Living in Los Angeles and working in the very insular world of film and entertainment, it is easy to become complacent about the plight of "everyone else" as I heard someone refer to the very large group of men, women and children who live on the "luxury" of minimum wage taking care of the kids, lawns, houses and restaurant tables in this city. The people that we don't see, but can't function without, are just that, people. They work hard to feed their families and struggle to give their children a better life than they had with as much dignity as "we" allow them. End of rant.

Watching and listening to the kids who walked out of their classrooms in protest saying that they were inspired by the film WALKOUT (that is currently airing on HBO) I couldn't help but think about the influence of art, especially film, on life and culture and vice versa. Filmmakers have often been the ones to sound the horn on issues that the people who could actually make real change were afraid or couldn't be bothered to. George Clooney may have had a point. Did people see black maids differently when Hattie McDaniel won her Oscar in 1939? Did they look at Vietnam from a different point of view when they saw Apocalypse Now or think about how AIDS can happen to "them" because Tom Hanks portrayed a lawyer with it and won an Oscar? I would like to think so but I am not sure. All I know is that a temporary spotlight is better than no light at all.

One of my favorite filmmakers of all time, British director Ken Loach, has made a career of making films that put a spotlight on the plight of the oppressed. A social realist who is always concerned with the essential truth of the matter at hand rather than what surrounds it, Loach has always forced his audience to not only look inside the world of outsiders but to live in it. Early films like KES, LADYBIRD, LADYBIRD, and RIFF RAFF focused on the plight of the poor and disenfranchised within British society. Later work, like CARLA'S SONG, BREAD AND ROSES and AE FOND KISS looked at the many issues that face immigrants, like finding a job, keeping a job and what happens when you step outside of what is expected of you. Ironically, BREAD AND ROSES, about immigrants who become union organizers in Los Angeles is the only film by Loach made in the US and starring a very well known actor, Adrien Brody.

I am not sure if any of Loach's films have made a difference legislatively. I do know that they most certainly have made a difference in the way that I think about what it means to be an outsider and how I as an insider can help make positive change.

Keeping it indie,
Julie

PS: Most of Ken Loach's films are available on DVD. Check one or two out and let me know what you think.

A Friend in Need

Did you know more than 33 million Americans are currently living without life insurance? It's no secret that healthcare in this country has very limited access. Usually when you look at those numbers, the assumption is mostly the poor. But a large number are working professionals who work in the entertainment industry—artists, crew people, actors, musicians, photographers, event support, waiters... the list goes on and on. While many try to stay healthy, if something serious happens, what do you do?

This was the case for Deryl Davis, a friend and member of the indie film community, who was recently diagnosed with Lymphoma. Like many in the film community, Deryl does not have health coverage. But luckily, he has a lot of good friends...

The Davis Project was developed to help assist the Davis family with Deryl's medical expenses. Formed by a group of film professionals, there will be an ongoing online auction via eBay full of lots of enticing items to bid on. The auction will launch on March 23, so stay tuned and lend a hand.

For more information on The Davis Project, go to www.thedavisproject.org or use the following contact information:

Monetary Donations—donate@thedavisproject.org
Auction/Item Donations —auction@thedavisproject.org

Long live indie film,

Michelle

So here it is...the debut of my monthly column, "From the Middle of the 6th row." To me, there is nothing better than the image which is why I have started out this new series with cinematography. For those of you who don't know, cinematography is technically the discipline of making lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for the cinema. Etymologically, it means "writing in the movement", from the French word cinéma, shortened from cinématographe, the camera invented by the Lumière brothers in the 1890s.

It is one of the most essential jobs on any film set and the choices made by the cinematographer (sometimes called the director of photography) can make something a masterpiece or a piece of shit. It is closely related to still photography and you can see that influence in a number of the cinematographers work in some recent indie (and some not so indie releases).

George Clooney's Good Night, and Good Luck was shot by Robert Elswit who also shot Magnolia and Boogie Nights for Paul Thomas Anderson. Each of these films have multiple characters who are almost always in constant motion. They live in the "densely packed moments" that are reminiscent of the great photographer Gary Winogrand.

Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain was shot by Rodrigo Prieto who also shot Oliver Stone's Alexander and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's Amores Perros and 21 Grams. These films, though, seemingly different on the surface are all films that deal with intimate moments within the scope of vast environments so familiar in Walker Evans' work.

Phil Morrison's Junebug was shot by Phil Donahue who has previously shot documentaries for Errol Morris such as The Fog of War. Junebug is a film shot in a way that holds the life of each character in the image. There a long shots of a bicycle on a lawn, of a woman standing on a corner, of a character's face. Each of these images telling a hidden story just beneath the surface. No photographer did that better than Diane Arbus.

I could go on forever but you get the picture (no pun intended).

In case you were wondering about the name of this series - it is my favorite place in a theater to watch a film (well, that is until recently but that is for a later blog). In any case, I am what you call a "close-sitter." I didn't start out that way. In fact I was, up until about 8 years ago, a "middle to far back" person. Everything changed for me though, my first year attending the Sundance Film Festival. I walked into the massive Eccles Theatre and saw one of the indie film industry's most well known and respected people, film consultant and producer, Bob Hawk. With his characteristic warmth, he called out and waved to me from his seat in the middle of the first row. As I was sitting much further back, I walked up the aisle to chat. I asked him how he could sit so close to the screen. His answer," The more movies you see, the closer you sit." This was from a man who saw hundreds of films a year at festivals all over the world. I was just starting out my programming career. I think the middle to back would be just fine for me. Sure enough, as my years of programming and number of films increased, I got closer and closer to the screen. Never will I be in Bob Hawk's league but I now wave to him from my seat in middle of the 6th row.

This monthly will hopefully take its own shape and form as it goes along but that doesn't mean I don't want to hear your comments or suggestions for future pieces. If there is a topic you are interested in and want to see more about it on this blog or on indieIN as a whole, please don't hesitate to get in touch. You can email me at julie@indieIN.com.

Next month: Music. I think :)

Keeping it indie,
Julie

March Madness

It seems like the past couple of months, all we've heard about is the awards. Who won, who lost, who was robbed. But now it's time to discover the movies that we'll be talking about all year long. Film festivals are perfect way to discover new films and March offers plenty of opportunity to do so. If you are in of these cities, or if you want to get away for the weekend, check out these great festivals.

South By Southwest - Austin
The 13th annualSouth By SouthwestFilm Festival held in conjunction with the music Festival. SXSW offers a ton of activities, including interactive panels, film conference, and a trade show and exhibition. Premieres at this year's fest includes A Prairie Home Companion, Autumn Eyes, The Last Western.

San Francisco Asian American Film Festival
The 24th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival is the largest showcase of Asian American and Asian cinema in North America. With over 120 films and videos over 11 days in three cities (San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose) there's something for everyone.

Cleveland International Film Festival
This Cleveland Festival opens on March 16th with Akeelah and the Bee, starring Angela Bassett. To get a preview of what else this festival has to offer, check out their podcast at www.cfspodcast.org.

River Run International Film Festival
The RiverRun International Film Festival is one of the premier film festivals in the Southeast, held annually at the North Carolina School of the Arts. The Fest was founded by Gennaro D'Onofrio, and his children Elizabeth and Vincent, a huge supporter of indie film. This year's fest presents an impressive selection including Take the Lead and The Legend of Lucy Keyes.

This is just a glimpse at what is going on at these festivals. For more information and for a complete list of Festivals, go to our INFestival section.

And filmmakers, don't forget. We offer free film listings, so sign up today!

Long live indie film,

Michelle

Behind-the-Scenes at the Spirit Awards

As promised, here is my wrap-up of the 2006 Independent Spirit Awards that were heldyesterday on a sunny and thankfully warm day for early March in a tent at the beach in Santa Monica. As in years past, the Spirit Awards (presented by Film Independent) was a casual affair with most celebs and industry insiders clad in jeans and sunglasses with the requisite cocktail accessory. The paparazzi was in full force and the fans who line up "outside the ropes" seem to have tripled in size hoping to catch a glimpse of indie film veterans and stars like Philip Seymour Hoffman, Maggie Gyllenhaal and of course, the Olsen twins. Yes, my friends, the Olsen twins have become the biggest stars on the indie film circuit. Clad in some sort of waif-like wispy fabric, these two young ladies were the talk of backstage. Everywhere you went, you heard someone asking in hushed reverent tones, "Did you see the Olsen twins?" No matter that standing right next to that person was Sean Penn having a smoke break or the fact that the unbelievably great David Strathairn did not seem that interested in the Gift Lounge (unlike another nominee who was beside himself hustling all the free swag). This year's Spirit Awards was also a little anti-climatic in the sense that looking at the nominees, everyone sort of knew who was going to win before the winner was actually announced. The fact that for the first time (possibly ever) the Spirit Award nominees and the Oscar nominees are almost mirror images of each other put a rather subdued tone on this year's show. Though Film Independent is an organization that in the words of Executive Director Dawn Hudson is all about""providing access" to indie filmmakers with "75% of the Spirit Award nominees not nominated by the Academy," the winners (listed below) were all pretty much what will most likely happen at the Academy Awards tonight. On a positive note, I would like to think that perhaps this is a sign towards the beginning of a new revolution in the indie film industry as I think that we all need to start re-examining what truly defines independent. The old definition doesn't exactly fit anymore. Perhaps host Sarah Silverman put it best in her very funny (and very blue) monologue, "The Spirit Awards are here to support struggling artists like Ang Lee and George Clooney."

The awards will be re-telecast on IFC over the course of the next week so check you local listings. If you are looking for a clean version of the show, check it out on AMC as I believe they will be editing out the many many "fucks" that seemed prevalent in not only winner Felicity Huffman's acceptance speech but a number of others.

Here is a complete list of the winners:

Best Feature: "Brokeback Mountain"
Producers: Diana Ossana and James Schamus

Best Director: Ang Lee, "Brokeback Mountain"

Best Screenplay: Dan Futterman, "Capote"

Best First Feature: "Crash"
Director: Paul Haggis
Producers: Cathy Schulman, Don Cheadle, Bob Yari, Mark R. Harris, Bobby Moresco, Paul Haggis

Best First Screenplay: Duncan Tucker, "Transamerica"

John Cassavetes Award: "Conventioneers"
(For the Best Feature made for under $500,000)
Director: Mora Stephens
Writers: Mora Stephens and Joel Viertel
Producer: Joel Viertel

Best Supporting Female: Amy Adams, "Junebug"

Best Supporting Male: Matt Dillon, "Crash"

Best Female Lead: Felicity Huffman, "Transamerica"

Best Male Lead: Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Capote"

Best Cinematography: Robert Elswit, "Good Night, and Good Luck"

Best Foreign Film: "Paradise Now"
Director: Hany Abu-Assad

Best Documentary: "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room"
Director: Alex Gibney

AMC/American Express Producers Award: Caroline Baron, "Capote", "Monsoon Wedding"
($25,000 unrestricted grant -- honors producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality independent films.)

IFC/Acura Someone To Watch Award: Ian Gamazon and Neill Dela Llana, "Cavite"
($25,000 unrestricted -- honors a director of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition.)

Truer Than Fiction Award: Ian Olds and Garrett Scott, "Occupation: Dreamland"
($25,000 unrestricted -- presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features.)