|
2008 CRI Film Festival
 April 4-5, 2008 Collins Road Theatres 1462 Twixt Town Road, Marion, IA 52302
The Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival was
held Friday and Saturday, April 4 and 5, at the Collins Road Theatres,
Marion, Iowa. The festival screened 40 films from local, regional
and national filmmakers. In addition, three filmmaking seminars
were presented.
Eddy Awards Results
Eddy Awards were handed out at the Saturday
evening ceremony. Student Gold Eddy winners received an Iowa Motion
Picture Association/Iowa Film Office $250 scholarship. Pro-Am
Gold Eddy winners received Gorilla Pro 4.5 production management
software from Jungle Software. Professional Gold Eddy winners
received tbe indiRAILSpro XVsm from Studio4 Productions.
Student Freestyle Silver: “Pieces of the Sun”
- Lee Buchenau, Kamau Bilal Gold: “Who Deserves the Vote” – Joel Bouwers
Student Documentary Silver: “The Art of Life” - Daniel Randolph, Edward
Gall Gold: “You Might Need It Someday” - Phoebe Webb
Student Short Form Silver: “We Are Theo” - Geoff Boothby, Cullen Thomas,
Jonathan Cohen Gold: “The Magician” - Shaun Abernathy, Nick Bray,
Dave Grove
Student Long Form Silver: “Animate My Heart” – Joe Boyle Gold: “Knights of Caemonshire” – Adam Orton
Pro-Am Freestyle Silver: “Wild No More” – Kevin Railsback Gold: “New Year’s Eve” - Josie Metal-Corbin,
Chalie Livingston, Ver Kathol
Pro-Am Documentary Silver: “Bill’s Big Pumpkins” - Ryan Foss, Bill
Nagel, Christopher Landergan Gold: “Dead Lonesome” – Joe Taylor
Pro-Am Short Form (tie) Silver: “Fatherland” - Ben Godar, Robert Warzecha,
Scott Russell (tie) Silver: “Elliot’s Wake” - Mark Price,
Adam Martyn Gold: “Plainview” - Scott Jones, Liz Dotts
Pro-Am Feature Gold: “Beneath the Mississippi” - Lonnie Schuyler,
Tim Anderson
Professional Documentary (tie) Silver: “Next Exit, Main Street” - Jeff Baldo,
Travis Cook, Dana Mannion, Jeremy von Stilb (tie) Silver: “FRAG” - Mike Pasley, Judd Saul, Todd
Fossey Gold: “Lost Nation: The Ioway” - Kelly and Tammy Rundle
Professional Short
Form Silver: “An Inconsequential Matter” - Max Allan Collins,
Chuck Hughes, Phillip W. Dingeldein Gold: “Capture Claus” - Chris McInroy
Professional Feature Silver: “Haunting Villisca” - James Serpento, Kimberly
Busbee Gold: “The Human Trace” - Jason Satterlund
Audience Choice “Beneath the Mississippi” - Lonnie Schuyler, Tim Anderson
Iowa Connection Eddy “Lost Nation: The Ioway” - Kelly and Tammy Rundle.
The winner receives a $500 rebate, sponsored by the Festival and
Collins Road Theatres, on production goods and services purchased
in Iowa.
Special Guest Seminars
J.
Douglas Miller Motion Picture Production in Iowa: A History
(Courtesy of IMDB) J. Douglas Miller is
a 4th generation Iowan, born, raised and educated in the Quad
Cities. He began his career in the movies as an usher at the RKO
Orpheum Theatre in Davenport, Iowa. Doug, as he is known to his
friends, also served as a production assistant for GMT Productions,
the leading theatrical promotion company in the Quad Cities at
the time. He served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam and worked as
a production coordinator for the Bob Hope Christmas Show while
assigned to the Commanding General at Support Command Headquarters
in Da Nang.
Upon his honorable discharge from military
service Doug continued his education at the Palmer Colleges in
Davenport, studying chiropractic, the basic sciences and mass
media. Doug began working as a production assistant at the WOC
Broadcasting Company, a pioneer radio and television firm affiliated
with the NBC Network in Davenport. He eventually became a producer
and the Director of Community Relations, and was promoted to Director
for Corporate Development of WOC's parent company, Palmer Communications
Inc. in Des Moines. While in that position he assisted the company
with community and governmental relations on a local and national
level. Doug co-founded a media company which owned WOC AM and
KIIK FM (now KUUL) as well as Signal Hill Productions. Doug is
now the President of Two Rivers & Associates, Inc. which through
its affiliate Motion Pictures Midwest has been involved in many
capacities with numerous productions including motion pictures,
television and special events with such clients as ADM, I-Wireless,
John Deere, QVC, ABC, VH-1, RAI, Filmauro, the State of Illinois,
the Library of Congress and the White House.
Doug has served as a production director
for the award winning Italian director, Pupi Avati of Duea Film,
Rome. He has worked with Avati on nine motion pictures, some of
which have been "in competition" at the Cannes Film
Festival ("Bix") and at the Venice Film Festival ("Brothers
& Sisters"). Doug served as the field producer of "Mississippi,
River of Song" for the Smithsonian and PBS. He also was responsible
for the commission of and produced the first public performance
of the symphonic suite "Rhapsody for Bix" with the Quad
City Symphony Orchestra in collaboration with composer, conductor
and motion picture scorer Lalo Schifrin of "Mission Impossible"
fame. Doug recently was the co-production manager of the motion
picture "The Hideout", directed by Pupi Avati and starring
Laura Morante, Treat Williams, Burt Young and Rita Tushingham.
He also recently served as a field producer for the motion picture
"Sugar", produced by Journeyman Pictures, whose other
productions have included "Half Nelson" and "Maria
Full of Grace."
Mr. Miller served as a member of the Board
of Directors of the Iowa Department of Economic Development and
as such was instrumental in creating the state film commission
now known as the Iowa Film Office as well as being elected as
the founding President of the Iowa Motion Picture Association
and receiving one of the first Iowa Film Awards. He later played
a leadership role in passing motion picture production incentive
legislation for Iowa. Doug has served on the Board of Directors
of the Quad City Development Group, the Quad City Labor Management
Council and Quad City Arts and has been active with numerous other
community and political organizations.
Deb
Copeland Acting for the Camera
So what are the differences between camera and
stage? This workshop covered the differences in acting styles,
the basics of a good headshot and performance resume, and basic
auditioning skills. Participants worked in front of the camera
to enable immediate feedback as they developed their audition
technique.
Copeland then held auditions Sunday for “Peacock,”
which shot in Des Moines in in summer 2008. Deb Copeland of Copeland Creative Talent is a talent agent and
casting director in Des Moines, Iowa. While working as a producer
on local projects, she saw a need for an agent who understood
good acting skills as well as the needs of the producers. She
started with the premise that there are many talented people in
the state. And, she has been proven right by booking actors and
models in hundreds of shoots over the past 13 years. Work includes
film, television, industrials, commercials and print with clients
too numerous to mention.
Gerard
Estella Music and the Mix II
Estella lead a seminar on using music to set
the mood, and achieving an ideal final audio mix. Estella is an
audio expert, having spent several years producing recordings,
playing with major recording artists and designing soundscapes
for commercial and entertainment film and video productions. Estella
owns North 40. We need to tell you, up front, for your own safety,
that Gerard is a dangerous man. His legacy of blowing the roof
off theatres across the country has left behind a pathetic trail
of stunned audience members who thought they were out for an evening
of wholesome, family entertainment. His guitar and keyboard playing
have been outlawed in 12 of the original 13 colonies and he has
been forbidden to sing as far south as Juarez, Mexico. No matter
what people say, Gerard Estella is one of the most fun guys there
is to work with. He combines the excitement of a five year old
at Disneyland with the raw musical talent of a veteran rock star.
Gerard and his genius are well represented our CDs, The Holotones
Live at Liars #1 and Janelle Lauer Live at Liars, as well as on
Ms. Lauer's latest recording, Turning the Corner.
Eddy Awards
For us, Eddy has dual meaning.
First, it pays tribute to Thomas Alva Edison who, among other
things, was a pioneer in motion pictures. Second, the noun eddy
is defined as “a current moving contrary to the direction
of the main current.” Independent filmmakers often go against
the “current” of trends in mainstream cinema.
Sponsors

The Cedar Rapids Independent Film
Festival was created to provide a venue for Iowa filmmakers to
screen their work for peers and general audiences. The organization’s
primary goals are to encourage Iowa independent filmmakers to
continue improving their craft, to provide a place to specifically
showcase Iowa-connected films, present a unique cultural event
to the community, and to offer networking opportunities for the
purpose of building the Iowa Filmmaking Industry.
Each year’s work has covered
many genres and skill levels, including comedies, dramas, and
documentaries by amateur, professional and student filmmakers.
To help filmmakers improve their craft, industry experts judge
the films, then later meet with the contestants for individual
critiquing.
For full results of each year,
see the Festival Archives Menu in the sidebar.
|