The Duke City Shootout is riding into Albuquerque, all guns a-blazing, for the sixth year in a row. The 2006 festival, brainchild of the local Digital Filmmaking Institute, will take place Friday, July 21, through Saturday, July 29. The purpose of the festival is to provide a venue in which a filmmaker’s vision can be realized–from script to screen–in a mere seven days (or, in some cases, less).Seven filmmakers from around the country (including two from right here in Albuquerque) will spend the week casting, rehearsing, shooting and editing their films. The finished films will be screened on the festival’s final night at the Kiva Auditorium. That isn’t to say, however, the coming week will be dull for folks who aren’t working on one of the hand-picked film crews. This year many more interactive events have been added, including the 48-Hour Film Project, the MiniCini Competition and the Insomnia Lounge.
Friday, July 21–
The two preeminent names in the moviemaking competition biz–the Duke City Shootout and the 48-Hour Film Project–join forces for the first time to launch the local leg of the 48-Hour Film Project, a worldwide film event launched in 2001. The kickoff is from 6-7 p.m. at Harlow’s on the Hill (Carlisle and Central). Contestants will have from Friday, July 21, to Sunday, July 23, to finish their digital films. Movies will be screened at the Guild Cinema (3405 Central NE) on July 24 and 25 and the winner chosen by a panel of judges. The winning New Mexico movie will go on to compete against 48-Hour Film Projects from around the world. The Duke City Shootout’s Opening Night Gala will take place at 8 p.m. at the Albuquerque Little Theater. Highlights include a “best of the best” show profiling memorable highlights of the festival’s evolution over the past six years, a selection of short films and music provided by some of New Mexico’s finest.Sunday-Friday, July 23-28–
MiniCini Moviemaking Competition: Big Ideas in Microcontent is set to start at 10 a.m. at Civic Plaza. Meet to sign up, go over contest rules and get a topic. Here’s your chance to join the digital revolution by producing microcontent for the world. Craft a 2-3 minute piece in any digital format (BlackBerry, cell phone, Webcam, whatever) and Duke City Shootout will send it out to millions of potential viewers through their partner, file-sharing giant BitTorrent. At 10:30 a.m., you can meet the crack crew of MiniCini mentors who will guide filmmakers through writing, shooting and editing for viewing on the small screen. You have until Friday, July 28, 10 a.m., to turn in your MiniCini movie. The winner will be announced and screened at the Duke City Shootout Gala Premiere Night. The winner gets an Apple MacBook Pro featuring the Intel ® Core Duo™ Processor.Sunday, July 23, 9 p.m.–
Duke City/48-Hour Film Project screening takes place at the Guild Cinema. A reception and screening of the “best of both competitions” begins at 9 p.m. Tickets are $7.Monday-Tuesday, July 24-25–
At 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. both nights, the Guild Cinema will screen the survivors from the local 48-Hour Film Project. The winner will be crowned the 48-Hour champ. Tickets are $7.Wednesday, July 26–
The Women in Entertainment conference takes place at Insomnia Lounge (Albuquerque Hyatt). Hear from some of the industry’s leading lights: Ellen Sandler, writer/producer of “Everybody Loves Raymond;” Tracy Mercer, VP of Development for Morgan Freeman’s Revelations Entertainment; and Liz Langston, cofounder of the 48-Hour Film Project. L.A. producer Christina Julian moderates. Drop by at 3 p.m. for a lively discussion followed by a reception. At 5 p.m. the Insomnia Lounge opens to the public. Insomnia Lounge is your home for animation, serious gaming, digital filmmaking, demonstrations and informal talks with award-winning animators. This year, Insomnia will feature some of the country’s top animators collaborating in the production of two 20-minute animated shorts, all in full view of the public. Festival attendees can watch the animators work and attend demonstrations and panels as well as get a glimpse into the future of animation, videogames and digital media. Insomnia animators will include: Jonas Diamond (Smiley Guy Studios); Steve Hoban (CopperHeart Entertainment); Chris Landreth (Academy Award-winning director of "Ryan"); Chris Kientz (award-winning writer/director/producer of "Raven Tales"); Torin Lucas (CEO Thunderbird Games); Gerald McDermott (author and animator of "Arrow to the Sun"); and Jeff Hobbs (animator and rotoshop creator). Planned features of Insomnia will include free, public vendor exhibitions from animation/game companies, public panels on the animation/game industry with industry-specific guests, a public forum showcasing the latest in animated films.For more information on the Duke City Shootout, the 48-Hour Film Project, the MiniCini Competition and the Insomnia Lounge, log on to www.dukecityshootout.com.
