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

As a freshman, I was told by a professor to enjoy every minute of my college experience because it was going to be the fastest four years of my life. 

Nearly two years later, I've come to the conclusion that this is the truest piece of advice regarding my college years. Every semester seems to fly by faster than the last, and this spring was no exception. 

Only three and a half months ago I met the rest of the blogging staff for FLEFF and began to fully immerse myself in the festival. In this short amount of time, we've interviewed many talented artists, distributors, and intellectuals; conceived and performed flash mobs and street-team demonstrations; engaged personally with an international cohort of guests; and even produced international documentary shorts. It's also rumored that we were "the best blogging team FLEFF has ever seen," but I"ll leave that up for you to decide! 

I personally made many connections this year and was inspired by many professionals. I learned a lot about documentary and activism from conversations with Kelly Matheson , Sarah DuPont , and Liz Miller. I'm excited to see the future of social and environmental activist media and how incredible individuals (and maybe even myself!) will change the dialogue on the activist documentary.

Maintaining a leadership role on the blogging staff has been full of challenges this semester, but I had a team of hard-working individuals who were genuinely thrilled to be working with FLEFF. Our team overcame all obstacles and did so with zeal and passion. It's unfortunate to realize that I will never work with this exact blogging team again, but I'm thankful for all of the insight I've gained and the knowledge we've learned as a team. 

I can't believe I  can say I've already interned for two years with FLEFF - I still feel as if I'm just getting used to college! One thing's for sure: I value every moment spent working with FLEFF. I know that in two short years, I will not have the chance to be as involved and engaged with the incredible people, ideas, and media that have surrounded me for the past two years at the festival. A festival is nothing without people - and I've met some truly inspirational ones here at FLEFF. 

A million thank-you's to everyone involved in any way with FLEFF. "Mobilities" has been a great ride. 

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 post written by Amber Thibault, Cinema and Photography ’15, FLEFF Intern, Lewiston, Maine.

Repetition.

This is the idea behind Tomanari Nishikawa's film "Tokio-Ebisu" which explores the movement and repetition of people and trains on the Yamanote Line.

Nishikawa share with me his recollections of taking the Yamanote Line, the busiest train in Tokyo. This train runs on a loop and and arrives at a train station every two to three minutes. It is in observing this that he notice the repetition that inspired his film; a train would come every couple minutes and stopped in the exact same spot. He also observed that everyone on the platform knew exactly where it was going to stop so they would line up accordingly.

But the technical elements of filmmaking are more compelling to Nishikawa than the storyline.

Nishikawa: "You can tell a story through multiple ways, writing or speaking but film is unique in what you can do with it."

He experimented with exposing the camera to observe what was happening in front of it. Get shot was exposed 30 times! It is this that makes me excited to see it. I can't actually wrap my mind around what that would look like.

Nishikawa's love for the medium of film was apparent in our conversation and contributes to his style. Some of his works can be seen at his website, www.tomonarinishikawa.com

Cinemapolis will be screening his film "Tokio-Ebisu" as part of the Upstate Filmmaker's Showcase this Sunday, April 7th at 4pm.

This is Nishikawa's first time being a part of FLEFF and he was pleasantly surprised to find out FLEFF does not feature just environmental documentaries but has a a selection of non-narrative films as well.

What was your first impression of FLEFF?

Blog posting written by Erica Moriarty, Documentary Studies and Production ’16, FLEFF Intern, Houston, Texas 

Last night, Hockett Hall filled with the sounds of the medieval, the baroque and the 20^th century all at once with Ithaca College’s rendition of Carmina Burana, bringing the audience to their feet in the end.

I met with producer, Phil Wilde, after the show to gather his feelings on the concert.

The goal of the concert was to reinvent Carmina Burana. The producers accomplished this goal by incorporating visuals. In addition, the typically choral concert was done entirely by instruments, other than a few sung pieces.

“It took months of production,” said Phil with an exhausted, but proud look.

The material ties perfectly into FLEFF’s theme of Mobilities . The concert was able to tie in the movement of people, passions and environments with the use of the visual and harmonic.

Phil described the connection: “We took material from the 11^th and 12^th century and reimagined it in 2013 in a totally new way.”

Although the concert is over, FLEFF certainly is not. Many more concerts and films are to come in the next few days. In the words of Phil, “It’s just the beginning.”

Did you make it to Carmina Burana last night? Which was your favorite piece? 

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

Hey FLEFFers!

There have been tons of FLEFF events throughout the day but our first day of FLEFF is capping off with Dr. Phil McMichael's lecture "Food Sovereignty and the Global Hunger Games"!  Can't make it? No worries!  I'll be liveblogging the whole event for you!  Read on for more about the event.

6:59 PM - HUGE crowd for "Global Hunger Games!" There's a great mix of people here from all different sorts of backgrounds.

7:05 PM - People are still filing.  It's becoming a struggle to find seats!

7:06 PM - Dr. Phil McMichael is being introduced by a member of the Ithaca College faculty!  Dr. McMichael's lecture is sponsored both by FLEFF and Ithaca College's Department of Promotion and Physical Education.

7:07 PM - Ithaca College Provost Marisa Kelly is officially welcoming us to the 16th FLEFF! She's discussing the theme of mobilities and how mobilities (and FLEFF!) is an interdisciplinary event.

7:09 PM - Marisa Kelly on FLEFF: "By engaging guests from our region and through the world... FLEFF promotes the exploration of interdisciplinary and internationalism."

7:13 PM - Dr. Phil McMichael is finally starting his lecture! I'm so excited.

7:15 PM - Dr. McMichael is using political cartoons to explain the problems of food sovereignty. Dr. McMichael: "The people who have purchaisng power are the people who can command the types of crops to be produced."  

7:18 PM - Food fact: Livestock uses 1/3 of the world's land surface and 1/3 or arable land. Animal protein diet uses 16 times more farmland than plant protein diet. (I didn't expect those stats to be so high!)  

7:20 PM - The large amount of livestock also reduces forests - especially the Amazon Rainforest. Mangrove Forest was destroyed so companies could harvest aquaculture.

7:22 PM - This problem extends to the global fuel economy as well - especially since corn demand from U.S. ethanol distilleries doubled from 2006 to 2007. The use of politcal cartoons is really helpful!

7:26 PM - Dr. McMichael: "Half of all Guatemala's children under five are malnourished - one of the highest rates of nutrition in the world."

7:28 PM - Dr. McMichael: "What's being left out of the equation is that these lands are used for growing crops when they could be used for growing food to feed the world."

7:32 PM - There's a "new land grab" process that shows that 37% of land is grabbed for food, while 35% is for biofuels.

7:34 PM - States and corporations reclassify peasant/common land as "unproductive," "unused," or "idle" so it's available for purchase. 

7:36 PM - Consequences of land-grabbing: displacement of food crops, disposession of producers, a threat to the natural ecosystems, and many, many more.

7:39 PM - Much of this stems from the neoliberal agrarian crisis.

7:41 PM - Food sovereignty (idea that countries should have the right to determine their own food policy) is a product of the agrarian crisis. Quote from U.S. representative: "The idea that developing countries should feed themselves in an anachronism from a bygone era. They could better ensure their food security by relying on US agriculture."

7:45 PM - "The massive movement of food around the world is forcing the increased movement of people." 

7:46 PM - Food sovereignty represents a paradigm change in how food can and should be provisioned. It redefines food security from a trade and rights-based concept and practice.

7:50 PM - BOTTOM LINE: The question "for whose benefit?" is at least as important as the question "how to produce more?"

7:52 PM - And that's the end of the lecture! Dr. McMichael will now take audience questions.

7:54 PM - Great questions about subsidies from the front row!

7:55 PM - Dr. McMichael: "We need to change the way we view subsidies in America. Hopefully we see them shift in the future."

7:58 PM - Another great question about the development of third world countries' agriculture and their economic structures. How can we help?

8:00 PM - This is turning into a really interesting (and educational debate).

8:03 PM - A question about movements against land that can't be used for food.  Very interesting!  It's great that so many students who are familiar with the topic came to the lecture tonight! 

8:09 PM - Dr. McMichael: "There's something to be said for communities bringing local products into their economy, but it's a complicated issue - I'm sorry to be so gloomy!"

8:11 PM - An audience member asks Dr. McMichael about the connections between local food crises (like in Upstate New York), food banks, and how to understand it.

8:12 PM - Dr. McMichael: "I think beginning to connect the dots becomes a very powerful way to learn about how the system is organized. Recognizing how the food system is organized - even on a local level - is incredibly important... my task within that is to organize with several people at Cornell."

8:15 PM - The lecture officially ends!  Definitely a great lesson and discussion afterwards - everything that FLEFF is about!

Did you have a favorite moment of the lecture? Tell us about it in the comments!

Blog post written by Amber Thibault, Cinema and Photography ’15, FLEFF Intern, Lewiston, Maine.

Mansoor Behnam is a thinker. We spent the first half of our conversation on the sunny saturday afternoon talking about how his literature and theater background have been influential to his filmmaking. He's working on his Ph.D at Queens University with a major in Cultural Studies, letting his studies inform his filmmaking.

Last year, Behnam came to FLEFF as a graduate fellow and had a great time talking to people and engaging intellectually with other scholars. Coming this year, he is excited to continue to meet people and share ideas. 

Behnam "When you produce something, you really want to share it with people. I love the Q&A sessions afterwards."

When I ask him why he came back to FLEFF, Behnam said, "When you find wonderful people to be around, you just want to be around them more and more."

Behnam is initiating discussion this year, sharing three films with FLEFF.

In the first, "Organon", Behnam wanted to explore the idea of thinking while moving and how it relates to the human condition. He talked about when he moved to Canada he started taking evening walks again. Behnam used these walks to explore his place in time and space to really think about, "who I am and how can I build myself now?" 

Behnam is also sharing two films he co-produced: "Tango Flaneur" and "Cup of Coffee with Kafka" 

"Tango Flaneur" was produced by Behnam with his classmate at Queens University Lisa Elin Figge. Together they decided to take a look at people in urban space and urban culture. Within this space they present how it is more difficult for people with a disability to get around than for able-body people.

Behnam felt they "have to share that with other people so they can be awakened, so they can change reality."

"Cup of Coffee with Kafka" was produced by Behnam with his colleague Felipe Quetzalcoatl. They wanted to create space for a diverse voices about movement and transit. Behnam said "ideas move quickly, people move quickly" so they interviewed different people on this idea in order to create an objective presentation.

"Organon" and "Tango Flaneur" will be screened Thursday April 4th at Ithaca College in Roy Park School of Communications Rm. 273 at 2:35pm

"Cup of Coffee with Kafka" will be screened Thursday April 4th at Ithaca College in Williams Hall Rm. 202 at 5:25pm

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

I got the chance to speak with Ulises Mejias, a new media scholar who will be hosting a workshop at this year's FLEFF! He gave me the scoop on his work and what to expect this year. Read on for more!

Chloe Wilson: How are you involved with this year's FLEFF?

UM: I am part of the group of scholars and writers invited to participate in the festival. I'm going to be giving a talk on Monday about my book, Off the Network. On Friday, I will be giving a lab on alternate reality games, which are simulations that I have been conducting at SUNY Oswego (where I teach) for 4 years.

CW:What are your previous experiences with FLEFF?

UM: I have been involved in the festival before, and I always enjoy the opportunity to share my work and ideas with IC students. I am a Park graduate (BFA '94 and MS '99), so coming back is always a treat. FLEFF wasn't around when I was here, and I think it's a great forum for all of us to come together and learn from each other. It's quite a unique and intellectually stimulating environment.

CW: For those who are unfamiliar, can you describe your new media work?

UM: I guess my work falls under the rubric of "critical internet studies," which means I look at the impact of the internet from the perspective of what is know as "critical theory." In essence, I am interested in the question of how digital networks include and exclude modes and meanings of sociality. In my work, I engage in an examination of the network as a technological template for organizing and determining society, a template that increases participation while simultaneously also increasing certain forms of inequality.

CW: What will your workshop (Off the Network: Disrupting the Digital) be about?

UM: I'm going to be summarizing the argument I make in my book of that same title, which is coming out in June. In the book, I start by looking at how the science of networks informs the development of digital technologies. I then look at how the technologies inform the economics of participation in networks: what kinds of interactions are possible or impossible in terms of socialization, collaboration, activism, surveillance, and so on. I then propose a way to "unthink" the logic of the network, and explain why that might even be something we want to consider. Finally, I make a proposal for opening up spaces for imagining new identities and ways of relating to networking technologies.

CW: If you had to narrow it down to one reason, why should a FLEFFer attend the workshop?

UM: In order to have a healthy diet, you need to understand the basics of nutrition, not just eat what a corporation puts in front of you. Likewise, I am suggesting that in order to have a "healthy" relationship with the digital networks we use --from cell phones to social networking sites-- we need to understand the ingredients, and we need to understand how they interact to cause certain effects. 

CW: What is your interpretation of this year's FLEFF theme of Mobilities?

UM: What I like about FLEFF is how the theme is always open-ended, and how it takes actually takes shape through the various events and the interactions they create. To me, mobilities and immobilities suggests the affordances of technology: what they make possible, but also the opportunities they foreclose. Every technology puts something in motion, but it also arrests certain kinds of movements.

Make sure to stop by Mejias' workshop, Off the Network: Disrupting the Digital, on Monday, April 1st!

BIO OF ULISES MEJIAS:

Ulises A. Mejias is an Assistant Professor in the Communication Studies department at SUNY Oswego. He holds a doctorate in Technology and Education from Columbia University. He has published in various journals in his field, and recently co-authored a chapter in the book Activist Art in Social Justice Pedagogy about the use of alternate reality games as platforms for learning and activism. His book, Off the Network: Disrupting the Digital World is coming out in June 2013 from University of Minnesota Press. His research interests include critical Internet studies, network theory and science, philosophy and sociology of technology, and political economy of new media.

The closer we get to FLEFF, the more excited I get!  It also helps that more and more events are being announced everyday. It's exciting to guess what new films and guests will be at FLEFF, and what new experiences this year's FLEFF will offer.

I already posted about the Cinemapolis FLEFF films I can't wait to see, but the FLEFF on-campus schedule was released earlier this week and I am totally stoked about the slate of events!  They all are going to be amazing, but here are three that I'm incredibly excited to partake in:

1. Lecture: Food Sovereignty and the Global Hunger Games

Okay, so it's not the story with Katniss Everdeen, but this lecture by Dr. Phil McMichael is centered on an interesting topic that everyone can relate to. "Food sovereignty" refers to the right of peoples to create, define, and reform their own food systems, but with our culture's method of food production, it is difficult to share that power with the whole of the populace. Personally, I'm really excited to learn more about this topic - as well as my place within the global system - so I'm definitely not missing this one.

This lecture will be held on Monday, April 1st at 7 PM. Location TBD.

2. Workshop: Transmedia

FLEFF is a front-runner in regards to new media, so what better place to learn about the importance of transmedia and how this affects the future of the industry? This workshop will be facilitated by Ann Michel and Phil Wilde, the principals of the award-winning production firm Insights International, and led by artist Elizabeth Miller and researcher/professor Evan Meany. Based on Miller and Meany's work in the new media field, I'm sure they both will have fantastic insight into this new and rising field.

This workshop will be held on Wednesday, April 3 at 6:50 PM in Room 111 of the Park Business School.

3. Film: The Other Side of the Water

This film follows a group of immigrants as they reinvent traditional Haitian music (known as "rara")for the streets of Brooklyn, their new home.  It's a powerful mix of narrative of music that is unique to this documentary - it's definitely a film to see if you're interested in either artform. "The Other Side of the Water" also does a fantastic job portraying the Diaspora community in the New York area, making it both educational and entertaining.

This film will be screened on Tuesday, April 2nd at 1:10 PM in Room 281 of the Park School of Communications.

Be sure to check out the schedule on the homepage of the FLEFF website! What events are you excited for?

Blog post written by Amber Thibault, Cinema and Photography ’15, FLEFF Intern, Lewiston, Maine.

My apologizes for such a late response to this week's event. The week before break was crazy busy with work and getting myself ready to leave. I miss Ithaca but I'm happy to be home for the week with my family and to wrestle up some much need relaxation.

The kick-off event had a beautiful turn out! The line to get into the theater ran almost all the way down the hall! People stood, talked and munched on popcorn, all anxiously awaiting the opening of the doors to Cinema 5 and the start of our kick-off event. I talked to one guest who's daughter was interning. He said he was very proud of her and that he was looking forward to seeing the films.

It was heart-warming to see parents there supporting their interns. I'm from Maine so it's a little more difficult for my parents to be physically present at everything I do but I know they always are thinking of me and wishing me the best.

Seeing all of my fellow interns moving around Cinemapolis in our FLEFF shirts was a lot of fun. We seemed to swarm the theater with black and white. Every where I turned there was black and white, like a sea of penguins.

After I had found my seat, my friend and I were talking about Becky Lane's film "Hens and Chick" and a woman in front of us, Alicia, said "That was shot at my bed and breakfast! Are you film students? If you ever need somewhere that looks like a house, let me know. It's called Amazing Grace Bed and Breakfast. And spread the word!" She proceeded to give me her contact information. I thought it was very cool that at my first film festival event I was already making connections.

When the films started to roll and I experienced a sort of Wizard of Oz moment: beautiful colors after all that black and white! (If you're not familiar with the movie, there is a point when the movie goes from black and white to technicolor and was quite a spectacle for the film world at the time.) The most important part of the night was finally here. As the films played on the screen, I thought about how lucky I was to be see the work of Ithaca professors and other community filmmakers who's films can have rather exclusive showings.

Featured filmmakers (in order of appearance on the program):

     Jason Harrington showing "My Mind" and "Tree With Lights In It"

     Vincent Grenier showing "Armoire"

     John D. Scott showing "One Art" and "Notes On Liberty"

     Arturo Sinclair showing "The Half-Century Song"

     Becky Lane showing "Hens and Chicks" and "Happy Hour: The Chanticleer"

The works were an interesting collection. Some danced on the screen and others made you laugh while still others took you for a wild ride. Like any good film, all of them made you think in such a way that trying to explain them here would not do them justice. 

The talk back after spent a lot of time focused on the filmmakers opinions on the film and digital and their thoughts on the digital conversion. However, this was to be expect as the focus of the night was a fundraiser for the Cinemapolis digital conversion. 

I really enjoyed hearing what the filmmakers had to say about this conversion. I first heard about the conversion from a friend of mine who is not a film major but works at a cinema and is definitely what you would call a film junkie. Now, since the transition is so close, it's interesting to see how the dialog as begun to penetrate my conversations at Ithaca.

Now that you've heard what my favorite part of the night was, I'm interested to know what your favorite part of the evening was?

Blog post written by Amber Thibault, Cinema and Photography ’15, FLEFF Intern, Lewiston, Maine.

I was doing homework in my dorm, listening to Carmina Burana and, all of a sudden I started to feel uneasy. I didn't know why. I lifted my foot that was dangling off the bed and tucked it under me, preventing the monster from my childhood from snatching my foot and dragging me under the bed for a snack. I felt like something was creeping up on me. I looked behind me, nothing there. What was this feeling? I looked to my door expecting someone to barge in. Nothing. Why was I feeling like this? Then the cymbals crashed and thousands of men on horse charged into my room! 

Ok, that part did actually happen but if Carmina Burana can evoke that powerful of a feeling in me through the weak speakers of my computer just imagine what it can do to an audience member during a live concert! 

Carmina Burana is an exciting and dangerous sounding piece of music that evokes all types of emotions in it's listeners. Written by Carl Orff and based on poems and dramatic texts written by medieval student vagabonds were fed up with the Catholic Church and spoke out against all authority! You can feel their angst, anger, sweat and tears as tiptoed around Fate and his games. Come with them on their journey to climb to the highest heights and swim to the deepest depths. You won't be disappointed.

If you are a music fanatic or just someone who appreciates good music, the Carmina Burana concert is the FLEFF event for you! Featuring sixteen trombones, a baritone singer, a flautist, and a violinist, this is going to be arguably the most adventure filled night at FLEFF!

How can this be? Classical music isn't fun…or is it? What has been your experience with classical music in the past?

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

This isn't your typical "wheel of fortune."

One of the major events of FLEFF's programming is the performance of Carmina Burana - a cantata that consists of medieval poetry (written in Latin) set to music composed in the later 1930s.  If you haven't heard it, I definitely recommend listening to it - it's a moving set of pieces (you've probably heard parts of it before) that are powerful and beautiful to listen to.

As somebody who has a background in classical music, I always enjoy getting the chance to explore new pieces of music.  When I sat down to listen to Carmina Burana, I was surprised with how familiar I already was with some of the music.  "O Fortuna!" is probably the most recognizable piece from the cantata.

I loved all of the music, but what I find most interesting about Carmina Burana is the symbolism behind the piece.  Carmina Burana is about the Wheel of Fortune - a medieval, philosophical concept that shows the cycle of life as a wheel.  At one moment, a person may be at the top.  At another, a person may be at the bottom.

This is reflected prominently in the music with how the melodies and volumes change throughout Carmina Burana.  I found the cantata to be easy to listen to because of this, and it's a piece that definitely consumes your attention.

You can listen to the full cantata here, and I definitely recommend doing so.

I'm excited for the FLEFF performance because instead of a full chorus, there will be brass instruments - like saxophones and trombones.  Have you listened to Carmina Burana yet? 

Blog post written by Amber Thibault, Cinema and Photography ’15, FLEFF Intern, Lewiston, Maine. 

This past week, I had the privilege of interviewing Becky Lane. Becky Lane is a part time TVR professor at the Roy H. Park School of Communications. She has submitted two works to next week's March 3rd kick-off event happening THIS SUNDAY at Cinemapolis! The event starts at 4pm and tickets are $8. 

Now a little bit from Becky Lane...

Amber Thibault: How did you hear about FLEFF?

Becky Lane: Ithaca is my home so I've followed FLEFF from it's inception. When Karen Rodriguez, the curator of the Upstate Filmmakers Showcase, program invited me to present my work, I was honored. Ithaca College has been an instrumental part of my education as a filmmaker, and I was so excited to become a part of FLEFF and screen alongside the other fantastic pieces.

AT: What is your project that you are presenting at the March 3rd kick-off event?

BL: Well I'm actually presenting two works "Hens and Chicks" and "Happy Hour."

AT: Can you tell me a little bit about those films?

BL: "Hens and Chicks" is a family film about a young girl who is a sperm donor offspring who begins to question who her father is. "Happy Hour" is teaser for a dramatic series I'm working on entitled "The Chanticleer." It's set in 1955 and one of the storylines involves underground gay and lesbian culture.

AT: I know there is going to be a whole collection of different types of works at the event this on March 3rd. Can you tell me about the kind of work you are presenting?

BL: Well, "Hens and Chicks" is a short film while "Happy Hour" is a more of a performance piece with dance and music. It tells a story about how two women make a connection that only they can see, reflecting the invisibility that was required at that time period. The series that follows will have a broader scope, reflecting the cultural and political shifts occurring at that time period, which were significant. The goal is to have distribution with some episodes exclusively made for the web.

AT: What made you interested in doing films like these? 

BL: I like to portray strong women characters, families and gender and sexualties that are usually unrepresented, misunderstood, and/or not favorable. In the first film, Hens and Chicks, I wanted to show that there are different types of well-adjusted families. For "Happy Hour" I wanted to highlight the oppression many people faced then [during the mid-twenty century in regard to their sexuality]. in regard to their sexuality]. People are resilient, though, and will find ways to live their lives the way they want. I wanted to honor that. I see these women as courageous and subversive.

Having already been aware of the suppression of women during this time period, I am anxious to see Becky Lane's physical representation of these circumstances. Also, having been involved in theater before coming to college, I can't help but loving the melding of dance and music to create an emotionally charged scene. I hope you all found this interview as intriguing as I did. Please come out and support Becky Lane and all the other filmmakers as we raise money to help Cinemapolis with it's conversion from film to digital. 

One final question: What interests YOU most about Becky Lane's projects?

Blog posting written by Erica Moriarty, Documentary Studies and Production '16, FLEFF Intern, Houston, Texas

This Sunday, March 3^rd, FLEFF will kickoff at Cinemapolis with The Upstate Filmmaker's Showcase, including two pieces by Ithaca College’s very own Jason Harrington.

Jason Harrington is a professor in Cinema, Photography and the Media Arts. While obtaining his undergraduate degree in film, he discovered filmmaking as a way to combine his previous experience in other forms of art.

“I discovered the filmmaking process allows me to put all of what I’m doing with music, painting and sculpture and allows me to put them together. Filmmaking is just this composite medium that I can do everything together,” Jason said.

After realizing the amalgam of filmmaking, he began using more and more animation. At the showcase, he plans to show two of his older animated films, The Tree With the Lights in It and My Mind. 

Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek inspired Jason to create The Tree With the Lights in It. In the book, a chapter called Seeing stuck with him. The chapter discusses the different ways in which we learn to see and how what we learn influences what we see in the world. Specifically, the chapter uses a case study of people who have cataract surgery to see.

“There’s a line in the book where the doctor takes this girl’s bandages off and leads her into a garden. She sees the tree and she sees it as full of light. I love that image of the tree being filled with light. It struck me. Then, I went with the notion of the tree and took it a step further and made it about ancestry and perception,” described Jason.  

His other piece, My Mind, explores a poem he wrote while living in Queens in a tiny apartment. Living in such a giant metropolis, yet confined to this small space, he wanted to explore the concept of scale.  

Jason commented, “My Mind is about this butterfly girl who represents the imagination. She goes on this journey which basically illustrates how she can go anywhere she wants. With your mind you can go and do whatever you want. Otherwise, you’re grounded and stuck in the same place.”

He completely hand drew My Mind, using a crosshatch style. Despite the challenging work, he finally finished the film after three years. On the other hand, The Tree With the Lights in It took about a year, incorporating a layering technique focusing on movement, design, composition and texture.

Each piece represents FLEFF’s idea of mobilities in a unique way. How do you feel that Jason’s work incorporates the idea of mobility? 

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

Getting excited for the FLEFF March 3rd Kickoff Screening? I know I am! I'm even more excited for the screening after getting the chance to speak with Karen Rodriguez, the curator for this year's screening.  Read on to learn about the purpose of the screening, the filmmakers you can expect to meet, and the works you can expect to see!

Chloe Wilson: For those who aren't very familiar with FLEFF, can you give a quick description about what this year's Kickoff Screening is for?

Karen Rodriguez: This screening is for two things.  It starts the FLEFF season is comprised of films that have already been screened at FLEFF in the past years and that are made by local filmmakers. The second reason is that it’s a also a fundraiser for Cinemapolis.  The theater is in the process of transitioning to digital projection and we’re helping to raise money for them for their purchases of new digital projectors.

CW: Are the filmmakers from the entirety of upstate New York or specifically Ithaca?

KR: Some of them are faculty at IC, some of them are faculty at other colleges in the areas - like Hobart and William Smith Colleges.  It’s an opportunity to highlight local filmmakers and to get the FLEFF season off to a start.

CW: As the curator of this year's screening, can you tell me about your role in organizing this event?

KR: As the curator, I look at work and talk to people about what is new, what do they have available to be screened. Then once I have a list of potential films, I try to choose films that work together and that compliment each other as well as show diversity in the subject matter and also in the approach.  Then I coordinate information and such – working with the filmmakers and figuring out how to get the files from them to Cinemapolis.  I also contacted Leah Shafer and I asked her to moderate the discussion after the screening.

CW: Each year, FLEFF has a new theme, and this year it's mobilities.  Does the Kickoff Screening also have a theme?

KR: I didn’t choose a theme for the screening.  I think there are some approaches or stylistic approaches that have emerged from this group and I think there’s a strong emphasis on the visual overall, but there is no explicit theme.

 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 Erica Moriarty, Documentary Studies and Production '16, FLEFF Intern, Houston, Texas

Just by opening a laptop, we are presented data with the goal of processing that data into information. But what happens in between during that process?

More importantly, what gets lost?

Null_Sets looks at the gap between data and information. The data is represented in the computer, or the quantities. The information is the more human aspect – how we interpret data.

Alongside Evan Meaney, Amy Szczepanski took on a new project to explore this gap between data and information. As Shawn explained in the previous part, Null_Sets takes a text as data and turns it into a jpeg image file. The project is a new form of art that puts large-scale data through an aesthetic lens. However, computer coding is the backbone behind this project.

Essentially, the team takes the 0s and 1s that is data to computers and translates it as the image instead of the text. According to the project’s website, you can see Hamlet as a jpeg and find meaning with the literature’s computer code. One could say the pictures look at how we interpret what the computer does.

However, looking at the image does not solve the question Shawn posed. Instead, new questions arise. When the computer translates the data, does it become information? Or is information only valid when we interpret it?

What do you think? When does your data truly become information? 

Blog posting written by Erica Moriarty, Documentary Studies '16, FLEFF Intern, Houston, Texas 

She’s no artist.

In fact, her background is in mathematics and computer science. However, Amy Szczepanski, a professor at the University of Tennessee, helped mobilize the different worlds of visual arts and computer science last year when she won the Jury Prize in FLEFF’s Distributed Microtopias Exhibition .

Szczepanski and Meaney joined forces to produce the award winning Null_Sets, a project that explores the gap between data and information using digital images. According to Szczepanski, the idea for the project stemmed from an interest in combining large computing with Meaney’s work in the visual arts.

Szczepanski said, “The pictures look at how we interpret what the computer does.”

She went on to explain that the project takes the 0s and 1s the computer uses to understand data and looks at it from pictures instead of text. The data that is represented by a computer is numbers in quantity. Null_Sets makes the information more human by interpreting it in an aesthetically pleasing way through images.

The project looks at several ideas, including the gap between data and information. In looking at this gap, the idea of the glitch particularly interested the pair.  

“The glitch looks at what went wrong in computing,” explained Szczepanski. “By understanding the glitch, we get a better sense of how things should be.”

Now, Szczepanski continues to look at what went wrong through the collaboration of different areas of expertise. She utilizes this year's theme of mobilities by moving between multiple areas of expertise to make a collaboration. Through her persistent work on Null_Sets, she mobilizes the discussion of artists and scientists everywhere. 

In addition, Null_Sets physically moves. Through coding, text moves into images, creating a true representation of the movement of people, ideas, objects and environments. 

Blog posting written by Chloe Wilson, Television-Radio '14, FLEFF Blogger, Ashland, Massachusetts.

If you haven't gotten the chance to check out FLEFF's Distributed Microtopias Exhibition, I highly recommend you do so!  It's a great collection of media that explores the world in new ways.

Over the weekend, I got the chance to talk to Ezra Wube, one of FLEFF's featured exhibition artists. Two of his pieces, Hidar and Mela, are featured in the Distributed Microtopias Exhibition.

Here are some quick quotes from Wube in regards to himself, his work and his thoughts on FLEFF.

On his artistic style: "I was trained in painting as an undergraduate, and in graduate school I got really interested in video and photography and performance - so my work is generally a combination. Usually [my work] is hand-painted or drawn and it's a performance in how I'm documenting my progress in life."

On Hidar's inspiration: "It's based on a piece of literature - the Fikir Eske Mekabir. I'm always trying to find a way to keep my past together with the present, so it's like bringing this book - I was really inspired by a chapter of it.  It's like bringing a way of communication to life."

On how he relates to FLEFF's theme of mobilities: "I'm originally from Ethiopia and now I live in the U.S., I'm always in this back and forth between here and there so most of my work reflects the idea of mobility or movement. Like the difference between home and your always continued flow."

Definitely check out Wube's work on the FLEFF website - and also on his online portfolio!  Which one of his works is your favorite?

Blog posting written by Andrew Ronald, Film, Photography & Visual Arts '15, FLEFF Intern, Mahopac, New York

Knowledge. Exploration. Imagination.

These are all elements of the Distributed Microtopias Exhibition here at the 16th annual Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival. And there was one artist in particular who stood out to me: Shambhavi Kaul. Her piece entitled Scene 32 is a part of the exhibition.

And rightfully so. Shot in both high-definition video and 16mm film, the sound of subtle winds accompany various shots of mesmerizing textures, patterns, and remote locations. It is very moving in the sense that it invites the audience to experience ephemeral moments and reflect upon them for a munch longer time. The editing strategy is even structured in such a way to promote an overt, yet fluid transition from one moment to the next. 

Scene 32 truly encompasses the idea of mobilities.

I happened to stumble upon this video as well for some commentary from the artist herself about the piece, but I am also attempting to set up a Skype interview session with Kaul sometime later this week where I will be able to ask her a whole lot more! Stay tuned!

How does Scene 32 make you feel?

Blog posting written by Dorothea Hinman, Cinema and Photography, '15, FLEFF Intern, Rochester, New York. 

Art, in all its forms, is movement. I dare you to come up with one form of art that does not encompass movement.  

A hand needs to drag the paintbrush across the canvas. A singer needs her vocal cords to vibrate in order to create a melody. A movie needs a projector to crank the 35mm film fast enough to transform still images to a "moving" picture. A ballet dancer needs all his muscles to engage in tandem in order to soar gracefully through the air.  

Art is movement. 

It may never be clear what exactly I will do in my life. What I am moving toward. But one thing was always certain: art would be involved. Whether this be through FLEFF, which has given me a step forward in my professional path; whether it be the world wide influences such as the Fulbright scholars from Africa and Sarah Dupont with Amazon Gold that will be present at this year's festival, or whether it be the conversations I will hopefully be lucky enough to engage in with people like Kevin Lee from dGenerate films, movement will always continue be a part of my life. Just as art will always continue to be a part of my life.

What art form of movement do you engage in?

Blog posting written by Chloe Wilson, Television-Radio '14, FLEFF Blogger, Ashland, Massachusetts.

When I was a freshman in high school, I got bitten by the travel bug.

With the People to People Student Ambassador Program, I travelled to Australia to discover an entire new culture.  I stayed with a host family, got to snorkel through the Great Barrier Reef, and hike around Uluru - considered by many to be an unofficial wonder of the world.

After that, all of the money I earned from part-time jobs went to travel - whether it was a class trip to Germany or gas money so I could drive to visit my friend a few towns over, I loved travelling and I loved being mobile.  

The ability to explore - which I think is inherent to this year's theme of mobilities - is something a lot of people take for granted.  Many people in countries all over the world do not have access to things that seem commonplace to us - public transportation, well-paved roads, government access to leave and enter countries freely.  

FLEFF allows artists, scholars, interns, and all other attendees to be mobile.  Physically, FLEFF is an international festival that brings people of many cultures together.  Intellectually, ideas at FLEFF travel from person to person and at the festival's end, they travel to the homes of all who attended. 

Being mobile allows us to explore other places while sharing our knowledge. FLEFF's theme of mobilities gives us the opportunity to explore that this year.  

What are your thoughts about this year's theme of mobilities?

Blog posting written by Shawn Steiner, Film, Photography, and Visual Arts ’13, FLEFF Intern, Elkridge, Maryland

Have you ever geotagged a photograph?

I do it all the time! 

Some artists even do the opposite. Nate Larson and Marin Shindelman took photos to go with the location of the tweets that caption the photographs. Geolocation is an incredible “tribute to the data stream,” as they call it.

It calls into question the idea of place and movement.

Movement today is different. Smoother. Less physical. In one second we can receive a message from the other side of the world. We can actually be in another place in real time.

But, what does all this mean?

It means that we can go wherever we want at any time. We can go to Flickr and travel to a beach in Costa Rica. All from the comfort of our bedrooms. And, if you close the curtains, you may be able to forget that it is snowing here in Ithaca, NY.

Mobilities explores this idea. FLEFF brings people and ideas from all around the world to transport the attendees to all around the world. The Distributed Microtopias Exhibition brings together work from India, Ethiopia, the United States, Iraq, and plenty others. And that’s just one thing.

I hope I can make it to Latin America with a little help from FLEFF.

Where do you want to travel? 

Blog posting written by Andrew Ronald, Film, Photography & Visual Arts '15, FLEFF Intern, Mahopac, New York

Cinema is moving. 

Usually at twenty-four frames per second for all you filmmaker enthusiasts out there (putting Peter Jackson's attempt at innovation aside.) But nonetheless, the statement remains valid.

Cinema has the ability to transcend space and time. Spark social rebellion. Create dynamic cultures. Truly change how people see the world. 

And hey, isn't this why they call them motion pictures in the first place?

But festivals are just as mobile. FLEFF is no exception as it gathers heterogeneous ideas and cultivates people, ideas, exchanges, businesses and, of course, films together. It is a hodgepodge of artistry and commercialism. A reflection upon the historical birth of cinema to today's Oscar-nominated films. A widespread connection between internationally foreign films to the ones made in your own hometown.

The concept behind mobilities is meant to explore the actual movement of people, ideas, and things, as well as the broader implications behind these movements.

And FLEFF is the perfect vehicle to explore what is mobile.

Blog posting written by Dorothea Hinman, Cinema and Photography, '15, FLEFF Intern, Rochester, New York. 

Greetings, FLEFF world!

I, Dorothea Hinman, am a sophomore at Ithaca College studying Cinema and Photography with a concentration in screenwriting. A theater minor is also in the works. I come from a small town outside Rochester, NY, and this is my first time on the FLEFF Blogging team! In fact, it is my first year of involvement in the festival, and I cannot wait to take the first step in my own personal FLEFF narrative. 

Speaking of movement, this year's theme is "mobilities." Not only is this theme pertinent to the films and environmental issues at the forefront of the festival, it speaks to me on a personal level. A large reason I am so excited to be involved in FLEFF is the professional opportunity it gives me. I see it as an open door into the professional world surrounding film festivals, conversation and networking. 

Beyond a personal prevalence, the theme of mobilities resurfaces in all of the aspects of this year's sixteenth annual festival. Whether this be our partnership with EngageMedia or the Dérive app, an innovative urban exploration application, or flash mobs, (coming to a food court near you!) FLEFF is about creating a movement of conversation about environmental issues in Ithaca and around the world. How will you help progress the FLEFF movement forward?