Film Independent Directors Close-Up
Wednesdays, February 8 – March 7, 2012
The Landmark – West Los Angeles

Get your series pass before January 27 and save big.
Film Independent Directors Close-Up gives you access to go behind the scenes with prolific film directors and their collaborators.

Confirmed speakers (to date) include:

• Will Files (sound designer, The Tree of Life, Take Shelter)
• Phil Johnston (writer, Cedar Rapids)
• Jonathan Levine (director, 50/50, writer, The Wackness)
• Mike Mills (writer/director, Beginners, Thumbsucker)
• Jeff Nichols (writer/director, Take Shelter, Shotgun Stories)
• Will Reiser (writer, 50/50)

Space is limited. Register before January 27 and receive the 
special early registration rate of $99 (regular price $149).
 For more information, speaker updates and to buy your pass, go to:

https://my.filmindependent.org/dcu2012

Cast your vote to determine the winners of the 2012 Film Independent Spirit Awards.

Filmmakers, film lovers and industry professionals who join the Film Independent community by December 6, 2011 are eligible to participate in the voting process for the 2012 Spirit Awards and will be entered for the chance to win two tickets to the awards ceremony.

Contact Film Independent at 310.432.1264 or by visiting my.filmindependent.org

Please join us for an evening of cinematic creativity, inspiration and networking!

The SAG Foundation presents SF2: The SAG Foundation Short Film Showcase

Monday, October 3rd at 7 p.m.
The NYIT Auditorium
1871 Broadway (at 61st St.)

There will be a post-screening Q+A with the filmmakers. This event is open to those over age 18. YOU MAY BRING A GUEST.

SAG MEMBERS RESERVE HERE.
Non-SAG members may send an email to: shortsny@sagfoundation.org

Do not list a guest unless you are ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN they can attend.

Looking forward to having you with us!
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SHORT FILM SUBMISSIONS – JANUARY 2012 SHOWCASE
The Foundation is currently accepting submissions for its January 2012 showcase. All shorts must be produced under a SAG contract and not run more than fifteen minutes. Please send a synopsis of your film for consideration to: shortsny@sagfoundation.org

SCRIPTS WANTED!
The Foundation is looking for quality feature scripts – 110 pages max – to present in a reading series. Scripts must be written by SAG members. You may send a brief synopsis for consideration to: shortsny@sagfoundation.org

Review of DRIVE

Why scheme, lie, cheat, and steal? Because an honest day’s work is so darn hard, and the payoff is usually higher; at least that’s what Mickey Prohaska would have you believe in the 2011 Sundance film The Convincer. Mickey (Greg Kinnear, As Good as It Gets, Little Miss Sunshine) enters every scene with one objective in mind: how can I get more out of this situation? His vile, unapologetic persona is always on the lookout for another scam, and he’s about to unearth his easiest con yet. Once his plot is put into motion, nothing, and no one, can stand in his way. Or, so he thinks.

It all begins at an insurance convention where Mickey convinces a fresh, eager salesman, Bob Egan (David Harbour, War of the Worlds, The Quantum of Solace), to accept a position with Mickey’s insurance company, instead of a high-paying offer with a larger firm. Mickey exaggerates his office space, his staff, his clients, his income, everything really, so he can hook Bob. Bob joins his team, and Mickey assigns him to the clients who are the farthest drive away from their office. This little bit of employee abuse backfires when Bob comes across an old man, Grovy Hauer (Alan Arkin, Catch-22, Little Miss Sunshine), on a farm estate with a rare and valuable violin in his attic.

Mickey jumps on the chance to steal this client and handle Mr. Hauer’s insurance needs himself. He has the violin appraised by a persnickety violin shop owner (Bob Balaban, Gosford Park, The Majestic), who tells him the artifact is worth 30,000 dollars. This is the exact amount Mickey needs to patch things up with his wife. Prior to the start of the film, he had emptied their joint bank account without her knowledge, leading to their current separation. He sets his plan in motion to lift the violin from spacey Old Man Hauer, but neighbor BG (James Stordahl), as well as security installer Randy Kinney (Billy Crudup, Big Fish, Watchmen), foil his plans.

Have no fear; Mickey is a smart, conniving man, and he continually adjusts his plans; as one door closes, five more open. The Convincer is a maze of plot twists. The story unfolds with Mickey starring as stage director, the man behind-the-scenes, pulling the strings on his many puppets, but, really, Mickey may not be the show runner he’s convinced himself he is. Self-absorbed, Mickey sees the world with blinders on. He is so untrustworthy, it is undoubtedly his own fault that he doesn’t recognize dishonesty in others. His world and the cast of characters around him, truly, are not as they seem.

Kinnear, Harbour, Arkin, and Balaban feed off of each other’s energy. Their dynamics are entertaining to watch and each accomplished actor shines in their assigned role. The Convincer is an unexpected film. Writers Jill and Karen Sprecher have woven quite a yarn, and Jill’s steadfast direction completes this wry and guileful picture. Much like the film, I have waited until the last act to tell you what it’s really all about; The Convincer is fairly smart, dark, and oddly humorous in a toned-down kind of way. Mixed into this fun, mysterious farce is a splash of The Usual Suspects, a touch of Fargo, and just a hint of The Red Violin.  Ultimately, though, this movie stands up on its own with a unique, dark-humored tone and unraveling plot. Sit back, relax, and enjoy this film!—

If you can ever find it. I saw The Convincer when it premiered in January 2011 at the Sundance Film Festival, in Eccles Theater, in Park City, Utah. Since then, I have read that it has undergone many changes, and it is not the film I saw at Sundance. We will have to wait and see what its final version will be like. I have not seen this new version, so I cannot comment on it in any way. I can only hope that it somehow remains the film I enjoyed at Sundance. For information on the changes, check out this Indiewire article as a starting point.

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In addition to her duties at SAGIndie, Ellen Tremiti is also a Contributor for Fanboy Comics, an independent comic book publishing company based in Los Angeles, CA. For more interviews, blogs, and reviews by Ellen and the FBC staff, check out the Fanboy Comics website at FanboyComics.net or sign up for the e-newsletter, The Fanboy Scoop, by emailing subscribe@fanboycomics.net.

Read the article HERE.

Review of THE DETAILS

“Details of the Los Angeles Film Festival were unveiled today with 200 feature films, shorts, and music videos on tap for the event’s 2011 edition, including 19 films screening in the ten-day event’s Narrative and Documentary Competition. LAFF will return to its downtown hub at L.A. Live with 27 World, North American, and U.S. premieres set to screen.

The number of films competing in the narrative and documentary competition categories increased this year from 18 to 19, of which 11 are world premieres and 8 are North American or U.S. premieres. The number of female feature filmmakers also increased this year from 21 to 23.”

Read the rest at INDIEWIRE.

“Lisa Aschan’s “She Monkeys” (Apflickorna) won the best narrative feature prize, while Alma Har’el took best documentary for “Bombay Beach” at the Tribeca Film Festival tonight in New York. The world competition winners for narrative and documentary films were chosen from 12 narrative and 12 documentary features from 21 countries. Aschan took to the stage, capping the efficiently dispersed awards with utter surprise.”

Read the rest at INDIEWIRE