Yo. Whaaahsup New York!
[Full/fair disclosure: the author of this post had (very) limited involvement in the making of the following documentary.]
If you're watching conference this weekend on BYU-TV, you may wish to stick around between 
sessions on Sunday to watch (what I think is) a clever and fun documentary, Sisterz in Zion. What's the topic, you ask? Especially For Youth. Now who in their right minds, I can hear you ask, would ever think to make a documentary centered around EFY?
Snippet gives the twist:
What happens when New York City meets Provo, Utah? A group of minority Young Women, converts to the church, find out when they travel from New York city to attend Especially for Youth (EFY) in Utah for a week. Filmed by one of their Young Women leaders, this documentary explores how people can come to interact and to love each other across challenging cultural boundaries.
Now, if you don't believe there's a cultural disparity between New York City and Utah ("What bubble?" you ask), we need to talk. I've lived for extended periods of time in Utah, New York, and Los Angeles, so I think I can speak fairly about the subject matter. In fact, one of the Manhattan neighborhoods (
Inwood) represented in the film is my old stomping ground. And the girlz in the film and their mannerisms are so familiar, so distinct. More disclosure: New York *is* my favorite place on earth, so anything I have to proffer about this documentary is obviously biased.
But it's where this documentary is willing to go that makes it so worthwhile and interesting. I saw a rough cut a while back, though I understand it's been revised quite a bit since then, and I had a feel for it's potential. The nice thing about this film, it celebrates the differences of culture in a spirited manner. It's a fair and accurate slice of life, and it's probably the
best thing I've seen
to date on a major issue the Church will continue to face—diversity, as people from all walks of life continue to join the Church.
Tale is told from Emmy award-winning Director and Editor Melissa Puente's POV. Chieko Okazaki gives a nice intro on
the website.
Sisterz In Zion will air on BYU-TV, 10/1 @ 12pm, 10/4 @ 9am, with future dates and times TBA. Also note: if you don't have BYU-TV,
live video streams are available online.
Update 10/2/06: I really enjoyed it!
Elvis: King and Priest
Just found the press release, reprinted on ElvisNews.com, 
about the upcoming epic Mormon film, Tears of a King, all about Elvis Presley's involvement with the Book of Mormon.
Epic.
Read the comments at the bottom of that page for some good humor.
Anyway, after watching the news, I think I might agree with Jared over at LDS Film & Media News on this one:
Ok... I may be a pessimist but don't there seem to be better religously themed movies that could be produced?
Another blogger also
poses some good questions and thoughts.
The Death of a Father?
Rumors are circulating, here and there, about a purported moral debacle of the so-dubbed "father of Mormon Cinema." Now, before I give any credence to the rumors, it should be noted that Open Hatch dismissed all the hubbub:
Today I called up Main Street Movie Co. and spoke with Dutcher's assistant. I introduced myself and asked if the rumors going around about Dutcher's next film are overblown and ridiculous. She expressed puzzlement and I explained where I'd heard them, and then I out and asked: "Did Dutcher hold a nude audition yesterday?" She replied "Uh, no..." - this was somewhat emphatic, in that tone that says, "Gee, that's really out there" or "Where did you hear that one?" I laughed and said "Okay then", then asked, "Is his next film a 'nudie slasher flick?'" Again she replied no, and seemed very surprised at the idea.
Now, it isn't necessarily my interest to prove or disprove rumors. Even if it's true that (from said rumors),
production on the [nudie slasher flick] starts in about three weeks,
I just don't give much credence to rumors of this make, even when they might tickle my interest membranes. However, it did cause some reflection on my part. I'm ruminating on the character and mystery of the very man. I think it's always been a little difficult to figure out just where Dutcher is headed, let alone unwieldy rumors.
My roommate of yore worked on Dutcher's (is it really upcoming?)
Falling at the same time he (my roommate) worked on
States of Grace. Apparently the two films were made simultaneously. While I inquired of my roommate, oh so long ago, as to the plot of
Falling, he told me he was sworn by contract to secrecy. But he told me that it was not LDS themed and that the
content was very, very unsettling to him. He viewed Dutcher as having gone off and sold his soul. I don't remember the specifics, but it gave me the impression, at the time, that this film would be loaded with really bad stuff. However, this is my roommate we are talking about, who, bless his heart, is nigh unto Peter Priesthood. He was sometimes a little naive, I believe. Sometimes worthwhile things are difficult to understand. Anyway, he also told me how awful some of the stuff they had to shoot in
States of Grace.was. Major amounts of blood and so forth, apparently. Well, we all know the outcome of that. After it was all said and done, I wasn't displeased with the violence and gore in
States of Grace, even though it *was* unsettling. I felt like the film dealt with those difficult issues fairly well, even if aesthetically the movie didn't always hold up for me. It was a sensitive, thoughtful movie.
I do have my reservations about Dutcher. I often wonder, maybe even believe he has an agenda. It may be an almost subconscious endeavor for him. I wonder that he believes he has something to prove. *If* these reports of gore and sex for his next film are true—well, that will be tragic. But, in my opinion, it would *not* signal the death of good things coming from Mormon artists. It would just be really, really tragic. It would only mean that Dutcher's view of "Mormon Cinema" being "dead"
becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
There was an interesting Sunstone Symposium panel discussion recently that featured Brian Evenson, Neil LaBute, and Richard Dutcher. According to someone close to me, Evenson, a former BYU teacher, feels that BYU & the Church forced him to choose between religion and his art—and that he essentially chose his writing. The path he followed led to leaving the Church and the dissolution of his marriage.
LaBute has a similar story. LaBute also lost his membership "for his art," so to speak. LaBute has made it clear in the past that he long thought he might have to give up religion for his endeavors. Some have claimed this is less hypocritical of him, but I just see it as weak. I have long been dissatisfied with LaBute and his work.
Which leads to the question of Dutcher. There's an intersting article on the panel discussion
over here. Note the first line of that article:
Richard Dutcher said Max Golightly, his professor at BYU, had once told him, "The first, great Mormon writer is going to be excommunicated."
Now, just where is this line of thought headed?! I don't know, and it is not my intent to perpetuate any rumors. But I do think this man is a bit of a mystery, even while I love his films.
Further ruminating found
here.
Because Bloggernacling Minds Want to Know
Venturing away from the usual Rhapsidiom habit of a look at film...
Christopher Bigelow, coauthor of Mormonism for Dummies, has
compiled the best news of Zion (the Mormon kindgom on earth) and its Latter-day saints.
Mormons, lapsed Mormons, in-laws of Mormons, and neighbors of Mormons will enjoy these cutting-edge news reports, opinion pieces, and advice columns about this all-encompassing religion with its odd beverage rules and worldwide sales force.
Staffed by a team of crack reporters, The Mormon Tabernacle Enquirer reports the stories that are too offbeat, dangerous, and – worst – inappropriate for the mainstream news outlets, such as "SpongeBob Receives Mission Call," "BYU Offers Scrapbooking Degree," "Poll Reveals Majority of Men 'Highly Satisfied' with Patriarchy," and "Gay Polygamists Make Bid for Legitimacy."
These words, of course, are not my own. But I'm glad to see some new satire out there. And promising, at that. But given the reaction to
similar previous works, maybe we
just aren't ready. Said book planned for a Novemeber release.
Bigelow monitors his own. And
see the official site.
Further,
A Motley Vision's William Morris
interviews Bigelow on his forthcoming publishing and retailing house, Zarahemla Books:
My chosen bowl of porridge is to publish entertaining books that reflect a recognizably faithful Mormon perspective but depict flawed characters caught in real messes, dilemmas that come from within as well as outside the characters. I’m not interested in celebrating sin, but I like stories that responsibly, organically include earthy, realistic details, including sexuality and a sprinkling of authentic language. I like stories that explore our unresolved issues and cultural foibles without an agenda to undermine faith. I hope I can find enough readers like me to make Zarahemla Books work.
Not sure what to make of his "sprinklings," but I'll take that merit on the material itself, when it comes out, and if I read any of it.
They dish it, I report it.
The Call
CALL FOR ENTRIES FOR 2007 FESTIVAL:
The LDS Film Festival is the premiere place for LDS and local filmmakers to showcase their work. With an attendance of close to 4000 in 2006, the festival has become a reliable audience magnet and the ideal networking platform for filmmakers. For several days in January, the Scera Center for the Arts in Orem, Utah, will become the place to be for anyone interested in finding out what's happening in 2007 in the LDS film world.
We invite and encourage filmmakers to participate in the 6th LDS Film Festival 2007 and submit their work to the festival. The success of the LDS Film Festival is a direct result of the quality and diversity of the work submitted.
Visit the festival website for detailed information: http://www.ldsfilmfestival.org
It's the bomb. If you like that sort of thing, that is. In Utah.
Now, who wants to start the LA-based equivalent?
A Family Gathering at Christmas
Mr Kirby Heyborne, (who I understand now lives in Los Angeles (confirm anyone?)), has a new project. Plot description (special thanks, imdb.com):
Together Again for the First Time is a comedy/drama about a family gathering at Christmas. This is the first time since their marriage that, Max, Audrey, and all of their children have been together in one place. But as everybody arrives on Christmas Eve, things become increasingly complicated: not only is there a visit of a fiancé, a surprise TV show taping and a neighborhood open house, but there are also secrets that threaten the entire family.
Hmm. I wonder what
evil manimal is behind this?
Well...at least Mr. "
Dark Horse" Kirby gets to rub shoulders with the likes of other ladder-climbing or more- or less-established Holywadians, such as
Kelly Stables of
The Ring Two &
3, and Emmy and Golden Globe nominee
Julia Duffy of
Newhart and
Intolerable Cruelty. That's right, girls, show him around the the hood.
In the immortal words of Will Smith, "Word."
sessions on Sunday to watch (what I think is) a clever and fun documentary, Sisterz in Zion. What's the topic, you ask? Especially For Youth. Now who in their right minds, I can hear you ask, would ever think to make a documentary centered around EFY?
