Author Archive

MVAAFF: Now in 3D

Tuesday, March 27th, 2012

2011 marked the third consecutive year Saatchi & Saatchi sponsored the NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE Producer’s Award at the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival. This award celebrates the indomitable spirit of Independent Filmmakers, whose achievements often defy the laws of both finance and physics. Their passion, persistence and vision are the very essence of ‘Nothing is Impossible.’

And so we ask you to join us this Friday for our 6th NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE Award Screening Series from the 2011 Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival. This week’s film is Take Too Long (trt 17 min), a beautiful and haunting animated short centered on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. To add to the excitement, we’ll be screening the film twice, both of which will be projected in awesome 3D!

ABOUT TAKE TOO LONG
This film depicts the wake of Hurricane Katrina where a young couple tries to reunite with a lost father, and while doing so witness the panoramic specter of destruction and destitution that was New Orleans. The director, Kwesi Davis, went from writing software for the gaming industry to NYU’s film school, before leaving early to join Pixar’s animation studio. His Nothing Is Impossible film utilized all those skills to tell the story New Orleans/Katrina story in a unique and memorable way.

THE DETAILS
To join us for this very special premier and participate in a Q & A with director/ producer Kwesi Davis please see info below:

When: Friday, March 30th
Where: Boardroom
RSVP: Email Danica Rosen
Screening times: 12-1pm or 1:30-2:30 (max 25 people per screening)

Lunch will be served.

See you in the screening room!

Category: Events, Film & Television

Infiltrating Hollywood

Tuesday, February 14th, 2012

'Spook Who Sat by the Door' Author Sam Greene and film director the late Ivan Dixon on set 1973

2011 marked the third consecutive year Saatchi & Saatchi sponsored the NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE Producer’s Award at the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival. This award celebrates the indomitable spirit of Independent Filmmakers, whose achievements often defy the laws of both finance and physics. Their passion, persistence and vision are the very essence of ‘Nothing is Impossible.’

We are pleased to present the fifth installment in our 2011 series of the ‘Nothing is Impossible’ Producers Award Finalists’ Screenings.  On February 16th from 11:45am-2pm in the Board Room, we present the documentary film Infiltrating Hollywood: The Rise and Fall of the ‘Spook Who Sat By the Door’ (Sandwich lunch served, RSVP via email here).

Infiltrating Hollywood: The Rise and Fall of the ‘Spook Who Sat By the Door’ (TRT 104min) reveals how the revolutionary 1973 film “The Spook Who Sat By The Door” horrified J. Edgar Hoover and explores how the FBI methodically expunged the film from memory.

See you in the screening room!

Category: Events, Film & Television

Counterfeit

Monday, January 9th, 2012

2011 marked the third consecutive year Saatchi & Saatchi has sponsored the NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE Producer’s Award at the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival. This award celebrates the indomitable spirit of Independent Filmmakers, whose achievements often defy the laws of both finance and physics. Their passion, persistence and vision are the very essence of ‘Nothing is Impossible.’

We are pleased to present the fourth installment in our 2011-12 series of the ‘Nothing is Impossible’ Producers Award Finalists’ Screenings.  On January 11th from 12-1:30pm in the Board Room, we present the short film Counterfeit (TRT 16 min), followed by a discussion with the producer/director Geoff Bailey (Sandwich lunch served, RSVP: Danica Rosen).

Counterfeit is a voyeuristic snapshot of the underground trade in counterfeit goods plied by West African peddlers in New York’s Chinatown. Counterfeit lifts the veil on the ad hoc morality behind crafty commerce.

See you in the screening room!

Category: Events, Film & Television

MVAAFF: The Barber of Birmingham

Monday, December 5th, 2011

2011 marks the third consecutive year Saatchi & Saatchi has sponsored the NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE Producer’s Award at the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival. This award celebrates the indomitable spirit of Independent Filmmakers, whose achievements often defy the laws of both finance and physics. Their passion, persistence and vision are the very essence of ‘Nothing is Impossible.’

We are pleased to present the third installment in our 2011 series of the ‘Nothing is Impossible’ Producers Award Finalists’ Screenings.  On December 7th from 12-1:00pm in the Board Room, we present the short documentary The Barber of Birmingham; directors/producers Gail Dolgin and Robin Fryday (Sandwich lunch served, RSVP w/ Danica Rosen).

This documentary film depicts the journey and struggle for human and civil rights in America through the eyes of an almost overlooked foot soldier; the unassuming James Armstrong The Barber of Birmingham (TRT 25min).

See you in the screening room!

Take a peek at photographs captured during our November screening of the film Flat-Tire, with guest speaker director/writer Machua Koinange:

Photo Cred: Ryan Fitch (under each photo taken from last screening)

Category: Events, Film & Television, New York

MVAAFF: Flat Tire

Tuesday, November 8th, 2011

2011 marks the third consecutive year Saatchi & Saatchi has sponsored the NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE Producer’s Award at the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival. This award celebrates the indomitable spirit of Independent Filmmakers, whose achievements often defy the laws of both finance and physics. Their passion, persistence and vision are the very essence of ‘Nothing is Impossible.’

We are pleased to present the second installment in our 2011 series of the ‘Nothing is Impossible’ Producers Award Finalists’ Screenings.  On November 20th from 12-1:30pm in the Board Room, we present the short film Flat-Tire (TRT 24 min), followed by a discussion with the producer/director Machua Koinange (Sandwich lunch served, RSVP w/ Danica Rosen).

Flat-Tire is a testament to strong narrative overcoming a suicidal production budget. The film cleaver weaving of stereotypes and rug pulls. Three buddies pull over to assist a stranded well-heeled woman. As her tire gets repaired, the trio debates the merits of mercy versus mercenary.  Mercy triumphs… or does it?

See you in the screening room!

Category: Events, Film & Television, New York

Got Film?

Monday, October 17th, 2011

2011 marks the third consecutive year Saatchi & Saatchi has sponsored the NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE Producer’s Award at the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival. This award celebrates the indomitable spirit of Independent Filmmakers, whose achievements often defy the laws of both finance and physics. Their passion, persistence and vision are the very essence of ‘Nothing is Impossible.’

We are pleased to present six finalists and the winner of the 2011 Saatchi NOTHING IS IMPOSSBILE Producer’s award at the agency throughout the months of October to April.

You are cordially invited to the second installment of our series of the ‘Nothing is Impossible’ Producers Award Finalists’ Screenings. Beginning on October 19th from 12-2pm in the Atrium Board Room, with the presentation of the documentary Separate but Equal followed by a discussion with the producer/director Shawn D. Wilson. (Sandwich lunch served, RSVP: Danica.Rosen@saatchiny.com).

Separate but Equal’s off-screen biography and on-screen narrative unquestionably, without doubt, embodies the spirit of ‘Nothing is Impossible.’ Through the long forgotten photographs taken by Rev. Anderson, filmmaker Shawn D. Wilson provides a rare portrait of a thriving African-American middle class community in Mississippi during the Civil Rights Era.

Trailer’s above. See you in the screening room!

Category: Events, Film & Television, New York

MVAAFF

Monday, August 22nd, 2011

For the third consecutive year Saatchi & Saatchi New York has sponsored the NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE Producer’s award at the 9th annual Run & Shoot film works Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival.  The award represents a continuing commitment to engaging in a dialogue with filmmakers of color.

This year the Saatchi jury was challenged to select one winner out of 7 outstanding finalists. The selection ranged from short films like Flat-Tire, Counterfeit, and Take too Long that captivated the jury with unique styles of story telling and beautiful imagery. To Documentaries like Separate but Equal, Furious Force of Rhymes and The Barber of Birmingham that enlightened us on the anthropology of the last American century.

The Saatchi jury finally settled on one of the most unique stories presented to us. There is just no denying that the documentary INFILTRATING HOLLYWOOD: The Rise and Fall of ‘The Spook Who Sat By The Door,’ is the literal embodiment of the credo Nothing is Impossible.

The winning producers Christine Acham and Clifford Ward brought us the author Sam Greene’s story. We see how in 1973 Sam saw his controversial and revolutionary novel, ‘The Spook Who Sat by the Door,’ go from best seller to Hollywood film adaption to the government black list. The film ‘The Spook By the Door’ was only in theaters for a week before being shelved by the FBI. And now 28 years later his story is being told, the film was re-mastered and is now finally available for public viewing.

To find out more about our finalists and 2011 winner please come to our October in-house screenings of their films, which is followed by a Q & A with the producers and directors.

In addition to presenting our NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE Producer’s Award, Sheldon Levy, the curator of our award, also presented the workshop, ‘This is How We Do It,’ an interactive, hands on, exploration of commercial production. Participants had the opportunity to follow a commercial from concept to shooting to finishing. They also learned the ‘rules of the road’ for choosing the appropriate director for a commercial.

We were also proud to present for the very first time, the designation of ‘artist in residence’ to a finalist from last year, the talented Bree Newsome who directed the short WAKE. She will live with us here at Saatchi for several months of observing and absorbing our creative process. From our house she will then move to a major production company for an equal amount of time as our sponsored artist.

A special thank you to our Jury and the entire Saatchi community for its continued support of the festival.

Category: Events, Film & Television, Our People

Final MVAAFF Screening Today

Wednesday, November 10th, 2010

The Nothing Is Impossible Producers' Award Finalists w/ SaatchiNY's Sheldon Levy

SaatchiNY has sponsored the NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE Producer’s Award at the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival for the past two years. The MVAAFF initiative is very near and dear to my heart. It has been a true pleasure screening these films. The triumphs and hardships the filmmakers experienced in their quest to make their vision come to life on screen are truly inspiring.

This year we kicked it up a notch, bringing  the Producer’s Award Finalist Screening Series to Hudson/Houston for the first time ever. Today we’re screening the fourth and final film in the series. Introducing, the feature Joy Road, an engrossing story that captures the struggle a public defender faces when he represents a reputed leader of a notorious gang in a high profile murder trial (Running Time 88 minute).

The Screening will run from 5:30-8:00pm in the 16th Floor  Boardroom off the Atrium

As we take a look back at the series, I thought it would be cool to get a feel for people’s reactions to the series, step-by-step, film-by-film.

THE JUDGING PROCESS

As a society, we learn so much about ourselves through the film medium and the African American perspective lends great insight into what it means to be a multi-cultural nation. The films we have seen have surprised and moved us and capture the epic meaning of our shared experience. I anticipate more extraordinary stories from MVAAFF that will open my mind to ideas

-  Steve Mitsch, SVP Creative Director & SaatchiNY Film Jury Member

In addition to being an excellent way to introduce new creative talent to the agency, the screenings have also helped build Saatchi culture by giving us all a reason to take a break and hangout together.

– Kwame Taylor-Hayford, VP SISOMO Producer

Each of the screenings featured a fresh, original cinematic experience and engaging storytelling. Followed by inspiring and surprisingly personal Q&A sessions with the filmmakers. I’m glad I went.

– John Sullivan, Creative Director

FILM #1 – RACE

We kicked off this series on October 8th with the documentary Race, produced and directed by Katherine Cecil. The film was an instant success, engaging the SaatchiNY audience in the racial and class politics of the highly mediated post-Katrina mayoral election.

As a foreigner who was living in another country while this mayoral election took place, the documentary Race was hugely educational and eye opening. It had me gripped from first minute to last. Great work.

- John Doris, Producer

FILM #2 – THE ROE EFFECT

Next in our program was this year’s winner of the NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE Producer’s Award. The Roe Effect, screened October 19th, is a poignant love story of a girl who must choose between exposing a painful truth or losing the girls she loves. It is a graphic short that really entrances you, to the point where you want to look away but can’t.

The Roe Effect was beyond words. I stopped breathing a couple times while watching because it was that captivating and thought provoking. I truly enjoy films that elicit emotion out of me and this film did that to the umpteenth degree. Kudos to Kiel Scott and his talented team!

- Ashley Johns, Account Leadership

FILM #3 – WAKE
Our third installment, Wake, had a Halloween vibe and thus screened October 27th.  This short is an eerie gothic tale of a woman who uses murder and folk magic to eliminate a domineering father and to create a perfect lover.

I was really surprised- shocked actually- by the level of film-making skill and vision. There’s some scary young talent out there.

- Eric Korte, Head of Music Department

Wake has definitely been a fan favorite, despite the technical difficulty that we experienced. The technical glitches reoccurred so often that we had to go offline twice and then reboot on a lap top. Oy Vey! But our SaatchiNY audience stuck with us, and we had a great Q & A with the lovely Bree Newsome.

JOIN US

Come and enjoy this very special experience. We have food, we have drinks. We’ll have fun. And above all come and meet the filmmakers whose creative process often defies the laws of both finance and physics, and thus truly captures the spirit of Nothing is Impossible.

Thank you to everyone for your support on this project.

Category: Creative, Events, Film & Television