UPDATE: ARTFARE BENEFIT @ THE FOXThis entry was posted on 2/14/2008 6:59 PM and is filed under news.
That's right, Tiffany Shepis will be hosting this event. One of her films is going to be in the program line up called, "Kiss Your Ass Good-Bye", directed by up-and-coming Director Jeremy Hamley. She stars in so many feature films all over the country each year that it was just good timing that she would be able to make this event in between pictures. She's also a big supporter of independent film. I was thrilled to find out today, from my Producer Gabriele Andres, that she was happy to do this event for us. We both liked her a lot when we first worked with her on Jeremy's film because she was so considerate and gracious toward everyone on set. If you're not a Tiffany fan already, you will be by the end of the show. If you already are a fan, you'll be seeing her on the big screen as well as in person for a day to remember. Luiz Carrion of the PBS/KUAT news magazine show, "Arizona Illustrated" will be televising an interview he did with me and UofA media arts senior Justin Mashouf (our A.D./Associate Producer on "The Last Man") Thursday at 6PM and re-broadcast at midnight, 20 February 2008. Justin had about four hours of sleep more than I did this week, but we both managed to hit the ground running and speak coherently. The broadcast facilities at the UofA have been seriously upgraded - it's a completely worldclass facility. It also looks as if Gabi has everything set for Saturday at the Fox. Even the movie posters are printed and now on display in the glass showcases under the marquis of the Fox Theatre. As always, she put together the biggest event possible in the short time she had. She coordinated all the guests, visitors and exhibiting vendors into what looks more like a one day film festival than just a screening. That was the vision we both shared from the outset, to make this a total community event, where we could showcase as much of Tucson's filmmaking talent as possible, within the short time we have at the theater. It certainly isn't all-inclusive but that's only because it's a fund-raiser for Artfare The Muse, and the theme of the films are those with some connection to Artfare. The two-hour line-up of trailers, short films and featurettes were all screen tested at the Fox Theater for optimal picture and audio levels on Wednesday 13 February 2008. PCC alum, Mina Alley and I worked together to conform the picture and audio for exhibition as a seamless program, playing from digital tape to the digital projector for the highest quality image and sound possible. The Fox staff did an exhaustive job to make every film look and sound its best. Our Projectionist for this event is Tracy Odishaw. Our audio engineer is Rocky Richardson. Their new digital widescreen projector and surround sound speaker array was a brilliant audio-visual experience to behold inside the historic Fox movie palace. We heard details in the sound design of the films that you just won't experience watching them on a standard television or on most home theater systems. My Producer Gabriele Andres and I are very pleased to announce a stunning lineup of films that show how far narrative filmmaking has evolved in the Tucson filmmaking community. This year, we see the addition of a lot of promising new talent behind the camera as well as on the big screen. The Latino presence in many of the films in the lineup is nothing less than a tour de force, which we can all take a great deal of pride in for raising the bar in filmmaking excellence community-wide. This applies to Tucson's exceptional student filmmakers too, who have earned the respect of the community by successfully completing some very ambitious projects. Director Jeremy Hamley of Pima Community College proved himself to be an unshakable, focused professional with his ambitious short film, "Kiss Your Ass Good-Bye". Directors JorDan Fuller and Justin Mashouf of the University of Arizona proved their ability to make a film of scope and cinematic excellence with their short film, "The Runners". And Directors Justin Stern and Chelsea Coles, also of the University of Arizona, proved their ability to coordinate and execute a film of quality and scope at an amazing pace with their short film, "The Fall Of Santiago". Tucson's leading men, Santiago Craig, Julio Garcia and Fausto Olmos have had a very busy year, starring and appearing in quite a few films in the lineup, proving their high level of talent, dedication and commitment to each project they accept. Joining Tucson's leading men is Jonathan Northover, who delivers a remarkable performance in "Somewhat Damaged". Tucson's beautiful leading women have also had a busy year. Flying in between feature projects, Tiffany Shepis steals the show in "Kiss Your Ass Good-Bye" as effortlessly as breathing. Anna Yosin shines in "The Runners". We ugly-up the beautiful Teresa Shade, co-star of "The Last Man" as Evadne, the macabre romantic interest. I think what makes all of these actors and actresses so essential to the success of a film is their commitment to their craft and the fearlessness in which they take creative risks to make their roles so memorable. This doesn't mean that supporting cast members are limited only to supporting roles, not by a long shot. Tucson's acting community is full of amazing talent who often rotate as leads, whenever they're not stealing the show in supporting roles. The comraderie and hard work Tucson's talent puts into each project, regardless of playing leading or supporting roles, is a huge reason behind the success of Tucson films. Established feature Directors Alfonso Sahagun, Scott Hellon and Angelo Lopes all have trailers for their latest feature films playing in the lineup, including Alfonso's brilliant Spanish language "Alambrista Emplumado", with the feature DVD on sale in the lobby; Scott's cerebral trailer for "Yang & Yin", is soon wrapping production on what promises to be an amazing feature; and, Angelo's "Gunheavy", the highly anticipated, action packed, epic scope, science-fiction feature film. If you've ever seen "Jack Of Bullets", you'll understand all the interest in Angelo's newest feature. What all of the titles in the lineup demonstrate is how talent and dedication can break through what we once thought were barriers and limitations. These are all projects whose craft and talent transcended the lack of budget, delivering compelling entertainment that stands on its own. It's inspiring for me and for everyone in the filmmaking community to see the impact that the past few years of work from all across the community has done to take Tucson filmmaking to the next level. Tucson is not the same place it was just a few years ago; it has grown far beyond its origins as the home of the Western, making this a really exciting time to be making your new-school digital projects in the Old Pueblo. With Artfare The Muse at the epicenter of this explosion in Tucson's motion picture arts and sciences, it becomes important for us all to support an institution like Artfare because of its ongoing commitment to advancing independent film from all social and economic backgrounds in our community. Tickets for this event are $12 with ten dollars of each ticket going back to Artfare The Muse so they will still be there for you when you start your next film. Here are the twelve titles in the line-up for Saturday 23 February 2008 that we received in time to fit into this awesome program: Starting at 4 PM (2 hour program):
Starting at 7 PM (2 hour premiere):
TICKETS are on sale now at the Tucson Fox Theater Website and box office. Don't wait to the last minute to get your tickets, Saturday is just days away!
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©
James Arnett, all rights reserved.
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