So unfolds the compelling documentary Winnebago Man, which marks the directorial debut of Austin-based filmmaker Ben Steinbauer. After some soul-searching, Steinbauer decides to seek out Rebney to find out who and where this internet phenomenon is today, how much he knows about his YouTube stardom, and what he would tell his admirers were he ever given the opportunity. What unfolds is a story too bizarre, unique, and hilarious to be anything but real life. Steinbauer does find Rebney, and their discussions provide some of the funniest, genuine moments in a documentary since American Movie. Rebney alone is worth the cost of admission. But just as fascinating are the moments when fans are given the chance to express their appreciation to him, and the ultimate effect these words have on the cynical cyber-star.

The LFC had the pleasure of taking part in a free pre-screening of Winnebago Man on July 13 at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge. It opens for a full run at the Kendall Square Theater on Friday, July 23. For its honesty, ingenuity, and subtle Jack Rebney star power, we highly recommend this independent gem which has already seen major success in the film festival circuit, including South by Southwest (SXSW) and Toronto’s famed Hot Docs. Tip: If you’re able, check out a screening featuring a Rebney guest appearance as he tours with the film!

If you’ve ever wanted to make your own film but don’t have the millions of dollars needed to fund it, why not do the next best thing – create a trailer for it! The Brattle Theatre recently announced their Trailer Smackdown 2010 contest, and the deadline for entries is quickly approaching. The idea is pretty simple – create an original trailer for the fictional film Labor Day, include the required items designated on the entry form, and keep the finished product under two minutes long. The entry fee is $10, and completed trailers must be submitted to the Brattle no later than Tuesday, July 13.

A preliminary judging round will determine the finalists to be screened on July 15 for Audience Award consideration. After the trailers are screened at the Trailer Treats event on July 15, final awards will be determined by audience ballot. For full details, visit the Trailer Smackdown page on the Brattle Theatre’s website.

Shutter Island
Thursday, June 17  |  6:30PM
Chelmsford Public Library
25 Boston Road, Chelmsford
Free admission

In case you missed it in theaters but still want to enjoy the crazy ride in a group setting, Shutter Island – Martin Scorsese’s hit adaptation of the eerie Dennis Lehane novel – will screen at the Chelmsford Public Library tonight. Praised by many critics as another Scorsese suspense classic, Shutter Island follows federal marshal Teddy Daniels in his journey to an isolated mental hospital to investigate the recent disappearance of a patient admitted for murdering her three children. Questioning the head of the institution and his staff, Daniels begins to suspect there is much more to the story than he has been told. Eventually stranded on the island with his partner due to a hurricane, Daniels must unlock the secrets of Shutter Island as his own sanity begins to unravel. The outstanding ensemble cast includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, and Max von Sydow.

Lehane’s Shutter Island was selected as the book of choice for Chelmsford’s 2010 “One Book, One Chelmsford” community reading extravaganza. Lehane held court at Chelmsford High School’s Performing Arts Center on June 13, captivating the audience with his stories and quick wit. In addition to Shutter Island, other Lehane novels will also be featured in the “One Book” programming. Snuggle up to some suspense this summer!

We enjoyed a full house at our screening of "Enlighten Up" at Life Alive Cafe, May 24!

The LFC has been flying on air from our last two film events, Browsing Through Birke’s and Enlighten Up! It seems our wishes for hosting full-house screenings and bringing the community together around film have been granted as of late, and we are here to thank YOU. Thank you for your attendance and support; thank you for spreading the word and bringing your friends and family; thank you for helping subsidize our mission through your kind donations; and thank you for visiting this website. We do our very best to juggle our passion for film and community with our “day jobs” and are so glad you find the time to visit lowellfilmcollaborative.org.

Monday night’s screening of Enlighten Up! brought out many new faces, and we have our friends at Life Alive Cafe and BromYoga to thank, especially the entire Life Alive team and Jon Brandi, founder of BromYoga here in Lowell. It was standing room only for the film, and everyone had a wonderful time, especially US!

We’re working hard on securing some summer films as well as an Arts Film Series in September in collaboration with Lowell Open Studios and Arts Month. Please stay tuned! If you aren’t on our e-news list, please email us and let us know that you’d like to receive our updates via email.

Thank you again for all your support and ideas — we’ll see you real soon AT THE MOVIES!

Just a reminder that the LFC’s next screening will take place next Monday, May 24, at 7:30 PM at Life Alive in downtown Lowell. Enlighten Up is a documentary that follows yoga skeptic Nick Rosen in his global quest to discover whether or not yoga can truly transform anyone if practiced in its truest form. His journey takes him to various corners of the world, where he meets celebrity yogis, renowned gurus, and people most would consider ‘yoga freaks.’ We hope you can join us for this wonderful event that is being brought to you in partnership between Life Alive, the LFC, and Jon Brandi, who offers Brom Yoga classes at the Space, 122 Western Avenue.

In the meantime, if you’re itching for more film, please pay a visit to our friends at the Chelmsford Public Library tomorrow night, May 20, as they host a free screening of the 2009 indie hit (500) Days of Summer, beginning at 6:30 PM in the McCarthy Meeting Room. Recently viewed by the LFC and given a unanimous thumbs up, this quirky romantic comedy follows a young greeting card writer (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who is hopelessly, helplessly searching for the girl of his dreams…only to discover that his new co-worker, Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel), may just be the one. But the 500 days of their offbeat relationship reveal (in no particular order) that the road to happiness can be unpredictable, uncontrollable and unbelievably funny! Don’t miss this fresh take on love and loss in Chelmsford tomorrow.

Coming soon: The Walpole HS Film Festival!

We at the LFC try to keep our fingers on the pulse of Great New England film news. Here are some juicy nuggets, courtesy of one of our favorite online resources, NewEnglandFilm.com. It’s worth the time to sign up for their e-mail notifications, especially if you’re a local film festival buff — there are film fests aplenty in the New England area!

Keep up to date with industry news at NewEnglandFilm.com, and please share with us any news YOU might hear throughout the spring.

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LOCAL MAY FILM FESTIVALS

Boston’s 26th Annual LGBT Film Festival, May 6 – 16: The Fest kicks off with an opening night screening of Bob Christie’s documentary Beyond Gay: The Politics of Pride. Other films include Is It Just Me?, Play in the Gray, Wild About Harry, and 8: The Mormon Proposition. Several filmmakers will be in attendance at their screenings. Advance tickets are available through the MFA and Brattle Theatre for films showing at those locations; tickets for screenings at Fenway Health can be purchased at the door with cash only. Passes are also available through the MFA Box Office. Visit http://bostonlgbtfilmfest.org/ for the full festival schedule and more ticket information.

23rd Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, May 27 – June 5, Hartford, CT: Keep up to date with this Fest at http://www.outfilmct.org/ for updates and volunteer opportunities.

8th Annual Walpole High Film Festival May 16, 18, and 20, Walpole, MA:  The fabulous Fest features student work and finishes with a red carpet event on May 20th. Visit http://www.whsfilmfestival.com/Walpole_High_School_Film_Festival/Welcome.html for more details and contact information.

New Hampshire High School Short Film Festival, May 15, New Hampshire Technical Institute, Concord, NH: This event is free and open to the public, with an awards ceremony to follow! Visit http://www.nh.gov/film/hsfest/index.htm for the full list of films.

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INDUSTRY BUZZ

State budget cuts pose a serious threat to the Vermont Film Commission, reports the Burlington Free Press (http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20100415/ENT02/100414017). The commission’s budget has been reduced by approximately $70,000, and the commission must eventually find new ways of funding itself. The article quotes executive director Joe Bookchin, who says, “If the state stops funding us, I think that would be the end of the film commission.”

The Massachusetts state House of Representatives rejected amendments to prevent another proposed cut to arts and cultural funding through the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC). The final House budget plan calls for $9.1 million the MCC, or roughly $600,000 less than the agency’s current allocation. For more information, visit http://www.massculturalcouncil.org/.

Emmy-award winning Friends producer Kevin Bright is currently working with students at the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts. Bright, who is also an executive artist in residence at Emerson College, is teaching a filmmaking course to the students, who recently completed their first short film. Read the full story in the Boston Globe: (http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/articles/2010/04/21/blindness_is_no_barrier_in_filmmaking_class/).

Principle Pictures of Plymouth, Massachusetts, has been awarded a Cinereach grant for Beth Murphy’s upcoming documentary What Tomorrow Brings. The film follows a year at a girls’ school in Afghanistan. Principle Pictures is currently in production on the documentary The Promise of Freedom. Visit http://www.cinereach.org/grants/grants-recipients/what-tomorrow-brings for more details.

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FILMMAKER OPPORTUNITIES!

The Camden International Film Festival is currently accepting submissions for their June 15 deadline ($45 fee for feature films, $35 short); Late deadline is July 15 ($55 feature, $40 short); Extended deadline is August 1 ($60 feature, $45 short.) Visit http://www.camdenfilmfest.org/submissions.php for submission form and updates.

Start preparing your submissions for this year’s Boston Film Festival, September 17 – 23. Deadline for submissions is June 11. Visit http://www.bostonfilmfestival.org/ for more details and to complete an application.

 Submissions are currently being accepted for the 12th Annual Williamstown Film Festival, October 15–24. Visit http://www.williamstownfilmfest.com/ for further details!

The ghoulish fun began last night, April 30, when we attended a production of Evil Dead: The Musical at MIT’s Kresge Little Theater. This clever little sing-along horror show was brilliantly conceived by a group of young people in Toronto to pay homage to a trilogy of Sam Raimi horror films (Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn, and Army of Darkness) considered by some to be the best horror series of all time. Debuting in Montreal in 2004 at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival, EDTM eventually made it to Off Broadway in 2006 and later went on to become the longest running Canadian show in Toronto in over two decades.

With hilarious musical numbers like “Do the Necronomicon” and “All the Men in My Life Keep Getting Killed by Candarian Demons,” EDTM is simultaneously a tribute to the Evil Dead films and to everyone’s favorite cult classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It’s also bloody as hell, with chainsaw beheadings, hand-held entrails, and explosions of blood that usually soak the first three rows of the audience, known as the Splatter Zone. Guess who was sitting in the center of the front row! (hey, I said we love horror) As proven by the “blood” stains covering our entire upper bodies following the show, Evil Dead: the Musical was a bloody good time.

And if you think that sounds weird, wait until you see what we’re relishing in at the Brattle Theater tonight.  It’s everyone’s favorite cult Japanese uncategorizable psychedelic horror trip, House! Inexplicably conceived by Nobuhiko Obayahshi in 1977, House tells the story of a schoolgirl who travels with six classmates to her ailing aunt’s creaky country home, only to come face to face with evil spirits, bloodthirsty pianos, and a demonic housecat. Never before released in the U.S. and never available on home video, House seems like it was beamed to earth from another planet. Which, of course, means it’s right up our alley! It all makes for a glorious horror-themed weekend!

After a lifetime of dreaming of traveling the world, 78-year-old homebody Carl flies away on an unbelievable adventure, with Russell, an 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer, unexpectedly in tow. Together, the unlikely pair embarks on a thrilling odyssey full of jungle beasts and rough terrain. Voices in the Golden Globe-winning film include Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer and Pixar stalwart John Ratzenberger.

On the second Thursday of each month, the Pollard Library right here in Lowell, in collaboration with Film Movement, Inc.,  hosts Independent Film Night.

On Thursday, January 14, @ 6:30 PM, the library will screen Mine, a documentary that follows New Orleans residents as they attempt the daunting task of trying to reunite with families all over the country who have adopted the pets they lost during Hurricane Katrina. This compelling meditation on race, class and the power of compassion examines how we treat animals as an extension of how we view and treat each other. Check the Pollard’s calendar for information on each month’s screening.

With their multiple film series – Cinema Cabaret, Family Film, and World Cinema, to be specific – the Nashua Public Library over the border in New Hampshire spoon feeds us with film opp’s on a regular basis. Some upcoming screenings include the surprise indie hit (500) Days of Summer this Friday, January, 15 @ 7 PM, Quentin Tarantino’s brilliant The Inglourious Basterds next Tuesday, January 19 @ 7 PM, and the moody sci-fi film Moon next Friday, Jan. 22 @ 7 PM. Check the NPL’s calendar for more info on these and other upcoming screenings.

And finally, our friends nextdoor at the Chelmsford Public Library host Cinema Night Out on the third Thursday of each month at 7 PM. This series screens foreign, cult, and independent films normally seen in art-house cinemas. Selections are announced via e-mail newsletter on the week of the screening.  The next screening will be next Thursday, January 21 @ 7 PM. For more information, contact Tricia Horan at 978-256-5521, ext.125.

So, film fans – consider yourself schooled! Now get out there and take advantage.

As the Day of the Dead descends upon us, we here at the Lowell Film Collaborative are giggling with an evil grin, as we have had a frightfully fantastic Halloween season over the past few weeks. It all started with a hugely successful Mill City Mayhem event at Second Wind Cafe on October 24. Then, this past Thursday, we were invited by our friend Nancye Tuttle to be guest speakers at her “Film, Video and Society” class as Middlesex Community College. The lecture was on nothing other than one of our favorite subjects – horror films, and it was an absolute joy to share our passion with a group of (mostly) interested students. On Thursday night, we ventured up to Litchfield, New Hampshire to brave the seven haunted houses of Nightmare New England. And we finished everything off with a Halloween night screening of the horror classic The Exorcist last night at The Music Hall in Portsmouth.

In between these events, we managed to stockpile our Netflix DVD queue with new and classic films that celebrate the season:

• The Black Cat – Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi classic with plenty of meaty lines for both of them to chew on!
• The Innocents – one of our favorite classic horror films of all time with a brilliant performance by star Deborah Kerr
• The Children – creepy new British thriller about children who turn on their parents after catching a mysterious virus
• Dead End – clever and gory film from a few years ago about a family who get lost when they take a new route to visit their relatives
• Splinter – indie film with an original premise about a shape-shifting viral host that traps two couples in a gas station
• Fear(s) of the Dark – brilliant French b/w animated anthology film that delves into our deepest, darkest fear(s)
• Wendigo – Larry Fessenden film about a vacationing family terrorized by a psychotic local and a deep, dark secret
• Long Weekend – 70′s Australian thriller about a camping couple who break some eco-friendly rules, then become victims of Mother Nature’s revenge
• American Zombie – horror comedy mockumentary that examines a time when zombies have been fully integrated into society

It seemed only fitting that the apex of this wonderful season was last night’s screening. As we sat in the theater of the Music Hall watching a film that absolutely scarred me as a child when watching it on television with my parents at six or seven years old, I felt a sense of reluctance even as an adult when watching it – it is truly that terrifying. Brilliant performances by all the actors, especially young Linda Blair as the possessed child, coupled with the fear not only of the unknown but something that challenges the religious beliefs of our society, make The Exorcist a film that can never be rivaled in the frights it evokes. Happy Day of the Dead!