VF15 FEATURE SCREENWRITING COMPETITION - SPRING SEMI-FINALISTS ANNOUNCED!

DOMANI VISION FILM SOCIETY proudly congratulates its VISIONFEST
2015 Feature Screenwriting Competition - Spring Phase Semi-Finalists
(listed alphabetically by title)

SPRING PHASE SEMI-FINALISTS
CAN'T MUMBAI ME LOVE by Andrew Abdou
GALAPAGOS by Lukas Hassel
THE INSIGNIFICANT OTHER by Pat Streater
LOOKIN' UP by Marvin Kaplan
SILENCE by Dylan Phillips

These semi-finalists will be vying for a "finalist" position against the Winter Phase semi-finalists listed here below:

WINTER PHASE SEMI-FINALISTS
OUTSIDE MERIDIAN by Martin Ponferrada
SOLE CAPTAIN by Wernher Ovalle
SPOOKED by Scott Ruane
TAKE MY WIFE by Linda Algazi
WHAT LIES BEYOND THINE CUBICLE by Jonas Pachuski

ON APRIL 20, 2015
5 Finalists will be announced and invited to attend VF15 for an opportunity to qualify as the top three feature screenplays of 2015

The 2015 Feature Screenwriting Competition is co-sponsored by InkTip
Award package includes:

InkTip Script Listing: A listing of your script on InkTip so that producers and reps can find you

InkTip Magazine: Publication of your logline in InkTip's bi-monthly publication sent to 4000+ producers, agents, and managers.

VF15 ANNOUNCES PARTIAL LINE-UP

VISIONFEST will kick off 15th anniversary run on May 13, 2015

with New York Premiere of DESERT CATHEDRAL

Mob comedy ALTO unveils as festival’s ‘Centerpiece Screening’ on May 15th

May 17:  FRANK VS. GOD showdown is Official Closing Night Selection!

 

New York City – March 13, 2015 – VISIONFEST 15: THE OTHER FESTIVAL (VF15) is letting some early cats out of the bag this year!  Traditionally announcing its official line-up about a month before the start of the event, the film festival, which has been dubbed ‘the American Classic’ and is widely renowned and respected throughout the U.S. for its quality programming, is officially announcing some of the titles already locked into key slots exactly two months prior to the start of the event.  Running May 13 thru May 17 at Tribeca Cinemas (corner of Laight and Varick Streets in New York City), VF15, whose mission to “promote domestic filmmaking” is supported and propelled by its organizing entity, the Domani Vision Film Society, a not-for-profit arts & culture organization, this year celebrates its fifteenth annual outing with a powerful and very diverse lineup of some of the finest American indie films on the festival circuit today.

Beginning with its “Official Opening Night Selection,” DESERT CATHEDRAL, the haunting debut feature from Travis Gutierrez Senger, VF15 explores more thematic paths and genre shifts than ever before.  In this opening night feature, a broken real estate developer, played by Lee Tergesen (Oz, Generation Kill, Monster), mysteriously disappears into the Southwest in 1992, leaving behind a series of VHS tapes to his employer and family. Without the aid of the police, his desperate wife hires a private investigator, played by Chaske Spencer (The Twilight Saga), to locate his whereabouts and bring him home.  When asked about the Selection Committee’s decision to include the film in this year’s line-up, VF15 co-director and programmer, Bruno Derlin stated: “How one film manages to keep you on the edge of your seat and, at the same time, pace itself with some of the most breathtaking and eloquently paced visual poetry you’ll ever see is beyond me.  This is the work of a true visionary.  We are so proud to be able to celebrate our fifteenth anniversary with such beautiful work.”

The “Special Centerpiece Selection” this year is reserved for ALTO, another debut feature in a completely different genre.  Here, writer-director Mikki del Monaco blends improbable love, the mob, and family non-conformity in a comedic tale whose tagline boasts “Two Girls. One Gun. The Mob. Because coming out to family is hard. But coming out to ‘family’ is funny.”  VF15 co-director and co-programmer, Frank Lewallen, called the film as “a breath of fresh air.  It’s clear to me that everyone in this movie had a blast making it and the love, passion, and dedication for the project are all too evident on the screen.”  The film, which features vibrant turns by Diana DeGarmo (American Idol) and Natalie Knepp (Orange Is The New Black), also stars Annabella Sciorra (The Sopranos, Don Peyote – she is also billed here as one of the producers).

“Official Closing Night Selection,” FRANK VS. GOD, by Stewart Schill (Big Time Rush, Charmed) offers a perfect blend of comedy, drama, and existentialism.  After his house is destroyed by a tornado (what his insurance company deems an "act of God"), former hotshot lawyer David Frank, played immaculately by Henry Ian Cusick (Lost, Hitman, Scandal) is determined that someone must pay. He decides to serve God... with a lawsuit.  VF15 producer, Jana Frindtova shared that:  “Films like this one make all the work we put into this festival worthwhile.  I laughed. I cried. I laughed again and cried from laughing so hard, but ultimately, I was entertained above and beyond anything that the local multiplex can offer these days.  I think everyone should see this film.  It says so much without ever preaching.  It stays with you long after the end credits have rolled.”

On the ‘short subjects’ front, VF15 has already secured screening rights to Chris King’s BIRTHDAY, one of the most highly acclaimed and anticipated shorts on the film festival circuit this year, screening at the Tribeca Film Festival prior to making its way to VF15.  Also already confirmed in the line-up of shorts:  William Speruzzi’s THE EXAM, Brian Dilg’s DOUBLE NEGATIVE, and VF alum, Jeremiah Kipp’s THE MINIONS.  These last three filmmakers all collaborated on one another’s projects as part of a special New York City filmmaking collective known as the 3x3 Project.  Also confirmed at press time, John Mattiuzzi's animated ZEROGON, fresh from its recent Slamdance Film Festival premiere.

VF15’s complete line-up will be announced in the next few weeks and tickets will be going on sale in early April. – www.visionfest.com


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Last Chance to Submit Film or Screenplay is Today!

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Be part of the 15th Anniversary Celebration of the East Coast's First Domestic Film Festival

VF15 ANNOUNCES FEATURE SCRIPT WINTER SEMI-FINALISTS

Domani Vision Film Society proudly congratulates its VISIONFEST 15

FEATURE SCREENWRITING COMPETITION SEMI-FINALISTS

(listed alphabetically by title)

OUTSIDE MERIDIAN by Martin Ponferrada
SOLE CAPTAIN by Wernher Ovalle
SPOOKED by Scott Ruane
TAKE MY WIFE by Linda Algazi
WHAT LIES BEYOND THINE CUBICLE by Jonas Pachuski


These semi-finalists will be vying for a "finalist" position against the Spring Phase semi-finalists, which will be announced on approximately April 13, 2015.  5 Finalists will then be announced and invited to attend VF15 for an opportunity to qualify as the top three feature screenplays of 2015

The 2015 Feature Screenwriting Competition is co-sponsored by InkTip
Award package includes:

InkTip Script Listing: A listing of your script on InkTip so that producers and reps can find you.

InkTip Magazine: Publication of your logline in InkTip's bi-monthly publication sent to 4000+ producers, agents, and managers.


 SUBMISSIONS FOR SPRING PHASE ARE STILL OPEN - CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT TODAY!

IN VISIONARY NEWS...

Chris King's BIRTHDAY gets early wishes.

(Images courtesy of Watermark Films)

In an unprecedented move for VisionFest (VF), the 2015 Domani Vision Film Society Pre-Selection & Programming Committee has decided to reveal to VF alum Chris King that the short subject, BIRTHDAY, the filmmaker's VF15 submission, has already been locked into the film festival's 15th anniversary line-up.  The festival traditionally reveals its official line-up about a month prior to the event's opening night, but in an effort to get the conversation rolling on its social media forums and to build momentum, VF has bent its own rules a little bit and proclaimed its very first "Official Selection" for the upcoming event. 

"This is a special year for us," said VF producer Jana Frindtova, "we're celebrating our fifteenth year and when you get an amazing submission from a festival alum who manages to get better with every film he makes, it's a no-brainier that sooner or later you'll be sending him an acceptance letter, so we figured sooner would give him and his crew a chance to start their celebration earlier."  Festival Co-Director and Programmer, Bruno Derlin, commented on the move, stating that:  "At an age when communication needs to happen faster than ever, as consumers turn to social media and online news outlets to get info that is 'trending,' you come across a film like BIRTHDAY, you start clanging those pans nice and loud.  We want to make sure people are aware we'll be first to unveil this film in New York. It's an important film. We're giving it the exclusive showing it deserves."

Writer-Director, Chris King, returns to VF for the fifth time, with four IVA (Independent Vision Award) wins under his belt for two of the five shorts he shared at past editions of VF.  Both of those shorts (RACHEL and HAPPINESS) won top honors for their lead actors (respectively Kelly Nixon and Sierra Hersek), with the latter film also taking home the top prize as the year's Best Short.  King's new short, BIRTHDAY, is about a severely wounded Marine and his wife, coming home for the first time following months of surgeries and rehabilitation. It is a powerful, realistic and dignified depiction of what it is like for our severely wounded soldiers and their spouses as they face enormously difficult times ahead.  The film is quickly racking up accolades and film festival invitations, and with the current success of AMERICAN SNIPER, which has ignited new found interest in heartfelt stories of our soldiers fighting abroad and coming home, it's destined to become one of the most talked about shorts in the film festival circuit this year.

VF is a presenting sponsor of new 3 People Like This Podcast Too

The Domani Vision Film Society Board of Trustees has approved full affiliation with the new comedy podcast, 3 People Like This Podcast Too, which is a re-launch of the already successful show, 3 People Like This Podcast, a 30-minute, satirical talk show about pop culture and social media trends, boasting a Facebook page with well over 15,000 "likes" and a Twitter account with close to 13,000 followers.  The new show, which is hosted by VF's own, Bruno Derlin, together with stand-up comic and satirical blogger, Mike Ricca, is set to kick off weekly 30-minute episodes in early February. Episodes will be available as free downloads via iTunes and some other Premium Online outlets providing comedic content.  The new, updated version of the program will consist of a very loose, laid back format, where the two hosts chat about current events, pop culture, and their own personal views on life, peppered with occasional guest appearances by other comics and surprise guests. The overall vibe and editorial style will be very familiar to anyone who followed the show throughout the 18 episodes originally posted last year, but absent from the weekly line-up is actor-comedian, TJ Stone, who will be re-entering the podcast scene shortly with his own new entry, THE TJ STONE SHOW, which will also feature the collaborative efforts of Bruno Derlin.

Join Us on the 'Freeway' Submit Today!

VF15 has joined forces with

SUBMIT YOUR WORK TODAY!

VISIONFEST 15: THE OTHER FESTIVAL is proud to announce its new submission forum for 2015.  By clicking on the "Film Freeway" logo above, you can go directly to our new submission page for films and/or screenplays to submit to this year's edition of VISIONFEST.

Use the code VF2015ONE and receive a 15% discount on your submission fee through Feb 1.

Submit today and save!

Visionfest partner InkTip member and InkTip writer join forces!

InkTip member & horror director Eduardo Sánchez (The Blair Witch Project) hooked up with InkTip writer Jamie Nash for: Exists.  Lionsgate releases the found footage pic today. http://inktip.com/article_single.php?a_id=101