Local filmmaker Kat Candler is hosting a two-day indie filmmaking workshop May 2-3. As frequent Slackerwood readers surely know, Candler is an award-winning writer and director. Her films Hellion (both short and feature), Black Metal and Jumping Off Bridges screened at Sundance, SXSW Film Festival, and many other film festivals.
Candler's feature film Hellion, starring Aaron Paul and Juliette Lewis, was a Sundance Creative Producing Lab participant and premiered in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. I saw the movie at Sundance 2014 --- read my review and Don's review -- and interviewed Candler while I was there. Hellion was released in theaters last June through IFC Films.
Candler is also a 2014 Sundance Women’s Initiative Fellow, and was one of the panelists for the "Indie Filmmakers Share Their Secrets For Working With Actors" session at the SXSW Film Conference last month.
read more...
Candler's feature film Hellion, starring Aaron Paul and Juliette Lewis, was a Sundance Creative Producing Lab participant and premiered in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. I saw the movie at Sundance 2014 --- read my review and Don's review -- and interviewed Candler while I was there. Hellion was released in theaters last June through IFC Films.
Candler is also a 2014 Sundance Women’s Initiative Fellow, and was one of the panelists for the "Indie Filmmakers Share Their Secrets For Working With Actors" session at the SXSW Film Conference last month.
read more...
- 4/9/2015
- by Debbie Cerda
- Slackerwood
Ioncinema.com’s Ioncinephile of the Month feature focuses on an emerging filmmaker from the world of cinema. For those keeping tabs on emerging indie talents, you’d find our month’s featured personality listed as the cinematographer on Adam Wingard’s You’re Next, Hannah Fidell’s A Teacher, and Kat Candler’s short, Black Metal, but it’s his “radiant observational piece” smack-dab in a don’t blink or you’ll miss it community in middle America that Andrew Droz Palermo decided would be the subject of his first full length docu feature. Co-signed with cousin Tracy Droz Tragos, the U. S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary winning Rich Hill will be released by The Orchard distrib folks on August 1st in New York City (check the listings). Here’s our profile on Andrew, and make sure to click on over to his Top Ten Films of All Time...
- 8/1/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Writer/director Kat Candler’s Hellion paints the powerful portrait of a family on the brink of dissolution set against the haunting backdrop of the refineries of Southeast Texas.
Starring Aaron Paul, Josh Wiggins and Juliette Lewis, Sundance Selects will release Hellion in New York (and on VOD platforms) on June 13th and Los Angeles on June 20th.
Obsessed with heavy metal, dirt bike racing and partaking in the occasional act of vandalism with his band of delinquents, the behavior of 13-year-old Jacob Wilson (Josh Wiggins in his feature film debut) has begun to raise concerns around town, especially when it starts to involve his younger brother Wes (newcomer Deke Garner). While the boys’ father Hollis (two-time Emmy Award-winner Aaron Paul) loves his sons, he is still reeling from the loss of their mother, spending more time drowning his sorrows at the local bar and working on his damaged beach...
Starring Aaron Paul, Josh Wiggins and Juliette Lewis, Sundance Selects will release Hellion in New York (and on VOD platforms) on June 13th and Los Angeles on June 20th.
Obsessed with heavy metal, dirt bike racing and partaking in the occasional act of vandalism with his band of delinquents, the behavior of 13-year-old Jacob Wilson (Josh Wiggins in his feature film debut) has begun to raise concerns around town, especially when it starts to involve his younger brother Wes (newcomer Deke Garner). While the boys’ father Hollis (two-time Emmy Award-winner Aaron Paul) loves his sons, he is still reeling from the loss of their mother, spending more time drowning his sorrows at the local bar and working on his damaged beach...
- 6/13/2014
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Despite having two household names attached to the production, the feature-length version of Hellion showcases two extremely talented young actors: Josh Wiggins (Jacob) and Deke Garner (Wes). Like the short film, Hellion relishes in the youthful ecstasy of absolute freedom and the inherent wildness of boys when left to their own devices as well as highlighting the irresponsible choices that they tend to make. Kat Candler (Cicadas, Jumping Off Bridges, Black Metal) has an undeniable talent for creating very specific atmospheres within her films. Shot in the hazy sunshine of the Gulf Coast, Hellion captures the difficulties of a single, working class parent, carefully examining the effects that local economics can have on families. The gritty, handheld cinematography (Brett Pawlak) hearkens back to the glory days of 1970s American independent cinema while also reflecting the working class livelihoods of this East Texas community. Here is the debut trailer for Hellion,...
- 5/16/2014
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
The San Francisco Film Society (Sffs) and Kenneth Rainin Foundation (Krf) have selected 15 finallists for the latest round of Sffs / Krf Filmmaking Grants.
More than $300,000 will be awarded to one or more narrative feature projects at any stage of production.
Sffs / Krf Filmmaking Grants are awarded twice annually to narrative films that will “have significant economic or professional impact on the Bay Area filmmaking community.”
Winners of the spring 2014 Sffs / Krf Grants will be announced in late April.
The Sffs / Krf Filmmaking Grant finallists are: Ad Inexplorata, Afronauts, Betamax, Black Metal, Chickenshit, Clash, Five Nights In Maine, The Fixer, Io, Mobile Homes, Oscillate Wildly, The Other Kids, Our Lady Of The Snow, Patti Cake$ and Snow The Jones.
Past Sffs / Krf Filmmaking Grant winners include Kat Candler’s Hellion and Ira Sachs’ Love Is Strange; Destin Cretton’s Short Term 12; Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station; and Benh Zeitlin’s Beasts Of The Southern Wild.
More than $300,000 will be awarded to one or more narrative feature projects at any stage of production.
Sffs / Krf Filmmaking Grants are awarded twice annually to narrative films that will “have significant economic or professional impact on the Bay Area filmmaking community.”
Winners of the spring 2014 Sffs / Krf Grants will be announced in late April.
The Sffs / Krf Filmmaking Grant finallists are: Ad Inexplorata, Afronauts, Betamax, Black Metal, Chickenshit, Clash, Five Nights In Maine, The Fixer, Io, Mobile Homes, Oscillate Wildly, The Other Kids, Our Lady Of The Snow, Patti Cake$ and Snow The Jones.
Past Sffs / Krf Filmmaking Grant winners include Kat Candler’s Hellion and Ira Sachs’ Love Is Strange; Destin Cretton’s Short Term 12; Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station; and Benh Zeitlin’s Beasts Of The Southern Wild.
- 3/4/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Last month while at Sundance Film Festival, I spoke with local filmmaker Kat Candler -- seen above at the Sundance 2014 premiere -- about directing her feature film Hellion. which makes its regional debut in the Festival Favorites section at SXSW on Sunday, March 9, at the Topfer Theatre at Zach. Check out my Sundance review of Hellion here.
This was the third year in a row that Candler and Austin producer Kelly Williams (Cinema Six, Pit Stop) made the trip to Park City in support of their film projects. In 2012, the filmmakers attended the fest for the premiere of the short version of Hellion. Last year, the gripping dramatic short film Black Metal debuted at Sundance and was even selected for the Sundance Festival's online Screening Room. Williams also received a fellowship to the 2013 Sundance Creative Producing Lab, where selected producers receive creative and strategic support as well as direct funding for development and production.
This was the third year in a row that Candler and Austin producer Kelly Williams (Cinema Six, Pit Stop) made the trip to Park City in support of their film projects. In 2012, the filmmakers attended the fest for the premiere of the short version of Hellion. Last year, the gripping dramatic short film Black Metal debuted at Sundance and was even selected for the Sundance Festival's online Screening Room. Williams also received a fellowship to the 2013 Sundance Creative Producing Lab, where selected producers receive creative and strategic support as well as direct funding for development and production.
- 2/24/2014
- by Debbie Cerda
- Slackerwood
Commonly known as a lieu that breeds new filmmaking talents, Caitlin Coder, Jordan M. Smith, Nicholas Bell and I had the pleasure of uncovering/discovering a new batch of filmmaker talents (here is last year’s list). Here are our Top 20 New Voices countdown:
#20. Tessa Louise-Salome (Mr. Leos Carax)
Described as a work in progress, documentarian Tessa Louise-Salome continues her fascination with Leos Carax in this debut. A look at the mysterious and alluring director, we are guided through his scant but magnificent filmography with snippets and clips, while she interviews several cast members of his works, including Denis Lavant and Kylie Minogue, as well as Harmony Korine, who had cast Carax in his 2007 film, Mister Lonely. While we never quite get to learn anything more about the man known as Leos Carax, it’s a welcome substitute for the aficionados and fans that wish he would work more frequently.
#20. Tessa Louise-Salome (Mr. Leos Carax)
Described as a work in progress, documentarian Tessa Louise-Salome continues her fascination with Leos Carax in this debut. A look at the mysterious and alluring director, we are guided through his scant but magnificent filmography with snippets and clips, while she interviews several cast members of his works, including Denis Lavant and Kylie Minogue, as well as Harmony Korine, who had cast Carax in his 2007 film, Mister Lonely. While we never quite get to learn anything more about the man known as Leos Carax, it’s a welcome substitute for the aficionados and fans that wish he would work more frequently.
- 2/3/2014
- by IONCINEMA.com Contributing Writers
- IONCINEMA.com
Local writer and director Kat Candler returned to Sundance Film Festival for her third consecutive year, with the feature-length version of Hellion. In 2012 Candler debuted the short that served as the basis for this dramatic feature, and in 2013 her short film Black Metal screened at the fest and online.
Hellion stars Aaron Paul as Hollis Wilson, a disconsolate widower raising his sons Jacob (Josh Wiggins) and Wes (Deke Garner) with the support of his sister Pam (Juliette Lewis). The boys are left without supervision most of the time, with Jacob engaging in delinquent acts around their southeast Texas town of Port Neches and Wes insistent on tagging along. After Jacob's actions result in his younger brother being taken from their home, he must overcome his anger and pain from his father's abandonment and mother's death to repair the tenuous bonds that hold the Wilson men together.
With the wealth...
Hellion stars Aaron Paul as Hollis Wilson, a disconsolate widower raising his sons Jacob (Josh Wiggins) and Wes (Deke Garner) with the support of his sister Pam (Juliette Lewis). The boys are left without supervision most of the time, with Jacob engaging in delinquent acts around their southeast Texas town of Port Neches and Wes insistent on tagging along. After Jacob's actions result in his younger brother being taken from their home, he must overcome his anger and pain from his father's abandonment and mother's death to repair the tenuous bonds that hold the Wilson men together.
With the wealth...
- 1/29/2014
- by Debbie Cerda
- Slackerwood
Cinematographer Andrew Droz Palermo spoke to Indiewire about shooting "Rich Hill," a U.S. Documentary entry at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival which he directed with Tracy Droz Tragos. The film goes through the lives of three kids growing up in Rich Hill, as they cope with the transitioning period between childhood and adolescence. Previous films Droz Palermo shot include "A Teacher," "You're Next," "V/H/S," "Black Metal" and "The Gathering Squall." Which camera and lens did you use? I used a Red Scarlet with Canon zoom lenses.What was the most difficult shot in your movie, and how did you pull it off? Rich Hill was a one-camera documentary and as a result, it was sometimes hard to be in the right place at the right time. Documentary cinematography requires intense focus and you have to be editing in your head to make sure you have all the pieces...
- 1/21/2014
- by Eric Eidelstein
- Indiewire
Austin, TX-based filmmaker Kat Candler is no stranger to the Sundance Film Festival. In fact, this is her third straight year with a film at the festival. But unlike ‘12 and ’13 (during which she brought the acclaimed shorts Hellion and Black Metal, respectively), Candler will premiere her first feature since 2006, an expansion of her previous Hellion short. The story of 13-year-old Jacob (newcomer Josh Wiggins), a young man torn between an absent father (Aaron Paul) and the Aunt (Juliette Lewis) who has taken him in, Hellion premieres today in Us Dramatic Competition. Filmmaker: The Hellion short was built […]...
- 1/17/2014
- by Dan Schoenbrun
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Austin, TX-based filmmaker Kat Candler is no stranger to the Sundance Film Festival. In fact, this is her third straight year with a film at the festival. But unlike ‘12 and ’13 (during which she brought the acclaimed shorts Hellion and Black Metal, respectively), Candler will premiere her first feature since 2006, an expansion of her previous Hellion short. The story of 13-year-old Jacob (newcomer Josh Wiggins), a young man torn between an absent father (Aaron Paul) and the Aunt (Juliette Lewis) who has taken him in, Hellion premieres today in Us Dramatic Competition. Filmmaker: The Hellion short was built […]...
- 1/17/2014
- by Dan Schoenbrun
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Eric Lavallee: Name me three of your favorite “2013 discoveries”…
Kelly Williams: Ola Podrida’s album “Ghosts Go Blind”. The Documentary – Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay. Walt Roberts – Hellion & Parkland actor / World-Class Fiddle Player.
Lavallee: I believe that this is your third time producing a Kat Candler film (Hellion follows Hellion the short, and Black Metal). How did that professional relationship begin and could you discuss the creative dynamic between the two of you.
Williams: Even though we both live in Austin, we actually met through a mutual friend, Zack Phillips, at Sundance in 2001. We became friends over the years. In 2009, I programmed her short film, Love Bug, at the Austin Film Festival where I was a film programmer, but we didn’t actually work together until we made the Hellion short in the summer of 2011. Making that short, it became pretty obvious that we wanted to work together more.
Kelly Williams: Ola Podrida’s album “Ghosts Go Blind”. The Documentary – Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay. Walt Roberts – Hellion & Parkland actor / World-Class Fiddle Player.
Lavallee: I believe that this is your third time producing a Kat Candler film (Hellion follows Hellion the short, and Black Metal). How did that professional relationship begin and could you discuss the creative dynamic between the two of you.
Williams: Even though we both live in Austin, we actually met through a mutual friend, Zack Phillips, at Sundance in 2001. We became friends over the years. In 2009, I programmed her short film, Love Bug, at the Austin Film Festival where I was a film programmer, but we didn’t actually work together until we made the Hellion short in the summer of 2011. Making that short, it became pretty obvious that we wanted to work together more.
- 1/15/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Kat Candler fell in love with filmmaking at Florida State while studying creative writing. Upon graduation she moved to Austin and is now a lecturer on film at the University of Texas. Her earlier films have premiered at Los Angeles Film Festival, San Francisco International Film Festival, Slamdance, and on PBS. Her most recent short films "Hellion" and "Black Metal" premiered at Sundance in 2012 and 2013. What it's about: "A thirteen-year-old’s delinquent behavior and his father’s neglect force the courts to place his younger brother with his aunt." What it's really about: "Hellion plays on the idea of responsibility and manhood. It’s a story about a blue-collar, widowed father and his motocross, heavy metal obsessed son learning to take responsibility for their poor choices and bad behavior in the aftermath of the mother’s death." Biggest challenges: "Besides the Texas summer heat and blood-sucking mosquitoes, I would say the biggest challenge was our.
- 1/11/2014
- by Indiewire
- Indiewire
Last week, the Sundance Film Festival announced 43 independent films selected for its 2014 fest, in the Us Documentary and Narrative Competitions and Next section. Among the films selected, five projects have received assistance from Austin Film Society (Afs), including several Afs Grant recipients.
Local filmmaker Kat Candler and producer Kelly Williams received news that their feature Hellion -- based on the short by the same name -- was accepted into the U.S. Dramatic Competition for the fest, which takes place January 16-26 in Park City, Utah. Williams received a fellowship in 2012 to the Sundance Institute's Feature Film Creative Producing Lab for Hellion.
"I am very honored that the Sundance Institute sees the potential in Hellion to get behind it and has the faith in Kat and I to see it through," Williams said about the project in 2012 (source).
"When we got the call from Sundance it was so early, I...
Local filmmaker Kat Candler and producer Kelly Williams received news that their feature Hellion -- based on the short by the same name -- was accepted into the U.S. Dramatic Competition for the fest, which takes place January 16-26 in Park City, Utah. Williams received a fellowship in 2012 to the Sundance Institute's Feature Film Creative Producing Lab for Hellion.
"I am very honored that the Sundance Institute sees the potential in Hellion to get behind it and has the faith in Kat and I to see it through," Williams said about the project in 2012 (source).
"When we got the call from Sundance it was so early, I...
- 12/9/2013
- by Debbie Cerda
- Slackerwood
Match an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker with her cousin, an established cinematographer on You’re Next (’11) and Sundance preemed titles of V/H/S, short film Black Metal (’12) and last year’s A Teacher (’13), and we might be looking at a viscerally thoughtful look into how America is suffering….via the vantage point of a rural town’s youngest inhabitants. In the works since 2011, Tracy Droz Tragos and Andrew Droz Palermo’s Rich Hill has received a lot of support namely from the Sundance Institute (a recent July Docu Edit and Story Lab) and the go to crowdfunding site Kickstarter. We’re ready for this type of Missouri.
Gist: In a rural American town, three kids face heartbreaking choices, find comfort in the most fragile of family bonds, and dream of possibility.
Production Co./Producers: Tragos and Palermo
Prediction: U.S. Documentary Comp.
U.S. Distributor: Rights Available...
Gist: In a rural American town, three kids face heartbreaking choices, find comfort in the most fragile of family bonds, and dream of possibility.
Production Co./Producers: Tragos and Palermo
Prediction: U.S. Documentary Comp.
U.S. Distributor: Rights Available...
- 11/21/2013
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
I don’t think Drake Doremus will be at Sundance this year. Here’s hoping that Kat Candler makes a “repeat” into a three-peat. Director of highly praised Sundance shorts Hellion (2012) (see pic above) and Black Metal (2013), Candler might belong to an exclusive club of folks. The same year that the short got invited to Park City, her producer Kelly Williams become an invited 2012 Sundance creative producing lab fellow with the feature length project of the same title (see trailer to get an idea of what it might turn out like). Flash forward to 2014, and Hellion might be that feature length Sundance preemed film that has roots as a Sundance accepted short film. In late August the trades spit out the news that Aaron Paul and Juliette Lewis climbed on board the drama – so it’ll be tight to get this before the deadline. Short Term 12 cinematographer Brett Pawlak shot the film.
- 11/19/2013
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Here's the latest Austin and Texas film news.
Austin filmmaker Russell O. Bush's Vultures of Tibet is nominated for a Best Short Award at this year's 29th Annual Ida Documentary Awards. The International Documentary Association will announce the winners on Dec. 6 in Los Angeles at the Directors Guild of America. Bush's documentary explores a Tibetan death ritual where bodies are offered to wild griffon vultures. Ida members can vote now for Best Short. In addition, University of Texas at Austin graduate student Elizabeth Chatelain's film My Sister Sarah, about the affects of meth addiction, is nominated for the David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award (Jordan's interview).In more awards news, the Austin-shot short Black Metal by Ut lecturer Kat Candler received the Heavy Metal Hysteria award at last week's Housecore Horror Film Festival, The Austin Chronicle reports. Black Metal, which screened at this year's Sundance Film Festival, is about...
Austin filmmaker Russell O. Bush's Vultures of Tibet is nominated for a Best Short Award at this year's 29th Annual Ida Documentary Awards. The International Documentary Association will announce the winners on Dec. 6 in Los Angeles at the Directors Guild of America. Bush's documentary explores a Tibetan death ritual where bodies are offered to wild griffon vultures. Ida members can vote now for Best Short. In addition, University of Texas at Austin graduate student Elizabeth Chatelain's film My Sister Sarah, about the affects of meth addiction, is nominated for the David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award (Jordan's interview).In more awards news, the Austin-shot short Black Metal by Ut lecturer Kat Candler received the Heavy Metal Hysteria award at last week's Housecore Horror Film Festival, The Austin Chronicle reports. Black Metal, which screened at this year's Sundance Film Festival, is about...
- 11/4/2013
- by Jordan Gass-Poore'
- Slackerwood
The 6th annual Arizona Underground Film Festival might be beginning on the unluckiest day of the year — Friday the 13th — but the residents of Tucson are lucky for this 9-night extravaganza of wild and wooly cinema from all over the globe. The fest runs Sept. 13-21 at The Screening Room and other locations.
Opening Night films include the retro, music-fueled slasher flick Discopath by Renaud Gauthier and the Internet-based bloodbath Truth Or Dare, directed by scream queen Jessica Cameron making her filmmaking debut. The last film of the fest on the 21st is the cryptic post-apocalyptic thriller Dust of War, directed by Andrew Kightlinger.
The rest of the fest includes mind-bending fiction flicks like the cult-ish Fateful Findings by Neil Breen; the 90-minute, one-shot noir Worm by Andrew Bowser; Zach Clark’s twisted holiday movie White Reindeer; Drew Tobia’s surreal See You Next Tuesday; as well as challenging documentaries...
Opening Night films include the retro, music-fueled slasher flick Discopath by Renaud Gauthier and the Internet-based bloodbath Truth Or Dare, directed by scream queen Jessica Cameron making her filmmaking debut. The last film of the fest on the 21st is the cryptic post-apocalyptic thriller Dust of War, directed by Andrew Kightlinger.
The rest of the fest includes mind-bending fiction flicks like the cult-ish Fateful Findings by Neil Breen; the 90-minute, one-shot noir Worm by Andrew Bowser; Zach Clark’s twisted holiday movie White Reindeer; Drew Tobia’s surreal See You Next Tuesday; as well as challenging documentaries...
- 9/13/2013
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Conor Finnegan's animated "Fear of Flying," Kat Candler's hard rock narrative "Black Metal" and Sandy Patch's documentary "The Last Ice Merchant" are among the 12 finalists featured exclusively in TheWrap's second annual "ShortList" Online Film Festival. The films are available to viewed and voted for until Aug. 29, when the winners will be announced during a ceremony at the Santa Monica Airport in Los Angeles. Also read: Finalists Announced In TheWrap's 'ShortList' Film Festival 2013 - Watch Now! Finnegan's nine-minute "Fear of Flying" is a must-see for any fan of stop-motion animation. It follows a...
- 8/22/2013
- by Greg Gilman
- The Wrap
It's always a great joy for us to bring you updates on our local filmmakers, so when we heard that Black Metal is back on the radar, we here at Slackerwood couldn't have been more thrilled. Director Kat Candler and the rest of her team announced Monday that the film has been selected as a finalist in TheWrap's Short List Film Festival.
Now in its second year, TheWrap has brought together 12 awardwinning shorts, showcasing the best of the best of this year's top international festivals. The films are available to stream online and on your mobile device until next Thursday, August 29. Viewers can then go and vote on which films they think should make it to the finalist round. This year's winning films will get a first-look deal, will be aired on an MTV network and will receive a package of camera equipment for their next short or feature.
read...
Now in its second year, TheWrap has brought together 12 awardwinning shorts, showcasing the best of the best of this year's top international festivals. The films are available to stream online and on your mobile device until next Thursday, August 29. Viewers can then go and vote on which films they think should make it to the finalist round. This year's winning films will get a first-look deal, will be aired on an MTV network and will receive a package of camera equipment for their next short or feature.
read...
- 8/22/2013
- by Marcelena Mayhorn
- Slackerwood
Short on time but long on passion for film? Lucky for you, there's a festival for that.
Alongside TheWrap and MTV, NextMovie is happy to once again bring you the ShortList Film Festival. Twelve amazing short films are in competition this year, many of them previously featured in such prestigious competitions as Sundance and the La Film Festival.
From now until August 29, the dirty dozen of contenders are available for your streaming and voting pleasure. The winning film will take home the Industry Award, the prize for which includes a first-look deal, an agreement that it will be aired on an MTV network and win a package of camera equipment for the director's next feature or short.
Jump behind the cut for a look at each of the 12 nominated films, and be sure to watch them all at the ShortList.
Fear Of Flying Directed by Conor Finnegan
Ireland, 9 min
A...
Alongside TheWrap and MTV, NextMovie is happy to once again bring you the ShortList Film Festival. Twelve amazing short films are in competition this year, many of them previously featured in such prestigious competitions as Sundance and the La Film Festival.
From now until August 29, the dirty dozen of contenders are available for your streaming and voting pleasure. The winning film will take home the Industry Award, the prize for which includes a first-look deal, an agreement that it will be aired on an MTV network and win a package of camera equipment for the director's next feature or short.
Jump behind the cut for a look at each of the 12 nominated films, and be sure to watch them all at the ShortList.
Fear Of Flying Directed by Conor Finnegan
Ireland, 9 min
A...
- 8/21/2013
- by NextMovie Staff
- NextMovie
Last year, we brought you an inside look at the "ShortList," an online film festival honoring some of the year's best works of short films. This year, TheWrap is once again partnering with MTV and Cinedigm to bring you a line-up of twelve incredible short films that have previous that have been previously featured in festivals like Sundance and La Film Festival.
The entries for the second annual "ShortList" come from all over the globes including the U.S., Sprain, Israel, and others. The winner of the "ShortList" will have a world of opportunities open to them. The winning short will be aired on an MTV network, and the creator will receive a first-look deal with Cinedigm.
Click past the jump to learn more about this year's entries and find out where you can watch the short films.
You can learn all about each of the entries in the listing...
The entries for the second annual "ShortList" come from all over the globes including the U.S., Sprain, Israel, and others. The winner of the "ShortList" will have a world of opportunities open to them. The winning short will be aired on an MTV network, and the creator will receive a first-look deal with Cinedigm.
Click past the jump to learn more about this year's entries and find out where you can watch the short films.
You can learn all about each of the entries in the listing...
- 8/20/2013
- by MTV Movies Team
- MTV Movies Blog
“Jesus Fish”
It’s a sad truth, but few forms of art are as sorely under-appreciated as the short film. They have a hard time booking theater runs, and rarely get the publicity or attention that features do. For all the creativity and promise they offer, they’re more often than not very hard to hear about for those not actively seeking them out.
One place where shorts do get prime billing though is film festivals, where they can be packaged with others into feature-length bunches. The Independent Film Festival Boston is no exception, as many short film directors here hope to share their work and gain an audience for themselves and their features.
Of the many shorts featured at IFFBoston, I was able to speak with the directors of Better People, Jesus Fish, and Black Metal, three very interesting and very different short films (all of which coincidentally ran...
It’s a sad truth, but few forms of art are as sorely under-appreciated as the short film. They have a hard time booking theater runs, and rarely get the publicity or attention that features do. For all the creativity and promise they offer, they’re more often than not very hard to hear about for those not actively seeking them out.
One place where shorts do get prime billing though is film festivals, where they can be packaged with others into feature-length bunches. The Independent Film Festival Boston is no exception, as many short film directors here hope to share their work and gain an audience for themselves and their features.
Of the many shorts featured at IFFBoston, I was able to speak with the directors of Better People, Jesus Fish, and Black Metal, three very interesting and very different short films (all of which coincidentally ran...
- 5/3/2013
- by David Braga
- Obsessed with Film
One of the breweries I featured in my first Film on Tap column is Hill Country-based Jester King Craft Brewery, one of the winning plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission (Tabc) regarding labeling and marketing. That case helped grease the wheels for the Texas Legislature to work closely with the Tabc, craft brewers and other stakeholders to introduce legislation that impacts Texas craft brewers. The bills have made it through the state Senate, with a House vote expected by mid-May.
Jester King is participating in a less controversial endeavor next month, as the Violet Crown Cinema (Vcc) has announced their new series CineBrew, a retrospective film program paired with regional craft beer tastings.
The series debuts on Wednesday, May 15, and will feature Jester King's Metal series of farmhouse beers: Black Metal, Funk Metal and Viking Metal. Brewery representatives will discuss the brewing process and how...
Jester King is participating in a less controversial endeavor next month, as the Violet Crown Cinema (Vcc) has announced their new series CineBrew, a retrospective film program paired with regional craft beer tastings.
The series debuts on Wednesday, May 15, and will feature Jester King's Metal series of farmhouse beers: Black Metal, Funk Metal and Viking Metal. Brewery representatives will discuss the brewing process and how...
- 4/24/2013
- by Debbie Cerda
- Slackerwood
Here's the latest Austin and Texas film news.
Dfw-area filmmaker David Lowery (Ain't Them Bodies Saints) will team up with Robert Redford for the crime movie The Old Man and the Gun, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Old Man and the Gun, based on a 2003 article in The New Yorker by David Grann, tells the true story of lifelong bank robber Forrest Tucker, who died in 2005.On Saturday night, Austin-based filmmaker Yen Tan won the Texas Grand Jury Prize at this year's Dallas International Film Festival for his movie Pit Stop (Debbie's review). Fellow Austin-based filmmaker and Ut lecturer Kat Candler also won a Diff grand jury prize for her short Black Metal. Black Metal and Pit Stop both premiered at Sundance this year, were both produced by Austinite Kelly Williams and both have local actor Jonny Mars in the cast. Diff also recognized the Austin-shot film Good Night...
Dfw-area filmmaker David Lowery (Ain't Them Bodies Saints) will team up with Robert Redford for the crime movie The Old Man and the Gun, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Old Man and the Gun, based on a 2003 article in The New Yorker by David Grann, tells the true story of lifelong bank robber Forrest Tucker, who died in 2005.On Saturday night, Austin-based filmmaker Yen Tan won the Texas Grand Jury Prize at this year's Dallas International Film Festival for his movie Pit Stop (Debbie's review). Fellow Austin-based filmmaker and Ut lecturer Kat Candler also won a Diff grand jury prize for her short Black Metal. Black Metal and Pit Stop both premiered at Sundance this year, were both produced by Austinite Kelly Williams and both have local actor Jonny Mars in the cast. Diff also recognized the Austin-shot film Good Night...
- 4/15/2013
- by Jordan Gass-Poore'
- Slackerwood
Austin-based actress Heather Kafka shows up in features Pit Stop, The Bounceback, Loves Her Gun, When Angels Sing, and short Black Metal which are all screening at SXSW next month. Let's just say that if you see a film with local ties during the festival, there's about a 75% chance that Kafka will be in it. You might have seen her previously in locally made movies like Lovers of Hate, Saturday Morning Massacre, Slacker 2011 (pictured above) ... and she's the woman trying to buy from the Carl's Jr. kiosk in Idiocracy.
Kafka took some time to talk to us (via email) about working in the friendly Austin film community and taking on roles that her grandma shouldn't see.
Slackerwood: You appear in a number of the films showing at SXSW this year. How did you become involved with these film projects?
Heather Kafka: Sometimes I'm lucky. When I came back...
Kafka took some time to talk to us (via email) about working in the friendly Austin film community and taking on roles that her grandma shouldn't see.
Slackerwood: You appear in a number of the films showing at SXSW this year. How did you become involved with these film projects?
Heather Kafka: Sometimes I'm lucky. When I came back...
- 2/25/2013
- by Elizabeth Stoddard
- Slackerwood
The mighty and all-powerful Chicago Underground Film Festival has done the absolute unthinkable: Reached their 20th year of operation! How many underground festivals have accomplished that feat? None, until now! Well, “now” being March 6-10 at the fest’s new location: The Logan Theatre.
Obviously, there are a lot of people who have worked with the fest over the years to help make it last for exactly two fantastic decades, but, truly, there is one special person who has to be specially lauded for his tireless dedication to the advancement of underground film and its makers. Especially because Cuff hasn’t just been around for 20 years: It’s been fucking awesome for 20 years.
That person, of course, is Artistic Director Bryan Wendorf, who has been with the fest for the very first edition to it’s most recent, mind-blowing one. Year after year, Wendorf has guided Cuff into defining, challenging,...
Obviously, there are a lot of people who have worked with the fest over the years to help make it last for exactly two fantastic decades, but, truly, there is one special person who has to be specially lauded for his tireless dedication to the advancement of underground film and its makers. Especially because Cuff hasn’t just been around for 20 years: It’s been fucking awesome for 20 years.
That person, of course, is Artistic Director Bryan Wendorf, who has been with the fest for the very first edition to it’s most recent, mind-blowing one. Year after year, Wendorf has guided Cuff into defining, challenging,...
- 2/13/2013
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Here is a complete listing of the films that were shown/covered by the Ioncinema.com team comprised of Nicholas Bell (Nb), Jordan M. Smith (Js) and Eric Lavallee (El). We’ll be populating this page up until March.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
Afternoon Delight – Jill Soloway: Nb (★★ 1/2): Review
Ain’T Them Bodies Saints – David Lowery: El (★★★ 1/2), Nb (★★★ 1/2): Review // Interview
Austenland- Jerusha Hess: Nb (★): Review
C.O.G.- Kyle Patrick Alvarez: Js (★★ 1/2), Nb (★★ 1/2): Review
Concussion – Stacie Passon: El (★★★), Js (★★★ 1/2), Nb (★★★): Review // Interview
Emanuel And The Truth About Fishes – Francesca Gregorini: Js (★★★), Nb (★★★ 1/2): Review
Fruitvale – Ryan Coogler: El (★★★), Js (★★★★★), Nb (★★★★): Review // Interview // Video
In A World… – Lake Bell: El (★★★): Review
Kill Your Darlings – John Krokidas: El (★★★), Nb (★★★): Review
The Lifeguard – Liz W. Garcia: El (★★ 1/2): Review
May In The Summer...
U.S. Dramatic Competition
Afternoon Delight – Jill Soloway: Nb (★★ 1/2): Review
Ain’T Them Bodies Saints – David Lowery: El (★★★ 1/2), Nb (★★★ 1/2): Review // Interview
Austenland- Jerusha Hess: Nb (★): Review
C.O.G.- Kyle Patrick Alvarez: Js (★★ 1/2), Nb (★★ 1/2): Review
Concussion – Stacie Passon: El (★★★), Js (★★★ 1/2), Nb (★★★): Review // Interview
Emanuel And The Truth About Fishes – Francesca Gregorini: Js (★★★), Nb (★★★ 1/2): Review
Fruitvale – Ryan Coogler: El (★★★), Js (★★★★★), Nb (★★★★): Review // Interview // Video
In A World… – Lake Bell: El (★★★): Review
Kill Your Darlings – John Krokidas: El (★★★), Nb (★★★): Review
The Lifeguard – Liz W. Garcia: El (★★ 1/2): Review
May In The Summer...
- 1/29/2013
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
I may not be in Park City, but I am enjoying many aspects of the Sundance Film Festival from the comforts of home (you can too!). Today's vicarious living involves the Texas Party, hosted by the Austin Film Society and Texas Monthly at the height of Sundance festgoing. The party celebrated the number of Lone Star films at this year's Park City fest.
Afs Marketing and Events Coordinator Austin Culp and other photographers to be named later [update: Ryan Long and Chris Cortez] took a number of photos at the event, and I'm amused because if I showed you the photos and didn't tell you where they were taken, you would have assumed it was a filmmaker party here in Austin. Former and current Austinites and Texans were everywhere ... well, admittedly they did seem to be everywhere at Sundance in general this year.
I'm not sure why actor/filmmaker Jonny Mars and producer Kelly Williams appear...
Afs Marketing and Events Coordinator Austin Culp and other photographers to be named later [update: Ryan Long and Chris Cortez] took a number of photos at the event, and I'm amused because if I showed you the photos and didn't tell you where they were taken, you would have assumed it was a filmmaker party here in Austin. Former and current Austinites and Texans were everywhere ... well, admittedly they did seem to be everywhere at Sundance in general this year.
I'm not sure why actor/filmmaker Jonny Mars and producer Kelly Williams appear...
- 1/26/2013
- by Jette Kernion
- Slackerwood
I'm passionate about short films -- as evidenced by my role as a programmer for Austin Film Society's ShortCase series -- and hope to see quite a few at Sundance this coming week. A record number of 8,102 short films were submitted for the 2013 Sundance Short Film program, with only 65 short films making the cut.
You don't have to trek to Park City to enjoy some of these shorts -- a dozen of the best are now available online in The Screening Room, a YouTube channel curated by Sundance short film programmers. Austin represents with local writer/director Kat Candler's Black Metal, starring Jonny Mars (Saturday Morning Massacre, Hellion) and Heather Kafka (Lovers of Hate). This short yet powerful and evocative piece leaves viewers wanting more of the story of Ian, a death metal rocker who must deal with the consequences of a fan's actions.
Watch Black Metal here after the jump.
You don't have to trek to Park City to enjoy some of these shorts -- a dozen of the best are now available online in The Screening Room, a YouTube channel curated by Sundance short film programmers. Austin represents with local writer/director Kat Candler's Black Metal, starring Jonny Mars (Saturday Morning Massacre, Hellion) and Heather Kafka (Lovers of Hate). This short yet powerful and evocative piece leaves viewers wanting more of the story of Ian, a death metal rocker who must deal with the consequences of a fan's actions.
Watch Black Metal here after the jump.
- 1/18/2013
- by Debbie Cerda
- Slackerwood
Austin's own Kat Candler is building up quite the cinematic reputation, following up her well received 2012 Sundance short Hellion with her equally strong 2013 Sundance short Black Metal. Clocking in at just nine minutes, Black Metal intensely scratches the surface of the story of a black metal singer who is blamed by proxy for a murder by a young fan, looking at the aftermath in his personal life. Brilliantly crafted and featuring stunning performances by Austin actors Jonny Mars and Heather Kafka, Black Metal draws you in and leaves you hungry for more. I had a chance to chat with Kat about the film, her background in black metal, Jonny Mars and her thoughts on Sundance. (Also, check out Don Simpson's review of Black Metal.)...
- 1/17/2013
- by Linc Leifeste
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
Writer-director Kat Candler's Black Metal comes from the rarely (at least that I am aware of) portrayed perspective of an artist who is blamed by proxy for a murder. Regardless, Black Metal does not take sides; instead, the film prompts many of the right questions while purposefully leaving them all unanswered. Of course, with only a nine-minute running time, Black Metal does not have the time to delve deeper into the issues. Like Candler's equally masterful Hellion, Black Metal plays like a succinctly edited teaser for a feature-length film that leaves us wanting a whole lot more. Hell, yes! Give us more Black Metal!
- 1/17/2013
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
I'm looking forward to seeing up close how the Lone Star Films will shine at Sundance 2013. If last week's press preview at the Austin Film Society Screening Room is any indication, audiences will not be disappointed, especially with Pit Stop and Black Metal. Filmmaker Yen Tan's story in Pit Stop comes from his curiosity while on road trips between Dallas and Houston, wondering whether gay people lived in the small towns along the route. His research led to a story of individuals who live their lives normally in rural environments, and the preview I saw of a few dramatic scenes was thought-provoking.
Another thought-provoking film was Kat Candler's Black Metal -- check back for a full review on Friday as well as info about how you can see it even if you're not in Park City. Black Metal shows tragedy rarely seen, of how blame laid on multimedia -- music,...
Another thought-provoking film was Kat Candler's Black Metal -- check back for a full review on Friday as well as info about how you can see it even if you're not in Park City. Black Metal shows tragedy rarely seen, of how blame laid on multimedia -- music,...
- 1/16/2013
- by Debbie Cerda
- Slackerwood
Oscar’s youngest nominee, Quvenzhané Wallis of “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” will once again grace the screen at the Sundance Film Festival. This year, she appears in “Boneshaker,” a short film by Nyu filmmaker Frances Bodomo. But Wallis is not the only Sundance alumna to be found among the roster of 65 shorts playing in competition — helmers Kat Candler, Tony Donoghue, Nash Edgerton, Daniel Sousa and Spencer Susser are all returning with work that may shore up their reputations as filmmakers to watch. Read More: Sundance 2013: Morgan Spurlock, Guillermo Arriaga, Alexandra Pelosi, Albert Maysles, More Stock Short Film Program Here, in alphabetical order, is a preview of ten shorts that will have everyone in Park City buzzing. “Black Metal” Texas-based Kat Candler helms a strong follow-up to her 2012 Sundance short “Hellion.” Candler draws extremely naturalistic performances from her...
- 1/14/2013
- by Kim Adelman
- Indiewire
I admire filmmaker Kat Candler's affinity for chaos. Last year at Sundance, she brought her short film Hellion (currently being written into a feature film), about a rambunctious group of boys. This year, she's bringing more anarchy to Park City with her new short, Black Metal. I haven't seen the the film yet, but here's the Sundance synopsis: After a career spent mining his music from the shadows, one fan creates a chain reaction for the lead singer of a black metal band. To give more insight, the fan kills a teacher to honor the band, and the film follows the frontman's (played by Jonny Mars) guilt dealing with it. Vicious. This story is already great for two reasons: 1) the media doesn't really share much insight from an...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 1/3/2013
- Screen Anarchy
And with that, that Sundance Film Festival ended a week of truly exciting programming announcements. The venerable fest has now released the full listing of their Short Film program, and it’s rounded out with all sorts of recognizable names (including Nash Edgerton, Spencer Susser, Kat Candler, and Morgan Spurlock) and a pack of up-and-comers that might just be The Next Big Thing. The shorts run the gamut in terms of subject matter – synopsis-friendly buzzwords that pop out us include “metal band,” “problem child,” “tragic consequences,” “cinematic tweets,” “fallen-from-grace artisan,” and “self-serving fantasies” – so there’s definitely something here for everyone. We’re most excited about those cinematic tweets, truth be told. After the break, check out all a comprehensive listing of all the short films that will show at the upcoming Sundance Film Festival, including U.S. Narrative Shorts, International Narrative Shorts, Documentary Shorts, Animated Shorts, and New Frontier Shorts. U...
- 12/5/2012
- by Kate Erbland
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Even more! Every new year brings us another Sundance Film Festival and with 44 days left until Sundance 2013 kicks off on January 17th, Sundance has officially announced their line-up of short films accepted to the festival. This compliments the complete feature line-up announced over the last week: In-Competition Dramas & Docs, Midnight & Spotlight Films and Premieres + Docs yesterday. The short selection this year includes more from Nash Edgerton (Crossbow, Spider, Bear) plus Kat Candler's film Black Metal and Riley Stearns' film The Cub, among roughly 62 other films of various length. Full 2013 shorts lists below. U.S. Narrative Short Films: The Apocalypse (Director & Screenwriter: Andrew Zuchero) — Four uninspired friends try to come up with a terrific idea for how to spend their Saturday afternoon. Black Metal (Director & Screenwriter: Kat Candler) — After a career spent mining his music from the shadows, one fan creates a chain reaction ...
- 12/4/2012
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
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