Grants Goes Digital– Filmmaker Christopher Coppola’s EARS XXI Studio has joined forces with the Cibola Arts Council to create the first-annual PAH-Fest. PAH-Fest (short for Project Accessible Hollywood) will feature “alternative and grassroots storytelling through the use of today’s latest technology, celebrating the stories and voices of everyday people.” The festival will take place from Wednesday, July 5, through Sunday, July 9, in Grants, N.M. Festival highlights will include “Team Mobiflicks” (five small filmmaker crews shoot, edit and premiere a short picture in only three days), “Mobile Phone Art” (contestants create one-minute pictures with their mobile phones) and a “Technology Treasure Hunt” (kids under 18 interlink a variety of technology platforms in the field to score points). Through its website (www.pahfest.com) the festival will have a strong online component, including a web-based interactive venue for digitally produced shorts and feature-length pictures. The festival itself, taking place mostly at NMSU-Grants campus, seems to consist of a whole lot of parties, two Christopher Coppola film screenings ( Bel Air and Palmer’s Pickup ) and a couple of awards ceremonies. One of the ceremonies (Saturday night, 8:30 p.m.) will be saluting the festival’s guest of honor, filmmaker/professor George Kuchar (who, along with twin brother Mike, all but created New York’s trash/underground film scene). If you are interested in attending or participating in the Mobile Phone Art/Technology Treasure Hunt, log on to www.pahfest.com for more info.
Reel World
Here Comes the Judge– On Friday, July 7, the CCA Cinematheque in Santa Fe will present Beatrice Ntuba with her documentary Sisters in Law . The film–which follows difficult adultery, rape and abuse cases brought before a pioneering female prosecutor (Vera Ngassa) and a strong-minded female judge (Beatrice Ntuba) in the Muslim African nation of Cameroon–won the Priz de Essai at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival and was described as “one of the best documentaries of all time” by the Telluride Film Festival. Ntuba, who still holds her position as court president in Cameroon will present the film and participate in a Q&A session. The event also includes a post-film reception. This screening marks the launch of the new Mary Sidney Society, a literary organization dedicated to honoring unacknowledged women and their contributions to the world. Call (505) 982-1338 for ticket information. The CCA Cinematheque is located at 1050 Old Pecos Trail.
