John Wildman

Skye McLennan takes over for SLO Film Fest, announces 2022 dates and Call For Entries

By John Wildman 5 years ago

Paul Metchik, president of the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival Board of Directors, credited Eidson with many individual achievements, such as holding the first Surf Nite at the Fremont Theater featuring Riding Giants, initiating the Filmmakers of Tomorrow youth competition, staging “Hollywood and Vine’’ events that paid homage to the Festival’s beginnings as a classic film festival, and screening Citizen Kane in 2015 at the Hearst Castle private screening room, garnering worldwide attention.

Lane Michael Stanley’s Addict Named Hal leads awards for Big Bear Film Summit 2021 wraps celebratory 2nd year and first in-person outing with filmmaker awards

By John Wildman 5 years ago

Co-Founders Gabriel Horn and Michael P Hanson, said, “As filmmakers AND film fans ourselves, it was a thrill to see this this weekend instantly become a joyous coming together of the people who make the films with the people who love the films. Big Bear once again lived up to its reputation as a place that embraces the moviemaking spirit, with a rustic setting that is beloved by the people that make those movies. Our award winners exemplified that spirit, both with their wonderful films and with how they immediately felt at home in this amazing locale. We absolutely expect to see several of them returning to make their next films here.”

Kat Albert’s Lake Travis Film Festival rolls out the red carpert for 2021 Filmmakers: Lisa Belcher, Hellin Kay, Chantelle James, Olivia Nash, Joel Mendez-Zarate, Lincoln Edwards, and more!

By John Wildman 5 years ago

Kat Albert’s Lake Travis Film Festival has A LOT of ambitions. And founded and directed by a woman who is a filmmaker herself, those ambitions have an eye toward what filmmakers want and hope for in a film festival. And one of those things is getting attention for themselves and their films. Therefore, in its second year, LTFF literally rolled out the red carpet. In fact, while Lake Travis is adjacent to Austin, this was the first red carpet that city has seen since the pandemic had shut things down as far as in-person tests were concerned last year. And Austin has got a couple other film festivals that people pay attention to from what we hear.

Alex Gavin ‘s THE TURN OF THE SCREW: Lake Travis FF 2021 Interview: the challenges of making a horror film for people who don’t like horror

By John Wildman 5 years ago

In the interview, we talk about making horror movies for people that don’t like horror. We also talk about “using the space” cinematically – in this case shooting a film on a stage (or making us think we are on a stage) and making it interesting, if not frightening, as well as utilizing the sound design to also enhance those efforts. We also discuss the work of Greer Phillips to pull off a performance that had so many challenges to make it all work on so many levels.

Ilir Pristine’s FLORRIE interview at Lake Travis FF 2021 — talks about not spoon feeding audiences and the crime of shooting a black & white film

By John Wildman 5 years ago

In the interview, we talked about trusting the audience and not spoon feeding them plot points and character beats and allowing them to “solve the puzzle”. We also talk about editors saving our lives. And there is the inevitable discussion about the blowback he got for shooting in black and white (Spoiler: One distributor told him to “Go to hell.” And hung up on him.)

Chris White’s Electric Jesus Opens Waco’s Deep in the Heart Film Festival 2021 returns to theaters in July with VINYL NATION and its special themed shorts programs

By John Wildman 5 years ago

Deep in the Heart FF co-founders and directors Samuel Thomas and Louis Hunter, said, “Last year was an important step in our film festival’s continued growth as this city and area’s primary presentation of new film discoveries, but it will be incredibly exciting and fulfilling to welcome film fans back into the theater and give our filmmakers that interaction with audiences that is so vital to their development as artists.

Sevgi Hirschäuser’s Toprak leads 2021 Lake Travis Film Festival awards and wraps up gangbusters 2nd edition

By John Wildman 5 years ago

Lake Travis Film Festival Founder and Executive Director, Kat Albert, said, “We didn’t go into the second year with huge expectations, but we were blown away by the sheer numbers of the audiences and attending filmmakers. Obviously, people missed the connection of seeing films together and the magic of meeting the people behind the curtains.”

Laura Galt, Malibu Taetz, Duncan Putney, Melissa Kirkendall’s : Lake Travis Film Fest 2021 Interview: Shorts #2 – Five shorts directors find what connects us all when we make short films

By John Wildman 5 years ago

This is quite the group of films and filmmakers (from the Lake Travis Film festival) to wrangle into one interview space (four narrative, 0ne narrative/doc hybrid, and one documentary), but it highlights the vast range that short films can demonstrate both as entertainment, in style, ambition, approach…everything really. In the interview, we talked about the question that is always my go-to with shorts filmmakers, and that is “Why did you make a short film, let alone this one?”. We also talk about the discipline that goes into making shorts, due to time constraints, including learning to cut things that we love, but need to lose for the good of the film overall.

Lake Travis Film Fest 2021 Interview: SHORTS #1 women directors talk financing and harmonious sets

By John Wildman 5 years ago

The three shorts screened as part of the 2021 Lake Travis Film Festival and in the interview, we talk about (as I frequently ask shorts filmmakers) why they are bothering making a short film. (Spoiler: we talk about “proof of concept” a lot.) We also talk about the challenges filmmaking-wise specific to being a woman and how to get financing is routinely a bigger hurdle than the actual movie making. They also talk about the value of picking their crew members wisely to foster a supportive set filled with collaborators who point to them as the leader of the project.