ARIZONA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL SUBMISSIONS
The Arizona International Film Festival is accepting submissions for The Reel Frontier Film and Video Competition. Finalists will be screened during the 2008 Arizona International Film Festival, scheduled for April 18-27 in Tucson. Submissions will be accepted through Feb. 20 in the narrative and documentary feature categories, as will shorts in the following categories: documentary, dramatic, comedy, experimental and animation.Submissions must not have been shown in Arizona before, and must have been completed between January 2007 and February 2008. Awards are presented in each category, including a "Best of Arizona" award for Arizona entries. Entry fees are $50 for features, $30 for shorts and $20 for works less than five minutes. Entries may be submitted on DVD and VHS for prescreening. For festival screenings, finalists will be presented in 35 mm film or digital-video formats. Filmmakers can enter online at the Festival Web site; or e-mail queries.
TUCSONFILM.COM SHORTFEST
The third annual TucsonFilm.com ShortFest plays at the Crossroads Cinema at 7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 9. The ShortFest will feature dozens of independent short films from Arizona and around the world. Last year's ShortFest included Emmy- and Oscar-winning films and filmmakers, including 2007 Oscar-winning short film West Bank Story. Tickets are $10, and will be available at the box office on the day of the event. The Crossroads Cinema is at 4811 E. Grant Road (at the intersection of Swan Road). Seating is limited to 350. Complete festival details and free streaming videos of previous festival entries are available at the TucsonFilm.com Web site.
IFASA MIXER
The Independent Filmmakers Association of Southern Arizona (IFASA) is hosting a filmmaker mixer from 6 to 8 p.m., Monday, Feb. 4, at Maloney's Tavern, 213 N. Fourth Ave. Anyone interested in filmmaking in Arizona is welcome, and attendees are encouraged to bring headshots, resumes, fliers, etc. For further information, contact Brian Mulligan at 349-8249; e-mail; or check the IFASA Web site.
CINE CHICANO FILM FESTIVAL
The Arizona Media Arts Center at the UA presents the Cine Chicano Film Festival on Feb. 13-17, presenting work by Tucson-based Chicano filmmakers. The festival opens Wednesday, Feb. 13, with a screening of Pancho Goes to College at 6:30 p.m., and closes with a screening of the same film at 3 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 17.Other screenings include Nuestra Familia, Our Family and three short films on Friday, Feb. 15, and Runnin' at Midnite and a short on Saturday, Feb. 16; both play at 7:30 p.m. Various cast and crew members and producers will be present at screenings for Q&As afterward.
The opening screening is at the Modern Languages Building, No. 350, at the UA and is free; all other screenings are at The Screening Room (127 E. Congress St.) and are $6.
'SYNAESTHESIA' DVD RELEASE
Tucson's Pan Left film and media collective is having a DVD-release party on Friday, Feb. 1, at El Ojito Springs, 340 N. Fourth Ave. Synaesthesia 2007 was a multimedia event that fused live improvisation with video produced by Pan Left members. The DVD includes edited versions of sets by Nick Luca, Jose "Pepo" Saavedra and others. Musicians improvised their one-time performances for Pan Left videos made especially for the occasion. There will be live music and a DJ, and copies of the DVD will be available at a special release-show price.Synaesthesia 2008 is set for March 29 at Splinter Brothers Gallery. See the Pan Left Web site for more details.
DRY RIVER EVENTS
At 7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 2, the Dry River Community Center (740 N. Main Ave., at University Boulevard) is having a Current TV Screening Party. Current TV is a news and culture cable network that shows short nonfiction films on a wide range of subjects, and was founded with the goal of democratizing media; the videos being screened in Tucson are all-viewer created. By donation; for more details, see the Current Web site or the Dry River Web site.Dry River is also hosting the FLOOD Festival, on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 23 and 24. It's billed as "A D.I.Y. festival of artistic experimentation in sight and sound: film, music, poetry, art, dance, performance, etc." Times are to be announced, but the festival will probably run day and night. If you have questions about the lineup or want to know how to submit material for consideration, contact Carrie by e-mail, or check the Dry River Web site. By donation.
EVENTS AT THE LOFT
Cinema Lounge: The Loft, in partnership with IFP/PHX (The Independent Feature Project in Phoenix), hosts a monthly Cinema Lounge to provide local filmmakers with an opportunity to have their work screened. February's film is the documentary Green Green Water, co-directed, produced and edited by Tucson filmmaker Jamie Lee, and co-directed by Dawn Mikkelson. There is a post-screening Q&A and a filmmaker "meet and greet" mixer at the beginning of the evening with Lee. If a film group would like to set up a table during the filmmaker mixer, please call 322-LOFT. 7 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 5; $5.Essential Cinema: The Loft screens a new print of Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal at 1 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 10, and 7 p.m., Monday, Feb. 11. Essential Cinema screenings are free, but donations are accepted.
Academy Award Nominated Short Films: This touring program features all five live-action short films and all five animated short films that were nominated for Oscars. At the screening, you can fill out an "Oscar Shorts Prediction" ballot; viewers who correctly guess the winners in both categories will be entered into a drawing for free movie passes to the Loft. It takes place at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 19; $10, or $8 for Loft members.
The Loft Cinema is at 3233 E. Speedway Blvd. Call 795-7777 or check the Loft Web site for a full schedule of films and events, and for further information.
