Coastal Companion

Your ultimate guide to the coast

Black Maria Film and Video Festival 2010 – Savannah, GA

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SCAD hosts 29th annual Black Maria Film and Video Festival

The Savannah College of Art and Design will host the 29th annual Black Maria Film and Video Festival Friday, March 5, at 8 p.m. at Trustees Theater, 216 E. Broughton St. Admission is $5 for the general public and free with a valid SCAD ID.

The Black Maria Film and Video Festival, started in 1981, is known for its annual roster of bold contemporary works by award-winning independent film- and video-makers that give insight to the human condition, political, social and environmental issues, and aesthetic investigations. It is a traveling showcase that circulates nationwide to more than 50 host institutions. Each location shows a different selection of work, with the Savannah films selected by faculty from SCAD’s film and television department.

“The Black Maria festival continues to provoke and challenge our concept of cinema,” said Michael Chaney, SCAD professor of film and television. “I’m always inspired by these short innovative works of exceptional filmmaking, and there’s always something for everyone.”

SCAD has hosted the festival annually since 1999, screening work by luminaries such as Leighton Pierce, Emily Hubley and Stan Brackhage.

The Black Maria Film and Video Festival’s mission is to advocate, exhibit and reward cutting-edge work from independent film- and video-makers. It is also an opportunity to view exciting and engaging work from both emerging and established filmmakers from around the world.

For more information on the festival, visit the Web site at www.blackmariafilmfestival.org.

Amelia Island Film Festival Announces Awards Winners 2010

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The Amelia Island Film Festival is scheduled for February 25 – March 1, 2010. The festival has just announced this year’s awards winners. The Richard Widmark Lifetime Achievement Award goes to Jonathan Demme this year.

The festival will honor Jonathan Demme’s work by featuring the following films:

A Man from Plains (2007).
The documentary about President Jimmy Carter that will screened on Sunday, Feb 28 at 1pm at the Hampton Inn & Suites at 19 S. 2nd Street;

The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
This film was partial filmed in Fernandina Beach to be shown at the Hampton Inn & Suites at 3pm; and

The Agronomist (2003)
Demme’s last documentary on Haiti that will screened in partnership with the Salvation Army Relief Fund for
Haiti to be screened on Friday, Feb 26 at 11 am at the Fernandina
Beach City Hall at 204 Ash Street.

Here is the list of award winners for 2010:

Richard Widmark Lifetime Achievment Award

Equinox Documentaries of Florida to be awaded the
Don R. Davis Memorial Award for the Best Florida Film of 2009

Brett Carlson to be awarded the AIFF Best Comedy– Sid Sax Memorial Award

AIFF Inaugural Screenwriters Institute featuring Nadine Vaughan, Sharon Cobb, Dave D’Ardenne, Rick Traum & H. Thomas Hayden

Nadine Vaughan is a published Florida author of Native Son and film producer of The Touch featuring Nicole Travolta that will be screened at the Festival. Nadine is the newest AIFF Board Member.

Sharon Cobb is a Florida Screenwriter that lectures and contributes her expertise to State & National Film Industry communities.

Dave D’Ardenne is a professional videographer that works for
ABC News that lives in Northeast Florida.

Rick Traum is past Executive Producer of NBC’s Tonight Show &
Saturday Night Live, former CFO of Radio City Music Hall and is a Board Member of the AIFF.

H. Thomas Hayden is a film producer from Camden County, Georgia,
presently filming in Georgia and Fernandina Beach his story about the Coast Guard Auxiliary.

For more info please call the AIFF Hotline at:
904.355.1110 or visit: www.AmeliaIslandFilmFestival.org

Savannah Jewish Film Festival 2010

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The Savannah Jewish Film Festival starts on February 6, 2010 and continues through February 14, 2010.

Now on its fifth year, the Festival this year showcases the very best of Jewish cinema, representing Jewish interests, culture and Jewish life.
There is a wide variety of films available at this year’s festival. Some of the films screen depict struggle like Lady Kul el Arab and Gut Shabbes Vietnam, while others will make you smile
like Yoo Hoo Mrs. Goldberg and A Matter of Size, just to mention a few.

Full Festival Passes are on sale now at the Jewish Educational Alliance, or you may purchase online. Passes are $50 each for JEA members; $65 each for non-members. Tickets for individual screenings may be purchased at the venue prior to each show; prices are $7 each for JEA members (membership card required), Seniors (65 and older) and students; $9 for general admission.
a matter of size

Sharks create major waves – St Augustine, Florida

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“SHARKS” Creates Major Waves at the World Golf Hall of Fame
IMAX® Theater Beginning on January 15, 2010

New IMAX Film Presented by Jean-Michel Cousteau; Opening Weekend to Feature Live Presentations by Gavin McKinney, “SHARKS” Director of Photography

The 2D World Golf Hall of Fame IMAX Theater, Jean-Michel Cousteau and 3D Entertainment, in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme, invite audiences to a stunning, immersive diving experience with SHARKS, premiering Friday, Jan. 15, 2010. Additionally, the film’s Director of Photography, Gavin McKinney, will be on-hand opening weekend to share his expertise and experience in bringing SHARKS to IMAX audiences. For film schedules, presentation times and ticket information, visit the IMAX Theater section on www.wgv.com.

An expert international team of ocean explorers that brought audiences “OCEAN WONDERLAND” have embarked on a unique round-the-globe expedition documenting the life of the ultimate predator in “SHARKS.” The World Golf Hall of Fame IMAX Theater brings “SHARKS” to life in grand fashion, offering a unique experience from each of its 300 stadium-style seats with high-definition images projected onto the huge, six-story tall screen and 12,000 watts of pure digital surround sound.
Swimming with Sharks
“I am very pleased that Jacksonville- and St. Augustine-area residents will now get the chance to share in this truly memorable encounter with the world’s great shark species, such as the Great White, Whale Shark and Hammerhead,” said Jean-Michel Cousteau, President of Ocean Futures Society. “Watching ‘SHARKS’ is like pulling on a diving suit and swimming weightlessly with sharks all around. If you’ve ever wanted to know what it’s really like to dive with sharks, this film is certainly a must-see. You can witness them as they truly are in their natural habitat — not wicked man-eating creatures, as they are far too frequently depicted in modern feature films, but wild, fascinating and highly endangered animals that have been in existence since a million years before the dinosaurs.”

Principal photography on “SHARKS” required an extensive nine-month shoot totaling 500 dive hours. The film was shot on location in Guadalupe Island, Socorro Island, Revillagigedos and the Sea of Cortez (Mexico), Malpelo Island (Colombia), the Red Sea (Egypt), Sodwana Bay (South Africa), Inhambane (Mozambique), San Diego (USA) and Rangiroa Atoll (French Polynesia).

SHARKS is recommended for general audiences and is produced by 3D Entertainment and McKinney Underwater Productions Inc. Directed by Jean-Jacques Mantello, filmed by Gavin McKinney and executive produced by Francois Mantello. SHARKS features an original score composed by Christophe Jacquelin and performed by the Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra. “SHARKS” is distributed worldwide by 3D Entertainment in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (http://www.unep.org) and is endorsed and supported by Ocean Futures Society (http://www.oceanfutures.org), Reef Check (http://www.reefcheck.org) and PADI’s Project Aware (http://www.projectaware.org).

Official website: http://www.SharksFilm.com

A Christmas Carol on IMAX in St Augustine

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Disney’s “A Christmas Carol,” starring Jim Carrey as Ebenezer Scrooge and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet-to-Come, will premiere on the largest IMAX screen in northeast Florida Friday, Dec. 11, 2009. The film will be a special engagement at the World Golf Hall of Fame IMAX Theater with tickets being $13 for adults with discounts for children, military, seniors and students. Tickets may be purchased and additional film information may be found at www.wgv.com.

“A Christmas Carol” is Charles Dickens’ timeless tale of an old miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, who must face Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet-to-Come as they help to bring kindness to his otherwise cold heart. The Ghosts remind Scrooge of the man he used to be, the hard truth of what the world is today and what will happen if he does not strive to be a better man. Set around Christmas, the most joyous day of the year, Scrooge realizes the sharp contrast of his own personality.

“A Christmas Carol” is rated PG for scary sequences and scary images and runs one hour and 36 minutes. The film will play at the World Golf Hall of Fame IMAX Theater through Monday, Jan. 18, 2010.

The theater also is currently presenting a holiday favorite, “The Polar Express,” on the big screen through Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009. The 90-minute animated holiday adventure based on the Caldecott Award-winning book by Chris Van Allsburg, tells the story of a boy battling with the belief of Santa Claus’ existence and takes audiences on the boy’s extraordinary journey to the North Pole. Tickets for “The Polar Express” are $6 for all ages.

Closed captioning services are available for both holiday films. For all film and ticket information, visit the IMAX Theater section of www.wgv.com.

Additionally, Santa Claus will make appearances at the World Golf Hall of Fame IMAX Theater lobby around the holiday films. Santa’s schedule is as follows:

snowflakeSaturday, Dec. 5  -  10 to 11 a.m.
Sunday, Dec. 6  – 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 12  – 10:30 to 11 a.m. and 1:30 to 2 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 13  – 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 2:30 to 3 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 19  – 12 to 2:30 p.m.

Watch our video from the Disney Train Tour “A Christmas Carol” in Jacksonville, Florida below