Did you know that Festivus Film Festival has a fiscal sponsorship program? It’s just another tool we’re using to help filmmakers get their projects made. We’re able to provide a tax deduction for your funding sources as extra incentive for their investment in your film. Recently, we fiscally sponsored The Battle of Darla Ryder, an exciting new project from some of our staffers. If you’re interested in learning more, contact us at info@festivusfilmfestival.com
Interested in becoming a partner? As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, we offer a variety of opportunities for brand alignment. From year to year we retain more than 75% of our partners because businesses value their relationship with us. Contributions are tax-deductible. Send us an email today and find out more!
If you didn’t know already, we also run a comedy-only fest, Laugh Track Comedy Fest. It’s a unique mixture of stand-up comics and short films. Not only that, but we’re Denver’s ONLY comedy fest. If you’re a comedian or filmmaker that likes to make laughs, Head on over to the Laugh Track website. We just finished up our successful 3rd season, and will be open for submissions again soon.
Do you like movies, hanging out with awesome people, and beer? As we gear up for Year 6 we are on the hunt for people interested in joining the family. Why do we call it a family? Because that’s what we are- a close-knit crew dedicated to indie film and all-things Festivus. There are a variety of positions available, whatever you’re interested in we can find a spot for you. Get to know a great new group of people, get all sorts of Festivus perks, and have a great time. Contact Heather@festivusfilmfestival.com for more info.
We know you’ve been waiting forever… and we are THRILLED to present to you our 2013 program! Comedy, horror, docs, we’ve got it all. And to give you EVEN MORE indie-film goodness, we’ve added a fifth day! Check out our interactive schedule by clicking on the SCHEDULE/TIX tab, and make sure to pick up your FULL FESTIVAL PASS. It’s the absolute best way to enjoy the festival. Need a recommendation? That’s what we are here for. Hit us up at info@festivusfilmfestival.com
You ever notice how similar movie posters look?
It’s probably not something you’ve paid attention to– until now. Someone went through the painstaking process of finding every lookalike and compiling them.
The results are pretty impressive. I don’t know if I will ever look at a movie poster the same way again.
Click on the picture to see more.
There is truly something special about a well-done surf film, as we saw last year with Calling on Others winning Best Editing. Maybe it’s simply the combination of beautiful waters, sun, sport, and music. There doesn’t need to be much innovation to make a great surf film. And then you see something like Rip Curl’s Mirage videos. The cinematographer created a waterproof, synced array of 30 GoProHD cameras to do something truly innovative to surf films. Check this out.
Are you caught in a writing funk? Do you keep hitting walls when you get to page 50?
Learn the art of screenwriting with Bill Donahue. We’re pretty sure you can’t go wrong with this guy.
Pretty sure.
The clock is ticking down on your chance to be a part of our 5th anniversary program! Our late deadline is tomorrow (Monday Nov. 7) at midnight. If you have any questions, drop us a line at info@festivusfilmfestival.com.
It seems like only yesterday that Nathaniel was here in Denver, dancing across the stage after his win for Best Short Short with Black Ops Arabesque. Nathaniel passed on the opportunity to premiere at SXSW and instead chose to have his World Premiere at Festivus FF. We were proud to play his film, and are very excited to hear about his new project that’s just recently wrapped production. It’s titled Freaky Deaky, based on a novel of the same name by Elmore Leonard (Get Shorty, Jackie Brown, 3:10 to Yuma, Justified.) Nathaniel is the Executive Producer of the film which stars Christian Slater, Crispin Porter, Michael Jai White,
Andy Dick, and a whole host of other talented actors. Festivus alums are all over the place these days, and it was actually Matthew Kohnen (Festivus winner, see post below re: Aahh! Zombies!) that connected Nathaniel with the project! They recently finished production and are currently in post.The film is slated for release in 2012. For all the details check out the IMDB page. In addition, Nathaniel has just recently joined the Festivus Film Fest’s board of directors. His creative talents and business sense will be a huge benefit to the festival and we’re happy he’s now a part of the team. Keep fighting the good fight, Nathaniel!
Festivus alum and contributors the Nix brothers are busy guys. In addition to directing our sister-festival Laugh Track Comedy Festival, they’re hard at work on a new web series with Denver comedy group The Grawlix, which they just released today. They’ll be posting a new episode every few weeks here and here. Stay tuned.
It was on October 25, 1978 when Michael Myers slashed his way into theaters, and our hearts.
Today John Carpenter’s classic is a reminder that they just don’t make ‘em like they used to.
If you’re as nostalgic for the horror of yore like I am, check out the book “Shock Value” by Jason Zinoman. It’s a fascinating look at the influence and influences of the horror filmmakers from the 70′s and 80′s.
Many would argue the best days of John Carpenter, Wes Craven and George Romero have passed, but no one can argue against their impact up to this point.
“Shock Value” treats us to a lot of interesting stories about their development. It’s fun to hear that Night of the Living Dead was conjured in the spirit of a hippie commune. The stakes were low, and everybody was just having a good time. Amazing that such a simple movie could have so much influence.
I also have a better understanding of the bridge between Old Horror and New Horror. One of the films that put the final nail in the coffin of Old Horror was Target by Peter Bogdanovich. He cast Boris Karloff in the role of a retired horror TV actor, one of the those early self referential ideas that still holds up as a pretty clever move.
I think “Shock Value” is worth reading, especially if you are a filmmaker who’s ever been inspired by Halloween, The Thing, or Night of the Living Dead.
When it played here at Festivus FF in our first year back in 2008, it was called Wasting Away. Post-festival run it’s been re-titled Aaah! Zombies!! and I would urge you all to check it out. It’s probably the best zom-rom-com I’ve ever seen (zombie-romantic-comedy.) Director Matthew Kohnen earned a Best Picture here at Festivus, and gave glowing reviews about his experience with us. We were happy to have him, and thrilled to see his film is now widely available. You can purchase the DVD on Amazon and Target.com, add it to your Netflix queue, or even watch the full film for free on Hulu!
