Connecticut Film Festival Lands New Home In Danbury

Danbury Connecticut is the new home for The Connecticut Film Festival's annual 6-day and night festival of Independent Film & Music this May 20-25, 2008.

The Connecticut Film festival is nine month event that begins in September and runs through the end of May, screening hundreds of films during this period at 9 weekend festivals and 12 midweek screening events throughout the state and then culminating in a 6 day and night exhibition and competition of Independent Film and Music May 20-25, 2008 in downtown Danbury, Connecticut.

Submissions to the festival are open year round and it is still accepting films for consideration in the May 20-25, 2008 festival in Danbury. To submit a film, volunteer or get on the festival’s Email list, visit: http://www.ctfilmfest.com/ . The festival will be coordinating travel packages for filmmakers and those others coming into the area from out of town.

Raleigh Filmmaker, Holocaust Survivors at Work on "Remember"

Each year, in cities across the nation, special services are held to remember the Holocaust, honor its survivors, and raise awareness so that this atrocity will never happen again.

In Raleigh, North Carolina, a film director and the son of a 78-year-old survivor who has carried the number the Nazis tattooed on his arm for 65 years, has conceived of a way to support the effort through a public service announcement (PSA) that focuses on those haunting numbers.

Allen Weiss, whose father Harry managed to survive the Nazi death camps in Landesberg, Dachau and Aucshwitz, is working with Trailblazers production company in Raleigh to create "Remember," a 30-second PSA that features survivors and their progeny - children, grandchildren - including his own father and his two daughters, Emily and Natalie Weiss. Trailblazers is donating time, equipment and crew to produce the spot, which should air throughout North Carolina (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) if local television stations pick it up.

Allen Weiss and Trailblazers are editing the PSA now and hope to have it ready to present to area television stations within the month.

PBS Greenlights ON RECORD: THE SOUNDTRACK OF OUR LIVES

PBS in conjunction with Wildheart Entertainment will launch a major new television series, ON RECORD: THE SOUNDTRACK OF OUR LIVES, an eight-hour series that traces the history of recorded music and its impact on popular culture. Featuring hundreds of artists from all genres of music, ON RECORD: THE SOUNDTRACK OF OUR LIVES is slated to air nationally as a primetime series in the Fall of 2010 on PBS; Sir George Martin, legendary producer of the Beatles, will host. Two-time Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Spacey will narrate.

The television series and an extensive educational outreach initiative, including the companion Web site on pbs.org, will be the centerpiece of an ambitious multi-pronged project expected to include a companion CD box-set and branded CD series, 12-hour DVD/home video series, accompanying books, a multi-genre worldwide radio show and broadcasting through internet portals globally.

U.S. Internet Users Viewed 10 Billion Videos Online

Google Sites once again ranked as the top U.S. video property in December with 3.3 billion videos viewed (32.6 percent share of videos), gaining 1.3 share points versus the previous month. YouTube.com accounted for more than 97 percent of all videos viewed at the property. Fox Interactive Media ranked second with 358 million (3.5 percent), followed by Yahoo! Sites with 340 million (3.4 percent) and Viacom Digital with 238 million (2.3 percent).

In total, nearly 141 million Americans viewed online video in December. Google Sites also captured the largest online video audience with 79 million unique viewers, followed by Fox Interactive Media with 43.9 million and Yahoo! Sites with 38.2 million.

Source: comScore Video Metrix : http://www.comscore.com

Hofstra University Presents Final Cut: Movie Editing in the Digital Age

Hofstra University's Center for Continuing Education and Professional Advancement ( CCEPA ) presents a free seminar, "Final Cut: Movie Editing in the Digital Age" on Wednesday, February 6 from 7-9 p.m. in the Mack Student Center Theater.

Join Director Mark L. Pederson of Off Hollywood, Visual Effects Editor Jay Ignaszewski of the School of Visual Arts, Animator Paul Lipsky of Hofstra University, Post Production Editors Evan Schectman of Outpost Digital and Patrick Inhofer ( Hofstra 1988 ) owner of Fini.tv, and Distributor Alan Reed of Wild Reed Productions, as they examine the digital moviemaking process with Michael Vitti, leader of the Moving Picture Collective.

The Moving Pictures Collective ( http://www.movingpicturescollective.org/ ) is New York City’s largest digital storyteller’s salon. MoPictive’s goal is to assist the digital storyteller in the pursuit of storytelling excellence through education, peer-to-peer exchange and ongoing community development.

This comprehensive panel discussion will cover all aspects of digital moviemaking, from script to directing to post-production to distribution. Particular attention will be paid to the tools and techniques that make for a successful film.

To register for the event or for more information, call ( 516 ) 463-7200 or visit ccepa.hofstra.edu and click on Special Events.

Student Films Sought for Festival Competition

The Cosmic Film Festival is accepting student-made films for judging and screening at its spring festival.

Film submissions will be accepted until Feb. 29. Students of all levels and majors are eligible.

Meteor Theater, UT Dallas' student-run movie theater, will host the Cosmic Film Festival in April in conjunction with the Student Government.

Films do not have to be produced exclusively for this festival. Any previously completed films, including those assigned as coursework or used in other festivals, may be entered.

A panel of judges will award prizes to the top three winners in each of four categories:

Animation.
Documentaries.
Music videos.
Fiction.

The films will be shown April 10-11 and 17-18 at 10 P.M. in MC 2.410.

To reserve a slot for your film, visit the Meteor Theater Web site and click on the link to the Cosmic Film Festival.

National Lampoon Agrees to Eight Picture Output Deal with Russian Distributor

National Lampoon, Inc. has agreed to an output deal for eight feature films with Russian distributor, Lizard Cinema Trade.

National Lampoon has recently signed multi-picture distribution deals for Canada with Equinoxe, Australia with Force Entertainment, the Middle East with Front Row and Germany, Spain, Italy, and Eastern Europe with Beta Film.

Under terms of the deal Lizard has acquired theatrical, home video and broadcast distribution rights to eight National Lampoon titles across Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Titles include “National Lampoon’s Bagboy”, the first title to be produced in-house by National Lampoon in the company’s history, and additional original National Lampoon titles “National Lampoon’s Ratko” and “National Lampoon’s 301”.

National Lampoon will release up to twelve titles per year comprised of four original movies and up to eight acquisitions. Distribution will be handled independently by National Lampoon, with some titles having broader distribution in partnership with major studios. Recent and upcoming theatrical releases from National Lampoon include "National Lampoon presents The Beach Party At The Threshold Of Hell" and Les Claypool's directorial debut "National Lampoon Presents Electric Apricot: Quest For Festeroo", "National Lampoon's Bagboy" to be released Spring 2008, and “National Lampoon’s Jakes Booty Call”, slated for video release February 2008.