Title: Upstate Independents January 2010 meeting agenda: A New Decade
Description: January 2010 UI meeting agenda
Location: WAMC’s The Linda Performing Arts Sutdio – Albany,NY

I. Announcements: Happy New Year!!!

II. Film Screening with Q & A:

Join U.I. as we kick off the 2010 the right way – with more films made by Upstate Independents!

A.) Román R. Jáquez – producer & director: AWAY IN A MANGER

SYNOPSIS: “Away in a Manger” is about the magical and mysterious tale of Christmas that blends both ancient celebrations and modern day family traditions.

When Abby, an ordinary school girl, calls in to a live radio talk show, the town is challenged by her to think about the true meaning of Christmas. After the live radio broadcast of “Monday Morning Mayhem with the Mayor”, something truly extraordinary happens to the people of Gulluver City. This Christmas, the words of a child will inspire an entire community to share the joy of celebrating the birth of Christ.

Running Time: approximately 23 minutes with closing credits.
More info about Román R. Jáquez can be found at www.romanjaquez.com

B.) John Holser – Director of Photography: HOME FOR WOMEN- FIRST TRIMESTER DIVISION

Film Director Leigh Withers will also be present.

SYNOPSIS: Struggling against forced “gestation” and mandated adoption, an incredulous woman dealing with an unwanted pregnancy defies her captors by choosing a dark route of escape from the HOME FOR WOMEN- FIRST TRIMESTER DIVISION.

Running Time: approximately 13 Minutes

III. 15-minute Networking Break

IV. Guest Speaker-of-the-Month: Upstate Independents President – Actor/Writer/Producer/Director Kevin Craig West

Join us as we learn about the latest and greatest for the 2010 Year at Upstate Independents – direct from our President’s mouth! There will be a Q & A session with the audience after his presentation.

Start Time: 06:30 p.m.
Date: 2010-01-05
End Time: 09:00 p.m.

Title: Upstate Independents December 2009 Meeting agenda
Location: WAMC’s The Linda Performing Arts Sutdio – Albany, NY
Description: Programming Chair of UPSTATE INDEPENDENTS, Heidi Philipsen, is pleased to announce:

Upstate Independents’ December 1st, 2009 Meeting Agenda

I. Announcements

II. Film Screening with Q & A:

1.) Bob Shenise of Shenise Productions will be screening an excerpt from his documentary about Film Aid International.

In 2002, Bob traveled to the Kakuma Refugee camp in Northwest Kenya, Africa with NYC film producer Caroline Baron (Capote, Flawless, The Santa Claus, and Monsoon Wedding) to film a documentary on FilmAid International. Started by Ms. Baron, FilmAid International has worked in partnership with other global aid organizations to bring critical information to more than one million people globally. For more information about FilmAid International, go to: http://filmaid.org/.

2.) Mike Feurstein will one of his latest projects, created for Howcast:

HOW TO MAKE AN INTERNATIONAL RANSOM VIDEO: 3:00 COLOR/LB

The eScape crew learned of a contest from Howcast, the fledgling user-generated How-To-Video hosting site. The challenge was to create a three-minute, “How-To” video unlike anything else on their website—and to make it with quality, clarity and a creative storyline. The kids came up with an idea while shooting in the woods in Warrensburg, and so we thought to use that concept, and another eScaper suggested we tie it in with How-To-Make-A-Quality-Movie. The result was “How To Make An International Ransom Video.” While we did not take the top prize, we were selected by Howcast to be one of its featured videos, and they invited us to be official Howcasters and have our page featured. Since then we have generated thousands of hits on our YouTube, Hulu and Howcast links, as well as had hundreds of downloads off their iPhone app.

III. A 15-minute Networking Break

IV. Guest Speaker-of-the-Month: Working Actor – Joe Basile.

Join UI as we get to know working actor/director Joe Basile* and learn about his experiences in the film industry, including getting into and making the most of his membership in the Screen Actors Guild.

Joseph Basile was born in White Plains, New York and started his career in acting at the age of 25 years old. During his pursuit of his acting career he met a beginner filmmaker called MIG from a company called NYC VISIONS FILMS. Joseph acted in MIG’s first ever project where Joseph was a Mental Patient in a short film titled ”Henry’s Gift.” Joseph and MIG built a working relationship after that and started working on other written material that MIG wrote. They both worked vigorously and finished two feature films in the matter of 1 1/2 years that are still in post production. One film was called ”Fillbilly” and the other film was called ”Feral Autumn.” Joseph was the Assistant Director/Line Producer/Editor for those productions. In 2006, Joseph wrote, directed, produced his own 50 minute film titled ”Caught Off Guard”. He submitted the film to the New York International Film and Video Festival and won a couple of awards for his controversial film. Joseph has also written two feature-length films that are ready to go into production once funding is in place. Joseph is an edgy writer, who encompasses that same edgy style to all his film-making practices.

* For more information on Joe Basile, check out his imdb page: www.imdb.com/name/nm2370389

Where we’re located:

Upstate Independents meets the first Tuesday of every month at

The Linda: WAMC’s Performing Arts Studio, 339 Central Avenue, Albany, NY from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Check out the best independent film and media resource in Upstate New York. For more information, e-mail us at info@upstateindependents.com

Thanks and see you there!
Start Time: 6:30 p.m.
Date: 2009-12-01
End Time: 9:00 p.m.

October 6th’s  screening will be  followed by a Q&A session will be OUTCOMES, LGBTQ Stories from the Hudson Valley presented by Joy Reed, Upstate Independents Member and Media Chair.

Joy E. Reed is the creative force behind Oh, MY! Productions, LLC, a small production house in Poughkeepsie, NY. She has independently produced and directed a number of shorts, including I’ve Met a Wonderful Man, official selection of the 2006 Provincetown International (Massachusetts, USA), Filmstock International (Luton, UK), and Wreck-Beach International (Ontario, Canada) Film Festivals, and Boxed In, which successful run includes an official screening at the 2009 London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival.

In June of 2009 she released OUTCOMES documentary and is currently producing/directing Men Coming Together: the tale of Hot Nude Yoga, a feature length documentary about a community of gay men in New York City who practice naked yoga (currently in post-production).

Learn more at www.mencomingtogether.com

II.  Guest Speakers for October

Panel Discussion:

Film Around the Capitol District, Featuring Film Production and Exhibition in Schenectady

Beth Petta, Coordinator, the Schenectady Electric City Film Festival
Now in its fourth year, Schenectady’s Electric City Film Festival is expanding in breadth and depth – get to know its Coordinator and discover what the ECFF has to offer this November.

Nick Barber & Don Rittner, Founders, Schenectady Film Alliance
What do you do when your town has no film commission? You create one and watch progress happen! Meet the brains and brawn behind the Schenectady Film Alliance and learn from him, first-hand, about how to start your town’s own film-making revolution.

Film Screenings with Q & A:

1. Writer/Emerging filmmaker Robert Morey will be showing excerpts from three short films at the next meeting and is looking forward to UI constructive comments:
• The first six minutes of a science documentary (scripted and directed) for MIT (Mass. Inst. of Technology). This is a pro-film complete with full soundtrack (pro narrator, background music, etc.). Running time: 6 min.
• A teenage “Rave” event in Utica, NY. Running time: 2 min.
• Excerpts from one of his current projects: Highway by the Sea, a photographic essay of Calif.’s Coast Highway from Tijuana, Mexico to Big Sur during the turbulent 1960’s/70’s. Photography from this project has been published in Coast Magazine and will appear in Bill Kirkley’s documentary about Timothy Leary and the drug culture in S. Calif. Running time: 10 min.
2. Filmmaker Roman Jaquez will be present for a trailer screening of latest film BLOODMONEY, currently in post production and awaiting a distribution deal. Running time: 2 min., 47 sec.

Our guest Speaker this month, Actor, Writer, Director, Christina Vinsick, will talk about her experiences with writing, acting in, and directing her first feature-length film, WHISPER ME A LULLIBY, followed by a Q & A session.

For last-minute changes in the schedule, please visit www.upstateindependents.com on the day of the meeting.

Thanks and see you there!