MACDOWELL ANNOUNCES 2010 NEW HAMPSHIRE BENEFIT,
“A SHORT EVENING: A SELECTION OF SHORT FILMS
BY MACDOWELL FILMMAKERS”
Benefit set for Saturday, October 9, 2010
Peterborough, NH…The MacDowell Colony, one of the nation’s leading artist residency programs, will share the work of 10 of its filmmakers at the 2010 New Hampshire Benefit on Saturday, October 9th. The first part of “A Short Evening: A Selection of Short Films by MacDowell Filmmakers” will be a screening of eight short films at the Peterborough Town House beginning at 6:30 p.m. Tickets for the screening are $10. Following the screening, those who purchase tickets at the Guardian level ($150) and above will enjoy the unique opportunity to dine with artists-in-residence at an intimate gathering at MacDowell at 8:00 p.m.
Selected by MacDowell in concert with board member and Colony Fellow filmmaker George Griffin, the benefit’s short film program embodies a variety of filmmaking genres and formats, including animation, narrative drama, and documentary. “These films take us on trips to exotic locations and states of mind. They reaffirm and challenge our expectations about people and places through a broad range of cinematic techniques,” says Griffin, an independent filmmaker, writer, flipbook artist, and commercial producer whose films have screened at festivals around the world. “Each film reminds us of our individual ways of receiving and constructing reality, looking through the easy surface of postcards, analyzing the manufacturing of illusion, understanding the hidden impulse of dreams, meditating on cell-phone snapshots and stories of faraway children.”
The MacDowell filmmakers featured in the program — who represent artists at both early and mature stages of their careers — have received numerous awards for their work including Independent Spirit Awards, Academy Awards, and Emmy Awards. Their work has been screened at top-tier festivals such as Sundance, Telluride, Berlin, the New York Film Festival, and Tribeca, and has been broadcast on PBS, HBO, IFC, and The Sundance Channel.
With running times ranging from three to 19 minutes, the films selected to demonstrate and celebrate the art of the short film as part of MacDowell’s 2010 New Hampshire Benefit are:
· Andaluz by Joanna Priestley and Karen Aqua (2004, 6 minutes, drawings on paper)
A traveler’s love letter to Andalucía, this animated film is an homage to the culture, landscape, and architecture of southern Spain. The film explores details of the natural world in relation to the four elements, and suggests the close relationship between people and the land that they inhabit.
· Gowanus, Brooklyn by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (2004, 19 minutes)
In this short narrative drama that was the basis for Boden and Fleck’s 2006 award-winning feature, Half Nelson, a Brooklyn school teacher dealing with addiction forms an unexpected friendship with one of his troubled students.
· 34x25x36 by Jesse Epstein (2009, 8 minutes)
This documentary short explores the ideas of religion and perfection via the inner workings of a mannequin factory.
· Look for Me by Laura Heit (2005, 3 minutes and 35 seconds)
Commissioned by Channel 4 in the United Kingdom, this short animated film imagines one’s own invisibility.
· Mozambique Diaries 2 & 3 by L.M. Kit Carson (2008, 3 to 5 minutes)
Filmed using a cell-phone camera, these short documentary films are part of Africa Diary, a survey of current African nations and societies that will air on The Sundance Channel. (Featuring music by MacDowell composer Fred Hersch.)
· Ko-Ko by George Griffin (1980, 3 minutes)
This playful animated film synchronizes a dancing collage of magazine art with a Charlie Parker recording.
· Picture Perfect by Meredith Holch (2006, 7 minutes and 45 seconds)
This stop-motion animated short utilizes old postcards and Vermont Life magazines to take a poignant look at the rapidly changing character of life and landscape in rural Vermont.
· Sour Death Balls by Jessica Yu (1993, 5 minutes)
This short film examines human nature by capturing men, women, and children as they try to keep extremely sour candy in their mouths.
Doors to the Peterborough Town House will open at 6:00 p.m. for the short film program; refreshments will be available for purchase. The film that gets the most votes will be announced as the “Audience Choice” the following week in The Monadnock Ledger-Transcript. Please note that some material may be unsuitable for young children.
Ticket purchasers at the Guardian level ($150) and above will attend the short film program then enjoy a special dinner with artists-in-residence at 8:00 p.m. at Colony Hall, the main building at MacDowell located at 100 High Street in Peterborough. Tickets for the dinner are limited; please purchase early. All proceeds benefit MacDowell’s artist residency program.
Tickets for the short film program and the dinner can be purchased online at www.macdowellcolony.org/NHBenefit2010 through October 6th. For more information on ticketing levels, please contact Dean Klingler at 212-535-9690 or dklingler@macdowellcolony.org.
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