Hey Reel Grrls! Three important and quick announcements for all you cinephiles* out there:

ONE:

Just a quick reminder that the first Reel Grrls Film Club outing is happening TODAY - and a note that the time has changed:

We are meeting at 4:00pm at the AMC Theatres at Pacific Place, which is on 6th Avenue and Pine Street, in downtown Seattle. Here is a map: http://www.pacificplaceseattle.com/map.html

First, we will have a tour of the projection booth!

The film begins at 4:50.

We are seeing Across the Universe, which was directed by Julie Taymor, and is rated PG-13. You can scope it out here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0445922/

If you plan to come, please let me know by 3:30 today! We would love to have you join us. Oh, and I forgot to mention that this excursion is totally FREE! (Thanks, Ruth!)

TWO:

Our fabulous mentor, Rita, has been hard at work coordinating the amazing upcoming Independent South Asian Film Festival, which is happening at the Broadway Performance Hall at Broadway and Pine in Capitol Hill October 3-7, and Reel Grrls does not want to let this amazing event pass us by!

I am going to attend the screening of The Shape of Water at 4:00 on Sunday, October 7th, and I would love it if you would join me!

And check this out: The post film discussion will be facilitated by the Tasveer Youth Initiative, a collective of diverse South Asian youth helping promote a progressive outlook on issues related to South Asia and the Diaspora through the medium of independent film. They offer vital information, unique perspectives, and background knowledge to post-screening discussions of independent South Asian films.

I think Reel Grrls should definitely be there to show our support for other wicked-awesome Seattle youth organizations.

You can find out more about this film here: http://isaff.tasveer.org/2007/program.php?id=12ev_17

And more about the festival in general here: http://isaff.tasveer.org/2007/index.php

If you are interested in taking full advantage of this Festival, Rita gave me a few more recommendations:

Saturday 2pm View from a Grain of Sand (one or two gory afghan taliban scenes) but otherwise it is a great film, made by a woman about 3 brave women.

Sunday October 7th, 2007 2:00 PM: Global Shorts: Love, Dreams and Despair (shorts from all over south Asia).

And best of all, every bit of this Festival is totally FREE! So please join me at The Shape of Water on Sunday, October 7th, and take advantage of this fantastic event.

THREE:

Superduperquickreminder: Animation Workshop applications are due October 1st, which is this Monday! Space is limited for this event, so hurry up and register! Information is available on our website and you can always email or call me.

Hope to see you soon!

Maile

*Cinephile = movie-lover.

--
Maile A. Martinez
Reel Grrls | Program Manager
www.reelgrrls.org
915 E. Pine Street 415
Seattle, WA 98122
Tel: 206 323 0693
maile@reelgrrls.org

Empowering young women from diverse communities to realize their power, talent and influence through media production.

Hey RG friends and fans!

This is Maile, your friendly Reel Grrls Program Manager. I just sent out a SUPER long email to basically every Reel Grrl email address I have, describing all the very exciting events we have coming up in the next few months, and how to get involved. In case I missed you, I'm going to copy the email here. As always, more information should be available on our website - www.reelgrrls.org - or you can always find out more by calling, emailing, or stopping by. All the contact information is at the end of this post.

Hope to see you around soon! Oh, and if you want to receive this kind of information directly in your email inbox, send me an email and I will add you to the list: maile@reelgrrls.org.

Now here's the email:

Hello Reel Grrls!

Some of you have been hearing about all the exciting events that have been happening in Reel Grrl Land lately, and I want to make sure that you all know that the events just keep coming! Below please find some key dates for the next couple of months.

As always, more information is available on our website, www.reelgrrls.org, and you can always call, email, or stop by to talk to me if you'd like to learn more (my contact information is at the end of this email).

Also, stay tuned for the premier of Verite, Reel Grrls' own youth-produced newsletter, which will be comin' at ya very soon! There you will get the Reel Grrls perspective on all the excitement of the past couple of months, and what's to come.

On to the dates:

September 15 and 16 (Saturday and Sunday) 12:00pm - 5:00pm:

Script Writing Seminar, featuring Brian McDonald, this weekend!

Sign up for an amazing seminar featuring special guest Brian McDonald, a sought-after filmmaker, instructor, and consultant who is bringing us the story seminar he has taught at both Pixar and Lucasfilm!

When: September 15 and 16, 2007; 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Where: Richard Hugo House. 1624 11th Avenue; Seattle, WA 98122

There is still a wee bit of space available for this fantastic workshop, so if you would like to come, please email or call Maile ASAP and she will hold a spot for you!

September 21 (Friday)

Deadline to apply for THESIS.

Hey, Reel Grrls! Are you ready to take your filmmaking and film knowledge to the next level? Are you eager to study important filmmakers and apply what you've learned to your own media projects? Do you dream of using your media expertise to tell the world what you have to say that no one else can say? Then you should absolutely join our Thesis Program! Deadline: September 21st.

The thesis class will consist of a small number of carefully selected grrls who are highly skilled, committed, motivated, and reliable.

Download the application form and informational flyer at www.reelgrrls.org.

September 23 (Sunday)

Reel Grrls star in BIZ KIDS! Biz Kids is a new television program that will air nationally. It is produced here in the Seattle area, by the same people who brought us Bill Nye the Science Guy. This show is all about teaching kids to be smart consumers, so of course they turned to the media-savvy Reel Grrls to help them bring their message to the masses!

This episode will include a "mock class" on media literacy/advertising and then
interviews with grrls about their responses. Our Executive Director, Malory, and Ti, one of our awesome Board members, will be "instructing" and we are looking for 4-6 grrls to star in the episode.

If issues of media literacy and smart consumerism are important to you, if you are excited about spending the day with a real, professional TV crew, and if you are willing to appear in a nationally-syndicated television show, you should definitely get involved in this opportunity!

If you are interested or would like more information, please get in touch with Maile ASAP.

September 26 (Wednesday) 5:00pm:

Reel Grrls FILM CLUB

Gather at 5:00 the entrance to the AMC Theatres at Pacific Place (Downtown Seattle, 6th Avenue and Pine Street) to kick off the all new Reel Grrls Film Club!

Thanks to our awesome mentor Ruth, we have FREE entry to see Across the Universe, the latest release by director Julie Taymor, who also directed Frida (look her up on www.imdb.com - she's pretty cool!).

Across the Universe is rated PG-13 and stars Evan Rachel Wood and Jim Sturgess, among others. It is basically a love story told through the music of the Beatles - but you can find out more about it here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0445922/.

But wait, there's more!

What could be more exciting than getting FREE entry to a new, experimental film by an amazing female director, you ask? How about going up into the projection booth before the show, and learning about how the projectionist splices and projects the film? Cool, right?

That's why you need to get there at 5:00, even though the film starts at 5:55. Besides getting popcorn and jujubes, you need time to get to see the guts of the theatre experience. It's going to be SWEET!

So, if you plan to come, please email or call Maile no later than Friday, September 21st and let her know so she can get an accurate head-count to the powers that be at AMC.

By the way, plan to stick around for a short time after the movie, so we can discuss the film and plan our next Film Club meeting.

October 1 (Monday):

Deadline to apply for the SUPER Animation Workshop. More information about this below, and at www.reelgrrls.org.

October 2 (Tuesday) 4:00 - 6:30:

First meeting for THESIS. For more information about this program, see listing under September 21 above, or visit www.reelgrrls.org.

October 6 (Saturday) 1:30 - 6:00:

SUPER Animation Workshop! Learn advanced stop-motion animation techniques with professional adult women mentors and Reel Grrls of all experience levels. Open to young women ages 13-19 - no prior animation or video making experience required.

Application Deadline: Monday, October 1, 2007.

Meet at 1:30 in the Oddfellows Building (915 E. Pine Street), in the Velocity Studios Main Space (2nd Floor). Download the informational flyer and application form at www.reelgrrls.org.

October 26, 27, 28
(Friday 4:00 - 7:00, Saturday and Sunday 10:00 - 4:00):

Media Boot Camp at Treehouse. This event is open exclusively to youth from the Treehouse program, but we are looking for junior mentors. Grrls, if you would like to teach new grrls camera, lighting, audio, and animation basics, and help them to shoot one-minute PSAs, and can be available during the times above, contact Maile ASAP.

November 2, 3 and 17 (Friday and two Saturdays):

Super 8 Workshop! In response to popular demand, we are so excited to be offering Reel Grrls the opportunity to learn how to use old-school Super 8 cameras. More details are soon to come, but this event will be preceded by a guided tour and screening at Northwest Film Forum on Friday night. Check www.reelgrrls.org soon for more information, but mark your calendars!

WHEW! That's the update from Reel Grrl Land - for now! More exciting events and opportunities are always coming up, so stay tuned to www.reelgrrls.org, watch out for the first and subsequent issues of Verite, and don't hesitate to call, email, or stop by if you want to know what's going on!

Feel free to forward this email to any Reel Grrls not on this list.

I hope to see many of you at many of these events!

Cheers,

Maile

--
Maile A. Martinez
Reel Grrls | Program Manager
www.reelgrrls.org
915 E. Pine Street 415
Seattle, WA 98122
Tel: 206 323 0693
maile@reelgrrls.org

Empowering young women from diverse communities to realize their power, talent and influence through media production.

Join REEL GRRLS, the award-winning after-school media and arts program for young women, as we kick off our brand new programming with our 2nd SCRIPT WRITING class. Over the course of two days, join us as we explore the fundamentals of STORYTELLING and PLOT DEVELOPMENT when bringing big ideas to the BIG SCREEN.

Featuring sought-after filmmaker, instructor, and consultant BRIAN MCDONALD, the class will cover high-end topics that he has taught at such studios as PIXAR and LUCASFILM.

Please join us on SEPTEMBER 15TH & 16TH, from 12-5 pm at the RICHARD HUGO HOUSE. Space is limited and granted on a first-come, first-served basis. APPLICATIONS are available at www.reelgrrls.org.

So since Reel Grrls has become such an awesome group of youth filmmakers, people have started to take notice. And we're starting to pop up everywhere: in magazines, on TV, and all over the web. We have our website, our MySpace page, our vlog, and now our videos are available online through You Tube and Uth TV!

This latest addition to our web-based library is designed specifically for youth artists looking to showcase and share their creative endeavors with others around the world. Reel Grrls has already gotten busy posting up our SUPER 9 and SUMMER PROGRAM shorts from 2006. Keep a lookout for even more content to spring up-- and while you're there, create your own profile of your work (whether it be film, art, or music) to show to other teens around the globe.

http://uthtv.com/profile/Reel%20Grrls/

Even though Reel Grrls has become famous the world over for its fabulous Fall Weekend, we have recently revamped our program to give grrls a chance to enhance their media skills while they wait for the next fall season extravaganza.

MEDIA BOOTCAMP allows grrls who have participated in one of our fall weekends to come back to get knee-deep in the filmmaking process. Over the course of three days, we teach everything you need to know to storyboard, shoot, and edit your film-- then let you. In this high-intensity environment, you work with a team to create a project that you can say you were responsible for. And just like the weekend, you are surrounded by instructors and mentors who are actively involved in The Biz, ready to pass on that realworld experience.

Act now, spaces go fast. What will you create?

MEDIA BOOTCAMP: June 28-30th, 2007, 10AM-4PM.
(For more information, visit our website, www.reelgrrls.org .)

Hey everyone,

How exciting, we now have our own YouTube channel! Watch past and current videos, comment on them, become our friend, and lots more fun stuff. Check it out:

www.youtube.com/reelgrrls

Come and join us and tell all your friends: The Reel Grrls spring screening is here once again!

WHEN: Thursday, May 17th, 7pm
WHERE: Broadway Performance Hall, on the corner of Broadway and Pine in Seattle's Capitol Hill
COST: $10 for adults, free for youth under 21. Adults should buy tickets in advance (new!) at ticketwindowonline.com

The event will include free refreshments, live DJs, a silent auction with all proceeds going to support Reel Grrls and of course the screening of our very latest work followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers!

For more info email stephanie@reelgrrls.org or visit www.reelgrrls.org
Hope to see you there!

Hello, Friends of Reel Grrls!

So the spring program officially began back in March, and our cram-packed spring break production madness ended a week ago-- but are we finished yet? NO! The grrls are hard at work pulling all of their footage together in the editing suite (and countless wi-fi enabled coffee shops everywhere).

For the next few weeks, production teams will be meeting and working through the night, leading up to our spring BONANZA on May 17th at the Broadway Performance Hall. Also keep a lookout for more production photos, flyers, and program previews coming soon to a virtual mailbox near you.

(/movie preview guy voice)

Signed,
The Upside Down One.

I feel like a celebrity here! I have a volunteer whose only job is to follow me around (which is actually a bit odd at times, but also very very helpful). And today I did a Q&A, a magazine interview, and tomorrow a panel discussion. Whew!

Random musing of the day: In the women's public restroom stalls (I can't speak for the men's) here they have "Etiquette Bells." When you press it the sound of running water or a toilet flushing sounds to drown out anything er... embarassing I guess.

After awaking at 6am this morning and spending some time chillin in my room, then getting some complimentary egg and toast in the hotel lounge, I headed to the fest for the 11am screening that included the Reel Grrls work. It was preceded by a documentary called "Belfast Girls" about one Protestant and one Catholic girl living on opposite sides of the city. It had pretty crane shots but was way too long in my opinion. After the screening there was a Q&A with yours truly. There were only about 30 people there but it was a good discussion. I had an interpreter and a classy mic setup so that was fun. I think I did a pretty fine job if I do say so myself.

After the Q&A I was whisked straight off to a magazine interview. Turned out to be more of a conversation really between myself, the interviewer, and two staff members from the Haja Center, a youth arts & video org in Seoul (I will be on a panel with these two gals tomorrow as well). The conversation was interesting but halting having to deal with multiple people, two languages and an interpreter. Oh yeah, and the Haja gals invited me to visit their org while I'm here which should be rad. All in all the interview lasted an hour and a half and I still hadn't eaten lunch. I had gotten tickets to a 3:30 movie and by then there was little time so my own personal volunteer Bon took me to the fest cafe where I had shrimp fried rice. Not extremely Korean (I have yet to really have a true Korean meal here) but yummy nonetheless. And quick which was important.

The 3:30 screening was really awesome, it was a collection of queer shorts and they were all quite good. I liked Hung, about five lesbian friends who take a magic elixir allowing them to grow a penis for one day only, and Piper, about a mythical pied piper who shows up at a woman's cockroach infested house and then seduces her. Also a really interesting doc about lesbians in Uganda and how much it sucks to be them. The last film was the centerpiece of the showing and it was a local flick called "Over the Lezbow." Super cute; a sexually confused lonely gal is given a piece of gaydar glass by a fortune teller and gets to see what people on the street look like through it, then finds herself another lonely confused girl with it. There was a Q&A afterwards which was interesting but I barely made it through I was so tired by then. It was 6pm and that's when I headed back here to the hotel where I've been lying in bed emailing and watching Korean tv for the last hour or so.

I think I'm going to crash out without attending the evening's party or even dragging myself downstairs for dinner, hopefully getting over the jetlag a little bit by hittin the sack early. Tomorrow is my last official film fest duty though I still get 3 free tickets a day plus optional social filmy things which I'll probably do. I'm hoping to get out and see the city at some point after that which is proving a bit more difficult than I expected, but it's still totally amazing that I'm here so I'm not complaining!

So I was going to wait til later today to supply all these details, but for some reason I awoke at 6am Seoul time this morning, go figure.

I didn't expect last night to be quite as crazy as it was. I knew that the opening of the film fest was just after I arrived, but for some reason I thought I had a few hours in between. As it turned out the ceremony was at 6pm and the reception at 9pm, and my flight arrived just after 5pm. By the time I got my bags and got through customs & immigration it was 5:45. Bon, my own person festival volunteer/interpreter (she's in charge of me!) met me at the airport (with a sign that said my name!) and we boarded a bus which she said would take about an hour.

We arrived at the fest at about 6:45 and it was really confusing, I met like 10 people straight off and I had slept on the bus in so I was feeling out of it and I hadn't changed so I was really stinky and it wasn't just my imagination. But they all knew I had come straight from the airport so I think they forgave me. Everyone was super nice and happy I was there. Although we had missed the opening ceremony, they immediately ushered me into the theater.

When I got into the theater there was a really cool music performance going on on-stage, with several big drums and percussion instruments and a guy singing and a couple of scantily clad dancing ladies. Pretty cool. And the movie, "Antonia," was quite good, it was about these four Brazilian young women who have known each other since childhood and it is their dream to have a hiphop group together. Well they perform pretty early on, but then stuff gets all messed up. Two of them have a falling out over a guy, one of them gets pregnant and drops out, and one of them has a younger brother who is gay and gets beaten up for it really badly and then she meets the dude who did it and beats him up and accidentally kills him so she goes to jail. All the main actresses were really sweet and it was wonderfully shot and very cinema verite style. At the end they all perform together again and it's very inspiring. Also, Portuguese hiphop is really beautiful.

After the movie we found another place to put my bags (it was such a pain having them with me, remember I hadn't yet even gone back to the hotel to check in and shower) and headed upstairs to the reception. All the film fest stuff is going down at the Women's University, and it's in a section of town with several universities, very studenty neighborhood. Cute. The reception was super crowded in this big room with tons and tons of food. There was one long table with lots of veggie dishes, like burdock root and sweet potato balls and who knows what else. The other table had chicken and squid and kimchee and lots of other pickled stuff. There was a sweet cold cinammon drink and a sweet cold fermented brown rice drink, both quite yummy, and also beer and the Korean version of sake. I was introduced to many many people but I was feeling really overwhelmed for most of the time and held my own but when people drifted away from me I just kind of stood around and tried not to be in the way (it was so crowded at first I was constantly getting jostled). At some point I was asked up to the stage along with a woman from Germany who had made a documentary called "Transfamily," A French gal who made a thriller and a woman from South Africa who I didn't yet get to chat with. I said a word about Reel Grrls and then I had a nice long chat with the German girl and the French girl and a couple of Koreans about trans issues all over the world. That part was definitely the coolest.

By the time we finished chatting things had thinned out quite a bit and I felt I had put in my time and could duck out feeling good about it. Park Sung-Jo, the guy who coordinated with me to book my ticket, walked me to my hotel. He lived in Vancouver for a couple of years and speaks very good English. I enjoyed chatting with him. The hotel is only about 5 or 10 minutes walk from the fest, which is really nice. You do have to walk through a subway station so it's a bit confusing but I think I can now figure out the way on my own. Park checked me in and left and that was the end of my day. Whew!