Filmmakers Only

News from Afar ...

Nov. 17, 2004 | Received from filmmakers Nick Day and Maurizio Benazzo (Kumbh Mela: Short Cut to Nirvana, NIFF 2004):

“We are thrilled to let you know that Short Cut to Nirvana: Kumbh Mela (we switched the name around) is opening at Landmark Kendall Square in Boston this Friday (Nov. 19, 2004) with a stunning new Dolby Digital 35mm print!!

“It's all very exciting and nailbiting, and we have to say we would not be at this point today without YOU, our wonderful friends at NIFF!!! It was in Newport that we made the connections that led us to Landmark, just at a moment when our previous distributors were falling asleep at the wheel and things were going a bit quiet.”

“If my films don't show a profit, I know I'm doing something right.”

—Woody Allen, writer/producer/director/actor

Interview with a Filmmaker: Dave Silver

By Carmen Hawkins De Cecco

Filmmaker Dave Silver (left) discusses the craft of making short films with fellow filmmakers Robbie Chafitz and Andrew Mudge during a panel discussion on Nov. 8, 2003 at POP in Newport.

And it all started at the Newport Film Festival…

As any industry professional will tell you, the best contacts for independent filmmakers are made at film festivals. Does it really happen? Just ask Dave Silver, who found a big-name producer for his own feature script two years ago, while attending Newport for the screening of his short film, “Gasline.”

During the festival, Dave shared a NIFF shuttle with Michael Corrente, of “Federal Hill” and “American Buffalo” fame, to name just a few. That ride launched Dave’s next big project, a feature he wrote entitled, “The Corn.” He pitched the idea to Corrente who then asked to see the script. The rest of course, is history, and Corrente agreed to produce the film with Dave Silver directing. “The Corn,” recently completed, is now ready for the festival circuit.

Dave returned to Newport last fall for NIFF’s first mid-year festival, “Shorts on an Autumn Day,” a program featuring the best of NIFF short films from the past six years. His 2001 short, “Gasline,” a Sundance winner, was a shoo-in for the program, and Dave was happy to return for panel discussions and Q&A.

“Making short films helps build the foundation for telling a story,” says the former advertising executive. After spending his days creating sixty-second commercials, Dave went back to school to learn the craft of filmmaking on a larger scale. “Gasline,” fulfilled the curriculum requirements and set him on his new career path.

So what’s next for writer/director/filmmaker Dave Silver? “I would like to work in documentary at some point,” he muses. Or perhaps, an adaptation is in the works, since he recently optioned the rights to, “Lord of the Barnyard,” by Tristan Egolf, a wild tale about a raucous farm boy in the Midwest. For an independent filmmaker whose first film won the coveted Sundance Award for short films, the options are boundless.

What other Filmmakers have to say about NIFF

“Unlike other festivals, Newport is very social and welcoming of filmmakers. People make an effort to meet filmmakers, and you feel like you’re part of a community at Newport.”

— Dave Silver, writer/director/producer, Gasline

“I was very excited to come here because I had already heard great things about the Newport International Film Festival. Other filmmakers who have been here love it.”

— Amy Hobby, director, Coney Island Baby

“The feeling at the Newport International Film Festival is very generous and gracious towards filmmakers.”

— Robb Moss, producer/director, The Same River Twice

“I love the festival in Newport because it has great community involvement. The staff has done a great job putting it together.”

— David Kwoc, Juror, Tribeca Film Festival Programmer

“The Newport venue is special, inspiring, and very accommodating.”

— Patrick Coyle, writer/director/actor, Detective Fiction.

“ Newport is a wonderful opportunity, because we can expose our film to sophisticated audiences who already love film. We count on that kind of enthusiasm and word-of-mouth buzz.”

— Isabel Rose, writer/actor, Anything But Love

Of Interest to Local Filmmakers ...

The Newport Film Salon meets in Newport on the first Wednesday of each month. The goal of the Filmmakers Salon is to foster the creation of locally made films in Newport, RI by bringing together people who are interested in any aspect of filmmaking.

Check out the Salon's website for more information.