pengwen
02-16-2006, 03:51 AM
http://www.steppinoutnewmexico.com/images/white-sands4c2.jpg
By Ben Moffett
© 2006 Ben Moffett - Permission to Reprint Granted
Alamogordo: February 16 - It's not Sundance yet, nor is it Cannes or Venice or any of the places known for their film festivals and the concurrent influx of celebrities and tourists who are lured by emerging artistic achievement and grand entertainment.
But the White Sands Film Festival at Alamogordo, just completing its second year of existence, could become one of those places. After all Sundance was unheard of when it debuted in 1978, and didn't really get up-and-running until Robert Redford lent his name and reputation to it in the mid-80s.
The White Sands Festival gets its name from the premier tourist feature in the area, which also just happens to be one of the most pristine places to film in the country -- the gypsum sand shifting endlessly and quickly covering all indication of human presence.
And the entire surrounding area -- the Tularosa Basin -- is equally enticing to filmmakers, thanks to the stark northern Chihuahuan Desert and the towering mountains at its edges, such as snow-capped Sierra Blanca. There are even lava beds in the area for those never-ending chase scenes that Hollywood directors love so much.
Those features, along with a favorable climate and friendly folks, have made the area a target for movie makers for decades. Remember the opening scene from "Convoy," featuring the C.W. McCall country song of the same name and starring Ali MacGraw and Kris Kristofferson? Or the 1988 movie, "Young Guns," with Emilio Estevez as William (Billy the Kid) Bonney? Or "White Sands," a 1992 Warner Brothers production?
But the White Sands Festival is much more than exploiting Otero County's natural beauty by luring the glitterati to Alamogordo, according to festival director Joan Griggs.
It's billed as a "family festival" where mom, dad and the kids can have a great time while enjoying a medium that allows them to be viewers or producers, thanks to new technology. Alamogordo is also a natural for a film festival, because, for a small town, it has great facilities including the 675-seat Flickinger Theater for Performing Arts and an IMAX theater, The Tombaugh, which will feature the New Mexico premiere of "Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon," during the 2006 festival which runs from Thursday, Feb. 23 (yes, it's right on top of us!) through Feb. 26. You can inquire or buy tickets for any of these events here (http://flickinger.ticketforce.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=17&c=7).
"Magnificent Desolation" is produced and narrated by Academy Award winning actor Tom Hanks. "Only 12 people have walked on the moon," notes Griggs, "and this movie will take you to the surface of the moon to walk alongside those extraordinary Apollo astronauts."
In fact, one Apollo astronaut, Walt Cunningham (see NASA bio here (http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/cunningham-w.html)), who has spent 263 hours in space, will also be on hand for the event.
The Hanks' movie is but one of many that will show during the festival. Among them is a set of British short films, one of which is the 2005 winner of the BAFTA award for short film. The British films were sent in exchange for the winners at the White Sands Festival.
Of course, one couldn't have a film festival without competition and there is a $1000 prize for the "Best of the Festival" and another $1000, donated by the Women's History Committee in Alamogordo, for the best film by a woman director or producer.
Perhaps equally entertaining during the second annual festival will be some remarkably low-budget films, under five minutes in length and produced by local filmmakers. The only content requirements, aside from being suitable for "family viewing," is that they the films include a bear (yes, a teddy bear or a bear on a highway sign is fine) and include the line "9000 feet above stress level," somewhere in the script.
Entry forms for the competition can be picked up between 8 and 10 a.m., Wedneday, Feb. 22, 2006. The entry fee is $10. Filming will take place all day Wednesday. The final product must be on a mini-DV tape.
Further details and the particulars on such things as fees, charges, and an hour by hour schedule can be found at the White Sands Film Festival website. The address is www.whitesandsfilmfestival.com/ (http://www.whitesandsfilmfestival.com/).
"If you've never been to a film festival before, bring your family and make this your first," said Griggs of the Otero County Film Office. "It's a weekend for the whole family to enjoy. Film screenings, children's events, receptions and seminars have been planned for both filmmakers and festival participants, and tours and transportation to screenings are also available."
(Ben Moffett is a San Antonio, N.M., native and free lance writer. Read his story, "Jane Russell Once Called Socorro Home (http://www.steppinoutnewmexico.com/modules.php?name=News&file=showarticle&threadid=109)", right here on this Steppin'Out website. You can also visit his website, www.BenMoffett.com (http://www.benmoffett.com/) to enjoy more of his articles on New Mexico people, events and attractions.)
By Ben Moffett
© 2006 Ben Moffett - Permission to Reprint Granted
Alamogordo: February 16 - It's not Sundance yet, nor is it Cannes or Venice or any of the places known for their film festivals and the concurrent influx of celebrities and tourists who are lured by emerging artistic achievement and grand entertainment.
But the White Sands Film Festival at Alamogordo, just completing its second year of existence, could become one of those places. After all Sundance was unheard of when it debuted in 1978, and didn't really get up-and-running until Robert Redford lent his name and reputation to it in the mid-80s.
The White Sands Festival gets its name from the premier tourist feature in the area, which also just happens to be one of the most pristine places to film in the country -- the gypsum sand shifting endlessly and quickly covering all indication of human presence.
And the entire surrounding area -- the Tularosa Basin -- is equally enticing to filmmakers, thanks to the stark northern Chihuahuan Desert and the towering mountains at its edges, such as snow-capped Sierra Blanca. There are even lava beds in the area for those never-ending chase scenes that Hollywood directors love so much.
Those features, along with a favorable climate and friendly folks, have made the area a target for movie makers for decades. Remember the opening scene from "Convoy," featuring the C.W. McCall country song of the same name and starring Ali MacGraw and Kris Kristofferson? Or the 1988 movie, "Young Guns," with Emilio Estevez as William (Billy the Kid) Bonney? Or "White Sands," a 1992 Warner Brothers production?
But the White Sands Festival is much more than exploiting Otero County's natural beauty by luring the glitterati to Alamogordo, according to festival director Joan Griggs.
It's billed as a "family festival" where mom, dad and the kids can have a great time while enjoying a medium that allows them to be viewers or producers, thanks to new technology. Alamogordo is also a natural for a film festival, because, for a small town, it has great facilities including the 675-seat Flickinger Theater for Performing Arts and an IMAX theater, The Tombaugh, which will feature the New Mexico premiere of "Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon," during the 2006 festival which runs from Thursday, Feb. 23 (yes, it's right on top of us!) through Feb. 26. You can inquire or buy tickets for any of these events here (http://flickinger.ticketforce.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=17&c=7).
"Magnificent Desolation" is produced and narrated by Academy Award winning actor Tom Hanks. "Only 12 people have walked on the moon," notes Griggs, "and this movie will take you to the surface of the moon to walk alongside those extraordinary Apollo astronauts."
In fact, one Apollo astronaut, Walt Cunningham (see NASA bio here (http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/cunningham-w.html)), who has spent 263 hours in space, will also be on hand for the event.
The Hanks' movie is but one of many that will show during the festival. Among them is a set of British short films, one of which is the 2005 winner of the BAFTA award for short film. The British films were sent in exchange for the winners at the White Sands Festival.
Of course, one couldn't have a film festival without competition and there is a $1000 prize for the "Best of the Festival" and another $1000, donated by the Women's History Committee in Alamogordo, for the best film by a woman director or producer.
Perhaps equally entertaining during the second annual festival will be some remarkably low-budget films, under five minutes in length and produced by local filmmakers. The only content requirements, aside from being suitable for "family viewing," is that they the films include a bear (yes, a teddy bear or a bear on a highway sign is fine) and include the line "9000 feet above stress level," somewhere in the script.
Entry forms for the competition can be picked up between 8 and 10 a.m., Wedneday, Feb. 22, 2006. The entry fee is $10. Filming will take place all day Wednesday. The final product must be on a mini-DV tape.
Further details and the particulars on such things as fees, charges, and an hour by hour schedule can be found at the White Sands Film Festival website. The address is www.whitesandsfilmfestival.com/ (http://www.whitesandsfilmfestival.com/).
"If you've never been to a film festival before, bring your family and make this your first," said Griggs of the Otero County Film Office. "It's a weekend for the whole family to enjoy. Film screenings, children's events, receptions and seminars have been planned for both filmmakers and festival participants, and tours and transportation to screenings are also available."
(Ben Moffett is a San Antonio, N.M., native and free lance writer. Read his story, "Jane Russell Once Called Socorro Home (http://www.steppinoutnewmexico.com/modules.php?name=News&file=showarticle&threadid=109)", right here on this Steppin'Out website. You can also visit his website, www.BenMoffett.com (http://www.benmoffett.com/) to enjoy more of his articles on New Mexico people, events and attractions.)