Angles: Women Working in Film and Video (1996)

to women have included the Frameline Award to Christine Vachon (producer of Swoon, Poison and Todd Haynes’ Safe and Steve McLean’s Postcards from America). Also, the new Stolichnaya Rising Star Award was presented to Ela Troyano for her fabulous Latina mini-musical-melodrama Carmelita Tropicana. Mill Valley Film Festival (October). Features included: Siao Yu by Sylvia Chang (Taiwan/U.S.) picks up where producer Ang Lee’s first features left off in dealing with the dilemmas of a Chinese immigrant in New York City. Augustin by Anne Fontaine (France) is an astute portrait of a lovable loser who wants to be an actor. In Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by Marion Hansel (Belgium), a lost sailor (Stephen Rea) is befriended by a child in Hong Kong. My Dubious Sex Drive by Lucy Phillips (U.S.) is a sexually explicit portrait of a young couple grappling with issues of safe sex, fidelity and abortion. Doris Dérrie (Germany) presented Nobody Loves Me, a comment on gender construction in a romantic tragicomedy about a woman’s search for love. The film features Maria Schrader. Deborah Koons Garcia screened her comic fairy tale, Poco Loco —a modern spin on.A Midsummer Night’s Dream —which tells the story of two sisters living on a Monterey organic farm whose lives are turned upside down when a younger sibling breezes in. Strange Days, an action thriller by Kathryn Bigelow (U:S.), gives a gripping vision of violence and chaos in 1999. Programs featuring short works included “Mind Over Madness” (USA). Among the works shown were Katie Cadigan’s Out of My Mind, which documents the impact of mental illness on her family and offers a rare first-person account of this trauma through the collaborative voice of her artist brother following his psychotic break in college. Ave Phoenix by Susana Blaustein Mufoz is a spirited and evocative narrative portrait of the filmmaker’s mental collapse and treatment in Argentina following her Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary in 1985. The Film Arts Festival (November). From Danger to Dignity: The Fight for Safe Abortion (USA) by Dorothy Fadiman, Daniel Meyers and Beth Seltzer is the second in an award-winning series of documentaries on abortion. It chronicles the national movement toward safe, legal abortion in America, weaving together rare archival footage and interviews with individuals who fought to break the silence surrounding abortion. The Silence Between by Jacqueline Turnure, Oolite by Anna Geyer, and Requiem by Sara Whiteley are short works dealing with relationships within families. Walls of Sand by Erica Jordan is a feature about a friendship between two women from different cultural and sociological backgrounds. Spirits Rising is Ramona Diaz’s story of President Corazon Aquino’s rise to power interwoven with the history of the Filipino woman. The authors thank San Francisco publicist Karen Larsen, Pam Miller, Mill Valley; Jan Klingelhofer, Bay Area Women’s Festival; and Janis Plotkin & Caroline Libresco, Jewish Film Festival, for their help. Descriptions of some films were taken from festival catalogs. Where to see and be seen American Indian Film Festival and Video Exposition. Founded in 1975, the event is the oldest and most recognized international film fest dedicated to the preservation of Native Americans in cinema. The fest is produced by Native Americans to provide a venue for new films and videos that may not otherwise receive recognition in theatrical and non-theatrical release. Additionally, the organization publishes Indian Cinema Entertainment, a quarterly film, media and cultural arts journal. For more information: American Indian Film Festival, 333 Valencia St., Suite 322, San Francisco, CA 94103. 415/554-0525. Bay Area Women’s Film Festival. Sponsored by Landmark Theatres, this March fest showcases an international selection of films directed by women. Premieres include features, documentaries and short films. Its goals are to introduce first-time women directors, screen new works from veteran directors and provide a forum for the worldwide community of women filmmakers. A portion of the box office receipts benefits The Women’s Foundation, a 12-year old community foundation dedicated to creating environments in which low-income women and girls empower themselves. For more information: Jan Klingelhofer, Bay Area Women’s Film Festival, 2600 10th St., 4th Floor, Berkeley, CA 94710. 510/464-1000. Berkeley Video Festival. Created in 1991 by the East Bay Media Center, the fest was established to provide East Bay communities with access to video and television technologies. The competitive fest receives 200 or more entries and presents awards. Deadline: Mid-October. For more information: Berkeley Video Festival, 2054 University Ave., Suite 203, Berkeley, CA 94704. 510/843-3699. Black Filmworks Festival of Film & Video. Founded in 1974, the fest features films and videos made by, for and about the African and African American experience. The International Black Independent Film, Video & Screenplay Competition honors the winners in numerous categories. For more information: BFFF&V, 405 14th St., Suite 515, Oakland, CA 94612. 510/465-0804. Cinequest, The San Jose Film Festival. Cinequest in November focuses on American maverick filmmaking with additional mix of international independent films, seminars and children’s programs. Dead line: Early August. For more information: Cinequest, P.O. Box 720040, San Jose, CA 95172-0040. 408/995-6305. Festival Cine Latino. This September showcase of Latino films and videos is presented by Cine Acci6n, a 14-year old Bay Area media arts center for Latino filmmakers. For more information: Cine Accién, 346 9th Street, 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103. 415/553-8135. Film Arts Festival. The non-competitive festival in November highlights locally-produced Bay Area works in all lengths, formats and genres arranged in thematic programs. Honoraria paid for all works shown except those receiving FAF grants. Deadline: Late July. For more information: Film Arts Festival, 346 Ninth Street, 2nd floor, San Francisco, CA 94103. 415/552-8760. Fax: 415/552-0882. The Jewish Film Festival. Since 1981, the fest has not only created a place for contemporary films on Jewish subjects but has also directed attention to the Jewish secular culture. Deadline: January-March. For more information: The Jewish Film Festival, 2600 10th St., Berkeley, CA 94710. 510/548-0556. Mill Valley Film Festival and Videofest. The Film Institute of Northern California presents this Festival and the six-day Videofest in early October. The Videofest includes an Interactive Media exhibition, numerous seminars, special events and children’s programs. This invitational, non-competitive fest is dedicated to American and international independent film and video. Deadline: Late June. For more information: Mill Valley Film Festival & Videofest, 38 Miller Ave., Ste. 6, Mill Valley, CA 94941. 415/383-5256. Fax: 415/3838606. National Educational Media Network. Formerly the National Educational Film & Video Festival, the NEMN is the leading U.S. showcase for educational media. Founded in 1970, it is also the largest West Coast venue for non-fiction work. This competitive fest in the spring features more than 1,500 films, videos and interactive programs and gives awards in 150 different subject categories. Deadline: Early December for film (16 & 35mm), video and multimedia submissions. For more information: NEMN, 655 13th St. Oakland, CA 94612-1222. 510/465-6885. Fax: 510/465-2835. e-mail: NEMN@aol.com = VOLUME 3 NUMBER 1 @ 5