Filmstock, the innovative quad-state short film festival, starts off this Friday, Sept. 5, and Saturday, Sept. 6, right here in Albuquerque. Filmstock breezes through Denver in October, Salt Lake City in November and Tempe in December. Award-winning films from here in New Mexico will have the opportunity to screen at the other three legs of the festival, ensuring fame and fortune (maybe) for our homegrown filmmakers. This year organizers have partnered up with New Mexico Film Foundation to shine a spotlight on New Mexican actors. This will consist of a live competition featuring local actors presenting film blocks, introducing red carpet events and participating in a monologue-off. Among the shorts being screened this year are 12 past award winners and 16 new official selections. The films are organized into themed blocks—from “The Pursuit of Happiness” to “The Human Experience.” Individual tickets to the programming blocks are running $10 apiece. All-access passes, which include all festival events as well as the filmmaker reception at Villa di Capo Ristorante Italiano, are $40 each. Films will be shown at the KiMo Theatre (423 Central NW) starting at 7pm on Friday and 11am on Saturday.
Reel World: It’s Elemental It’s Elemental
If you’re a filmmaker who didn’t submit your work in time for this year’s Filmstock, other opportunities await. This Friday, Sept. 5, is the deadline to submit to the Taos Fall Arts Film Festival. This year’s theme is “honoring our land,” and all films must tie in to the “globally relevant subject” of air, water or land. Any film addressing the environment is qualified to enter. Maximum running time is 10 minutes. There are no entry fees. A jury will select the 10 best films to be screened in the Arthur Bell Auditorium at the Harwood Museum of Art during the 2014 Taos Arts Festival (starting Sept. 27).
Reel World: Hawke Talk Hawke Talk
Screenwriter Edward Khmara will appear at the Jean Cocteau Cinema on Sunday, Sept. 7 to introduce a screening of his 1985 cult fantasy Ladyhawke starring Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer. The screening begins at 6:30pm. A Q&A will follow. Tickets run $6 to $12. The Jean Cocteau is located at 418 Montezuma Ave. in Santa Fe.
Reel World: Coffee Talk Coffee Talk
Friday Filmmakers Coffee
Friday Filmmakers Coffee is a bimonthly get-together for professional filmmakers who are “actively working in the industry to connect with each other in a supportive atmosphere and share current NM film production news.” The next meet-up will take place Friday, Sept. 5, from 3 to 6pm at the Fans of Film Cafe (504 Yale SE). For the rest of the year, it looks like FFC will gather at Fans of Film in Albuquerque on the first Friday of every month and at the Jean Cocteau building (418 Montezuma Ave.) in Santa Fe on the third Friday of every month. If you’re thinking of attending, you can RSVP to snoon@elemental-films.com.
