DAY FIVE: June 7, 2010

CANON Breakfast!

Be sure to bring your cinematographer to this breakfast sponsored by Canon. Meet D.P. Bob Primes who'll talk all about the Canon 5D Mark II (NOTE: RSVP is required)

Two Minute Two Step:

Shooting Today-- I MET A GIRL, ASK ME HOW shoots today from 1-5pm and will screen tomorrow night in front of an evening feature. Shooting will take place in the Filmmakers Lounge directly across from the theatre (on the second floor inside of 8000 Sunset).

4-6pm Happy hour in the Filmmaker Lounge

Screenings:

2:45pm HONOR IN THE VALLEY OF TEARS

Centered on Congressional Medal of Honor recipient 1st Sgt. David H. McNerney and the men of A-Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry of the 4th Infantry Division that he trained and led into a bloody, yet forgotten battle near Polei Doc in the Central Highlands of Vietnam at the height of the Vietnam War, later known as The Valley of Tears. In their own words the film brings insight into their time spent together and the bond they formed that remains unbroken to this day.

5:00pm Fusion Shorts Group 1: Amexica, The Empty Space in Between, Picture Day, Requited, Tick Tock, The Unknown

7:15pm MISSY AND THE MAXINATOR (with 2-min 2 step "Suspect #1)

Strange things are happening to Max at school. He can suddenly see through walls, hear distant voices, and has super-human strength! When students start mysteriously disappearing after school, Max and his friends stumble upon a sinister plot by teachers to take over the world. And when they kidnap Missy, Max must put his new powers to the test to save the girl he loves.

9:30pm CONSENT (with 2-min 2 step Surprise Party")

A wealthy Manhattan family's inability to cope with the suicide of their eldest daughter sends them into a downward spiral of drugs, alcohol and sexual taboos that threatens to destroy them.

Box Office: 'Agora' Leads Weak Weekend; Anchor Bay On a Roll With 2 Films - indieWIRE

Although Box Office says movie tickets sales for studio films & indies have been down for the past 3 weeks, DANCES WITH FILMS has been filling up houses all weekend, with the highest attendances ever!

Box Office: 'Agora' Leads Weak Weekend; Anchor Bay On a Roll With 2 Films - indieWIRE

DAY FOUR: June 6, 2010

Two Minute Two Step:

Shooting Today-- SUSPECT #1 shoots today from 12-4pm and SURPRISE PARTY shoots today from 7-11pm. They will screen tomorrow night in front of the evening features. Shooting will take place in the Filmmakers Lounge directly across from the theatre (on the second floor inside of 8000 Sunset).

4-6pm Happy hour in the Filmmaker Lounge with the South Point Argentine Grill bringing the tastes!

Screenings:

12:30pm Competition Shorts Group 3: Abreojos, Daydreaming, Good Times, March 31, Piano Fingers, Song in a Convenience Store, Summer

2:45pm A FILM ABOUT RACES

Do any of us really know what race is? Writer and entertainment coach Paul Duddridge examines the key role “race” plays in all our lives. With the help of leading scientists, philosophers, authors, and sociologists he explores the subject whilst attempting to organize a “mini race olympics” in LA.

5:00pm Competition Shorts Group 4: The Accident, Anything You Can Do, Death, Inc., The Loneliness of the Long Distance, The Salesman, Stay Awake, Weekend

7:15pm GO FOR IT

Carmen is a good student with a bad attitude who lives for dancing in the underground clubs of Chicago. Her professor catches her performing in the neighborhood and challenges her to audition to a formal dance school in California. Pulled apart in every direction, her dream of dancing fades. Can Carmen over- come her fears and take the biggest chance of her life, or will she succumb to her self-doubt?

9:30pm FUGUE (with 2-min 2 step "Two Minute Warning")

When Charlotte moves into a secluded hillside home with her boyfriend, her happiness is clouded by several strange occurrences -- ghostly footsteps, disembodied voices, and the appearance of an eerie, faceless woman. She learns she's suffering from a Dissociative Fugue, which has caused her to forget everything from the last nine months. As she sets out to uncover what caused her memory loss, the events of the past blend into the present -- threatening not only her life, but that of her unborn baby.

Day THREE: June 5, 2010

Two Minute Two Step:

Shooting Today-- TWO MINUTE WARNING shoots today from 4:30-8:30pm and will screen tomorrow night in front of an evening feature FUGUE at 9:30pm. Shooting will take place in the Filmmakers Lounge directly across from the theatre (on the second floor inside of 8000 Sunset).

4-6pm Happy hour in the Filmmaker Lounge

Screenings:

10am EXPEDITION INISPIRATION + WOMEN WITH ALTITUDE

EXPEDITION INSPIRATION: Five men and woman who have had their lives affected by breast cancer climb 13,000 foot Mount Borah in Idaho, as part of Expedition Inspiration, a non-profit organization that takes breast cancer survivors up mountains after treatment. The climbs are a way for the survivors to reclaim their bodies from the deadly disease, and for family members to honor the memory of those lost to breast cancer.

WOMEN WITH ALTITUDE: Seven women set out from San Francisco to climb three high-altitude peaks in the Bolivian Andes. But they are not just seven women, they are survivors and activists on domestic violence. Beset by severe winter storms, rockfall, and altitude sickness, braving the failure and fatalities of other teams on the mountain, the Women With Altitude go for the final 20,000-ft summit drawing on the strength of will of local Bolivian activists who courageously face uphill battles of their own.

12:30pm Competition Shorts: Group 1: A Darker Silence, Curious, The Farmer’s Daughter, Flint Creek, I am a Fat Cat, Let’s Talk, Summer Waters

2:45pm SCRIPT FOR SALE + SHE WORE SILVER WINGS

After 40 years in the business, the Motion Picture & Television Fund Wasserman Campus became the home of scenic designer Ben Resella. At 91 years of age, this artist, World War II veteran, and survivor of the Bataan Death March is on yet another journey – to finish and sell his screenplay. Can Ben convince a youth-obsessed industry that great storytelling is timeless?

5:00pm Competition Shorts Group 2: Bottles, Gay Baby, Guillotine guys, Jane in the Factory, Stranger, The Tedious Existence of Terrell B. Howell, Waking Sonya

7:15pm THE MAN THAT I WAS (and 2 min. 2 step "Attach of the Future Cell phones")

Dave leaves his job, home in Los Angeles and girlfriend abruptly, taking only his beloved dog Preacher back to Dallas in an attempt to make his life feel more complete. Along the way Dave discovers that self-imposed exile and escapism often come at great cost.

9:30pm FORGOTTEN PILLS

Patrick and his girlfriend Megan decide to spend a night out with their childhood friends, Ryan and Sean. The four meet in order to experiment with new pills called “Blue and Whites,” which cause instant amnesia at the stroke of midnight.

11:45pm SPIRIT CAMP

When a goth girl is forced to attend cheer camp as part of rehabilitation from a juvenile correction facility, she clashes with the "popular girls" and finds herself embroiled in a bitter rivalry with the bitchy ringleader. As members of the spirit squad start turning up dead, the girls must put aside their differences as they struggle to survive the murderous rage of a crazed psycho-killer lurking among them.

Thanks to Rocky Curby for today's photo.

DAY TWO Schedule: June 4, 2010

Two Minute Two Step:

Shooting Today-- ATTACK OF THE FUTURE CELL PHONES shoots today from 12-4pm and will screen tomorrow night in front of an evening feature. Shooting will take place in the Filmmakers Lounge directly across from the theatre (on the second floor inside of 8000 Sunset).

4-6pm Happy hour in the Filmmaker Lounge

Screenings:

2:45pm THE ROAD: Return to Funk and SUNSET TO SUNSET

Music Videos: Arcadia, Back Op Arabesque, Hollow Earth, Horror of our Love: A Short Film, Let Me In, Mala Junta, Museaum: Adrienne Pierce, Point of Honor: Red Hills, Sunday Stroll, Switch Hit Resistor, They Can’t Deport Us All, The Waking Hours: Erased.

5:00pm WE GOTTA GT BUSCEMI

Nick James is on a 3-year quest to make a low-budget film. After Nick is unable to find one person willing to invest in his movie, he begins lying that Steve Buscemi is attached as the star.

7:15pm SOLITARY (and 2-min 2 step: You've Lost Your Long Term Memory)

When Sara Ballard becomes trapped inside her suburban home by the sudden onset of agoraphobia, her fear becomes a nightmare when her husband mysteriously disappears.

9:30pm COST OF A SOUL

Two wounded veterans return home from Iraq to find themselves trapped in the same slum neighborhood they joined the military to escape. As they struggle for redemption, their lives collide and their families become entangled in a web of crime and corruption.

11:45pm BROKEN SPRINGS: SHINE OF THE UNDEAD ZOMBIE BASTARDS

Townspeople who once thirsted for local home-made “mountain dew” begin hungering for human flesh and blood. Ken, Dave and his little brother Brandon are in a race against time to save their loved ones from a hoard of cannibal zombies and get out of town - preferably without any body parts missing.

WELCOME to the 13th Annual Dances With Films Festival!!

Well, the day we've been working toward for many months has finally arrived! Today is the FIRST day of the 13th Annual Dances With Films Festival! Almost 100 features, shorts, docs, narratives and music videos from all over the world will be screening, celebrated and discovered. Here's to another fantastic year of movies...

Here's Today's Agenda at a glance:

4:30 - 7:30pm: Opening Night Party kicking off DWF 13! This is a "meet the filmmaker" event for filmmakers, press and industry. An advance RSVP is required. Unlike where the Closing Night Party will be - space is limited...so if you are bringing an "entourage" - please let us know ahead of time.

Two Minute Two Step
Shooting Today: YOU'VE LOST YOUR LONG TERM MEMORY shoots today from 2-4pm and 7-9pm. It will screen tomorrow at 7:15pm in front of the feature: SOLITARY. Shooting will take place in the Filmmakers Lounge directly across from the theatre (on the second floor inside of 8000 Sunset).

8pm: Opening Night Film - FEED THE FISH –Alumni Spotlight

A burned-out writer has a mid-life crisis. With his career at a standstill & his relationship in shambles, he leaves Los Angeles to do the Polar Bear Plunge. On his quest he tests the icy waters of Lake Michigan on a snowy winter day & finds his lost passion.

For advance tickets and complete schedule:
http://danceswithfilms.com/10_schedule.html

8000 Sunset Plaza

A quick note about signage, etc. at 8000 Sunset. The Plaza has been incredible

in welcoming Dances With Films once again, but please remember to be respectful

with regard to any signage. We will have a "board" on the main floor (below the

theatre) to put up flyers, etc....however, please do not put signage anywhere else

in the Plaza. It will only be taken down...so we ask you for your cooperation.

Parking at 8000 Sunset Plaza

There is plenty of parking at the theatre - but make sure that you get your

tickets validated at Laemmle Theatres (a validation is 3 hours). If you are

planning on staying for the day -

in order to avoid paying an enormous parking

fee - you will need to rotate your car.

2010 Two-Minute Two Step

Last night was the big filmmaker technical meeting for this year's Two-minute, Two step.

If you don't already know about this program, you should! Filmmakers from all over the country submit 2 minutes scripts. Eight are chosen to be produced during the festival and screened as PART of the festival at the Leammle on Sunset! One of the shorts will be selected to win the grand prize, which for this year is a Canon Rebel 2TI (that shoots amazing video!)

Tim Smith from Canon USA was on hand to show some samples of video footage from the 5D Mark II, which is what this year's shorts will be shot on. Each of the eight filmmakers selected are given these cameras to use, a location to shoot, audio and editing equipment. They will supply the rest: cast, crew, design, costumes, etc... They will only have 4 hours to shoot and edit these short films, which will screen the following day!

Below is the Shooting schedule for this year's 2 Steps. Come stop by!

Thursday June 3^rd

^{“You Have Lost Your Short Term Memory” Written and Directed by Morrison Keddie}

2-4 p.m. (break for opening night party!! 4:30-6:30) 7-9p.m. finish shooting

Friday June 4^th

^{“Attack of the Future Cell Phones!” Written and Directed by Peter S. Soby Jr. 12-4 p.m.}

^{Saturday June 5th}

^{“Two Minute Warning” Written and Directed by Jerry Kernion 4:30-8:30p.m.}

^{Sunday June 6th}

^{“Surprise Party” Written by Jeff Lorch & Jeff Grimm, Directed by Jordan Rennick 12-4p.m.}

^{“Suspect #1” Written by Dirk Sanders & Evan Unruh, Directed by Evan Unruh 7-11p.m.}

^{Monday June 7th}

^{“I Met a Girl, Ask Me How.” Written by Vanessa Newell, Directed by Vanessa Newell & Mikael Kreuzriegler 1-5p.m.}

^{Tuesday June 8th}

^{“A Bump in the Night” Written by Pang-Ni Landrum, Directed by Ian Vogt & Pang-Ni Landrum 12-4p.m.}

^{“Ahab’s Sushi Bar” Written and Directed by Nick Lane 7-11p.m}