Dances With Films, the 3rd annual film festival for the truly independent, will offer indie filmmakers the platform to strut their stuff in a week long festival from June 23-29, 2000. Dances With Films will be held at the Laemmle’s Sunset 5 in Los Angeles, California with 12 competition full length narrative films and 16 competition narrative shorts plus a side bar of special screenings.
One such film is Michael Lee Barlin’s “The Pig Farm.” After three years of reading intimate, online journals about the triumphs and disasters of making a credit card financed, independent feature, fans from around the globe will finally get to see the movie premiere this month at Dances With Films.
“When I started in 1997, I didn’t even know how to design a website,” says 29 year old writer-director Michael Lee Barlin, “but I knew with the web boom, I had this great opportunity to share my experiences with fans and future filmmakers from around the planet. So I dove into the site heart first and never looked back.”
Barlin’s website [ www.strangepictures.com ] now receives hundreds of daily hits, from fans who return weekly to follow Michael Lee’s ongoing film struggles. “His journals are so funny, especially when his production problems are at their worst,” explains Emma French, a Film Student from London, England who has followed the journals from the beginning. “But somehow, through every setback, he keeps going.” “Pig Farm” screens at Dances With Films Sunday, June 25, at 7:15pm and Tuesday, June 27, at 12:30pm at the Laemmle Sunset 5 – 8000 Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles.
For those familiar with the short film “Pump With A Chump” featuring Henry Rollins, filmmaker Modi will present another award-winning short at Dances With Films, enttitled “Rosa Mi Amor” this Saturday June 24th at 10:30 AM. Her comedy short film, about a man mourning the loss of a woman he never met, has won best short at eight different film and video festivals. These include The New Orleans Film & Video Fest, The Video Shorts Fest, The New Haven Film Fest, and The Tortured Artist Film Fest.
“Rosa Mi Amor” also took the grand prize at The Lucky Charms Fest in Seattle. It won best short at The New York Underground Film Festival, The San Jose Film Fest and The Hollywood Renaissance Film Fest. The celebrated Hollywood Renaissance Film Festival created the “Modi” award, citing the director as the inspiration. In addition “Rosa” has screened at over 38 different international festivals around the world. Modi has directed eight other comedy short films that have screened at numerous film & video festivals. Modi’s work is highlighted at her site [ http://home.earthlink.net/~modivationfilms/ ]
For more information on the Dances With Films festival and other screenings, visit [ www.danceswithfilms.com ]
