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Posted in December
Guest Filmmaker, New Venue, Dates for 2009 Louisiana Film Festival Announced:: November 12th
The Fifth Annual Louisiana Film Festival - Student Division will be held April 3rd and 4th, 2009 in its brand new home at the Robinson Film Center. Centenary College and the Robinson Film Center are co-sponsoring next year's festival with support from Charitable Film Network, Louisiana Division of the Arts and the Shreveport Regional Arts Council. This exciting and inspiring event is Louisiana's only film festival dedicated exclusively to showcasing the original work of K-12 students. This year, the festival is pleased to host guest filmmaker Celia Carey, producer and director of last year's PBS documentary Mr. Dial Has Something To Say (Golden Eagle Award winner at the 2007 CINE International Film Festival) as well as the Emmy-winning 2005 documentary The Quiltmakers of Gee's Bend. Ms. Carey, a graduate of Columbia University's prestigious journalism school, has worked for National Geographic Television and is an accomplished photojournalist and writer in addition to having won nine Emmys as a director and producer. You can see some of Ms. Carey's work at her website.
The festival is currently seeking sponsors willing to help underwrite costs associated with programming, presenting, and marketing this annual event. If you are interested in learning more about how your company or organization can benefit from a partnership with the Louisiana Film Festival, please contact Will Bryant, Media Educator at (318) 459-4119.
To request promotional materials for the 2008 fest, e-mail wbryant@robinsonfilmcenter.org or mglaros@centenary.edu.
2008 Festival DVDs Available Soon:: October 1st
2008 festival compilation DVD's will be available soon! One complimentary DVD set will be sent to each group, team, or individual who submitted a film to the 2008 festival (one complimentary DVD set per submission).
If you would like to purchase additional copies of the 2008 Louisiana Film Festival DVD, you can pre-order from Will Bryant at the Robinson Film Center: (318) 459-4119.
2008 Guest Filmmaker Announced:: March 13th
The Student Division of the Louisiana Film Festival is pleased to announce that Tom Putnam will be this year's guest filmmaker. Putnam will screen his film Tom Hits His Head on Friday April 4 and he will also offer a workshop to all interested student filmmakers on Saturday April 5.
Tom Putnam has been recognized as one of the "New Faces of Independent Film" by Filmmaker Magazine and is a recipient of the Independent Feature Project (IFP) Fast Track Award. He recently completed producing and directing the World War II documentary Red, White, Black & Blue. The feature premiered at the 2006 Locarno International Film Festival, where it was the only American film chosen to be part of the festival's prestigious Critic's Week section. Red, White, Black & Blue had its U.S. broadcast premiere on PBS November 6.
Putnam also wrote, produced, and directed the short film phenomenon Tom Hits His Head, which has played over 200 international film festivals -- more than any other short film in history. Tom Hits His Head qualified for Academy Award consideration and won 15 major awards, including the Spirit of Slamdance at the Slamdance Film Festival and Grand Jury Prize at Aspen Shortsfest, the world's premier short film festival. Tom Hits His Head has been broadcast on PBS and HBO, released theatrically in Europe, and is now available on home video through Vanguard Home Entertainment.
A graduate of the University of Southern California's School of Cinema-Television, Putnam is a partner in the Los Angeles-based production company Three-Headed Monster with fellow USC classmates Michael Harbour and Jeff Malmberg.
Tom Hits His Head
Tom Hits His Head is an 11 minute dark comedy that reminds us that short films are an art form of their own rather than simply time-constrained feature films. At a total budget of $2500, it also proves you can design a film to fit within a budget and not sacrifice a thing. Tom Hits His Head is a stellar film -- sensitive, funny, sad, sometimes painful but always entertaining -- and it would not be any better for having more money spent on it. It is, in its own way, perfect.
The film, inspired by writer/director Thomas Putnam's real life, follows a young man named Tom who, after suffering a blow to the head, descends into a long period of crippling anxiety. The film uses a low-key narration over wonderfully creative visuals to chronicle the many ways in which Tom's life is turned around as he descends further and further into madness. The combination sets a tone that is both deadly serious and comically light-hearted, allowing the audience to safely explore the world of fear, paranoia, and delusion Tom finds himself swallowed up in. You probably won't see a better depiction of mental illness on the screen and you definitely won't find one so charming.
The techies will also be interested to know that the film's many visual effects were all done in camera (including one composed shot). The choice of using color reversal stock certainly saved money, but the look it gave the film was no compromise; on the contrary, the graininess, contrast, and surreal color all add to the sense of disorientation Tom is experiencing. Everyone who works on low-budget films will benefit from seeing how all of the elements of this film work together to tell a compelling story without breaking anyone's bank. (Chase Gordon)