Friday, August 7, 2009

A Tribute To John Hughes AND some info on upcoming film festivals

There's a few festivals and things that I want to tell you about, but before I do... I'd like to talk a bit about John Hughes, who passed away from a heart attack at the age of 59 yesterday.

Personally, I think it's tough to not credit John Hughes as being one of the most influential comedic filmmakers of all time. For those of us who were raised on 80's films, Hughes WAS comedy. From "National Lampoon's Vacation" to "Planes, Trains and Automobiles", he was responsible for a lot of the films that shaped our generation. I can't tell you how much I quoted movies such as "Weird Science" ("Chet, the name is Chet... and I didn't think it was a whale's dick, honey"), "The Breakfast Club" ("The next time I have to come in here I'm crackin' skulls"), "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" ("Those aren't pillows") and that goes without mentioning "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", "Sixteen Candles", "Uncle Buck" and many, many more. (click here to go to his imdb page) When you look at what he wrote, directed and produced, you realize how much he meant to the world of film comedy and how much he'll be sorely, sorely missed. So, I encourage everyone to dust off their favorite John Hughes film this weekend and sit back and remember just how much he meant to you and your love of film...

There's some upcoming festivals information that I want to pass on to you... now, before you just gloss over this, I'd like to reiterate that even if you don't have a film to enter or you live no where near any of these festivals, you should still go to their sites and check out what they have going on. As I say all the time, the festivals and conventions are really the backbone to the whole indie horror scene and it's good to keep tabs on what's going on. You can see what audiences are interested in and, maybe, get some ideas. That... and I bothered to create the links, so you should use them. Here's some press releases and info that I've recently received.

Vampire Fest 2009 takes place in the beautiful city of New Orleans from October 23 - 26, 2009

Filmmakers have heard our call, and Vampire Fest has already received submissions from the United States and around the world. Vampire Fest has a number of activities planned—feasts for the mind as well as the eyes—including a literary panel hosted by writer Gabrielle Faust and events around the Vieux CarrĂ© and the Garden District. The festival will screen an international slate of vampire and gothic features and shorts and include costume parties, fashion shows and performance artists. Vampire Fest is proud to call its home New Orleans with its fabulous nightlife, Gothic architecture, international cuisine, voodoo history, beautiful necropolises, and the birthplace of jazz and Anne Rice. Submissions Are Still OPEN

Vampire Fest is seeking narrative or experimental films of all lengths that emphasize the grotesque, mysterious or desolate. Since the legends of the werewolf and other supernatural creatures are interconnected with that of the vampire, Vampire Fest also accepts films of the Gothic, zombie, werewolf, witch or ghost genre.

Filmmakers can submit online at vampirefilmfestival.com or at withoutabox.com until September 16, 2009.


Fright Night Film Fest presents the 7 Day Film Fest and I'm not giving you much notice on it, but check it out... what have you got to lose?

Alright all you filmmakers get ready for one of the funniest times you'll ever have making a movie. The 7 Day Film Fest was created in 2007 to satisfy all of the crazy filmmakers who love to be busy. The 7 Day Film Fest is a film fest within a Larger Film festival.

This is how it works. On August 7th (that's today) you will go frightnightfilmfest.com to the 7 day film fest page. After you arrive on the 7 day page, you will sign up for the fest my submitting your email and paying by paypal or submitting a check to the address below before August 13th. All teams of filmmakers or single filmmakers can sign up for the event.

You must use the elements that you receive in the email. You will be notified by email. NO EMAIL, NO PLAY. SORRY!! It's that simple.


Lastly, I recently mentioned a site called PutItOn.com, the home to the undiscovered artist. Well, they're putting on a film festival called the "Put It On Picture Show", here's some info.

Budding filmmakers can upload their films to Put It On with the hopes of winning a free scholarship to the New York Film Academy and a cash prize of $5,000 USD in one of three categories. The festival will run from July 30 and closes for entries on November 26. Internet voting will continue until December 17, and winners will be selected and announced on January 7, 2010.

The first round of the competition for best feature film and best short film will be decided by a global Internet vote, which will narrow the entries to a list of the top 10 finalists per category. At the second and final stage of the competition, the finalists for these two categories will be judged by a panel made up of one member of The New York Film Academy, Max Fraser (co-founder of Put It On), and an industry professional yet to be named. The award for best achievement in acting will be decided separately by the panel of judges, with all submissions automatically entered for consideration.

Put It On is accessible in 10 languages and was created to help unknown artists take their work from the “garage” to the global marketplace where fans can connect with them directly. Leveraging an online platform for showcasing and marketing art, music, fashion and film, PutItOn.com helps undiscovered artists from around the world become both artistically and financially successful.