October Herror Fest: Directress #6

It's October, which of course means there are no women who make horror films. So here's a feature by another director who doesn't exist:

Elizabeth Schieffer

Schieffer has pulled off a coup that is all too rare for female directors of any genre...she has won a studio-sponsored short film contest. Universal Studios (who should know a thing or two about horror) has awarded her short JASPER its top honors for Halloween Horror Night. And the prize package also gets her short seen on the not overly friendly to female filmmakers SyFy.com and Chiller TV. Three birds with one ricocheting stone!

Actually, don't get too excited about ladies taking over Hollywood just yet...the Hollywood judges picked the top ten and then online voters picked Elizabeth as the deserving winner (Viva the democratization of filmmaking and filmmgoing!).

Unlike all the seasons of PROJECT GREENLIGHT and those other horrible industry contests that were milquetoast showcases for interchangeable frat boys, we get to enjoy Ms. Schieffer's challenging and inspiring short online right now...and we better get to cheer her on to at least a few Hollywood meetings. Perhaps if the suits actually watch Beth's smart, funny, stereotype-bending work they'll know not to judge a dame by her gender.

The Dallas Observer's coverage of the win.
The official press release from Universal.

And for your viewing enjoyment, below is the entire three minute award-winning short JASPER...directed, produced, and special fx-ed by Elizabeth Schieffer:

October Herror Fest Directress #5

It's October, which of course means there are no women who make horror films. So here's a feature by another director who doesn't exist:

Barbara Stepansky

A student Emmy winner for her brilliant short thesis film THE TROJAN COW, Stepansky is a writer/director/producer with a film masters from both AFI and USC. She cut her teeth on Christopher Nolan's no budget first feature FOLLOWING, and has come to the horror world via her skill at building suspense scenes. Barbara's seven figure feature directorial debut HURT is a for hire project that drips with atmosphere and pathos, and makes her one of a handful of women currently hired to helm horror projects over the million dollar mark.

While waiting for funding for her next for hire feature HYSTERIA, Stepansky made the no budget ghost story FUGUE, an intimate interstices of drama/thriller/horror mores that was so personal it was shot in her own home. FUGUE is currently on the festival circuit; you can check for upcoming screenings here. And expect one of them to be soon at my very own BLEEDFEST in Los Angeles, where I'll also be showcasing her amazingly taut retro thriller ROAD RAGE (Full disclosure: I'm a producer on RR...I can't help it if I have mothereffing talented friends).

"I have a hard time categorizing women in horror vs women in the film industry because I don’t really see that women directors in general get the proper recognition. The numbers of theatrically released films made by women hasn’t really risen throughout the years, and there’s only a handful of female directors tackling action or horror movies on a larger scale. Even though women have started to run studios and huge productions, this didn’t necessarily translate into hiring more women directors. I find the numbers out there quite discouraging but that definitely won’t keep me from continuing making movies." -Barbara Stepansky

Here is a recent interview with Barbara conducted by stalwart indie supporters Rogue Magazine.
Heidi Martinuzzi's FanGirltastic site has a new review of Fugue.

Rental Suggestion: HURT

October Herror Fest: Directress #1

It's October, which of course means there are no women who make horror films. So here's a fabulous, scary two minute short by a director/producer who doesn't exist:

Marichelle Daywalt

Marichelle Daywalt worked for years in the studio system on feature films classics like FIGHT CLUB and CAST AWAY. After a decade of watching and producing her husband Drew Daywalt's successful horror movies seen through outlets like Fewdio and the Daywalt Feat Factory's Youtube channel, she listened to his encouragement and gave horror writing/directing a shot. The tyro's result is the Viscera-winning short you can see in full here on Youtube:

MOCKINGBIRD short film

Drop Marichelle some encouragement on Facebook; she's got another horror short ready to shoot.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/axwoundradio "Radio Interview With Marichelle "AxWound Radio #3: Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter"

Okee dokey smokeys!

No more QT hush-hush time...here's the scoop, sugars!

THE COMMUNE feature film will make its world premier at the prestigious DANCES WITH FILMS film festival. Opening night.

From our acceptance notification:

"It will screen in the very coveted position of Friday, June 5th at Midnight!"

...!


They like us! They really really like us!



You ready to party Rocky Horror-style? Better start napping now, fogies...then pop a Red Bull and head to the 'mune. It's going to be INSANE.


Info about DWF...on the record.

DANCES WITH FILMS
FILM FESTIVAL
Los Angeles, California - USA
June 5 to 11, 2009

The Hollywood Reporter raves that the DWF is "the defiant fest of Raw Talent."

"Here you will find more genuinely encouraging vital signs from the American independent movement than could be detected in all of Park City this last January."
- LA Weekly

Simply put, DANCES WITH FILMS (DWF) is one of the last, best film festivals dedicated to introducing unknown works to the film industry. Located in the heart of Hollywood, DWF provides a rare opportunity to fully engage critics, film professionals and audiences. And while other festivals depend on stars to attract audiences, DWF films are handpicked in strict accordance to quality, and quality alone.

This defiant code of independence has earned DWF solid respect and street credibility through its eleven years of existence. Consequently, an impressive array of distribution companies as well as film and television development departments cover DWF each year to see what's new and different, and who is truly going places in the indie world.

DWF offers Canon HD cameras and other prizes, including cash awards of up to $9,000 USD. Still, the 900 filmmakers who have taken part in the Festival since its inception insist that the best prize is to be a DWF alum. Film artists like Will Scheffer and Mark Olsen (HBO'S "Big Love") have premiered at DWF, and actors like Kathryn Morris ("Cold Case"), Kevin Rankin ("Friday Night Lights"), and director John Putch ("Ugly Betty", "Scrubs") have all started out with DWF films.

MISSION AND OBJECTIVE
No Politics. No Stars. No Sh*t.

The press and public love the Festival, as do the filmmakers who have attended and benefited from the energy and connections that result. DWF alums - and "Big Love" creators - Mark Olsen and Will Scheffer give seriously high praise: "DWF manages to keep its focus on heart and soul while still putting small films on the map." And writer/filmmakers Steve Coulter and Dee Wagner - part of Tyler Perry's wildly successful team - gratefully declare that "Not only was DancesWithFilms the hands-down coolest festival we went to, but simply put, it launched our film. It definitely upped our pedigree in the industry and opened many doors for us. We signed a deal to distribute our short, ETIQUETTE MAN, as a direct result of the screening at the Festival."


A HUGE thanks to everyone for your continued support...we couldn't have done it without you!!!!

See you June 5th on the bigscreen!!!!

4 year anniversary

I keep forgetting. Happy four-year blogging anniversary to me.

Longest relationship ever.

(Not counting my friendships, family, and school career. Actually, that's not true...my love affair with movies has been going on since I was 3...)





Nonetheless, celebrations and salutations to me.

Wow I so don't give a crap about the Oscars

Have I grown up? Been in the business too long to see past the superficial political chess game? In a huge depression and not finding joy in things that used to make me happy?

I've been watching since I was 8, but it looks like this is going to be the first year I turn off the tube.

UPDATE: watched it with the benefit of great food and company. Thanks for hosting a fun party, Benson sisters!

Oh Mickey

I don't know, man. There's still a lot of old-school Hollywood wives voting their hubby's Oscar ballots. I'm not sure the Academy is really ready for dog-lovin' and a**-f****ng in their good will worldtour beamed out to a billion people tomorrow night. In fact, no, I'm going to go out on a limb and call it against popular opinion: they'll name best actor Frank Langella. Stately, proper, US representative Frank Langella. Because it's always political, baby.


But this flies just fine at the Spirit Awards:


UPDATE: God damn I'm good, baby. I could just smell that. Been studying the industry too many years to think he wasn't squandering his goodwill with the dating the daughter, Bai Ling, fag comments, and weird dog focus. Poor Mickey. Well, he's in good company now with poor Lauren Bacall and Saving Private Ryan. It's really a bad thing to think you're a frontrunner for that long...it's never in the bag, and there's a history of academy voters turning at the last minute.

Friday thoughts

When the heart grieves over what it has lost, the spirit rejoices over what it has left. - Sufi epigram

I've always read the above quote as left, the verb. Like you were active in choosing what was lost, which made me feel good about it, like it was meant to be. But I just realized it could be left, as in, what meager things you have leftover now that you've lost what mattered to you. Like, "I'm not dead yet!" Wow. Not so empowering. Even worse, since it's a translation and I'm diddling over one word, it might not mean either.


Oh, we love The Onion.

I'm now Netflix reviewer #11.

Must Read After My Death sounds fantastic.

For Arcadia High, I briefly mentioned EAT PRAY LOVE as a good source for you...here is a twenty minute video of the author Elizabeth Gilbert on thinking creatively, free on youtube.

Shoutout Journalista

Charles Yoakum and I were written about in the same The Comics Journal Weblog entry. Pretty cool.


Everyone has fears about creating their art. Those who rise to professional career levels are the ones who have the balls to work DESPITE the fears, instead of letting bitching becoming their fulltime job. Period.

Get up, Trinity.

Creative Screenwriting

It's official; I won first place in the thriller genre category of Creative Screenwriting's Expo Competition! Very, very cool.

Got a cash prize, to make a speech in front of a lot of people, and a frolicking dinner with the other winners and Jim Mercurio. When I can find my camera's charger, I'll post the videos! There might have been some strange things mentioned by or about me. Dildos, anal rape, Andrea Dworkin, Mexican wrestlers...

go flip through Fade In Magazine

This issue has my second place action category win in it! Page 38!

That's a Wrap!

Woke up late from the mega fun wrap party last night for the feature film THE COMMUNE, which I wrote/directed and Heidi Hornbacher produced to find more good news:

Heidi and I both won the top 20 out of 3000 entries for the Creative Screenwriting Expo contest for our next producing projects "Fixing Emma" and "Pistoleras"!!!!!
http://www.screenwritingexpo.com/2007Winners.html


We're still eligible for money and genre title wins, so SECRET the shit out of this:

FOUR GENRE CATEGORY PRIZES
$2,500 cash, a trip to Los Angeles to attend The 2007 Screenwriting Expo,
plus $1,000 in semifinalist prizes for the winners of the following genre categories:

• Action-Adventure • Thriller • Sci-Fi
• Comedy • Family • Animation
• New Visions
(Low Budget Indie) •Horror
• Fantasy

What we HAVE won:

All 20 semifinalists will receive John Truby's Blockbuster (the official story development software of Expo 6), Movie Magic Screenwriter 6 (its newest version), notes from The Script Whisperer, admittance to Expo 6, and a subscription to Creative Screenwriting magazine. Over $10,000 in prizes to semifinalists.
ACCESS TO 350+ PRODUCTION
COMPANIES, AGENTS & MANAGERS

Synopses for all 20 semifinalists will be submitted to more than 350 production companies, agents, and managers who have requested them.

Thanks for all your support and love! Team Hornbacher and Fies is EN FUEGO!!!!!

Quarterfinalists

Fixing Emma by Heidi Hornbacher and Pistoleras by me were both just awarded Quarterfinalist status in Creative Screenwriting Magazine's Expo 6 Competition. Sweet!

And even better, these two screenplays are next up on our producing docket! Whoo-hoo!

Fade In Magazine

What a great Monday!

Out of thousands of entries, I've placed SECOND in the Action Category of FADE IN MAGAZINE'S 11th Annual Screenplay Contest (Click the bottom link that says "2006 Winners" to see the 12 screenplays. I'm one of three women out of fourteen writers, which is even cooler since I'm in Action).

It's a big deal. I'll be in an upcoming issue of their magazine, there will be an announcement in Variety and Hollywood Reporter, and even more importantly...Fade In is good about helping their winners get meetings around town. Their winners get work.

The plan for PISTOLERAS is to get back Fade In's notes, do another polish, then go talk to some nice Hollywood producers. If it isn't sold to someone we like be Fall, Heidi and I will go make it ourselves with my Red camera.

Also today, got the news that A-list action director Paul W. S. Anderson (Alien Vs. Predator, Resident Evil) is giving us a blurb for PISTOLERAS!

And...CONVENTIONEERS was just released on DVD (The amazing, Indy Spirit Award winning film I was an Associate Producer on). Go rent it from Netflix or Blockbuster, or better yet...BUY it on Amazon!

Champagne time!