2/17/08 UPDATE - MAKE THAT: "CANTANTE" Shown,
FOLLOW-UP ARTICLE - IS POSTED for Feb 17 (today) if interested ..
LINK:
News-Leader: Missouri's INTL. FILM FEST
FESTIVAL CELEBRATES TALENT
Film festival brings varied projects and an opportunity to see smaller films.
by Sony Hocklander
News-Leader
February 14, 2008
From "Behind this Convent," a documentary about genocide in Rwanda, to "El Cantante," about Puerto Rican salsa pioneer Hector Lavoe, the third annual Show-Me Missouri International Film Festival is screening a diverse line up of films and speakers between Friday and Sunday.
One workshop is for aspiring participants of the Springfield And The Ozarks 48-hour filmmaking competition (SATO 48), planned for April 18-20.
In another, attendees learn about documentary filmmaking from festival experts.
Or hear about the making of "El Cantante," starring Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez. Director Leon Ichaso and creative associate Lisa Boyd, a Missouri State University grad, will be on hand Saturday after the movie.
It was shot in 33 days in New York on a $1 million budget, says Boyd who has worked on projects for HBO, TNT and Showtime.
For Anthony and Lopez, she adds: "It was a film from their hearts. ... Their passion and belief in the film was truly amazing."
That panel provides an opportunity to "hear the story behind the story," says Steve Ole Olsen, president of Missouri Film Alliance of Springfield which sponsors the festival.
Other festival submissions with local connections include the short thriller "Reflections" which stars Hollywood actress and Kickapoo High School grad Adrienne Wilkinson, known for "Xena: Warrior Princess."
Two more shorts star Kickapoo High School graduate Lucas Grabeel from Disney's "High School Musical."
Kelly King, part of "HSM" productions, directed the music video of Grabeel's song, "Get Your Ass On," and a short narrative he and Grabeel wrote, called "The Real Son."
Here, Grabeel plays a goth-dressing rebellious teen opposite Mark Taylor ("HSM 2") as his dad. Shot during one day off from making "HSM 2," the short recently won a gold medal at the Park City Film Festival, King says: "It was really exciting. We had a really great turnout and good feedback."
This year's Show-Me festival is more compact than previous years, Olsen says, with most events held at the Moxie Cinema or Gillioz Theatre.
"I think we're getting better at making it a fun weekend," he says. "And these are films that could be one-time-only opportunities."





maybe.



