MOONDANCE AND THE CITY!

Image by Joe Gilpin, Jr.

THANKS A MILLION FOR ALL THE FINE FILMS, WRITINGS AND MUSIC SUBMITTED TO THE 2012 MOONDANCE COMPETITION!

Announcements will be made soon for all winners, finalists and semi-finalists!

NEW YORK CITY!

SEPTEMBER 13, 14, 15 & 16

Don’t miss this unique opportunity for extreme networking with US & international filmmakers, writers, composers, production companies, distributors, talent agents, celebrities, casting agents, international audiences, and the best-of-the-best indie film screenings, important workshops & pitch-panels, plus all of the many advantages of being in the heart of Manhattan for a fabulous, unforgettable weekend!

PLAN NOW TO ATTEND THE 13^th ANNUAL

MOONDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2012!

SCROLL ON DOWN FOR MORE NEWS, INFO & ARTICLES OF INTEREST!

MOONDANCERS WRITE US:

• Good news from a past Moondance festival participant: “My short film has won yet another award – this time, the Award of Excellence at the International Film Festival in Jakarta, Indonesia. By now, this uniquely creative short film from Edmonton has traveled to more than 20 major international film festivals and charmed audiences across the globe. All the best to Moondance, and I hope to submit to you in the very near future, and attend your wonderful festival workshops, again.” ~ Eva Colmers, Canada

• “I just want you to know that I really appreciate all of this advice/help.  It still just stuns me. The last week has been such an incredible education for us here. Our films are watched throughout Micronesia, as we are the only ones doing this kind of stuff.” ~ Jack Niedenthal, filmmaker, screenwriter, Marshall Islands

• “What a wonderful surprise to see my painting in the mid-July Moondance news blog. I am so proud. The news blog is terrific. Peaceable Kingdom is very touching. Those kids were adorable. It made me think deeper about animals and their feelings. Again, I must say you do a wonderful service, not just for writers, but for humanity.” ~ Lorna Kanter, artist, screenwriter, NY

HERE’S SOME GOOD NEWS!

Photo from The New York Times

GOSHEN, Connecticut, USA (AP) July 21, 2012– The birth of a white bison, among the rarest of animals, is bringing Native Americans who consider it a sacred event to celebrate at one of the least likely of places, a farm in New England.

Hundreds of people, including tribal elders from South Dakota, are expected to attend naming ceremonies later this month at the northwestern Connecticut farm of Peter Fay, a fourth-generation Goshen farmer.

Native Americans in the area have come with gifts of tobacco and colored flags for Fay and the bull calf since it was born there a month ago, and Fay is planning to offer his hay field as a campsite for the expected crowds.

“They say it’s going to bring good things to all people in the world!” Marian White Mouse, a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe in South Dakota, said the birth of a white bison is a sign from a prophet, the White Buffalo Calf Woman, who helps us endure times of strife and famine.

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID!

ELEPHANTS ARE STILL BEING SLAUGHTERED BY POACHERS

There are many ways to describe elephants: magnificent, highly intelligent, and tough. And if we aren’t careful, there could soon be another short word on this list: gone. The skyrocketing price of illegal ivory has ignited an escalating crime spree with elephant poachers and criminal traffickers at the center. It’s been growing steadily worse, and last year an unprecedented number of these gentle giants were slaughtered for their ivory. Humans have put elephants in this mess, and it’s our task to get them out. To protect elephants across Africa and Asia from being killed, we need to intervene immediately. Please consider a timely donation to the Wildlife Conservation Society!

VANISHING BEES!

Honeybees have been mysteriously disappearing across the planet, literally vanishing from their hives. Known as Colony Collapse Disorder, this phenomenon has brought beekeepers to crisis in an industry responsible for producing apples, broccoli, watermelon, onions, cherries and  hundreds of other fruits and vegetables. Commercial honeybee operations pollinate crops that make up one out of every three bites of food on our tables. In less than a month it will be – National Honeybee Day!  Celebrate our Precious Honeybees on August 21st. Our golden winged friends need your help now more than ever. The systemic pesticide clothianidin has been shown to play a major role in the dire crisis in honeybee health. Despite a hive of hard work calling for a ban on clothianidin, the EPA recently gave the systemic pesticide a continued go-ahead. This is sad news and shows us that it’s really up to each and every one of us to be the change we want to see in the world. Thanks for being a part of the solution. The time to raise awareness is now! http://www.vanishingbees.com/

We’ve all seen the agonizing photos of hunger – children with empty eyes, starving and hopeless. Their haunted looks beg for help. But thanks to the ongoing efforts of HEIFER, INTERNATIONAL, many of these children and families now have the light of self-reliance and hope in their eyes, where once there was despair. Please visit the website to see the world through the eyes of those who have broken the cycle of dependence and poverty. It’s not only what they are given, but what they do with it. Yet there are so many others around the world who are still waiting to be given the chance to transform their lives. Please consider a meaningful gift for yourself, a friend or a family member, by donating, in someone’s name, a gift of new life, at Heifer International now. For just $10 – $25 a share, you can give a family a goat, a pig, rabbits, a flock of chickens or geese, seeds, a hive of honeybees, a camel, or even a grove of fruit or nut trees!

Click here:  HEIFER GIFT CATALOG

Little Ruth from Lusaka, Zambia

MOONDANCERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD!

In our continuing efforts to encourage, promote, inspire & provide top-quality original filmmaking, writing and music composition by talented artists from around the world, the Moondance International Film Festival is very pleased to announce that our festival competitions have brought in great submissions, in all categories, from these countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Curaçao, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Korea, Lebanon, Macao, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Saint Lucia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia/Montenegro, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tasmania, Thailand, Turkey, UK, United Arab Emirates, United Arab Republic, USA, Venezuela, Viet Nam and Wales!

FLAGS OF MANY COUNTRIES REPRESENTED AT MOONDANCE:

THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY:

Cranes, National Geographic photo

“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.” ~ Albert Einstein

“If happiness is activity in accordance with excellence, it is reasonable that it should be in accordance with the highest excellence.” ~ Aristotle

Photograph by Stephane Vetter, for National Geographic

“Good friends are like stars. You don’t always see them, but you know they are always there.” ~ Author Unknown

“Analia” photo by Britt Newell, Paraguay

“If children grew up according to early indications, we should have nothing but geniuses in the world.”
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

photo by D. Bush, missouriskies.org

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

Photo & quote by Lou Hamilton, UK

“Charlie”, photo by Chris Anastasiadis

“I have decided to be happy; it is excellent for one’s health!”—Voltaire

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Thanks!

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