Berlin 2010 while the world watches Squamish?

Fringe Filmworks will be heading to the European Film Market in February during the Berlinale. Kind of funny that Angela will be there as part of the Producers Without Borders initiative (thank you Telefilm!) while the global media will have its cameras trained our hometown, conveniently located between the Olympic host cities of Vancouver and Whistler. Ivan, however, will be in an around BC with his writer/host/editor hats on in service for Olympic initiatives. Check out some of his work as Field Reporter Ivan

You know you're near Squamish when...

on YouTube.

Saddlebags rides at the CFC Telefilm Comedy Lab

Fringe Filmworks’s project SADDLEBAGS has been selected for the prestigious CFC Telefilm comedy lab. Kudos to producers Angela Heck and Elizabeth Yake (True West Films) and writer Christine Lippa. Here’s the link to the press release

Eugene Levy and Ivan Reitman are part of the lab! (Angela is very, very excited)

SACRED FLIGHT – World Premiere

We’re thrilled. Excited even, to announce the WORLD PREMIERE of our film, SACRED FLIGHT. The film will be shown at the Vancouver International Film Festival and is co-directed by Peter Chrzanowski and Ivan Hughes. More details at the Fringe Filmworks website.

Squamish Mountain Festival

The Squamish Mountain Festival is just around the corner and we’re excited to see some of best adventure films this side of the Rockies. 

This year Fringe Filmworks’s Ivan Hughes is running the show in a big way and Angela Heck is involved in presenting the Adventure Film Seminar on August 15. This is a chance to get up close and personal with Simon Yates, Ian Parnell and Christian Begin to get a behind-the-scenes look at the realm of extreme filmmaking. Check out the website at http://www.squamishmountainfilm.com

Laughter in the works

We recently developed a proposal for the VISION TV call for a 1/2 hour scripted comedy/dramedy. They were looking for British-style comedy in a Canadian context aimed at their demographic ’skewed towards older females’.  ”We’re In Business” was created. Well, 270 proposals later, VISION TV has found their new show. Alas, it isn’t ours. Admittedly it needs more gestation time, so we’ll keep plugging away.

Thanks to Al Rae for his advice on the whole thing. Such great comic talent in our midst!

Summertime and the living is easy

I’ve been working in my new role as industry forum manager at the Whistler Film Festival, lately. So, of course, I’ve been in contact with a lot of entertainment industry folks. Mostly I’m curious about the topics and issues that are on everyone’s lips. It’s interesting to hear the buzz about new media, but I’m also hearing the questions about ‘whatever happened to just plain old storytelling and making movies?” 

What are your thoughts on the burning questions of the day?

nextMEDIA

I”m heading to Banff in a few weeks to see what’s cooking up at nextMEDIA. As a friend said recently, it’s always ‘what’s next’ and not ‘what’s now’. I’m fascinated by the new media opportunities that are now available to us on a lot of levels. For marketing, for sharing stories, for creating community. But I’m also interested in the elements that stay the same. Regardless of the technology, we’re all just looking for ways to connect with each other, not the technology. We want to share our stories, not the way they were delivered. Fascinating times, indeed.

New media thoughts

It’s been an interesting week of arts, culture and new media discoveries. Squamish is in the midst of an arts & culture revolution with a number of changes at some of its key institutions. Fringe Filmworks’ Angela Heck was recently elected to the Squamish Arts Council where good things are definitely brewing. After some years, the Council is poised to bring a greater cohesion to the arts scene in town, especially as we lead up to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games next February.

Also in the ether is Fringe Filmworks’ increasing focus on new media technologies. Attending Vancouver Digital Week this week (and earlier this year the SXSW new media festival) has been an inspiration and we’re recognizing how far the industry has come. The possibilities new technology offers to media artists are truly astounding.  So, in this area, we’re forging ahead. Angela recently co-authored a report (with Shauna Hardy) for the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Affairs about the possibilities new media presents for traditional media practioners, and Ivan is busy upgrading his skills with a certificate program in web technologies at BCIT.

Will a number of new projects in the works, this will be a great year at Fringe Filmworks!

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Welcome to the Fringe Filmworks blog. This is where you’ll find out about our latest activities, thoughts, discoveries and adventures.