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Nashville Film Festivals Give Back

Monday, January 11, 2010
posted by Frank Stevens

Nashville Film Festivals

Nashville is an exceptional city where residents experience a strong sense of community and family values. An abundant recreation and cultural opportunities, award-winning schools, rich history and safe and attractive neighborhoods provide the ideal setting for family living. One of these cultural opportunities is the Nashville Film Festival.

Nashville hosts the annual Nashville Film Festival. The festival is held annually in April and is the oldest running film festival in the South and one of the oldest in the United States. In 2009, Nashville Film Festival received close to 2000 submissions from 86 countries, programmed nearly 260 films and had an attendance of almost 23,000. In addition to eight days of film screenings, the festival provides industry panels, music showcases, parties and receptions, and workshops. The associations outreach program offers yearlong efforts and create programs for senior citizens, challenged teens, and high school and college filmmakers.

The festival presents the best in World Cinema, American Indies, documentaries, and numerous short form programs by veteran masters, up-and-coming directors, and first-time filmmakers. Films screened in the past years include such hits as American Teen, Encounters at the End of the World, Up the Yangtze, Spellbound, Hustle and Flow and The Trials of Darryl Hunt just to name a few. The festival has also hosted area premieres including The Thing About My Folks and The Real Dirt on Farmer John.

Because it takes place in “Music City,” it is only natural that part of the focus be on music in films. Some of the most memorable songs in films have been written and performed by Nashville’s songwriters and artists. The festival presents showcases, workshops, and other events where these songwriters and artists come together with film professionals from Hollywood and around the world to promote collaboration.

What makes this festival truly unique are the awards given to participants. The Festival has partnered with Al Gore to present an award to the best social issue documentary. Feature-length films compete for awards with such benefits as international distribution, broadcasting on public television, and a press and industry screening in a Los Angeles Regal Theater. Winners of the Short Narrative and Animation competitions are automatically qualified for Academy Award consideration. Other special awards include prizes for the best LGBT film, best film by a black filmmaker, best Hispanic film, awards for Tennessee directors and more.

Other notable film festivals are the Nashville Jewish Film Festival and The International Black Film Festival. The International Black Film Festival of Nashville was established in 2006. The festival is a collaboration of dedicated professionals who support the need for a “community” effort to bring African-American and other Communities together to showcase their work as emerging and skilled independent filmmakers, actors, composers, screenwriters, directors and other film industry professionals.

Nashville’s dedication to independent filmmakers help support these festivals each year.

Temecula Valley International Film & Music Festival

Monday, January 11, 2010
posted by Frank Stevens

Temecula Valley

Temecula is an outstanding city where residents experience a strong sense of community and family values. This vineyard-covered region offers scenic landscapes and a serene lifestyle. An abundant recreation and cultural opportunities, award-winning schools, golf courses and safe and attractive neighborhoods provide the ideal setting for family living. One of these cultural opportunities is the Temecula Valley International Film & Music Festival.

The Annual Temecula Valley International Film & Music Festival is presented by Cinema Entertainment Alliance, a nonprofit arts and education organization dedicated to celebrating world cinema and music. The Temecula Valley Film and Music Society’s mission is to enrich the human spirit through film and music by nurturing, supporting and showcasing independent film and music talent.

Filmmakers and Musicians from across America and around the globe come to Temecula every September since 1995 to participate and enjoy in the celebration film and music. Attendance has grown from 600 in 1995 to over 20,000 in 2008. Media coverage is extensive and global, boasting of over 15,000,000 media impressions worldwide. Over 300 filmmakers, musicians, producers, directors, writers, judges, composers, arrangers, agents, publicists, cast and crew participated in the 2008 festivities.

Lifetime and Career Achievement Award honorees include distinguished film and music icons of past and present such as Dionne Warwick, Hector Elizondo, Dennis Haybert, John Ottman, John Badham, Lucas Foster, Carl Reiner, Karl Malden and Shirley Jones just to name a few

The festivals tradition of presenting excellence in film and music has featured emerging styles from North America and 20 countries around the world. The festival is open to US and Foreign films in five categories: Full Length Features, Shorts, Documentaries, Animation and Student Films. To be eligible, a film entry must have been completed in 2007, 2008 or 2009. All film entries must be submitted on DVD to be considered for selection.

The music competition component is designed to showcase the music vision and artistic wizardry of talented individuals and groups from across America and the world. Entries for all genres of music, from rock, jazz and pop, Hip Hop, R&B, Latin, Country, Folk, and World are represented.

The social calendar starts with Opening Night Festivities, followed by daily & nightly filmmaker/musician receptions, industry workshops, a Lifetime and Career Achievement Awards Black Tie Gala, a Sunday morning Hot Air Balloon Ride, a Closing Night Wrap party and Best of Fest special screening presentations and much more. The workshops are one of the biggest draws to the event where filmmakers and musicians can learn from the professionals and learn from industry experts.

Temecula may be soon be known for much more than spectacular natural beauty, a thriving economy, a business-friendly environment, and attractive lifestyle. The Temecula Valley International Film & Music Industry helps put Temecula in the Hollywood spotlight.

Phoenix Film Festivals

Monday, January 11, 2010
posted by Frank Stevens

Phoenix

Phoenix is one of the most vibrant and desireable places to live. Living in Phoenix offers residents access to exciting festivals and world-class entertainment opportunities. Phoenix has some of the most attended film festivals throughout the year.

Phoenix hosts the annual Phoenix Film Festival. The Phoenix Film Foundation is the largest non-profit film organization in the state of Arizona. With the Phoenix Film Festival, IFP-Phoenix, Arizona Student Film Festival, International Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival and the Phoenix Film Society the opportunities to be part of film are limitless all year long.

Now celebrating it’s 10 year anniversay, the Festival annually screens over 100 films, holds amazing parties and provides filmmaking seminars to capacity audiences.. Films will be shown throughout the week as well as opportunities forfine dining, shopping and exceptional recreational activies.

Phoenix Film Society is a membership group of filmgoers that screen films on a monthly basis with a post screen discussions moderated by local film critics and film educators. The films screened have included The Savages, Crash, Million Dollar Baby, Little Miss Sunshine and The Departed. Through tributes, special screenings and seminars, the Festival has honored film industry notables, including Peter Fonda, Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, Edward Burns, John Waters, Jane Seymour and Laurence Fishburne.

The festival offers filmgoers a rare opportunity to meet the filmmakers, Director, screenwriters and cinemaotographers eager to share their work will provide an exclusive inside look at the industry during the post-screening Q & A’s. The mission of this association is to support and develop the growth of independent filmmaking in Arizona. The Foundation’s mission statement is to promote the exhibition of works by filmmakers’ and conduct educational programs that teach the art of independent filmmaking.
The Foundation has sponsored the annual Phoenix Film Festival and has created IFP-Phoenix to promote education and cooperation within the Arizona film community. In 2004, the Foundation started the Phoenix Film Society to create a community for film-goers to support independent film and the Phoenix Film Festival. Then in 2005, the Foundation created the International Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival. In 2007, the Arizona Student Film Festival was started to give Arizona students a showcase for their films.

Another film festival held annually is the Arizona Black Film Showcase, primarily geared towards Black filmmakers, but open to any filmmaker whose work features Black talent and/or storylines, accepts feature and short films for competition and documentaries for feedback and screening. The event is comprised of two days of educational workshops, film screenings, an awards ceremony, and vendor festival.

Other notable film festivals are the International Horror and SciFi Film Festival and the Phoenix Jewish Film Festival. The greater Phoenix area draws other film festivals to the area each year. Phoenix’s dedication to independent filmmakers help support these festivals each year.

San Diego, Film Festivals That Give Back

Monday, January 11, 2010
posted by Frank Stevens

San Diego

San Diego is one of the most vibrant and desireable places to live. Living in San Diego offers residents access to exciting festivals and world-class entertainment opportunities. San Diego plays host to several film festivals throughout the year. Although the local film festival industry is in its relative infancy, the various gatherings offer film enthusiasts a great outlet to experience some very talented filmmakers.

The San Diego Film Festival is held in the Gaslamp Quarter and is a competitive four-day fest that offers attendees a full festival experience. Attendees can take in a relaxing day of film and a night of parties, catch a workshop or hit a conference to learn from the pros. Originating in 2001, the festival features more than 100 American and International feature, documentary, short films and music videos. The festival offers filmgoers a rare opportunity to meet the filmmakers, Director, screenwriters and cinematographers eager to share their work will provide an exclusive inside look at the industry during the post-screening Q & A’s. The annual American Screenwriters Association meeting also takes place at the festival. Past guests have included Joaquin Phoenix, James Woods and more. Part of the festivals Outreach program and way of giving back, “CONNECT” is designed to introduce high school students interested in film to top film industry professionals for an intimate day of workshops and networking. Students across San Diego are invited to listen as some of the industry’s most successful filmmakers, producers and writers share their secrets of survival in the film industry.

The San Diego Asian Film Festival is another annual film festival sponsored by the San Diego Asian Film Association. Since 2000, the festival has premiered hundreds of films and videos from around the world, gaining an international reputation as one of North America’s premiere Asian American film festivals as a result of their excellent programs, outreach to the community, and support for independent artists. Though the emphasis is on Asian American cinema, the festival also showcases international films, along with shorts, animation, experimental films and music videos from 12 different countries.
Two other notable festivals are the San Diego Women’s Film Festival and the San Diego Latino Film Festival. The Women Film Foundation’s mission is to empower, promote and mentor young women and women filmmakers by developing opportunities to expose the art of filmmaking and to tell women’s stories to broad and diverse audiences. The independent films highlight positive messages about relevant social issues, including ethnicity, class, culture, race and gender. The Latino Film Festival began as a student film festival and has grown as one of the most attended Latino film festivals in the country.

Like all of these film festivals, San Diego is dedicated to giving back to it’s communities. This is just one of the many reasons why San Diego is one of the best places to live in America.

Kennesaw, a Preserve America Community

Monday, January 4, 2010
posted by Frank Stevens

Kennesaw in Atlanta

If you are thinking of making a move to the Atlanta area, you might want to consider the city of Kennesaw. Kennesaw is a suburb of Atlanta and was named “10 best towns for families” by Family Circle magazine a few years ago.

Located in Cobb County, Kennesaw offers big city opportunities with suburban charm. Just far enough away from the city, residents enjoy wide-open spaces, affordable housing, good jobs and top-rated public schools. The median home price is around $194,000 and there are a variety of homes to choose from single-family homes to beautiful custom homes to townhomes and condominiums. It’s beautiful parks and quaint streets make Kennesaw an attractive community for residents and visitors alike.

Kennesaw holds a unique distinction as a Preserve America Community. In March 2004, First Lady Laura Bush awarded the city this honorary title. The Preserve America program is a White House effort to encourage and support community efforts for the historic preservation and enjoyment of America’s priceless cultural and natural heritage.
This program recognizes and designates communities that protect and celebrate their heritage, use their historic assets for economic development and community revitalization.

Kennesaw’s history is well-preserved in this city and worthy of the White House title. During the American Civil War, Kennesaw, or Big Shanty as it was called then, was the site of major fighting in the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain. Now the area is known as the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park and contains many historic areas dating back to this period. Another place in the city that pays tirbute to this time period is the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History. The museum is the current preservation and display location for The General, the locomotive that played the key role in the Great Locomotive Chase in the Civil War.

Downtown Kennesaw offers several specialty shops and restaurants. And with Atlanta approximately 20 miles northwest, there is easy access to shopping and entertainment in the city as well. The booming service economy and the large migration of Northern companies into the South have brought lots of opportunity for employment for the area. The cities economy is composed mostly by distribution, service industries, retailers and manufacturing and has many opportunities for employment. For higher education, Kennesaw State University is located in the city and is the third largest college in the state.

Being a suburb of Atlanta offers residents access to entertainment and historic landmarks to visit. A few notable mentions are the World of Coca-Cola, the Georgia Aquarium, CNN Center, Stone Mountain Park, Underground Atlanta, Centennial Olympic Park and the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site just to name a few.

Kennesaw’s low cost of living, affordable homes and quality of life are just some of the reasons to move to this beautiful city.