Catching Up With Nerdcore Rising

Word from Negin Farsad, Director of 2008 Atlanta Film Festival Selection Nerdcore Rising.

Nerdcore Rising is still on the festival circuit which means it still has me by the balls, so to speak. Of course, with this film, that means a lot more video blogging and online content. I just recently put up episode 6 of the film's companion web series "Nerd of the Week" -- its on the Chiptunes Nerd - those nutty kids that like to rip up their gameboys and make music with them. You can see that here:



Not too long ago we were the closing night movie at the DeadCenter Film Festival and the next major stop for me is the Penny Arcade Gaming Expo in Seattle. There are 55,000 geeks expected to attend this year and we get to screen the movie for them in a venue that might best be described as a "threateningly large monster hall." Needless to say, the nervousness has already set in and I'm pissing my pants well in advance of the screening date (August 30).

After Penny Arcade, we're off to some special screenings at ILM in San Francisco and the Hot Springs festival as well as some yet-to-be-confirmed fests and university screenings. And... if we're smart, we'll have the DVD on offer for cash monies very soon. I don't know if we're that smart yet...

We're showing like a regular theatrical release in Austin in October and there are a couple of other cities that will probably join the mix like Boston and New York (the hometown).

So, that's about it for now but I'll be posting video blogs more regularly as I get back on the road. The last few weeks have been pretty quiet but I have a feeling that Penny Arcade marks the beginning of some massive nerdery!

A Few Pics From the Week 8/22

Women In Film & Television Atlanta's Navigating the Film Festival Circuit:
Donna Musil (Writer-Director), BRATS: Our Journey Home
Brats screened at the 2006 Atlanta Film Festival

Women In Film & Television Atlanta's Navigating the Film Festival Circuit:
Catherine Pfitzer, Executive Director Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival
Also pictured Hadjii, Writer-Director Somebodies (2007 Atlanta Film Festival) and
Mike Brune, Writer-Director The Adventure (2008 Atlanta Film Festival)

Women In Film & Television Atlanta's Navigating the Film Festival Circuit:
Gabe, Executive Director Atlanta Film Festival 365
(shamelessly plugging the fest with free t-shirts)


Women In Film & Television Atlanta's Navigating the Film Festival Circuit:
Harry Musselwhite, Creative/Program Director Rome International Film Festival

Line for the locals shorts at Atlanta Underground Film Festival

Jeremiah Prescott urges you to do your patriotic duty while
you're attending Atlanta Underground.

Waiting for the local shorts screening to start at Atlanta Underground.

Bay Area Blockbuster: SF Film Society Plans Expansion as Film Arts Foundation Closes Its Doors

In a seismic shift within the Bay Area film community, the San Francisco Film Society (SFFS), which organizes the annual San Francisco International Film Fesival -- the oldest fest in the United States -- today unveiled a major expansion in the wake of the simultaneous announcement of the closure of the city's 32 year old Film Arts Foundation. The latest non-profit film organization to face fatal financial challenges, Film Arts recently sold its interest in the local 9th Street building it shared with a number of festivals and arts organizations, paying down its debts in the process and paving the way for a deal with the Film Society. "Film Arts Foundation has essentially gone under," SFFS executive director Graham Leggat explained to indieWIRE late Friday, previewing today's announcement. "We managed to catch the ball before it hit the ground."

Following in the footsteps of the move this year by the Tribeca Film Institute in acquiring Renew Media, a recent re-branding of the Atlanta Film Festival and its year-round programing via the Image Film and Video Center, and the growing bond between Film Independent and its annual Los Angeles Film Festival -- not to mention the dynamic relationship between the Sundance Institute and its annual Sundance Film Festival -- the San Francisco Film Society announcement underscores the importance of film festivals as anchor events for bigger film organizations.

http://www.indiewire.com/biz/2008/08/bay_area_blockb.html

From the absorption of the mini-majors to the question mark hanging over indie distribution, the entire indie side of the film world is in transition. These shifts are significant and wide ranging enough that we're surprised it hasn't yet spawned its own name.

Rome International Film Festival Founder Resigns

RIFF founder resigns from movie festival Barry Norman, who bought the annual Rome International Film Festival from Dahlonega to Rome in 2004, has resigned from the group. Norman was both founder and executive director.

Full Post

It's sad to see Barry no longer involved with Rome, and hopefully the RIFF folks will continue the great tradition he started there. If you haven't attended, do. It's a great walking festival and North Georgia is just beautiful in the Fall. Fest unspools this September.