film

Film

SPECIAL FEATURES
By Andrea K. Hammer

Filmmaking Industry Thrives in
Pennsylvania: Women in Media
at Drexel University

The good news is that the
filmmaking industry here is
booming. Since 1992, the
economic impact on the region
from film and video production
has exceeded $2 billion.

At the Second Annual Women
in Media Breakfast, titled "The
Business of Filmmaking," an
expert panel discussed local
film opportunities and related
tax incentives. During
introductory remarks in the
Bossone Auditorium of Drexel
University, Kelly Lee of
Innovation Philadelphia
highlighted several resources,
including the "Creative
Footprint," which was released
earlier this year. According to
this report, "Creative industry
employment within the
Philadelphia region generates
an estimated total annual
economic impact of nearly $60
billion in total output
(spending). This includes $32.5
billion in total annual earnings
and supports a total of 766,000
jobs."

Sharon Pinkenson, executive
director of the Greater
Philadelphia Film Office (GPFO)
for 16 years and panel
moderator, described GPFO's
role in attracting and producing
all forms of films and moving
pictures in the five-county
region. As an economic
development organization,
GPFO facilitates the production
of local projects, so money will
be spent here along with the
use of native talent and
resources. ...READ MORE

Pittsburgh Filmmakers and Carnegie Museum of Art
Present Life on Mars: New Perspectives

ThIn conjunction with Life on Mars, the 2008 Carnegie International, Pittsburgh Filmmakers is
teaming up with Carnegie Museum of Art for the presentation of a series of popular films from the
last 50 years that explore themes of humanization, mechanization, and changes in our world that
affect our daily lives.

The series will screen Sunday evenings in August at 8:00 p.m. at the Regent Square Theater,
located at 1035 South Braddock Avenue in Edgewood. Admission is $8 for adults, and $6 for
seniors, students, and children. Members of Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh receive a $2
admission discount to the film series, and members of Pittsburgh Filmmakers receive a $2
admission discount to Carnegie Museum of Art.

Aug. 3: 2001: A Space Odyssey

This is the ultimate science-fiction voyage of a man through outer and inner space, through the
phases of his own life in time thrown out of whack, to his death and rebirth in an intergalactic
embryo. “[Kubrick] made a philosophical statement about man’s place in the universe, using
images as those before him had used words, music or prayer. And he had made it in a way that
invited us to contemplate it—not to experience it vicariously as entertainment, as we might in a
conventional science-fiction film, but to stand outside it as a philosopher might, and think about it.” —
Roger Ebert (Stanley Kubrick; UK/USA; 1968; 140 min)

Aug. 10: Brazil

This dark comedy is one of the best films ever made showing how technology might spawn a
nightmare society of the future. With nods to both Orwell and Monty Python, it presents a world
marred by oppressive automation and towering bureaucracy, and populated by tyrannical guards
who strong-arm the lawbreakers. Sam Lowry is a civil servant who uses his imagination to escape.
(Terry Gilliam; UK/USA; 1985; 131 min)

Aug. 17: Blow-Up

When a photographer believes he has inadvertently captured a murder on film, he begins to
question everything he sees. This masterpiece—the first English language film by Antonioni—is a
fascinating look at the ramifications of “recording” reality. (Michelangelo Antonioni; UK/Italy/USA;
1966; 108 min)

Aug. 24: Playtime

In this French comedy classic about a stranger in a strange land, Monsieur Hulot (played by the
brilliant Jacques Tati) comes to Paris for an appointment, but the “space age” buildings seem to
thwart his every move, and he feels out of place in the modern world. “It directs us to look around at
the world we live in, the one we keep building.” —Jonathan Rosenbaum. With subtitles. (Jacques
Tati; France/Italy; 1967; 126 min)

Aug. 31: Alphaville

Part science-fiction, part film noir—this French New Wave thriller from one of cinema’s greatest
directors is nothing less than a cult classic. Using no special visual effects, Godard crafts a bizarre
space-chase across a glass and metal landscape of futuristic Paris—here called Alphaville. This
dystopian tomorrow is characterized by alienation, conformity, and a stunningly clinical world.
Godard slyly suggests that the future is now. The result is a touching, original film laced with the
director’s familiar political and intellectual themes. With subtitles. (Jean-Luc Godard; France; 1965;
100 min)

Carnegie Museum of Art

Located at 4400 Forbes Avenue in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Museum of Art was
founded in 1895 by industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. One of the four Carnegie
Museums of Pittsburgh, it is nationally and internationally recognized for its distinguished collection
of American and European works from the sixteenth century to the present. The Heinz Architectural
Center, part of Carnegie Museum of Art, is dedicated to the collection, study, and exhibition of
architectural drawings and models. For more information about Carnegie Museum of Art, call
412-622-3131 or visit www.cmoa.org.

Pittsburgh Filmmakers and Pittsburgh Center for the Arts

Pittsburgh Filmmakers is one of the largest and oldest independent media arts centers in the U.S.
Founded in 1971 to provide media-making tools to artists, Pittsburgh Filmmakers has grown to
include an accredited school with over 1500 enrollments per year, three theaters including the only
movie theater in downtown Pittsburgh, and the area’s largest annual film event, the 27-year-old
Three Rivers Film Festival. In January 2006, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts merged with Pittsburgh
Filmmakers. Pittsburgh Filmmakers’ strength in the community is based on its reputation for artistic
integrity in its programming and in its ultimate mission, to support local artists. Lean more ore at
www.pghfilmmakers.org.