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B2 OFFICIAL GUIDE OF THE ALBUQUERQUE FILM FESTIVAL

Festival gives filmmakers their close-up

Both the famous and the up-and-coming documentary “Made in
Pakistan” by Ayesha Khan,
will bring their work directly to the fans who now lives in Santa Fe,
or the luscious “Baraka”

T
he first Albuquerque
Film Festival will
bring some of
Hollywood’s best-
known stars and up-and-
coming directors to show
some of their ground-
breaking films.
From Dennis Hopper, who
will show “Easy Rider,” and
actor Giancarlo Esposito,
who will show his new film,
“Gospel Hill,” to newcomer
Paul Solet, who will show
“Grace,” which earned rave
reviews at Sundance this
year, the festival promises
five days of films, panels
and workshops beginning
Wednesday, Aug. 5.
PRESENTING SPONSORS The festival will kick off
with a showing of the Best
City of Albuquerque
of the 48 Hour Film Project
Martin J. Chávez, Mayor
on Wednesday, Aug. 5. The
ClearChannel Outdoor
project, which hosts events
Comcast
in cities across the globe,
Citadel Broadcasting
Corporation including Albuquerque,
challenges small teams to
McCune Charitable
make short films in just two
Foundation
days.
ABQ Ride
Hopper, who wrote and
Film for Change directed “Easy Rider,” still
calls it his best work. It
SUPPORTING SPONSORS introduced a generation
Reel Solutions to music, motorcycles and
Hyatt Regency Jack Nicholson. Hopper will
Albuquerque screen his film at the KiMo
Hotel Albuquerque Theatre at 6  p.m. Saturday,
Country Inn and Suites Aug. 8, and talk about the
Aha Toro 1969 movie that inspired a
generation of filmmakers.
The festival will host an
PATRON SPONSORS
Albuquerque premiere of
Esposito’s film “Gospel Hill”
just weeks before it goes into
limited release at theaters
across the country. Esposito,
who’s known for his acting
work in “Law & Order”
and “The Usual Suspects,”
went behind the camera
for the first time to direct
“Gosepl Hill,” a film about
gentrification and politics in
the South.
“I didn’t want to direct
a film that championed
violence or sex, and I wanted
to do something with good
characters,” he said.
Esposito, who learned the
craft of acting in the theater,
also will host an acting
workshop at the festival with
tips for actors who are just
starting in the business and
refresher tips for those who
have already stepped in front
of a camera.
Though the star power
of people like Hopper and
Esposito is hard to ignore,
several up-and-coming
directors are bringing films
to the festival that have
earned critical acclaim at
other film festivals.
“American Meth,” which
is narrated by Val Kilmer,
is a documentary made by
Justin Hunt of Farmington.
In “American Meth,” Hunt
visited several communities
in the western United States
Dennis Hopper will be a spe-
cial guest at the Albuquerque
Film Festival, where several
of his films from “Night Tide”
and “Blue Velvet” to “Easy
Rider” will be shown.
and shows the havoc that the
drug methamphetamine has
wrought on major cities like
Portland, Ore., and small
towns in Wyoming and Utah.
Hunt also chronicles
the daily lives of two meth
addicts whom he lived with
and filmed for two months.
“You’re emotionally
drained after you watch
it,” Hunt told the Journal.
“When you watch a 2-year-
old eat out of the trash, it
messes with you.”
There are some light-
hearted films, as well,
like “Jackson,” about two
down-and-out men who
find solace in singing opera
arias together, or the campy
animated musical “Sita
Sings the Blues,” which tells
the story of one of India’s
greatest epochs.
Several films — like the
— show the world in
unexpected ways.
The festival also is
bringing some classics to
life, like Vivian Vance,
who played Ethel Mertz
on “I Love Lucy.” Vance,
who would have turned 100
this year, became Lucille
Ball’s best-known sidekick.
Vance got her start in show
business in Albuquerque,
and the film festival will
present the special Vivian
Vance 100th Birthday
Celebration on Saturday,
Aug. 8, at the KiMo Theatre.
The festival, though, is as
much about making films as
it is showing them. Celebrity
panelists like Todd Jefferson,
the director of games for
Marvel Comics, and Ziad
Serafi, who created much
of the computer graphics
for the films “The Golden
Compass” and “Pirates of
the Caribbean: At World’s
End,” will share their secrets
at panels throughout the
weekend.
Parties every night
will bring the festival
community together at some
of Downtown’s hottest spots,
from Sauce and Proof to the
Blackbird Buvette, where
film fans can gather and,
with a little bit of luck, meet
some of the filmmakers
who’ve brought their films to
the first Albuquerque Film
Festival.

I
Grubb & Ellis NM
100 Gold came to New Mexico in 2007 to
Banque Lofts produce a feature film. New Mexico
Green Bar Cafe surpassed my expectations, and I stuck
Great Face and Body around to teach screenwriting and film
Rogue Taurus Productions production at the Institute of American
ShadowPlay Pictures Indian Arts in Santa Fe. As I became more
and more involved in the local film scene in
Imitsu Media
New Mexico, I noticed the need for a film
1/2 Native Productions festival in Albuquerque to complement the
city’s vibrant Downtown and arts scene. I
CONTRIBUTING opened shop on June 5, and the festival
SPONSORS kicks off Aug. 5 thanks to the support I’ve
CinnaFilm had from people around the community and
Production Central ABQ our generous sponsors, including Mayor
Bird of Paradise Martin J. Chávez. It is with sincere gratitude
Movie Waste Management that we would like to thank our sponsors
Newport Furnishings for their willingness to share in our vision
Lobo Theater and to support our goals with a tremendous
generosity of spirit. Together, through the arts
The Cell Theatre
and the Albuquerque Film Festival, we will
Downtown Action Team create a campus for creativity and the nexus
Studio Hill Design for new ideas in the heart of New Mexico —
TL PRODUCTIONS Downtown Albuquerque.
Dotte — Rich Henrich, founder and director,
Albuquerque Film Festival
AFFILIATE SPONSOR
Albuquerque Studios Albuquerque Film Festival director and founder Rich Henrich with AFF intern Please note: Film festival events
Adam N. Bille. may be subject to change.

Actor skips lead but takes director’s chair
O
n Sunday night, the
Albuquerque Film
Festival will present
“Gospel Hill,” the
directorial debut by famed
actor Giancarlo Esposito.
He was originally offered
the lead acting role in the
film, but it just didn’t suit
him. Instead, he chose to play
a lesser character, who had
more depth.
“The film came to me as an
actor, and they asked me why
I chose Palmer. They asked,
‘Why don’t you play the
lead?’ ” Esposito said. “It’s
not me. It needs a seasoned-
looking actor, like Danny
Glover.”
Then, after making
several more suggestions,
the producers had enough
and simply offered him the
director’s chair.
He was well prepared.
After appearing in several
major films from “The Usual
Suspects” to “Do the Right
Thing” and several TV
shows such as “NYPD Blue”
and “CSI: Miami,” he had
the experience in front of the
camera.
The film tells the story of
City of Albuquerque Film Office
www.FilmABQ.com
OFFICIAL GUIDE OF THE ALBUQUERQUE FILM FESTIVAL
Giancarlo
Esposito will
screen his
new film,
“Gospel Hill,”
which deals
with love and
gentrification
in the South.
two men in the South and gentrification of a small
their intersecting lives. Southern town.
One is the son of a slain It was filmed in Fort Mill,
civil-rights worker (played S.C., because, Esposito said,
by Samuel L. Jackson) and it had the feeling and the look
the other a terminally ill of a fictional town of the old
small-town sheriff. It’s all South trapped in the modern
set against the backdrop world.
of a love story and the “There were no jobs and a
“Hello. I’m Mayor Martin J. Chávez
and I would like to invite you to
attend the 2009 Albuquerque Film
Festival. Full festival schedule and
more details can be found at:
www.albuquerquefilmfestival.com.”
Mayor Martin J. Chávez
lot of gentrification,” he said.
“My film was about losing
jobs to other countries and
addressing gentrification.”
His character in “Gospel
Hill,” Dr. Palmer, buys
properties in a historic
neighborhood to turn it into
a golf course, much to the
chagrin of the locals.
“For me, the gentrification
will homogenize. It doesn’t
relate to color, it relates to
money. Palmer buys other
African-American homes
and property to get ahead,”
he said.
Esposito cast an all-star
group in the film, from
Angela Bassett to Glover and
Jackson.
Not long after Sunday’s
Albuquerque premiere of
the film, it will see a limited
theatrical release, he said.
Esposito also will moderate
a workshop on acting at
2  p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8,
for the Albuquerque Film
Festival at The Cell theater.
“I do workshops all over.
I like to talk about acting
style and I like to talk about
the theater, and that’s the
steppingstone for all of it
\B3
and that’s how you grow
your work and understand
the third wall and your
character,” Esposito said.
“Not every character on
paper is complete, and we
have to, as actors, bring that
character to life and give
them life.”
Those were lessons he tried
to convey to the actors in
“Gospel Hill,” he said.
“Some people don’t want to
talk about the details. Danny
Glover asked me a thousand
questions,” he said.
But “Gosepl Hill,” Esposito
said, is more about making
a film he could be proud to
take his family to, especially
his two children.
“I took them to ‘Ratatouille’
and ‘The Golden Compass’
and ‘Bridge to Terabithia’
and I decided that whatever I
make has to have a message,”
he said. “I have to see ‘Up’
now. I’ve heard such good
things.”
Esposito’s next project is
the feature “Rabbit Hole,”
with Nicole Kidman and
Aaron Eckhart, which is
expected to be released next
year.
 \19
18
ALBUQUERQUE FILM FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
* Indicates a New Mexico made or philosophy and danger, all while of budgeting for a location manager, architectural photography.
produced project. Jordan Ladd KiMo expressing themselves through some and best practices for filming and

WED
of world’s greatest opera arias. preserving New Mexico locations. The Cell
as Madeline 11 a.m.
Matheson 9 p.m. “Grace” with “Sweetie” (for mature audiences) The Cell
Moderated by Holly Roach, location
manager, IATSE Local 480. “Sacred Sites of the Dalai Lama” with
in “Grace,” Madeline Matheson is eight months pregnant and deter- 5 p.m. “Kathmandu’s Sacred River”
which will mined to deliver her unborn child, Grace, naturally. When “American Waitress” * with “American KiMo This documentary takes you to the
AUG. 5 have a New an accident leaves Grace dead inside her, Madeline Dream” 2 p.m. mystical sites of the Himalayas and
National Hispanic Cultural Center, Mexico insists on carrying the baby’s corpse to term. Weeks Service with a smile, New Mexico “A Powerful Noise” * with “Underway” Tibet where early Buddhist monks
1701 Fourth SW premiere at later, when Madeline delivers, the baby miraculously style. This feature-length documen- Hanh is an HIV-positive widow in Viet- meditated.
7 p.m. the AFF. returns to life ... with an appetite. Filmmaker Paul Solet tary shows the lives of four women nam, Nada is a survivor of the Bos-
The Best of the 48 Hour Film Project * will speak. in the service industry, from work to nian war, and Jacqueline works the Production Central ABQ
The 48 Hour Film Project challenges play. slums of Bamako, Mali. These three Noon
small teams to make a short film in women come from different worlds, “Social Change and Cinema: Gonzo
KiMo Documentaries Panel”
48 hours. but they share something. Each is
Over the last nine years, teams of Comedian Graham Elwood tours KiMo 7 p.m. A selection of short documentaries
overcoming gender barriers to rise up
TBD filmmakers have put together short Afghanistan’s war zones to entertain 3 p.m. “The Back 9” with a panel of filmmakers who,
and claim a voice in their societies.
Best of 48 Hour 2009 After Party films made in one week through Albu- U.S. troops. “The Last Waltz” Upon turning 40, an above-average against all odds, completed their
Through their empowerment and abil-
querque’s Duke City Shootout. The In 1978 Martin Scorsese released golfer accepts the challenge to chase

THURS
program will show the winning films
from the annual festival.
Lobo
6 p.m.
AUG. 8 “Night Tide”
Young Johnny Drake (Dennis Hopper)
The Lobo Theater
meets a mysterious young woman
2 p.m.
who plays a mermaid in seaside tour-
“The Standard Man” with “El Taxista”
ist carnival. Several strange things
Set at Christmas, it’s an exploration
happen that make Johnny wonder if
of love and loss set against the back-
she’s a real mermaid and what other
drop of a nuclear scientist’s definition
secrets she may harbor.
of the standard man.
KiMo
KiMo
7 p.m.
2 p.m. “Baraka” *
Lobo
11 a.m.
“Off the Map” *
Arlene (Joan Allen) and Charley (Sam
Elliott) star in this drama about a
family who live off the map, with no
modern conveniences. Charley, how-
ever, is clinically depressed and his
daughter is ready to break free of her
eccentric home life.
KiMo
1 p.m.
Shorts Program: Art Films *
and Animation
“Permutation,” “Mega City,” “Of
Wood and Clay,” “Clicker Clatter,”
“The Last Waltz,” one of the greatest
concert films ever made. The film fea-
tures greats of the 1960s and 1970s
rock scene, from Bob Dylan to Van
Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Ringo Starr,
Eric Clapton and Neil Young, as they
say goodbye to The Band.
The Cell
3 p.m.
“Baghdad Diary”
In 2003, a Norwegian journalist
smuggled a small video camera
into Baghdad and Iraqi Fadil Kadom
filmed everything he saw around
him. Meanwhile, Craig White, an NBC
his dream of playing professional
golf. With his passion for the sport,
the right team, training schedule
and commitment, will he have his
chance?
Sauce and Proof, 405 Central NW
7 p.m.
Brother Filmmaking Teams Panel and
Happy Hour
Brothers Mason and Markus Canter
will join brothers Jacob and Arnold
Pander for a discussion on what it’s
like to make films with your brother,
sibling rivalry, creative differences
and the creative process. The Flying
ity to empower others, Hanh, Nada
and Jacqueline are sparking remark-
able changes.
The Cell
2 p.m.
Acting Workshop with Giancarlo
Esposito
Esposito is an award-winning actor
best known for his role as FBI agent
Jack Baer in “The Usual Suspects.”
He’s also been in hundreds of TV
shows and will have a recurring role
on Albuquerque’s “Breaking Bad” this
fall. In his workshop he will go over
techniques for becoming a character
and give tips on the audition process.
films.
Giancarlo Esposito in his directorial debut, “Gospel Hill.”
KiMo
1 p.m. KiMo
“Made in Pakistan” *
Newsweek magazine called Pakistan 6 p.m. “Gospel Hill”
“The Most Dangerous Country in the
Directed by Giancarlo Esposito, the film will see its Albuquerque pre-
World” in 2007. This documentary
miere at the festival. Starring Angela Bassett, Danny Glover, Julia
follows the lives of four Pakistanis
Stiles with Esposito and RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan, “Gospel Hill” follows
who defy this prevailing stereotype of
the investigation into the death of a civil rights leader, and a small-
the country. They are working profes-
town sheriff dealing with his own past signs. Esposito will talk at the
sionals: two women entrepreneurs,
a politician and a lawyer. These four screening about the film.
represent a multifaceted Pakistan,
a country where politics, fashion,
KiMo
religion, debate and tradition inter-
mingle, and where one definition of 2:30 p.m.

IAIA Presents the Disney ABC Summer
Workshop Films
American Indian filmmakers from
A pastiche of images and scenes
from across the world, from volca-
noes and waterfalls to monks sing-
“Portrait of an Artist,” “A Hair Piece,”
“Android Love” and “Housle.”
The Cell
cameraman, filmed what he saw
while embedded with troops. “Bagh-
dad Diary” weaves these two stories
Canter Brothers have a documentary,
“Chasing the Horizon,” in the AFF and
the Pander Brothers will be screen-
ing “Selfless” and participating on
Production Central ABQ an Islamic state no longer holds true.
The first documentary to ever be
3 p.m. released in Pakistan. Director Ayesha
Tickets
“Selfless” with “Spanish Boots” (for
mature audiences)
“Selfless” is the story of an iden-

& passes
ing, “Baraka” takes viewers on a jour- 1 p.m. together. Kahn will speak. tity thief, and shows that it can be
the summer filmmaking program will ney across the globe. It’s essentially the Games, Comics, and Movies with New Mexico Post-Production Panel
“Neshoba” the most devastating of nonviolent
present films. plotless, but the message of destruc- Lobo Todd Jefferson, Marvel Comics direc-
This documentary follows the quest KiMo The Cell crimes.
KiMo Theatre tion, via images of strip-mining and of several people in Neshoba County, 3 p.m. tor of games. 1 p.m.
4 p.m. The Cell

4 p.m.
“Sita Sings the Blues” (family film)
“Sita Sings the Blues” is a musi-
cal, animated interpretation of the
Indian epic the “Ramayana.” The film
follows Sita and her quest to under-
stand why her husband, Rama, reject-
ed her. Set to the 1920s jazz vocals
of Annette Hanshaw, “Sita Sings the
Blues” earns being called “The Great-
est Break-Up Story Ever Told.”
Lobo
4 p.m.
Local Shorts, including “The Spider
Experiment,” “Mickey,” “The Leg-
end of Aerreus Kane” and “Hunters
Moon.” *
SAT
urban life, show what the Earth is Miss., who brought Klansmen to jus- “Blue Velvet” (for mature audiences) “American Meth” * with “On the Bus”
with “LO-JO” “Etienne!” with “Dear Fatty” (family 3 p.m.
becoming. Filmmaker Alton Walpole tice for slaying three young civil-rights (for mature audiences) The Albuquerque Film
Jeffrey Beaumont makes a horrible film) “War Against the Weak” with “The
will speak. workers 40 years after their murder. Narrated by Val Kilmer, “American Festival Pass is $99 and
discovery, but he soon finds out Richard loves his little companion, Ghost in the Machine” and “Night Ter-
The film “Mississippi Burning” chroni- Meth” is a cross-country journey is good for admission to
Lobo it’s just the lobe of a much larger Etienne, a dwarf hamster. But, once rors and Waking Dreams” *
cled the murders. that focuses on several facets of the all film screenings, panels,
8 p.m. conspiracy in this 1986 David Lynch AUG. 8 Etienne is diagnosed with terminal The documentary “War Against the workshops and parties.
“The Map Reader” Lobo cancer, instead of just letting go, methamphetamine epidemic. From Weak” exposes America’s role in the
classic. With Dennis Hopper, Kyle KiMo the oil fields of Wyoming and New The pass is available at
The story of a 16-year-old who finds 1 p.m. MacLachlan and Isabella Rossellini. the pair go on a bicycle trip through pseudoscience of eugenics and how
“Chasing the Horizon” with “Res-Q” 10 a.m. California and discover a world that’s Mexico to the homeless in Portland, the Albuquerque Film Festival
solitude in maps, but through some some in the early days of the Nazi
(family film) KiMo Vivian Vance 100th Birthday Celebra- more beautiful and full of adventure Ore., and the teens of Montana, the Office at 102 Gold SW.
new friends he’s roused from isola- regime supported Germany’s proj-
This documentary follows three 5 p.m. tion (family event) than the pair could have imagined. film shows the horrors of the drug. Awards Celebration tickets,
tion in New Zealand. ects that eventually turned into the
unlikely teammates in their quest to “Jackson” with “Idiot Box” A party to celebrate the star Vivian at the Historic El Rey Theater,
Banque Loft KiMo Gold Lofts, 100 Gold Ave. NW Holocaust.
conquer the world’s toughest off-road Two down-and-out characters, fueled Vance, who played Ethel Mertz in “I 620 Central SW, are $20.
9 p.m. 6 p.m. 1 p.m.
car race, the Tecate SCORE Baja by bottles of Thunderbird wine, end Love Lucy” and reprised the role sev- Production Central ABQ Individual tickets for KiMo
VIP Sponsorship Event Dennis Hopper Honorarium and AFF Visual Literacy Event
1000. up on a great adventure full of humor, eral times over the years. Vance got 3 p.m. Theatre events are $10 at the
Awards Ceremony Experience the ability of film to be
Atomic Cantina her start acting in Albuquerque and Panel: “The Art of the Film Business” KiMo box office, 423 Central
Hosted by Emmy winner Bryan Cran- a powerful tool for adult literacy.
9 p.m. would have turned 100 this year. This panel will discuss the art of pro- NW, or at www.ticketmaster.
ston, the AFF Awards Ceremony Presented by tutors from the New
AFF Festival Opening Night Party KiMo Production Central ABQ
ducing and distributing a film. Enter- com. Call 768-3522.

The Cell
5 p.m.
“Tangled Up in Bob” *
Searching for Bob Dylan, best-selling
author and Taos resident Natalie
Goldberg travels to his hometown
and finds his songs in the dirt, the
FRI
will feature Dennis Hopper, a Taos Mexico Coalition for Literacy, this tainment attorney Chad Mathis will
8 p.m. 11 a.m. resident, who will receive a lifetime fascinating use of film is destined Tickets for events at The
join line producer Brent Morris (“The
“Easy Rider” Movies, Games and Comics Panel achievement award for his work on to play an important role in reducing Cell, 700 First NW, and Lobo
Devil’s Rejects,” “Monster”), director
Todd Jefferson, director of games for films such as “Easy Rider.” New Mexico’s literacy problem. The Theater, 3013 Central NE, are
Dennis Hopper’s Paul Solet (“Grace”), Emmy-nominat-
Marvel Comics, will lead a discussion New Mexico Coalition for Literacy $5 at the venue box offices.
El Rey ed producer Anthony Mark (“The Hurt
AUG. 7 classic adventure on film, games and comics. encourages and supports community- Locker,” “Once Upon a Time in Mexi- Tickets to the Opening
film about two 9 p.m.
KiMo KiMo based literacy programs and is the co”) and actor, director and producer Night VIP party, at the Banque
motorcyclists, hun- Festival Party
Noon local affiliate and coordinator for Giancarlo Esposito, who will share Lofts, northeast corner of

swamps, the mines and bars. She
discovers the seeds of his creativity
in his ordinary childhood, from a high
school friend and his English teacher
and learns the secret of coming
home.
KiMo
5:30 p.m.
The Best of the Duke City Shootout
11 a.m.
Shorts Program: Narrative *
“Assassin Emeritus,” “Old Dogs,”
“Missing Pieces,” “Potage de Ma
Mere,” “In The Tradition of My Fam-
ily,” “Red Flag,” “Right Foot, Left
Foot” and “Akaroa”
The Cell
11 a.m.
“Laffghanistan” with “Hello Junkie”
SUN
gry for adventure,
Staff Films Screening the national ProLiteracy America their insight about films. Moderator Central Avenue and Third
on their way to program. Street, are $20. RSVP to the
New Orleans. Hop- The staff of the Albuquerque Film will be festival director Rich Henrich.
Festival’s favorite short films. festival, at 508-0712
per will talk about Production Central ABQ KiMo
his film at this spe- 4 p.m.
Production Central ABQ 1 p.m.
cial screening. 12:30 p.m.
AUG. 9 Green Filmmaking Panel The National Institute of Flamenco will
Dennis Hopper will talk about his 1969 film
Locations Panel KiMo Explore and share green practices for present a dance performance.
“Easy Rider” and screen the classic on Satur-
day at the Albuquerque Film Festival. To inform filmmakers of the pro- 11 a.m. filming in New Mexico with producers, Blackbird Buvette, 509 Central SW
duction value available to them in “Visual Acoustics” location managers and state of New 9 p.m.
utilizing locations, the advantages A documentary on Julius Shulman’s Mexico representatives. Festival Closing Night Party

VENUES Lobo Theater

3013 Central NE
KiMo Theatre
423 Central NW
The Cell
700 First NW
Banque Loft
217 Central NW
Atomic Cantina
315 Gold SW
Sauce Nightclub & Proof
405 Central NW
Production Central ABQ
519 Central NW
El Rey Theater
624 Central SW
B6 OFFICIAL GUIDE OF THE ALBUQUERQUE FILM FESTIVAL

Superheroes must answer to Marvel guy

T
odd Jefferson may
be the most powerful
man in comics.
Jefferson is in
charge of all development
for Marvel Comics’ games,
movies, and anything else
that carries the Marvel
stamp of approval. It’s
a tough job that takes a
devoted comic book nerd
and movie buff to handle.
“All these projects
come across my desk,”
Jefferson said. “We guide
the projects from concept
to code release and make
sure the expression of the
characters is consistent
with our standards for that
character, the rules, the
boundaries. If someone
wants to put Spider-Man in
Gotham, that’s a problem.”
From Iron Man and
X-Men to Spidey, Captain
America, the Marvel
Ultimate Alliance and
more, Jefferson is in charge.
If there’s a goof-up, the
fanboys would have his
head.
But, with 5,000 characters
to keep track of, he said, it’s
nearly impossible to know
everything about each one.
“If I were to break them
into major families, there
are at least five or six
families, Spider-Man,
X-Men, Iron Man, Punisher,
Todd Jeffer- films and books must have
son, who is Jefferson’s approval before
in charge of they’re produced.
all of Marvel At 11  a.m. Saturday, Aug.
Comics’ intel- 8, Jefferson will host a panel
lectual prop- at the Albuquerque Film
erty, works Festival on games, movies
and comics at Production
to make sure
Central ABQ.
films like the
“Spider-Man” “I come from a gaming
movies stay background. I started in
true to the the industry 12 years ago
characters. as a tester at Activision and
learned everything I could
and rose up the ranks,”
Jefferson said. From there
he went to Pixar, and now to
Marvel.
Marvel, he said, is the
best fit. “I’ve been collecting
comics and collecting since
I was a kid,” he said.
Marvel, he said, is
working on a new animated
series, “Super Hero Squad,”
Fantastic Four, Daredevil a kid-friendly show with
and Elektra, Ghost Rider Wolverine, Captain America
and Hulk.” and others, that could
All of the movies, games, premiere as soon as this fall
books and dolls from those on television.

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Producer:
So what happens to the other $0.83?

New Mexico:
Precisely
*That money stays in New Mexico -- $0.75 in the private
sector to help create jobs, $0.08 to public coffers.

IATSE Local 480

We make the movies, we all make the money
 OFFICIAL GUIDE OF THE ALBUQUERQUE FILM FESTIVAL
Director makes bold debut with ‘Grace’
W
hen two people
passed out this
year at the
premiere of
“Grace” at the Sundance
Film Festival, director Paul
Solet didn’t know how to take
it.
“I was concerned when that
happened,” Solet said.
Is it a good sign when
people pass out at your
movie’s premiere?
“It was one of the midnight
films and had that ‘Blair
Witch’ slot, and they really
took care of us,” Solet said.
“At that first screening
(this year) we had two men
pass out from the intensity
of the film. I think people
have passed out before. I
think someone passed out at
‘Reservoir Dogs,’ but never
two.”
“Grace” is an intense
film, to be sure, but “I was
concerned that it would give
the wrong idea,” Solet said.
The film, after all, isn’t like
“Saw” or “Rosemary’s Baby,”
but it does have its moments.
“Grace” will have its New
First-time director Paul Solet, left, will premiere his film Mexico premiere on Friday,
“Grace” at the Albuquerque Film Festival on Friday, Aug. 8, at Aug. 8, at the Albuquerque
the KiMo Theatre. Film Festival at 9 p.m. at the
The International Cinematographers Guild, I.A.T.S.E.,
Local 600 is proud to represent
Directors of Photography
Camera Operators
Digital Imaging Technicians
Video Controllers
Camera Assistants
Loaders
Camera Utilities and Digital Utilities
Still Photographers
Publicists
Living and working in the state of New Mexico.
We are pleased to be a part of the New Mexico film community.
KiMo Theatre, just one week
before it goes into a limited
theatrical release.
After losing her unborn
child, Madeline Matheson
(Jordan Ladd) insists on
carrying the corpse to term.
Following the delivery, the
child miraculously returns
to life — with an appetite —
and Matheson is faced with
an ultimate decision.
The problem is, Matheson
is a vegan who wouldn’t
hurt a fly. She’s the sort of
woman who gets grossed
out by cooking meat for her
husband.
“It’s not a political film. I’m
interested in entertaining
you and getting under your
skin and making you think
a little bit. I really believe
that a great part of my
responsibility as a director
is to create a world that’s
complete enough that you
can’t get out.”
Solet wrote the script
when he moved from his
hometown of Boston to follow
his filmmaker dreams in Los
Angeles.
“When I got here, well,
a good script sells itself,”
he said. “But it’s harder
B7
to convince them to let me
direct it.”
To convince financiers that
he had the chops to direct the
film, he made a six-minute
short based on the script
for “Grace.” That got the
attention of producer Adam
Green, who gave Solet the
chance.
“It’s a film that had to
overcome a lot of financial
constraints and budgetary
hurdles,” Solet said. “We shot
this film in 17 nine-and-a-
half hour days. Typically, a
film like this would shoot in
30 days. We knew we could do
it if we were prepared.”
The secret to the film’s
intensity, though, is its
subject matter and its pacing,
Solet said.
“It’s a carefully woven
tapestry that’s unsettling
and hypnotic. I want to create
a world that envelops you
and doesn’t let you out,” he
said. “Part of that is finding
out what world did my
characters come from and
what did their life look like.
She’s a woman who won’t kill
a fly. Won’t eat meat. That’s
more interesting than your
average Joe.”
B8 OFFICIAL GUIDE OF THE ALBUQUERQUE FILM FESTIVAL
Ziad Seirafi’s digital compositing work can be seen in “The
Golden Compass,” which earned two Academy Awards.
Compositor makes
the fantasy believable
S
ome of the incredible
new images leaking
out about Tim
Burton’s new film
“Alice in Wonderland” are
coming from right here in
Albuquerque, from Sony
Imageworks’ studio in Mesa
del Sol.
One of the major graphics
compositors on the film is
Ziad Seirafi,
who has
worked on
some of
the biggest
blockbusters
of the last few
years, from
“The Golden
Compass” and
“Pirates of the SEIRAFI:
Caribbean: At Started his
World’s End”
career in
to “Sin City” television
and “Sky
Captain and
the World of Tomorrow.”
“As a compositor you get
the shots from different
departments and you’re
responsible for putting them
together ... in one space, all
together, so that you believe
the fantasy,” Seirafi said.
He will sit on a panel with
other movie graphics and
games professionals at the
AFF.
“I’ve been doing this since
1992, and I started in post
production on a TV show
called ‘Tales from the Crypt.’
It was a great show,” he said.
“I had an opportunity to start
getting into effects there.”
But, in the early 1990s,
computer-generated effects
were expensive, complicated
and simply took too much
time for a weekly TV show.
“It was becoming more
accessible,” he said.
Seirafi poured himself into
the business, learning all
he could. He and his wife,
Sarah Seirafi, have started
Desert Sirens, a production
company in Santa Fe for their
projects in development.
He went to work for
some major firms doing
specialized graphics, then
went on his own. But to do
the really exciting stuff, he
said, you need to work with
a large company like Sony
that can afford to hire 600
programmers and can afford
the computers necessary to
make a huge film happen.
His biggest success so
far, he said, has been “The
Golden Compass,” which
earned two Oscars for Best
Achievement in Visual
Effects and Best Achievement
in Art Direction.
“It was a nice experience. I
was part of a very large team.
I was compositor on that. I
would say there was probably
600 people working on that,”
he said.
The Film Apprenticeship
Programs Inc.
is proud to congratulate the
Albuquerque Film Festival
on its debut. FAPI offers quality
on-the-job training & career
development for the
New Mexico Film industry.
Visit FAPI at:
www.filmapprentice.org