Call for entries: Wyoming Short Film Contest

The Wyoming Film Office is taking submissions for the annual Wyoming Short Film Contest.  To be eligible, films must be under fifteen minutes, shot in Wyoming, set in Wyoming, or include Wyoming as a character.  The winner will receive a $25,000 prize, for use on their next film shot in Wyoming.       

Film Office spokesman Colin Stricklin says Wyoming offers financial incentives for large-scale productions that shoot in the state, but he says this contest is meant to encourage smaller productions – even amateur films.    “Not everybody has a budget of $200,000,” Stricklin says, “so for those filmmakers that can’t quite hit our film incentive, we instituted this contest as a means to give something back.  The idea being that the $25,000 grand prize can go a long way toward an indie’s production budget.”    

The winning film will premiere at the Cheyenne International Film Festival in May.  Submissions are due April fifth.  There are no entry fees for this competition. 

FMI: http://www.wyomingshortfilmcontest.com/

Latest Alexander Payne film "Nebraska" on location near Buffalo

Alexander Payne's ("The Descendants," "About Schmidt") latest film "Nebraska" is shooting at the Lake Stop near Buffalo. The film is about "an aging, booze-addled father who makes the trip from Montana to Nebraska with his estranged son in order to claim a million dollar Publisher's Clearing House sweepstakes prize." And we know that all roads from MT to NE go through WY. Shots are production stills taken off of the Wyoming Film Office's Facebook page.

Call for entries: 2013 Cheyenne International Film Festival

The Cheyenne International Film Festival now is seeking entries for 2013 via Withoutabox. The event will be held in Cheyenne May 16-19. Go to http://cheyenneinternationalfilmfestival.com/blog/film/1850/

Read our latest Five Question Friday Q&A with Powell photographer Wayne Thomas

We interviewed photographer and filmmaker Wayne Thomas of Powell for our latest Five Question Friday feature on Facebook. For the full Q&A go here. 

Wayne sent us links to samples of his work. He wrote the story and shot the photos for an excellent photo-essay in Doubletake Magazine Online marking the 50th anniversary of the Selma Civil Rights March. View it at http://www.waynethomasphotography.com/selma. 

One of his favorite photographers is William Albert Allard of the National Geographic. Wayne likes his work so much that, when they met, he asked the photographer if he could do a short film about him. The trailer for this recently completed film on Allard can be found here: http://www.waynethomasphotography.com/allard.

Marilyn MIller is "Artist of the Month" at Cheyenne Family YMCA

Whistle Stop Film Festival screens two films at Mt. Sinai Synagogue on Nov. 3

Andi Jaspersen sends this news: Wyoming Community Media's Whistle Stop Film Festival makes its next stop in Cheyenne at Mt. Sinai Synagogue THIS SATURDAY! This FREE event is on November 3, at 7 p.m. WSFF will be featuring the films "Visas and Virtue" and "Shanghai Ghetto." Both films feature the crossing of two cultures -- World War II Jews and Asians (Japanese and Chinese). Free food and discussion to follow. Hope to see you all there!

Mt. Sinai Synagogue to screen two Holocaust documentaries on Nov. 3

Mt. Sinai Synagogue in Cheyenne will present a double feature of two short documentary films on Saturday, Nov. 3, 7 p.m.  The films are:

Shanghai Ghetto (95 minutes): A gentle, loving accounting of 20,000 mostly German Jews who were able to escape the Nazi's before World War II started and go to Shanghai, China, where the Japanese were in control of that city.

Visas and Virtues (30 minutes): 1997 Oscar-winning short by Chris Tashima. Haunted by the sight of hundreds of Jewish refugees outside the consulate gates, a Japanese diplomat and his wife, at the beginning of World War II, must decide how much they are willing to risk. Inspired by a true story, this Academy Award® winning portrait gracefully captured in period black and white by noted cinematographer Hiro Narita poignantly pays tribute to the rescuer of 6,000 Jews from the Holocaust.

The movies will be shown in the Social Hall at the Synagogue. For more information, go to
http://mtsinaicheyenne.org/special_events.asp, or contact Jaimee Sodosky, 303-503-1844

"Giving Voice, Saving Face" with director Daniel Junge Oct. 2 at Laramie's Gryphon Theater

On Tuesday, October 2, 7 p.m., the Wyoming Humanities Council will host a screening of the Academy Award-winning documentary "Saving Face," followed by a director talk with Cheyenne native Daniel Junge.

The Shoot Out Cheyenne presents 3D filmmaking workshop Sept. 29

From Wyoming Community Media:

GoPro and RealD and The Shoot Out Cheyenne (TSOC) present the Be a Hero :90 second filmmaking contest as part of TSOC 24 hour filmmaking festival. A one-day workshop is set for Saturday September 29th – Place to be determined. Kids are free and adults are $20. If adults would like to compete for The Shoot Out Cheyenne top 3D film prize, they are asked to sign up on the website http://www.theshootoutcheyenne.com/

The Best 3D film wins a 3D camera rig and will be screened on a RealD 3D monitor and viewed wit

h RealD 3D glasses at TSOC

GoPro is giving away a Be A Hero 3D camera rig for best 90 second 3D film. The films will be screened on a 3D monitor viewed through RealD glasses.

Top 10 Screening at the Atlas Theatre on Sunday October 7th. Doors open at 1pm with the program starting at 1:30pm.

There is a free 3D workshop Saturday September 29th to learn how to operate the GoPro 3D camera set and how to edit your content using the Cineform Editing Software.

The 3D workshop is unique because it will be taught by Fairview High School film students to community members and members of T-Bird Television from Cheyenne East High School.

Equipment will be loaned out to teams of one or more crew members upon providing a valid credit card and drivers license as security. Additionally, there is a $50 charge for community members to attend the workshop and create a film to be eligible to win the GoPro Be A Hero 3D camera rig.

Wyoming Filmmakers' Showcase Sept. 21 at Center for the Arts in Jackson

Cooper Center for Creative Arts screens documentary "Adapting the Rules" Sept. 20-22

Ali Grossman’s documentary film, “Adapting the Rules,” will be screened at the Cooper Center for Creative Arts at Ark Regional Services, 1174 N. Fourth in Laramie today through Saturday, Sept. 20-22. Doors open each night at 6:30 p.m., followed by the screening at 7 p.m. A panel discussion and reception will follow after the documentary. Admission is free.

Here's a snippet about the film from the Laramie Boomerang:

For years, Director Kayc DeMaranville said she had wanted to provide Laramie residents a backstage pass to the creative process at work in productions at the Cooper Center.

“We’ve always said how, if we could just sell tickets to the backstage process, that would be so interesting to see,” she said. “So we decided to film a documentary. Once we had the OK, the grant from the Wyoming Humanities Council, it was after that we decided the ‘Elephant Man’ was the right show, the right process, the right group of people to see this project through.”

The documentary offers a unique and compelling insight into the creative process of all who worked on the “Elephant Man” last year, DeMaranville said.

"Not My Life" documentary at UW Sept. 20

From a UW press release:

“Not My Life,” a documentary that depicts the cruel and dehumanizing practices of global human trafficking and modern slavery, will be shown at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 20, in the University of Wyoming College of Education auditorium.

Hoping to bring awareness to the student body about the presence and severity of slavery today, as well as ways to combat slavery, both the Student Activities Council and the International Justice Mission sponsor the film.

“Not My Life is a beautifully made and deeply impassioned plea on behalf of millions of young people subject to the cruel and evil practices of human trafficking and modern slavery,” says Veteran Gannett film critic and columnist Jack Garner.

Featuring footage from five continents, a dozen countries and more than 50 interviews, this is a heartbreaking documentary that takes audience members into a world that is hard to imagine and even harder to accept.

Individuals needing assistance to attend this event should contact the Campus Activities Center at (307) 766-6340. For more information, visit www.uwyo.edu/cac.

Photo: The documentary “Not My Life,” will be shown at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 20, in the University of Wyoming College of Education auditorium.

Filmmaker and violinist Kenji Williams will premiere multimedia "Bella Gaia" Sept. 7 to close Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival symposium in Denver

From a Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival press release and info from its web site:

Now in its third decade, the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival’s biennial 6-day conference is an unmatched international industry event drawing 650+ leaders in science, conservation, broadcasting and media to celebrate the world's finest nature films. The 2013 Festival is slated for the last week in September.

In alternating years, JHWFF hosts a Symposium targeting 300-plus technology and non-broadcast media professionals. The next conference is slated for Sept. 5-7 at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science in Denver’s City Park. This year, the JHWFF will launch the Science Media Awards, a prestigious competition to showcase the extraordinary films that illustrate the wonders of science and its far-reaching impact on our daily lives.

Join visionary thinkers in science and public media, for three full days of provocative panels, immersive workshops and casual networking. This year, we launch the inaugural Jackson Hole Science Media Awards competition, with special sessions featuring finalist programs and winners announced at a Gala Celebration Thursday, September 6.

The closing reception on Saturday night includes a 6 p.m. premiere in the IMAX Theater and Gates Fulldome for “Tornado Alley 3D” by Sean Casey. It’s followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers and scientists and a chance to see the unique research vehicles up close. After that, comes a premiere of “Bella Gaia” with a live performance by award winning filmmaker, composer and violinist, Kenji Williams. Inspired by astronauts who spoke of the life changing power of seeing the Earth from space, he created “Bella Gaia” to simulate this transformative effect. Working closely with NASA’s scientific visualization studio, “Bella Gaia” successfully simulates space flight, taking the audience on a spectacular journey around planet Earth. With live music, performance art, large-scale projected NASA scientific visualizations and cutting-edge technology, “Bella Gaia” showcases a thought-provoking stream of crucial scientific data regarding our planet's imperiled ecosystems while celebrating the amazing cultural heritage of humanity and explores humanity’s ultimate challenge as we enter a new epoch called the Anthropocene; where humans become the driving force of environmental change on planet Earth. 

Click here to register for the 2012 Symposium.. For more information, please call the JHWFF at 307.733.7016.

Filmmaker plans second premiere on Sept. 8 for "The Coach: An American Crossroads"

This article was in the latest issue of the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund newsletter: What happens when you have a film premiere event that sells out quickly and you have a waiting list of a 100+ folks…well, if you are Jennifer Tennican and the Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum, you hold a Second Premiere! Okay, technically it is called a second screening. This locally produced film will be shown at 8 p.m. on September 8 at the Walk Festival Hall in Jackson, as part of the Jackson Hole Arts Festival. “The Coach: An American Crossroads” is a documentary film on the renowned Stagecoach Bar which serves as a prism projecting 70 years of Jackson Hole’s cultural evolution. The film introduces a multifarious cast, including the beloved Stagecoach Band, which has been serving up musical entertainment every Sunday for more than 40 years. Meet the Stagecoach Bar’s first owner Walt Callahan and attend his rowdy rodeos beginning in the 1940s. Then roll through the decades with ranchers, hippies, second homeowners, skiers, downhill bikers, Sunday night toe-tappers, Stagecoach Band members and Disco Night dancers, who all mix it up at this unpretentious and cherished community watering hole. The high-definition film features rarely seen and new discovered historic footage and photos along with interviews from everyone from old timers to newcomers to Western scholars. The WCTF is proud to have helped support this film with a grant to the Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum. Additional funders include the Wyoming Arts Council, the Wyoming Humanities Council, the Wyoming State Historical Society and the Wyoming State Historical Records Advisory Board. Tennican donated her $25,000 prize money from the 2011 Wyoming Short Story Film Contest sponsored by the Wyoming Film Office and the Wyoming Office of Tourism for this project. In addition to grants and prize winnings, over 200 individuals, foundations and businesses have supported the project through tax deductible donations. 

Film Festival schedule in Lander Thursday & Friday

New film documents changing colors in Grand Teton National Park

Yellowstone Gate: Grand Teton film looks at changing colors in park

June 27 film premiere celebrates 70 years of the "Coach" roadhouse

World premiere of the documentary film, "The Stagecoach Bar: An American Crossroads," is set for Wednesday, June 27, 6:30-10:30 p.m., at the Center for the Arts in Jackson. $10 tickets (general admission). Live music and dance follows film. The film itself and the premiere were partially funded by grants from the Wyoming Arts Council. FMI: http://www.thestagecoachbarfilm.com/

"Wyoming Showcase" night at the Cheyenne International Film Festival

Tonight is officially opening night at the Cheyenne International Film Festival. Wyoming films are showcased, including "The Summer of '81," winner of the Wyoming Film Office's Short Film Contest. It all wraps up with a screening of "Wyoming Triumph." Get the complete schedule by going to http://cheyenneinternationalfilmfestival.com/blog/film/opening-night-showcases-wyoming-films/

Wyoming Tribune Eagle Online: "Cheyenne's favored son returns for film festival"

Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Daniel Junge returns to his hometown for Cheyenne International Film Festival. Read more at Cheyenne's favored son returns for film festival .

Editor's note: We always thought that the expression was "favorite son." We looked up "favored son" online and found a reference to a book by that title, which sounded interesting, and looked up the dictionary definition of favored: "Treated or looked upon with special kindness or liking;" "having special talents." That sounds right to us. Welcome back, Daniel!

From the blogs: Jack Nicholson and Josh Brolin attached to star in C.J. Box's "Blue Heaven"

Local writer Karen Cotton has posted on her blog a nifty Q&A with mystery writer C.J. Box. It's all about writer's block ("a writer without ideas") and news about upcoming films made from C.J.'s novels. Are you ready for Jack Nicholson, Joe Pesci and Josh Brolin in "Blue Heaven?" We are... C.J. says that they are "attached" to the film which is Hollywood-speak for an almost-done deal. Wonder if Josh Brolin will be playing the part of rancher Jess Rawlins? Seems like a great fit. Go to http://lifeisassweetascottoncandy.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/380/