Wannabe movie-makers will have the opportunity to tell their stories during PAH-Fest Motown 2009, July 13-19, at Madonna University’s Livonia campus, l36600 Schoolcraft Road.
It's the Detroit-area’s third annual Project Accessible Hollywood festival -- a unique, entirely free, digital media festival that features a full schedule of activities where participants create everything from cell-phone movies to six-minute digital films. The events and competitions are open to people from all walks of life -- no filmmaking experience is necessary, just a story to tell.
Members of the community are invited to participate in the Digi Portrait, Tone Poem and Cell Phone Art competitions. Professional coaching is provided and software and cash prizes will be awarded. Throughout the week, pre-selected teams will write, produce, shoot and edit six-minute movies for Mobiflicks, the festival’s main event. The movies are screened and prizes are awarded for all of the competitions at the closing night ceremony.
“PAH-fest has been held in Motown, at Madonna University, more times than any other city,” said PAH-fest creator and filmmaker Christopher Coppola. “The interesting stories of the hardworking residents and close-knit communities make the Motown event unique.”
Coppola, nephew of director Francis Ford Coppola and brother to actor Nicholas Cage, plans to be on campus again this year for the festival.
Exciting new additions to this summer’s PAH-fest include a presentation by award-winning Detroit filmmaker Harvey Ovshinsky, and a seminar on film animation by digital creative director and animator Eric Bruneau. Labeled “one of this country’s finest storytellers” by The Detroit News, Ovshinsky’s work spans the universe of print, broadcast television and radio, and digital storytelling. Nominated for four Academy Awards, Bruneau has been recognized for his compositing and supervisory work on such technically-challenging films as Star Trek: Nemesis and Stealth, Spielberg’s Minority Report and Artificial Intelligence, and Sony Pictures Imageworks’ Contact, Starship Troopers, Stuart Little, Godzilla and Charlie’s Angels.
For more information about PAH-fest Motown, visit www.pahnation.com, or call (734) 432-5578. All events are held at Madonna University, 36600 Schoolcraft Road (I-96 and Levan Road) in Livonia.
The detailed schedule for PAH-fest Motown 2009 is as follows:
Monday, July 13:
Digi Portrait Competition – Bring a video-enabled cell phone to create a two-minute portrait of yourself or someone else. A complete Adobe editing system is provided for you to edit your piece. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Colonnade Lounge
Tuesday, July 14:
Tone Poem Competition – Bring a video-enabled cell phone to record imagery that visually expresses an original musical composition. Editing software and technical support are provided to help you complete your piece. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Colonnade Lounge
Film Animation Seminar – 7-8:30 p.m., Room 2103
Wednesday, July 15:
Mobiflicks Teams Orientation – 11 a.m., Room 2103
Presentation by Harvey Ovshinsky – 7 p.m., Kresge Hall
Thursday, July 16:
Mobiflicks Teams Shoot Day – 8 a.m.
Cell Phone Art Competition – Bring a video-enabled cell phone to create a one-minute movie about a topic Christopher Coppola assigns that morning. Editing system provided. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Colonnade Lounge (bring a cell phone that can shoot video)
Student and Alumni Film Screening and Q & A – 7 p.m., Kresge Hall
Friday, July 17:
Mobiflicks Teams Edit – all day
Wine & Cheese Reception Fundraiser – 7-8 p.m., $50, Franciscan Center Studio
Creativity Panel, featuring artists, filmmakers and musicians – 8-9 p.m., Room 2100
Sunday, July 19:
Closing Night Ceremony – 7 p.m., Kresge Hall, Prizes will be awarded for all categories.