Film Focus #11

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NORTH EUROPE EDITION LONDON 2022 ISSUE: 11

EDDIE TORRES

Film Composer Extraordinaire TURN TO PAGE 4 FOR AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THIS GIFTED ARTIST

Where Creative Minds Meet

Welcome to our North Europe International Film Festival London 2022 Firstly, congratulations to all those that entered our Festival and as always the standard of films and scripts entered was extraordinary so very well done for your official selection and the quality of work that you entered. We know how much effort and dedication goes into every aspect of making a film or script writing and this is why we recognise such a wide range of categories with our festival nominations.

London of course is our home city and we would love to have been meeting and enjoying the company of all the filmmakers and scriptwriters who would have made the trip to join us but, we have created an online environment once again where we can come together to connect, collaborate and celebrate with the hope that this will be our last online Festival where we can finally put Covid behind us!

We are delighted to be hosting online networking events along with a wonderful selection of industry panels and also don’t forget to drop by for the latest instalment of our ever popular Quiz Night!!

We’ve made it our mission to support, encourage and to connect creative minds from across the globe and to bring them together at festivals across Europe.

Independent filmmakers and creatives need independent film festivals and film festivals certainly need you so your support is truly appreciated.

We have been fortunate enough to connect with a number of industry professionals ranging from UK and international distributors, expert marketing consultants, production houses, VOD platforms and Film Commissions who are keen to support our network of filmmakers at festivals whether physical or virtual.

Thank you to our Festival Jury, their feedback and diligent work allows us to recognise our winners in an honest and transparent way.

FILM FOCUS IS PUBLISHED BY FUSION FILM & MEDIA EUROPE LIMITED Steve Grossmith Editor & Co-Director steve@fusionfilmfestivals.com Dan Hickford Festival Coordinator & Co-Director dan@fusionfilmfestivals.com Stephen Mina Graphic Designer/Illustrator & Head of Technical mina@fusionfilmfestivals.com

All rights reserved, no part of this publication may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any other means including (but not limited to), electronic ,mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the express prior permission of the publisher. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this publication is accurate and up-to-date, the publisher takes no responsibility for errors or omissions. All supplied articles – including adverts – that are published in this magazine whether printed or in digital form are not necessarily the views or opinions of

the publisher and it is the sole responsibility of the supplier of this said material to ensure that they have the right to use all text and images that we use. By publishing in this magazine you agree to indemnify and hold harmless Fusion International Film Festivals and Fusion Film & Media Europe Limited and their agents, from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to all legal fees, and any and all court costs) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening, defamation, slander & disputed data.

PHOTOGRAPHY: STUART WATSON

With Fusion, our hearts and passion for what we do is immeasurable and we would like to thank Stephen Mina who has taken on such a huge role in adapting our Fusion brand for an online event. We have been producing festival interviews, podcasts, Fusion + profiles, Green Room interviews, Film Focus, online screenings and all of our online visuals. Stephen is the huge cog that gets all that in place, we thank you greatly.

Our small team here at Fusion have worked hard to keep positive and keep focused. The main source of that focus and energy is working as hard as we can for each and every one of you. You might not know it but you truly have been and continue to be our saviours.

Without you we wouldn’t have the dreams and aspirations we have.

Colin and Laura Graham our festival ambassadors we thank you eternally for sharing our passion and supporting us in our adventure.

We hope that you enjoy your virtual time with us and hope soon that we can finally meet again in person and share some wonderful festival memories.

Take care and all of the best for the future!

Steve & Dan

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Interview: Eddie Torres Eddie Torres – the gifted film composer behind his latest nominated film “Life Ain’t Like the Movies” – tells us what drives him to create some unbelievably memorable film scores

FF: How did you get into film composing and at what point did you realize you wanted to be a composer?

ET: I’ve been producing music for various projects on a full time basis since 2002. Those projects consisted of producing and composing music for artists, TV jingles, radio, and I even did some animation music. I never thought I’d have the opportunity or, quite honestly, the experience to compose music for the film industry.

Though I loved hearing scores in film and I love watching film regularly, it just wasn’t something I thought I’d ever get an opportunity to do. I thought to myself “no way, no one would ever give me that chance.”

Then one day I got that call! A producer in Los Angeles who had heard about my music work called me about scoring his film and that was it! Obviously he had some concerns being it my first film but I had to assure him I’d be able to do the work. I had a very small window to prove I can do this. A feature international film in two languages (Nawal The Jewel) directed by Renjilal Damodaran, and I had thirty days to finish it. The director had concerns as well. So many logistical challenges such as our time zones. I’m in the USA and the director and crew were in India, which also brought many communication challenges. Despite all the concerns and challenges, I had to work even harder to prove that I can do it but also do it well enough for NORTH EUROPE ONLINE EDITION LONDON 2022

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director approval. Long story short, I did it and the film went along to win several international awards as well as some awards in USA. All this to say, that experience woke up a new musical desire and confidence to continue the path of composing music for film. Many other film directors/ producers have reached out since that first film experience to compose for their films and I’m so blessed for these opportunities.

FF: In terms of composing, who inspires you and which scores do you love?

John Williams, Lorne Balfe and Brian Tyler, to just mention a few of my favorites. They are all so unique and they are a great inspiration. Hearing their stories and musical journeys to get where they are now continues to inspire the thought that I still have the same success they have had. Most of them share a common thing and that is that it wasn’t easy to get where they are now but it can be done. One of my favorite quotes from Denzel Washington is “without commitment, you’ll never start. But more importantly, without consistency, you’ll never finish.”

ET: Like making music for other various styles of projects and genres, I have a wide range of other composers who inspire me such as Ramin Djawadi, Harry Gregson-Williams, Hans Zimmer, Hildur Guõnadóttir, A.R. Rahman, Dominic Lewis, Thomas Newman, Junkie XL, Danny Elfman,

Some of my favorite scores would have to be from; Gladiator, Inception, Game of Thrones, Westworld, Wall-E, Passion Of Christ and of course I have to have one of my scores as a favorites which is a feature film Directed by Robert Butler Life Ain’t Like The Movies…:)

FF: How did you get involved in “Life Ain’t Like the Movies”?

ET: I was in London in 2018 at the wonderful Fusion International Fest for a nomination for another film (Nawal The Jewel) which gracefully won for Best Original Score and there I met director Robert Butler.

At this time he was also there on a nomination for another film he directed. We had various conversions and our synergy was great. He never mentioned the film (LALTM) but said to me we’d be working together some day. About one year later I received a call from Robert asking if I’d be interested in scoring his new film Life Ain’t Like The Movies. I was excited to hear back from him and of course I said yes. The film had two different premieres: one in Michigan and another in LA and has won several

awards including Best Original Score. Life Ain’t Like the Movies is now on Amazon and other streaming services. It’s been a great journey working with Robert, Kimel Fryer & crew. Simply a great film team with a big heart beat of making great movies. Looking forward to what’s next!

FF: “Life Ain’t Like the Movies” is quite a hard hitting drama – how do you even begin to think about making the music fit the film?

ET: You’re right, the film is a hard hitting drama with some heartfelt moments. Talking with the director and understanding his ideas helped. Learning to understand and communicate with your director is important to me. But I believe

what also helped was the music I’ve composed throughout the years which also have some drama and emotional feel to them. Once in a radio interview I had, the host had commented that my music overall had heartfelt feel to them.

I also get pulled into the film while watching. But another piece that’s very important to my music writing process is the performance of the actors. Robert had some amazing actors in Life Ain’t Like The Movies and that truly was a huge part in my music compositions. OK, I also had gotten emotional during certain scenes and I didn’t tell him, but the director said he did too. I’d send cues to some scenes to get approval and he’d tell me things like “ok you made me tear with your music”! I guess this all helped in getting the music right to fit the film. Ultimately, the director let me run with my music ideas and that also helped my creative process.

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FF: Can you give us a little more insight into how you compose – ie. methods you use, how things come to you?

ET: I think like most composers we sit in front of a keyboard while we watch the film and just go for it and see if something seems to work. My main instrument is the bass which could seem unusual for many who look at composers as pianists. But because I also play guitar, piano, some percussion, and a little drums since a young age I’m able to compose music for many types of project. So many times I may start with an acoustic or electric guitar or piano to get some ideas or tones for the film. Sometimes I do sit and listen to scores to get into the zone of writing but I’m always looking to write something original or unique that doesn’t sound like another composer unless the director is asking for a similar style of what a composer wrote in another film.

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I compose in Protools software and also have many great sound libraries that help get the ideas but there’s nothing better than recording a live instrument.

FF: What would be your ideal composing gig / director etc?

ET: Really as long as I’ve been in the music industry my ideal composing gig would be one where I’d be working long term for a successful film director.

Danny Elfman had established a great relationship with director Tim Burton early on and till this day they work together. I believe that chemistry can offer continual success in films.

FF: If you weren’t a composer what would you be?

ET: At an early age, I always wanted to be in law enforcement, even to the degree that I applied and tested

for a few police departments and passed the exams but never got the job. I even took some private security training but it never happened. With where we are today with so many crises in this world, maybe it was a good thing it didn’t happen and I also believe it never happened because I was destined to have a career in music. I also like helicopters and planes, maybe a pilot?

FF: When you’re working with a director for the first time do you have a set of guidelines you give him or her?

ET: Not really! Because I know many directors may not have the same musical language we use, I typically ask for some sample ideas of music they like so it helps me understand their ideas better. Certain words used in describing what director’s want don’t always translate well in music. I like clarity so that I’m on point.

FF: Do you normally work with a music editor?

ET: More recently I have been but my music editor (James Smead) has been wearing multiple hats, one of which is making sure my music is mixed well and editing anything additional we may need. I generally write to picture because of shorter budgets, etc. So I would mostly make sure the director approves the cues to the various scenes and lock them in.

FF: What would you say to the 10-year old Eddie Torres (and we wonder what he would say to you!)?

ET: I’d say to little Eddie “Learn some Orchestral composing” I’m not an orchestrator but neither is Danny Elfam or many other great Hollywood composers. But I think having some better knowledge of that skill-set would open even more opportunities for me. I’d also tell little Eddie to

learn the music business early on.

My royalty checks would have been coming in early on. Little Eddie might have told me trust my ideas early on as well. I would have made a lot of money had I bought Apple stocks in the 80’s at $22.00 a share, had I listened to myself then when I got my first apple computer! Grrr!!

FF: What advice would you give to an up and coming film composer?

ET: First, be yourself and be unique in how you make music. Also, learn the music business end. It’s very important to understand your music’s worth and benefit from your work as much as you can. Also be consistent, and be patient. I’ve had to step away from music to produce income when times were slow and trust me, that’s our industry-Ups and downs! But those ups and downs don’t determine your success, you do, if you stay consistent and don’t give up.

FF: How is music composed for a film, is it possible to explain how it would need to differ from other composing (non-film) projects?

ET: Composing music for film isn’t that much different then composing for any other project for the most part. I proved it when I got my first film. I knew how to compose.

I just needed to understand the technical parts of it, such as writing to a picture, timecode, file formats, sending files to mixing house (bouncing stems) etc, and of course how to work with a director. When working with an artist’s music, it generally has a commercial length to the song. But in film it is as long as the scene might be and you’re not really writing a piece of music with a hook to make people dance, instead you’re writing music to help the film and hopefully invoke some emotions.

For me it truly was a technical learning piece.

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FF: I know that you were really close to your dad and it would be wonderful if you could let us know how important family is to you and how they influenced you growing up?

ET: Wow! This one hits home! Dad bought a twenty-six dollar acoustic guitar when I was 9 years old. He bought it for himself, liking music as well. Dad was also a musician and played in church. By the way, twenty-six dollars was a big expense for my Dad and mom, as we grew up humbly. Dad and I were close and even closer as he got older. Dad and mom also bought me my first bass, which was eighty dollars. I remember dad lighting up when he would see me perform. I think in so many ways dad would have probably wanted to do more with music had he had those opportunities. Maybe he lived the music life internally by watching some of my music growth. Dad passed away in 2021 of a heart failure while I was composing the film Life Ain’t Like the Movies. The hardest challenge of my life was before me. But I believe that the feelings I had during losing my dad also helped me finish the film. Dad would have been proud of me! So, dad’s twenty-six dollar guitar birthed within me a desire to learn and play music. By the age of eleven I was on stage in church playing the bass. Thereafter, I started getting gigs to play with bands and ultimately my first recording session came about. My wife (Juanita) has played such a huge role in my musical career. We had hardships because of my music, yet she has always supported and enjoyed my music till this day. Honestly I don’t think I’d be where I am today if she wasn’t part of my musical journey. My kids (Josh & Alexa) are my super fans.

They’ve always been around my music life and are a huge encouragement to what I do. We talk about music regularly and in fact my daughter sings and her voice will be heard in a new film (Breaking Iron) directed by Ewa Bielska I’m scoring, hopefully releasing 2022. So, family has and still is a major influence to me.

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FF: Please tell us about the amazing studio you have at home!

ET: Ahh!! My studio! My office! My inspirational place! Well, it wasn’t cheap to build but I wanted it built right and for it to feel good for my clients. I get many compliments and I’m grateful I was able to build it. It took about 9 months to build the studio portion of it which consists of a control room, live room, lobby, lounge and a full bathroom. It’s a full fifteen hundred square feet of floating walls and acoustic isolation.

No complaints from my wife when music is a little louder than usual. It’s a full recording studio, however my focus is private clients and I don’t rent out my space for any projects that I am not working on. As far as gear, I have a combination of outboard gear, mics etc. as well as tons of software and sound libraries. A cup of coffee early in the morning in my lounge and right into my control room to start composing- just a few steps away from my attached home. Blessed!

FF: When it comes to filmmaking we truly admire anyone involved in this crazy industry that bring something to life on screen but, with composing you are

literally making something from nothing with all of those pressures on your shoulders but, is it even possible to explain the pure joy you feel when you know it’s you with that film – with your music that’s playing?

ET: OMG! No better excitement for me than when making music to film.

I’ve been making music full time now for over twenty years and in those years I’ve earned the opportunity to be a voting member for the Grammys.

This is a nice privilege to have, and to have met some of the biggest industry names in music out there makes it even cooler. However, when I got my first film opportunity and saw what a piece of my music can do to a scene in a film, it became a total game changer for me. I still produce artists and other projects but writing to film, WOW, just like getting a new toy for kid. Yea I’d say you’re right, it’s almost impossible to express the pure joy but if walls had eyes in my studio when I’m composing to film, hmm? You’d get a better understanding of my feelings!

Eddie Torres

https://www.eddietorresmusic.com/

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Shanghai Story ÉMILIE OHANA, DRAGO LAZETICH IN SHANGHAI STORY

A feature film

by Andrej iliev

In Shanghai, everything is fleeting.

This comedy/drama by writer-director Andrej iliev follows an alcohol dependent sex toy copywriter (Drago Lazetich) and a mysterious lady with a hand-drawn map (Émilie Ohana) on their night long adventure across the neon-lit city.

Throughout their fast-paced journey they visit Shanghai’s many iconic locations and discover the city’s hidden corners. The two seemingly different characters connect over personal trauma and attempt to find meaning in an ever-changing world in this story about life, love, loss and the importance of human connection in today’s society.

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A word from the director: How many films centered around New York, London or Tokyo can you think of?

Probably quite a few. What about Shanghai? The constantly changing rules and regulations and the harsh censorship can make filming in China a difficult undertaking. That’s why Shanghai Story is a unique film. It exists only due to the sheer will and determination of its cast and crew.

We had people from Europe, US, Hong Kong, Togo and of course China, running around Shanghai streets at night, trying to capture a bit of its magic. We don’t often see Shanghai on film in this way, but the city itself is a stunning filming location, a fascinating canvas of sounds and

colors, a contrast between the past and the future that I felt deserved a story of its own. Shanghai Story was filmed in 24 days entirely on location in Shanghai, China. The film is injected with the melancholy and nostalgia of the 90s indie cinema.

Andrej iliev has lived and worked in film and video production in Shanghai, China for the past 10 years and is currently planning to make his next film back home in Europe.

www.shanghaistorymovie.com/ www.andrejiliev.com/ Feature film Runtime 73 minutes

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Laurent Canches | Interview LAURENT J. CANCHES

Laurent Canches has consistently entered thought provoking documentary films into Fusion Film Festivals and his latest work – “3 H 33 Port Des Yachts Street” - is a harrowing tale of a real life event that directly affected him. Here we had a wonderful interview regarding his life story including his multiaward winning film “Vladivostok Terminus”.

An interview by Steve Grossmith

FF: So is that correct that you were born in a bookshop, and growing up there had a profound positive influence on your life?

LC: Yes that’s right, my mother was a bookseller and the small shop was in Paris and my father worked in the print industry. So they were both connected to printing but interestingly, neither of them had any form of higher education.

My mother loved many, many novels and often I was alone in the bookshop and from there I began to read…a lot! It was literally hundreds and hundreds of books and it was a discovery of all kinds of books, English, American, Italian, and French (of course!) and always I read so, so much. In fact my next film in 2022 will be about Mary Francis Kennedy Fisher who was a very strange American food writer that died in 1992. She was an incredibly powerful writer who discovered both her life and gastronomy in Dijon.

FF: How did you transition from your love of books to your love of films?

LC: I remember I was 13 or 14 years old and was taken to see a film at the biggest cinema in Paris about the great wall of China – I can’t recall the title!

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where is this fucking wall?” and all the audience was laughing and after that well, I started to watch many, many films.

I remember clearly going to see “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid” and you had these beautiful images and music and the wonderful acting. And, when I was 16 I knew that’s what I wanted to do, I wanted to work in the film industry.

But it was so difficult to find work in Paris in this industry at that time, so I was studying sociology so I contacted a studio about studying filmmaking with them from a sociological point of view but at the same time to be 2nd assistant director. So I was very lucky as I was just an ordinary guy starting at the bottom rung and I knew very early on that I would want to direct movies but also knew that I would have to learn a lot first! And I ended up making four films as a production assistant with some great actors including Omar Shariff, he was such a great person and so very generous.

FF: For us, we know you for Documentary films, can you tell us a little more about why you decided that?

LC: Yes, that’s right. Of course I made a couple of narrative films including one that had a large budget and it was very interesting to direct actors. But I think that I decided to make documentary films because I was a sociologist and I thought well what is important in my mind and to me it’s the scientific rules

and it was the science of being precise with what I want to create. At the same time I wanted to be very passionate.

FF: With “Vladivostok Terminus” it seems (on paper) such a simple idea – to travel east on a train and the film turned out to be fascinating, where did the idea come from and why across Russia?

LC: I’m diabetic so I was always concerned about traveling very far but with the advent of insulin pumps, well that changed everything and it was around the time that I reached 60 and a friend of mine recommended this fabulous trip which I realized I could now do. Suddenly I could meet these amazing Russian people and could talk to people in Moscow about this project. For the 1st part of the film I decided to shoot pirate / guerrilla style but of course it was serious.

FF: We think you should do the same journey across India (or America our Australia)!

LC: (laughs)..possibly! There are so many journeys to imagine but I think for me, India would be worrying and difficult because of my diabetes but, Australia or America…well…

Storm Xynthia. 28th of

A FILM BY LAURENT CANCHES, WITH THE VOICES OF LOLA DHERS & OLIVER YOUNG. MUSIC AND SOUND: JEAN-CHRISTOPHE DESNOUX 26 MN, PRODUCED BY ITINERO FILMS AND CROWDFUNDING

February 2010.

In Paris, at the newspaper to which I belong, we discover that during the night, in La Faute-sur-Mer in the Vendée, 29 people have drowned, mainly elderly people and children.

They lived in a “death trap” that the ocean invaded.

Astonishment. As in all the other media (press, radio, TV), the reports follow one another with testimonies and questions about the reasons for such a nightmare.

But to be seen or read from afar, the disaster touches without totally penetrating the protection we wrap ourselves in the face of painful events. And that is the strength of Laurent Canches’ documentary “3:33 am Port des Yachts Street”. We feel how Xynthia ravaged a holiday home full of family memories in one night. How a woman who had come to spend a few days there alone saw the water rush in. Rise. Threaten. We shiver.

We hear her two calls to the fire brigade (the text of this exchange was kept by the rescuers who were unable to assist...) with a mobile phone that serves as a torch in the dark this is deeply moving. The fear and disempowerment that prevail resonate in an intimate way.

We feel cold and we tremble with this woman who is taking refuge at the top of a piece of furniture, counting the hours and measuring the incessant rise of the water which is swirling around.

We experience the nightmare from the inside, even if modesty is required: the victim is not shown in close-up; her words are spoken by an actress.

TOP: VIEW FROM THE TRAIN (AUBE) / LEFT: LAURENT AT THE BAIKAL LAKE / RIGHT: LAURENT IN VLADIVOSTOK WATCHING THE CONSTRUCTION.

3:33 am Port des Yachts Street

This woman made it through. But she lost people close to her.

She is still alive, but she remains wounded. Her house, like so many others, was razed to the ground. Demolished by the fangs of a machine that we watch and hear devouring an entire neighbourhood.

A whole part of life is now covered by a golf course, which moves the viewer far beyond the natural empathy we feel when faced with a disaster.

Article by Catherine MALLAVAL (Libération journalist - 27/09/2021)

https://www.facebook.com/ljcanches/ Short Documentary Runtime 26 Minutes

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We Are The Apocalypse!

A short narrative film, Written, Produced and Directed by Charles William Lane.

Nominated for Best Comedy and Best Lead Actress-Short Film: Sarah Street.

Blurring the lines between fact and fiction, We Are the Apocalypse! is a meditation on how a middleaged man’s sense of masculine and generational entitlement clashes with the misguided naiveté of a younger generation, raised on the unconscious belief that media truly is the message.

The film is a Black Comedy exploring questions of failure, responsibility, loss, and reckoning. It also begs the age-old question “What is art?”

We Are the Apocalypse ! is about an idealistic group of young artists with “modern” issues, and aspirations far greater than their communal talents, who decide to go for broke and kidnap a well-known billionaire to hold for ransom and have beg the world on all social media platforms for a large sum of money in exchange for his life. This money will then fund their grand scheme of social justice in the form of a film following them as they blow up Mount Rushmore.

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“collective”, they kidnap the wrong man, getting stuck instead with a grizzled, down-on-his-luck lech, who by his own admission, has failed at everything in life, including art.

When they realize their mistake, the question then becomes “What now?”

Taking their cue from the least likely of sources, they decide to put him on trial.

I began writing what was originally titled The Hanged Man in the summer of 2019. I had written a feature screenplay, Identification: Laura Bracken, that had won awards internationally, but I was having no luck getting it produced. After making the rounds of the festival circuit, I thought shooting my own short might be a better calling card.

And being that shorts are microcosms of thought, a possibly painstaking and exhilarating exercise. I was correct. Having a lifelong fascination with cults and terrorist organizations, and always being drawn to stories about mistaken identity, creating this film was a true labor of love.

Finding the right Cinematographer was tantamount to getting the results I wanted, and John L. Murphy became much more than just my cameraman. Using the films of some of my favorite directors, i.e., Joseph Losey, Michaelangelo Antonioni, etc. as inspiration, John and I worked many hours to create just the right color palette and environment for the actors to bring their characters to life in.

The adage “It takes a village” certainly applies to filmmaking, as without my unbelievably talented cast (Pat Skipper, Sarah Street, Yair Ben-Dor, Helen Laser, and John Kell O’Hara), composer (Marike Van Dijk), editor (Derek LaRock), and crew, I would still be sitting at my desk wondering who might read my words. Thanks to all.

It was a pleasure and I look forward to the next round.

Charles William Lane www.wearetheapocalypse.info/ Short comedy Runtime 30 minutes

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Casual Criminals A feature comedy

by Paul L. Carr

Casual Criminals can best be described as an oldfashioned slapstick comedy. Unlike my previous films – Busted City, American Barbarian, and Empire –which could be described as political satires with plenty of dark humor, this current film is all about fun. Anything goes. The story entertains and surprises with plenty of plot twists. I see the long lineage of great comedic films that influenced me and I enjoyed so much while growing up by film makers like Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, The Three Stooges, Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Blake Edwards, Rob Reiner, Harold Ramis, and others. Somehow it led to a film named Casual Criminals. Enjoy!

Director/Producer Paul L. Carr can be contacted at: bustedcity@gmail.com FB – @bustedcityproductions IG - @pabloglobal Runtime 81 minutes

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Neeru Khera I am a film producer from India and my production company The Creative Gypsy has three cinematic offerings for this wonderful festival managed so competently

by Steve and Dan. It is always a pleasure to participate in this festival and I look forward to an offline award night soon.

The submissions include a music video a short film and a web series. This will give an idea off the diverse work being done by The Creative Gypsy. All three have been nominated in more than one category which is an honour at this prestigious festival.

It is wonderful to have your hard work recognised and be seen by talented filmmakers from all over the world.

HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY SEEING THEM ONLINE

All About Section 377 This is India’s first LGBTQ web series which has crossed over 5,000,000 views on YouTube, It was appreciated greatly by audiences and critics alike. It was covered extensively in print and social media and received rave reviews by one and all. It is in the top 10 Indian web series to be watched.

Section 377 is a section of the Indian Penal Code which criminalises gay sex.

It was an archaic section from a long time ago and the gay community sought a legal solution and demanded that this section should be abolished. This led to extensive debates and after a long and bitter battle the Supreme Court of India finally agreed to amend it.

Our web series promotes free love. Newspapers and TV channels talked extensively about the series and audiences loved it but nobody was prepared to buy it or screen it.

Ode to Ganges India is an agricultural economy which is dependent on rivers for fertile land and irrigation. Thus rivers in India are revered, worshipped and considered holy. The holiest river of India is the Ganges which not only provides food for everyone but according to Hindu tradition bathing in the river causes forgiveness of transgressions and helps attain salvation. In Hinduism Ganges is seen as a mother to humanity. It is auspicious to bathe in it and offer prayers to her in a ceremony in traditional style in the light of lamps and prayers set to folk music. This music video is shot on the banks of the river Ganges where hundreds of local people from surrounding villages collected to hold lamps and sing the prayer together. The locale and drone shots are beautiful and have captured a magical evening.

The song is an ode to mother Ganges and sung and composed by Akriti Kakkar who is a well known Bollywood playback singer and composer. It is the first ever ode composed for Ganges and is popular on TV channels and is also a caller tune for Vodafone mobile company. Enjoy the typical Indian music and gorgeous backdrops.

5 MINS – MUSIC SHORT

Displaced This short drama is very close to my heart, it is part of project TRANSFORM which is a project promoting mental health in India and Ibadan. The collaborators of this project are University of Warwick ,University of Ibadan ,The Creative Gypsy , Douglas hospital Research Center Montreal ,University of Birmingham and Telepsychiatry Research and Innovation Network limited Bangladesh and is funded by NIHR, UK.

I refused to lose hope and continued promoting it. Finally after 18 months we were approached by NDTV who wanted to show it as a series on television. We also managed to get electronics giant Hitachi on board to sponsor it. All About Section 377 turned out to be a big hit andwas screened twice….. once as a special for Valentine day. It has touched a chord in people’s hearts all over the world from Russia to New Zealand and has won awards at many festivals

The film is about a common man who has been displaced from his home as a child and grows up in a city away from his childhood memories and friends and relatives. He is a Kashmiri Pandit who have had to leave their homes in the beautiful valley of Kashmir and live in a concrete city like a refugee causing mental health problems like depression in two generations. it is a hard hitting film based on a real experience and clearly communicates the terrible long lasting impacts on those affected in turn highlighting how important this project is. It has been extremely well received in festivals at Hamburg, Singapore, Tokyo New Delhi, UK, Rameswaram, Paris, Sweden and many more and received the award for best drama or best actor.

125 MINS – WEB SERIES

24 MINS – SHORT

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Script: Shatter To speak of knowledge is futile. All is experiment and adventure. We are forever mixing ourselves with unknown quantities... Virginia Woolf, The Waves.

Script Shatter/Script Scatter - Picture this...

A script

by Bill Hayward

One sees clearly only with the heart

Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince

B I L L

integrity from beginning to end… cinematic context experienced anew… as with music, resonance not story. A bold practice of breath and discovery.

Creating “script” based on visuals.

H A Y W A R D

If we are truly serious about conquering the deep recurring scarring Cinema. Considerations. Priorities. of thousands of years of repeated ruin, Since we are examining /talking about Foregrounding sight and the we might want to more fully attend visual arts here, why can’t script employment of visual energy as to negotiating new ways of “seeing”. originate in visual experience and not the primary medium of cinematic Finding ways around the repeated exclusively in text and word? creation…Locating cinematic recitation and writing of the most origination direct/questioning “Søren Kierkegaard... feared that the asadvent of the camera would create one single popular ancient texts, the “manly Visual reconnaissance: Curiosity. confrontation with physical/visual portrait of us all, obliterating the treasure of our differences. declarations” Haywardofbeing a worldly consumption and war.

Shattering.

Scattering.

Freeing the fact…not in a fettered, pretend ritual of concept of script from its traditional, flâneur would seem to take issue withof the eminent Dane.” certainty text and word. Translation.

A final moment with poet Fernando limiting definition as an interrelated Pose. Cliche.

Pessoa: If the heart had a thought, it series of words/texts…a strangling Richard Merkin, Vanity would stop.Fair organization of logic/facts. “Thoughtful Conspicuously, visuals are what flashes representations”. before us as we die. We hear and see © BILL HAYWARD - 2022

when born and hear and see at death.

“Iconoclasm, breaking the holy image, making it more holy in doing so….the Rather, rooted possibilities of Scriptthe image, The great “confounding of word” is Shatter/Scatter, constellations of visual man possesses an epic cool that is occurs reflected in the work. Hayward’s universe becomes the what in between. ability to travel between and beyond forms, to hybridize, to traffic in aesthetic accident NORTH EUROPE ONLINE EDITION @FUSIONFILMFESTS and unconscious inspiration…”

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Patriots

When the line between protecting the republic and being an enemy of the state is blurred, the realities of true freedom are questioned.

FILM: PATRIOTS - JOE CAMARENO AS ERIC SIMMS

Written, produced and starring Joe Camareno

Brash CIA operative Eric Simms is on a personal mission to set things straight after a mishap on an unsanctioned black ops operation in the recent past. Career long loyalties are questioned as he uncovers a sinister plot at play. Unsure of what to do, he justifies his motives and is then faced with the ultimate question of loyalty. What makes one a steadfast defender of a republic, one who goes against protocol to make those difficult choices in righting a perceived wrong, or one who toes the line and follows procedure?

This short-form spy thriller is being developed into a full-length feature film.

Biography Joe Camareno is an American actor who hails from Los Angeles.

He is also a multi-award-winning producer, writer, director, and a producing partner and co-owner of Celtino Entertainment Group (CEG). He was nominated for a 2019 Imagen Award in the Best Actor category for Tin Holiday, alongside Antonio Banderas, Andy Garcia and Anthony Ramos. ​A true New Media pioneer, Joe took Best Audio Recording honors for his comedic podcast Virgin Falls (2006 Parsec Award), one of the first podcasts of its day. Most recently, he was the series director for the web series Failing Upwards, as well as the educational web series Fixing Paco, starring Paul Rodriguez. Joe’s work on “Paco” lead to him taking Best Director honors at the 2012 Reel Rasquache Film and Art Festival, and the series went on to receive a 2013 People’s Telly Silver Award for Best Program or Webisode, in addition to several 2013 and 2014 Imagen Award nominations, Joe was also the series director and producer for the 2010 Imagen Award-winning web series Ylse.

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​ ith a solid background in theater and live show production, W Joe has produced and directed a number of original plays at theater companies across Los Angeles, including the critically acclaimed Lost Angeles at the Lillian Theater in Hollywood.

As a writer of educational children’s shows, Joe co-wrote The Environmental Defenders, produced by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works (LACDPW), as a touring production for the Los Angeles County elementary schools from 1995 to 2005. Praised for its merits by educators and a fast favorite among students, The Environmental Defenders won numerous awards, including the 1999 Productivity & Quality Award of Los Angeles County; the 1999 PRSA Prism Award; a 2001 Telly Award; the 2000 National Association of Counties Achievement Award; and the 2000 Association of Visual Communicators Award of Distinction. ​ s an actor, Joe has a career spanning over 25 years in front A of the camera, having performed in more than 400 TV commercials and over 600 radio spots. He has been a campaign actor for Farmers Insurance and AT&T, as well as the campaign voice for Homeland Security, White Castle, Burger King, Taco Bell, Citre Shine Shampoo, and NutriBullet Rx. He has gueststarred on many hit television shows, including memorable recurring roles on The Shield and Unfabulous. Film roles include Expired, Tin Holiday, and Edith & Harvey. ​ Joe recently directed 184 animated episodes in Spanish for Age of Learning / ABC Mouse, and six episodes for the new series Sister President premiering spring 2020. https://www.celtinoentertainment.com/patriots Short film Runtime 7 Minutes

The feature film script ‘How Far To Zuccotti Park’ is a suspense thriller set in 2011 during the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York City.

Civil rights, surveillance tech, a unique lawyer, a rising computer science star, and an innovative soundtrack are key components of this feature film script.

A brilliant young PhD student, Julia Carter, is swept up in the arrests at Zuccotti Park only to find her arrest was not random. She and her lawyer navigate the dangerous and thoughtprovoking twists and turns of her quest for freedom.

This feature film script is being adapted for an audio drama featuring music

by New York City spoken-word poet Poez, and Ferna, a brilliant emerging artist from Belfast. The audio drama will be released to the public and used as a fundraising campaign for the production of the feature film.

Award-winning filmmaker Joeann Calabrese has been making musicbased films in New York City since working at MTV early in her career.

CAMPBELL DALGLISH

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Savage Land

By Campbell Dalglish and Dr. Henrietta Mann

A feature documentary that started out as a cultural exploration of indigenous tribes in Oklahoma, suddenly and very tragically intertwines with the horrific death of 18 year old Mah-hi-vist Red Bird Goodblanket. Film Focus was very fortunate to be able to talk with four individuals who were intimately involved with the creation of this powerful and thought provoking film: Campbell Dalglish - co-director, co-writer & co-producer Dr. Henrietta Mann -co-director, co-writer & co-producer Bob Vetter - Field Producer Melissa Goodblanket - The mother of Mah-hi-vist Red Bird Goodblanket Chris Eyre and Dr. Henrietta Mann - Executive Producers

“This film is hard for me….because I too was involved in a documentary on indigenous people on police brutality here in Canada and something just grabbed my heart again when I watched this film….it was traumatizing … I felt a lot of anger…. thank you for sharing this story: a very important story that needs to be shown. And some people may not accept it BUT, this is so very important to share this.“ Tracie Louttit – The American Indian Film Festival “…a strong, poignant, powerful and yet fragile film…this film stayed with me long after I had seen it….the story that was told for me was an American horror story and it was like a gut punch…the history that you brought in and weaved into the film of Sand Creek and Washita – the connection – was very real and there were many triggers…and it did leave a haunting feeling… I’m really thankful that the film is guided through Native self-determination and that we control the narrative.”

Bridget Neconie – The American Indian Film Festival “From the opening scene – using home video footage showing a loving family on a typical Christmas day morning with Mah-hi-vist opening his presents, cutting to their kitchen where he was shot dead 9 years later at just 18 years old, this has already become a tough, troubling and deeply disturbing documentary film. As you can imagine, I am in the privileged position of having watched literally thousands of both fiction and non-fiction films and “Savage Land” is without doubt, one of the best documentaries I have ever viewed. It IS a gut punch as Bridget Neconie comments but, the research, filming, structure and editing of this film has been done in such a thoughtful, respectful and intelligent way that two stories intertwine and shine a light on the sad fact that even now, after 150 years, the horrors, injustice and brutal treatment of indigenous, Native Americans is still with us.”

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When Custer County Police kill 18 year old Cheyenne Arapaho Mah-hi-vist Red Bird Goodblanket in his family’s kitchen, descendants of the Sand Creek and Washita Massacres take us back 150 years to reveal how historical trauma and the horrors of the past are still present in America today.

You are probably aware of past injustices on our original inhabitants- the American Indians. But are you aware that those same forces of injustice are still present in their lives today?

Our film Savage Land began with a City College SEED grant back in 2012 to explore on camera how to build bridges between cultures in Oklahoma through indigenous media. Then on December 21st, 2013 Mah-hi-vist Red Bird Goodblanket was shot down in his parent’s kitchen in Clinton where we had been filming by Custer County Police who were responding to a 911 call. Instead of arriving to talk to this troubled youth who suffered from Opposition Defiant Disorder, they arrived heavily armed. After forcing the family out of their way, they barged through a broken window, and came right out. One officer claiming “He about cut off his finger.” Then three Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) joined the Custer County Deputy and went back in a second time through the same broken window. Immediately “Shots fired.

Shots fired.” Nine times, six of them to his body. Two missed him, collected later from the wall and the attic. One OHB later describes Mah-hi-vist sitting against a door jam with his head on his knees. He must not have been dead yet.

How did he end up sprawled out in the living room? It was determined that the fatal shot to the back of his head was the seventh shot. By whom or why we do not yet know, as the police dash board videos and accounting of the story are incomplete and possibly altered. And why did the

PHOTO BY MATIKA WILBUR FOR THE SPIRIT ALIGNED LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

Custer County Sheriff who was not there give his two deputies medals of valor shortly after, not allowing them to talk about what really happened?

The purpose of this film is to search for the truth of what happened and to ask how and why this show of force, these same forces used in the massacres of Sand Creek and Washita, are continuing today?

We aim to tour this film across America and address some of these issues. “The past is never dead; it’s not even past,” said William Faulkner.

And bridges of understanding are long overdue.

It’s our duty to our nation to acknowledge our past in order to heal all our wounds and seek a better future for all.

The mother of this slain youth Melissa Goodblanket offers her solution.

“If fear is the disease we all have, forgiveness is the cure.”

Dr. Henrietta Mann a direct descendent of two massacres over a century ago says, “The challenge today is still to forgive the unforgivable.”

FF: Hi Campbell, this is quite a tough film to watch and perhaps you could start by giving us a little more

background to the making of this documentary.

Campbell Dalglish: To be honest, with a synopsis it’s often not enough to justify what’s in a film. Bob Vetter & I started out with Dr. Henrietta Mann to create a cultural exploration of indigenous peoples who were relocated to Oklahoma from all over the United States. You hear about the Trail of Tears and the five civilized tribes forced from their homes in the south east but there were actually tribes from all over the country that were also forced to make the journey in “death marches” to Oklaoma. Stripped of their language, culture and upbringing. Children were removed from their homes and sent to boarding schools. So we set out with Bob as the ethnographer* introducing us to the many people he knew that could answer our questions and with Dr. Henrietta Mann, a descendant of two massacres, guiding the narrative in search of the truth. Bob & I really need to thank Dr. Mann for being our guide on this. So after two years of filming we were about to go back - and even had an edited version – when this appalling incident happened. I had literally just returned from a Native American meeting that was held in honour of Bob in September of 2013.

Then on December 21st in the same year I got a call from one of my interns to say that Mah-hi-vist had just been shot and killed in his kitchen. It was as though the past had jumped up in our face to remind us that these monstrous humans were still with us.

That was utterly devastating and then it was what do we do, do we continue to tell the history of all of these tribes that were relocated to Oklahoma or, do we tell the terrible story of what had happened to Mah-hi-vist and both of them were overwhelmingly horrifying. Of course the Mah-hi-vist story kept coming up as most relevant to what’s happening today in America and around the world in terms of authorities using force to manipulate and control indigenous people. It’s a question of colonialism that Bob and I had talked about together with our editor Alex Lora, who did a magnificent job of carrying that thread through out our film. We didn’t want to document just another story about a police killing. We needed to weave it into the bloodstained fabric of the past to remind us that the past was not over. So we went from a documentary about historical cultural genocide to a present day police killing that has become a murder mystery, haunting and irrefutable.

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32 peoples at Washita river and Sand Creek and so it was a continuation and a story that had to be told. And so, we have to go in search of the truth and I believe that Mah-hi-vist’s parents, Melissa and Wilbur Goodblanket are still on that quest. A search for truth and justice because of the great love that all of us hold for the people.

Dr. Henrietta Mann: I don’t know if there was any soul searching at all. Your question is very good but what I looked at was the kind of tragic and historical aggression of indigenous peoples of the United States of America. The story of Sand Creek in 1864 and the story of the Washita in 1868 is certainly the background to this unfortunate and tragic situation of the Custer County police and what they did to a very young, handsome Cheyenne, Arapaho man. It was horrifying to me the amount of force used resulting in this young man’s death. The same kind of force is certainly reflected in historical massacres that occurred to the Cheyenne and Arapaho. The same

FF: Hi Melissa, thank you so much for taking the time out to be part of this interview in light of the terrible tragedy that you and your family have been subjected to.

BOB VETTER

FF: Dr.Henrietta, could you please tell us how much soul searching there was to incorporate the killing of Mah-hi-vist into “Savage Land” and your feelings about this dreadful incident?

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Melissa Goodblanket: Thank you for having me here. Although you know me as Melissa Goodblanket I carry many other names one of which means “the bringer of light” and of course my participation in this film….is my presence. The night that all of this happened – the Winter Solstice – is a very sacred time of the year when the portals are open. We called for assistance and when that

assistance arrived the end result was the death of my 18-year old son. The officers here they call themselves “peace officers” and they clearly do not know how to hold and honour a vow and somewhere across this earth humanity has forgotten compassion, integrity, honour and respect. All of those things – I didn’t see a glimpse of – that night my son took his journey back to his original home. We were not treated in that capacity, my husband, Mah-hi-vist’s girlfriend, my youngest son & I; none of us were treated with those basic human attributes. When they came here they consistently said that they entered out house once….they did not, they entered our house twice. We know what we said happened, happened.

Mah-hi-vist, he was bigger than life – 6ft 8 at 18 years old – and when he entered a room he wanted to embrace you and that’s the kind of human being that he was, he brought a lot of joy and happiness wherever he was.

FF: Hi Bob, please could you give us some idea

PHOTOGRAPH BY RAYMOND GUARNIERI

of your professional background and how this film evolved?

Bob Vetter: So my academic background is in cultural anthropology and I went to graduate school at the University of Oklahoma and my interest was in spirituality and healing. It began with the Comanche’s and I went on to continue my field work with a number of tribes that live there. In the process of meeting all of these people something really changed in me, it was a life transforming experience being among all of the families of these tribes and everything that I’ve done since then has been about sharing that experience, both the good and bad aspects of it. The good aspects of it are the spiritual underpinnings of every individual indigenous culture in Oklahoma and the bad part is the tragedy that this movie is a reflection of. The interesting part for me is that most people in the United States have no idea what happened and how Oklahoma came to be what it is. I travelled through Europe for four summers and found that people there

knew more about the history of the United States and about how it relates to the Native Americans than the average person that I have ever met in our country. So the reason that we went to make this film initially was to look at all aspects of Native American culture and understand how it was shaped. So how do you understand overlapping identities, so Native people today, each one of them belongs to a particular tribe but when you put a number of them together, well what are they? In America they are bunch of “Indians” whatever that words means and so there was an attempt to destroy their culture, to destroy them as a people first, their culture second - an attempt to just marginalize them. So we were trying to look at all of that and the midst of it all this horrific event happened with Mah-hi-vist. So we could say that that dreadful event became a reminder of everything that we were looking at and examining, the history and the culture including the positive part of being able to come out of the shadows.

FF: Dr. Mann, if you could let us know what it was like

working collaboratively with Campbell, writing, directing and producing Savage Land?

Dr. Henrietta Mann: Honestly it was easy actually! Firstly, we have this phenomenal amount of respect for one another at a human level as indigenous peoples. We embrace those that live with us that come to work among us and to share our pain. So I knew Melissa, I knew Bob and Campbell came in with his film students from City College New York and we had our students at the Cheyenne, Arapaho tribal college and it was one, huge family. We knew that each individual had certain skills and attributes, but everyone would share their skills to help us arrive at completing the documentary. And of course Campbell was vital in terms of being versed in the film world and Bob Vetter with his historical background.

Melissa & Wilbur Goodblanket who

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lived their lives as tribal people and they are well respected in the Native Church of North America and we relied on each other to take a piece of that pie as it were. Everyone’s expertise ensured that we would get this film made and help give us – unfortunately – a realistic portrait of the history of American Indians.

FF: Finally Melissa, is there possibly an uplifting message?

Melissa Goodblanket: Sometimes we lose hope but the uplifting message is that we still have hope. Hope for the truth in this case and hope that humanity can rise above itself and treat all living creatures with respect and honour and love and compassion. I think that’s what our creator intended, to remember and re-learn the instructions, that humanity. I would like to say if we use our higher self to envisage what we would like to see in this life that we can hold onto that hope and vision and hopefully life can continue in a beautiful way on this mother earth but right now, I’m not so sure.

Humanity has made a mess of it all but having said that humanity can flip the coin for all life forms.

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https://savagelandfilm.com/ Feature Documentary Runtime 90 Minutes *The branch of anthropology that deals with the description of specific human cultures, using methods such as close observation and interviews.

The Goodblanket are members of Native American Church of Oklahoma