Blog posting written by Shea Lynch, Documentary Studies ’13, FLEFF Intern, Glens Falls, New York

I would like to thank everyone that was apart of FLEFF 2013! 

It was one of the best years yet and we had one of the most engaged intern teams, both bloggers and interns. It’s time to say goodbye as I finish up my last semester here at Ithaca College. It has been a great three semesters for me and I’m glad that I got the opportunity to work alongside festival guests, fellow classmates and Dr. Zimmermann.

When I first started FLEFF, I was nervous. I didn’t really know what to expect. I was suddenly thrown into this world of independent media, complex foreign films and of course tabling! This was such a unique experience to my other classes that it became a breath of fresh air. I was forced to think differently and I was challenged to explore areas of film I was otherwise hesitant to touch.

I became a blogger my first year because I had never immersed myself in this style of writing; I didn’t even know it was a style of writing. Tags? Search Engine Optimization? I was still trying to figure out where to sit in the dining halls.

But with this leap of faith, I gained something valuable. I was able to focus my studies and really understand what I wanted to do after college. I understood the world of social interaction online and learned it takes much more than just posting on Facebook. Much like the films we were writing about, the process of pushing out new information was a complex, multi-layered process. 

When I first started school, I had no idea what I wanted to do. After interning for FLEFF for two semesters, I got a craving to learn more about social media. I took a class this semester about social media and then got hands on experience this semester with street teaming, Derive, and the collaboration with Engage Media. 

I now feel prepared and ready to start my path as a community manager for film festivals or museums. 

My Top FLEFF 2013 Films:

Amazon Gold

Children of Srikandi

Dear Governor Cuomo

Couples

Five Broken Cameras

Blog posting by Chloe Wilson, Television-Radio '14, Ashland Massachusetts, Festival Blogger

It’s hard to believe that FLEFF was only a week ago. It’s such a jam-packed week so, for me, it takes a long time to process all of the things I learned and all of the environments I became of part of.

FLEFF’s theme of mobilities stuck out to me this year.  It seemed that every event I attended transported me to a new culture, a new lifestyle, a new environment.  During this year’s FLEFF, I was a globetrotter. 

I travelled to the lands of South America with Dr. Phil McMichael’s talk about food sovereignty and the “global hunger games.”  I wove through the stories of Ugandan folklore when I spoke with Dominica Dipio about her film “Crafting the Bamasaba.” I was transported back to the Middle Ages with the amazing Carmina Burana performance. At Cinemapolis, I flitted between South Korea, China, Pakstan, and even upstate New York.

This has been my third time participating in FLEFF – my second as a blogger.  It seems that, no matter how many FLEFFs I attend, I will always keep learning.  Which, if you think about it, makes complete sense, since one of FLEFF’s goals is to promote interdisciplinary learning.

I had a lot of favorite moments from FLEFF this year.  What were some of yours?

Blog posting by Karly Placek, Documentary Studies and Production '15, FLEFF Social Media Manager, Monroe, Wisconsin 

I'm over in Williams 202 live blogging with Kelly Matheson, Program Manager for the Americas for Witness. She's about to discuss the TRUST  Campaign regarding climate change awareness.There's still time to join if you aren't here already. If you can't make it, here are some highlights! 

4:05 p.m. - Matheson discusses the main issues we, as inhabitants of Earth, face due to climate change. 

4:07 p.m. - UN predicts that by 2050, one in seven people will have to be relocated due to food and water shortages. 

4:15 p.m. - Matheson discusses the rights inherent to future generations - the concept of  "intergenerational justice." 

4:19 p.m. -  "We have a basic human right to a stable environment." 

4:21 p.m. -  Young environmentalists are urging the local and national government to adapt a Comprehensive Climate Recovery plan to protect the atmosphere - but it must be based on carbon science instead of carbon politics. 

4:25 p.m. -  One of the TRUST campaign videos is screened. It features Nelson Kanuk, an Alaskan teen suing the government for neglecting his basic human rights regarding environmental health. He and his family live a sustainable lifestyle and depend directly upon the environment for their food and resources. 

4:35 p.m. - There are two audiences for action campaign videos. One is the broad audience, who raise awareness on issues. The other audience is among the decision makers in governmental power - those who can make legal change. 

4:40 p.m. - "We try to go from close up shots to wide shots." This is about the individual as well as the world. 

4:45 p.m. - We watch another TRUST Campaign video. This time, Massachusetts teen Eshe Sherley is featured. She urges the  government to think about incorporating local and healthy food initiatives into public school systems. 

4:55 p.m. - The Public Trust Doctrine is everywhere - it is applicable in every sovereign state, whereas legislation such as the Clean Air Act is only recognized in certain areas. 

5:01 p.m. - Discussion of the NEPA Act - The government must know the social, environmental, and cultural consequences of acts regarding the environment. 

5:05 p.m. -  "A true listener listens with the willingness to help." - Eshe Sherley. Matheson remarks that this is one of the most important things she has learned. 

Much thanks to Kelly Matheson for an excellent presentation! I'm eager to learn more about environmental policies and what I can do to help. Check out Witness's TRUST Campaign for more information on how you can get involved. 

Blog post by Chloe Wilson, Television-Radio '14, FLEFF Blogger, Ashland, Massachusetts

Happy first day of FLEFF, everyone!

Filmmaker Jon Bowermaster will be bring his film "Dear Governor Cuomo" to FLEFF later this week. He was kind enough to answer some of my questions and give some insight into his film.  Read on for what to expect from "Dear Governor Cuomo"!

Chloe Wilson: For those who are unfamiliar, can you give a brief description of “Dear Governor Cuomo”?

 Blog posting written by Karly Placek, Documentary Studies and Production '15, FLEFF Social Media Manager, Monroe, Wisconsin 

Let the countdown begin!

 We are finally less than a week away from FLEFF and the excitement among the interns is too much to handle! We’ve been awaiting countless films, guest speakers, and once-in-a-lifetime presentations. I’m particularly excited for Carmina Burana, which debuts on Tuesday, April 2^nd at 8:15 p.m. in the Hockett performance hall. I recently had the chance to chat with Deborah Martin, professor and concert pianist for the performance. As a pianist myself, I found her insight especially inspiring. I can’t wait to see what surprises are in store for us next week!

 Karly Placek: Can you tell me about your previous experience with FLEFF?

Deborah Martin: This is my fourth year working with FLEFF. I first got involved because of my colleague Jairo Geronymo. We wanted to perform in a different style, so we decided to utilize two pianos instead of one for our creative presentations with FLEFF. Our first performance with two pianos was a lot of fun and huge success, so we decided to do it again and again!

 KP: What will be your role in this year’s performance?

DM: I’m playing one half of the piano part for Carmina Burana – and the piano parts are actually taking over the whole orchestral part in the piece. Sometimes, a composer will write music for two pianos because assembling an entire orchestra can be difficult. They’ll try out ideas using two pianos as to hear how certain pieces sound. Two pianos can almost cover what an entire orchestra can do.

 KP: Do you think Carmina Burana was a good selection for the performance this year?

DM: Definitely. We look for pieces that will be enjoyed by a broad audience, so it’s not just for people who are knowledgeable about music. Carmina is popular - it’s sung at football games! The texts were also written by college students hundreds of years ago. We thought that the connection between students today and in Medieval times was something good for the community to hear. Also, Carmina is a great piece to add visual media to. Not all music immediately makes you think visually, but Carmina does.

 KP: What’s your favorite part about the piece?

DM: It’s really fun to play! Not all pieces are enjoyable for a musician to practice and perform, but Carmina is. It’s extremely energetic at times but can also be extraordinarily beautiful.

 KP: What’s something new about this year that you are excited for?

DM: Well you’ve probably heard about the Trombone Troupe! We aren’t aware that this has ever been done before. There’s no reason trombones can’t cover the choral parts, so we’re substituting our Trombone Troupe for the role of a large chorus. I’m eager to see how the audience responds to this unusual substitution.

Much thanks to Deborah for her time and perspectives! Will you be attending Carmina Burana? 

Blog post written by Kristen Tomkowid, Journalism '15, FLEFF Blogger, Poughkeepsie, New York. 

 A few days ago, I had the privilege of talking with Ithaca College Associate TVR Professor and film maker John Scott. We talked about his involvement in FLEFF, both past and present.

Some background on John: He received his BFA in Film Production from Concordia University in 1990, his BA in Honors English from Dalhouse Universtiy in 1992 and his MFA in Film and Video Production from The University of Iowa in 1999. He has directed over a dozen independent documentary projects and one feature-length  documentary called The Scouts Are Cancelled. Some of John's more recent work will be shown at the upcoming FLEFF Kick-Off  on March 3rd. Below is a glimpse of our conversation together: 

Kristen Tomkowid: How did you get involved with FLEFF?

John Scott: I had a feature length documentary shown in FLEFF in 2008 and a short film in Upstate Shorts last year, but I've been going to FLEFF for years.

KT: What are you showing at the FLEFF Preview this year?

JS: One is a repeat of the short shown last year, One Art, which is part of a series of shorts based on Elizabeth Bishop poems. The other screening is of Notes on Liberty, a full length film made with his wife, Karen Rodriguez, in 2009, about a boys trip to the Statue of Liberty and how that contrasts the current immigration issues. I was always ambivalent to the Statue due to problems with immigration. I decided to make the movie because, for my son's fifth birthday, he wanted to go the Statue and I was divided about the trip. It has toured all over the world.

KT: Have you looked at this year's line-up of films?

JS:  I haven't really looked at it, yet, but I am going to try to see 5 Broken Cameras.

John's looking forward to see Emad Burnat's documentary. What are you looking forawrd to see at the festival?

Blog posting by Karly Placek, Documentary Studies and Production '15, FLEFF Social Media Manager, Monroe, Wisconsin 

The countdown is on. We are a little over a month away from FLEFF and the excitement among the blogging staff is palpable. 

Working as a Social Media Manager this year constantly keeps me on my toes. I'm always learning more about the personalities and passions of my fellow bloggers and my admiration for the team grows with each day. While we've only assembled as a team about two months ago, the feats we've accomplished and the bond we've created as a micro-community are truly remarkable. 

Our journey hasn't been easy. We've faced a few roadblocks with our flash mob strategies. In the beginning of the semester, we determined that many small, on-the-fly flash mobs would be effective in getting the word out about FLEFF. Theories often differ from practice. Upon hitting the streets and assembling for flash mobs, we discovered that careful planning and a larger amount of flash mob participants would actually be more beneficial. Spreading information on the streets via word of mouth does indeed work, but large, organized group events can work wonders. I've always believed that success is comprised of one part knowledge and two parts mistake. We've made some mistakes but we've learned immensely from them. We now have an arsenal of surprises for the public - so watch out! 

As the festival draws closer, I'm eager to see how the blogging staff and intern staff will collaborate together. On March 3rd, the entire staff's skills will be put to the test as we attend the Upstate Filmmakers Showcase  at downtown Ithaca's premiere movie theater,Cinemapolis. I hope all of the interns engage with other audience members and take advantage of the intellectually stimulating conversation that will take place. I have faith in the passion of my fellow interns and am expecting the showcase to be a moving experience! 

The road to come on our FLEFF 2013 adventure is sure to be bumpy - but our staff knows how to enjoy the ride. What are you eager to see the FLEFF interns overcome this year? 

 Blog posting written by Chloe Wilson, Television-Radio ’14, FLEFF Intern, Ashland, Massachusetts.

With all of the programming updates and excitement around the March 3^rd Kickoff Screening, it’s easy to get lost in this year’s festival.  And it hasn’t even started yet!

As a blogger who also documented last year’s festival, I think there are an equal amount of differences and similarities between this FLEFF and the last. Both themes are engaging (though in different ways) and encourage you to explore beyond the basic definitions we already know.

Last year’s theme of microtopias encouraged participants to discover what their personal environments are like, while this year’s theme of mobilities inspires us to travel through different microtopias to discover new worlds, perspectives, and art.

I didn’t realize the link between the FLEFF themes until recently, and I’d kick myself for being slow if I didn’t think that the link between the two themes was something to discover organically as opposed to it being thrust in your face. 

If you give yourself the time to sit and reflect about the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival, I’m willing to bet that there’s a lot you’re going to discover.

Have you given yourself time to reflect on FLEFF? What have you discovered?

 Blog posting written by Karly Placek, Documentary Studies and Production '15, FLEFF Social Media Manager, Monroe, Wisconsin 

This is a continuation of my interview with Enrico Aditjondro, writer/producer/content manager for EngageMedia and Jury for the Distributed Microtopias Exhibition. Please check out the first part of our interview where we discussed Null_Sets and the prize selection process here! 

Aditjondro shared some opinions on new media and secrets of working for EngageMedia, a major media hub based in Indonesia that focuses on human rights and environmental issues. 

Karly Placek: So EngageMedia allows voices from many different countries to be heard. How will - or is - EngageMedia changing the world? 

Enrico Aditjondro: We don't know whether we're changing the world or not yet. When people watch the videos, that's when true change begins. EngageMedia is about video distribution, not video production. A lot of people are producing videos but they're not being watched by the right people. The NGO's, organizations, and other activists are producing many videos - which is great, but they're only being watched by their fellow group members. Activist videos being watched by activists - we want to go further than that.

KP: And how do you go further?

EA: Well that's where  distribution, promotion, and making videos accessible to the right people comes into play. Sometimes getting your videos watched by five senators means a lot more than one million views from people in L.A. You have to know who you're targeting. EngageMedia is actually working with MIT to do research measuring video impact. Hopefully we can come up with a way to see exactly how a video impacts individual communities. 

KP: Where do you see the future of video distribution sites such as EngageMedia? 

EA: The future is mobile. Mobile internet, mobile phones. Everyone and everything is going mobile - which can be a bit difficult for us. We're independent, which means we make our own software that can be expensive. We're in the same arena with giant sites such as Youtube and Vimeo. All video sites have realized that people are producers now, not just users. If all of our producers are using mobile internet, we have to do that as well because that's where the future lies. However, at EngageMedia we remind ourselves that there are many great producers out there who lack computers. We want to help videos throughout places such as the indigenous communities in Borneo and Malaysia be distributed for others to see. We need to create various initiatives that can be used both online and offline.That's where mobile technology will help. 

Special thanks to Enrico Aditjondro for his time and insight. Do you agree with Aditjondro? Do you think the future is mobile? 

Blog posting written by Karly Placek, Documentary Studies and Production '15, FLEFF Social Media Manager, Monroe, Wisconsin

New media mogul Enrico Aditjondro thinks the future of media is mobile. Do you?

I was recently privileged to chat with Enrico Aditjondro, writer/producer/content manager for EngageMedia  in Indonesia. While it may be a winter wonderland in Ithaca, NY, it's rainy and hot lately in Jakarta. Aditjondro juried for the Distributed Microtopias Exhibition , which recently announced  Null Sets by Amy Szczepanski and Evan Meaney as the Jury Prize winner. I was eager to get the scoop on the exhibition prize selection process as well as the outlook on the future of new media. Enrico answered all of my questions and gave me more to think about regarding Mobilities. Check out part of our interview: 

Karly Placek: So why did you choose Null Sets for the Distributed Microtopias Exhibition Prize? Also, could you explain the selection process? 

Enrico Aditjondro: Well I collaborated with Dale [Hudson, exhibition curator] to analyze the work. Null Sets stood out because it found an interesting way to represent numbers and data visually. This project was trying to make numbers look cool and exciting, which is very hard to do! It also utilizes materials already online in places such as Google Libraries  which was what we were looking for as well. You want to create something new but there are a lot of resources already out there to utilize. 

KP: What impressed you the most about the overall work of the artists? 

EA: The artists had a tough topic to address. It's not every day you have to think about a subject like microtopias. It had to have been challenging for participants to come up with ideas. They all put in a large amount of work to make creative projects that addressed the idea differently and looked stunning visually. 

Coming Soon: Part Two of our interview, where we discuss EngageMedia and the rise of new media! 

 Blog posting written by Karly Placek, Documentary Studies and Production '15, FLEFF Blogger, Monroe, Wisconsin 

 Look down at your feet. 

Are they moving? In fact, when's the last time you stood up? Walked around? 

Sedentary lifestyles are becoming far too common. Even I spend most of my day sitting - in the classroom, at my desk, in my car. We are becoming immobile. 

Our children are stuck indoors while childhood obesity skyrockets. We want to go to the gym, but we're too busy with work. And after all, our cubicles only offer us 4 feet to pace around in. 

We need Mobilities now more than ever. Mobilities are what move us. Mobilities are a call to action . Mobilities are the pains in our rear that remind us that we need to get up and do. 

 This year at FLEFF, the movers and shakers of the world will assemble. Those who understand the dangers of an immobile world will unite. Voices from dGenerate Films ,  who specialize in  banned Chinese political films, will collaborate with the minds of Fulbright scholars from around the world. FLEFF creates a community for active  conversation, for moving ideas. We will not only get up, we will run to a sustainable, mobile future. 

FLEFF is mobile. 

Are you? 

 Blog posting by Karly Placek, Documentary Studies and Production '15, FLEFF Blogger, Monroe, Wisconsin 

Hey FLEFF fanatics, 

It's the year of Mobilities, so let's get moving! 

My name is Karly Placek and I'm pumped to be blogging and managing social media for FLEFF 2013! 

I'm a sophomore Documentary Studies and Production major with minors in Honors and Anthropology. 

This year is all about movement. Mobility has been a reoccurring theme in my life as I've traveled throughout most of the United States and a few other countries.  I even moved from my small farming town of  Monroe, Wisconsin to Ithaca, New York for college. I hope to continue moving throughout my life as I take my future career in documentary and new media overseas. 

I'm out to discover new ideas about the human relationship with the environment during FLEFF 2013. As president of the Ithaca College Animal Rights community organization,I'm extremely interested in our society's dependance on animals as resources. I can't wait to meet our eco-centric guests this year! 

I'm also excited about FLEFF's new partnership with EngageMedia, an international social justice and environmental awareness media forum. EngageMedia allows voices from countries such as Indonesia, Thailand and Papua New Guinea to speak out about local issues with global effects. I can't wait to learn more about international environmental issues and maybe even contribute a short video featuring issues happening in Ithaca.

 What environmental issues in Ithaca do you think need to be broadcasted internationally?