GEEK FILM FESTIVAL @ FLORIDA SUPERCON
HEADLINING FILM PROGRAM: - Guest Geek Filmmakers: 2 PLAYER PRODUCTIONS* - Opening Night Film: RADIO FREE ALBEMUTH* - Closing Night Film: CONNECTED: AN AUTOBLOGOGRAPHY ABOUT LOVE, DEATH AND TECHNOLOGY
(*Filmmakers in attendance)
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HEADLINING GEEK GUEST FILMMAKERS:
2 PLAYER PRODUCTIONS*
ABOUT 2 PLAYER PRODUCTIONS 2 Player Productions is a Portland, Oregon-based production company dedicated to documenting the world of video games and the rich subcultures that have sprung up around the medium. Combining innovative production techniques with an eye for poignancy, their documentary work invokes both the heart and the mind, humanizing the often denigrated gaming industry. 2 Player Productions was formed in 2005 by filmmakers Paul Owens, Paul Levering, and Asif Siddiky. Their breakout success came in 2008 with REFORMAT THE PLANET, a feature length documentary chronicling the global chip music scene. It debuted at South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival in 2008 and has played to eager audiences around the world. Capable of bringing their unique style to any project, the team has built a reputation within the film, music, and gaming communities. Collaborators have included Sony, MTV, G4, CurrentTV, Pitchfork Media, Spike TV, Gametrailers.com, Video Games Live, and 8bitpeoples. 2 PLAYER'S most recent success PENNY ARCADE: THE SERIES, an episodic documentary chronicling the titular Penny Arcade web-comic, has been regarded as a leap forward in original internet programming. 2 PLAYER projects include PENNY ARCADE: THE SERIES SEASON ONE, an episodic documentary chronicling the titular web-comic, and REFORMAT THE PLANET a feature length documentary about chip rock. They recently completed a successful Kickstarter crowd source fundraising campaign to fund MINECRAFT, a feature length documentary about the gaming phenomenon. Source: 2playerproductions.com
2 PLAYER PRODUCTIONS IS: Paul Levering*, Producer Paul Owens*, Director Asif Siddiky*, Cinematographer Gabe Liberti, Audio Engineer
Official site: 2playerproductions.com
* Be sure to see director Paul Owens, producer Paul Levering, and cinematographer Asif Siddiky at the 2 PLAYER PRODUCTIONS Panel and 2 PLAYER PRODUCTIONS screening Q&A’s! Screening the following 2 Player Productions projects:
______MINECRAFT (^ Special Geek Preview) Documentary/Gaming & Fandom ~20 minutes/US/English Director: Paul Owens 2playerproductions.com/projects/minecraft
ABOUT MINECRAFT Over the past year, the computer game Minecraft has become a cultural phenomenon, drawing millions of players into the unique, low-res world created solely by Swedish programmer Markus "Notch" Persson. When Persson announced that he would invest his Minecraft earnings in founding his own development house, Mojang AB, 2 PLAYER PRODUCTIONS seized upon the rare opportunity to fly to Stockholm and document the first week in the life of the new studio. During the editing of what was supposed to be a twenty-minute short, it became clear that an important chapter of gaming history was still being written, and that a feature-length documentary about Mojang's first year would make a powerful statement about what it means to create, release, and play games in the twenty-first century. For the first time, viewers will be given an in-depth look at both the triumphs and the challenges faced by a studio during their first year in existence. 2 PLAYER will analyze the unprecedented success of Minecraft, gain insight into its impact from journalists and industry professionals, and meet the fans whose lives have been changed by the game. Using the short as a proof-of-concept, 2 PLAYER turned to the revolutionary fundraising site Kickstarter.com to completely finance the film's production. By sourcing the budget from the game's immense fanbase, it empowers the consumer to vote for content they want with their wallets and fosters a more direct relationship between themselves and the final product. The Kickstarter crowdsourcing project was a success and the feature length production is in full swing. Source: filmmaker
^ Special preview of 2 PLAYER PRODUCTIONS’ MINECRAFT documentary about this gaming phenomenon!
______PENNY ARCADE: THE SERIES SEASON ONE Episodic Documentary/Gaming & Fandom ~2 hours 30 minutes total run time/US/English Director: Paul Owens penny-arcade.com/patv/pa-the-series/
ABOUT PENNY ARCADE: THE SERIES Tastefully straddling the line between documentary and guilty-pleasure voyeurism, PENNY ARCADE: THE SERIES collects the bizarre continuum of one of the world's strangest companies. Source: 2playerproductions.com
Have you ever wanted to see behind the scenes of the popular web-comic Penny Arcade (penny- arcade.com/comic) or see what it takes to put on not one but two of the largest gaming conventions in the world Penny Arcade Expo: PAX Prime and PAX East (paxsite.com)? This series takes you where few others have seen. Source: Kat Anderson, head programmer
______REFORMAT THE PLANET (& REFORMAT THE PLANET 1.5) Feature Documentary/Gaming & Fandom (Short Documentary/Gaming & Fandom) 74 minutes/US/English (25 minutes/US/English) Director: Paul Owens 2playerproductions.com/projects/rtp
ABOUT REFORMAT THE PLANET (& REFORMAT THE PLANET 1.5) REFORMAT THE PLANET (RTP) is a feature length documentary which delves into the movement known as chip music, a vibrant underground scene based around creating new, original music using obsolete video game hardware. Familiar devices such as the Nintendo Game Boy and Nintendo Entertainment System are pushed in new directions with startling results. REFORMAT THE PLANET began with the intention of documenting the influence of video game culture on an increasingly diverse range of modern art. Originally titled “Play”, the project served as the genesis of 2 PLAYER PRODUCTIONS in 2005. The fledgling crew set out conducting interviews with various artists, including several noted members of the game development community. After documenting several live chip music performances in New York City and being invited to film the first year of the now annual Blip Festival, it was clear that they stood before a rich cultural mine that few were tapping in any long-form projects. The decision to focus the film on the varied personalities of the NYC chip music scene was a quick and obvious one. Following its premiere at the 2008 South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival, RTP continued to play to eager audiences around the globe. Trendsetting music outlet, Pitchfork.com, streamed the film online as part of its new video service - Pitchfork.tv. - and record view numbers resulted in the limited engagement being extended for an additional week. During preparation for the film's DVD release, tragedy struck when hard drive failure wiped out nearly the entire film. In the time it took to rebuild the film from the source tapes, 2 PLAYER watched the NYC chip scene evolve in drastic new directions. Changing styles and an influx of new performers is the inspiration for the follow up documentary REFORMAT THE PLANET 1.5 (RTP 1.5) an exclusive feature of the Reformat the Planet DVD release. Source: filmmaker
______UNCHARTED 3 Documentary/Gaming & Fandom ~20 minutes/US/English Director: Paul Owens 2playerproductions.com/projects/uc3
ABOUT UNCHARTED 3 In coordination with Naughty Dog Studios a behind the scenes, for the latest entry in the UNCHARTED series. Naughty Dog is known for creating the hit franchises "Jak and Daxter" and "Crash Bandicoot". Considered one of the most prestigious developers in the world, Naughty Dog broke new ground on the PlayStation 3 (PS3) with the stunningly cinematic "Uncharted: Drake's Fortune". Released in 2009 to universal acclaim and capturing the title of "Game of the Year", "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves" was an incredible success for the studio, building upon the innovations of it's predecessor in every way. Initial work on the sequel began shortly after the release, and in 2010 2 PLAYER PRODUCTIONS was contacted for potential behind the scenes coverage of the development process. Since the positive experience of working on the "Infamous" developer documentary, 2 PLAYER PRODUCTIONS had been looking for the right opportunity to become involved with another Sony game. With Uncharted 3's development cycle underway, the timing was right to capture early stages of the new game's creation. Released in conjunction with the game's official announcement after the 2010 Spike TV awards, part one of the documentary focuses on pre-production aspects of the announce trailer and Naughty Dog's mounting internal pressure to meet expectations set by "Uncharted 2." The piece shows the crew building the teaser trailer from bare-bone mock-ups at the studio and motion capture and voice over sessions featuring the principal characters. Members of the studio express their aspirations for the new title and discuss the pressures of being one of the worlds most respected studios. Source: filmmaker ______
OPENING NIGHT FILM*
RADIO FREE ALBEMUTH Feature Narrative/Sci-Fi 118 minutes/US/English Director: John Alan Simon* radiofreealbemuth.com
ABOUT THE FILM Berkeley record store clerk Nick Brady (Jonathan Scarfe) begins to experience strange visions from an entity he calls VALIS that cause him to uproot his family and move to Los Angeles where he becomes a successful music company executive. With the help of best friend, science-fiction writer Philip K. Dick himself (Shea Whigam) and a mysterious woman named Silvia (Alanis Morissette), Nick finds himself drawn into a dangerous political- mystical conspiracy of cosmic proportions. The story is set in an alternate reality America circa 1985 under the authoritarian control of President Fremont, a Nixon-like clone (Scott Wilson). Source: IMDB.com/title/tt1129396/ RADIO FREE ALBEMUTH is an indie film based on the novel by Philip K. Dick (PKD) of the same title which sold over 2,000,000 copies. RADIO FREE ALBEMUTH is PKD’s most autobiographical novel, and the author wrote himself in as a character in the novel (played by Shea Whigham in the movie). Whigham’s performance garnered him a Best Actor Award at Sydney Fantastic Planet Film Festival in Australia. RADIO FREE ALBEMUTH was awarded Director’s Choice Best Feature at the Sydney Festival. The filmmakers, helmed by Writer/Director John Alan Simon, were committed to making a film that honored PKD’s independent spirit and great intellect. Being a huge fan of PKD himself, John Alan Simon made a movie that would appeal to PKD fans. Source: radiofreealbemuth.com
ABOUT JOHN ALAN SIMON - DIRECTOR As president and chief executive officer of Discovery Productions, Simon has been involved with the production, financing, sales, distribution and marketing of many successful independent features including, THE WICKER MAN (starring Edward Woodward); THE HAUNTING OF JULIA (with Mia Farrow and Tom Conti); BASKET CASE, and OUT OF THE BLUE (starring and directed by Dennis Hopper). In partnership with Rosenbloom Entertainment, Discovery acquired film rights to three novels by renowned science-fiction writer, Philip K. Dick, whose works have formed the basis for such successful science-fiction films as BLADE RUNNER and TOTAL RECALL, Steven Spielberg’s MINORITY REPORT and Richard Linklater’s A SCANNER DARKLY. Simons’s script for FLOW MY TEARS, THE POLICEMAN SAID was optioned late last year by Halcyon Entertainment (TERMINATOR SALVATION) for a 2011 start date on which Simon will also be a producer. Simon is currently working on a script POLISH. In 1994, Simon developed and produced the Roger Donaldson-directed version of THE GETAWAY, starring Alec Baldwin, Kim Basinger, and Philip Seymour Hoffman for Largo Entertainment. The picture was theatrically released nationally by Universal Pictures. For the last four years, he has produced and moderated (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) BAFTA- LA’s annual seminars for the American Film Market, on such topics as British film making tax-incentives and strategies for U.S. theatrical distribution. For BAFTA-LA, he has moderated both seminars and Q&A’s following screenings with guests such as directors John Hillcoat, Julian Schnabel and an evening program with director Jason Reitman. Prior to his entry in the film industry, Simon was a successful journalist and film critic, both as staff writer for the New Orleans Times Picayune and as editor-in-chief of New Orleans magazine. He has also written film and music reviews and feature articles for various publications, including the Chicago Sun-Times, Downbeat Magazine and American Film magazine. During this period, Simon also taught courses in film and writing at Tulane University, Loyola University, and the University of Illinois. In 2006, he taught a course on micro-budget film making at UCLA extension. Simon graduated from Harvard College with honors in History and Literature and served as an editor of the Harvard Crimson. On the recommendation of Robert Lowell, his poems were recorded and made a part of the permanent archives at Harvard’s Houghton Library poetry collection. Simon received his Master’s degree from the Writer’s Workshop program at the University of Illinois. He is currently a directing member of the Los Angeles-based Classical Theatre Lab. He directed its critically acclaimed co-production of Oscar Wilde’s “An Ideal Husband as Victorian Noir” at the Met Theatre. In March 2006, Simon directed Wilde’s “A Woman of No Importance” as a joint production of the City of West Hollywood and Classical Theatre Lab. He is a member of WGA-West and a newly elected Board member of BAFTA-LA. Source: radiofreealbemuth.com
ABOUT ELIZABETH KARR - CAST MEMBER & CO-PRODUCER RADIO FREE ALBEMUTH is Elizabeth’s first feature film as a producer. She has also produced a Disney Channel pilot, WEBGIRL aka VIRTUALLY CASEY, based on Elizabeth’s treatment, optioned by Suzanne De Passe Entertainment. Treatment was based on Elizabeth’s experiences as ‘Netgirl’—a girl next door cyber Dear Abby—for AOL’s Love@aol site. Consistently one of the top ten visited sites on AOL during Elizabeth’s tenure as sole writer responsible for creative content. Elizabeth has also produced and directed several short films. She was recently selected to direct a PSA in the highly prestigious Women In Film (WIF) Charitable PSA Program. Elizabeth directed a PSA for New Directions, a Veterans Outreach organization that provides social services, housing and substance abuse treatment veterans in Santa Monica. New Directions PSA On the other side of the camera, TV guest appearances include HOUSE, WOMENS MURDER CLUB, VERONICA MARS, SLEEPER CELL, ER, WEST WING, YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, DAYS OF OUR LIVES, GENERAL HOSPITAL, PASSIONS, NEW ATTITUDES and commercials. Film includes SHILOH SEASON, PAWN, THE HUNTED, SLEEPWALK, MY NORMAL LIFE, ICE CREAM, JANUARY MAN. Elizabeth’s first foray into producing was in theatre. Elizabeth has produced numerous critically-acclaimed theatrical productions in LA and New York, including UNCLE VANYA (with Orson Bean, 12 week sold out run), AN IDEAL HUSBAND AS VICTORIAN NOIR, BIG LOVE, The ATrainPlaysLA and WOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE. Elizabeth is one of the founders and producers of Classical Theatre Lab/West Hollywood’s annual FREE SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARKS. (initially funded by a Grant from the City of West Hollywood, permanent financing secured in 2009).She is currently in pre-production for Classical Theatre Lab/West Hollywood’s 25th Silver Anniversary production of Tennessee Williams’ SMALL CRAFT WARNINGS, directed by John Alan Simon. Elizabeth is a leader in the Los Angeles Theatre community: Director/Producer/Founder of Cedarburg Productions. Company member/Producer of Pacific Resident Theatre. Company member and Board member of Classical Theatre Lab for fourteen years, Chairman of the Board for four. LA Theatre Ovations Award voter for ten years. She is a Professional Theatre Teaching Artist on the Music Center roster and LA’s Best. Elizabeth is regularly seen in starring roles on stage, including THE ACCOMPLICES, written by Bernie Weinraub, directed by Deborah La Vine, at the Fountain Theatre, WOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE, and AN IDEAL HUSBAND AS VICTORIAN NOIR, directed by John Alan Simon, AS YOU LIKE IT, directed by Alfred Molina and Jack Stehlin, INFORMED CONSENT, directed by Peter Levin, UNCLE VANYA, directed by Bruce Katzman, and TROJAN WOMEN at the Getty Museum for an International Theatre Symposium of Greek Scholars and Dramatists, hosted by Olympia Dukakis. Elizabeth is partnering again with Writer/Director John Alan Simon to produce NOTHING MORE THAN MURDER, an adaptation of Jim Thomspon’s classic Noir novel. Other feature projects in development include IN FROM THE COLD, with writer/director Dominika Waclawiak; THANKSGIVING and BALLOON HEIST, written by Emer Gillespie, based on treatments written by Elizabeth; and THE DIVIDE, written by Rashmi Singh. Elizabeth is a graduate of Cornell University, British American Drama Academy in London and Yale Drama’s Summer Program at Oxford University. Source: filmmaker
CAST: Jonathan Scarfe, Shea Whigham, Katheryn Winnick, Alanis Morissette, Hanna Hall, Scott Wilson, Ashley Greene, Tom Beyer and Elizabeth Karr (for full cast list, please see film site or IMDB.com/title/tt1129396/).
* Be sure to attend the OPENING NIGHT FILM* screening for a Q&A with director, John Alan Simon, and cast member/producer Elizabeth Karr!
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CLOSING NIGHT FILM
CONNECTED: AN AUTOBLOGOGRAPHY ABOUT LOVE, DEATH AND TECHNOLOGY (- A DECLARATION OF INTERDEPENDENCE) Feature Documentary/Science & Technology 82 minutes/US/English Director: Tiffany Shlain connectedthefilm.com
ABOUT THE FILM Between texts and tweets, memes and microchips, we’ve become great at breaking the world down into byte- sized bits. In the process we’ve stopped seeing the forest for the trees, never mind the root system that connects them all. In Connected, Tiffany Shlain—award-winning filmmaker and founder of The Webby Awards--sets out to explore these bonds with the help of her father, acclaimed author and thinker Dr. Leonard Shlain. When the unexpected happens during the making of the film, Tiffany is forced to reexamine everything she thought she knew about life, relationships, and connectedness. Tracing interdependence through history, she discovers the surprising links between right brain and left; alphabets and power; honey bees and stress; hormones and happiness; technology and nature; progress and consequences; and parents and children. The result is a personal film with universal resonance that encourages viewers to make connections of their own. Offering an exhilarating stream-of-consciousness ride, CONNECTED is a journey through the interconnectedness of humankind, nature, progress and morality at the dawn of the 21st century. For centuries we’ve been declaring independence. With insight, curiosity, and humor, this film asks if it’s time to declare our interdependence instead. Presented By The Moxie Institute (moxieinstitute.org). In Association with Impact Partners. Source: connectedthefilm.com
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR Honored by Newsweek as one of the “Women Shaping the 21st Century,” Tiffany Shlain is a filmmaker, artist, founder of TTHE WEBBY AWARDS, and co-founder of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Her films have been selected at over 100 film festivals including Sundance, Tribeca, Rotterdam, and South By Southwest (SXSW), have won 20 awards including Audience and Grand Jury Prizes, been translated into eight languages, and been shown at museums including Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art. Tiffany’s films are a fusion of documentary and narrative and are known for their whimsical yet provocative approach to unraveling complicated subjects like politics, cultural identity, technology and science. Her films include LIFE, LIBERTY & THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS about reproductive rights in America, and THE TRIBE, an exploration of American Jewish identity through the history of the Barbie doll, the first documentary short to become the #1 on iTunes. She recently made, YELP: WITH APOLOGIES TO ALLEN GINSBERG'S HOWL, about our addiction to technology and the importance of occasionally “unplugging,’ which was selected as finalist for Guggenheim Museum & YouTube’s YouTube Play: A Biennial of Creative Video and for Sundance 2011. As a director for both theater and film, she has worked with Harrison Ford, Peter Coyote and Alan Cumming and was selected as an Artist-in-Residence at the Headland Center for the Arts and for a film residency at the San Francisco Film Society. Tiffany’s films and discussion programs have been used in many diverse settings to spark dialogues about social issues. She has been singled out by The New York Times, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and The Sundance Institute for her cutting-edge work using documentaries and Internet distribution in unique ways to engage audiences. A sought-after keynote speaker known for her visual presentations, she lectures worldwide on filmmaking and the Internet’s influence on society. Invitations include Harvard, MIT, Apple theaters in NYC and SF, The Idea Festival, Fortune 500 companies, the 92nd St Y in NYC and The Sydney Opera House. She received a standing ovation from over 11,000 people after she delivered the keynote address for University of California, Berkeley’s commencement ceremony in May 2010. Tiffany founded THE WEBBY AWARDS in 1996 and was creative director and/or the producer for nearly a decade, establishing it into a global organization honoring the best of the Internet. THE WEBBYS receive over 10,000 entries annually and are presented annually in New York City. She co-founded The International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences, today a 550-person organization and served as the on-air Internet expert for Good Morning America from 2000 to 2003. Her work with The Webbys has been profiled on The New York Times, The BBC ABC, MTV, CNN, The Hollywood Reporter, Vanity Fair and NPR. The 15th Annual Webby Awards was held June 2011. Tiffany is a Henry Crown Fellow of The Aspen Institute. She is a graduate of the University of California Berkeley where she was selected as a valedictorian speaker for the interdisciplinary studies department and received the highest honor in art, The Eisner Award, for filmmaking. She received her BA in film theory in the interdisciplinary studies department in 1992. She studied organizational change at Harvard Business School Executive Education and film production at New York University’s Sight & Sound program in 1990. Tiffany is a ranking Advisory Board Member of a multi-university Leadership Committee, which oversees a global research partnership that includes the MIT Engineering Systems Division's MIT Geospatial Data Center, Harvard Kennedy School's Center for Public Leadership, the Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation at Saïd Business School, U.C. Berkeley's Center for New Media and others working towards the transparency and security of data to effectuate positive social change. Shlain serves on the advisory boards of The San Francisco Film Festival’s Filmmaker Advisory Committee and has served on the advisor boards for The UC Berkeley’s Center for New Media, The Fledgling Fund and on the board of The Commonwealth Club. She currently advises with The Institute for the Future and served on California Attorney General Kamala Harris’s transition team. In 2010, she was invited to advise Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on technology and society. Tiffany is director of The Moxie Institute, an organization that creates films, discussion programs, theater experiences, and Internet experiments around social issues using emerging technologies. She has received 44 awards and distinctions during the course of her career for her work as a filmmaker, artist, internet advocate, leader and activist. Tiffany writes a quarterly newsletter called “Breakfast @ Tiffany’s,” and contributes to the Huffington Post. Her feature documentary CONNECTED: A DECLARATION OF INTERDEPENDENCE, premiered in the US Documentary Competition at Sundance 2011 and received the Women in Film Award from National Geographic All Roads Grant. She was the only director to have two films at Sundance in 2011. The Library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences recently acquired the script for CONNECTED to be part of their permanent Core Collection. Her recent video art installation, SMASHING, with artist and husband Professor Ken Goldberg, premiered in New York City at the Pulse Contemporary Art Fair. Tiffany and Ken have two children and live in Northern California. Source: tiffanyshlain.com
NARRATED BY: Peter Coyote (IMDB.com/name/nm0001075/). Film: IMDB.com/title/tt1727491/
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