The newly hatched Tale Writers Screenwriting Conference sponsored a couple of writing contests earlier this year. The Scholastic Script Contest was aimed at New Mexico high school and college students, while the Open Script Contest was open to anyone. Judges selected three scripts from each contest as the top entries. These scripts will now be read live on stage by a group of local actors at The Lodge at Santa Fe (750 N. St. Francis) this Friday, Oct. 14, beginning at 7pm in the hotel’s Cabaret Room. It’s a rare opportunity to take a peek at some of the up-and-coming writing talent in our state. Tickets for this event are $10 and can be purchased in advance by going to talewriters.org. Tale Writers Screenwriting Conference is the brainchild of New Mexico Film Foundation Executive Director Dirk Norris and screenwriter/novelist Bradd Hopkins. The inaugural Tale Writers Conference is scheduled to take place May 18-21, 2017.
Reel World: Fe Under Way Fe Under Way
The eighth annual Santa Fe Independent Film Festival kicks off this Wednesday, Oct. 19, and runs through Sunday, Oct. 23. It all starts with the Opening Night Film, Adam Smith’s Trespass Against Us. The film starts at 6:30pm at the Violet Crown (1606 Alcaldesa). This British drama is set across three generations of a family who live as outlaws in their own anarchic corner of England’s richest countryside. Brendan Gleeson and Michael Fassbender star as a father-and-son duo locked in a battle over continuing the violent family tradition or choosing another path for future generations. That film is followed by the Opening Night Party, which gets underway at 8:30pm at Violet Crown. Tickets for the opening night film/party are $25 and can be purchased through eventbrite.com. Of course that’s just the start, with four more days of top-notch independent features, documentaries and shorts from around the world to savor—not to mention assorted panel discussions, parties and guest star tributes. Actress Jacqueline Bisset and director Jay Roach are among this year’s award recipients. Screenings will take place at the Violet Crown, the Center for Contemporary Arts Cinematheque, The Lensic, The Screen at Santa Fe University and the Jean Cocteau Cinema. For a complete schedule of films and times, go to santafeindependentfilmfestival.com. And be sure to pick up next week’s Alibi for more info on this increasingly essential festival.
