Hi Everyone,

Big sorries for not updating this blog more often.  I've been hunkered down editing and I'm trying not to distract myself.

So besides the editing, here's what's been happening of late with RNRMamas, Zia McCabe, of The Dandy Warhols, has offered to score the film.  I am very excited about working with her and her fabulous friend and producer, Sarah Mayfield, on this.  It's going to be cool. 

Like always, I am applying for grants.  Just heard about one which unfortunately didn't come through and I'm waiting to hear about another one in December.  I'll be using the cash to pay for music and animation costs so it's very necessary.  And I'll be applying for another one in a week or so.


Take care.

Jackie

Hi Everyone,

Great news: Allison Anders, the esteemed director of such great films as Gas, Food, Lodging, Mi Vida Loca, and Grace of My Heart, among many others, has signed on as Executive Producer on Rock N Roll Mamas. She's a wonderful person and a mom of three herself and a perfect fit for the film. We're very happy to have Allison on board.

Welcome Allison! Hurray.

Check out my new and improved website, www.rockmamafilms.com (in the news and events section) for the official press release.

Take care.

Jackie

Some exciting developments for Rock N Roll Mamas, first the new website is up (www.rockmamafilms.com) and now the trailer is going to show on Thursday night at the Don't Knock the Rock Film/Music festival in LA. If you are in LA, please come by The Silent Movie Theater (611 N Fairfax Avenue) at 8pm on Thursday, August 7th and help support Rock N Roll Mamas (the trailer will be showing with You Weren't There: A History of Chicago Punk 1977-84 and DFW Punk). I'll be there so come by and say hi. Should be a very fun evening.

Go to this link to buy tickets for the evening... http://www.silentmovietheatre.com/calendar/thursday.htmljuly 

And buy your tickets online cause the theaters not that big.

Check out Rock Mama Films new website to see what great projects we are working on now...

www.rockmamafilms.com

Hi All,

I hope you can come out and support the Portland Women's Film Festival. It's going to be great...Here's some more info about it.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tara Johnson-Medinger
tara@sourappleproductions.com

Sour Apple Productions, in partnership with Film Action Oregon, is proud
to present the 2008 Portland Women's Film Festival Schedule of Events.
The mission of the Portland Women's Film Festival is to showcase the
very best contemporary international independent films made by women,
promote and create opportunities for women working in all areas of the
film industry, and educate the greater community through filmmaker
panels and hands-on workshops.

Spanning May 15-18, and held at Portland, Oregon's historic Hollywood
Theatre, POW Fest will throw a rockin' kick-off party at The Cleaners at
the Ace Hotel, exhibit select women-made movies, moderate several
exciting filmmaker panels, host an expo of women-owned and served
businesses, offer a day-long screenwriting workshop, and present a
variety of emPOWering Q&As with the numerous filmmakers who will be in
attendance. In addition, the festival will spotlight a retrospective of
the Guest of Honor, female indie director pioneer Allison Anders',
award-winning feature film work, including Gas Food Lodging
(Co-Presented by Portland State University) and Border Radio (Presented
by Video Vérité).

The four days of screenings will include: a Local Filmmaker Night,
featuring Person, Place or Thing, directed by Elle Martini, and starring
Zoe McLellan (Dirty, Sexy Money) as a drifter who finds comfort in her
invisibility living on the streets; a "Don't Bring The Kids" Shorts
Program, featuring Why We Wax, co-directed by Kimberly M. Wetherell and
Amy Axelson, about the motivation to rip out the hair "down there"; a
Family Day, featuring a Young Filmmaker's Program as well as the feature
documentary, JUMP!, directed by Helen Hood Scheer, about competitive
jump roping; a "Many Faces of Women" Shorts Program, featuring Like a
Ship in the Night, by Melissa Thompson, about Irish women who have to
travel to England to have abortions as it is illegal in their country;
an Animation Series sponsored by LAIKA, featuring Zoologic, by Nicole
Mitchell, about a fat, little penguin that threatens the absolute rule
of a fussy zookeeper; the closing night feature, Cake Eaters, directed
by Mary Stuart Masterson, a quirky, small town, ensemble drama that
explores the lives of two interconnected families coming to terms with
love in the face of loss; and much, much more!

Please visit www.powfest.com to see the complete four-day schedule of
screenings (including titles and directors) and events.

POW Fest is produced by Sour Apple Productions in partnership with Film
Action Oregon.

Please come check out the SWAN (Support Women Artists Now) Day showcase at the Better Living Expo on Saturday, March 29th. It’s a great event with some awesome women artists presenting. Rock N Roll Mamas will be there represented by Rock N Roll Mamas’ producer, Tara Johnson-Medinger. She’ll be showing the trailer, talking about where the film is at now, and selling tee-shirts and cds. Stop by and show her some love.

Here are the details about this wonderful event supporting women artists!

SWAN Day (Support Women Artists Now Day)
Saturday, March 29
Showcase: 2:00 – 5:00 pm

The Energy Trust Better Living Show
Connector Room, Between C and D Hall
Portland Expo Center
2060 North Marine Drive
All Ages - Free admission
Event Hours: 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

Contact: Ana Ammann, SWAN Day PDX Organizer
Phone: 503-330-3893
Email: fendergrlusa@yahoo.com

Showcase of Female Creatives Celebrates First International Women’s Art Day

On Saturday, March 29, 2008, the final weekend of Women’s History Month, members of Portland’s female creative networking group, pdxcreativeXchange, will present a free showcase of Portland-based women artists – to include performance and visual arts. This event is part of the first ever international SWAN Day (Support Women Artists Now Day), a celebration of women artists.

The world-wide event is organized by The Fund for Women Artists. Their proclamation states: "Women artists are creating change in their communities and around the world. Women artists are using the power of their imaginations to heal, uplift and transform their communities. SWAN Day serves to celebrate and appreciate the importance of these contributions. "

With a similar organizing vision, pdxcreativeXchange founders Mary Beth Felker and Lisa Lepine started a network for Portland creatives in 2006. Felker remarks: "pdxcreativeXchange was born from my experience with a sister group in Seattle that has been an invaluable source of information, innovation and activism for women. Refining that vision with Lisa, we wanted to bring that same synergy to Portland and cross pollinate professional women from ALL of the creative art disciplines. We now boast a creative community of over 120 women and look forward to continued growth."

THE SHOWCASE
The event will showcase visual artists such as mixed media painter Lauren Black, photographer Jackie Butler, Tai Chi sword sheave artist April Kline, "Impressions on Impressionists" painter Christina Eichelberger, and film maker Jackie Weissman. The live performance stage will include music from Celia Grace, Jean McGowen duo, Hannah’s Field, Mature Rock Vixen, and BroadArts Theater musical group Broadband will perform songs from their award winning musical WONDERBROADS. Sound will provided by Shira of She Sound. The event will also feature community organizations Siren Nation Festival, Women Writing for (a) Change and Working Artists LLC. Event sponsors include Music Milennium and Luna Guitars.

ABOUT SWAN DAY AND THE FUND FOR WOMEN ARTISTS
The Fund for Women Artists is a non-profit arts organization dedicated to helping women artists get the resources they need to do their creative work. It is founded on the belief that women artists have the power to change the way women are perceived in our society. Over the past decade The Fund for Women Artists raised over $4 million and built a website at www.WomenArts.org that offers networking, fundraising and advocacy services to over 500,000 visitors a year.

Hi All,

Just wanted to remind you that as a part of a benefit for the Portland Women's Film Festival, I'm going to be part of a group of very talented women filmmakers showing work this Sunday, March 9th. I'm going to show the introduction to Zia McCabe's storyline and Zia will be there to talk about the film and stuff with me. Should be very cool.

And if that wasn't enough...Ali Cotterill, Uli Beutter, Wendy Downing, Beth Harrington, and Eliza Greenwood will all be showing some of their excellent work as well. Then we'll all take questions in a panel discussion.

This fabulous event will take place on Sunday, March 9th at 11am at the Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Boulevard. Tickets for the screening are $6 and all the proceeds go the 2008 Portland Women's Film Festival. Such a worthy cause.

Hope to see you.

Yes, I've been editing a lot. I'm working hard to get some kind of cut together of my film, Rock N Roll Mamas. Right now, I've got beginnings of each character's storyline which is good (at least I think it's good). I'm going to be showing the beginning of Zia McCabe's storyline at a very cool benefit for the Portland Women's Film Festival on Sunday, March 9th from 10am-2pm at the Hollywood Theater. This event is celebrating International Women's Day (right on!) and will feature a marketplace of women-owned and served businesses and a screening of various local women filmmakers including myself, Beth Harrington, Eliza Greenwood, Uli Beutter, Wendy Downing, and Ali Cotterill. A panel discussion with the filmmakers will follow the screening of work…

I am proud to be a part of this group; they are some really great filmmakers. For more info., please check out the festival's website at, http://powfest.com/.

Come out and support some cool women filmmakers on International Women's Day!

So we had a great six hour shoot with Suad and Moses last night. It's great to see Suad performing in Portland again and I'm glad I could be at her first show back here.

Suad brought it to my attention that I have been filming now for four years. Yikes, I can't believe it's been that long (time sure flies by when you are working hard on finishing up a documentary). The good part is that you can really see how each character changes and develops in the four year time frame; lots of changes have occurred in everyone's lives.

So I'm getting my new Avid system next week. Hurray! Let the full-on editing begin.

I'll keep you all posted.

Take care.

Jackie

It's about time right?

Just a couple more shoots until finished. Next week I'm filming Ms. Suad perform at The Siren Nation kickoff party (Go Suad, you rock!) and before and after the show, and then I'll be filming Zia and her family sometime next month and then finished...Hurray!

I'll be getting my spanking new Avid editing system in a couple of weeks and then the editing of Rock N Roll Mamas will continue. I'm aiming to have a rough cut by January and I'll keep you all posted on the progress.