Des Moines Filmmaker Set to Debut Film at Sundance Film Festival

Bryant Mock, a Des Moines independent filmmaker and IMPA member, has just learned that his feature film, Prairie Love, has been accepted into the legendary Sundance Film Festival.  Prairie Love was written and directed by Dusty Bias and produced by Mock, Douglas Mueller, Holly Lynn Ellis, and Ashley Bias.  It stars holly Lynn Ellis, Garth Bloomberg,  and Chicago-based actor Jeremy Clark.

Prairie Love was selected by the Sundance Film Festival from a record number of over 10,000 submissions from around the world.  It will be featured with 7 other films in the NEXT Category, showcasing films that exemplify the spirit of independent film.  As Sundance says, “stretching a low budget to create big art.”

Prairie Love is a dark comedy about the search for companionship in a desolate landscape. The plot involves a mysterious Vagrant who patrols the deserted winter plains, living out of his car and off of the land. When he discovers a nearly-frozen local with a pen-pal girlfriend, he seizes the opportunity to change his lonely existence.

The film was shot entirely in North Dakota, with locations in Minot, Burlington, Lignite, Mohall and Glenburn, over one month in January 2009.  Though the hours were long and the weather brutal, the filmmakers credit the generosity of North Dakotans for making the production possible.  “They just went way beyond what you could hope for and saved us time and time again,” Mueller said. Ellis agreed, “We literally could not have survived without all these people checking in on us.”

For independent filmmakers, “getting into Sundance is the Holy Grail,” says Bias. “We're overwhelmed with joy.  We’ve been preparing for this our whole lives and are determined to make the most of this opportunity.”

The Sundance Film Festival will be held in Park City, UT, January 20-30, 2011.  50,000 attendees are expected.


To learn more and view a trailer for the film, visit www.prairielove.com.

ISA Stagecraft Workshop - Saturday, Nov. 13

Imagine you've written a script for the stage. The good news, your play was selected for a workshop performance. The bad news, your play was selected for a workshop performance.

What do directors and actors look for in a new play? How does the process work from script to stage? What do you need to make a play script a success?

You need to attend the Iowa Scriptwriters Alliance Workshop Performance of Kay Rhoads's play, “Golden Rings” to find out on Saturday November 13th in the Walsh Room of the Des Moines Botanical Center from 9AM-4PM.

It's like Shooting Scripts for the stage.

Watch and learn as two directors and two sets of actors take a single short script through the workshop process. The writer will make script adjustments based on feedback from the two director/actor teams (and possibly from the audience). We break for a one hour lunch on your own. Then the actors rehearse, and the two versions of the script will be performed.

Cost:
ISA members admitted free
IMPA members $15
General public $25 (which includes an ISA membership)

Questions or to reserve a spot in the workshop, contact ISA Secretary Deb O' Bryan at:
iowawriter@hotmail.com

2010 WILD ROSE INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES NEW IOWA FILM SHOWCASE AND SOAP STAR ELLEN DOLAN’S APPEARANCE

AriesWorks Entertainment is excited to announce the innovative extension of the 8th annual international Wild Rose Independent Film Festival (WRIFF), to be held November 4-11 at the popular Fleur Cinema and Café. This year’s Wild Rose will not only screen films from around the globe competing for top awards, it will extend the WRIFF from the usual 4 days to 8 days to include a unique non-competitive screening series Showcase of well-known films shot in Iowa.

The Iowa Showcase films lineup will include the first Des Moines movie theatre screenings of the popular paranormal thriller, "Haunting Villisca," based on the true story of the Villisca Axe Murders of 1912 and the actual haunting of the house where the crime took place. On Sunday Nov. 7 following the first screening, Darwin and Martha Linn (the Villisca Axe Murder House owners who appear in the film) will attend a Q & A about the infamous haunting.  The zany comedy feature "Splatter: Love, Honor and Paintball," about a likeable loser who seeks validation playing paintball, will screen at the Wild Rose, as will the intense psychological crime drama, "Ash,' about an abducted child and the effect the crime has on the former police officer who finds him, and an exclusive Des Moines screening of the exciting and touching "RAGBRAI documentary, A Million Spokes," will also be featured.

As a Wild Rose Workshop Presenter, the 2010 WRIFF welcomes from New York well-known daytime drama star, Ellen Dolan, who played “Margo” for 21 years on As the World Turns and who recently shot the quirky indie SAG feature, "Molly’s Girl"  (produced by My Town Pictures and AriesWorks Entertainment) here in Iowa.

The WRIFF, features top quality independent features, shorts, documentaries and animated films from around the world and hosts informative filmmaking workshops with industry professionals. These films compete for awards in over 20 categories including: acting, directing, editing, cinematography, original music and others.

For more information please contact WRIFF Director, Kimberly Busbee   bobbusbee@aol.com . 

NOW CASTING: "The Marriage Ref" is back and we're looking for you!

"The Marriage Ref" is a comedy panel show where celebrities help squabbling couples make peace. Created by Jerry Seinfeld himself, this is relationship advice... with a comic twist. 

"The Marriage Ref" casting team is searching the country for outgoing and opinionated married couples that have a long-standing argument or issue that must be resolved. No problem is too small or too strange!

Whether you argue about stuffing your family pet or installing stripper poles in the bedroom, we want to hear from you. Tell us why you absolutely NEED a MARRIAGE REF to weigh in and proclaim, for once and for all, who is RIGHT and who is WRONG.

Couples across America … we want to hear what absolutely makes you nuts when it comes to your partner!  Tell us your beef and you might just get the chance to state your case on TV in front of your favorite celebrities!

For more information:

If this sounds like you or someone you know, please contact the Casting Team IMMEDIATELY at:  Casting@TheMarriageRef.TV .  Please write "attention to Joe Pinzone" when emailing the casting department

Please ONLY send us your email address so we can give you instructions on how to apply.  Nothing else will be accepted or reviewed so make sure you only send us your email address.

Click on the link below to watch hilarious episodes of the "The Marriage Ref":

http://www.nbc.com/the-marriage-ref/episode-guide/

“30 Rock” Presentation Highlights Donna Reed Foundation “Weekend Workshop”

Continuing their mission of education in the performing arts, the Donna Reed Foundation is planning a series of “Weekend Workshops” to be held throughout the year. The first such workshop will feature a former Denison native and is planned for September 24^th and 25^th.

The two-part workshop will feature a pair of workshop sessions on Saturday morning focused on TV show production. “Script to Screen" and “Breaking Into The Biz,” will be conducted by Bellamy Forrest, assistant director of over 20 episodes of the popular TV series “30 Rock.” She will cover in detail the process of creating an episode of “30 Rock” starting from the script all the way through to the finished show. The workshop begins at 9 a.m.

Saturday afternoon will feature two sessions on Cinematography "Creating the Image" and “Lighting The Interview” conducted by Nathan Stoll, a Denison native (DHS Class of 1996) and eight-year veteran camera operator and producer in New York. This session begins at 1:30 p.m.

Both presenters will also share their insights about starting in and working in the entertainment business.

On Friday night, the instructors will conduct a “free and open to the public” session on how an episode of “30 Rock" is shot, which will offer attendees a behind the scenes look at all of the details that need to come together to produce a finished show. That session begins at 7 p.m.

“This will give people a fascinating look at how TV shows are made, whether you’re interested in a production career, or whether you have always wondered what goes on behind the scenes,” said Pat Fleshner, Foundation Board member.

The fee for one workshop session, either morning or afternoon, is $50, but participants can participate in both for $90. The Friday night session is free.

People wishing to register for one or both of the workshop sessions can do so by contacting the Donna Reed Foundation at info@donnareed.org or by going to the foundation’s website: www.donnareed.org, and downloading the workshop brochure.

For more information, contact:

Pat Fleshner 712-269-5481 or Tim Tracy 712-263-3334

timinfo@donnareed.org