The Simmons College Cinematic Society is holding its second annual International Women’s Film Forum on Saturday, April 18th at the college in the main campus building at 300 The Fenway,  from 12pm to 6pm with a reception to follow. WIFNVE is a co-sponsor of this free event which will feature films produced and directed by women from around the globe. This event has “greatly inspired  students, encouraging them to make their own films,”  according to Simmons College Professor Judith Richland, director of the Film Forum.

Schedule of Films: http://www.simmons.edu/events/school/cas/iwff

Festival Director and Simmons Faculty, Judith Richland discusses the IWFF:  http://www.simmons.edu/news/college-of-arts-and-sciences/2015/march/iwff-2015

We’ve extended the deadline for Board nomination submissions!  We are seeking five new Board members to serve for a two year term.  Submissions due to Joan Cassin by Monday, April 27th. PLEASE NOTE: WIFVNE will send all members an electronic ballot with information on the candidates on May 11th.  Member voting will end on May 18th.  New Board officers will be elected at the June 2nd Board meeting.  Nominated members interested in pursuing positions as President, VP, Treasurer, or Secretary should indicate this in their application.

We hope to see you at the Annual Members Meeting on April 22nd, where we can answer any questions you may have about serving on the WIFVNE Board of Directors.

Criteria for submission:

– Must currently be a member in good standing – Join/Renew membership here.

– Must have one year, minimum, professional experience in any area of film or television or video industry. 

– Include a short CV. 

– Include a paragraph on why you want to serve on the WIFV/NE board and what skills and experience you would bring. 

– Include name and contact info (phone and email) for one regional media professional who is willing to act as reference/recommendation.

Board members serve a two year term and will be expected to attend regular meetings and to participate in activities and events in support of the organization.

Join us for our 2015:

Annual Members Meeting

Wednesday, April 22nd
6:30pm to 9:30pm

Sign in/Networking: 6:30pm to 7:00pm

Community Room – Nonprofit Center

89 South Street, Boston MA 02111

RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wifvne-annual-members-meeting-tickets-16176156319

Please note: Only current members may attend.  Join/Renew here or at the meeting.

The board members of WIFVNE are looking forward to sharing all the highlights of our past year with you – our members!  We will be opening up new board nominations as well as breaking out into brainstorming sessions for the second half of the evening.  

This meeting is your chance to participate in shaping the programs and resources of WIFVNE for the coming year.  It is your opportunity to share the highlights of your work in 2014 and your plans for 2015. We hope you’ll attend, and contribute your talent and energies.  It is members like you who have contributed to the success and longevity of Women in Film & Video New England as we enter our 35th year! 

Directions & Parking Info: http://nonprofitcenterboston.org/directions

Work in Progress Screening & Thank You Party! – December 5th

You are cordially invited to join us for a fun filled Work in Progress Film Screening & Thank You Party! The screening is for WIFVNE Board Member, Marilyn Pennell’s documentary film: “The Way Home: Journey of Family and Faith” about three generations of Tibetan women in one family struggling to keep their culture alive while unraveling the puzzle of new lives in America.

Date: Friday, 12/5 starting at 7PM

Venue: Arts at the Armory
191 Highland Ave., Somerville, MA 02143
617-718-2191 info@artsatthearmory.org

Door Prizes and Refreshments! (cash bar)

Admission: FREE- Bring your family and friends!!!!
Parking: Onsite (behind building) and overflow lots

RSVP by 11/28 or before to: Marilyn@womeninfilmvideo.org

For more information about the film: http://thewayhomejourney.com/

WIFVNE is Member Supported!  If your membership has lapsed please consider renewing or making a donation.  Your tax-deductible support helps to keep our chapter going!

WOMEN IN FILM & VIDEO: NEW ENGLAND is currently casting for a staged reading production of an award-winning script: looking for actors in the Boston area, to play Latino male, female and child roles.

IN SEARCH OF OUR FATHER, SYLVESTER STALLONE, written by Worcester State grad Santa Sierra is the Women in Film & Video New England Screenplay Competition winner of 2013. In celebration of this writer’s achievement and to highlight and promote local writing, directing and acting talent, WIFVNE is launching a staged presentation of the screenplay.

Logline: ROCKY and BALBOA, a young brother and sister, are growing up in poverty in El Salvador. After they lose their mother SOFIA to gang violence, the wise-beyond-their-years siblings embark on a dangerous journey to the United States hoping to find the man their mother always claimed was their father: SYLVESTER STALLONE.

Auditions: Saturday, Sept. 13 and Saturday, Sept. 20 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM: BY APPOINTMENT ONLY!
Sides will be distributed prior to audition
Audition location: In/around Greater Boston Area and T-Accessible!
SAG/AFTRA and Non-Union
Submit headshot/resume to: INSEARCHOFCASTING@GMAIL.COM – Please note role and preferred audition date. We will respond via email to confirm your audition times.

If you are unable to make the audition date, but are available for the event date, we will accept video auditions

SCHEDULING INFORMATION
Staged Reading Performance: Tuesday, October 28 at Central Square Theater
Call time: 5:00 PM, Showtime: 7:00 PM
Rehearsal Dates: October 12 – October 26
There will be two full cast readings and then the director will work with smaller groups during the two weeks prior to the staged reading. Rehearsals will be minimal.

LEAD CHARACTERS
BALBOA: Female, 10-13,to play 9 yr old Latina, well-built, strong headed lead with good comic timing.
ROCKY: Male, 10-13, to play 9 yr old quiet, introspective Latino boy
DRIGO: Male, 20’s to early 30’s , to play Latino, strong-silent type, lead character
SOFIA: Female, 25-35, to play young Latina, mother of Rocky and Balboa

SUPPORTING ROLES
(will be playing at least three different characters)
Young Hispanic Woman – 20 -30’s
Older Hispanic Woman – 20’s-30’s
Young Hispanic Man – 18-22
Older Hispanic Man – 40’s-50’s
Older White Man – 40’s-50’s
Younger Man (open) – 20’s -40’s
Young Woman (open) 20’s-30’s

CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Santa Sierra
Director: Gauri Adelkar
Creative Consultant: Christina Marin
Producing Team: Women in Film & Video Board and Members

Women in Film and Video: New England (WIFV/NE)
in collaboration with Harvard Square Script Writers (HSSW)
is proud to present a staged reading of Santa Sierra’s
IN SEARCH OF OUR FATHER, SYLVESTER STALLONE
on October 28 at the Central Square Theater.

On October 28, 2014, join Women in Film and Video: New England at Central Square Theater for a staged reading of our 2013 Screenwriting Competition Winner: In Search of Our Father, Sylvester Stallone by Santa Sierra.

In Search of Our Father is the story of a young brother and sister growing up in poverty in El Salvador. After they lose their mother to gang violence, the wise-beyond-their-years siblings embark on a dangerous journey to the US, hoping to find the man their mother always claimed was their father: Sylvester Stallone. “I grew up being an immigrant in Massachusetts,” screenwriter Santa Sierra explains, “so I understand the many reasons why people would risk their lives to come to the United States. I wanted to tell an engaging story that would make someone look beyond the immigration status of a person.”

Screenwriter Santa Sierra

Sierra, a native of the Dominican Republic, grew up in Worcester and graduated from Worcester State with a Masters in Spanish Education. She moved out to Los Angeles shortly thereafter, but wrote In Search of Our Father while home for the holidays in 2012. “The faces we see of immigration are the male faces… we don’t get to see children and women who try to come to the US.  All the information I had been soaking up through research, my own writing, my personal experiences as a teacher – all came together to bring this script to life.”

To date, In Search of Our Father has placed in the top 15% of the Nicholl Competition, ranked on The Tracking Board’s 2013 Young & Hungry List, was a finalist in the 2013 PAGE awards, finaled in the WriteMovies.Com awards, and won WIFV/NE’s 2013 Screenwriting Competition.  Santa is repped by Bryan Brucks at Luber/Roklin Entertainment.

Director Gauri Adelkar is very excited to bring Sierra’s piece to life on the stage for the very first time. Based in Somerville, MA, and originally from Mumbai, India, Adelkar won the Indie Soul Best Director Award at the Boston International Film Festival for her short film, “The Theft.” “Within a few pages of reading the wonderful script by Santa Sierra, I instantly wanted to be part of bringing the children’s journey to stage,” says Adelkar. “Every year, a record number of unaccompanied children from Central America are arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border. Their stories and struggles need to be told and I believe that theater is a powerful medium to do so.”

Director Gauri Adelkar

Adelkar will be joined by Dramatic Consultant Christina Marín, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Performing Arts at Emerson College. “I am thrilled to be participating in this project,” says Marin, “I feel it touches upon important contemporary social issues affecting our global society”.

WIFV/NE would like to acknowledge and thank our sponsors: Lesley University, The Boston Latino Film Festival, Saint Aire Productions, Local Sightings, Gregger Jones/Panasonic, Final Draft, Inktip, Talamas, High Output and Chelsea Collaborative.

 

STAGED READING
In Search of Our Father, Sylvester Stallone by Santa Sierra
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Central Square Theater: 450 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02134
Reception 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Performance begins at 7:00 PM and concludes with a Q&A

Admission: $15 for members of HSSW or WIFVNE and $20 for non-members.  

Tickets on sale now!

Harvard Square Script Writers and Women in Film and Video: New England partner to present two staged reading events this fall

Cambridge, MA—Harvard Square Script Writers (HSSW) and Women in Film and Video: New England (WIFV/NE) are proud to announce their collaboration on two staged screenplay readings, coming this fall to the Central Square Theater!

Nonprofits HSSW and WIFV/NE are joining forces to present two readings of wildly different scripts penned by local authors – Zombie Cop by Joel Karlinsky on Tuesday, September 23^rd and In Search of Our Father, Sylvester Stallone by Santa Sierra on Tuesday, October 28th.

The first staged reading, Zombie Cop, depicts the story of Stanley Fisher, a brilliant and principled undercover cop who is framed for the death of his partner.  After his execution, he awakens to find himself reanimated as Officer Z59, part of a fantastic, but ill-conceived, government experiment where death row alums are wiped of their memories and groomed to join a super-powered police force of ZOMBIE COPS.

Written by Joel Karlinsky, a Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at BU, Zombie Cop recently placed as a quarter finalist in the Scriptapalooza Screenwriting Contest. Director Christine Cannavo brings the sci-fi comedy to life, after honing her theatrical chops as an alum of ImprovBoston and Improv Asylum.“It’s a true screwball comedy,” says HSSW Director, Genine Tillotson, “Imagine if Mel Brooks wrote Blade Runner… I anticipate a night of raucous entertainment with top notch local comedians playing the parts.”

The second Staged Reading features the winner of WIFV/NE’s 2013 Screenwriting Competition: In Search of Our Father, Sylvester Stallone, by Santa Sierra. This touching, timely story chronicles the journey of a young brother and sister growing up in poverty in El Salvador. After they lose their mother to gang violence, the wise-beyond-their-years siblings embark on a dangerous journey to the U.S. to find the man their mother always claimed was their father – Sylvester Stallone. “I was inspired by the documentary Which Way Home, which follows eight kids on a dangerous journey to the USA,” says Ms. Sierra. “During the filming of the documentary, the director lost two of the children… In Search of Our Father, Sylvester Stallone is my answer to what may have happened.”

Director Gauri Adelkar—winner of Best Director at the 2014 Boston International Film Festival—is excited to bring Ms. Sierra’s script to life on the stage.  She will be supported by Christina Marin, Assistant Professor of Performing Arts at Emerson College.

Admission for each event is $15 for members of HSSW or WIFV/NE and $20 for non-members.

About Harvard Square Script Writers

Harvard Square Script Writers (HSSW) is one of the oldest and most established script writing groups in the nation. The organization offers assistance in the development, refinement, and promotion of films, TV pilots, video and film shorts, webisodes, indie films, and stage productions. They meet weekly to critique members’ work (currently in Newton, Massachusetts) and sponsor workshops on a wide range of topics, ranging from how to write a compelling log line to developing a powerful third act. For more information, please visit: http://www.hsswriters.com or contact HSSW Director, Genine Tillotson at genine@hsswriters.com .

About Women in Film and Video: New England

Founded in 1981, Women in Film & Video: New England is a nonprofit membership organization and one of 40 local chapters of Women in Film and Television International, that supports female voices within the film, television and media industry. By bringing together industry officials, workers & audiences, WIFV/NE promotes positive images of women to the public, and works to empower women working in the industry to achieve their professional potential.  For more information, please visit: http://www.womeninfilmvideo.org or contact WIFV/NE President, Joan Cassin at joan@womeninfilmvideo.org .

Media Contact: Shannon Vossler, marketing@womeninfilmvideo.org, 646.535.1362

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2014 = (Hard Work + Some Luck) x Lessons Learned – Guest Blog from filmmaker Valentina Valentini

Producing in Hollywood is not as glamorous as it sounds.

I’ve had to teach an actor how to properly slap an ass, had to toss a Dorito without breaking it’s perfect triangle shape, wrangled dogs, babies  and over-zealous extras, belched on cue, and sexily stuffed a hot dog down my throat.

I got to where I am today in a fairly roundabout way. I grew up in Massachusetts, mostly Northampton, Hadley and Amherst, and thought for a long time that I wanted to be a lawyer. I went to Northeastern University in 2002 as a Poli Sci major (as it’s called) only to drop out two years later.

I ended up in San Diego – because goodness knows my head wasn’t on straight – and began working at a law firm of all places and eventually landed myself back in school to finish a degree, this time in Communication because I was, well, good at communicating. I began interning at a small PR firm that represented all the films shot on Kodak, which led me to writing and learning a lot about cinematographers and their art and craft.

Eventually, PR turned into straight journalism when the writers strike was going on and no one in Hollywood was hiring. Writing I could do in my living room, I could do on my own time, and I could work other jobs to keep money coming in. After three years, I was able to focus only on journalism – writing for over 15 print and web publications – and building my clips, resume, and reach in that world.

I had this dream though, from a long time ago, that I wanted to make movies. I didn’t know how to do it or where to start, and I knew that film school wasn’t an option… I’m just not an academia kind of girl. Plus, I didn’t have the money, as I am already paying off previous school loans.

Four years ago, I was set up on a friend-date with a girl who had a dream similar to mine. She had recently graduated and wanted to be a screenwriter and director. So we put our heads together and made our first short film Save Me.

“Save Me”

We’d spent only a few hundred out of our own pockets, shot with barely any equipment besides a Canon 7D and generally had no idea what we were doing. We made a million and one mistakes, but I learned more on that shoot than a full year in film school.

Over the next two years I worked on anything I could get my hands on or join or beg my way into. I made practically no money, still writing full time and nannying so I could earn a living.

This was my film school.

“Dear 11009”

“For Who I Am”

“The Ninth Lane”

I’ve since produced seven short films, a web series, a regional commercial and two music videos, and worked on many other projects as a UPM, PA, extra, anything, just to get set experience.

I started ViV Productions two years ago, and it would be ludicrous to assume that I’m anywhere other than where I am – “in talks” with feature productions, hustling to get better-paying short films or music video gigs, constantly and annoyingly always talking about the next thing I want to do or the crazy idea I have for a documentary. I haven’t “made it.” I’ve barely begun, but I am having a lot of fun… usually.

The not-so-fun parts come when you spend $1000 submitting to festivals all over the world just to be rejected by all of them, or when you work on a short that had the potential to be funny but turns out crass and stupid, or when your family asks, “What is it you do again?”

But that film that didn’t get accepted anywhere… it’s not a bad film. There are just 10,000 other people submitting to the festivals as well. That short that turned out stupid… I learned that I won’t work with that director again. And my family… Well, I suppose when I’m walking up to the podium to accept my Oscar for Best Feature, they’ll understand what it was I was doing all these years.

For now, I was hired. I’m working on a big-budget, short film shooting in the desert at the end of this month. I’m not being paid and even pulling favors to help keep our budget down where possible, and I do feel I deserve to be paid, but when you’re on your way up the ladder I think it’s near-sighted to not go with your gut on a passion project. Most of the non-paying positions I’ve taken have led to something paying down the line. And you know who I’m going to call when I need a favor? The person that couldn’t pay me last year.

If you’re stubborn in this town you’ll never make it. If you’re ambitious and willing to roll up your sleeves and pick up dog poop, you’re on the right path. That path, at least for the time being, is certainly not clear. Maybe it won’t ever be, but my script – the one I add about 200 words to every six months – will take me back to Massachusetts. And I can’t wait for that path to open up for me.

Thank you to the WIF New England chapter for having me guest blog. And please follow me on Twitter as I fairly often have semi-smart things to say. Also, I’ll be at Sundance and SXSW in the coming months and writing for Twitch Film, IndieWire, MovieMaker and more, and will be Twittering constantly.

For more information, please visit:  Vimeo  ViV Productions Facebook

2013 has been an amazing year for Boston film, television, video and media in general! As the year comes to a close, WIFVNE would like to recognize the ground-breaking, earth-shaking women who’ve made an impact on the industry around us.

And so, we are instituting our first annual Women of the Year Award! We are calling on you, our Members, to nominate incredible local ladies who should be applauded for their work, their spirit and their support of women.

Nominees should meet the following criteria:

• Be a woman (sorry, gents!).
• Live and work in the New England area.
• Have influenced, inspired, or assisted other women in the industry.
• Have done something of particular note in the past calendar year.

Winners will be announced in mid-January.

Please submit your nominations before December 31st via the link below:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/10LC1R2QQv_Jwwkjwsej6x1To1RwYdxjkCusay85Arng/viewform

Join us for the next event in our Members-Only Made in Massachusetts seminar series, featuring Chris O’Donnell, local Business Agent for IATSE (481), the largest union representing workers in the entertainment industry.

 

Chris and special guests from the union will answer all your questions – most importantly, the steps you can take to join and advance your career.

 

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees represents more than 113,000 members, working in all forms of film and TV production and live theater, including 900 crew professionals in the New England region.

 

7:00 PM, Bright Family Screening Room at the Paramount Center at Emerson College

 

This Seminar–as with all our MADE IN MASSACHUSETTS Seminars–is free and open to all WIFVNE MEMBERS ONLY!  Not a member yet? Join today at: http://www.womeninfilmvideo.org/join!

 

RSVPs are a must!  Please email: rsvp@womeninfilmvideo.org ASAP to reserve your spot now!