Thursday, September 21, 2006

Film news and such


Before the film stuff comes the Sport Horse stuff: Laurie placed 18th yesterday. She's riding again in Class 789, which has more than 50 entries. She wasn't entirely happy with her performance yesterday and feels like she and Rusty will work much harder at it today. So, think good thoughts around 9:10 a.m. MST.


Now for the film stuff. It was nice to see an article in today's local paper announcing the award winners for the Idaho Panhandle International Film Festival, held last month at the Panida Theater in Sandpoint.

Jeff Bock's documentary "Jenny's Journal" earned him the Best Northwest Filmmaker Award. Because of that, "Jenny's Journal" will be among the films when the best of IPIFF films do some traveling to Northwest cities. Jeff has been notified that his film will show this Saturday at The Met in Spokane.

Here's the scoop:

Award-Winning Films from IPIFF to hit Spokane

SEPTEMBER 18, 2006 – The Idaho Panhandle International Film Festival
(ipiff.com) in Sandpoint, Idaho was a hit last month, showing fifty-five
films from around the globe and giving away nineteen awards on stage. If
you missed the show however, you haven't missed your chance to catch the
best films before they're gone.

If you live in or around Spokane, Washington, on Saturday, September
23rd, IPIFF is bringing its "Very Best of Fest" (bestofipiff.com ) to
you, showing two separate four hour programs at the Met Theater
(mettheater.com) in downtown Spokane. Genres, themes, and lengths of the
films vary, but both programs have been given a "Mature 18+" rating by
Festival Director Trevor Greenfield.

Here's a look at the programs:

Saturday, September 23, 2006 – Program 1 - 2:00PM-6:00PM

DAY OF RECKONING (Narrative Short) - A man is forced to face his past
when he is visited by a stranger who is seeking revenge for his
brother's death.

ART SEYMOUR: SOLO PERFORMANCE (Documentary Short) - In the world of
glass beads, the Chevron has unmatched historical and cultural
significance. The creation of this bead, which hundreds of years ago was
an industrial process performed by a team of artisans, has been turned
by pioneeering glass artist, Art Seymour, into a solo act of creative
expression.

SOAP OPERA (Animated Short) - What could be better than a bar of soap
singing Don Giovanni? A shampoo bottle, a sponge, and a bar of soap
singing Don Giovanni!

BINTA Y LA GRAN IDEA (Narrative Short – Subtitled, Spain) - Binta's
father has an idea. Take this colorful journey through the heart of
Senegal, Africa as Binta's father takes his idea to the local
municipality, which leads him to the county government and so on until
he reaches the President of Senegal! But will the President approve of
his idea?

THE TROUBLE WITH DEE DEE (Narrative Feature) - The story of an eccentric
socialite with a knack for pulling off hopelessly wild adventures who
struggles when she finds herself disowned by her millionaire father
(Kurtwood Smith - "Red" in That 70's Show) and abandoned by her teenage
son, The Trouble with Dee Dee is a new take on parents and children that
frustrates, amuses and warms the heart. At once shocking and endearing,
Dee Dee (Lisa Ann Walter) overcomes her rough exterior to draw people in
with her childlike joy of life and her heart of gold. The movie attacks
our knee-jerk reaction to write people off when they don't adhere to
accepted social norms, by enticing us to stick with a character we might
otherwise have turned away, with a feeling that we might be pleasantly
surprised.

AN OPEN DOOR (Narrative Short) - Set in a weekend of weddings, 'An Open
Door' looks at the american dream and what it has come to mean to Joey
and Sabina as they begin to face the question of the rest of their
lives. With no family and few options, they struggle to find a secure
future for themselves. Sabina sells drugs in hopes of earning money for
college. Joey hopes to get a raise, and thereby, Sabina's love.
Teetering on the brink of salvation, they make their choices.

DIE BESUCHER (Narrative Short - Subtitled, Germany) - A young woman whom
is trapped - in life and in a relationship - desperately searches to
loosen her strings. She encounters someone at a new job who needs some
help, but all is not as it seems to be.


Saturday, September 23, 2006 – Program 2 - 7:00PM-11:00PM

JENNY'S JOURNAL (Documentary Short) - Through a young woman's own journal
entries, we follow her courageous struggle through the peaks and valleys
of cancer in this intimate and honest portrait.

THE EXTRA (Narrative Short) - Most actors, they dream of fame and
wealth. For Clyde Baker, fulfillment finds form in volunteering as a
background actor in student films. Not one to take his craft lightly,
Clyde's preparation and dedication is second to none. On the other hand,
his execution, leaves room for improvement- A whole lot of improvement!
Starring Ryan Stiles and Jonathan Thomas.

A CIGAR AT THE BEACH (Narrative Short) - A married man detours the
demands of domestic life through fantasy and stumbles upon renewal.

FIZZY DAYS (Narrative Short, UK) - Eddy dreams of being a rock star like
his glam heroes. Girls love rock stars and rock stars with their own
transport go to the front of the line. Fizzy Days is a light hearted
look at a couple of lads dishonest approach to motorbike ownership. A
comedy caper set in the north of England. Fizzy Days is an affectionate
look at a time before video games and I-pods. When all you really needed
to get to the front of the line was a Fizzy… join Eddy and his mates on
the ride!

SOMETHING TRUE (Narrative Short) - A gigolo who longs for a real
connection with a woman finds it in the arms of a beautiful murderess...

SUPER-ANON (Narrative Short, Canada) - There's a group of people
overlooked by the media, who have an amazing story to tell. Downtrodden
and ignored, they wrestle with living in the shadow of a greater
sibling, fear of losing a loved one, keeping a deep secret, and general
angst. These are the members of Super-Anon, the support group for family
relatives of superheroes. And this is their comedic story.

ORANGE (Narrative Short) - An escaped convict takes a casual stroll down
the highway in the afternoon sun...
THE BACHELORMAN (Narrative Feature) - In these times of enlightened
sexual politics, Ted Davis (David Deluise) is a scoring machine. But
when the woman of his dreams, "Heather" (Missi Pile) moves in next door,
Ted's ordeal begins. She's beautiful, long-legged and LOUD. Ted must
have her… But when he realizes he's been tricked into turning his life
upside-down, Ted breaks it off with Heather to again pursue his destiny
as "BachelorMan." He's lost his bachelor super-powers, because - gasp -
he's STILL IN LOVE. He must get her back - but how? It will take all of
BachelorMan's skill and cunning to get his Lois Lane back … And Ted
Davis knows the perfect scam.

For full program information on these shows, visit www.bestofipiff.com .

Tickets for individual shows are available for $12 at the Met door and
all Ticketswest locations, or online at ticketswest.com . Also available
is an all-day pass, good for both shows, for $20. The first 200 to
purchase an all day pass will receive a complimentary souvenir IPIFF
2006 program and festival pass with Lanyard. Discounts are available for
18+ students with school ID, 55+ Seniors, and Groups of 10+. Call
1-800-325-7328 for more information or to order tickets.

The Idaho Panhandle International Film Festival (IPIFF) took place
August 23rd-26th in Sandpoint, Idaho at the Historic Panida Theater,
showing 55 films from 8 countries. 12 Filmmakers were on hand to
represent their films, getting involved in panel discussions and
question and answer sessions. The festival culminated with an onstage
awards presentation on Saturday, August 26th. For more information,
visit (www.ipiff.com) or email inbox @ ipiff.com, or call Fred Greenfield
at 208-597-0961.

Finally, Jeff learned recently that his film has also been accepted as part of next month's Westwood International Film Festival in California. So, if you're reading and in either area when the film shows, go see this poignant and beautifully produced story of courage, love and perseverance.

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