2009 Cape Cod Filmmaker Takeover at WHAT in Wellfleet

17 films chosen for two-day film festival

WELLFLEET - Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater (WHAT) and Provincetown International Film Festival (PIFF) announce the lineup for the second-annual Cape Cod Filmmaker Takeover held at WHAT?s Julie Harris Stage on Saturday and Sunday, February 21 & 22. 

Film Festival

17 films by Cape Cod filmmakers were selected for this year?s Takeover.  Entries were selected by a panel of judges. WHAT and PIFF will be giving out jury awards as well as audience favorite awards for features, shorts, documentaries and student films.  The grand prize winner will participate in the 2009 Provincetown International Film Festival.  An admission charge of $5 will qualify viewers for a full-day?s worth of movie-viewing pleasure.  All films will be screened at WHAT?s beautiful new Julie Harris Stage.  (See schedule below.)

?We?re thrilled by the number and variety of submissions this year,? says Jeff Zinn, WHAT?s artistic director. ?Unfortunately, the festival is a two-day event and we could only accommodate about a third of the films submitted.? 

?Once again Provincetown International Film Festival is excited to be a part of this collaboration,? says Fred Magee, PIFF?s board president.  ?Last year?s Grand Prize Winner, Shandor Garrison?s ?Free Box? was screened at PIFF to great acclaim.?

Award Party

Prizes will be awarded at a ceremony hosted by PIFF on Sunday, February 22 at 7pm ? immediately preceding WHAT?s live, high-definition broadcast of the 2009 Academy Awards®.  Both award shows are free and open to the public.

WHAT's Julie Harris Stage is located at 2357 State Highway Route 6 in Wellfleet, MA.  Tickets are $5 for a day pass (both award shows are free and open to the public).  Day passes may be purchased at the box office on the day of the event.  NOTE: Reservations and on-line purchases are not available for this festival.

2009 Cape Cod Filmmaker Takeover Schedule

Saturday, February 21

First Session, 3pm?4:15pm

Rudy: The Struggles of a Blind Dog
By Joseph Laraja
(documentary ? 3 min.)

The delightful story of the filmmaker's dog and his quest to find a tennis ball.  Filmed on the beautiful beach at Rock Harbor.

Joseph Laraja (Director/Producer)  Born in Orleans, MA, Joseph has been creating films since his father needed a 50th birthday video 8 years ago.  Joseph has been studying and practicing film directing and editing in London, New York City, Los Angeles and two years at Paraclete Video Productions in Brewster, MA.  Joe is the chief editor and main director for Grandview Productions.

Oysterman
By Joseph Mysliwiec
(documentary ? 9 min.)

Oysterman follows Jacques Mysliwiec, the filmmaker's father, as he picks oysters on opening day of recreational shell fishing in Wellfleet.

Joseph Mysliwiec (Director/Producer) Born on Cape Cod and a graduate of Barnstable High School and student at Cape Cod Community College.  Joseph lives in Hyannis, where he works for Cape Cod Potato Chips.

Clam Pie
By Dan Boylan & Guy Taylor
(comedy ? 5 min.)

After gorging on a classic Cape Cod delicacy, clam pie, a curious woman finds herself launched into a unexpected encounter.

Dan Boylan & Guy Taylor (Director/Producer) Award-winning filmmakers who call each other brother, but are technically first cousins, this producer/director team are the founders of A.S. Films International of Yarmouth.  One of their films won a 2008 CINE Golden Eagle award.  Another premiered at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival's Short Film Corner.  

The Great Spectator
By Richard Bowley & Thomas Kee
(comedy ? 11 min.)

A comedy for all ages inspired by the silent films of Charlie Chaplin.  This is the story of a decent guy who desperately wants to just watch the game.

Thomas Kee (Writer/Producer) & Richard Bowley (Cinematographer) Thomas Kee has worked for years as an actor on the Cape and Islands.  His WHAT credits include Hunter Gatherers, Pugilist Specialist, and The Dog Problem.  Richard Bowley is a Yarmouth native.

Sentinel of the Dunes
By Jonathan Goldman
(documentary ? 8 min.)

The life and work of Wellfleet artist John Mulcah, whose paintings are a testament to the beauty of nature and one man's relationship with his environment.

Jonathan Goldman  (Filmmaker)  A native of Southeastern Massachusetts, Jonathan Goldman is a 2008 graduate of Boston University's Center for Digital Imaging Arts.  A University of Massachusetts alumnus, his studies included music, theater, fine arts, and philosophy. 

Love in the Time of Chaos
By Norma Holt
(documentary ? 12 min.)

A survey of the work of Norma Holt, one of Cape Cod's premiere photographers.

Norma Holt (Filmmaker/Photographer) A Provincetown photographer of outstanding reputation, Norma Holt is especially praised for her photographs of women and children.  Holt has traveled frequently for F.E.M., the women's division of the United Nations.  Her black and white studies of more than 200 Cape Cod artists is in the permanent collection of the Provincetown Art Association and Museum.

Portrait of a Coast, 21st Century
By Jim Gabriel
(documentary ? 24 min.)

A documentary that examines the unique geography of Cape Cod and the frightening consequences of global warming.

Jim Gabriel (Filmmaker) A former resident of Wellfleet and Brewster, Jim Gabriel has been producing, directing, shooting, and editing film and video projects for some 20+ years.  His cinematography skills were on view in the film segments of WHAT's 2008 production of Pillowman.

Second Session, 5pm?6:30pm

Retirement
By Kevin Harrigan
(comedy ? 5 min.)

A hilarious short that follows a retired gentleman on his daily rounds.  What this retiree does at various locales up and down the Cape reveals that he may not be such a gentleman after all.

Kevin Harrigan  (Filmmaker)  Born and raised in Eastham, Kevin Harrigan has been working on films for the past three years.  He's relocated, along with fellow Cape Codders Joseph Laraja (Rudy: The Struggles of a Blind Dog) and Michael Boisvert to Los Angeles, where they created Grandview Productions.

Someone Like This
By Wolfgang Hastert
(drama ? 17 min.)

The haunting exploration of a father's quest to find and film women who possess some of the traits of the young daughter he has lost.

Wolfgang Hastert  (Filmmaker)  A summer resident of Cape Cod, Wolfgang Hastert first came to the Cape to film the award-winning docudrama Edward Hopper: The Silent Witness.  The filmmaker's wife, Blair Thornley, is a painter whose work is represented by Wellfleet's Harmon Gallery.

Fourhand
By Hortense Gerardo
(feature ? 66 min.)

A wry tale of making music, falling in love, and adjusting one's expectations of life.  Winner of Best Film in the Cape Cod Section of the 2008 Woods Hole Film Festival.

Hortense F. Gerardo (Screenwriter) Hortense F. Gerardo is a former research scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory and current summer resident in Woods Hole.  Her work has been featured in New York, MIT, Wellesley College and the Boston Playwrights Theatre.

Third Session. 7:30pm ? 9:30pm

Robot Dreaming
By Rory Magnus
(animation ? 10 min.)

A stop-motion animated short that follows a robot who has captured a human in order to learn exactly what makes a human a human. 

Rory Magnus (Filmmaker) Born and raised in Barnstable to eccentric but loving parents, Magnus developed an artistic inclination early on.  Earning a double Bachelor's Degree in Studio Art and Visual Media Production at Framingham State College in 2007, he is currently working towards an MFA degree in Film Production at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec.

Kink, Inc.
By Casey Clark
(comedy ? 28 min.)

Having no idea what they're getting into, but desperate for cash, Josh and Maria embark on a business in Home Domination -- a pyramid scheme set up by a retiring dominatrix.

Casey Clark (Director) Raised in Provincetown and a frequent actor at WHAT (Waiting for Godot, Hazard County, All in the Timing) and other theaters on Cape Cod and in New York, Casey Clark has won awards for films screened at New York's  International Independent Film and Video Festival and at the Provincetown International Film Festival.

click me:)
By Wolfgang Hastert
(documentary ? 56 min.)

click me:) explores the trials, triumphs, travesties and tricks involved in searching for the perfect mate online. 

Wolfgang Hastert (Filmmaker)  A summer resident of Cape Cod, Wolfgang Hastert first came to the Cape to film the award-winning docudrama Edward Hopper: The Silent Witness.  The filmmaker's wife, Blair Thornley, is a painter whose work is represented by Wellfleet's Harmon Gallery.

Sunday, February 22

First Session, 3pm?3:40pm

A Little Suspicion
By Jefferson Thomas
(drama ? 23 min.)

A simple dinner shared by a married couple and a mysterious man turns dark as the husband begins to suspect the stranger of a violent murder.  Dial M for Murder meets Film Noir in this twisted hard-boiled tale.

Jefferson Thomas (Filmmaker) Jefferson Thomas grew up in Wellfleet making films with his friends and his little brother, Christopher.  His acting credits include WHAT, the Academy of Performing Arts, and Nauset Regional High School.  He graduated in 2008, but continues to help out with NRHS's drama department as assistant director for their annual competition play.

The Portal
By Eli Powers
(drama ? 20 min.)

When a high school student climbs through a hole in the ceiling of one of his school's secret passageways, his life takes a strange and horrifying turn. 

Eli Powers (Filmmaker) Currently a junior at Nauset High School, Eli Powers is an aspiring film student.  He enjoys acting and is enrolled in his high school's honors acting program. 

Second Session, 4:30pm?6pm

Little Baby Two Shoes
by Candyce Rusk
(drama ? 6 min.)

A true-life story of a New York woman who carried a terrifying secret wrapped in a suitcase for more than a decade. 

Candyce Rusk (Screenwriter) A member of the Provincetown Playwright's Lab, Candyce Rusk has seen several of her plays performed in P'town.  Candyce is a member of Austin Script Works and is currently readying Lulu's Charms in the Dark for the 2009 Fronterra Fest Short Fringe Festival. 

Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women
By Harriet Reisen & Nancy Porter
(documentary ? 88 min.)

Louisa Alcott was her own best character, and her life had enough plot for a dozen novels. This documentary chronicles her rise from childhood poverty to wealth and fame and the conflict between her drive for self-fulfillment and her family's unending needs.  Grand Award, Providence Film Festival; Winner, Cine Gold Eagle.

Nancy Porter (Producer/Director), who vacations in Truro every summer, is an Emmy-winning filmmaker who has made numerous films for PBS, including several for the American Experience. Her most recent film for NOVA was nominated for an Emmy for Best Historical Program.
Harriet Reisen (Producer/Writer), a Truro summer resident, writes TV and radio scripts, print journalism, songs, and personal commentary for public radio. Her biography of Louisa Alcott is due out from Henry Holt and Company in autumn of 2009.

Award Ceremony, 7pm

Academy Award® High Definition Broadcast, 8pm - ?

Release courtesy of WHAT.