From Left to Right, Eric Luskin American Public Television, Kristen Fitzpatrick Women Make Movies, Alice Apley Documentary Educational Resources, Erin Trahan The Independent. Photo by Jeff Schmidt.

 

Welcome to our second podcast from Salem Film Fest 2012! If you missed the “Funding, Broadcast and Distribution Tips for Documentary Filmmakers” Film Forum last month, you are in luck.  Thanks to the Audio/Visual Department at the Peabody Essex Museum, we have produced an audio podcast of the conversation moderated by The Independent’s Erin Trahan with American Public Television’s Eric Luskin, Women Make Movies’ Kristen Fitzpatrick and Documentary Educational Resources’ Alice Apley.

Making a documentary is hard work, figuring out how to tell your story is just one part of the process.  Listen in as our panelists share some tips about fundraising, preparing your film for television broadcast and the latest distribution trends.

Running Time – 71 minutes.

Download Higher-Quality mp3 (57mb) here.

Download Lower-Quality mp3 (24mb) here.

American Cinematographer Magazine Executive Editor Stephen Pizzello moderates the "Reframing Reality" Filmmaking Forum at the Peabody Essex Museum with ASC cinematographers Ellen Kuras and Buddy Squires. Photo by Mike Otis.

If you missed the “Reframing Reality” Film Forum at Salem Film Fest 2012, you are in luck.  Thanks to the Audio/Visual Department at the Peabody Essex Museum and Stephen Pizzello Executive Editor of American Cinematographer Magazine, we have produced a podcast of his discussion with noted ASC cinematographers Ellen Kuras and Buddy Squires that you can download or stream.  Kuras and Squires discuss their approach as cinematographers in documentary film as well as a myriad of other topics in this enlightening and informative conversation.

Running Time – 77 minutes.

Download Higher-Quality mp3 (61mb) here.

Download Lower-Quality mp3 (26mb)  here.

Audience members speak with Paul Watson, subject of ECO-PIRATE: THE PAUL WATSON STORY. Photo courtesy of Mary Shea.

by Brian Lepire

Environmental activist Paul Watson has been called a lot of things over his forty year mission to save the world’s oceans. “Pirate”, “hero”, “terrorist”, “inspiration”, “narcissist”, and “star” were some of the terms mentioned in ECO-PIRATE: THE PAUL WATSON STORY, director Trish Dolman’s exploration of Watson’s life from Greenpeace board member to founder of the Sea Shepherd Society and reality TV star.

Using interviews, archival footage, and film shot during one of Watson’s recent missions to stop Japanese whaling ships fishing in the Artic Oceans, Dolman tries to show every side of Watson. The film does not shy away from showing the cruelty Watson is fighting, the controversial tactics he’s used over forty years, and the destruction to his personal life left in the wake.

Watson called Salem Film Fest from his ship via Skype following the film’s March 6^th premiere to take audience questions about the film, how individuals can get involved in environmental activism, and his recent successes against the Japanese whaling industry. Below are a few questions Captain Watson answered for the audience that night.

Where are you?

Right now we are in Melbourne, in Victoria, Australia, and we just returned from the Southern Ocean after three months.

Is that a campaign you can tell us about?

We have been chasing the Japanese whaling fleet over 17000 miles over the last three months. They haven’t killed many whales, so they are on their way [back] out there now. The BOB BARKER (one of the Sea Shepherd’s three largest vessels) encountered them again two days ago and they left. I don’t anticipate they filled more than 25% of their quota. Editor’s note: CNN.com reported March 9th the Japanese whaling fleet filled less than 30% of their quota, catching 266 minke whales and 1 fin whale.

I understand director Trish Dolman and her crew were on board with you for two-three months?

Yes, she was with us on our campaigns in the Galapagos Island and our 2005-06 campaigns to the Southern Ocean, which ended up leaving Australia and going to South Africa. That was our second campaign to Antarctica. We’ve done eight [campaigns] all together.

A lot has changed over those years. We’ve gotten more support that has translated into more resources and we’ve become more effective. Last year, we went down with more resources than the Japanese whaling fleet. They only took 17% of their quota and left early.

What do I need to do personally so that, when I’m your age, there are still whales and dolphins and seals and sharks in the ocean?

I think we have to understand that we can’t depend on governments or large organizations to solve the problems. All change comes through the passion, courage, imagination, initiative of individuals. We all have to understand that we have the power to change the world.

How do you deal or help people deal with the inevitable feelings of doubt that can creep in when we, sometimes, face the fact that things seem so helpless or overwhelming?

Back in 1973, I had the opportunity to work with the American Indian Movement and [helped] during the occupation of Wounded Knee. I was a medic during that, and I learned many things from the Plains Indians. One of them was you don’t do what you do worrying if you’re going to win or lose. You do what you do because it’s the right thing to do, the only thing to do, and you focus on that. Don’t worry about if in the end you are going to overcome your enemy. Just focus on the present. That’s what we do, and it’s amazing how many things we can be successful at just doing that.

I’m not a pessimist. I don’t get worried that we’re going to fail or anything like that. I don’t focus on that. I’ve found, over the years, the thing that works is persistence and patience. We’ve never backed down from a campaign. We always carry our campaigns on to fruition and we usually win…You just have to stick in with it.

Do you plan on buying any more ships?

We intend to return to the Southern Ocean at the end of this year with four vessels. The STEVE IRWIN, BOB BARKER, BRIGITTE BARDOT were the three vessels in our fleet this year. We were handicapped this year because the BRIGITTE BARDOT was handicapped by a rogue wave. Without that scout vessel, we weren’t able to close in on [the Japanese whaling fleet], although we could keep them running. I need two scout vessels. We’re working on getting that fourth vessel this year. We also have two helicopters, and will also be adding more than the one drone we have right now. We actually should have more vessels than the Japanese whaling fleet or just as many next year.

In the meantime, we’ll be taking the BRIGITTE BARDOT to the South Pacific to protect sharks. We have an on-going campaign in the Galápagos’ working with the rangers there to stop poaching. We’ve also cut the poaching of dolphins over the last two years. We’re also battling the Bluefin tuna poachers in the Mediterranean Sea…We have an awful lot of these campaigns, so these resources are very important to us.

When did you get a chance to see the film, and do you think it really is the story of Paul Watson?

I always have a hard time with that question because whenever anyone makes a film about – like, if it’s a biographical film – it’s a little difficult to watch. I leave it to the audience to decide whether it’s a good film or not. I’m really not in a position to view it objectively. If people like it, then I’m happy for that. When they make films about you, they tend to be a little personal; it is difficult to deal with.

Can you tell us a little bit about the difference between having a documentary film crew and dealing with that production over 8 to 9 years, versus the TV crew you’ve been dealing with on “Whale Wars”?

Well, with the documentary crew, you have a small film crew and they come with you, then they go away, then they come back again. With our television crew, they’re their 24-7 every day. The Animal Planet [network] crew is a total of 16 [people] on our two vessels. But after a few days, everyone gets used to having a camera in their face and microphones on. Almost too used to it, actually. Sometimes people forget they are there. I think our crew has certainly gotten good at dealing with the camera crews. We recognize – and always have recognized – that the most powerful weapon in the world is the camera and we should take advantage of that.

Were you surprised by any of the story lines that came out in either medium?

No. I’ve always made it clear that any documentary crews are there to observe and report as they see it. Not as we would like them to see it, but as they see it. I really feel that’s important to do – to allow people, whether they are making a documentary or a TV show, to allow them free access to interrupt it the way they see it. The way I look at things and the way the general public look at things of course are going to be different. I have a particular bias, and that bias shouldn’t be in control of the film. It should have that objective outlook.

Audience at Salem Film Fest 2012

Salem Film Fest 2012 may have wrapped up, but we here at the SFF Blog still have a lot of great news and articles to share with you!

Check back  here regularly to read about conversations with filmmakers at this year’s fest, winners from years past, and a look at SFF’s humble beginnings and growth over the last five years.

Without further ado, check out today’s post: full-coverage of Captain Paul Watson’s conversation with SFF audience members after ECO-PIRATE!

What power higher than the human animal gave to humans the commandment: Thou shalt not kill,
Then sent humans armed with exploding harpoons to search Earth’s one resplendent ocean and destroy a higher mammal who lives by killing krill?

In Earth’s animal kingdom there is a certain order, arranged by Nature so that each and every species kills only what it needs to live, except for one.
The human animal, being Earth’s one great exception and Nature’s Achilles hell, has his own economy to support and, with such a high opinion of himself, he thinks his technology can only improve on Earth what God has done.

Thus, killing the innocent whale in the name of research becomes much easier and more widespread thanks to technology and the much-improved harpoon that unthinkably kills by blowing up inside of him.
As species go extinct and God’s planet rapidly becomes “smarter” and more degraded in every aspect touched by the greed-motivated human majority, one special human and the supporters he inspires stand up against the slaughter and try to keep whales afloat in the battle between sink and swim.

On the side of “swim” is one legendary man, Paul Watson, who believes the direct approach is much more effective than imploring and standing helplessly, idly by.
With just a motorized inflatable raft and a few of his extraordinary men, he takes a stand between the targeted whale and the harpoon cannon that will be fired no matter, except to be recorded on video, and in his agonizing final moments the whale shows his soul to an understanding Paul Watson with a long look eye to eye.

Nations of humans can pontificate and pass laws with no teeth and no backbone that have all the authority of a jelly fish to wish away the slaughter of the whale.
But there is one purposeful, brave, powerfully stubborn Canadian who has done more to protect whales and bring a measure of respect to a sliver of the human race than all the lawmakers of this corruption-ridden vale.

ALL ME: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WINFRED REMBERT Q+A with director Vivian Ducat and artist Winfred Rembert. Photo by Mary Shea

The votes are in and Salem Film Fest audiences have decided which film won them over.

ALL ME: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WINFRED REMBERT was announced as winner of the 2012 Salem Film Fest  Audience Award during Thursday night’s Fest wrap party.

ALL ME – directed by Vivian Ducat – is the story of a man who prevails through a dark period in our nation’s history to become a successful artist, with exhibitions in prestigious Manhattan art galleries and a legacy of determination. Rembert’s artwork – masterfully crafted leather brought to life with paint – captures the images of growing up African-American in the deep South during segregation and of Rembert’s seven years on a Georgia chain gang, where he landed after being arrested during his time as a civil rights activist. The film follows Rembert as he wins over Manhattan audiences and returns to his roots to show what is possible once the chains are broken.

Ducat will receive an award built by local artist Mik Augustin for the film’s achievement. Also, as winner of the Audience Award, ALL ME: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WINFRED REMBERT will return to Cinema Salem for a week-long theatrical release.

SFF attendees were handed a ballot, numbered 1 – 6, prior to every screening with instructions to tear a notch through the number they felt was best associated with the film, with 6 meaning exceptional. After attendees gave their ballots to SFF volunteers, the votes were immediately counted and kept secret until Thursday night’s announcement.

Both Ducat and film subject Winfred Rembert were on hand for the film’s New England Premiere at the Peabody Essex Museum, which opened the 2012 Salem Film Fest on Thursday, March 1.

Following post screening Q&A and after all the Audience Award ballots had been collected, Rembert invited everyone in attendance to join him and Ducat at the Hawthorne Hotel for a small “meet and greet”. What ensued was an unexpected mini-art exhibition in the hotel’s lobby to attendees delight that will go down in SFF history.

Check back on the blog to find out the exact dates of ALL ME’s triumphant return to CinemaSalem. Also read an interview with director Vivian Ducat prior to the film’s SFF premiere.

IT IS OFFICIAL!

UNFINISHED SPACES; dir: Alysa Nahmias & Benjamin Murray.

UNFINISHED SPACES has been named the Jury Award winner of the 2012 Salem Film Fest.

The film – directed by Alysa Nahmias and Benjamin Murray – tells the story of three Cuban architects who were tasked with designing and building the Cuba’s National School of Arts. As the architects devoted themselves to bringing their dream to life, the political climate of the time halted their work. UNFINISHED SPACES picks up as the three architects dare to dream again about returning to Cuba to finish the National School of Arts.

“The film is an amazing journey back to the time of the Cuban Revolution and a moment in that country’s history when anything seemed possible,” SFF organizer Jeff Schmidt said.

Salem Film Fest Co-Founder Joe Cultrera announced the winner during Thursday night’s SFF wrap party.

For their achievement, Nahmias and Murray will receive an award sculpted by local artist Mik Augustin. Also, as winner of the Jury Award, UNFINISHED SPACES will return to CinemaSalem for a week-long theatrical showing.

As the 2012 Salem Film Fest gets ready to wrap up for another year, we’d like to take a second and look back at an amazing week filled with great documentaries, fascinating discussions with filmmakers, and moments to remember.

Photo Courtesy by Matt Soule

Remember when:

… there were nearly 200 people at the National Park Service Visitor Center for Friday night’s gala opening of the 2012 SFF?

… Winfred Rembert, subject of ALL ME: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WINFRED REMBERT, held a surprise art exhibition in the Hawthorne Hotel’s front lobby after the film’s premiere and Q&A at PEM? Read more about the “flash mob” gallery at the Hawthorne Hotel’s website.

… three new awards were introduced: Best Editing, AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER Award for Best Cinematography, and Alliance of Women Film Journalists Award for Best Female-Directed Film?

… AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER Executive Editor (and Salem native) Stephen Pizzello discussed the art of cinematography with world-famous cinematographers Ellen Kuras (THE BETRAYAL, NO DIRECTION HOME: BOB DYLAN, BLOW) and Buddy Squires (Ken Burn’s THE CIVIL WAR, NATIONAL PARKS).

… DAAN VELDHUIZEN (STORIES OF LAKKA BEACH) won the inaugural AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER Award for Best Cinematography ?

… ALL ME Director Vivian Ducat and subject Winfred Rembert visited the students at Salem’s Phoenix School?

… A PEOPLE UNCOUNTED Director Aaron Yeger stopped by Endicott College to discuss the Roma experience in Europe?

… Academy Award winner Buddy Squires was seen talking with Monserratt College Professor and SFF Organizer Ethan Berry in the Cinema Café?

… WISH ME AWAY directors Beverly Kopf & Bobbie Birleffi won the Alliance for Women Film Journalists Award for Best Female-Directed Film?

… Six films made their U.S. Premieres at SFF, including: A SIMPLE RHYTHM, ARAB ATTRACTION, BOUTON, REGGAE IN THE RUFF, STORIES FROM LAKKA BEACH, and THE COLLABORATOR AND HIS FAMILY?

… GIVE UP TOMORROW director Michael Collins (a Shrewsbury, MA native) was on hand, along with producer Marty Syjuco, to receive the inaugural SFF Editing Award?

… this year saw the largest number of female-helmed films at SFF (18)?

… Jessie Little Doe Baird, subject of WE STILL LIVE HERE, was on hand to discuss the film at its Saturday screening at PEM?

… Beverly High School Senior and 2011 Student Film Contest Second Place Winner Zach Stone returned to take First Place in this year’s contest?

… 110 people trusted the SFF selection committee and came out for the fest’s first-ever SNEAK PEEK film?

… HELL AND BACK AGAIN was nominated for this year’s Best Documentary at the Academy Awards?

… Paul Watson, subject of ECO-PIRATE: THE STORY OF PAUL WATSON, participated in a post-film Q&A from his ship in the Pacific Ocean via Skype?

… REGGAE IN THE RUFF was the first SFF film selection to be directed by a Salem native, Don McConnell?

… SFF Organizer Mary Beth Bainbridge was seen passing out chocolates to the wonderful CinemaSalem staff all week?

… there were packed houses for a number of films, including: A PEOPLE UNCOUNTED, ANDREW BIRD: FEVER YEAR, DARWIN, and UNFINISHED SPACES?

…a resident of the California town featured in DARWIN was in the audience for Sunday night’s premiere and Q&A with director Nick Brandestini?

… local saxophone legend  Henley Douglas Jr. played tracks from the REGGAE IN THE RUFF soundtrack during Friday night’s wrap party at Finz?

… funk extraordinaires and SFF favorites Big Ol’ Dirty Bucket were featured at Saturday night’s wrap party at Victoria Station?

… Local artists Mik Augustin, Richard Flynn, and Jack Walsh crafted the awards presented at this year’s SFF?

… Director Bari Pearlman was back for her third showing at SFF (NANCHENG SHORTS – 2012, SMILE ‘TIL IT HURTS – 2010, and DAUGHTERS OF WISDOM – 2009)?

… nearly 20 filmmakers were on hand to discuss their films with audiences?

… Cinema Salem had its biggest Saturday showing ever because of SFF, THE LORAX, and THE ARTIST?

This list could just keep going on. What was your favorite moment at this year’s Salem Film Fest? Leave a comment and let us know.

And don’t forget: we aren’t done yet. Join us for the SFF Wrap Party, Thursday, March 8 around 10:30 p.m. in the Cinema Café at CinemaSalem. The Jury and Audience Award Winners will be announced during the wrap party.

by Katie Jennings

Crowds after a premiere at SFF 2012. Photo Courtesy of Mike Otis.

Every time late February/early March rolls around, I drive through downtown Salem, see the banner promoting Salem Film Fest at the corner of Essex and Washington Streets, and think “Hmm, that looks interesting.”  That, however, has been the extent of my involvement in SFF for the past four years.  Whether I was working, studying, or off gallivanting in Boston, I always had some excuse to be elsewhere.  It wasn’t until now, in my senior year at Salem State University, that I experienced SFF for the first time.

First and foremost, the festival is extremely fast-paced.  Jam-packed with documentary films, SFF also offers live local music, panel discussions with filmmakers, and multiple parties and social events.  It is a week filled to the brim, making it nearly impossible to see every film and attend every event.

The films are the key element that balances out the high-speed rhythm of the event.  It is during the movies one has the opportunity to slow down, comprehend the work that has been put into each one of them, and appreciate the message that the director is trying to convey.  The films allow audiences to truly understand the purpose of this week.  Supplementing the viewers’ experience even further are the Q & A sessions with directors that follow the majority of the movies.

Actually having the opportunity to listen to the filmmakers speak about their work during panel discussions and Q & A’s was what made SFF so engaging for me.  They have put a momentous amount of effort into what they are displaying to the audience, and it was a wonderful experience to listen to someone talk about passions and beliefs they so strongly stand by.

GIVE UP TOMORROW; dir: Michael Collins.

The documentary itself is an incredible vessel for these beliefs, as they have the ability to shed light on completely different places, aspects, and stories of the world.  Yes, I was in CinemaSalem sipping on my Atomic Café coffee but, while watching STORIES FROM LAKKA BEACH, I felt like I was in Sierra Leone.  GIVE UP TOMORROW had me enraged at the government in the Philippines and expanded my knowledge on a case I had never even heard about.

The directors and filmmakers use their talents in a way that forces viewers to become aware of something in the world other than their every day concerns.  I left SFF with an overwhelming drive to find a way to use my talents to do that very same thing.  While I am no filmmaker, nor do I intend to become one (though I like to pretend sometimes with my iPhone) I have my own skills acquired over the years that could be put to use in a similar way.

The filmmakers and their works gave me a little bit of inspiration and helped open my eyes to the kinds of issues I would like to be active in after graduation, and I am grateful for that.

While audiences feast their eyes on scenes from around the world at Salem Film Fest, filmmakers do a fair bit of it when traveling  across the globe to shoot, scout locations, interview subjects, and then promote their films at festivals and special screenings.

In 2010, the two young guys behind SEVERE CLEAR, an on-the-ground, first-person look at the Iraq War, said their favorite festivals had been the Rome International Film Festival and SFF. At a wrap party during last year’s SFF, Nathan Christ, producer and director of ECHOTONE, a film about Austin’s music scene, rattled off multiple cities he just been to and where he was headed with his film.

This year, BATTLE FOR BROOKLYN director Michael Galinsky quipped that his wife and film-making partner should not be skipped on the credit, despite her absence.

“I’m the one who travels because my wife is at home with our two kids,” he said after Saturday’s screening. His film was off to Canada next, while he headed for a screening in San Jose, Calif.

Making the journey to Salem from Europe for this year’s festival are two filmmakers who have created films with a strong sense of place.

Dann Veldhuizen spent five years in and out of Sierra Leone, working for non-governmental organizations and shooting the film STORIES FROM LAKKA BEACH, which offers glimpses of beauty and joy in Sierra Leone, a decade after the rebel war ended.

In a picturesque beach village dotted with overweight European tourists, the locals tell their stories. A fisherman, a carver, a restaurant owner, a local politician and an aspiring rapper share their daily lives and vision for the future of their country. Meanwhile, the area became a second home for the filmmaker over the years, allowing him to get into the rhythm of the locals, the outcome of which is a tranquil postcard for the audience.

“Of course there’s poverty and AIDS and corruption [in Sierra Leone], but there is so much more than that,” the Dutch filmmaker said following Sunday’s screening of his film. Using the natural light and panoramic views of a beach town with its swaying palms and vibrant painted buildings, Veldhuizen hopes to show a peaceful place that will reach those who fled during war and bring them home.

Veldhuizen was awarded Best Cinematography, a new award at the Salem Film Fest, which has united with the prestigious AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER magazine to honor great documentary cinematographers featured at the 2012 SFF.

In January, he showed the film to about a thousand people on a soccer field in Lakka Beach and said they cheered at seeing themselves. “I realized how important it was for them to see themselves framed that way. It became official that their place is beautiful. It became official that the war is over. I could feel that in the village.”

A woman in Sunday’s audience who has lived in Liberia thanked Veldhuizen for making a film about “families and happiness and something that doesn’t elicit pity.”

In addition to the Sierra Leone screening, before coming to Salem the film has been screened at a festival in Greece. Veldhuizen said he plans to bring the film to human rights festivals and hopes for more screenings in Africa. He was scouting an itinerary to see a bit of Salem during his stay, but also planning to sit and write proposals to plan his travel schedule.

On a roadtrip from L.A. to Las Vegas, Swiss filmmaker Nick Brandestini began to notice small enclaves that resembled forgotten towns of the Wild West. This is how he intentionally went to find Darwin, an isolated community at the end of a dead road in Death Valley with only 35 residents and zero infrastructure.

Brandestini spent time with the folks of Darwin over the course of two years, tracing their history and the secrets that landed them there. The resulting portrait, called DARWIN, is a unique look at Wild West mentality from the perspective of an urban-based filmmaker from Zurrick, the very definition of sophisticated and efficient.

‘It’s so different from Switzerland, which is so neat, so clean and narrow,” the 35-year-old filmmaker said when he sat for a few questions. The desert, he explained, is vast, with these late 1800s boom towns full of money and then….nothing.

“I love the idea of ghost towns,” he said. The filmmaker’s very nature of being an outsider helped make the film. “They opened up more. They thought it was funny that I cared,” he said. What emerged is a portrait that the quirky people of Darwin continue to appreciate.  Audiences will appreciate the candid stories, end-of-the-world resourcefulness and a rugged, twangy soundtrack by Michael Brook, who scored INTO THE WILD and AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH.

Since the film premiered last February, Brandestini has been to a dozen festivals and will take it to North Carolina in April. The filmmaker first visited Salem in 2009 to visit friends and liked the idea of coming this way again.

Meanwhile, the ex-hippies and retired miners of Darwin can’t seem to stop caring. Brandestini told the crowd Sunday night that as he travels, he keeps getting tracked by one of the film’s main characters, a young transgender, who comments on his Faceboook posts.

When asked how he knew when to call it quits in Darwin and wrap his shooting, Brandestini said, “I didn’t want to bother them for more than two years. I knew when it was time to leave.”