We are absolutely fascinated to hear that program staff at the Pollard Memorial Library are screening Joseph Lovett’s documentary Going Blind as part of a day long open house to bring more awareness to vision loss. The event, “See What You’ve Been Missing,” will highlight the library’s newly acquired low-vision equipment which comes to them through the generosity of the Lowell Lions’ Club, the Pollard Library Foundation, and other individuals. Released in 2010, Going Blind will screen from 1:30-3:30PM at the library’s downstairs Meeting Room, which also doubles as their own movie space for these special screenings as well as their monthly independent film series.

ABOUT THE FILM 
Going Blind is a unique documentary film that increases public awareness of sight loss and low vision issues profoundly affecting the lives of more and more people around the world. Director Joseph Lovett has glaucoma, a disease that robs 4.5 million people worldwide of their vision. After years of slowly losing his sight, Joe decides to take action: to investigate how people all over the country respond to vision-loss. His search begins small, with people Joe meets on the streets of his hometown New York City and gradually leads him to places and people around the country, of all different ages and backgrounds. Each has a fascinating story about dealing with the vision loss caused by sight-robbing diseases, infections, and accidents. As a filmmaker, Joe uses the tool he knows best to gather information, to connect with individuals and to find answers to share with the world.

New York-based Filmmaker Joseph Lovett.

As founder of Lovett Productions and a former producer at ABC News 20/20, Joseph Lovett has made filmmaking and video production his life’s work. After leaving ABC, Lovett independently produced and directed a series of specials on AIDS education and awareness, a project and passion that earned him the AIDS Action Foundation AIDS Leadership Award. Since founding Lovett Productions in 1989, Lovett has continued to turn his creative lens on a multitude of health and social issues including cancer survival, global warming, and drug addiction. In 1999, he turned the camera on himself to produce The Accident, a painful and thought-provoking 25-year film journey documenting the early loss of his own parents and its profound effects on his life. With his latest project, Blood Detectives, Lovett will enlighten people to the world of hematology.

Click here for complete details on Pollard Library’s “See What You’ve Been Missing” program and be sure to share this important event news with friends and family in your community. As always, our thanks goes out to the Pollard for continuing to host these great film events in Lowell, all at absolutely no cost!

More on Joseph Lovett and Going Blind:
Going Blind turns lens on stories of hope [TheSpec.com]
Meet Joe Lovett, Advocate, Filmmaker, and Director of Going Blind [Vision Aware profile]

Going Blind Trailer from Lovett Productions on Vimeo.

Lowell’s Pollard Memorial Library presents its second annual Elvis Presley Birthday Matinee this Saturday afternoon at 1PM. Fans of The King should definitely make their way to the Pollard’s ground floor meeting room and relive one of the music legend’s most infamous film appearances! As with all of the Pollard Library’s film programs, this is a FREE event, open to all, courtesy of the Friends of the Pollard Library. Keep up-to-date on all the happenings at the Pollard — including their monthly Independent Film Night — via their blog and Facebook page. As always, we express our deepest thanks to our good friends at the Pollard for helping to bring more film to Lowell!

ABOUT THE FILM
Jailhouse Rock is Elvis Presley’s most famous film and also considered by many critics and fans to be his best. Elvis plays troubled young man Vince Everett, who is accused of manslaughter and sent to prison. While in jail, he is introduced to music by fellow inmate Mickey Shaughnessy and together they become the two songsters of the slammer. After his release from prison, Elvis decides to become a rock-n-roll singer with pal Mickey as his manager. But as Elvis’ popularity rises, Mickey becomes jealous of his talent and the tension begin to mount.

The unforgettable title song “Jailhouse Rock” is brilliantly performed by Elvis and the energetic dance sequence which accompanies his most famous song was choreographed by the man himself. It is one of the most classic examples of music and dance in motion picture history and many consider it to be the first music video ever made.

In addition to Elvis’ renowned rendition of the title track, the film also features performances of “Baby I Don’t Care,” “Don’t Leave Me Now,” “I Wanna Be Free,” “One More Day,” “Treat Me Nice,” and “Young & Beautiful.” It’s worth mentioning that Elvis’ love interest in the film, Judy Tyler, was tragically killed in car accident not long after the film’s release. As Peggy Van Alden, she’s an effervescent and dazzling 50′s femme alongside Presley — a final performance not to be missed.

Click above to view the official "Jailhouse Rock" trailer, courtesy of Turner Classic Movies!

Staying in a 17th century chateau in the Aquitaine (southwest France) hasn’t prevented us from being a bit creative about our movie-watching — all one really needs these days to enjoy a personal film screening is a laptop and power source. Fortunately, we have both, and of course we brought along our most recent Netflix rentals, one of which we are HIGHLY recommending. We watched the award-winning 2009 documentary Waking Sleeping Beauty after a fabulous day exploring Bordeaux, France, the closest “big city” to where we’re staying during our 9-day holiday in the heart of Europe’s wine country. There’s nothing like an amazing film to end an equally stellar day — this stunning indie doc, which details the exciting comeback and tumultuous 10-year journey of the Walt Disney Studio’s Feature Animation Department from 1984 – 1994, was marvelously directed and produced by two of the Studio’s key animators: Don Hahn and Peter Schneider. If you remember the glory days of Disney animation in the 80s & 90s — namely The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King — then you’ll be mesmerized by the backstory that Hahn and Schneider share first-hand. The cast of characters includes former Disney Company CEO Michael Eisner, current Dreamworks founder Jeffrey Katzenberg, the late Roy Disney and Frank Wells, and an endless roster of artistic talent, including animators Don Bluth and Glen Keane and songwriters Elton John, Alan Menkin and the tragically departed Howard Ashman. There’s even a sighting of a young up-and-coming animator named Tim Burton.

Friends, this is a must-see documentary if there ever was one. And after you make it through the nostalgic laughter and tears, be sure to save a couple of hours for the superb DVD extras, which are just as alluring and insightful as the film itself.

We have a great week ahead whilst on holiday — hopefully we’ll be able to do a bit of field reporting and movie-sharing while we’re here. In the meantime, two things: 1) enjoy the trailer below of our out-of-town movie pick, Waking Sleeping Beauty, and 2) please MARK THOSE CALENDARS for our two upcoming back-to-back film screenings in Lowell, happening hot on the heels of our return! Just click the buttons on the right side of this page for complete details on Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq, and Marion Stoddart: The Work of 1000.

Have a great start to your week and we’ll be back in touch soon!

]]> http://lowellfilmcollaborative.org/2011/11/06/waking-sleeping-beauty-and-a-holiday-in-bordeaux/feed/ 0 lowellfilm http://lowellfilmcollaborative.org/2011/11/03/alive-day-memories-home-from-iraq-screens-in-lowell-on-november-16-to-commemorate-veterans-day-2011/ http://lowellfilmcollaborative.org/2011/11/03/alive-day-memories-home-from-iraq-screens-in-lowell-on-november-16-to-commemorate-veterans-day-2011/#comments Thu, 03 Nov 2011 10:54:48 +0000 lowellfilm http://lowellfilmcollaborative.org/?p=4998 ]]>

[Watch a special segment with Brian Williams on ABC Nightly News commemorating the HBO premiere of "Alive Day Memories."]

ALIVE DAY MEMORIES: HOME FROM IRAQ
Wednesday, November 16 @ 7PM
Art Gallery at Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union
1 Tremont Place (off Father Morissette Blvd), Lowell
Free admission  |  Refreshments served

In honor of this years’ Veterans’ Day, our friends at Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union have invited us back to their marvelous art space (and what we consider to be Lowell’s own intimate screening room) to co-host a very special evening of film in tribute to our past and present service men and women. The film we’ve selected is the highly acclaimed and award-winning HBO documentary Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq, produced and hosted by three-time Emmy-winning actor James Gandolfini. This is a truly evocative, inspiring, and first-hand portrait of real men and women who survived the front lines of war and are willing to share their stories of courage and hope.

James Gandolfini interviews Dawn Halfaker, a former Army first lieutenant who lost an arm and a shoulder to a grenade while serving in Iraq.

ABOUT THE FILM
Since the start of the Gulf War, tens of thousands of U.S. troops have been injured in Iraq. And for the first time in American history, 90% of the wounded survive their injuries, but a greater percentage of these men and women are returning with amputations, traumatic brain injuries and severe post-traumatic stress. In an effort to shed new light on the physical cost of war and those who struggle for daily survival, Executive Producer James Gandolfini and HBO Documentaries present “Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq,” an up-close and personal inside look at how the war has permanently changed the lives of these wounded troops. 

We extend a sincere thanks to the staff at Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union for the opportunity to present this incredible documentary. We hope you will join us and extend a special invitation to any current or past veterans of war or military personnel — we’d be very humbled to have them share their experiences with us.

_____________________

For more information on Alive Day Memories, please read the following New York Times film review and exposé “The Price of War, Front and Center:”

In the HBO documentary “Alive Day Memories” Dawn Halfaker, 27, a former Army first lieutenant, is sitting in a chair on a stark stage, talking, somewhat incongruously, to James Gandolfini, the star of “The Sopranos.” Mr. Gandolfini serves as the interviewer in the film, set to have its premiere Sunday night at 10:30. It deals with the recovery of American veterans from devastating injuries inflicted during the war in Iraq.

Ms. Halfaker, whose right arm and shoulder are gone, blasted away by a rocket-propelled grenade, says she has wondered whether her child, if she ever has one, will be able truly to love her. And then a look of intense emotion clouds her face. Ms. Halfaker’s eyes flutter, seemingly looking at some image far, far away. Finally, after a long pause, Mr. Gandolfini asks quietly, “What were you just thinking about?”

And Ms. Halfaker tells him: “The reality of, will I be able to raise a kid? I won’t be able to pick up my son or daughter with two arms.”

[Click here to continue ... ]

]]> http://lowellfilmcollaborative.org/2011/11/03/alive-day-memories-home-from-iraq-screens-in-lowell-on-november-16-to-commemorate-veterans-day-2011/feed/ 0 lowellfilm "Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq" screens in Lowell on November 16 http://lowellfilmcollaborative.org/2011/11/03/environmental-activist-marion-stoddart-makes-a-guest-appearance-at-the-lowell-screening-of-marion-stoddart-the-work-of-1000/ http://lowellfilmcollaborative.org/2011/11/03/environmental-activist-marion-stoddart-makes-a-guest-appearance-at-the-lowell-screening-of-marion-stoddart-the-work-of-1000/#comments Thu, 03 Nov 2011 10:06:03 +0000 lowellfilm http://lowellfilmcollaborative.org/?p=5005 ]]>

MARION STODDART: THE WORK OF 1000
Special Guest appearance by Marion Stoddart
Thursday, November 17 @ 7PM
Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center
246 Market Street, Lowell
Free admission!

____________________

RSVP’s are encouraged! Contact Gwen Kozlowski at 978-934-0030 
____________________

Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust (LP&CT) and the Lowell Film Collaborative present the Lowell premiere of Marion Stoddart: The Work of 1000 with a very special guest appearance by Marion Stoddart herself! This free film event, which includes a post-film discussion with Stoddart, is part of the LP&CT’s Annual Meeting, which the public is invited to attend. We are very grateful to Jane Calvin and Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust for inviting us to be a part of this great community event.

ABOUT THE FILM
In the 1960s, the Nashua River in New Hampshire and central Massachusetts was one of the 10 most polluted in the country, clogged with multicolored, toxic sludge from nearby paper mills. Around that time, housewife Marion Stoddart moved to the area with her family, so close to the river they could smell its noxious fumes. At a low point in her life, she decided to fight her own emptiness by taking on the biggest challenge she could find — cleaning up the Nashua. Her dramatic success in mobilizing the community showed people that change was possible, even though they’d lost hope.

Marion Stoddart enjoying a day on the water.

Marion’s efforts helped get the Massachusetts Clean Rivers Act passed so that companies weren’t allowed to pollute rivers like the Nashua anymore. In the process, she won a United Nations award, was profiled in National Geographic, and had a widely-read children’s book written about her. Her secret? An ordinary person can do extraordinary things when they refuse to give up. Thanks to Marion, children in the Nashua River Watershed and around the world have come to understand that one person can make a difference, even when the odds seem impossible!

The official website for Marion Stoddart: The Work of 1000 is something to behold, full of amazing documentation of the film, the cleanup project, and Marion herself. We wholeheartedly encourage you to take some time to visit Workof1000.org — you will absolutely be inspired! You can also visit the film and engage in ongoing environmental community projects via Facebook at Facebook.com/Workof1000.

]]> http://lowellfilmcollaborative.org/2011/11/03/environmental-activist-marion-stoddart-makes-a-guest-appearance-at-the-lowell-screening-of-marion-stoddart-the-work-of-1000/feed/ 0 lowellfilm Marion Stoddart enjoying a day on the water. http://lowellfilmcollaborative.org/2011/10/20/of-dolls-murder-in-the-news-as-director-susan-marks-completes-her-successful-kickstarter-campaign/ http://lowellfilmcollaborative.org/2011/10/20/of-dolls-murder-in-the-news-as-director-susan-marks-completes-her-successful-kickstarter-campaign/#comments Thu, 20 Oct 2011 04:46:37 +0000 lowellfilm http://lowellfilmcollaborative.org/?p=4947 ]]>

Something's not quite right in this little kitchen. A dollhouse crime scene in "Of Dolls & Murder."

Friends, it’s all about Of Dolls & Murder these days as we count down to THIS TUESDAY’S Regional Premiere of the film right here in Lowell with Director Susan Marks in attendance!

Not Boston.
Not Cambridge.
LOWELL!

And following our Mill City screening, director Susan Marks will take Of Dolls & Murder to Gloucester on October 26 for a showing at one of our favorite indie theaters, the Cape Ann Community Cinema. Whether here in Lowell or over in Gloucester, we truly hope you’ll catch this fascinating film.

Susan comes to us all the way from Minnesota by way of New York City where ODAM will screen at a super secret location. It’s a fascinating story that’s fully disclosed on her Kickstarter page where she’s been busy fundraising for her next project: an intriguing follow up to Of Dolls & Murder. We’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate Susan on a successful campaign and to encourage you to learn more about this project which includes a partnership with New York artist, performer and children’s book illustrator Cynthia von Buhler. Click here to learn all about it, and if you are so inclined, please donate! Though Susan has made her project goal, expenses can add up quickly and the extra dollars will certainly come in handy as the creative process unfolds.

So how lucky are we to be bringing this documentary premiere to Lowell? Here are a few great reviews, blog posts and stories featuring Of Dolls & Murder — enjoy the read!

“‘Of Dolls and Murder’ Documentary Comes to Boston(ish)“
- Junkyardarts (Oct. 2011)

“Speakers for the dead: Of Dolls and Murder Screens tonight“
– MinnPost.com, by Max Sparber (Sept. 2011)

“Miniature crime scenes come under police microscope“
- The Guardian, by Marc Abrahams (June 2011)

“The Art of Murder“ 
- Baltimore City Paper, by Rachel Monroe (May 2010)

Movie Reviews from a Spiritual Perspective 
– by Jean Jessup (Sept. 2011)

In Upon a Midnight Dreary
- Oct. 2011

“‘Of Dolls and Murder’ Documentary: How Barbie Kickstarted Forensics“
- Scarsmagazine.com (Feb. 2010)

“In a Nutshell“
- Mndaily.com, by Marty Marosi (Sept. 2011)

“New Documentary ‘Of Dolls & Murder’ Explores Macabre in Miniature“
- ART BEAT on PBS News Hour, by Lauren Knapp (Oct. 2010)

“‘Of Dolls and Murder’ Brings Us Bloodbath Scenarios in Miniature Form“
- Asylum.co.uk, by Bonnie Biess (Oct. 2010)

“Unexplained Deaths in the Diorama Dollhouse“
- Death Reference Desk (Sept. 2010)

In Doll Work
- by Carrie McGath (Oct. 2010)

PLEASE JOIN US THIS TUESDAY FOR OF DOLLS & MURDER!
CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS!
 

Johnny Depp tries to lead his horse in "Lost in La Mancha"

“You really had the feeling the film was gonna be great. REALLY great.”
– Johnny Depp, talking about what Lost in La Mancha could have been

The wonder of YouTube (thanks safetymousejdtv) comes through again as we share with you this FOUR PART interview with Johnny Depp on his role in Terry Gilliam’s Lost in La Mancha. We bring this to you in anticipation of this Tuesday’s (October 18) screening of this Louis Pepe & Keith Fulton documentary which chronicles Gilliam’s futile attempt to bring the story of Don Quixote to the screen. Depp is his cool, introspective self, of course, as he shares some great movie nuggets on what it was like to work with Gilliam and his lunacy on the set, watching the film’s production fall apart, plus the future of the project and the “curse of Quixote.” Gilliam’s failed movie was TRULY the most remarkable film never made!

Grab a seat, get comfortable, and hear all about Gilliam’s lost dream project from the star of the film himself. The entire interview is fascinating, but pay special attention to PART 3 as Depp goes into detail on the insanity of the unexpected flash flood the crew experienced on set. Ah, the movies … we absolutely LOVE ‘em.

[Watch a 5-minute preview of Marion Stoddart: The Work of 1000.]

MARION STODDART: THE WORK OF 1000
with Guest Appearance by Marion Stoddart
Thursday, November 17 @ 7PM
Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center
246 Market Street, Lowell
Free admission!

________________________

Seating is limited so RSVP’s are required to ensure your seat -
Please email Gwen Kozlowski at gwen@lowelllandtrust.org to reserve your seat TODAY!

________________________

We’ve been patiently waiting for the perfect time to partner with one of our favorite local organizations, Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust, and now the time has come! Please join us on Thursday, November 17, for a night of environmental awareness and discussion at a very special screening at the Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center of the 30 minute documentary Marion Stoddart: The Work of 1000. It is our extreme pleasure to announce that our guest that night will be none other than the subject of the film, environmental activist Marion Stoddart.

ABOUT THE FILM
In the 1960s, the Nashua River in New Hampshire and central Massachusetts was one of the 10 most polluted in the country, clogged with multicolored, toxic sludge from nearby paper mills. Around that time, housewife Marion Stoddart moved to the area with her family, so close to the river they could smell its noxious fumes. At a low point in her life, she decided to fight her own emptiness by taking on the biggest challenge she could find—cleaning up the Nashua. Her dramatic success in mobilizing the community showed people that change was possible, even though they’d lost hope. Marion’s efforts helped get the Massachusetts Clean Rivers Act passed so that companies weren’t allowed to pollute rivers like the Nashua anymore. In the process, she won a United Nations award, was profiled in National Geographic, and had a widely-read children’s book written about her. Her secret? An ordinary person can do extraordinary things when they refuse to give up.

Thanks to Marion, children in the Nashua River Watershed and around the world have come to understand that one person can make a difference, even when the odds seem impossible.

Please mark your calendars for November 17 and plan on joining us and the great staff at Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust for an inspirational night of film! This event WILL sell out so your RSVP is essential to ensure you get a seat. Thank you so much for your support and we hope to see you in November!

Learn more about Marion Stoddart: The Work of 1000 at Workof1000.org

Director/animator/screenwriter Terry Gilliam

“My latest is a disaster movie.
But it wasn’t meant to be. Terry Gilliam’s £32 million film about Don Quixote, starring Johnny Depp, fell apart after illness, finance problems and floods. Here the director tells all to Sean O’Hagan:

Making a film’, Terry Gilliam tells me, ‘is essentially about two things: belief and momentum. You need those two essential elements, one feeding the other, or things fall apart.’ There speaks the voice of experience. Last September, just five days into an ambitious shooting schedule, Gilliam’s film, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, a vision he had nurtured for 10 years, collapsed in the most cruelly ironic fashion. A full five months later, the director, whose belief in the project had propelled its often tortuous progress from script to shoot, is still in grief: more than once he refers to this interview as ‘a kind of therapy session.’ ”  … Read the full interview

The many faces of Bill Plympton.

The LFC  has adored award-winning animator Bill Plympton since the 80′s when he emerged on the scene with his pencil-drawn animation and crazy self-portrayals which you may have seen in  Spike and Mike’s Sick and Twisted Animated Festival (which is still going strong!) or on MTV’s Liquid Television. Best known for his Oscar-nominated short Your Face, Plympton has an incredible following and an amazing breadth of work, so it’s only good and right that a documentary be made on the man and his art. That documentary, Adventures in Plymptoons!, has been completed (thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign) and is touring the festival circuit along with Plympton himself and the filmmaking team. The tour includes a stop this weekend at the renowned Woodstock Film Festival in picturesque Woodstock, NY. If you’ve never been to the Woodstock Film Fest, it’s a marvelous treat with multiple venues, incredible films, and fabulous guests.

Bill Plympton, side by side! Self portrait (left) and at the 2008 AFI Fest.

WE’RE excited because we’ve just been contacted by Alexia Anastasio, director of Adventures in Plymptoons!, to plan a screening of the film this December along with a Plympton animation program. As if this wasn’t wonderful enough, she’ll bring Bill Plympton HIMSELF as a special guest along with her associate producer, Keven Sean Michaels. We truly couldn’t ask for anything better than that! We’d like to thank our good friend and fellow filmie Rob Newton at the Cape Ann Community Cinema for making the introduction. (Thanks, Rob!)

At this point, we’ll be talking with Alexia in the next few days to see what we can put together so rest assured we’ll keep you all posted. In the meantime, we’d like to leave you with some Plymptoon teasers to get your excitement going OR to introduce you to this marvelous animator. Stay tuned for updates on this hopeful Lowell film event!

- Get to know Bill Plympton at Plymptoons.com -

]]> http://lowellfilmcollaborative.org/2011/09/22/adventures-in-plymptoons-screens-at-the-woodstock-film-festival-possible-lowell-screening-to-come/feed/ 0 lowellfilm The many faces of Bill Plympton. Bill Plympton, side by side! Self portrait (left) and at the 2008 AFI Fest)