On the Road with 'Mona Lisa is Missing'

From Joe Medeiros (Writer/Director) & Justine Mestichelli Medeiros (Producer) 
of Mona Lisa is Missing.
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As filmmakers, being selected for a festival as prestigious as South Arts' Southern Circuit was an honor. We are truly grateful that the selection committee appreciated our film's appeal to its audience. We have traveled with our film to numerous festivals, and we are so impressed with the professionalism, organization and respectful treatment of filmmaker needs that Teresa Hollingsworth and her team at South Arts provided for us.     

We started our travels in Augusta, Georgia at the Morris Museum of Art. Michelle Schulte, Curator of Education and Kevin Grogan, Executive Director and Chief Curator were most accommodating and gracious hosts. And we found the Morris Museum itself to be quite a treat with an impressive collection of local Southern art.  We also learned something new -- that telegraph inventor Samuel B. Morse was a portrait painter of some admirable talent.  Our screening was very well attended. The applause was plentiful and the Q&A lively.  

Onto Clemson University where Professor Amy Monaghan treated us to dinner and introduced us to faculty and local  filmmakers. We had a very respectable turnout of students (on a school night). They really appreciated the humor and animation that infuse our film and gives lives life to our extensive research and Peruggia's life story. Their questions were thoughtful.

Over 200 students and local residents turned out for the morning presentation of Mona Lisa is Missing at Wallace State Community College's Evelyn Burrows Center for the Fine and Performing Arts in Hanceville, Alabama. Our evening screening drew another 50 enthusiastic viewers. Kristen Holmes, Communications and Marketing Director, and her team were full of Southern Hospitality.  The audience was appreciative of the Peruggia family's genuine acceptance of the truth about Vincenzo's motivation for taking the Mona  Lisa.


Our final destination was the Winder Cultural Arts Center in Winder, Georgia. Don Wildsmith,  Director of  Cultural Events and Christopher Childs, Station Manager of  Winder Television, created an audience-friendly environment where the Q&A prompted the comment,  "I came to this documentary screening with some trepidation because docs can be dense with information but yours was so entertaining while being thoroughly informative."

All in all, the Southern Circuit was one of the greatest experiences we've had showing our film. It was fitting that our tour took place during Major League baseball playoffs because with our screenings at the Morris Museum, Clemson University, Wallace State, and in Winder, we not only batted 4-for-4, but each hit was a home run.

Thank you all and best of luck in the future. Your festival, your audiences, and your people behind the scenes are truly the best.

Noah Harald & Speak Now - Augusta, GA, Micro-budget Filmmaking Part I

The first update from filmmaker Noah Harald, touring his film Speak Now on the Southern Circuit:

As I screen our film 'Speak Now' at the next four venues in the Southern Circuit I'm going to try something interesting and share my thoughts and advice about making a micro-budget improv film as well as my travels here in the South. First up, Augusta, GA.

'Speak Now' screened last night at the Morris Museum of Art here in Augusta. The Morris as well as being a cool little museum also curates a really wonderful slate of films and other artist events. I spent the day exploring Augusta and geeking out over taking pictures of the gorgeous Savannah River. I drove to the Masters golf course because it's mecca for my father and ate some great Southern food at Honey From The Rock. The screening started at six and I noticed that the crowd was considerably older than in most festivals. I wasn't sure how we would play to an older crowd as most of the actors/characters in the film are in their 20's and early 30's. Turns out the crowd loved it. Not only did it go over well, but everyone was very involved in the Q&A. People were surprised to learn that we shot the film in three days and that the dialogue was entirely improvised by the actors. Also, with so many couples that had been married for decades, they found the drama of a bunch of millennials on film pretty hilarious. The Morris was a very friendly venue and I've really enjoyed my time in Augusta.

Making a micro-budget film, Part I: The Idea

For me, the purpose of making 'Speak Now' the way that we did is to make a film without waiting for someone else to say yes. The film business is hard to crack, and as a filmmaker there is a catch-22 where nobody wants to give you permission to make a feature film until you've made a feature film. If you're waiting for that permission, you may not get it for a long time. But you've had ideas before; casually tossing concepts to your friends, long brainstorming sessions, or jolts of inspiration that wake you from sleep. Here's the easy part- find and idea and gab hold of it. I had the pleasure of accompanying my wife, Rosie Mattia to her acting class taught by our writer/producer Erin Cardillo and watched this incredibly talented ensemble perform the improv exercise that would eventually become our film. As we shared celebratory drinks later I said to Erin and the actors "This should be a movie." Granted, it took many steps and just over a year to become a movie, but we made it and didn't have to ask permission. So next time you have that idea, don't brush it aside or save it for later- pounce on it and go make your film. Stay tuned and I'll let you know how I think you can do that.

Time to hit the road and head to Clemson, SC. More from that screening tomorrow.

Joel Fendelman - Nashville, Louisville, Augusta

The latest update from filmmaker Joel Fendelman, touring his film David:

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Scarritt Bennett Center

My first Day off was fantastic, it was spent in Nashville, Tennessee. I found this old women's missionary training center called Scarritt Bennett Center which has since been converted to a retreat center with inexpensive, peaceful rooms. I was fortunate to go to the BlueBird cafe to hear some of the best singer song writer music I have heard in a while.

Clifton Center

My next stop was Louisville, Kentucky where my film was shown at the Clifton Center, another beautiful historic building. It was a cold, snowy night but a good 20-30 people bared through the cold, all very appreciative of the film. We had a wonderful talk back afterwards.

Clifton Center

After Louisville was Augusta, Georgia where I am now. The storms have come in even stronger and there is about 2 inches of snow on the ground. This started last night near the time of the screening at the Morris Museum. We weren't even sure anyone would show because there were emergency warnings on the news. But as we neared the screening time, a handful of brave, committed souls showed up. It was a small but intimate showing. Kevin Grogan, the museum director introduced me and we had a passionate talkback after the showing.

Morris Museum of Arts

Now I'm siting in the beautiful Lookaway Inn, preparing for the drive tomorrow to screen at the Wallace Community college in Hanceville, Alabama.

Me and Kevin Grogan at the Morris Museum of Art

Augusta

Starting it off STRONG!...

STRONG!'s tour began at the Morris Museum of Art in Augusta, Georgia.  In the house was Olympic Weightlifting coach Stephen Powell of Columbia, South Carolina's Athletes Arena Weightlifting. Coach Powell worked for many years alongside Cheryl Haworth's Coach Don McCauley - so he knows Cheryl and her story well - he actually appears in STRONG! He joined me for discussion and was able to provide an excellent behind-the-scenes perspective.

We had a great discussion with a fabulous and attentive audience that ranged through topics of women the sport of weightlifting, parenting, and my formal/ artistic approaches in the film. Thanks to the Morris Art Museum Michelle Schulte for managing the tech trickiness and bringing together such a nice group of people!

The Morris Art Museum is situated on the Savannah River, which runs between South Carolina and Georgia...









Also - another shot from the porch of the Lookaway Inn, built between 1895 and 1898, if she were here, Cheryl would tell us all a lot about the architectural details you can see here.
Great slideshow here.

STRONG! sets out on the Southern Circuit

Today STRONG! -the story of Cheryl Haworth - Olympic weightlifting champion begins its journey that will take me (filmmaker Julie Wyman) through parts of Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, and Mississippi. Cheryl is from Savannah, Georgia, so I am honored to bring this film back to her part of the country.

Tonight we start it off at the Morris Museum of Art in Augusta. Below is the full schedule, plus my first arrival point. Gulp! Talk about Southern Hospitality: this is the Lookaway Inn in North Augusta, South Carolina - my first arrival point on this tour. It's an incredible building from the late 19th century. Looking forward to gathering more images and stories of the south in the next 10 days.

Thanks so much Morris Museum, South Arts, and Sammy and Jay at the Lookaway!

4/16: Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, Georgia (6 pm)
4/17: Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina (7:30 pm)
4/18: The Arts Council, Gainsville, Georgia (7 pm)
4/20: Hapeville Association of Trade and Tourism, Hapeville, GA (6 pm)
4/22: Presbyterian College, Clinton, South Carolina (7 pm)
4/23: Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Arts, Auburn, Alabama (6 pm)
4/25: East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carlina (6:30 pm)
4/26: University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast, Long Beach, MS (6:30 pm)

Girl Model not a Documentary?

Painting credit: Southern Landscape, 1965, Oil on Canvas, Benny Andrews (1930-2006 Born in Plainview, Morgan County, Georgia; maintained studios in NYC, Litchfield, CT and Athens, GA; died in Brooklyn, NY

“Your film is not a documentary.”  This is the statement that I took away from the screening last night at the Morris Museum of Art.  This thought provoked me to ask the audience, “What is a documentary?”  The audience quickly chimed in and said, “dry, talking head, and thesis driven”.  If we analyze our film with that criteria then yes, Girl Model is not a documentary.  As a filmmaker however, I hesitate to fully agree with this statement.  I like the principles of documentary whereby we are documenting a reality and exploring that reality through visual narrative storytelling. 

Perhaps what needs to change is how documentary is represented in major media outlets.  I am hopeful that in the future, there will be a more diverse understanding of documentary storytelling.  This will only be possible with screening series like Southern Circuit, film festivals, and broadcasters who will take risks.  Prior to the screening, as I walked around the Morris Museum, I felt the paintings and sculptures were documenting a past, an emotional tone, and/or poetic human characteristics.  Yes indeed, the paintings were more like impressions of reality.  Perhaps by including documentary under a more artistic umbrella, the stereotype of the dry documentary will change.  Filmmakers need to challenge and encourage one another in order to deepen our visual palette.    

Website: http://www.girlmodelthemovie.com
Facebook: girlmodelmovie
Twitter: @girlmodelmovie

Luke and Cory take Smokin' Fish around the South- Part 1

Deep thoughts while eating BBQ

11/11/12, day seven of the southern circuit. Allison and Teresa of South Arts have been politely inquiring when I might right a blog post. My mom, in um, more direct terms, has been demanding an update.

Over BBQ at the Fox Brothers here in Atlanta, Cory and I pretty quickly reached a consensus that we should do this again, although with more eating and less driving. Maybe we could take Amtrak instead of the rental car. Then we could eat on the train too. Amtrak is so civilized (and apparently not as chronically late as I remember it being in the west.)

Our first stop was Augusta Georgia. Our hotel was pretty classy.


We appreciated some art at the Morris Museaum.




And, despite it being election night, quite a few people turned out for the screening and Q and A.

Some folks seemed really, genuinely, touched by the film. And they wanted some fish.

Cory managed to sell some scarves our of the trunk of his car.


In the morning we drove to Clemson SC for a screening at Clemson University. We stopped for some fried chicken for breakfast.


Savage vs. Fried Chicken.


I think Savage is winning,


In Clemson we had a group of smart curious students which sadly we didn't take any photos of. A few were aspiring filmmakers. Our next stop, Gainesville, GA Saw a large turnout of mixed students and community members.






On our day off we visited Ganesha Howell, Stunt Driver and Production Assistant on Smokin' Fish at his new home in Asheville NC.


And we visited the Cherokee Indian Reservation.




We were speculating that a traveling Tlingit must have carved these totem poles.


We also wondered if he was just far from home or if psychedelics where involved. We also visited the Casino.


This is where Jabba the Hut hangs out.


The Bears where cool.


Cory really wishes he had thought of this business name.


And our last screening, yesterday in a renovated church in Hapeville Georgia. Another really good audience.


Tomorrow we drive to Clinton SC. I'll keep everybody updated.

-Luke

Augusta Embers

Screening #1 at the Morris Museum of Art was a great way to start the tour.  Anis and I rolled into Augusta without the slightest idea of what to expect.  At every turn we were pleasantly surprised with giant heaps of Southern hospitality and a dynamic visual landscape.  Below is the Look Away Inn where we stayed.  It passed the Anis seal of approval with flying colors.

The Morris folks, Kevin, Michelle and Jason were warm and accommodating, which was great, considering we had no idea what to expect for our first screening. The audience was fantastic, choosing us over the presidential debate (they might have been able to still watch it after the screening). We had a great discussion after, very engaging and thoughtful. We were, then, treated with a poem by Anis to top off the night.

After the screening, Anis and I walked down the main strip in Augusta. I can't count the visuals that pleasantly surprised us. I am not sure if we were over sensitive to our new surroundings but Augusta seemed like an ember that refuses to go out. While there was a stillness in the city, the night was filled with people still out and about, embers of activity waiting to ignite new kindling.  Augusta feels like it is in no hurry.  There is a comfort in this.  Perhaps it was just a normal weeknight and Augusta was where the rest of America was, watching the debate light up the TV screens.

The drive to Clemson continued the idea of life hanging on in decay. Sublime.

SMALL, BEAUTIFULLY MOVING PARTS does Clemson right

Day Two report: Daisy and I had breakfast in Augusta and then hit the road for Clemson. We knew not that our road was so lean --- 28 West is a solitary place, spotted only by a derelict barn here and a Subway sandwich outlet there. I saw a sign pointing toward the grave site for the "Long Cane Massacre," which I learned later was a Cherokee uprising in the late 1700s against British settlers in South Carolina. A Calhoun daughter, age 5, was kidnapped and lived with the tribe for twelve years. Calhoun is a prominent name in town, a famous son turned Vice President and Secretary of War; one who defended slavery.

We dined tonight at the Taco Titan (I could have this wrong, but it's right in spirit) -- good Mexican food for such a small town -- and headed with host Amy Monaghan of the English Dept to the Hendrix Student Center. "Jimi?" I asked. "No. We wish."

Amy had corralled an impressive number of students to the screening, and it was refreshing to have a young audience in their 20s. As our film features a pregnant woman, we sometimes don't see that younger demographic, and tonight many undergraduate men had excellent questions about the themes of our film. This crowd was not nearly as interested in how we made it but in what it all meant. I tried to nudge them toward answering for themselves.

After the screening we had a beer at Nick's in Clemson with Amy and her very funny husband / English Dept Professor Jonathan Field, plus Suzanne and Daniel, their recently-graduated local pals. The photo of the entire group is on my dying-now-dead iPhone, whose beloved charger is still in Augusta. Argh! I'll have to post that one later. 

Tomorrow we head to Gainesville, GA. More soon.

SBMP tour has begun!

It's Annie Howell here, half of the writing/directing team behind SMALL, BEAUTIFULLY MOVING PARTS, and I'm off and running on circuits Southern. My journey began yesterday morning at 5 am -- a drive from my home in Athens Ohio to Columbus for the short flight to Atlanta. I knew I wasn't in Ohio anymore when Sean John welcomed me at ATL Hartsfield airport.

Ohioans just stick to the basics -- you know, football sweatshirts. Also there to meet me? My mother-in-law, Daisy Gillespie. When she found out I was going to be on the road BY MYSELF, well, she just cleared her calendar and let me know she was coming along! So far, so good. :)
What cracks me up is that our film is about a pregnant woman alone on the road ... which I thought I would be replicating (er, without the pregnancy) -- but not if Daisy has anything to do with it!

We drove to Augusta Georgia, through sheets of rain, and landed here at The Partridge Inn, which is certainly not your typical hotel: historic, balconied, grand, sitting perched on a hill above town. The setting and staff feel truly Southern -- I overheard my waiter this morning tell his colleague she was lookin' good today -- "like new money."

Last night had a great screening at the Morris Museum of Art -- thank you Michelle and Kevin! We met with some amazing people from Augusta State Film Department after and were treated to tequila guacamole and sweet potato fries, along with local beer, at The Bee's Knees. But the best meal so far has been at Beamie's on the river ------ you can't get this where I live, unless my husband makes it.

Daisy and Annie hit the road here soon to Clemson, South Carolina. More as this unfolds.