’m particularly excited about a film titled “The Girlfriend Game”
As you know a huge goal in our organization is to showcase international films. We feel that as a festival in Los Angeles is important to help people in the city experiences films from all over the world. Our initiatives have always focuses on highlighting films from different parts of the world. This year we decided we wanted to do a British film program.
We reached out to Brit Week, and actually one of the NewFilmmakers board members is also BritWeek and BAFTA committee member as well. He had a relationship with Brit Week and we pitched them the idea for this program and they were really excited about it, particularly because they didn’t have any other film programs as part of BritWeek. As you might know Brit Week is a celebration of British art and culture in Los Angeles that includes exhibitions, musical performances, and other events that make it a very well rounded experience.
This initiative grew into a two-part event. We are doing the program I just mentioned and the Fox Searchlight movie “Far from the Madding Crowd.” We wanted to show a film that more people from the community would feel compelled to come out and see based on the talent that was involved in making the film, As we were researching what indie labels had new films coming out that could work with our program. We got in touch with Fox Searchlight and they were very excited to take part. Obviously this film is an English film, so it was a really fit.
Aguilar: Tells us more about the diverse British shorts included in the extensive program
James Defebaugh: We are really excited about this screenings. We feel like this program really represents a huge variety of what U.K. cinema has to offer in an array of genres. There is a film called “Anemone,” which is a beautiful portrait of a forbidden love that has some fantastic performances by its cast. We have “Madeleine Makes a Man,” which is a whimsical, fairy tale-like retelling of Frankenstein in which the lead character is trying to create the ideal romantic partner.
There are also a couple of interesting character driven dramas, one is titled “I’m in the Corner with the Bluebells” about two siblings who meet for the first time which find themselves with a this sort of genetic attraction, which is uncomfortable but very interesting and it’s beautifully shot. There is also “Stalemate,” a historical character driven work that takes place on Christmas Day during Wwi
We have two science fiction pieces, one of them is "Perfect State," a dystopian view of the U.K. in which the government has sold out to major corporations that run all the public services, and then there is "Roadside,"which is a post-apocalyptic short that feel very kinetic and has several successful action sequences. We have a couple of comedies.
One is “The Trouble Downstairs” a comedic mystery about a guy who is trying to figure out the culprit behind his Chlamydia, and then we have “Anita’s Birthday Wish” about a teacher whose birthday is coming up and who is bored and looking for something interesting to do. She decides to smoke pot but realizes that she has solicited the pot from one of her students, which is evidently an awkward situation. We have a big range of what U.K. filmmakers have to offer.
Aguilar: What are some highlights of the non-British program that will be screening alongside the films you already mentioned?
James Defebaugh: For the other program we have some great international films. We have one from Brazil called “The Passenger,” which is about a man’s displacement, which takes him on a journey of self-discovery throughout his homeland after his wife’s death. We have a really great film from Argentina called "Esperame" based on Dante’s Divine Comedy but sues corporate imagery in a metaphorical manner to retell that story.
There is also the one Larry mentioned earlier called “The Girlfriend Game,” which is an erotic thriller with a twisted game that a couple plays at bars. It’s tone and subject matter feels like “Gone Girl” in terms of the sexual tension. This film feature Ryan Eggold who starts in NBC’s “The Blacklist” and Sarah Roemer who was in the film “Disturbia”
Larry Laboe: Ryan Eggold actually has a special relationship with NewFilmmakers. We screened a short that he directed, and we’ve screened a few shorts that he starred in. It’s really exciting to see him back again at the festival. Specifically regarding “The Girlfriend Game,” the guy who produced it, Alejandro de Leon, has produced other great shorts. I’m really excited about him as a producer. One of the shorts he’s produced is called "The Strange Thing About the Johnsons," which I was really impressed by. He was also Upm of the short “Narcocorrido," which won a Student Academy Award in 2012. I particularly expect to see great things from Alejandro.
Aguilar: Why is it crucial for NewFilmmakers to balance special programs like this with films from diverse regions and backgrounds?
Larry Laboe: We do a lot of special themed programs, from Latino film programs, to African American film programs, or programs like this British one, but the reason why during these events you see a program made up of films from around the world is because we don’t want to put people inside a box. We do want to honor storytellers from different backgrounds but we don’t to make it so that storytellers become stereotyped or labeled based on being Latino, or British, or female. It’s great to honor different types of filmmakers but I think we have to be careful not to put too much of a label on it. When you see programs from NewFilmmakers that are special programs we typically like to mix it up.
James Defebaugh: We want to spotlight films that come from a specific cultural place but we also want to make sure we support indie filmmaking as a whole.
Larry Laboe: We want to support diversity all around.
- 4/26/2015
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
The following short film Narcocorrido from writer/director Ryan Prows came to my attention thanks to an interview piece with Prows over at Cinephilia and Beyond. The title of the 23-minute short hints at what's to come and is a word I was originally unfamiliar with. In a 2013 Daily News piece it describes a "narcocorrido" as "a musical genre and multi-million dollar industry that peddles songs glorifying the surreal violence of warring drug syndicates and the bling, women, drugs and weapons that punctuate their lives." A guess a crude comparison would be to call it the Mexican equivalent of "gangsta rap" and Prows' film gets to the bloody reality of it all. Opening on a police officer, puking her bloody gets out, she eventually follows a truck pumping Mexican music as it rolls around the dirt hills outside of Yuma County, Arizona. Once she pulls the truck over things take...
- 2/2/2015
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Big congrats to Kenyan director David Tosh Gitonga, as his feature film debut, Nairobi Half Life, which S&A has covered plenty, has been awarded the Audience Breakthrough Award at the AFI Fest 2012, presented by Audi. The award comes with a $5,000 cash prize. And Student Academy Award winner Narcocorrido which stars Nicki Michaeux, directed by Ryan Prows also picked up an award for Honorable Mention for Performance: fir co-star Raul Castillo. Also, winning the award for Special Mention for Performance, for her contribution to the suspense/drama Simon Killer as both an actress and screenwriter, is Mati...
- 11/9/2012
- by Courtney
- ShadowAndAct
AFI Fest 2012 presented by Audi, a program of the American Film Institute, today announced the remaining sections and films that will screen in the festival.s World Cinema, Breakthrough, Midnight and Shorts programs. AFI Fest, which annually presents the best of world cinema in the movie capital of the world, will take place November 1 through 8 at the historic Grauman.s Chinese Theatre, the Chinese 6 Theatres, the Egyptian Theatre and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.
World Cinema showcases the most anticipated and prize-winning international films of the year, Breakthrough highlights work discovered only through the submission process and Midnight.s selections are always haunting. Both World Cinema and Breakthrough feature a number of films making their North American or U.S. Premieres, including The Angels. Share, Greatest Hits, Laurence Anyways, Nairobi Half Life, Pieta, White Elephant and Zaytoun.
Two of the shorts in competition are from AFI Conservatory.s recent class of...
World Cinema showcases the most anticipated and prize-winning international films of the year, Breakthrough highlights work discovered only through the submission process and Midnight.s selections are always haunting. Both World Cinema and Breakthrough feature a number of films making their North American or U.S. Premieres, including The Angels. Share, Greatest Hits, Laurence Anyways, Nairobi Half Life, Pieta, White Elephant and Zaytoun.
Two of the shorts in competition are from AFI Conservatory.s recent class of...
- 10/16/2012
- by Melissa Thompson
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Today, AFI 2012 announced its complete lineup, after previously debuting its New Auteurs, Young Americans, Galas and Special Screenings we finally get a look at the Midnight, Breakthrough, Shorts, and deliriously good World Cinema Selections.
The Shorts section, with almost too many to count, features new work from Nacho Vigalando, Nicolas Provost, and even Shia Labeouf (Cannes selected), among many others. The four Midnight titles all played in Tiff 2012’s Midnight Madness selection, and here we see John Dies at the End making a stop here after originally premiering at Sundance. They’ve nabbed three North American premieres in their Breakthrough section, including Kid from Fien Troch, Nairobi Half Life from David Tosh Gitonga, and Oh Boy from Jan Ole Gerster. But AFI has managed to really impress with it’s World Cinema selections. Just as they nabbed Cannes premiere Holy Motors for their Special Screenings, they’ve nabbed several high...
The Shorts section, with almost too many to count, features new work from Nacho Vigalando, Nicolas Provost, and even Shia Labeouf (Cannes selected), among many others. The four Midnight titles all played in Tiff 2012’s Midnight Madness selection, and here we see John Dies at the End making a stop here after originally premiering at Sundance. They’ve nabbed three North American premieres in their Breakthrough section, including Kid from Fien Troch, Nairobi Half Life from David Tosh Gitonga, and Oh Boy from Jan Ole Gerster. But AFI has managed to really impress with it’s World Cinema selections. Just as they nabbed Cannes premiere Holy Motors for their Special Screenings, they’ve nabbed several high...
- 10/16/2012
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Beverly Hills, Calif. — Students from across Southern California dominated the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 39th annual Student Academy Awards.
Amanda Tasse of the University of Southern California and David Wolter of California Institute of the Arts were among the five students hailing from Southern California schools. Both received gold medals, the highest honor at Saturday's ceremony at the motion picture academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
Other winners of the gold medal included David Winstone of the University of Westminster in London, Mark Raso of Columbia University in New York and Keiko Wright of New York University.
The Student Academy Awards were established in 1972 to support and encourage excellence in filmmaking at the collegiate level. Past winners have gone on to receive 46 Oscar nominations and have won or shared eight trophies.
At the 84th annual Academy Awards earlier this year, 2011 Student Academy Award winners Hallvar Witzo...
Amanda Tasse of the University of Southern California and David Wolter of California Institute of the Arts were among the five students hailing from Southern California schools. Both received gold medals, the highest honor at Saturday's ceremony at the motion picture academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
Other winners of the gold medal included David Winstone of the University of Westminster in London, Mark Raso of Columbia University in New York and Keiko Wright of New York University.
The Student Academy Awards were established in 1972 to support and encourage excellence in filmmaking at the collegiate level. Past winners have gone on to receive 46 Oscar nominations and have won or shared eight trophies.
At the 84th annual Academy Awards earlier this year, 2011 Student Academy Award winners Hallvar Witzo...
- 6/10/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Ten students from nine U.S. colleges and universities have been selected as winners in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 39th Annual Student Academy Awards competition. Winners will be brought to Los Angeles to join the international student winners in the Foreign Film category for a week of industry activities. The festivities will culminate in the awards ceremony on Saturday, June 9, at 6 p.m. at the Academy.s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, where the placements in each category will be announced.
The winners are (listed alphabetically by film title in each category):
Alternative
“The Reality Clock,” Amanda Tasse, University of Southern California*
*Only one winner was selected in this category.
Animation
“Eyrie,” David Wolter, California Institute of the Arts
“The Jockstrap Raiders,” Mark Nelson, University of California, Los Angeles
“My Little Friend,” Eric Prah, Ringling College of Art and Design
Documentary
“Dying Green,” Ellen Tripler,...
The winners are (listed alphabetically by film title in each category):
Alternative
“The Reality Clock,” Amanda Tasse, University of Southern California*
*Only one winner was selected in this category.
Animation
“Eyrie,” David Wolter, California Institute of the Arts
“The Jockstrap Raiders,” Mark Nelson, University of California, Los Angeles
“My Little Friend,” Eric Prah, Ringling College of Art and Design
Documentary
“Dying Green,” Ellen Tripler,...
- 5/15/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Thirty-five students from 20 U.S. colleges and universities have been selected as finalists in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 39th Annual Student Academy Awards competition. Academy members will view the finalists. films at special screenings and vote to select the winners. Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal awards, along with accompanying cash grants of $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000 respectively, may be presented in each of four categories: Alternative, Animation, Documentary and Narrative. Winners will be brought to Los Angeles, along with the international student winners in the Foreign Student Film category, for a week of industry activities and social events that will culminate in the awards ceremony on Saturday, June 9, at 6 p.m. at the Academy.s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
The finalists are (listed alphabetically by film title):
Alternative
“Falconer,” Micah Robert Barber, University of Texas at Austin
“In Between Shadows,” Tianran Duan, University of Southern California
“Last Remarks,...
The finalists are (listed alphabetically by film title):
Alternative
“Falconer,” Micah Robert Barber, University of Texas at Austin
“In Between Shadows,” Tianran Duan, University of Southern California
“Last Remarks,...
- 5/2/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
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