There’s a new meetup group for filmmakers, actors and “all creative types in the film and media community” out in Rio Rancho. The very first Rio Rancho Media Meetup will take place Saturday, Nov. 29, from 10am to 12pm at Knight Blue Design Studio (1542 Stephanie Rd., Unit 110). Food and drinks are welcome; coffee and paper goods will be provided. Anyone involved in the media business as well as any local businesses interested in connecting with this talented community are invited to mix, mingle and chat. Organizers would like a rough headcount, so please RSVP with a message to the group’s Facebook page.
Reel World: Turkey Day Turkey Day
Albuquerque’s Open Space Visitor Center closes out its “Birds, Birds, Birds” movie series with an appropriate holiday offering. On Saturday, Nov. 29, stop by the Visitor Center (6500 Coors NW) from 1:30 to 3:30pm for a free screening of the 2013 animated comedy Free Birds. In it, two turkeys “from opposite sides of the tracks” join forces to travel back in time and change the course of history so that turkey is off the menu for Thanksgiving.
Reel World: Hey, Ladies! Hey, Ladies!
New Mexico Women in Film is looking to highlight aspiring New Mexico screenwriters who want to tell an intriguing story with a central female character. “The Woman in the Story” screenwriting competition asks residents to submit a 10-page screenplay with a female main character. Submitted scripts must be original screenplays and the sole property of the applicant (or applicants). The script must feature a female protagonist and/or a strong female theme. The competition will be judged by Dr. Helen Jacey. Jacey has a Ph.D. in screenwriting from University of Arts London and teaches screenwriting at Bournemouth University. Her book The Woman in the Story has been described as the seminal guide for creating on-screen female characters. The winner will receive a cash award of $1,000, the NMWIF Athena Screenwriting Award and a table reading for their winning script at a NMWIF event in spring 2015. Two runners-up will also be chosen. You only have until Dec. 1 to get your submission in. There is a $25 entry fee for each script submitted.
Reel World: Get Shorty Get Shorty
Are you a filmmaker with a taste for brevity? Tuesday, Dec. 2, marks the final, late submission deadline to get your work considered for the Taos Shortz Film Festival. The eighth annual festival will take place March 19 through 22, 2015, in Taos and will show off all sorts of short films from around the globe in a variety of categories—from comedy to experimental. The entry fee is now $30 per film ($18.88 for emerging artists and $11.44 for “Taoseños homies”).
