To the Jurors of the Cannes Film Festival

You will spend the next 11 days watching 22 films that the programmers and leaders of the Cannes Film Festival deemed to be the worthiest of this year’s competition.

The Cannes Film Festival is one of the most prestigious festivals in the world. Festival Films including last year’s Oscar winner The Artist have gone on to have long and successful lives, and filmmakers’ careers have been launched on the Croisette. As we all know, the opportunities to have your film seen on a world stage is invaluable.

For the 2012 edition, as with the 2010 edition, there are NO FEMALE DIRECTED FILMS in competition, and in the 64 years of the Festival only one woman — Jane Campion — has been awarded the Palme D’Or.

Festival director Thierry Fremaux responded to the recent manifesto from La Barbe – a French feminist action group – which decried the lack of women by saying:

“I select work on the basis of it actual qualities. We would never agree to select a film that doesn’t deserve it on the basis it was made by a woman…There is no doubt that greater space needs to be given to women within cinema. But it’s not at Cannes and in the month of May that this question needs to be raised, but rather all year and everywhere.”

We call for Cannes, and other film festivals worldwide to commit to transparency and equality in the selection process of these films. We judge films as human beings, shaped by our own perspectives and experiences. It is vital, therefore, that there be equality and diversity at the point of selection.

Mr. Fremaux is correct in stating that women’s rights must be addressed year round. We, the undersigned, encourage an industry-wide discussion about this issue, and call on the leaders throughout the industry to participate in and contribute to a dialogue about how we can, to quote Mr. Fremaux, “create a greater space for women within cinema.”

Sign the petition and see all the signatures.
https://www.change.org/petitions/cannes-film-festival-where-are-the-women-directors#

I have signed. Have you?

The first is June 18th at the IFC center, and the second is on June 19th at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens.
Hal Hartley will be there to present on the 18th, and Martin Donovan and Ted Hope will be there to answer your questions on both nights.

June 18th
IFC Center
7pm
Buy tickets online.

June 19th
Museum of the Moving Image
Tickets onsale soon.

Find out more about Collaborator on Prescreen.

Collaborator premiered at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival in the Czech Republic, winning several awards including best actor for David Morse.

Read director, writer, and star, Martin Donovan’s thoughts on creating Collaborator.

Check out Collaborator’s Facebook page, and find more information about the film and its upcoming release from Tribeca Film on VOD, iTunes, Amazon, VUDU on June 19th here.

And read about previous coverage of Collaborator on Hopeforfilm here, here, and
here

More info here: http://vimeo.com/awards/festival/conversations#failure-ftw

The other panels look to be pretty f’n awesome, so you might want to check those out too.

I like time-lapse photography (& the sound here helps!)

HT VHX!

Visit theskyiscalling.us to tell Congress you want more of your taxpayer money diverted to space exploration.

Hat tip to BrainPickings .org

Available nationwide on Cable VOD, iTunes, Amazon – June 19
Opening in select theaters – July 6

Robert Longfellow (Martin Donovan, THE OPPOSITE OF SEX, “Boss”, Weeds”) is a famous playwright who can’t seem to catch a break. His recent Broadway play was met with horrible reviews and an early cancellation, and his marriage is being tested as an old flame (Olivia Williams, THE GHOST WRITER, RUSHMORE) has reentered his life during a particular moment of weakness. Retreating back to his childhood home to visit his mother (Katherine Helmond, BRAZIL), Robert crosses paths with his childhood neighbor, Gus (David Morse, THE GREEN MILE, DANCER IN THE DARK, “Treme”). A right-wing, ex-con who still lives at home with his mother, Gus is Robert’s polar opposite in every possible way. When Gus holds Robert hostage at gunpoint during a drunken reunion gone terribly wrong, the drama unfolds as social status, celebrity and the imminent threat of violence converge, building up to a climax that will leave both men forever changed.

Tom Morello (The Nightwatchman, Rage Against The Machine) surprised the occupiers at Los Angeles City Hall with a rampaging acoustic set featuring “This Land Is Your Land”.

Hat tip to Geek Dad for the reminder.

Ted Hope and acclaimed documentary director and producer Peter L Stein discuss what makes a project great in terms of artistic innovation and financial viability at the Disposable Film Festival, 2012.

I look forward to seeing more by this director.

2012 VIMEO FESTIVAL + AWARDS PROGRAM GATHERS THE GREATS TO EXPLORE WHAT’S NEXT FOR CREATIVE VIDEO

Come back next week and I will have my pet rapping and break dancing. Forget about a dog on skateboard or a cat on a piano. What is spectacular is our pet is bearded dragon.