PUNK BAND PUSSY RIOT JAILED IN RUSSIA

UNIVERSAL FILM
www.ufmag.org

ISSUE 5 OF 2012

WORLDWIDE EXCLUSIVE
100K PAID TO
THE TALIBAN FOR
UNPRECEDENTED ACCESS
DOCUMENTARY. P. 35

Pat Pawlack
writes about
the Feel Good
Film Festival

Lawless

with
Tom Hardy &
Gary Oldman

STARLITE GALA

P.33

EXPENDABLES 2

P.3

Maleficent

DISNEY ANNOUNCES
START OF
PRODUCTION

Issue 5 of 2012

About UFM
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Creative Director

TYRONE D MURPHY
DOM MURICU

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PAUL PASTOR
PAUL WOODS

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KEVIN A MURPHY

Marketing Director

Contributors

Editor-in-Chief

Tyrone D Murphy

EV JOHNSON

PATRICIA J. PAWLAK
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Contents
FEATURED STORIES:

Feel Good Film Festival

Patricia J. Pawlak reports on the feel good film
festivals

Slavery Remembrance Day

12 Slavery
Remembrance Day honour
for Englands Black Mahler

Expendables 2 P.3

Gilbert Column
13 Ron
Ron Gilbert writes about The Method - An Actors Journey

Jewish Film
14 UK
The 2012 UK Jewish Film Festival in on for
November 1st-18th

Lawless
27 Acclaimed
director John Hillcoats new movie
Lawless with Tom Hardy and Gary Oldman

Gala
33 STARLIGHT
The Starlight Gala is Spains most important
charity gala of the year.

Prize FILM FESTIVAL

38 IRIS
The 2012 Iris Prize Festival is on in Cardiff,

Magic Mike

P.7

Wales (UK) from 10th 14th October.

35 TALINIBAN DOCUMENTARY

We investigate the Taliban documentary that

paid 100K to the Taliban

Imitating Art
41 Life
Lawyer Gene Goodsell writes about legal
boundaries become blurred when people sue

USA vs. Douglas White.

45 The
The USA vs. Douglas White. Douglas White, an
89 year old Sioux spent 17 years in prison

51 CONSEQUENCE
New Si Wall movie Consequence world premier in London

Liberal Arts

P.19

ZOE MOON MONTLY HOROSCOPE

59 Celebrity astrologist Zoe Moon gives her

monthly horoscope to UFM readers

Why do we love Movies so much

63 Michelle Goode writes about why people love

movies so much

www.ufmag.org
g g

Pussy Riot P.23

Universal Film
Issue 5 of 2012

EXPENDABLES 2

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Universal Film
Issue 5 of 2012

Principal photography took

place over 14 weeks beginning in September 2011 on an
estimated $100 million budget, with filming occurring in
Bulgaria, Hong Kong and New
Orleans. The film was released
across Europe on August 16,
2012, followed by a North
American release on August
17. A tie-in downloadable vid-

www.ufmag.org

eo game was released on July in Albania. The team, accom31, 2012, that served as a pre- panied by tech genius Magquel to the events of the film.
gie (Yu Nan), retrieve the item
from the airplane; their victory
Plot
is short-lived, after discovering
The Expendables are deployed that Billy has been captured by
to Nepal in order to rescue Jean Vilain (Jean-Claude Van
a Chinese businessman. The Damme), who intends to reteam consists of leader Bar- trieve the item. The Expendaney Ross (Sylvester Stallone), bles surrender the item, howformer SAS soldier and blades ever Vilain has Victor put the
specialist Lee Christmas (Ja- knife to Billys chest and Vilain
son Statham), martial artist Yin kicks the knife into Billys heart
Yang (Jet Li), weapons special- and executes Billy and leaves.
ist Hale Caesar (Terry Crews),
demolitions expert Toll Road Billys last words to Barney
(Randy Couture), and snipers were look in my pocket and
Gunner Jensen (Dolph Lund- dies. Barney reads the letter
gren) and Billy the Kid (Liam to the others and realizes that
Hemsworth),
the
groups the letter was meant for Billys
youngest and newest member. girlfriend. The group buries
The mercenaries rescue the Billy and swears revenge on
businessmen, as well as Trench Vilain; Maggie reveals the item
(Arnold
Schwarzenegger), on the plane was a computer,
Ross rival. Yang accompanies containing a blueprint to an
the businessman in his return abandoned Soviet Union mine
to China, and temporarily de- which stores plutonium. Vilain,
parts from the group.
along with his right-hand man
Hector (Scott Adkins), intends
Ross accepts a mission from to retrieve four tonnes of pluMr. Church (Bruce Willis) to re- tonium and sell them, for 4
trieve an item from a safe from million dollars a kilogram.
an airplane that was shot down

The Expendables 2 2012 directed by Simon West and

written by Richard Wenk and
Sylvester Stallone, based on a
story by Ken Kaufman, David
Agosto and Wenk. It is a sequel
to the 2010 action film The Expendables, and stars Sylvester
Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li,
Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris,
Randy Couture, Terry Crews,
Liam Hemsworth, Jean-Claude
Van Damme, Bruce Willis, and
Arnold Schwarzenegger. The
film follows The Expendables,
a mercenary group, as they
seek revenge against Jean
Vilain (Van Damme), a rival
mercenary who murders one
of their own, and threatens the
world with a deadly weapon.

Universal Film
Issue 5 of 2012

The team decides to travel to the

mines, although the group stops by
an abandoned military base where
they spend the night. The next
morning, the team are ambushed
by Vilains army, the Sangs, but are
quickly eliminated by Booker (Chuck
Norris) single-handed, who departs
the group shortly afterwards. Before departing, Booker informs the
group about a nearby village with
residents who are against Vilain.
As they enter the village, the group
discovers a number of armed female
villagers who are guarding their
children. The women tell the mercenaries that the men of the village
have been taken to work at the mine;
the miners never return to their families. Eventually, the Sang arrives to
take more villagers to work, but the
team successfully kills all the Sang,
saving the village. The group stages
an attack on Vilain through infiltrating the mine by shooting their plane
through the caves; the plane is destroyed in the process. Vilain causes
a set of explosions that buries the
team and the miners underground.
After Jensen makes an unsuccessful
attempt to detonate a portion of the
mine. Gunner tries to make an explosive bomb and fails, but then Trench
and Church rescue the mercenaries
and the miners trapped in the mine;
the miners are reunited with their
loved ones from the village.
The Expendables, Trench and Church
pursue Vilain to the airport, where
Vilain and his men would depart on
a private plane with the plutonium. The team, re-joined by Booker,
fight their way through the airport.
Christmas encounters and fights
Hector and eventually decapitates
Hector with a helicopter blade. Ross
and Maggie follow Vilain to the hangar, where Ross and Vilain exchange
a couple of shots and words and then
fight and with the battle ending by
Vilain being strangled and stabbed
in the chest by Ross and he is killed,
avenging Billys death. Church, Maggie, Booker and Trench say their
goodbyes to Ross, with Church giving a worn-out airplane to Ross (as a
replacement of the teams destroyed
airplane). The group leaves a large
sum of money to Sophia (Nikolette
Noel), Billys French girlfriend, as
well as a picture of Billy and Billys
final letter to Sophia. As the team
departs in the plane, the Expendables give a final toast in honour of

Billy and flys o into the day.

Cast
Sylvester Stallone as Barney Ross:
The leader of the Expendables. Stallone insisted on performing his own
stunts, ignoring the advice of his
doctor following several surgeries
to repair a neck injury and broken
back he had received while filming
The Expendables.
Jason Statham as Lee Christmas: The
Expendables knife expert. Statham
described his character as kind of
a workingmans hero a guy youd
want to go out and have a beer with.
Jet Li as Yin Yang: The Expendables
hand-to-hand combat expert.
Dolph Lundgren as Gunner Jensen:
A volatile member of the Expendables, nearly undone by years of
combat stress and alcohol abuse.
Lundgrens personal history including his chemical engineering degree
were integrated into the characters
story by Stallone. Lundgren had
been hesitant to participate in the
film based on the first script draft,
but rewrites and additional content
for his character altered his stance.
Chuck Norris as Booker:A retired
military operative on a mission to
save his old teammates. The characters name is a homage to the 1978
action film Good Guys Wear Black in
which Norris portrays the character
John T. Booker. At one point of the
movie, Booker claims to have been
bitten by a cobra which subsequently died as a result, a reference to the
famous Chuck Norris facts.
Jean-Claude Van Damme as Jean
Vilain: The leader of an opposing
team of mercenaries,and a former
member of the French Foreign Legion. Van Damme had previously
been oered a role in The Expendables but failed to come to an agreement with Stallone and ultimately
never took part. Van Damme was intentionally distant from the cast and
crew during filming to stay in character. Commenting on the role, Stallone said: Well have a big showdown between me and Van Damme,
which has been anticipated for a
long time, so it should be a good
one.
Bruce Willis as Mr. Church: A secre-

tive Central Intelligence Agency

(CIA) agent. In late August 2010,
Stallone stated his interest in having
Willis return for a role in the sequel
expanding upon his brief cameo in
the original potentially as a super
villain. Willis was confirmed to be
involved in a substantial role on
September 6, 2011. Commenting
on the film, Willis said: Hopefully,
theyll start shooting it while were
young enough to survive.
Arnold Schwarzenegger as Trench:
Ross arch-rival and occasional ally.
Stallone noted his intention to have
Schwarzenegger return for a sequel
before the release of The Expendables, stating: If this works, I would
love to get him in the next one.
Schwarzeneggers involvement was
confirmed on September 6, 2011,
his substantial role expanding
on his cameo in the original film.
Schwarzenegger filmed his scenes
in 4 days.
Terry Crews as Hale Caesar: The Expendables barrel-weapons specialist.
Randy Couture as Toll Road: The Expendables demolitions expert. Couture described the character as the
glue that holds all of these dysfunctional guys together.
Liam Hemsworth as Billy the Kid: A
former military sniper disenchanted
after serving in Afghanistan. Hemsworth was confirmed for the role on
September 19, 2011. Hemsworth
had been cast in the previous film in
a similar role as a dierent character,
but his role was ultimately written
out of the script. Stallone remained
in contact with Hemsworth and offered him a role in the sequel when
production moved forward. Stallone
described the character as the next
generation of The Expendables who
is not as cynical as the other team
members.
Martial artist Scott Adkins portrays
Hector, Vilains right hand man. Adkins had also been oered a role in
the original film, but turned it down
for Undisputed III: Redemption. Yu
Nan portrays Chinese agent Maggie. The cast is rounded out by Charisma Carpenter reprising her role as
Christmass girlfriend Lacy; Swedish actress Amanda Ooms as Pilar, a
sniper; and Nikolette Noel as Sophia,

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Universal Film
Issue 5 of 2012

Several actors were reported to be

in talks to appear in the sequel at
various stages of its development.
In October 2010, Willis claimed that
Steve Austin would be returning
to the series as villain Dan Paine.
In November 2010, Charlie Sheen
was reported to be in consideration
for the role of a CIA agent hunting
down Willis character. In August
2011, Variety reported that actor,
and expert martial-artist, Donnie
Yen had been oered a role in the
film. The role was a condition of a
partnership between Nu Image/Millennium Films and an unnamed Chinese distributor that would see the
distributor becoming a producer on
the film in exchange for a Chinese
actor being cast. The partnership
was also considered to make a Chinese release of the film easier to
achieve. In September 2011, Stallone confirmed that he was in talks
with Nicolas Cage and John Travolta,
claiming the only obstacle to their
involvement would be scheduling.
In July 2011, Mickey Rourke was
stated to be reprising his role as
Tool, but by late September it was
reported that he had dropped out
of the film, and by October 18, 2011
this status was confirmed. Antonio
Banderas was reportedly oered a
role but was unable to participate
due to other commitments.
On his approach to casting, Stallone
explained that he was looking particularly for actors who had not experienced recent significant success
in film, saying: I like using people
that had a moment and then maybe
have fallen on some hard times and
give them another shot. So were always looking for actors like Michael
Biehn and Michael Par. I like those
kinds of guys. Someone did it for
me and I like to see if I can do it for
them.
Prior to release, Stallone stated, I
have an idea ready to go and Im
going to try to do something thats
quite radical. In an interview on August 15, 2010, he said that he does
not have a new script yet, but Its
plotted out in my minds eye. On
April 18, 2011, Stallone confirmed
that he would not be returning to

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direct or write The Expendables

2. David Agosto and Ken Kaufman
have been hired to write the script
based on a story by Stallone. Lionsgate confirmed at CinemaCon that
the sequel will be in US theaters on
August 17, 2012. A teaser poster for
the film was released at the 2011
Cannes Film Festival. It has been
confirmed that Simon West will
direct the sequel. Writer Richard
Wenk, who worked on Wests (The
Mechanic), came on board to pen a
new draft of the script. Lionsgate
purchased the North American and
United Kingdom distribution rights
to the film for $35 million.
On January 19, 2012, Stallone
confirmed that the film was being
aimed towards a PG-13 audience,
meaning the film could be viewed
by people above thirteen years of
age and children below that age
with parental permission, unlike
the R-rating of the previous film
which restricted the film to those
over the age of seventeen. The reported change received a negative
reception. Speaking to Aint It Cool
News about the change, Stallone
said The PG-13 rumor is true, but
before your readers pass judgement, trust me when I say this film
is large in every way and delivers
on every level. It was reported that
the change was requested by Norris before he would take part in the
film because he did not appreciate
the swearing present in the script.
However shortly before release
the adult-oriented rating was confirmed. West stated that the shooting style and the dialogue, from day
one, it was R-rated.
Van Damme redesigned his and
Stallones characters final fight in
the film with Stallones approval.
Van Damme had been unhappy with
the scripted fight which involved
his character running away and only
a brief confrontation between the
pair. He felt that the audience would
want to see a more involved fight
scene between the two actors.
On a budget of $100M, the shooting of The Expendables 2 began on
September 29, 2011 and took place
over 14 weeks. Filming took place
largely in Bulgaria at the Nu Boyana
Film studio in Sofia, the city of Plovdiv and the town of Bansko. One
of the films larger set pieces took

place at Bulgarias second largest

airport, Plovdiv Airport, involving
gun fights, explosions and car chases throughout the building. On October 27, 2011, while the 2nd Unit
Stunt Team were filming on reservoir Ognyanovo, 15 miles outside of
Sofia, stuntman Kun Liu was killed
and another, Nuo Sun, was left in
critical condition during a staged
explosion on a rubber boat. Sun
underwent a five hour operation
which left him in stable condition.
Filming also took place at Devetashka Cave in Lovech Province. As
part of the cave shoot, BGN600,000
(approximately $408,762) being
spent rebuilding a 114 meter bridge
crossing from the cave over the river Osam only the concrete bridge
columns remained of the original
structure. Nu Boyana Film Studios
announced that the bridge would
remain after the completion of filming as a gift to Bulgaria.
Box oce
In the week before release, North
American pre-release tracking estimated that the film would gross
between $30-$38 million to finish as the number 1 film during its
opening weekend. Other tracking
showed that up to 17% of North
American audiences were reluctant
to visit cinemas following the mass
murder in a Colorado cinema in late
July 2012, which could aect ticket
sales. The film earned $10.5 million
during its opening day from 3,316
theatres. The film debuted at No.
1 with $28.8 million, according to
studio estimates Sunday August 19.
Critical reception
As of August 16, 2012, the film has
garnered a 67% approval rating
from 72 critics an average rating
of 5.8 out of 10 on the review-aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes,
whose consensus reads Taut, violent, and suitably self-deprecating,
The Expendables 2 gives classic action fans everything they can reasonably expect from a star-studded
shootem-up for better and for
worse. Metacritic provides a score
of 51 out of 100 from 25 critics,
indicating mixed or average reviews.CinemaScore polls reported
that the average grade moviegoers
gave the film was a A- on an A+ to
F scale.

Billys girlfriend. Professional Tennis player Novak Djokovic cameos

as himself. He was invited to participate by producer Avi Lerner.

Universal Film
Issue 5 of 2012

magic
Mike
M

ike (Channing Tatum) is an entrepreneur. A man of many talents and

loads of charm, he spends his days
pursuing the American Dream from
as many angles as he can handle:
from roofing houses and detailing cars to designing furniture from his Tampa beach condo.
But at night hes just magic. The hot headliner in an all-male revue, Magic Mike has been
rocking the stage at Club Xquisite for years
with his original style and over-the-top dance
moves. The more the ladies love him, the
more they spend, and the happier that makes
club owner Dallas (Matthew McConaughey).
Seeing potential in a guy he calls the Kid (Alex
Pettyfer), Mike takes the 19-year-old under his
wing and schools him in the fine arts of dancing, partying, picking up women and making
easy money. Its not long before the clubs
newest act has fans of his own, as the summer opens up to a world of fun, friendship and
good times.

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Universal Film
Issue 5 of 2012

Directed by Oscar winner Steven Soderbergh (Trac)

and written by Reid Carolin, Magic Mike is produced by
Nick Wechsler, Gregory Jacobs, Channing Tatum and Reid
Carolin. The creative filmmaking team includes production
designer Howard Cummings, costume designer Christopher Peterson, music supervisor Frankie Pine and choreographer Alison Faulk.
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
Money, women and a good time.
The idea of making a movie set in the world of male strippers had been simmering with Channing Tatum for a long
time. Having once been a part of that world, he felt it had
real cinematic potential to be fun, unique, entertaining

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and more than a little revealing. But it was a conversation he had with Steven Soderbergh that finally put Magic
Mike on its path to the big screen.
Tatum, who stars in the title role and is also a producer on
the film, recalls, I mentioned that Id worked as a stripper
for eight months when I was 18 and 19 years old. Ive always thought about doing a story about that life because
whenever the subject comes up, guys always want to know
about it. Howd you get into it? What was it like? How
much money did you make? Steven said, You should do it.
Absolutely. You should write it and Ill direct it. I thought
it was one of the best ideas Id ever heard for a movie, says
Soderbergh. Its sexy, funny and crazy, and a view into an
interesting, exclusive environment most people never experience. Adds producer Gregory Jacobs, We both felt
it was something we hadnt seen in a movie before. And
Channings approach was fearless.
Soderbergh, Jacobs and producer Nick Wechsler joined
Tatum and his producing partner Reid Carolin for a series of
lively brainstorming sessions that formed the basis and inspiration for Carolins final script. Ive never worked with
anyone who is more collaborative, Tatum says of

Meanwhile, Mike meets the Kids captivating sister, Brooke

(Cody Horn). Shes definitely someone hed like to know a
lot better, and it looks like he has a chanceuntil his lifestyle gets in the way. Magic Mike stars Channing Tatum,
Alex Pettyfer, Matthew McConaughey, Cody Horn, Olivia
Munn, Matt Bomer, Riley Keough, Joe Manganiello, Kevin
Nash, Adam Rodriguez and Gabriel Iglesias.

Universal Film
Issue 5 of 2012

Soderbergh, who directed him in the

thriller Haywire last year. Not just
collaborative but empowering, really, to the actors and the crew, to
bring their own ideas into the process. It was during these sessions
that the director suggested giving
the story a dual perspective, pairing the 19-year-old character Adam,
called the Kid, who best represented
Tatums youthful point of view, with
the 30-year-old mentor character,
Mike, that he would be portraying
now. Rather than actual events, Tatum says, It was the atmosphere and
energy of it I wanted to capture, and
that feeling of being at a time in your
life when youre trying things out,
and up for anything. You might have
a plan for the future, but for now its
about that next paycheck, that next
party, and just having a good time.
None of the characters are based on
real people, not even my own, Tatum
confirms. Everything that happens
is fictional, and we did that purposely
because we wanted the freedom to
create our own scenarios and tell the
best story.
I think Channings life was probably
much crazier than this movie could
portray anyway. If we put in the
stu that really happened, no one
would believe it, quips Carolin. At
the same time, he notes, We wanted
it to be realistic enough to resonate
with his experience as a guy struggling to stay afloat, but who also has
these almost surreal moments on the
weekends when hes tearing o his
clothes and dancing for a room full of
screaming women.
Truth is, as Tatum can attest, its not
such an improbable choice. At 18,
he was burning through a number of
short-term jobs and trying to figure
out what to do next when he heard
a radio pitch for guys who liked to
dance, and auditioned for an allmale revue. I thought, Why not? I
could dance, he says. It sounded
like something I could do for fun for
awhile.
Id show up for two hours and make
$150, sometimes as much as $600
a week, all cash, which was a ton of
money for me at the time, he continues. I really enjoyed the performing aspect of it, although being in a
thong can be a humbling experience.
The more you try to look sexy the
lamer it is, so you just have to commit
to the comedy and the skit because

that can be hilarious. Strippers are

some of the corniest guys youll ever
meet. If its a fireman skit, it has to
be the corniest possible version of a
fireman, but the women love it; they
scream and laugh and stu money
into your underwear. It was wild. We
thought we were rock stars.
In the film, star attraction Magic
Mike packs the house for Club Xquisites savvy stripper-turned-manager
Dallas, played by Matthew McConaughey. Dallas discovered Mike six
years earlier, dancing with friends,
and invited him to hone his talents
professionally.
Dallas is a lot of things but primarily a businessman, and hes always on
the lookout for the next big thing,
says McConaughey. Similarly, when
Mike spots Adam, aka the Kid, played
by Alex Pettyfer, he oers the eager
young recruit the chance to make
some fast cash and find his bearings,
and the Kid becomes the audiences
all-access pass into the lives of the
self-proclaimed Kings of Tampa.
I wanted it to be all green lights for
him, so you could see why he would
find it so appealing and want to be a
part of it, especially with someone
like Mike guiding him through it; like
a family where all your brothers are
cool, Soderbergh explains. Theres
a lot of camaraderie and insider humour thats specific to a tight-knit
group of people, where the comedy
is in the characters and the situations. Its funny because of our recognition of how people are.
For the women who arrive in rowdy
girlfriend-packs to let their hair down
and cheer on these exaggerated
models of masculinityfiremen, athletes, rebels, and men in uniform
its a chance to indulge their wildest
romantic daydreams in a relatively
guilt-free environment. But in some
respects theres a fantasy playing out
on both sides of the stage and this
is one of the themes Magic Mike
touches on. Says Wechsler, Stripping oers a way of making a good
living, meeting women, and hanging
with the cool guys. Not bad. But it
can be like a drug that blocks the reality receptors; you think youre pursuing your dreams but instead youre
just taking that drug.
Its the Kids sister, Brooke, played by
newcomer Cody Horn, whos the first
to see that, raising questions about

Mikes life that he finds tough to answer. But as the story propels them
through the steamy Tampa summer
and Adam dives headlong into his
new vocation, things happen that
could send Mike and his protg in
dierent directionsand turn Mikes
focus toward the future. Its about
him finally seeing whats really going on around him, says Soderbergh.
And realizing he wants something
more.
STEVEN SODERBERGH (Director) won
an Academy Award for Best Director for his 2000 ensemble drama
Trac. He had earned dual Best
Director Oscar nominations that
year, also receiving one for Erin
Brockovich, starring Julia Roberts
in her Oscar-winning performance.
Soderbergh earlier gained an Academy Award nomination for Best
Original Screenplay for sex, lies, and
videotape, his feature film directorial debut. The film also won the
Palme dOr at the 1989 Cannes Film
Festival.
Soderberghs twenty-fifth film, the
action-thriller Haywire, starring
Gina Carano, Channing Tatum, Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor,
Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas
and Bill Paxton, was released in January, 2012. Contagion, his global
thriller with an international ensemble cast including Matt Damon, Kate
Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Marion
Cotillard, Jude Law, and Laurence
Fishburne, was released in September 2011.
And Everything is Going Fine, his
2010 feature film, documented the
life and work of the late performance
artist Spalding Gray, with whom
Soderbergh previously worked on
Grays Anatomy and King of the
Hill.
his other credits are The Girlfriend
Experience, The Informant!, Che,
the Oceans trilogy, The Good
German, Bubble, Solaris, Full
Frontal, The Limey, Out of Sight,
Schizopolis, The Underneath and
Kafka.
His film Equilibrium was one of a
trio of short eroticism-themed films
released as Eros, and included segments directed by Michelangelo Antonioni and Wong Kar-wai. Eros
premiered at the 2004 Venice Film
Festival.

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Universal Film

Film festival review

Issue 5 of 2012

Feeling Good At
The Feel Good Film Festival

After a very lively gala opening

night party, the evening continued
with films screening at the new Laemmles all digital theater, a welcome
addition to NoHo which years ago
was devastated by the Northridge
earthquake. The night started with
two marvelous shorts The Man At
The Counter and The Parachute Ball,
a tale of two older sisters in London
during WW II who end up being held
hostage by a fallen German paratrooper. The acting and costumes
were so remarkable that one wished
the film would continue. Opening
night feature film was Red Dog with
Josh Lucas. Set in Australia, it is a
true life story of a dog that brings a
mining community together. At one
point, you could hear sobs echoing throughout the audience and I
walked out wanting to see it again.
No surprise it won Best Feel Good
Feature. One of the finest documentaries that I have ever screened
was Dave. The film follows a young
58 basketball coach who struggled for his success in his favorite

www.ufmag.org

Warren Davis and Ron Rogge

sport (due to height) and how he

mentored and cultivated a 65, 345
pound special needs young man,
Dave, and turned him into the star of
the basketball team. Dave, whose Father had abandoned him years prior
due to his special needs, ends up
bringing Coach Donyes to search for
his Father, too.
Saturday brought the well anticipated Screenwriting Panel with Brian Bird, Touched By An Angel, Dean
Batali, That 70s Show, and Key Payton, 28 year writing and editing pro.
Feel Good, whose philosophy is to
encourage the beauty amongst us in
the world really encourages passionate film makers to develop their view
point and then give them a venue to
express themselves. Founder Kristen
Flores gives film makers an opportunity to cultivate relationships that
will transcend time and boundaries
by nurturing an intimate venue with
a popular courtyard meeting place.
Hats o to the fine selection committee.
Closing Night ceremonies were
helmed by Dominic Flores from The
Young and the Restless with a special performance of the dance and

acrobatics group BBoy whose short

screened at the festival.
And the winners of the 5th Feel Good
Film Festival:
Best Feel Good Feature: RED DOG
Best Feel Good Short: THE FIRST 70
Best Director: Kriv Stenders RED
DOG
Best Actor: Fabian Kruger DER SANDMANN
Best Actress: Carmen Sanchez LA ULTIMA ISLA
Audience Award Feel Good Feature:
PAD YATRA: A GREEN ODYSSEY
Audience Award Feel Good Short:
CEST MAGIQUE
Best Screenplay: GETTING THE BUSINESS by Haik Hakobian
Best Student Film: CHALK TALK
Cant wait until next year.
(Patricia J. Pawlak has attended film
festivals throughout the world including Cannes, London, Rio, Shanghai and Berlin.)

10

he 5th Annual Feel Good Film

Festival got under way August
3 in the trendy new art district
of No Ho (North Hollywood) under
the keen and joyful direction of
Karyn Jones and festival founder,
Kristen Ridgway Flores. The traditional red carpet gave way to a
glowing sunburst carpet in keeping
with the Feel Good theme of sunflowers that, by the way, always face
the suns rays. Certainly, the sunburst carpet, the festivities and the
films kept up to the promise of this
festival and one could not help going away feeling kissed by the sun.
Valente Rodriquez, Ernie, from the
successful The George Lopez Show
led the way followed by an array of
talented filmmakers including director, Michael Gooch, Death (yes, its
wonderfully uplifting) and up and
coming stars such as Linsey Godfrey
from The Assignment, Fabiennne
Maurer, Emmanuelle Weisbach from
Cest Magique!, Narmar Hanna, star
and producer of the hysterical The
Diners Club and Ian Hyland from The
Man At the Counter.

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iv e 5
UnIssu

Film Festival
of Vernon France
Film festival of Vernon (France), 45 minutes from Paris. From October, 19th to 21st.
Theme: the art and the artists. Come and fill your mind with artistic and creative
movies. Program of this 4th edition: a wide choice of worldwide short movies, animations about the creation of movies, rewards. www.lanormandieetlemonde.org.

CALL FOR
ENTRIES

all for Entries for the 6th annual Taos Shortz Film Fest.

Come join the hottest shorts film

fest in the SouthWest. Taos Shortz
Film Festival is rapidly becoming
an internationally known film
festival. We are dedicated to featuring quality, juried short films
from around the globe and we invite you to bring your adventure
of creativity to our film fest. Take
the opportunity to strut your stu
amidst the mountains and mesas
of Taos, NM.
The Taos Shortz Film Fest continues to bring world class cinema to
our community and beyond and
to provide filmmakers with a venue to showcase their work, participate in workshops, panels, and
network with fellow filmmakers,
media companies, producers and
distributors.
The Taos Shortz Film fest will be
held March 7th to 10th 2013 at
the Taos Center for the Arts.
Our 2012 festival was an enormous success and put Taos back
on the map as a cinematic destination. We screened over 70
global and regional short films,
oered free panel discussions in
experimental film, chalkboard
animation and Web Episodes.
Taos was hopping as we hosted
200 International filmmakers and
partied every night till the wee
networking hours
If you think you have what it takes
for this year....
SUBMIT YOUR FILM!
www.taosshortz.com

Electronic Frontier
Foundation
by Tyrone D Murphy
From the Internet to the iPod, technologies are transforming our
society and empowering us as speakers, citizens, creators, and
consumers. When our freedoms in the networked world come under attack, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is the first line of defense.
EFF broke new ground when it was founded in 1990well before
the Internet was on most peoples radarand continues to confront
cutting-edge issues defending free speech, privacy, innovation, and
consumer rights today. From the beginning, EFF has championed
the public interest in every critical battle aecting digital rights.
Blending the expertise of lawyers, policy analysts, activists, and
technologists, EFF achieves significant victories on behalf of consumers and the general public. EFF fights for freedom primarily in
the courts, bringing and defending lawsuits even when that means
taking on the US government or large corporations. By mobilizing
more than 140,000 concerned citizens through our Action Center,
EFF beats back bad legislation. In addition to advising policymakers, EFF educates the press and public. EFF is a donor-funded nonprofit and depends on your support to continue successfully defending your digital rights. Litigation is particularly expensive; because
two-thirds of our budget comes from individual donors, every contribution is critical to helping EFF fightand winmore cases.
Shari Steele is the Executive Director of the EFF and served as EFFs
Legal Director for eight years. She is also co-founder of Bridges.org,
a nonprofit working to ensure sound technology policy in developing
nations. She has spoken widely on civil liberties law in newly emerging technologies, including on the CBS Evening News, C-SPANs Washington Journal, The Today Show, CNN, the BBC, and National Public
Radio. As EFFs Legal Director, she advised the NTIA on hate crimes in
telecommunications, the U.S. Sentencing Commission on sentencing
guidelines for the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and the No Electronic Theft Act, and the National Research Council on U.S. encryption
policy. She has spoken about Internet law as part of the Smithsonian Institutions lecture series on the Internet, the ABAs TechWorld
Conference, the National Law Journals annual Computer Law Conference, and the National Forum for Women Corporate Counsel.

11

www.ufmag.org

by Katha Cato

The
QWFF
Recipe for
Success

I am Kalam
I am Kalam is an inspiring tale
of a quick-witted boys journey
to make his impossible vision a
reality

Don and Katha Cato

Queens World Film Festival

2. Be interested: Show interest in the

talented and dedicated QWFF Festival Associates.
Newsflash: They are creative artists
and film professionals with good
taste, excellent work ethics and
THEY LIKE YOUR FILM.
3. Be a colleague: Show interest in
other filmmakers. ESPECIALLY if you
run into them at multiple festivals.
Newsflash: They are part of the professional base you should be cultivating, working and growing with.
4. Be supportive: Contribute to the
process do you have an idea on how
you and another filmmaker might be
able to cross promote your screenings? Reach out to them, reach out
to the festival, make it easy for everyone to benefit from the idea.
Newsflash: Collaborations multiply
your impact.
5. Be nice: Are you super big and
powerful! Awesome and Congratulations on that. You can still be nice.
SayPlease Thank You.or Can I
get you a cup of coee?

www.ufmag.org

Newsflash: PEOPLE are working really hard to make this a positive experience for YOU.
6. Be honest: Dont inflate the truth,
it will come back to haunt you.
Newsflash: Everyone is recording,
tweeting, posting, forwarding everything.
7. Be a good audience: Dont come
late, run in and out of the theatre,
check texts and then leave early.
Newsflash: That is not the behavior of a human being who loves the
moving image.
8. Be respectful: Dont be a panel
hog. Ask questions that pertain to
the topic and that are relevant to
more things than just YOUR movie.
Newsflash: I was once a Panel Hog
and I still feel awful about it - My
apologies to everyone at ReelHeART
2007 I managed to mention my
film in every stupid question I asked
what a dolt.

Chotu is a young boy working at

a dhaba (Indian roadside eatery),
dreams of becoming educated
one day and pursue his dream.
Once he saw the then president
of India, Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
addressing on television. He
learned that Kalam was a poor
boy like him selling newspapers.
Chotu has been sent away by his
mother to work and he has no
time to go to school.
Inspired by a message from
President Kalam that anyone
can change his or her destiny by
education, Chotu starts studying
on his own whenever possible.
Through a chance encounter, he
befriends the local prince and
the two secretly spend time together, planning their perfect
futures.Both learn about life
through the others very dierent experiences.
I Am Kalam, an endeavour in
championing the cause of empowering underprivileged children through education. Moreover, the heart warming tale
celebrates the suvival of the human spirit against overwhelming
odds.

9. Be a highlight: What do you want

people to say when you walk away?
Newsflash: If you dont care well all
know soon enough, if you do care, be
the one that everyone speaks well
of.
10. Repeat above as needed.

12

1. Be present: Go to as many screenings as you can.

Newsflash: Its a festival and it is the
gathering of artists and their audience that make it work.

m
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10 suggestions for Filmmakers

Universal Film
Issue 5 of 2012

ron gilbert
The Method - An Actor's Journey
Actor, producer and journalist Ron Gilbert ..

he Method is like the quest for the Holy Grail.

Once you find it, what fortune will it bring?
After you read this, hopefully you will have
an understanding of its origin and how it can
help you as an actor. This process does not
happen overnight or after a 12 week or 9 month class at
the Strasberg Institute or the Masters Class at the New
School. It is an ongoing process. A constant state of creativity. Sanford Meisner said it takes 20 years to become
an actor. It does not guarantee stardom or an agent or
even a living.

We have a lot of personality actors who are stars and then

Al Pacino, Cate Blanchett, Robert DeNiro, Kathy Bates, Ed
Harris, Johnny Depp, Susan Sarandon, John Malkovich,
Meryl Streep, Daniel Day Lewis, Glen Close, Nick Nolte,
and Jessica Lange who disappear into the characters they
portray. The Method is the vehicle to bring out your personal choices. Your personality would make you unique.
When I first started my life in acting, the Actors Studio
with Lee Strasberg as the artistic director were the goals
of every actor who wanted to be part of that legacy,
where Brando, Dean, Newman and later Pacino and DeNiro had been members. Being a member validated you
as a Method actor and you were connected to that vein
that went back to its origins in the Moscow Art Theatre in
Russia and Konstantin Stanislavski, the grandfather
of the Method.

You must be excited about the work and still feel the
thrill go up your spine when you read: The Collected
Works of Harold Clurman, Lee Strasbergs A Dream
of Passion, Stella Adler On Ibsen, Strindberg
and Chekhov, Robert Lewis Slings and Arrows, Sidney Lumets Making Movies, The an actors When I was asked to teach at the Lee Strasberg
I had to go back and retrace the steps
Life and Work of Konstantin Stanislavski, or any
journey Institute,
of this phenomenon in acting. Lee Strasberg was
book relating to this business. It is the blood
considered the father of The Method in America,
that pumps throughout your veins. When used
because once actors became members of the Acproperly, the Method is the most useful tool for
tors Studio, he was their mentor. Many studied with
an actor, particularly in film, where most of your
other great teachers like Stella Adler, Michael Chekhov,
careers will be. A physical and emotional process that
Robert Lewis, and Sandy Meisner and entered the Actors
will help create a subtext for the role you are working
Studio with their training. I will share my journey with
on. For the most part, the Method is misunderstood. In
you.
film, Marlon Brando and James Dean made the method
famous almost 50 years ago and we can still view their
Stanislavski was born Konstantin Sergeyevich Alexeyev
performances. Brando mumbled and scratched and
in 1863 into a very wealthy Russian family. The only arbrought the character of Stanley, in Tennessee Williams
tistic connection was his maternal grandmother, Marie
A Streetcar Named Desire to life on the Broadway
Varley, a touring French actress. He was encouraged by
stage in 1947, because of his genius talent and character
his mother to become familiar with all aspects of the perinterpretation under the direction of Elia Kazan.
forming arts, particularly opera and circus, which became
his obsession. One of his passions was puppetry, which
The world of acting would never be the same. We should
preceded his acting career. In 1877, the Alexeyev family
all be so lucky to have a director like this, but the talent
opened their own theatre group and by 1881 it was clear
must be there. Kazan could make you reach your heights
that his love of theatre was no longer that of a stageas an actor because it was a collaborative journey. So acstruck youngster, so o he went to Moscow to study at
tors mimicked Brando s performance by scratching and
the Mal theatre.
mumbling and they thought that was creating realism in
their acting. His performance in the film, On the WaterHe was constantly looking for inspiration and in 1882
front directed by Elia Kazan, changed my life forever.
the performance of Tommaso Salvini, the Italian trageHis character, Terry, was like a guy from my neighbordian, in Othello, was to be the turning point in his life.
hood, but he was able to show his sensitivity. Sly StalSalvini was a tiger of passion and not only his voice,
lone copied this character in Rocky and it made him a
but his body showed his feelings. In 1888, Stanislavski
star. Vulnerability, likeability, charm and talent are the
ingredients that you must tap into to be a star.

13

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Universal Film
Issue 5 of 2012

In 1896,the French psychologist,

Theodule- Armand Ribot, wrote The
Psychology of the Emotions from
which the aective memory exercises that were used in the actors training were drawn. It focused on recalling the sensory atmosphere of a past
activity, so that one can recapture the
past emotion.
Classical and historical plays were
brought into the everyday world and
an original sense of realism was seen
in Anton Chekhovs The Seagull
and MAT was known as The House
of Chekhov because they produced
his plays. In Maxim Gorkys play, The
Lower Depths, actors demonstrated
another mode of performance: Naturalism.
In 1906, the forty three-year-old
Stanislavski underwent his greatest
crisis and had a nervous breakdown
so he took a long overdue vacation.
During his convalescence, he still
searched for answers to enhance the
actors work. He called this inspired
artistic condition, The Creative State
of Mind. When he returned to MAT,
his new collaborator was Leopold

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Sulerzhitsky, a stagehand and jack of

all trades. Sulerzhitsky incorporated
aective physical and psychological
exercises, which he called yoga, into
the actors training. Stanislavsky encouraged his students with skills in
foreign languages to investigate theatrical and scientific literature in other languages to support his theories.
In 1912, Stanislavski and Sulerzhitsky started their First Studio which
consisted of younger less experienced actors and apprentices at MAT
who would follow this revolutionary
training system which used exercises
in relaxation, concentration, imagination, and aective memory which
was later divided into sense memory
and emotional memory by Lee Strasberg.
Evgeni Vakhtangov, who was brought
into the First Studio by Sulerzhitsky,
was a radical reformer of the system
and used new aspects like faith and
justification.
Michael Chekhov, the nephew of Anton Chekhov, was an actor at the MAT
and the First Studio and as a teacher
developed a revolutionary new technique based on Stanislavskis principles. He invented a vocabulary that
spoke more directly to the actors
thought process and imagination. He,
like Vsevolod Emilievich Meyerhold
and other Russian actor/teachers like
Richard Boleslavsky took the MAT
principles and used them in their
own ways.
In 1923, The Moscow Art Theatre
came to America and changed the
course of acting in America. The visit
of MAT inspired Lee Strasberg to become an actor. Stanislavski and his
sta had instructed this company of
actors in the system for over 15 years.
The emotions of the audience rose to
match those of the actors and in the

quote from the New York American

was that The Moscow Art Theatre
proved for perhaps the first time in
America that culture can sometimes
be as exciting as a football game.
In 1924,The American Laboratory
Theatre had members of the MAT,
Richard Boleslavsky and Marie Ouspenskaya, teach acting to Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler, Elia Kazan and
Robert Lewis.
The Group Theatre was co-founded
in 1931,by Lee Strasberg, Harold
Clurman and Cheryl Crawford and
they were to emulate the Moscow Art
Theatre. Cliord Odets plays Waiting for Lefty, Awake and Sing and
Golden Boy made the Group Theatre famous. Lee Strasberg was the
acting teacher and was developing
his Method, which was a continuation of principles and procedures of
the Stanislavski system with his new
interpretations. Internal conflicts
caused the demise of the Group Theatre in 1939.
Stella Adler, a brilliant actress who
had created the female roles in Odets
plays was fed up and did not approve
of Lee Strasbergs interpretation of
the Method. She went to Paris with
Harold Clurman in 1935 and had this
meeting with Stanislavski and told
him she was not happy with Lees
Method and Stanislavski coached her
personally and corrected her notion
of it. When she returned to America,
she gave her own acting classes at the
Group Theatre, which were attended
by Robert Lewis, Elia Kazan and Sanford Meisner. When the Group closed
she continued her classes in Erwin
Piscators Dramatic Workshop at the
New School, which has been called
the predecessor to the Actors Studio.

14

changed his name, as we know him

today, and started his own professional art theatre called The Society for Art and Literature, where he
created his own preparatory techniques, using relaxation as the first
step in the process. Alexander Fedotov, a noted professional director
and playwright taught him to find his
character models from living people, not actors. In 1897, along with
Nemirovich-Danchenko, he created
the Moscow Art Theatre (MAT) where
each actor would be part of a democratic ensemble whose motto was
the famous phrase by the Russian actor, Michael Shchepkin; There are no
small parts, only small actors.

Universal Film
Issue 5 of 2012

15

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Universal Film

Film festival news

Issue 5 of 2012

by Tyrone D Murphy

The 2012 UK Jewish Film

Festival: November 1st-18th

Managing Director
D - Michael Etherton

he 2012 UK Jewish Film Festival

opens in style with the UK premiere of the romantic comedy
PARIS-MANHATTAN on November
1st at the BFI Southbank in London.
Informed by the eternal wisdom of
Woody Allen, debut writer/director
Sophie Lellouches delightful film is
about a young woman whose choices in life and love are shaped by the
philosophies of her favourite filmmaker.

works on Jewish themes by filmmakers of all backgrounds and nationalities. Last years titles included the
award-winning French film In The
Names Of Love directed by Michel
Leclerc which won the Sky Film
Award, the extraordinary This Must
Be The Place starring Sean Penn, the
very funny Israeli version of TVs The
Oce, a special gala screening of
Chariots Of Fire and many more.

This years UK Jewish Film Festival

runs from November 1st to 18th
and will show more than 50 feature
films, documentaries, short films and
TV specials from all over the world
at venues in London, Manchester,
Leeds, Liverpool, and Glasgow.
UK Jewish Film Managing Director
Michael Etherton (above middle)
comments: We have been planning
an expansion of the festival programme to cities outside London for
a while and are really delighted that
its come to fruition for the 2012 festival. This years UKJFF programme
is extensive and will absolutely appeal to a wide audience in Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, and Glasgow as
well as London. All the venues taking part are hugely supportive of the
UKJFF and are keen to reach out to
their ever-expanding film-going audiences with this particularly strong
Festival programme.
Since UKJF Executive Director Judy
Ironside (left) founded the festival in
1997, the UK Jewish Film Festival has
provided an unrivalled showcase for

www.ufmag.org

The 2012 UKJFF will present more

than 40 UK premieres from Israel,
UK, France, Holland, US, Croatia, Portugal, Austria, Sweden, Brazil and
more; many have already garnered
awards from festivals like Tribeca,
Sundance and Cannes. Star feature
film titles include the dramatic My
Dad Is Baryshnikov, set in Moscow
in 1986 when a young boy becomes
spellbound by watching White
Nights, the thriller starring Mikhail
Baryshnikov, Gregory Hines, and Helen Mirren; the Croatian feature Lea
and Daria, the true story of two 13
year old girls who were singing stars
in Zagreb before the Nazis arrived;
Melting Away from Israels Doran
Eran about identity and family; the
eagerly awaited Yossi, the sequel
to Eytan Foxs 2003 movie Yossi &
Jagger, which won Tribecas Best Actor for Ohad Knoller; and the quirky
French comedy The Day I Saw Your
Heart in which a young singleton, her
immature dad (played gloriously by
Michel Blanc), her sister and a possible new boyfriend try to make sense
of life and relationships.
Documentary premieres include The

Executive Director
Judy Ironside

Art Of Spiegelman, an absorbing look

at comic book artist and Maus creator, Art Spiegelman; Roman Polanski
A Film Memoir, a full-length interview with Polanski himself about
his extraordinary life and the eect
its had on his movies; The Price Of
Kings, about the life of Simon Peres
directed by Richard Symons and narrated by Helena Bonham Carter; the
award-winning The Flat (which won
the 2012 Tribeca Best Editing Award)
in which director Arnon Goldfinger travels back to Tel Aviv to clear
out his grandmothers flat after her
death and unearths a shocking family history through the photographs
and papers he finds; and Gainsbourg
on Gainsbourg: No Comment, about
the legendary French songwriter.
The UKJFF provides great entertainment for a wide audience in
conjunction with showing work that
promotes international communication and cultural knowledge, adds
Judy Ironside. Ive travelled to film
festivals all over the world in the last
twelve months looking at excellent
work by a huge range of writers, directors, and production companies
and its been tough deciding which
titles to include in this years UKJFF.
Im very proud of all the films and
am confident we have selected the
worlds best cinema for our audiences. Im delighted that we are able to
show a diverse programme of work
and that we also have a full, interactive programme of workshops and
discussions to engage young and aspiring filmmakers.
www.ukjewishfilm.org

14

Paris Manhattan
UKJFF opening film 2012

Universal Film
Issue 5 of 2012

Lancia is main sponsor of the 69th

Venice International Film Festival

17

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Universal Film
Issue 5 of 2012

For the seventh consecutive year, Lancia will

be the main sponsor of the Venice International Film Festival, scheduled from August 29 to
8 September 2012. For this prestigious event,
the Brand will provide the organisation with a
fleet featuring the new Lancia Thema, the first
flagship to unite the best of two industrial cultures, with its typically American dimensions,
personality and performance and the interior
elegance, comfort and exclusivity of Lancias
greats. The model debuted at the last edition
as Ocial Car, accompanying VIPs and movie
stars on the red carpet.
The Lancia Caf will be back this year, too. This
is the exclusive meeting place set up in the
pool area looking onto the sea of Hotel Excelsior at the Venice Lido. Proposed in the version
that made its debut in the last edition, with an
area of over 2000 square metres, the Lancia
Caf is an exclusive and welcoming location for
talents, producers and the media to meet and
for one-to-one interviews with directors and
actors, with about 700 square metres of covered and air conditioned floor space. Ever more
exclusive and refined, the Lancia Caf will be
hosting events and meetings organised by the
Brand as well as by production companies,
leading magazines and cinema institutions.

www.ufmag.org

18

By sponsoring the 69th Venice International

Film Festival, Lancia is consolidating its links
with the world of the cinema even further.
These links are already close, as demonstrated
by the appearance of Lancia cars in famous
films such as: Big Deal on Madonna Street
in 1958, The Easy Life in 1962, A Man and
a Woman in 1966, Deep Red in 1975 and
Pour la peau dun flic in 1981. Since 2006,
the brand has also supported major film festivals, those distinguished by class, style, importance and international character. Without forgetting the product placement of Lancia cars in
famous films such as, for example, the recent
presence of the Thema and Delta models in
the movie To Rome with Love - written and
directed by Woody Allen - set in Rome, where
this carefree romantic comedy unfolds in the
midst of charming settings and locations which
symbolise the Italian way of life. Lastly, the
Delta, the model most associated with the
world of cinema in the Lancia range, was cast
in the thriller Angels & Demons (2009) in addition to starring in attractive adverts featuring
Richard Gere.

Universal Film
Issue 5 of 2012

Liberal
Arts

by Tyrone D Murphy

A film by Josh Radnor

Bookish and newly single Jesse Fisher (Radnor) returns to his alma mater for his favorite professors
retirement dinner. A chance meeting with Zibby (Olsen) a precocious classical music-loving sophomore
awakens in him long-dormant feelings of possibility
and connection.

Directors Statement!

College and I got along terrifically well. Maybe too well. My transition
into the real world absent dorms, seminars, and meal plans was bumpy,
to say the least. Four years at Kenyon College flew by; graduation felt less
like a celebration than a banishment.
Liberal Arts is at once a love letter to a liberal arts education and a recognition of its limits. It posits that books and the academic mind-set can
be simultaneously a liberation and a kind of prison, that an over-developed mind paired with a disengaged heart can bring one more anxiety
than joy.
Everyone in Liberal Arts - the students, the professors, the 35 year-old
alum - is suering to some extent, wishing circumstances were dierent. The journey each character takes in the movie is one of acceptance. For Jesse, that acceptance has to do with his past - specifically
his college years - and the painful suspicion that his best days are
behind him.
Its easy to get tripped up by our past, to romanticize it out of all
proportion. The trouble with nostalgia is that it tends to distort
and reduce the present moment; it puts us to sleep. While we
obsess over the good old days, the good - and possibly better new ones roll on by without our noticing.
Still, the past must be dealt with. If were to step into our
lives in a vital and engaged manner, we must both bless
our past and bid farewell to it. Liberal Arts is, for me,
both a blessing and a farewell.

19

Universal Film
Issue 5 of 2012

The
Actors
JOSH RADNOR Jesse Fisher
Josh Radnor is perhaps best known for his role as
Ted, the central character on CBSs Emmy-nominated comedy HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, but
Radnors talents extend beyond acting, and he
has quickly established himself as both a gifted
writer and director.
ELIZABETH OLSEN Zibby
Elizabeth Olsen is not only a vivacious and
engaging young actress, but she is also a full
time student at New York Universitys prestigious Tisch School of the Arts. Currently, Olsen is starring in Martha Marcy May Marlene
from Fox Searchlight. The film is a drama that
follows a young woman who is living with her
older sister after escaping a cult. Olsen stars
opposite Hugh Dancy, John Hawkes, Sarah
Paulson, and Brady Corbet. Martha Marcy May
Marlene was also selected in the Un Certain
Regard as part of the 2011 Cannes Film Festival and Olsen has received a Gotham Award,
Critics Choice, and FIND Spirit Award nomination for Lead Actress for her performance.
RICHARD JENKINS Peter Hoberg
Academy Award nominated Richard Jenkins is
one of the most in-demand character actors
in Hollywood, having made over fifty feature
films. Jenkins received an Oscar nomination for
Best Actor for his highly praised performance in
director Tom McCarthys THE VISITOR. The film
premiered to critical acclaim at the 2007 Toronto
Film Festival and the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and won the Grand Prix at the 34th Deauville
Festival of American Film.

20

ALLISON JANNEY Judith Fairfield

Displaying astonishing versatility with a wide range
of roles, Allison Janney has taken her place among a
select group of actors who combine a leading ladys
profile with a character actors art of performance. Janney was recently seen in the much anticipated feature
film The Help based on the best selling novel of the
same name. The film has garnered much awards buzz and
has been named one of the Top 10 films of the year by
numerous groups.

Universal Film
Issue 5 of 2012

CME Visual

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21

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Universal Film

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pussy riot
Photo by Igor Mukhin

23

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On February 21, 2012, four members of the group

staged a performance on the soleas of Moscows
Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, motivated by their
opposition to the Russian President Vladimir Putin
and the politics of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Their actions were stopped by church security ocials. On March 3, after a video of the performance
appeared online, three of the group members were
arrested and charged with hooliganism.
Their trial began in late July and raised much controversy in Russia and globally. According to a poll
by the Levada Center, 44% of Russians supported
the trial and believed in its fairness, while 17% did

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not. At the same time, the band members gained

some noticeable support in Russia and internationally because of allegations of harsh treatment
while in custody and the risk of a possible sevenyear jail sentence.
On August 17, 2012, the three members were convicted of hooliganism (article 213.2 of the Criminal Code) motivated by religious hatred and each
sentenced to two years imprisonment. The Russian Orthodox Church issued a statement appealing to the authorities to show clemency, within the
framework of the law. The Church cast no doubt on
the legitimacy of the courts decision.
The trial and conviction have attracted international criticism. The foreign ministries of Germany
and Sweden, together with representatives of the
European Union and the United States, called the
sentence disproportionate.

24

ussy Riot is a Russian feminist punk-rock

band based in Moscow. Founded in August
2011, the band stages politically provocative impromptu performances about Russian
political life in unusual locations, such as on top of
a trolleybus or on a scaold in the Moscow Metro.

Universal Film
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MALEFICENT

Directed by two-time Oscar-winning production designer Robert Stromberg (Avatar,

Alice in Wonderland), in his directorial debut, and produced by Joe Roth, Maleficent is
written by Linda Woolverton (The Lion King,
Beauty and the Beast) and executive produced by Angelina Jolie, Don Hahn, Matt Smith
and Palak Patel.
Co-starring in the film are Sharlto Copley (District 9), Elle Fanning (Super 8), Sam Riley (On
the Road), Imelda Staunton (Vera Drake), Miranda Richardson (The Hours), Juno Temple
(Atonement) and Lesley Manville (Secrets &
Lies).

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This is the untold story of Disneys most beloved villain, Maleficent, from the 1959 classic
Sleeping Beauty. The film reveals the events
that hardened her heart and drove her to curse
the baby, Aurora.
Behind-the-scenes talent includes Academy
Awardwinning cinematographer Dean Semler (Dances with Wolves, In the Land of
Blood and Honey), production designer Gary
Freeman (Saving Private Ryan, The Bourne
Supremacy), two-time Oscar nominated costume designer Anna B. Sheppard (Schindlers
List, The Pianist) and seven-time Academy Awardwinning makeup artist Rick Baker
(Planet of the Apes, Men in Black).
Maleficent is scheduled for a March 14, 2014
release in 3D.

26

he Walt Disney Studios announced today

that production began Wednesday, June
13th, on Maleficent, starring Academy
Awardwinning actress Angelina Jolie.

Universal Film
Issue 5 of 2012

lawless
cclaimed director John Hillcoat
(THE ROAD, THE PROPOSITION)
delivers a thrillingly vivid slice
of American outlaw history in his epic
gangster tale, LAWLESS. LAWLESS is
the true story of the infamous Bondurant Brothers: three bootlegging siblings who made a run for the American Dream in Prohibition-era Virginia.
Based on author Matt Bondurants fictionalised account of his family, titled
The Wettest County in the World in
the US and Lawless in the UK, the film
gathers an ensemble of gifted, dynamic new-generation stars Shia LaBeouf,
Tom Hardy, Jessica Chastain, Jason
Clarke, Mia Wasikowska, Dane DeHaan
alongside two of the finest actors of
their generations, Guy Pearce and Gary
Oldman.
A riveting, intense story of crime and
corruption, loyalty and love, brutality
and tenderness, LAWLESS is a rich addition to the American gangster canon.
In the mountains of Franklin County,
Virginia, the Bondurant brothers are

the stu of legend. The eldest, Howard (Jason Clarke), managed to survive
the carnage of the Great War, but he
returned home unmoored by what he
had seen and done. His brother Forrest (Tom Hardy) nearly died from the
Spanish Flu that took his parents. He
beat back death with a quiet strength
and ferocious, visceral invincibility that
came to define him. Jack (Shia LaBeouf)
is the youngest sibling, impressionable,
sensitive, smart.
Times are tough and jobs are scarce,
but the Bondurants are entrepreneurs
and have built a thriving local business
by concocting an intense and popular brand of moonshine. But Franklin
Countys bootlegging days are about to
end with the arrival of Special Deputy
Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce) from Chicago. The new law Rakes brings is lethal
and corrupt and will challenge everything the brothers have built and represent. But while the rest of the county
gives in to Rakes ruthless crackdown,
the Bondurants will bow to no one.

27

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As the family rallies to fight Rakes,

the fraternal dynamic shifts. Jacks
ambitions and enterprises alter
the balance of power between the
brothers as he careens into manhood. Dreaming of expensive suits,
fast cars and beautiful women, Jack
starts his own bootlegging operation, with his friend Cricket (Dane
DeHaan) helping him to soup up
cars and build stills even against
Forrests wishes. Jack starts to prosper, even selling his moonshine to
Floyd Banner (Gary Oldman), the
big city gangster he idolises. The
lives of the Bondurants are soon
complicated by the appearance of
two beautiful women: the exotic,
steadfast Maggie (Jessica Chastain),
who brings a secret past with her
and catches the eye of the guarded
Forrest - and the quiet, pious Bertha (Mia Wasikowska), who slowly
warms to Jacks charms and channels her own rebellious streak.
Jacks confidence however soon
trumps his good sense, and the
consequences will test the brothers loyalty and endangers them all.
Determined to do whatever is necessary to fight for what is theirs, the
Bondurants take up arms and confront the corrupt forces of the law in
a faceo to determine who controls
the wettest county in the world.
The notorious gangster Al Capone
observed that Prohibition has
made nothing but trouble, and I
am like any other man. All I do is
supply a demand. While his bailiwick was Chicago by way of Canada,
the Bondurant brothers in Virginia
would have heartily agreed. Brazen
rebels, the Bondurant boys Howard, Forrest and Jack ran a flourishing family bootleg business in
Franklin County, Virginia, where the
hills glowed orange from the light
of countless illegal stills.
The Wettest County in the World
began when Matt Bondurant decided to write a fictional account of the
very picaresque exploits of his paternal grandfather Jack and granduncles Forrest and Howard. Though
his novel is inspired by true events,
it isnt entirely factual. As he writes
in the authors note, The basics
of this story are drawn from various family stories and anecdotes,
newspaper headlines and articles
and court transcripts However,
this historical information does not
help us fully understand the cen-

tral players in this story, at least in

terms of their situation or what their
thoughts were; all involved are now
deceased and little record exists.
There are no letters, and my grandfather and his brothers did not keep
diaries. My task in writing this book
was to fill in the blank spaces of
known record. There are family stories and these memories and stories are vague and often specious at
best, mixed with several decades of
rumor, gossip and myth My intention was to reach the truth that lies
beyond the poorly recorded and understood world of actualities.
The book, published in the US in
2008 and being published in the UK
as Lawless in early August, garnered rhapsodic reviews and won
two early, ardent fans in Red Wagon
producers Douglas Wick and Lucy
Fisher. Says Wick, The book was
overflowing with moments of hard
men and their softness; fierce, violent behavior intertwined with silent moments of desire and longing;
vivid flesh-and-blood pain mixed
with legends of indestructibly. You
could not read the book without
imagining performances. Rachel
Shane, executive vice-president at
Red Wagon Entertainment alerted
her bosses to the book prior to its
publication, and Red Wagon quickly
secured the movie rights to the novel. Bondurant was thrilled; his tale
was already a dramatic reimagining and the notion of a filmmaker
and screenwriter further exploring
the material excited him.
There wasnt a whole lot of information available to me to write a
non-fiction piece so I took several
of the principal events that are
verified as happening and strung
them together like a constellation,
using some things I knew about
the brothers, along with pictures
and documents, to create lives for
them. I knew my grandfather when
I was a young man but I certainly
didnt know him as an 18-year-old,
so theres a lot of artistic license
that I took. I knew the movie would
take that one step further and that
seemed natural, Bondurant says.
Meanwhile, Red Wagon executive
Shane approached director John
Hillcoat. Says Shane, Johns previous work on THE PROPOSITION
was incredibly visceral and dramatized violence in a way I had never
really seen before. You could also

see the care he takes with his actors

through the specificity of their performances, and how he loves creating worlds that are similar to ours,
but also very alien. I knew John
would bring everything we needed
to take this book to film and it would
be a very happy marriage.
Hillcoat realised The Wettest
County in the World oered an
opportunity to tackle two of his favorite genres in an intrepid and innovative way.
I loved the world of the novel. I love
westerns, but I was actually looking
for a gangster movie. I had really
struggled with that over the years
because there are so many fantastic
gangster movies, I was hard pressed
to find one with anything new to
say. And this was new. It was like
a western as well as a gangster film.
I hadnt seen a gangster film in the
rural landscape since BONNIE AND
CLYDE. And moonshine has mostly been treated in comedies like
SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT. This was
based on a true story, which was incredible. It felt vivid and alive and
unique. So that was really it for me,
Hillcoat says.
Hillcoat enlisted his old friend
and frequent collaborator since
art school, Nick Cave, to write the
screenplay and the music, as he did
on THE PROPOSITION. On a Hillcoat/Cave project, the script and the
music are always intertwined at the
projects inception and evolve together. Because LAWLESS is set in
the backwoods of Virginia, the main
characters speech has a special, almost musical cadence, which Cave
incorporated into the dialogue, as if
it were a musical score.
Nicks songs are really narrativedriven, which of course lends itself
to screenplays but more than that,
I think all films have a musicality
to them, says Hillcoat. Theres a
rhythm to the way Nick writes, to
the dialogue, the way scenes unfold. Its subtle thing but its definitely there. With LAWLESS, we
talked about adapting the novel its the first time he has adapted a
book - but we also talked about the
score, what sort of music it would
be. When Nick writes the material
and the music, its a very organic
process. The music comes first, and
then the script, and then the music
again.

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Bondurant was especially pleased

that John Hillcoat and Nick Cave
would bring his book to the screen.
I am John Hillcoat fan; I loved THE
PROPOSITION and THE ROAD. And
Im a fan of Nick Caves music and
writing, so I was super-excited when
I heard he was writing the script. He
did some really amazing work with
the adaptation, and Im flattered
that he retained quite a bit of my
language. I was incredibly honored
to have John and Nick adapt my
work, Bondurant says.
Shia LaBeouf joined the team soon
after Hillcoat and Cave, taking on
the role of the youngest Bondurant
- smart, sensitive, forward-thinking
Jack. The next two years would
prove a rollercoaster ride of nearstarts and disappointing setbacks,
but LaBeouf never wavered in his
commitment to LAWLESS, even as
his star rose further with the TRANSFORMERS franchise.
LaBeouf was drawn to the project
for myriad reasons, not the least of
which was John Hillcoat. Im a fan,
I would show up to do anything with
John, the actor enthuses. Johns
films are all very visceral and honest. He is a truth-seeker, incredibly
intelligent and has a great visual
style. He lets shots breathe; its oldschool, John Ford vista-type stu.
He knows how to tell the story in
one frame and he lets that frame
do the work. Its a style of working
I hadnt experienced before, and I
was very excited by it.
LaBeouf was also captivated by
Bondurants novel and the seminal period of American history it
explored. He delved into the history of bootlegging, its specific relationship in Virginia to the legacy
of coal mining, the socioeconomics
of the region, particularly the religious and racial schisms. Above all,
the role of Jack intrigued LaBeouf.
Jack, enterprising and eager, has to
find his way, not only as resourceful
young bootlegger but also within
the Bondurant clan, as the power
dynamic between the three brothers begins to shift. Jack experiences
a spectrum of emotions throughout
the course of the film as, essentially,
he grows up.
I had never played a part like this
before. This is a boy becoming a
man in many ways. He has his first

drink of moonshine, his first kiss,

LaBeouf observes. The film is also
about a family going through combustion. Theyre dealing with many
problems all at once; meanwhile,
the power balance is shifting from
Forrest and Howard to Jack. When
you first meet Jack, hes full of empathy; he lives on a farm and he
cant watch his brothers kill a pig.
That empathy is hindering his criminal career, and this is a family of
criminals. During that time, bootlegging was the only avenue available
to many poor and disenfranchised
people. All they had was their skills.
For the Bondurant family, their talent was for making liquor.

out, so I knew this was the guy. And I

am pretty particular about casting.

He adds that Jack has a fascination

for the bootleggers, specifically
the Chicago-style gangsters and
that admiration informs much of
the characters drive and ambition.
Jack comes from a new generation.
He was seeing these Robin Hoodtype characters fighting against the
government, specifically Prohibition, and succeeding. These were
the new Americans. Guys who came
from the bottom of the barrel and
were able to muscle their way into
some kind of foundation where they
could not only support their families but their entire communities.
This family was spearheading this
revolution at the time. The bootlegger was the superhero of that
period, especially to someone in his
twenties, like Jack, LaBeouf notes.

Hillcoat was also keen to work with

Hardy, whose reputation as an exceptional talent preceded him. I
kept hearing about this incredible guy called Tom Hardy. I started
watching his work, and I was awestruck - he was amazing. I could
also see Tom and Shia as brothers.
And Toms take on the character was
quite audacious - he saw Forrest as
the matriarch and the patriarch of
the family, in the wake of their parents deaths. He wanted to explore
Forrests softer side and play him in
a quiet, contained way. By taking on
the roles of the mother and the father of this family, he was really responsible and very caring, especially towards his brothers. But because
of the time and the culture, he is unable to articulate it. Toms approach
was very much about the dierent
emotional textures there were to
Forrest and how distilled and controlled he was. It was a unique and
fascinating attitude towards the
character, Hillcoat notes.

LaBeouf was not yet a major international star when Hillcoat caught
the young actors performing in the
2006 independent drama A GUIDE
TO RECOGNISING YOUR SAINTS. Remembers the director, I thought,
who the hell is that kid? Then I
saw him in DISTURBIA and again I
thought his performance was amazing. Then came TRANSFORMERS,
and even as he was surrounded
by special eects and robots, Shia
managed to create a compelling,
three-dimensional character. So I
thought he was really interesting
and it would be great to see him do
something more unexpected. Shia
had the range to play Jack, who experiences every single emotion,
from rage and despair to total joy
and happiness. And I could easily
see him as a young man in the Prohibition era. He was very interested,
he was very passionate when I met
him and continued to be through-

Meanwhile, LaBeouf had been looking for opportunities to work with

acclaimed English actor Tom Hardy.
The two had struck up a friendship
after LaBeouf sent Hardy a fan email
about his arresting performance in
the crime biopic BRONSON, and had
begun forwarding scripts back and
forth to one another. LaBeouf sent
Bondurants novel to Hardy, followed by Caves screenplay. Hardy
loved them both, and proved to be
ideal casting for the role of quiet,
fearless and fearsome Forrest Bondurant.

With LaBeouf and Hardy in place,

the casting process steamed forward. Attracting financing, however,
was proving to be a struggle, says
producer Lucy Fisher Our material
was intrinsically original and idiosyncratic. It was a portrait of three
brothers, violent outlaws with fierce
family ties; at the same time, it was
lyrical and romantic. It didnt fall
into any easy category.

31

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STARLITE
GALA 2012
Spains most important charity gala

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Universal Film
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This international platform benefits several foundations with the common denominator of having
prestigious spokespersons who, with their presence, help to attract media attention to the dierent causes supported. Three humanitarian awards
were presented this year: for Best Buddies International, David Bisbal and Daryl Hannah.
Starlite Gala has been compered by the actor
Imanol Arias and Anne Igartiburu and has boasted
fantastic performances of the likes of Jon Secada
or David Bisbal, who sang two songs during the
show. The peak moment was the duet performed
by Antonio Banderas and David Bisbal.

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The gala included an auction of unique experiences that even money cant buy. The only aim of
this glamorous gala is to raise funds for the Foundations it supports: Lgrimas y Favores and Nios
en Alegra. Paco Roncero served the special dinner for the occasion with El Bulli Catering.
Antonio Banderas has been supported, once
again, by great friends and celebrities such as Ana
Obregn, Antonio Carmona, Carmen Lomana, Cecilia Gmez, Cristina Trrega, Estefana Luyk, Eugenia Silva and her partner Diego Osorio, Gunilla
Von Bismarck with Luis Ortiz, the actor and model
Ivn Snchez, rsula Corber, Irene Meritxell, Mara Pineda, Princess Beatrice dOrleans or Pastora
Soler, the stars of a magical evening.

34

Saturday 4th of Augustt in La Cantera Auditorium

of Marbella, Antonio Banderas celebrated the 3rd
edition of the Starlite Gala along with Melanie
Grith and Daryl Hannah. The fantastic trio of
Two Much back together 17 years later.

Universal Film
Issue 5 of 2012

r ry
o
f nta

ne
a
b m

toess

, ed
0
0 c

e
1
r
p

un

UFM has received information that the unprecedented access documentary on the Taliban was
made possible by paying the Taliban 100,000 in
cash.

This incident apparently began with a series of negotiations

meetings about how the filming could be achieved. The media
organizations team approached a number of politicians and contacts who had direct links to the Taliban in Kabul. An agreement was
put in place: upon receipt of 100,000 in cash, the media organizations
team would be given unprecedented access to the Taliban. We are led to believe that it was an assistant producer from the media organization who smuggled the 100,000 in cash through UK customs in hand luggage to Afghanistan.
The deal was apparently sanctioned by the head of the media organization. We have
no doubt as to the reliability of this information.

d cc
i
a a

ped

0 nt
0
0 e

i cu
l
Tado

s paying the Taliban 100,000 during a

time of hostilities an Act of treason?

This activity by a media organization raises many questions. Can paying 100k for unprecedented access to the Taliban be seen as a violation of allegiance toward ones country or sovereign, or as aiding and abetting its enemies? More importantly, why would a media organization have
to go to such lengths to get the story?

Perhaps it could be due to lack of access. Since the Pentagon in the USA started its embedding journalists
program, reporting on the War has been one-sided. These embedded journalists, attached to military units,
were first used in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The United States military responded to pressure from the news media, who were disappointed by the limited access granted during the 1991 Gulf War and the 2001 US invasion of
Afghanistan. Many objected to military oversight that was so strict that embedded journalists were reporting only
on the American side of the war. This led to the alternate term inbedded journalist or inbeds. In an interview,
legendary journalist Gay Talese described them as correspondents who drive around in tanks and armored personnel carriers, who are spoon-fed what the military gives them.
At the start of the Iraq invasion in March 2003, as many as 775 reporters and photographers worked as embedded
journalists with military units. These journalists were required to sign a contract stating that they would not report information that may compromise military operations. Of course, any such contract is open to manipulation.
When the US military was asked why the decision was made to embed journalists with front line troops, Lt. Col.
Rick Long of the US Marine Corps replied, Frankly, our job is to win the war, and part of that is information warfare,
so we are going to attempt to dominate the information environment.
Gina Cavallaro, a reporter for the Army Times, said, [The journalists are] relying more on the military to get them
where they want to go and, as a result, the military is getting smarter about getting its own story told. In essence,
it would seem the military took the journalists wherever the military wanted them to go. Many now believe that
we have already been lied to about the war on terror as well as the next conflict on the horizon: the Iranian nuclear weapons programme.
So we ask the question: if all access to information has been cut o by the British Army and US Military, is this
enough to justify paying the Taliban 100,000 to take part in a documentary with unprecedented access? Could
investigative journalists and documentary filmmakers argue that it is the USAs embedding programme itself that
is creating the need to pay the enemy for information? Wouldnt the Taliban take this unique opportunity to do
exactly what their enemy is doing: embed journalists within Taliban front line units and spoon feed their own side
of the story to the documentary filmmakers? Perhaps the media organization took the Taliban version of unprecedented access as complete truth. It seems highly unlikely that the Taliban would be so naive and reckless as to
provide unprecedented access to a Western documentary filmmaking crew, and risk giving strategic information
to its enemies. Either way, it would seem that the information contained in the documentary may not be relied
upon as factual.
While the outbreak of war normally ends all forms of normal relations, each country has laws enacted to prevent
its citizens from assisting the enemy through trade or other forms of contact. The fact is that the media organization has broken the laws of the United Kingdom and the United States. One of the laws that could be used is the
Act of Treason. How could the laws of treason apply to the filmmakers of the Taliban documentary?

35

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Universal Film
Issue 5 of 2012

History has shown that the law of treason is very dicult to implement, even in the best of times. The United Kingdom has not applied the
Treason Act since 1966. The United States defines it as levying war against the
United States, or, giving its enemies aid and comfort.
The diculty of implementing the laws of treason was apparent in the case of the American John Walker Lindh, who was captured in Afghanistan, allegedly bearing arms against the United States. Although treason
charges could have been brought, Walker accepted a plea bargain, and was charged with the lesser oence of supplying services to the Taliban, in violation of Title 50, United States Code, Section 1705(b); Title 18, United States Code,
Section 2; and Title 31, Code of Federal Regulations, Sections 545.204 and 545.206(a).
After the September 11th Attacks against the United States, Congress enacted the Patriot Act, purportedly to strengthen the
e ability of the United States to protect itself from terrorist activities. The Patriot Act amended the existing
tory provisions permitting the President to restrict transactions and other transfers with foreign co
statutory
countries, organizations,
ations, and persons, in order to respond to unusual and
de
extraordinary
xtra
xt
aor
ordi
rdinary threats against the United St
States. Under
the International
nternational Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA
(IEEPA),
A),
), tthe
he
eP
President
r si
re
side
ident
de
ent
nt may, with respect to any person or property
subject
ct to the jurisdiction of the United States, invest
investigate,
tig
iga
atte,
e, rregulate,
egul
egul
eg
ula
ate,
ate,
at
e, o
orr prohibit transactions in foreig
foreign exchange;
transfers
fers of credit or payments by or to any banking institute;
inssti
titu
tute
te; an
a
and
nd
d im
importation
mp
po
ort
rtat
ation or exportation of securities or currency.
at
Violation
tion of an executive order issued pursuant to the
e IIEEPA
EE
EEPA
EPA
PA m
may
ay rresult
ay
esu
es
ullt in
in criminal sanctions. During the Gulf War in
1991,, President Bush issued an executive order prohib
prohibiting
bittiing
bi
g ccitizens
itiz
it
itiz
izen
ens
ns o
off tthe
he
h
e United States from traveling tto or dealing
with the government of Iraq.
It would
uld seem that the media organization completely
complete
ely
ly iignored
gnorre
gn
ed
d tthe
he
e llaws
aw
a
ws o
off ttheir
heir own respective countrie
countries in favor of
ng the unprecedented access for the Taliban story.
sto
to
ory.
rry
y. It
It seems
see
eems
ems
ms sheer
sh
he
eer
eer
er folly
fol
olly
ly that
that the media organization d
getting
did not quesass highly
a
hiig
ghl
hly unlikely
unli
un
like
kely
ly that
that
hat it
ha
it would
would
ld be
be spent on a luxury holiday
holid for a few
tion what the 100,000 would be spent on. It was
an fighters to take a break from killing, or to
to purchase
pu
urrch
hase
asse a new
ne
n
ew car
ca
ar or
or even
ev
ve
en a yacht.
y ch
ya
ht.
t. It
It is more likely that
tha the 100k
Taliban
sed to buy arms and ammunition for the
eT
Ta
ali
lib
ban fi
ban
figh
g
gh
te
ers, wh
w
hic
ich w
we
erre
e tthen
hen
he
n us
use
ed tto
ed
o ki
k
ll British and US servicemen
was used
Taliban
ghters,
which
were
used
kill
ust also look to the legal basis for war by
by the
t e coalition
th
cco
oa
allit
itio
io
on forces;
ffo
o
orc
rcce
ess; this
tth
his
is is
is of
of utmost
utm
most
ost importance,
os
im
impo
mportance,
po
po
We must
because we believe
his is the defense that is going to be pu
utt fforward
u
orw
or
wa
ard
rd b
y tth
he me
m
edi
ed
dia co
ccorporation
corp
orp
porrattio
ion
n in
in the
the
he case
ca
asse of legal action or arrest by
that this
put
by
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eson Inquiry. It re
After the Universal Film Mag
Magazine
received
information,
we
forwarded
Leveson
remains to be
Inqu
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ry has
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ha
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e attio
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ion to this particu
made in relation to these
arrests
have
yet
been
made
particulate allegation.

www.ufmag.org

36

een 2,
ee
2,99
9 8 coalition
co
oa
allit
itio
io
on deaths
de
d
eatths in
in Afghanistan
Afgh
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fgh
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istta
an as
as part
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As of 20 August 2012, there have b
been
2,998
ation Enduring Freedom and
an
nd IS
ISAF
AF)) si
since
e the
th
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001
(Operation
ISAF)
2001

Universal Film
Issue 5 of 2012

37

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Universal Film
Issue 5 of 2012

THIS IS OMAR, A TEENAGE

REFUGEE FROM SOMALIA.

By Tyrone D Murphy

Australia and US film-makers dominate

2012 Iris Prize line-up. Films selected
from 14 countries for the worlds largest gay and lesbian short film prize.

amongst this years shortlist we have

yet another winner deserving of the
Iris Prize, said Berwyn Rowlands, Iris
Prize founder.

10 US filmmakers make the final closely followed by 6 from Australia and 5

from the UK.

Iris is recognised for supporting talented film makers from all over the
world. Three shorts, made with the
prize, have been produced since we
launched in 2007 and a fourth is just
about to start production. Iris is more
than just a trophy that gathers dust or
a certificate that yellows on the wall.
Iris is what film makers need funding,
support and guidance, added Berwyn.
Its great to see films from all over the
world represented in the shortlist with
entries from Canada, Germany, Brazil,
Israel, France, Norway, Austria, Ireland,
India, New Zealand, Spain, and Switzerland all making it through to the final.
The US has got the largest number of
films in competition with an impressive
10 out of the final 31, said Berwyn.

Venezuela make the final for the first

time joining, Canada, Germany, Brazil,
Israel, France, Norway, Austria, Ireland,
India, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland,
Australia, US and UK.

A LIFE ON HOLD

Australian filmmakers Craig Boreham

and Jarrah Gurrie, and Evan Roberts,
Marc Saltarelli and Carolina Roca-Smith
from the US make it to the final for the
second time!

WATCH AT
AMNESTY.ORG/REFUGEES

Stories include a young boys trauma

waiting for body hair to grow, a love
story which develops thanks to a Polaroid camera, the unexpected comfort in
coee and pie especially when youre
being dumped, and a dramatic one
night stand with a serial killer.

IS A NEW FILM ABOUT

OMARS LIFE IN A REFUGEE
CAMP IN TUNISIA.

CHILDREN OF
THE JAGUAR

AN INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY IN
THE AMAZON JUNGLE TAKE ON
THE COMBINED MIGHT OF THE
GOVERNMENT AND AN OIL
COMPANY IN ORDER TO SAVE
THEIR WAY OF LIFE AND THE
RAINFOREST THEY LIVE IN.

WATCH AT
BIT.LY/JAGUAR-TRAILER

Find out more:

avproduction@amnesty.org

The 31 films to compete for the prize,

the worlds largest international gay
and lesbian short film prize, have been
announced by festival organisers in
Cardi, UK. The winner will be oered
a chance to make a new short film with
the prize valued at 25,000.
The films will screen during this years
Iris Prize Festival which takes place
from October 10th - 14th in Cardi.
Once again the shortlist for the 2012
Iris Prize represents the best of the
best. Half of the short-listed films have
been nominated by our partner festivals film festivals from around the
world that have their fingers on the
pulse of upcoming gay and lesbian
filmmaking talent. Im confident that

www.ufmag.org

The Iris Prize Cardi s International

gay and lesbian short film prize is the
only short film prize in the world which
allows the winner to make a new film.
Iris is more than just a trophy that gathers dust or a certificate that yellows on
the wall. Iris is what film makers need
funding, support and guidance.
The Iris Prize Festival is a five day event
which includes screenings of the 31
short films competing for the Iris Prize,
premiere screenings of 8 new feature
films, panel sessions, networking opportunities, parties and a glittering
awards show and brunch.
The 2012 Iris Prize Festival will take
place in Cardi, Wales (UK) from 10th
14th October.
berwyn@thefestivalscompany.co.uk
www.irisprize.org

38

REAL LIFE
STORIES OF
STRUGGLE
AND COURAGE
FROM
AROUND
THE WORLD

IRIS FILM Festival

Universal Film
Issue 5 of 2012

Toyota + Studio 4C
S

TUDIO4
PES: Peace Eco Smile is a collaboration between Toyota and innovative creative group STUDIO4C.
The story tells of an alien who
discovers the values and the joys
of humans and a little about their
cars. The joy of mobility, the value
of safety and the importance of
your own space are themes that
are explored as the stories unfold.
Animation with romantic/dramatic
storyline and likable characters
that convey key TOYOTA ideas
Human evolution is a history of
mobility. Cars bring our mobility to life, yet too often, complex
technology
becomes the focus when we talk
about cars, rather than the
simple joy of mobility.
TOYOTA X STUDIO4 have created
an animated story that follows a

curious alien who explores the joy

of driving and the importance of
safety. We hope you can join us
there and help us spread the message.
STUDIO4, Studio Yon Do C is a
world-renowned Japanese studio
that primarily works on animation,
video planning, and production.
The studio s works include music
videos, TV series, TV commercials,
promotional videos, video game
movies,and theatrical animation
films. The name of the studio, 4C
is the temperature where water
s properties become most dense,
and STUDIO4C s creative policy
is to produce works in high quality
and high density.
Their works include music videos
for Ken Ishii EXTRA, GLAY ( SUR-

VIVAL and Hikaru Utada. Other animation projects include: NOISE

MAN SOUND INSECT, ETERNAL
FAMILY, Nike commercials and
exhibition video footages, video
games, and the TV animation series Tweeny Witches (2004).
STUDIO4C were early adapters of
digital technology and have been
consistently creating innovative
visual images since its establishment
STUDIO4C s film, TEKKONKINKREET won the 2007 Japan Academy Animation Award and was
selected as one of the final 11
nominees for the US Academy
Awards for Feature Animation.
trilogy,

39

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Universal Film
Issue 5 of 2012

Film Festival Boot Camp

It's Party Time! - Promoting and Planning

by Patricia J. Pawlak

Certain liquor and beverage companies will provide you

with free drinks and sta for the exposure. I have had all
kinds of vodka and martini bars for free. When people
are having fun and drinking, they get hungry and even
a great hotdog with a lot of trimmings will fill the bill if
its easy to get to. If its late at night, just have drinks and
deserts. You could have a cookie table, a brownie table
(with lots of whip cream cans- are you thinking what I am
thinking!) and a homemade cake table. Get you friends
and aunts to cook lots and lots of cakesThere simply is
no reason that you cant have some sort of event if you
want. You could even rent a a few hot dog carts for after
your screenings. It doesnt have to be grand; it does have
to be fun and memorable.

Theme- We have found our space, we are working on invites and now we are working on a theme. As
mentioned, you can have a straight and beautiful cocktail at the local hotel with lovely little canaps if we have
the funds but wait, Miramax has not yet picked up our
film so how do we attract a little more attention.easy.
go for an idea completely dierent and work the theme
of your film into your party. Have fun with it? Perhaps,
there is one little scene that is joy filled or eccentric with fisherman or angels. (Look what Disney
did with Tinkerbelle.) Use that as a theme so that
guest will question the dcor and you can reply,
Go see the film. You could have people walking
around in fishermans outfits with nets or angels
or fairies. If your event is in your home town area,
the sky is the limit with entertainment and dcor.

Entertainment- I think some entertainment is key. It

could be the fisherman doing something silly throughout the party, hula girls, belly dancers, hip hop dancers, a
martial arts demonstration but you need it very well coordinated with and excellent host. I would let my guest
know that at 12:00 midnight that something is happen.
Once in Cannes, we heard helicopters on the beach and
it got louder but there were no helicopters around and
then they announced the arrival of a well known star. He
came running in as if he had arrived by the helicopter
even though there was none but it made an impression
and it was fun.

Its
Party
Time!

Go to a thrift sore, Big Lots, anywhere that will inspire

you to think outside the box. As in any dcor, it has been
said to find one item and them build around it. like a
scene, object or costume from the film. Most recently,
I designed a party for a non profit that had no money
and they wanted a simple Hawaiian party theme. Well,
I found a huge piece of card board and actually painted
on it with cheap poster board a full size guy and a girl
with grass skirts so guests could stick their faces in the
cut out and take a photo. Now a day, you dont even need
to provide a camera will phones being to take photos.
I am sure someone you know can paint a photo stand
and the cost is just that of the paints. We even made Tiki
masks with brooms.
Food and Drinks- Keep it simple unless you are a big studio with Wolfgang Puck as the chef. Most importantly (I
know I am reiterating) have lots and lots of bars and food
stands. Dont make your guests wait in line. Just have
beer, soda and water but have that beer cold and have
some actors and actresses walking around with the cold
drinks in additional to a few bars areas set up.

www.ufmag.org

How about a rae of some sort? I once won a

bucket of fried chicken and was excited. Most
stores will give you give gift cards and prizes if
you can prove you are non profit.

Give Aways and Gift Bags- I have mixed feelings

about these because they take work in getting the
gifts, assembling them and then every one wants
two (I have two children and a dog). We all love them
but do we really use the products. Depending on where
your film is, you have to transport the gifts and the bags.
Its a wonderful idea if you have the sta and time to put
them together. If you want to do them, you can call all
local and big companies for donations from health food
bars to whistles to makeup. Its all good but maybe you
could give just one gift to everyone who leaves. T shirts
are always good, hats. I think I mentioned that once for a
film about golf I gave away clips for ones golf towel and
everyone for years told me how they loved the potato
chip bag closer.

Who knew? Have planted friends and guest wearing

those T Shirts at the party so people will seek them
out. Rabbit ears, angel wings, doggie tailsand if it is a
serious film, find an organization that you can support
with maybe jars for donations on tables. If you have
money how about monitors showing clips from the film
throughout the party. Get outside that box!
Its your job to make sure that everyone has fun and they
not only remember your party but that your party makes
them want to see your film. The sky is the limit so..go
party!

40

o last month we started planning our event or

party for a film at the festivalnowlets talk
about..

Universal Film

Life Imitating Art

Issue 5 of 2012

The Batman Massacre Liability Issues

hen life imitates art, legal boundaries become blurred and people start talking lawsuits. Audience members, traumatised by
real criminals, file lawsuits against writers
of fictional characters acting in imagined
worlds.

By Gene Goodsell and Cameela Ketheeswaran

On the other hand, policy arguments and case law supporting the First Amendment in the US and freedom of
expression in Australia, aims to prevent Government
censorship of films. If this were to occur, it would ultimately lead to State selection on viewable content in
films. Such censorship would remove the fundamental
right that an individual has to artistically express themselves without the interference of the State.
In 2011, the Australian government banned the gruesome films Human Centipede II and A Serbian Film after a conservative group lobbied against their release
in Australian cinemas. The Classification Review Board
gave the films a rating of RC (Refused Classification) and
recalled all copies from retailers. Retailers and theatres
may be unable to sell the films to the Australian public legitimately; nevertheless, a curious member of the
public could still download the film. This moves responsibility and liability away from vendors and back to the
creators writers, directors and production companies.
With our ability to download any type of content from
the Internet, does classification serve any purpose?

Spectator violence, a phrase used to describe violence

The recent blockbuster The Dark Knight Rises was overperpetrated by patrons of motion pictures and sporting
shadowed by the massacre at the midnight viewing, in
events, has occurred in Australian. In 2009, Greater UnAurora, Colorado. The violence that ensued paralleled
ion pulled the Australian film Combination within three
the violence in the film. In light of the indiscriminate
days of its release to theatres. The reason may be
killings and the assertion made by the shooter, James
readily attributed to spectator violence. Although
Holmes, that he was in fact the Joker, violence and
Greater Union asserted that such violence wasnt
censorship in films was pushed to the fore. Aside
a result of the film, the decision to pull the film
what are may have been an attempt by the theatres to
from the arguments for and against stricter gun
the legal
laws, for many, there remains the pervasive isavoid lawsuits and further violence on their
implicita- premises. There is no substantial contractual or
sue of violence in films.
tions
legitimate link between the parties (such as the
The legal implications associated with screenfilm studio and the perpetrator) in this context.
ing such films can be seen whenever lawsuits are
For example, there was no fiduciary obligation or
brought against film studios whenever graphic film
agency relationship between Holmes and Warner Bros.
violence spills over into real life. For example, one AuIf anything, the lawsuit and others like it should empharora shooting victim, Torrence Brown, is suing three entisise how freedom of expression is a valued right that
ties, one of which is Warner Bros, for creating The Dark
should be protected.
Knight Rises. There are three questions that must be
asked. Firstly, can the creators of movies be attributed
What happens if Warner Bros. is held liable?
responsibility for violent films? Secondly, what level of
One of the issues many have with violence in films is
violence is acceptable and non-attributable to the filmhow it is glamorised by celebrity actors. Violence inflictmakers? Thirdly, should any film with excessive violence
ed by relatable or heroic characters, accompanied by a
be banned?
soundtrack of popular music, may blur the boundaries of
What does the law say?
fiction and reality, particularly where legal consequences are missing from the plot. Regardless, if the Batman
Historically, in the US, courts tend to avoid assigning limassacre lawsuit is successful, it will set a dangerous
ability to film studios and companies when real violent,
precedent. The attorney for Torrence Brown argues that
criminal acts take place as alleged consequences of
the Dark Knight Rises was particularly violent and that
the films fictional portrayals of violence. The opposing
Holmes mimicked some of the action in the film. By this
argument to victims claims is that artists freedom of
logic, regardless of the film being given a PG-13 rating in
expression is secured under the First Amendment. This
the US, it and many other films like it can be deemed
precedent was armed in cases concerning the film
particularly violent, leaving its creators liable for any reNatural Born Killers, The Basketball Diaries and Boulesulting criminal acts perpetrated by individuals.
vard Nights. On the one hand, many argue that there is
a link between violent films and mentally unstable indiJames Holmes is 24 years old and is legally allowed to
viduals replicating such behaviour.
view the film in the US. If Warner Bros. were found
-

41

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Universal Film
Issue 5 of 2012

liable for the actions of Holmes, this would mean that a

filmmaker can create films deemed legally acceptable
for children, teenagers or adults, however, also has to
consider whether a film may have an adverse impact on
sensitive individuals who have mental health issues.

Irrespective of the weak legal foundations of the case

or moguls empathy, it is important that blame isnt
placed upon artists. As Marilyn Manson stated in response to the publics finger-pointing after the Columbine massacre:

Films may be a contributing factor to spectator violence, but it is never the sole factor and is often fuelled
by numerous other factors.

I think that the National Rifle Association is far too

powerful to take on, so most people choose Doom,
The Basketball Diaries or yours truly. This kind of controversy does not help me sell records or tickets, and I
wouldnt want it to. Im a controversial artist, one who
dares to have an opinion and bothers to create music
and videos that challenge peoples ideas in a world
that is watered-down and hollow. In my work I examine
the America we live in, and Ive always tried to show
people that the devil we blame our atrocities on is really just each one of us. So, dont expect the end of the
world to come one day out of the blue -- its been happening every day for a long time.

Conversely, Tarantino approached the subject from

the perspective of the voyeur: If a guy gets shot in the
stomach and hes bleeding like a stuck pig then thats
what I want to see not a man with a stomach ache
and a little red dot on his belly.

Gene Goodsell & Cameela Ketheeswaran, 2012

Gene Goodsell - Entertainment and sports lawyer. Details +61 2 8095 6339 - gene@bselaw.com.au

42

How is the film industry responding?

Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein has called upon fellow
directors renowned for violent films, to assess their role
in the violence that played out in the Batman massacre.
Remarkably, this is a step towards self-censorship, by a
co-producer of the gory Inglorious Bastards, directed
by Quentin Tarantino. The point argued by Weinstein
is that violence has become excessive and perhaps
unnecessary when attempting to convey a message or
produce an eect upon viewers.

Universal Film
Issue 5 of 2012

43

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Universal Film

www.ufmag.org

44

Issue 5 of 2012

Universal Film
Issue 5 of 2012

oly Man: The USA vs. Douglas White is the story

of Douglas White, an 89 year old Lakota Sioux
medicine man from Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, who spent 17 years in federal prison for a crime he did not commit. During the
making of this film, filmmakers uncovered new evidence of Whites actual innocence and brought the
case back to federal court.
Holy Man oers a rare glimpse into the mysterious
world of Lakota religion, their intimate connection to
the land, and a provocative expose of the systemic injustice that Native Americans face in the criminal justice system. Holy Man is narrated by Martin Sheen and
features Floyd Red Crow Westerman, Russell Means,
Arvol Looking Horse, Dr. Fred Alan Wolf, Leonard Crow
Dog, and many other Lakota elders and leaders.

45

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Universal Film
Issue 5 of 2012

HOLYMAN

www.ufmag.org

46

THE US
VS
DOUGLAS WHITE

Universal Film
Issue 5 of 2012

At first glance, the facts seemed

straightforward.
In October 1991, after a long-running family feud, Douglas White, a
Lakota medicine man from South
Dakotas Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, was accused of sexually abusing his two grandsons. In January
1993, the 72-year-old White was
sentenced to 292 months in federal
prison with no hope of parole.
There was, however, more to his
story. When two young video artists started delving into it nearly 20
years ago, they realized how much
remained to be told. They embarked
on a complex journey that produced
their startling 2011 documentary
Holy Man, the USA v. Douglas White,
and in the process, uncovered dramatic new evidence that turned the
governments case against White
inside out. The film is narrated by
Martin Sheen.
Jennifer Jessum is the founder and
director of Flying Limbs Inc. Productions. She served as director, producer, cinematographer and editor
for Holy Man, while her husband,
Simon Joseph, took on the roles of
writer, producer and cinematographer. Jessum says they were both
students living in New York City in
the early 1990s when they became
acquainted with Whites nephew,
Gilbert Walking Bull. He invited us
to visit Pine Ridge, she recalls. We
didnt know what to expectwe
got out of the car and walked right
into one of Douglass ceremonies!
We had the great fortune of meeting Douglas 20 years agobefore he
was incarceratedand seeing how
many people he helped tirelessly.
Jessum says it was much later, when
the duo had relocated to the West
Coast, that they learned about the
case against him. We were two
young artists, she says softly. We
didnt think there was anything we
could do but be his friend.
Jessum and Joseph moved to Denver and began visiting White at his
Littleton, Colorado prison in November 1994. They were amazed by his
stories; 12 years later, when she was
working toward her master of fine
arts degree in film production at the
University of Southern California,
Jessum decided she wanted to record White on video. We knew we

wanted to tell his story, as an oldtimer, she explains. After a pause,

she adds, We met with strong resistance from federal ocials.
We requested to do on-camera interviews, but the Federal Bureau
of Prisons told us it was a security
risk, says Joseph. That pushed
us to look toward the case, to see
where we could do the most good.
He pauses. We started seeing a lot
of holes.
The duo learned that after sexual assault allegations were made against
White in October 1991, the tribal
court on Pine Ridge fully investigated the case, brought it to trial and
dismissed it for lack of evidence.
Then, more than a year later, the
federal government inexplicably reopened the case and charged White
with the same crime.
Double jeopardy means being tried
twice for the same oense, and is
prohibited by the Fifth Amendment
to the U.S. Constitution. But, Jessum
and Joseph say, its all too common
on reservations.
To make matters worse, White had
no means to hire a lawyer and was
defended by a court-appointed attorney. He was tried by an all-white
jury at a federal court in Rapid City,
South Dakota, 100 miles from his
home, in a language he did not fully
understand. He was convicted despite the fact that there was contradictory testimony and no physical
evidence. U.S. District Judge Richard H. Battey sentenced White to 25
years in prison.
According to Jessum and Joseph,
White continued to pursue his work
as a medicine man within the prison
walls. He didnt understand why
he was in there, Jessum says. He
thought, Im innocent. Let me out!
It was a horrible place, but he was
incredibly respected by the other
inmates and the people who worked
there.
Most people wouldve given up,
but that was his Lakota spirit, Jessum says. He knew he was there to
serve his people. Prison didnt stop
him from serving. The film really
takes people on his journey.
The film also takes people on the
journey of the Lakota, one that is

as anguished as it is proud. Interspersed with dramatic shots of

South Dakotas western prairies are
interviews with such prominent Lakota figures as Russell Means, Arvol
Looking Horse, Birgil Kills Straight,
Floyd Red Crow Westerman and
Ricky Gray Grass, as well as reenactments of historic events, such as the
1877 betrayal and murder of Crazy
Horse and the 1890 Wounded Knee
massacre. I dont think you can look
at the modern-day Lakota without
considering history, Jessum says.
You cant understand Lakota consciousness without understanding
the circular nature of things, ancestral truths. And I dont know a person on Pine Ridge who is not dealing
with the eects of colonization.
The film also presents poetic interpretations of traditional ceremonies. We were very conscious of the
way we portrayed ceremony, Jessum explains. We had to show ceremonial life, the Lakota way, [but] no
actual ceremonies were filmed. We
wanted to be sure we didnt cross
any lines.
To assist with the ceremonial interpretations, Jessum and Joseph
had five medicine men overseeing
production, which started in March
2006 with the first trip to South Dakota for filming. They filmed intermittently for the next five and a half
years. Over that time, they became
increasingly troubled with those
holes they saw in the governments
case against White. They did not
expect, however, what happened
about two years into production.
According to Joseph, the team had
interviewed Roy Helper Jr., one of
the two grandsons who accused
White of abuse, several times. Nothing much came of it, until one day
in October 2007, Roy called us and
said, I need to talk to you today,
Joseph recalls. His wife had just
had a baby boy; it was a big moment
for him. He explained that hed been
carrying this burden his entire life
and was ready to let go.
Helper met the film crew at a hotel
in Rapid City, and he confessed on
film that he had lied about the alleged abuse. He said that he and his
brother, Lloyd, were under tremendous pressure from lawyers, judges

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and people in suits, and he said

the experience was frightening. He
also indicated that they were coaxed
to say certain things. In return, they
were told they would get money,
toys, even a horse. (They received
none of those things.)
We were just little, dumb, stupid
Indian kids, being tossed around,
Helper says in Holy Man, his voice
choked with emotion. Eventually
its going to come out. Like today.
The look in Helpers eyes is haunting.
But his burden was lifted at last.
It was amazing for usto get the
truth out about Douglas, Jessum recalls, and it was a cathartic experience and journey for this young man.
This happens to so many people in
that community. Theres so much
fear. In mainstream America, nobody
thinks [things like this] will happen.
Next, viewers learn that Whites exwife, Evelyn, admitted that no abuse
occurred, despite her accusations
against her for former husband so
many years ago; Judge Sidney Witt,
former tribal prosecutor on Pine
Ridge, says Evelyn had been mad at
Douglas, and the situation simply
got tragically out of control. And the
boys mother, Geraldine, who formally accused White in 1991, admits that
years later, when she asked Lloyd
(the other boy) if the old allegations
were true, he said they werent.
A July 2008 psychological evaluation
by Leslie A. Fiferman in Rapid City
came out in favor of both young men
telling the truth.
After Roy confessed that he had
never been abused, we realized that
this was new evidence of Douglass
actual innocence, because the only
real evidence at the trial was the contradictory testimonial evidence of
the two boys, Joseph explains. So
I contacted [attorney] Terry Pechota,
and he agreed to take the case on.
He suggested that we do the psych
evaluations and polygraph testing to
submit with the petition [for a new
hearing] and informed us that we
would need to first ask the Eighth
Circuit Court of Appeals to file the
petition, since Douglas had already
filed several unsuccessful petitions
for post-conviction relief.
Louis Rovner conducted the polygraph examination of Roy Helper
Jr. in November 2008. He not only

measured and evaluated the polygraph charts, he also subjected the

results to a PolyScore, a digital polygraph scoring algorithm developed
at Johns Hopkins University.
PolyScore concluded that the probability that Mr. Helper was being
truthful was greater than 99 percent, Joseph says. Dr. Rovner [says
he] stakes his professional reputation on the conclusion that Roy Helper was, and is, undeniably telling the
truth when he said that Douglas never committed that crime. In the film,
Rovner says simply, The incident
never occurred.
In response to the psychological
evaluation and polygraph results,
three members of the original jury
recanted their guilty verdicts and
signed adavits. The petition was
filed with the Eighth Circuit Court of
Appeals in October 2008, and after
its approval in March 2009, the case
was sent to U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duy for her to make a recommendation to the Senior District
Court judge, who had not yet been
determined.
Duy approved a petition for the case
to be expedited, based on Whites
failing health. And on July 31, 2009,
she recommended an immediate
evidentiary hearing to Judge Richard H. Batteythe same judge who
had sentenced White to
25 years in prison.
In August, the U.S. Attorneys oce
objected to the request for a new trial, insisting that White learned about
Roy Helper Jr.s confession in 2004,
years before it actually took place.
This is where it gets a bit confusing, Joseph says. He explains that in
2004 White attempted to file a petition for relief. With the assistance
of his nephew, Gilbert Walking Bull,
he managed to locate Lloyd Helper,
who signed a nonnotarized document stating that he had never been
abused. He also got Evelyn Helper,
Whites ex-wife, to sign a statement.
Gilbert never contacted Roy Helper
at this time, nor did he ever obtain an
adavit from him, Joseph explains.
When Douglas filed his petition, he
made a reference to the enclosed
adavits, in plural, suggesting that
he had adavits from both boys. But
this was never part of the submitted
court record, and the government

knew it, but this little verbal slip was

all they needed to argue that the
one-year statute of limitations on
disclosing new evidence had run out.
The U.S. Attorneys oce admitted
that they didnt have Roy Helpers
2004 adavit, but they argued that
since Douglas [seemed to have]
claimed that he had it, he therefore must have known that Roy had
confessed. This, of course, was nonsense, but in September 2009, Judge
Battey agreed with the governments
argument and found the petition untimely.
Joseph immediately contacted Roy
Helper and White to have them clarify what had happened in notarized
adavits, stating that the confession had occurred for the first time in
2007. They submitted the adavits
to Judge Battey as evidence proving
the U.S. Attorneys claims were false.
We asked him to reconsider his ruling, but he ruled against Douglas
again [on October 21, 2009], Joseph
says. We were outraged. Why would
they take this man away from his
people? To this day, the government
hasnt explained that.
It is still terribly disturbing to me
that the government and the court
relied on a nonexistent adavit, rejected the magistrate judges report
and recommendation, ignored the
cumulative value and evidentiary
weight of polygraph reports, psychological evaluations and numerous additional adavits, ignored the
fact that new adavits conclusively
established that Roy Helper neither
recanted nor signed an adavit in
2004 and completely avoided the
one and only substantive issue in
this caseWhites innocenceall to
avoid an evidentiary hearing which
would have established, beyond any
reasonable doubt, Whites actual innocence.
Whites legal team appealed Batteys
decision to the Eighth Circuit Court of
Appeals and requested that the court
remove him from the case. They also
asked for White to be released while
the government prepared for trial.
The Eighth Circuit Court could have
recommended an immediate release
or recommended a dierent judge be
assigned to the case, Joseph says.
The facts and the truth were on our
side, so if Douglas had not been an
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They ran out of time. Douglas White

died in prison on November 24,
2009. According to Jessum and Joseph, the government has never explained why it prosecuted White a
full year after tribal court dismissed
his caseor why it insisted on denying White a new hearing in light of
such significant new evidence.
Thats what was most horrifying for
me, as we kept gathering evidence
of his innocence and of his wrongful conviction, Jessum says. We
have more [evidence] than any court
could ever ask for. This opens up a
deeper darkness. You see how ugly
the system is. They let an innocent
man die in prison to protect the system.
This really is a sad and tragic case of
injustice, Joseph agrees, in which
a mans life was lost not because his
case didnt have meritbut because
the government didnt want to lose
face and was able to manufacture
a false and misleading technicality
that bought them enough time until
Douglas died in prison, which then
declared his case moot.
Despite that, Jessum and Joseph
point to a larger message of hope.
The film is a testimonial to Douglas, his spirit and the Lakota spirit,
Jessum says. The things indigenous
people have gone through is so horrific, yet they maintain their spiritual connections, their humor.
The couple is working with Pechota, who took on Whites case pro
bono after the new evidence came
to light, to establish programs and
undertake specific legal eorts that
deal with tribal sovereignty. They
also want to address the epidemic of
teen suicide in Indian country. That
was part of Douglass lifes mission
as a medicine man, Jessum explains. It only takes one generation
to make changeto take something
bad and turn it into something good,
the Lakota way. Thats our hope.
Holy Man made its debut on the Pine
Ridge reservation in 2011, which
was a thrill for the filmmakers and
community members alike. Despite

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the diculty of the subject matter,

Jessum says the reception was overwhelming. You have to acknowledge the family, she says. It was
hard to let the world in on their dirty
laundry, but they were so committed to the truth, they were willing to
put personal comfort aside.
Jessum says the Pine Ridge community was supportive of the film from
day one. Once we mentioned Douglass name, people saw we were
sincere, she says. They showed us
so much love and respect, and were
incredibly helpful. People came out
of the woodwork. They heard about
the case and wanted to do whatever
they could. [Douglas] is so symbolic
of the gross injustice still going on.
Holy Mans reception at the countrys Native film festivals has been
impressive. The 85-minute film took
home best documentary feature and
best director at the Red Nation Film
Festival, and best film and best cinematography at the Native American
Indian Film and Video Festival of the
Southeast.
More important to the filmmakers,
Holy Man has been shown on several
reservations. And, in the end, the
couple was able to pay fitting tribute
to Douglas Whiteand to the Lakota
medicine men whose generation
seems to be quickly passing. Its
not the ending I wanted, but the film
is a testimonial to Douglas, his spirit
and the Lakota spirit, Jessum says.
I dont know how many people like
Douglas are leftspeaking English
as a second language, a tireless public servant. A treasure.
To learn more about Holy Man and
the filmmakers, visit HolyManFilm.
com. At press time, Flying Limbs Inc.
Productions expected to have DVDs
available for purchase this summer.
with terminal lung cancer, we could
have kept appealing the case all the
way to the U.S. Supreme Court or requested an immediate commutation
from the president. They ran out of
time. Douglas White died in prison
on November 24, 2009.
According to Jessum and Joseph, the
government has never explained
why it prosecuted White a full year
after tribal court dismissed his
caseor why it insisted on denying
White a new hearing in light of such
significant new evidence. Thats

what was most horrifying for me, as

we kept gathering evidence of his innocence and of his wrongful conviction, Jessum says. We have more
[evidence] than any court could ever
ask for. This opens up a deeper darkness. You see how ugly the system
is. They let an innocent man die in
prison to protect the system.
Holy Man made its debut on the Pine
Ridge reservation in 2011, which
was a thrill for the filmmakers and
community members alike. Despite
the diculty of the subject matter,
Jessum says the reception was overwhelming. You have to acknowledge the family, she says. It was
hard to let the world in on their dirty
laundry, but they were so committed to the truth, they were willing to
put personal comfort aside.
Jessum says the Pine Ridge community was supportive of the film from
day one. Once we mentioned Douglass name, people saw we were
sincere, she says. They showed us
so much love and respect, and were
incredibly helpful. People came out
of the woodwork. They heard about
the case and wanted to do whatever
they could. [Douglas] is so symbolic
of the gross injustice still going on.
Holy Mans reception at the countrys Native film festivals has been
impressive. The 85-minute film took
home best documentary feature and
best director at the Red Nation Film
Festival, and best film and best cinematography at the Native American
Indian Film and Video Festival of the
Southeast.
More important to the filmmakers,
Holy Man has been shown on several
reservations. And, in the end, the
couple was able to pay fitting tribute
to Douglas Whiteand to the Lakota
medicine men whose generation
seems to be quickly passing. Its
not the ending I wanted, but the film
is a testimonial to Douglas, his spirit
and the Lakota spirit, Jessum says.
I dont know how many people like
Douglas are leftspeaking English
as a second language, a tireless public servant. A treasure.
To learn more about Holy Man and
the filmmakers, visit HolyManFilm.
com. At press time, Flying Limbs Inc.
Productions expected to have DVDs
available for purchase this summer.

50

with terminal lung cancer, we could

have kept appealing the case all the
way to the U.S. Supreme Court or requested an immediate commutation
from the president.

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Issue 5 of 2012

f you had to make a list of things that you

would do if you had a day without Consequence, what would be on your list I
wonder?

Jodie Webster made such a list, there was a

catalyst that triggered her to do so and thereafter her day begins at sunrise with sights,
sounds and surroundings that are very familiar and go into making up the no Consequence
oerings during one solitary day in the life of
an ordinary girl that transpires into a plethora
of far from ordinary events!
You will ride a proverbial roller coaster as Jodie
takes your hand and narrates you through her
very special day that explodes in a cacophony
of emotion, reflection and humour all in equal
measure.
Katie Richmond, who plays the character
of Jodie Webster, is an English Actress who
trained at the Itali Conti Drama School in London. She was discovered by Film Director Si
Wall when she was cast in one his previous

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CONSEQUENCE
A FILM BY sI wALL

Katie played the guises of Jodie with such stirling conviction that on several occasions, supporting cast and crewmembers alike were truly stirred to their very souls with
her solid and blistering real portrait of a simple everyday
girl entwined in a day for herself.
A founder of Masive Films, Si Wall is a filmmaker that dares
to be dierent; he makes films that focus on topics and issues in life that some film production companies shy away
from.
As well as being an Award Winning Director and writer he
is also a self-confessed Maverick he is certainly a force to
be reckoned with in the world of filmmaking and has many
pending projects up his sleeve for the future.
Comparisons have already been made to this latest performance by Katie that would readily stand her side by side

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with the greatest actors of her generation; her mere twenty-three years bears absolutely no reference whatsoever to
her front of camera maturity that has captured her gifted
and unique performance.
Actors such as Katie Richmond are a very rare commodity indeed; infinitely directable as she is talented and her
warm, friendly and extremely funny persona in her true
guise she is without doubt a sparkling jewel in the occasionally rough terrain of the acting profession.
As the sun finally sets on Jodie Websters day youll most
definitely have been on an equating journey that will make
you reflect; as the credits roll and the soundtrack of familiarity resonates long after you have left the theatre I can
assure you that the one simple question that you will definitely be asking yourself will be what would I do?
Consequence will have its World Premiere in London UK
on 13th September at the Genesis Cinema ~ Please contact
Nicki beckinsale - nicki@masivefilms.com for ticket and
event information

52

feature films. Si will readily tell you ...when I was seeking to cast the role of Jodie Webster for Consequence I can
honestly say that Katie was always my first choice for the
role and the more I looked around at others the stronger
the draw was to cast her...

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THE BLACKLIST
A new book being written is highlighting the
practice of blacklisting film-makers. Although
this practice is by a number of small film festivals, it has destroyed the careers of the entire
cast and crew of films with little more than a
casual comment.
This look behind the screen is a fascinating
expose at how these small festivals operate
in this group and barter and bargain filmmakers films in a marketplace that is strictly
for film festivals. This is a group where filmmakers are not at all welcome and are not see
as having an active role in the film festivals
and do not share in any of the income generated by the festival, despite making the films.
This is a must read for any filmmaker and festival
Keep an eye out for this one!

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BxNF
BUFFALO BY NIAGARA FALLS

6TH ANNUAL

B U F FA LO I N T E R N AT I O N A L F I L M F E S T I VA L
SEPTEMBER 14 - 30, 2012

BUFFALO, NEW YORK

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In memorium of Chris Marker

the master of films on memory

y the nature of the cryptic puzzle

they present, it is dicult to describe someone who is enigmatic.
And even more elusive to capture the
brilliance of someone who is erudite.
That to me encapsulates the challenge
of writing an obituary of Chris Marker,
French documentarian/transmedia artist and pioneer of the essay film, who
passed away last week, aged 91.
Ironically in this case, tributes on twitter
have shed unexpected enlightenment:
When I saw La Jete, I had this arcane
glimpse of the universe, wrote one fan.
He realized there was no escape out of
time, and he changed my waking life
write others, revealing the recurring
theme of time, memory and consciousness that marked Chris Markers indelible exploration of life.
A quick glance through tweets in memorium evidence that Markers life and
death - has touched cinephiles as diverse as adult film star-turned-filmmaker Sacha Grey to renowned documentarian Errol Morris, who wrote of the
technoshaman: One of my heroes.
(How many truly great filmmakers are
there? He was one of them.)
Guardian Film tweeted that Marker left
a generous legacy of cinematic genius.
Richard Brody of the New Yorker quoted;
For Marker the work of memory is the
very definition of art.
It is fitting to find that in remembering
Marker, we also delve into the recurring
theme of his greatest films - memory.
And ultimately Chris Marker, in true evidence of his own greatness, leaves us
with the last and perhaps most profound
words; When men die, they enter history. When statues die, they enter art.
These deaths are what we call culture.
Marker has been named the best known
author of unknown movies. His short
1962 film La Jete, comprised entirely

by Wendy Dent

of black and white still shots with voiceover narration, was the inspiration for
Terry Gilliams Twelve Monkeys (starring Brad Pitt in his Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominated role). But Markers
real influence is found in more abstract
forms than box oce profits or film accolades. The New York Times mentions A
bar in Tokyos famous Golden Gai district
is named for La Jete an honor that
Mr. Marker once said was worth more to
me than any number of Oscars.
Much will be remembered of the films
of Chris Marker, but in testimony to the
mystery that is Marker, less will be known
of the man who was born Christian Franois Bouche-Villeneuve. The director
revealed in one of his final interviews
(to the French magazine Les Inrockuptibles) I chose a pseudonym, Chris Marker, pronounceable in most languages, because I was very intent on traveling. No
need to delve further.
The New York Times wrote in their obituary for Marker; His films often feature
a first-person narrator, a device he once
called a sign of humility. They abound
with avatars and alter-egos, including
his own cat, Guillaume-en-Egypt, which
sometimes appeared, in the flesh and in
cartoon form, as his surrogate.
@SnubPollard may not have known of
the significance when she tweeted Has
literally everyone posted this as their
farewell tribute to Chris Marker?;
http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=KalkgX5Igwo
As Radio France Internationale reported, Chris Marker had two loves in his
life, Cats and Cinema. So perhaps that
simple 3 minute celluloid reverie (Cat
Listening to Music), gifted by the artist
to the Museum of Modern Art, might be
called the quintessential Chris Marker
film.

When I myself studied Marker in filmschool, I knew not that we shared these
two loves (of cats and cinema) but I came
to learn that I loved cinema for a reason
I never expected- a reason Marker was
the first to demonstrate to me, through
his mastery of the avant-garde.
A celebrated filmmaker once told me that
poetry can never be filmed. Forever more
I will refute that he was wrong, because
Chris Marker showed me on celluloid the
true meaning of poetry in motion. Markers reflective filmmaking style taught
me, by example, that the voice of a filmmaker is not just in his images and his
words, but the ideas that he teases and
gently challenges to catapult his viewers to new dimensions of consciousness
they never expected. He taught me to
play, with wide-eyed curiosity, and to
break the rules in order to learn new
ones, for we are only bound by the limits of our imagination, not the limits of
a frame. His films embodied both style
and depth, in his ability to capture the
transience of an idea in one film cell, and
question it in the next.
I am not the only one who has found I
am simply left to say goodbye, by echoing the same subtlety and poetry Chris
Marker evoked in his sublime reflections on memory and the human spirit
that were called films. In one of his
works Marker quotes, from a funeral,
the poignant last words of a Japanese
woman to her cat. They are sweet and
sad words which I will never forget, and
- in respect to a master - I now repeat in
memory of Marker and his immemorial
films, which showed the soul of a true
visionary; Cat, wherever you are, peace
be with you.
Wendy Dent
Writer/ Director/ Producer
www.wendydent.com
www.humanrightsonfilm.com

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ZOE MOON ASTROLOGY SEPTEMBER MONTHLY FORECAST 2012

ARIES

TARUS

GEMINI

Destiny is now opening doors for you this

month and over the next year and a half
in areas of sexual attraction and intimacy,
reproduction, divorce, and high finances
such as with loans, inheritance, bankruptcy, settlements, insurance, taxes,
alimony, child support, commissions, or a
partners money, so open up in these arenas. Karmic opportunities and tests will
now arrive through personal income,
possessions, spending, and what you build
so get real about how you are balancing
in these areas. Career matters stalled or
slowed since April begin to move ahead
in powerful ways again. Work, health or
pet interests get a fresh start on the 15th
and in the 2 weeks that follow so be proactive. The 30th marks a peak with any
changes to your image, identity, brand,
body, or personal goals in celebration or
endings.

Destiny now awaits you this month and

over the next year and a half through
business or romantic partners, agents,
attorneys, specialists, advocates, and competition, so dont go it alone. Karmic
opportunities and tests stem from going
solo or tied to your ego, image, body, or
identity so get real about taking care of
you and finding balance. Legal, ceremonial, travel, educational, media, publishing,
or marketing needs that have been slow
or focused on the past will now begin to
move ahead in powerful ways. You get a
fresh new start with lovers or in the pursuit
of love, with children or creative projects
on the 15th and the 2 weeks that follow so
step out. Things reach a climax around
your time in retreat or resting, with an
investigation or research project, a film,
music or art project, a spiritual pursuit, a
clandestine romance, a hospital or institutional need, or addiction on the 30th as
you celebrate achievements or end things.

Destiny now arrives over the next year and

a half cycle with growth opportunities
through work, co-workers, employees,
health, and animals, so let Fate do her
magic. Karmic opportunities or tests will
arrive through retreat, hospitals, prisons,
addictions, film, music, art, spiritual interests, hidden affairs, or investigations so
get real about how you are balancing in
these areas. Loans, settlements or other
big money interests, sexual attractions or
issues, reproductive matters, or divorce
proceedings that may have been slow or
focused on the past since April now begin
to move forward on powerful levels again.
New doors open at home, with moves, real
estate deals, mom, family, or roommates
from the 15th forward, make fresh starts
in the 2 weeks that follow. High points are
reached with friends, groups, social occasions, the internet, astrology, or charities
by the 30th as you celebrate achievements
or wrap things up.

FOLLOW ZOE ON TWITTER: TWITTER.COM/ZOEMOON

LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
Destiny now awaits you this month and
the year and a half up ahead through
income opportunities, your possessions,
what you build, and your acquisitions, so
open up to what Fate has in store. Karmic
opportunities or tests will now come through loans, debt, credit, inheritance, insurance, taxes, bankruptcy, settlements,
alimony, child support, commissions,
royalties, a partners money, divorce, sex,
reproduction, triangles, or control issues,
so get real about balancing things here.
Home, real estate, family, or moves that
have been slowed down or facing into the
past now shift and begin to move forward
in powerful ways. New film, music or art
interests, spiritual pursuits, hospital or
institutional matters, investigations, research opportunities, clandestine romances,
or developmental interests open up from
the 15th forward so launch in these areas
over the next 2 weeks. A relationship with
a partner in business or marriage, or with
a representative or competitor, hits a peak
by the 30th in celebrations or endings.

Once every 18 years the North Node of

Destiny moves into your sign. September
marks the beginning of this cycle that over
the next year and a half will bring a destined time of personal growth so get ready
to let your light shine, put your name,
identity, brand, body, and image out there
big time and see what the Fates have in
store. Karmic opportunities and tests will
now arrive through romantic or business
partners, agents, attorneys, specialists,
competitors, or opponents so get real
about how you balance these important
relationships. Any stalls or backtracking
with agreements, writing, ideas, offers,
sales, siblings, neighbors, vehicles, speaking roles, local activities, short trips, or
electronics that youve been experiencing
since April will now begin to move ahead
again in powerful ways. New friends,
group interests, social networking opportunities, internet projects, astrological
insights, charitable involvements, and
pursuits involving your aspirations open
up from the 15th forward so launch fresh
starts in the 2 weeks ahead.

Beginning this month and over the next

year and a half Destiny will await you with
growth opportunity through film, music,
the arts, spiritual outlets, hospitals, prisons, clandestine romance, dealing with
addictions, research, investigations, and
developmental projects so open up to the
muse and what you can bring about
behind the scenes. Karmic opportunities
and tests will now arrive through work,
co-workers, employees, services, health
matters, and pets so get real about how
you balance things here. Any income
matters that have been slowed or tied up
with past issues shift now and begin to
move forward again in powerful ways.
New career opportunities, ways to launch
your business, deal with authority figures,
dad or the boss, grab fame, or achieve
goals open up on the 15th forward so
launch in the next 2 weeks. A love matter
or something going on with your lover,
something that involves children, or a
creative interest or project peaks by the
30th in celebration, achievement or
endings.

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Universal Film
Issue 5 of 2012

ZOEMOONASTROLOGY@GMAIL.COM OR CALL 818-613-6067

VIRGO
LEO
CANCER
Destiny is taking you into new territory this
month and the next year and a half in the
realm of true love, with children and through creative projects for growth opportunities so follow your heart and express
yourself for success. Karmic opportunities
or tests will now come through friends,
groups, the internet, astrology, charities,
aspirations, and social networking so get
real about how you balance here. Anything that may have been stalled or faced
backwards involving partners, representatives or competitors now begins to
move ahead again on powerful levels.
New agreements, decisions, writing projects, meetings, ideas, short trips, sales,
sibling or neighbor interactions, moves,
vehicle or electronic needs open up from
the 15th onward so use the next 2 weeks
to make a fresh start. Career matters and
dealings with authority figures, dad, ambitions, or fame peak by the 30th as you
celebrate achievements or wrap things up.

Destiny shifts this month and will now find

you over the next year and a half cycle
through home interests, real estate,
moves, family, mom, roommates, and
security needs so open up big time to
what comes towards you here. Karmic
opportunities and tests will begin to arrive
through career, goals, reputation, fame,
father, leadership, and authority figures so
get real about what you came to do and
seek balance. Any work, health or pet
issues that have been slowed or wrapped
up in past issues or internal workings will
now begin to move forward again on
powerful levels. New income-making
opportunities open up from the 15th and
2 weeks that follow so launch here now.
Legal, travel, educational, wedding, media,
marketing, or publishing interests peak by
the 30th as you celebrate achievements
or wrap things up.

Destiny is moving into your communications zone this month and will bring
growth opportunities now through the
next year and a half through talks, writing,
agreements, offers, sales, meetings, ideas,
speaking roles, short trips, local activities,
siblings, neighbors, moves, vehicles, and
electronics so be open to what Fate brings
you here and follow your star. Karmic
opportunities and tests will arrive through
legal, ceremonial, travel, educational,
media, marketing, publishing, and publicity avenues so get real about balancing
things here. Love, children or creative
interests that have been stalled or tied up
with the past now begin to move forward
again in powerful ways. You get a personal or physical fresh start on the 15th and
2 weeks that follow so take steps with your
body, image, identity, brand, or personal
needs now. Big financial matters that are
shared with institutions or others, divorce
needs, reproductive issues, or a sexual
attraction peaks by the 30th in celebration
and achievement or endings.

FACEBOOK: FACEBOOK.COM/ZOEMOONASTROLOGY
PISCES
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS

www.ufmag.org

Destiny shifts its position and will now be

opening growth opportunities this month
and in the year and a half ahead through
career opportunities, the direction of your
life, bosses, authority figures, dad, ambitions, goals, reputation, leadership, status,
and fame so open up and embrace what
Fate has to offer you here. Karmic opportunities and tests will now arrive through
home matters, real estate, moves, mom,
family, roommates, or security needs so
get real about how you are balancing
things here. Any spiritual, artistic, or hidden romantic interest, hospital matter,
addiction, research project, investigation,
or developmental interest that has been
slow or facing past issues now begins to
move ahead again in powerful ways. New
sexual attractions, divorce options or
financial opportunities involving outside
resources open up from the 15th onward
so make the next 2 weeks count in going
after what you want here.

Destiny shifts this month and opens up

the next year and a half cycle of growth
opportunity for you through travel or with
people at a distance, in media, higher
education, law, weddings, marketing,
publicity, and publishing, so follow your
heart in these areas. Karmic opportunities
and tests will now arrive through local
activities, siblings, neighbors, short trips,
moves, vehicles, electronics, speaking
roles, writing, sales, and agreements so
get real about balancing things here. Any
stalled or past oriented matters with friends, groups, the internet, astrology,
charities, or aspirations pick back up this
month and move forward again. New
beginnings with partners, agents, attorneys, or competitors kick off on the 15th
forward opening doors in the 2 weeks
ahead. An income matter peaks by the
30th in celebration or endings.

60

Destiny shifts this month and will now

begin to open growth opportunities over
the year and a half ahead through friends,
groups, the internet, astrology, charities,
social networking, and while you are pursuing your aspirations so connect! Karmic
opportunities and tests will now arrive
through love, kids, speculation, recreation,
or creative projects so get real about how
things are balanced here. Any personal or
physical matters that have been slowed or
wrapped up in the past will now shift as
you begin to move ahead again on some
new powerful level. New legal, ceremonial, travel, educational, media, marketing,
or publicity opportunities open up from
the 15th onward, make your move in the
next 2 weeks. Something at home, with a
move, real estate, renovations, family,
mom, or roommates peaks by the 30th in
celebration, achievement or endings.

Universal Film
Issue 5 of 2012

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Universal Film

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62

Issue 5 of 2012

Universal Film
Issue 5 of 2012

Why do we love
movies so much?

REAL LIFE
STORIES OF
STRUGGLE
AND COURAGE
FROM
AROUND
THE WORLD

by Michelle Goode

CEO - Writesofluid

hether youre a hardcore moviegoer or someone who loves a

good film for a treat, there will always be reasons why you want to watch
them. Much like how you choose what
TV shows to watch, dierent movies will
have certain appeals.

As a writer and a script reader, watching

movies helps educate me. As a regular
audience member they can help me escape daily stresses and enjoy the ride, be
it emotional, thrilling or scary. One thing
links the two experiences, however, and
thats inspiration; movies inspire me to
write good fiction and make scripts the
best they can be for production, and
they can also inspire me in reality.
If that heroine can battle the odds to
achieve her dream goals, then why cant
I? If that guy can change his attitude and
have a whole lot of fun in the process,
what might I be missing out on by being
closed-minded? As one fellow movielover commented recently, watching inspiring protagonists can really help you
tap into dierent aspects of yourself.
The escape reason is popular. People
want to switch o and enter somebody
elses world so that they dont have to
think about their own. They want to be
entertained by somebody elses misfortunes, predicaments and adventures or
to be uplifted by funny or light-hearted
stories. It can even feel like a game; in a
crime or mystery thriller, it can be fun to
guess whats going to happen, and most
genres allow you to predict the outcome.
Good characters help this process; audi-

ence members want to identify with the

characters and root for them to succeed.
Weve all seen a characters problem and
thought, damn, I know how that feels,
or, on the other end of the scale, rather
you than me! Could fictional characters
therefore be a way of learning about the
world, about relationships and about
how to deal with things that happen?
Do we take away new thoughts or even
warnings?
On the other hand, its sometimes the
concepts the ideas which make a
movie appealing. But can one exist without the other? A film can be based on a
great idea, but if the character doesnt
appeal to you; you dont care for their
acting or for the characters personality,
will that great idea work so well? Alternatively, can a good character mean an
otherwise low-key concept triumphs?
Of course, we all have dierent motives
for watching movies and will all gain
dierent things from our experiences
of them. Some people love the shockfactor, the spine-tingling thrills, the
edge-of-the-seat action or the squeezethe-armrest horror. Some want to see
their favourite actor, pretend to be a detective or to have a good cry. Some just
want to identify with characters and feel
less alone, or to escape their own troubles for some fantasy.
One things for sure: movies are like a
theme park for emotions. And as long
as movies keep tapping into these emotions and provoking reactions, they will
always have appeal.

THIS IS OMAR, A TEENAGE

REFUGEE FROM SOMALIA.

A LIFE ON HOLD

IS A NEW FILM ABOUT

OMARS LIFE IN A REFUGEE
CAMP IN TUNISIA.
WATCH AT
AMNESTY.ORG/REFUGEES

CHILDREN OF
THE JAGUAR

AN INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY IN
THE AMAZON JUNGLE TAKE ON
THE COMBINED MIGHT OF THE
GOVERNMENT AND AN OIL
COMPANY IN ORDER TO SAVE
THEIR WAY OF LIFE AND THE
RAINFOREST THEY LIVE IN.

WATCH AT
BIT.LY/JAGUAR-TRAILER

Find out more:

avproduction@amnesty.org

Normski Anderson

63

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Universal Film
Issue 5 of 2012

The great content shift the demand for content anytime,

anywhere has set in motion a kaleidoscope of innite consumption
options with unlimited business models. But only if you shift focus and
work with the right players. Broader-casting professionals are leading
the evolution by collaborating across screens and delivery platforms,
embracing the opportunities created by todays disruptors, like
advertisers, techno-savvy visionaries and, increasingly, just about
anyone with an online channel and a following.

FREE
Exhibits-only Pass
Use code PA01

NAB Show, the worlds largest media and entertainment event, is

the place to leverage shifting players as part of your paradigm for
success. Here youll discover game-changing strategies and emerging
technologies designed to address todays and tomorrows
expectations. Turn shift in your favor and evolve in a marketplace
that moves forward with or without you. Register now!

Natasha Goulden
www.ufmag.org

64

CONFERENCES April 1419, 2012 EXHIBITS April 16 19

Las Vegas Convention Center Las Vegas Nevada USA