Bayou City Film News

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Received this info about something new coming to SXSW Film Festival a few day ago and had to share it. New for 2013, SXSW Film introduces the Come & Capture Film Factory , an event that allows participants to explore and interact with the newest tools for capturing and creating content. Each day will begin with panel discussions, workshops, and demos, and round out with the opportunity for registrants to tinker with a pavilion of products. Registrants are encouraged to come in to sample a range of filmmaking products, go out each day and capture their experiences at SXSW. They can then share their finished work with the SXSW community through SXSW’s online channels, including here, on the official festival website. The event takes place from Saturday, March 9 - Tuesday, March 12, 2013, at the Stephen F. Austin Intercontinental Hotel, Capital Ballroom, Section B. The daily schedule is as follows: 11:00 AM - Panel Discussion 12:30 PM - Workshop/Hands-on Session 2:00 PM-6:0...

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Students from the Art Institute of Houston will showcase their latest short films and commercials. Come support talented local filmmakers and their cast and crew along with friends, family and professors Saturday September 22nd 7pm-10pm. "Timeless" ...Allen Taylor Seeing our times, a young woman must make a choice. "A Fresh Stack" Hannah Byars The story of a young man that goes out of his way to bring home the one thing his pregnant and moody wife ask for. A simple miscommunication leads him to have bitten off more than he could chew. "Friendship Club" Eric Martin A friendship club meeting leads a young high schooler to question everything she thought she knew and could cause the loss of an important new relationship. "Paradox Resolved" John Huslage A man gains the ability to travel through time and will use it in order to try and save his fiancee, thus altering his past. "Flyleaf" Lawrence McGaffie A young homeless...

 Mind of the Enemy staring Clem Ohameze, Chidi Mokeme, Jim Lawson, Van Vicker and Susan Nwokedi is a story about a man's quest to bring great changes to his country. When a good man wins the presidential race, the defeated current president decides to take back the country by all means necessary. However, an unlikely savior derails the plot. The race is on for the office of the president. Who will win? Mind of the Enemy is written and produced by Susan Nwokedi and directed by Van Vicker.

www.swamp.org

Raven Films entered this short film into the 48 Hour Film Project 2012. 72 teams participated in the contest and only 60 teams completed films that were eligible for awards. Crackerjack is the story of three brothers in the 1930's deep south, their altercation with a psychopath and one of the brother's love for a woman he intends to marry. All of them get mixed up into one giant ordeal as the three brothers struggle to fix the conflict. On Thursday, July 26th Raven films took home 11 awards for this film including: -Audience Favorite Group A -Best Costumes -Best Writing -Best Song -Best Musical Score -Best Sound Design -Best Editing -Creepiest Villain -Best Actor (James Glen Tucker) -Best Director -Best Film "Crackerjack" will screen in Hollywood next Spring as part of Filmapalooza 2013 - our final event of the tour. They will represent Houston vying against 100+ films from around the globe!! 

Houston produced feature film "Jacob" will screen at this years Montreal Horrorfest, part of Montreal Comiccon September 14 thru 16, 2012. The feature film originally screened in Houston earlier this year during Worldfest Houston, International Film Festival. Lonely and disturbed Jacob Kell loved his little sister more than anything on earth. When tragedy strikes, Jacob retaliates the only way he knows how…and anyone who crosses his path will know there is no limit to his brutal vengeance. Check out the trailer for the film.

This was one of the best films screened  at Houston's 48 Hour Film Project awards event.

I recently had a chance to sit down and talk to Houston filmmaker Dallas Box. The young filmmaker recently released a new short film titled "Stand," which follows a African American teen from being shy and withdrawn through his transformation as he confronts the bullies from his school and triumphs in the end. The idea for the film was given to him from a former co-worker where the teen has to go through the process of standing up for himself. Dallas' favorite parts of the story were actually the scenes where the teen is in his bathroom getting prepared to do what he has to do. We also talked about his thought process for making a film in which he says the following. Ben Franklin said something along the lines of, “The door to education never closes” and I add, “DSLR are extremely cheap to experiment with. Everyone should shoot as much as possible. Even if the camera is only rolling for a few seconds on a dying insect… the stories that life presents us are cons...

8th Annual Business of Film Conference Everything you need to know presented by experienced professionals in the industry Stay up-to-date on our Business of Film Facebook Page! SCHEDULE – Dates Added! Thursday, September 6th: Screening of independent feature film PIG Produced by Conference speaker Mark Stolaroff, Q&A after screening Open to the public! Alamo Drafthouse – Mason Park Friday, September 7th: Speakers arrive. Members only Welcome Party with speakers. Saturday, September 8th: 9:30am – 4:30pm 8th Annual Business of Film Conference! Rice Media Center Located on corner of Stockton and University, Entrance 8 on the Rice University Campus **Do not park in the RMC parking lot, you will be ticketed! Credit card parking available in the Rice Visitor Lots (follow signs) or free parking available in surrounding neighborhood. Speaker confirmed! Paul Bright will discuss Niche Marketing and Audience Building! Wr...

Co-Sponsored by Houston Film Commission and Writer and Director Cash Anthony WIFT-Houston brings Texas Filmmaker Ya'ke Smith to Houston for a one-day seminar Directing Actors For Film.   Great visuals - Compelling story - Interesting Visual effects: Although each of these are important in the creation of a great film, the one thing that stands above them all... is the actor in the frame. This workshop will examine the director/actor relationship and explore the ways in which film directors can get compelling performances out of their actors. By analyzing various directing techniques, including script analysis, rehearsal strategies, beat-by-beat breakdowns, staging and effective acting exercises, each director will walk away with a deeper knowledge of what it means to connect with an actor and unlock their creative intuition. Film directors looking to hone their skills in the art of eliciting complex, heartfelt performances from actors will find this class useful. Widely ...

Fast Forward and Rewind through the streets of Houston,Texas

I usually don't post videos like this, normally it's trailers for features and short created by Texas filmmakers. But I decided to give a shout out to some Houston talent featured in this Fuddruckers spot. Casting was done by Dolores Jackson and features talent from Pastorini/Bosby and A+ Actors, both Houston based talent agencies.

AS LONG AS I REMEMBER: AMERICAN VETERANOS By San Antonio filmmaker Laura Varela   Friday, June 22nd 6:00pm - 7:30pm Military History Museum 3302 Canal @ Sampson FREE!   AS LONG AS I REMEMBER: AMERICAN VETERANOS examines the steep personal toll and enduring legacy of the Vietnam War on three artists from south Texas: visual artist Juan Farias, author Michael Rodriguez and actor/poet Eduardo Garza. Through the personal histories and experiences of these Chicano veterans, the film examines the role art plays in the sorting of memories, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), activism and the current conflict in Iraq. For more information visit http://www.swamp.org/

The Houston Film Commission released this years winners list for the annual Texas Filmmakers Showcase. "Cinnamon" by Timothy Edwards - Austin TX "Into The South" by Micah Robert Barber - Austin TX "Mentiroso" by Will Shipley - San Antonio TX "Once It Started It Could Not End Otherwise" by Kelly Sears - Galveston TX "The Order Of Things" by Chris Spisak - Houston TX "The Whale" by Jaime Chapin - Denton TX "Z And Beau" by Carlyn Hudson - Austin TX The selected projects for the 2012 Texas Filmmakers Showcase premiering at the DGA Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday June 24th, 2012. The Texas Filmmakers Showcase is a special screening event consisting of the best of Texas short films and videos under 40 minutes in length, presented to studio executives, agents and producers in the Hollywood film community. The filmmakers whose projects are selected to participate will be flown from Texas to Los Ang...

With over thirty years experience in the technical, visual and production aspects of film, television, CGI and traditional photography, a career that encompasses every type of film/video production including feature films, television series, animation, video games, documentaries, commercials, visual effects, and Imax films, Bruce Block is truly one of the Masters of Film. Mr. Block teaches at USC's School of Cinematic Arts and at AFI. His Hollywood credits include HOW DO YOU KNOW (2010), THE HOLIDAY (2006), SPANGLISH (2004), SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE (2003), WHAT WOMEN WANT (2000), AS GOOD AS IT GETS (1997), and PRETTY IN PINK (1986). He consults on projects for companies such as Disney Animation Studio, Dreamworks Animation Studio, EA Games, Google, Hasbro Toys, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Lucasfilm Ltd., Nickelodeon, Pixar... So what is Visual Structure? Just as a writer is concerned with story structure, a moviemaker must be concerned with visual structure. Vi...

The Houston-based entertainment production companies, T-CAT Films, AMBITION Entertainment and iBELIEVE Enterprises, are currently in preparation for a June Movie Premiere at AMC 30 - Dunvale for the feature film “Because I Love You”, a crime drama that will keep you on edge. To include an Official After Party at the Drake. The crime drama “Because I Love You” is helmed by acclaimed filmmaker Joseph A. Elmore Jr. With over 10 years in the industry, Elmore, an award winning Writer/Director began his film career as a screenwriter. His first feature was the award winning Docu-Drama "Water's Rising," released on DVD in April, 2007. Joseph followed up with the romantic comedy, “Speed Dating”, which won the 2010 audience choice award in the Pan African Film Festival. Serving as Executive Producers are Theta Catalon, Erick Edmonds and Tonyai Palmer. They are producing the crime drama alongside Elmore and Barry Strickland. “Because I Love You” stars “Half & Ha...

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THE 3RD ANNUAL   ASK THE AGENTS, MANAGERS, AND CASTING DIRECTORS Page Parkes Talent and WIFT Houston provide you with the chance to hear from LA and NY professionals to tell you how it really is in the business, and even how things have changed since our discussion in May 2011. About the Panelists BOB LUKE has been a professional acting coach and casting consultant for film, TV, and stage projects across the country, and a personal manager on both coasts. "The Cosby Show," Ron Howard films, Mel Gibson, Meryl Streep, and Wes Craven, and NY soaps are on his coaching list. Luke has worked with several of the voices in the live action feature "Racing Stripes," including Whoopi Goldberg, Joe Pantoliano, and Mandy Moore. He has discovered and guided many to stardom, including supermodels, professional athletes, and numerous Miss USA's. His clients have won awards from the Daytime Emmy to the Oscar. ROBERT HAAS has been a top age...

WorldFest-Houston, the third longest-running International Film Festival in North America, celebrated the conclusion of its 10-day run of film, fun and fanfare in its 45th annual independent film showcase with a 17% increase in box-office! With two engaging luminaries receiving the WorldFest Remi Lifetime Achievement Award this year, Louis Gossett, Jr. on opening weekend and the inimitable Sally Kirkland on closing, WorldFest bookended this year's 45th edition and wrapped on a high note of Puerto Rican Sonia Fritz's poignant film América to a full house of delighted Houston film buffs. During the 10-day event, John Savage (Caporale's The Black Dove)and Erin Gray (Jerry Deal's Dreams Awake)flew in to lend their support for the world premiere screenings of their respective Indie-produced films. The WorldFest 2012 Grand Remi Statuette Awards went to: BEST THEATRICAL FEATURE ~ CHINESE TAKE AWAY (Un Cuento Chino) Argentina, Sebastián Borensztein, represented by ...

Deputy Director of the Houston Film Commission, Alfred Cervantes be moderating the Q&A for the 6:30PM Screening @ AMC 30 on Friday 4/27 of this Spirit Award nominated, self distributed indie IN THE FAMILY by Houston native Patrick Wang. This "remarkably fresh and unpredictable drama" and "one of the most accomplished and undersold directorial debuts" was rejected by 30 film festivals until it's premiere at Hawaii Film Festival in Oct. 2011 and is now on a scheduled self release run around the country. Official Website: http://inthefamilythemovie.com/

The 45th annual Worldfest Houston International Film Festival is in the books. Hunter Todd and crew had another successful run at the AMC Dunvale. Unfortunately for me and my crazy schedule I could only got the chance to see three of the features films screen this year. First up was Shawn Wellings feature film "The Messenger." The documentary follows the lives of a few of Bolivar Penensula colorful charachters leading up to the brutal devastation of hurricane Ike. Welling also screened a trailer for for his upcoming feature "The Legends of Darkhouse County" and another project AXI (Avengers of Xtreme Illusions) Next we got a chance to screen Brandon Stephens feature film "Enemy of the Mind." Stephens feature follows police detectives as they try to solve a string of murders happening to close to home. The trailer for "Emeny of the Mind" is posted below. The picture posted is of Stephens (r) with co-writer and star of the film Manny Rey. A...

Houston-based filmmaker Mike Akel (Chalk) returns to the MFAH with his latest feature. An Ordinary Family is a humorous drama about one family, two brothers, and a really big problem. The Biedermans’ annual family reunion gets rocky when Seth arrives with his new boyfriend. No one bats an eye except his brother Thomas, a married man of the cloth. Despite a well-meaning attempt to surprise everyone, things do not go as planned, throwing Thomas and the family into an awkward, week-long vacation where everyone has problems and no one wants to talk about them. “If Chalk was a playfully funny film, then An Ordinary Family is a bittersweet one, with Akel again emphasizing an easy rapport between his characters that seems remarkably akin to real life.” —Los Angeles Film Festival "An Ordinary Family" screens on April 21, 2012 @ 7:00 PM

Special Thanks to crew at Who's Hou for this video. Deputy Director of the Houston Film Commission Alfred Cervantes talks about the benefits of filmming in Houston, TX.

Houston showed up last Thursday night to catch the world premiere screening of MIchelle Mower's first feature film "The Preacher's Daughter." Mower's film screened to a capacity crowd at the River Oaks Theater. Movie goers also got the chance to see Houston filmmaker Nick Mann's teaser trailer for his short film "Write Your Way Out"  "The Preacher's Daughter" stars Andrea Bowen, Julie from "Desparate Housewives," where she plays the title role. Her character has to move back home after running afoul of the law with her boyfriend. Check out the film clip I posted a while back from a scene in the movie. Nick's film, "Write Your Way Out" was about a school teacher played by Houston actor Patrick Sane   trying to motivate his students. The screening served another purpose as well as it was also a fundraiser for SWAMP. Southwest Alternate Media Project. Michelle worked for the organization for years befo...

 A hardened cop chases the shadow of a killer whose deadly trail he believes started with the murder of his wife Abby. With each new victim, Detective Frank del Toro must find a way to stop him, even at the cost of his job, his reputation and his sanity. Enemy of the Mind is written and independently produced by Manny Rey & Brandon Stephens and directed by Brandon Stephens with a score by David Bateman. The feature film has it's world premiere at this years Worldfest Houston Film Festival April 18 @ 7:00. You can also check out http://www.enemyofthemind.com/

What a weekend. Three days, 5 feature films and 34 short films. First up was the opening night film "Cabin In The Woods." The Josh Whedon produced feature was directed by Drew Goddard is a different take the horror movie. Can't tell you exactly what happens, you'll have to see the movie. Next up was the feature film "Dollhouse." A lot of this film was improvised according to the director who participated in a Q&A after the screening. Then came the feature film "Funeral Kings." The feature film about young catholic school boys who assist with funerals while attending catholic school. I also saw the documentary "$ellebrity," which follows the relationship between the paparazzi and the hollywood celebrities they pursue. Last of the feature films was the highly anticipated Ya'ke Smith feature film "Wolf." Smith's first feature follows a family after they find out their child has been molested by a respected member ...

College Professor and filmmaker Ya'ke Smith debut feature film will screen at SXSW. Smith's short film was the award winning "Katrina's Son." His feature follows a family and how they deal with betrayal from someone they trusted and respected.

Childhood Dreams from David Chairez Vitela on Vimeo .

With arresting insight, vulnerability, and a delightful sense of humor, Terence Nance’s explosively creative debut feature, AN OVERSIMPLIFICATION OF HER BEAUTY, documents the relationship between Terence and a lovely young woman (Namik Minter) as it teeters on the divide between platonic and romantic. Utilizing a tapestry of live action and various styles of animation, Terence explores the fantasies, emotions, and memories that race through his mind during a singular moment in time.

The murder thriller "THE WIDOW MAKER" is helmed by african american filmmaker Jesse Young III (FREEDOOM, BORDER BREAK, THE WITNESS, A. B. ZONE), for Advanced Eye Films. Actress Sarah Dashun plays the main character who's coined 'The Widow Maker", the fugitive killer-for-hire. Lakisha R. Lemons (BORDER BREAK, AFTER SCHOOL SPECIAL, HOPE) will be an associate producer through her LL Productions. The trailer features the steely track from actor, and international recording artist Common's new street anthem "Sweet".

The debut episode of Houston Actors the web series. Starring Mo Alhassan, Luke Wright, Christian Gallegos and Peter Malek. Produced by Rakesh Jacob, Rachel Leigh and TJ Jouganatos.