Press Release — February 18, 2008
Special Guests announced for 2008 Dawson City International
Film Festival.
The ninth edition of the Dawson City International Short Film Festival
is pleased to announce some of our special guests that will be in attendance
at this years festival.
From the nation’s capital, filmmaker LEE
GORDON DEMARBRE will be hosting a special screening of
his newly completed feature film, THE DEAD SLEEP EASY on Thursday evening.
On Friday afternoon Lee will host a master class and show a rough cut
of his new documentary, VAMPIRO: A CANADIAN VAMPIRE IN MEXICO, which
follows the star of THE DEAD SLEEP EASY on a professional wrestling
tour as he battles the demons of his past and present.
Calgary filmmaker, writer and actress KAREN
HINES brings her short film MY NAME IS POCHSY: AN INDUSTRIAL
FILM to the festival. In addition to screening her award winning film,
Karen will be taking part in a Directing Actors in Film workshop. Teaming
up with Yukoners LULU KEATING and CELIA MCBRIDE (who will also be screening
their new films at the festival), this workshop will be an exciting
glimpse into the give, and sometimes take, that occurs between directors
and actors as they play out a scene.
From the land down under, last year’s Best of Fest
Lodestar Award winners DAN MONCEAUX
and EMMA STERLING of Australia
will be the KIAC artists in residence during the festival. The will
be screening their new SUPERMARKET project which includes footage of
their recent North American tour and will possibly include new footage
shot in the Yukon.
Stay tuned for announcements on more guests and fun events
surrounding the festival!
–30–
For more info contact:
Dan Sokolowski
Coordinator
867-993-5005
dawsonarts@yknet.ca
Bios
Lee Demarbre
Lee is a “genre” filmmaker. In 1998, his short
martial arts movie spoof Harry Knuckles garnered attention and led to
longer form versions featuring the Harry Knuckles character. This led
to a debut full-length feature film, Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter
which featured many of the actors from the earlier films. His films have
screened at numerous international festivals, garnering several awards,
including the Spirit of Slamdance Award and have had television broadcasts
with IFC, Scream and Pride TV among others.
After completing his 2nd feature film (Harry Knuckles
and the Pearl Necklace), Demarbre is now editing a dramatic action
feature, The Dead Sleep Easy, (featured on ET Canada)
and a documentary entitled Vampiro, A Canadian Vampire in Mexico.
www.odessafilmworks.com
Karen Hines
Karen Hines is an award-winning writer, performer and
director in theatre, television and film. She is the author of Hello...Hello
(A Romantic Satire) and The Pochsy Plays, both published
by Coach House Books. Her plays have been presented internationally
and the latter book was finalist for the Governor General’s Award
for Drama. Karen has also performed in numerous film and television projects,
including three seasons on Ken Finkleman’s Emmy award-winning
satire ‘The Newsroom.’ She is currently developing
her own satire for television, Li’l Bitch and a feature
film, Crazy Like a Girl.
www.pochsy.org
South Australian Dan Monceaux is a freelance
artist who at the age of 26 has worked in a broad range of media and
is founder of Danimations. He works as a photographer, illustrator,
writer, composer and actor. Some of his works explore art that are grounded
in reality, and others that explore the formal relationships of sound
and moving image. Dan’s script-writing and animation work on ‘Karaoke
Nomad Squad’ won Best Animation and Best Original Screenplay in
the 2004 South Australian Zoom Awards, produced in partnership with
the Adelaide based group, the People’s Republic of Animation.
This work was followed by a short animation ‘Coastal Crisis,’
which won him a Special Commendation in the EcoTVC awards.
Emma Sterling is an
accomplished artist, photographer, editor and experimental and documentary
filmmaker. Emma has exhibited photographic work in thirteen group exhibitions,
including short films in numerous exhibitions during SALA Festival in
August 2006 and 2007. She has enjoyed working as a part of a team on
various short films in different crew roles, as well as autonomously
on her solo work.
In the past few years Dan Monceaux
and Emma Sterling have been working on a number of
experimental audiovisual works. Their 16 minute experimental documentary
short ‘A Shift in Perception’, shot entirely on Super8 film
is currently completing a successful international film festival and
gallery circuit, including screenings in over thirty countries. The
film has won awards in Australia, the USA, the UK, France, Mexico and
Canada (including four for ‘Best Film’) and has toured the
USA with the prestigious Black Maria Film & Video Festival. Supported
by the Southern Australian Youth Arts Board and the Southern Australian
Film Corporation respectively, Dan and Emma attended the International
Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam last November where ‘A Shift
in Perception’ enjoyed its international premiere.
(www.danimations.com.au)
