The JSF Blog

Press Release: The Journal of Short Film Releases Volume 15

2009-06-30T09:19:00.002-04:00

for immediate release

The Journal of Short Film releases Volume 15

(June 30, 2009) The Journal of Short Film released Volume 15 today. The JSF is a quarterly DVD that, to date, has published over 150 filmmakers from over a dozen countries.

Volume 15 includes a head-spinning variety of experimental, documentary, narrative, and animated work. The collection traverses territory from Guyana to Hiroshima and from young romance to gritty survival.

Here is the complete list:

1. CHIQUITITA AND THE SOFT ESCAPE – Michael Robinson (2003, 10:00) Twin attempts at structuring images of home and loved ones suffer a gentle breakdown in the face of the romantic. 2. HYACINTHE – Lydia Moyer (2008, 7:48) A poetic investigation into the invisibility of loss as it plays out on the landscape of an infamous tragedy. 3. BULB IN THE HEAD – Melika Bass (2006, 5:00) An earthen fairy tale. A feast for the living. 4. A PASTRY SHOP AND A RAINY STREET – Bruce McKaig (2006, 3:00) An investigational film silently observing a woman and a city as they morph in and out of each other. 5. DIGITAL UNDERPANTS – Matt Meindl (2008, 1:30) A manic collage of teenage love notes and exploding hearts. 6. RECYCLE – Vasco Lucas Nunes and Ondi Timoner (2006, 6:00) Media That Matters presents: A portrait of a day in the life of Miguel Diaz in the hilly Los Angeles neighborhood of Echo Park. 7. 200,000 PHANTOMS – Jean-Gabriel Périot (2007, 10:00) Hiroshima’s 20th century history is charted through 600 photographs of the Genbaku Dome.

The Journal continues to have a free and open submissions process. Submissions should be sent to The JSF, PO Box 8217, Columbus, OH 43201, USA. The Journal remains ad-free and committed to independent and underrepresented work.

Contact: Karl Mechem, publisher, The Journal of Short Film, contact (at) theJSF.org.

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VOLUME 15 To Be Released June 30!

2009-06-10T09:39:00.002-04:00

Mark your calendars. The next great collection will be reaching mailboxes by the end of the month. We’ll keep you in suspense for a little while inre the roster of great films on Vol.15. Plus, more news coming soon. Perhaps even some back office news; yes, we’ve been busy, we just haven’t been sharing. Will fill you in soon.

The JSF and Terrence Malick Now Have Something in Common

2009-06-10T09:39:00.001-04:00

This blog has reached a truly Malickian frequency, huh? But Malick is awesome, right? Cool? Cool.

Press Release: The Journal of Short Film Releases Volume 14

2009-04-07T11:55:00.002-04:00

for immediate release

The Journal of Short Film releases Volume 14

(April 7, 2009) The Journal of Short Film released Volume 14 today. This volume—subtitled “Selections from the Art & Tech Residency Program at the Wexner Center for the Arts”—is a stunning collection of work by some of our leading filmmakers.

Since 1989, the Art & Technology residency program, part of the Media Arts department at the Wexner Center for the Arts, has provided in-kind, post-production support for over 250 artists working in film and video. Volume 14 represents some of the highlights from the program’s past 10 years. Art & Tech has been a sanctuary for artists who are looking for creative support (sometimes technical, sometimes creative, and often both) and an environment that encourages experimentation and welcomes the technical challenges that so often result.

Volume 14 takes you from Bolivia to Oz, from 1969 to an anxious timelessness, from tragedy to comedy, and from Iraq to a famous men’s bathroom in Mansfield, OH. The collection is a smashup of forms and aesthetics that bends the mind with its eclecticism yet reveals hints of cross-pollination and connections between artistic processes.

Here is the complete list:

1. Jem Cohen - Blessed are the Dreams of Men (2005, 9:17)
2. Andrés Denegri - Uyuni (2005, 8:08)
3. Natasha Spencer - The House She Flew In On: The Video (2002, 2:48)
4. Joe Sola and Will Eno - Watercolor (2006, 4:13)
5. William E. Jones - Mansfield 1962 (2005, 9:29)
6. Vanalyne Green - Saddle Sores (1998, 19:45)
7. Kelly Reichardt - Travis (2004, 11:46)
8. Deborah Stratman - The Magician’s House (2007, 5:45)
9. Leah Gilliam - Apeshit (1999, 6:23)
10. Sam Green - lot 63 grave c (2005, 9:47)
11. K8 Hardy and Wynne Greenwood - New Report, Artist Unknown (2006, 16:26)

The Journal continues to have a free and open submissions process. Submissions should be sent to The JSF, PO Box 8217, Columbus, OH, 43201, USA. The Journal remains ad-free and committed to independent and underrepresented work.

Contact: Karl Mechem, publisher, The Journal of Short Film, contact (at) theJSF.org.

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VOLUME 14 To Be Released April 4!

2009-03-26T13:56:00.003-04:00

The long-awaited and much-murmured-about Volume 14 is a swelling wave that will break upon your shores on April 4th. The wave has gotten higher and higher with every rumor and with every name leaked. Okay, now the metaphor is starting to sound threatening; anyway, just know that Vol.14 will seriously sweep you away.

We were going to withhold the list of artists included on Vol.14 until the 4th, but someone in the office got overheated and went ahead and posted them on the website. So we’ll let you navigate over there if you want a sneak peak.

Volume 14 is subtitled “Selections from the Art & Tech Residency Program at the Wexner Center for the Arts.” Curated by Jennifer Lange and Paul Hill at the Wexner Center, the collection is a stunning body of work from some of our leading filmmakers.

More news to come.

Volume 14 Coming Soon!

2009-02-27T14:17:00.002-05:00

Volume 14 has gesticulated a bit longer than most of our volumes, but it will be released soon! We will save the big reveal for later, but be forewarned: you will be impressed. The lineup on Vol.14 is spectacular.

Obviously this blog went a little dormant this winter. But a thaw is on the horizon, and we foresee a lot more action in the next few months. We’ll have plenty of news to report, screenings to promote, ideas to share, and all the rest. While winter and recession are bad for getting out of the house, they’re often good for art, and we’ve been talking to a lot of filmmakers who’ve been busy all winter. It’s gonna be a good spring!

Speaking of keeping track of people, we now have a JSF group on Facebook, if you’re interested. Find it HERE.

Press Release: The Journal of Short Film Releases Volume 13 (Fall 2008)

2008-12-09T14:57:00.003-05:00

for immediate release

The Journal of Short Film releases Volume 13 (Fall 2008)

(December 9, 2008) The Journal of Short Film released Volume 13 (Fall 2008) today. The JSF is a quarterly DVD that, to date, has published over 140 filmmakers from 12 countries. With its thirteenth volume, the JSF has officially come of age. Its place as one of the greatest repositories of short films has been assured.

Volume 13 continues the Journal’s tradition of genre-leaping and eclecticism. Well known festival hits sit next to more underground works. Themes of family history and the uncertainties of youth begin to emerge, but, in the end, the volume’s only unifying quality is the films’ excellence.

Here is the complete list:

1. MY OLYMPIC SUMMER – Daniel Robin (2007, 13:00) Combining suspense with hollowed out nostalgia, my olympic summer is about mothers, fathers, internal and exterior events, ultimately evoking a lyrical truth rather then literal accuracy. 2. CORNER DELANCEY – Neil Ira Needleman (2008, 8:00) A rare disease brings a father and son closer together—even as it pushes them further apart. 3. THE SON OF SAMSONITE – Mike Olenick (2002, 9:33) Composed of memories of other images, The Son of Samsonite is filled with irony and black humor, puns and pop songs, and a troubled relationship unfolding amongst disasters. 4. BY MODERN MEASURE – Matthew Lessner (2006, 5:50) An amateur French sociologist presents his observations on a day in the life of two young Americans who meet by chance outside a Taco Bell. 5. THE GREETING FROM MY MOTHER – Katja Straub (2007, 12:00) The Greeting From My Mother traces the sublime and almost invisible bonds of motherhood, daughterhood, and sisterhood over "one hundred years and two world wars." 6. THE ASTRUM ARGENTUM – Jon Behrens (2006, 6:00) It is mostly a hand-painted and step-printed film. I also created the sound design for this film.

The Journal continues to have a free and open submissions process. Submissions should be sent to The JSF, PO Box 8217, Columbus, OH 43201, USA. The Journal remains ad-free and committed to independent and underrepresented work.

Contact: Karl Mechem, publisher, The Journal of Short Film, contact (at) theJSF.org.

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SCREENINGS: Neil Ira Needleman, Cecelia Condit; now!

2008-09-10T15:49:00.002-04:00

We obviously can’t mention every screening by every JSF alum, seeing as how there are 130+ of them, but every now and then we try to highlight a couple. So take a break from politics, hurricanes, the kids, network season premieres, and tuberculosis scares and head out to these venues to see some great work. Or chase these people down online.
Neil Ira Needleman (JSF, Vol.2) continues to screen all over the world, including many new festivals this fall. Boston, Argentina, Washington, Israel, you name it. For the complete schedule and to see samples of his work, visit www.neilneedleman.com.
Cecelia Condit (JSF, Vol.12) is basking in a solo exhibition at the CUE Art Foundation in NYC right now. For more details, visit www.cueartfoundation.org.

Press Release: The Journal of Short Film Releases Volume 12 (Summer 2008)

2008-08-19T12:44:00.006-04:00

for immediate release

(August 19, 2008) The Journal of Short Film released Volume 12 (Summer 2008) today. The JSF is a quarterly DVD that, to date, has published over 130 filmmakers from 12 countries. Volume 12 is another example of the JSF’s genre-leaping collections of the world’s best short films.

The Journal was thrilled to have Steven Bognar serve as a guest editor on Volume 12. Most recently, Steven’s feature documentary “A Lion in the House” (along with Julia Reichert) made waves in 2006, landed on many top ten lists, and continues to tour the world. (Visit http://www.lioninthehouse.com)

Volume 12 also benefited from another great relationship: that between the JSF and the Media That Matters Film Festival. Three of the documentaries on Vol. 12 come from the ranks of its winners. Every year, Media That Matters showcases the best short films on social issues and, online and in communities around the world, connects activism to film. (Visit http://www.mediathatmattersfest.org)

But Vol. 12 has more than just documentaries, of course. Half of the films are narratives, several are experimental, and at least one includes a stop-motion animated piece of bread “following his heart.” As always, some of the films are major festival winners, and some are ones you won’t see anywhere else. Here is the complete list:

1. DRAKE – Christoph Rainer (2006, 5:00) “Visually striking, appealingly radical, and painfully recognisable!”--Ronald Simons, Rotterdam Film Festival 2. SUNBEAM HUNTER – Jonathan Schwartz (2006, 3:00) From 33 1/3 Series (an album of eleven 'in-camera' 16mm films), with the sound following, echoing. 3. THE SECOND LINE – John Magary (2007, 20:00) After MacArthur's savings are stolen from his FEMA trailer, he and his cousin Natt take work gutting a house. 4. GARBAGE DREAMS – Mai Iskander (2007, 8:00) Media That Matters presents: Egypt’s resident garbage recyclers, the Zaballeen are struggling as Cairo modernizes its waste disposal system. 5. MAN – Myna Joseph (2007, 15:00) Maggie and her sister form an unusual bond during an encounter with a young man. 6. HOMESLICE – Dan Olsen (2007, 10:30) BE YOURSELF! ALL OF THE TIME! 7. REVIEW – Jenny Perlin (2004, 2:25) This silent animated film connects a daily experience of tragic news with a subsequent escape into cinematic entertainment. 8. ON THE ASSASSINATION OF THE PRESIDENT – Adam Keker (2008, 6:00) This top-secret government file is to be viewed only in the event of the President's death by assassination. 9. A VERY SMALL TRILOGY OF LONELINESS – Bogdan George Apetri (2006, 7:00) Three vignettes look upon the same moment in time. A single moment, three people, the same feeling. 10. A GIRL LIKE ME – Kiri Davis (2006, 7:00) Media That Matters presents: Color is more than skin deep for young African-American women struggling to define themselves. 11. SOMETHING OTHER THAN OTHER – Jerry A. Henry and Andrea J. Chia (2005, 7:00) Media That Matters presents: Jerry and Andrea have endured their share of discrimination and have higher hopes for their newborn son. 12. ANNIE LLOYD – Cecelia Condit (2008, 17:45) A daughter’s intimate portrayal of the creativity and wisdom of old age.

The Journal continues to have a free and open submissions process. Submissions should be sent to The JSF, PO Box 8217, Columbus, OH 43201, USA. The Journal remains ad-free and committed to independent and underrepresented work.

Contact: Karl Mechem, publisher, The Journal of Short Film, contact (at) theJSF.org.

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Review: Volume 11, The Portland Volume

2008-07-08T14:10:00.002-04:00

Erik Henriksen gave Vol.11 a nice review in the Portland Mercury last week. Check it out HERE. Its only shortcoming was in failing to mention Karl Lind, our guest editor, Portland fixer, and NE-side luminary. (Read Karl's blog HERE.)

Press release: JSF releases Vol.11, The Portland Volume

2008-05-20T19:41:00.004-04:00

for immediate release

The Journal of Short Film releases Volume 11 (Spring 2008), The Portland Volume

The Journal of Short Film released Volume 11 (Spring 2008) this week. Vol.11 is the long-awaited Portland Volume, featuring 24 filmmakers from Portland, Oregon. The JSF is a quarterly DVD that, to date, has published over 120 filmmakers from 10 countries.

The Journal was thrilled to have Portland filmmaker Karl Lind serve as guest editor for Vol.11. The collection maintains the JSF's normal wild diversity while highlighting one of the most singular, lively art scenes in the country. This is the Journal's first geographically themed volume, and, through Lind's work and Portland's amazing depth of talent, the result is impressive.

Following is a list of the films in Volume 11:

1.SPHERES Jeremy Bird (1:00) 2.TO WATCH IN PREPARATION OF THE DEEP FALL Mack McFarland (1:30) 3.THE FOREST John Bacone (3:00) 4.COSMOS Randy Wakerlin (4:30) 5.BLOBSQUATCH Carl Diehl (3:30) 6.SILENCE IN 60 SECONDS Andy Mingo (1:15) 7.STRATEGERY Jim Lowry (2:30) 8.PLANET EARTH: OUR RESPONSE Arman Bohn (10:00) 9.LITTLE ATOMIC BOMB Adam Long (2:00) 10.TO WATCH WHILE SMELLING SUMMER Mack McFarland (1:30) 11.DARKCLOUD Gretchen Hogue (1:00) 12.LE PUZZLE Uli Beutter (5:00) 13.FOREST OF THE FLOWERS Gretchen Hogue (2:00) 14.3 OUT OF 4 Stephen Slappe (00:45) 15.STEVE WINWOOD IS HUNGRY FOR BREAKFAST Jesse England (1:45) 16.TEST ANTHEM Michael Paulus (3:30) 17.50 YEARS LATER Matt McCormick (3:00) 18.ROPPONGI CROSSING Brian Libby (3:00) 19.BEN: A TRUE STORY Melanie Brown (4:00) 20.TWO Hart Ryan Noecker (4:45) 21.KEITH Evan Stroum (6:00) 22.VERTIGO CORE SAMPLE Ron Mason Gassaway (3:00) 23.FURNESS Cat Tyc (6:00) 24.TO REMEMBER THAT OUR SKIES ARE THE SAME SKIES Chris Lael Larson (2:30) 25.MAGIC HOSTESS, THE ELECTRIC CAN OPENER Rob Tyler (4:00) 26.CIRCLE OF PURITY Liz Haley (2:00)

The Journal continues to have a free and open submissions process. Submissions should be sent to The JSF, PO Box 8217, Columbus, OH 43201, USA. The Journal also remains ad-free and committed to independent and underrepresented work.

Contact: Karl Mechem, publisher, The Journal of Short Film, contact (at) theJSF.org.

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Pangea Day

2008-05-06T19:17:00.004-04:00

As most of you know, the Pangea Day screenings are happening all over the world this Saturday. The project is led by Jehane Noujaim and involves an afternoon of international film, live music, and other fun stuff. We wanted to plug our local event--led by JSF comrade Kenny Ruffin--here in Columbus: see details HERE. You can also watch the event online and on Current TV.

UPCOMING JSF EVENT: NWFC, Portland, OR, 5/28/08

2008-04-23T14:14:00.010-04:00

We know Volume 11 hasn't been released yet and is just an itchy figment of your imagination right now, but that's all about to change. Vol.11 will be the Journal's first geographically themed collection, highlighting the filmmaking hotspot that is Portland, OR. It will be released in May, but the big news of the dayis that the volume will premiere at the Northwest Film Center in Portland.

THE DETAILS: May 28th, 7:00 PM, Whitsell Auditorium, NWFC, Portland, OR.

Portland filmmaker Karl Lind has been essential in the creation of Volume 11 and got the ball rolling on the premiere, as well. Thanks go to him and to the folks at the NWFC.
The screening will include: SPHERES by Jeremy Bird ; TO WATCH IN PREPARATION OF THE DEEP FALL by Mack McFarland ; THE FOREST by John Bacone ; COSMOS by Randy Wakerlin ; BLOBSQUATCH by Carl Diehl ; SILENCE IN 60 SECONDS by Andy Mingo ; STRATEGERY by Jim Lowry ; PLANET EARTH: OUR RESPONSE by Arman Bohn ; LITTLE ATOMIC BOMB by Adam Long ; TO WATCH WHILE SMELLING SUMMER by Mack McFarland ; DARKCLOUD by Gretchen Hogue ; LE PUZZLE by Uli Beutter ; FOREST OF THE FLOWERS by Gretchen Hogue ; 3 OUT OF 4 by Stephen Slappe ; STEVE WINWOOD IS HUNGRY FOR BREAKFAST by Jesse England ; TEST ANTHEM by Michael Paulus ; 50 YEARS LATER by Matt McCormick ; ROPPONGI CROSSING by Brian Libby ; BEN: A TRUE STORY by Melanie Brown ; TWO HART by Ryan Noecker ; KEITH by Evan Stroum ; VERTIGO CORE SAMPLE by Ron Mason Gassaway ; FURNESS by Cat Tyc ; TO REMEMBER THAT OUR SKIES ARE THE SAME SKIES by Chris Lael Larson ; MAGIC HOSTESS, THE ELECTRIC CAN OPENER by Rob Tyler ; CIRCLE OF PURITY by Liz Haley. (100 min)
Buy tickets HERE.

SCREENING: Potter-Belmar Labs, Western Tour, May '08

2008-04-22T08:53:00.000-04:00

How can film & video predict your future? When it's created right in front of you, that's how. Join Potter-Belmar Labs (Leslie Raymond and Jason Jay Stevens, JSF, Vol.1) for their traveling improvised cinema show as they perform audience fortune-tellings in motion & sound.

Catch "Fortune" in Roswell, Albuquerque, Venice, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco, Eugene, Portland, and Seattle on dates throughout the month of May. Go to their website for details, including venues and times.

SCREENING: Sasha Waters Freyer, Madison, WI, Apr. 4

2008-03-20T13:46:00.002-04:00

Sasha’s (JSF, Vol.10) new documentary is screening at the Wisconsin Film Festival on Friday, 4/4, at 7pm. It’s called This American Gothic and is “a history of one of the most famous paintings in the world and a quirky portrait of Eldon, Iowa, population 998, site of the house that inspired it.” The hour-long film explores not just the painting as a symbol but the deep and sometimes strange [my word] importance of rural America to the national identity. For more info and to watch a trailer, visit her website.

Press release: The Journal of Short Film Releases Volume 10 (Winter 2008)

2008-02-19T11:00:00.003-05:00

for immediate release

Columbus, OH (February 19, 2008) The Journal of Short Film released Volume 10 (Winter 2008) today. The JSF is a quarterly DVD magazine of today’s best, peer-reviewed short films. To date, the JSF has published over 100 filmmakers from 10 countries.

Volume 10 lives up to the Journal’s reputation for diversity, with three of its films coming from Eastern Europe and half of its filmmakers being women. As always, the collection contains most genres of film, including narrative, documentary, experimental, animation, and, for the first time, 3-D film.

Following is a list of the films in Volume 10:

1. CONVERSION – Nanobah Becker (2006, 9:00) CONVERSION portrays a Christian missionary’s dubious influence over a little girl and her family in the remote Navajo desert, circa 1950. 2. GUM AND TEA – EE Miller and Samuael Topiary (2005, 4:45) A collaborative meditation on intimacy and U.S. currency. 3. MILKY WAY – Ivana Mladenovic [Romania] (2006, 10:00) While Romania enters the E.U., Titinel and Mihai, two shepherds, live by their own rules in the outskirts of Bucharest. 4. PAPER – Elliot Blanchard (2006, 2:00) A man wakes up to unexpected new guests—and they have their own ideas about who should be in charge. 5. SCENIC HIGHWAY – Evan Mather (2007, 17:00) Baton Rouge’s colorful history is exposed in this darkly affectionate memoir. 6. HOME – Paul Negoescu [Romania] (2007, 14:00) On Christmas Eve, a taxi driver takes home a man returning from working abroad. 7. SISTER CITIES [3D] – Joe Merrell (2006, 10:15) Non-local awareness on a 3D walk through Los Angeles. 8. PAINTER OF THE LAND – Joel Fendelman (2004, 8:00) A glance at a man of a dying culture of farmers and how he uses the earth as his canvas. 9. WAR NEXT DOOR – Péter Politzer [Hungary] (2005, 10:00) It is Christmas night. The war is already raging in the neighboring city. 10. A WILD BEETLE CHASE – Sarah Jackson (2007, 13:10) Dr. Ivie searches for a beetle in Italy and shows that failure is just another step in the process. 11. HER HEART IS WASHED IN WATER AND THEN WEIGHED – Sasha Waters (2006, 12:45) When you die, everything you know disappears. A love letter to the abject beauty of human frailty. In three short acts.

The Journal continues to have a free and open submissions process. Submissions should be sent to The JSF, PO Box 8217, Columbus, OH 43201, USA. The Journal remains ad-free and committed to independent and underrepresented work.

Contact: Karl Mechem, publisher, The Journal of Short Film, contact@theJSF.org

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SCREENING: Joe Merrell, NYC, January 2008

2007-12-20T15:28:00.000-05:00

Joe Merrell, our man in L.A. and JSF double-hitter (Vol.1, Vol.10), is having his work screened in the East Village in NYC in January. The venue is a sidewalk on 19 1st Avenue. The storefront at that spot is home to East Village Radio and its glassed-in DJ booth. During January, Ceci Moss, who does a show on Tuesday nights (10pm-12am) called “Radio Heart,” will be showing some of Joe’s work in the booth. Her program is an eclectic mix of music that can be heard on the street in front of the booth, streamed online, and through podcasts. If you’re in the neighborhood, stop by and check out the mirrored radio station and Joe’s work. Explore EVR here, and see the booth here.

SCREENING: JSF at the Detroit Film Center, 12/29

2007-12-20T15:26:00.000-05:00

December’s DFC A/V show featuring the JSF includes Volume 3, followed by musical guests Rough Satellites, w/video accompaniment by Natasha Beste. Volume 3 is a great collection with a more-than-normal amount of humor. Check out the complete listing on the website.

Production note

2007-12-20T15:16:00.000-05:00

Okay, as some of you might’ve guessed, we’re running slightly behind around here. Volume 10 was a little slow to collate, and the blog is clearly neglected. But we’ve turned a corner, and we’re charging into 2008 with new plans for world domination, . . . . or at least subversion. Happy holidays, and we hope everyone gets the arm bands we’ve sent.

SCREENING: JSF at the Detroit Film Center, 11/24

2007-11-21T14:03:00.000-05:00

The next installment of the JSF screening at the esteemed DFC is happening this Saturday. Along with are special musical guests The Space Band. It should be a smashing show (film #11 is actually called “Demolition 7,” by Richie Sherman). Rumor has it the publisher will be in attendance. Feel free to hand him screeners if you’d like to submit to the Journal. For a list of the films, check out the listing in the left frame for Volume 2.

SCREENING(S): JSF at the Detroit Film Center, 10/27, 11/24, etc.

2007-10-18T16:05:00.000-04:00

Brandon Walley up at the Detroit Film Center has programmed the Journal into the DFC’s A/V Club, resulting in a series of screenings to happen on the last Saturday of each month. The first installment will happen on Sat., Oct.27th, and will feature the screening of the full-length Volume 1 of the Journal PLUS live music and projection from local renegade noisemakers, The Eagles Club. If you haven’t seen Vol.1 yet, navigate leftward and read the listing of films and filmmakers that got the Journal off the ground back in 2005. If you have seen it, trust us that the films really deserve a theater screen.

EVENT!: Unusual Animals, Portland, OR, 10/20

2007-10-06T13:17:00.000-04:00

We’re excited to finally have an event on the left coast. On 10/20, we’re joining up with Asthmatic Kitty Records to take part in their Unusual Animals series. You may know AKR best for Sufjan Stevens, but the label is stacked with countless other amazing talent, as well.
See all the event details below, and if you’re in the area be sure and say hi.

WHAT: The “Unusual Animals” show, presented by The Journal of Short Film, Meow Meow Presents, and Asthmatic Kitty Records. All ages. Free show.
WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 20th, 3pm
WHERE: Urbangrind Coffee Eastside, 2214 NE Oregon, Portland, OR

Featuring music of Half-handed Cloud, Lake, The Beauty, Upsidedown Cat, and Kelli Schaffer; films by Vanessa Renwick, Karl Lind, Chel White, Jeremy Bird, Uli Beutter, Stephen Slappe, Ryan Jeffery, and Matt McCormick.

Here is some backstory from AKR:
“Unusual Animals, an imprint of the internationally celebrated music
label Asthmatic Kitty, was created as a side-project aimed to expose
more conceptual and experimental projects not fitting squarely into
any one genre of music. Originally, Unusual Animals explored these
sounds through vinyl-only releases, pairing its own artists with
friends and sometimes-unlikely bedfellows.

“During this year's SXSW music festival, however, Asthmatic Kitty took
the Unusual Animals' series one step farther by hosting a live event
that forced the Unusual Animals' artists from the dash of car stereos
and into live performances. The combination of local art, music,
piñatas, food, and culture brought about the second evolution in the
series and a shift in focus. No longer strictly highlighting
underexposed artists, the series now explores the contribution of all
community members, urging the planet to recognize the variety of
activities that make up the cultural being that defines a given city.”

So in stepped the JSF to line up some films, with the help of Karl Lind. Oh, and there will also be puppetry. The all-Portland-artist event should be a great, weird time. The venue is in a nice, warehouse-y section of NE PDX near 22nd and Oregon. Join us!
For more info:
Asthmatic Kitty Records
Meow Meow Presents

Screenings: Neil Ira Needleman (fall) and Daniel King (10/5)

2007-10-02T16:25:00.000-04:00

Before we start sending press releases for some big upcoming JSF events, we want to share the news of various screenings by Journal alums and acolytes.

1) Neil Ira Needleman (JSF, Vol.2) is involved in a slew of screenings this fall. His films A Trip to Prague, Meditation, and TANZ!, among others, are being shown in no less than ten film festivals across the U.S., Europe, and South America. Fests include the Berkeley Film & Video Festival, the Boston Jewish Film Festival, the Atlanta Underground Film Festival, and the Thin Line Film Festival. Meditation can also be seen online at the Independent Film Channel website---www.ifc.com, at the top menu bar go to “Short Films,” then down to “Rooftop Films,” in the June listings.

2) Daniel King, our virtuosic graphic designer, is included in San Francisco’s Studio 27’s Impure Cinema: Hybrid Works Rupturing Media Boundaries fest this Friday, Oct.5th, at 9pm. Check out Authority Head Exorcism, his multi-layered visual expression of time spent as a propagandist. His excellent film is not kidding around, for sure.

And stay tuned over the next two weeks for many exciting updates, or at least two or three.

Article in KAMERA.CO.UK

2007-08-17T15:36:00.000-04:00

The Journal’s sojourns S.W.-ward are over and it’s time to return to our planning for world domination. Or at least to clean out the Inbox, send out some orders, and go see Sunshine and Rescue Dawn.

But today we mostly want to draw attention to a new article in the online Brit film mag KAMERA.CO.UK. Antonio Pasolini wrote a small piece on “How to get seen.” Our esteemed publisher has a quote or two that divulge the JSF’s secret formula for marketing and make what appear to be at least one or two passive-aggressive admonitions. To whom, we’re not sure, but we recognize the tone.

KAMERA is a fine film site. Recently this writer benefited from its review of a new book by Mike Figgis. "Digital Filmmaking" is a short, accessible near-manifesto on moviemaking today. Very short. Unencumbered by depth, really, which was fine by me, at the time. The book’s optimism and lack of pretension were refreshing.

Anyway, read Antonio's article HERE.

Screening: Matt Meindl, Columbus, OH, 8/15

2007-08-02T09:27:00.001-04:00

As mentioned below (7/31 post), Matt Meindl (JSF, Vol.7) will be part of the CineMUSEica show in Columbus on 8/15. If you’re anywhere nearby, don’t miss it!