Friday, October 16, 2015

Launching a new company, travel, and pre-production!

D r i n k i n g  J u i c e

My best friend Abbey Sacks and I drinking juice in San Diego a few weeks ago.

I'm drinking juice. Guess what kind of juice? Yes, you are right. Carrot juice. But the twist? It is carrot, orange, lemon, and ginger. AKA: My favorite kind of juice. It's my current addiction. I scout it out everywhere I go.

Where am I now? Where have I been?

Navigating NYC with some film friends at AAHSFF!

Kings Theater in Brooklyn @ AAHSFF Awards!
I'm in Laguna Beach, California. I didn't know I was gonna be here until the day before I arrived. Spontaneity seems to be the current theme of my life. Fortunately spontaneity and adventures are the goal! Tonight is the start of the Laguna Film Festival. I actually have 3 films screening here!: Tree Hugger, Demons in Disguise & Warm Rush. (Oh, and tonight Tree Hugger is screening in Greenville, SC at the Reedy Reels Film Festival!) My best friend Abbey Sacks has two films and she is train'ing on in to town! Though we thought we would not be seeing each other all that often now that she goes to CalArts and I go to.... well, all over the place -- we have been seeing each other most weekends! In fact next weekend we are both flying out to Seattle, WA to co-direct a Horror 48 Hour film! And two weekends ago we met up in San Diego for San Diego Film Festival!


2 weeks ago I was in California. Then I was in South Carolina. Then North Carolina. On Wednesday I was in NYC. Yesterday I was in NC. Today I'm in California. Monday I'll be back in NC. Then Thursday I'll be in SC. Then Friday I'll be Seattle. Then the Monday after this coming Monday I'll be in Atlanta. Let that all sink in...... it's insanity... but I LOVE IT.

Big Little Filmmaker

Big Little Filmmaker! Don't miss out on this, young filmmakers!
Me (Kira Bursky) at AAHSFF Opening Night
announcing Big Little Filmmaker in front of 500+
amazingly talented young filmmakers!
I had an epiphany a couple months ago. All of my passions came colliding together... filmmaking, supporting other young filmmakers, blogging, meeting inspiring filmmakers, etc. I have been working on building the site for my new company Big Little Filmmaker and it will be launched November
1st! Here is more information:

Are you a young filmmaker between the ages of 12-22? We're excited to launch the sign up & countdown for the official Big Little Filmmaker site! Sign up today to stay notified on the official launch of this exciting online community! This will be your one-stop hub for networking, jobs & opportunities, advice and inspiration, all geared towards you: the young filmmaker! Check it out and tell your friends. Let's support each other and the future of film!

For more information and to stay updated on the launch, please sign up here!: www.biglittlefilmmaker.com

Also, if you know of young filmmakers, or organizations / film festivals geared around young filmmakers, please please please pass the word along! I want to really build up the community so that young filmmakers can have a ton of support!


New Sizzle Reel

Here is a new sizzle reel of my directing work! 




Film Festivals & Jobs & Various Updates:

-"It's Just You," the film I co-directed with Abbey Sacks for the 24 Hour world-wide Film Racing competition took 3rd Place overall as well as Best Editing and Best Sound Design!
-Hattie won Best International Short Film at the Brighton Youth Film Festival in Brighton, England!
Crew of all girls for the Tesla shoot! #femalefilmmakers
-Massada Fashion Eyewear Film: I have officially casted the two lead roles in the film. Now I'm in pre-production, scouting out locations, working on the shots with my cinematographer, etc. I will be shooting next month!
-I co-directed an instructional video for Tesla Motors out in San Francisco a few weeks ago!
-This past weekend I was a guest speaker at the All American High School Film Festival in NYC (my film We're Okay won Best Film last year)
-I made some After Effect graphics intros / outros for SOCAP (a conference in San Francisco)
-August 24th I spoke on Adrenaline Radio show "Behind the Lens" about my Los Angeles Film Festival accepted film Hello From Malaysia, as well as my other film projects!
-Girly has been accepted to the Made-In-Michigan Film Festival which takes place in Frankenmuth, MI October 16-18.
-New directing reel for 2015! Features clips & scenes from 10 films-- including Tree Hugger! Cheers to many more films to come. https://vimeo.com/137892967
-Tree Hugger Festival Acceptances:

  • Queen City Film Festival (QCFF) Oct. 1-4th, Cumberland, Maryland
  • Reedy Reels Film Festival - Oct. 16 & 17 at Clemson University in Greenville, SC 
  • Citizen Jane Film Festival - Oct. 22-25th in downtown Columbia, Missouri.
  • Qabila's 3rd Annual Short Film Festival taking place October 8-10th in Cairo, Egypt
  • Laguna Film Festival taking place October 16-18th in Laguna Niguel, CA (that's where I am now)
Me (Kira Bursky) with Andrew Jenks,
the founder of AAHSFF.
-Tree Hugger, Demons in Disguise, & Warm Rush have been accepted into the Laguna Film Festival taking place October 16-18th in Laguna Niguel, CA.
-Warm Rush has been accepted to the Bideodromo Festival 2015 taking place in September 11-28 in
Bilbao, Spain.
-We're Okay is an official selection at the Tallgrass Film Festival in Wichita, Kansas October 14-18 as a part of the Spotlight on Emerging Young Filmmakers!
-Hattie is an official selection of Cucalorus Film Festivall in Wilmington, NC from November 11th-15th! 
-San Diego Asian Film Festival! Hello From Malaysia is playing November 7th at 11:00am! Here are the details!: http://festival.sdaff.org/2015/films/hello-from-malaysia/
-Hattie has been accepted to the OutWest Film Fest in Reno, Nevada for the “Fountain of Youth block October 18th at 11:30pm!

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Okay, well, I'm gonna get changed for the Opening Night of Laguna Film Festival! ...I'm still not done with my carrot-lemon-orange-ginger juice! I guess I better chug it.

Hopefully my next blog post will be more comprehensive. I haven't had much time these past few months... just trying to embrace the moment!

Sending lots of love out to you, the universe, juicers, and young filmmakers!
xox
~Kira