award – LaDonnaWitmer

The Bear & Pony Show

mood: hanging in | drinking: some kind of Snapple tea

bear_pony_show

It’s about time for another film festival, wouldn’t you say? Been awhile.

This year, the Berkeley Video & Film Festival is screening our “Homeland Security” cinépoem, which features the lovely Alexis Woods and Carly Putnam. And their respective Bear and Pony alter egos.

I believe my cinépoem partner in crime Michelle Brown and I may be collecting some sort of shiny award, too.

So if you’re in the Norcal area and want to see some indie films lighting up the big screen, join us at the Landmark Cinemas on Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley this Friday night. Screenings start at 7:30 and “Homeland Security” should be shining through around 8pm.

Peace out.

-Lo, who needs to get her bangs trimmed before the big night.

A post-event update:
Michelle and I are happy to announce that, for the 4th year in a row, we brought home a Grand Festival Award in the Arts category for our little cinépoem. Huzzah!

Gooooold!

goldmedal
Mood: Buzzing
Drinking: Tea with melty ice

The Berkeley Film Fest is always a treat. Mel Vapour and crew are always incredibly kind, and this year was no exception.

This year they gave us gold medals. One for me, one for my cinepoetry partner Michelle. That’s my shiny piece on the right.

Award winning is always fun, especially when followed by a giant cheeseburger.

So after collecting our medals and watching the elderly people in the audience freak out a little during the bloody screening of Abattoir (when seen on a huge screen, it does look a bit more violent than it does on a wee web window), Shel and I and a bunch of our pals headed over to Nation’s for some giant burgers and, in some cases, pecan pie.

Nothing like following up a gross-out fest like Abattoir with some red meat.

Anyway, a big fuzzy thanks to all of you who showed up on Friday night for the festivities, and to all of you who couldn’t be there in the flesh, but sent your well-wishes.

And an even bigger thanks to the Berkeley Film Fest folks, my fabulous cinepoetry partner Michelle, and all of you who volunteered to get blood-spattered for free. You know who you are.

-Lo, feelin’ the lurve.

Festivus for the Rest of Us

berkeley08
Mood: Yup
Drinking: Yip

This weekend, the loverly berg of Berkeley plays host to the annual Berkeley Film and Video Festival.

One of our fine cinepoems, Abattoir, has been selected to play on the silver screen this year. It has also, for the 3rd year in a row, earned us a shiny trophy.

And by us, of course, I mean my partner in cinepoetry, Michelle Brown. The pair of us will make the trek across the Bay Bridge this Friday evening to collect our winnings and watch our bloody work freak everyone out, man.

You can come to, oh random blog reader, if you find yourself in or around the Bay Area. The film fest is playing at the Landmark Shattuck Cinema in downtown Berkeley. Tickets are $13. Abattoir shows up on the big screen at 7:55pm on Friday. Get all the details here.

And you can see the Abattoir trailer here. Yes. We have a trailer. Aren’t we snazzy?
Huzzah.

-Lo, who never gets tired of collecting shiny gold prizes.

This, That and the Other

seventy6
Mood: Spaced
Drinking: Tea

Wicker Kid is writing again. I couldn’t be more delighted. Go read his latest, and you’ll be delighted too.

The Swell Season is in town, and Boy and I and a bunch of our friends are going to go see Glen and Marketa in person tonight. I’m tingling with anticipation. I expect it to be beautiful. After Once, how could it not!?

This weekend, in addition to being a birthday weekend for yours truly, is also Poppy Jasper Film Festival weekend down in Morgan Hill, CA.

Slippery Shiny Feathery Things, the same cinepoem collection that won the Best of Festival Arts award at Berkeley, is screening at Poppy Jasper on November 10 at 9pm and November 11 at 3pm.

Check the schedule if you’re in the area and want to stop by the festival for some big screen action.

That’s all for now, but it’s quite enough to keep you busy, yes?

-Lo, who’s ready for some fresh ink.

Adjusting to the Afterglow

berkeleyaward
Mood: Reluctant
Drinking: Tea

So there you have it, internet. Michelle and I and our pretty shiny thing.

The Berkeley Film & Video Festival this past weekend was lovely. It was downtown this year at the California Landmark Theatre, and there was a nice big crowd for opening night. Probably because that’s when the awards were being passed around, and everybody does love to add a shiny something to their shelf.

Our cinépoem collection was screened Friday night, after a short film about the beauty of man boobs. Tough act to follow.

It’s always more than a little astonishing to see your work glowing up there on a really really big screen. Especially when you’re looking at your own head magnified to the size of a small VW bus.

As I said during my hasty little acceptance speech, I really do feel like an imposter at these film festivals. I’m not a filmmaker. I’m a dabbler. I borrow the medium to give my poems a bigger voice, but I am not fooled into thinking of myself as a real live filmmaker. Even though that’s what my festival badge said.

The Berkeley Festival dudes, Mel and Paul, have always been extremely kind to our cinepoems, though. This was our 3rd year as part of the festival, and we’ve won an award every year. I’m very grateful for the inclusion.

But it’s Monday now, and time to hang the shiny thing up on the wall and get back to work. Shel and I are recording voiceovers tonight for the next cinepoem, Apres un Reve, as well as the next two after that, which are most likely going to be Matchstick Girl and Yellow. We’ll see how it goes.

-Lo, who has not yet memorized her lines.

Slippery Shiny Feathery Things

filmfestival1 Mood: Accomplished
Drinking: Absolutely

For the second year in a row, my cinepoem partner Michelle Brown and I have been invited to the Berkeley Video & Film Festival.

As one of the 2007 official festival selections, our cinepoem entry, titled Slippery Shiny Feathery Things, is being screened next Friday night, October 5th.

If you want to attend the festival, it runs October 5-7 at the Landmark California Theatre at 2113 Kittredge Street in downtown Berkeley. You’ll find the screening schedule here and can get tickets in advance from the East Bay Media Center or during the festival at the theatre box office.

Michelle and I are also extremely proud to announce that we have a shiny new accolade to add to our modest collection: The 2007 Grand Festival Award for Arts. We’ll be giving awkward, hasty speeches and collecting our award at the film fest next weekend.

The only place you can see Slippery Shiny Feathery Things is at a film festival. (It will be screening in November at the Poppy Jasper Film Festival, as well.) Once we complete our next big (BIG) project, however, you’ll be able to see all of our cinepoems, including all film festival entries, on DVD. But I wouldn’t hold your breath because that’s going to take awhile!

Until then, come on out to the theatre or eat some popcorn while you watch cinepoems online. It’s almost the same…

-Lo, who confesses a ferret-like affection for shiny objects.

Poppy Jasper

Mood: Deja Vu’d
Drinking: Iced Sweet Tea

Ladies and other dudes, we have a two-fer!

Just received word today that we’ve been chosen to be part of another film festival! This time it’s the Poppy Jasper Film Festival in November, and they will be screening a different cinepoem compilation than Berkeley. This one’s called “The Way She Walks”, and it strings together “Boots are made”, “Object”, “Alice is my middle name”, and “Slow Roast”. It’s really quite lovely.

If you’re in the Bay Area, keep an eye on the Festival’s web site for a screening schedule. “The Way She Walks” will be on the big screen in Morgan Hill, California, sometime November 10-12.

This one is all thanks to my agent, the one and only Johanna Baldwin, who kept saying, “No, really, the deadline’s coming up and this is one festival you really, really have to enter.” Thanks, Jo. You were right. Enjoy. 😉

-Lo, who’s heard it said that “If you don’t get right, you’ll get left.” We’ll see about that.

Berzerkeley

Mood: Ebullient
Drinking: Various liquids

A big announcement from the film festival front…my partner in cinepoems, Michelle, and I, have just been informed that our submission to the 2006 Berkeley Video & Film Festival is not only going to be screened at the festival next month, but has also won an award!

Shel and I are doing backflips right now. Or we would be doing backflips, if we were much younger and more flexible.

For those of you in the Bay Area, our cinepoem “Two-Faced” (a marriage of “Alter Ego” and “Pretty.Good.Girl.”) will be screened on Saturday evening, October 7th, at the Oaks Theatre, 1875 Solano Avenue, in Berkeley. I’m not sure about tickets yet…I’m workin’ on that.

I’m also not sure which award we’ve won yet…the awards will be presented on Friday, October 8th. At this point, I can’t decide what’s more exciting…the award or the screening. Both are unexpected.

Anyway, three cheers for us, and a gigantic THANK YOU to Misha Hutchings, Kathy Azada, Patti Monaghen, Amanda Henderson, Katie Motta, and Angela Primavera, all of whom helped out with the award-winning cinepoems, and also to Johanna Baldwin, agent extraordinaire, who has helped out with film fest entries and moral support!

-Lo, who once won a purple ribbon and shiny gewgaw at a 4-H Fair with a Grand Champion goat. Yes. Goat.

Pin a Medal on My Chest

Mood: I’m a weiner!
Drinking: Purifying, hydrating water

This just in…
My fabulous and talented friend, Michelle Brown, and I have just been informed that we won a Best of Festival award in the Arts category at the Berkeley Film Festival for our submission, titled “Three”.

We entered the festival earlier this year and had only finished our 1st three cinepoems (hence the title), so we entered Freezerburn, Bored Now, and Slow Roast. And we won!

Now back to work…

-Lo, who is feeling the guilt for short updates and plans a longish one, later.