The sixth installment of the HollyShorts Film Festival (www.hollyshorts.com) will kick off on Thursday August 5 at the DGA theatre in Hollywood with a star studded opening night celebration that will feature the world premiere of David Arquette’s 3D short film “The Butler’s in Love,” Dick Van Dyke’s 3D short film “The Caretaker 3D,” Zachary Quinto’s comedy short “Hostage A Love Story,” Sundance winner Derek Water’s short comedy with Funny or Die “Drunken History: Lincoln, Douglas,” which stars Will Ferrell, Don Cheadle, and Zoe Deschanel, Kat Coiro’s short film “Idiots,” which stars Kate Bosworth and Zoe Saldana, Jeff Vespa’s “Children of the Spider,” starring Mena Suvari, Alex Prager’s short “Despair,” starring Bryce Dallas Howard, and Alex Ferrari’s “Red Princess Blues,” which stars Richard Tyson and Rachel Grant. The evening will be hosted by Ben Lyons. HollyShorts opening night tickets are available now at www.hollyshorts.com

HollyShorts opening night will also mark special announcements by David Arquette and James Caan. David Arquette will unveil Inmoo, the world’s largest online independent film theatre. James Caan will unveil his company Openfilm’s six finalists from its 1st Get It Made film competition.

HollyShorts Film festival will showcase over 190 short form projects in competition at Laemmle Sunset 5 August 6-12. The Best Short Film and Best Director prizes are presented by HollyShorts sponsor Company 3, which will award $20,000 of post production services packages to the winners. The winners will be announced during the festival’s special closing night ceremony on Thursday, August 12.

2010 HSFF OPENING NIGHT LINEUP—Thursday August 5, 2010 DGA Theatre

“The Butler’s In Love” is directed by David Arquette and features an all star cast including Thomas Jane (HBO’s Hung), Elizabeth Berkley (CSI Miami), Richmond Arquette (Zodiac), Jennifer Siebel (Something’s Gotta Give) and David Arquette. Based on a beautiful ‘absinthe era’ painting of the same name by renowned artist Mark Stock, the film tells the story of people longing for true love.

“HOSTAGE: A Love Story” stars Quinto, Roberta Valderrama (Valentine’s Day), Rachael Harris (The Hangover), and Brent Sexton (W.), and tells the story of how a Hostage and a hostage taker get dangerously close to one another.

Dick Van Dyke’s “The Caretaker 3D” was directed by Sean Isroelit, and written and produced by Jeffrey Amaral. Set in the late 1930’s, The Caretaker 3D is about the man who maintained the 4000 light bulbs which once outlined the HOLLYWOODLAND sign at night.

“Ollie Klublershturf vs. The Nazis” is directed by Scot Bright and written by Damon Lindelof (Lost). The film stars Chris Hemsworth, George Segal, Lainie Kazan, Norman Reedus, Rachel Nichols, Samm Levine, and Zach Mills and is an off-the-wall comedy set around the dinner table. What at first glance seems like an awkward ‘meet the parents’ situation for Dade Klublershturf quickly turns into a game of cat and mouse between Nazis, his boy genius younger brother, Ollie, and a time machine (disguised as an Atari joy stick) the Nazis are trying to capture from him…

“Idiots” is directed by Katherine Coiro starring Zoe Saldana, Kate Bosworth, Janeane Garofalo, Greg Grunberg, Jason Lewis, Victor Webster and Bruce Cole A bartender. A regular. Two hot girls and two hot guys. What happens is anyone’s guess.

“Children of the Spider” Written, Directed and Produced by Jeff Vespa starring Mena Suvari. A chance encounter with a spider provides the mystical insight that inspires a woman to change her life.

“Despair” is directed by Alex Prager starring Bryce Dallas Howard. Producers Jeff Vespa, Rachel North, Jeremy Dawson, Executive Producers Jonathan Segal, Paul Fischer Director of Photography Matthew Libatique. Tells the story of a woman in a state of enchantment is compelled to enter a strange and powerful red door altering her life forever.

“Drunken History: Lincoln, Douglass” is directed Jeremy Konner presented and executive produced by Derek Waters starring Will Ferrell and Don Cheadle and is the story of how the friendship of Abraham Lincoln (Will Ferrell) and Fredrick Douglass (Don Cheadle) overcame the slavery movement and the racism that existed in their day. Mary Todd Lincoln (Zooey Deschanel) also stars in this epic re-telling of a true American story. Watch as Jen Kirkman has two bottles of wine and tells us the story.

“Red Princess Blues” written/directed by Alex Ferrari starring Richard Tyson (Black Hawk Down, Kindergarden Cop) Rachel Grant (007 Die Another Day) Academy Award Nominee Robert Forster (Jackie Brown) and Tabitha Morella (Two and 1/2 Men). In this twisted modern day fairy tale ZOE, a young teenage girl, is lured into an afterhours carnival tent by the sleazy rock n roll carnie RIMO, she then gets more then she bargained for. It is up to the mysterious PRINCESS, the star of the new knife show at ROSCOE’S FREAK SHOW & CARNIVAL to pull her out of the wolf’s den that she has fallen into.

About HollyShorts
HollyShorts is an organization devoted to showcasing the best and brightest short films from around the globe, advancing the careers of filmmakers through screenings, networking events, and various panel and forums. The HollyShorts Film festival showcases the top short films produced 30- minutes or less. For more information, please visit www.hollyshorts.com.

Rooftop Films
This is What We Mean By Short Films
Friday May 14th 2010 8:00pm
New Design High School
350 Grand st. New York NY

FRIDAY MAY 14
This Is What We Mean By Short Films
Our annual opening program of kick ass short films all about, well, opening. It’s truly an amazing program, so even though the weather might keep us inside, this will be a stunning show.

SATURDAY, MAY 15
Holy Rollers
An intense and invigorating drama about Hasidic Jewish drug dealers in Williamsburg.

FRIDAY, MAY 21
Hopelessly Devoted
Our incredibly romantic, fun, beautiful short film show about love. This is a very special show for us, and for me. We’re showing a Spike Jonze short (awesome!), my girlfriend Stephanie’s band Frances is playing live (fantastic!), and there’s a little piece that Steph and I have been working on which I’d like to share (exciting!) If you haven’t seen Frances, or haven’t seen either of us in months, I promise this will be spectacular, so please come!

SATURDAY, MAY 22
Engwentro (“Clash”)
An award-winning low-budget intelligent action thriller from Manilla. This is an eye-popping film that’s sure to fly under the radar, so if you want to be super-cool and worldly, don’t miss this show.

April 22-29 2010
Mumbai, India

Kashish – Mumbai International Queer Film Festival being held between April 22nd to April 25th, 2010 in Mumbai promises to be four days of non-stop queer celebration across many platforms of artistic expressions.

Apart from over 80 Indian and International films, the festival has a range of allied activities – exhibitions, book launches, Q&A with filmmakers, panel discussions and of course parties! The festival expects to draw a huge audience from queer as well as non-queer community during its events spread across multiple venues in Mumbai.

Thursday March 4th
8:00pm PST / 11:00pm EST
live at Blog Talk Radio

Leah is an award-winning filmmaker and The Everything Film Show is proud to highlight her work in kick-off to a month-long Female Filmmaker Showcase. Her first film, Twitch, has screened in over 200 film festivals worldwide and won over a dozen international awards, eventually being picked up for distribution by IFC, Reelport and Skandinavia TV.

Another of Leah’s projects, Unicorns, recently won a Panasonic Filmmaker Grant at IFP’s Emerging Narrative Labs. Unicorns is executive produced by Allison Anders (GAS FOOD LODGING) and produced by Heather Rae (FROZEN RIVER) and is scheduled to go into production this spring.

Hear Leah talk about these and other projects, and share your own picks for Oscar gold. This is sure to be a show you won’t want to miss! Going live at 11pm EST (8pm PST). Don’t forget to RSVP!

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On Thursday the event will be live at: Blog Talk Radio
You can learn more about the Everything Film Show and also RSVP for the event here

Learn more about Leah Meyerhoff and become a fan of Unicorns on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/leahmeyerhoff
http://www.facebook.com/unicornsthemovie

Women Writing Women
Saturday February 27th 2010
3:00 pm – 4:30 pm
721 Broadway room 006
New York, NY

Join us for a discussion with working screenwriters to discuss the special challenges women face in creating rich and complex roles for women.

Featuring:
Tamara Jenkins – writer/director of THE SAVAGES and SLUMS OF BEVERLY HILLS
Leah Meyerhoff – writer/director of UNICORNS
Jenny Lumet – writer of RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus – co-writers of THE NANNY DIARIES
Minji Kang – writer/director of ACTUALLY, ADIEU MY LOVE

Moderated by: Amy Fox – writer of the HEIGHTS and screenwriting teacher at NYU

and then stick around for:

Double Threats
Saturday February 27th 2010
5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
721 Broadway room 006
New York, NY

Writer-Director. Actor-Director. Actor-Producer. Some do it all. Join us for a conversation on how the dual on-set role has evolved to its present state.

Featuring:
Jennifer Grausman – director/producer of PRESSURE COOKER
Lena Dunham – writer/actor/director of TINY FURNITURE
Paola Mendoza – writer/actor/director of ENTRE NOS
Alana Kearns-Green – writer/actor/producer of MARY MARIE

followed by the:

Closing Reception
Saturday February 27th 7:00 pm
721 Broadway Lower Level Lobby
New York, NY

Leah has been gracious enough to share a bit of her insight on her short filmmaking and how it has prepared her for her first feature length film. So, let’s get into it!

Merrel: What were the circumstances surrounding the production of Twitch? When you set out to make Twitch did you have a particular endgame in mind, like getting distribution or simply visibility?

Leah: I made Twitch while I was studying at NYU. I’ve always thought it best when filmmakers “write what they know” so I began with a very personal story and then expanded out from there.

- Merrel Davis
Uncompleted Works

Check out the full interview here.

Read more about the best panels of 2009 here

Check out the Waterpod episode she directed currently airing on Babelgum.

Artist Mary Mattingly uses any medium to realize an idea, whether it’s photography, video, fashion or installation. With a specialization in interactive architecture and an interest in nomad culture, human conditioning and sustainable living, Mary worked with a team of volunteer engineers to create the Waterpod, a floating, self-sustaining eco-habitat inhabited by six artists for six months that roamed the NYC waterways as an experiment in potential future living spaces and lifestyles 50-100 years from now. Both an expression of art and life, the Waterpod changes as is inhabitants adapt and its systems renew. We spend the day with its crew to see what it is really like to live on a living sculpture.

Mon. Nov. 23rd 2009 12:30pm
Tisch Asia
4th Floor Conference Room
3 Kay Siang Road
Singapore 248923

Navigating the Film Festival Circuit
Brown bag lunch workshop with Leah Meyerhoff

Have you finished your second-year film but don’t know where to begin submitting to festivals? Are you budgeting your thesis and trying to figure out how much to save for marketing? Do you think it is impossible to make money distributing a short film? Have you given up on sending your film out because it is too expensive or too much work? Is your MOS languishing in a closet somewhere?
Then this workshop is for you!

Learn how to make the most of the film festival world – from the moment you finish post until you finally secure distribution. Topics to be covered include: festival submission strategy, inquiry letters, fee waivers, deliverables, clearances, press kits, press releases, self-promotion, DIY marketing, social networking, distribution strategies, legal contracts and self distribution. This workshop will help you make the transition from First Run to Sundance, from Final Cut to the big screen, and from the class room to the real world.

Leah Meyerhoff is a Student Academy Award finalist and Slamdance Grand Jury prize winning Tisch grad who has had great success on the film festival circuit. Her second-year film TWITCH has screened in over 200 festivals, won a dozen international awards and was picked up for distribution by IFC, Reelport, Skandinavia TV, iTunes and Hulu. Her music videos TEAM QUEEN and ETERNAL FLAME have screened in over 50 festivals and aired on LOGO and MTV Europe. She has since been on numerous festival panels and recently served on the Slamdance Narrative Jury. Leah has received press coverage from The New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, and Film Threat among others, and was also profiled in the “Film School” series on IFC. She holds a BA in Art-Semiotics from Brown University and has taught at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Dalton, and the New York Film Academy in Florence, Italy. Leah is currently in development on her first feature film UNICORNS, a Sundance Lab finalist produced by Allison Anders and Heather Rae. For more information, please visit www.leahmeyerhoff.com

Sat. September 26th 2009
12 Van Dam st.
New York NY

How Not To Make A Short Film: Secrets From A Sundance Programmer,
hailed as “the Bible for short filmmakers,” is a provocative and practical insider’s guide to making a great short film that gets seen.

In this seminar you will learn:
Story
Structure
Production
Distribution
Film Festival Circuit
and How To Actually Make Money From Your Short Film
Act NOW and make a short film that gets screened at top film festivals around the world!