Media Arts Alumni Present Work

We are happy to announce the return of six University of Arizona School of Media Arts Alumni as they present their work at the upcoming Tucson Film & Music Festival.

Michael Skvarla, Writer/Director, Junkyard (Short), Allison Vanore, Producer, Junkyard (Short), Chelsea Coles, Director, Bipolar Bear Mania by Holy Rolling Empire (MV), Mae Nekoba, Producer, Lost Dream (feature), Dirk Van Fleet, Producer/Editor, Dig Comics! (Short), and Michael Toubassi, Producer/Editor, Saint Conformity by Giant Sand (MV) will all be participating in Q & A’s following the screening of their films at the upcoming Tucson Film & Music Festival. The School of Media Arts is also a supporter of the festival.

The 5th annual event will take place October 8-12, 2009 at various venues throughout Tucson, AZ.

Among the selection of World, U.S. and regional premieres, this year’s film highlights include Director Jim Granato’s “D tour,” documenting the poignant story of indie rock band Rogue Wave and its drummer’s quest for a new kidney; the North American Premiere of “Berlin Playground” by award-winning filmmaker Claudia Lehmann; and Closing Night Film “Rock Prophecies,” featuring rock photography guru Robert M. Knight, directed by John Chester. These films join the previously announced Opening Night Film “Largo,” and the Centerpiece feature “The Sweet Lady with the Nasty Voice,” featuring rockabilly legend Wanda Jackson, who will also perform live on Saturday, October 10th at PLUSH.

Music festivities kick off Friday, October 9th at Hotel Congress with the TFMF Opening Night Party Extravaganza. Art collective Parasol Project will transform the hotel into “Pueblo Noir,” a cinematically themed installation and vaudeville spectacular, featuring live music by Le Chat Lunatique and MarchFourth Marching Band.

This year, TFMF will continue its tradition of delivering exclusive live performances from the musicians featured in the festival’s film and music video programs. Seattle’s These Arms are Snakes (“Red Line Season” Music Video-rama) will perform Friday, October 9th at PLUSH; and Ghiant, from the World Premiere comedy “Bicycle Lane,” will take the stage at PLUSH on Sunday evening. Local music highlights include Juarez and The El Camino Royales. For set times and venues, please refer to the attached concert schedule or go to: http://www.tucsonfilmandmusicfestival.com/

TFMF badge holders will have access to all film and music events. Individual tickets range from $5 to $15 and will be available at the venues on the day of the show. The all-access TFMF badge is $40 and available now at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/producer/10008

The comprehensive film lineup follows below. For more detailed info on this year’s films, please visit the Official TFMF website or contact Mark Tillman @ Hype (mark@hypeworld.com) or TFMF @ Tucson Film & Music Fest

2009 Tucson Film & Music Festival Selected Films:

*All films are Arizona Premieres unless otherwise noted

A Detroit Thing West Coast Premiere (Q&A with filmmakers)
Featuring Kid Rock, Howling Diablos and more!
Berlin Playground (Hans Im Glück) US Premiere
Bicycle Lane World Premiere (Q&A with filmmakers)
Cruzando *Spanish subtitles (Q&A with filmmakers)
D tour (Q&A with Director Jim Granato)
Featuring Rogue Wave, Nada Surf, Ben Gibbard and more!
I Need That Record! Southwest Premiere
Largo Opening Night Film

Featuring performances by Aimee Mann, Grant-Lee Philips, Zach Galfianakis, Flight of the Conchords, Andrew Bird and more!

Lost Dream Southwest Premiere (Q&A with filmmakers)
Starring Michael Welch (Twilight) and Shaun Sipos (Melrose Place ‘09)
Mellodrama Southwest Premiere (Q&A with Director Diana Dilworth)
No Good Reason Southwest Premiere
One Man In The Band West Coast Premiere
Featuring Thomas Traux, Duracell, Ninki V and Dennis Hopper Choppers
Pocket Full of Soul
Back to the Basics: The Story of Luckenbach, TX SW Premiere
(Q&A with Back to the Basics director David Elkins)
Rock Prophecies Closing Night Film
Story of legendary rock photographer Robert M. Knight
Such Hawks Such Hounds
Featuring High on Fire, Dead Meadow, Earthless, Sleep and more
The Heart is a Drum Machine (Q&A with filmmakers)
Featuring Elijah Wood, MGMT, Penelope Spheeris, Jason Schwartzman, John Doe, Isaac Brock (Modest Mouse), Juliette Lewis and more!
The Sweet Lady With The Nasty Voice Centerpiece Film
(Q&A with the film’s star, rockabilly music legend Wanda Jackson!)
This Is Spinal Tap! Late Night Cult Classics!
Till You’re Told To Stop Southwest Premiere
Starring James Blunt (Q&A with filmmakers)
Art Imitates Life - Shorts Program (Q&A with filmmakers)

• Arc of a Bird Tucson Premiere
• Junkyard Regional Premiere
• Magellan Regional Premiere
• Nightingale World Premiere
• Old Grace Southwest Premiere
• Pigeon: Impossible
• The Cello
• Worth Tucson Premiere

Music Video-rama
Featuring videos for Fleet Foxes, Holy Rolling Empire, These Arms Are Snakes, Oren Lavie, The Bird and The Bee and more!

About TFMF:
The Tucson Film & Music Festival (TFMF) celebrates the past, present and future of the Tucson, Arizona music and filmmaking scene, showcasing music-related content, International music artists, and films and filmmakers with a connection to the Southwest. TFMF has screened over 100 films since its inception in 2005. Now in its fifth year, TFMF boasts an attendance of over 3,000 filmgoers and has screened several Arizona and World premieres including Anvil! The Story of Anvil by Sacha Gervasi, “The Criterion Collection” Border Radio by Allison Anders, Adventures of Power by Ari Gold, Hell on Wheels by Bob Ray, and Scott Walker: 30 Century Man by Stephan Kijak. The music festival has featured over 120 bands including Calexico, MC Lars, Fishbone, Doo Rag, Friends of Dean Martinez, John Doe, The Supersuckers, Kirsten Hersh, Giant Sand and more! Last year’s musical highlights included smash performances by Margot & The Nuclear So and So’s, The Sibleys, Gram Rabbit, Tom Walbank, Marianne Dissard, ytcracker, and The Gold Brothers.


For more on the festival, please visit: http://www.tucsonfilmandmusicfestival.com/

Spring MAR Online Newsletter!

Help Us Welcome Best-Selling Author and UA Alum Christian Lander!

One of our alumns returns to campus this week to speak about his blog and book, Stuff White People Like.

He'll be signing books at the ASUA bookstore at 4 PM on Wednesday [event info]. After that, we'll be at Frog 'n Firkin for an informal (that means buy-your-own) reception. It will be great fun, so stop by and say hello to this BEST-SELLING AUTHOR!

Mr. Palminteri Was GREAT!

Students from Theatre Arts and Media Arts gathered on Tuesday at the Marronney theatre to speak about their craft with Chazz Palminteri.

Mr. Palminteri gave a brief intro to his career and professional philosophy, and then entertained questions from the audience.

He encouraged students to pursue creative relationships and to be pleasant, enthusiastic, and well-prepared. He advised Theatre students to be ready with a monologue that they could give at a moment's notice and to demonstrate the importance of the monologue, he brought a student onstage to share her work.

UA Alum Trent Othick is producing Mr. Palminteri's Broadway show, "A Bronx Tale", and made the actor's trip to campus possible.

more:

• Return of the Othicks - By Phil Villarreal, Arizona Daily Star
• One man, 18 characters, By Brandon Specktor, DailyWildcat.com
  

SXSW visits UA Media Arts

SXSW Programmer Lya Guerra (BA, Media Arts & BA, Art History 2000) speaks to BFA students and the public next week. She'll be showing films and discussing aspects of festival programming.

This event is free and open to the public.


web | event flier (pdf)

Pete Kozachik, Director of Photography

Pete Kozachik, DP on such films as TIM BURTON'S CORPSE BRIDE and THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS visited us yesterday.

Pete chatted with a standing-room only audience that included faculty, staff, students, and many members of the local film community. He showed his work and described his process. He also entertained questions from the audience on everything from lighting, set design, industry practices, and much more.

We hope to host Pete again later in the semester, when he can speak directly to students.

The free seminar was hosted by The University of Arizona's Hanson Film Institute.

Fox Tucson Theatre Event

Jim Nintzel and Geraldo discuss border issues with 200 audience members on Wednesday night.

By this point in the day, Geraldo was still on fire ... very passionate about border issues and race. I, on the other hand, was experiencing the faint tickles of exhaustion.

After the Fox event, Geraldo spoke with invitation-only event participants over dessert. I have no photos out of respect for the private citizens at the event.

*** IMPORTANT NOTICE: The reason I gave for having no dessert reception photos was somewhat untrue. A more accurate portrayal would be: I was too tired for cake. ***

Press Conference

After GR's book signing event, he spoke with local media. He answered questions and even praised Media Arts for our hospitality and insisted that he was very interested in supporting our community in the future. Cool.

Geraldo Rivera still stands but I have collapsed.

I collapsed just thinking about Geraldo Rivera's day in Tucson. Yep, I'm writing this from a local spa where I'm bathing in medicinal mud. I'm exhausted, I tell ya, and all I did was follow him around with a camera like a puppy-dog.

The event at the Fox Tucson Theatre was well-attended by the local community. He spoke with Tucson Weekly journalist Jim Nintzel for an hour and a half, and then took questions from the audience for 30 or 40 more minutes.

Dr. Maurice J. Sevigny, dean of the UA College of Fine Arts introduced Mr. Nintzel who in turn threw it to video footage of Mr. Rivera sparring with Bill O'Reilly on the O'Reilly Factor. GR soon emerged from backstage to explain that it was that very interaction that inspired him to write his book HisPanic.

I'll be uploading new photos and video in the coming days. For now, I must sleep. GR is probably writing another book at this very moment but Coffee Times cannot produce enough espresso to keep me up for one more moment. :)

Oh and also ... he signs with great enthusiasm and patience

Mr. Rivera has signed a great deal of books, even indulging the odd visitor in a stack of requested signatures. He's speaking to his audience very warmly, in English and Español. He spoke with one gentleman for quite some time, all the while signing personal messages on five separate books.

Jorge and I are headed, cameras in hand ...

to the book signing at the ASUA Bookstore, where Mr. Rivera is signing copies of his book, HisPanic: Why Americans Fear Hispanics in the U. S.

>> more book signing info here!

Geraldo Rivera Sneak Peek

Hello!
Mr. Rivera just finished an informal lunch with faculty and staff. Three films were screened for Mr. Rivera and he was presented with an iPod as a thank-you gift.

We were able to place about 15 videos made by students and faculty on his new iPod, as well as the below snippet from this morning's interview with students.

You're the first to see it!

Geraldo Day!

Okay word on the street is that Mr. Rivera is breaking his fast at a lovely local eatery. After breakfast he's visiting campus. Dr. Beverly Seckinger is due in the office any minute to give Mr. R a tour of our facilities. The tour culminates in an on-camera interview with two Media Arts students. I'll upload a clip in a few hours, so you can see how brilliant Valerie and Stefan are.

More news later!

Geraldo Rivera Visits Media Arts Tomorrow

The School of Media Arts, the Hanson Film Institute and the College of Fine Arts are busy with last-minute details surrounding Geraldo Rivera's visit to the University of Arizona tomorrow. He's got a full day of events, including a screening of student films, book signing, meeting media, and a discussion with the Tucson Weekly's Jim Nintzel at the Fox Tucson Theatre.

In addition, I'll be blogging all the day-long. Uploading photos and videos. So stay tuned for more info!

Contact UA Media Arts

Free Sneak Preview of "Role Models" & Q&A w/ Producer Scott Stuber

Free Sneak Preview
of a Universal Picture Comedy
Role Models
starring Seann William Scott & Paul Rudd

with Producer Scott Stuber (UA Media Arts Alum) in person for Q & A Friday, October 17th at 6pm at the Gallagher Theatre (seating on a first come, first serve basis).