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JAN.19


Certain Indie Gems
Never Have an Oscar Hope?

Seattle filmmaker Lynn Shelton has become an indie film sensation with her recent film HUMPDAY. In this season of Oscar nominations, Vanity Fair takes a look at why some deserving films will never get even so much as a nod from the Academy. Probably to Lynn's chagrin, they've dubbed this phenomenon the 'humpday effect'.







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JAN.15


Haku Inoa at the Smithsonian

HAKU INOA (the short version) will be showing at the Smithsonian NMAI Pacifica Showcase in New York City and Washington DC in late May! Details to follow.







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JAN.13


More Films at Big Sky

A HEALING ART and DARK MATERIAL will also play at Big Sky this year...







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JAN.12


Louie Gong on the Festival Circuit

Longhouse Media's latest project, UNRESERVED: The Work of Louie Gong, has just started its journey through the festival circuit. So far, the film is heading to Rome International, Durango, and Big Sky. It's also on tour as part of the Smithsonian's Ramp it Up exhibit. Check out this beautiful poster created by the ever-talented Victor Pascual.






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9

DEC.25


Iraq in Fragments
Top 25 of the Decade

Wow. Filmmaker Magazine included IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS in their "25 Best American Independent Films of the Decade" list! One of only a handful of documentaries too, curiously.

The film was also ranked in the Sundance Channel's "Top Ten Documentaries of the Decade".





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9

DEC.21


Alternative Film Distribution

Another interesting article, this one by Indiewire, looking at trends in alternative film distribution. Eugene Hernandez spotlights the film BASS ACKWARDS by Linas Phillips (an expat Seattle filmmaker whose work I admire) as "the sort of film -- essentially a quirky and lyrical road movie without name actors -- that can find a nearly impossible time in the marketplace today". The article is a bit of tease, exploring the big question about whether the experimental distribution model being tested on BASS ACKWARDS will usher a "defining moment for a new decade of film distribution and give emerging and established filmmakers new models to explore outside the system". High hopes and I suppose only time will tell.

Filmmaker Jon Reiss has also been blogging very actively about these issues lately... Lots of good tidbits to dig through there.





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DEC.16


Beyond Hampshire - Alex Rivera

Alex Rivera was a student at Hampshire College a few years before I arrived there. I found his senior thesis video in the library stacks one day when I was doing some research for my own thesis project. The VHS tape that ended up in my hands was PAPAPAPA, an experimental documentary about immigration. This chance discovery ended up having a huge impact on my ideas about how to combine my interests in politics with my interests in filmmaking. Alex is still doing incredible work as a filmmaker and I always love to hear him talk about what's on his mind.







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DEC.10


Now Available with Closed Captions

Been learning how to do closed captions, in particular for web-based video. Closed captioning usually refers to text that appears on-screen to describe the audio portion of a movie for folks who are deaf. But it can also mean providing spoken descriptions of visuals for people who are blind. Let me tell you, this can be really tedious stuff. But I have to admit, it's also been fascinating to spend some time thinking about issues of accessibility, especially in a world that increasingly relies on the powers of the world wide web for navigating daily life! Did you know that even
YouTube provides an easy way to caption your videos?





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9

DEC.8


We Got That B-Roll

Ok, this is just for giggles. As one of my friends put it: "It's an editor thing."





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9

NOV.18


THROUGH A NATIVE LENS
at Western Washington University

WHEN: November 18th at 6pm
WHERE: WWU, Academic Instructional Center Room 210

Members of the Longhouse Media crew will be on site showing two documentaries: CANOE PULLING and MARCH POINT.

Following the screening, will be a panel discussion with:

  • Tracy Rector (Executive Director of Longhouse Media)
  • Annie Silverstein (Artistic Director of Longhouse Media)
  • Talia London (attends WWU, worked on Canoe Pulling)
  • Sara London (attends UW, worked on Canoe Pulling)
  • Shelly Vendiola (grew up near March Point, environmental organizer & educator)
  • Travis, Cody, and/or Nick (youth who worked on the film March Point)