Thursday

All hail the DIY Filmmakers!

We at the DIY film festival just wanted to take a minute to thank all of you... for choosing to make films. And for choosing our festival to show them.
Santa Monica Beach

We are beginning to plan our summer DIY film event - looking for a suitable venue - and we'll announce that when we're going to make that happen.

We usually take a sampling of films that have been submitted, sometimes shorts from previous year's fests, and invite everyone down to participate. In the past we had an outdoor screening at Umami in Hollywood, and one at the Flying Saucers in Santa Monica.


But in the meanwhile, as we look for a good spot, we just wanted to give a shout out to you DIY Filmmakers who've chosen to work in film to express yourselves.. There's an old saying "You don't always pick up a paintbrush to pay the rent." Meaning - sometimes it's just fun to create art.

Here's a sampling of the notes we've gotten from filmmakers along with their entries for the current season:

"Film is my passion. Upon entering College, I have realized that the art of visual media is what I want to dedicate my entire life to. My dream is to create films that have some sort of significant impact on somebody's life."  submitted by CM, student.

"This was the first film I ever directed and it is one of the most memorable experiences I've had on set. I wrote the story as well, which was inspired by my personal life... I hope this film has the opportunity to screen at your festival and reach a wide audience!"
submitted by TZ, student

"I was delighted to find your festival, and I hope to make it my next excuse to visit LA. I can't imagine it gets more DIY than this" RI Documentary filmmaker

"This is the most recent short from the Director who won Best Short Comedy two years ago at the DIY. Hope you like this mockumentary about filmmakers!" 
submitted by CW

Site of previous DIY galas, the Roosevelt

Having always dreamed of both making a film and hitting the highway for a year, we finally killed two birds with one road trip:   In 2011 the four of us traveled the US in an RV, home schooling the kids, while learning the ropes and shooting an original feature along the way...  John turned his talent with paint to the Canon 5D, using the lush mountains, craggy coastlines and dry landscapes of the American desert as his canvas.  He wrote a score to accompany the images; he learned Final Cut.  We act in it; we all worked the sound.  And we wrote a story that would work in tandem with our adventures on the road...
Feature film submitted by TP


"I'm submitting my first film for consideration in the DIY Festival. This self-financed, self-produced film, tells the story of the 2009 Winterover crew at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. I had the privilege of being a chef on station from October 2008 to November 2009 and I was able to take my camera and film for the entire year..." 
Documentary submitted by KR 
Pacific sunset

We look forward to seeing your films and good luck with all of them! Keep up the good work, and keep doing it yourself.  And thanks for letting us take a look at them!!!

Sunday

GE Focus Film Festival Winners

GE has sponsored some great films for various film festivals.  We like to showcase the latest in great short story telling, if only to inspire our many DIY Filmmakers to enter into these festivals.  All that's required is an imagination.

We came across this film today, which may very well point to a revolution in technology.  It's worth looking into, but more importantly, the film tells a story, and it may change the lives of many who see it.  Worth noting, and keep up the good work DIY Filmmakers worldwide!!!


And here is the grand prize winner from the GE FOCUS FILMS WEBSITE.

CYBORG FOUNDATION | Rafel Duran Torrent from Focus Forward Films on Vimeo.

FOCUS FORWARD FILMS