2010-02-04 00:12:01

WINDRIDER: Sometimes All We Can Do is Mind the Gap

Filed under: Featured, Film
Posted by: Craig

Sometimes All We Can Do is Mind the Gap

by John Priddy

We are proud to present the next Windy Wednesday film in our Windrider WinterFest series: “Mind the Gap,” from director Kristal Williams-Rowley and writer Marcy Holland. This highly acclaimed, 17-minute, family friendly film has won numerous awards, and deservedly so.

“‘Mind the Gap’ is a bold film that takes the audience on an emotional and spiritual journey
that ultimately veers toward optimism and hope.”
– Director Monica Moreno, Angelus Student Film Festival

A Brief Synopsis:
Sara, the 16-year-old protagonist, comes to terms with a classmate’s suicide — she jumped under a train driven by Sara’s father. Despite its rather grim theme, “Mind the Gap” is a bold film that takes the audience on an unforgettable emotional and spiritual journey.

My Personal Reflections about this Film:
My wife Terri often says, “I can only be as happy as my saddest child.” With four children (three boys in college and a 17-year-old girl at home), it is amazing how often that statement proves true. Many would argue that as parents we cannot, and should not, be so emotionally connected to our kids’ ever-changing emotions. Still, distancing ourselves is much easier said than done.

In “Mind the Gap,” Williams-Rowley explores this subject from a different perspective: that of a “child.” We see, and hear, 16-year-old Sara’s emotional journey artistically portrayed through writer Marcy Holland’s excellent script and Williams-Rowley’s voice-over narration. Young Sara struggles to deal with her feelings of bitterness toward her dead classmate, her own father’s inadvertent involvement, and her personal sense of injustice over the victimization of her father (who copes with his own feelings by keeping a collection of small items found on the bodies of people he has hit).

Williams-Rowley shows us how a “child” experiences pain when a parent suffers, and how much more that burden might weigh, given the limited scope of adolescent innocence. In an era where teens can be overwhelmed and stressed by a 24/7 environment, I appreciate the filmmaker taking the time to remind us that beneath the frantic texts, social media and apparent disconnectedness, our young people are paying attention. They are watching us, taking mental notes, and are deeply affected by us. Life, just like our relationships with our children (of all ages), is a journey of hope, forgiveness and redemption. This is a great reason for optimism.

Director’s Biography:
Hawaii native Kristal Williams-Rowley grew up in Australia, Singapore, Brunei (Southeast Asia), Utah and Massachusetts. She earned a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from Brigham Young University, Utah, and a master’s degree in film production from Boston University in 2008. Her award-winning thesis film, “Mind the Gap,” was created using a BU Lalli grant and a terrific script by Marcy Holland. Williams-Rowley has also made several documentaries, including one that deals with challenges of development in a third-world country.

This filmmaker has worked as an entertainment reporter for XYTV, a production assistant for NBC and DirecTV, and as a teaching assistant for the New York Film Academy. Currently based in Boston, Williams-Rowley is freelancing as an associate producer, assistant director, production coordinator and editor.

Noted Honors, Screenings:
CINE Golden Eagle Award Fall 2009
Bulldog Student Film Festival 2009: Judges Award & Audience Choice
Angelus Student Film Festival 2009: Semi-Finalist
Provincetown International 2009: Special Jury Prize
Redstone West 2009: 1st Place
Foursite Film Festival 2009: Best Director
SouthEast New England Film Fest 2009: Best Student Film
Chlotrudis Short Film Festival 2009: Audience Choice
LDS Film Festival 2009: 1st place & Audience Choice
Honolulu International Film Festival 2009: Gold Kahuna AwardWindsong IPFW University Film Festival 2010
Bulldog Student Film Festival 2009
Heartland Film Festival 2009
San Francisco Women’s Film Festival 2009
Provincetown International Film Festival 2009
Connecticut Film Festival 2009
ONE WORLD Film Festival 2009
Boston International Film Festival 2009
South East New England Film Festival 2009
Boston Cinema Census 2009
CineRail Film Festival 2009
Foursite Film Festival 2009
Female Eye Film Festival 2009
International Family Film Festival 2009
WIFVNE International Women’s Day Film Showcase 2009
LDS Film Festival 2009
Redstone Film Festival 2009
Redstone West Film Festival 2009
Kent Film Festival 2009
Chlotrudis Short Film Festival 2009

Click here to view the film.

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2010-02-02 11:46:20

SUNDANCE and SOCIAL ACTION

Filed under: Environment, Film, Justice
Posted by: Craig

Sundance 2010 made a bold claim to spark a “renewed rebellion.”  Their call to arms appeared just before ads for Honda and Hewlett-Packard.  So it felt a little disingenuous.   But the films themselves were as relevant as ever.

Documentaries offered potent and poignant portraits of injustice around the globe.   We traveled cinematically to Pakistan, to Brazil, to skid row in Los Angeles.    We saw compelling biographies of assassinated martyr Benazir Bhutto and fallen soldier Pat Tillman.   We explored genocide in Cambodia and environmental crises in Brazil.   I was invited by Halogen TV (a new network committed to socially conscious, empowering entertainment) to chronicle the most compelling calls to social action.   Consider this an alternative Top 10 list.

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2010-01-29 00:30:07

WINDRIDER: Relief for the Spiritually Parched

Filed under: Featured, Film
Posted by: Craig

Relief for the Spiritually Parched

by John Priddy

We are proud to present the next Windy Wednesday film in our Windrider WinterFest series: “Dried Up,” by Stuart Bury, Jeremy Casper and Isaiah Powers. We invite you to gaze through the artistic and creative lens of puppet animation in order to truly “see” this compelling story about perseverance, faith and character.

“This imaginative, 6-minute, stop animation short offers refreshment for the parched soul – and a magnificent surprise ending.”
– Director Monica Moreno, Angelus Student Film Festival

A Brief Synopsis:

“Dried Up” is the story of a quiet old man who, surrounded by desolation and apathy, perseveres to remain true to the nature of his own beliefs and character. He toils daily on a last-ditch effort to bring hope and life to a faithless, drought-ridden town.

My Personal Reflections about this Film:

I was researching “Dried Up” and its ingenious genre, and found myself quite impressed. The sheer effort required in creating this film — in the face of multiple technical obstacles and challenges — must have felt a bit like facing down the drought that serves as its storyline. But, just like the film’s main character, the filmmakers obviously had the moral fiber to stay true to their vision, the faith to know they would ultimately prevail, and the perseverance to see it through.

As we muddle through current economic challenges, many people have compared the things that have come against us as a tsunami, hurricane or other natural disaster. “Dried Up” made me think about drought as an equally apt metaphor.

During the 1930s, drought hit virtually all the Great Plains states. Its direct effect is most often remembered as being agricultural: Farmland throughout the region was damaged by minimal rainfall, high temperatures and winds, insect infestations and dust storms. The significant crop loss contributed to the Great Depression’s bank closures, business losses, increased unemployment, and other physical and emotional hardships.

While our current “drought” isn’t due to lack of rain, it has contributed to a “depression” nonetheless. In my view, the lack of sound financial principles and good stewardship lie at the heart of our present difficulties. We spent more than we made, relied on the promise of cheap credit, and gorged ourselves on the “fruit of the land” — leaving the economic “landscape” parched and dry. And it still hasn’t rained enough.

Perhaps this week’s film will stimulate a Windy conversation about our current “drought,” our culpability in it, and our need for deliverance from it. Faith, character and perseverance will be required in our conversations and solutions. Achieving effective recovery — like the one that followed the Great Depression — is not for the faint of heart.

Director’s Biography, Noted Screenings, Honors:

“Dried Up” was the thesis film for Kansas City Art Institute students Stuart Bury, Jeremy Casper and Isaiah Powers. The film won a 2009 Angelus honorable mention for Best Animation. The filmmakers say their method for appropriating “found objects” in their animation mirrors the action their main character takes in cobbling together his special creation. In addition to screening in its “hometown” (at the Kansas City Fringe Fest), “Dried Up” has been an official selection at the Anchorage International Film Festival, the Ottawa International Animation Festival, and the Dam Short Film Festival in Boulder City, Nev.

To view some great images and back-story about the film and filmmakers, visit http://driedup.wordpress.com/

Click here to view the film.

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