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Twenty Five Hundred & One

Los Angeles filmmaker Patricia van Ryker has been making the festival rounds with her touching portrayal of Oaxacan artist Alejandro Santiago, and after screening at the Cannes Independent Film Festival this month, she heads to New Hope.

For six years, Santiago, his family, and many assistants worked tirelessly to bring “2501 Migrantes” to life. Sculpted from local clay and painted with colors derived from the soil near his birthplace in Mexico's Sierra de Ixtlan Mountains, these "lost soul" sculptures speak for those who are gone. They are the voice of those who return only on holidays, those whose only presence is a Western Union money gram, and those who will never return. Graciela Cervantes, the artist's representative in Oaxaca, says "...what Alejandro has dreamt, he has made reality."

As van Ryker puts it, "Alejandro's Migrantes are a haunting reminder of the common problems we face. For, in our global life, what affects one, affects all." You can watch the trailer here: 2501 Preview

Announcing World Premiere: The Soil and the People

Sisir Sahana already enjoyed an international reputation as a painter and sculptor when he decided to write, produce and direct his first feature film. He lives in India. But an actual event in a rural town inspired him to branch into a new direction, and the result is The Soil and the People (Maati-O-Manush).

The film employs elements of visual art——impressionism, pointillism and modernism——in a denunciation of community predators who tormented a beautiful soul for their own gratification, ideology and political profit. The accusation against her? Witchcraft. As someone with an ancestor who was hanged at the Salem Witch Trials, I consider the message timeless and universal.

The Soil and the People will fascinate anyone who's open to something offbeat and provocative, and actress Rimjhim Gupta clears the way with an aching performance as a mute lady who, despite loving life and her village with all her heart, finds her life utterly shattered. You can watch the trailer here: The Soil and the People

I Am Somebody

With an ensemble cast that includes Hollywood veterans such as Ernest Borgnine, Theresa Russell, Timothy Bottoms, Christopher Atkins, Olivia Hussey, Danny Trejo and others, I Am Somebody: No Chance in Hell is a compelling and powerful look at race and injustice in the Wild West frontier of the 1870s. Auteur Aki Aleong is one of New Hope Film Festival's many American filmmakers, and he's no beginner to the world of filmmaking, having amassed an impressive career over more than 50 years as a producer, actor, writer, singer and activist. If you love films with substance, a strong sense of social relevance, fine historical details and of course excellent directing, acting and cinematography, you need to watch I Am Somebody: No Chance in Hell. I'll say this, too: there's plenty of chance in hell that this film will delight and inspire audiences. Here's the trailer: I Am Somebody

Announcing U.S. Premiere: The Dispensables

Films hardly get more sensitive and wonderful than The Dispensables, the remarkable true-life story of debut filmmaker Andreas Arnstedt. Already a famous television actor and comedian in his native Germany, Arnstedt took a brave step when he decided to produce his first movie; foundations and powers-that-be simply didn't want anything to do with a raw and honest look at poverty and child abuse in post-war Germany.

But Arnstedt has many friends, as evidenced by the gifted actors and filmmakers he assembled for this underground project. The results are groundbreaking: The Dispensables shatters many perceptions of how Germany should be portrayed in film.

Parental discretion is advised for this trailer: The Dispensables

Interviewed on Comcast Newsmakers

Thanks to Comcast Corporation, an Official Sponsor of New Hope Film Festival, I've had the opportunity to give television and web viewers a chance to learn more about our first annual festival through an interview with Comcast Newsmakers's Jill Horner.

If you live in the Bucks County area, you'll see the segment on Comcast Headline News at various times until the festival. You can also watch the interview on YouTube: Comcast Newsmakers Interview

Buzz in the Press: Resident Media Pundit

Few commentators in the blogosphere match residentmediapudit.com's Greg Robson, a mainstream media reporter on Long Island who runs a website in his spare time, for coverage of what's hot and happening in the indie music, film and book worlds. Robson recently interviewed NHFF's Executive Director - Submissions, Tom Mulligan, and has posted excerpts from the interview plus insights into our festival on RMP.

You can check what he's saying here: RMP Story