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BEEHOLD: An Animated Project Created by Alumnx Paula Allen (’16) and Kids!

February 26, 2020/in Documentary, Fiction, Interviews /by Aja Zoecklein

VCFA MFA in Film alumnx Paula Allen (‘16) recently completed a new animated short film, BEEHOLD. BEEHOLD tells the story of what the future will be like for bees and was created with over 200 children’s drawings and animations. Children who participated in the project  hailed from Florida, New York, and Pennsylvania. Paula enlisted Bradley Turner (’17), an alumnx from VCFA’s Music Composition Program, to compose and score the film to exciting results. 

Check out the trailer, as well as a fun interview we recently had with Paula and Bradley about the film and their collaboration, below:

Tell us a little bit more about how this idea came to fruition and your collaboration with your students?

Paula Allen: Most of the drawings for the film came from elementary-aged children (kindergarten, grade 1, and grade 5), with a few students in high school creating a few drawings. In terms of the animation piece, my online students, who are middle school-aged helped with the broad themes/ideas, scenes, animation, backgrounds, and more. BEEHOLD  has been a real “kid created” film, I was just a guide for them really.

What is the final running length of BEEHOLD the film?

PA: The film is 8 minutes long. I wanted to keep it to 5 minutes, but there was just so much art and so much going on, I didn’t want to cut too much! 

For the score you brought in another VCFA alumnx, Bradley Turner from the Music Composition Program. Tell us a little more about that collaboration. 

PA: Bradley understood the project right from the start. Even before the story was completely fleshed out, I knew he was going to give us what we needed and I trusted his choices. Scenes were enhanced and overall more successful because of the sounds and music composition, even just small choices, like waiting a few beats to emphasize on a certain movement, made a big difference. In one scene, for example, we have an army of pesticide bottles that are marching–Bradley did an amazing job emphasizing that movement with sound.

Bradley, can you talk about your collaboration with Paula? Did she give you an initial sense of what she was looking for in terms of the music, or did you jump right in with your own ideas?  

Bradley Turner: When I saw Paula’s call for a composer, the description of the film and what she needed musically sounded similar to Don DiNicola’s animated short film SPACE GERM for which I did the music and sound design last year. I sent her a link to SPACE GERM and also told her about a couple of other VCFA alumnx with whom I had worked (Justin Scotarczyk and Martin Castaneda). Paula sent me a rough storyboard/outline she had created that gave me a broad sense of the story with a few mentions of where there would need to be musical cues. This gave me a good idea of what I would be creating long before the film had been animated.

The film has no narration. What elements helped you determine the direction(s) you would take with music and sound?

BT: Paula’s storyboard as well as the use of text in the film helped provide narrative direction. The overall idea of a bee moving from a peaceful sanctuary in nature to a dystopian future and eventually finding some form of that safety again, felt full of musical possibility.

Bradley, you’ve worked with a few students and alumnx from the MFA in Film now. Does anything about your shared VCFA experiences lend itself to successful collaboration? 

BT:  Everything about my experience at VCFA set me up to be an effective collaborator. The constant flow of ideas between students and faculty had an enormous impact on how I work. My study every semester was ultimately a collaboration between me and my faculty advisor, as well as the various faculty members I’d consult with along the way. That experience allowed me to not only be comfortable getting and giving feedback, but to rely on that give and take in my creative process. 

PA: Bradley and I are working together on my next animated film which will be about sea turtles and plastic pollution in the oceans. We just “get” each other, and I am lucky to have him on board!

Instilling a love of art, activism, and meaning-making in young people is so important. What are you most proud of in terms of this project and the awareness it brings to important environmental issues?  

PA: Well, first, children by the hundreds went home and taught parents not to buy Neonic poison flowers at stores, they asked parents to plant more native plants in the yard, and they asked neighbors not to spray their lawns. I had a parent take $100 worth of plants back to the store because they were labeled as treated with Neonic chemicals, so that is something!

BT: The film’s environmental message immediately made me want to be involved. Furthermore, the fact that this project was animated by school children added so many layers of purpose to the film. As a composer, I feel like a large portion of what I do is rather self-serving. I spend days creating things, unsolicited, simply because I feel they’re important. Getting to work on a film that has undeniable purpose is such a lovely opportunity. 

PA: BEEHOLD started as an idea that flourished far beyond what I ever expected. I am extremely proud of everyone who did a drawing, who painted a flower, who animated a scene, and who even just chose to not pull a weed (dandelions are good for bees afterall!). BEEHOLD’s message is told atypically, we go forward in time, we see how much damage can be done, we heal the problems. That is the biggest message: To not destroy nature, to protect it, to keep it safe–all of it, not just the bees.

So great, thanks for taking the time!  BEEHOLD premiered in December 2019 and has been screened at various schools. The film has also recently been submitted to several film festivals, so more news on that front soon. Additional press on the film can be found here.

You can find out more about Paula at www.pollyzoom.com. To learn more about Bradley and his work pop on over to his website.best shoes | Jordan Ανδρικά • Summer SALE έως -50%

https://storyboard.vcfa.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/BEEHOLD-banner-pic.jpg 718 1584 Aja Zoecklein https://storyboard.vcfa.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/VCFA_logo_nbkgd-300x167.png Aja Zoecklein2020-02-26 16:55:422020-02-26 16:56:19BEEHOLD: An Animated Project Created by Alumnx Paula Allen ('16) and Kids!

Filmwax Radio Interview Series: VCFA Alumnx Jason Rosenfield

June 27, 2019/in Documentary, Fiction, Interviews /by Aja Zoecklein

VCFA is proud to be partnering with Filmwax Radio for a special series of interviews featuring VCFA alumni. The third installment of the series is with editor Jason Rosenfield ACE (’18) whose projects include, among many, the documentaries LOST FOR LIFE (2013), SWIFT CURRENT (2016), and BREAKING POINT: THE WAR FOR DEMOCRACY IN UKRAINE (2017), as well as the Amazon docuseries LORENA (2019). In the interview Jason also discusses his VCFA thesis project, Everything Matters, a memoir about editing and his journey over the decades in the profession. [Jason’s rich and captivating memoir will–without a doubt!–be published sometime in the near future with broad appeal for filmmakers and general readers alike. Stay tuned for more news on that front!]

Be sure to have a listen–enjoy!

The podcast is also available on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Play & Youtube.

 

 

You are writing the final draft, in essence. It all happens in the editing room… It is a huge responsibility and you have to honor that responsibility.
-Jason Rosenfield, on editing

What I am talking about is making an experiential film, as opposed to an informational film. The goal is to have the audience go on a journey with the characters… not relaying information, but reliving an experience… I learned how to speak body language, and if I knew how to speak it, I knew how to read it…
-Jason Rosenfield, on character driven documentaries

 

http://media.blubrry.com/filmwaxradio/s3.amazonaws.com/Podcast_Episodes/561-filmwaxradio.mp3

 

Jason Rosenfield, ACE, is a three-time Emmy Award-winning film editor recognized for his storytelling and stylistic skills in character-driven long-form documentaries, feature films, and television series. Jason’s narrative credits range from Robert Altman’s classic COME BACK TO THE 5 & DIME JIMMY DEAN, JIMMY DEAN to the improvisational television comedy FREE RIDE.  His documentary credits include the Oscar-nominated BLUES HIGHWAY, HBO’s Emmy-winning Memphis PD and Teen Killers, Dick Wolf’s groundbreaking NBC series Law & Order: Crime & Punishment and CNN’s The Seventies.  He has collaborated with three-time Oscar-winner Mark Jonathan Harris on Netflix’s award-winning LOST FOR LIFE and SWIFT CURRENT, both directed by Joshua Rofe, and Harris’s own BREAKING POINT: THE WAR FOR DEMOCRACY IN UKRAINE. Additional production awards have included an RF Kennedy Award, DGA Award and Peabody Award, as well as three Emmy Awards and multiple nominations.

In 2001, Jason was elected to membership in American Cinema Editors [ACE], an honorary society of distinguished editors.  He has served as Associate Director of the ACE Board and three terms as Governor of the Television Academy, where he has developed and produced a number of symposiums and ongoing panel series. A Professor at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts Masters Program as well as Columbia College – Hollywood, Jason is a Mentor at the Stowe (Vt.) Story Labs Screenwriting Workshop and serves as story and editorial consultant for independent films.Adidas footwear | 『アディダス』に分類された記事一覧

https://storyboard.vcfa.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/jason-rosenfield-filmwax.jpg 577 577 Aja Zoecklein https://storyboard.vcfa.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/VCFA_logo_nbkgd-300x167.png Aja Zoecklein2019-06-27 18:15:052019-06-27 18:21:06Filmwax Radio Interview Series: VCFA Alumnx Jason Rosenfield

Film faculty Till Schauder receives competitive 2019 Seoul Film Commission grant!

June 18, 2019/in Fiction, News, Script /by Aja Zoecklein

VCFA film faculty Till Schauder recently received a competitive Seoul Screenplay Development grant from the Seoul Film Commission for his feature script ALMOST 14. The project, a film mostly set in Korea, will be on a nice trajectory for production with the help of this exciting grant award.

More about the Seoul Screenplay Development Support program:

The Seoul Screenplay Development Support program is not intended to provide support to Korean films. The goal of the program is to support the development of “overseas” projects that are set in Seoul but target foreign markets. 

This year, due to the increase in the number of submissions as well as in the variety of countries from which the applicants hail, a great deal of time and impassioned discussions went into the judges making their final selections. The utmost importance was placed on projects that would be difficult to produce if they were not filmed in Korea, and projects that were deemed to be able to enhance the image of Seoul were preferentially chosen with due consideration of their quality. 

Congrats Till! We look forward to seeing ALMOST 14 come to life!

 

Till Schauder is a Brooklyn-based writer, director, and cinematographer. His films have premiered at major film festivals around the world including Tribeca, Berlin, and Tokyo, and are funded through grants, partnerships and co-productions with organizations like the Sundance Documentary Institute, Fork Films, The Catapult Film Fund, The Jerome Foundation, NYSCA, Film und Medienstiftung NRW, FFA/German Federal Film Board, ITVS, ARD, ZDF, ARTE and many others. His films include: SANTA SMOKES,  THE IRAN JOB, WHEN GOD SLEEPS, WARRIORS OF FAITH (GLAUBENSKRIEGER), and REGGAE BOYZ. In addition to teaching at VCFA, Schauder teaches film at NYU’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies and is a frequent guest speaker at other film schools.Sports brands | Nike Air Force 1 , Sneakers , Ietp STORE

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Alumnx Spotlight: Martin Castañeda (’16)

June 6, 2019/in Fiction, News /by Aja Zoecklein

VCFA’s MFA in Film alumnx Martín Castañeda has recently been hired as a full-time visiting professor at New Mexico Highlands University  in the Media Arts Department starting August 2019. Castañeda has been teaching as adjunct faculty in film at the Central New Mexico Community College (CNM) for the past 2 years. In addition to his teaching, Castañeda has been working on commercials and several smaller productions as Assistant Production Coordinator.

In 2018, Castañeda directed the short BAD SITUATION (written by Leon Gaitanis), with a crew entirely composed of CNM students. BAD SITUATION has seen some fantastic festival action this year, including: official selection in 5 festivals in NM, Canada, LA, and TN (so far!); nominations for Best Actor, Screenwriting ,and Original Idea; the “Platinum Award: Best New Mexico Short” at Mindfield Film Festival in NM; Semi-Finalist at Los Angeles CineFest; and winner in its category at New Mexico Filmmakers Showcase 2019.

We caught-up with Martín and asked him a few questions about the project:

The synopsis of BAD SITUATION reads, “a final discussion with death.” Can you share a bit more about the tone and tenor of the film? 

The film is about Jack, a self recluse in the middle of nowhere that receives an unexpected visitor. Jack knows who this is: death finally coming for him. He’s been expecting it, but what he doesn’t know is death first wants to go over some uncomfortable loose ends about his past before deciding his fate.

Your crew was comprised of CNM students, were there any unforeseen challenges that you noted when working on this project with them? Do you find you have to work harder as a director when you have a greener crew?

I had to constantly remind myself that it was a film executed by students in their first term of school, and as such, I couldn’t just jump in and intervene to get what I had in mind. I had to really let go and let them do everything. This is something I learned at VCFA in my third semester when I worked on ABOUT BARBARA, a film developed mostly by the actors during a month long laboratory. On BAD SITUATION, I had a couple of students coming from working in theater, so their previous skills really shined through in the film’s set dressing and wardrobe.

I actually never expected much life beyond the classroom environment for BAD SITUATION. It was Scot, one of the actors, that asked if he could send it to festivals, and the result really surprised me! It’s ironic, I would make an expensive film and no one seemed interested, but this one, made with zero budget (besides school equipment and facilities of course), was picked up by everyone around here.

What elements of filmmaking do you most enjoy teaching and why?

Teaching is a passion I discovered while chasing my first passion: filmmaking. What I enjoy the most is the second half of the term when the students have gone through learning the technical and technological elements and it’s time for them to apply it all to their creativity. That’s when I become less of a professor and more of a supervisor and advisor.


To see more of Martín’s work, find him on vimeo!

Martín Castañeda is US-Peru dual citizen filmmaker. He’s worked in advertisement, teaching, as in-house videographer for institutions and writing, acting, directing and editing films. He received his MFA in Film degree in April 2016.

His feature length screenplay WRITTEN BY VICTORS won a Royal Reel 2016 Award at the Canada International Film Festival and was officially selected at the Berlin Film Fest International 2016. His short film BOX won Best Experimental Film at the 2015 Oregon International Film Awards, and his latest short JOAN IN OWL LAND was officially selected at the Vermont International Film Festival 2016 and ITVfest 2016.

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https://storyboard.vcfa.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/martin.jpg 960 960 Aja Zoecklein https://storyboard.vcfa.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/VCFA_logo_nbkgd-300x167.png Aja Zoecklein2019-06-06 16:42:502019-06-06 17:03:04Alumnx Spotlight: Martin Castañeda ('16)

Student Spotlight: Frances de Larminat’s short film, ANNABELLE, to screen at Revelations Film Festival in Australia

May 31, 2019/in Fiction, News /by Aja Zoecklein

Current VCFA MFA in Film student Frances de Larminat’s experimental short film, ANNABELLE, will be screening at Revelations Film Festival in Australia this July!

Through a rupturing of visual images and stammering of text, sound, and language, Annabelle is invited to escape a world of male dependence in search of liberty and self-reliance.

Revelations Film Festival has been dubbed “Australia’s leading festival of indie cinema” by The West Australian and “A true champion of independent cinema” by Filmink.

Super cool–congrats Frances!

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Festival Roundup: Alumnus John Bruner’s (’17) thesis short, GROUNDED

March 14, 2019/in Fiction, News /by Aja Zoecklein

Alumnus John Bruner‘s (’17) thesis film GROUNDED has had tremendous festival success this past year screening at: Woods Hole Film Festival, Maryland International Film Festival, Austin Indie Fest, Canada Shorts, Short and Sweet Film Festival, Great Lakes Shorts Festival, Independent Shorts Awards, as well as at the UFVA (University Film and Video Association) Conference.

GROUNDED will next be screened this April (2019) at the Ft. Myers Beach International Film Festival.

 

James is a pilot trying to move into management. He might miss his big chance because he has to take his aging and very proper mother home after her extended visit. As James struggles to get back on course, his mother runs out of time to reveal a secret that could be what finally slows James down.

​The film is semi-autobiographical, recounting road trips the director took with his own mother more than a decade ago. It’s a story about some universal truths: how we sometimes put careers in front of people, how fears can block our enjoyment of life, and how we all crave a closeness within our families that’s sometimes hard to achieve.

 

 

 

 


More about John: John Bruner teaches film and media production at Taylor University. John has worked in film and broadcast/corporate television as an executive producer, director, writer, camera operator, editor and engineer. He envisioned and co-founded Taylor’s Los Angeles semester, preparing students to work in the entertainment industry. His career has taken him as far as Russia and Australia, from documentary and narrative filmmaking to television coverage of live concerts, political events, and sports.

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https://storyboard.vcfa.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/grounded.jpg 829 1574 Aja Zoecklein https://storyboard.vcfa.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/VCFA_logo_nbkgd-300x167.png Aja Zoecklein2019-03-14 15:40:172019-03-14 15:42:58Festival Roundup: Alumnus John Bruner's ('17) thesis short, GROUNDED

The Art and Craft of Cinematography: Nancy Schreiber, October 2018 Residency Recap, Special Guest

December 13, 2018/in Residency /by Aja Zoecklein

Residency weeks in the film program are always a whirlwind of learning, discussion, inspiration, and camaraderie. We were fortunate to host the funny, warm, and wise Nancy Schreiber at our October 2018 residency. We were blown away by the wealth of knowledge and expertise she was able to share with us–it was a great week! While here on campus, Schreiber treated us to a lecture titled “The Art and Craft of Cinematography” as well as a workshop where she reviewed student clips and assessed their individual work from an aesthetic and technical perspective.

In her lecture Schreiber covered her career trajectory beginning as a psychology major to a PA in New York City, examples of her work, influences, some practical advice on equipment, how she prepares for a job, and thoughts on being a woman in a still predominantly male profession.

Such a huge part of my job today has nothing to do with the photography. It’s all about the people management and making sure I’m on time, on budget, and everybody is happy up above, and everybody is happy on my team. [My] psychology background really helps in getting through some of these crazy shoots. It’s not all the time that we get to work with our friends… which is why I still love Indie cinema–it’s still all about the passion and family, not the bottom line.

the conformist Jean-Louis Trintignant

A list of some of Schreiber’s favorite Director/DP collaborations include that of: David Lean and Freddie Young, Bernardo Bertolucci and Vittorio Storaro, and Stanley Kubrick and John Alcott. Looking at  various stills from stunningly photographed films (CITIZEN KANE, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, THE CONFORMIST, BLADE RUNNER, AMERICAN BEAUTY, SEVEN, AMELIE), Schreiber ruminated on the various elements of composition and technical effects that make these films so successful. For example, THE CONFORMIST (a must see for all, according to Schreiber!) is a film that she frequently revisits prior to starting any new projects as a means of getting visually stimulated: “the composition…the combo of production design, wardrobe, lighting…is just WOW!”

In terms of her own work, Schreiber showed a montage of her past projects discussing various choices and challenges of each. She spoke in detail about filming MAPPLETHORPE, YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS, and MOVING PARTS (which we also screened here at residency followed by a panel discussion with Schreiber, the writer/director Emilie Upzcak (VCFA ’15), the producer John Otterbacher (VCFA ‘15), and the composer Rafael Attias (VCFA ‘15) ).

 Communication. Prep. Time. You just really need time… and then you have to learn to let go.

When discussing her process of procuring work from a script, Schreiber says she always asks for a lookbook in order to begin getting the visual of the film (color, tones, mood). She also makes a point to find out who the director is (if possible) and what their general aesthetic is like. Prior to the interview, Schreiber prepares by reading the script multiple times taking copious notes on character and visualization beginning the laborious process, once hired, of breaking down the script scene by scene in what she call the “Choreography of the Look.” The most important work for the DP, according to Schreiber, is to comprehensively understand the character and the range of emotions, “I want to know everything about character. It’s disturbing these days how everyone is so involved in the technical–’What Camera?’ Who cares! They are just tools!” Finally, once satisfied with her understanding of the scope of character, Schreiber and her team will work from shot lists (or a storyboard, if it is a more active scene). Schreiber says she always prefers to shoot in natural light, which is especially helpful on lower budget films where “you must gear how you are shooting to the budget.” In terms of really emphasizing the emotions, Nancy works with natural light whenever possible to get the “eyelights” as she believes “you have to see into the eyes to see the soul,”  continuing with a laugh, “even if it is just one eye.”

***

Nancy Schreiber is a prolific and award-winning cinematographer with decades of experience and over 130 credits in narrative film and television, as well as music videos, commercials and documentaries. (Titles include FX series “Better Things”; HBO’s “The Comeback”; and the films “Your Friends and Neighbors,” with Ben Stiller; “Loverboy,” directed by Kevin Bacon, with Kyra Sedgwick, Sandra Bullock, and Marissa Tomei; “The Nines,” starring Ryan Reynolds and Melissa McCarthy; and “November,” starring Courteney Cox.) Schreiber became an official member of the American Society of Cinematographers in 1995, being only the fourth woman to have been voted into membership. In 2017, she was awarded the ASC Presidents Award, the first woman to receive this award. Schreiber also recently received the Susan B. Anthony “Failure is Impossible” Award in recognition of her contributions to the art of filmmaking as one of the few female cinematographers working today. Schreiber was on Variety’s 10 Cinematographers to Watch list before taking home the Best Cinematography award at Sundance. She’s been nominated for an Emmy, an Independent Spirit Award, and was presented with the Women In Film Crystal/Kodak Vision Award. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Nike Sneakers | Nike

https://storyboard.vcfa.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/MOVING-PARTS-group-OCT18resize-landscape.jpg 1139 1837 Aja Zoecklein https://storyboard.vcfa.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/VCFA_logo_nbkgd-300x167.png Aja Zoecklein2018-12-13 19:46:552018-12-13 19:46:55The Art and Craft of Cinematography: Nancy Schreiber, October 2018 Residency Recap, Special Guest

Student Spotlight: Mark Schimmel’s short THE MUSICIAN

August 14, 2018/in Fiction, News, Script /by Aja Zoecklein

Current VCFA MFA in Film student Mark Schimmel is hard at work on his second semester project THE MUSICIAN. Mark is already getting tons of publicity for this film which he wrote and directed, and stars the amazing musician Anne Harris.  We are excited to share the most recent article from Reel Chicago in which he is featured:

“The Musician” harmonizes a touching Chicago tale


View the trailer:

And the music video from the film is just gorgeous:

We can’t wait to see the completed film! Be sure to follow along on THE MUSICIAN’s facebook page to keep up-to-date on the project!

More about Mark:

Mark Schimmel has been directing award winning commercials, television, short and feature films for the past 18 years.  His work is conceptually driven and supported by images that communicate with emotion.  He’s directed notable actors such as Eric Roberts, Claudia Christian, Rene Auberjonois, Bill Ratner, Lance Barber and Academy Award nominee, Woody Harrelson.

Mark Schimmel was born in Chicago.  He studied drawing at The Art Institute of Chicago, photography at Columbia College, and completed his BFA at PRATT Institute, New York City.  Schimmel is scheduled to complete his MFA in the winter of 2019 with VCFA. Early in his career Schimmel designed movie posters for Miramax Films and was an Imagineer for Walt Disney Productions.Running sport media | 【国内5月2日発売予定】ナイキ ウィメンズ エアマックス ココ サンダル 全4色 – スニーカーウォーズ

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Kathy Bruner (’17) and John Bruner (’17) each have their thesis films screening at the UFVA Conference

July 23, 2018/in Documentary, Fiction, News /by Aja Zoecklein

We are so excited to announce that two more alumni are also screening their VCFA thesis films at the UFVA (University Film and Video Association) Conference July 23rd-26th, 2018 in New Mexico! Power-couple Kathy and John Bruner, both teach at Taylor University and both received their MFA’s at Vermont College of Fine Arts in 2017.

Kathy Bruner’s feature documentary LAST YEAR AT THE CROSSING tells the story of four at-risk teens struggling at a last chance high school in Indiana, and their dedicated school administrator who holds out hope that they can succeed.

In John Bruner’s short GROUNDED, a career-focused pilot and his very proper mother embark on what may be their last road trip.

Additionally,  Jochen Kunstler (’16)  is serving on the Conference Planning Committee as Screenings Co-Chair.

We are thrilled to have such a strong VCFA presence at UFVA!Nike Sneakers Store | Nike Off-White

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Film faculty Till Schauder’s film, WHEN GOD SLEEPS, premieres on PBS April 2nd, 2018, plus an interview on the “Art More Than Ever” podcast

March 30, 2018/in Documentary, Interviews, News /by Aja Zoecklein

Award-winning filmmaker, and VCFA MFA in Film faculty member, Till Schauder has been traversing the globe with his film WHEN GOD SLEEPS. In addition to its bustling festival showing, we are excited to announce WHEN GOD SLEEPS will have its US broadcast television premiere on this season of Independent Lens on PBS on April 2, 2018, at 10:00 PM EST.

Additionally, be sure to have a listen to Schauder’s conversation with Art More Than Ever podcast host Erica Heilman where Schauder discusses the process of creating documentary films and how he handles working with challenging subjects.

“I’m very greedy as a filmmaker…I’m a hunter-gatherer. I know from experience that with this massive amounts of footage you get nuggets…that people think are too good to be true almost.”

About the film:

“ ‘My songs didn’t make me famous. The fatwa did.’ WHEN GOD SLEEPS unfolds against the backdrop of the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks in the Bataclan concert venue and European right-wing backlash against Middle-Eastern refugees. It deftly weaves the journey of exiled Iranian musician Shahin Najafi with historical context and intimate biographical detail, rooting the narrative in Najafi’s immediate and unavoidable reality, living under a fatwa issued against him by hardline Shiite clerics. As Najafi juggles a personal life and budding romance in Cologne, far from loved ones, with a professional career whose high profile may cost him his life, he spars with bandmates who are ambivalent about the peril his status places on their lives, and battles German police who refuse to see the death threat on his head as a legitimate danger. With camerawork that underlines the intimate aspect of this film, we bear witness to the life of an outspoken artist defying powerful men intent on silencing him.”

—Cara Cusumano, Tribeca Film Festival

 

More about the filmmakers:

TILL SCHAUDER
Writer, Director
TILL SCHAUDER’s feature debut SANTA SMOKES which he wrote, co-directed and starred in, won several awards, among them Best Director at the Tokyo International Film Festival and the Studio Hamburg Newcomer Award. In 2012, Till completed his critically acclaimed first documentary THE IRAN JOB, which was released worldwide, mentioned as an Oscar contender and shortlisted for a German Academy Award in 2014. His latest documentary WHEN GOD SLEEPS premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival 2017 and is currently playing at film festivals around the world. WHEN GOD SLEEPS won the “Cinema for Peace Award” for Most Valuable Documentary of the Year during this year’s Berlinale, and the “Golden Heynal Award” in the International DocFilmMusic Competition at this year’s Krakow Film Festival. WHEN GOD SLEEPS opened theatrically in Germany and Japan in October. The U.S. theatrical release is scheduled for early 2018, followed by a nationwide broadcast on PBS/Independent Lens and a North American online release on Amazon. Till also recently completed WARRIORS OF FAITH, a feature documentary about Iraqi refugees in Germany combating ISIS through performance arts for which he just won a German Emmy. The film also won the “ARD Top of the Docs” Award and was a nominee for the Prix Europa. Till has a side career in acting. He appeared with Kate Winslet in the HBO Series “Mildred Pierce” and in Martin Scorsese’s HBO Series “Vinyl”. His production company, which he runs with his producing partner and wife Sara Nodjoumi, is based in Brooklyn.


SARA NODJOUMI

Producer
SARA NODJOUMI is an independent film producer and film festival programmer. She and Till Schauder most recently collaborated on WHEN GOD SLEEPS, which is co-produced by ITVS, executive produced by Motto Pictures, Catapult Film Fund, and Fork Films, and supported by numerous foundations including the Sundance Institute, Jerome Foundation, and NYSCA. The film premiered in competition at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival. It later went on to win the Golden Heynal award for Best Music Documentary at the Krakow Film Festival, as well as the Most Valuable Film of the Year award at Cinema for Peace in Berlin. Nodjoumi and Schauder are currently working on the feature documentary REGGAE BOYZ, which is in post-production. From 2004-2009, Nodjoumi worked at the Tribeca Film Festival as an Associate Programmer and is currently the Artistic Director of the New York Sephardic Film Festival. She also produced the feature documentary THE IRAN JOB, which was released theatrically and on Netflix worldwide. In Germany, the film was shortlisted for a German Academy Award. For THE IRAN JOB, Nodjoumi managed two of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns of all time. In 2016, she was invited to attend the Sundance Creative Producer’s Summit and in 2017 she was an IFP Cannes Producer’s Network Fellow.Running Sneakers Store | New Jordans – Air Jordan 2021 Release Dates , Gov

https://storyboard.vcfa.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/when-god-sleeps-02.jpg 413 620 Aja Zoecklein https://storyboard.vcfa.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/VCFA_logo_nbkgd-300x167.png Aja Zoecklein2018-03-30 17:05:342018-03-30 17:18:08Film faculty Till Schauder's film, WHEN GOD SLEEPS, premieres on PBS April 2nd, 2018, plus an interview on the "Art More Than Ever" podcast
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Featured Videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4t_l5mu9lE

CUNNINGHAM, feature documentary, VCFA student Alla Kovgan

https://youtu.be/ywgLz0Jl8Dw

BEEHOLD, animated short, VCFA alumnx Paula Allen (and her students!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9i1zNqQz9Ug

SISTERS RISING, feature documentary, VCFA alumnx Brad Heck

https://vimeo.com/352402193?loop=0

LOUIE’S ANTIQUES, short, VCFA alumnx Melissa McClung


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