Take 5 with ... "My Brooklyn"

As we gear up for the 10th anniversary Oxford Film Festival, we wanted to introduce you to the filmmakers and their films you will experience on Feb. 21-24, 2013. Meet Kelly Anderson, director of "My Brooklyn."

#1: In 140 characters or less, describe your movie and why someone should see it.
My Brooklyn explores the makeover of Brooklyn’s hippest strip, the Fulton Mall, exposing the hidden forces behind seemingly “normal” change.

#2: Biggest lesson learned in getting the film made? Best part in getting the film made?
I learned that following your gut instincts, and not trying to bend the the film to make it more "marketable," gives it a truer voice that will resonate better and ultimately make it more successful. I discovered that putting yourself in your film is risky and makes you vulnerable, but that sometimes it's more honest and that people appreciate that. The best part has been the amazing discussions that the film generates -- about cities, neighborhood change, race, history, politics and just what it means to be a good citizen of a community.

#3: Tell us about you. What is your movie making background?
I have made 6 or 7 docs and one narrative feature. They all deal with the intersection of big social issues and individual lives. They address issues ranging from police brutality to LGBT workplace rights to gentrification. A big range! My films have been on the PBS series POV, and also at festivals like Sundance and Tribeca. I most enjoy meeting the people who become characters in the film, and when people who see the film tell me it has opened their eyes to a new way of understanding the built environment and changed the way they see the cit around them.

#4: What's your dream distribution plan for the film?
That thousands of people in cities across the world see My Brooklyn, and that it helps empower the people who actually build cities, and maintain them, and live in them, to fight against the corporatization and privatization of urban spaces. I hope it gets many people to ask, "Who has a right to live in cities and determine their future?" and to lift up the voices of the regular citizens whose voices should be determining what the city looks like and who it caters to.

#5: What does the future hold in store for your film and for you?
This film is building from the buttom up, in a very grassroots way. It premiered at the Brooklyn Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award. Since then more than 2000 people here in NYC have seen it in churches, community spaces, even projected in a vacant lot! Now it's starting to catch on in other cities. Tonight it's playing in Oakland as part of a series about gentrification and development that explores the connections between Brooklyn and Oakland. New Day Films, my amazing cooperative distributor, is handling the educational sales. We are in the middle of a week-long theatrical run at reRun Theater in Dumbo, Brooklyn, and every single screening has been sold out so far. The film seems to be tapping into a serious popular sentiment about the way cities are transforming -- the sky's the limit for the film I think!

Take 5 with "Basically Frightened: The Musical Madness of Col. Bruce Hampton"

Michael Koepenick with Lincoln

As we gear up for the 10th anniversary Oxford Film Festival, we wanted to introduce you to the filmmakers and their films you will experience on Feb. 21-24, 2013. Meet Michael Koepenick, director/producer/editor of "Basically Frightened: The Musical Madness of Col. Bruce Hampton."

#1: In 140 characters or less, describe your movie and why someone should see it.
Find out why Billy Bob Thornton, Dave Matthews, and members of Phish, Widespread Panic, and the Dead are big fans of Colonel Bruce Hampton.

#2: Biggest lesson learned in getting the film made? Best part in getting the film made?
The biggest lesson learned is that you really can have too much of a good thing when you are trying to make a documentary under 90 minutes long.

The best part in getting this film made is to have it finished and seen by audiences after over a decade of too many trials and tribulations.


#3: Tell us about you. What is your movie making background?
This is my first feature length documentary as a filmmaker. I have been an editor since 1987 and have done countless short form TV spots, promos, interstitials, and a few long form television shows and indie features as well. I formed Guillotine Post in 1996 and have been operating it ever since and we recently started Guillotine Pictures to pursue musical documentaries and other creative projects.


#4: What's your dream distribution plan for the film?
We are just finishing our first DVD duplication run and are pursuing independent distribution through iTunes and on-line orders in our first phase. Later we hope to attract someone who can really get it out to the world and market it appropriately.


#5: What does the future hold in store for your film and for you?
Who knows what the future may hold for Basically Frightened: The Musical Madness of Colonel Bruce Hampton?
I'm currently pursuing a documentary on the life and times of Otis Redding and another on the Indigo Girls and their late '90's theatrical production of Jesus Christ Superstar: A Resurrection.
I also regularly edit spots and promos for broadcast television and for corporate clients.

Take 5 with ... "The Discoverers"

Justin Schwartz, on set

As we gear up for the 10th anniversary Oxford Film Festival, we wanted to introduce you to the filmmakers and their films you will experience on Feb. 21-24, 2013. Meet Justin Schwartz, writer/director of "The Discoverers"

#1: In 140 characters or less, describe your movie and why someone should see it.
@TheDiscoverers is a comedy about a family forced on a Lewis & Clark reenactment trek who discover themselves & each other along the way

#2: Biggest lesson learned in getting the film made? Best part in getting the film made?
I think it was Elia Kazan that said 90% of directing is casting. The Discoverers was extremely ambitious in scope and scale and it was only made possible by my amazing cast, crew, and creative collaborators. I had the privilege of working with a dream cast - from Griffin Dunne to Maddy Martin, Devon Graye, Stuart Margolin, Cara Buono, Ann Dowd, Dreama Walker, John C. McGinley, Scott Adsit, and David Rasche - who all brought a fresh perspective to their roles and embodied the careful blend of comedy and pathos that the film required. I would not have been able to make this film without my producer (and wife) Laura Kleger who shepherded the project from script to screen and stretched our budget in magical ways, my cameraman wizard Chris Blauvelt who’s unmatched at painting with light, my uber-talented production designer Kelly McGehee who brought our world to life, my editor Geraud Brisson who could argue with me for days over a cut, my composer Aaron Mirman and music-man Gregory Allen Isakov who imbued the film with a folksy warmth, our costume designer Kim Wilcox whose leathers and skins transported us back in time, our sound guru Ron Bochar who showed me that I could bring the same creative vision we strived for visually to our soundscape, and our miracle-worker producer Louise Lovegrove who steered our ship through thick and thin. While I had a very focused aesthetic vision for the film, I strived to create an environment where my collaborators could bring their ideas and challenge mine and I’m extremely proud of the work we did together and hope folks enjoy the film.

#3: Tell us about you. What is your movie making background?
The Discoverers is my writer/directorial feature debut. I went to Yale and got my MFA at Columbia University. I was a Student Academy Award Finalist and Kodak Emerging Filmmaker, and my award-winning films have screened at Cannes, MoMA, and festivals worldwide. I’ve taught film at Columbia University and The New School, was on the programming committee for the Slamdance Film Festival, and was selected for The Hamptons Int’l Film Festival Writer’s Lab, IFP’s No Borders Co-production Market, and IFP Selects at EFM’s 2013 American Independents showcase in Berlin. I currently live in New York City with my wife and infant son where I’m a partner at Quadratic Media and developing several feature film projects.

#4: What's your dream distribution plan for the film?
The Discoverers is repped by Josh Braun at Submarine Entertainment. We’ve received a lot of positive feedback from distributors since our Hamptons Int’l Film Festival premiere. We’ve also been impressed with the ways filmmakers have taken control of distribution to connect with audiences and are also exploring ways we can direct distribution ourselves like Emilio Estevez did so successfully with The Way.

#5: What does the future hold in store for your film and for you?
My wife and I gave birth to our first child two weeks before The Discoverers premiere, so I’m just getting back to writing after taking some time off. We’ve been invited to a lot of great festivals for 2013 so I look forward to meeting folks across the country. We hope to be in theaters by the end of the year in the meantime, I hope you all join our film adventures at www.facebook.com/TheDiscoverersMovie.

Take 5 with ... "Genrevolt"

As we gear up for the 10th anniversary Oxford Film Festival, we wanted to introduce you to the filmmakers and their films you will experience on Feb. 21-24, 2013. Meet Casey Dillard, writer/director/actor in "Genrevolt."

#1: In 140 characters or less, describe your movie and why someone should see it.
Guns, explosions, killers, romantic music, abs, pizza... there is literally something for everyone. And it will make you laugh.

#2: Biggest lesson learned in getting the film made? Best part in getting the film made?
This was a film where everything in the universe that could have gone wrong during filming did, but with a good team, anything is possible. That's the best lesson: When you surround yourself with great people, you can be in the most stressful circumstances and still pull off a good film without being at each others' throats. The best part was actually pulling it off. And the laughing.

#3: Tell us about you. What is your movie making background?
I've been acting and writing for years and once I had surrounded myself with competent and incredibly talented people I felt comfortable enough that they could give me a nudge in the right direction if I took at job partially at the helm.

#4: What's your dream distribution plan for the film?
As long as people see it and leave feeling a little bit better than they did before it screened, I feel OK about it. I guess in a perfect world it would get into Oscar booster fests and end up on Netflix and in five dollar bins everywhere, but as long as a few folks get to watch it, I'm happy.

#5: What does the future hold in store for your film and for you?
For me, hopefully more rewarding roles with more great directors, more stories and more growth. For the film, hopefully lots of receptive audiences and a lot of laughter.

Take 5 with ... "Don't Break Down"

As we gear up for the 10th anniversary Oxford Film Festival, we wanted to introduce you to the filmmakers and their films you will experience on Feb. 21-24, 2013. Meet Matt Meindl, director/editor/DP of "Don't Break Down."

#1: In 140 characters or less, describe your movie and why someone should see it.
My film playfully imagines an afterlife for the garbage in our ever-present urban environments. It's a strange + personal take on a subject that tends to be heavily politicized.

#2: Biggest lesson learned in getting the film made? Best part in getting the film made?
Despite the title, EVERYTHING broke down during production (myself included) — so I guess I learned that preventative gear maintenance is a really important thing. The best part of production was having an excuse to roam around the city all day long with a camera. I remember excitedly filming a discarded diaper in the street at dawn and thinking how great the light looked hitting it.

#3: Tell us about you. What is your movie making background?
I started out making monster movies as a teenager and slowly grew into a hodgepodge-y experimental filmer. Despite today's space age video technology, I still do most of my shooting on super 8 and 16mm film, and also record my own soundtracks with cheap-o instruments.

#4: What's your dream distribution plan for the film?
There aren't a lot of distro options for experimental shorts but there are some fests + venues that I've been trying to screen work at for years, so maybe "Don't Break Down" will be the one that goes the distance. If not though, Mom has assured me that I am a handsome, well-rounded young man with a lot to offer the world.

#5: What does the future hold in store for your film and for you?
Welp, my little film is all grown up now — ready to move out and find its place in the world. I wish it luck. I hope people are nice to it. Meanwhile, I'm finishing up a music video for a band called Way Yes and gathering ideas for a new short that will probably be shot on (gasp) video.

Take 5 with ... "Lanthanum"

Clay Hardwick

As we gear up for the 10th anniversary Oxford Film Festival, we wanted to introduce you to the filmmakers and their films you will experience on Feb. 21-24, 2013. Meet Clay Hardwick, director of "Lanthanum."

#1: In 140 characters or less, describe your movie and why someone should see it.
"Lanthanum" combines elements of a short film, music video, and experimental into a colorful journey of a homeless man discovering the red spirit of the deep forest. This is not your typical music video!

#2: Biggest lesson learned in getting the film made? Best part in getting the film made?
This was the first time that these four artist had worked together. Tre Pepper (as Loki) was the music behind the video, Clay Hardwick (as echomech) was the director, Adam Collier (as AJC) was the acting homeless man, and Peyton Wofford (as mor amora) was the creature and costume creator. The four minds came together to create something that we are all proud of. Everything was new and everything was learned! The final art piece that it is, is the best part in getting the film made.

#3: Tell us about you. What is your movie making background?
I have experience making music videos for a variety of regional bands, but this was only my second time to direct a narrative of my very own. I worked for PBS for two years and have freelanced in video production as a videographer and editor for over six years. I also paint religiously which greatly influenced this project.
I've participated in film festivals before, winning the "Ruma Award" and Best Music Video at Crossroads Film Festival, a Davey Award, and nominated for a regional Emmy award, while participating in many other film fesitvals.

#4: What's your dream distribution plan for the film?
This will be released online as promotional for Loki, the recording artist behind the video. We also will show it around film festivals in the region and at live concerts.
I'm hoping this will bring a lot of individual admire and attention to the tallented, featured artists: Tre Pepper (as Loki), Adam Collier (as AJC), and Peyton Wofford (as mor amora).
Ultimately this video is ART! It was created for the sake of experimentation of the process, as well as expression of the story that it shares.

#5: What does the future hold in store for your film and for you?
This video will serve as a promotional tool for the featured artists, Tre Pepper (as Loki), Adam Collier (as AJC), and Peyton Wofford (as mor amora).
I will be creating more and more art in 2013 as a video artist and painter. I hope this film can pave the way!

Take 5 with "Oxford Sessions"

Danny Klimetz

As we gear up for the 10th anniversary Oxford Film Festival, we wanted to introduce you to the filmmakers and their films you will experience on Feb. 21-24, 2013. Meet Danny Klimetz, Oxford Sessions director/DP/Camera 1 (depending on the episode).

#1: In 140 characters or less, describe your movie and why someone should see it.
Oxford Sessions are recordings done unplugged and in a location unique to every artist.

#2: Biggest lesson learned in getting the film made? Best part in getting the film made?
Our own personal concerts with some of the best unsigned & undiscovered musicians located right here in our very own little town. As well as getting to meet folks traveling through Oxford with an intrest in sharing their music.

#3: Tell us about you. What is your movie making background?
Oxford Sessions is actually comprised of four members. Myself, I am very very new new to film making. My background is in still photography, but a lot of the basics carry over! We hope though that this leads to larger scripted or planned shoots.

#4: What's your dream distribution plan for the film?
No plans for distribution. We hope that more and more people discover this project and it spreads like wildfire!

#5: What does the future hold in store for your film and for you?
More great artists! The best thing for us and this project, would be if one of these artists were to get signed and get a record deal! Saweet!!