Every Rondo nominee is being recognized for a significant achievement in the genre during the year of 2010. Voting is done across a wide range of categories and is done by email. Details can be found on the website. There are two St. Louis films nominated for a RONDO AWARD -”Shadowland” : BEST INDIE FILM (directed by Wyatt Weed, starring Jason Contini) AND “The Devil at Lost Creek” :BEST SHORT FILM (directed by Raymond Castille, starring Carson & Sydney Hackney, Carlos Anos Valenzuela).

Closer to home, the 2009 Awards included a win by Sandy Clark, local writer who produced the film American Scary.

ARLINGTON, VA. — District 9, the gritty Oscar-nominated science fiction film, Rue Morgue magazine, a bloody yet reverent compendium of horrors old and new, and Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff, a history of the rivalry between two of Hollywood’s greatest hissables, all shared top honors in the 8th Annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards announced Monday night.

The fan-based Rondo awards, named after Rondo Hatton, an obscure B-movie villain of the 1940s, celebrate the best in classic horror research, creativity and film preservation. This year’s e-mail vote, conducted by the Classic Horror Film Board, a 15-year old online community, drew a record 2,973 votes, the biggest in genre history.

Among other winners for work in 2009:

Best Independent Film or Documentary – AMERICAN SCARY (John Hudgens, Sandy Clark)
The year’s best documentary award went to American Scary, a loving tribute to horror hosts past and present in a very tight contest with very strong independent films and documentaries.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia – American Scary is a 2006 documentary film about the history and legacy of classic television horror hosts, written and directed by American independent filmmakers John E. Hudgens and Sandy Clark.

The film features nearly 60 horror hosts, including interviews with and vintage clips of many of the genre’s stars, such as Washington, DC’s Count Gore De Vol, New York City’s Zacherley, Los Angeles’ Vampira, Cleveland’s Ghoulardi, and Chicago’s Svengoolie, among others. Non-host celebrities such as Neil Gaiman, Tim Conway, Forrest J Ackerman, Tom Savini, Leonard Maltin, Joel Hodgson, and Bob Burns appear to reminisce about the influence of horror hosts on their careers and/or lives, as well as many modern hosts who keep the tradition alive in modern shows on public access TV or the internet.

The film premiered in October 2006 at the Hollywood Film Festival, and was released on DVD in February 2009. In April 2010, it won the award for Best Independent Production of 2009 at the 8th Annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards.

The film was made in 1965 on Catalina Island and locations around LA. The movie was shot by Vilmos Zsigmond, Academy award winning cinematographer (Close Encounters of the Third Kind); he ranks SUMMER CHILDREN as one of “my best early works” in regards to his important efforts in America after escaping from the Hungarian revolution in the 1960’s.

This American New Wave neo-noir film was produced in 1965, yet it never reached the screen.

As the original producer, I (Jack) thought this film had been lost, but through a serendipitous occurrence, re-discovered SUMMER CHILDREN in 2008. Edie Robinette –Petarchi and I then spent two years restoring and digitizing the film. From excitement shown by the Slamdance staff and other film buffs, it appears to be one of the most interesting offerings for the 2011 season.

Vilmos is known world-wide for his expert use of light and shadows in filming. Besides a gripping plot, SUMMER CHILDREN highlights one of America’s first looks at Vilmos’ masterful cinematography.

Check out the website at www.summerchildren.com and then plan to attend the Missouri premiere:

What: SUMMER CHILDREN – part of the Queen City Cinema series
When: Tuesday February 8th, 8:00 pm – FREE
Location: Moxie Cinema
431 S Jefferson Avenue, Springfield, MO 65806

The Queen City Cinema film series is funded by a grant from the Arts Sustainability Initiative of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks.

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Moxie Cinema is screening the film on Saturday night and hosting a party next door at Farmer’s Gastropub. Contact the theater for ticket availability ($25).

The Academy Awards will be shown on ABC (KSPR33) on Sunday February 27th. The Official Local Screening will be held at Hammon’s Hall to benefit Isabel House. Tickets are $75.

The Film Alliance is planning an Oscar Screening Party as well, to be held at the Creamery Arts Center. More details to come.

Best Picture
“Winter’s Bone” Anne Rosellini and Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Producers
Anne Rosellini and Alix Madigan-Yorkin are pictured above, center and right (left photo)

“Black Swan” Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver and Scott Franklin, Producers
“The Fighter” David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg, Producers
“Inception” Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers
“The Kids Are All Right” Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray, Producers
“The King’s Speech” Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers
“127 Hours” Christian Colson, Danny Boyle and John Smithson, Producers
“The Social Network” Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
“Toy Story 3” Darla K. Anderson, Producer
“True Grit” Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
“Winter’s Bone” Adapted for the screen by Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini
Debra Granik is on the left in the photo (left) above.

“127 Hours” Screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy
“The Social Network” Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin
“Toy Story 3” Screenplay by Michael Arndt; Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich
“True Grit” Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen

Actor in a Supporting Role
John Hawkes in “Winter’s Bone”

Christian Bale in “The Fighter”
Jeremy Renner in “The Town”
Mark Ruffalo in “The Kids Are All Right”
Geoffrey Rush in “The King’s Speech”

Actress in a Leading Role
Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter’s Bone”

Annette Bening in “The Kids Are All Right”
Nicole Kidman in “Rabbit Hole”
Natalie Portman in “Black Swan”
Michelle Williams in “Blue Valentine”

By the way, did you see Lawrence on the cover of the Hollywood Reporter? The Making of an Indie Star

UPDATED
Springfield News-Leader – “Winter’s Bone” receives four Academy Award nominations
TAGsgf.com – Winter’s Bone picks up 4 Oscar nominations (including best picture)
KSPR33 – ‘Winter’s Bone’ nominated for 4 Academy Awards
Wall Street Journal – Portman, ‘The King’s Speech’ Lead 2011 Oscar Nominees
The Hollywood Reporter – Oscar Nominations 2011: King’s Speech Leads With 12 and
Roger Ebert – Oscars: The king vs. the nerds vs. the Rooster
Hitfix – Debra Granik is ‘vibrating’ over ‘Winter’s Bone’s’ four Oscar nods
KSMU – Film With Deep Missouri Ties Gets Four Oscar Nominations is available as a podcast, includes a conversation with Marideth Sisco (actress & soundtrack)

Indiewire – Oscarbation: 11 Oscar Nominee Snubs That Agitate Us

Debra Granik, “Winter’s Bone”
All of the accolades for this film have been going to Jennifer Lawrence, for what is indeed a powerful performance playing Ree, but the heartwrenching, stagnant atmosphere of the character’s surroundings is owed to Debra Granik and her direction. Without the ramshackle house, barren trees, rolling hills and incredibly menacing midnight water scene (to name a few elements), the film would be just another tale about a young girl’s journey. Granik turns the story into one about the foreign places in our own country and how women navigate and survive them. It’s a powerful movie dominated by a powerful performance, but without Granik’s assured hand, Ree’s plight would never have resonated as deeply in our hearts as it did.

Oh, and here is the Hollywood Reports list of the Top 11 Oscar Snubs this year which included “Inception” (yea!)

The film was produced by Springfield native (Greenwood 1955/Southwest Missouri State 1959) and resident Jack Robinette and was recently remastered and released on DVD. The film’s Director of Photography was future Academy Award winner Vilmos Zsigmond, with lighting by László Kovács. Zsigmond and Kovács fled Hungary in 1956 after shooting footage of the Soviet Invasion. Zsigmond rose to prominence in the 1970s, winning his Oscar for Best Cinematography on Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) as well as receiving three more Oscar nominations and a long list of additional honors.

His friend Kovács is best known for his work as Cinematographer on “Easy Rider” as well as “Five Easy Pieces”, he also shot “Two Weeks Notice” and “Miss Congeniality” more recently. According to his bio on IMDB, Dennis Hopper asked Kovács to film “Easy Rider”. At first, Kovács turned it down, but Hopper was persistent. It was filmed entirely on location, during a 12-week trip from Los Angeles to New Orleans. Later, Kovács said that they knew the film was special, but didn’t realize it would win awards and become an influential, iconic movie.

From the Slamdance press release

Our Special Screenings this year showcase the creative spirit that defines Slamdance. From Summer Children’s lost 1960s indie neo-noir to Gandu’s progressive smack and rap Indian fantasy, this unique program is made by filmmakers driven to create their own vision, whatever it takes,” stated Peter Baxter, Slamdance President and Co-founder.

This year’s Special Screenings program is comprised of world premiere “Summer Children,” a neo-noir dramatic feature film shot in black and white in 1965 with Academy Award® winner cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond and fully restored from the negatives and optical tracks in 2010;

About Slamdance
As a year-round organization, Slamdance serves as a showcase for the discovery of new and emerging talent and is dedicated to the nurturing and development of new independent artists and their vision. For the 2011 Festival, Slamdance received a record number of over 5,000 submissions. Slamdance Film Festival, presented again by Kodak, will run concurrently with the Sundance Film Festival, January 21-27, 2011 in Park City, Utah. Slamdance lives by its mantra: “By Filmmakers, For Filmmakers.”

From IMDB, Summer Children (1965)
A competition erupts between two young men over their feelings for one woman throughout a sailing adventure to Catalina Island and throughout the night at a dance.
Director: James Bruner
Writer: Norman Handelsman
Stars: Stuart Anderson, Valora Noland and John Hanek

Visit the film’s website for more information on the film that was filmed in and around Los Angeles, Bel-Air, at the Gardena Raceway, the Wilmington Harbor, on Catalina Island and on the 130 foot sailing schooner, the “Mayflower”.

You can also follow the film on their Facebook page or their Twitter account.

Sophie Parker and Chris Beckman viewing Sundance Short Film Competition announcement

Included in that exclusive list of films is oops, a short film by local filmmaker and Drury graduate (2010), Chris Beckman. Competing in the U.S. DOCUMENTARY SHORTS competition, the film is described as
oops (Director: Chris Beckman) – A metaphorical elucidation exploring the Internet’s infinite repository of ‘throwaway’ social documentation.

The competition includes Animals Distract Me, by Director and Screenwriter Isabella Rossellini among others.

You first heard about Chris and his film when he won in the Experimental category of the Vimeo National competition. The film also screened at the London Anti-Design Festival in September and came to the attention of the Sundance competition committee who reached out to Chris and requested that he enter the film in their competition. Today’s announcement is the culmination of that effort.

The next step is raising funds to help Chris and his girlfriend (dare I say muse as well, as they have been together for four years and is his primary producer) Sophie Parker attend the Festival screening. The photo of Sophie and Chris above was shot today as we discussed the film and their plans at Big Momma’s Coffee, as they read the official announcement that had just been posted. If you would like to help them represent the Springfield film community, a fund has been established by the Drury Alumni and Development Office to help Chris to Utah. It is called the Chris Beckman Sundance Fund. To contribute to the fund, which will be used to help Chris travel to Sundance and participate in the screening,

Send a check made out to Drury University, noting that it is for the Chris Beckman Sundance Fund. Mail it to

Alumni and Development Office, attn. D. Course
Drury University
900 N. Benton Ave
Springfield, MO 65802

Your donation will be tax-deductible and the Drury Alumni office will issue you a letter indicating your contribution.

Chris, like artists throughout history, keeps digital notebooks of ideas. As Sophie described, he has many hard drives full of material he has collected through the years and the film is the culmination of his fascination with Youtube from its inception. As described in the Sundance synopsis above, Youtube offers a wide range of material and once he developed the concept of video associated with dropping a videocamera, it was approximately 10 days of work to come up with the original video. When the Vimeo competition was announced, a second edit with some additional material culminated in the video you can see below.

If you like what you see, a remarkable film for it’s seamless blend of disparate environments bound only by their common situation, then consider contributing to the fund that will allow Chris the opportunity to share his vision with the Sundance audience.

You can also become a fan of his next project Thin Air, a Missouri State Electronic Arts senior thesis film written and directed by by his friend and regular collaborator Max Rosen. With sound design and original music composition by Sam Gibson and David Bae. And assistant direction and special effects by Garrett Layman, Chris will be the Editor on the film.

oops from Chris Beckman on Vimeo.

Chris Beckman
oops, 2009
digital video art
concept by Billy Rennekamp

Somewhere between a home-video mixtape and a postmodern travelogue, “oops”—a ten-minute art video composed entirely of appropriated YouTube videos, seamlessly stitched together via a motif of camera drops—serves both as transportative adventure and metaphorical elucidation of YouTube itself (i.e. endless related videos), exemplifying the Internet’s infinite repository of “throwaway” social documentation. From suburbia to subterranea, the radically shuffling environs induce a vertiginous yet aesthetically contextual thread—a transcendent, reincarnating POV; our omnipresent Camera—by which, the nature of the ultra-verité videos, eschewing any filmic grounding, plunges the viewer into a relationship of fleeting immediacy w/ its many videographers: a self-portrait at arms length, the digital blur of an obscuring thumb, a disembodied narrating voice. This abstractly voyeuristic portrayal of an ever-filming generation (who won’t let the transcendence of being in A Moment inhibit their document-everything impulse) presages a future where every instant of our existence, from the mundane to the sublime, is preserved and catalogued for all to see.

Other examples of Chris’ work can be found on his Vimeo page including a new Director’s Cut of his 2008 SATO48 award winner “GOODBYE EARTH” and last year’s The Maiden Voyage of August Juncture’s Incredible Time Machine that won Matt Stout the Screenwriting Award (say hi to Matt next time you visit the Moxie)

Per Indiewire, the film’s star Jennifer Lawrence was snubbed in the breakthrough performance category (one of the night’s biggest surprises), the film still led the awards for the evening.

Best Feature
Winter’s Bone

Best Ensemble Performance
Winter’s Bone

The nominees included all of the top Indie films, including the just released Black Swan, featuring Natalie Portman and Milas Kunis, as directed by Darren Aronofsky. You can catch Black Swan at The Moxie very soon!

Entertainment Week also covered the awards ceremony and commented on the surprise that Jennifer Lawrence wasn’t the break out actor winner.

Variety was also in the house and pointed to Hurt Locker’s success at the Gotham’s and Oscar’s last year

Indie drama “Winter’s Bone” picked up notable awards-season momentum Monday night when writer-director Debra Granik’s pic topped the list of winners at the Gotham Independent Film Awards.
The Roadside Attractions release scored two glass trophies at IFP’s annual New York indie film fete, taking home the prize for feature and another for its acting ensemble led by Jennifer Lawrence.

Oscar juggernaut “The Hurt Locker” nabbed the same pair of laurels at the Gothams last year.

Chris Beckman, from his Facebook page

Chris’s film won the Experimental Award – Short films/videos that experiment with new ideas, forms, techniques, and expressions that are often characterized by the absence of a linear narrative.

oops from Chris Beckman on Vimeo.

I’ve reached out to Chris requesting an opportunity to learn more about his film and his current projects. I didn’t want to wait on sharing this with you however, it’s such a quality piece of work which has now been recognized on a national level. Here’s his description of the piece on Vimeo

Chris Beckman
oops, 2009
digital video art
concept by Billy Rennekamp

Somewhere between a home-video mixtape and a postmodern travelogue, “oops”—a ten-minute art video composed entirely of appropriated YouTube videos, seamlessly stitched together via a motif of camera drops—serves both as transportative adventure and metaphorical elucidation of YouTube itself (i.e. endless related videos), exemplifying the Internet’s infinite repository of “throwaway” social documentation. From suburbia to subterranea, the radically shuffling environs induce a vertiginous yet aesthetically contextual thread—a transcendent, reincarnating POV; our omnipresent Camera—by which, the nature of the ultra-verité videos, eschewing any filmic grounding, plunges the viewer into a relationship of fleeting immediacy w/ its many videographers: a self-portrait at arms length, the digital blur of an obscuring thumb, a disembodied narrating voice. This abstractly voyeuristic portrayal of an ever-filming generation (who won’t let the transcendence of being in A Moment inhibit their document-everything impulse) presages a future where every instant of our existence, from the mundane to the sublime, is preserved and catalogued for all to see.

Other examples of Chris’ work can be found on his Vimeo page including a new Director’s Cut of his 2008 SATO48 award winner “GOODBYE EARTH” and last year’s The Maiden Voyage of August Juncture’s Incredible Time Machine that won Matt Stout the Screenwriting Award (say hi to Matt next time you visit the Moxie)

Now available on DVD – Amazon Link
Now available on iTunes – iTunes Store link

The iTunes link takes you to the Apple website and offers information on a free ‘podcast/video’ called “Hillbilly Up” which features free and exclusive, behind-the-scenes movie about WINTER’S BONE, only available on iTunes. You’ll get to hear stories from the residents of the Ozarks as they discuss their hometown.

If you have problems, do a search on WINTER’S BONE from within the App Store and you’ll be given the option to buy the movie (HD version and Std Def – I bought the HD version and it looks like you get two versions of the movie. A 3.3 GB HD version for watching on your PC/Mac and another 1.1 GB version for enjoying directly on your iPhone/iPod). Scroll down and you can find the Audiobook, the Soundtrack from the movie and further down the free ‘behind the scenes’ video noted above.

The good news is that, even with all companies exiting indie distribution over the past several years, the parties still in business continue to need fresh fare. Many of the films premiering at Venice, Telluride and Toronto already have distribution, but a few titles are still available. Several festival acquisitions were strong performers this year, led by “The Kids Are All Right,” which Focus Features acquired in January at Sundance. Film has scored more than $17 million domestically.

“Winter’s Bone,” acquired by Roadside Attractions at Sundance, has accumulated nearly $4.9 million, a strong gross for an arthouse drama.

IFC Films’ docu “Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work,” also acquired at Sundance, has $2.8 million.

The Kids Are Alright is scheduled to open at Moxie Cinema on August 27th while it appears that Winter’s Bone is headed to downtown Springfield in September after a strong run at Wehrenberg’s Campbell 16, premiering here on June 18th.

Read more: http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118023149.html?categoryid=1061&cs=1#ixzz0xY8JF7as Visit Variety.com to become a Variety subscriber.

Winters Bone director, Debra Granik

Director Debra Granik and actress Jennifer Lawrence talk about working with locals in Missouri during the making of their new film, “Winter’s Bone.” Based on a novel by Daniel Woodrell, “Winter’s Bone” tells the story of a girl living in the Ozark Mountains who sets out on a search for her drug-dealing father to help keep her family afloat. Granik reflects on the casting process, trusting Lawrence’s ability, and how she approached people to use their property as sets for the movie. Lawrence describes using the book to shape her performance as Ree Dolly and drawing from her childhood growing up on a farm. “Winter’s Bone” won the dramatic competition grand jury prize at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, where it also secured distribution through Roadside Attractions. But Granik says the hardest test is yet to come: showing the film to the people in whose backyard the story is set.

An announcement will be made this week on the screening dates for Winter’s Bone in Springfield as well as West Plains, Branson and Fayetteville. Stay tuned!

From the 2010 Sundance Film Festival
Movie: Winter’s Bone
Directed by: Debra Granik
Written by: Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Dale Dickey, Garret Dillahunt, Sheryl Lee, Tate Taylor