Metal art sculpture by Charlotte Zink, http://www.zinkmetalart.com/

2012 CALL-FOR-ENTRIES!

Send in your entry now!

Regular submission postmark dates: January 1-June 30, 2012

Check out the Moondance website for more info!

http://www.moondancefilmfestival.com

SUBMISSION CATEGORIES:

Feature Screenplays, Short Screenplays, TV Pilot Scripts, TV Episodics, Short Stories, Stageplays, Libretti, Feature Films, Short Films, Documentary Films, Animation Films, Music Videos, Filmed TV Pilots, Film Scores, & more!

3 EASY WAYS TO SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY:

• MOONDANCE OFFICIAL ENTRY FORM

http://moondancefilmfestival.com/03_submission.entry.html

• ACTEVA SUBMISSION SERVICE

http://www.acteva.com/go/miff

• WITHOUTABOX.COM SUBMISSION SERVICE

https://www.withoutabox.com/login/1240

Moviebytes.com lists Moondance as

one of the top ten competitions worth the entry fee!

~ Thanks for all the great entries received, so far, in 2012! ~

We cordially invite all local, national and international screenwriters and filmmakers, playwrights, short story writers, TV writers, radio play writers & producers, librettists, music composers, children’s filmmakers & writers, and young people, students, seniors, music video filmmakers, and multi-media filmmakers to participate in this truly international film festival.

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THE MOONDANCE MISSION:

• The long-term vision of the Moondance International Film Festival is to preserve and revitalize our intangible heritage, cultivate creative diversity, develop an intercultural dialogue, promote non-violent conflict resolution, to raise awareness of the invaluable contributions of women to the entertainment community, and to encourage environmental conservation & protection.

• We wish to actively participate in creating a bridge of understanding to another person’s or culture’s experience, and to stimulate this creative resource in writing, film and music. Our mission is to present an inspiring, vibrant and growing collection of films, music, and writings, which are an ideal means for communication across perceived boundaries of race, culture, age and gender.

• We believe that the world’s most powerful narrative and educational medium – movies and television, as well as scripts and music can contribute to a healthier society and that these works should encourage the active involvement of audiences to connect and act collectively to address social challenges. Winning and finalist films, scripts and music are innovative, distinctive, compelling and engaging, relevant to varied audiences and encourage participation.

• We are eager to continue to be one of the most important film festivals in the world by being innovative, risk-taking, truly independent, and open to new thinking, new concepts, new talent, and new ways of telling stories. Let’s make a splash!

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Please take a moment to watch this beautiful video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUDIoN-_Hxs

Video by Philip Scott Johnson ”500 Years of Female Portraits in Western Art”,

Music: Bach’s Sarabande from Suite for Solo Cello No. 1 in G Major, performed by Yo-Yo Ma.

Nominated as Most Creative Video
2nd Annual YouTube Awards.

For a complete list of artists and paintings visit http://www.maysstuff.com/womenid.htm

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• In our continuing success of promoting top-quality original indie filmmaking, writing and music composition by talented artists from around the world, the Moondance International Film Festival is very proud to announce that our annual festival competitions have brought in great submissions, in all genres and categories, from Afghanistan, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, India, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Marshall Island, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia/Montenegro, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Tasmania, Turkey, the UK, the US, and Venezuela. Send in your submission now, to represent your country!

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FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TITLES & LOGLINES

“You’ve got 5 minutes; pitch me what you’ve got.” That’s what the entertainment industry movers & shakers will tell you. But to get that meeting or even a reply to your query letter, you need an interesting title and logline. Ms. English has developed a method for finding that great, eye-catching title, and a sizzling short logline to go with it. You’ll end up with a great title & logline, and knowing how to “dress” your scripts or films for success! WEBSITE: www.mermaid7seas.com

CONTACT: Elizabeth English • mermaid7seas@gmail.com • 303-545-0202

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* SCROLL ON DOWN FOR MORE ITEMS OF INTEREST:

1. DVD vs. DIGITAL ONLINE FILMS

2. FILM AS COMMUNICATION

3. MOONDANCERS WRITE US!

4. MOONDANCE RECOMMENDS

5. LOTS OF THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY

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FILMMAKERS:  DVD vs. DIGITAL ONLINE FILMS:

As a judge and the artistic director for the Moondance, I personally prefer DVDs for previewing and judging films submitted, because the quality of image and the sound is almost always much better than what one sees and hears with an online film. I’m assuming that filmmakers want to present their very best-quality project when spending money for entry fees to competitions. I realize that submitting digital films is more convenient and less expensive for the filmmaker than making and mailing a DVD to the competition, but you’ve already spent a lot of money, time, talent and effort to make the film…why not spend a few dollars more and a little time to submit the absolute best version of your film that you can? By the way, the best-quality DVDs come from a video production house, rather than DVDs burned off your computer. ~ Elizabeth

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FILM AS COMMUNICATION:

Living in the 21st Century is to engage in the consumption, production, and distribution of sounds, images, films, writing, music, and information. This enables creative talents and audiences to realize and gain a more sophisticated and contemporary understanding of the world around them, via media. Media is defined as the multiple channels, technologies, and interfaces through which information, ideas, art, and emotions are stored, shared, inspired and reciprocated.

And the ways in which that plethora of media shapes our understanding of the world and our ability to act in it, for the common good, can make it a better place, as well as to promote a heightened ability to analyze, contextualize, create and use all forms of media and emerging trends. Media can be a vital exercise in creative expression and positive change, through all the various entertainment mediums.

And films sell popcorn, which is a very lucrative and amazingly profitable product for the movie houses! So-called “popcorn movies” are regularly at the top of the charts for ticket sales.

Films screened at Moondance are entertaining and uniquely distinguished by our focus on the relations between media and social justice, and how media is inextricably linked to questions of power, rights, human development, peace, national and international social and environmental issues, creative expression, entertainment, collaboration, self-determination and powerful calls for action.

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MOONDANCERS WRITE US!

"Wallace & Gromit" animation

“I am once again so overwhelmed by the beauty, sensitivity, information, helpful tips, beautiful photography, and artwork in your blog, that I felt compelled to write to you immediately. You have, as usual, put together a news blog of wonderfully helpful information done as a work of art itself. As an artist and a writer, I am most appreciative of your marvelous achievement. I also know how much effort and care you take in helping writers and artists.”  Lorna Kanter, screenwriter & artist

“The presentation in class went well.  Your film festival is undoubtedly different from any of the other festivals that were discussed, which included Sundance, LA film festival, Slamdance, a human rights documentary festival, and more.  When I introduced the film festival, I mentioned that the director is a woman, and a student in the class exclaimed “Finally!”

You always hear about those big festivals, like Cannes, Venice, even Sundance.  So it was like a breath of fresh air to hear about a festival whose mission is so different.  And I really stressed the mission statement during the presentation, as you suggested, because that really is the key to the choices of films you show, how you operate, etc.  In general, people were intrigued, and some in the class might submit a film to your festival after hearing about it!  She was definitely interested after hearing that your festival supports women so much.” ~ Thuongvu Ho, film student at the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB)

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MOONDANCE RECOMMENDS:

John Lennon sings “Imagine”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xB4dbdNSXY&feature=related

Imagine there’s no heaven

It’s easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us only sky

Imagine all the people living for today

Imagine there’s no countries

It isn’t hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too

Imagine all the people living life in peace

You, you may say

I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one

I hope some day you’ll join us

And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions

I wonder if you can

No need for greed or hunger

A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people sharing all the world

You, you may say

I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one

I hope some day you’ll join us

And the world will live as one!

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http://www.freehugscampaign.org/index.php

Watch this touching “Free Hugs” video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4

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~~~ Arbor Day Foundation ~~~

http://www.arborday.org/

The Arbor Day Foundation is a nonprofit conservation and education organization, with a mission to inspire people and organizations to plant, celebrate and nurture trees. It also provides resources to connect children with nature. The Foundation plants and distributes more than 10 million trees each year, and helps to preserve rain forest land through the Rain Forest Rescue program.

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http://www.miamiherald.com mediafreedominternational.org

“…war is a different universe. What seems normal there is appalling here. It is not too much to say that war is a form of madness.” ~ Leonard Pitts. Jr., Pulitzer prize winner, 2004

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THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY:

“Hollow Man” by Bruno Catalano, France

“Joy can be real only if people look upon their life as a service, and have a definite object in life outside of themselves and their personal happiness.” ~ Leo Tolstoy

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“One African legend of the Baobab tree describes what happens if you are never satisfied with what you have: The baobab was among the first trees to appear on the land. Next came the slender, graceful palm tree. When the baobab saw the palm tree, it cried out that it wanted to be taller. Then the beautiful flame tree appeared with its red flower and the baobab was envious for flower blossoms. When the baobab saw the magnificent fig tree, it prayed for fruit as well. God became tired of the complaints, and so yanked it up by its roots, and placed it upside down, to keep it quiet.” ~ Blue-Eyed Ennis, text & photo

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“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which can be the bitterest.” ~ Confucius

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“With realization of one’s own potential and self-confidence in one’s ability, one can build a better world.” ~ The Dalai Lama

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“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” ~W. Clement Stone

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“Brooklyn Bridge”, Portable Networks Graphic Images

“Integrity is the essence of everything successful.” ~ Buckminster Fuller

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“When small men attempt great enterprises, they always end up reducing them to the level of their own mediocrity. “ ~Napoleon I

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“Talent is often a disguise for hard work and determination” ~ Mac Proffitt

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“Freedom” by Zenos Frudakis

“It helps to have your back against the wall. Adversity is a huge advantage – as long as you think of it as an advantage – because it helps you do things you never thought you were capable of doing.” ~ Philip Anschutz

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The labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral, France

“I think happiness comes from a self-acceptance. We all try different things, and we find some comfortable sense of who we are.” ~ Jamie Lee Curtis

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“Jones Beach Sunset” photo by Chris Anastasiadis

“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” ~ Albert Einstein

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“Plus la critique est hostile, plus l’artiste devrait se sentir encouragé.” (“The more hostile criticism is, the more the artist should feel encouraged.” ~ Marcel Duchamp

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Mahatma Gandhi’s glasses

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View from Boulder, Colorado

Moondance wishes you a very happy new year!

Louis Armstrong sings “It’s a Wonderful World”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5TwT69i1lU&feature=youtu.be

MOONDANCE 2012 CALL-FOR-ENTRIES!

Send in your entry now!

Regular submission postmark dates: January 1-June 30, 2012

Check out the Moondance website for more info!

http://www.moondancefilmfestival.com

SUBMISSION CATEGORIES:

• FEATURE FILMS
• SHORT FILMS
• DOCUMENTARY FILMS
• ANIMATION FILMS
• MUSIC VIDEOS
• FEATURE SCREENPLAYS
• SHORT SCREENPLAYS
• ORIGINAL MUSIC & FILM SCORES
• STAGEPLAYS
• TV PILOT SCRIPTS
• FILMED TV PILOTS
• TV EPISODICS
• SHORT STORIES
• LIBRETTI
• RADIO PLAYS
• & more…

In addition to English, written works in the following languages are also accepted: French, Spanish, German, Dutch & Africaans. These works will be read & judged by native speakers.

SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY TO MOONDANCE NOW!

Don’t wait until the last minute…get your entry in early!

• SIGN UP FOR THE MOONDANCE NEWS BLOG NOW!

http://moondancefilmfestival.com/blog/

CLICK BELOW FOR 3 EASY WAYS TO SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY:

• MOONDANCE OFFICIAL ENTRY FORM

• ACTEVA SUBMISSION SERVICE

• WITHOUTABOX.COM SUBMISSION SERVICE

MOONDANCE SCRIPT CRITIQUES:

Cynthia Butler, Moondance’s very popular reader will write a one-page critique and assessment of your submitted screenplay, stageplay, teleplay or up to 3 short stories. Check off the box for critiques on the Moondance entry form or at Withoutabox.com. The fee is a nominal $75 for each critique requested

MOVIEBYTES.COM  Lists Moondance as

“one of the top ten film festival competitions worth the entry fee!”

Are you undecided about which film festival competitions to enter this season?  You can’t go wrong by choosing Moondance first, because our finalists & winners, writers, composers and filmmakers, are happy to discover that doors are finally opened to them, after being a part of the Moondance! Please check out our SUCCESSES page, and read our archived newsletters to see what great new opportunities Moondancers enthusiastically write to us about! You could be next!

SCROLL ON DOWN FOR MORE NEWS & ITEMS OF INTEREST:

1. MOONDANCERS WRITE US
2. NEWS WE ALREADY KNEW
3. TWO BRADS OR THREE? Adventures in Judging Screenplay Entries in a Film Festival
4. THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY
5. MOONDANCE RECOMMENDS
6. SEEKING DONORS, SPONSORS & FRIENDS
7. EXTRAORDINARY OPPORTUNITY

MOONDANCERS WRITE US:

Re: 2012 Moondance Film Festival at Sea: “We are avid cruisers and look forward to this opportunity to combine our two loves: writing and cruising! ~ Jan Rogers, 2011 feature screenplay for kids semi-finalist & Bruce McCay

“I understand that your mission is what separates you from other film festivals. I think it’s very interesting that you consider music and writing to be just as important as films. I haven’t heard of another film festival which places so much emphasis on music. I get the impression that one of the goals of your festival is to help up-and-comers, especially those who are marginalized by Hollywood because of their gender or the kinds of stories they want to tell. It sounds like you try your best to help the artists and help them be recognized, (and) that accessibility to the film festival experience is something you care about.” ~ Thuongvu Ho, film student at the University of California, Santa Barbara

“Our short film, EXPERYMENT6, will be aired nationwide in Australia via cable on the program series, “Dark Carnival” on Foxtel Aurora.” ~ Michael D. Lies, Producer/Writer, ALCYONE PICTURES, www.alcyonepictures.com 2009 Moondance semi-finalist film

“Thank you so much for your friendship, love and support. I am so blessed to have you in my life!” ~ Beverly Smith Dawson, Moondance screenplay winner

“My granddaughter Catherine and I remember with great fondness our experience at the 2010 Moondance Festival. You are an inspiration to young and old! We hope to see you at this year’s festival with our latest screenplay.” ~ Julie Bliss, 2010 feature screenplay winner

“We are very impressed the way your team runs this fantastic festival and giving new filmmakers an opportunity to display their work. We definitely want to submit our film to your fabulous film festival.” ~ Faizan Sheikh

NEWS WE ALREADY KNEW:

“Gender Inequality Still Has a Starring Role In Hollywood, USC Study Finds”, excerpts from a Los Angeles Times, November 11, 2011 article by Rebecca Keegan

…one facet of Hollywood moviemaking proving remarkably consistent is gender inequality, according to a study…(which) reveals an industry formula for gender that may be outside of people’s conscious awareness. It’s not just the ratio of female to male characters that continues to be imbalanced but the manner in which they’re depicted… The USC study determined that women were still far more likely than men to wear sexy clothing in movies, such as swimwear and unbuttoned shirts, to expose skin and to be described by another character as attractive.

Behind the camera, the gender inequality is just as dramatic: only 3.6% of the directors and 13.5% of the writers …were female, according to the study. Some of this is a function of the fact that we see more males working behind the scenes than females, and they’re telling the stories that they know. Women bought more than 50% of the movie tickets sold in the U.S., according to the Motion Picture Assn. of America…(but) our cultural storytellers today are male. The problem is really…about the perpetuation of the status quo.

TWO BRADS OR THREE?

Adventures in Judging Screenplay Entries in a Film Festival

By Elizabeth English

21 Suggestions to Better Your Chances of Winning,

When Entering Screenplay Competitions:

Suggestion #1: Please send your submissions in early! Don’t wait until the final deadline date! Your submission can be buried under a pile of hundreds or thousands at the bigger festivals and competitions. The readings could be hurried. Maybe the reader saw one sent in earlier and has decided that’s his or her favorite.

Suggestion #2: Two words: Two brads, sometimes called fasteners. Brass brads, SOLID brass brads #6, not those short, wimpy brass-plate brads that let the script fall apart by page 40. Acco has them at Office Max & Office Depot by special order. Try to find or special-order those little brass washers (to fit the #6 brads), too. They seriously hold the script together, even to the last page. Readers curl the script pages behind what they’ve read; they leave them overnight, half-read, to read next day. Your script is roughly handled, by three or four people. Make sure it stays together through all of that! Yes, the paper has 3 holes, but put the brads only in the top and bottom holes. Writers from outside the US might consider ordering these brads, and some 3-hole punch paper, 8 ½ X 11 size, for submissions to US competitions, agents or production companies.

Suggestion #3: Covers: please use plain cover-stock or card-stock. Print only the script title & author name on the front. Any color is OK, but white, grey or tan are preferred & more professional-looking. Do not bind your script in a high-school plastic binder or one with metal bars inside. Nothing else is acceptable but front and back card-stock covers.

Suggestion #4: Title Page: Please have the first page of your submission be the title page. Print the title, author’s name, info on copyright or WGA-registration, and the author’s contact info: mailing address, phone number & e-mail address. If you change your address, phone number or e-mail address, please let the festival know this right away, so they can contact you if you win! Send e-mail addresses for co-authors to be notified of script’s status in contest, too.

Suggestion #5: Do not write the title or your name on the binding side of the script. That makes the script look old & shopped-around. The festival readers or registration people will do that when they receive the entry.

Suggestion #6: A printed-out copy of the script from your computer looks a lot better than a copy-shop’s or a Xeroxed, faded copy. Make sure it’s nice and clear and clean, with black ink. It’s actually cheaper to print out a computer copy than it is to take it somewhere to be printed, in most cases. Check every page after printing to make sure all the pages are there, and that there are no duplicated pages or blank pages.

Suggestion #7: Use COURIER 12 point font. Nothing else will do. Hollywood likes this traditional font and size because it looks a lot like the old typewritten scripts, and makes all submissions appear equal, font-wise.

Suggestion #8: Do not try to cheat by doing a “loose” script to make your script look like 120 pages. Do not do a “tight” script, to try to make a too-long script look like 120 pages. If you have a 90-page script, that’s fine. If you have a 150-page script, you need to do some edits. Double-check every page of your submission, to make sure it’s printed clearly and that the pages are in order and none are missing or duplicated.

Suggestion #9: Have someone who is an English-major read your script for typos, incorrect grammar (except in the dialog, if that’s what you intend anyway), punctuation, spelling, syntax & other errors. You could offer to pay him or her a dollar for each error found (with which you agree). This will make you really edit in advance, like crazy, to save yourself the expense! Don’t ever rely only on your spell-check program. Print out the script and read it in hard-copy, and edit as you read. Use a red or blue pen, so you can easily find the edits when you do the re-write. Spend the time to correct the errors. Nothing makes an author look more lazy and unprofessional as lots of un-edited errors in your submission.

Suggestion #10: Format: use the standard script format found in books on the subject and in computer screenwriting programs, such as Final Draft. Don’t customize it. Use correct, standard spacing between elements and in all four of the margins.

Suggestion #11: I would love to see the second page of your submission be the logline and mini-synopsis! Film festivals and prodco readers don’t usually ask for this, or require it, but it would make reading the screenplay a lot easier and more enjoyable. Plus, if your logline is great, it induces the reader to put your screenplay submission at the TOP of his or her pile of must-read-now.

Suggestion # 12: Give your submission a GREAT title! Make it stand out and be memorable. Read the Moondance e-zine article on Titles & Loglines, for some good suggestions.

Suggestion #13: Don’t send in long résumés and lists of credits or info about your other festival wins with your entry forms and submission. It won’t help you win. It won’t (or shouldn’t) influence the readers and judges, because each festival has different criteria.

Suggestion #14: Entry fees: Attach the check or money-order with a paper-clip (don’t staple it in) to the front of the entry form. If it’s a US festival or competition, make sure the funds are in US dollars. Don’t just toss the entry fee into the bottom of the envelope. When sending a money-order, write your name on it, so we know who it’s from. When sending a check from someone else, write your name on it, and the script’s title, for the same reason. If you pay the entry fee via withoutabox.com (WAB), be sure to note your tracking number on the script.

Suggestion #15: Mailing: use the simplest packaging form possible, one that’s easy and quick to open. Don’t tape it together as if the contents were made of gold. Avoid the use of those envelopes that are full of grey fluffy kapok that gets all over desks and clothes and the floor when the reader has finally managed to slice it open. A script generally does not need a padded envelope.

Suggestion #16: Postage: use enough postage to cover the cost of mailing. Most festivals and competitions want to read a screenplay in hard-copy, but will not pay any postage due, and your entry will probably be returned to you, un-opened.

Suggestion #17: Entry forms and release forms: Please fill them out CLEARLY in black ink. Sign them. Print them, rather than using fancy cursive writing in purple or pink ink. Make sure your e-mail address is clear. If you use withoutabox.com (WAB), be sure to note your tracking number on the script, as this gives the festival judge all the info needed, when they track your submission.

Suggestion #18: Remember to enclose the entry form, release form and entry fee with your script in the same envelope.

Suggestion #19: If sending your submission from a country outside the US, please note on the customs form that it is a commercial sample, so no customs fee will be charged to the festival, agent or production company.

Suggestion #20: Do not send an SASE (self-addressed, stamped envelope) with your submission if the festival or competition announces that they will not return any entries or submissions. You’ll be wasting the postage.

Suggestion #21: Make sure your entire submission package is reader-friendly!

Every one of the above 21 suggestions are based on personal experience of mistakes former entrants made when submitting materials to Moondance or to other festivals and competitions.

As for the content of your screenplay; structure counts, usually. Have a clear Act I, II, and III. Try to hook the reader on the first page! Make the first five (or ten pages at most) be Act I, wherein you introduce all the main characters and show the reader the who, what, where, when and why of your story. Notice that I said SHOW. Telling is not so good. Film is a visual medium and you should actually be writing a FILM, not a script.

Act II is the rest of the story, where you build on what you started, and it climaxes at the clear end of Act II. Act III should be five or ten (max) pages, where all characters have been accounted for, and all loose ends are tied up and all conflicts are resolved.

Make sure you’ve defined your characters and have given them unique descriptions and qualities special to them, so they are recognizable as individual people and have depth. Same with the dialog. Don’t have every character speak the same. Or as you speak. Let the environment and ambience of the settings be shown. Show people as they would be in real life.

“Peaceable Kingdom”, Jenny Stein, director, 2009 feature doc film winner

Remember foreshadowing of events and situations! Mention the weather and seasons and time of day or night. Make sure your characters develop throughout the story, and visibly REACT, according to their personalities, to the situations, each other, and to dialog spoken to them. Don’t end scenes with just dialog; show some action or reactions to end the scene.

Have lots of conflict in action and emotions, whether personal, local, national, or world-side…or even universal. Then resolve that conflict at the end. And don’t forget to tie up all loose ends in the story, in or by the final scene.

“Alice in Wonderland” illustration by Tenniel

Avoid clichés in characterizations, dialog, actions and reactions. Do something new and interesting. Avoid like the plague having your actors speak long lines of exposition or explaining! Actors and directors and the audience never want to hear a character verbally explaining, on and on, what he or she is thinking, planning, worrying about, or is going to do, or did in the past. Action! Show it, don’t tell it!

Every word of dialog and every word of action and exposition in your screenplay must move the story forward toward its conclusion. Every scene must move the story forward. The screenplay should read like a good novel, and the reader should not want to put it down until the end.

Remember foreshadowing and transitions. Each scene should flow into the next, logically, or be hinted at in a previous scene. Don’t make the reader wonder where we are in this scene. Lead them into it. If your two characters will be going out for pizza in the next scene, or are going to rob a bank, hint at that in the previous scene(s). Set it up for the pay-off. You can have many set-ups and pay-offs in every scene, all adding to deeper characterizations, and moving the story forward and building toward the ending pay-off, which resolves the conflicts.

“Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother”

It’s perfectly OK if the reader and the audience knows, or think they know, what will be happening in your story, by the first 5 pages or five minutes. That’s what Act II and the final scenes are for. You’re not writing a mystery novel where lots of plot-points are hidden, to be revealed later. Think of all the movies you’ve seen where you just know the two leads will fall in love by the end, or that the bad-guy will bite the bullet at the end, but you’ve looked forward to see how the story and characters develop.

James Dean, “Rebel Without a Cause”

Consider writing your dialog and scenes for specific actors you may have in mind, and imagine them reading your script to see if they’d like to play the parts. Give the stars and lead characters the best lines and the best action. Try to write memorable dialog &/or memorable action. The actors and the directors love it and this stuff sticks in the audiences’ minds. Remember, somebody has to spend millions of dollars on your idea, if they like it. It has to make them a profit. Most studios and production companies are not only in the business of making movies; they’re primarily in the business of making MONEY.

Judy Garland, “The Wizard of Oz”

Don’t write a director’s or production script. Don’t have scene numbers on the sluglines. Don’t use CUT-TO or DISSOLVE-TO at all. No camera angles, unless it’s vital. You’re not the director of photography, cinematographer, nor the film’s editor. MORES & CONTINUEDs at dialog and scene breaks are not needed anymore. Keep dialog and scenes on the same page: don’t break a block of dialog or a scene at the bottom of a page and continued on the next page.

Don’t direct the actors. You’re the screenwriter, not the film’s director. Too many parentheticals don’t allow the actors to do their jobs.  Try to keep the number of sluglines to 85-100, max. Each scene change during the shoot is very time-consuming and costs a lot of production money.

And finally: The more professional and reader-friendly your entire submission package is, the better your chances are of winning a competition and of selling that screenplay. Remember, when entering a competition, if your script wins or is a finalist, or even a semi-finalist, producers and agents will ask you for it, and the festival will want to be proud to have selected your screenplay!

“Wallace and Gromit” animation, UK

THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY

A sunbeam to warm you,

A moonbeam to charm you,

A sheltering angel,

So nothing can harm you.

~ Irish Blessing

Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, CA

What saying would you chisel into the stones of your palace?

As a solid rock is not shaken by a strong gale, so a wise person remains unaffected by either praise or censure. ~ Buddha

Drawing by Evelyn De Morgan (1855-1919)

Many of life’s failures are merely those who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. ~ Thomas Alva Edison

I can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses. It’s all in how you look at it. ~ Abraham Lincoln

Romantic Rue, Paris, France

“It is more important to know where you’re going than to get there quickly. Do not mistake activity for achievement.” ~ Mabel Newcomer

The Oracle Shell, Asian

“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” ~ James Baldwin

Unicorn Tapestry, 15th century, Musee de Cluny, Paris

“Language is the apparel in which your thoughts parade before the public. Never clothe them in vulgar or shoddy attire.” ~ George Crane

“If you wait to do everything until you’re sure it is right, you will probably never do much of anything.” ~ Win Borden

Mahatma Gandhi

“All you rule-breakers, you misfits & troublemakers, all you free-spirits & pioneers… Everything that the establishment has told you is wrong with you – is actually what’s right with you! Wayseers are the change engines of society. Wayseers are the one’s who know first, who sense earliest the disturbances in the fabric of human affairs – the trends, the patterns, the fashions, the revolutions that are afoot, the coming groundswells. Some Notable Wayseers: Albert Einstein, The Dalai Lama, Nikola Tesla, Leonardo Da Vinci, Mahatma Gandhi, Richard Branson, Steve Jobs, Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, Amelia Earhart, Joan of Arc, Martin Luther King, Jr, Mother Teresa…

~ Go here: http://WayseerManifesto.com

MOONDANCE RECOMMENDS:

~~~The Art of Doing Nothing~~~

Doing nothing can be a waste of time, or it can be an art form. Here’s how to become a master, and in the process, improve your life, melt away the stress and make yourself more productive when you actually do work. Start small; doing nothing, in the true sense of the word, can be overwhelming if you attempt to do too much nothing at once. Do small nothings at first. Now, close your eyes, and do nothing. Then read more at: http://zenhabits.net/the-art-of-doing-nothing/

HEIFER, INTERNATIONAL: Heifer envisions a world of communities living together in peace and equitably sharing the resources of a healthy planet. Heifer’s mission is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and to care for the Earth. By giving families a hand-up, not just a hand-out, we empower them to turn lives of hunger and poverty into self-reliance and hope. As people share their knowledge, resources, and skills – an expanding network of hope, dignity, and self-reliance is created that reaches around the globe. This simple idea of giving families a source of food rather than short-term relief caught on and has continued for over 65 years. Today, millions of families in 128 countries have been given the gifts of self-reliance. Instead of buying more “stuff”, choose a meaningful gift to give a loved one and help children and families around the world receive training and animal gifts that help them become self-reliant. http://www.habitat.org

THE WAYSEER MANIFESTO – [Official Video]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPR3GlpQQJA

Che Guevara

Please watch this important & passionate video!

Elizabeth English & Mchael Bavota at MIFF 2011

CHECK OUT THE WEBSITE OF A PROUD MOONDANCE 2011 WINNER:

http://www.michaelbavota.com/id5.html

Arthur Kanegis, on location

“In Baja this year I enjoyed the fun of being an extra in “Little Boy” a new movie coming out next August about a young boy who moves mountains to end World War II and bring his dad home from a POW camp. It was exhilarating to be on a crowded street, all whooping for joy celebrating the end of a war!” ~ Arthur Kanegis, Moondance feature screenplay & short doc film winner, www.bullyproof.com

MOONDANCE IS SEEKING DONORS, SPONSORS & FRIENDS!

Dear Friends of Moondance International Film Festival: Please seriously consider helping support Moondance’s on-going efforts to promote, inspire and encourage the world’s independent filmmakers, writers and composers, with a financial donation to start off the new year right! Your contribution makes it possible for us to enlighten, inspire, enrich, educate, and entertain through film, writing & music. Any donation amount is greatly appreciated.

A donation of $1000 or more, to help fund our 2011 film festival, will put your name, or your company’s name, in the Moondance credits as a co-producer: on our website, in the newsletters, and in the festival print program!

Thanks a million!

TO DONATE NOW, GO TO: http://www.acteva.com/go/moondance2011

TO SEE OUR SPONSOR PAGES, GO TO: http://www.moondancefilmfestival.com/04_sponsors.info.html

SPECIAL LIMITED-TIME OFFER*! Anyone who donates $1000 (or more) in 2012 to support Moondance’s continuing efforts to help make the world a better place through film, writing & music, will receive this brand-new, beautiful custom-made Luna Guitar with Victorian-era Mermaid art on both sides as a gift for your generous, much-appreciated financial support! www.lunaguitars.com

DONATE AT:  http://www.acteva.com/go/moondance2012

OTHER OPTIONS & MOONDANCE SPONSOR INFO: http://www.moondancefilmfestival.com/04_sponsors.info.html

EXTRAORDINARY OPPORTUNITY:

Would you like to host the best of Moondance films & workshops in your community, anywhere in the US and the world? Bring Moondance to your area! Contact Elizabeth English now at director@moondancefilmfestival.com to discuss the details and fabulous benefits!

____________________________________________________________

Please forward this news blog to friends and colleagues!

www.moondancefilmfestival.com/blog

PLEASE NOTE: If you wish to reply to this email, with a question or comment, please remember to change the subject line! Otherwise, your email will be received stacked all together with every other email response if using this subject line unchanged, and we may miss seeing your email!

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Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays

&

A Very Happy New Year!

The Moondance Award Star

LAST CHANCE FOR DISCOUNTED EARLY-BIRD ENTRY FEE!

Early-bird postmark deadline is December 31, 2011

(Your submission does not need to arrive by this deadline)

Send in your entry materials now!

Regular submission dates: January 1-June 30, 2012

Check out the Moondance website for more info!

http://www.moondancefilmfestival.com

2012 SUBMISSION CATEGORIES:

• FEATURE FILMS
• SHORT FILMS
• DOCUMENTARY FILMS
• ANIMATION FILMS
• MUSIC VIDEOS
• FEATURE SCREENPLAYS
• SHORT SCREENPLAYS
• ORIGINAL MUSIC & FILM SCORES
• STAGEPLAYS
• TV PILOT SCRIPTS
• FILMED TV PILOTS
• SHORT STORIES
• TV EPISODICS
• LIBRETTI
• RADIO PLAYS
• & more…

SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY TO MOONDANCE NOW!

Don’t wait until the last minute…get your entry in early,

and take advantage of our discounted Early-Bird entry fee!

CLICK BELOW FOR 3 EASY WAYS TO SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY:

• MOONDANCE OFFICIAL ENTRY FORM

• ACTEVA SUBMISSION SERVICE

• WITHOUTABOX.COM SUBMISSION SERVICE

MOONDANCE SCRIPT CRITIQUES:

Cynthia Butler, Moondance’s very popular reader will write a one-page critique and assessment of your submitted screenplay, stageplay, teleplay or up to 3 short stories. Check off the box for critiques on the Moondance entry form or at Withoutabox.com. The fee is a nominal $75 for each critique requested.

MOVIEBYTES.COM  Lists Moondance as

“one of the top ten film festival competitions worth the entry fee!”

Are you undecided about which film festival competitions to enter this season?  You can’t go wrong by choosing Moondance first, because our finalists & winners, writers, composers and filmmakers are happy to discover that doors are finally opened to them, after being a part of the Moondance! Please check out our SUCCESSES page, and read our archived newsletters to see what great new opportunities Moondancers enthusiastically write to us about! You could be next!

Thanks a million for all the great entries received so far!

Please forward this reminder to your friends & colleagues.

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2012 CALL FOR ENTRIES!

Check out the Moondance website for more info!

http://www.moondancefilmfestival.com

• FEATURE FILMS
• SHORT FILMS
• DOCUMENTARY FILMS
• ANIMATION FILMS
• MUSIC VIDEOS
• FEATURE SCREENPLAYS
• SHORT SCREENPLAYS
• ORIGINAL MUSIC & FILM SCORES
• STAGEPLAYS
• TV PILOT SCRIPTS
• FILMED TV PILOTS
• SHORT STORIES
• TV EPISODICS
• LIBRETTI
• RADIO PLAYS
• & MORE…

SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY TO MOONDANCE NOW!

Don’t wait until the last minute…get your entry in early,

and take advantage of the discounted Early-Bird entry fee!

CLICK BELOW FOR 3 EASY WAYS TO SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY:

• MOONDANCE OFFICIAL ENTRY FORM

• ACTEVA SUBMISSION SERVICE

• WITHOUTABOX.COM SUBMISSION SERVICE

Are you undecided about which film festival competitions to enter this season?  You can’t go wrong by choosing Moondance first, because our finalists & winners, writers, composers and filmmakers are happy to discover that doors are finally opened to them after being a part of the Moondance! Please check out our SUCCESSES page, and read our archived newsletters to see what great new opportunities Moondancers enthusiastically write to us about! You could be next! MOVIEBYTES.COM  Lists Moondance as “one of the top ten film festival competitions worth the entry fee!”

WE’RE LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD

FILMS, SCRIPTS, STORIES, FILM SCORES & more!

Artwork by J. Howard Miller

CHECK OUT MOONDANCE AT WIKIPEDIA:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moondance_International_Film_Festival

MOONDANCE SCRIPT CRITIQUES:

Cynthia Butler, Moondance’s very popular reader will write a one-page critique and assessment of your submitted screenplay, stageplay, teleplay or up to 3 short stories. Check off the box for critiques on the Moondance entry form or at Withoutabox.com. The fee is a nominal $75 for each critique requested.

2012 MOONDANCE FESTIVAL AT SEA!

Imagine sailing on the clear blue seas of the Caribbean while attending the 2012 Moondance International Film Festival! Between professional workshops, indie film screenings, networking cocktail parties, and gala awards ceremony, enjoy all that a 3-day luxury cruise aboard a cruise ship has to offer. All for one low, affordable package price, which includes cabin, a wide variety of entertainment options, shore tours, all-you-can eat 24 hours a day, as well as all of our famous film festival events: Bahamas cruise AND film festival in one! Forget winter weather; experience the perfect weather, sparkling blue seas and the warm sun of the Caribbean in December!

MOONDANCE AT SEA is in the early planning stages, so please let us know if you’d be interested in joining us on this unique film festival cruise. We cordially welcome international filmmakers, writers, composers, families and all indie film buffs. The 3-day film festival cruise package will only cost in the range of $500-$750 (depending on number of attendees & cabin accommodations selected), and all festival events, + 3-day Bahamas cruise are included in this amazingly low, low ticket price! Please email right now: moondancefestival@gmail.com, with MIFF CRUISE in the subject line, to let us know if you like the idea of a festival at sea, and if you’ll want to join the Moondance crew, and let’s make a splash!

Some of the many enthusiastic responses to the Moondance Festival at Sea invitation:

“I think the idea of the festival cruise is a fabulous idea. We would love to attend and submit 2 feature films plus a short.” ~ Ciaron Davies, Loose Gripp Films and Media Website: http://loosegrippmedia.webs.com/

“I love the idea of the Moondance festival at sea.  I’ll be there!” ~ Kim M. Brantley

“This is a brilliant idea and I would definitely be interested in participating in any capacity. What could be better than combining a cruise and Moondance? I haven’t been to Moondance or the Bahamas, so this sounds like a wonderful chance to do both.” ~ Glenda Cimino, screenwriter

“YES!!!! Yes, I love the idea! Count me in! ~Anna Young, Rugged Island Productions

“I love the festival cruise idea!” ~ Linda Roberts

“I love the idea of a Bahamas cruise for the 2012 Moondance! I’m definitely interested in attending.” Donna Lisa, Moondance multi-award-winning writer

“What an awesome idea. I’m in.” ~ Patricia Semler, screenwiter

“We are very interested in the proposed cruise.” ~ Venetia Taylor & Daniel Prypchan, production house, Sydney Australia, www.humanproductions.com

“I am interested in the upcoming MIFF CRUISE 2012. I would like to reserve two spaces.” ~ Anya Juan Risco, filmmaker, Carpe Diem

“The film festival cruise is a great idea; it sounds like a wonderful time!” ~ from a Moondancer

“Congrats on this new adventure!” ~ Robin Lu, writer

Scroll on down for more news & items of interest!

SCREENWRITERS: OCCUPY HOLLYWOOD?

We are the 99% who can’t get an honest read for our work!

It seems that the powers-that-be in Hollywood simply will not even bother to look at a script unless it has won top competitions, and/or has name producers, a big distributor, name talent, award-winning director, or, more importantly, massive production funding attached. How many un-produced screenwriters have access to many, many millions of dollars and Hollywood stars? And, of course, a writer absolutely must have a top Hollywood literary agent to even get in the door, but they generally do not accept unsolicited work. And you can almost forget about getting your script read if you happen to be a woman, live outside L.A., and don’t know anyone in the business. It looks like an “Old Boys” club for the fortunate 1%, with all doors firmly closed unless you’re a rich, famous, connected and successful member. Can this unfair Hollywood system be changed to give talented writers a better chance to get produced?

MOONDANCE KUDOS:

Coca-Cola and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) are working together to protect the polar bear’s Arctic habitat. In fact, Coke has made an initial $2 million donation to WWF for polar bear conservation. To get involved yourself, you can text your package code to 357357 to make a $1 donation to WWF. Coke will match all donations — up to $1 million! You can also donate online at ArcticHome.com. This is the first time Coke has ever changed the color of their iconic Coke cans. So during the holiday season (up to February, 2012), you will find all Coke cans and bottle caps have gone white as a reminder to get involved to save the polar bear’s endangered Arctic habitat!

MOONDANCER NEWS:

Drama students at Shadow Mountain High School are getting accolades for their television pilot. The students shot the pilot for “The Drama” last spring with the hope of pitching it to local and national networks. “The Drama” follows a class of drama students preparing for their spring musical. The project was the “Filmed TV Pilot for Kids Winner” at the Moondance International Film Festival in Boulder, Colo. “A bunch of people from all around the world got to see it. They even wrote about it back in Ireland,” said Joe Flowers, theater director at the northeast Phoenix high school. Student filmmaker Matthew Grodsky, a senior, hopes the awards open some doors for his budding film career. He co-authored and co-directed “The Drama.” The script also won best TV Pilot Script at Moondance. http://www.azcentral.com/

FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
TITLES & LOGLINES

By Elizabeth English

Have a fabulous, unique idea for a movie? That’s wonderful, but you need to know how to turn your great story into a great logline. There is and always has been only one real secret to success in the entertainment industry. Tell a great story. Period. And you need to figure out how to tell that fabulous story in only 25 words or less! You need to learn how to get your script or film idea enthusiastically read by an agent and then a producer, director and actors. Learn what they look for in a title and logline. Your first impression to these movers and shakers is all about the fine art of pitching your film or screenplay, your TV series concept or story idea, via your eye-catching title and logline.

“SELL THE SIZZLE; NOT JUST THE STEAK!”

A great title for your film or screenplay is the first (and maybe only) introduction to an agent, a producer, director, film distributor, or studio. “You’ve got 3 minutes; pitch me what you’ve got,” is what you’ll hear from the entertainment industry movers & shakers who might buy your project. But you probably wouldn’t even get that meeting, or a reply to your query letter, if you didn’t have an interesting title and logline that caught their eye.

You can often find that great, eye-catching title within your screenplay text, and then write a sizzling logline to go with it. Know how to “dress” your script for success, make it stand out from all the others, and get it noticed in the first round.

Whether you’re a newbie, a struggling writer, or an old pro; a screenwriter, television writer, or filmmaker, you need to know the latest & greatest on how to break in to today’s film & television industry, how to further your success, and how to get your spec screenplay put into the “weekend read” pile, and seriously considered within the Hollywood shark-pit. And how to adapt your logline for whomever will be reading it. Yes, I hate to say it, but you’ll need different loglines for the same script, for sending it out to a director, a producer, an actor or an agent. That very first impression may be the only chance you’ve got. If your title & logline don’t hook them, they may never preview your film or read your script. And remember, it’s worth a whole LOT of money, if it sells the story.

As screenwriters, we use dynamic titles and loglines to sell our scripts. We use them in query letters to impress agents and to get their attention and to encourage them to ask to see the script. We need a title and logline that really rocks! Great loglines can often work better as a sales tool than whole screenplays can do. Agents, readers, story anylists, and producers are looking for easy, quick reads. Loglines provide less for them to say “no” to than a synopsis or a complete script does. The logline introduces the story to them, without forcing them to read the whole script to know what your story is and if it might be a concept they can sell to a producer.

HOW NOT TO WRITE A LOGLINE

Don’t simply summarize your movie with set-up, conflict, and resolution. Don’t just write a one-sentence TV Guide-style logline emphasizing the main storyline. Don’t limit yourself to the set-up or the plot. Don’t write that the story is “exciting”, “amazing”, a “blockbuster”. Never describe the details of your script in the logline or leave out important information. Try not to use your characters’ names in a logline.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO:

Do emphasize the unique elements of your script that enable audiences and readers to connect with the situation and to identify with the protagonist. Do use “buzz-words”, like “love”, “death”, “sex”, “adventure”, “mystery”, “romance” that help the reader identify with the story. Consider writing a high-concept line at the end, to make your story instantly recognizable to anyone. A high-concept logline might be something like “When Harry Met Sally” aboard the “Titanic”. Or “Braveheart” meets “City Slickers”, or even “Shakespeare In Love” with “The Witches of Eastwick”.

You’ve got to cram a lot into a short, three-sentence logline: genre, conflict, character, action, location, time, any crisis to be resolved, hint at the potential transformation of the main character, marketability, and do it all in 25 words or less, all in present tense. And it needs to sizzle! The synopsis and logline are the keys that open the door to getting your script read. The same amount of thought that a writer takes in writing a script should also be taken in writing the logline. A logline is not a mini-version of your script or film! It’s much, much harder to write the three-sentence logline than it is to write the 100 to 120 page screenplay.

A reader should be able get the full story concept of the script or film from these one to three sentences. He or she should know immediately what the whole movie is about and get excited about the story-line and idea, and can visualize the finished film. Always consider who your target audience is. Who’s going to be reading your title and logline first? Unfortunately, your first reader may be a young college intern working for free in the producer’s or agent’s basement mailroom. Your first reader could well be the producer’s temporary secretary, or a jaded and bored assistant. He might be a guy who only likes “Scream” or “Matrix” and you’ve asked him to read your romantic comedy, “Sleepless in Seattle” script. Or your first reader could be a young woman who loves “The Ya-Ya Sisterhood” and you’ve mailed out “The Rock”. Use that title and logline to make them sit up and take notice, and then to send the script up to the next level.

GREAT TITLES:

I received a script submission, entitled “JENNY, THE RED-HEADED WHORE”. I didn’t want to read it. It went to the bottom of the pile to be read when I absolutely had to. Well, guess what? When I finally read the script, with much trepidation, it was one of the best scripts I’d ever read! This script was one of five top finalists for Moondance. I convinced the author to change the title to “THE VIRGINS”.

Another writer sent me a script called “THE TENT”. Who wants to read about a tent? In her script, however, I learned that the protagonist was a big, strong and independent woman who braved a winter in Alaska in a tent. Her family even called her “Alaska”. So when she and her husband had finally completed the log cabin, they climbed up on the roof to enjoy the Northern Lights in the night sky. He reached his hand down to her and said, “Dance with me, Alaska.” That great line of dialog became her new script title! It was there all along and just needed to be found.

The title of your screenplay needs to fit perfectly with your logline and be attention-getting. Titles are like mini-loglines in that they must be unique and they need to attract interest and make the reader want to go ahead and read the logline. But be sure to go to IMDb.com to see if your title has been used before. IMDb.com has a listing of every film produced from the 1800s to today’s films and those that are in pre-production and production.

But then again, what was “Claire’s Knee” all about? It was a unique title and made them look! “Forrest Gump” took ten years of rejections from every studio and producer in Hollywood. What if the writer had changed the title and logline to help it be seen as the potential blockbuster, Oscar-winning  film that it became?

ADAPTING YOUR LOGLINE TO YOUR READER’S INTEREST

An agent, actor, producer or distributor wants to read screenplays that he or she can instantly recognize as sellable to a wide audience. Producers think about production costs, the available budget and marketability. Directors, on the other hand, want to read screenplays that will show off their talents in the best light and offer them artistic challenges, and maybe even win them an Oscar. Actors want to read screenplays that showcase their acting ability and which give them the best role and best lines in the film. Story editors need to see a unique, sellable idea they can take upstairs. Readers and story analysts want that one fabulous concept they can bring to the attention of a producer, story editor or creative executive. Distributors want to read about a potentially profitable film, a “popcorn movie”. Interns are often told to recommend no more than ONE screenplay a year! You need to make sure that one is yours, by altering the wording & focus of your logline to appeal to each reader and potential buyer.

Remember, your all-important first impression gets you in the door to pitch your film or story, and may be worth millions of dollars and that success you’ve been working toward as a filmmaker or screenwriter.

Ms. English is the founder, executive director and artistic director for the Moondance International Film Festival, now in its 12th fabulous season. She’s also a filmmaker, with 3 short films, One of which has won awards across the US & Europe, and was screened during the Cannes film festival; a professional screenwriter, with some 35 completed feature screenplays, 3 TV pilots, 2 produced original stageplays, produced libretto/operas, and she presents workshops on successful screenwriting & filmmaking at Moondance, and elsewhere. English also writes published columns and articles on screenwriting, as well as writes for and edits the Moondance E-Zine. Please check out her screenplay & film evaluation & editing service at www.mermaid7seas.com

WINTER SOLSTICE & LUNAR ECLIPSE

Photo by Franco Santoro

The Winter Solstice takes place this year on December 21, 2011, and it will coincide with a total lunar eclipse of the full moon visible through most of the globe. It’s been 632 years since the first day of winter and a lunar eclipse have occurred on the same day!

Facing the Eclipsed Winter Solstice

by Franco Santoro

This is a major astrological event abundant with exceptional energetic and symbolic meaning. Most ancient cultures and traditions identify the lunar eclipse with calamities and apocalyptic events.

This is indeed the darkest time of the year in the northern hemisphere, yet it is also the most abundant with hope, for it heralds the inevitable return of light. The Winter Solstice intensifies the trust in the luminosity in each one of us, including the world and the universe at large.

The Winter Solstice is the doorway into winter and the peak of obscurity. This can be a time of slowing down, when we have the opportunity to withdraw in the inner world, embracing the highest dreams and aspirations. During this season we can easily come to a deeper understanding of life, giving up outworn patterns, becoming receptive to wide visions, setting honourable intentions in preparation for upcoming luminous enterprises.

Winter is also a major time of healing connection between the visible and the unseen, body and spirit. The power of this season involves including all aspects of life and death, reaching a climax in our perspective and awareness. It is a time when we can rise above the limitations of our narrow perceptions.

A MOONDANCER WRITES US:

The Moondance at Sea sounds heavenly!  We shall see what happens with current screenplays and more writing in the coming year. The Moondance Film Festival has been a great stimulus, support and a gift to both Mark and me. The writing awards we have won through the Moondance Screenwriting Contests continue to spur us onward! ~ Marcie Telander, Moondance-winning co-writer 2010, feature screenplay “The Rites of Spring”

THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY:

“Narcissus” by John Waterhouse

“Forget not that the Earth delights to feel your bare feet, and the winds long to play with your hair.” ~ Khalil Gibran, poet

“I would rather think of life as a good book. The more you get into it, the more it begins to come together and make sense.” ~ Rabbi Harold Kushner

"Tranquiity" photo by Karen Talasco

“The ideals which have lighted my way, and time after time, have given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been kindness, beauty and truth.” ~ Albert Einstein

“It’s good to fail now and then – you learn a lot more out of failure than you do out of success.” ~ Ian Hunter

“It is always in the midst, in the epicenter, of your troubles that you can find serenity.” ~ Antoine de Saint-Expery

Illustration by James Thurber, “The Unicorn in the Garden”

“People of integrity expect to be believed. They also know time will prove them right, and are willing to wait.” ~ Ann Landers, advice columnist

“Do not insult the alligator until after you have crossed the river.” ~ Haitian Proverb

“The human race has only one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.” ~ Mark Twain

“Morning Mist” photo by Dominique Browning

“It can be argued that strife and turmoil can lead one to greatness. One’s sense of purpose, once tested by adversity, becomes reliably firm, and one’s understanding of the world, once questioned amidst sorrow and misconception, can be forever enhanced. Good can come out of bad.” ~ Elizabeth George, author, excerpt from “In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner”, Bantam Books

One ship drives east, and another west,

Both the self-same winds that blow;

‘Tis the set of the sails

And not the gales

Which decides the way to go.

~ Ella Wilcox Wheeler

THE ENDANGERED CHAMBERED NAUTILUS

The chambered nautilus periodically erects barriers inside its shell as it grows, leaving a series of unoccupied spaces behind. The word “nautilus” comes from the Greek for boat. When the first nautilus shells arrived in Renaissance Europe, collectors were stunned: They saw the perfect spirals as reflecting the larger order of the universe. Oliver Wendell Holmes admired the silent toil that produced the lustrous coil, in which he admires the ship of pearl: “/Still, as the spiral grew / He left the past year’s dwelling for the new.” He found in the mysterious life and death of the nautilus a strong inspiration for life and spiritual growth.

Naturalists have long marveled at its shell. The logarithmic spiral echoes the curved arms of hurricanes, labyrinths, and distant galaxies. It is a living fossil whose ancestors go back a half billion years — to the early days of complex life on the planet. Now marine biologists have begun to assess the status of its populations and to consider whether it should be listed as an endangered species to curb the shell trade.

MOONDANCE IS SEEKING DONORS, SPONSORS & FRIENDS!

Dear Friends of Moondance International Film Festival: Please seriously consider helping support Moondance’s on-going efforts to promote, inspire and encourage the world’s independent filmmakers, writers and composers, with a financial donation to start off the new year right! Your contribution makes it possible for us to enlighten, inspire, enrich, educate, and entertain through film, writing & music. Any donation amount is greatly appreciated.

A donation of $1000 or more, to help fund our 2011 film festival, will put your name, or your company’s name, in the Moondance credits as a co-producer: on our website, in the newsletters, and in the festival print program!

Thanks a million!

TO DONATE NOW, GO TO: http://www.acteva.com/go/moondance2011

TO SEE OUR SPONSOR PAGES, GO TO: http://www.moondancefilmfestival.com/04_sponsors.info.html

SPECIAL LIMITED-TIME OFFER*! Anyone who donates $1000 (or more) in 2011 to support Moondance’s continuing efforts to help make the world a better place through film, writing & music, will receive this brand-new, beautiful custom-made Luna Guitar with Victorian-era Mermaid art on both sides as a gift for your generous, much-appreciated financial support!

www.lunaguitars.com

DONATE AT: http://www.acteva.com/go/moondance2011

* free shipping within the US.

Extra shipping fee if shipped to a foreign address

OTHER OPTIONS & MOONDANCE SPONSOR INFO: http://www.moondancefilmfestival.com/04_sponsors.info.html

EXTRAORDINARY MOONDANCE OPPORTUNITY:

Would you like to host the best of Moondance films & workshops in your community, anywhere in the US and in the world? Bring Moondance to your area! Contact Elizabeth English now at director@moondancefilmfestival.com to discuss the details and the many benefits!

Please forward this news blog to friends and colleagues!

www.moondancefilmfestival.com/blog

PLEASE NOTE: If you wish to reply to this email, with a question or comment, please remember to change the subject line! Otherwise, your email will be received stacked all together with every other email response if using this subject line unchanged, and we may miss seeing your email!

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Imagine sailing on the clear blue seas of the Caribbean while attending the 2012 Moondance International Film Festival! Between professional workshops, indie film screenings, networking cocktail parties, and gala awards ceremony, enjoy all that a 3-day luxury cruise aboard a cruise ship has to offer. All for one low, affordable package price, which includes cabin, a wide variety of entertainment options, shore tours, all-you-can eat 24 hours a day, as well as all of our famous film festival events: Bahamas cruise AND film festival in one! Forget winter weather; experience the perfect weather, sparkling blue seas and the warm sun of the Caribbean in December!

MOONDANCE AT SEA is in the very early planning stages, so please let us know if you’d be interested in joining us on this unique film festival cruise in 2012. We cordially welcome all audiences, international filmmakers, writers, composers, families and all indie film buffs. The 3-day film festival cruise package will only cost in the range of $500-$750 (depending on number of attendees & cabin accommodations selected), and all festival events, film screenings, networking parties, workshops, & awards ceremony, AND the 3-day Bahamas cruise are included in this amazingly low, low ticket price! We’ll need at least 100 participants to make this work! Please email right now: moondancefestival@gmail.com, with MIFF CRUISE 2012 in the subject line, to let us know if you like the idea of a festival at sea, and if you’ll want to join the Moondance crew, and let’s make a big splash!

EXTRAORDINARY OPPORTUNITY!

Would you like to host the best of Moondance films & workshops in your community, anywhere in the US and/or the world? You can bring Moondance to your area! Contact Elizabeth English now at director@moondancefilmfestival.com to discuss the details and benefits!

Scroll on down for more news & items of interest!

MOONDANCE 2012 CALL-FOR-ENTRIES!

The 2012 Moondance early-bird call-for-entries will open for submissions on December 1, 2011.  We look forward to receiving your next film, screenplay, film score, TV script, stageplay, radio show, music video, and more!

Check out all of the 2012 Moondance submission categories at: http://www.moondancefilmfestival.com/03_submission.categories.html

MOONDANCE IS SEEKING DONORS, SPONSORS & FRIENDS!

Dear Friends of Moondance International Film Festival: Please seriously consider helping support Moondance’s on-going efforts to promote, inspire and encourage the world’s independent filmmakers, writers and composers, with a financial donation to start off the new year right! Your contribution makes it possible for us to enlighten, inspire, enrich, educate, and entertain through film, writing & music. Any donation amount is greatly appreciated.

A donation of $1000 or more, to help fund our 2011 film festival, will put your name, or your company’s name, in the Moondance credits as a co-producer: on our website, in the newsletters, and in the festival print program!

Thanks a million!

TO DONATE NOW, GO TO: http://www.acteva.com/go/moondance2011

TO SEE OUR SPONSOR PAGES, GO TO: http://www.moondancefilmfestival.com/04_sponsors.info.html

SPECIAL LIMITED-TIME OFFER*! Anyone who donates $1000 (or more) in 2011 to support Moondance’s continuing efforts to help make the world a better place through film, writing & music, will receive this brand-new, beautiful custom-made Luna Guitar with Victorian-era Mermaid art on both sides as a gift for your generous, much-appreciated financial support!

www.lunaguitars.com

DONATE AT: http://www.acteva.com/go/moondance2011

* free shipping within the US. Extra shipping fee if shipped to a foreign address

OTHER OPTIONS & MOONDANCE SPONSOR INFO: http://www.moondancefilmfestival.com/04_sponsors.info.html

MOONDANCER NEWS!

Tara Miele and Brett Juskalian are celebrating the recent release on DVD of their first independent feature film, “The Lake Effect,” hoping audiences worldwide will embrace their indie film. The film stars Kay Panabaker from “Fame” and ABC’s “No Ordinary Family,” Ross Partridge from the Duplass Brothers’ film “Baghead” and Tara Summers from television’s “Boston Legal.” It screened to sold-out audiences at festivals nationwide and won awards including Best Screenplay, Best Ensemble Acting and the Audience Favorite Award from festivals, including the Moondance International Film Festival. The Raindance Film Festival in London named Miele, “a Top Ten American Indie Filmmaker to Watch.” The Lake Effect was released on DVD Oct. 18 and is available from Amazon.com, Walmart.com and can be added to a Netflix DVD queue. Watch the trailer for “The Lake Effect” at www.thelakeeffectfilm.com

MOONDANCE RECOMMENDS:

HERE’S AN ANIMATION VIDEO YOU’LL LIKE:

Winter / En Hiver

by Moondance winner, director Andy Collen & Amy Blumenstein-Collen

Here’s an interview with the director about the making of this film:

NEW ENGLAND FILM

http://newenglandfilm.com/news/archives/05may/winter.htm

For more information on the filmmakers and Happy Trails Animation, visit www.happytrailsanimation.com

The goal of Shaping True Story Into Screenplay is to empower screenwriters who are spurred on by personal experience and help them make the leap from cathartic expression to true storytelling. With an encouraging and supportive tone, the book guides its readers towards objectivity about their experience. A screenplay based on real life must move beyond a self-indulgent re-telling, and this book explains the process of writing one’s own story in terms of antagonist and protagonist, beginning, middle and end, dramatic conflict and character motivations. Candace Kearns Read, MFA, a popular Moondance workshop presenter, has over twenty years of experience in the film industry as a screenwriter and screenwriting teacher and consultant, and this book provides an in-depth look at the specific challenges of adapting from true story, based on her experience.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/146376295X/ref=cm_sw_su_dp

MOONDANCERS WRITE US!

“I’d like to say that it was my great pleasure to meet you! Thank you very much for your special attention to me & my film ‘Siberia.Monamour”. It was really important for me to discover, that my film is understandable & close to the American audience!” ~ Slava Ross, 2011 director, “Siberia, Monamour”, winning feature film & audience favorite

“Being able to put the Moondance Audience Favorite Documentary award (and Official Selected Film) laurels on my promotional materials is more than I could have hoped for. I appreciate everything you did for us.” ~ Greg Chaney, director, “Journey On the Wild Coast”

“I want you to know that being from Colorado and growing up in Aspen as a kid, and then going to CU in Boulder, this fest means so much to me. So to have missed this event leaves a rather large whole in the world of fests-not-to-miss. I am glad to know that your festival showed and honored this short film that we did for this non-profit noteworthy cause. Amy and I try to create something special and different for each and every new film we do. It is your honor that lets us know that we are on the right track. It is also acknowledgment like this Star Award that gets us through the tough times, but then also reminds us to keep moving forward, and that tomorrow is another day…” ~ Andy Collen, Producer/ Director, “Seeds of Opportunity”

“I’ve been busy… we’ve been in production! Just wanted to say thank you so much! This is so exciting for me. Maybe next year the finished film will be at Moondance….So happy about this.” ~ Johnnie Mazzocco, 2011 feature screenplay semi-finalist “Found Objects”

“Thank you so much from myself and from my crew and all the friends of Jupiter Beach for my Calypso award.” ~ Cyndi Lenz, director, “The Garbage of Jupiter Beach” documentary film

THE LABYRINTH AS A SACRED TOOL

By Elizabeth English

Medieval labyrinth/Chartres Cathedral, France

Long before computers and the Internet, before the written word, before agriculture, before even simple village life, we were a spiritual people. It is clear that ritual, ceremony, rites of passage, and personal vision quests, are more than simple symbolic acts, but are a gateway into the deep connection of universal kinship with Spirit.

The unicursal path of the labyrinth is what differentiates it and sets it apart as a magnificent spiritual tool. The labyrinth does not engage our thinking minds, but invites our intuitive, pattern-seeking symbolic mind to come forth. It presents us with only one profound choice. To enter the labyrinth is to choose to walk a sacred path.

A labyrinth is different from a maze; there are no tricks to it, no dead ends or cul de sacs; no intersecting paths. Labyrinths have one well-defined path that leads us to the center and back out again. The truth-seeker and pilgrim alike will be amazed to find that the labyrinth is an all-encompassing metaphor, with its twists and turns, reflecting life’s path. Walking the labyrinth clears the mind and gives insight into the spiritual journey.

A sense of community forms within us during the labyrinth walk, and we discover our own internal rhythm. Honoring the body’s tempo helps open our intuitive channels. The creative process joins the imagery moving between the surface of our everyday minds to the thoughtful parts of our rational minds. To walk the labyrinth is an act of praise and thanksgiving. It is a tool to guide healing, to deepen self-knowledge, and empower creativity.

We become aware, and feel grateful, while walking the labyrinth path, that we are all part of the same dance, that everything around us is part of a divine plan. Discovering our connection to the sacred whole empowers our seeking. When we see our lives from the perspective of wholeness, we appreciate that our actions have a greater impact on the world than we may have ever imagined, or thought possible.

The labyrinth serves as a blueprint for transformation, developing new human capacities, restoring ancient ones, and discovering new potentials within us; allowing us to experience our inner world. The labyrinth awaits our discovery, for it will guide us through the troubles of our lives to the grand mysterious patterns that form the web of creation. It will lead us toward the source and will eventually guide us home.

As we proceed in the new millennium, there is a quickening of the world pulse. The beginning of a new thousand-year cycle is always a time of prophecy and hope, a time to prepare for the next cycle of life, to celebrate, to reconnect to the sacred through self-reflection, and to take a more active role in creating the world of tomorrow. Walking the labyrinth is a quest, a way in which we can all realize our goals, and discover how our individual spirits touch the Soul of the world, and how this World Soul envelops us, and extends the sacred circle.

Ancient Cretan 7-Circuit labyrinth

Come walk the Moondance Labyrinth with us!

THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY

Photo by Tippie Pics, Crested Butte, Colorado

“There remains for us only the very narrow way, often extremely difficult to find, of living every day as if it were our last, and yet living in faith and responsibility as though there were to be a great future.” ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German theologian

“You’ll never plow a field by turning it over in your mind.” ~ Irish Proverb

“As long as you are going to think anyway, think big!” – Donald Trump

Photo by Adrian Davis: www.adriandavisphotography.com

“When you blame others, you give up your power to change.” Robert Anthon

“Life isn’t about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain.” ~ Source unknown

“Short and irrevocable is the lifetime of all; but to extend our fame by deeds, this is the task of greatness.” ~ Virgil, 70-19 BC, from “The Aeneid”, epic poem in Latin

Steve Jobs

“You need a lot more than vision — you need a stubbornness, tenacity, belief and patience to stay the course.” ~ Edwin Catmull, a co-founder of Pixar, responding to the passing of Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, 1955-2011

LANGUAGES AND CULTURES AT MOONDANCE

Zenos-Frudakis- "Freedom"

The goal of the annual Moondance International Film Festival & competition is to inspire, encourage, award, recognize, appreciate and accelerate achievement for all filmmakers, writers and composers around the world. We strive to help eliminate the achievement gap, and increase international community participation, through professional arts development that nurtures and supports innovation and creativity, by promoting the integration of various languages, cultures, and the visual and performing arts.

Moondance website August & September 2011 statistics:

Pages on this site were viewed a total of 10,263 times in August

Visits came from 77 countries/territories

Pages on this site were viewed a total of 19,769 times in September

Visits came from 74 different countries/territories

Please forward this news blog to friends and colleagues!

www.moondancefilmfestival.com/blog

Please DO reply to this email!  We love your feedback!

Send questions, comments, suggestions, news, photos and updates to:

moondancefestival@gmail.com

PLEASE NOTE: If you wish to reply to this email, with a question or comment, please remember to change the subject line! Otherwise, your email will be received stacked all together in one gmail, with every other email response, if using this subject line unchanged, and we may miss seeing your email!

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Many thanks to 5 of our generous 2011 Moondance donors: Daniel Gonzalez Silva, 2011 finalist screenwriter, from beautiful Bucaramanga, Colombia; and Gordon Phipps, Australia, short story winner. And from the US: Donna Lisa, TV pilot script for kids winner, A.J. Pelzer, co-owner: entertainment finance company, and Cyndi Lenz, short documentary film winner.  If you’d also like to support the Moondance work with a donation, please go to: http://www.acteva.com/go/moondance2011

~~~~~~Scroll on down for news & other items of interest!~~~~~~

URGENT REQUEST FOR 2011 MOONDANCE FESTIVAL PHOTOS

Special request to all Moondancers who attended the 2011 festival: Please send us several of your favorite photos from your days at the film festival! To help identify people in the photos, please remember to add the names and/or some description to the digital pix titles, rather than just long numbers. We will add the best photos to the Moondance website photo album, and to the next festival blog! Please do it now! E-mail them as .jpg attachments to: moondancefestival@gmail.com, with MIFF PHOTOS in the subject line.

Eilis Mernagh-Ireland

DO YOU WANT YOUR 2011 MOONDANCE FESTIVAL AWARD??

Couldn’t attend the awards ceremony & reception?

Do you want your beautiful star award and official certificate sent to you?

Please go now to: http://www.acteva.com/go/moondance2011

The Moondance Star Award

MOONDANCE 2011 LAURELS

To get your Moondance 2011 winner, finalist, semi-finalist, selected film, and/or audience favorite laurels image for promoting your project, go to: http://moondancefilmfestival.com/06_other.laurels.html

2011 MOONDANCE  POSTERS AND TOTE BAGS AVAILABLE!

For a limited time only, 2011 Moondance posters and mermaid logo tote bags are available at: http://www.acteva.com/go/moondance2011

M    O    O    N    D    A    N    C    E

INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

September 16-18, 2011

B O U L D E R,  C O L O R A D O  U S A

MOONDANCE 2012 CALL-FOR-ENTRIES!

The 2012 Moondance early-bird call-for-entries will open for submissions on December 1, 2011.  We look forward to receiving your next film, screenplay, film score, TV script, stageplay, radio show, music video, and  more!

Check out all of the 2012 Moondance submission categories at: http://www.moondancefilmfestival.com/03_submission.categories.html

MOONDANCE RECOMMENDS:

The Wayseers Video: http://www.wayseermanifesto.com/

Wayseers are the change agents of society. Wayseers are the ones who know first, who sense earliest the disturbances in the fabric…Wayseers are the free spirits, the misfits, the rebels and revolutionaries, the passionate creatives, the innovators, the visionaries, the pioneers…

HERE ARE 2 OTHER VIDEOS YOU’LL LIKE:

“STOREFRONT IN BERLIN”

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=XVTga6GmbGw&vq=medium#t=74

“DOGS HAVING LUNCH”

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=EVwlMVYqMu4&vq=medium#t=125

Web Address: http://www.remedica.com.au

REMEDICa Australia offers a range of luxurious, effective and natural skincare products based on natural remedies combined with modern science, as an alternative to synthetic chemical-laden products. Intensive phyto-nutrient-based product lines for healthy, radiant and, most importantly, self-reliant skin. No animal testing, ever!

Natural Skin Care Solutions | Organic Soap | la Savonnerie | Natural Skin Care For Problem Skin | Acne | Australian Bush Botanical Soaps | African Skin Care | Australian Made Skin Care | Natural Soap | African Organics | African Black Soap | African Fair Trade Shea Butter | Natural Insect Repellent | Organic Skin Care | Monoi De Tahiti | Bath And Body

FILM AS COMMUNICATION

Living in the 21st Century is to engage in the consumption, production, and distribution of sounds, images, and information that enables creative talents and audiences to realize and gain a more sophisticated perception and contemporary understanding of the world around us.

Media, defined as the multiple channels, technologies, and interfaces through which information, ideas, and emotions are stored, shared, and reciprocated – and the ways in which that plethora of media shape our understanding of the world and our ability to act in it, for the common good, can make it a better place for all.

Awareness of all forms of media can promote a heightened ability to analyze, contextualize, create and use all forms of media, and emerging trends affecting the traditional media distribution channels, as a vital exercise in creative expression and positive change, through international entertainment mediums.

Films screened at Moondance are original, entertaining and uniquely distinguished by our focus on story, top quality, social justice, peace, women, and environmental activism. Media is inextricably linked to questions of power, rights, human development, peace, national and international social and environmental issues, creative expression, knowledge, entertainment, collaboration, self-determination and vital calls for action.

Photo by Adrian Davis http://www.adriandavisphotography.com/index.html

MOONDANCERS WRITE US!

“I thank you for giving us this award. It will be my pleasure and a privilege to submit my next documentary of the MYSTERIOUS CHINA Series to your festival.” ~ Chris D. Nebe, USA, writer, producer, director of the 2011 winning feature documentary “DALI – Love at first Sight”

“I meant what I said about your ‘First Impressions: Titles & Loglines’ workshop – I’ve paid considerably more for other seminars where I learnt NOTHING, compared to that. It was great to finally come up with a decent logline, so thanks a million for that!” ~ Eilis Mernagh, Ireland, winning screenwriter

“You’ve done it again.  I’ve just read the Post-Fest Blog and it is great. …everything about it.  The photographs are wonderful and the way you set them up was terrific. Makes me want to see all the films.  I was tremendously impressed. You really deserve strong accolades for the wonderful job you’ve done.” ~ Lorna Kanter, USA, finalist short story writer

“Thank you so much for choosing ‘Skew’ as a semi-finalist at your fest in 2011 and for being an integral part of the film’s success in gaining distribution in the US. We’ve recently made a sale to Netflix USA, and will be having our premiere in October. I hope your recent festival went off with a bang and I look forward to submitting my future projects your way!!” ~ Sevé Schelenz, Canada, writer/director

“You are truly an innovative inspiration to entrepreneurs within the industry.” ~ Britany Madrid

“Good news: HALFWAY HOME, CURB YOUR ENTHSIASM (both 2011 Moondance winners), and my comedy THE BIG IDEA were Finalists in the Hollywood Screenplay Contest!” ~ David Schroeder, award-winning screenwriter

“Thanks for another incredible Moondance, and thanks for your work supporting screenwriters.

Here’s a link to the New Mexico Film Office. They’ve put up a news release about my script. Sorry to say the reporter messed up and put Moondance in Durango, Colorado! There was also an article that ran in the Albuquerque Journal (see article copy below). Thanks for your help in making this happen! I couldn’t have done it without you.” ~ Pamela Stovall, 2011 feature screenplay Spirit Award winner, “The Perfect Cut”

“I’ve just been reading your news blog, re: the 2011 Moondance Film festival. It does sound wonderful. I want to congratulate you on your hard work and perseverance, and your excellent taste. I am full of admiration for what you are doing in Colorado. I want to make every effort to be there next year. ~ Naomi Lazard, USA, author, screenwriter & co-founder: Hamptons International Film Festival

MOONDANCE IS SEEKING DONORS, SPONSORS & FRIENDS!

Dear Friends of Moondance International Film Festival: Please seriously consider helping support Moondance’s on-going efforts to promote, inspire and encourage the world’s independent filmmakers, writers and composers, with a financial donation to start off the new year right! Your contribution makes it possible for us to enlighten, inspire, enrich, educate, and entertain through film, writing & music. Any donation amount is greatly appreciated.

A donation of $1000 or more, to help fund our 2012 film festival, will put your name, or your company’s name, in the Moondance credits as a co-producer: on our website, in the newsletters, and in the 2012 festival print program!

Thanks a million!

TO DONATE NOW, GO TO: http://www.acteva.com/go/moondance2011

TO SEE OUR SPONSOR PAGES, GO TO: http://www.moondancefilmfestival.com/04_sponsors.info.html

SPECIAL LIMITED-TIME OFFER*! Anyone who donates $1000 (or more) in 2011 to support Moondance’s continuing efforts to help make the world a better place through film, writing & music, will receive this brand-new, beautiful custom-made Luna Guitar with Victorian-era Mermaid art on both sides as a gift for your generous, much-appreciated financial support!

www.lunaguitars.com

DONATE AT: http://www.acteva.com/go/moondance2011

(* Includes shipping within the US. Extra shipping fee if shipped to a foreign address)

THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY

Photo by Sharee Basinger“

I invented this rule for myself, to be applied to every decision I might have to make in the future. I would sort out all the arguments and see which belonged to fear and which to creativeness, and other things being equal, I would make the decision which had the larger number of creative reasons on its side. I think it must be a rule something like this that makes jonquils and crocuses come pushing through the cold mud in the early spring.” ~ Katharine Butler Hathaway, American writer

Cornwall Pathway, photo by Michael Wiese

“The torment of precautions often exceeds the dangers to be avoided. It is sometimes better to abandon one’s self to one’s destiny.” ~ Napoleon I

Photo by Drussawin Leepaisal

“Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity.” ~ Horace Mann, social activist, American educator

Photo by Moondancer Lou Hamilton, www.createlab.co.uk

“In the course of history, there comes a time when humanity is called upon to shift to a new level of consciousness, to reach a higher moral ground. A time when we have to shed our fear and give hope to each other. That time is now.” ~ Wangari Maathai, 1940-2011, Kenyan environmental and political activist, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, 2004

Seek beauty, truth, harmony…the promise of the future and the blessings of today. Live well, laugh often, love much, gain the respect & the love of children; fill your niche, accomplish your tasks; leave the world better than you found it. Appreciate Earth’s beauties & express it. Look for the best in others and give the best you have. ~ The Moondance motto

ARTICLE FROM THE ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL:

‘Perfect Cut’ Is Award Winner

By Adrian Gomez / Asst. Arts Editor, Reel NM on Sun, Sep 18, 2011 ABQJournal.com

A purse hangs on the hook of a stall door. As it sits in place, a hand slowly creeps over the stall door to quickly snatch the purse. With this climatic scene, Pamela Stovall’s vision starts to become a reality. “I had this image in my mind for many years,” she explains during a recent phone interview. “I started to play around with the idea and with some work, I wrote a screenplay.”

Stovall spent nearly two years – and seven rewrites – to get her feature screenplay, “The Perfect Cut,” finished. “The process was long, but I see it as making me a better writer,” she says. “With each rewrite, the story became stronger and went down avenues that I’ve never thought of.” Stovall’s screenplay recently took top honors at the Moondance International Film Festival in Durango, Colo. This year’s awards presentation will take place today in Durango, and Stovall will be in attendance.

“The Perfect Cut” was awarded the Moondance Spirit Award in the feature screenplays category. “You spend so much time alone writing that it’s always nice to get feedback,” she says. “Now there’s an outside entity that says ‘keep going.’ It’s such an honor.”

The Moondance International Film Festival is an independent annual film festival and awards competition that honors filmmakers, writers and composers who actively increase awareness, provide multiple viewpoints, address complex social issues, and strengthen ties between international audiences.

Stovall says the festival’s selections are based on having a well-told, unique story. The first festival was held in 2000 and has become a premiere festival for independent filmmakers and writers. Stovall says she submitted the screenplay because Moondance is known for helping writers get their story from paper to big screen. “The program is very prestigious and successful on that front,” she says. “I’m just beginning this process, and I feel like it’s a pretty good start.”

Stovall says “The Perfect Cut” is about a street-smart teenage girl who inserts herself into the path of a lifelong jewel thief who is on the run after her diamond heist goes mysteriously wrong. The two find themselves on a journey that is a race against their shared past, the law and a ruthless bounty hunter closing in for the kill. “It’s a thrilling story of survival,” she says. Stovall says the success of “The Perfect Cut” is due to the changes in her writing process.

“About three years ago, I decided to get serious about writing, and I’ve had some short stories published,” she explains. “With the screenplay, I decided to get up at 6 a.m. and write for four hours before I had to go teach. That’s when things started happening. The story became clearer, and I devoted that time just for writing.”

Stovall says she is looking for a director or producer who can appreciate the script and become excited about the project. “The script is based in the Southwest,” she says. “It would be fantastic to find someone in the state interested in working together with me to help make this a successful movie.”

In addition to being a screenwriter, Stovall is also a professor of communication and journalism at the University of New Mexico Gallup. She’s been teaching for 11 years and lives in Jamestown, N.M. “Eighty percent of my kids are Native American,” she says. “With writing the screenplay, I’m trying to show them that there are no boundaries. We can each do everything we want to do as long as we take the steps.”

________________________________________________________________

Please consider forwarding this news blog to friends & colleagues!

Please DO reply to this email!  We love your feedback! Send questions, comments, suggestions, news, photos and updates to:

moondancefestival@gmail.com

PLEASE NOTE: If you wish to reply to this email, with a question or comment, please remember to change the subject line! Otherwise, your email will be received stacked all together in one email, with every other email response, if using this subject line unchanged, and we may miss seeing your email!

________________________________________________________________

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The 12th annual Moondance International Film Festival, also known as “The American Cannes”, took place in beautiful Boulder, Colorado, on the lovely and historic University of Colorado campus, and in downtown Boulder’s most popular restaurants, on September 16, 17, & 18, 2011, with original indie film screenings, professional writing and filmmaking workshops, private consultations with the pros, celebrity Q & A sessions, popular networking cocktail parties, and a gala awards ceremony & reception. Talented filmmakers, writers and composers, as well as enthusiastic audiences, attended from the US and from around the world!

• Read feature screenplay winner Eilis Mernagh’s fun & insightful article, titled “Winning Big at Moondance – Eilis Mernagh’s Festival Diary” at the IFTN (Irish Film & Television Network) online about her experiences during Moondance: http://www.iftn.ie/news/act1=record&only=1&aid=73&rid=4284279&tpl=archnews&force=1

A GREAT BIG “THANK YOU!” TO ALL OUR 2011 VOLUNTEERS & STAFF!

The success of the 2011 Moondance event absolutely could not have happened without the 3 days and evenings of dedicated work of these truly fabulous staff, volunteers and friends of Moondance: Mark Schweisow, Festival Events Director & Screenings Coordinator; Kandice Martellaro, hard-working Volunteers Coordinator; Jody Handerson, Screenings Coordinator Assistant;  Susan Harvey, Awards Coordinator; Ted Harvey, Security; plus Prema Rose, Cheryl Michel, Miguel Carson (who was always available for one & all, as needed), Cedric Peebles, Kevin Lundeen, James Quon, Richard & Helen Love, JoAnn LaBella (who deserves a huge thanks, she worked so hard), Debbie LaBella, Eric Schwarz, Rev. Julie Mercer and Craig Lambert.

Thanks a million, Moondancers!

And many, many thanks to our long-time, diligent webster for keeping the Moondance website user-friendly and always up-to-date, Stephanie Vidergar.

Much appreciation to Paula Zimmerman, our tireless festival videographer! More info on the 2011 Moondance video, now in post-production, when it’s ready!

A big thanks also goes out to Candace Kearns Read, our favorite Moondance workshops presenter & consultant!

2011 MOONDANCE AUDIENCE FAVORITES ANNOUNCED!

AUDIENCE FAVORITE FEATURE FILM:

“SIBERIA, MONAMOUR”, Slava Ross, director (Russia)

AUDIENCE FAVORITE FEATURE DOCUMENTARY:

“JOURNEY ON THE WILD COAST”, Greg Chaney, director (USA)

AUDIENCE FAVORITE FEATURE FILM FOR KIDS:

“SHENEY DEGALIM”  (Two Flags), Lior Molcho, director (Israel)

AUDIENCE FAVORITE SHORT FILM:

“PRAIRIE SONATA”, Deborah LeVine, director (USA)

AUDIENCE FAVORITE MUSIC VIDEO:

“I WANNA BE A PIRATE”, Ed Waters, director (USA)

AUDIENCE FAVORITE ANIMATION:

“THE DUST MACHINE”, Damon Mohl, director (Colorado)

Scroll on down for lots more festival news & info:

INKTIP.COM OPPORTUNITY FOR 2011 MOONDANCE WINNERS!

Inktip.com, a long-time sponsor, annually offers Moondance feature screenplay winners a free listing on their popular website! This is a very valuable opportunity to have your winning screenplay listed on a great site where top agents and producers regularly search for their next projects to represent, option and/or produce! We will send InkTip our 2011 list of feature screenplay winners, and they will contact you right away with this fantastic free offer!

REQUEST FOR 2011 MOONDANCE FESTIVAL PHOTOS

Special, urgent request to all Moondancers who attended the 2011 festival: Please send us several of your favorite photos from your days at the film festival! To help identify people in the photos, please remember to add the names and/or some description to the digital pix titles, rather than just long numbers. We will add the best photos to the 2011 Moondance website photo album, and to the next festival blog! Please do it now! E-mail them as .jpg attachments to: moondancefestival@gmail.com, with MIFF PHOTOS in the subject line.

2011 MOONDANCE FESTIVAL AWARDS WANTED?

Couldn’t attend the awards ceremony & reception?

Do you want your star award and certificate sent to you?

Final date to request awards sent is: October 15, 2011

Please go now to: http://www.acteva.com/go/moondance2011

GET YOUR MOONDANCE 2011 LAURELS:

To get your Moondance 2011 winner, finalist, semi-finalist, selected film, and/or audience favorite laurels image for promoting your project, go to: http://moondancefilmfestival.com/06_other.laurels.html

2011 MOONDANCE  POSTERS AND TOTE BAGS AVAILABLE!

For a limited time only, 2011 Moondance posters and mermaid logo tote bags are now available at: http://www.acteva.com/go/moondance2011

MOONDANCE 2012 CALL-FOR-ENTRIES!

The 2012 Moondance early-bird call-for-entries will open for submissions on December 1, 2011.  We look forward to receiving your next film, screenplay, film score, TV script, stageplay, radio show, music video, and  more! See the 2012 Moondance submission categories: http://www.moondancefilmfestival.com/03_submission.categories.html

2011 MOONDANCERS WRITE US!

• “It was such an honor to meet you and be part of your festival! I had a great time and met amazing people and watched riveting films!”~ Miglena Sandmeier, Bulagria & Atlanta, GA, film PR representative, award-winning “Dilli”

• “We had a great time at the festival, and it was so great to meet you!  Thank you so much for your support of our script, and we want you to know that we will continue to support Moondance and your efforts.  It really was a wonderful experience, and your support has encouraged us and motivated us. As a novice, my gut reaction to winning an award is that this is the END of the process, but what I’m quickly learning, is that it’s only the very beginning of this particular process. Thank you, again, for believing in us.” ~ Echo and Myrton Running Wolf, award winners, with Jasheika James & Crystal English, for their feature screenplay, “Black Warrior of Pyramid Lake”

• “Thank you once again for selecting “Spirit of the Everglades”. I appreciate your kind remarks and belief in this screenplay. Moondance is a wonderful film festival and to receive the Calypso award from such an amazing person as Elizabeth English is such an honor to me. It gives me the courage to keep pushing to get this feature screenplay out into the world for all to enjoy.” ~ Michael Bavota, Calypso Award winner

• “Thank you for the completely enjoyable time Sandy and I had at the festival. It was wonderful meeting you, as well as the new friends we spoke with that share this passion for excellence.” ~ John Fanta, semi-finalist,  music for a film score

• “Thank you for your help in improving my “The Song and the Land” screenplay during your First Impressions, Titles & Loglines workshop last Friday. I also found Candace Kearns Read’s How to Get an Agent workshop Saturday morning extremely helpful and interesting. I am now ready to improve the script and, yes, begin to market it. The Moondance Film Festival has been a great springboard for this next step. Thank you.” ~ Anne Campbell

• “I just wanted to thank you for putting on a fantastic film festival and allowing me, along with so many others, to experience it. I’d also like to thank you for all your help in the Titles & Loglines workshop, I really appreciate your critiques, and know that because of taking your class I’m already better off than I was before I walked in. On behalf of the cast and crew of The Drama, I’d like to express my gratitude to you for picking our pilot as the winner for two very special awards; it means a lot to me and to the people who invested their time into making the final product.” ~ Matt Grodsky, with Joe Flowers, co-director, Dolphin Awards for best TV  pilot script & best filmed TV pilot winner

• “I just wanted to say Thank You for supporting and including my work in the 2011 Festival!  Also Thank You for the award!  It really meant a lot to me to have my work included in the festival. It was great to talk to some of the audience members afterwards.” ~ Damon Mohl, winner, best animation, “The Dust Machine”

• “I was impressed by the quality of the films and flattered to be included in that group of very talented folks. I hope you like our new song, I’d Be Lyin’, a demo that we’ll be shopping very soon.” ~ Ed Waters, composer, “I Wanna Be a Pirate” & co-director with David Berrey, winning music video.

• “Thank you so much for the fun festival, and you executed it with a flair!  I enjoyed my time there and enjoyed meeting some wonderful people! I will certainly pass the word that it is one worth applying to and attending.” ~ Dawn Young, USA, winner music video “Who I Am”

• “Again, many thanks to Moondance for my Atlantis Award…my writer friend and winner, Eilis Mernagh, (winner, feature screenplay, “Star On the Run”, title changed at MIFF workshop to “Searching For Summer”) collected it for me, and I am thrilled to have it! Wish I could have been there…I do hope that such a prestigious win will raise some interest from producers. Well done on a very worthwhile and fabulous festival! ~ Carolin Farrell, Ireland, winner, “Pixer Knows”, feature screenplay for kids

• “Back from Boulder and apart from the ongoing jet lag, I have only positive things to say about Moondance. I had a great time, and the time and money spent getting there was well worth it. I’ve written a full report on the trip for the Irish Film and Television Network. Boulder is a really friendly place. Everyone I met made me feel so welcome, and the festival participants were a fantastic bunch. I want to particularly thank Moondance festival director Elizabeth English for putting on such a great festival. And obviously for giving me a cool award!” ~ Eilis Mernagh, Ireland, winner, “Star on the Run/ Searching For Summer” feature screenplay

• “Our whole family enjoyed the matinee line-up at Old Main Sunday. It was a wonderful time, and fun to be on CU’s beautiful campus, thanks.” ~ Charlotte & Ben Zink, (www.zinkmetalart.com fabricators of the Moondance star awards)

• “I just wanted you to know how very pleased I am to have been given an honor for my short story, “The Funeral,” as all awards received from the prestigious Moondance International Film Festival are important honors, indeed. ~ Lorna Kanter

• “I must tell you, we are just proud of winning two Moondance awards (best foreign feature film, and best foreign film score), and particularly, the significant statement of the GAIA award makes “Meherjaan” very special. I wish you the best success and warm greetings for your entire team.” ~Ashique Mostafa, executive producer, Bangladesh

• “Sheri Mann Stewart also commented on Moondance International Film Festival’s Facebook link.  Sheri wrote: “I’m so sorry I couldn’t be there tonight to accept the award on behalf of The Way of Justice in which I play Martha. I hope you all enjoyed it!”

• “I want to thank you again for the wonderful festival and for the honor of participating and winning.” Lior Molcho, director, Shney Degalim  (Two Flags), Israel

• “I am totally honored by you guys – you have no idea. I will be there in spirit in the town that I love so much.” ~ Cyndi Lenz, director, winner best documentary film, “The Garbage of Jupiter Beach”, 2011 Calypso Award for environmental activism

READ ABOUT ALL THE MOONDANCE AWARDS CATEGORIES HERE: http://www.moondancefilmfestival.com/02_festival.awards.html

THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY:

Photo by Dominique Browning

“I admired the movement of the water, so graceful, elegant, nimble, simply parting its way around the obstacle, the rock, and moving on. Two completely opposite states, rock and water. And yet, together….they create a third, ineffable, yet highly desirable, condition. What is it? Fluid solidity. That’s what we need to keep moving through a world full of obstacles, and to stay grounded when things get in our way.” ~ Dominique Browning, Slow Love blog

“And this our life, exempt from public haunt,

Finds tongues in trees, books in running brooks,

Sermons in stones, and good in everything.

(William Shakespeare)

"Wheat Field With Crows", Vincent Van Gogh

“One of the best things about paintings is their silence –which prompts reflection and random reverie.” ~ Mark Stevens, author

Sacred Bodhi Tree Leaf

Knowing others is intelligence;

knowing yourself is true wisdom.

Mastering others is strength;

mastering yourself is true power.

(Lao-Tzu, 5th century BCE)

"Earth, Blue Marble" NASA photo

“Loving involves commitment. Love is a conversion to humanity—a willingness to participate with others in the healing of a broken world and broken lives.” ~ Isabel Carter Heyward, feminist theologian

Please forward this blog to all your friends & colleagues!

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SCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER 16, 17, 18, 2011

IN BEAUTIFUL BOULDER, COLORADO

Boulder Creek

DATES, TIMES AND LOCATION:

September 16, 17, 18, 2011

11:AM – Midnight (& beyond)

CU campus: Old Main Theater & Fiske Planetarium, Boulder, CO.

TICKET SALES & BOX OFFICE:

Rapid Refill Ink, 2525 Arapahoe, The Village Center, Boulder

(south of McGuckin’s Hardware, north of Great Harvest Bread)

Ticket sale dates: September 10^th – 17^th, 10:AM-6:PM

ONLINE WILL-CALL ADVANCE TICKET SALES:

http://www.acteva.com/go/moondance2011

Now, through September 15th

Tickets also available at the Old Main Theater door:

September 16-18, 11:AM-11:PM

Old Main Theatre, CU Campus

*** We cordially invite everyone to participate in this truly independent international film festival. Moondance offers everyone a unique opportunity to be entertained, see great films you may not see elsewhere, attend our workshops & networking parties, and to come together with talented filmmakers, writers and composers. Our mission is to present a vibrant and growing collection of the best-of-the-best films, music, and writings, which are an ideal means for communication across perceived boundaries of race, culture, age and gender.

MORE INFO ON THE WEBSITE:

2011 MOONDANCE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL INFO:

www.moondancefilmfestival.com

Come Join Us at The American Cannes!

The View From Moondance

MOONDANCERS WRITE US!

“I woke up one morning with this festival on my mind. It’s been a life-changing experience for me!” ~ Lee Nicholson, festival volunteer

“It is with great appreciation that I thank MIFF for selecting Spirit of the Everglades as a Feature Screenplay winner and Calypso Award. I am thrilled beyond belief! I thought when I first submitted my screenplay to various contests this year, “of all the contests this year, if I could just win Moondance–even be a semi or finalist, I would so happy.”  Thank you! You have made a dream come true.” ~ Michael F. Bavota

“Both Stelios and I are thrilled about winning; it’s truly an honor for us. I wish we could be there, but we’ll be there in spirit, through our film.” ~ Nick Dimitriadis, director, Stelios Koupetoris, film score composer, “Dawn”, Greece, Moondance 2011 winner of 2 awards

The Moondance Award Star

THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY:

So comes to us at times, from the unknown

And inaccessible solitudes of being,

The rushing of the sea-tides of the soul;

And inspirations, that we deem our own,

Are some divine foreshadowing and foreseeing

Of things beyond our reason or control.

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“Joy can be real only if people look upon their life as a service, and have a definite objective in life outside of themselves and their personal happiness.” ~ Leo Tolstoy

Dolphin Family, photo by Sally Bartel

“We tell ourselves, this is where high tide reaches. As if there were an agreement, a contract; here and no further. We are like the ants. The sea crushes our nests. We build them back. We believe we belong here. We believe we can tame nature.” ~ Dominique Browning, Slow Love Blog

Beach Grass photo by Dominique Browning

“The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope.” ~ John Buchan, Scottish novelist, “The Thirty-nine Steps”)

“First Day Fishing”, photo by Lydia Davis

Imagine all the people

Living life in peace…

You may say that I’m a dreamer,

But I’m not the only one;

I hope someday you’ll join us,

And the world will be as one.

John Lennon

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THE 12th ANNUAL

MOONDANCE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

IS SCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER 16, 17, 18, 2011

IN BEAUTIFUL BOULDER, COLORADO!

The 12th annual Moondance International Film Festival is scheduled to take place in beautiful Boulder, Colorado, on the University of Colorado campus, on September 16, 17, & 18, 2011. There will be original indie film screenings, industry workshops, pitch panels, networking parties, private consultations with the pros, and a gala awards ceremony and reception. Festival events info and ticket sales will be posted on the Moondance website very soon.

Plan now to attend this most important event!

We cordially invite all indie film buffs, screenwriters and filmmakers, playwrights, short story writers, TV writers, radio play writers & producers, librettists, composers, children’s filmmakers & writers, and young (18 & under), plus seniors (75 & over), and distributors to participate in this truly independent international film festival. Moondance offers everyone a unique opportunity to be entertained, see great films you may not see elsewhere, attend our workshops & networking parties, and to come together with appreciative audiences, other writers, directors and producers to be entertained, to create new opportunities, develop tools for success and forge new alliances within the international film and entertainment industry.

2011 MOONDANCE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL INFO:

www.moondancefilmfestival.com

~ OUR VISION: The long-term vision of the Moondance International Film Festival is to preserve and revitalize our intangible heritage, cultivate creative diversity, develop an intercultural dialogue, promote non-violent conflict resolution, to raise awareness of the invaluable contributions of women to the entertainment community, and to encourage environmental conservation & protection. We wish to actively participate in creating a bridge of understanding to another person’s or culture’s experience, and to stimulate this creative resource in writing, film and music. Our mission is to present a vibrant and growing collection of films, music, writings, which are an ideal means for communication across perceived boundaries of race, culture, age and gender.

A happy 2010 winner!

Boulder’s very best international film festival is open to the public for 3 fabulous days and nights! You’ll have the unique opportunity to see the absolute best of indie features and shorts, documentaries, animation, local, foreign & art films screened each evening at the historic Old Main Theater and inside the dome of the Fiske Planetarium, on the CU campus. We also offer professional writing and filmmaking workshops, private consultations with the pros, celebrity Q & A sessions, popular networking cocktail parties, and a gala awards ceremony & reception. Come join us!

DATES, TIMES AND LOCATION:

September 16, 17, 18, 2011

11:AM – Midnight (& beyond)

CU campus: Old Main Theater & Fiske Planetarium, Boulder, CO.

TICKET SALES & BOX OFFICE:

Rapid Refill Ink, 2525 Arapahoe, The Village Center, Boulder

south of McGuckin’s Hardware, north of Great Harvest Bread

Ticket sale dates: September 3rd – 17^th, 10:AM-6:PM

ONLINE WILL-CALL ADVANCE TICKET SALES:

Now, through September 15th

Tickets also available at the Old Main Theater door:

September 16-18, 11:AM-11:PM

Historic Old Main Theater, CU Campus

Films screened at Moondance are entertaining and uniquely distinguished by our cinematic focus on the relations between media and social justice, and how media is inextricably linked to questions of power, rights, human development, peace, national and international social and environmental issues, creative expression, collaboration, self-determination and powerful calls for action. Come join us!

2011 GENERAL FESTIVAL INFO

http://www.moondancefilmfestival.com/02_festival.info.html

2011 FESTIVAL EVENTS SCHEDULE

http://moondancefilmfestival.com/02_festival.schedule.full.html

2011 FILM SCREENING SCHEDULE

http://moondancefilmfestival.com/02_festival.screen_sched.html

2011 TRAVEL & LODGING INFO

http://www.moondancefilmfestival.com/02_festival.travel.html

~ MOONDANCE FILM FESTIVAL EVENT VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! ~

We always welcome dedicated volunteers to help make the film festival happen!

Volunteers can earn free film screening and/or workshop tickets!

Contact Elizabeth at: moondancefestival@gmail.com

With MIFF VOLUNTEER in the subject line, today!

~ MANY HAPPY 2011 MOONDANCERS WRITE US! ~

“Many thanks for organizing this fabulous festival that supports women in film.” ~ Sara Shelley

“I have been feeling a very deep involvement with your boutique film festival that has a very particular and positive motto to change the world to be a united and healthy society by promoting non-violence conflict resolution in the arts & film, promoting women in art, etc. I am very fond of your intention to reach the global community through the medium of cinema art and music. Honestly, nowadays, not many festivals give such positive vibes; they rather promote darkness and negativity.” ~ Ashique Mostafa, Bangladesh, Producer, “Meherjaan”, winner & to be screened at Moondance 2011

“Thank you so much for your support, your understanding, and all the efforts you are making for all of us. Festivals like Moondance are a relief, and the most precious payback we can have. This is really wonderful. I am also watching the news blog of Moondance. It is so fresh, different, and so obvious that all these endeavors are made with care, effort and self-motivation. If everyone would put such an effort into the world-wide film making process, things would be widely different right now.” ~ Stelios Koupetoris, Greece, 2011 winning film score composer, for the animated short film, “Dawn”

“I wanted to reach out and let you know how much I love the Moondance Festival. I have attended the festival twice while a student in Colorado. Your blog is expertly written, clear in its intention, and easy to understand.”~ Holly Watson

“I’ve booked my flights and a hotel in Boulder. Just to check: by sheer coincidence, Caroline Farrell, who won the Atlantis Award for (her feature screenplay for kids) PIXER KNOWS, is in the same screenwriting group as me, in Dublin!” ~ Eilis Mernagh, Ireland, 2011 winner, feature screenplay, STAR ON THE RUN

“I just saw in the Moondance website that my stage play ‘Nuclear Family’ is the winner (co-winner) of the Stageplay category of the competition! I can’t tell you how excited and grateful I am, thank you!! We just ended our run of the play at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which is why I hadn’t had a chance to check the Moondance announcement list, so winning this now is just fantastic! It means so much to receive acknowledgment for this script that was written from my heart, about a subject that is so meaningful not only to my family, but to so many people of different cultures and walks of life.” ~ Desiree Gezentsvey, playwright, New Zealand

“Thank you so much for including our music video “Who I Am” in your lineup! Our co-writer and performer Jaime Kyle is the beautiful blond in the video!. Jaime and I both lost our mothers at the same time to Alzheimer’s, so this subject matter struck a note in both of us and propelled us to write the song in their honor, along with my husband, Jon Pousette-Dart.” ~ Dawn Young, director

“Our island-grown Marshallese feature film, “Lañinbwil’s Gift”, continues to gain acclaim. The film was named a “Finalist” at the prestigious Moondance International Film Festival, in Colorado!” ~ Jack Niedenthal, director, Marshall Islands

“The folks at Happy Trails Animation are extremely happy to be part of this year’s festival. This short film was created in part for a non-profit foundation, and it is wonderful when a film can speak to folks and create such an attachment.  Thanks for the support from the Moondance team.” ~ Andy Collen, Producer/ Director, ‘Seeds Of Opportunity’

“I’m inspired by spirituality, and if there’s a purpose in it, and for me it means to contribute toward creating a better world. To make a step forward. And certainly, in this direction, Moondance is the perfect Festival for me, and the most important reason for that is the spirit of Moondance. It’s not about awards only, or recognition, its about wonderful people.” ~ Alexander Haythen, Greece, 2011 semi-finalist, short screenplay for kids

“I want to let you know how thrilled I am to learn that my feature screenplay “Dance Without Music” is a 2011 Moondance Finalist. This was the first screenplay I ever wrote, and I have believed in it from the start. It means more to me than I can say that it has made the Moondance finals. Thank you for your dedication to the art of screenwriting.” ~ Muri McCage

“All of us here at “Women In the Dirt” would like to thank you for accepting our film into the Moondance International Film festival. We hope the audience enjoys it as much as we enjoyed making it. We are thrilled to be able to participate and at least two of us (myself for one) will be in attendance.” ~ Carolann Stoney, director

“I am barely containing my exultation at the MIFF results.  Especially since my short story is written in Australian, the language of Shakespeare, Chaucer and Milton. Not only does your short-screenplay-and-short-story judge possess the wisdom of Portia, but must be a distinguished scholar and an accomplished translator. I expect that within one week in Wall Street, Budweiser, Schlitz and Pabst shares will be languishing, replaced by a bull market in VB (Victoria Bitter), the great Oz lager. And the gaming rooms of Las Vegas will revert from that vulgar Texas Hold’em, to the traditional favorite of the Mississippi paddle steamers, Five Card Draw (due to the Moondance status of my short story).” ~ Gordon Phipps, (written a bit tongue-in-cheek, from Australia)

“I am delighted that my script, PIXER KNOWS, has won an Atlantis Award in the feature scripts for kids category! Many, many thanks to all at Moondance! Unfortunately, I will not be able to travel from Ireland for the festival, but will be there in spirit, and wish you all every success with your wonderful festival.” ~ Caroline Farrell, Ireland

“You did one heck of a job on your recent August blog, and news, and announcements, and pictures, and thoughts, and quotes. Honestly, I don’t know where you get the time, energy, and ideas, but you really did a wonderful job. Congratulations! It is beautiful. You deserve all the accolades I’m sure you will be getting.” ~ Lorna Kanter

“I want to wish you the best of luck with Moondance this year and I hope to be able to submit my new projects in years to come.” ~ Sevé Schelenz, Canada, director, “Skew”

“I have no words except for: Thank you for everything! Thank you for the tribute you’ll do for Luciano by showing “Stabat” as conclusion-film at the Moondance Film Festival ! I think …..,I know that Luciano  is so happy for this and for sure, for your friendship !” ~ Michela Maeiello, DeFraia estate coordinator, Naples, Italy. Note: Luciano DeFraia won the Columbine award for best animation. Sadly, he passed away suddenly in June.

“Two of my screenplays, The Earth Cantor and My Last Breath, placed in the semi-finals of this year’s Moondance International Film Festival contest.  This is the first semifinal placement that I have had since I started writing screenplays five years ago. What a pleasant surprise it was to get the news. What a delight to be able to send out queries now with the dazzling Moondance Film Festival logo on them. Thank you for acknowledging my work, as an up-and-coming screenwriter.” ~ Kim M. Brantley

Moondance Star: Winners Award!

~ MOOONDANCER NEWS: ~

Kiwi film “Insatiable Moon” wins Moondance prize

WED, 24 AUG 2011 3NEWS, NEW ZEALAND:

Low budget Kiwi film The Insatiable Moon has taken out one of the top prizes at the Moondance International Film Festival. The American film festival has awarded The Insatiable Moon the Atlantis Award for feature films made outside the US. In announcing the award, festival director Elizabeth English said the film received a high rating from the Moondance jury, and reminded her of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.  For director Rosemary Riddell, it’s not her first success at the Moondance festival. In 2006 she took out the Sandcastle Award for her short film Cake Tin. Riddell is unique in being the first ever feature film director with a day job as a District Court judge. Read more!

“We just discovered that Under Our Skin is one of the top 20 Most Popular films on Hulu as of today! Watch it there for FREE! Rate it, review it, and share with everyone you know. Let’s keep Under Our Skin on this list and on everyone’s radar, so we can continue to make a difference.” Watch, review & rate on the Hulu website”~ Open Eye Pictures, “Under Our Skin”, a fascinating and eye-opening film revealing the stunning truth about Lyme Disease, was a Moondance winner in 2010 and was screened to a full house.

~ THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY: ~

“Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.” ~ Bruce Lee

“You can shut the doors and windows, lock the garden gate, tuck yourself into an exquisitely-appointed bed–but no matter what you do, you live in a big, booming, buzzing world that is going to touch you wherever you hide. It is a world that urgently, more than ever, needs intelligent attention, and the generous care of our hearts and souls.” ~ Dominique Browning, Slow Love blog

“…the only continuity possible, in life as in love, is in growth, in fluidity and intermittency….perhaps this is the most important thing: simply the memory that each cycle of the tide is valid; each cycle of the wave is valid…. one must accept the security of ebb and flow, of intermittency.” ~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh, 1906 – 2001, poet, author

"Prairie Sonata" winning short film, Moondance 2011

“When you need to tell the truth, find the courage to open your heart, as well as your mouth. When you need to hear the truth, gather the strength to open your ears, and close your mouth.” ~ Yehuda Berg, www.kabbalah.com

"Put It In a Book", winning short film, Moondance 2011

“We have been given free will. We ourselves decide whether to make ourselves learned or ignorant, compassionate or cruel, generous or miserly. No one forces us, no one decides for us, no one drags us along one path or the other; we ourselves, by our own volition, choose our own way.” ~ Maimonides, preeminent medieval Jewish philosopher

“Life is like a field of newly fallen snow. Where I choose to walk, every step will show.” ~ Denis Waitley, American motivational speaker and writer

“This is the day we are given. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” ~ Rev. Galen Guengerich, Senior Minister, All Souls Unitarian Church, New York City www.allsoulsnyc.org

~ YOUR ASSIGNMENT FOR TODAY: ~

Do your work with your whole heart, and you will succeed! ~ Elbert Hubbard

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