Get Your Filmmaking Mojo On

Our friend Chris Nichols has tipped us off to his pal Norwood’s annual Super 8-themed filmmaking competition. Films will be screened Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m. at the American Cinemateque at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood.

Interested in entering? “You must act fast. 25 people will be chosen to participate based on getting an entry form in quickly and if you’re a newcomer,” Norwood writes. “We want to encourage more filmmakers to experience the super 8 attack, but if you’ve done it before and want to try again, that’s great. What you shoot is what we’ll show. The night of the screening will be the first time any of the filmmakers will see their films. Contact flicker@mekons.com for more details.

Another Chance to See "Los Angeles Plays Itself"

I’m excited to see that the American Cinematheque will be bringing back the 2003 doc “Los Angeles Plays Itself” to the Egyptian Theatre on Sunday, Oct. 12 (details here).

Here’s the synopsis of the Thom Andersen-directed film:

A must-see for Los Angeles history buffs and cinema enthusiasts. Hundreds of archival and film clips reveal an almost secret history of the City of Angels.

Don’t miss these big screen screenings because this film will never come out on DVD. An epic meditation on the role of Los Angeles (“the most photographed city in the world”) in the movies and the impact of the movie industry upon its own capital city — as well as a fascinating deconstruction of both movie-making and movie-going.

Filmmaker Thom Andersen, a life-long Angelino, works in a tradition pioneered by Godard, Chris Marker and Agnes Varda. His enthralling essay investigates ’50s B-movies that use Los Angeles as the epitome of urban sleaze, science fiction classics that revel in destroying its tallest buildings, and film noirs that paint it the nation’s capital for adultery and murder.

Ever think about why Los Angeles’s modern architectural classics (by Neutra and Frank Lloyd Wright) are favored housing for villains? It’s a movie for anyone who loves (or hates) Los Angeles and who wonders what they may have missed by not spending more hours in the dark.

“This cinematic essay focuses on the discrepancy between the lived-in urban reality of Los Angeles and its various century-deep cinematic mythologies — It’s about the way the imaginary space of cinema — becomes a kind of separate urban reality unto itself.” – The Toronto Star

Any of you bloggers or L.A. fans attending?