PEW Fellowships in the Arts has recently re-worked their website, along with their selection processes. So, they’ve removed from the new site all the wonderful glennfilms produced and Ann Tegnell edited portraits of the 2007 & 2008 Fellows. Well, they ARE up in cyberspace on the PEW Fellowships in the Arts YouTube channel. Go! Check ‘em out. Have some fun and hope that you, too, may some day be so rewarded.
glennfilms has let us know that spark., the little video that could, was a recently featured artsJournalvideo. Arts Journal is a daily arts news site that collects, writes about and offers discussion on a full range of arts subjects. A site to bookmark, for sure. spark. may only be up on their site for a few weeks, but connects to a good-quality YouTube version posted by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance.
Now would also be the time to note the passing of Peggy Amsterdam, long-time champion of the arts in Philadelphia and beyond. She was a participant in spark. and glennfilms put together a bit more of her appearance for a memorial to her on December 30th.
Kino-Eye ‘Notables of the Noughties’ list includes Mirror Dance as one of the best documentaries of the past decade. As María says, “Nice to be recognized!” Check out the company we are in…
The Kino-Eye blog is the work of David Tamés. Thanks, David!
If you’d like a refresher on our doc, here it is
Documentary | 2005 | 60 mins | view clip
Producers-Directors
Frances McElroy and Maria Rodríguez
Editor
Ann Tegnell
MIRROR DANCE tells the story of Cuban-born identical twins Ramona and Margarita de Saá, whose once inseparable relationship is severed by international politics when one moves to the United States and the other remains behind. Though separated for almost 40 years, both continue to share a passion for dance. Shot in the United States and Cuba over a period of four years, the film reveals some of the complexities of the sisters’ relationship: the worlds in which they live, the choices each has made and the conflicts each has endured. Set within the context of the turbulent dynamic between the two countries, MIRROR DANCE focuses on the twins’ story of division, difference and ongoing efforts at reconciliation. It is a universal story that speaks to the personal pain, loss and waste that can result from international hostilities.
It’s shaping up to be a good, busy year for the extendedPLAYers. Stay tuned!
The Design Center at Philadelphia University invites you to join them for Lace in Translation’s opening party and reception on Thursday, September 24 from 5-7:30 p.m. Get a first look at the exhibition and mix and mingle with the exhibition curators and other art enthusiasts. The event is free and open to the public.
Premiering at Lace in Translation’s opening will be the glennfilms produced video kiosk on the three featured artists, Cal Lane, Tord Boontje and Demakersvan. Edited by Ann Tegnell and lensed by Chris Landy, the 12 minute piece reflects and informs the exhibit with interviews, behind-the-scenes moments and historical background.
Click on the photo to see the PSA.
Or watch all 12 minutes below. Enjoy!
Ann Tegnell and Frances McElroy will present BALLYCASTLE at Foulkeways in Gwynedd on Saturday, September 12th. Following the successful presentations of KNEE DEEP and Family Gathering to audiences at this remarkable community, this programm is the next in what will become a series of screenings by Philadelphia filmmakers. We’ll also show a few portraits of Pew Fellows in the Arts that Ann edited, produced by Glenn Holsten – partly in honor of Fran’s Pew Fellowship. It’s sure to be a lively evening.
BALLYCASTLE is a half-hour documentary that tells the story of Stuart Shils, a Philadelphia based painter of Jewish heritage, whose encounter with a remote coastal village in Ireland forever changed his life.
A resident of an old industrial section of Philadelphia, Shils’ early paintings captured the light, color and rough texture of neighborhood streetscapes. Nearly ten years ago, he received an unexpected phone call from Ireland’s remote North Mayo coast inviting him to come and paint in Ballycastle. He went and his work and life were transformed.
The documentary captures Ballycastle’s exquisite light, dramatic scenery and fierce, ever-changing weather as Shils encountered it. This stunning atmosphere attracts an increasing number of internationally recognized artists to live and work under the auspices of the Ballinglen Arts Foundation.
Juxtaposed with Shils’ urban Philadelphia studio and work, the art of Ballycastle goes on display at the Balllinglen Arts Foundation and the Philadelphia Art Alliance. Two worlds, two audiences, who experience an artist’s transformation.
With glennfilms, Ann Tegnell is currently editing the video that will run in conjunction with The Design Center at Philadelphia University ‘Lace in Translation’ exhibit. The exhibit features the work of 3 world-class makers; Demakersvan design studio, artist Cal Lane, and designer Tord Boontje. The opening reception for ‘Lace in Translation’ is scheduled for Thursday, September 24th, 2009 from 5 to 7:30 pm. For more information visit the ‘Lace in Translation’ website.
I can’t yet show you the work, but María Rodríguez, Kaye Pyle and I have finished the latest trailers for ‘The Disappeared Children of El Salvador’. It’s tough stuff and good television. Cross all things and hope for more funds to finish this important doc.
I’ve moved to FCP to post and rented gear at Assembly. John Knapich and David Fish have been champions.
Fran McElroy and I also posted new samples for ‘Making Waves’ at Assembly. We did this on a software-only AVID system. Not so much fun. But the trailer is swell!
Please, can we get funded to move on with something?
Thanks, guys.
Issue no. 1 is out! of the Philadelphia Water Department’s Monoshone Watershed Quarterly Water Quality Update. It’s useful to finally have what we all hope will be an on-going, official report about the state of our creek.
Chris Robinson of Northwest Greens brought this to our attention, noting that it is a big step and an improvement for the PWD to be so openly reporting on the watershed. He also points out the extremely high fecal coliform counts registered at Outfall 5 in the latter part of 2008. An opinion article in the Chestnut Hill Local by Joel Hoffman expresses what many folk in the community are thinking. By all counts, this is a stinky issue that’s not going away and has, to date, defied a solution despite mountains of effort and bundles of money.
For all of you who have enjoyed KNEE DEEP and asked for an update, take a look, then seek out Chris Robinson of Northwest Greens, Charles Parsons of the Philadelphia Watershed Alliance or Joanne Dahme of the PWD to help in the efforts to clean up our creek.
This camellia just won’t quit. Our first snow of the year. Lovely.