Author Archives: izaydenberg

Arts Engine is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization created to promote and distribute the works of independent media artists. Designed to foster interest in the development and consumption of independently produced films, Arts Engine works hand-in-hand with the independent filmmaking community to expose both educators and the general public to forms of small-studio media that would be otherwise unavailable or unnoticed to those not explicitly seeking it. In their words, Arts Engine seeks to assist “…independent media makers [in] fac[ing] the dauntless obstacles in their efforts to introduce new perspectives into public debates.” These obstacles, AE notes, stem from the increasingly consolidated media outlets available to the mass market — be it in film, television, or radio.

Originally, Arts Engine consisted as the creative organization of filmmaking duo Katy Chevigny and Julia Pimsleur. Independent documentary markers themselves, Chevigny and Pimsleur developed Arts Engine and its subsequent partnerships to both publish their films and provide an outlet through which other independent media makers could share their ideas and get exposure for their works. Arts Engine’s film production sister, Big Mouth, has published 7 films and has won “prestigious awards, gain[ed] national recognition, and … reached audiences in the millions.” In addition to Big Mouth, AE also conceived MediaRights.org, a website dedicated to the promotion of social activism through indie filmmaking. MediaRights has archived over 7,000 films and has even spawned its own creation, Launchpad, a “youth-focused initiative” on developing and expressing ideas through personal media creation.

Arts Engine relies heavily on the ease-of-access that the internet and other virtual environments provide in distributing and making public materials for both the world of education and the casual, concerned consumer. For Arts Engine, the internet allows for a massive forum of discussion otherwise unavailable or impractical without the help of inexpensive communication that recent decades have produced. In addition to easy distribution, the internet has helped Arts Engine connect filmmakers with donators, via their Fiscal Sponsorship programs. Burgeoning filmmakers can make use of AE’s large audience to help find potential sponsors, and can even create their own 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in an effort to produce and distribute their films.

AE relies on both independent film distribution revenue as well as donations from a wide variety of businesses, individuals and production companies interested in the distribution of alternative media. Arts Engine’s widespread berth is immediately apparent after viewing their Funders and Supporters list: such prestigious donors as the Rockefeller Foundation, HBO, Sundance and even TimeWarner (as well as a myriad of others) have donated to the cause of independent filmmaking.  In addition to the online and brick-and-mortar distribution of films, AE has worked in conjunction with PBS’s “POV” and “Independent Lens” to show films to a television audience.

Arts Engine’s direct involvement with the independent media movement places it in an interesting and powerful position as the medium through which many social issues are spread through the art of independent documentary. In this especially turbulent and corporate-minded age, it is comforting to know that there is still a group concerned with the views of those who, due to inaccessibility of  larger publishing funds, would  be otherwise left abandoned. AE’s mission to fund, publish, distribute and discuss independent film and filmmakers sets it apart as one of the most impactful non-profits operating for the benefit of public media in existence today.

One...Two...Three!

Wasp stings right where it hurts.

The film, set in the United Kingdom and directed by Andrea Arnold, focuses on a lower-class single mother, Zoe, that is having difficulty looking after her four children while maintaining a relationship with her former beau, David.

It’s easy to leap to the conclusion that Zoe is a failure of a mother – she considers packets of sugar an acceptable food choice, and has no problems cursing at her three daughters – but underneath her tough, no-nonsense exterior, it’s easy to forget that she is not much older than the people in the class, and still very much a young adult. What she lacks in class and parenting skills, however, she makes up for in maternal instinct; when her youngest, a chubby, delightful baby boy, is in danger, she leaps into action and goes into hysterics – as any parent I know would do.

However, while the film focuses on Zoe’s attempt to be a fitting mother, she is not the one that commands the screen. It is her oldest daughter that captures the attention and sympathy of the viewer the most, for she is the most motherly of the bunch and clearly looks out for her younger siblings before herself. The youngest daughter plays at the heartstrings as well – her baby doll in her makeshift carriage eerily echo her mother’s own attempts to take care of her youngest child – and sadly, the blonde little girl is infinitely better at it than her parent.

Interlaced with dark humor and a tale that doesn’t simply rely on sympathy for the flawed nature of it’s characters, Wasp is a film that is easily worthy of it’s Oscar title.

V.S.

Drawing a distinction between a D.I.Y. film and a film laden with sponsors is kind of like comparing a mansion in Southhampton to a Victorian in Williamsburg – while one may have the good looks and bells and whistles of a well-oiled machine, the other has charm and plenty of silly moments intertwined with sharp dialogue and rough edges.

With D.I.Y. independent films, you can’t help but feel that you’re as much a part of the show as the actors themselves –  I could just see “The Bearded Three” cracking up after their implied fight scene behind the scenes, and something about that just feels much more personable than having  Jaime Murray spew dialogue at me – which, I must admit, she’s significantly better at than either Mina or, really, anyone in Inverted World. That’s not to say that the home video feel of Inverted World is any less, well, perfect than Good in Bed, which was sponsored by Lifetime — rather, what I felt Good in Bed’s biggest problem was that it was absolutely unrealistic (because in what sort of reality does a guy like Eddie McClintock get a woman like Jaime Murray?) and it was hard to find their situation personable and relatable. Yes, the failed marriage aspect worked, but it was difficult to like either character,  and the overabundance of downright cheesy lines (“Sometimes I miss the things I hate about you”? Really?) make it difficult to take the short film seriously. However, the acting chops of Murray and McClintock were an easy disguise for less-than-stellar dialogue and plotline for some:

“I like the Lifetime movie more, because I could sense her feelings because she portrayed them very well.” said Diana Coats, a student.

Short films, like cars and like houses, filter through two categories for me – one being the charming, home video-esque films that reek of both charm and wit, while the others, the ones that get the financial backing to be able to afford actors like Shannon Doherty and Jaime Murray tend to have lackluster appeal – frankly, I’m not charmed by a fancier set or by a better camera.