Posted 10:15 AM by Blah blah

Little Sister, by First Kiss Films

For those who know me, you know I have become a HUGE film buff in the last few years. You also know I am thinking about how to get more involved in the entertainment industry. I've always been enamored with good movies and drama, but with the rise of sites like IFILM and PBS shows like Independent View, my interest exploded in filmmaking and the richness of creativity that is out there.

That's why I'm gonna twist your arm to make you see this 26 minute short film on the Net, Little Sister (2000), by director Paul Bock. This looks like the debut effort of his production company, First Kiss Films. You need RealPlayer or Windows Media Player to see it.

It's a romantic comedy about a teenaged girl, Tabitha (played by Tori McPetrie), who has the hots for her older sister's boyfriend, Mike (played by Justin Doran). The film is such a joy to watch that I saw it twice! The script is clever, funny, and teasing, while the two main actors are likeable and have great chemistry. You could sense the sharp intelligence they brought to ever line, every nuance. Actually all the actors in this film are good.

Tori McPetrie is both a fresh-faced nice girl and a sexy future goddess. Justin Doran is likeably sarcastic, and he had me laughing with the criticism of standard romantic comedy cliches he gives in the film. It happened to be what won him the part.

The director Paul Bock says it best about what struggles you must go through as a filmmaker:

Little Sister was a script I wrote in film school back in 1998. It started out as a mini-DV [digital video] project, 3 months later the budget rose 8 times higher, and the film medium changed to 35 mm. Since then, I lost a 7-year relationship, became financially destitute, and still no green lights from any film festivals. Regardless, I'm proud as hell of this film!

Cinequest

I'm really surprised Little Sister hasn't gotten into any film festivals, since it is one of the most popular films on IFILM right now. Recently I discovered that here in San Jose, we have our OWN major film festival, ranked among the top ten in the world!! Called Cinequest, it was founded 12 years ago by Halfdan Hussey (read his cool bio) and Kathleen J. Powell, with the annual help of Silicon Valley companies like my own Applied Materials. Each year Cinequest gives out its Maverick Spirit Awards to the best films. The 12th annual event was held March 2002. Over 50,000 people attended the 11 day event and saw over 130 films from 30 countries. 250 filmmakers also came.

From Cinequest's 2001 press release:

World renowned for its personal showcase of maverick films, filmmaking, and technology, Cinequest joined the ranks of Sundance, Toronto, Cannes, Berlin, and Telluride as one of the world's top ten film festivals, as ranked by the prestigious Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide. This honor is significant as over six hundred international film festivals currently exist. It is a further honor as film and digital media is arguably the most influential cultural medium in the world. `Receiving an award from any of the Top Ten (festivals) results in much-needed publicity and the attention of the industry, which can go a long way toward launching a career....And, of paramount importance for independent filmmakers, these fests also act as back-door film markets-movies that are shown at these festivals have a greater chance of getting picked up for distribution.' (The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide, 2001) Cinequest's track record for honoring the biggest mavericks in the business (Kevin Spacey, Jackie Chan, John Waters, Gus Van Sant, Rod Steiger, Gabriel Byrne, Alec Baldwin, Peter Fonda, and Jennifer Jason Leigh) as well as thousands of cutting-edge filmmakers, has served Cinequest and the film industry well. Recently Cinequest has added a powerful DXD (digital by digital) technology section that will showcase the role of technologies in enhancing maverick creativity. This is a fitting development in that Cinequest is the Silicon Valley's premiere media event.

Not only have some of the big names like Ian McKellen, Jackie Chan, Spike Lee, and Kevin Spacey come to San Jose to speak at Cinequest, Cinequest also is up on the latest efforts to move digital technology, in which Attack of the Clones was shot, into the mainstream.

Anyhow, this week I started volunteering for Cinequest! It's my first step into the "entertainment industry," and it's purely out of love for film (definitely not for money.) With the downturn in the economy, they need more than ever to raise money for next year's festival through grants and foundations. That's where I come in. I met Halfdan Hussey this week, and now I'm a volunteer helping to write grants and proposals for the tens of thousands of dollars they need. I need to call various people, ask their requirements, and try to write grant applications and letters that match what they want. They must be interesting, pithy, and very persuasive. This is just like writing college application essays. I could write letters and essays in my sleep!

I like this because:

1) I will be valued as a writer
2) I'll make my first steps and contacts in the entertainment field
3) I'll be helping both the arts AND my community. The success of Cinequest helps put San Jose on the map, like Cannes and Sundance.
4) I will get to see fascinating films and meet some cool filmmakers
5) I will start learning about the business from the distribution side

Why else am I soooo interested in film? Movies are simply the MOST powerful media on earth. The silver screen is the largest and most influential classroom blackboard we have, so we ignore it at our peril. It's also about political and business power, folks. Think about how FEW Asians we see in the movies or how FEW good intelligent roles they have. Think of the EXCELLENT drama that gets made every year in Japan, Korea, India, and China that deserves a much wider audience. Think of the stereotypes and ideas that get perpetuated by the lockhold a few main studios have on the world movie industry, that may hurt YOU personally when you are going for a promotion at work or travelling to a remote part of the country.

Anyhow, I am not a politically correct fanatic. I care mainly about quality films, regardless of race or culture. I applaud how Hollywood and studios like Miramax do take more risks and bring more culturally diverse, highly intelligent films to the commercial mainstream nowadays. I want to help keep that going, to help bring more fantastic new voices to the table. I hope Paul Bock and Little Sister make it!