Looking for SECLUDED CABIN for FILM PRODUCTION

Looking for SECLUDED CABIN for FILM PRODUCTION
The film is set in a secluded cabin in the woods. It would be great if we could focus on an area close to Kingston - so that the stage would be close to the locations.

SECLUDED CABIN
The cabin is isolated in a vast, empty, frozen wilderness – forest + mountains
This cabin is the place where the main character used to grew up and just moves back in years later with his own family when it became too expensive to live in the city. The cabin should look simple - nothing fancy and brandly renovated – and has to give the impression that the place hasn’t changed since his childhood but used to be a nice place to live in when he was a child. It should look a bit rustic and with some charm but without a lot of furnitures though as no one has been living in there for years.
- EXT. CABIN
o Ext. Dirt Road => rough dirt road with thick trees and a last stretch at the end that leads to the cabin.
o Ext. Driveway (couple of hundred yards away from cabin)
o Ext. Snowy Yard/Clearing (in front of cabin)
o Ext. Front Porch (w/ steps)
- INT. CABIN
o Living Room w/ fireplace
o Kitchen
o Basement with 2 small high windows that are letting daylight in.
o Parent’s Bedroom
o Alex’ s Bedroom
o Kate’s Bedroom
o Bathroom

AROUND CABIN
- WOODS
o Shed
o Ext. Path through wood
o Ext. Edge of Woods
o Ext. woods by brook
o woods adjacent to the road
- Ext. on the bank of a small brook in the woods / Ext. Lakeshore
- Ext. Meadow
- Ext. Hillside => little rise about 100 yards from the cabin.

PLEASE SEND PHOTO SAMPLES to filmcommission@me.com
Appropriate photos will be forwarded to production team

Melissa Leo back in Sundance with two films in competition

Academy-Award® nominated actor Melissa Leo is a long time friend of the Woodstock Film Festival and a veteran of Sundance. She starred in FROZEN RIVER, which won the Grand Jury prize at Sundance in 2008 and was later nominated for 2 Academy Awards. Melissa returns to Park City this January with two films. We recently caught up with her at her Hudson Valley home when she was visiting on a brief break from working in New Orleans on the upcoming HBO show TREME. We spoke with Melissa about the two films.

THE DRY LAND, directed by Ryan Piers Williams will be US Dramatic competition.
In the film, James (Ryan O’Nan) returns from Iraq to face a new battle—reintegrating into his small-town life in Texas. His wife (America Ferrera), his mother (Melissa Leo), and his friend (Jason Ritter) provide support, but they can’t fully understand the pain and suffering he feels since his tour of duty ended. Lonely, James reconnects with an army buddy (Wilmer Valderrama), who provides him with compassion and camaraderie during his battle to process his experiences in Iraq. But their reunion also exposes the different ways that war affects people—at least on the surface. This moving, taut story of redemption and reconstruction extends beyond a post traumatic-stress-disorder narrative. O’Nan is heartbreaking as he explores the depths of his internal struggle; Ferrera fearlessly tackles her role of a young wife in turmoil. The Dry Land is about one man’s fight within his own terrain—his country, home, and mind—and his journey to rebuild what he’s lost. (synopsis courtesy Sundance)

"America Ferrera called me to play the mother in THE DRY LAND and I immediately said yes. I worked with America years ago on a television show where I played her mother and knew then she was a serious actor with a bright future. Additionally, Heather Rae, who I last I worked with on FROZEN RIVER, was the producer on THE DRY LAND and my long time friend Jeannie McCarthy cast the picture so I was thrilled to work on it. First time director Ryan Piers William was a joy to work with. There was a true filmmaking collaboration in New Mexico which we all enjoyed. I can't wait to see it in Sundance"

THE DRY LAND was edited by WFF advisory board member Sabine Hoffman, and co - stars Jason Ritter who attended WFF 2009 with his film THE PERFECT AGE OF ROCK'N ROLL.

WELCOME TO THE RILEYS, directed by Jake Scott will also be in US Dramatic competition.
Trauma transforms us. Years after their teenage daughter’s death, Lois and Doug Riley, an upstanding Indiana couple, are frozen by estranging grief. She isolates herself in their immaculate suburban home. He philanders with a local waitress, anesthetizing pain with easy passion. When he loses his mistress to cancer, Doug, beset by further heartache, escapes to New Orleans on a business trip. Compelled by urgencies he doesn’t understand, he insinuates himself into the life of an underage hooker, becoming her platonic guardian. Meanwhile, Lois summons all of her remaining force to overcome agoraphobia and venture south to reclaim her marriage. Exacting performances from three consummate actors (James Gandolfini, Melissa Leo, and Kristen Stewart) infuse this emotionally raw, gently humorous drama with penetrating humanity. Director Jake Scott’s debut refuses to flinch from uncomfortable moments or tie neat bows around its characters. Instead, it reveals how taking risks and leaving our comfort zone can become a profound path to healing the human heart. (synopsis courtesy Sundance)

"As for WELCOME TO THE RILEYS," continued Leo. "It was a great experience working with the very talented director Jake Scott, a joy to be wedded to James Gandolfini and a terrific experience working with producers Giovanni and Scott of Argonaut Pictures, who were both absolutely wonderful to me. I was also amazed by Kristen Stewart's experience and the seriousness with which she attacked a very edgy role. It is a beautiful story about mature adult relationship. My character has a real arc to it which was something I truly enjoyed working on. I'm grateful my work on these two films is done so I will not find myself in competition with myself in Sundance, and I wish both films the very best".

If you are out in Park City this January make sure to catch them.

WFF films recognized at Golden Globe nominations

The Golden Globe nominations were announced Tuesday morning and Woodstock Film Festival films and filmmakers were among the nominees!

Big congrats to Vera Farmiga, Best Supporting Actress in WFF's Closing Night Film Up in the Air and Woody Harrelson, Best Supporting Actor in WFF Opening Night Film The Messenger. Both actors attended the festival with their films and participated in great Q&As.





Congrats also go out to Samantha Morton (Best Supporting Actress, The Messenger), Jason Reitman (Best Director, Up in the Air), George Clooney (Best Actor, Up in the Air), Up in the Air (Best Motion Picture; Drama) and to all the nominees!

We'll be watching as the winners are announced at the Golden Globe Awards on January 17.
Best wishes to everyone.

Women are strong in Sundance Films

Woodstock resident Jade Healy will be attending Sundance 2010 with two films that have been accepted as part of the US Dramatic Competition. She worked on both as production designer. "I was so lucky to be a part of both of these films," Healy said. "They are both so different and special in their own way.

HAPPYTHANKYOUMOREPLEASE is the story of six New Yorkers negotiating love, friendship and gratitude at a time when they’re too old to be precocious and not ready to be adults. The film is directed by Josh Radnor and features Malin Akerman, Josh Radnor, Zoe Kazan, Tony Hale, Pablo Schreiber, Michael Algieri.

HAPPYTHANKYOUMOREPLEASE was so much fun," Healy recalled. "We had no money to work with but we really came together to create something I think is fantastic. The challenge as always it to make it look like you had money and I think we succeeded."

Juggling the sudden abduction of her childhood sweetheart as well as a blooming love affair, THE IMPERIALISTS ARE STILL ALIVE follows a French Manhattanite who makes her way as an artist in an indifferent, sometimes hostile world. The film is directed by Zeina Durra and features Élodie Bouchez, José María de Tavira, Karim Saleh Karolina Muller, Marianna Kulukundis, Rita Ackerman. Director Zeina Durra produced Laura Richard's "Breached," which screened at WFF05.

Healy emphasized that, THE IMPERIALISTS ARE STILL ALIVE was an amazing experience because it was an all woman power house of creative key; the producer, director, DP, costume designer and myself. It was refreshing to see women in creative leadership roles."

Producer Vanessa Hope (wife of 2009 WFF Trailblazer Award Recipient, Ted Hope) reacted to the Sundance screening with the following:

On the first day of shooting in a loft in Chinatown, while in-between takes, our lead actress, Elodie Bouchez, and I started talking about why we love this film project. It was the Monday before Valentine’s Day, and I told Elodie that the film “He’s Just Not That Into You” had been released and reviewed in a way I thought was relevant for our film. I opened my laptop to read Manohla Dargis’ opening paragraph to her because it had stayed with me (published: February 6, 2009, http://movies.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/movies/06into.html):

“The good Dr. Freud once asked, what do women want? To judge by the recent crop of what are often sneeringly referred to as chick flicks, today’s woman wants designer threads, extravagant weddings and a generous helping of public humiliation served up with laughs, most at her expense. Where have you gone, Thelma and Louise? Oh, right: those gun-toting runaway heroines played by Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon, who wore old blue jeans and confidently put the moves on the men in their lives in Ridley Scott’s 1991 outlaw female fantasy, drove off the cliff at their big finish. You have been missed, ladies.”

We’re answering that call, I told Elodie, to bring back women in film with brains, desire, courage and strength. Elodie, who appears in every frame of our film, went on to give a mind-blowing, brave and badass not to mention funny performance that will shake-up the way we look at life and she didn’t have to kill anyone or die at the end to do it.

I was drawn to the chance to tell a woman centered, woman directed love story with emotional truth and humor that plays against a globally relevant, politically resonant backdrop about the tragic legacy of wars in the Middle East and racism and fear where New York, the city of international expats and immigrants, fashion and art, itself plays a huge role. The film’s sense of politics and place distinguishes it. The characters in this film don't wander around bland unidentifiable locations, indifferent to the history that surrounds them and the social contradictions that ensnare them. Zeina Durra’s directing and storytelling style are exploratory and naturalistic rather than didactic, but she compels an encounter with local reality that is clear-sighted and poetic. Elodie’s character is neither a saint nor a mouthpiece. Though she’s an unquestionable force to be reckoned with in bed!

It’s to the credit of our first-time feature director, Zeina Durra, that she was brave enough to choose a team, myself and our DP Magela Crosignani in particular, who were also first-timers at narrative feature film production, and with whom she wanted to grow. Either that or there was no one else she could find who would spend three years watching and discussing the intricacies of postwar Italian Neo-realism, and French new wave cinema with her! It was a rough and risky road we traveled to bring the film to fruition with many different decks stacked against us from not having enough money to not having household name cast to not having household name crew to not telling an obvious male centered genre story by a male director. Frankly, it probably was our shared love and appreciation for film history as well as this film in particular that carried us all through. We all lost our narrative feature film virginity on this one and grew stronger together. Though every choice Zeina made in style and story was considered, intentional and often unconventional, I think Zeina wanted that intense, rough-around-the-edges, first-time passion to come through and she got it on set and in the film!

Our hope for Sundance is to connect with our audience, light up the festival and introduce a new voice in film that will continue the dialogue for many films to come. It will be our world premiere and there’s no better way to see this film than with a huge crowd. Our first screening is on Monday, January 25 at noon. We hope to pack the Eccles Theater!

p.s. We just learned that our film has been granted a Sundance Institute/Annenberg Feature Film Fellow grant! I want to add an extra thanks to the Sundance Institute and to the IFP for supporting our film.

Film needs family

IT'S A SHAME is an NYU grad 35mm short starring James Franco and Jess Weixler, directed by Rob Leitzell. It is a turn-of-the-century period piece about dystopia. We are looking for a Caucasian family (1-2 parents, 2 children of any age) to be background in a fantasy sequence. Location is in Pine Plains, NY and we will need you from 10am to 12-noon THIS THURSDAY, December 10. There is no compensation, but snacks will be provided. If interested, please contact Lizz at lizz.morhaim@gmail.com or at 410.419.3631

FIXER from Ian Olds available on DVD

FIXER: THE TAKING OF AJMAL NAQSHBANDI is a feature-length documentary that follows the relationship between an Afghan interpreter and his client, American journalist Christian Parenti. This intimate portrait of two colleagues shifts dramatically when Ajmal is kidnapped along with an Italian reporter. The situation goes from bad to worse as foreign powers pressure for fast results, the Afghan government bungles its response and the specter of Taliban power looms in the background. What follows is the tragic story of one man forgotten in the crossfire: a brutal allegory of the proud land and perilous misadventure that is Afghanistan.

After getting great feedback from the HBO broadcast in August, they are finally are able to sell DVD directly from their website at www.fixerdoc.com FIXER is the best documentary I've seen on Afghanistan - so good it's hard to imagine a better one. It's all jagged edges, blurs, and disconnects, catching as it does both the forbidding emptiness of the land and the edginess of war-weary Afghans.” - Ann Jones, The Huffington Post

Ian Olds is a director of both narrative and documentary work. He and Garrett Scott directed the feature documentary "OCCUPATION, DREAMLAND," an in depth portrait of a squad of American soldiers deployed in the city of Falluja, Iraq. "OCCUPATION, DREAMLAND" was short-listed for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and won a 2006 Independent Spirit Award. Olds’ short fiction films include TWO MEN, which won The Diane Seligman Award for Best Student Short Film at the 2005 Woodstock FIlm Festival, and BOMB, which was filmed in the Hudson Valley and world premiered at the 2006 WFF.

To order the DVD, visit www.fixerdoc.com and click on "Now available on DVD" or the DVD tab to be directed to the secure purchase page. Make sure to select "personal use" as opposed to "educational use" as the film is priced differently for educational institutions.

SMASH HIS CAMERA heading to SUNDANCE

SMASH HIS CAMERA

The Woodstock Film Festival would like to congratulate friend, advisory board member and Woodstock resident, Leon Gast on the World Premiere of his latest documentary SMASH HIS CAMERA, scheduled for 2010's Sundance Film Festival.

The documenatry, which will screen in the US Documentary Competition is the story of notorious, reviled paparazzo Ron Galella who opened a Pandora’s Box of issues from right to privacy, freedom of the press and the ever-growing vortex of celebrity worship. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis sued him and Marlon Brando broke his jaw.

"We tried to make it so that audiences would not just be looking at stills," said Gast by telephone. "We tried to do something artisitc and Woodstock was a great setting for that. The producers loved coming up here, and eating at The Bear and other places in town. We were about to do just about all the post production in my studio, which is fifty feet from the house. The editor was Doug Abel [also from Woodstock]. He's probably the best editor I've worked with in my 40-50 years in the business. Justin Martinez was assistant editor and he did some second unit photography and much more. It was a real pleasure.

Gast is known for making such seminal documentaries as HELL'S ANGELS FOREVER and the Oscar-winning chronicle of the 1974 landmark fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, WHEN WE WERE KINGS (1996). He is especially noted for presenting his subjects with rare compassion and insight.

STAY TUNED for many more Sundance announcements involving local filmmakers