All Over Albany

TvFilm 2.0

WMHT's indie cinema series is looking for another round of submissions:

WMHT is looking for the very finest, unique and original independently made short films upstate New York has to offer in order to showcase on TvFILM, premiering in June. Hosted by Brandon Bethmann, TvFILM will also engage dialogue with winning filmmakers to discuss the inspiration, ideas and concepts behind their work. In addition, TvFILM will profile the people, places and events that are shaping WMHT's growing independent film and media community.

The deadline to enter is April 16.

Ballston Spa Film Festival 2009

Come Wander with Me

The Ballston Spa Film Festival is back this year -- and it's added a third day.

This year's schedule gets rolling Thursday night with the premiere of the second season of eScape, the kids series directed by local filmmaker Mike Feurstein. Here's the trailer -- it looks like the second season has some good special effects.

Friday and Saturday nights feature a slate of short films. One of the highlights from Friday: Phillip Van's Come Wander with Me, which looks beautiful and strange.

Many of the screenings at the BSFF are outdoors in Wiswall Park. The Thursday screening of eScape starts at 9 pm. Friday and Saturday night screenings start at 7 pm and 9 pm. Screenings are free.

Taking Woodstock

Taking Woodstock, the Ang Lee movie filmed in Columbia County, opens August 28 (August marks the 40th anniversary of the event). Here's the trailer (with a short intro by Demetri Martin, who plays one of the leads):

(The trailer's available in much higher quality at Apple's site.)

This film is a comedy -- and we gotta say the phrase "a comedy from Ang Lee" didn't exactly light us up. But the early reviews have been generally positive -- if anything, reviewers seem to think it actually is funny.

From what we hear, a bunch of local people were extras in the film. It'll be fun to see if we recognize anyone.

Earlier on AOA: A peek at the Taking Woodstock shoot

Justin Maine: "So Right, So Smart"

Justin Maine, one of the directors of "So Right, So Smart."

Local filmmaker Justin Maine just got back from New Zealand where he collected the Best Feature Film prize at the Reel Earth Festival for his new documentary, "So Right So Smart."

Maine is one of the owners of MagicWig Productions in Schenectady. Usually they produce corporate video, but for the last three years his team (Guy Noerr, Leanne Robinson Maine and Michael Swantek) has been flying around the country documenting the efforts of businesses to "go green."

The resulting film, narrated by Daryl Hannah, covers a wide range of businesses -- from a farm to a brewery to a clothing company to Barenaked Ladies (yep, the band) to Wal-Mart.

So Right, So Smart makes its local debut on Saturday at Albany's Palace Theater.

Before he left for New Zealand, Justin hung out with us over bagels and told us how the worlds largest manufacturer of commercial carpeting taught him about the importance of going green, why Al Gore isn't in his movie and what he and his team have in common with folks like Kevin Smith and Peter Jackson.

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Frozen River out on DVD

Frozen River, the Oscar-nominted film written and directed by Chatham's Courtney Hunt, was released on DVD this week.

Netflix has Frozen River currently tagged as a "long wait" disc. Blockbuster's site indicates the film is available at what looks like all of its local stores (alas, no permalink). And Hollywood Video's site says it's available at "most" of its stores.

As for purchase: Amazon has it for $19.99, B&N for $20.29 and Borders for $30.99.

Frozen River is currently the highest rated film on the recent DVD release list at Metacritic.

Earlier stuff about Frozen River on AOA.

Synecdoche in Schenectady

Synecdoche in Schenectady. Dude, that's meta.

Yes, it's finally happened. Charlie Kaufman's "Synecdoche" has come to Schenectady. Proctor's is showing the Kaufman flick which stars Phillip Seymour Hoffman as a Schenectady theater director who gets a MacArthur grant and builds a giant New York city, casting actors to play himself and everyone else in his life.

And you can see it in Schenectady. The only way this gets more meta is if Kaufman sits next to you and provides a running commentary. We caught it last week at the Spectrum. It left us with a charlie horse in our heads, but it was worth seeing. You can catch it tonight or at one of 3 showings on Wednesday for $6

Also, if the eloquence of the new administration has you missing words like misunderestimated and phrases like, "gynecologists can't practice their
love with women" you can catch Josh Brolin as #43 in Oliver Stone's "W" at Proctor's today and tomorrow. That one is only $3.

You. In a movie. In Troy.

Roman Jacquez, who directed the mini documentary about the 400 block of Troy's River street (embedded above), emailed us this week:

This coming Sunday, I will be directing a scene for a Christmas movie at Monument Square in Troy, just across the street of The Art Center. The scene I will be filming is the martini scene of the movie and entails a town coming together with candles around a Nativity Scene.

Here is a description line from the script Away In A Manger:
"In the gloomy dark, lighted candles appear. They come from all directions and glow like a small galaxy of flickering stars. The town's people with their tiny lights file around the stable and come close to the manger."

This could be a fun thing to do for those who want to be an extra... is definitely a great a excuse to go out for dinner at the nice restaurants in the neighborhood. We are looking for extras to join us and help create the atmosphere. The filming is between 5:30 and 8pm.

More honors for Frozen River

Frozen River, the film directed by Chatham's Courtney Hunt, was nominated in a bunch of categories for this year's Spirit Awards (kind of like the Oscars for independent film).

It picked up nominations for best feature, best director, best first screenplay, best female lead (Melissa Leo), best supporting female (Misty Upham), best supporting male (Charlie McDermott), and a producers award. Frozen River won the grand jury prize earlier this year at Sundance. And it's gotten rave reviews from critics.

Synecdoche, New York, the Charlie Kaufman film that's partially set in Schenectady, also got a handful of Spirit nominations.

The winners will be announced in February.

(Thanks, Kelly!)

FilmColumbia

One of the sites for FilmColumbia screenings.

It might not be Cannes or Sundance, but the lineup at this week's Chatham's FilmColumbia is still pretty impressive.

The annual festival is bringing four days of films to this adorable Columbia County village, including the new Charlie Kaufman film Synechode, New York.

And there's a lot more to look forward to.

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A peek at the Taking Woodstock shoot

Where are the good drugs, man?

Look what showed up in our inbox today: pictures from the set of Taking Woodstock, the comedy (yes, comedy) Ang Lee has been shooting in Columbia County.

There are a few more pics after the jump. They appear to be from some kind of first aid or medical station set. Everyone seems sufficiently hippie-ish.

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I Love NY short film winner

Remember a while back when the I Love NY folks announced a make your own commercial contest? Well, the very famous judges (including Tina Fey and Phillip Seymour Hoffman) have spoken. And the winner is...

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Toto, we're not in Leningrad anymore

The yellow brick road was just a yellow brick road, right?

There are two film screenings tonight that you might be interested in -- though for totally different reasons.

The Palace Theatre is showing The Wizard Oz. Sure, you've already seen it (hundreds of times) -- though we're guessing that seeing it on the big screen a horse of a different color (oof). And if you really want to dress up the experience, ponder the economic and and political allegories woven into the story as they relate to the current Wall Street Meltdown and presidential race.

Or not. We recommend just enjoying the ruby slippers and the flying monkeys. The screening starts at 7 pm. Tickets are $5.

Also tonight is a screening of The Russian Question at the Spectrum. As it happens, our knowledge of 1940s Soviet cinema is limited, so we'll let the blurb from the Spectrum site take it from here:

Based on a play by K. Simonov, The Russian Question (1947) is a rare Soviet Cold War film that shows the Soviet perspective on the Cold War. It tells the story of Garry Smith, an American journalist who spends time in Russia and sees socialism in action. Upon his return to the United States, a prestigious editor asks Smith to write a book about his experience. A handsome advance is given, and Smith and his fiancé are able to buy a house, a car and other symbols of the American dream. But the advance comes with a caveat: Smith's book is to be a real hatchet job against Soviet society. Will Smith simply keep the money and do what's expected of him? or will he instead speak the truth?

Others have described the film as "a fascinating piece of inaugural Cold War agitprop" and "flat-out Soviet propaganda." There are two screeings today: at 1 pm ($6.75) and at 6 pm ($8.50).

Manhattan Short Film Festival in Hudson

A still from one of this year's finalists, Ode Ober.

Here's something cool going on in Hudson this Sunday and through the next week. The Manhattan Short Film Festival is screening a slate of films at locations all over the world, including Space360 in Hudson. Everyone who attends gets to vote on their favorites and the winners are picked by the worldwide tally.

It looks like this festival has a track record of showing some quality films. Last year's winner, I Met the Walrus, was nominated for an Oscar. Here are this year's finalists.

Space360 will be showing the slate of 12 movies Sunday at 2 pm and 5 pm, and then on Thursday, Friday and Saturday next week at 2 pm, 5 pm and 7 pm. Tickets are $8.

Grabbing something to eat at one of Hudson's cool restaurants and seeing these shorts could definitely be a good time.

(Thanks, Melissa!)

Frozen River at the Spectrum

Here's yet another thing to do this weekend. If Hurricane Hannah ends up dumping a bunch of rain on, you might think about swinging by the Spectrum to catch Frozen River.

The indie film, directed by Chatham's Courtney Hunt, won the Grand Jury Prize at this year's Sundance Festival and it's gone on to get great reviews. Here's a clip from the film's synopsis:

Frozen River is the story of Ray Eddy, an upstate New York trailer mom who is lured into the world of illegal immigrant smuggling when she meets a Mohawk girl who lives on a reservation that straddles the US-Canadian border.

It's been running already in other cities for a few weeks now, but this is the first weekend for it here in the Capital Region.

I.O.U.S.A.

Here's something to feed your inner policy wonk. There's a special screening next week at Crossgates of I.O.U.S.A., a documentary about the national debt (trailer). Following the showing, there will be a live broadcast of a discussion with Warren Buffett, David Walker (former head of the GAO), and Pete Peterson (another rich guy).

Sounds scintillating, right? Well, you might be surprised. A little. The doc has been compared to An Inconvenient Truth. And Steve Martin makes an appearance.

Of course, as the The Economist noted, "tales of fiscal folly are an acquired taste." So maybe it's not a popcorn movie.

The screening is next Thursday at 8 pm. Tickets are $12.50.

The Ballston Spa Film Festival?

Cannes, Sundance, Ballston Spa

It may not be mentioned in the same breath as Sundance or Cannes, but this weekend the village of Ballston Spa is hosting a film festival. Dozens of short films from all over the United States, England and Canada will be screened throughout the village on Friday night and Saturday. And yes, there's a bunch of other fun stuff that goes along with a film festival.

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The Zombie Film Feast

BRAAAAIIIINNS!

Prepare for a zombie invasion this Saturday as the Zombie Film Feast staggers into Albany.

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The 400 block

Check out this great entry into the TU's Best of the Capital Region video contest. It's kind of like a mini-documentary about the 400 block of River Street in Troy.

And did you see the winner of that TU contest? It's pretty funny.

Catch the Mame Faye doc this week

Sittin' on a Million, the documentary about legendary Troy madame Mame Faye will be screening at the Spectrum tonight at 7 pm. The doc's directors, Penny Lane and Annmarie Lanesey, will be there for a discussion after the showing.

And if you miss it at the Spectrum, Sittin' on a Million will air tomorrow night at 10 pm on WHMT as part of the TVFilm series.

Earlier on AOA: Mame Faye: the inside scoop on Troy's second most famous figure

TvFilm short film screening

So you couldn't make it to Cannes or Sundance this year (scheduling conflicts, of course), but you have a hankering for fresh new independent film. Then you might want to check out TvFilm. WMHT's newest program will showcase films produced by filmmakers here in the Capital District.

The series kicks off on Thursday June 12, but if you're the looking for that Riviera on the Hudson experience (what's Monaco got on Defreestville? -- don't answer that), there's a preview screening this Saturday at 1 pm at the WMHT Studios in the Rensselaer Tech Park. The filmmakers will be there if you'd like to do the meet and greet thing. (The screening is free, but you have to reserve a spot.)

As for what you'll see, it looks pretty eclectic. The 15 films include: a documentary about an infamous Troy madam, a thriller about karma and the human psyche in the age of technology, an artistic exploration of the human form, and a look at growing up from a parent's point of view.

The TV Film blog has all the details. A few trailers are embedded after the jump.

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Edwood film camp

If what you really want to do is direct , here's your big chance.

Inspired by the iconic campy film director Ed Wood, the folks from the Edwood Film Fest are back at work on their 11th local independent film festival. This year organizer Peter Barnett has added a new twist for wannabe filmmakers.

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Sittin' on a Million: Mame Faye premiere announced

Sure, Uncle Sam is better known than Mame Faye, but she has her own movie.

Roll out the red carpet. The much anticipated documentary about Troy, New York's second most famous citizen is about to make it's big local premiere. "Sittin' on a Million" is a look at infamous Troy madam Mame Faye, known throughout the world for her... umm... hospitality. Filmmakers Penny Lane and Annmarie Lanesey are hosting two screenings on June 14th at Troy's recently re-opened Sanctuary for Independent Media, complete with the big band music of The Georgie Wonders Orchestra.

A rough cut of the film shown last year on Mame's birthday played to a standing room only crowd, so reservations are recommended.

Admission is $10. There's a $5 discount for folks who can't afford full price. You can make reservations via e-mail at amlanesey@gmail.com. Be sure to let them know which show you want to attend. Screenings are at 7 pm and 8:45 pm.

Earlier on AOA: The inside scoop on Troy's second most famous figure

Your movies on TV

So what you really want to do is direct? Well now there's a new way to get your films seen by local audiences. WMHT is tapping into the growing indie film scene in and around Albany with a series called Tv FILM. The deadline for entry is March 31. Filmmakers must reside in the WMHT viewing area. Sorry Mr. Scorsese.