Industry News

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Boston's Museum of Fine Arts screens "The Living Museum" November 13 at 2:30 p.m. A documentary about residents and outpatients at the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens, NY, and the art they create, its director, Jessica Yu, won an Oscar for her film "Breathing Lessons."

Mass Media Alliance and ITVA team up this month to present a “light” meeting featuring special effects lighting wizard John Gates to talk about “Lighting for Dramatic Effect” on November 9 at 6 pm. The meeting will take place at National Video Services in Brookline and is opent to the public for $15.. Gates’ credits include "The Karate Kid," "The Crucible," and the television movie "Jennie’s Song," to name a few.  For more info, visit http://www.mass-media.org/meeting.htm.

"The Tin Drum," based on Nobel Prize-winning German author Günter Grass' novel about a boy who refuses to grow up under Hitler's regime, will screen November 23 at 7:30 p.m. at the Goethe Institute in Boston. Admission is free. For information on how to get there, call 617-262-6050.

A hands-on teen workshop, conducted by Women in Film and Video New England (WIFVNE), will take place November 3, from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. in Watertown, MA. A studio, edit suites, and pre-production facilities are all available for teaching the students, who attend Watertown High and Lexington Technical High. WIFV/NE members are encouraged to attend.

NewEnglandFilm.com Founder and Publisher Michele LaMura will speak at this month’s Center for Independent Documentary meeting on Wednesday, November 10 at 7 pm. She will discuss "Marketing Your Film Project or Business on the Web" and will review basics on how to get started and tips on maximizing your site with a press section, video streaming and other promotional ideas. The event will be held at the CID, 1608 Beacon Street in Newton. Please RSVP to Fsimon@aol.com or AT 508-528-7279.

The Harvard Film Archive is featuring several appearances with renowned filmmakers in November and December. Filmmaker Zhang Yuan at the screening of "Seventeen Years" on November 5 at 8 pm ; filmmaker Frederick Wiseman at the screening of "Belfast, Maine" on Nov. 19; filmmaker Alexei Gherman at the screening of "Khrustaliov, My Car!" on December 11 at 7 pm; and Errol Morris at the screening of "Mr Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr." on December 18 at 8 pm. For more info, visit their web site at http://www.harvardfilmarchive.org 

Company Changes

Avid Technology, Inc., announced senior management changes as well its intentions to significantly restructure its business. The company announced the resignations of its Chairman and CEO William J. Miller and President and COO Cliffard A. Jenks. David Krall, currently COO at Digidesign, Avid's professional audio business, has been appointed President and COO and will lead the restructuring effort. The Board of Directors has initiated a search for a permanent CEO, which it hopes to complete within three months.

Film Festivals

The third annual Northampton Film Festival, November 3-7, presents screenings of award-winning films and videos, a Film and Video Expo, Women in Film Conference, and other events. Please contact the Northampton Film Festival by calling 413-586-3471, or visiting the Web site at www.nohofilm.org, for more information.

Selections in this year's Boston Jewish Film Festival, November 6-14, reflect the shrinking of the world through technology. The opening night feature, "After the End of the World," offers a look at the effect war has had on a small village in Bulgaria. The festival closes with "Genesis," a film from Mali. For further information, ticket prices, and locations, contact the Boston Jewish Film Festival by phone at 617-244-9899 or email at info@bjff.org; or check out the Web site at www.bjff.org. 

Calls for Entries

The 2000 Banff Television Festival is looking for entries. Works are eligible if they were telecast for the first time anywhere in the world during 1999, or will be finished and available for first telecast prior to February 21, 2000, if there was no theatrical release prior to that date. Works may be in the categories of Animation, Arts Documentaries, Children's Programs, Comedies, Continuing Series, History & Biography Programs, Information Programs, Popular Science & Natural History Programs, Short Dramas, Social & Political Documentaries, and Sports Programs. Please visit http://www.banfftvfest.com for more information.

Women in Film and Video New England presents "Short and Edgy," a screening of film and video shorts by women and girls. A showcase for pieces not intended to fit standard genres, "Short and Edgy" is open to submissions from both emerging and established filmmakers as well as performance artists who work with film or video. Scheduled for March 2000, the event will feature approximately five pieces, and the filmmakers will be asked to present their pieces at the event. No prizes will be awarded. For further information, contact Irena Fayngold at 617-983-0039 or Catherine Benedict at 617-983-0089.