Howdy Everybody. We're happy to announce another screening benefitting bicycle advocacy, plus various other announcement-jazz...

1) Bike-A-Roni
San Francisco Bicycle Coalition recently held an online poll to choose a cycling-themed film for their Bike Movie Night. The result: Nebraska Supersonic won with 66% of the vote! The screening is FREE, 4/26/10, 8PM at The Independent, 628 Divisadero (at Grove).

2) Cycling Props
Continued thanks to the cycling community for the props:

"What the movies Napoleon Dynamite, Breaking Away, and Quicksilver would look like if all mixed together!" --Bike Magazine
"If you have ever ridden a bike, you need to see this movie!" --DJ Chi Wai, The Biking Fools

3) Neo-Nazis :(

Nebraska Film Group The NFG is extremely excited to announce that Jay Giannone will host a workshop on March 21st from 3-4:30 p.m. in the NFG Studio. Jay Giannone, born in South Boston Massachusetts is a second generation actor. He follows in the footsteps of his mother Janet, a fine theatrical actress.Jay’s acting debut came in 1996. He acted as a drug dealer on the hit show “Pacific Blue”. He soon followed that experience by acting as a thug on “America’s Most Wanted”. His next endeavor brought Jay back to his home town, South Boston, and he appeared in the movie “Southie”, starring Donnie Wahlberg.In 1999, Jay paired up with close friend, Mark Wahlberg, and filmed “Three Kings”, which also starred George Clooney and Ice Cube.

I am an enthusiastic supporter of the recently introduced Legislative Bill 1073, which would enact economic film incentives in Nebraska.

Of course, I have selfish motives, since I plan to shoot more feature films here and don't want the burden of having to sell the idea to financiers. But as a Nebraskan, I could never endorse such an idea if I did not think it would benefit our state both economically and culturally.

The simple fact of the matter is that financiers today apply unbearable pressure for filming to occur only in states with some incentives, even modest ones.

Currently, I'm producing a movie called “Cedar Rapids,” which was going to film last fall in Iowa but was forced to move to Michigan when Iowa rescinded its offer of incentives.

Jake Hull and Rhett McClure traveled to Elgin, IL to help our buddy Tony Wash shoot his newest project, "A Chance In Hell". We brought our RED ONE camera rig, and ran 2nd unit camera for two of the coolest 18 hour days an indie filmmaker can experience. There's just something special about a project that you spend your own money to travel 8 hours and work your ass off for the love of your craft.

We witnessed a talented group of underpaid and overworked filmmakers, set designers, grips, gaffers, volunteers and friends painstakingly craft a period horror film that looks like a million bucks! And we were only there for days 7 and 8 of the production process! The pictures from Curtis Clegg (who regularly stepped in to HELP whenever necessary) show just how much work everyone accomplished. Even when tempers flared, the indie spirit of Do It Yourself seemed to keep everyone focused on the goal of creating a world class horror film! That and tons of caffeine, nicotine, and sugar.

Sharply constructed with a heavy spray of noirish aroma, INTO TEMPTATION is a uniquely accomplished indie film, wielding salacious material sensitively, building an intoxicating sense of intrigue and discomfort.

Director Patrick Coyle, originally from Omaha, Nebraska, will appear at the opening night screening of INTO TEMPTATION on Friday, February 12 at 7:30 p.m. at The Ross.

Mr. Coyle’s visit is sponsored by a generous donation from Vincent M. Powers & Associates.

Variety film critic Rob Nelson writes, “[INTO TEMPTATION is] A Catholic-themed indie of occasionally irreverent wit, "Into Temptation" is appropriately tough to resist, particularly as its cup runneth over with intoxicating turns by TV regulars and eager unknowns.”

“INTO TEMPTATION is a haunting, carefully crafted movie about a woman with mile-wide rips in her soul and the flawed priest who aims to save her,” according to Colin Covert, film critic for the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune.

Be patient with the download...

http://www.newsnetnebraska.org/video

“Lovely, Still,” the first film from Omaha’s Nik Fackler, has left town after a week playing in front of cast, crew, family, friends and fans. It won’t likely return until its planned spring release. Local reviews have been predictably favorable and supportive, which Fackler has earned, yet national critics have been somewhat polarized following showings at the 2008 Toronto and 2009 Chicago film festivals.

After the festival screenings, online reviewer Nick Davis described the third act of “Lovely, Still” as “one of the most crudely forced ‘twist’ revelations I can remember” and then went on to grade it a “D.” Matt Dwyer of film.com countered with “the third act is obviously its most poignant … a well-crafted blend of fantasy and reality, memory and delusion” and generally gushed otherwise while Davis groused about the film’s production values.

By Bob Fischbach
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

In person he’s soft-spoken, gentle, with the demeanor of a kindly, slightly mischievous grandfather.

But Martin Landau’s 50-year career in movies and television spans a wide range of memorable characters, many of them less than kind: A homicidal henchman atop Mount Rushmore in Alfred Hitchcock’s “North by Northwest” (1959). A has-been producer in HBO’s “Entourage” in 2006, his sixth Emmy-nominated turn. Rollin Hand, master of disguises on television’s “Mission: Impossible,” for which he won a Golden Globe in 1968. Bela Lugosi in Tim Burton’s “Ed Wood,” for which he won the Academy Award in 1995.

Last week Landau, 78, was in town for the local premiere of Omaha screenwriter-director Nik Fackler’s film, “Lovely, Still,” about an elderly grocery sacker who falls in love. Landau talked about his beginnings with Hitch, his work with Fackler and trends in the movie industry.

GREAT EVENT!

Rhett McClure, Pete Lipins, and Jake Hull from NIFP attended this kickoff fundraising meet-n-greet. The event was held at the beautiful home of Thompson & Jane Rogers in Omaha.
The group is headed by Mark Hoeger out of Omaha, their main focus is to educate Nebraska’s legislative body on the vast economic impact film can have on our state for years to come.

Rhett got to say hi to Rachel Jacobsen from Film Streams, Craig Ladwig from Lights On, and also got to tell Alexander about editing the Lew Hunter biopic/documentary "Once In a Lew Moon". Turns out Alexander's ancestors founded the Wahoo Bakery! We didn't even make any "Grapes" jokes to Mr Sideways himself! :)

Most everyone got to shake hands with Mr Payne, meet some new friends, and go home knowing Gov Heineman and the Nebraska Unicameral know a lot more about Payne AND Film Tax Incentives as a result of the Nebraska Film Association. Thanks guys for your efforts!

as transcribed by:
Rhett McClure

Dear Film Supporter,
The Nebraska Film Association invites you to join special guest, Academy Award-Winning Screenwriter & Nebraska native, Alexander Payne, for a cocktail reception on Monday, October 12th in Omaha.

The event will be held at the home of Thompson & Jane Rogers, and will serve as a kickoff fundraiser for the Nebraska Film Association.The newly organized group of arts supporters, business leaders, specialized workers in the film industry, independent skilled professionals and other Nebraskans interested in advocating for the future of film projects, have banded together to promote incentives for the film industry in Nebraska.

Attached to this message is a “Save the Date” postcard for the event, as well as background information on the Nebraska Film Association. Details for the event are below:

WHO:The Nebraska Film Association

WHAT: Cocktail Reception w/ special guest Alexander Payne

By Kim Bousquet
WORLD-HERALD NEWS SERVICE
Metro/Region

COUNCIL BLUFFS — An 18-year-old film company headquartered in Los Angeles has relocated to Council Bluffs .

Steve Lustgarten, a native of Omaha and the president of the film distribution and production company LEO Films, was up front about why the company moved.

“The Iowa tax credits attracted me,” Lustgarten said.

In May 2007, Iowa began offering filmmakers financial incentives to produce their projects in Iowa . The state offers transferable income tax credits valued up to 50 percent of the total qualified spending in Iowa .
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Bills that would have given similar incentives to moviemakers in Nebraska have been introduced in the State Legislature, but none has passed yet.

Published Monday July 13, 2009
By Kenton Krueger
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Filmmakers often are more comfortable behind the camera than on stage in front of a crowd.

But that is just where Omahan Chris Zech found himself, nervous and a bit awkward, in the fall of 2008 after his short film “The Hit” was shown at the Wild Rose Film Festival in Des Moines.

“It was the first time I got in front of an audience, getting that feel for the whole filmmaker Q&A thing,” he said. “That was a really exciting experience.”

Zech, 32, has been an avid writer for years. Near the end of his college career, he and a friend started making films using Zech's scripts.
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GET TO KNOW. . .
Chris Zech

Age: 32
Family: Wife Courtney, parents Mike and Diane Zech and brothers Jeremiah and Jake Zech, all of Omaha.
Occupation: Senior resource specialist at TD Ameritrade

Cylk Cozart will direct indie drama "The Sandy Creek Girls," about a high school girls basketball team that goes from perennial loser to eight-time Nebraska state champion.

Brian Austin Green, Heather Chadwell, Dean Cain, Jonathan Lipnicki, Tiny Lister, Nancy Lieberman and Jim Brown star.

Cozart, who co-starred in "White Men Can't Jump" and "Conspiracy Theory," will also play a lead role in "The Sandy Creek Girls."

Jeff Luini and Richard Weiner are producing the pic.

Pic is tentatively set to be shot in Georgia and Nebraska during the fall.

The real-life coach of the Sandy Creek teams, Russ Ninemire, will be involved in the film.

Logan and Noah Miller accomplished the impossible — they made a feature film with an award-winning cast and crew despite having no experience, no money and no contracts. When their father died alone in a jail cell, Logan and Noah Miller vowed that “Touching Home” would be made as a dedication to their love for him. Their book “Either You’re In or You're In the Way” captures their experience writing, producing, acting and directing the feature film that is a tribute to their father. An excerpt.

Going Home

Really, iTunes already direct downloads! nice...
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewMovie?id=308906173...

Anyone have any thoughts or experience with this company, INDIEFLIX.com?
http://www.indieflix.com/Films/AprilShowers

Pre-Order Now to Ship May 5th!

Digital Content Producer
March 2009 issue

SenoReallty Pictures
One company that benefits from its films being shot in the Kansas City area is Lawrence, Kan.-based SenoReality Pictures.

"A lot of people in Kansas City and Lawrence work on each other's films," says cofounder Patrick Rea. "We just all know each other. If someone needs a sound guy, they'll give Ryan a call, or [if they] need me to do something, they'll give me a call."

Since graduating with film degrees from KU in 2002, Rea and Ryan S. Jones have been staples of the independent movie scene in the Lawrence/KC area, producing an indie feature film and at least 15 short films together under the SenoReality banner.

Alec Weaver, a Lincoln Christian School sophomore, was shocked when he found out he won third place for his documentary "The U.S. Economy Crisis." The award was from C-SPAN's national 2009 StudentCam video competition.

"I was just like whoa this is crazy because everybody knows," said Alec, 17. "I was honored and excited."

And he wasn't the only one surprised by the coveted award.

"I was just really excited and then I got more excited when I realized there were almost 1,000 entries. I was thrilled," said Alec's mother Holly Roden.

In an eight-minute-message to the president, Alec describes what he feels is the the most urgent issue America is facing.

"We're in a serious situation and we need to come together, and you know, just trust God help lea us through all this and trust our president to get the job done," said Alec.

He said his success comes from his family's support.

Director Mark Vasina and Frank LaMere will conduct a Q&A after the 7:00 screening of BATTLE FOR WHITECLAY on Friday, January 30th. They will also be participating in a Friends of the Ross sponsored Movie Talk (with other guests TBA) on the afternoon (time TBA) of Sunday, February 1.

ONE WEEK ONLY! Forty thousand of the poorest people in America call the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation home. In this impoverished South Dakota community, jobs are scarce. Life expectancy is lower than that of Haiti.

For generations tribal elders have understood the destruction visited by alcohol upon the health, society and culture of the Oglala Lakota of the Pine Ridge. Since their reservation lands were established in 1868 the Oglalas have banned the sale and possession of alcohol. But they can't stop a tiny Nebraska border town from selling 11,000 cans of beer a day to people who walk or drive from the reservation.

This Nebraska village, population 14, is called Whiteclay.

WATCH OUT now on DVD !!!! GO GET IT!!!
The "Stop Turning Me On" world tour ended with a sold out, standing room-only show in Los Angeles last Weds. Thanks to everyone who came out for it.
It was awesome to share that experience with you!

Actors Matt Riddlehoover, Peter Stickles, Jillian Lauren, Amy Kelly, Gaea Gaddy, Cameron DeVictor, Jeff Dylan Graham, and Matthew Volkman were there to present the film with me -- it was a fantastic end to such a great journey.

The DVD is out NOW!!! (get it via www. watchoutfilm. com or Amazon), featuring an awesome commentary with myself, and Riddlehoover and Joseph Suglia. Let me know what you think about it.

We will also have several special screenings and events later on this year and next so stay tuned to the website: www. watchoutfilm. com !!!

Thank you to everyone who helped bring WATCH OUT into reality.

Steve

FILM STREAMS FEATURE 2008 at the Holland Performing Arts Center

On Sunday, July 13, 2008, Film Streams heads to the Holland Center, where Academy Award-winning director and Film Streams Board Member Alexander Payne will share the concert-hall stage with acclaimed actress Laura Dern for a conversation about her career and select clips from her movies.

EVENT DETAILS
What: A fundraiser in support of Film Streams, featuring Oscar-winning director Alexander Payne and acclaimed actress Laura Dern.
Date: Sunday, July 13, 2008
Time: Cocktails (5:30pm), Dinner (6:30pm), Presentation (8:00pm)
Place: Holland Performing Arts Center (13th & Douglas)
Event Chairpersons: Betiana & Todd Simon
Questions or Reservations: Please contact Hallie Sharkey at (402) 933-0259 ext. 13 or hallie@filmstreams.org.

TICKET INFORMATION: