Miami Intl Film Fest, SXSW Festival, Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Induction, Hong Kong Film Fest, Edgemar Film Fest
Article by Paul Mitchell
In Melbourne, the MuVifest International Music Video Festival, open now through March 30, is a competitive festival originally inspired by independent artists and filmmakers. There are two competition categories, the Global Poverty Project MuVments, and the main festival itself. The festival is an outdoor event that is free to attend and will feature live music, DJ’s and entertainment on the Kiss FM Stage, and will have an after party.
The Miami International Film Festival, presented by Miami Dade College, is programmed to introduce a representative selection of Ibero-centric films and filmmakers to South Florida’s residents and visitors. The Festival encompasses international film screenings, gala premieres, REEL seminars and the Miami Film Society, which offers Members an inclusive range of year-round activities that investigate and celebrate the artistry and innovation of the showcased cinematic visionaries. Festival seminars to be presented, include, but are not limited to: Cinematography Master Class, Futurescape of Multi-Platform Distribution in Latin America, Ready-Steady-Pitch! The Craft of Creating and Delivering a Pitch, WMC & MIFF Present Soundtracking for TV & Film, more, all running through March 13.
Berlin’s Delphic Art Movie Award comes from a prior contest for documentary short films about artistic achievements, the maximum duration allowed of which is 10 minutes. The contest and showcase for the Delphic Art Movie Award, from March 9-13, shows short documentaries about the fascination of arts and culture. The award framework is set by six categories and their disciplines, which represent contemporary or traditional aspects: Acoustic Arts, Performing Arts, Lingual Arts, Visual Arts, Social Arts and Ecological Arts. Selected films are intended to document, to inform, to inspire and to encourage the enthusiasm and understanding of art.
Filmapalooza 2011, the finale festival for the 48 Hour Film Project, conducts its showcase of screenings at the Miami International Film Festival, March 10-13. Through its festival/competition, the Project encourages filmmakers and would-be filmmakers to go out and make movies. The tight deadline of 48 hours puts the focus squarely on the filmmakers–emphasizing creativity and teamwork skills.
Opening for a run from March 10-16, the Athens International Sci-Fi & Fantasy Film Festival is organized and run by the Science Fiction Club of Athens, Greece (or “ALEF” for short). It started out as a retrospective of Greek genre short films, but then quickly evolved into an international event, always in the SFF-rated domain of moving images. A featured premier screening for the Festival will be H.P. Lovercraft’s “The Whisperer in Darkness”.
Innovative slap bass guitarist of Cochin-Kerala, Jayen Varrma, joins drummer Jean Davoisne, a native of Toulouse and owner of two drumschools sponsored by Tama drums and Zildjian cymbals, and an Art Center in southern France, to tour Toulouse and other parts of France presenting Master Classes and holding recitals and jam session performances. After their March 4 engagement at Salle des Fêtes, the session then moves to Guitars N’ Stuff for the March 11 engagement. Then there is a March 13 appearances at Studio Expériences in Toulouse, and on March 14 at Cri’ Art, a cinema and concert event where the musical performance will accompany the screening of film, “The Sound of Noise.” More dates in March could be planned so check the accompanying websites or Facebook pages for the artists.
An Acting for TV and Film Intensive taking place March 11-13 in Dallas, is structured to give each actor opportunity to practice and develop tools of character and script exploration. The workshop’s acting exercises and scene work makes it a goal to take the craft to a new level of awareness and expression. The workshop also features original scene material written with the participants in mind. Steven Anderson has been coaching actors privately and conducting workshops for the last 20 years. His directorial projects include the short film, “Only In Miami” which screened at the CineFestival in San Antonio, in October 2006, and “Good Things” which screened at the 5 Second Film Festival, in Claremount, in May 2010.
This year the SXSW Film Conference and Festival gets underway March 11-19 in Austin. The event offers networking opportunities and immersion into the art and business of the world of independent film. Speakers, creative minds, and notable mentors tackle the latest filmmaking trends. The nine-day Festival spotlights innovation and emerging talent by with a program that includes documentaries, comedies, DIY narratives, genre standouts and more. Party and lounge spaces at the festival will include: Film Hideout Lounge presented by YouSendIt; Filmmakers Lounge presented by the North Carolina Film Office; The Interactive / Film Fusion Party presented by Meebo; SXSW Film Closing/Music Opening Party Hosted by YouTube, just to name a few. BMI will conduct a panel, “Sound Decisions: A Reality Check on Using Music in Film” on March 13 of the festival. The opening film party will be at Buffalo Billiards.
The 26th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be conducted in New York, March 14, and taped for later broadcast exclusively on Fuse TV (www.fuse.tv/), Madison Square Garden’s national music television network, airing March 20, at 9 pm EST. The 2011 Inductees include: Dr. John, Jac Holzman, Alice Cooper, Neil Diamond, Darlene Love, Tom Waits, Art Rupe and Leon Russell. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (in Cleveland) will screen the over 3-hour ceremony starting at 8:30 pm, including the performances and presentations, which will be broadcast on a giant 12 foot screen on the Museum’s Main Stage and several large screens throughout the Museum.
This year the Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) starts up March 20 running through April 5 in Wan Chai North. The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (HKIFFS) is a charitable, non-profit and non-governmental organization dedicated to the discovery and promotion of creativity in the art and culture of film, with a mission to strengthen global appreciation of Chinese film. The Society organizes three annual flagship events in March and April: The Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF), the Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) and the Asian Film Awards (AFA). Running concurrently and practically from the same convention center, from March 21-24, the Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART), is an annual film market organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) promoting co-operation in areas of film financing, distribution, production, post-production, TV, digital entertainment, film and broadcasting equipment and shooting locations.
CTIA –The Wireless Association®, hosts two shows a year: one in the spring, this year taking place March 21-24 in Orlando and representative of all things wireless, and another show in the fall that focuses more on the usage and implementation of wireless in the enterprise. CTIA — The Wireless Association® is an international nonprofit membership organization that has represented the wireless communications industry since 1984. Membership in the association includes wireless carriers and their suppliers, as well as providers and manufacturers of wireless data services and products.
The 2011 Edgemar Short Film Festival in Santa Monica, from March 23-27, will screen short works of 30 minutes or under, in the narrative, animated and documentary genre categories. Edgemar Center for the Arts (ECA), Michelle Danner, Artistic Director, serves as collaborative rehearsal and performance space open to artists of all disciplines and experience levels, encouraging collaboration between writers, directors, actors, musicians, dancers and visual artists. It is a space in which original and classical theater productions, dance performances, visual arts and films works are performed. Additionally, ECA serves all facets of the Westside community and beyond by offering public arts programs, ticketed performances and educational outreach courses for children and senior citizens.
Canada’s own Grammy’s — The JUNO Awards — has evolved from an singular industry awards presentation event to a week long festival that travels city to city across the country. The Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. This year’s ceremony will be conducted in Toronto on March 27. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame are also inducted as part of the awards ceremonies. Winners are currently chosen by either members of the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences or a panel of experts depending on the award.
The above events are only a sample of what is fully listed. Complete details are on the “Media, Entertainment and Performing Arts Industry News and Events” page which now has a language translation button to convert page contents into most widely used languages. A look ahead into April event dates will help you prepare for: the Florida Music Festival and Conference, in Orlando, Tribeca Film Festival, in New York; National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) 2011, in Las Vegas, London Independent Film Festival, in London, the San Francisco International Film Festival, in San Francisco, to list only a few upcoming events in advance. Past videos from the monthly video news summary are archived on the Free Home Video Showcase.
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