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I’ve known Elizabeth since 2001, when I attended the Moondance International Film Festival in Boulder, Colorado, as an award-winner for my feature screenplay. Subsequently, based on my appreciation of her talents as a film festival director, and her enthusiasm for mentoring filmmakers and writers, and her ability in selecting the finest of independent films for screening, I invited her to lecture on film at American University in Washington DC, where I teach. Her seminar and screenings of the best of Moondance films were enthusiastically received by a sold-out audience of students and faculty alike.

At Moondance, I attended her popular and well-attended workshops on how to improve one’s work to be successful in the international entertainment industry, and I was impressed with her depth of knowledge and unique skills to inspire. Over the four days of the film festival, I observed Elizabeth’s successful interactions with festival attendees, filmmakers, writers, staff and volunteers, by whom she was well-liked, as well as her professionalism in dealing with the various festival vendors.

My overall impression while attending the Moondance film festival, in such a beautiful location,
 and while speaking with other participants at the various film screenings, networking parties, and workshops, was one of enthusiasm, inspiration, and professionalism. In short, I loved it!

Elizabeth has impeccable integrity, is honest to a fault, and has amazing good taste in films, which has propelled Moondance to be rated as one of the top film festivals in the world. She is professional, a team-player, and easy-going. She is a creative writer from whom I have learned to vastly improve my screenwriting work. She has a flawless reputation, is a hard worker, a self-starter, and is always open to new ideas. Moreover, she is experienced, talented, highly intelligent, and also well-traveled.

– Olga Rojer, Ph.D,  Professor and Department Chair, Language and Foreign Studies, American University, Washington DC.


MORE TESTIMONIALS

  • “The Moondance International Film Festival is well known for offering the best venue to raise awareness of social issues through films and showcasing talented international independent social impact filmmakers’ works to audiences. We believe that your organization has a very good potential to share this important message to our global audiences who love social impact films as well as support social and environmental change.” ~ Michelle Lam, Founder of Visiomi.com
  • “My co-director and I have known about the Moondance Film Festival for quite some time now. As independent, first-time filmmakers, we love the festival’s mission to entertain, to inform, to inspire, to encourage and to educate.” ~ Ben Prawer and Jesse Swedlund
  • “I wanted to thank you once more for the wonderful experience of working at Moondance International Film Festival (2014). It was such a pleasure getting to meet…the many esteemed guests and filmmakers, as well as the hardworking and all-around brilliant volunteers. ~ Arden Tuncer, official festival event co-photographer. Portfolio link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ardentart/
  • “My 2014 stageplay award for “Botticelli’s Angels” has pride of place on our mantle-piece, and the play has just been short-listed for the BBC Writers Room Development Scheme here in the UK, so keep your fingers crossed that it opens some doors for me there!  ~ Gemma Mills McGrath
  • “Winning the 2014 Spirit of Moondance award was the highlight of my year, and I hope and pray that 2015 continues my lucky streak! I had a great time (including a lovely birthday lunch with Linda Seger) and was so happy and grateful to be recognized for my female-centered, multicultural dance drama, FIREBIRD!” ~ Kathryn Machi
  • “Your treatise on directors actually directing actors (January 18 Moondance blog), in addition to all the other directorial skills and duties, is in my view the most important page in the instructional manual. Your scintillating exploration of the interpersonal essentials from director to actor and from each actor to all others in any film of quality is easily the most moving and comprehensive I ever read anywhere. This should be required reading at every film school on the planet.” ~ William Maxwell, writer
  • Elizabeth is a dreamer, an activist for inspiring others. She respects the creativity of each individual artist and believes that we all have something wonderful to share with the world. I encourage everyone to share your talents in her upcoming film festival.” ~ CJ Machado (post at LinkedIn.com)
  • “My first documentary film was accepted and won at your festival several years ago. It went on to win several other awards, also. It was such a surprise, and meant so much to me at the time. It gave me the courage to continue to produce documentaries, and helped me define my career in filmmaking.” ~ Becky McMillen
  • “Elizabeth is an amazingly creative and energetic individual! The Moondance Festival exists because of her initiative and continued enthusiasm. I was an award-winner at Moondance twice for my screenplays and another time for a short story. I attended two festivals, once in Boulder and once in Hollywood! Unforgetable!” ~ Bonnie Maffei, award-winning screenwriter
  • “Great newsletter!!! Always!! You are really so good at what you do! Your hints and info to screenwriters are always so welcome and helpful. You should get accolades from all who enter Moondance for that alone.” ~ Lorna Kanter, New Jersey screenwriter & artist
  • Thank you for the wonderful information and insight that you put into the festival blog. It’s such a joy to have people in the world who value and share the beauty around us. I’m so glad we found you. I just wanted to thank you so much again for your honesty and time. A few times in a life, you’re exposed to something that sticks with you from that point forward, and your advice (about our film) has fallen into that category. I’ve made significant changes to the film over this last year, with your words always in the back of my mind: a great deal more visuals, and a great deal fewer talking heads. Again, thank you so much, I’ll always be in your debt.” ~ Heather Spencer, Mission Possible Films, Hawaii
  • “I will be in the Boulder area at the end of September, so I will make it a point to attend the festival. I look forward to it very much!” ~ Richard Sherman, actor & storyboard artist
  • “It’s a GREAT Festival.  I won an award there twice. Once for a screenplay, a comedy, and once for a short story.  The Festival is excellent, very well run and Elizabeth English really helps the screenwriters.” ~ Lorna Kanter
  • This event gives the attendees the wide range of opportunities to network and excel .. “.True happiness involves the full use of one’s power and talents.” ~ John W. Gardner, LinkedIn Entertainment Industry Group
  • “Besides being the only festival that appealed to me, and the only festival I have submitted to, and the event also coincides with my 50th birthday. I keep picturing myself enjoying Colorado on my big day” ~ Donna-Lynne Larson
  • “Thanks for everything, Elizabeth. My awards with Moondance in 2012 and 2013 have really helped propel my career to the next level in publishing and filmmaking.~ Amy McCorkle
  • “Thank you for all you do for the writing community, not just film. As a three-time award recipient in the audio drama division I am always proud to point out to people the value Moondance places on writers in all genres.” ~ Sable Jak, Seattle, WA
  • I am a fan of Moondance! Congratulations on doing a fabulous job single-handedly, it appears.” ~ Kenny Mann, filmmaker, author, journalist & teacher
  • Thanks for introducing me to Moondance. Being this side of the Atlantic I was aware of Sun and Rain dance but having read your festival site, I like the philosophy of your event. Next year!” ~ Andrew Griffin, UK filmmaker
  • “Just wanted to let you know how thrilled my colleagues and I are to be attending the 15th Moondance Festival and presenting a workshop on Audio drama for writers. The Audio drama field is growing rapidly and many new opportunities are becoming available for writers, actors, directors and even visual artists. We hope, in the panel, that we will not only provide information on producing dramas but writing for them too. With so many new innovations such as binaural (3D) sound already happening the field is wide open and welcoming for even more innovation and experimentation. We look forward to seeing you in September!” ~ Sable Jak, audio writer/producer, Moondance 3-toime winner
  • The latest bit of  information is truly wonderful…very helpful…inspiring.  I don’t think I can rave to you enough about how you constantly come up with wonderfully helpful things for writers.  Only someone truly dedicated to writers and to the profession, as you  are, would be constantly researching for us and trying to help us without vanity and competition on your part, even though you are a writer (and a wonderful one, by the way) yourself.” ~ Lorna Kanter, screenwriter & artist, New Jersey
  • “It is really an honor for writers living across the world to participate in this distinguished competition of yours which values the principles of Mahatma Gandhi…” ~ Dhiraj Bakshi, India
  • “I think of you often and am so grateful for the support you have given me with my screenwriting over the years.  You helped to give me the confidence to believe that I could write and tell stories.  I will do that forever.” ~ Sally Sutherland, Moondance feature screenplay winner
  • “This is my first short film.  I wrote it, directed it, produced it and star in it and am SO proud of the finished piece (and myself)! Moondance has been a top priority to get into, not entirely, but especially, because it has a strong support for women filmmakers.” ~ Marina Lazzarotto