FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Variety and High Energy Highlight 2008 da Vinci Days Music
A high-energy and eclectic mix of entertainment on three stages will provide music lovers at this year's da Vinci Days festival with a wealth of options and almost non-stop music. From Cajun to rock, Balkan to salsa, folk to R&B, there will be something special for listeners and dancers alike.
The musical festivities start at 7:00 p.m. on Friday with Eugene singer/songwriter Laura Kemp. Headlining Friday's Main Stage performance at 8:30 p.m. is BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet. Since forming in 1975, Grammy winner BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet has claimed an undisputed role as the most esteemed Cajun group in music. The band takes the rich Cajun traditions of Louisiana and artfully blends elements of Zydeco, New Orleans jazz, Tex-Mex, country, and blues into a satisfying musical recipe. From The Grand Ole Opry to Newport Folk, from concert hall to dance floor, their music has captivated audiences around the world.
Saturday morning, music begins on the Shady Stage at 10:15 a.m. and continues all day. The popular Battle of the Bands begins at 4:00 p.m. on the Central Park stage.
Saturday's Main Stage activities begin at 5:00 p.m. with Rhys Thomas: Jugglemania. Rhys does two shows in one: kids love his acrobatic antics, while grownups laugh at his topical comedy.
The 2008 daVinci Days:
Friday, July 18 - Sunday July 20
This year's theme: Flight of Fancy
On the Web: www.davinci-days.org
Contact Information:
Brenda VanDevelder
davinci@davinci-days.org
(541) 757-6363
And the Emmy goes to... "Eloquent Nude"!
Oregon filmmaker, Ian McCluskey scores three wins at the NW Regional Emmy Awards at 45th annual ceremony. The winning categories include:
Program Achievement - Documentary - Cultural/Historical
Individual Achievement - Best Director
Individual Achievement - Program - Best Editor
The special Emmy's viewing party was hosted by the Hotel DeLuxe in their elegant screening room. Nominees from NW Documentary and OPB (nominated for 16 Emmys), joined to watch the results via live webcast.
Eloquent Nude premiered in March 2007 at the Portland Art Museum. Nearly 2,000 people wrapped around the north block of the museum, marking the largest film premiere in Portland's history. Following a 5-week run at Cinema 21, NW Documentary screened to full-capacity crowds across the state including Astoria, Bend, Eugene, Pendleton, and beyond. Major museums hosted screenings including the San Francisco MOMA, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Cleveland Art Museum, and the National Gallery of Australia.
Eloquent Nude has also gained critical acclaim at prestigious documentary film festivals around the world, including the Full Frame Documentary Festival, and Montreal's Festival International Du Films Sur L'Art.
Eloquent Nude is the second full-length documentary produced by NW Documentary, a 501c3 arts non-profit. Their first film, "Sun Gu Ja," also directed by Ian McCluskey, won the 2004 NW Emmy for best cultural/historic documentary. NW Documentary is currently researching and exploring new story leads for their next major project.
Contact:
NW Documentary
115 SW Ash St, 620
Portland, OR 97204
503.227.8688
Local Movie Makes Top 12 Festival
Model Rules, a locally produced micro budget movie has been selected to have its world premiere at the Rhode Island International Film Festival which runs August 5 - 10.
RIIFF is one of the Top 12 Film Festivals in the US and is also included in "The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide" as one of the top 10 International Film Festivals in the US. The movie was written by and stars retired actress Marlyn Mason and was directed by Ray Robison. Mason and Robison, both of Medford, plan to attend the festival. "Of course, you have to go" says Robison "how often do you have a movie you made playing at a major film festival." The only top 12 festival in the northwest is the Seattle International Film Festival. According to Mason "One of the reasons Rhode Island is so important is that if we win an award there the movie will be up for Oscar consideration".
The story is of an aging artists model who fantasizes about a man who is sketching her nude form. The movie is Mason's first screenwriting credit though she had an extensive acting career in Los Angeles. Robison's directing credits include Die Before I Wake and the award winning Sixes and the One Eyed King. Model Rules was shot at the Rogue Galley in Medford and was edited by Bison Video Productions. In addition to Mason and Robison local crew included Kenn Christenson of White City as Director of Photography, Becky Geear of Eagle Point as Art Director and Brian Bearg of Medford who did the sound recording and editing.
Contact:
Bison Motion Pictures
541-778-4212
Linus Pauling Biographer to Deliver da Vinci Keynote
CORVALLIS, ORE., June 11, 2008 - Was Linus Pauling right about the disease-fighting properties of vitamin C? Pauling biographer Tom Hager will answer that question next month as the keynote speaker for the 20th annual da Vinci Days festival.
Hager's speech, titled "How to Live Longer and Feel Better: Linus Pauling and the Health Revolution," will focus on Oregon State University's most famous graduate and his important contributions to the science of diet and nutrition. The free lecture will begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 17, at the Corvallis High School Auditorium.
The 20th annual da Vinci Days festival takes place July 18-20. Full weekend passes, good for all events and activities from Friday evening through Sunday, can be purchased at Corvallis ticket outlets or online at www.davinci-days.org until July 17. Weekend admissions also can be purchased at the keynote.
The price is $15 for adults (13 and up) and $10 for children (6-12). Single day tickets, available only at the gate, will be $10 for adults and $5 for children. Children 5 and under will be admitted for free.
About da Vinci Days
da Vinci Days is the country's longest-running festival of its kind. Operating as a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization and with help from more than 150 community partners and 1,000 volunteers, da Vinci Days showcases innovative artists, engineers, teachers, community organizations, and individuals. The 20th annual summer festival takes place July 18-20, 2008.
On the Web: www.davinci-days.org
CONTACT: Brenda VanDevelder
davinci@davinci-days.org
(541) 757-6363
First Annual Film Scout Photo Scavenger Hunt
Film Action Oregon's First Annual Film Scout Photo Scavenger Hunt Fundraiser will take place on July 12th, 2008. Over 300 would-be film scouts will hit the streets, searching for locations around Portland that have served as back drops for scenes in well known - and lesser known films. This mad run across town will serve as a benefit for Film Action Oregon, a 501(c)3 nonprofit committed to educating emerging filmmakers, supporting working artists and engaging diverse audiences at the Hollywood Theatre. We invite you to be a part of this one-of-a kind contest and fundraiser.
The winners of the "Film Scout" Photo Scavenger Hunt will be announced on Thursday, July 17th at Film Action's "Hooray for Hollywood" celebration commemorating the opening of the Hollywood Theatre on July 17, 1926. Thousands will enjoy a multitude of live performances by well-known local artists, eat expertly prepared barbeque and relax under the stars while films are projected onto the side of the Theatre.
For more information click here
Oxygen's hit reality show "The Bad Girls Club" is now casting in Portland!
Danny Stoltz Casting is working with Bunim/Murray Productions (Producers of ground breaking reality shows like The Real World, Road Rules & Making the Band) currently casting bad girls and girls with big personalities that just want to have fun for Season 3! If you or anyone you know has what it takes to live with 6 other girls in a mansion for 3 months, then this is the perfect opportunity! Must be over 21.
(Filming dates are still TBD but those cast will receive nominal compensation).
COME TO THE OPEN CASTING CALL
SATURDAY, MAY 31ST 1pm - 4pm
OR WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4TH 4pm - 7pm
@ Danny Stoltz Casting: 635 NW 16TH | NW PORTLAND
If you cannot attend the open casting call, EMAIL terri@dannystoltzcasting.com
To schedule an interview. *Include Name, Number, Brief Bio & Current Photo!
YOU CAN ALSO CALL US AT 503.299.4776
Film Office Staff Change
The Board of Directors of the Governor's Office of Film and Television announced today that Executive Director Steve Oster will be transitioning into a new position with the Office in order to pursue other business interests. In this new position Steve will remain available to the Board as a consultant and will continue to play an integral role in strategizing and implementing the continued expansion of Oregon's film and television industry. A search has begun to hire a new Executive Director to handle the day-to-day operations of the office. "It has been an honor to serve in this job for the past several years and I look forward to my continued involvement in the growth of media production in Oregon," commented Oster.
The Governor's Office of Film and Television is a state agency that works to build the Film, Television and Multimedia Industry in Oregon. The industry generates over $475 million in direct economic output per year, and creates nearly 5,000 full time equivalent positions. Recent films that have shot in Oregon include: "Twilight", based on the best-selling book series; Management", starring Jennifer Aniston, Steve Zahn and Woody Harrelson; "Untraceable", starring Diane Lane and Colin Hanks; "Burning Plain", starring Charlize Theron; and "The Feast of Love", starring Morgan Freeman and Greg Kinnear. Current productions shooting in Oregon include Paramount's "Without a Paddle 2" and "The Road", starring Viggo Mortensen and Charlize Theron.
Contact:
Susan Haley, Marketing/Administrative Manager
503-229-5832
susan@oregonfilm.org
NORTHWEST CASTING COMPANY SEES NO SIGN OF ECONOMIC TURNDOWN
Business is thriving on all fronts
PORTLAND, ORE. 2008 is shaping up nicely for Lana Veenker Casting, a Portland-based casting company, despite the nation's dwindling economy. In fact, its first quarter receipts doubled, compared to the same period last year, placing it among the busiest casting companies outside of Los Angeles and New York.
Veenker credits her business' current trajectory in part to the launch of a new extras casting division last September and the attractive film incentive programs passed by the Oregon Legislature in 2007. Her team recently completed principal and extras casting on Guillermo Arriaga's "The Burning Plain" for 2929 Productions and Ellory Elkayem's "Without a Paddle II" for Paramount Pictures, as well as principal casting on Catherine Hardwicke's much-anticipated "Twilight" for Summit Entertainment. Her latest project, hiring background on John Hillcoat's "The Road," also for 2929 Productions, stars Viggo Mortensen and Charlize Theron.
Director Catherine Hardwicke spoke highly of Lana Veenker Casting's contribution to "Twilight": "[They] were an absolute pleasure to work with. I've never worked with a casting company that made such an effort to go the extra mile: rehearsing with the actors beforehand, prepping them with props and costumes, even going so far as to fly to the Arizona desert to do an open casting call! Their attention to detail, total professionalism, and rabid desire to make our movie the best it could be was extremely refreshing."
LVC's commercial division has been equally busy, with major Nike spots for the Beijing Olympics, multiple industrials for clients such as Intel and the Oregon Research Center for Applied Science (ORCAS), and commercials for Nintendo and Oregon Lottery, to name a few. Local production companies and advertising agencies, including @Large Films, Wieden+Kennedy and Respond2, have kept the phone ringing and the staff on its toes.
2008 also marks a landmark year for Casting Director Lana Veenker, who, within the last few months, was inducted into both the Casting Society of America (CSA) and the International Network of Casting Directors (INCD). "These new affiliations will allow us to share resources with casting directors all over the globe, bringing new work to Oregon and opening doors for local film and commercial production companies who seek to cast nationally or internationally."
Over the past year, Veenker has met with producers, agents and casting directors in major markets across North America and Europe, solidifying relationships and--she hopes--helping to put Oregon on the map. "A year or so ago, they were all saying 'Is there really production happening in Oregon?'" muses Veenker. "Now that they've heard about our fantastic film incentives, it's 'Oh, I hear Oregon's the new Vancouver, the new Toronto, the new New Mexico!'" Veenker hopes the buzz continues and that the influx of production will keep any signs of economic slowdown at bay.
Lana Veenker Casting is a full-service film and television casting company based in Portland, Oregon. More information can be found at http://slateplease.com or by calling 503-221-3090.
Oregon's incentive programs are outlined on the Oregon Film Office's website
Oregon Producer Premieres at Cannes
Wendy And Lucy, a film by Kelly Reichardt, will have its world premiere in Cannes. Reichardt is best known for her previous film, Old Joy, which was filmed in Oregon. Old Joy debuted in Sundance and won the Tiger Award in Rotterdam in 2006.
Wendy and Lucy is produced by Oregonian Neil Kopp, and by Anish Savajani and Larry Fessenden. Neil is also known for his work on Paranoid Park, the 2007 Cannes 60th Anniversary Winner, and for the "Producers Award" for Old Joy at the 2008 Independent Spirit Awards.
Memento, who is handling the film says, "We were already big fans of Old Joy but were even more impressed with Wendy And Lucy's striking beauty and sensitivity; its delicate sound design and genuine looks and its deeply touching and poetic storytelling."
The film tells the tale of Wendy who, along with her dog Lucy, is driving to Alaska in the hopes of a lucrative summer job at a fish cannery. Her car breaks down, however, in Oregon and she is faced with a series of increasingly dire economic decisions. According to Memento, the film addresses issues of sympathy and generosity at the fringes of American life and reveals the limits and depths of people's duty to one another in tough times.
The Cannes Film Festival runs from May 14 - 25, 2008. website
Contact: Susan Haley
Oregon Film Office
(503) 229-5832
Find Out What Your Grandparents Were Doing in the 60's - Grandma and Grandpa Did What!?
Eugene International Film Festival - 5/5/08EUGENE, OR - "Berkeley" is a movie that is easy to believe. This fictional story of love, self discovery and social upheaval plays against known history and the dramatic use of archival footage. Grandparents, parents and grandchildren will be drawn in by the screenplay's passionate presentation of an important time in history.
There may be some explaining to do as "Berkeley" presents the not too distant era of the 60's experienced by those now in their 60's to those who have no familiarity with living in either the era or within the age group. While the story and its characters are fiction, the setting was real.
Eugene, OR and Berkeley, CA had much in common during the 60's. It's not much of a stretch that the film came to Eugene to be discovered at the October 2007 Eugene International Film Festival. Eugene in the 60's had its protest marches, campus sit-ins, damaged buildings and FBI agents photographing it all.
Rivercoast Films Distribution President Mike Katchman was in attendance at the Eugene International Film Festival. After seeing "Berkeley" he immediately contacted the producer and offered to distribute the film.
"The Eugene International Film Festival presented an opportunity for my company to roll out a new deal in film distribution. The festival played a preeminent roll in establishing Rivercoast," Katchman states. "Berkeley" is now available at Hollywood Video stores nationwide.
For teenagers, it's time to catch up on family history before it's too late. There are precious moments in the family closet that need to be preserved. "Berkeley" is filled with passion and personal discovery that many will remember fondly, others will blush.
Writer, Producer, Director Bobby Roth, whose credits include directing multiple episodes of "Prison Break" and "Without a Trace" did a superb job of casting to bring the 60's to life on the screen. Fortunately motion picture screens are able to withstand anything the 60's can hurl at them across the decades.
Roth recently reflected on the festival in a conversation with festival Director Mike Dilley. "I'm thrilled with the results. I'm so happy I put my film in your festival." "That's a great calling card for a festival," Roth concluded.
"Berkeley" is a story of social activism and coming of age in the 1960's. Protagonist Ben Sweet, a conservative, well-brought-up 18-year-old middle class, shy, white boy enters UC Berkeley in 1968 to study accounting and avoid the draft. He is soon thrown smack in the middle of a home grown revolution, and a whole new circle of friends. He is slapped with a politically based, knowledge driven and sexually laced awakening, ultimately finding himself.
No need to ask your doctor if "Berkeley" is right for you. "Berkeley" is outstanding entertainment. If you missed the 60's don't miss "Berkeley." If you are 60, it's time to feel the passion once again.
"Berkeley:" IMDb Page
Eugene International Film Festival
Contact: Mike Dilley
Oregon 150 call for submissions for Oregon Stories
About Oregon Stories:This project will educate Oregonians about our shared past, our current lives, and our hopes for the future. Every weekday for one year (from September 2008-September 2009), Oregon 150 will broadcast a series of informative, personal, and exciting commentaries - from Oregonians, to Oregonians. The radio broadcast will be augmented by television, print, and web-based distribution of the stories. All stories, including those used for broadcast, will be archived at the Oregon State Archives as education source materials for future generations, especially for Oregon's Bicentennial in 2059. In partnership with the Oregon Department of Education, among others, Oregon Stories will come from every culture and corner of Oregon, from Oregonians of all ages. Submissions are already being accepted and posted on the Oregon 150 website. The deadline for submissions is October, 2009.
If you have any questions, please email: aschreiner@oregon150.org
ALL submissions will be included as a sesquicentennial legacy collection and submissions are being accepted now through the mail in whatever format people send them in, and at whatever length.
IF students or filmmakers would like to see their film on the website, they can submit via the website, the following:
Flash files (flv files)
Films that are between 2-5 minutes in length.
Speak to the question- What does being an Oregonian mean to you or your community?
IF any organization/school wants to create a project around Oregon Stories, they can apply to be official partners with Oregon 150: check out www.oregon150.org/projects/become-a-partner/
OREGON MEDIA PRODUCTION ASSOCIATION NAMES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Tom McFadden Joins OMPA, Signaling a New Era for Film, Television & Internet Creative Trade AssociationJulie Williamson, President of The Oregon Media Production Association (OMPA), Oregon's trade association for the film, video and multimedia production industry, announced this week the selection of Tom McFadden as the twenty eight year old organization's Executive Director. McFadden replaces OMPA Executive Director Dona Jennison, who recently announced plans to retire after helming the OMPA since 2000.
"We are very excited to welcome Tom McFadden as our new Executive Director", Williamson says. "As an entertainment professional who has worked in sales and content development for print, broadcast and Internet media, he brings tremendous experience and enthusiasm to our organization. He has held positions as a non-profit fundraiser, worked in media and independent film production, and for two years was the Executive Assistant at the Oregon Media Production Association. All this experience combines to create exceptional leadership for our organization and its members."
As Executive Director, McFadden will be charged with helping to grow employment and business opportunities in Oregon's creative and media production industries by promoting the value of Oregon's talent and resources. "Tom brings a dynamic vision for growing membership, increasing OMPA visibility as a creative resource and expanding membership career development opportunities. We are happy to welcome him on board as Oregon's media community continues to grow," said Williamson.
Prior to accepting this post at OMPA, which becomes effective April 14, 2008, McFadden worked for T-Mobile and Clear Channel Radio in Portland. A 1992 graduate of Oberlin College, he has a background in film and television production, technology and media sales, publishing, and he has managed and performed with popular music ensembles and small orchestras.
"Oregon is lucky to have some of the most talented professionals in the creative industry in our film, television and multimedia community, and the OMPA will continue to promote and develop the role of media producers in entertaining and educating the public, and in solving business problems locally and for clients worldwide," say McFadden of the organization.
