Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Watch Paola Mendoza's Touching Doc, "Autumns Eyes" for Free


Watch tonight's Double Down Film Show guest, Paola Mendoza's, previous award-winning film, Autumn's Eyes which was made with her partner, Gloria La Morte. It's a touching story of how incarceration and environment affects the children left behind.

Then tune in tonight to here all about the trials and tribulations of making her new award-winning film, Entre Nos, opening at The Quad Theatre in NYC on May 14th.

Last Chance for DCTV Summer Internships This Friday!


DCTV Summer Internships
Final Application Deadline – This Fri. 5/7

If you’ve been thinking about applying for a DCTV Summer Internship, this is your last chance! Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to be a vital part of NYC’s indie filmmaking community, working alongside our staff while learning skills and accessing resources that DCTV provides.

Applicants with Development and/or Social Media experience are especially encouraged to apply. Other departments seeking interns include: Productions for Hire, Pro-TV, Sales/Distribution/Archives, and Training & Resources.

Find out details & download an application form here.

(reposted from http://dctvny.org)

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Actress/Writer/Director Paola Mendoza on the next Double Down Film Show!


On the next Double Down Film Show this Weds. May 5th - 9pm, we’ll close out our 3rd season with an uplifting interview with Paola Mendoza the triple threat actress/writer/director of the new indie film, Entre Nos. Winner of multiple film festival awards, Entre Nos is a timely and personal drama about the hot-button issue of immigration based on the true story of Paola’s own mother.

Recently named one of the 25 New Faces of Independent Film by Filmmaker magazine, Paola began as an actress and crossed over into filmmaking with the award-winning documentary, Autumn’s Eyes, before writing, directing and starring in Entre Nos. The film was co-written/co-directed and edited by Gloria La Morte who also edited Autumn's Eyes.

  • How did she shoot a feature with 2 child leads in only 18 days?
  • What’s the most important thing she does as a director every night?
  • How did they find convincing non-actors as her child leads?
  • What perils of tapeless shooting did the crew overcome?
  • How can you get a community involved with your film?


...All will be revealed on the next Double Down Film Show with our special guest, Paola Mendoza. Paola’s new film Entre Nos will be opening in New York on May 14th and appearing on HBO later in the Fall.

We’re taking the summer hiatus to get our own filmmaking jones on, but will be back this fall with Season #3 and more practical wisdom and advice for filmmakers! Join us for the big season finale this Weds. May 5th!



The Double Down Film Show

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***PS - If you can't tune in live, you can always stream the show or download the .mp3 file later at the site above.


Sunday, May 2, 2010

A Blurb on IFP by Yours Truly, Christa


At the request of IFP, I am going to be writing a few blog entries about this years Hot Docs Film Festival in Toronto. As a member of the US Delegation, I am attending all events and will just be giving some insider info.

I am posting the article here, but you can check out this article and future ones at http://independentfilmmakerproject.blogspot.com/


IFP Member and U.S Delegate Christa Boarini Blogs Hot Docs



I guess depending on your level of experience in film festivals and your degree of success within the film industry, you view festivals quite differently. I, Christa Boarini, am a New York based filmmaker, working on my first feature length doc. Needless to say I am more of a buzz-following festival goer than one who is buzzed about. At least for now.

It is day 3 at Hot Docs International Documentary Film Festival, here in Toronto. True, the real heavy industry stuff begins tomorrow, Monday, but even in these past three days there has been a lot of mingling, theatre-going, crying, laughing and badge-reading. Things may have been a bit slow here in the Filmmaker Internet Lounge/Sales Desk (the first couple of days offered only complementary water, while now there are tables decked out with coffee and gourmet local teas).

But now fellow Industry Pass holders wander in an out, having meetings, checking their email, having some coffee or trying to sort through the three or four thick textbooks of information that came in the goodie bags they give us at registration. We get a Program Guide, an Industry Guide, a guide of attending commissioning editors, etc etc etc. All great and useful information, but it takes a while to sort it all out.

Oh, and if you are coming to Hot Docs later next week, be sure to ask for a flexible badge holder. The others break.

In any case the festival so far is has proven to have nicely balanced programing, combining the heavier humanity-is-awful features with equally as compelling docs that leave you feeling happy to be human. For example, yesterday I watched Talhotblond, a cautionary film where a cyber love triangle of people who have never met ends in a 23 year old man's death. The young man's parents were there, they cried, we cried, it was wonderfully heartbreaking. I then walked over to the screening of Wasteland and my broken heart mended and soared to see a mixture of art and opportunity and good things happening for good people. You simply must see Wasteland and you will instantly understand why it has won the Audience Awards of basically all the film festivals it has been at.

Another great thing to take advantage of is a new program added to Hot Docs this year called "Ripping Reality: Essentials from Documentary's New Wave". This compilation of great documentaries made in recent years gives us the opportunity to see these wonderful films on the big screen. Whether you've seen the film a million times and it is the reason you decided to quit your job and go into documentary filmmaking, or if it is a movie you've heard of but never got around to seeing, Ripping Reality has so far been a great success.

So, between the regular film screenings, the Industry Only events, the parties, the Rendezvous meetings, the Documentary Forum, the International Co-Production day etc, I have had to make out meticulous schedules for every day, reminding me of what I am going to see, what meetings I have and what are the must-attend events of the day. So far it has been a great experience and I plan to take full advantage of it. By the time I get back to New York on May 10th I plan to be absolutely exhausted.