Vermont

When Russell Dreher set out to make his first full length film in 2006, he had no idea the roller coaster ride to completion would include unemployment, cancer, and drag queens. As the director of Slingbacks and Syrup, Dreher focused the story on the adventures of the documentary’s subjects, a “family” of comedic drag queens living in the rural state of Vermont.

While creative professionals continue to adapt in the face of economic hurdles, the LEF Foundation, founded in 1985 to support contemporary art, has made changes of its own with ramifications that impact both narrative and documentary filmmakers seeking financial assistance.

Heath Eiden, director and co-producer of Dean and Me: Roadshow of an American Primary, loaded up his car and followed Vermont Governor Howard Dean on the campaign trail for the 2004 presidency. It was only patriotic, says Eiden. He laughs as he admits this, knowing that, especially lately, it’s a loaded word: a reality that attests to the timely release of his film. After six years of fulfilling his patriotic duty, from poring over footage to struggling to find the money to finish the piece, the documentary is finally complete.

Winter in Vermont is the season for snow sports and wood fires, but around Brattleboro it is also film festival time.  When the 13th Women's Film Festival opens on March 5th audiences will have plenty of films to entice them off the slopes and into the theatre.

The country life of Vermont is not exactly what comes to mind when one hears the phrase "melting pot." However, this may soon be challenged by the emergence of a "new" Vermont, one that is more culturally and racially diverse than ever before.

A family foundation with offices in Cambridge, MA and St. Helena, CA, the LEF Foundation began awarding grants in 1985 to visual, media and performing arts projects focusing on AIDS advocacy, the urban and natural environment, and critical community needs. LEF Foundation primarily supports projects with a strong presence in California and New England, and also considers relevant proposals outside these regions. In New England, LEF has become known for its strong support of film and video projects and media arts read more...

A light dusting of snow covered Edgewood Studios when I visited in mid April...inside and out. "The fake stuff...it’s tough to get rid of," explained David Giancola, Edgewood’s resident director and co-founder, "but it’s mostly gone now." Shooting had recently wrapped for Edgewood’s newest feature film, called "Trapped," which starts, among others, Beverly Hill 90210’s oldest teen, Gabrielle Carteris, as well as Jack Wagner. It’s about a family trapped in a ski chalet, and it required a load of snow, real and fake.

"In Jest" was written and performed by the teenage participants in the 1998 Fledgling Film Screenwriting Workshop, so you would of course expect it to have more than its fair share of sophomoric humor -- juvenile attempts at sexual appeal, multiple crude incidents involving cows, and the like. And "In Jest" doesn’t let us down in this regard. Nor does its story, featuring a grab-bag of teens in a small Vermont town, overwhelm us with drama. Far from it. There is a rather lackadaisical attitude toward plot; the movie read more...

Tell a kid he’s going to spend two weeks in August deconstructing media and you’ll probably get a puzzled look, if not an outright groan. But tell her she gets to make her own movie too and watch her jump.

Every year, scores of American children head to summer camp. Last summer, 26 kids in Colchester, Vermont spent two weeks at Club Media--day camp that combines hands-on production techniques with classroom teaching about media literacy.

Stu McGowan and Steve Fuchs are doing something very cool with video. Their company, The Noodlehead Network, located in the Old North End district of Burlington, Vermont, is the leading producer and distributor of educational videos for kids by kids. Kids act; kids create graphics; kids brainstorm ideas. Subject matter ranges from teaching kids how to save energy, to eradicating racism, to learning about the culture and current events in China. With the guidance of Stu and other professional producers, kids create videos that other kids like to watch.

Is it just me, or are people talking as much about the preview of "What Lies Beneath" as much as the film itself? Set and filmed on the shores of Lake Champlain, Vermont, the movie stars Michelle Pfeiffer and Harrison Ford as Claire and Norman Spencer. When their daughter leaves for college, the happy couple is left alone, free to enjoy each other -- or so they think. Instead, a ghost moves in to take the daughter’s place, and the chills begin.

Festival season gets under way in Boston at the end of March with the Second Annual Boston Irish Festival, from March 24-26, and the New England Film and Video Festival, from March 27-April 1.For more information on both festivals, check out this month's "News" and "Events" sections.

As a film reviewer and enthusiast, I've witnessed some very powerful stories on the silver screen. There have been moments, sitting in the dark, I have been transfigured. You become part of a pulse, part of an idea, part of humanity. The lights come up. The audience filters out. A loud, manly cough may hide tears not allowed to fall. Women, red-nosed and sniffling, convene in the bathroom to talk about how wonderful it was. There is a connection.
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