The 20^th French Film Festival will be held March 29^th-April 1^st! Co-academic sponsors, VCU and UR will kick off the celebration with 3-day symposium on French Film: Art, Science & Technology at Work for Humanity. Go to http://frenchfilmfestival.us/ for more info!

The VCU French Film Festival provides our students with access to the top filmmakers in France with master workshops and seminars.

This week students attended a workshop taught by VCU Cinema adjunct and working professional, Charlie Harris. Charlie Harris has been working in the industry since 1986 and has worked on projects including The Blindside, John Adams and Cold Mountain.

Students learned about camera movement, different positions on  a set, tools, cranes and jibs.

It was a hands on workshop and students had the opportunity to gain hands on experience by practicing building jibs, laying track, operating the camera and using the dolly.

VCU Cinema alumni and working professional, Charlie Schneider visited students to give a lecture on what it is like to work in the film industry. Charlie has worked on many projects since graduating from the VCU Cinema program including Steven Spielberg’s upcoming film, Lincoln.

Schneider told students about the hierarchy of crews on a film set, safety, rigging cables, lighting unions, and working in the real world.

After the lecture, students worked on creating short scenes and applied what they learned in the lecture to light the scenes with VCU’s high-end lighting equipment.

Charlie then gave a workshop on operating VCU’s grip truck where a number of students were able to get certified.

More than two hundred enthusiastic students, guests and Richmond cinephiles, packed the Grace Street Theater on Friday night, November 11th, to view the Second Annual VCUarts Cinema First Cut Screenings.

The judges this year were Mark Shepherd and David Clawson who teach Cinema at the University of Southern California, and Rita McClenny the Film Commissioner of  the Virginia Film Office.

The awards were presented by Andy Edmunds from the Virginia Film Office.

The winners are:

Best Actress:  Nora Achrati  (Laila)

Best Actor:  Paul Stober  (Trigg County)

Best Production Design:  Trigg County

Best Sound Design:  My Father, the Dagger

Best Art Department:  Laila

Best Camera Department:  Trigg County

Best Writer:  Laila       Yossera Bouchtia,

Best Director: Laila      Duy Nguyen

Best Picture:  Laila      Producers: Gerhard Stiene and Alex Denison, Unit Production Manger: Marlee Kamis

Reviews for each film are available via The Commonwealth Times

VCUarts Cinema is excited to announce the schedule for the Spring 2012 Cinematheque Series. All films will be screened in beautiful 35mm at the Grace Street Theater.

The Grace Street Theatre
934 W. Grace St.
Richmond, VA 23284-3048
Phone: (804) 828-2020

All events are free and open to the public. Screening will begin at 7 pm.

Jan 31  Police, Adjective (2009) Corneliu Porumboiu, Romania

Feb 21  The Princess of Montpensier  (2010) , Bertrand Tavernier, France

Feb 28  Still Walking, ((2008)  Kore-eda Hirokazu, Japan

Mar 6  Alamar (2010) Pedro Gonzalez-Rubio, Mexico

Mar 20  M. Hulot’s Holiday (1953) Jacques Tati. France

Mar 27  Around A Small Mountain (2011) Jacques Rivette, France

Apr 3   Ne Change Rien (2010) Pedro Costa, Portugal

Apr 17  You All Are Captains (2011) Oliver Laxe, Morroco

May 8  Helas Pour Moi (1994)  Jean-Luc Godard, Switzerland

May 15  The Mill and the Cross, (2011) Lech Majewski, Poland & Sweden

For more information, please call VCUarts Cinema. (804.828.7919)