PROJECT TWENTY1 – NOT JUST A FILM FESTIVAL

NEWSLETTER – January 12, 2008


Project Twenty1 FIlm-A-Thon Award
Happy 2008 everybody!

 

Thanks to all our friends, supporters and cinemaphiles who came out to support Project Twenty1 last weekend and make for a succesful festival! We had a lot of fun and screened a lot of great films, and we’re already getting some excitement about our summer competition. But first things first… the Film-A-Thon Wrap-up!

 

THE FILM-A-THON WINNERS

We want to first thank everybody who submitted, as we received over 100 entries, and our wonderful and talented screeners were forced into Clockwork Orange-style accommodations to ensure that each film received a fair set of viewings before being selected. We hope that everybody who submitted this year does so again in the future, to help our festival continue to grow and improve as the years go on!

Secondly, we want to congratulate everybody whose films were chosen to become Official Selections. Only 21 were given the top honors, and it speaks volumes about the talent of these individuals that their films were able to rise above the throng.

It should be noted that Project Twenty1 is judged by an independent panel of judges with no knowledge of, or interaction with, the filmmakers involved. The festival producers, Quang, Stephanie, and Matt, love our filmmakers, and our submitters, and equally love to interact with them, so to keep things kosher, we remove ourselves entirely from the screening/judging process. The list of judges for the 2008 Film-A-Thon can be found here.

We had two honorable mentions this year that were awarded certificates of achievement and copies of Toon Boom Animation’s remarkable storyboarding software Toon Boom Storyboard. The first, the feature film Blood Car, directed by Alex Orr of Fake Wood Wallpaper Films, is a hilarious and shocking oil satire, and the second, the mysterious short Still Life, directed by Jon Knautz of Brookstreet Pictures, is haunting and memorable for its Twilight-Zone-ish atmosphere and killer twist. We at Project Twenty1 heartily congratulate them both.

The overall winner, as selected by our judges was The District! (Nyocker!), directed by Áron Gauder and distributed by Atopia Films. The winner received a copy Toon Boom Storyboard Pro, along with the 2008 Project Twenty1 Film-A-Thon trophy. The District! is quite possibly the only animated Hungarian sci-fi ghetto musical political satire is existence, and beyond that, its unique style of animation and technical innovation, as well as its story, helped to make it the Best Film of The 2008 Project Twenty1 Film-A-Thon. Congratulations!

THANK YOU ALL

We at Project Twenty1 want to thank all of you for making our Film-A-Thon such a success. We had filmmakers travel from as far away as Michigan to enjoy the festival and take in what Philadelphia has to offer on a weekend when many were ill with flu or still recovering from overdoses of holiday stuffing and cookies. Thank you to all who attended, and for your comments about what you saw and experienced that day, which ranged from the kind and thoughtful to the downright ecstatic.

We also want to thank our wonderful sponsors who helped ensure the event went off without a hitch. We could not have held the screenings at our wonderful location at the Arts Bank were it not for the support of The University of the Arts as a whole, and individuals such as Brian Feeney, Karen Rosenberger, Karl Staven, Kate Johnson, and of course Troy Martin O’Shia, who was invaluable in showing us the lay of the land inside the Arts Bank and getting the equipment to the point where we could present your films in the manner in which they deserved to be presented. We also appreciate the plethora of delicious food & pastries at our reception from our gracious sponsor Panera Bread!

Similarly, we would love to thank the wonderful people at Vesuvio, home of the Best Sandwich in America, at 8th and Fitzwater, for providing us with such a wonderful spread and such an elegant space for us to hold our Wrap Party. All in attendance were astounded at the time and effort taken by Vesuvio’s staff to welcome us and provide such a wonderful end to our long and exhausting (but exhilerating) day. Those of you who didn’t get a chance to make it out, be sure to check it out! Those of us that had never been there before were blown away by the venue, the menu, and the professionalism and friendliness of the entire staff.

Lastly, thanks again to all of our wonderful volunteers, who again came through to ensure the festival went off flawlessly. To Liesje, Gary, Lena, Trang, Greg, and Beth for contributing to the event, we can’t thank you enough. An even bigger shout out to Niki and Tom, who have been with us since summer helping put this together, and who have devoted countless hours selflessly to our cause. You all have no idea how great it feels to have created something that inspires such talented people to want to work together for a common goal, particularly when that goal is bringing independent films to the masses, and the masses to independent films.

WHAT’S NEXT?Well, we’re glad you asked. Those of you in attendance may have noticed a few not-so-subtle plugs for our upcoming 21 Day Competition, which launched us as an organization in 2006, and will be making a long-awaited return this summer. We are working on details now with a few different venues, and have some more exciting news to announce very shortly regarding the

competition, and how you can get involved.

We CAN give you a few juicy tidbits on the festival that we already know. First, we will NOT be limiting the 2008 competition to 21 Teams. Come one, come all, we can already tell there will be some angry filmmakers out there if we limit such a cool event to such a select group. Secondly, although, the competition for the Awards may be fiercer this year, and we can’t guarantee that all films will make the Official Project Twenty1 2008 DVD, all films will still be screened at least once. Things we can’t tell you yet include the location of the screenings, the date of the major events, obviously what The Element is going to be (nobody will get THAT from us until the competition begins), or, unfortunately, the exact date that signups will begin.

So how will you know? Well, if you’re getting this newsletter, that’s a good start. If you’re simply reading this on our website, make sure you’re registered on our site and that will ensure you receive our newsletter. Why is that important? Well, the first official announcement regarding the commencement of signups in the spring will take place through this very newsletter!

AEG - Photo By Gary Hanna
Anthony Griffin (Photo By Gary Hanna)

So, you want to be involved? Want to run a Team? Maybe you just want to contribute to somebody else’s? Well, either way, make sure you’re on our list! Registration is incredibly easy, assuming you know your name, and takes literally 30 seconds at most.

DONATE OR VOLUNTEER AND SUPPORT PROJECT TWENTY1

Lastly, Project Twenty1 is growing rapidly! In 2008, we are already finding ourselves swamped with emails, ideas and goals to meet, and very little time in which to do any of it. That said, we seeking more volunteers, especially by people with experience in publicity, marketing, sponsorships, graphic design, video editing, or event planning. If you have any of these skills and think you might want to contribute them to our awesome team, please e-mail us.

Don’t have the time to volunteer but just want to help out? Become a sponsor! Individual sponsorships start at $50 and can get you free passes to Project Twenty1 events and screenings, free DVDs, your name on our website and in our programs, and more! Better yet, your donation would be 100% tax-deductible thanks to our partnership with International House, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization devoted to promoting the arts and independent film in Philadelphia. Contact us for more information on how to get involved.

Im closing, thanks to everybody, and anybody we forgot. Your tireless devotion and enthusiasm for our Project is what gets us through the rough patches, and lets us know that despite all the hard work, we will continue to bring you a truly unqieu festival experience for years to come.

 

As always, your friends,

 

 

Quang Ly, Stephanie Yuhas, & Matt Conant

 

Project Twenty1 Producers

www.projecttwenty1.com

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