DC Shorts is happening… right now!

One of DC’s biggest film events has been happening under our noses! DC Shorts, an annual showcase of short films, has been going on since last Thursday, but there’s still a few more days worth of films to catch. Over the course of a week and a half, DC Shorts screens over 100 shorts from … Continue reading “DC Shorts is happening… right now!”

One of DC’s biggest film events has been happening under our noses! DC Shorts, an annual showcase of short films, has been going on since last Thursday, but there’s still a few more days worth of films to catch.

Over the course of a week and a half, DC Shorts screens over 100 shorts from local and international, including documentaries, music videos, and animation. The size and quality of the festival is a testament to the strength of the local film scene, and the concurrent screenplay competition shows that you don’t need to know lens focal length to be involved.

Counting today, there are still three days of new films to watch, followed by a Best of Show revue over the weekend. See DC Shorts’s schedule for a listing of what will screen where. All the new screenings are at E Street Cinema, so depending on when you show up, you could have your choice of local shorts, LGBT films, comedy, or a general competition showcase. You can still watch these shorts if you can’t make it out, too. For $30, you can watch nearly all the festival’s shorts online. That’s a great alternative if you want to see quality short films without having to schlep to E Street.

We hope you’ll attend! There’s a few big festivals every year in DC, and this is a favorite.

Hot Docs: Fruit of Our Labor now available in Media Services

As the international community reflects on the impact of years of war in Afghanistan, Community Supported Film provides an opportunity to also reflect on the situation from an Afghan perspective through 10 Afghan-made documentaries. Story 1: L is for Light, D is for Darkness, Hasibullah AsmatyStory 2: Searching for a Path, Reza SahelStory 3: Hands … Continue reading “Hot Docs: Fruit of Our Labor now available in Media Services”


As the international community reflects on the impact of years of war in Afghanistan, Community Supported Film provides an opportunity to also reflect on the situation from an Afghan perspective through 10 Afghan-made documentaries.

Story 1: L is for Light, D is for Darkness, Hasibullah Asmaty
Story 2: Searching for a Path, Reza Sahel
Story 3: Hands of Health, Zarah Sadat
Story 4: The Road Above, Aqeela Rezai
Story 5: Knocking on Time’s Door, Ahmad Wahid Zaman
Story 6: Bearing the Weight, Mona Haidari
Story 7: Water Ways, Majid Zarand
Story 8: Beyond Fatigue, Baqir Tawakoli
Story 9: Treasure Trove, Fakhria Ibrahimi
Story 10: Death to the Camera, Sayed Qasem Hossaini

DVD 9504

Excerpt from “‘L’ is for Light, ‘D’ is for Darkness” by Hasibullah Asmaty from Michael Sheridan on Vimeo.

Distributor description

Eco-Comedy Video Competition Spring 2012 **$1,000 Prize**

Eco-Comedy Video Competition Spring 2012 ** $1,000 Prize ** Sponsored by: Sierra Club and the Center for Environmental Filmmaking The contest is open to anyone who prepares a short, funny video for YouTube, which communicates a clear message about clean energy and/or green jobs. Submissions must:-Be humorous!-Address the issue of clean energy and/or green jobs-Reach … Continue reading “Eco-Comedy Video Competition Spring 2012 **$1,000 Prize**”

Eco-Comedy Video Competition Spring 2012 ** $1,000 Prize **

Sponsored by: Sierra Club and the Center for Environmental Filmmaking

The contest is open to anyone who prepares a short, funny video for YouTube, which communicates a clear message about clean energy and/or green jobs.

Submissions must:
-Be humorous!
-Address the issue of clean energy and/or green jobs
-Reach a broad audience beyond just environmentalists.
-Be an original production.
-Be less than three minutes.
-Posted to Eco-Comedy Video Competition 2012 YouTube Channel at: http://www.youtube.com/ecocomedy2012.
-Submitted by 11:59pm on March 2, 2012.

There will be six judges representing the Center for Environmental Filmmaking, Sierra Club, the US Environmental Protection Agency, Mill Reef Productions, and EcoSense. The decision of the judges is final. Awards are based on overall merit of the entries. Judges reserve the right not to grant an award. The organizations listed above reserve the right to post submissions on their websites.

Submissions that are not received by March 2, 2012 will not be judged. The winner will be announced at American University on Tuesday, March 20 at the DC Environmental Film Festival.

For more information regarding submission guidelines and contest rules, visit: http://www.american.edu/soc/cef/eco-comedy-film-competition.cfm

If you have a question, please e-mail Chris Palmer at palmer@american.edu.

Excerpted from an email announcement from Chris Palmer.

Film Screening of Lia Tuesday, December 6, 7:00 p.m., Wechsler Theater (MGC 315)

Film Screening of LiaTuesday, December 6, 7:00 p.m., Wechsler Theater (MGC 315) DC Premiere of LIA, documentary film by Israeli director Taly Goldenberg, about the life of Lia Van Leer, legendary founder of the Israel Film Archive and cinematheques in Haifa, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Born in 1924 in what is now Moldovia, her parents … Continue reading “Film Screening of Lia Tuesday, December 6, 7:00 p.m., Wechsler Theater (MGC 315)”

Film Screening of Lia
Tuesday, December 6, 7:00 p.m., Wechsler Theater (MGC 315)

DC Premiere of LIA, documentary film by Israeli director Taly Goldenberg, about the life of Lia Van Leer, legendary founder of the Israel Film Archive and cinematheques in Haifa, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Born in 1924 in what is now Moldovia, her parents sent her to live in Israel, where she survived the war, but never saw them again. This compelling portrait traces van Leer’s life and passion for cinema beginning in the 1950s. In 1984 Lia created the Jerusalem Film Festival and still serves as director of its board. Throughout the years, van Leer brought the glamorous world of movies to Israel, often casually entertaining famous actors and directors in her Jerusalem home while maintaining her dedication to supporting emerging filmmakers.

The screening of Lia will be preceded by a short, My Mother Was a Coast Guard Spar. The SPARS (Semper Paratus, Always Ready) were Coast Guard Women Reservists recruited during WWII so that men could go to war. One of the initial twelve recruits, the filmmaker’s mother remembers the experience including discriminatory policies of the time.

POST-FILM DISCUSSION WITH filmmaker Aviva Kempner and Fred Lazin, Schusterman, Visiting Israeli Professor at American University.

CO-SPONSORED BY the Washington Jewish Film Festival, Embassy of Israel, American University Center for Israel Studies and America Israel Cultural Foundation

Tickets free for AU students, faculty, and staff.

RSVP for tickets: Laura Cutler, 202-885-3780 or cutler@american.edu
RSVP Required

Cited from the Center For Israeli Studies website.

AU Film Accepted into the San Francisco Ocean Film Festival: “La Pesca Vivencial”

An announcement from Professor Larry Engel: We’re pleased to announce that one of the films produced by students in the interdisciplinary class, “The Practice of Environmentalism: Science, Policy, and Communication” and its summer site visit to the Galapagos was accepted into the San Francisco Ocean Film Festival. “La Pesca Vivencial” . The production was filmed … Continue reading “AU Film Accepted into the San Francisco Ocean Film Festival: “La Pesca Vivencial””

An announcement from Professor Larry Engel:

We’re pleased to announce that one of the films produced by students in the interdisciplinary class, “The Practice of Environmentalism: Science, Policy, and Communication” and its summer site visit to the Galapagos was accepted into the San Francisco Ocean Film Festival. “La Pesca Vivencial” . The production was filmed entirely on location in the Galapagos and features fishermen who are trying to change the way they make a living from the ocean.

The ten-minute film was produced by College of Arts and Science, School of International Service and School of Communication students Megan Barrett, Ingrid Specht, Eileen Keegan, Jen Mandeville, Mark Petruniak, and Chris McMurrow. Chris and Mark participated in a Q & A discussion related to the film’s screening in San Francisco.

To enjoy the film for yourselves, please visit: Vimeo or Youtube

Professors Kiho Kim, Simon Nicholson, Larry Engel and Bill Gentile are proud of these efforts, the new-found collaboration among schools and students, and the impact the work can have.

Bicycle Film Fest Comes to DC

Cycle-punk, cyclocross, fixee – the gradations of the bicycle subculture are varied. The BFF comes to town December 5 and takes a look at guys, gals and bikes around the world.Saturday December 5Screenings at United States Navy Memorial Theater – 701 Pennsylvania Ave NW5:00 PM | Program 1 – ROAD TO ROUBAIX 7:00 PM | … Continue reading “Bicycle Film Fest Comes to DC”

Cycle-punk, cyclocross, fixee – the gradations of the bicycle subculture are varied. The BFF comes to town December 5 and takes a look at guys, gals and bikes around the world.
Saturday December 5
Screenings at United States Navy Memorial Theater – 701 Pennsylvania Ave NW
5:00 PM | Program 1 – ROAD TO ROUBAIX
7:00 PM | Program 2 – WHERE ARE YOU GO
9:00 PM | Program 3 – Urban Bike Shorts
10:00 PM | After Party

For more information, trailers and a full film list go to Bicycle Film Festival

Time Out’s 50 greatest animated films, with added commentary by Terry Gilliam…

An interesting list worth checking out: http://www.timeout.com/film/features/show-feature/8835/time-outs-50-greatest-animated-films-curated-by-terry-gilliam.html Media Services own 9 out of the top 10 listed: My Neighbor Totoro (1988)DVD 4709 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)DVD 6329 The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie (1979)VHS 4136 Fantasia (1940)DVD 4691 Toy Story (1995)DVD 7768 Spirited Away (2001)DVD 586 Yellow Submarine (1968)VHS 5100 Belleville Rendez-vouz (2003)DVD … Continue reading “Time Out’s 50 greatest animated films, with added commentary by Terry Gilliam…”

An interesting list worth checking out:

Media Services own 9 out of the top 10 listed:

2006 Sundance Shorts – 47 titles available online

The online collection though extensive represents just a sample of the entries and includes just a couple of the prize-winners. The Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking ended in a tie between BUGCRUSH, directed by Carter Smith and THE WRAITH OF COBBLE HILL (video unavailable online), directed by Adam Parrish King. The Jury Prize in International … Continue reading “2006 Sundance Shorts – 47 titles available online”

The online collection though extensive represents just a sample of the entries and includes just a couple of the prize-winners.

The Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking ended in a tie between BUGCRUSH, directed by Carter Smith and THE WRAITH OF COBBLE HILL (video unavailable online), directed by Adam Parrish King.

The Jury Prize in International Short Filmmaking went to THE NATURAL ROUTE (Spain)(video unavailable online), directed by Alex Pastor.

Honorable Mentions in Short Filmmaking went to BEFORE DAWN (Hungary), directed by Bálint Kenyeres; PREACHER WITH AN UNKNOWN GOD (video unavailable online), directed by Rob VanAlkemade; and UNDRESSING MY MOTHER (Ireland)(video unavailable online), directed by Ken Wardrop.

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