Thursday, December 09, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Support the re-birth of cinema in a developing country: CAMBOFEST, Cambodia!
Support Cambodia's Indie Film Festival, CAMBOFEST!
| Contribute to the rebirth of cinema culture in Asia: Support CAMBOFEST, Cambodia | |
| CAMBOFEST: Film and Video Festival of Cambodia (http://www.cambofest.com) enters its 4th edition on March 1-9, 2011! "CamboFest brings the magic of movies to the land of Angkor" -Julie and Roger Corman His Majesty the King-Father asked me to thank you on His behalf. He read with great interest your report about your activities in reviving the cinema industry in Cambodia." - From the cabinet of H.M. The King-Father Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia CamboFest is Cambodia's first international movie event since the end of the Khmer Rouge era. Launched in 2550 (2007) by longtime Cambodia-based media producer and filmmaker Jason Rosette, and now entering its 4th year, CamboFest, Cambodia set out to launch a functional entertainment and edutainment-oriented film festival platform in a country which continues to be lacking in cinema infrastructure after years of civil war and genocide. With the help of our previous supporters, we've accomplished our initial goal! Over 200 international and local filmmakers have exhibited their work at CamboFest, inspiring new local festival efforts in Cambodia to join us in our mission. In our previous 2552/2009 (3rd year) edition, CamboFest staffers discovered and brought back to life the long-forgotten pre-Khmer rouge 'Royal' cinema house in Kampot, Cambodia, one of 4 original cinema houses in that town, with only 3 original cinema structures left standing. Where local maps had once been blank, they now list the 'Old Cinema' once again as a cultural and tourist attraction..thanks to CamboFest. We accomplished this with very limited funding and no foundation-level resources, just our own grass roots, 'can do' attitude - and the vital contributions of supporters like you. CAMBOFEST: * Is the first international film festival in Cambodia since the Khmer Rouge era, now in our 4th year and inspiring new festival efforts to join our mission. * Is a rare example of strong IP (Intellectual Property) activism in the movie sector in Cambodia, by seeking and securing written permissions for every single movie. * Seeks and restores to basic functional condition vintage cinemas and other venues that can serve as cinemas, in a country which is lacking motion picture infrastructure * Is grass-roots, volunteer driven, and private sector (though with tax-deductible fiscal sponsorship through the US-based Media Alliance) * Is an absolutely unique festival event taking place under 'extreme' and challenging conditions in the developing world MAKE A CONTRIBUTION CamboFest is now seeking the continued, vital support of culture and media development enthusiasts like you for our upcoming edition: 501 (c) 3 Tax deductible contributions HERE: make a contribution through our fiscal sponsor, the California-based Media Alliance ...or, make a direct contribution through our Secure Online Payment gateway We're also seeking in-kind hardware contributions, volunteers and advisors, and commercial sponsorship; please contact us at info@cambofest.com with inquries. CamboFest strives for maximum sustainability by utlizing every Riel of revenue inputs and contributions in an exceptionally cost effective way. Our scalable, volunteer-driven approach allows us to mount an event even with extremely minimal funds...yet, we strive to produce a dimensional, quality event on a level that has significant costs attached: Where your contribution goes.... $500 pays for our office space and utilities for a month...$100 pays a part time staffer for a month...$50 covers the cost of venue rental or van rental for hauling gear (per day)...$25 pays for all staff meals for a single day... (it goes on) $10 pays for the generator for one screening session...$5 buys minutes for a phone...$1 buys a serving of 'mee chaa' (fried noodles) for one staffer... (and on) ...$.50 gets a large bottle of water or a fresh coconut for a thirsty staffer...$.25 gets a small bottle of water or a bunch of bananas for snacks...basically, *nothing is wasted!* Please note a few priorities, however: => There are very few functional cinemas left in Cambodia. We're seeking to restore to at least a basic working order the vintage ones (like the 'Royal') we are able to locate... UPDATE 11/17/2010: we've just uncovered another 'lost' cinema house,, which we are hoping to include in the next event as an actual venue alongside the 'Royal' (mobile phone video here) For the next edition of CamboFest, we need to purchase new materials and hardware including: an upgraded generator; a basic lighting system for guest safety and comfort; additional new or quality refurbished AV components; additional electric gear, such as stingers and breakout boxes, etc. => Contribute to staff salaries and training - for the 4.0 edition of CamboFest, we're seeking to train Cambodian staff to take over many more essential operational aspects of the event. CamboFest staff salaries, while below developed country scale, are still significant and span several months leading up to, and some time after, the actual 'main' event. As a privately funded, independent event taking place in a country with once of the highest densities of NGOs and non-profits in the world, CamboFest is unusual. We're grass roots, independent of donor agendas, and we have to account for costs down the last penny (or Riel) in order to make an event happen. => Contribute to vital operational costs: Office space, guesthouse lodging, Internet access, portable DVD players for screening staff, gas and phone cards...these are all vital, essential costs that are part of our core operations. Please be involved in our historically significant efforts to bring a living cinema back to the developing world: 501 (c) 3 Tax deductible contributions HERE: make a contribution through our fiscal sponsor, the California-based Media Alliance ...or, make a direct contribution through our Secure Online Payment gateway THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! All contributions are duly noted on the CamboFest website, and other media (i.e., Youtube/Vimeo clips), which remain visible with ongoing exposure on an indefinite basis. Significant contributors and commercial sponsors (above $1500 financial or $2500 in-kind) receive special, additional sponsorship exposure at venues, online, in our media and other materials. Broadcasters and commissioning editors: please also drop us a line regarding our exciting new doc series in the works, ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE CINEMA, which explores vintage cinema houses throughout all of Southeast Asia, starting with the 3 remaining vintage cinema houses in the vicinity of CamboFest, Cambodia, March 2011. (experts and production services already attached) Thanks for supporting the rebirth of cinema - all contributions to CAMBOFEST, Cambodia are greatly appreciated and duly credited. All the Best, Phun Sokunthearith * J Rosette * Suong Sambath ...and the rest of the CamboFest, Cambodia Team | 501 (c) 3 tax deductible contributions:
Standard Direct Secure Contributions:
Contact with other inquries: |
| CAMBOFEST: Film and Video Festival of Cambodia | |
Saturday, November 13, 2010
CAMBOFEST, Cambodia uncovers another vintage pre-Khmer rouge cinema house
Here for the first time, CAMBOFEST, Cambodia (www.cambofest.com) staff present on mobile phone video one of the four original cinemas in Kampot, Cambodia. => Only three of the four original pre-Khmer Rouge era cinema houses remain in Kampot: the 'Maraka', the 'Royal' (re-discovered and brought back to life for the 2009 edition of CamboFest) ...and this one, formerly known as the __________________, to be unveiled for use as a possible venue at the 4.0 edition of CAMBOFEST: film and Video Festival of Cambodia. Despite a grass-roots budget and largely volunteer staff, CamboFest surprised UNESCO and others in the Cambodian context by re-discovering and bringing back to life the vintage 'Royal' cinema for its 2009 edition (as seen in our blog at => cambofest.blogspot.com ) Founded by media producer and filmmaker Jason Rosette in 2553 (2007), CamboFest is the longest running international movie event in Cambodia. Please consider making a contribution to our efforts as we help bring a living cinema back to Cambodia - find out more at: http://www.cambofest.com/contribute/contribute.html CAMBOFEST: Film and Video Festival of CambodiaCAMBOFEST, Cambodia uncovers another vintage pre-Khmer rouge cinema house
Monday, October 25, 2010
Back by popular demand - behind the scenes at a film festival in Cambodia, CAMBOFEST
Jason 'Camerado' Rosette Back by popular demand! An amazing behind the scenes look at the making of an independent movie event in Cambodia:
The CamboFest (Cambodia) Story (Part 1) ~http://cameradomoviesandmedia.blogspot.c om/2010/01/cambofest-story-part-1.html
Sunday, October 24, 2010
CAMERADO: Movies and Media - October, 25 2554/2010
////////////////////////////// http://www.camerado.com/freedomdeal * This never before told story is told from the point of view of a Cambodian boy and his friends as they search for sanctuary from the growing conflict on their doorstep. (*web designers currently being sought to upgrade the Freedom Deal site, pls contact camerado@camerado.com with ‘Freedom Deal Website’ in the subject header) Camerado staffers Jason Rosette and Phun Sokunthearith (aka ‘Mr. Tol’) now embark upon Phase II of development, a script development and workshopping session on location in Cambodia, where writer-director Jason Rosette has lived and worked for more than half a decade. Legendary ‘Golden Age’ Cambodian filmmaker and colleague Yvon Hem is attached to assist with story content from the 1970’s Lon Nol-Khmer Rouge Cambodian context. PRIVATE GRIFFITH, CONT. Our unit should be looking for us...they know we’re missing. SAMNANG Where are they from, Uncle? NUON They seem to be with the foreign armies. There are many these days...from the North and South of Vietnam, for instance. Then there’s Lon Nol’s army, though I miss the King terribly. I think our poor luck now is due to his departure. Let’s see...there are the country guerillas, from Vietnam and our own countryside rascals, the ‘Khmer Grahorm’. SAMNANG Who? NUON The Cambodian communists - the Red Khmer. The Barangs call them ‘Khmer Rouge’... Some talent and locations in Cambodia have already been secured, including military personnel with hardware who served in the Lon Nol and Khmer Communist (Khmer Rouge) armies.Information about FREEDOM DEAL, and ways that you can help jumpstart the project, can be found at the following page: http://www.camerado.com/freedomdeal All contributors will be duly credited and will receive special rewards! (see the FREEDOM DEAL page at http://www.camerado.com/freedomdeal) Significant contributors are welcome to accompany the production on the research sessions, and co-production and presale inquiries are welcome. Contact camerado@camerado.com with inquiries. => Submissions still open for Cambodia’s first international movie festival, CAMBOFEST, Cambodia (www.cambofest.com) – ** Get Involved in the Cause ** Submissions for Cambodia’s first and longest running film festival since the end of the Khmer Rouge era, CAMBOFEST, Cambodia, continue through the end of October (official deadline). Last year, CamboFest rediscovered and brought back to life (on an out-of-pocket, bare-bones, grass roots budget) the once popular “Royal’ cinema house in Kampot, which had fallen to ruin during the Khmer Rouge era (see the historic photos on the CamboFest blog here--> http://cambofest.blogspot.com/2009/12/initial-pix-content-from-cambofest-2009.html) (*BREAKING NEWS: we’ve just located the historic ‘Santapheap’ [‘Friendship’] movie house, in Kampot, the 3rd of four original, pre-Khmer Rouge movie houses in that Cambodian provincial town...mobile phone video coming soon to the CamboFest blog) The 4th edition of CamboFest, will feature a ‘Best of’ selection from the first three years of the event, plus new independent features, documentaries, shorts and animation from around the world. A selection of movies from independent filmmakers from Southeast Asia will be featured, thanks in part to CamboFest’s ‘Friendship Festival’ in the region, the Camerado-produced BANGKOK INDIEFEST (www.bangkokfest.com) – but be on the lookout for filmmakers beyond Thailand and Cambodia as well! (More information about the Southeast Asia Filmmakers Exchange can be found on our Facebook location @http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=153622188009351) Also included at the next CamboFest will be the (very) long awaited Cambodian premiere of Robert Flaherty’s pioneering docu, ‘Nanook of the North’ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanook_of_the_north) considered by many to be the first feature length documentary, with the kind permission of the Flaherty Seminars, Inc...a full eighty eight years after its initial release. CamboFest is a grass roots, private sector event with extremely limited funding; we utilize every Riel of our supporters’ contributions to keep Cambodia’s only independent movie festival alive. Consider contributing to the upcoming edition of CAMBOFEST, Cambodia – amongst items needed for the next edition are: a new diesel generator, lighting for vintage (unrestored, pre-Khmer Rouge) Cambodian venues, and upgraded exhibition hardware. At the 2553/2009 Edition of CamboFest, for instance, local Phnom Penh photographer and arts supporter James Mizurski kindly contributed towards the construction of a customized movie screen to fit the vintage Royal Cinema in Kampot, re-discovered and brought back to life for that year’s fest by CamboFest staffers... And the ‘James Mizurski’ movie screen lives on to be used at future fests... 501 (c) 3 Tax deductible contributions to CamboFest can be made through our fiscal sponsor, the Media Alliance, here--> http://media-alliance.stores.yahoo.net/sep11uswarbe.html ...with 'El Normal' direct payment gateway contributions through: The 2554/2010 Edition of CamboFest will train more Cambodian staff to handle more essential duties, including programming and other areas, while Western principals draw down to a degree. Media programmers, practitioners, and volunteers of all kinds are welcome to offer their skills and crafts towards this unique, ongoing effort. Contact info@cambofest.com to volunteer or otherwise participate. => Get DVDs of Camerado movies for the lowest price direct from the factory and $AVE while supporting our projects! Sales of our DVDs and other content get plowed back into our projects – please consider any purchase to be a contribution to Camerado’s ongoing efforts. > Camerado’s 1st feature, ‘BOOKWARS’ (‘Terrific’ – LA Times) http://Kunaki.com/Sales.asp?PID=PX00G4DECW&PP=1 [$6.99 Home Use] http://Kunaki.com/Sales.asp?PID=PX00ZOO70P [$29.99 with Limited Public Performance] > CAMERADO’s 2nd feature, ‘LOST IN NEW MEXICO” (‘A multicultural, 21st century road movie featuring Native American talent ’ – Rogue Cinema) http://Kunaki.com/Sales.asp?PID=PX00ZA5RVH [$6.99 Home Use] http://Kunaki.com/Sales.asp?PID=PX007YMWBH [$29.99 w/ Limited Public performance] > Short movies by Camerado including the hilarious rock n’ roll documentary, VUTH LEARNS TO ROCK, the outlandish HOLLYWOOD BLACKOUT, and others http://Kunaki.com/Sales.asp?PID=PX00G8SH4Q [$9.99 Home Use] => Updated IMDB and other information for CAMERADO, Camerado SE Asia Please take a moment to update your contact sheets with the latest info from Camerado founder, filmmaker and writer-director J Rosette; his info can be found at: and at IMDB Pro: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0742891/ You made it this far? Take a look at Camerado’s very first independent effort, shot in *1991* (under the name 'Flaming Monk Films) on glorious 16mm film, called ‘Charlie’s Box’, seen here at Vimeo--> Thanks to all our friends and contributors around the globe! Please check our website for updated Twitter, Facebook, Email, and other Contacts SITES: http://www.lostinnewmexico.com CAMERADO ~ http://www.camerado.com //////////////////////////////
CAMERADO: Movies and Media - October, 25 2554/2010
Script development Phase II underway for Camerado’s 3rd feature, the VN War-era feature, FREEDOM DEAL :: Submissions still open for Cambodia’s longest running international film festival, CAMBOFEST, Cambodia (4.0 Edition) :: Southeast Asia Filmmakers Exchange :: Updated Contacts
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=> FREEDOM DEAL, Camerado’s 3rd feature, commences script development Phase II in Cambodia
FREEDOM DEAL, Camerado’s 3rd feature, is a Vietnam War-era dramatic social issue feature (such as ‘Hurt Locker’ or ‘Blood Diamond’) which takes place in Cambodia during the 1970 US/ARVN military effort to locate and destroy communist sanctuaries along the Cambodia/Vietnam border.
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Thursday, October 21, 2010
Commencing Phase II of FREEDOM DEAL script component in Cambodia
 |
| Writing add'l script in Cambodia for FREEDOM DEAL |
Fundraising outreach will soon commence to support this component, in the meantime, pls see http://www.camerado.com/freedomdeal for more information
 |
| FREEDOM DEAL with big jug of water... |
Monday, October 18, 2010
Cambodian filmmaker Yvon Hem receives his Grabay Meas ('Golden Waterbuffalo') trophy from CAMBOFEST, Cambodia
A photo with late, great Cambodian #filmmaker Yvon Hem, who we awarded the Grabay Meas 'Golden Buffalo' trophy for his #movie 'Shadow of Darkness' at the CamboFest, Cambodia Film Festival. He was also an advisor for our ongoing movie project, 'Freedom Deal'. Despite his monumental life's work, Mr. Yvon Hem had at the time not yet been awarded any kind of official recognition...so it was our honor and pleasure to provide him with this award trophy!
Monday, October 11, 2010
Writer-Director Jason Rosette: updated filmography
Updated filmography and other info for award winning writer-director Jason Rosette of Camerado
http://www.camerado.com/jasonrosettedirector
IMDB here => http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0742891/
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Reading the script [Part 1] from FREEDOM DEAL, the Vietnam War era feature by Camerado
...visit Camerado's page at Podomatic for more information and to track the progress of this new and unique feature movie project by Camerado! => http://camerado.podomatic.com/entry/2010-10-10T01_35_45-07_00
Sunday, October 03, 2010
A look at some prosocial documentaries I've directed in Cambodia (writer-director Jason Rosette)
'Have Forest, Have Life', (2006) a documentary about biodiversity values in the remote Cardamom mountain region of Cambodia. Produced and directed by Jason Rosette of Camerado SE Asia www.camerado.com for clients WildAid (Wildlife Alliance), Conservation International, and Fauna and Flora International. Wildlife photography/videography by Allan Michaud and Jason Rosette.
Statement from director Jason Rosette of Camerado SE Asia:
"This was a very challenging, but ultimately successful and enjoyable collaborative effort between three significant wildlife NGOs working in Cambodia today: Wildlife Alliance (then WildAid), Conservation International, and Fauna and Flora International. I commend these three organizations on their ability to seamlessly harmonize a unified approach and method in this particular project.
Production required that we venture into some pretty remote areas, and we carried all of our gear on small motos - with skillful drivers to handle the incredible and steep terrain. Even our generator and lighting gear was carried on the back of our motos, so everything had to be downsized accordingly.
We took motos into Chiphat, which apparently now is a very happening eco-tourism destinations...I haven't been there since then, though I'm planning another trip with a potential upcoming documentary project. Anyway, at the time, in 2006, it hadn't been developed yet and the locals were still engaged in some destructive income-generating activities that have now somewhat been replaced by eco-toursim.
I have significant experience in both fiction and documentary formats, so one of the things I like to do with any of the docu projects I'm working with is to bring in a 'cinematic' element, whether this be through the use of enhanced sound design, or even the casting and staging of talent to re-create key moments that would otherwise be left to talking heads.
Since the target audience for Devcomm media like this is often the local community, they tend to have a different (lower) threshold for documentary content that is purely testimony driven, so the more compelling the story-driven elements, the better for delivering the required prosocial content.
This factor is one way that my commissioned work stands out from the rest of the pack - it's a very hands on, customized approach that requires an incredible amount of extra work and attention, but the work endures as a result.
I'm told by Mr. Norn, the Cambodian narrator for "Have Forest, Have Life", that even now, several years after its release, the DVD for 'Have Forest Have Life' is sought, borrowed and played just for fun by local community in his commune...
...not bad for an "NGO Film" !
My background in Film & TV (BFA from New York University, Tisch School of the Arts - Trustee Scholar), combined with my knowledge of development issues (MA in Development Studies, Royal University of Phnom Penh) allows me to approach each development media project with a balanced 'entertainment-education' perspective...pls see my final report from RUPP here:
Organizations or agencies in SE Asia who are seeking a highly distinct, watchable, and enduring documentary or promotional video, feel free to drop me a line here, I'll be happy to offer feedback on your inquiries -->
http://www.camerado.com/contact/contact_form/contact_form.php
Camerado's Jason Rosette concludes postproduction supervision and editing on 'Pirate's Curse'
A scene from 'Pirate's Curse', (c) Location Thailand/Studio Asia, Ltd. Camerado director Jason Rosette was brought onboard as editor and post production supervisor to conduct successful forensic story reconstruction, while contributing additional direction and sound design. See letter of recommendation here.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
‘NANOOK OF THE NORTH’ to premiere in Cambodia...88 years after its initial release at CAMBOFEST, Cambodia
‘NANOOK OF THE NORTH’ to premiere in Cambodia...88 years after its initial release at CAMBOFEST, Cambodia
Robert Flaherty’s ‘Nanook of the North’, considered to be the first feature-length documentary, will at last officially premiere in Cambodia, no less than eighty-eight years after its release.
CamboFest: Film and Video Festival of Cambodia (www.cambofest.com) has confirmed with the permission of The Flaherty/International Film Seminars, Inc. that Flaherty’s classic 1922 arctic documentary will have its long awaited Cambodian theatrical premiere at the upcoming 4th edition of CamboFest, scheduled to run March 1-9, 2011, with selected previews in Phnom Penh in December 2010.
A grass roots, private sector event, CamboFest is the longest running international movie festival in Cambodia. Documentaries, animation, shorts, features, and local Cambodian films are programmed in broad-themed, ‘primarily entertaining’ strands, with the intention of helping to revive a bona-fide motion picture industry in that developing country.
The festival also serves to promote awareness of IP (Intellectual Property) practices in the Cambodian media and motion picture sector by securing public performance permissions for every movie screened, the exception in an otherwise piracy-prone region.
The festival is currently seeking an additional generator and other equipment for outdoor rural exhibitions in impoverished areas. Contributors and other interested parties can obtain more information about how to participate at the CamboFest website, www.cambofest.com
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
POST- FESTIVAL STATEMENT From Jason Rosette, Director of BANGKOK INDIEFEST
Thursday, September 02, 2010
Phnom Penh SE Asia Update - CAMERADO www.camerado.com
Now in Phnom Penh:
Scoped out costs for vintage (actual) VN-era military uniform with helmet and boots, here in Phnom Penh, for upcoming feature FREEDOM DEAL: $115 *
Fiberglass and/or plywood shell of a Huey to come from Bangkok *
Also have new batch of Grabay Meas ('Golden Buffalo') trophies in production for CamboFest at last...see www.cambofest.com
Thursday, August 12, 2010
BANGKOK INDIEFEST Wraps! * Contact us for next Edition
BANGKOK INDIEFEST's 1st edition (www.bangkokfest.com) , running from August 6-8, has wrapped successfully after screening over 80 independent movies from around the world, including Thailand, in what has been the first international film event to take place in Bangkok since the end of the recent 'Red Shirt' protests.
Almost shelved by the protests and the exodus of sponsors that followed, the innaugural Bangkok IndieFest succeeded in bouncing back - with only a fraction of the budget of the Bangkok International Film Festival, to offer "a voice that's unique on the city's scene" (Wise Kwai Film Journal).
In so doing, Bangkok IndieFest showed the world that Bangkok is once again a fun, stable, and attractive tourist and cultural destination.
For more information, press and pix, visit the Bangkok IndieFest website at http://www.bangkokfest.com
Friday, August 06, 2010
Bangkok IndieFest launches! Come before 5 (Friday Day 1) and get your free Singha!
BANGKOK INDIEFEST Launches!
Movies running now through Sunday night in Bangkok at HOF Art --> see schedule and venues here:
http://www.bangkokfest.com/schedule_venues/schedule_venues.html
*** Come before 5 PM on Friday (today) and get a free brew, courtesy of Singha Lite! ***
More updates coming soon... ;)
BANGKOK INDIEFEST
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Winners of Bangkok IndieFest's 'Golden Shirt' Award to be Determined by Audience Choice
Winners of Bangkok IndieFest's 'Golden Shirt' Award to be Determined by Audience Choice
Winners of Bangkok IndieFest's 'Golden Shirt' award in each category to be determined by audience choice this year, via ballot selection for each of the 80+ participating films.*YOU* can help determine the winners! See complete schedule and lineup here:http://www.bangkokfest.com/schedule_venues/schedule_venues.htmlBANGKOK INDIEFEST 1.0: August 6-8, 2553More info @ aahttp://www.bangkokfest.com/
Friday, July 23, 2010
LOST IN NEW MEXICO rises above the indie pack!
LOST IN NEW MEXICO rises above the indie pack!
Award winning writer-director J Rosette's 2nd feature, LOST IN NEW MEXICO: the Strange Tale of Susan Hero (www.lostinnewmexicomovie.com) continues to garner more positive press, rising above the Indie Pack.
"It would be interesting to see Rosette’s obvious abilities supported by a professional cast and crew and studio-grade equipment." - The Moving Arts Journal "Recommended for Adventurous Viewers" - Lib. Journal "It’s the sort of film that would probably be a sleeper hit if it had the money behind it." - Rogue Cinema
His 3rd feature, FREEDOM DEAL, is the never-before told dramatization of the US incursion into Cambodia in 1970 as part of the wider VN-US conflict.
** The director has spent over half a decade living and working in Cambodia, researching material related to this little known and mysterious episode in US-Asian history **
Contact: CAMERADO / camerado@camerado.com / www.camerado.com for inquiries about all our projects!LOST IN NEW MEXICO: the Strange Tale of Susan Hero (http://www.lostinnewmexicomovie.com)
====================================>>>> LOST IN NEW MEXICO: The Strange Tale of Susan Hero (2009) By Eric M. Armstrong, The Moving Arts Journal Jason Rosette’s no-budget tale of desolation, desperation and loss subtly weaves together the disparate lives of a group of struggling Southwesterners in “Lost in New Mexico.” Susan (Drea Pressley), grieving and aimless after the loss of her newborn daughter, thoughtlessly seeks out a rogue animal-cloning geneticist (Dr. Alan Rice) to reverse, or subvert, the most inevitable of human events — death. Along the way she encounters mysterious illegal immigrant, Javier (Jaime Estrada), and the two run away from their respective troubles together, forging an unlikely friendship of circumstance and innate understanding. Running parallel to this central storyline is a tandem of narratives: one, following a down-on-his-luck Native American pottery artist (David Paytiamo) scrambling to find money to send his daughter to college, and the other, a hapless FDA agent (Jason Rosette) tracking down the clone-doctor to break up his illegal operation. The narratives are eventually entwined quite nicely, although the characters aren’t necessarily aware when this happens, which makes it all the better. Rosette’s direction is mostly adept. He employs a number of small touches that bring the film’s mise-en-scène to life. The Southwestern setting properly reflects the desolation and intense desire to seek, which drives virtually every character in the film. The script is surprisingly consistent, with incrementally more substantial setups and payoffs plotted steadily throughout the unfolding story making it clear that a lot of care was taken in the writing process. Although the setting couldn’t be more apt for the players and their stories, the visual composition is noticeably lackluster. This is understandable and quite common in micro-budget films, but minor adjustments in color correction, framing and maybe even different shutter speed, lens filter and video rendering choices may have increased the film’s overall visual appeal. Sub-professional equipment can also artificially diminish an actor’s performance, which may have been the case here. No one stood out as particularly magnetic, though no one was bad enough to the point of distraction either. It would be interesting to see Rosette’s obvious abilities supported by a professional cast and crew and studio-grade equipment. The hook of “Lost in New Mexico” is its human cloning element and the ethical questions that very real dilemma raises. While controversial issues like this are certainly compelling, the film really shines when it explores the emotional implications of such drastic thinking.”Lost in New Mexico” wisely steers clear of the minutiae of genetics and cloning, using that hook as nothing more than a portal into the intimate and heartbreaking sphere of a mother’s loss. Everything else is merely ancillary to that central internal conflict. And though it could have used some minor tweaking, “Lost in New Mexico” is a unique and interesting take on the fluidity of technology versus the recurring commonality of the human condition.
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