Schdule:

Friday, november 8, 2024

5.30pm harnessing the method: tools for the filmmaker

Lee strasberg theatre & film institute instructors david strasberg and dylan mooney share how method acting, the renowned, proven and often mysterious acting technique, remains an essential piece of the modern filmmaker’s toolbox. They discuss what you actually need to know to work with method actors on set, how to get the best performance out of any actor, and how filmmakers can maximize their resources for high-quality content on an indie-budget.

8pm opening night - if that mockingbird don't sing + short

If that mockingbird don't sing (united states) by sadie bones

After a passionate prom night, sydnie's boyfriend lucas drops a bomb: he wants to date other girls in college. Devastated, sydnie gives up on her travel dreams, and to make things worse, she discovers she's pregnant. Hoping to win back lucas, she keeps the baby despite her family's objections. Lucas, compelled by his religious mother, returns from college. Initially upset, he eventually embraces the pregnancy as an opportunity to transform and support his family. Reuniting tentatively, sydnie and lucas clash over values and future plans. Enter daniel, the charismatic lead singer of 'delusions of grandeur.' sydnie then faces a decision: stay with lucas and keep the baby, or pursue her dreams with daniel.

Saturday, november 9, 2024

2pm shorts 1

Inspired by a famous exchange of letters between michelangelo antonioni and mark rothko, “esterno giorno” is an experimental love letter to italian cinema. Embarking on a journey in the footsteps of the characters played by monica vitti, the filmmaker poetically intertwines contemporary footage shot across italy and the jordanian desert with excerpts from antonioni’s films, creating an illusion of continuity between past and present. From a metaphoric desert (the industrial area of ravenna, where film masterpiece “red desert” was shot in 1964) to a real one, the physical spaces explored by the camera become psychological landscapes, states of mind, atmospheres. As the camera lingers on the architecture of la cupola—the futuristic house in sardinia designed by avant-garde architect dante bini in the 1960s for antonioni and vitti, then real-life partners—the line between reality and fiction starts to blur.

4pm shorts 2

When we discuss and depict the body, we refer to something both tangible and imagined, with unclear boundaries and a complex relationship to the 'self'. This portrait of model venus baginski, the second episode of fragments, takes an introspective journey into their understanding and experience of their body. Directed by franco-british filmmaker and photographer mélodie roulaud, the film examines through the female gaze the language used to express the body, the self, and their representation, highlighting the connection between physical features, bodily experiences, and identity

6pm creating memorable moments in film: a workshop with sheldon larry

Sheldon larry head of film at the lee strasberg institute and former usc film professor has had a distinguished career as the director of over 25 films, 500 hours of television, and 15 new york stage plays (on and off broadway). Larry has crafted countless award-winning, unforgettable on-camera moments and is known for discovering bradley cooper, working with monty python’s flying circus, and directing stars like jeff goldblum, gena rowlands and christopher plummer. Larry brings his expertise to this hands-on workshop for content creators where they will learn how to create powerful, memorable scenes through creative casting, crewing, directing, and precision editing. Through practical exercises, he’ll help filmmakers put emotional storytelling front and center to make their work truly indelible.

8pm shorts 3

The lovers of avignon (spain) by manuel fernández ferro

'the lovers of avignon' is the first ever translation of pictorial cubism into motion real image. Is an allegory of cubism as a conceptual symbol that acts as a filter and wall of emotions.

Sunday, november 10, 2024

2pm shorts 4

Frogs (turkey) by vehbi bozda?

One morning, a girl, who lives with her mother in a small-town, notices that the rubble is being removed from the field outside her window. This realization prompts her to reassess her life and the environment she lives in, as she spends most of her time in her room.

4pm shorts 5

Caller number nine (united states) by mike salva
Animated comedy about the next us president being selected in a non-traditional manner: a radio call-in contest.

In the shadowlands (united states) by nick vallelonga
Detective danny shade gets caught up chasing a serial killer with his gangster uncle.

6pm turning passion into profit: a filmmaker's guide to commercial work

Learn how to make a living as a filmmaker while subsidizing your passion through commercial projects. Three working commercial directors share insider tips and war stories about directing talent in the high-stakes world of advertising. Between the three of them, they've shot hundreds of commercials and made hundreds of actors hundreds (of thousands) of dollars.

8pm closing night - award ceremony + shorts 6

The heart of texas (united states) by gregory jm kasunich

Janie may, an aspiring country singer stuck in the paycheck-to-paycheck grind, gets big news that she’s a radio contest finalist while finishing her overnight shift at a local diner in waco, tx. She must race to the station to sing for hometown country music hero harlan thompson in hopes of winning the opening act spot on his upcoming tour. In a chaotic dash to the studio, she collides her car into jesús, an undocumented worker who refuses medical care or police assistance out of fear of being discovered and deported. The two engage in a struggle, each in pursuit of their own american dreams. In the end, they do the only thing they know how to do: fend for themselves.

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Date: november 8-10, 2024

Location: The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Inst    - 7936 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90046

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