Blog posting written by Abby Sophir, Television-Radio ’14, FLEFF Intern, St. Louis, MO

It is hard to believe that FLEFF week has come and gone! Now that I’ve had some time to let the week sink in, several ideas from the films and panels stick out in my mind. 

One of these is the question: How does one film in another country without exploiting the native people?

Both Rodrigo Bellott, casting director of Even the Rain, and Jeremy Levine, director of Good Fortune, offered insight into this question. 

In Even the Rain, the extras that were cast were from Bolivia, where the film takes place, and many had fought in the water wars themselves. Rather than a bunch of foreigners coming in and telling the Bolivian’s how to portray what happened, the filmmakers listened to what the natives had to say. The director incorporated these people’s ideas and personal experiences into the film to make it more realistic and more of a collaborative effort. 

Another thing Bellott mentioned that really caught my attention was that these extras did not want to be paid with cash for their work on the film. Rather, they believed that everyone in the community should benefit-- since those who weren’t acting had to compensate for the childcare and work of those who were. They asked the filmmakers to pay for a water well and other things that would benefit the community as a whole. The people of Cochabamba value community above all else and it was crucial that the film crew respect this request.

After the screening of Good Fortune, directer Jeremy Levine also talked about maintaing good relationships within a community where you are filming. Especially in a circumstance like the one in Kenya, where American companies were coming in and robbing the people of their water, the filmmakers has to be extra careful not to exploit the community and become one of the “bad guys”. In order to do this, they kept their crew extremely small, usually only two people, to eliminate any intimidation factor. They also got the community members involved, having them hold boom microphones and ask questions to those being interviewed. 

The sensitivity these filmmakers paid to the local peoples and culture created environments of trust. Without this mutual respect, the production of these extremely powerful films would not have been possible.

Blog posting written by Abby Sophir, Television/Radio '14, FLEFF Intern, St. Louis, Missouri.

A big thanks to Lindsay Harrop for the Live Blog of the "How to Get Your Break" panel! And of course to Karin Chien, Tina Mabry, Rodrigo Bellott and Rodrigo Brandao for a very down-to-earth, fun and informational panel. While I highly suggest reading Lindsay's blog if you have the time, for those of you in a hurry, here's a more pithy version of the advice these professionals had to give.

1. It takes determination, focus and self-motivation to move up in the industry. Even if you’re working for free printing scripts and getting coffee, don’t take the easy way out. 

2. Don’t ASK for favors, MAKE favors. In other words, make people owe you favors.

3. Going into the television industry we are told NETWORK. NETWORK. NETWORK. But this does not mean waving your business card in everyone’s face. It is about making genuine connections. 

4. Be knowledgeable about the industry, films, directors, etc. Know what’s going on. 

5. Don’t underestimate the importance of the business aspect of film and TV. 

Tiny Mabry's film Mississippi Damned will be showing for a second time tomorrow at 4:10 PM. I saw a showing tonight and it was fabulous! Rodrigo Bellott's film Even the Rain about water wars in Bolivia will also show for a second time tomorrow at 7:30 PM. Make sure to get to Cinemapolis early, it sold on on Thursday night! Karin Chien's award-winning film Disorder will also show tomorrow at 2:10! 

Don't miss out on these great opportunities to watch provoking films followed by intimate discussions with the directors!

Blog posting written by Lindsay Harrop, Cinema & Photography '13, FLEFF Intern, McMinnville, Oregon

Even the Rain just finished screening and I have to say that is was AMAZING. A great film and one that I'm so glad I got to see on the big screen. We had a Q&A with casting director (and IC alum!) Rodrigo Bellott after the screening. Here are some highlights from the Q&A:

A: Would you call it a docu-drama?
RB: Yeah but everything was re-created... Daniel was part of the Gas Wars, not the Water Wars. He's not a trained actor. In the original screenplay his character is forty but we adjusted the screenplay to fit this actor. Belen is from the community. So is Theresa.

A: How did you pay the indigenous people?
RB: We asked them how they wanted to get paid. They said they didn't want money. For them, this is a community thing. They wanted things that benefited the community. So we're building schools, we got them a road truck, that sort of thing.

A: How did you become a casting director after graduating from IC?
RB: I still don't know what the hell is going on. I'm also a filmmaker and made a film right after graduation called "Sexual Dependency," which was Bolivia's official Oscar entry for 2004. For some random reasons Terrence Mallick saw this in Berlin. From there Steven Soderbergh saw it and asked me to help him cast "Che." I had no idea how to cast a film. But Benecio Del Toro got Best Actor at Cannes and Stephen said, "Be careful, you're going to be casting a lot of other films."

Rodrigo also talked about the process of casting the actor who played Daniel, saying that he couldn't find the right person for the script. Eventually, he found Juan Carlos Aduviri, a nonprofessional actor who had been part of the Gas Wars. A lot of the extras in the film were people involved in the actual Water Wars in Bolivia. Rodrigo said, "This is there film... We were lucky to have the real people involved in these events."

This was a SOLD OUT screening, so thanks to everyone who showed up! Rodrigo Bellott will be on campus tomorrow (Friday, April 15) as part of the "How to Get Your Break" Panel at 4:00 in Williams 225. If you missed tonight, "Even the Rain" will be screening again Saturday, April 16 at 7:10.

Blog was written by Kelsey Greene, Documentary Studies and Production, '13, FLEFF intern, Buffalo, New York 

On Friday, April 15, a panel will be held at 4 p.m. in Williams 225 called How to Get Your Break.  This event is one everyone, I repeat everyone should try and make.  Leading media artists, Rodrigo Brandao, Rodrigo Bellott, Tina Marbry, and Karin Chien will be present to discuss insightful information and tips on what one should do to well, "get their break" in the media industry.  Ithaca College professor Steve Gordon will be moderating the panel.  The event is free and will be time well spent!  Mark your calendars and don't miss it!