June 1999

I clicked on the television the other morning to hear Ms. Gifford extolling the virtues of a movie without guns, without violence, in which the only time you heard a siren was when a father turned one on to amuse his children. Unfortunately, "The Love Letter" is also a movie without dramatic tension or an interesting plot.

What do "The Manchurian Candidate" and John Waters' movies have in common? The same thing as Western Mass. and Cape Cod. This summer's Massachusetts film festivals offer something for everyone, from the cutting edge to the classic.

Provincetown Film Festival
June 18-20

Richard Moos is discussing the relationship between film and economics. "Ninety-five percent of filmmaking is trying to chase down financing. Five percent is creating something," says the president of the Boston-based Cathartic FilmWorks, who is also a director, producer, cinematographer, and editor. "You have to do a film that makes sense on a business level as well as an artistic level." He points to his most current project, "Orphan," as an example of fiscally responsible read more...

Tom Keenan's "Enough Already" has a sitcom sensibility not often seen in independent films. Not that there's anything wrong with that. What could be more independent than an indie film that dares to stray from "traditional" indie fare? Though the Massachusetts filmmaker borrows a scene from "Reservoir Dogs," the similarities to anything Quentin Tarantino ends there. There is no hail of gunfire in the final scene; no quirky, "meta" chitchat about filmmaking; and not once does read more...

In the Works

RI Filmmaker Shawn Hainsworth's documentary won the "Outstanding Resourcefulness Award," which is appropriate for someone who spent six years and traveled to three countries to make a movie.  But that's only the making of it--and what is certainly most notable about his work "Between Worlds" is the final result.  It is an honestly and beautifully told story of three Amerasian families who take the leap between worlds from Vietnam to the United States.  Allowing the read more...

MPS: Did you ever think there would be an international film festival in Maine, or that you would be its director?

JOAN PHILLIPS-SANDY: The thought had never crossed my mind. Did you ever think there would be an international film festival in Maine, much less in Waterville?

MPS: I can't say that I did, no. That's something we deal with: people ask us why we're in Waterville, not Portland.  The answer is...

JOAN PHILLIPS-SANDY: We're here.

"On Hostile Ground," a documentary on abortion providers by Liz Mermin and Jenny Raskin is currently in production. A benefit concert to raise money for the film is scheduled for June 10th at T.T. The Bear's Place in Cambridge. After some creative fundraising, Liz and Jenny had enough money to do their first shoot this past April. The two of them alternate taking sound and getting behind the camera -- a Sony VX-1000. Not only do they shoot and record sound themselves, they also edit. Catch their trailer, hot read more...

In the idyllic alternate reality that is Nantucket, screenwriters finally get some respect--in fact, quite a lot. Of all the independent film festivals sprouting up around New England (Provincetown is the latest contender) the Nantucket Film Festival is unique in its emphasis on the screenplay. In its fourth season, the festival (June 14-19) focuses on what co-founder and executive director Jonathan Burkhart calls "the heart and soul of a good film."

In 1954, Dummerston, VT, was the setting for an informal gathering of filmmakers and students. The "Flaherty Experience" was established by the wife of mining engineer, explorer, and writer Robert Flaherty as a way to keep his vision alive. Today, the gathering is a unique forum that encourages exploration through dialogue and introspection by participants into the art of documentary filmmaking.

New England film buffs need look no further than film-friendly Rhode Island for summer festival entertainment. A cross between the French Riviera and a little resort in Utah, this film-savvy state plays host to the Second Annual Newport International Film Festival and the Third Annual Providence Rhode Island International Film Festival.

The Second Annual Newport International Film Festival
June 1-6