First: the Angry Filmmaker. Kelly Baker was here last year and I heard a lot of good things. I didn’t get to join then but I hope to see you there this year. This free workshop has Baker “ranting and raving about the loss of true independent film making” says his site.  If this intrigues you as it does me be sure to sign up at eventbrite, because the seating is limited to about 35 people. For more information check out the Facebook event.

Second: Music. At University Cafe, RIFF will be sponsoring a free show. A great show. Local band Carlos I’m Pregnant, D.C. band The Aquarium, and one of my favorite artists of all time, Benjy Ferree (Where you can download the free song “Fear” from his new album Come Back to the Five and Dime Bobby Dee, Bobby Dee). This show has all of the components needed for a great concert: great music. So you don’t forget to go, sign up at the Facebook event.

Just a reminder:

RiP: A Remix Manifesto is showing at the Athenaeum Friday, June 19th.

In one word: brilliant. Showing how the lives parallelled really revealed how similar people are. It had many messages, but mostly it was about life. I highly suggest picking up the DVD, or catching it on TV if you can. You can watch some of the first season on the site (http://www.thisamericanlife.org/TV_Season.aspx?season=1) if you want a taste of what the show is like.

On June 19, RIFF will be celebrating the summer with another screening. This time, RiP: A Remix Manifesto. A documentary discussing open source media:

“In RiP: A remix manifesto, Web activist and filmmaker Brett Gaylor explores issues of copyright in the information age, mashing up the media landscape of the 20th century and shattering the wall between users and producers.
The film’s central protagonist is Girl Talk, a mash-up musician topping the charts with his sample-based songs. But is Girl Talk a paragon of people power or the Pied Piper of piracy? Creative Commons founder, Lawrence Lessig, Brazil’s Minister of Culture Gilberto Gil and pop culture critic Cory Doctorow are also along for the ride.

A participatory media experiment, from day one, Brett shares his raw footage at opensourcecinema.org, for anyone to remix. This movie-as-mash-up method allows these remixes to become an integral part of the film. With RiP: A remix manifesto, Gaylor and Girl Talk sound an urgent alarm and draw the lines of battle.

Which side of the ideas war are you on?”

If you visit http://www.ripremix.com/screenings/ there is a map with the screenings, and you can find ours there. I thought that was fun.

When: June 19, 8:00 PM

Where: Fredericksburg Athenaeum (109 Amelia Street)

Contact: (540) 371-1311, info@rifilmfestival.com

Tickets: ripremix.eventbrite.com

Friday, May 15 at 8:00pm
At the Fredericksburg Athenaeum, 109 Amelia St. (formerly the Wounded Bookshop)
Pay-what-you-can tickets are available
thisamericanlife.eventbrite.com

Synopsis:
The story of one life, told through the lives of people from all over the country, all named John Smith. Baby John Smith is 11 weeks old, in South Carolina, and his parents are still reeling from the sonograms that all predicted he would be a girl. By the time he’s 23, John Smith in Laramie, Wyoming, has made some mistakes and is appearing in front of a judge. At 46, he’s in Texas, welcoming his oldest son back from Iraq. In-depth portraits of people growing up, growing old, and figuring out how to be fathers, husbands, and men in America today.

Why should I give to RIFF?
Because a film festival brings great art and great people to downtown Fredericksburg for a big, fun, four day party. RIFF is a major local program that directly supports new independent film artists and incubates the arts. Every dollar you give is invested DIRECTLY into downtown culture, commerce and creativity.

It’s a win-win situation.

If you’re a fan of RIFF and have enjoyed the film festival last year or the special films that we have screened this year, let us know by donating. We need your support to enrich the arts in Fredericksburg by keeping RIFF a vibrant and active project for many years to come.

For more information about your donation an the contest visit the FAQ page.

Note: This contains spoilers about what is shot in the movie

It started with a shot of a mountain, a beautiful scene in great quality Bluray video. It then changes to a shot of buildings built dangerously close to the edge of a cliff, going in, Baraka shows how this group of monks lived. 

Tibetian Monks, African Tribes, and the traffic flow of Hong Kong were all depicted in the movie, each showing the very different differences between cultures, and how they lived with their environment and the people around them. 

 One scenee was of an African tribe making music. A Group sitting, chanting various noises. And with the music came dancing. Late in the scene they were having a back-and-forth where half would stand and the other would fall back onto their backs. The way it went back and forth was mesmerising, and how I viewed it was depicting a battle.

My favorite part was the way it showed Hong Kong: a  sped-up video of pedestrians and cars moving through the streets. This was a more obvious example of people reacting to their environment, and looked really cool. 

Parallel to Hong Kong was an assembly line. The line had baby chicks pushed together as a crowd through the line as their wings were plucked and they were tossed into a funnel. And later the result: plump chickens kept together in pens. How the movie shot it didn’t show an opinion about the subject, but didn’t hold anything back either, and let you form your own thoughts. 

Baraka held back nothing. Some scenes were hard to view, but impossible not to. I won’t get into nitty gritty details, but the Athenaeum was silent besides the ocassional gasp.

Baraka certainly achieves its goal, and shows human ecology in a beautiful and thought provoking manner. I haven’t heard anything but good responses from the people who attended the movie, so I suggest you find your way to a copy and watch it, if you didn’t go to this showing that is.

And after you’ve done that (or before), go to RIFF’s next screening, an episode of This American Life, “John Smith.” Baraka went well, so come (re)join the fun! 

The screening will be May 15th at 8 PM. Head over to http://thisamericanlife.eventbrite.com/ to reserve your pay-what-you-can ticket.

On May 15 at the Athenaeum RIFF has permission to show an episode of This American Life,  titled “John Smith”. Debuted on June 8th, 2008, this episode is the story of one life, John Smith, told through the lives of John Smith’s all over the country. There is a baby John Smith only 11 weeks old who’s parents thought he was going to be a baby and a 46 year-old John Smith with a son in Iraq. Although a TV show, This American Life is a very high quality program, so don’t be scared away by that.

Check back soon and I’ll have an in-depth impressions on the viewing of BARAKA.

So, remember:

When: May 15, 2009, 8:00 PM
Where: Fredericksburg Athenaeum (109 Amelia Street)
Why: http://www.sho.com/site/thisamericanlife/home.do 
Tickets at: http://thisamericanlife.eventbrite.com/

Left to Right: Paul Lewis, Ian Soper, Ryan Poe

Thirty five films. Four days. Five categories.

Add one creative director, 6 judges, 3 graphic designers, and over 30 volunteers converging on the streets of Fredvegas, and you’re smack in the middle of the Rappahannock Independent Film Festival, otherwise known as RIFF.

Even though the organizational team is still cutting its teeth (the event is only in its second year), nearly 100 submissions are expected to arrive from filmmakers all over the world in time for the August festivities, which showcases creative efforts of hundreds of people and years of production. For independent film artists, opportunities like this are big deals.

Sponsored by The Fredericksburg Athenaeum, arts patrons and area businesses, RIFF was originally inspired by a couple of late night conversations around town and a trip to Rhode Island, all of which led to a decision Paul Lewis hopes will positively impact area culture and commerce.

“A film festival is all about art and place,” he explained.

Lewis was visiting Newport when he met the former director of the Sonoma Film Festival and got hooked on the concept. The Athenaeum founder remembers being struck by the enormous impact a festival can have on people; he wanted to bring the idea back to Fredericksburg.

“It really engenders community,” he said. So in January 2008 he talked with local filmmaker Ryan Poe; the two started to scheme, and two turned to three. It wasn’t long before local Graphic Artist Ian Soper got on board, and in March, RIFF was born.

According to Lewis, it’s a unique venture.

“In Fredericksburg certain types of visual arts in this community are well represented – there’s original work in music, painting, performance and other genres of creative expression, but there was no place for original films. You have to go to Washington DC to see an independent movie,” he explained.

While other Virginia cities host film festivals (Charlottesville and Richmond are homes to other events throughout the year), RIFF is different specifically because of its mission to formally recognize independent productions.

Charlottesville is very industry-oriented, Lewis said. It focuses on larger, big budget pictures, whereas independent film festivals are for individuals with smaller budgets. A festival like RIFF can sometimes be the only opportunity a filmmaker has to present original work. Plus, it brings new media to town.

“Some people love great paintings, other people love great films. Right now you have to travel to access independent productions, so RIFF is an effort to bring some of that creativity closer to home while financially supporting the arts,” Lewis commented.
Local Artisan Lawrence Hinkle currently designs awards for the five competitive categories, and winners share a total of $3,000.

RIFF has become a major focus of The Fredericksburg Athenaeum, a nonprofit on a mission to bridge local conversations with global dialogue about the arts, literature and life. Since its inception in 2003, the organization has tripled its membership, expanded its budget and sought new opportunities to nurture creativity in ways that inspire others and encourage regional commerce. RIFF is its largest project to date.

“We feel more responsibility to sustain the work we’re doing. The board of directors and I are inspired to harness the talent of people like Ryan and Ian to ensure we serve our members and neighbors in positive ways,” Lewis said.

In preparation for August, RIFF staff and volunteers have scheduled a dynamic series of monthly film screenings, cinematic forays into local businesses – and even online scavenger hunts. Ultimately, Lewis hopes it culminates in four days of big fun.

“This is about building a healthy community where we can live and celebrate our creative ideas in ways that are supportive and holistic. A film festival is a party. We’re all invited. It’s for all of us.”

Next Film Event:
What: Baraka
When: Friday, April 17th 8pm
Where: 109 Amelia St.

At once both mystery and delight, Baraka is a provocative look at the living world; it was filmed at 152 locations in 24 countries in 70 mm format, which is rare. An ancient Sufi word that means blessing, or the essence of life, Baraka is a visual journal of images that explores spirit without dogma, life without words, and earth as a breathing world of sound, shape and form. Designed with a soundtrack by Michael Stearns, the film has been celebrated for its tribute to the inexhaustible beauty – and power – of corporeal transformation.

To sign up for RIFF news visit www.rifilmfestival.com.

worth haile is an independent arts consultant

Reel News, is also published in the April 09 Issue of the Front Porch.

The short I watched today was based off of the Half Life series. Titled What’s in the Box? this live action, first person perspective film captures the feel of playing a game in the franchise. While the person who’s eyes you’re looking through never actually talks, you get a clear train of thought. Mostly everything he does has precedent. Like hiding and running from guys with guns.

Soon, I hope to be bringing you information about the upcoming RIFF movie presentation: BARAKA. The movie has garnered critical acclaim worldwide, and uniquely delivers a message without any dialogue or a spoken narrative, only through pictures and music. I’ve yet to see it, but it intrigues me, and RIFF’s own Ryan Poe considers it one of his favorite movies. 

I know RIFF is movie-oriented, but I’m going to leave you with a music recommendation. When I read the description of BARAKA, what came to mind was the album “Under an Hour” by Menomena (with the help of Monster Squad). This album is three tracks, all are about 20 minutes  long and just instrumentals. The album did not receive nearly as much critical acclaim, but I like it and the dynamic is fantastic, and pace is perfect (although it may be too slow for others).