A Great Big 2015 Moondance Thank-you!

by Elizabeth English on June 30, 2015

Happy Independence Day

to all our American Moondancers!

THE 2015 SUBMISSION DEADLINE HAS NOW PASSED.

Thanks a million for all the fine submissions we’ve received this season, from Colorado, the USA & 29 other countries*! Previewing & judging of all submissions is now taking place. Results of the competition results are planned to be announced at the end of July.The screening schedule for selected films is planned to be announced in early August.

Subscribe now to the Moondance news-blog to receive announcements, and the 2015 competition results, as soon as all the submissions have been previewed, and selection decisions have been made. Our very popular news-blog also has festival event info, entertainment industry news, insider articles, recommendations, things to consider & more!

Moondance International Film Festival dates:

September 7^th & 8th,, 2015

Boulder, Colorado USA

The 2015 Moondance Victorian-era historic landmark venue:

Hotel Boulderado

2115 Thirteenth Street

Boulder, CO 80302 USA

303-442-4344

[email protected]

EARLY-BIRD 2015 FILM FESTIVAL INFO:

2015 BOULDER LODGING INFORMATION

2015 MOONDANCE TRAVEL INFO

BOULDER AREA INFO

Check out the website for more info:

WEBSITE: www.moondancefilmfestival.com

NEWS-BLOG: www.moondancefilmfestival.com/blog

EMAIL: [email protected]

MOONDANCE FILM FESTIVAL TICKETS WILL GO ON SALE SOON!

Moondance is different from most other film festivals in that it’s actually affordable, and user-friendly. You can register upon arrival, during the festival, and/or in advance on the Moondance website. There is no general festival registration fee at all. You can buy tickets to film screenings for $10 each. The networking parties & after-parties are all on-your-own (OYO), and the awards ceremony is only $25, with the awards reception afterwards also being OYO. There is also a special 10-film package for $75. All film tickets are generic & can be used for any film, any day, any theater, by any ticket-holder.

*Filmmakers, writers & composers from the US & these foreign countries submitted films, scripts & music in 2015: Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cayman Islands, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, India, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Syria, Thailand, Trinidad/Tobago, Turkey, UK, & Ukraine!

MOONDANCE RECOMMENDS:

THE INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR ANIMAL WELFARE is currently one of the largest animal welfare and conservation charities in the world. The group’s declared mission is to “rescue and protect animals around the world.” Our Animal Action Education programme helps children learn and care about animals. Please donate today: www.ifaw.org/

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Please support this feature-length documentary, CRUTCH. It’s the cool and inspiring story of absolutely amazing performance artist, Bill Shannon. Bill’s been on crutches since he was a little boy (because of a disease called Legg-Calve-Perthes). Around the same time, Bill began to realize he had an irrepressible desire to dance, and that he was gifted at it. Break-dancing on his crutches, Bill became an underground legend — nicknamed “Crutch.” Once he added a skateboard into the mix, Bill’s unique talent began earning him worldwide acclaim: performances at the Tate Modern in London, dancing & choreographing for the Cirque du Soleil, & etc. For the last 10+ years, two passionate documentary filmmakers — Sachi Cunningham & Chandler Evans — have been chronicling Bill’s public ascent through the performance art world, and his private struggles with an increasingly painful “disability.” Check out the trailer: CLICK HERE TO WATCH If you dig it, please join the global community of CRUTCH fans & supporters!

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FINDING ABILITY IN DISABILITY!

Stage 32 member Brandi Thomas currently attends Florida State University and is pursuing a degree in Commercial Music. In the past four months, Brandi has been hired onto eight film scoring jobs through Stage 32 and is a shining example of the power of putting yourself out there and networking within the Stage 32 community. One of the many things I love about Brandi is her selfless approach to networking, namely her willingness to put others first, contribute wherever and whenever possible and always spreading positivity. In this entry, Brandi discusses the obstacles she faced growing up with a disability and how that affected her pursuing a career in composing. With beautiful honesty, Brandi discusses how the only thing holding her back was herself and how once she let go of her fear of rejection she was unstoppable. This is an inspiring read for any creative no matter your discipline or background and the perfect way to kick start the week. To continue reading “Finding Ability In Disability”, click HERE!

RE: My comments on this blog: “Thank you for sharing, Elizabeth! And I thought you were inspiring before I read this.” ~ Richard “RB” Botto, Founder & CEO of www.Stage32.com

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ENJOY THIS NICE VIDEO & ARABIC MUSIC:

Mosaics such as these are an integral part of the Arabic culture.

FROM CLAY TO MOSAICS

http://safeshare.tv/w/GjbfgUhina

SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT:

“Instead of seeing the rug being pulled out from under us, we can learn to dance on a shifting carpet!” ~ Thomas Crum

“Amelia”, photo by SK

“We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face… we must do that which we think we cannot.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

The Dalai Lama

“Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions. ~ The Dalai Lama

Elena Shumilova, photographer, Russia

“As long as you’ve never loved an animal, a part of your soul is still asleep.” ~ Anatole France

INSIDER TIPS:

GREAT SCREENPLAY WRITING PART 3 – CHARACTERS

By: Wendy Kram

Great screenplay writing starts with an attention-grabbing, unique, compelling character. It’s one of the most important ingredients to attract a star and third party financier. For investors to determine whether or not they want to finance a particular screenplay, they need to maximize the odds that they will attract a large audience and get a return on their investment. Today, a medium-budget movie can cost $20 million, plus another $20 million in print and advertising to promote it.

That’s A LOT of money! Short of having a pre-established brand with a built-in, guaranteed audience such as a best-selling novel or a comic book action hero, which only studios with deep pockets can afford — what is the tipping point that will make an investor want to finance a project?

The answer is simple – they fall in love with the screenplay. But what makes people fall in love with your script? They may feel the subject matter is important, but above all, they fall in love with a character, become deeply intrigued and drawn into his or her journey. The same is true for actors and directors. With a compelling character, the investor hedge their bets, feel more confident in the ability to attract a star. Attaching a star in turn provides further assurance the film will perform well at the box office and they will receive a return on their investment.- Read more

Wendy Kram is a producer and the owner of L.A. FOR HIRE, one of the industry’s leading consulting companies for screenwriters, filmmakers and production companies.