Tag Archives: independent film

New Years Musings

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I was successful in slowing down over the winter holidays and I feel that I caught up on sleep and family bonding.  Immediately after my two weeks off I was spun right back into my frenetic schedule by commencing production on a short film that I was Assistant Director for.  The production was tightly scheduled with many locations so it was a demanding role and I found that I had boundless energy to dedicate to the production.  I have another shoot coming up and am in pre-production for my upcoming documentary trailer as Vancouver is enveloped in snow.

pulling focus

Setting the intention for downtime was the kindest thing I could have done for myself and my family not to mention the productions I am working on.  It was shocking that I found myself feeling anti-social at times and in need of complete relaxation and quietude.  And the personal reward was delicious and insightful dreams that allowed me to connect to my subconscious and re-evaluate my trajectory.  I enjoyed that deep and profound communication with myself which revealed new insights and inspiration.

Last winter I was in India enjoying slowness for 6 weeks.  I didn’t have that luxury this year though I am grateful for the two weeks with family and friends.  I see a bright year ahead with big changes.  Wishing you the ability to actualize your dreams and infinite bliss, there is no time like the present.

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I have watched many movies in the past month and Lars Von Trier’s “Melancholia” stood out on many levels.  After Von Trier’s antics at Cannes this year I was curious to see his new film.  I admire his originality and how he covers complex human issues. In his beautifully shot intro he gives the ending away so that there is no suspense and you are forced to delve into the captivating story.  I would go so far as to say that this film is mindgasmic.  At the very least you will enjoy Kirsten Dunst’s performance.

Filmspiration

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The Vancouver Film Festival is coming to an end. The festival was on while I was in production with an episodic series so I didn’t get the chance to see most of the films I wanted to see. I did however get a chance to check out a few documentaries.

Thinking about some of the things that go on in China sometimes makes my head spin. ‘Waking the Green Tiger’ tracks the rise of the green movement in China and gave me great hope showing the power of documentary activism. I loved this one.

Yoga and documentary, nuff said.

For Sigur Ros fans ‘Inni’ is a must see.

July High

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As we are graced with 15 hours of daylight this time of year in the Pacific North West, festival season is in full swing.  Vancouver is a city that harbors whimsical summer fun and I am feeling ever so grateful to live here.  Happy 125th birthday Vancouver.  I am riding the high from being surrounded by inspiring music, films, and people in a city that you can swim in the ocean and climb a mountain, hike pristine forests, and eat amazing organic food all in the same day.

One of the films that impressed me the most this month was Mike Mill’s ‘Beginners’.  Ewan McGregor and Mélanie Laurent rocked the screen in a well told story with enough subtle humor to have kept me giggling throughout the film while striking enough of an emotional cord, a necessary element for me to give a film praise.  Sweet story, sweet film making.  I especially was impressed that the dogs thoughts were subtitled.  I really loved this film.

‘Submarine’ by Richard Ayoade is a coming of age film humorously presented with depth, whit and enough of a twist that I loved as well.

Wishing you summer bliss and creative fulfillment.

Flashes of Light

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This year during Summer Solstice I was immersed in a week of filming short films.  That week was a culmination of projects and busyness that climaxed with the production of the short film that I wrote and directed.  I am editing it now, can’t wait to show it to you, it was a lot of fun to produce.  I had to rely on my inner light and a lot of matcha to get through that intense week that started at the end of another intense and busy week.  ‘Bend‘ starring Cassandra Sanders, Micky Overman, and Jennie Graham.

My favorite film from the past month was Woody Allen’s ‘Midnight in Paris‘.  I am amazed at his ability to express the truth that ‘life is suffering’ with such humor.  Owen Wilson and Woody Allen are a great combination.  Check it out, in all of it’s absurdity that only Allen could pull off so coherently.

I have to give an honorable mention to Terrence Malick’s new film ‘Tree of Life‘ that was produced and starred in by Brad Pitt.  This film is more of an experimental piece rather than your typical Hollywood flick with a focus on exploring our inner world delving into spiritual exploration again covering topics from the 4 Noble Truths that ‘life is suffering’ and ‘the origin of suffering is attachment’.  I am not sure this one will do so well at the box office though I think it deserves recognition.

My schedule is a little less busy for the next week or two, only slightly so.  In my spare moments you will find me skating in the sun or on a yoga mat recalibrating my frequencies to calm focused bliss.

Sumitra’s Movie Picks for May 2011

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This month I watched a movie that I thought was remarkable. Incendies was written and directed by Montreal based Denis Villeneuve. The story is cleverly structured as well as original and the cinematography is stunning. I highly recommend this film which I saw at the now permanently closed Hollywood theatre in Kitsilano. The film opens with a Radiohead’s “You and Who’s Army” and beautiful cinematography which instantly drew me in.

Another film worthy of mention is Iñárritu’s Biutiful. I liked the narrative of his film Babel and was not disappointed by this work that successfully represented the metaphysical as well as social underdogs, this film has depth.  The photography of this film was beautiful which helps to guide you into the emotional world of the actors.  It was mostly shot hand held and motivated by what the actor was focusing on with a filmic look to the shots. Lighting was unique and also enhanced the mood of this film. After watching the Director’s commentary I loved it even more, many of the actors in the film were not professional and benefited from the opportunity. I am convinced that Javier Bardem is an actor with great skill, I was relieved to see him in a role other than the creepy serial killer he portrayed in No Country for Old men.

I also have to mention Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay which is an intense film that portrays the realities of street children living in Bombay.  She took actual street children under her wing and housed and trained them to act in the film.  Most of the children in this films lives were improved from the experience.  The first time I watched it was in a group screening and most people found it such an intense film though perhaps as I was just in Bombay and read Shantaram while I was there I was prepared for what would be seen.  Regardless, this film was very well done with all of the elements that make a great film, decades before Slumdog Millionaire.

Let me know if you have seen any great independent films or if you have seen these films please share what your impressions were.

A Revolution for Sustainability?

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For the first time I watched a feature film on my iPhone, fully embracing the convenient technology. It is a noteworthy project, the Zeitgeist Movement a documentary that is brilliantly leveraging the viral video phenomenon and also is ‘non-commercial’.

If you have ever wondered what the world would look like without money then it is worth checking out, it goes into detail on how a resource-based economy would impact the Earth. I think that it is healthy to envision the future of this planet through different lenses in different scenarios to our current socioeconomic model in which we work so hard to transcend. What I like about the ideas presented in this documentary is that they are discussed along with an understanding of human needs, the first section reveals our needs in utero and in the developmental years. It is grounded in a thorough understanding of one of the key components to the critical situation on this planet: PEOPLE.

It is a common thread in many of the documentaries I have watched in the past year; revolutions are a necessary component in world history, they bring about justice and allow us to move forward in our development in a healthier trajectory. In the west we have such a comfortable lifestyle and are bombarded with personal entertainment and consumerism that it does appear that the masses pour their energy into sustaining their lifestyle rather than look deeper for solutions to global concerns. We have become passive and complacent. Sustainability is such a poignant issue it seems alarming that the revolution has been so ineffective. It seems we are all going green though global emissions are still on the rise.

Check out this documentary that has almost 4 million views in just over a month and let me know what you think.

Human Behaviour

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Last week the Vancouver International Film Festival wrapped up after two weeks of film galore. This year the theme for me was documentaries and each documentary that I watched had an environmental spin on it even if it was not an ‘environmental’ film; it is a global topic. All of the films discussed an imminent need for conditions on this planet to shift RIGHT NOW, that we are in need of a REVOLUTION.

Sometimes I think about conditions on our sacred planet and I wonder why people aren’t freaking out and being more proACTIVE. There are some amazing people making a difference, creating a future for us to live in balance and all of these people are my HEROS. Although we are making progress it seems as if a great majority of the population are so passive about planetary conditions and current issues. regeneration-themovie.com discussed how we are plugged into the internet, personal entertainment devices, we are consuming more than ever before and this is leaving us DISTRACTED. Our youth is preoccupied and passive. Even with all of this ‘media’ there is such massive censorship that most Americans have no idea about what really is happening in Iraq, there are no major protests like there were when the US ambushed Vietnam & Cambodia.

Our feet in both worlds the key thought for me, leveraging our connectivity and unplugging on a regular basis. Remember that we CAN make a difference. Make time for community, don’t wait for someone to do something. MOVE. I am certain that we are capable of pulling up our socks and focus more effectively at transformation and have ecstatic fun while doing so. Immerse yourself in love, remember that when we keep our vibrations high we have more energy to focus our thoughts and actions, magnetizing momentum.

Irresistible.

Creative Buzz

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It is hard to believe that summer is coming to an end but alas, the seasons must change. Here in the Pacific North West summer is too short, cliche I know. I must lament, many of the creative projects that I intended to work on or wrap up this summer simply didn’t happen. Though in my failure beauty emerged, beauty in the form of unscheduled spontaneity that resulted in amazing time with family and friends, beauty in the form of downtime that allowed a very deep and profound ancestral healing, the type that you cannot command to happen or schedule in. I feel so deeply calm and focused and although I crave more sun, as we all do, I feel ready to embrace autumn.

summer sunset

summer sunset

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Here is a teaser from the documentary END:CIV directed by Franklin Lopez of submedia.tv based on the works of Derek Jensen. During the winter and spring I had a ton of fun doing some post production on this project.

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Meat consumption is a significant contributor to global emissions, primarily beef and pork. The larger the animal, the heavier the footprint. If you are not vegetarian, consider going veg one day a week to do your part. If the whole planet stopped consuming meat one day a week emissions drop considerably. See if you can go to two days from there, and stick to poultry and fish, although it seems that salmon is not really an option anymore. When I think about how we can carry our existences and pursue our dreams while reducing our footprints on the planet it kicks in my creativity and I get a little buzz from it. Riding my bike around, growing food, consuming less, it has been fueling me as I discover little details that make my day more sustainable, and more magical.

TRANCEending the ordinary

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See the world from fresh eyes,
you are the alchemist.
You have the ability to transform a painfully mundane moment
into pure magic.
Enter the flow…

…find that inner spark,
blow air onto it,
and allow it to burn.
Feel the warmth, the bliss.

Listen to that song, the birds, the traffic, the people, to that voice from within.
Feel the wind, the heat, the raindrops, the vibrations, your heart.
Look at the view, the colors, the light, beneath the surface.
Touch your feet to the ground, the textures, the hearts of all the people around you.

It is contagious and irresistible and a potent remedy.

moving for words: a short film

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Last month I wrote about Enlightened Cinema, a monthly gathering at the Chai Gallery hosted by Winston Rekert bringing together a community in appreciation of independent film making. That evening in January, local performer/actress Lisa Petrucci expressed that she had an idea for a short film. That film idea turned into a script, then Winston drew together a crew to help Lisa’s vision manifest into a short film. He introduced me to Lisa and when she read her script to me I resonated deeply with her theme of dreams, and how a dream can give us insight on important events in our lives, or important people. The dance between the conscious and the subconscious. Desire, do we act upon it or suppress it out of fear of being hurt, or our minds getting in the way.

crew of moving for words

crew of moving for words

So, from Lisa’s beautiful vision and script I got to work on my first short film with actors. I got to direct along side Winston, which was an insightful process. I also produced and edited the film and enjoyed working with cinematographer Ahmed Badawi. We shot the film in two days and I had to co-ordinate the musicians to record the score in between my mad schedule and busy family life. But it happened, this project had a synergistic flow to it and it all came together in time for the film to be showed on the second ever Enlightened Cinema on February 3rd, although I had to connect my laptop to the projector as I had not yet compressed and copied it onto a DVD.

Lisa Petrucci

Lisa Petrucci

We filmed in the beautiful Pacific Spirit Park, and were a frozen bunch by the end of the day. The second day of filming was in the most wonderful second hand bookstore, Bibliophile, at 2010 Commercial Drive. If you have not been there you should go check it out, it is loaded with charm. I managed to scoop up an incredible book on traditional Indian textile patterns, which is a major passion of mine. Scott, the manager, was super hospitable to us filming in his store. I also have to give props to actor Aryo Khakpour, he was very helpful on set and did such a great job acting.

Bibliophile - best used book store

Bibliophile - best used book store

Solen enjoyed being around the set. At Chai Imin Shekere a few days after we finished filming, he had my video camera and was quite the little director with the patrons and performers! It was so cute seeing him interview people and directing shots throughout the evening. I am sure he will be mighty useful on future sets.

Solen on set

Solen on set

Do it people, get your ideas onto paper, collaborate, get the right people together and set a deadline. Voila, in one month a finished project.

If you are curious about the project, I’d be happy to show you the 10 minute movie. Short film and tea and conversation.

moving for words/moving forwards