film

Filed under: Themes, Auties & Aspies

The Sunshine Boy has been playing in cinemas in Iceland since January. It will have its international premiere at the Toronto Film Festival next month. Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet has agreed to do the English narration for the film, and Icelandic musicians Bjork and Sigur Ros will also contribute. The film’s producer, Margrét Ericsdóttir, estimates that the documentary will be released on DVD by the end of the year.

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Iceland Review Online, written in January ‘09:

As my sister and I were waiting for the premiere of The Sunshine Boy to start, standing in the lobby of the cinema, we were approached by a young English-speaking man.

He greeted us and asked us what days we were born. It took him about five seconds to figure out that my birthday, July 12th 1976, was a Monday and that my sister’s birthday was a Saturday. We had no idea whether he was right or not and before we could speak, he had moved over to other premiere guests, asking them the same question.

That was my brief encounter with Taylor Crowe, one of the interviewees in the documentary The Sunshine Boy Click to continue »

Filed under: Themes, Bum Deal, Campaign Watch

Over 75 submissions were received from filmmakers from 5 continents. And…

Congratulations to Buzz Films, the winner of the $50,000 Homeless World Cup/Nike film competition (which we first blogged about here). Buzz Films was formed by award-winning directors Jan Bednarz and Robin Schmidt, as a home for diverse documentary and drama projects.

Buzz Films will see up-and-coming presenter Buddy (pictured left) capture the spirit and essence of the Homeless World Cup. Buddy’s last assignment was for National Geographic with a trip through Outer Mongolia.

Follow Jan and Robin’s blog during the creation of the film at: www.buzzfilms.co.uk/blog.

The Milan, Italy 2009 Homeless World Cup takes place in the Arena Civica, Sempione Park from 6-13 September 2009. For more, please visit homelessworldcup.org.

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Filed under: Themes, Bum Deal, Campaign Watch

The Homeless World Cup is delighted to announce a collaboration with Nike to discover the ideal filmmaker to produce a short, high energy film about the Milan 2009 Homeless World Cup. With its $50,000 prize, and the chance to gain instant fame, this may just be that “perfect opportunity” you’ve been waiting for. Break out your video cameras, and get busy brainstorming. This contest is the real deal. This contest is no joke.

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Filed under: Campaign Watch

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Filed under: Irked Videos

Circle Stories #2, a 1997 painting of Bill Shannon by Riva Lehrer

In December of 2007, we introduced you to New York-based phenom William Shannon when we published Riva Lehrer’s feature. Bill Shannon is a wildly popular (and constantly gaining steam) dancer, skateboarder, choreographer and video artist who holds a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Shannon’s choreography is based on the natural language of his body and its movements, as affected by severe osteoarthritis and Legg-Perthes disease.

Needless to say, we were elated to recently learn that Bill Shannon was chosen by the highfalutin ad agency Saatchi & Saatchi London to star in a new big budget TV commercial, as part of its European “Life flows better with Visa” marketing campaign.

Breathtaking video portfolio after the jump…

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Filed under: Themes, Wheelchairman of the Board, Irked Videos

Irked Magazine proudly presents Mathieu Labaye’s remarkable short-movie “Orgesticulanismus”—a movie that’s difficult to pronounce, but impossible to forget. This is an extraordinary, poignant tribute to his father, Benoît Labaye, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at 29 years old. Benoît Labaye had been confined to a wheelchair since age 40 and died at 55 years old on April 22, 2006, as a result of pneumonia.

CLICK HERE to watch Orgesticulanismus.

Story courtesy of Élaine Hébert’s CitizenShift/ParoleCitoyenne blog

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Filed under: Books & Book Reviews, Irked Videos

HAROLD RUSSELL: LOST BOTH HANDS BUT WON TWO OSCARS

Nova Scotia’s Double Oscar Winner

by Bruce Nunn

And now please welcome the actor from Nova Scotia who set an all-time record at Hollywood’s famous Academy Awards ceremony. He was awarded not one but two golden Oscar statuettes for the same movie role. Two for one! And it was a first. Plus, his performance in The Best Years of Our Lives was his first acting experience and, as a handicapped war veteran, he made his motion picture debut without hands. He was the amazing Harold Russell. In 2002 he passed away in his late eighties. But, my, what a life he had lived.

“I lost both my hands in an explosion when I was with the airborne troops,” he told me in a telephone interview from Boston back in 1996. TNT exploded in Click to continue »

Filed under: Themes, Blind Visionaries, Irked Videos

It’s a slow day for advice. Apparently all is well with the world. I know it is in mine. Why, you ask? I have shelter, food, water, reasonable health…and a Guide dog. Life for a person who is blind can go lots of different directions. Sometimes the challenge of vision loss can really bum a person out. My life took a huge upbeat when my Guide dog, Opal, came into my life. Sure, you’ve all seen guide dogs at work, but have you ever stopped to think how incredibly awesome they truly are? Here’s what’s going on when YOU see a guide dog team at work:

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Filed under: Irked Audio, Irked Videos, Themes, The Skinny on Fat

Julia Barry is the creator, musician, and director of the experimental advocacy program, “In Her Image:  Producing Womanhood in America.” She works with high schools, colleges, organizations, community centers, and conferences to promote widespread, public media literacy. A “REALLY Hot” awardee in the 2006 REAL Hot 100 list, Barry has been a featured guest at events such as the National Organization for Women’s Love Your Body Day, the Girl Scout National Leadership Institute, and the Alliance for a Media Literate America’s National Media Education Conference. She was also the 2003 recipient of the Andrea Klein Willison Prize for Poetry/Women’s Advocacy.

If you like Tori Amos, if you like Sarah McLachlan, if you like Joni Mitchell or Enya or Beth Gibbons or Diana Krall…then you will LOVE Julia Barry.

Her lyrics are substantive. She sings from her soul. She can make a piano shiver-and-then-wail. Her vocals have been described as “simultaneously melancholy and sweet.” Sometimes she’s provocative. Always she’s on key.

Her 2002 debut album, Arrivals, is a “storehouse of good songs,” as they say. It’s a magnificent work of art and a glorious work of heart. In addition to her hectic schedule performing live, Julia has also returned to the studio to begin recording her next CD.

FACT: If Julia Barry’s not on your radar yet, she will be soon.

Listen to the track Song For Us Trying, off Arrivals: Click to continue »

Filed under: Irked Videos, Themes, The Skinny on Fat

Watch a fascinating 20-minute documentary about American photographer Laurie Toby Edison by Kyoto, Japan-based filmmaker John Wells. Edison speaks with Rebecca Jennison about her work in conjunction with the exhibition “Meditations on the Body” at the Osaka National Museum of Art.

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