9/11/12 MITTEN MOVIE PROJECT – INDEPENDENT SHORTS – PROGRAM NOTES
Main Art Theatre, Royal Oak, MI - 7:30 p.m.
Pre-sale tickets $8 by e-mailing mangilc@yahoo.com, Door $10
Send an email to motorcityblog@earthlink.net for your chance to win a pair of tickets
Main Art Theatre, Royal Oak, MI - 7:30 p.m.
Pre-sale tickets $8 by e-mailing mangilc@yahoo.com, Door $10
Send an email to motorcityblog@earthlink.net for your chance to win a pair of tickets
The Mitten Movie Project is a monthly film festival dedicated to
screening independent short films the first Tuesday of every month at
the Main Art Theatre in Royal Oak. Presale tickets are available for $8
by e-mailing mangilc@yahoo.com. Tickets at the door are $10 (cash
only). A pre-screening reception starts at 6:30 p.m. in the Main Art
lobby where moviegoers can mingle with the directors, industry
professionals, and film enthusiasts. After the screening, a Q&A
session will be conducted with the filmmakers in the theatre. An
afterglow party will be held at Mr. B’s (215 S. Main Street) -- walking
distance from the Main Art Theatre -- to end the night’s activities.
MMP-goers are welcome to vote for their favorite short for the Audience
Choice Award (the winner will be brought back in December to compete for
Short of the Year). The Audience Choice Award winner will be announced
at the afterparty. To submit a film for consideration in the festival,
visit facebook.com/
FINAL LINEUP. Total running time: 1 hour, 29 minutes. In order of screening:
THE WARS OF OTHER MEN [narrative trailer] – Written and Directed by Mike Zawacki (01:41) (Michigan) (2012) Set in a city ruined by years of warfare in a past that never was, an age of zeppelin gunships and insidious chemical warfare, “The Wars of Other Men” tells the story of a nameless Lieutenant (Scott Norman) fighting for an army on the verge of defeat. The enemy has begun to dominate the battlefield with their new chemical super weapon, known only as “The Fog.” When his superiors learn the location of the facility that manufactures The Fog, the Lieutenant is ordered to lead a squad through the war torn city to capture the scientist responsible for its creation . . . at a terrible cost to soldier and civilian alike. With the lives of his men and the fate of the war hanging in the balance, the Lieutenant must make a choice -- will he be a good soldier or a good man?
THE ORANGE LANTERN [experimental trailer] – Written and Directed by Steven Goossen (01:15) (Michigan)
DAMNBULANCE [narrative trailer] – Directed by Terence Cover (00:42) (Michigan) (2012) A pair of Christian paramedics believe God has told them to begin allowing persons with organ donor cards to die in order to save more lives by donating their organs.
“GOLD TOOTH SHINE” by catl [music video] – Directed by Brett Van Dyke (05:51) (Ontario) (2012)
DETROIT SELF DEFENSE [animation] - Electric Otto’s Funk Factory (00:41) (Michigan) (2011) The art of not getting you’re a$$ whooped in the 313! www.electricottosfunkfacto
“FALL FROM YOUR HEART” by Ajax Stacks [music video] – Whiskey Neat Productions (04:19) (Michigan) (2012) From the album, Heartaches & Hangovers. http://ajaxstacks.com/, http://bit.ly/H-H-iTunes
NIGHTMARE [narrative] – Paradox Films, Inc. (08:13) (Michigan) (2012) Lucy wakes up from a terrifying nightmare, only to realize the nightmare may not be over. Starring Jennifer Proscher and Joshua Fite. Written and directed by Nabil Nona.
“FREE THE WORLD TO DEATH” by Khalid Hanifi [music video] – Directed by Bryan D. Hopkins (04:53) (Michigan) (2012) A collage of real footage of U.S. intervention in the Islamic world, particularly in Afghanistan, accompanies the seething, ironic song “Free The World To Death” by the singer/songwriter Khalid Hanifi. Filmmaker Bryan D. Hopkins compiled the footage and also envisioned the superimposed shadow image of the songwriter performing, which was shot by cinematographer Michael Berlucchi. Sub-titles in Pashto provide an additional layer of complexity to this powerful indictment of U.S. foreign policy. www.floodfilms.com, www.khalidhanifi.com
LA TOUR: UN VOYAGE DU CINEMA [mockumentary] – Five Clover Films (07:29) (Michigan) (2011) On the eve of the infamous “La Tour De Detroit” 15-second film being released on DVD, the cast and crew gather together one last time for a behind-the-scenes look at the filmmaking process behind this extraordinary piece of cinematic history. Starring Dave Durham, Heather Clement and Val Arnold. Directed by Matthew Peach, Mike Madigan, and Chris Lepley. www.fivecloverfilms.com
TOILET TISSUE TOWN [animation] - Electric Otto’s Funk Factory (00:41) (Michigan) (2011) Whether you understand this film or not, who gives a f*k! It’s all entertainment. Enjoy! WARNING: Explicit language. www.electricottosfunkfacto
THE TIME [narrative] - Calien Tay Productions (11:47) (Michigan) (2011) Set in the 1960's during the Civil Rights Movement, Shawn and Angela are secretly in love. Love is a beautiful thing, but Shawn is white and Angela is black and they know in order to stay alive, they must not reveal their secret. Will they choose to love each other even it means the ultimate sacrifice? Written and directed by Shawntay Dalon.
“FIRE ANT” by Alex Winston [music video] – Directed by Alyssa Baron-Klask (03:18) (Michigan) (2012) A stop-motion music video by local filmmaker, Alyssa Baron-Klask. Detroit’s Alex Winston plies in an interesting fusion of funk, blue and pop, piling in lots of influences without sacrificing accessibility and stickiness. “Fire Ant” is from Winston’s debut album, King Con, released earlier this year.
DEATH & DETROIT: A LOVE STORY [experimental] – Written and Directed by Angeline D’Balentine (09:48) (Michigan) (2012) When love goes beyond the human flesh and touches on the bounds of time, you find the City of Detroit and the presence of death personified. It is in these crossed lovers that we, the people of Detroit, find ourselves ensnared in a lovers quarrel. “Death & Detroit” is a story of twisted love that entraps the people around their love/hate relationship and sings in the abandoned facades of a once booming place known as Detroit.
THE TANK II – Ring of Fire Entertainment (26:10) (Michigan) (2011) The saga continues as “The Tank II” takes you into another day in the Wayne County Detroit jail as seven inmates clash with detectives and each other. Shot on location in downriver Detroit. www.facebook.com/pages/
FINAL LINEUP. Total running time: 1 hour, 29 minutes. In order of screening:
THE WARS OF OTHER MEN [narrative trailer] – Written and Directed by Mike Zawacki (01:41) (Michigan) (2012) Set in a city ruined by years of warfare in a past that never was, an age of zeppelin gunships and insidious chemical warfare, “The Wars of Other Men” tells the story of a nameless Lieutenant (Scott Norman) fighting for an army on the verge of defeat. The enemy has begun to dominate the battlefield with their new chemical super weapon, known only as “The Fog.” When his superiors learn the location of the facility that manufactures The Fog, the Lieutenant is ordered to lead a squad through the war torn city to capture the scientist responsible for its creation . . . at a terrible cost to soldier and civilian alike. With the lives of his men and the fate of the war hanging in the balance, the Lieutenant must make a choice -- will he be a good soldier or a good man?
THE ORANGE LANTERN [experimental trailer] – Written and Directed by Steven Goossen (01:15) (Michigan)
DAMNBULANCE [narrative trailer] – Directed by Terence Cover (00:42) (Michigan) (2012) A pair of Christian paramedics believe God has told them to begin allowing persons with organ donor cards to die in order to save more lives by donating their organs.
“GOLD TOOTH SHINE” by catl [music video] – Directed by Brett Van Dyke (05:51) (Ontario) (2012)
DETROIT SELF DEFENSE [animation] - Electric Otto’s Funk Factory (00:41) (Michigan) (2011) The art of not getting you’re a$$ whooped in the 313! www.electricottosfunkfacto
“FALL FROM YOUR HEART” by Ajax Stacks [music video] – Whiskey Neat Productions (04:19) (Michigan) (2012) From the album, Heartaches & Hangovers. http://ajaxstacks.com/, http://bit.ly/H-H-iTunes
NIGHTMARE [narrative] – Paradox Films, Inc. (08:13) (Michigan) (2012) Lucy wakes up from a terrifying nightmare, only to realize the nightmare may not be over. Starring Jennifer Proscher and Joshua Fite. Written and directed by Nabil Nona.
“FREE THE WORLD TO DEATH” by Khalid Hanifi [music video] – Directed by Bryan D. Hopkins (04:53) (Michigan) (2012) A collage of real footage of U.S. intervention in the Islamic world, particularly in Afghanistan, accompanies the seething, ironic song “Free The World To Death” by the singer/songwriter Khalid Hanifi. Filmmaker Bryan D. Hopkins compiled the footage and also envisioned the superimposed shadow image of the songwriter performing, which was shot by cinematographer Michael Berlucchi. Sub-titles in Pashto provide an additional layer of complexity to this powerful indictment of U.S. foreign policy. www.floodfilms.com, www.khalidhanifi.com
LA TOUR: UN VOYAGE DU CINEMA [mockumentary] – Five Clover Films (07:29) (Michigan) (2011) On the eve of the infamous “La Tour De Detroit” 15-second film being released on DVD, the cast and crew gather together one last time for a behind-the-scenes look at the filmmaking process behind this extraordinary piece of cinematic history. Starring Dave Durham, Heather Clement and Val Arnold. Directed by Matthew Peach, Mike Madigan, and Chris Lepley. www.fivecloverfilms.com
TOILET TISSUE TOWN [animation] - Electric Otto’s Funk Factory (00:41) (Michigan) (2011) Whether you understand this film or not, who gives a f*k! It’s all entertainment. Enjoy! WARNING: Explicit language. www.electricottosfunkfacto
THE TIME [narrative] - Calien Tay Productions (11:47) (Michigan) (2011) Set in the 1960's during the Civil Rights Movement, Shawn and Angela are secretly in love. Love is a beautiful thing, but Shawn is white and Angela is black and they know in order to stay alive, they must not reveal their secret. Will they choose to love each other even it means the ultimate sacrifice? Written and directed by Shawntay Dalon.
“FIRE ANT” by Alex Winston [music video] – Directed by Alyssa Baron-Klask (03:18) (Michigan) (2012) A stop-motion music video by local filmmaker, Alyssa Baron-Klask. Detroit’s Alex Winston plies in an interesting fusion of funk, blue and pop, piling in lots of influences without sacrificing accessibility and stickiness. “Fire Ant” is from Winston’s debut album, King Con, released earlier this year.
DEATH & DETROIT: A LOVE STORY [experimental] – Written and Directed by Angeline D’Balentine (09:48) (Michigan) (2012) When love goes beyond the human flesh and touches on the bounds of time, you find the City of Detroit and the presence of death personified. It is in these crossed lovers that we, the people of Detroit, find ourselves ensnared in a lovers quarrel. “Death & Detroit” is a story of twisted love that entraps the people around their love/hate relationship and sings in the abandoned facades of a once booming place known as Detroit.
THE TANK II – Ring of Fire Entertainment (26:10) (Michigan) (2011) The saga continues as “The Tank II” takes you into another day in the Wayne County Detroit jail as seven inmates clash with detectives and each other. Shot on location in downriver Detroit. www.facebook.com/pages/